Possum

-------------- Traveling Wolf Rules --------------------

1. Please add some kind of lore if you decide to take her in! It doesn't have to be anything too fancy, but something is always better than nothing.
2. Do not keep her for longer than 7 rollovers. The exception to this is if Possum is nursing pups, but in that case, please move her on as soon as her puppies are weaned. Note: due to her old age, I am saving her last few heats for myself. Sorry about that, but do let me know if you are ever interested in adopting one of her puppies!
3. Please take good care of her! I'm not asking you to be perfect, but if I see a den full of nothing but starving, sick and miserable wolves, I will probably pull her back.

Happy trails!

-------------------- Lore: ---------------------

When Possum first met the leader of the Thornheart pack, she wasn't too impressed.

Tenderfoot was the word that came into her mind. Softie was the second. Yep, a real-life, bona fide, unironic bleeding heart. Nice guy, sure. But in her experience, in a competitive territory like his, last guys didn't tend to last for long.

Still, a job was a job, and Deftmark paid her well. A little too well, to be perfectly honest -- but Possum figured he'd either figure that out eventually, or she'd be set for life.

Possum worked a lot of jobs. Her primary one was that of a traveling merchant -- moving through different regions, and trading herbs, prey delicacies, and other rare items that could only be found in specific biomes.

But trade alone was often not enough to live on a full belly. So Possum also picked up the ocassional odd jobs, such as that of a courier, messenger, or even a spy -- though the latter hadn't worked out so well last time.

Possum actually rather liked the job. There was something rather thrilling about navigating the world of inter-pack politics without having a personal investment in them. But a lesson had certainly been learned.

Note to self -- if you are going to spy for two different packs at the same time, make sure you don't get caught.

The scar on her left leg -- long since healed -- began to throb. Possum gave an unconscious shudder, and glanced over her shoulder.

No one was there, of course. But considering how long those last two packs chased her, she wasn't going to stop checking anytime soon.

Possum shook some stale rainwater out of her fur, and the bad memories along with it. She had escaped, that was all that mattered. She was in a new region now, full of new wolves and new territories, who had never even heard her name -- much less cared about her history.

For now, Possum figured she would just lay low for a while. Get to know the new packs. Maybe settle down, start a new life, and find some real honest work. Or maybe she'd hose them for all they were worth. Who knows? Moon was new.

Possum couldn't help but smile, as she approached the strangers' territory.

Either way, this was going to be interesting.

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Author's Note: Holy crap, you guys are amazing. Possum's lore is now so long, it no longer fits in her bio. As such, I've decided to make some slightly abridged versions of some of her older posts here, with the full story available here

This way, new people can keep adding to her bio, without having to fumble around with google docs or something.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far, you guys have gone above and beyond..

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Lore by Albae

As Possum arrived at the coniferous forest, she was hungry and in a bad mood. It had been raining for days, she was wet to the skin and her paws felt like ice cubes.

To her luck, she managed to locate a nice pack in the forest willing to take her in. They were a bit too friendly for her taste, but hey, it's only for a few days and definitely better than staying out in the rain with an empty stomach.

The pack leader, however, was a bit unsettling. Not a threat at first glance, small and slender as she was. Still Possum couldn't shake the feeling that messing with this one would be a huge mistake.

But the most confusing thing was that she didn't have to pay for anything. They just gave her a cave and access to the food storage and offered her to stay for as long as she wants to. Maybe tell some stories to our pups at nighttime, join us on a hunt if you feel like it, say goodbye before you leave. That was all they asked of her. Were they all fools, giving their resources away like this and entrusting their young to a complete stranger?

As the days went by, she had to admit that this kind of trust was new to her and it felt nice. For once she didn't have to watch her back at all times, or wonder where she'd get her next meal from.

Possum ended up staying longer than she originally had planned and as she finally turned her back on the ravine for the last time, there was a tiny piece of her that wanted to stay even longer.

She didn't listen to it, of course. Couldn't allow herself to grow weak after all. A new adventure surely would get her in her right mind again. Some trouble would be nice now, causing a bit of chaos. Yes, that was exactly what she needed now.

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Lore by -Sköll-

Possum continued to wonder in the forest, she stayed downwind and close to the ground to avoid being spotted by the elk in front of her.

