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GREAT CHARACTER LIST
All characters and art © Shelley "Swift Whippet" L.

Swift Whippet


my personal character, avatar, fursona, whatever you wanna call her. 'nuff said.

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Mushroom Grove Characters
'Mushroom Grove' and all related elements © Angela "Soteria" F.

History:
Wings was born to a young bitch, belonging to a seasoned whippet breeder. It was her first litter, and all of her four pups - as expected - showed a lot of promise. Wings was later purchased by Beth, another breeder looking to start up her own whippet kennel and breeding lines, and intending to start said line with the pup. They lived comfortably for a while in Beth's apartment before moving to 'that cat-and-dog town' when Wings was about a year old.

The move was spurred by the fact that Beth intended to eventually purchase more whippets for her kennel, and she figured that Mushroom Grove would be a wonderful place to raise them. By then, Wings had already entered several shows and done rather well, and he settled comfortably into his new home and way of life. Currently he has been finished, with a Championship title under his belt, and Beth soon acquired a 'kitty sister' Cari and a whippet bitch, Penny to be housemates for Wings. There seemed to be no cloud on the horizon for the young whippet dog, until the Incident...

Love Interest?: Eventually, Penny.


History:
The Willoughby family are hound breeders with a mission: to produce and perpetrate quality solid-coloured whippets. Thehe prevalence of piebald brindle dogs in the showring and out of it stirred them into action, and they recently started a new program to breed and preserve solid-colouring in their dogs, and in the whippet breed. Solid pups that showed promise would be kept for future breeding, and any pups with white on them would be sold. Solid studs and bitches from other breeders would be frequently used to prevent inbreeding from becoming a problem.

So far, the breeding program seems to be going well. The latest litter of seven, dubbed 'the Earthtones' because of their coats being various shades of red and fawn, is the first of the second generation to arrive. Their dam, Willoughby's Mango Pudding, retired to become a brood bitch after securing her Champion title, and the Earthtones are her first litter.

Willoughby's Coppercoin, or "Penny", is one of the Earthtone litter born to the Willoughbys. Overall she was one of the better pups of the litter, but because of her white socks, was not chosen by the Willoughbys to be part of their breeding program. Nonetheless Penny had a lot of potential, and the Willoughbys kept her on to show and course, at the very least. Penny was noticed at one of her shows by a young woman who happened to be showing her own whippet and was attempting to become a breeder herself...

After seeing and admiring Penny at several other shows, the young woman eventually approached the Willoughbys and inquired as to whether they would consider selling their bitch. To her delight, they were willing to talk it over, and Penny was soon hers.

Penny settled in and lived a happy life with Beth and her new housemates Wings and Cari, until the Incident...

Love Interest?: Eventually, Wings.


History:
Cari came to live with Beth and her dog Wings as a kitten, after her previous owner-- Beth's sister -- discovered that she wasn't quite ready for a cat of Cari's nature. The playful kitten quickly insinuated herself as Wings's companion and playfellow, and later Penny's.

However, Beth's sister had forgotten to mention that she had never spayed her cat, and as a result Cari eventually became pregnant and has just given birth to a litter from one of the resident toms.

Love Interest?: None currently.


History:
It all started the night that Raja - better known as Samaron's Fly By Night - the pedigree Bengal tom, slipped out of his owner's house and away. Too long being kept cooped up in the house had given Raja a deep desire to explore the streets at night like the other cats did, and after many nights of fruitless attempts he had finally managed to work the window latch open with his claw. While on his expedition, Raja had a chance encounter with Ellie, a little stray queen of questionable heritage. Ellie had been born a stray, but lately she had 'adopted' a particular family, visiting them on a regular basis for food, and it was they who had named her. She had never seen a cat quite like this stranger in his magnificent brown-and-gold spotted coat - and, by some twist of fate, she just happened to be in season.

They soon parted ways and never saw each other again. Raja returned to his home early that morning, his loving mistress none the wiser to his nightly expedition (although she couldn't for the life for her figure out why the window latch was undone and the window ajar when, obviously, Raja had been asleep in his basket all night. However, she left it at that and soon forgot about it). Ellie, on the other hand, came away from that night a changed cat in one single significant way. When she failed to appear at their back door for some time, Ellie's people got quite worried and almost gave her up for lost. But when one chilly morning she turned up right on the doorstep, with a distended belly and mewing pitifully, they understood.

