Apricot

Apricot is a handsome golden-furred wolf with white unders, a brown dorsal, and leaf green eyes. He is currently a stalker for Rumbling Thunder. He is also the littermate of Vision and Zircon. He embodies the spirit of Judgment.

Apricot has a scratched front leg from a feisty old raccoon in the riparian woodland. He also has a scratched flank from defending against a coyote attack on camp.

Apricot is a calculating wolf who sees the world as a chaotic balance of wills. He cares greatly about the notion of "truth" and finding the objective best solutions. On hunts and in his den, you will often catch the wolf with a deep, thoughtful look in his eyes. His overthinking can lead to stressing in the privacy of his den. In public, however, he's a heartthrob. It's hard not to be charmed by his gentle smile and smooth words. He's not afraid to go against anyone's opinions if it's "for the best". At the same time, he'll easily lie if he think it'll lead to the self-determined best outcome.

In private, Apricot has a harsh eye for other wolves, often having critical opinions of who they are and how they work. Ironically enough, it's his littermate Vision he understands the least because of her spontaneity. She knows him the best--almost frustratingly so-- but he has never quite figured her out.

Puphood
Spoiler
Apricot joined Phoenix Tribe on September 21, 2024. He was listed on the market with one other littermate, a runt who was also named Apricot. Their third sibling, the largest pup named Zircon, was kept by their mother.

Apricot's earliest memory with the Phoenix Tribe is Mercy's sharp teeth around his fur, body dangling from his mouth as he was carried to camp. He was pupsat by Rusty, a kind older red wolf whose patience never wore thin. His runt littermate, renamed Vision, joined the same day.

His first months of puphood were spent reserved and judgy, playing poorly with the other pups and only spending time with his littermate. He missed Zircon and didn't want to be friends with anyone else. Vision put up with his blunt comments and was never afraid to play-bite if he started bothering her, although she spent plenty of time ignoring him and socializing with Fern and Willow. While Cedar's litter slept in Rusty's nest, Apricot insisted on sleeping by the back of the burrow. Vision, without fail, would curl up by his side to keep him warm.

Lupo's arrival broke Cott out of his shell. The scatterbrained newbie was hard to get along with, making others trip by leaving his toys on the floor and getting distracted by leaves or flowers mid-conversation. Apricot was quick to judge. One day, Lupo was found crying in Apricot's sleeping corner missing his own littermate. Lupo was afraid of being alone. Apricot offered to be his friend, which would be the start of their lifelong partnership.

Apricot mellowed out after befriending Lupo. He loved tussling and playing hide-or-seek with pups or with toys. Vision was his closest friend who he was on the same wavelength with, and while he continued to spend most of his time with her, he often invited Lupo to play with them.

The littermates were close in their youth, practically joined at the hip. He shared his most vulnerable feelings with her and she always seemed to understand him, never failing to lift his spirits. He loved cuddling her, play-sparring, cleaning ticks off her fur, and sniffing her feet constantly to purposefully annoy her.

As an underpaw, Apricot studied to be a finisher under Polar. Damn, did she bore him like hell! He thought she was out of it and aloof and was convinced he could kill better than her. He got more from asking Rusty to practice with him in camp, barring that he wasn't out on scouting missions.

He practiced with Vision while out on observations, trying (and failing) to take down critters. He was more dedicated to the lessons than her, and he noticed she often ignored what the mentors told them if she felt differently. At the same time, he got bored by her when they got back to camp, since she often tired herself out and passed out cold in their den. Boring!

He spent his free time with Lupo instead. Apricot realized that Lupo was most receptive to him when he said what Lupo wanted to hear-- he had better results keeping the toys and playing the games he wanted to if Lupo thought it was his idea. The two developed their own game where they would search the forest for trinkets, and whoever came back with the coolest item won for the day. They played it almost every day, keeping a silent tally of who was collecting the best stuff.

Grouse and Jay tried bullying him once they became underpaws, which Apricot didn't quite understand. He was bigger, older, and typically sharper with his comebacks than their insults. He learned to let their words roll off his shoulders, but it seemed to only incentivize Grouse's pestering. He reached his breaking point being teased on a hunt, where Grouse snapped his necklace while studying on a hunt. A fight broke out where Apricot easily overpowered the younger paw, pinning Grouse in a mud puddle and leaving a nice nick on his left ear. Surprisingly, the fight worked, and Grouse started steering clear of him. Apricot bragged Vision's ear off about his victory for suns afterwards!

Then Zircon joined the Tribe. Vision and Apricot were quickly disappointed when he gave them the cold shoulder. What Apricot didn't understand was why Vision gave up so quickly! What was wrong with her? Didn't she want a relationship with her littermate? She refused to try and talk to him, despite Apricot spending many evenings in their burrow trying to convince her to try. What, did she not care about what's right? She wouldn't do it even when her next-to-only family asked it of her? He felt hurt, deep down, by her refusal to be a family. It made Apricot feel upset at her and he felt unsafe sharing those deep, personal thoughts he used to share in his puphood.


Adulthood
Spoiler
Apricot shared his Night of First Hunt with Vision, Fern, Willow, Lupo, and Zircon, the biggest First Hunt the tribe had ever seen with a whopping six wolves, plus all four mentors. Storm clouds rolled in the sky ahead of them, promising rainfall. He was put in a group with Lupo and Vision under Polar and Haven. With their mentors watching from the shadows, Vision led them to Mockingbird Bush. (An unusually quiet area at night, mind you, considering its notable for its obnoxious birdcalling. Weirdly enough, bluejays seem to frequent the place most.) Sheer luck led them to catching a Pheasant, which Vision had no problem finishing. (she beat him to it!)

