Woodsorrel (NPC, dead)

Birthday
?/8/21 ages up every Aug/Feb ?th
Name origin
A plant often mistaken for clover
Sexuality
Bisexual
Gender
Roo
Sex
AFAB

Purchased traits
Probably at some point
Size class
Enormous
Weight class
Standard
Appearance
Woodsorrel is a lithe, well groomed dromaeus. While enormous in size, he never seems to take up as much space in a room as one would think, often seeming dwarfed even by smaller avus. Generally, his expression is cheery, but he can often be spotted looking exhausted when he thinks no one’s looking. Colour wise, the roo is dark and striped with russet underparts, though he has flashes of iridescent green across his flight feathers, and his shoulders are bright yellow.

Nestling - Fledgeling
0-1
Born to the general and a successful captain, Woodsorrel was destined for greatness, apparently. As General Deadwood was imperative to war efforts, Woodsorrel spent much of his youth in the care of his mother, Larkspur, and grandfather. Though she took time off to rear her son, Larkspur was often called to council with the active captains, so  Woodsorrel would often join his grandfather as he worked to care for young avus at Preyma's orphanage.

Sub-adult
1-2
Woodsorrel adjusted to starting school well. He was a bright young avus, and charismatic to boot, so he did well and made a great many friends. He took it in stride when Princess Zinnia joined his class, which he supposed is what helped them hit it off. Somewhat, anyway. Simply put, he never bothered to treat her any different than the rest of his class. He was polite, but none of the bowing and scraping some of the other students gave her. His father was almost as important as the monarch, why should he bother? He got the feeling his nonchalance annoyed her more than anything, but she kept coming to him for advice, so he clearly hadn't crossed a line. He had to admit, he found it pretty amusing to help the future monarch learn the basics of command.

Adult
2+
Woodsorrel graduated with flying colours and promptly joined the army, eager to climb the ranks like his father had. Thanks to Deadwood's status, it didn't take long for him to be promoted to sergeant.
   Unfortunately, the satisfaction of success was short-lived. His mother was slain in a skirmish with hippus forces. Devastated, Woodsorrel, who was on duty at the time, was called home to mourn. This was perhaps the most he ever saw of his father.
   Though his father was quick to return to the field, Woodsorrel took his time with his bereavement leave. While processing his grief, he also took some time to consider something that had been gnawing at him for a while. Namely, he didn't very much feel like a hen. After taking some time and discussing with a few experienced friends about the matter, the young roo wrote a letter to his father. He dreaded waiting for a response, but he dreaded telling him face to face even more. It's not that he thought he'd take the news poorly, but that he didn't think he could manage to find the words in the moment. His father had always felt somewhat like a stranger to him.
  It was a bit of a shock when Deadwood arrived in the doorway months before he was due to return home. Sweeping him up in his wings, his father greeted him as a son, and asked if he'd like the name Woodsorrel. Woodsorrel, of course, said yes. It was a long-held family tradition for roos to be given 'wood names', so he was overjoyed to take one that even suited his feathers. 

   His father didn't seem to care. Every time he came to him with a glowing report, hoping it would be enough to ease the coddling, Deadwood would tear it apart. Even the smallest flaw would be a fatal error, proof that he wasn't ready. After several months of this, Woodsorrel had had more than enough. Drawing himself up after yet another scathing review, he declared that he was more than ready for the open field and his father needed to let him do his job. This was a mistake. He thought he'd seen his father frustrated, but he didn't know the meaning of anger. The fury in his fathers eyes and bellowed words were enough to send every muscle of his body trembling.
  He didn't try again.

When his father wasn't breathing down his neck and micromanaging his flight's every move, captain Barbule was. At the encouragement of Zinnia, he tried to convince his father's friend to give him a break, but the roo merely shrugged it off. 'It's only because he cares. You should be happy to have someone who loves you so much, I barely knew my parents.'
   Defeated, Woodsorrel resigned himself to working only within Preyma as his father's restrictions grew tighter and tighter. 

Until his father's death. The feeling was… complicated. He loved his father and missed him dearly, but at the same time, it was as if the weight of a mountain had lifted from his shoulders.
   It took him a long time to pick up the pieces of his confidence and make his way back onto the battlefield. Zinnia, now general, was almost aggressive in her support. It felt alien to receive such glowing reviews after years of being torn down for the slightest mistake. Most days, it was a struggle to believe them.
   It almost took him by surprise when Zinnia confessed her feelings for him. It's not that he hadn't expected as much, but more that the thought had been so far from his mind. He said yes, of course. He'd been fond of the princess for a while too, just never dared to broach the topic with everything else going on. The two took a year to figure things out and make sure they were functional before publicly partnering.

   Still, despite the growing pains that came with new responsibility, these were perhaps some of the happiest years of his life. Once settled into their respective roles, the two decided to have their first clutch. Zinnia had no involvement, so to speak. She was eager to bring a child into the family, but she had too much work to do and wasn't particularly eager to carry a clutch. Woodsorrel, on the other hand, was happy to take time off to care for the egg. He spent as much time as the kingdom could spare raising Reprise through her first few years. Zinnia of course was always eager to spend any time she could with them, often bringing their fledgeling along to all manner of meetings, but Woodsorrel treasured the quiet moments the most. 

It couldn't last forever, though. With dromaeus numbers dwindling lower and lower, Woodsorrel returned to active duty once Reprise had finished her schooling. The next few years blurred together before being cut abruptly short.
   His squadron was intercepted east of the hippus capital as they rushed to aid Northern forces on the Rainforest border.
   They never made it.

KIN:

OTHER:

Likes

• Fish, mostly as food, but he also enjoys watching them
• Water. He's not the strongest swimmer, but he enjoys it nonetheless
• Spending time with family. Truly, it's the highlight of his life

Dislikes

• Pushy or rude people. He's too polite/nervous to say anything, but he will hold a grudge forever
• Fruits and vegetables. His teeth just really aren't made for them

Trivia

• His fur and feathers are oily and repel water, making him quite buoyant
• Unlike most dromaeus, his tail hangs low to the ground and others often step on it
• Seeing as he was big enough to use it, Zinnia often had him take Mountainsblood, the royal sword, into battle

Songs

• Golden Meadow - Stuart Mavis
• Don't Swallow the Cap - The National
• I Can't Dance - Mating Ritual
• Falling - Florence + the Machine
• Sometimes - Nick Lutsko