Ellie had her kittens in the warmth and comfort of a home. There were three of them, all carrying the faint patterning of spots and streaks that their father had, and the humans took care of the little family in the weeks to come. Two of the litter, a seemingly inseparable honey-gold pair, enjoyed tackling, chasing and wrestling each other, bouncing off walls and bothering their mother. The odd cat out, a silvery colour with distinct spots, seemed more content to sleep and bumble around by himself. The human family, enchanted by these new additions to their household, named the 'twins' Tease and Heckle, and the silver kitten Merlin. They also took the opportunity to arrange to get Ellie spayed, so she wouldn't get into any more trouble.

It was later on, when the kittens were old enough to leave the house, that disaster struck. On one of their nightly expeditions through the streets, Ellie and the kittens ran into a group of humans, with a large dog on the end of a chain that barked and lunged at them as they passed. To Ellie's horror, the humans laughed a horrible laugh, and released the chain. The cats dashed down the nearest alley at lightning speed, the dog hot on their heels. Tease and Heckle, agile and quick as they had become through play, managed to get through the fence and away, but Merlin lagged behind. His mother turned back for him, attempting to snatch him up in her jaws and run with him, but the dog was upon them, and grabbed for the kitten with a deep growl. His teeth raked Merlin across the back as Ellie flew into the dog's face, hissing and clawing. Hurt and terrified, Merlin crawled into a cardboard box where he lay, shivering. The dog had taken several scratches across the face, but he had managed to get his teeth into Ellie somehow. The queen clung to her enemy with the claws on all four feet, until the pounding of feet was heard and the humans appeared on the scene. One of them shouted, snatched up a metal pipe lying on the ground, and hit Ellie with it until she hung limp and bleeding from the dog's jaws. The last thing Merlin remembered hearing was their horrible laughter as they walked away, and he gazed glassily at the body of his mother.

Merlin never found out what became of Tease and Heckle. He supposed they must have been all right; they had each other. He no longer had anybody at all. For days he wandered alone by himself, not eating, taking shelter wherever he could find it and however shoddy it might be. The cut on his back, as he didn't bother to clean it, grew infected. Eventually someone found him, collapsed and delirious in a hedge, and they took him in. This 'someone' was a dog named Sally, and the old woman she lived with. Both of them together cared for Merlin and nursed him back to health. Though the kitten Merlin was wary and fearful at first, they soon gained his trust, and he grew fond of them and grateful to them. One day, however, they came downstairs to find Merlin's bed empty, and the window open.

Since that time Merlin has wandered from town to town. He has learned by trial and error to catch his own food, and to hide in the shadows and be stealthy. Wherever he goes, he still visits people, and will often hop from house to house. He loves company and meeting new people, and talking and sharing stories and experiences. However, he makes sure he never gets too attached to anywhere or anyone, and after several months living in a certain place he always moves on. This time, Merlin's travels have taken him to the little town of Mushroom Grove.

Love Interest?: Eventually, Basi's Fjola.


History:
Golddust was born much to his breeders' dismay and chagrin. Both his parents were extremely fast dogs on the whippet racing circuit, and they had had high hopes for the litter that would result from the union of such a pair. As they grew older, four of the five puppies looked perfectly healthy and normal, but Golddust was hardly recognisable as a whippet. His muscles bulged from his sides, giving him the look of some strange hybrid dog on steroids, and to top it all off, he wasn't even particularly fast, his heavy cramp-prone muscle putting him at a disadvantage to his sleek, swift brothers and sisters. Feeling him to be useless, his breeder promptly disposed of him at a local animal shelter.

The as-yet-unnamed puppy was spotted by a young man who took him to be some kind of pit bull cross. Imagining the dog to be his ticket into the fighting rings, the youth hurried the whippet pup home and began his 'training', taunting him, trying to get him to snap. The dog, puzzled and alarmed by this, usually sought refuge by slinking away with his ears flat, only resorting to unwilling bared teeth and bites when he was backed into a corner, terrified. Annoyed at the lack of response from what he had thought was a fighting dog, the youth often took his frustrations out on the dog himself.

Finally, desperate, the man decided to take the dog to the ring anyway, thinking that perhaps other dogs would be the key to unlocking the ferocity that he still felt sure was somewhere in that deep muscled chest. It might have gone very ill with the dog if the fighting ring had not been swarmed upon by police that very night he was scheduled for his first fight, the dog fighters caught and the dogs taken away.

At this point in time the young dog was about a year and a few months of age, and when his new foster owner first saw him he was cringing and shivering in his crate, obviously traumatised. The dog was quickly rushed to a vet to be treated for any physical injuries, and over the next half a year he was worked with to overcome the mental and emotional scars that had been inflicted upon him by his uncaring dogfighter master. It was also during this time that it was discovered he was in fact a double-muscled whippet, and not any kind of mastiff or bull dog.

