Despite her intimidating appearance, Stranger is a pacifist. She instantly warms to any creature that crosses her path. And though she is mute, she's an avid communicator through body language—of course, being three times the size of a normal dog makes this a bit overwhelming to some.
No matter the initial impression, Stranger is friendly, and when anyone approaches her, she brightens up with a toothy smile. Don't touch her without warning though. She despises sudden physical contact; it reminds her of a time in her past when she wasn't so pacifistic. |
Her name derives from the fact that I have lived in four countries. I was always the "strange" one who didn't quite fit into the culture, even when my family moved to the U.S. (I am technically American). The fact that I towered over people for most of my life contributes to Stranger's size, and the wing marking also signifies my life of traveling—my first time on a plane was at just 8 weeks old (and plot twist, I'm afraid of flying). The draconic influence to Stranger's design is because my friends jokingly refer to me as the "Dragon" of the group—tall, intimidating, and a bit protective.
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Stranger does not remember her family. She remembers wandering, but these memories are faded and brief. For months she was isolated from any contact—human or animal. By the time she discovered another canine, she was half mad with desperation. But the animal she discovered was a brute of a lone wolf. Even though Stranger was under a year old, he considered her dragon heritage and the size it gave her a threat. The ensuing fight left Stranger with a defined bite mark to the throat, which her long fur eventually grew to cover. Discovered by a passing small dragon named Icara, Stranger survived the wounds. But Icara settled in a place for only a few days before she felt an innate compulsion to travel on.
Stranger was alone again. Alone and terrified of everyone who crossed her path. Any sudden movement, she ran. Any semblance of aggression, she attacked. She grew vicious in her terror, a blood-crazed beast that built rumors in towns she passed by. They sent hunters for her—for the monster of the forest. And men with fire learned Stranger had fire of her own, a gift of her dragon ancestry.
She withdrew deeper inside of herself with every fight until she preferred her void of loneliness. But still she craved companionship. The fight with the lone wolf years ago left her mute, and even if she did not immediately attack, it seemed everyone she encountered treated her with fear—fear of her growing claws, the spikes ridged upon her back, and her giant size. And they should fear. And she reveled in what power she had.
Stranger was alone again. Alone and terrified of everyone who crossed her path. Any sudden movement, she ran. Any semblance of aggression, she attacked. She grew vicious in her terror, a blood-crazed beast that built rumors in towns she passed by. They sent hunters for her—for the monster of the forest. And men with fire learned Stranger had fire of her own, a gift of her dragon ancestry.
She withdrew deeper inside of herself with every fight until she preferred her void of loneliness. But still she craved companionship. The fight with the lone wolf years ago left her mute, and even if she did not immediately attack, it seemed everyone she encountered treated her with fear—fear of her growing claws, the spikes ridged upon her back, and her giant size. And they should fear. And she reveled in what power she had.
It was the smallest of creatures, a mouse, that became her first friend. It was no threat when it appeared, its tiny chest heaving with desperate gasps. Along Stranger's tail it raced and came to ride upon her back, gripping the draconian spikes. A small lion prowled after it, leaping from the underbrush and screaming in surprise at the appearance of the beast instead of the mouse. It fled and left the mouse burrowed in Stranger's fur. There was nothing to fear from a mouse, and so they became friends.
But mice are short-lived creatures and in a year the little animal passed, leaving Stranger once again alone to wander. This tiny friendship, fleeting as the morning mist, stirred that desire for companionship she had tried to push aside. To ignore. But now it stoked the fire in her into an inferno that drove her to find these small, enduring relationships. Always with an animal smaller than her so she never has to fear.
Now after years of these friendships, Stranger befriends those left ignored, reaches out to those everyone has shunned. And she has scars, so many scars littered beneath her dark coat for her trouble.
But mice are short-lived creatures and in a year the little animal passed, leaving Stranger once again alone to wander. This tiny friendship, fleeting as the morning mist, stirred that desire for companionship she had tried to push aside. To ignore. But now it stoked the fire in her into an inferno that drove her to find these small, enduring relationships. Always with an animal smaller than her so she never has to fear.
Now after years of these friendships, Stranger befriends those left ignored, reaches out to those everyone has shunned. And she has scars, so many scars littered beneath her dark coat for her trouble.