hoirauc (hoy-rawk)

star in the night

personality

selfish: in the sense that - her family is hers, and she will do anything to keep them safe. at the same time she fears losing them, and that led to some strife when they first joined the Pines. to Hoirauc, it felt like Laisihra was leaving her. these days it manifests as a protective nature; Irnhos has done much to teach her how to soften her grip, as has the passage of time.

proud: in a way Hoirauc is matriarch to a good portion of the pack, and she likes the respect that comes with it. she wants her blood to do well, and is pleased to have seen her family prevail so often. this extends to the wider pack as well; Hoirauc considers her trainees the best of wolves, and would not have had them grow into anything less.

trait: text

...........................

history

an uncommon trait runs through Hoirauc's lineage: one eye shines bright as starlight, and the other black as night. it is said to have begun with their founder, whose eyes were just like any other's, until they caught the attention of some god or spirit and were blessed.

Hoirauc herself was born to the descendant of this founder, the current leader of their pack. unusually, her mother had allowed her heir and eldest daughter to take a mate as well, and they had borne their litters close together; Hoirauc and her littermates grew up alongside their sister's pups, and they became close as siblings themselves.

as had many wolves before them, Hoirauc and her closest niece, Laisihra, decided to leave their pack upon adulthood. they travelled from their desert home to new, unknown lands - the swamplands and the boggy grasses, almost entirely the opposite of what they had known before. there they met another dispersal, Irnhos, who Hoirauc found beautiful upon first sight; the three of them stuck together, finding safety in numbers. then Laisihra became pregnant, and Hoirauc began to look forwards: she imagined a pack of their own, a family that she would helm.

it was not to be. Laisihra had her pups, Irnhos became pregnant with her own, and both of them desired the protection of a well-established pack. specifically, the one upon whose borders they lived - the Pines, a huge and sprawling thing that unnerved them as much as it intrigued them. Hoirauc was angered when they told her, snarled that they should go themselves and never dare come back to her. then three of Laisihra's pups were lost at once; when Laisihra and Irnhos were preparing to leave, Hoirauc silently appeared, picked up one of the newborns, and walked with them to the woods.

though she had agreed to come with them, Hoirauc was still unconvinced. for those first moons, she kept largely to herself, preferring to spend her time away from camp and snapping at the Pines who dared approach her. many expected that one day, she would simply disappear when none of them were looking. Hoirauc expected it.

but her nephews, who she continued to watch over - they were less suspicious than she. Halop returned from one lesson wild with excitement, having found a new friend in the Pines' herbalist, who was impressed enough by Halop's work that he asked Laisihra if he could further tutor her son. Laisihra agreed, delighted that Halop was finding his place. Hoirauc was, again, less sure. when Halop and Suhad went out to gather herbs or mix medicines, Hoirauc often "volunteered" to come with them and keep watch for danger.

with the progression of time, she found herself surprised by Suhad's kindness to Halop - and to her, in the few opportunities she gave him. Her suspicion had been that the Pines would take their pups and cast the parents out, but Suhad made every effort to include Hoirauc too, where he could. despite herself, she began to like him. and, when Halop came of age and was announced the herbalist's successor… there were no jeers or jibes from the pack, no complaint, and no dismissal of the Brighteye dispersals now that their pups were of the Pines in full. Halop had made friends among his burrow-mates, the denminders, even some of the younger trainees. when Hoirauc looked at Laisihra and Irnhos, she realised that they too had formed bonds with their new packmates - and she wondered if perhaps it was time she made some new friends, too.

...........................

relationships

Laisihra: niece, but of a similar age, and close as littermates.

Irnhos: mate. they met as dispersals, and though there were some rocky moments in their courtship, mostly Hoirauc just thought she was - well, the exact opposite of herself. Irnhos was all water, graceful and intimidating, and Hoirauc was the desert: difficult and coarse. but Irnhos saw Hoirauc's beauty, even if it was an unusual one. and she taught Hoirauc to see it, too.

Halop: nephew. her sister's firstborn son, the only one who remains, and Hoirauc is as protective and proud of him as she is all her own children.

Aiurnus: daughter.

Kinawun: son.

Siwur: son.

Henigril: daughter. it would never occur to Hoirauc that Henigril was anything different from the rest of her children. in this case, that meant all of Henigril's fears went unnoticed and unsettled.

Ensturet: daughter.

Alucos: daughter.

Hinsut: daughter.

...........................

other

- first heterochromatic wolf