Earos Khan

From his father’s side Earos inherited his gargantuan size, keen sense of smell & charming ways. From his mother, he took her agility, speed and stamina. These things combined together created a tall, handsome, yet somehow feline wolf – thanks to the build of his dam. Since birth Earos has had an intense love of climbing & exploring difficult to reach places, causing his muscles to grow lean instead of bulky, granting him swiftness and flexibility. With high set shoulder blades, clean legs and a sharp muzzle, Earos is rather streamlined for a canine. His sleek coat only adds to his appearance; giving off an almost metallic shine. As for the color of his pelt , well, that was a mystery until two years ago. At birth Earos sported a fair, almost snowy color. Over time, he started to develop his markings, and his coat darkened slightly – leaving him primarily grey. His legs, however, remained white – as did the area around his heterochromic eyes. One blue and one forest green. His muzzle and cheeks are also a lighter shade than the rest of him, adding definition to his face and coal black nose.

Since Earos has never been the kind to enjoy fighting, he has very few scars. The one that he does have though is quite a zinger. It runs from the corner of his right front paw and twists around to just above his ankle. His fur has never grown back over that area – leaving a thick grey line where it should have been. Other than that and his bi-colored eye, the only other distinctive marking that Earos has is the thick band like formation of almost black fur that surrounds his neck. Along his back more darker parts appear, but they blend almost seamlessly with the rest of him.

Since birth Earos has been in love with the world. Nature excites him in a way that nothing else can. He delights in the small things, like a blossoming flower, the scent of the rain, and the lulling sound of the ocean. This probably stems from his belief that everything contains something amazing, something beautiful. Even the nastiest of things deserve to be looked at until their light comes through. Optimism has always been a strong part of this wolf’s persona, along with humility, kindness and his gentle ways. (While he's out exploring everything he can - he takes care not to trample plants or damage spider webs.)

Earos can get along with almost anyone. He was raised to treat others as he would like to be treated, and he lives by that still. Some say that he doesn’t have a nasty bone in his body, and they’re probably right - the brute can hardly hurt a fly. But don’t get him wrong – he's no pushover. A deep set sense of honour and morality drives Earos to fiercely defend those he loves, and those who can't defend themselves. Seeing someone mistreating another living being is one of the only things that Earos can't and won't stand - and while this sometimes lands him in hot water, he wouldn't want it any other way.

Though he does try to avoid it – when conflict breaks out, he won’t run. He’ll try to reason. And if that doesn’t work he’ll defend himself until the attacker grows tired of dancing with him (this wolf can prance for ages). Violence is always the last resort for him, and if he knows he’s in the wrong, he will always almost turn the other cheek.

There is a kind of poetic nature about him – stemming from his way with words and his love of almost everything. Yes, he idealizes many things and romanticizes way too many ideas, but only with the best of intentions. He truly does believe in the goodness of all things living, and tries to understand any and all walks of life. However, even with this cheery outlook on life, Khan struggles to give his trust easily - and pays close attention to even the smallest actions of others.

Earos had a lavish life - a perfect life (in his eyes, at least). He was the son of a powerful alpha duo, his family did not want for much, his home was safe and familiar. These few factors seemed to be all that mattered to him - he didn't mind that the world was in ruin, dragging itself back to life with dusty claws. He didn't mind that he had to learn how to fight at a young age or learn about a disease that mutated flesh. As long as his family was with him, and they were safe - Earos was happy.

His father, Messo, was an incredibly intelligent individual - a kind and just leader who spent most of his time caring for others and not himself. While he and his mate Scarlet had four healthy pups - Messo found himself incredibly fond of Earos in particular. He raised the pup in his stead, teaching him everything his father had taught him - how to lead, how to observe, how to treat others with respect. Each and every morning the pair could be seen rising earlier than everyone else, and delighting together in the shades of crimson the rising sun would bring. Their little nook of wasteland was mostly rock and long-dead trees - but every here and there (if you knew where to look) there were small plants, some of which even flowered come spring. When Earos wasn't being lectured by his loving sire, or when he had a break from battle practice - he would be out and about exploring, trying to find new life, new plants, new sights. He even managed to master the act of jump-scrambling up trees which had low-handing branches so that he could see further into the distance.

Food was scarce - it had always been. Their pack relied on small rodents, insects and birds to live. As one would imagine - catching birds was no easy task, and often Messo and his beta male, Bren, went days without eating. Little Earos hated taking life, but if there was one thing he hated more - it was seeing his loved ones hungry. And so he started going with the hunting teams, he started learning how they functioned and how they considered every kill. It was then that he started developing a deep distrust for Bren. There was something off about him, something dark lurked behind his yellow eyes, something that flashed when he looked at Messo. He had challenged the alpha before, a year before Earos was born - so he never got to witness the event; but the pack still told stories of how Bren 'had his ass handed to him'.

Khan grew to be an incredibly handsome specimen - he grew taller than his father, but not as bulky. His form was lithe and streamlined - years of plucking birds out of the sky and bounding up trees had trained lean muscles throughout his body. He was an integral part of the pack now - he was their best hunter, he often looked after the pups and saw to the elderly (making sure they had all they needed and listening to their stories of the dark days) - he was following in his father's big pawprints. Messo couldn't have been prouder - he saw the young wolf as one of his greatest achievements. Bren, on the other hand, treated him like he was one of the infected. Because of this, Khan didn't pay much mind to him as he felt it to be a waste of time that could be better spent. Bren went on to make rumors about Khan - telling everyone he could that because of Earos's bi-coloured eyes, he had a split soul - he was evil. When nobody believed him he became even more bitter. One morning one of the elders caught him hoarding dead rats in his own personal stash - and when Bren realized he'd been caught, he went for the older wolf's throat. By some miracle, Earos's sister, Kite, was nearby when it happened - and she made it there in time to get Bren off of his victim before he could get a proper grip. This act, while heroic, put Kite directly in the line of fire. He leapt at her with what seemed like years worth of pent up wrath - her screams piercing the cold air and alerting the rest of the pack.

By the time Earos and Messo reached the commotion - Kite was down, desperately kicking at Bren as she tried to shield her throat. Her coat was stained with blood and one of her front legs hung limp. In that moment Khan knew - there was no reasoning here, and he couldn't waste time. He threw himself into the darker brute and flipped back around to face him, effectively drawing his short attention span his way. Something was wrong with Bren - he could see it in his eyes; something inside him had broken. Was he infected? Had he been pox-positive all this time? Khan danced around him, dodging his every attack - but it was only making him angrier. He was going to have to engage. Seconds before he spotted an opening to lunge, Messo beat him to it. His pale form colliding with Bren, who was now frothing at the mouth. They blurred into a mass of snarling, bloody shadows. Others had gathered and Earos spotted two of the hunters ready to attack - but like him, they were struggling to find an opening. Messo and his beta caught in a fight so ferocious - Earos could already smell the scent of death in the air. Unwilling to stand by and let his father be ripped up by this rabid abomination - he threw himself into the fray. He slammed hard into Bren, he felt his grip on earth slip and he fell. Teeth scored his flank and Khan coiled around like a viper - blinded, but fully aware of where the head that bit him would be. His powerful jaw snapped down and he felt bone beneath his fangs, he felt cracking. Khan had been aiming for the jugular, but instead, he'd grabbed his attacker by his filthy muzzle. While it was a mistake, it was also incredibly lucky - and possibly his only chance to get the beast down, even if just for a second. He arched his neck and kicked off the ground with his hind legs, knocking Bren sideways and driving his head hard into the ground. The others saw this chance and leapt into action without a second thought. On his side with everything exposed - Bren didn't stand a chance. It was over in seconds, and the only movements the black wolf was making were the dying reflexes of nerves and muscle. But it was too late.

Messo had lost a lot of blood, and was barely conscious as Khan laid down before him, laying his maw near his father and apologizing as tears welled up in his heterochromatic eyes.

"This is not your fault Khan. I am so proud of you. I am so... proud." Those who stood watching swear that Messo passed with a smile on his face. Khan lay there for hours, long after everyone but his mother and sisters had left.

Scarlet was the sole alpha after that day. The first thing she did was send a scout to retrieve a healer for Kite, and then arranged for her mate to be buried. It was at this event that Khan made the decision to leave his home. Deep down, he blamed himself for what had happened. He could have acted sooner, he should have. Everything, every rock, every pebble, reminded him of his father and his inability to save him. He could hardly even look at his family without feeling ice wrap around his spine.

After saying his final goodbye to the ground where his father lay, Khan helped two others to throw Bren's body into a pit a little way off from their home. He told them he'd be right behind them, and watched as they disappeared into the night - torn that it was possibly the last time he'd see them.

As Khan stalked off in the opposite direction, he lifted his head to the sky - a soft smile lifting his cheeks and heavy heart. Just look how beautiful the moon is...