Username:
x Alpha Wolf x
Gender:
Male
Name:
Jeptha Baylock
Jeptha means "He will open", which in the case of this pup refers to his creative, inventive spirit of discovery, as well as a strong faith to a god or gods that he trusts will help him.
Age:
1 year, 5 months
Element:
Earth
Regiment:
Regiment of Thunderous Earthquakes -- Special Attack Force
Rank:
Member
Armor:
Second picture *cringes*
Backstory:
The Fight
Jeptha stood, tail stiff, watching his sister. "No! I'm not doing that," he sighed. This was the fourth argument this week over whether they should attend training or not. "We need to go!" he said, getting more agitated.
"No we don't. No one will notice if we're gone, " she argued, giving him a withering look.
“Yes they will, we need to go...”
“No Jeptha, they won’t.” she snapped.
Jeptha hissed softly to himself, "Stubborn...."
"What did you call me?! Just because I don't always do exactly what mum and dad say, just because I'm not little Mr perfect like you.... "
Jeptha spun away from her, "Fine! Get in trouble! See how I care! I'm going." He stormed off.
Behind him, his sister called out, "Following the rules is only going to bite you on the butt one day!"
"I don't follow the rules! I follow MY rules!" he said, before breaking into a lope to distance himself. Just because she thinks she's better than me... He grumbled, pounding off into the distance. But deep down in his heart he was sad. Tears began to blur his vision as he drew further away from his sister, both physically, but also emotionally. The outburst of anger was unlike him, and it hurt him to snap at her, but it was too late to regret it now.
--
The Machine
Sitting in the back of an abandoned cave, Jeptha Baylock was busy. Unusually shaped pieces of metal, wood, stone and various plants lay strewn around him. Water dripped down the wall, echoing in the confined space. Jeptha leaned forward and cautiously touched a paw to the construction that perched precariously on the ground in front of him, his nineteenth invention. He cocked his head to the side and placed a slither of stone between two pieces of twine. This was the trigger. If all went well, when the trigger was flicked, the machine would come to life. Bright sparks would shoot across the sky. The string would tug a piece of flint across some metal, sparking a train of twine alight. This led to 25 small stone bowls, each with a grey powder in them. Fireworks. Amara sat behind him silently, yet he could feel her intelligent gaze on his back. “Jeptha, you know what you’re doing right?”
Jeptha looked over his shoulder at the older WOI, “Yes, it’ll be fine Amara!! I know what I’m doing.”
“Well let’s take it outside just in case...”
“No, I don’t want anyone to see it before I’m done!!!”
“Jeptha.....”
Jeptha grumbled and nodded, knowing she wouldn’t give in. He picked up a rope in his mouth, and kicked his shell collection to the side. He began to pull the machine towards the cave exit.
“Jeptha look out!!!”
The machine slid sideways into the stone wall, and small pieces of bone tumbled down off a shelf onto the machine. Jeptha froze, and the trigger fell off the string. A sudden spark lit up. Jeptha stumbled backwards, yelping and tripping over his big paws.
“Jeptha what on earth have you done...” Amara said, grabbing his scruff in her mouth, and as she sprinted out of the cave, explosions of colour and light chased them through the darkness.
--
The Discovery
Jeptha paced between two steep canyon walls of chalky stone, his mind drifting. Idea after idea churned through the cogs of his mind, until when he glanced up from his daydreams he wasn’t actually sure where he was. He frowned, then glanced up at the darkening sky. His ear twitched once, and his frown deepened at the sound of coarse, dark voices echoing from not far back. He caught only a few words of whatever they were discussing, but it was enough to prompt him to take a cautionary stop off in the scrubby undergrowth clinging to the sides of the canyon.
“What if… got there first?”
“That’s… knife… blood. Nobody’s touched it yet.”
Jeptha crouched in the undergrowth, confident the hunters would pass him by right up until the moment they locked their eyes on the very bush he had hidden behind and set course directly for him. He frantically glanced around him, and noticed a small ridge in the cavern wall behind him. Closer inspection revealed a thin pressure plate that clicked into place when he rested his weight on it, causing a thick stone door to slide about a tails length, just enough for him to squeeze through.
