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The story so far:
· {What was your Ieldi's name?}
Ekundayo, (a kun ‘da yu) which I have newly discovered in African, means “Sorrow Becomes Joy.”
· {What did your Ieldi look like?}
Ekundayo is a male. His skin is an inky gray but it morphs into a deeper gray around his arms. His hair is short and jets back from his head in small spiky clumps, much like the black feathers on the head of the Secretary Bird. His hair color is pure black. From his short hair, there is a very long feather that is white until the very tip, which is black. This feather comes out from under his hair and goes down and out; it looks a lot like the feather that comes from a Secretary Bird?s tail ((see reference pictures)). Ekun is thin, but has hidden strength in his lean muscles. He?s not exactly ripped per say but he does have some attractive muscle definition. His muscular but thin frame is very tall. Most of this height comes from his long legs, which are rather lanky and strong. On both thighs he has three black horizontal strips that make up for the missing black feathers on the Secretary Bird?s legs. Ekun has small sharp little toenails along with strong flexible toes. The toenails seem to be a pair of small talons, they probably give him a big edge while running on wet bark when he hunts, almost like cleats for soccer players. His flexible toes are used to hold spears during flight; while his arms are occupied with flying he needs a way to hold onto his prey so his toes and talons play a large part in hunting. A pair of large gray ((color of a cloudy day)) wings with black tips protrudes from the backs of his forearms that climb up to his shoulders. This is why his arms are very strong as well, so he can carry himself in the air. He has orange tattoos around his eyes and eye sockets, which trails from his eyes, in two straight lines on either cheek, down and under his jaw. His eyes, themselves, are a deep bronze.
Ekun doesn?t wear anything special; he likes it simple when it comes to clothes. He loves light clothes since he does run for an abnormal amount of time in very hot areas. In fact he likes wearing the bare minimum, like just some pants ((and if I dare say, perhaps a loin cloth
whee )), and no shoes or shirt.
· {What type of life did your Ieldi have before it became a spirit?}
Ekun was the son of a Shaman. Shamans were highly respected in the Ieldi Culture because they taught the tales of the Beast. Ekun was the next in line to become one of these ?religious extremists? and so his family sent him to school. At school he was introduced to many stories, from the ancient scriptures to amazing stories of courage and honor written by famous Ieldi writers. He fell in love with nearly every story he ever read. Each was different and colorful, enriched with hundreds of new words and ideas. At school he learned so much, but he was nearing the day when he would need to accept the duties of a shaman. However, Ekun was different from his religious family members. Instead of believing and embracing the tales of the beast as truth, he scoffed at them; regarding them as poorly written stories with a fascinating villain. When it came time for him to except the duties of shamanism, he shook his head and tried to convince his parents to let him travel and find his own calling. Each time they asked him to turn back to the path they had chosen for him, he would simply reply ?no?, until one day this aggravated Ekun so much, he erupted in their faces and stormed out. From this point on, his parents rejected him as their son.
Ekun spent several years wandering from village to village. He sometimes wished he believed in all the tales, so he could return home and be happy. But he could never bring himself to truly follow such a path. He was a man of thought and science, not religion. So he picked himself up by his bootstraps and put a positive spin on his life. Slowly each trip to a latest village became a way to see new places and faces. It was like candy for his brain, and he loved every second of it. During his travels, he came to a small hunting town. It was based on one tree, which was low to the ground. He smiled upon the hunters. He believed that they didn?t fear the beast enough to move higher into the forest canopy, so he settled down and made some friends and a few enemies. And slowly he began to learn the ways of hunting in the air. After a dangerous trial, he was accepted as a hunter in his new home. Finally he found a place where he felt at ease, a new life away from his past troubles. A place that made him happy to wake up in the morning to, and even though he missed his family every now and then, he would?ve been miserable being a shaman and that was final. Sadly the awakening occurred during the happiest time in Ekun?s life, when he finally was settled into his new village and in very high spirits, he became a spirit in his late twenties.