The dog was named Golddust, for the golden brindled spotting that decorated his white coat, and he was eventually adopted by a young whippet handler named Johnny had just moved to Mushroom Grove. Underneath the muscle and bulk, Golddust was still a whippet at heart, and he responded eagerly to Johnny. The two remain together to this day, and Golddust has even found good friends in the two whippets owned by Johnny's good friend, Beth.

Love Interest?: Eventually, Mitia's Peaches.


History:
Once, some Khalag Tazi fanciers in the United States ordered for some champion dogs to be imported from Europe to set up breeding lines of good stock in their own country. However, an accident while the crates were being unloaded resulted in one of the bitches being jarred free from her crate. Frightened, and further panicked by the strangers running after her trying to catch her, the bitch ran away as only a sighthound can, and disappeared into the wilderness beyond the airport.

The Khalag bitch's instincts for survival soon kicked in, and she was soon hunting for herself and managing quite well. But a dog was never meant to roam alone, and she soon grew tired of being by herself, longing once more for the companionship and security of a pack. The fact that she was also coming into heat only served to frustrate her all the more, and driven by her very nature, she redoubled her search for a companion of some kind.

By this time she had reached the suburbs of a town, and the scent of a male dog drew her under cover of darkness to a certain house where an AKC Champion Irish Setter dog lounged in his kennel. The Khalag managed to get into his run, and to entice him into breeding with her. For the first time in a long time she felt happy and fulfilled, that night as she frolicked and played with her newfound mate, and finally curled beside him to sleep. But as morning broke upon the new day, the setter's owners emerged from the house to visit him. The Khalag, seeing the humans and still remembering being chased at the airport, bolted back over the fence, leaving her startled new mate behind. By the time the family had run out into the street to catch a better glimpse of the strange cream-coloured, long-legged, silky-haired dog, she was long gone.

For a time, the Khalag mourned the loss of her mate, but when she eventually gave birth to a litter of puppies, she devoted all her time and attention to them. As they grew up, she taught them to hunt and hide and what was good to eat if hunting was not possible. The largest and bossiest of all the puppies was Regan.

Of course, she only got her name later on, after she had been owned for a while. The older the pups grew, the more and more distracted their mother became with wistful thoughts of her still-remembered mate, and one day the whole family was caught and taken to the SPCA. The Khalag's loss had naturally been well-publicised by the fanciers who had bought her, and she was returned to them without fuss. The puppies, being attractive and striking-looking dogs, found takers quite easily.

Regan's new human family had not quite reckoned on having such a strong-willed dog in their home. Unlike her brothers and sisters, the hound in her had obviously won out over the setter by a large margin, and to the inexperienced family she proved quite impossible to control.

Eventually the inevitable happened: Regan grew tall and strong enough to clear the fence of her new home and left it, bored with living with humans. In her estimation, they were silly creatures that she didn't much care for. For a while, she wandered on her own in search of high adventure and more interesting company, until a chance meeting with the charming, striking Doberman-Collie dog, Cobra, who was in the process of gathering together a pack of his own. Call it a certain animal magnetism, but Regan is now Cobra's prized mate, which could prove a problem considering how promiscuous Regan is prone to be...

Love Interest?: Maxkhaos's Cobra, but she's not above having affairs if the mood grips her.

Nellie

Sirocco

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Ryvarda Characters
'Ryvarda' and all related elements © Stacie-Dee "Opalskye" J.

History:
Loosestrife's dam died shortly after he was born, and the little kyfaw ended up being shunted about between the dals of his herd, who duly fed him and looked out for him but were often too busy with their own kyfaws to pay him any real attention. He was also bullied and pushed around by the other kyfaws, being so much smaller than they were. He greatly idolised the Trium of his herd, and his only wish was to become like them, strong and powerful and unafraid.

His antlers came in late -- when he was about four Springs of age. On that stormy night, hiding in a cave from the thunder and lightning in a shivering heap, alone and afraid, he was to meet the wily Juniper, who had recently been exiled from her own herd. The pair weathered the storm and a roving Fearaki, and they stayed together afterwards.

Juniper looked after Loosestrife, and a year later the young buck was in much better health. It was then that Clashtide rolled around, and Juniper helped Loosestrife capture and secure his first dals, the beginnings of his herd. More were to come. Many more.

