The night is warm and clear. A gentle breeze makes the trees greet each other as their branches sway like dancers on the stage. An owl hoots, and is answered by the tiny squeal of a field mouse meeting its fate.

In the forest, a clearing can be seen. The trees silently guard the huts that have been built from their fallen brethern. From one such hut, a woman screams into the night, the anguish in her voice startling a deer from the brush, sending it leaping into the darkness. More noises can be heard, voices yelling and beckoning. From this erupts a new sound, a cry from one just introduced into the world. The other sounds die down until the entire forest is standing quiet and alert, listening to the sounds of this new infant. Finally the cryings stop as the child is fed from her mother's milk. The forest does not yet let up its intentful gaze into the clearing. It watches and waits; even the wind holds it breath. Then, wolves in the distance sing the song of a new one joining the pack.

The child is the healthy daughter of a pair of razorclaw shifters, a forest curiosity seemingly stuck between man and beast. Their ears are pointed, their faces are fierce, their hands and feet end in claws. Their expressions make men fear them; their cat-like countenance giving them a lion's appearance. But if these people are lions, then this is only apparent in their lifestlyes; they live and breathe to help one another, seldom selfish and constantly providing for their pride. Fights occur among them but are often settled quickly and without much intervention. They prefer fights fought with the tongue and mind then claws and strength. They are spiritual but do not worship, slightly superstitious, but very wise. It is into this that Mizzely is born.

The Wise Ones

Mizzely’s birth is regarded with immense praise. She will be very important to her people, as she shows the markings of a Wise One, those of their people born as druids. Only one druid ever exists in the pride at any one time; when one passes another is born. When this happens, every mother that comes to expect a child after the death of a Wise One hopes that it will be the person growing inside of her will be the chosen. It is very easy to tell which of these children, male or female, actually get to continue the line, as they are born with the markings of the Great Blue Heron on their faces, and Mizzely has these markings.

The Great Blue Heron; to this razorclaw pride they represent an ability to progress and evolve. The long thin legs of the heron reflect that an individual doesn't need great massive pillars to remain stable, but must be able to stand on one's own. Blue Herons have an innate wisdom of being able to manoeuvre through life. The heron may sit until everyone else looses patience. And, when they follow the promptings of the heart, they are one of the most magnificent when they choose to soar.

These qualities make an exceptional part of any character, but when the gods choose to give the markings of such a fantastic bird to one of their people, it means great things. Born druids, they have the innate ability to change into a beast form, completing the transition that their people seemed to be stuck between. They know how to listen to the very forest around them, and their wisdom often is well beyond their years. The Razorclaws believe every Wise One to contain the same soul of the Wise One before them to account for this unworldly wisdom, a reincarnation of sorts. The difference between this and the reincarnation that we are used to, is that in a Wise One, more than one spirit resides in their mortal coil. They have the soul of the Wise One to guide them through their druid training, the soul of their personal self, and the soul of an animal with which will guide them to and be their true animal form. In this way, they have a Trinity of souls that reside within them, giving them wisdom and strength, but also making each Wise One very different than the one before. The Wise One soul also gives them the markings that signify this union.

The Wise Ones do not lead the people they are surrounded by, for they have a Chief for that, but rather guide and teach them. Unlike the other pride members, the Wise One does not stay in their village for their whole life, leaving only to gather means to stay alive. Rather, Wise Ones travel, sometimes near, sometimes very far, to learn what exists beyond their village, and to bring more wisdom back to their people.

