Avika was born deaf due to the lack of pigmentation over her ears. Over the years, people have been astounded at how she's handled herself despite her disability. 

When Avika was brought into the world, her own parents thought she'd never make it. It's not uncommon for newborn puppies to have their ear canals shut, but after a few weeks, when she'd been supposed to start responding to the sounds in her environment, she seemed to not be able to do so. She'd been treated with great care, as her " weakness " proved to be quite a hindrance as she slowly grew into her adolescent days. Avika wasn't picked on as much or given bad treatment by her litter mates or parents- in fact, they regarded her with pity and treated her as if she were much more fragile than she actually were. She knew they meant well, but she was rather disheartened when her brother and sisters would leave her out of their play-fights, or at most go easy on her when she would whine and beg to join their games.

When she turned 11 months old, Avika didn't want to be seen and treated as fragile as others perceived her. She sought to prove herself, and this is where she discovered her talent; keen sight and a body adapted to be more sensitive to movement and vibrations, she put these qualities to good use and eventually became one of the bravest and brightest hunters and herders in the flatlands. Her family was proud of her and her talents were recognized and utilized when she finally got to work alongside the rest of the pack in watching over their assigned flock. Though Avika herself was usually assigned to keep an eye on a particular group of zebras.

Although she wouldn't hear when her pack would give signals, she learned to keep an eye on multiple things at once- a flick of an ear here meant to bunch the herd in, compressing them; a slight curl of the lip from the pack member running beside her meant to guide the herd towards the right, while having their teeth fully bared meant to lead them towards the left. Avika is grateful that the pack makes an effort to treat her as their equal, though they occasionally worry that there are things she wouldn't be able to face, Avika is bright, intelligent, and courageous, and she will fulfil her duties as best as she can, as long as she can still run, walk, and stand to face the challenges life will throw at her. After all, she's gotten past her inability to hear, hasn't she ?

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