He paused a moment to admire the mechanism, but his pursuers saw the door move, and with a frantic rustling of paws and a yelp of surprise they picked up their pace. So did he, tearing through passageways he barely had time to register were smooth walled and laced with mineral veins. He turned based on instinct, moving towards what he hoped was the exit, and gradually began to hear the thudding of pawsteps slip further behind him.
After some time he pulled up before what seemed to be a carved ledge, engraved with runes in some ancient language he vaguely recognised but had no hope of reading. Sitting on the ledge was an odd looking contraption, mostly simple iron, but with unmistakable brass elements and perhaps a little silver. It was round, but hollow, consisting of several part spheres and an odd looking shimmering web in the center. Jeptha carefully reached up and swept the contraption off the ledge, catching it daintily with the ease of someone who is used to handling breakable objects. He studied it for a second, but couldn’t begin to guess at its purpose in the two seconds he had before the shouting began. Cursing his luck under his breath, he sprinted off in a new direction. Now where was he going to put this?
--
Jeptha is an interesting boy. These stories are snippets taken from his earlier days. The characters used could be anyone... If I win I might look for someone to fill those roles. I would assume that the 'Amara' character (just a gap-filler name) would be his mentor. He hasn't had too crazy of a childhood. Being a solitary guy, he didn't have that many close friends. He spends time alone, collecting things and making things (as shown above). He got bullied a bit for his quirks and different coloured eyes, but he's not too easily phased. He passed his initial test easily, showing a good affinity for earth manipulation. His high intelligence and quick thinking put him in the special attack forces division. While his strength is not his prime trait, his mentor soon realised he was smart enough to make up for it. He found training incredibly difficult. Not being the biggest or strongest wolf, he had to work hard to build up the strength needed. It took him around 12 months to finally pass. To make up for his lack in size, he is very fast and agile, which makes him ideal for fast and complicated attacks, along with his heightened senses.
Personality:
Quirky - characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits
Jeptha has a few random traits. His hobbies aren't the usual for young males... He has a habit of collecting odd items that he finds. He likes creating and inventing, or discovering new things. He would rather sit and watch nature, watch the sunset, or stargaze than fight or train. He likes to collect facts, and can be called upon in almost any situation as a walking dictionary. He tends to be a bit awkward, a bit clumsy, a bit random, but by the right wolf, it could be perceived as cute, right?
Amicable - having a spirit of friendliness; without serious disagreement or rancor
Jeptha is a generally friendly wolf. He does not make enemies easily, and gets along with more or less anyone. While quiet and solitary, he doesn't like to drive those away that make an effort with him. He is a gentle soul who wishes peace on most others, so long as they do not harass him or those he cares about.
Tender - showing gentleness and concern or sympathy
Jeptha has a little soft spot for pups or those in need. He doesn't like to see distress or pain in others that he cares about, so will do anything to make them feel better.
Solitary - done or existing alone
Quietness makes Jeptha solitary, though he does not mind. Being alone allows him to think in his own time. It allows him to keep his schedules in place, and it allows him to relax without the constant stress of others as he does not understand them, and therefore doesn't like to engage with them.
Perceptive - having or showing sensitive insight
Jeptha is very aware of his surroundings. While he is not good at reading social situations (not at all), he is very insightful and tactical into logical situations such as attack strategies or plans of action.
Habitual - done or doing constantly or as a habit
Jeptha has his habits established, and follow them to a T. Change distresses him and others interrupting or messing with his pristine schedule frustrates him and can even send him into a panic. If a situation he knows he should be able to manage goes badly wrong, he can get very worried.
Intelligent - having or showing intelligence, especially of a high level
Perhaps Jeptha's strongest trait - his mind. While he does not speak much, his mind is always at work. When he does talk, it is usually deep or well thought out.
Analytical - relating to or using analysis or logical reasoning
Speaking of well thought out, Jeptha is an analyst at heart. He analyses other wolves (though he does not understand them one bit), he analyses situations (and comes out with brilliant conclusions) and he analyses nature (hence the large amounts of bird-watching and collecting odd things to look at and decipher).
Decisive - settling an issue; producing a definite result
Jeptha has his set of moral rules that he follows all of the time. A constant set of rights and wrongs that he quickly bases all of his decisions on. Once his mind has been made up, almost no one can convince him otherwise.
(Name header generated at fontmeme.com)
