Silence Suits Me Estella

If we go by what Estella herself tells of her backstory, she was born somehow knowing that she was far more brilliant than any wolf who had come before her. And quite possibly, more than a little mad.

Her parents, part of a wandering band of nomads upon the continent of Anikira where there was no real ranking system established, wanted her to be the perfect little lady, a demure picture of serenity and grace. From the very beginning, Estella almost went out of her way to defy their wishes. Where the other pups in the motley crew were quiet and knew how to fall in line, Estella was loud and disobedient even at the best of times. When others would hold their tongue, she was like a tiny firebrand, lashing out at anyone who happened to come within range of her. And when the others were content to follow the paths that had been set down for them in life, Estella longed to branch out on her own, to leave behind the dull nature of her wandering life and the etiquette lessons that she was constantly shoehorned into attending. She wanted to be a warrior, wanted to have her bold ideas and even bolder actions actually contribute to something instead of sitting by and letting others do all the hard work for her. Even from a young age, the female knew that she was far more brilliant than any of her peers around her, and expected to be treated accordingly. When she was not, she began scheming to herself, plotting the best possible way that she could undermine the band that she belonged to and serve to make her own way in the world. She had endless opportunities for what she could accomplish, after all. It was up to her to play her cards right and ensure that those opportunities came to fruition, no matter what the cost. If they wanted a show from her, then she would be quick to give them one that they wouldn't soon forget. She vowed that much to herself.

The opportunity came upon the eve of her first birthday- when the pups in her birth pack were traditionally called upon to compete in a competition of strength and wits. Normally reserved for those who were going to become warriors, everyone in the pack was pleasantly surprised when Estella stepped forward and said that she wanted to compete, perhaps logically thinking that the young female would be thoroughly trounced within a few rounds of the competition. Not only did she defy their expectations, managing to progress cleanly through the segments that called for logical questions or problems to be thought through, but it was revealed during the combat sections that she had been practicing her fighting maneuvers in secret, managing to trounce even the most experienced apprentices until only a handful remained. Enraged that a young upstart like Estella could have served to challenge the pack's carefully planned way of life- and seeing that every other member of the gang was either too shocked by Estella's coming out on top to intervene- the alpha of the pack stepped forward to challenge her at long last. Considered the most senior warrior in the motley crew and therefore the most experienced, the gathered wolves loudly voiced their support for him as he leapt at Estella in a furious whirlwind of teeth and claws, and for the span of a few uncertain moments it looked as though Estella was in very real danger, and that he had every intention of killing her should she not simply choose to yield and put an end to whatever youthful foolishness had convinced her to perform such an act. But Estella was far from being finished. She had one more trick up her sleeve, as those who were gathered would be quick to discover.

Seemingly before the alpha could even blink, Estella had ducked under one of his leaps to tug one of his legs sideways, upsetting his balance and causing him to land on his side- and then proceeded to wrap her jaws around his throat just as quickly.

For a few heart-stopping moments, no one dared to intervene, not stepping forward for fear of what would happen and fully expecting their alpha to be killed right in front of their very eyes. Instead Estella released the shell-shocked male after a moment, lifting her head to meet the gazes of the other members haughtily. "This is who are you are pledging loyalty to," she hissed out, imperiously. "A scared, cowardly shell of a male who sends children out to do his dirty work, who expects females to fall in line. You could all be so much more. You could be following my example. Instead, you all are content to watch this idiot run your pack into the ground." Continuing to disparage the rules under which she had been held back her entire life, Estella challenged the members of the gang to start thinking for themselves instead of letting their decrepit alpha dictate what was to happen in their lives, as well as saying that she had left the alpha alive to serve as an example, that she was leaving to make her own path, and that anyone who didn't value their life was more than welcome to try to stop her. Nobody stepped forward, much to her relief. Instead, the pack slunk off meekly, not even having an ounce of courage to attempt to stand up to her.

Estella did not bother lingering to see whether the pack truly did break apart as a result of her actions. Making good on her word, she left their 'territory' not long after, striking out across the land and making a name for herself all the while. Through combat, manipulation, and other underhanded tactics, Estella earned scars and valuable knowledge that she would need to succeed upon a continent as cutthroat as the one she called home, ever searching for a pack that might make use of her varied skills- or one that she could undermine. As far as she is concerned, the two conditions were interchangeable.


Personality:

Estella, by her own admission, was born both brilliant and slightly mad, and anyone who is unfortunate enough to come into contact with her will quickly realize both of those things. For one, the female is almost wickedly intelligent, having wit sharp as a tack and the mental skills to back it up. In situations where others would be panicking or slow to form a plan, Estella will often be found thinking at least two steps ahead, plotting every single angle of the situation to come up with a cohesive strategy for tackling it and ensuring that she comes out on the top in any given scenario. Many a wolf has approached what they thought to be another insipid, demure female wandering forests only to rapidly find themselves tongue-tied by Estella's quick wit and barbed tongue, leaving well enough alone in dumbfounded silence. Estella is not content to sit by and let others do her work for her, either, as she is just as physically capable as she is mentally, and will wholeheartedly throw herself into any task asked of her. Her diminutive-looking build hides great strength and ability, and she has often used such attributes to take potential enemies entirely unawares before swiftly disarming them. The scars decorating her pelt, far from being humiliating examples of fights lost, are badges of pride to her, signs of victory and experience that she wears without the slightest hint of shame. Perhaps, if she were any other wolf, these personality traits would have made her a great and honorable warrior. But great and honorable, Estella is decidedly anything but.

For one, not only does the girl think that she was born brilliant, but she also thinks that everyone around her is on a lower level than she is, that she alone is the wolf intelligent and strong enough to lead everyone below her to success and fame. Having an extremely high opinion of herself- and an extremely low opinion of others- Estella honestly believes that is completely without flaws, to the point where any honest criticism of her is bound to be shrugged off if not ignored altogether. Never truly caring about or loving anyone other than herself, Estella is only interested in other wolves in so far as they can serve some kind of purpose in furthering her own goals, leaving them behind once they prove to no longer be of any use to her. This detachment towards others has fed into her slightly more than healthy levels of ambition as well- simply put, Estella believes that she deserves the best of the best in life, and is not particularly picky about the methods she has to use to achieve this goal. Blackmail, subtle emotional manipulation, murder- nothing is truly beneath the female. She's been known to join up with organizations only to swiftly attempt to tear them apart from the inside, not out of any desire for power but simply because she wanted to prove herself as being better than the individuals who made up its ranks.

Though she is not always quick to show it and tries her damn hardest to stay completely in control of whatever situation she is placed in, Estella is also more than a bit insane, sometimes saying or doing things that would not make any kind of logical sense to a 'sane' wolf and having little justification to back them up. These tendencies have made her seem strange or even frightening to various wolves that have come into contact with her over the years- but in Estella's mind, having an unorthodox side to your personality makes things unpredictable, and therefore more fun, meaning that she is unlikely to ever truly realize just how mad she is deep down inside.

You feel tremors and swelling ground under your paws. Suddenly, the nearby mountain seems to explode in a fountain of fire! The sound of falling rocks and the hissing of fire fills the air. Dark smoke and volcanic gases start to consume the area, causing hot winds and a thick layer of dust to settle on everything