By this time, Loosestrife has rather lost himself. After years of feeling helpless and small, the realisation of his strength and power has turned him quite mad. He has a fair number of dals that he guards possessively -- Juniper acting as his Second and Third, as he would have had in an ordinary herd -- and he is always adding to that number. He is insanely jealous of any other bucks, including his own sons, whom he savagely drives away when their antlers begin to show. He is a cruel, savage High Buck. Don't cross him.

Love Interest?: Opalskye's Juniper.




History:
Mwaiyho and Mylaera, a pair of twins, were born to two fearaki that had left their own clan to strike out on their own. Their parents were killed by the mad hyksi buck Loosestrife while the twins were still very young, and they have had to depend on each other to survive the wilds. The pair have developed a close bond as a result. They are only just coming into their powers, and it will take time for them to get used to and learn about them.

Love Interest?: None currently, for either.


History:
Alder was an autumn kyfaw, born into the Loosestrife Herd to the elderly dal Blackthorn. That winter when the herd moved to new lands, his mother and he fell behind the rest and were left for dead, but the pair managed to find shelter for themselves nearby and survive. For the next two years the old dal cared for her son, teaching him all that she knew about survival and magic, until she passed away the winter of Alder's second year.

Broken up by his mother's death, Alder retired alone until his serendipitous meeting with Meadowsweet and Dandelion. The two were a brother and sister pair that had also been cast out of the Loosestrife Herd some time before - Dandelion for his new antlers, and Meadowsweet because of a deformed hind foot, though she was only too relieved to be reunited with her brother once more. The three formed an alliance of sorts and now wander together.

Love Interest?: Whiskerwing's Meadowsweet, perhaps?


History:
Goldenlarch was born and bred in the Iberis Herd, and grew up as any ordinary happy young dal would. Her mother, Fennel, was a flighty character, and didn't spend a great deal of attention her daughter, her first kyfaw. Goldenlarch ended up developing an unusual bond with her father Papyrus, the Second Buck of the herd.

When Goldenlarch was just over her third Spring, tragedy struck. The rogue buck Loosestrife raided the Iberis Herd, killing its High Buck Kingcup and spiriting away a group of the dals for his own herd, including Goldenlarch herself and Tussock, Kingcup's favourite dal. The event frightened Goldenlarch rather badly and left her shaken and afraid. The Iberis Herd was a utopia cloistered in the marshes, and she had known no other world or life.

Now pregnant with Loosestrife's kyfaw, Goldenlarch has adjusted as best as she can to life with the mad buck and his equally mad lead dal, the vicious Juniper. The dal Tussock and her kyfaw Shattercane -- Kingcup's son, born into Loosestrife's herd -- are her last links to home, and she has clung to them for dear life.

Love Interest?: None currently.


History:
Papyrus was born the second son of the High Buck of Iberis, and as he and his two brothers grew up it seemed only natural that they would fall into place as the Trium of Iberis in their own time. Kingcup, the eldest and boldest, was the heir, and Papyrus, being of a more laid back temperament, was only too happy to leave calling the shots to Kingcup while he practised and studied magic and herdlore, doing his part by renewing the sets of concealment that kept intruders from discovering their territory. Reedmace, the youngest, brought up the rear and kept the peace between the two elder brothers.

It was a perfect set-up, and for a time their reign in the marshes was idyllic. Though he cared deeply for the herd, and did his part in siring kyfaws and participating in the ritual Clashes, Papyrus was always happiest when he was alone, meditating or practising magic. No dal had ever stood out to him in particular -- that was until the lovely Fennel came along. For some reason the dal was different to Papyrus, but she was of a flighty disposition and never returned his affections. She never paid much attention either to the daughter she later bore, Goldenlarch, so Papyrus took the young kyfaw under his own wing, teaching her magic and telling her stories, and the two formed a father-daughter bond unusual in their species.

One day, just after Goldenlarch had seen her third Spring, the rogue buck Loosestrife raided the Iberis Herd, stealing Goldenlarch along with some other dals, and killing Kingcup in combat. Shocked, horrified and grieved beyond measure, Papyrus and Reedmace set about restoring order to their herd. The wonderful marshlands that had been their home for so long now seemed tainted by the fact that their leader had been murdered there, and the Iberis Herd left it in search of somewhere else they could call theirs. Papyrus and his herd have been nomads since.

Love Interest?: None currently, though Fennel did hold his interest for a while longer than most dals. Keeping the herd together is just more important right now.


