Wednesday's Child
From Changeling Venue
| Seeming | Beast Runnerswift |
|---|---|
| Court | Winter Court • |
| Freehold | http://changeling.cam-wiki.org/Essex |
| Player | Louise Webb |
Contents |
Overview
Alias(es): Wendy Childs
Real Name: Unknown
Age: 26
Concept: Sorrowful hunter and reluctant prey
Physical description:
Mien: 7ft Tall, with powerful looking legs that are longer than her body. Bright hungry looking yellow and red eyes. Short sandy brown fur covers most of her body, being topped off with a mane of long and usually messy - although she has been making more of an effort recently - hair. Lines mark her face and spots cover her legs and part of her neck. She has claws that don't retract on her bare feet and, if seen on a rare occassion when she hasn't had them trimmed, she also has short claws on her fingers as well.
Mask: Even in her mask Wendy is tall, taller than most other people she knows. She's also thin but well toned and looks decidedly athletic. She hunches a lot in an effort to not loom over people. She has long, wild and sometimes unkempt hair. Although if seen whilst on the job she appears overly more confident and well groomed. She's been told her eyes are deep, sorrowful and the most interesting shade of hazel anybody has ever seen.
Character Information
Known History
Basic Timeline: Born - October 1981
Taken - January 1998
Presented to new Master - May 1998 (approx real world time)
Returned - August 2005
Current Activities: Works as an RSPCA Inspector. Visiting Cambridge, mainly to see Switchyard Sullivan. When she can: Runs the hidden paths searching for the lost or misled. Watches over the broken and beaten down. Inducing sorrow in the hearts of those who mistreat the good and kind hearted.
Background: She was originally taken to be a mere runner of races and was trained as such on desert plains. but to appease a higher Fae she was given as a gift and became his prey. For years she ran as both hunter and prey through the varying weathers of winter. Until she finally managed to escape.
The Chase
Fear.
The scent of sweat flares in my nostrils and sorrow stings my eyes as I run for my life.
It’s my turn to be the prey.
They like chasing me; I actually provide them with a challenge.
I’m not used to running in this cold. The snow slows me down and every drift brings them closer. I can’t hear them behind me, but I know they are there. My instinct hears padded feet melt the snow with each brief contact of their powerful limbs. I can feel their jaws at my throat as they suffocate me. It spurs me on and into an ever more frenzied sprint.
I glance behind for a second to gauge their distance from me. It was a stupid mistake. If I had seen the river I would have easily leapt its width. As it was, I stumbled and fell into the freezing waters. They are not deep, but then they do not need to be.
Shallow footfalls approach at speed.
Every muscle screams in agony as I pull myself to my feet, but my instincts still tell me to run. I ignore them.
I have had enough.
I turn to face my hunters and master. My heart races and I can flee no more, so I fight. I land a hard kick to the jaw of the first and every sinew aches. The second and third slow their paces so that they may better assess their actions.
I’ve scared them.
The first is soon to its feet again. The three of them circle and I know it is now only a matter of time.
As one they charge me. I am brought to my knees as each strikes and then moves. The stream runs red with my blood by the time the master calls them off. So I do not struggle or attempt further escape, my air supply is cut off. As the darkness fades the edges of my vision, he stands over me.
“End it”
Prelude
I spit blood onto the dirt surface beneath me.
“What’s the matter beanpole? Scared to fight back?”
She’s right, I am and unless I do something soon, I’ll be getting another beating. I wait for my opportunity, the girls are overconfident, and they’re not watching me properly.
I run; and I don’t stop.
Their angry shouts fade into the night air far behind me. Still I run through the woods, until I am sure they have no chance of following me. I come to a small clearing and catch my breath, and then I look around me. I don’t recognise this place, an old playground. But the place is empty so I sit on the swings for a while.
I’d always been tall for my age, but when I started secondary school and I hit my growth spurt, I had no idea how bad things would get. None of the boys would even talk to me, let alone anything else. And the girls just decided they’d take a disliking to me. I tried to stay out of everybody’s way but I was growing too fast to adjust. At first I was incredibly clumsy; I kept tripping over my own feet. Then I started long distance running and found that as I learnt to pace myself, I also learnt co-ordination. Adjusting to the changing terrain taught me how to place my feet assuredly. Unfortunately this just drew me attention as being the PE teachers’ pet pupil. I gave up running; they’d won. Once they knew how easy it was to defeat me, they became more persistent and more aggressive. They’ve been cornering me regularly after school for the past three months now. Every time the beating gets worse. Until tonight, when I found out that if you run fast enough, sometimes even your problems can’t catch you.