She hopped up, running full speed at the elk, before feeling a terrible pain in her side. She was launched a couple feet and her head was spinning. She was met by two wolves. One, had three eyes, and a crow that watched her. The second one, was completely black with a pendant that hung from its neck.

"Speak." The three eyed wolf spoke.

"Traveling through," Possum spat at her. "Made me lose my meal." She growled.

"Don't hunt in our territory." The black wolf mumbled and began to trot towards the elk.

Possum stood up, looking over at the elk, in the middle of being tackled, the other wolves from the pack had taken down the elk. Impressive.

"Name." The crow from behind the wolf said.

"Possum. You?"

"Hainley."

Hainley trotted over to the elk, to help the hunters drag it to their eating den. Possum followed shortly after.

Once getting into the pack place, a pregnant, elegant, wolf approached. This pregnant wolf was bound in leather, with silver linings along her. She had a blue teardrop pendant that fell just below her chest bone.

"Hello Possum, I'm Asena. I heard you already met some of my wolves."

Asena spoke boldly, Possum knew her power. Hainley watched from behind Asena, almost waiting for Asena to yell 'attack'. Read More

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User: Rue #91670
Decor Added: Silver Bracelet

Possum had traveled south from the forest, she eventually made her way into the desert. She had gone for days without a sustaining water source, and she knew she'd either have to turn back soon or find another pack to take her in.

Take her in, ugh, she hated that phrase. It made her sound pitiful. She was anything but pitiful.

Possum suddenly stopped, her ear flicked, she heard a sound, was that… humming?

She nimbly ducked behind a large rock and scoped the barren territory. She pinpointed a young wolf, female with a flamboyant coat, maybe a year her younger, skipping around without a care in the world.

Possum considered her, she was small with a thin pelt, but very clearly well fed. No way a little thing like that would survive on her own- she might be her ticket to shelter from the sweltering heat.

Possum turned on all her charm and strode up to the wolf, trying to appear both in charge and nonthreatening. The wolf took at step back upon noticing her, wary of the newcomer but clearly interested.

"Well hello there! It's nice to see a friendly face around- The name's…"

Possum considered her next words for a second. In her last lands, she was chased out of the territory because of a sloppy mistake. She gave away a little too much information and it cost her everything. Maybe it was time to be a bit more conservative with what truths she tells others. She decided to lie about her name, for now at least.

God forbid she find out that these wolves actually know her. She may have a bit of a reputation, after all.

"…Posey. My name's Posey." Read More

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User: 💌Sealife Sys (It/They)💌 #60985
Decor Added: N/A

Possum ventured off far, wandering into the mountains. She definitely needed to find a place to rest her paws soon. That's when she saw something.

Possum hid behind a tree as she watched a hunting group in action. Unfortunately for her she was a bit too late to hide. One of the hunters snuck away from the group and walked towards her.

"'Ello! Who might you be pretty lady?" The admittedly charming wolf had asked. Possum really didn't like the cockiness this guy was giving off. He looked... Strange. She could almost see another eye underneath his charms. It was almost like he was staring into her soul.

"The names..." she thought, she didn't recognize the lad, so she assumed it would be safe.

"Possum, and who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Oliver, I'm on a hunting mission right now... Care to join me back at my pack?"

There is was.

She really didn't want to be romanced by this dude, but she did need the break. Possum accepted and joined him back to the pack. None of the others seemed to notice her however, the pack was large so perhaps they were busy. She preferred it this way anyway. The pack did treat her well despite this, she was able to comfortably get through her pregnancy and wasn't made to fulfill a role.

Once Possum's pups were ready to fend for themselves she snuck off. She was tired of the scenery and was off once again.

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[Pulled from neglectful den, spite lore written by Proxy]

She had never felt hunger like this before.

As a traveler, Possum was certainly no stranger to scrappy prey or lean winters. But even in the worst of times, there was never – no, nothing – ever like this. This was a hunger which seemed to manifest into an animal unto itself – one which bit, and growled, and gnawed at the inside of her belly. She was as though she had swallowed an angry badger, that was trying to claw its way out of her gut.

Possum lay, curled up in the stranger's den, and shivered; painfully aware of the way her ribs stitched at her side. At times, the hunger seemed to subside – only for it to rear its=s head again and come back with a vengeance, more slavering and ravenous than ever before. All Possum wanted to was stop thinking about it, but what else was there to think about? Only the cold, rocky earth beneath her – and the memory of what a fool she'd been.

...

The pack had seemed friendly enough, on first glance. Too friendly, in retrospect. They had welcomed Possum into their territory with open paws, and invited her to share a meal with them. Just like so many of the other packs before. By the time Possum realized something was wrong, it was too late.

Possum had never believed in karma, but if there was such a thing, she supposed this was it. It would have been more fitting had her past finally caught up to her – had she been found by one of the wolves she had wronged, and been forced to pay recompense for her crimes. That, she reasoned, would have been entirely fair. But instead, here she was – the one time she was innocent – held prisoner for a crime she didn't commit.

Thankfully, this pack made the same mistake as many of those who had met Possum before. They underestimated her.

During a full-moon celebration, when the pack was busy reveling, drunk on guarana and howling in the moonlight, Possum made her escape.

Only when she was sure she had lost them, did Possum allow herself to slow her run to a crawl, and stop to lick her wounds.

In a way, Possum supposed she deserved it. She had let her guard down. Being around so many friendly wolves for so long, she had nearly forgotten the fundamental law of the wild – do whatever it takes to survive. Take what you want. Eat or be eaten. Kill or be killed.

Possum held her head high, and tried not to limp, as the first proof of winter began to fall.

No, she decided. This was not karma. This was a warning. A friendly reminder of what happens if you put your faith in others.

Next time, she would be more careful.

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Username/ID: Sanity [#66755]
Pack name: Duskveng
Decor added: Blue Jay Feather
Lore: TBA

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Username/ID: Morbid#86206
Pack name: The Alhavenlan Pack
Decor added: N/a
Lore: It was the middle of the night when Possum arrived in the Taiga. She was on the brink of starvation and was relieved to see a half eaten, whitetail deer carcass lying unattended in the middle of the forest.

Possum hardly thought twice and immediately tucked into the carcass. She had nearly finished it to when she heard a raven calling above her and the sound of something running her way. Instinctively she listened, waiting for the pawsteps to sound closer until she spun around and lunged towards it. Hoping to strike whatever decided to pick a fight with her.

The two faught briefly before the larger male pinned her against the ground. "Felasil!" he cursed, glancing at the wound on his shoulder before baring his fangs at the intruder. "Identify yourself, Outsider. Now!" he commanded. Possum observed him briefly, committing his appearance to memory before she relented and introduced herself. "I'm Possum. I'm a merchant that was passing through, sir." The dark male narrowed his eyes at her before letting up slightly. Not enough for her to get up but just enough to get comfortable on the ground for a bit. The male let out a low whistle and the raven she saw earlier in the trees landed on the ground beside the duo. "Get the Alphas and tell them we have an intruder." he growled and the bird took off at once.
...
Possum and the dark male wolf stayed in their positions with hardly any words being spoken between the two. He had briefly introduced himself as Ithelan, one of the Alhavenlan Pack's scouts. It was clear to her at least that he either once held a very high rank within the pack or he's at least highly respected given his role. Her thoughts were interrupted as she spotted two figures trotting out of the tree line.

Possum had no clue what the trio was saying as they seem to have a different language when speaking amongst one another before the female gray wolf looked down to her. "Hello, Possum. I'm Ella and this," she paused to motion to a dark gray colored male standing beside her, "this is Varogathe. We're the Alphas of the Alhavenlan pack. Given your rather sorry state, we'll offer you an empty den within our territory for the night and a small meal." Varogathe was the one to step forward after she finished speaking. "Do anything untoward and you will be chased out immediately, understand? Be grateful we've even offered you a place to stay, Outsider." Possum quickly nodded, food and a place to stay was all she needed for the time being.
...
Possum stayed with the Alhavenlan Pack for a couple of days, in the small temporary den they cleared out for her. They didn't offer her any roles to take on during her stay and she was mostly watched by the blasted Raven whenever Ithelan or the Alphas were away from their camp. However, despite Ella's cold disposition towards the day they met, Ella turned out to be quite friendly and always made sure she had a good meal before leaving her be for the evening. Varogathe however would only glare at her whenever Ella visited but never spoke and she hadn't seen Ithelan since the day she arrived. Thankfully, her stay was rather uneventful and she was quick to gather her belongings. She hardly wanted to overstay her welcome after all.

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Feel like you missed something? Read Possum's full, unabridged story here