Link to previous forms (in order):
Round 1Round 2Do you wish to make a change to your character?: Nope; I'm totally fine with the traits that I have listed!
If so, what?: N/A
Why did you choose to make that change?: N/A
One piece of art that shows a "different side" or a "dark side" of your character:
Click for a bigger version|Art by me
Features traits:
Deceptive & adventurous + a darker side to them as opposed to how happy and free they were when they were younger
Story:
When I was a young boy, family meant everything to me as it did to many other people throughout this world. I grew up in France with two loving parents and five older sisters. I, along with my mother and my sisters, was familiar with France, having been born and raised in the large, bustling city full of promise, hope, and sincere affection. On the other hand, my father was born and raised in a distant country in Eastern Asia; only later in his life did he decide to pursue the lengthy travel all the way across the continent to live in France, where he soon met my mother thanks to fate. I knew very little about my father aside from the fact that his job was a fairly dangerous one, but it paid extremely well to the point where we could live without fear of starvation. Even my mother admitted that she knew very little about him, but regardless, she continued to love and appreciate him every day, so we did our best to do the same.
My father, although born in an entirely different country, knew how to speak French and English surprisingly well. Against my mother’s wishes and behind her back, he would take me aside to teach me English as often as he could. While my sisters were home schooled by my mother, my father took me under his wing to teach me, claiming that I did not need to go to school as he could teach me much better than any simple teacher. He showed more interest in me than any of my sisters, always going on about how I was a blessing in disguise for him whenever the rest of my family was not around. I never questioned him why he didn’t love my sisters as much as he appreciated me, as I thought it would anger him or harm him: two things that I’ve never wanted to do to him as a kid. I was very obedient as a child; I was always told that elders deserved to be treated with kindness and respect by both of my parents. When my sisters would learn French from my mother, my father would teach me English. My sisters learned how to cook, sew, wash clothes, and other necessities in life all while my father taught me how to climb, run, fight, and defend myself. I admit now that I was envious of my sisters. Even though I was the youngest child, I felt that I also deserved to learn important life lessons with my siblings instead of frivolous, unnecessary lessons about scaling buildings or shimmying up poles. But still, regardless of how I felt, I continued to follow my father’s instructions and teachings. I only hoped that his lessons would lead to some sort of father and son adventure one day.
As I grew older, my father’s instructed training became more difficult and stricter. I felt like a baby bird being kicked from the family nest; I felt that I couldn’t fly yet and that I would surely fall into a fatal descent. My harsh training resulted in me collapsing from absolute exhaustion and embedding feelings of doubt and worthlessness into my entire being. He pondered if he made an incorrect decision in believing he could make me fit his ideals. My childhood was taken away from me by a father who I honestly thought cared about me and the rest of my family. I went through the many stages of grief very quickly, and I accepted the fact that I couldn’t be the son my father wanted me to be.
I went behind his back, ditching our lessons and exercises in order to hang out with friends. I broke many rules that my father had set up on top of me; I wanted to get him back for all the cruel actions he has done against me to harm him emotionally. I lied to his face by feigning illness, only to later disappear into the outside world. I never knew why my father made all of these convoluted rules when I was a child. He was always a stickler for me not developing healthy relationships with other people, saying that it would bring me ultimate misfortune in the very end. He told me multiple times that friendships made one weak, and that the job that he expected me to do when I grew older would not allow any signs of weakness. Even though his words influenced me to despise others and that I had already lost a few friends for various reasons, I still wished I didn’t lash out at him.
When I had turned 17, I recall leaving my home early in the morning without alerting anyone of my leave. I wanted to hang out with a few close friends of mine to forget about my increasing wariness of others; we did stupid things and we dared each other to do even more nonsensical actions that could have gotten us severely injured, regardless of how fun and exciting it was. I ended up coming home late at night that day, as we had to run from guards after pulling a stunt that involved us trespassing. When we arrived, I saw my mother hunched over and shaking uncontrollably. Loud sounds of sobbing, crying, and whimpering could be heard all over the small house. It was certainly an eerie feeling. I approached my mother calmly, thinking that my father had left us to provide for ourselves.
Before I could ask what had happened, my attention was immediately forced downwards as something truly important caught my eye. My supposed friends were immediately spooked. They took off without me noticing, leaving me all by myself with my shaken family. That night, I learned that my father was gone.