Her Animal Form

Mizzely found what her animal soul was by the age of 10. The winter before, she had been walking down to the river to fetch some water for her mother, and she heard a scream coming from upstream. She set down her pot, listening closer to it. It was an animal scream; that much she could discern, but it wasn’t a sound like anything she had ever heard. She scanned the rapids for the source, and saw a small silver shape thrashing, and mewing.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mizzely threw herself into the cold river, changing shape as she went in. She took the scruff of the kitten into her mouth, and swam laboriously to the bank. There, she deposited the child onto the ground and shook herself. The kitten moved closer to her and huddled next to her leg for warmth. It was then that Mizzely looked down and saw what shape she had turned into. She ran to a pool that the river had made in the rocks, and looked at the reflection. Staring back at her was the same species that she had just fished out the river, a lynx. Her fur was grayish blue, and her heron markings were still apparent as blue fur on her face. Drooping over her shoulders were the long grey-blue characteristic heron feathers that appeared in many forms Wise Ones take. Her legs and haunches were adorned with grey spots. She had changed into this form without even trying! The form, it felt so…right. Whenever she had turned into other forms she grew to know them, but they were still not her. This… this lynx form that she had taken on, felt more at home than her shifter self. She looked back at the kitten she had rescued from the river and an almost maternal wave of relief at its safety warmed her. She smiled as best as a cat could, knowing that she had found her animal self. Movement from the upstream bank took her attention from the mewing child, and she saw a distraught mother running to its safety. She took a look at Mizzely, gave a cat signal of what could only be comprehended as “thanks” and grabbed the scruff of her half-drowned kitten, removing him from the scene. Mizzely changed back to her humanoid form and filled the pot with water before returning to the village. She slept that night as her lynx self, content that she had found part of who she was at last.

Since that day, Mizzely has decided that she often prefers to be in her Lynx form, especially while traveling or meditating. She often will revert to her shifter form for use in cities and the like so as to not alarm people, and to make conversation, and when its just not appropriate to be a cat.

Her Totem

A druid’s totem is handmade utilizing parts of nature which they wish to honor and have the properties of that animal or material assist them in their life. Mizzely’s totem consists of:

- A part of deer’s antler, for the deer’s grace, gentleness, kindness, and speed.
- A turkey feather for the turkey’s generosity, life-giving properties, and their ability to share between and of themselves
- Two long heron feathers from her shoulders, to honor the great blue heron who gives her wisdom, self-determination, self-reliance, and balance
- Three turquoise beads threaded onto one of the heron feathers; they symbolize to be honest with oneself, to see oneself as you truly are, and are reminder to share ones vision with those around who could benefit from it
- The necklace and the binds that keep the totem together are made from the sinew of a buffalo, whom is a symbol for sacredness, life, great strength, abundance, and gratitude.

Why's She Adventuring

Mizzely is traveling as all Wise One’s do, to gather wisdom about the world outside of her pride, to bring back the wealth that they all believe in…and of course, great campfire stories to pass to their children. She strives to learn more about the Trinity of Souls that makes her who she is, and to get the Heron's greatest honor: her form and flight, something that must be bestowed upon a Wise One and cannot simply be taken. She has passed on her druid ways to a friend she has met in the City of No Names, a Dragonborn by the name of Craed. While teaching this to someone of her own tribe is unheard of, her spirit guides led her to make the decision to take this being under her wing and teach him their truths. While her people do not enjoy fighting, she knows from nature that fighting is an integral part of one's survival. If the City of No Names requires assistance...well then she will have to accompany Craed to ensure everything is well in the world.

I was wondering how you would be able to teach me if it was something you had to be born into. It makes sense that it's more of a taboo thing for your own people but not to teach someone else. Kind of like how you're a guide for them and to have two guides could produce a conflict. But teaching an outsider would be giving THEM a guide of their own. At least those are my thoughts on the subject

Craed, your insight again proves to me why my spirit guides allowed me to teach you. As you have said, it is taboo for me to teach my ways to another of my pride, but we do not have rules set up for those of other people. I did have to meditate long to find the answer of what to do with you, and I was given a resounding yes from the spirits to let you into our truths. I do not yet know their purpose but this is a great gift that they have used me as an implement to give to you.

My people are given one Wise One at a time, and we take this gift with great pride. No one would dare to ask to have this gift doubled by having us teach one another the ways, for we do not believe that it is something that can be taught to us, but rather born into, as the spirits have again and again proven to us. You are odd to me in more than one way, then, but I do not question the answers that I am given. You were chosen to be given this gift by powers that are higher than you or I.

Mizzely has a new look: