The Beast

<infobox>

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   <default>The Beast</default>
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</image> <label>Nicknames</label> <group collapse="open"> <header>Appearance</header> <label>Species</label> <label>Gender</label> <label>Eye Color</label> <label>Height</label> <label>Wingspan</label> <label>Magic Level</label> </group> <group collapse="open"> <header>Biography</header> <label>Era</label> <label>Birth Date</label> <label>Death Date</label> <label>Residence</label> <label>Lifespan</label> <label>Relationships</label> </group> </infobox> The Beast is a red fox with magical mutations. She is the second most powerful creature in Ankouvian history, only surpassed by the Gryphon Mother. She is immortal and has a high level of magic, although most of it is not controllable. She was born in The Beginning, and lived until The End.

Appearance

The Beast appears as a red fox, with towering brown antlers and glowing white eyes. Her ears and legs are darker brown; her underbelly, muzzle, inner ears, and tail tip are creamy white. Her fur is very faintly striped with darker brown. She stands approximately thirteen feet tall at the shoulders.

Despite being immortal, the Beast is able to die; when she does, she is sent to Eternity for a single day before her soul is returned to her body. As such, the Beast has no scars or long-lasting injuries, as they are healed the next time she is reincarnated. This system is similar to the Gryphon Mother's immortality, as it was meant as a copy of her own, but whereas the Mother reincarnates into a new body each time, the Beast is simply returned to her own, now healed of whatever ended her life. Like the Gryphon Mother, the Beast's blood is bright blue.

Personality

The Beast's personality has changed quite a bit through the years. When she was younger, back when she was simply Kefara, she was daring and adventurous, frequently getting into trouble with her sister Rhali. The two sisters enjoyed teasing each other, which continued into their adolescent years.

As they grew older, Rhali matured, while Kefara retained her childlike energy. After being granted immortality, she stopped physically aging, and was far slower to mature as well. It wasn't until after Rhali's death, and then the deaths of Rhali's children, that Kefara began to sober up, realizing that immortality was perhaps not as much of a blessing as she had originally thought it was.

History

The Beginning

The Beast was born in the middle of Spring, y402, and given the name Kefara. She was the younger of two; her older sister was named Rhali. The two grew up together, forming a close bond early on. They were raised by their mother Mira alone; although they both knew their father, Xaru, he did not participate in their raising, and so he was treated more as a friend than a family member.

When Kefara was two years old, she saw the Gryphon Mother for the first time, just glimpsing her briefly through a crowd while on a day trip to the Mother's City.

In y408, she met the Mother a second time. She found herself enthralled with her, not because of the Mother's power or status, but because of her personality and her kindness. She did not see the Mother as a being to worship or fear, but as an individual. And in return, the Mother loved her, more than she loved any other of her creatures.

The two soon formed a genuine connection, and then a deep bond. They became very close over the next several years, eventually to the point of falling in love. Although Rhali teased Kefara about her relationship, Kefara knew that she fully supported the two of them; their mother Mira, however, did not approve. She believed that no good could come from a relationship with a deity, and that Kefara was getting in way over her head.

As Kefara grew older, the Mother became concerned about losing her. In the mind of an immortal, the two had only just met, and it would be a blink of an eye before Kefara had reached the end of her natural lifespan. So, the Mother proposed a plan to Kefara, a plan that would make the young fox immortal, so that the two need never be parted. Kefara accepted wholeheartedly, and the act was done: in y429, Kefara was given immortality, at the same level of the Mother herself. This action made her the second-most magical creature in all of Ankou. Her eyes turned pure white.

Although she had such a high amount of magic within her, she had no control over it, like a magic-born creature would. She made a few half-hearted attempts to learn, but it was never something she had a desire for, and so she was content to simply exist.

Over the next several years, the effects of such a high quantity of magic began to show on Kefara's physical form. She grew bigger, far bigger than a fox should naturally grow to. Her blank white eyes began to glow, and antlers sprouted from her head.