My mother urged me to run away. She told me that the guards would mistake me as the criminal of this heinous crime. I had no alibi that I could possibly use; if I were to admit where I was before I came back home, I would surely get into trouble anyways as I had trespassed onto private property. Besides, the guards were notorious for lying in order to receive large sums of money for their work. That moment passed me by like a blur. I rushed into my room to gather as many belongings as possible before running up to my sisters and mother to hug them all goodbye. My mother instructed me on where to go, as well as where she would be if I needed to see her for any reason. She told me to never send a letter unless it was going to be hand delivered by me for she feared the guards would be able to easily track me down with them. I nodded to each and every word she said, and while I struggled to finally leave my family, my mother pushed me out of the house before slamming the door closed. Thoughts of my father flooded my mind, especially his warnings of not trusting anyone. I felt something finally snap inside me; I knew that his lessons were finally usable.
Still, I was scared; I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t even know how to live by myself. I ran off, heading away from the house until I felt that I was a safe enough distance from it. I was still in the town, and I knew that I had to find a way out. My mother had told me to go east from the village’s northern entrance. The only thing was that the village was pitch black and it appeared so different than how it usually looked like when it was daytime. Thankfully, the darkness of the night sky kept me hidden as long as I stayed absolutely quiet. I heard the guards rushing towards my home; I suppose the neighbor that lived beside us overheard what had happened to my father and went on his own way to report it to the authorities. The bright fires that sat upon their torches illuminated their way through the town as I watched them go up and over the bridge nearby.
When I saw only a dull flicker of their torches, I felt safe enough to finally get up and move from my position. It took a while, but I eventually found my way through the shadowy village, ending up at the north gate. The gate itself was closed, and the only way around it was to either climb up or dig under. I exhaled quietly to myself; it was officially time to put to use what my father had taught me. I started to haul myself up. It wasn’t difficult; my body was used to it after all of the years I spent as a child training alongside him. I carefully, but still fairly quickly, scaled the rocky wall, making sure to not accidentally grab onto a loose piece of rock. I needed to get out before someone found me.
Once I had made it to the very top, I was a bit out of breath. There was certainly no way for me to make it down, even with all of the adrenaline pulsing through my body. I looked around eagerly, feeling absolutely anxious. That’s when I spotted a zip line that was illuminated by the moon's glow. I didn’t question whether or not the rope itself would hold me, as it was obviously used to transport solely goods for the soldiers that lived here in the walls. I had to move quick before I was spotted; I removed my leather belt from my pants and swung it over the rope. I wrapped the belt around my paws and wrists before taking a deep breath in and exhaling. I began to ran towards the cliff of the wall, leaping into the air while holding onto the leather belt for dear life.
I felt a sudden and sharp tug on my arms, and while they were admittedly painful, it was a sign that I was indeed absolutely fine. Wind rushed past my face, increasing my adrenaline even more. I wanted to shout out of sheer happiness, but I did my best to keep myself as silent as possible.
Before I knew it, however, the ground was coming at a highly rapid rate towards my feet and tail, causing me to panic; I had forgotten about the landing. Without thinking, I unwound the leather belt around my right wrist and hand and released my tight grip onto it, allowing me to shoot off of the zip line. I tucked myself into a tight ball and I locked my arms over my head, causing my body to roll and bounce across the dirt road. When I had finally stopped, I found myself covered in leaves, mud, bruises, and cuts. I wearily picked myself up before attempting to dust myself off as much as possible. My belongings, although beaten up just as much as I was, was still intact and resting happily on my back. A small smile cropped up on my face. I was certainly happy to be alive after such an ordeal. I began to head east now, in hopes of finding a cave to take temporary shelter in.
As I continued on, I did my best to avoid any contact with people outside of the city’s walls in fear of conversing with them. With my father’s knife in my right hand, I sneaked through the heavily wooded forests that existed in the east. I began to gather sticks, leaves, and berries, just like how my father instructed me to do if I was ever lost in the wilderness. In the middle of my foraging, I was struck with a sudden realization, causing me to stumble backwards and onto my bum.
It was an absolutely wild thought. I had never expected to leave my loving family, especially not so soon, nor did I expect to become a fugitive fleeing from a crime that I didn’t even commit. Heck, it’s safe to say that I would have never expected my life to flip upside down and end up like this in only a day.
But then again, life need to be unexpectable to be exciting, doesn’t it?
Traits featured:
Adventurous, adaptable, deceptive, and begins to show his more introverted side after having it drilled into his being by his father
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I'm totally fine with these short prompts honestly! o-:
