When Kestrel was very young, he went by the name "Aiden" and lived a joyous life full of adventure alongside his twin sister, Cassidy. Their mother would often tell them stories about the various birds that soared the skies, and the two pups always listened in awe. Inspired by the tales, they would go looking for the birds together in the neighbouring woods and bring back any interesting feathers they found. Seeing how much the pups enjoyed these stories, their mother began affectionately calling them "Kestrel" and "Raven" instead.
As he grew older, Kestrel soon realised that the land they owned was actually very small. His father was a member of the Imperial Army, and his mother was often left with the hunting work, but he was still too young to join either of them. However, he and his sister had each decided on a feather they hoped to find, and exploring the nearby woodland with her kept him from getting too lonely. Raven wanted to find the feather of an actual raven, whilst Kestrel was more interested in the peregrine falcon.
His father had always told him not to stay out after dark, and to never stray too far from home, but after hearing stories of the neighbouring wolves having pups of a similar age to him, Kestrel figured it would be okay to pay them a visit. Before long, he and Raven had formed a friendship with these pups and were allowed to visit so long as they didn't get in the way.
Between listening to epic tales of raptors, playing with his new friends and feather hunting with his sister, things were pretty great. However, it could only last for so long... One day, his mother lost her life to a hunting accident, and all of a sudden, everything began to change.
Over time, Kestrel learnt to cope, but things just weren't the same as they were before. His father was now busier than ever, and Raven would occasionally offer to help out, even accompanying him to the Imperial Barracks sometimes. Whilst he enjoyed learning a few things whenever they returned, Kestrel preferred spending his time in the woods. He knew his sister did too, but it seemed she didn't care about feather hunting anymore...
Eventually, Raven began to spend more time at home again. Before long, they were spending time together like they used to, except this time, they would practise ambush attacks and hunting.
Kestrel realised that it had been a while since he had last seen his friends and decided to invite his sister along. It took a bit of insistence, but she eventually agreed to join him. The day was filled with fun, but when the sun began to set, Raven suggested they should go back home. Kestrel couldn't remember the last time he had been able to spend time with everyone like this, and he really didn't want the fun to end, so he suggested one last game of hide and seek to hone their tracking skills before they left. Raven reluctantly agreed when his friends backed the idea, and with that, the two of them were chosen to be the seekers. They decided to split up to cover more ground, but Kestrel was also curious to see who could find the most of their friends. Dusk began to set in about halfway through the game, and suddenly, everything felt quite eerie. He wasn't used to being out on his own so late. Suddenly, he noticed a scent on the breeze that filled him with unease. Was that... blood? He tried his best to follow the scent, but all was deadly silent except for the rustling of fallen leaves and twigs beneath his paws. Eventually, he found the source. His ears dropped in horror as he gazed upon the limp body of one of his friends. The shadows from the trees made it difficult to see, but the scent of blood was very strong here. Unsure what to do, he gave a panicked howl in the hopes that someone would come.
To his surprise, Raven was the first to arrive despite the fact that she probably wasn't nearby at the time. Kestrel didn't think he had ever seen her run so fast. The scene before them did the talking for him, and neither could bring themselves to say a word. Just a few seconds later, a couple more wolves appeared, and before long, there was a small crowd.
The air grew tense as everyone began to arrive, and he watched as one of the adult wolves stepped forth to examine his injured friend. To his dismay, they confirmed the worst; his friend was dead. He couldn't shake the sudden feeling of dread as he realised this was all his idea. Was it his fault? Whatever the case, he had no time to dwell on it, because he could already see the adult wolves glaring at him.
Kestrel found himself being chased, running through the woods with his sister. Everything happened so fast, he could hardly process anything, but it was clear that they blamed him for what happened.
One of the wolves followed them all the way back home. Catching sight of his father, Kestrel came skidding to a halt and quickly hid behind him. The two wolves immediately confronted each other, and he could hear them raising their voices over each other for a moment. He used this time to slink away and try to take in everything that had just happened.
Raven had come over to catch up, but he couldn't answer all of her questions. Still, he found some comfort in her willingness to listen. Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted as his father came over, likely seeking an explanation. It seemed the other wolf had told him everything...
