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Delta Velorum Fox - Male - Normal tail - Feline facial markings - Extra fluff (long head tuft, short feathering) - Lowered ears - "Runaways" by All Time Low
Avri is a determined and extremely stubborn fox. Once his mind's made up, that's the end of it, no matter how paranoid others can make him. While he tries his best to be friendly and greet new people with a smile, he struggles with his deeply planted fear of others. If left exposed to stress for too long, he will get increasingly twitchier. At first, it'd be just shuffling of his paws or swishing of his tail, but eventually he'll start shaking and can't keep still. He's insistent on pulling his own weight, so he won't complain if he thinks it's going to hurt his image. Avri's a free spirit and needs to be able to make his own choices or he won't be happy. He tries his best to be an optimist, whether he actually is one or not is hard to tell. He's quick to keep a grudge and not keen on forgiving unless the offender proves themselves worthy, so it's best not to get on his bad side. Still learning how to fend for himself, he's most likely to flee when in danger. He hates being wrong and can be a poor sport as well. But, since he's resolved not to become too much of a grouch, he'll be smiling again after allowed a few moments to sulk.
They had a plan to soothe their worries. Every so often, they would go through the painstaking and life-threatening process of sneaking into neighboring clan territory and stealing a kit or two. They were seen and foiled dozens of times, but somehow they always managed to disappear before they could be caught. As stupid as they were, they were masters at hiding their tracks. Maybe they thought that they were lowering the population of their enemies, but their hearts were too big to simply toss the kits into the river their den was nestled up against. Instead, they stored them away in their home and taught them the ways of a loner. The kits were told that terrible things would happen to them if they ever neared the clans or their territories. And so, the young foxes grew up learning to fear others, so much so that nightmares haunted them nearly every time they went to sleep.
Of course, none of us knew we had come from the clans, but we could not stay ignorant forever. The word of our "parents" being liars spread through the den one day like a wildfire. Eventually, the older children had noticed that neither the loners' nor the kits' pelts looked remotely similar. Not only that, but many of the young foxes had long fur or different tails. The news that none of us were truly siblings came as a shock that left the majority of us feeling embarrassed that we had never noticed earlier. Some fox came to the conclusion that we had been abducted from our true homes, while many others insisted that we had only been adopted or rescued even. There were constant and hushed arguments about the topic until one night the fox who started the fight ran away into the night, looking for a new start to life. A few of us waited for them to come back, but they never did. Since then, a handful of other children decided to disappear as well. Most of the others wanted to stay because they were too attached to their foster parents and didn't want to leave the only place they felt safe. I found that I was not one of them.
Admittedly, I was scared. The night I prepared to slip away was freezing cold. A frigid wind ripped down the mountains of The Void's territory, carrying with it wisps of snow. I didn't want to get caught in a storm, but it had gotten to the point where I just couldn't stay any longer. I could hardly stand the sight of the two loners and every chance I had to get away practically screamed at me. I had done everything I could to ensure that I would not be caught during my escape, yet I heard a voice behind me. Luckily, it was not someone who wished to stop me. Two foxes that I still felt strong attachments to, Ashoka and Sulfur, had noticed my eagerness to get away and told themselves that they wouldn't let me go alone. Although I was unnerved by how obvious it was that I wanted to escape, I was glad that I would not be leaving by myself.
I was surprised that these two of all the foxes had decided to come with me. Sulfur had taken the loners' words about how dangerous other foxes were to heart, so he was completely mortified at the idea of simply been seen by someone outside of the den. At some point, Ashoka had become numb to their lectures, changing in the process. It was if she had retreated inside her own mind, trying to replace reality with her own world. But, I suppose I didn't look any more ready to face what was out there than either of them. We were all scared of anyone we had not grown up with. Still, we mustered the energy to step out into the growing winds and set a course towards the warmer lands of Dellhaven and, eventually, Loner's Retreat. The next morning, the den found themselves short of three foxes.