History:
Butterwort and her twin Sundew were born to Fennel, the flighty dal who had borne Goldenlarch the year before. Like their half-sister, they grew up without a mother, but unlike Goldenlarch the role of mentor was not filled by their father Reedmace. The pair had been born quite soon after the tragedy that tore apart the Iberis Herd's comfortable existence, and both Reedmace and Papyrus were too involved in keeping the herd together and alive to be bothered with kyfaws -- not even Reedmace, who had used to love playing with and entertaining the youngsters.

Despite her babyish appearance -- large blue eyes, large ears, quivering nose and whiskers, smallish size -- Butterwort has grown up an independent creature. She sees beauty in everything, but her way of 'possessing' a beautiful thing is to destroy it. The only things she cares remotely anything for are the pursuit of beauty, and her sister.

Love Interest?: None currently, though given her personality finding one at all could prove hard. Not that she cares.

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Amitolas
'Amitola' and all related elements © Tariya Bloom

Sindarran's History:
His father was a wild Amitola stallion, but his mother was a rancher's pony, and she gave birth to him on her master's farm. The colt was raised on the ranch with the other colts, named Sunny by the rancher for the marking on his leg, and was very happy for a while though it was noted he had an odd habit of waking extra early to gaze at the eastern sky until the sun rose. He was also a much quieter and more thoughtful colt than his fellows, loving to lie in the grass and think as much as galloping over the plains. Heart of a poet, I suppose you might say. As Sunny grew older, he began to come into his powers, and his mother, fearing for her colt's safety, bade him leave the herd and seek his own kind in the herdlands of the Amitola. She told him, also, that his name was Sindarran, given by his mysterious father before he was born. Feeling heavy-hearted and confused, yet somehow resigned, Sindarran left the ranch to see what awaited him in the world outside.

Darran's father was descended almost purely from the bloodlines of the Amitola in the charge of Eos, Goddess of the Dawn. Darran's blond mane and tail developed orange and strawberry-roan streaks as he grew up. As far as his powers go, he can change the colours of the morning sky, and inspire feelings of freshness and wonder to those near him. Someday he may be able to dispel darkness as well, like the rest of his ancesors, but he's only three years old yet, and half-pony at that. We'll see.

Love Interest?: None currently.

Nelchara's History:
She was separated from her herd while still quite young. She wandered on her own for a while until she chanced upon the colt Sindarran lying by a stream, feeling overwhelmed with all the new developments in his life. Simply wishing for company, she attached herself to him, and her exuberance and charm has helped to hearten him over the time he has had to spend in the wild. Now they travel together through the herdlands, basically looking out for each other. Darran doesn't know very much about being a wild horse as yet, let alone caring for a filly, but he does the best he can 'cause he's a sweetie inside and he really cares for Nel.

Nel comes from a rare line - the Amitolas of the Muses. The demigods, obviously, had less power to bestow upon their horses, so all Nel can do is dance, and her whinny sounds almost musical. Yet those who hear her sing out or see her dancing can't help but stop for another look or listen. Nel's power might be dismissed as trivial by some, but others disagree, saying their hearts were warmed and cheered by the filly's impromptu performances. Not that Nel minds either way.

Love Interest?: N/A; too young.

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'Toy' Characters (ALL OLD REFS. new ones on the way.)
"TOY" and all related characters © Shelley "Swift Whippet" L.

History:
Muffy is a young Maltese bitch bred for show, and was chosen by her breeder to present to his mother, a retired widow who had always owned and shown dogs, as company for her. She has currently just arrived in her new neighbourhood, somewhat bewildered as to why her family is leaving her in this strange place.

Love Interest?: None currently.

Posie

Peaches

Jazzie

Candie

Lucky

Abbie

Adella

Fred

George

Honey

Kitson

Pal

Max

Gilbert

Maisie

Griff

Snowball

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Misc. Characters

Asp is my gemini whippet - her personality and likes and dislikes seem to contradict each other. She loves friends and socialising but can't stand to be in social situations for too long. She's optimistic and bright but by turns a cynic. She's a flirt who's afraid of giving too much of herself to anyone - but at the same time she hankers the security of commitment. She's still rather young -- she'd be seventeen, maybe, if she were a human -- and hasn't quite settled into what she is and/or wants to be just yet, so she ends up with a little bit of everything.

Love Interest?: Firefly's Beezle.

Minx

Soliloquy

Goneril


I actually haven't figured out exactly what to do with Margi yet. Chihuahuas are such fun little dogs though and I thought it'd be great to have a character of one since quite a number of my buddies do. When I figure out exactly where she belongs I'll update this, though I suspect she's going to be one of those characters that doesn't really belong anywhere but is a barrel of fun to draw.

-more to come!-