hegoum (hehgowm)

red nutria

personality

anxious: once she was fearless, in the way of younger wolves. she didn't know death or its crueller compatriots. now, she sees them in every shadow. though not quite flighty, or nervous in a traditional sense, she always looks twice before she leaps; never goes anywhere she hasn't gone before, turns and goes the other way at even a whiff of an unusual scent, and - most strangely of all - she's always home at dawn and dusk.

aloof: she hardly speaks to even those she once called her friends. she keeps her distance, and coolly so - her words are plain and brief, and at the end of them, she turns away without even a goodbye. as though suddenly her pack is filled with strangers. strangers who she doesn't much care for, at that. it's a far cry from the approachable, kindly young wolf she used to be.

dishonest: ask her no questions and she'll tell you no lies. though what she says, when the rare brave wolf does dare to ask, is never precisely a lie either. she talks in half-truths, misdirections, or in her worst moods a flat, disinterested silence. nobody knows where she walks, when she's not in some corner of camp. follow the trail she leaves in her wake, if the curiosity strikes you, and it simply ends somewhere deep in the woods with no sign of her around. then she returns as though nothing unusual happened at all - except that for one fleeting moment, she looks directly at you, and you know she knows what you were doing.

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history

she was the only child of her mother, and the two were so much alike; their fur was the same reddish-gold that had run through their ancestors, all the way down to Hegoum. and they were close: Rellarru doted on her daughter, and they spent much of their time together. someday Hegoum would take up scouting, as Rellarru had, and they would adventure across the lands outside of the swamp that they called home.

but Hegoum had not yet passed her trials by the time Rellarru vanished. still a trainee, hardly more than a yearling, Hegoum was suddenly alone in a way she had never been before - and she didn't even know why. it was only a search patrol, and somehow, Rellarru simply never came back from it. at first suspicion fell on Ember Ice, who had been Rellarru's partner in the patrol and thus the last to see her, but it soon faded. his story made as much sense as it could, in a land struck by strange disappearances; it seemed that Rellarru was struck by the same, making her the Pines' first loss to whatever was going on.

they had no answers. so Hegoum decided that she, too, would join the investigation. she tried approaching Leulerad and Moosewood, asking to be made a scout - they denied her, knowing her reasons and fearing that Hegoum, in her drive to find her mother, would only be lost too. unfortunately for them, this did not stop her. it only made her more determined, to not only find Rellarru but to prove herself, too.

she began exploring by herself; it went well, at first. she saw with her own eyes the way the world was growing strange, like it had been twisted together, folded in ways it was not supposed to be. the unknown creatures, the new plants, the strange lights glittering between the trees. one day she found a strange trinket that sent shivers down her spine upon the sight. unnerved, and eager to help where she could, she carefully brought it home and to Moosewood.

for her transgression against Moosewood's ruling, she was punished: put under watch and forbidden to leave camp without supervision. it stung, particularly when Moosewood thanked her in the next breath and took the trinket to her allies. the remainder of winter passed slowly - long, and cold, and boring. like being trapped in the deep, thick mud that clung to your legs with your goal just out of reach.

with spring's eventual arrival came another meeting with an allied pack. when Moosewood returned from it, she called Hegoum to her and said that they were looking for more charms. Hegoum had found the first; she might be able to help again. forgetting her resentment in an instant, Hegoum eagerly agreed. together they gathered the remaining trinkets, and together continued with the search for the missing wolves - until abruptly it was over.

Hegoum wasn't there for the ending. she had gleaned a lot of knowledge about the strange happenings, over the course of her investigations - but she was still young, and Moosewood anticipated danger. when the leader returned, she said little about what she had seen. all she told Hegoum was that the missing wolves were still missing, and would remain so until further notice; that it was unlikely Hegoum would ever see her mother again.

first, she withdrew. wouldn't eat, only slept, or sat in her nest with a gaze so distant she might as well be gone too. then, they woke to find that she was gone. in the absence of answers, she had once again left to seek them herself. she was missing for a moon; on a dark and moonless night, on the cusp of winter, a searching wolf saw her in the trees ahead.

she had changed. the rumours are different, depending on who whispers them. something happened to her, that much is clear - but some aren't quite certain that she actually came back. certainly she lost something; her youthful innocence, her kindness, that's all gone. replaced by a wolf who's distant, silent, only stares at you without speaking if you dare approach. a wolf who… doesn't seem like Hegoum. seems like someone else entirely. but other than some superficial changes, she looks just like the two-year-old who disappeared that day, so surely the thought is absurd. surely.

whatever the full truth is - in one way or another, the friendly young wolf with the bright and eager eyes, the hopeful daughter looking for her mother, she's gone. and she's not coming home.

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relationships

Rellarru: mother. they were very close, as each other's only living relatives - the only one Hegoum truly counted as a relative, at least, given her distance from her sire. she didn't need xem, or her various half-siblings; Rellarru was all she needed. until suddenly, Rellarru was gone, and Hegoum had nobody.

Ember Ice: they were pups in Glademoss together, only half a moon between them. Ember became a scout before she did, joining them to help in the search for the missing wolves - and he was the one patrolling with Rellarru when she vanished. stricken with guilt, Ember Ice helped Hegoum in her own searches, both those sanctioned and those not. for a short time they were friends. for a shorter time, it seemed they might be more - then Hegoum disappeared too, and she was different when she came back. she won't talk to him anymore.

Moosewood: her leader, her hero, and interestingly, her half-sister by their sire. Hegoum always respected her, even when Moosewood denied her request to join the scouts - she understood, though resented it in equal measure. and when Moosewood brought her into the fold, gave her guidance, let her join patrols and diplomatic visits… Hegoum loved her like family. did, until her vanishing - after that, she treated Moosewood like just another stranger.