Burn, or freeze? - Adoptions

OOC Name: Lunarcat7
Character Name: Drífa
Age: 5 years
Birth Season: Winter
Design:

Appearance:
At first glance Drífa might appear to be fragile and meek as she stands a mere 27" tall. However, underneath her thick, fluffy coat lies a sturdy and solid frame. Her thick, muscular legs and large solid paws support her stocky build and rounded features. Her little round head boasts a wide muzzle that is shorter and thicker than most but it still delivers a powerful bite that swiftly fells prey. Her small ears are also slightly rounded and so is her tail. Her coat is thick and luxurious, appearing soft and downy despite its woolen thickness, almost like fresh fallen snow.

Like snow glittering on a cloudy winter day Drífa is robed in a coat of the palest silver. Her base coat lightens to a startling white as it begins to shade her powerful legs. Around each wrist and ankle wraps a gauntlet of darker silver. The same color drapes across her upper body and tail. The whole transition of her pelt is soft and subtle. The shades transitioning smoothly into each other. The only strong marking would be the rims of white around each eye that slowly fleck into her coat. Above each eye there is a thumbprint of white. These markings serve to draw attention to her most alluring feature, eyes that shine like moonstones. Drífa's eyes are a soft sky blue that transition rapidly to a rich blue violet around her pupils. The shine with gentle wisdom and sharp perception.

Personality:
Drífa is a strong and determined wolf with the power to persevere in life. She has strong staying power, even when the odds are stacked against her. She isn't the type of wolf to give up or budge from her position when it comes to her principles. She's stubborn and will see things through to the end. Sometimes this isn't always a desirable trait. As she's gotten older Drífa has become more inflexible and set in her ways. She doesn't care much for change and balked at the idea of Eira becoming mated to Mars even if it meant peace. Despite her disproval though, Drífa is a loyal wolf who trusts her leaders and their judgement. Though this doesn't mean she won't kvetch now and then.

Deliberate and methodical, Drífa is slow moving in the way she approaches things.  Don't rush her, it won't work.  She will get there when she gets there and doesn't appreciate being pushed into decisions to quickly.  Drífa is meticulous in the way she makes and executes plans preferring to to be thorough rather than taking unnecessary risks. This can make her seem slow and indecisive but in reality she has a very sharp perception of the world around her.

Being a steady wolf, Drífa is dependable, reliable and never shirks her responsibilities.  However, she strongly prefers to take care of her duties in her own way.  She's lived long enough to feel she's earned a right to do things her way and she will resent any sort of interference.  Not one for fighting or engaging in arguments Drífa prefers to negotiate but when she's pushed to far her explosive temper can come out in full fury. Thankfully, her temper will cool quickly on the occasions when it does flare up.

Compassionate and kind, Drífa is a well-grounded wolf.  She has a keen awareness of her own roots and a humble nature that pushes her to want to help others. A good shoulder to lean on, she has an ability to connect with those of all walks of life and she's always happy to dispense advice and nostalgia in equal measure.  However, she is far from a pushover and is a strong believer in tough love and hard work.

Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Pack position: Priestess of Khione, healer, storyteller
History:
Born during a particularly harsh winter, Drífa's mother gave birth to her and her siblings during a great snowstorm. The wind pushed and churned the snow, causing it to build up against the opening of the densite. For this reason, Drífa, the first born was given her name. Drifting snow. The labor was difficult and their mother passed away. The healer did everything she could but by the time morning dawned, Drífa was the only survivor. The healer, Mábil, took her in and raised the girl as her own.

Drífa was raised early to be a healer but she had always had more of an interest in hunting and fighting. A stubborn child she sought to learn all she could in her area of interest, while begrudgingly learning from her adoptive mother. When Drífa was 6 months old, Mábil disappeared for several weeks. When she finally returned, she returned pregnant.

Drífa wasn't pleased with this new development but tried to help her mother anyway. When it was time for the birthing there were complications and once again, only one of the pups survived. The harsh arctic weather was partly to blame, as was Mábil's weakness. Drífa found herself with a new baby brother, Ingi,  and she quickly developed a resentment towards the pup, feeling that Mábil cared for him more than her adoptive daughter. The annoying nickname of "Driffy" bestowed on her by the pup certainly didn't help her feelings toward him any.