But the sorrow still does.
The tears come as they often do when I am alone.
A sudden cold wind causes the swings to complain loudly at the disturbance. It snaps me from my thoughts and back to reality. I wipe the tears from my face and stand. I didn’t realise it had gotten so cold. My breath mists in the air and I feel my lips are numb.
A great feeling of foreboding fills me and I look for the way out.
How did I get here again?
Suddenly I’m panicking. I can’t remember the way through these woods and the park isn’t so empty anymore. The moon is so bright now but the woods seem so dark, how long have I been sitting there? My instincts cut in and I take to flight.
The trees rip at my clothing and skin, but now I’m running in sheer terror and my legs can’t move fast enough.
The woods seem to stretch on forever and now the feeling as of something chasing me. Something worse then the school bullies. If it catches me, this time I won’t have the chance to escape.
I run and again the tears come, but these are of dread, regret and not of sorrow. They sting my eyes and blind me to the dark path ahead.
I did not see the low branch.
Hope
I’m not dead. What would have been the point of that? No, his amusement is so much more precious to him, that he leaves me scarred, but alive.
He makes me run and every time he promises freedom if I can but reach the hedge. The others that run do not even try anymore. My hope still burns in me, it brings me dreams of something better. A time before, when I out ran my troubles. So I hope and dream. I let the flame burn and feed the fire. For each time he makes me run, I come ever closer to my freedom.
Next time; I will reach the hedge.
The Chase – Part II
Fear.
This time it is not my own.
The master has deemed me worthy of the hunt. I guess when I turned to fight, that I impressed him. I don’t recognise the scent of the one we hunt. It runs so slowly and staggers on the slightest uneven ground. I could have brought it down hours ago.
He is watching me with a wry smile upon his lips. As one we look back and seek acknowledgement. The slightest nod signals that it is time for the kill. A sense of urgency fills the others, to be the favoured hunter you must be the one to end the game. I tense the muscles in my flanks and set off at my full pace. The other hunters haven’t got a chance of keeping up. All my time running from them has granted me a greater turn of speed than they could ever achieve.
I quickly come up behind the runner and striking its legs, I bring it to the ground. I don’t have teeth like the others, which is why I was given the knife. I’m still human enough to know how to use it.
So I do.
The master is pleased.
Change
My legs have grown longer. Black spots mark my neck and i have marking s on my face, my teeth are sharper too. But most of all my thoughts are changing. It’s harder for me to remember before. My dreams are dark and musky, filled with the blood of my prey. I just hope I retain enough in me to flee when the chance comes.
Escape
Fear.
Sweat.
More speed.
It runs.
Must catch it.
Must kill it.
Close now.
Strike!
Blood.
Acrid taste.
Master far.
Master come to see kill.
Breeze brings scent.
Earth.
Water.
Green?
Search.
There.
Thing.
Bush.
The Hedge!
It so close, can taste it.
Master still far.
Chance.
Flee.
Run.
Thorns.
Scratch, give pain.
Break through.
Freedom!
Motley
The Impossible Dream - A motley of comprising of Wendy and her friend Gordan Kirk. They look out for each other, live together and look out for those they care about. Based in Essex.
Associates
Character Inspirations
Me when I was sweet, shy, innocent and fourteen.
'Forest Gump'
'Punch Drunk Love'
A little bit of Delirium from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series
Soundtrack
"It can’t rain all the time" - Jane Siberry
"Hurt" - Johnny Cash
"Have You Ever Seen The Rain" - Creedance Clear Water
"Wild Boys" - Duran Duran
Quotes
“I t-tried to run from my problems, but th-they always found me. Until I turned to face them I n-never realised how m-much I was l-like them.”
"I n-never knew I had s-so m-many g-good f-friends who cared about me. I n-now have a b-better f-family than I ever c-could have hoped f-for. T-they r-really didn't have t-to go for s-so much t-trouble over m-me."
"Courageous and caring, I like 'Wendy'. She also seems to be sweet on Switch, wonder if either of them have noticed yet?" - Daddy Hufflepuff
"So ... I guess she's m'girlfriend now. That was what you call one'a them nice surprises." - Switchyard Sullivan
Rumors
Whilst beyond The Hedge she was rumoured to be the fastest Runnerswift, although she is now very out of practise.