She spent the next few decades living with the Mother, her body and her antlers growing larger every year. She frequently returned to her birthplace to visit her family, especially Rhali, who had found a partner and had three children. Kefara loved her niece and nephews, and found great joy in being with her family. However, her mother Mira still believed that it was a mistake for her to be in a relationship with a deity, and that this immortality was a horrific curse. She and Kefara got into an argument on one visit in y439, resulting in Kefara refusing to see her any longer.

Kefara's father Xaru died in y441. She had been slowly growing apart from him as time went on, and she hadn't seen him in several years. Kefara returned to her birthplace to stay with Rhali and her family for a while, longing for the comfort of relatives. Although she saw Mira briefly from a distance, her mother continued to actively avoid her, and the two did not interact.

In y447, Kefara heard word that Mira's health was declining, and so Kefara went to her birthplace for a visit. It had been quite some time since the two had seen each other; while Kefara was eager to see her again, Mira was quite horrified by what her daughter had become. Although she had seen Kefara's immortal form before, she hadn't expected her daughter to be twice her size, with towering branching antlers and glowing eyes. Believing that Kefara had become a monster, Mira swore that she no longer recognized her as her daughter, and told her to leave. Heartbroken, Kefara did; this would be the last time the two saw each other, as Mira passed shortly after.

In y499, the Mother told Kefara of her plans for the future of Ankou, including how she would now be entering her cycle of reincarnation. Although Kefara did not understand why the Mother would want to do such a thing, she knew that the Mother knew best, and so instead she promised to find her. When y500 began, the two traveled to the Silverwood Forest, where the Mother let her physical form peacefully pass away.

Age of Kingdoms

[following the mother, discovering who she is, distancing herself from family, beginning to realize]

Age of War

[lost and conflicted, regretting her choice, lost self esteem, big fight with mother at end]

Age of Harmony

[alone in the silverwood forest, wild and feral, cruel and mindless. she earns the nickname. the mother mourns her. finally, reconciliation]

Age of Spirits

[slow recovery, remembering who she is, learning to be ok without the mother. accepting her reality, falling back in love. making up for lost time and poor choices. reconnects with rhali's distant descendants]

Age of Discovery

[her golden years. happy once again, so deeply in love but confident in who she is without the mother's influence]

The End

[writes ankouvian history. at the mother's side until the end.]

Relationships

The Gryphon Mother

The Beast's history and relationship with the Gryphon Mother is long and complex. Depending on the era, Kefara either loved her with all her heart or despised her very being. During their good years, she considered the Mother to be her better half; during the dark years, she cursed the Mother for turning her into a monster.

Rhali

Rhali is Kefara's sister. They were extremely close when growing up, and started to drift apart as Kefara began spending more time with the Mother. While Rhali aged and matured, Kefara did not - growing larger but not noticeably older. Still, they maintained a relationship throughout all of Rhali's lifetime, with Kefara remaining close to her children and grandchildren as well.

Mira

Mira is Kefara's mother. Although they had a good relationship when Kefara was growing up, Mira never approved of Kefara's later relationship with the Gryphon Mother. Mira saw Kefara's immortality as a curse, and eventually disowned her entirely, fearing that she had become a monster.

Xaru

As Kefara's parents separated before she and her sister were born, she doesn't really think of Xaru as her father. He was treated as a family friend while she was growing up, but she never felt particularly close to him. He was more supportive of her relationship with the Gryphon Mother than Mira was, but they still were not close, and she eventually drifted away from him altogether.

Image Gallery

• Grow old together.png

  with the Gryphon Mother

• Beast2.png
• Cliffside.png

  with the Gryphon Mother

• Broken.png
• Kefara small.jpg
• Reflections revised(1).png
• Kef ref.png

  reference image

• Kefara before.png

  pre-immortality

• Beastly mantra.png