The two grew up side by side, often in contention with each other but eventually Drífa grew to accept her brother. The two grew close and could often be found playing together. Then one day when they were out hunting, Ingi jumped the gun and startled the animals before she and her mother were ready. Her mother suffered a kick to the head and was killed. Distraught and furious, Drífa attacked her brother and chased him away, declaring the death his fault.

In truth though she blamed herself. It was her decision not to continue her mother's wishes to study the healing arts. Drífa decided to rectify this and dove into her studies under one of the other healers. She also took an interest in religion, understanding the importance of pleasing Khione and preventing the dangerous winters that led to so much loss of life.

As conflict with the southern wolves began to heat up she opted to become a priestess of Khione. She spent her days healing the injured and praying for divine intervention. One evening she was tending to a young soldier, Agnarr, and as the two talked through the evening they soon found they had much in common. It wasn't long before they began to fall in love. About the time they sought to marry Agnarr was killed in battle by a southern wolf. Broken-hearted, Drífa closed herself off and focused entirely on her studies.

Not long after the death of Agnarr, Eira struck her deal with Mars and a tentative peace was established between the northern and southern wolves. Drífa was always bitter about it. She wanted nothing to do with the wolves who had killed her mate-to-be for one, but then part of her lamented that if the deal had been established sooner then Agnarr might have been spared his fate. Her emotions on the union remained mixed when Eira bore her children but as a loyal member of the northern wolves she did her best to support the pack.

When Eira disappeared and the union crumbled, Drífa prepared herself for war. Then the reactor blew and she was sent running. The packs scattered and she raced into the lands of Boreas. She now seeks the remnants of the northern wolves, hoping to put her past behind her and settle in a new land where hopefully they will be allowed to live in peace.

RP Sample:
Morning sparkled as the sun rose over freshly fallen snow that lay across the land in layers varying from a few inches to a few feet deep. Drífa was not deterred. Her stocky, muscular body pushed through the snow as she raised her head just a bit higher to prevent the strips of willow bark from dragging through the snow. Winter made gathering difficult but Drífa's stubbornness demanded her routine to continue and a resourceful wolf could always find something of value, even in the barren wastes of a tundra locked in winter's steely grasp.

Shaking the snow from her coat she entered her den, passing various spiritual totems as she moved to the back to lay the strips of bark on an old deer skin for drying. Once she was done she  shifted to lay down and gaze out the opening of her den as she worked pieces of bark out of her teeth. A snowy white rabbit peered at her some distance away before it raced off into the daylight.

Agnarr had always loved chasing rabbits. They'd go hunting together on crisp morning's just like this one, cutting paths through the virgin snow, pretending there was no one else in the world. There was no war on mornings like that. No threat of invasion or death. Just two lovers lost in each other and a world that seemed far more good and pure than it was harsh and ugly.

A call rang out for a healer, likely another wolf down with the flu. Since Eira's deal with Mars she had far fewer battle wounds and for that she could be grateful, even if she didn't know how to feel about the pups and the union in general. She expected it to fall apart as everything did for surely the southern wolves would take this as an opportunity to manipulate the northern queen. She trusted Eira to be wise to this but even so, she had little reason to believe that peace could really last.

Setting a selection of herbs down on a torn piece of cured coyote skin she brought the corners together to form a bundle she could carry. Gently picking it up in her jaws she slipped out of her den and into a waiting world.

Plots:
Drífa is definitely seeking to connect with other northern wolves and she will likely follow whoever she runs into. This goes for Eira's children as well, though somewhat begrudgingly.

She'll likely find a nice place to hole up in northern Boreas where she'll begin to stock up on herbs. At the same time though I think she'll be lured into other areas where there are new herbs and plants to discover.

In addition she'll be seeking a good place to build a shrine to Khione. Now more than ever she's seeking guidance from her goddess and praying for a respite from the northern wolves enemies… or a giant blizzard to wipe their enemies from the face of the earth.

I would like to work in her past with Angarr and Ingi but I haven't decided what yet as I don't know that I want to adopt either character out and I have too many to play them myself. I do think she'll become more spiritually inclined and I may have her see a 'ghost'. It's very undefined yet. I kind of need to see where things go a bit with her before I get some really concrete ideas.

Goals: I really want to up her skill points so they match with the level I feel she's at character wise. She'll likely gain a companion as well. Ultimately I'd like her to end up in a band or pack of northern wolves. Apart from this I don't have anything to add that isn't touched on in plots.