Profile of Jock

The largest in his family, Jock is used to towering over others, though he’s never once been known to throw his weight around. And it is substantial weight for although he is still filling out, he’s built from sturdy stock, like his forefathers. He was made for hard labour and that is what he has done since he was old enough to be of use. Like a great oak, he is broad as he is tall, though his strong, long legs don’t allow much for gracefulness. He has learned to be agile to an extent, but that was due to his gangliness in his youth. Having been so clumsy because to his size, he has worked hard to find his footing and work with his bulk, not against it.

He has inherited his grandfathers coat, a rich black at the base with a feathering of browns at the tip spreading over his head, neck, and mantle. They come in thicker on his tail, lightening the very end. His most defining feature is his bright turquoise eyes, a gift from his great grandmother, a Highlander who married into the family. They often shine with good humour, accompanied by his easygoing smile.

If there was one thing you could say about Jock, it’s that he was raised right. He may be uneducated, never having stepped foot in a place of study, but he has a good mind for learning and has never been shy of hard work. Like all his siblings, he was taught to be honest and well mannered, polite but never beyond one’s principles. Whilst the others all had their own ideas, it stuck greatly with Jock, matching his innate nature. He has never spoken out of turn unless it’s been to defend what he believes is right, making him opinionated at times but still open to looking at things from another’s point of view. He tries to avoid conflict where it can be helped, but has never stepped back from a fight, especially in defence of someone else.

His morals and ethics are hardwired into his very being. He values kindness, honesty and bravery, attributes his older brother made sure to cultivate in Jock, along with loyalty and perseverance. Generosity and working hard are the bread and butter of his spirit, things no one had to show him how to do well. Like his brother and father, as well as many of those good men and women who came before them, Jock has always had the ambition to be a soldier. Farming and soldiering are the two main hallmarks of being a Carson, even though each generation has created their fair share of variety within the rule and it is his time to carry on the tradition and he does so proudly.

He usually sings when he goes about his business and has a decent voice if he says so himself. He may be modest but he’s all about giving praise where it’s due, be it to himself or others but he would never go as far as to brag. His favourite time of day is dusk, when the sun is setting and the sky glows with so many wonderful hues. He always takes a moment to drink it in, to be caught up in the moment and be thankful for another day, enjoying the peace and listening to the birds saying goodnight before they go back to their roosts.

Whilst he tries to be cheerful and optimistic, managing it 90% of the time, if he does feel the darker emotions, he does his best not to burden others with his bad mood. He is one for working through his feelings, only burdening his loved ones when he cannot carry his load on his own and only then. His charming demeanour and easygoing mannerisms around women could be seen as flirtatious, but in his own innocence, he fails to see it. He has a dream to marry a noblewoman if he does well for himself in the army, though he appreciates his roots and wouldn’t turn his nose up at a good, honest local girl.

Jock Hamish Carson comes from a very large family, one that goes back generations. His parents had their first litter when they were three years old, a boy and a girl, Lochlann and Heather. One would grow to join the army like their father and the other would fall for a herbalist in the Highlands who shared her love of plant culture. Two years after the first litter, Jock would be born, alongside two girls, Rose and Lily. Lily made it to 6 months but no further, an accident with a fast flowing river and a young boy too slow to save her. Jock would never forget not getting to her in time.

Though the loss was heartbreaking, the couple were blessed with another litter, four girls in place of the one that had been taken. They were to be called Violet, Marigold and Cassia, chosen with the assistance of Rose. The fourth was given to Jock to name and breaking from the flowery tradition, he gave her something unique and entirely her own; Nova. It was fate that he did so for she would become his secret favourite, not that he would try to make the others jealous. It was simple. The more time they spent together, the closer they got. She was his much loved shadow and most favoured companion.

Given his ambitions, he would have joined the army at a year old, like his brother and their father so many years prior but it wasn’t to be. With both in service, someone needed to help their aging mother on the farm and he was very willing to do so. Dreams could age without dying and he had priorities and duties that needed tending, which he did with good grace and without complaint. It was work he had done his whole life after all, and the others were needed at the war front. With war comes tragedy however and it hit the family twice over. Their father, aged as he was, fell in battle and it was a heavy blow. It came as a shock to their mother but she was not alone in her grief by any means.

To make matters worse, Lochlann received an injury that meant that after three years of service, his time was up. Left with a permanent limp but a determination to take up what had fallen on Jocks broad shoulders, he told his brother to go and enlist if that was still his ambition and not to worry about what was left behind. It was a hard decision to make, and he now had a greater understanding of what he was truly putting himself in for, but Jock decided that he would do so and make his family proud, as well as provide an extra income that was now sorely needed. So, after making his tearful goodbyes, he made his way down to York, hoping that the road he had chosen to take was the right one.