Sandalio

[ Sandalio ]
"True Wolf."
[ Latin Origin ]

When you first arrived to visit the pack, one of the pack's scouts, Juneau, had explained that the Kohana Pack wasn't exactly exclusive to just wolves.

"Dogs aren't lesser creatures here." She had explained, as she treaded quietly over the marshy swampland, a rather surprising feat. She continued shortly after the pause. "In fact, we see them as equals. After Takara, all of the alphas have at least some dog blood. That said, I advise you treat them with respect."

And now it was obvious, as your eyes scanned the brown canine in front of you. He seemed to be showing the pups how to catch fish, as he wadded in the swampy water.

The wolf-dog was clearly more dog than wolf. He was shorter than the rest of the pack, and his ears were floppy. His tongue lolled in a friendly manner, and he spoke with an energetic smile to a group of pups he was teaching. One of the pups had noticed you, and spoke before you could leave.

"Sandalio!" The pup with a mossy green coat cried. "There's a visitor!"

His golden eyes scanned you over, the smile still strong on his face. "Oh, hello there traveler! I'm very sorry I hadn't noticed you. I'm Sandalio, descendant of Seraphina. How may I help you?"

─────────────────

[ Family ]

Sandalio was born in the Daintree Rainforest to Esmae, a runaway collie mix who had found shelter with the Kohana Pack. His father, Wilden, was a wolf-dog who had been the son of Seraphina, the pack's first dog. Because of this, Sandalio had many more dog-like tendencies, and wasn't nearly as wild as his wolf packmates. His name is somewhat ironic; his father suggested it as a joke, but his mother thought that it had meant "sand dollar," so the name stuck anyways.

Sandalio is also related to the pack's alphas, by a shared connection to Seraphina and Takara. He is Kuparr and Echeveria's cousin, and by connection related to the fourth alphess, Delayne.

Sandalio had fallen in love with Lanalika after rescuing her in the rainforest and hiding her from humans. The two became mates and had Leiana as their only pup after they arrived in the desert. When they moved to the swamp, they had their final child three years later, a pup by the name of Jacana.

As per family tradition, Sandalio inherited Takara's owl talon necklace from his father, and it was passed it to Jacana after he died.

─────────────────

[ Personality ]

"Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4"
[ song name ]

Sandalio is friendly and talkative, much like his mother Esmae. He loves a good conversation, and is often talking to someone. He is beloved by most of the pack members, and has many friends within it.

Sandalio is also incredibly optimistic, always tending to see the good in a tough situation. He does his best to encourage others and cheer them up, whether that means going on an adventure with them or just listening to their issues.

The wolf-dog also enjoys teaching pups, of who he finds adorable. Many of the pups also enjoy his lessons, which he tries to keep fun and engaging. Sandalio even takes them on "field trips," which can vary from visiting neighboring packs to watching alligators.

─────────────────

[ Biography ]

Sandalio was born a quiet summer night in the rainforest, which was a surprising feat considering the amount of creatures. Esmae had spent the night in the herbalist's den, with Sandalio as the only pup in her litter. The dog was overjoyed, and Saira immediately went to fetch her mischievous mate.

Wilden appeared not long after, entering quickly-- and perhaps for the first time in his life-- not quietly. He eagerly took in the sight of his mate's big smile (and surprisingly, lack of words) and the mewling ball of small brown fur.

Sandalio, even as a pup, was seldom silent. That was just one of the ways he was like his mother. He also seemed to have her excitable charm and love of adventure, with a touch of his father's reckless and brave demeanor. Ever an optimist, he always looked at the good side of things, sometimes to an unbelievable extent. The wolf-dog had many friends, despite his differences with many of the other pups.

As an adolescent, Sandalio followed his father on many of his trips. Though any other creature may have questioned the safety of these adventures, Esmae always had been a bit ditzy-- regardless, she still trusted Wilden completely. Even if there was a few close encounters, Sandalio always came out unscathed. He found the adventures incredibly fun, even if he almost fell into a huge ditch sometimes.

As an adult, Sandalio didn't play a particular role in the pack... at least, not officially. He often taught the pups lessons and brought them on 'field trips,' and although the pups always returned safely, the stories of some of these trips alarmed many of the parents. For instance, watching sleeping alligators! But Sandalio always assured them he would let no harm come to the precious pups, and kept his word. He was a great teacher, and many of the pups would be educated by the wolf-dog.

One day while he was off on his own, looking for a new area he could show his students, he caught a peculiar scent. It was a wolf, but his curiosity had been piqued-- he had been told the Kohana Pack was the only wolf pack to dwell in Australia, so who did this smell belong to?

Following the trail, he caught the scent of humans as well. His hackles raised, and Sandalio grew alert. It was likely he was treading into dangerous territory, but he was determined to find out what exactly was going on.

WORDS HERE / LANALIKA ENCOUNTER [humans looking for her were zookeepers]

His mother, who had often been brushed off as being paranoid or a bit crazy, had seen humans with a peculiar metal square standing on three legs aiming the odd device at the pack. Delja realized the urgency of this situation (well, not really, the humans were just using a camera but the wolves didn't quite understand what it was) began moving the pack. After boarding a ship with a dingo who had led the way, Sandalio and the others began a long, hectic journey to the desert.

Sandalio didn't mind the desert, aside from the lack of rainwater and the near-constant dust. Lanalika seemed to enjoy it, so Sandalio decided to look towards the bright side as well! There was plenty of new places he could explore, and take the pack's pups to.

Unfortunately, when he was little over a year old, his mother passed. Sandalio's peppy personality grew more somber, which many of the pack members noticed. Two months later, he noticed his father's health deteriorating, and took him frantically to the herbalist, Saira. Try as she might, there was nothing she could do.

"Please, can you help him in any way? He's my father." Sandalio choked out, his yellow eyes welling with tears. But the herbalist shook her head silently, and glanced at Wilden's weakening form.

"I know I'm supposed to give you a real answer, and this sounds like something out of a fairytale... but I think Wilden's heart is broken." Saira's voice cracked. "And the piece we need to fix it is Esmae."

Wilden seemed to be sleeping, or at least daydreaming. Sandalio couldn't hold it in-- he felt his heart break and he began sobbing. Through his ragged breaths, he felt a soft nuzzle, and noticed his father had wobbled to his paws to give him a nuzzle.

"Pa?" Sandalio looked at his father with sad, golden eyes. "Is there any way to make you feel better?"

A smile crossed the wolfdog's face, and he lied back down, slipping the owl talon necklace off. "Take care of this for me please, Sandalio. It belonged to my father, and his father before him. Maybe you can give it to your own son one day." Wilden closed his eyes, feeling incredibly tired. "I'm... going to see... my parents and Esmae."

Sandalio did his best to remain strong, for his father. He was buried next to Esmae, and Lanalika did her bets to comfort him; the normally aggressive wolf genuinely showed that she cared for him. They grew very close and even had their first pup, Leiana, whose eyes seemed to mirror the orange-red desert.

His spirits lifted once more, Sandalio continued to teach the pack's pups, including his own daughter. She had inherited WIP

─────────────────

[ Trivia ]

Sandalio has lived in the Rainforest, Desert, and Swamp.

His mother died when he was little over a year old, and he would die when his son was little over a year old.

Sandalio is a high percentage wolf-dog, with around 75% being dog, and only 25% as wolf.

─────────────────

[ ART ]

Sandalio Headshot by OxenKing

Sandalio in Bucket by raamad // dust

─────────────────

[ Log ]

DATE
N/A