Username; PhantomETC
Name; Galena Marianne
Story about how she lost her leg; "Many years ago, there was a dreaded war raging on against two Hyenea packs. Both sides had been butting heads over territory for as long as anyone could remember, and many were attacked if found near the borderlines. I was just a girl at the time, hardly in my early teens, when an enemy patrol invaded our territory. My mother fought hard trying to protect me, and while she succeeded in that, she made the sacrifice of her own life in doing so. I was devastated. My mother had been the only one who truly cared for me ever since my father passed on, and now that she was gone, I literally had nothing left but my pride.
"And I wouldn't let that go so easily..."
Fast forward about ten years. Galena is now twenty-three years old, and enrolling herself in the army for the war."At first, they were reluctant to let a female join their ranks. At that time, they thought that women were only tools - tools to ensure the survival of the species. Yes, it was a lot different back then. But I was determined to enlist myself in the army. I made a bet with the commanding officer: if I could beat him in combat, then he would let me join. If I could not, I'd leave and not return. Our battle waged on for a long time, neither one of us giving in at any costs. All the stops were pulled out; we weren't about to let the other win. I guess it was sheer luck that I managed to get the final blow in - he'd pinned me, and left his stomach wide open for me to attack. I kicked my back paws with all my might and managed to throw him off. He let out a wild shriek as he fell on his back, and I raced over, claws unsheathed, and began scratching and biting him, determination gleaming in my eyes. He screamed and quickly surrendered. I had beaten him. I was now enrolled in the army.
"Training went on as normal, save for the fights. The men in my troop were astounded to have a female in their ranks, and wanted to truly test how tough I was. Each time, they'd run off, tails tucked between their legs. At the time, I wasn't that social. I hardly cared about anything or anyone. All I cared about was the blood of my mother's killers staining my claws and teeth. I was determined to have revenge, and that, eventually, led to my downfall.
"The men, after seeing how fierce I was in battle, began to respect me. They'd begun to realize that I wasn't there to be their maid, and found that, when not in battle, I was good company - save for my sassy remarks and bad attitude. But the man who was most impressed with me was the commanding officer. We'd grown close; you'd have thought we were brother and sister, the way we bantered and bickered. He had my back, and I had his.
"Then came the day of my last battle."
Skip a few years; Galena is now twenty-six, and is on her way to the enemy camp with her troop and commanding officer."The trek had started out normally, but grew more and more peculiar as we went on. Usually, a patrol or two would've passed by, but alas, no enemy Hyeneas were anywhere to be seen. I didn't pay much mind to it; nor did the men. But our commanding officer grew nervous, impatient. His eyes kept darting back and forth, watching alertly as if the enemy would pop out from anywhere. I walked up beside him and placed my paw on his; he quickly pulled his away and continued walking. I was confused, to say the least, and called out his name. He looked back with eyes that held mixed emotions. Mainly, I saw anger, but there was a hint of fear... What did he have to be scared of?
"'Hush, Galena!' he growled at me, a livid look on his face. 'Or better yet, talk louder. I don't think our enemy heard you.' I glared right back at him and spat out some rude remark, to which he turned and began walking faster. I looked back towards the men, who were watching us closely, and chuckled, telling them that he must've woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Some laughed nervously; most remained quiet.
"We continued walking for about another mile when suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes ahead. Our commanding officer immediately halted, tail raised, fur bristling. I unsheathed my claws and bared my fangs, and before I knew it, there were dozens of enemy Hyeneas racing out towards our troop. It was a set up! They somehow knew we would be here, and they were waiting for us. We were sitting ducks.
"All the men of that troop fought bravely that day. I'm proud to say I knew them. I considered them as close as brothers, so you could imagine my horror when many of them were slain in battle. I fought hard, trying to save them, but unfortunately, Lady Luck was not smiling down on me.
"I looked over to my commanding officer, about to tell him that we had to retreat, when I saw a large, black and white male pinning him down. In a blind burst of fury, I bolted towards the two and slammed into the male, looking back for a split second to tell my commanding officer to run.
"When I turned back to the black and white male, all I saw were his claws raking down on me before I blacked out."
Timeskip to three days after the battle. Galena is in the medical den of her territory. Her commanding officer and most of her troop are dead, and she is missing her right front leg."When I awoke that day, the first thing I realized, when sitting up, is that my leg was gone. Naturally, I panicked. Thinking it was just a bad dream, I continued to scream until two young female Hyeneas raced over to my side and tried to reassure me that I was fine. They reminded me of the battle, and the first thing that came to mind was of the men in my troop. I repeatedly asked where they were; if my commanding officer was alright. The two females exchanged a pitiful look, and that's when I realized that this war had taken its toll.
"Merely five days after that fateful battle, the war ended with a peace treaty. I had grown sour and distant, but eventually became who I am today. I refuse to let the anger take over my life, as it had once before. Hatred was what got us into that mess, and love was the only thing that would get us out of it."
Art; Once Upon a Time... (1 hour, 50 minutes) |
Anthro (37 minutes, 44 seconds)
Theme Song; "So Small" by Carrie Underwood.Temporary Ask Page; clickComic; clickGood luck to my fellow competitors~ c: