Dogmeat
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Portrait |
 Credit: Picture by Ash |
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Overview |
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Affiliations |
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General |
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Personality |
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Like most corvids, Dogmeat is a curious and noisy girl. She often forages on the ground or in nearby shrubs, and often forsakes carrion for fresh seafood. Strongly interested in things that glint and shine, Dogmeat's drawn to materials like abalone and pearl. Being a tad scatterbrained means such materialy easily draw her attention, as well as (preferably fresh) seafood. A patient Luperci can get her attention with food and shiny things; the wolf-folk are familiar to her, and she often follows or observes them to snatch scraps. But if they are cruel, a crow never forgets. Her kind's superb ability to recognize faces and places means she remembers her enemies with near-perfect clarity. Of all the things in the world, Dogmeat loves water and open spaces. She prefers the coast and wide, saltwater waterways, following them like roads. If a lucky Luperci is nearby, they might witness her grabbing a clam out of the water, smashing it on a rock from above. With all this said, Dogmeat doesn't always keep to herself. Ever the opportunist, she will thieve if hungry enough, and is clever enough creature to figure out simple traps and locks. This quick-thinking nature also lends to adapting to new waterways and places, and Dogmeat will scavenge, beg and barter as much as she can to survive. |
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Appearance |
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Smaller and sleeker than an American crow, Dogmeat is as dainty as a corvid gets. Light on her feet, often hopping about to forage, her wings bend and taper out like a seaside songbird's. Her sharply-pointed bill ends in a small hook, and the ruff around her neck often rises when she calls. Her dark feathers are shiny and slick, and glint blue-green on top, more greenish around the bottom. There are nicks on her feet and legs from sharp legs and shellfish, and around her right ankle, a crude iron band. It's stamped with her name, "DOGMEAT", in bold and crude font - the one who made it was likely an amateur. Her round, black eyes are always watching, well-attuned to the movement of her fishy prey. She has strong wings, and has practiced flying in unpredictable weather that would ground most other birds. Dogmeat's scent is distinct from a normal crow's in that she often smells of salt and rotting fish. Not only that, but the scents of aquatic creatures both fresh and old stain her feathers like a dye. Rather than the raucous cawing most are familiar with, her voice is a nasal squawk. Sometimes she gives a defiant "unh-uh", and other times, she calls with an unwavering "awwwp, awwwp". To those not familiar with the traits of a fish crow, one might think her a begging, oversized chick. |
Relations |
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Immediate Family |
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* denotes relation is unknown to character
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Extended Family |
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* denotes relation is unknown to character
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History
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Dogmeat's early life is fairly uneventful. Hatched in Freetown from tamed crow stock, she was raised and trained as a messenger bird. Sold at a young age to a less-than-reputable pack, this training expanded to picking locks and thieving from fish traps. Traded back and forth between pack members, they treated her well for her cunning. There was always a reward for being a good bird, and she grew fat and happy sitting on their shoulders. She hardly ever left the Freetown area, but would scout or send messages far south from time to time. A booming trade industry demanded strong messengers, and her pack earned extra goods sending her out to deliver mail. All was well, and Dogmeat was happy. Then the town began to wane and spiral downward. Dogmeat's pack had more than a few scrapes with the law and other Luperci. At one point, Dogmeat as seized as evidence when she was caught trying to thieve. Despite fighting her captors and protesting loudly from her cage, she remained in captivity. The Luperci that took her made her into a pet, Dogmeat given up as part of a plea bargain from her old pack. Finding her difficult to work with, she was traded repeatedly until she ended up with a roving band of mercenaries. They tried to use her as a messenger bird, but lacking the kindness or knowledge to reward and care for her properly, they eventually left her to the wilds. Dogmeat was flying back to her home, headed up the coast from the mercenary's Floridian camp. The meteor strike of 2016 occurred not long before she returned, and the Freetown she knew was left underwater. Her pack nowhere in sight, their old cabins either flooded or destroyed, Dogmeat eventually moved northward. After spending some time along the rivers of eastern New Brunswick, she crossed the Bay of Fundy into 'Souls. In the winter of 2023, after a long and fulfilling life, Dogmeat came to finally rest forever in the lands south of the Del Cenere Gang one snowy eve. |