· {What kind of personality does your Ieldi have?}
Ekundayo is the type of person who may be laughing one second and biting your head off the next. He has, what you may call, a very short fuse. But if his fiery temper doesn?t get the best of you, then his charming cocky side will. If you see this ?cocky side,? it is often heavily silly, troublesome, flirtatious, suave, and well cocky. Only his close friends see this side, but sometimes, they too, can receive the rough temper of Ekun. Even though he?s taller and sometimes stronger then most, he knows when he?s overpowered. He may not like it but he will back down if he has too. Sometimes strangers can often assume that Ekun is depressed and lonely due to the fact that he can be very mean and not very sociable. This is due to the fact that he?s always thinking; in fact he never stops thinking. This often can come off as loneliness, boredom, and sometimes-even annoyance. He is one deep creature.
In his spare time, Ekun likes to read, a lot. Reading is where Ekun places all his thoughts. It?s the only time when he isn?t thinking about his life, but someone else?s. He only touches fiction though, since he?s not fond about spending his thoughts on the actual thoughts of others. But if he?s feeling unusually happy he might even perform a hunt. A hunt is very special in his mind. It?s a time for him to run, play and do completely insane things while killing something. Hunting is in his blood and he loves the publicity he gets when he comes back with a kill.
· {What type of bird will your Ieldi become?}
A Secretary Bird, (Sagittarius serpentarius) these birds are truly amazing sorts.
I decided on the Secretary Bird because of how interesting and unique it is. It is tall and graceful in the air and on land. It is the only raptor that travels on foot more then the air. It lives in Africa, which is one of my favorite places and it likes hot weather. I even see a little bit of myself in the bird. Tall, lanky, but has a hidden grace with an attitude that is respectable and overpowering at the same time. This just happens my favorite bird, as well! I just love them so much. I only wish I could see them in their natural habitat instead of in a pen at the zoo. ((I’ve never actually been to Africa
sweatdrop ))
Information on Secretary Birds: SB’s are the only member in the family Sagittariidae. They are normally found in West Africa wandering the savannah in search of rodents, reptiles, large insects, and snakes. Its strong legs and powerful kick can be used to stamp on larger prey along with walking for several miles. Even though it usually is seen on foot, SB’s have large wings that are used to gain height in thermals and travel long distances.
full view: http://www.exmsft.com/~davidco/Travel/Africa/Birds/images/0085780-R1-069-33.jpg
Underside: http://www.dongettyphoto.com/kenya/images/Secretary-Birds.jpg
wing span: http://www.gov.bw/tourism/multimedia/img/secretary_bird.jpg
head shot: http://www.oppenheimereditions.com/IMAGES/CATALOG/FUE/OFFU_012_01.jpg
better look at head feathers: http://birds.wz.cz/ptaci/hadilov.jpg
· {And lastly.. What is it about the Ieldi that appeals to you?}
Well for one…I’ve wanted one for a very long time. The second reason is because I love birds. I’ve studied them since I was small because I lived around several national parks. My mother had a good friend who was an ornithologist and I went on bird walks with him often to learn more. Birds are such amazing creatures. I always wanted to find some amazing pet idea that originated from actual birds and this is the absolute prime contender for that pet idea. Another added key is that I’m a sucker for high RP intensive pets. I love to RP you see, as long as there is a good background for me to stick too, I’m perfectly happy.
I also loved this character. I was so distraught from the first contest because I didn’t follow my heart. My first choice bird for the first contest was indeed the Secretary Bird. Sadly I believed that the bird base chosen needed to be a forest dwelling bird since the Ieldi live in the forest. So I put the Secretary Bird on the back burner. After I saw all the birds chosen, I realized how false that assumption had been, so I recreated my entry. For four months I pondered and wrote an entry based on the last contest’s questions using my divine wit
rolleyes . I came up with what I have now, and four months of work is just to close to my heart to truly dispose of. He is just so special, almost like a dream, oh wait…he is one. Maybe this dream will be created the way it truly was supposed to, for the Village and by La Karasu~.
I’ve been stalking… oh yes I have. I’ve tried my best to follow everything despite my lack in actually posting. I try to be friendly and helpful with those who have questions or just want someone to talk to. I even try my best to be supportive and creative with every aspect of the Village. So in my opinion I’ve already devoted my time to just hanging around. But if you need more proof, here is my word. I most sincerely have time to care for an Ieldi. I enjoy everything about them as well as the people around them. I would never abandon them, ever. Besides I’m on practically everyday and only have a few other active pets to role-play.
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