It turned out that the neighbouring wolves, unaware of the full situation, blamed both him and Raven for the incident and were now unwilling to let them visit his friends again. Looking up at night sky, he realised that he had also stayed out for longer than he was supposed to. The best he could do was try to explain everything that happened.
Sometimes, he really hated his father. The guy was so stubborn and just wouldn't listen. In the heat of the moment, and determined to set things right, Kestrel declared that he would return to the woods and find who, or what, was responsible for the death of his friend. He knew he probably didn't stand a chance, but he trusted in his own abilities to escape, and even if he couldn't bring justice, perhaps he would at least learn the truth. Besides, he would rather be alone with his thoughts in the dark and scary woods than trying to reason anymore. As he ran towards the darkness, he heard Raven call to him, but there was no changing his mind now.
As he began to calm down a bit, Kestrel started questioning whether or not this was really a good idea. He glanced around for a moment, realising that no one had followed him. He couldn't help but wonder why... did they not care about his safety? Perhaps he was better off on his own anyway. As he wandered further into the forest, he felt a sudden chill down his spine. It was so dark. If something did try to attack him, how would he even see it coming? He took a deep breath, determined to prove himself. At least he could rely on his ears and nose.
After a while longer of wandering alone, Kestrel thought he could hear something. He adjusted his ears, trying to focus and work out which direction it was coming from. Suddenly, he noticed a couple of dark figures moving in front of him. Panicked, he began running away as fast as he could. He thought he could just about make out their scent, but it wasn't at all familiar. He didn't dare look back, swiftly dodging each bush and tree that stood in his way. A few rays of moonlight illuminated the area, revealing a small cliff up ahead which forced him to stop. He quickly examined the area. There was a tree below, and its highest branches reached the top of the cliff. There also appeared to be a lot of foliage beneath, and it was the fastest way down. He could hear the rustling of foliage behind him, and without second thought, he leapt into the tree's branches. He felt himself crash through, followed by sudden pain on the right side of his face. However, it only lasted for about a second before everything ended with a thud.
Kestrel tried to open his eyes. Everything was blurry. There was a stranger standing right in front of him... and everything hurt. The stranger uttered something about him being awake at last. Kestrel blinked a couple of times, trying to take in his surroundings. Had he been... unconscious? He had no idea where he was, but at least there were no signs of whatever had been chasing him.
He found himself exchanging questions with the stranger who had apparently found him in the woods at the base of the cliff. The wolf was a lot older than him but seemed to be quite friendly, offering to help him with his recovery if he would be willing to do some favours in return. Kestrel agreed, seeing little other choice. He didn’t want to go back into the woods alone, and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to return home after everything that had happened, especially considering he had nothing good to show for it.
His strength soon began to return, but he was starting to get really hungry. Whilst the wolf had been feeding him, he was usually just left with the scraps and told that if he wanted anything better, he would have to earn it. It seemed it was finally time for him to fulfil his end of the deal, so he asked the wolf if there was anything he could do, but he was not expecting the answer he got. Apparently, someone had stolen an item of value from them, and now it was Kestrel’s task to go and retrieve it. He wanted to help, but he definitely didn’t want to get caught…
In the end, it turned out just fine. He successfully retrieved the item and escaped without even being seen. As he explained how it all went, the wolf smiled and complimented his stealth before commenting that he seemed to be very good at this sort of thing. At first, Kestrel wasn’t sure how to take it. Technically, he did steal the item, even if it was for a good reason… but then again, it did feel really good to have his skills acknowledged. He smiled back before asking if there was anything else he could do.
After a long day of helping his new friend and enjoying a nice large meal, Kestrel settled down, ready to call it a night. As he looked up at the dark sky, he found himself wondering how his family was faring. He missed them… but they still hadn’t found him. He began to question if they were even looking. Unable to get the thoughts out of his head, he decided to walk to the nearby river for a quick drink, or so he told himself. What he really wanted was to see his reflection. When he gazed at the surface, he could hardly recognise himself; his face was scarred, and it felt as if the innocence of his puphood had drifted away like a feather on the breeze.
The next morning, Kestrel awoke to a paw poking at him. The wolf he had been staying with offered to teach him a few techniques in exchange for a few more favours. This was perfect! If he could learn to fend for himself and bring some food back home, maybe he wouldn't feel like such a disappointment.
As he continued to train, he found himself feeling more and more at home where he was, but he still really missed his family. The wolf had agreed to accompany him to the cliff where he was found, but he just wasn't ready to go all the way back. His new companion suggested that it may be time to move on. At first, Kestrel couldn't bare the thought, but later, he found himself wondering if his family might be better off without him after all. He really wanted to see his sister again, but at least without him there to distract her, she could focus on training and join their father in the Imperial Army. Their interests probably would have taken them separate ways anyway, and at the end of the day, he just wanted to know that she was safe and happy. Saddened by the realisation, he tried to push the thoughts aside for a while.
Kestrel had been questioning these suspicious "favours" he was being asked to do for a while, and it did not take him long to uncover the truth. It turned out that the wolf he was staying with was a member of the Thieves' Guild, and the "stolen item" he "retrieved" was never theirs to begin with. Whilst he was not at all happy about this, the wolf had still helped him immensely, so he decided to listen to what they had to say. They told him that it was simply a way of getting by, and and that wealthy would hardly notice the difference, yet it could be enough to save a starving wolf's life. Kestrel could see what the wolf meant, but he still wasn't sure it was the right thing to do...
It had now been about a week since he left home, and he found himself staring at a crow's feather, thinking about Raven once more. She probably wasn't allowed beyond the woods alone, especially after everything that happened, but what was stopping his father from looking for him? What little hope he had left was slowly turning to resentment. He was really starting to feel like an outcast, and it didn't help that he was now living with a literal thief. Or was he the thief now? Whichever may be true, even if his family did still care, he wasn't sure how he would explain everything now. Besides, at this point, they had probably started to adjust to life without him. Maybe it was better this way...
As much as he hated the idea of the Thieves' Guild, Kestrel couldn't deny that this companion of his had treated him well. He had learned so much from them, and they stayed by his side even when he was having doubts. This was something he knew he would have to give up if he did return home as there was no way his father would let him train with a thief. Perhaps that was just it, though. He felt free here, and each day was an adventure of its own. There were no rules, just objectives and rewards. As much as he hated to admit it, he enjoyed it. He didn't want to leave all that behind, at least not yet.
One day, whilst returning from "item retrieval" with a large chunk of meat, Kestrel noticed a couple of young wolves admiring his latest haul. They sure looked hungry... One of them asked if he would be willing to trade it, but they did not have much to offer. They reminded him of himself, trying to find their own way to survive on what little they could get. He placed the meat on the ground before tearing a chunk off, leaving the rest to the hungry wolves. The way their faces lit up in delight filled him with a sense of happiness that he had not felt in a long time. Maybe there really was such thing as "stealing for a good cause."
After a while, Kestrel realised that he had already begun to move on. As much as he missed feather hunting and playing in the woods, those days were behind him now. Whilst he still had a lot to learn, he knew he wasn't the innocent young pup he once was. He could never forget Raven, but he wasn't even sure if she would recognise him now. As he stared at his reflection once more, all he could see was a wolf who didn't belong, bearing the scars of a day he would rather forget. He gave a disheartened sigh before turning away, his ears drooping as he slowly made his way back to the wolf he had been staying with.
It was late, and everything was dark, but he was starting to get used to seeing in low light levels. The wolf was just up ahead, so Kestrel slowly padded over and stood before them. For a moment, he stood there silently, looking down at the ground. He knew they could teach him everything he needed to know; how to hunt, fight, and most importantly, how to make a living for himself, even if no one else was willing to give him a chance... This was what he wanted. Everything felt hazy as the weight of the decision he was about to make began to sink in. Taking a deep breath, he returned his gaze to the wolf.
"...From this day forth... I pledge my allegiance to you."
parents
Father: Forest (Deceased), Mother: Unknown (Deceased)
siblings
Twin sister: Raven
lover
None
children
None
extended
Uncle: Cliff (Status unknown)
