Atéru - The Wolf-Girl

”Have you seen it? The monster that prowls the forest roads in the night? Four eyes that glow like suns in the shadowy mist. An alabaster pelt dashed with crimson spears. It flies through the night, like a restless spirit, silent as the grave and twice as deadly still. Save for that howling wail. The lonesome cry of a woman whose soul is lost to the Wylds. That sound which strikes terror and despair into the hearts of men. A sound of rage at a cruel world which has taken everything, of a mind lost to the madness of utter isolation. The cry which speaks ‘I will kill you. I will kill you all for what you have done to me. For what you have taken from me.’

For the beast that haunts the Wyld Road is no mindless animal, nore vengeful spirit - but a girl. The Wolf Girl of the Deep Wylds. A creature of great beauty, her skin slashed by streaks of crimson like blood, like the hair at the back of her mane. Bloody fangs painted onto her face and body, each a mark earned from a great victory in battle. The vicious, saber tooth of her wolven cloak in each hand, and eyes of gold that stare deep, deep into the souls of those fated to face her in the night. A warrior, a huntress, a murderer and pillager, a girl gone mad from grief and isolation.

Woe to the hapless traveler, to the would-be adventurer who would be foolish enough to brave those cursed roads - for when the icy moon rises over the towering pines and the chill of night seeps into the air - when the stars like pinprick eyes turn their icy stare to the world below their lofty domain - when shadows lurk ‘round every corner and the hunters emerge to prowl the night for their prey - know that she be among them. That she prowls with them. Hunting. Stalking. Leaping from the blackness beyond the edge of vision.

Woe to ye’ who sees the four glowing, golden eyes emerge from the depthless mist - for none have witnessed them and lived to tell the tale.

She is Akota’éru of the Deep Wylds

But we know her only as

The Wolf-Girl.

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Objectively a creature of great beauty, the girl called Atéru is nineteen years of age. She is curvaceous and moderately busty, muscular but not overlarge, walking with a faint sway of the hips, a confident, even haughty stride which divulges the promiscuous nature of a girl familiar with her own strength and abilities. Features fair, yet hard - like the smooth, softly curving stone face of a seaside cliff worn silky and rounded by time and tides. Face and body lightly freckled. Eyes sharp and defiant, ever alert, tinted a depthless golden hue within which one could seem to become lost for an eternity. Her voice is husky like fine sand, vaguely hoarse - not deep, yet somehow resonant.

Her hair is a rich and textured auburn, falling in crude, choppy layers to just above her shoulders. At the base of her neck the hair beneath flares out, curving upward in an abrupt flash of bright red, which is just a shade paler than the crimson streaks which paint her face and body. Beneath each eye, blood-red fangs curve down her cheeks, only multiplying the undeniably striking nature of the girl’s appearance. Crescent marks of the same hue run down from shoulders to wrists, chest to hips, and thighs to ankles and the tops of hands and feet. Her four canine teeth are sharpened into pointed fangs.

She wears homemade clothing of soft leather and suede, normally consisting of a pale, short-cropped vest and knee-length breeches which allow for her tattoos to be proudly displayed as the marks of victory they are. The brass buckle of her belt is the only metallic aspect of her clothing, tarnished with age and patina. Upon the belt hang pouches stocked with various supplies and medicinal herbs, as well as a pair of sheathes - one at her side, the other horizontal behind her back, hidden from sight. The sheathes contain her weapons - a pair of vicious, razor-sharp daggers made from the elongated fangs of some terrible, sabertoothed beast. The natural composition of the bone involves a downward-grain serration on a nearly microscopic scale, making them truly devastating weapons in the hands of so skilled a warrior as she.

Often a pair of bracers made from hardened leather are donned on the girl’s forearms, reinforced with a crafting technique all but lost that makes them as strong as iron. She walks almost exclusively barefoot, generations of forest dwelling keeping the soles of her feet soft like a cat’s paws. Together with other heightened senses, her body affords her the awareness of any skilled predator.

The most striking aspect of Atéru’s outfit however is the brilliant, luxuriant, white pelt cloak draped over her shoulders. It hangs to her knees, soft and rich, fur evolved into a piece of armor which amounts to a naturally occurring carbon-fiber that wicks moisture and resists stains, all while keeping silky and warm.

The pelt is that of a mighty, sabertooth wolf - the head, tail and legs of which remain hidden, tucked discreetly away up beneath until they are unfolded. The head of the beast is marked with the same crimson streaks as the girl who wears it, with four ears and four glaring eyes which have been replaced with tumbled spheres of golden glowstone. The vicious teeth of the creature hang down from the snout, acting as an armored helmet when worn over the girl’s head. Further reinforced by strapping the front legs across her chest, the cloak amounts truly to a battle regalia worthy only of the most fearsome opponent - true to the warrior girl who wears it.

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