Honestly, there was nothing else for them to do after that. Haven and Polar made some half assed excuse about them earning the right to explore, clearly wanting to spend time together with underpaws off their back. Lupo kept him from boredom, as usual, by striking up their old game of forest trinket foraging. Apricot didn't understand why Vision was acting odd about it. Why not just play with them? Was she not usually up for things like this? He really didn't get her.

Instead she lagged behind them and mumbled something about Zircon's scent, which there was no way she picked up in the drizzle, and from the other side of their territory. Her usual pushy personality came back as she snipped at Apricot's cheek, telling him and Lupo to walk towards the cliffs. He started taking her seriously when the scent of fresh wolf blood hit his nose, blood running cold as he tried to figure out who it was. It wasn't Zircon, right? It couldn't be! It made no sense, it couldn't be, it...

skipping this part for now lol, the character limit is getting tighter

The now-grown wolves formed Phoenix Tribe's third hunting party, Rumbling Thunder, named by Vision. (She kind of sucks at names, Apricot thinks.)

After the Night of First Hunt, Zircon opened up to Apricot and Vision. Apricot learned he was kind of a doofus, with his once cold air revealing itself as awkward social skills. He seemed bossy at first glance, but only if you gave him room to get a word in. Apricot could ask anything of his littermate and Zircon wouldn't hesitate to act. From hunting, with Zircon taking lead of Thunder's chasers and following Apricot's stalker cues to perfection, to simple everyday tasks, like cleaning dens or gathering some new chewtoys, Zircon was on top of it.

Conversations with Apricot and Zircon, however, were another story. Apricot's smooth words did nothing for his gruff littermate, who clearly struggled to hold small talk. They needed to be working to see eye to eye, it seemed.

Vision, on the other paw, seemed to be leaving Apricot behind. Unlike Apricot and Zircon's stiff conversation, Vision's spontaneous whims seemed to occupy Zircon and give them lots to talk about. They didn't shut up, actually, about this and that and these and those, with Zircon's awkwardness not phasing Vision a bit. Apricot couldn't help but feel left behind. He was the one who wanted this more than anything, and the two who made it hardest to be a family hit it off while pushing him out.

Sleeping in Vision's den started to feel awkward. Apricot felt his frustration boiling each night she acted like nothing had changed. She even tried to still talk to him like they used to - yeah, ask Apricot how his day was, how he's feeling, whatever - which just sent mixed signals. He was over it.

Distancing from his siblings led to Apricot getting closer to Savage, Split Patches, and Lupo. (Add more here lol). He started sleeping with Lupo in sunbath clearing, moving out of Vision's den for good.

The tension snapped when Vision tried to confront him about sleeping alone. She singled him out in the summer while on a trip to the river, cornering him in a grove. He found a way to escape the past few times she tried this, but that dimwit had the audacity to ask Zircon to help her! He blocked the other side and watched with his usual militant attention. She kept pressing herself up to his fur and asking for them to talk, to share what's been going on and why he was "so distant". He was distant? What a joke! She couldn't even have this conversation without inviting Zircon along! Honestly insulted, Apricot snapped at her and forcefully bit her to let him go, something he'd never done before to a packmate and much less his family.

Apricot tried to run, but he heard footsteps much faster than his own pounding behind him. He was knocked down with a heavy body dropping its weight to keep him pinned. Zircon!? Apricot stood no chance outrunning his chaser littermate. He blindly squirmed and growled as loud as he could, bearing his teeth and snapping at the air.

Zircon kept him there without a word until Apricot was exhausted, all his energy sapped out of him and growls reduced to breathless whines. In his gruff voice, not even out of breath, Zircon said that Vision wasn't there. He wasn't going to ask why Apricot was acting like this. All he knew was he himself regretted running. There's no pride in being alone, and certainly none in letting your wounds bleed out without letting someone patch you back up.

Vision fought her own instincts to not to give up hope on Apricot, he said. She's oblivious and too caught up in her own view of things to understand other wolves, but her love for her family is deep and true. She would listen if he gave her a chance. That choice is Apricot's alone.

Zircon lifted his weight and laid beside his brother. Apricot couldn't do much but catch his breath and stew in Zircon's words. He felt a newfound respect for his brother. He was more emotionally intelligent than Cott gave him credit for, and certainly understood Vision better than him in his shorter time knowing her. He was able to do the right thing when even Apricot couldn't.

He had to go after Vision. He shot a wordless look to Zircon. Words weren't necessary between them then. He started picking up Vision's scent and tracking her, Zircon walking the opposite direction.

He found her at the cliffside Zircon had fallen down almost a year ago, kicking rocks with her legs and watching how far they went. Always a goofball, even when she was brooding. He sat beside her, scaring the living daylights out of her. She was uncharacteristically quiet, her shoulder still bleeding from the bite.

For the first time since Zircon joined the pack, they had a genuine heart to heart. Apricot slowly opened up and even cried in front of her, sharing how left behind he felt and how less than he was. Vision felt the same - she was watching her closest family and oldest friend slip through her claws, and that it was her fault, but she had no idea how to fix it. They were both deeply insecure, Apricot realized, but too proud to say it upfront. He saw his own pain in his sister.

They walked back to camp side by side, and Apricot moved his nest back to their burrow.

The three of them felt more like a family than ever. They spent most of their days together - Apricot and Vision visited Zircon's nest guarding the Hoard daily, usually just to relax and eat or play.

The three of them mentored Mercy's second litter, with Zircon particularly taking to Sigil and giving him lots of extra training within the camp. Apricot thought he'd make a great mentor once he gets up there in age.

If anything, Apricot and Vision felt a little too close these days. They were abnormally clingy in each other's presence, grooming each other excessively and bumping into each other while they walked. It was fun, admittedly, although Apricot didn't understand it himself. No real reason to hold back though, right? They were together again! Vision was probably just as happy as he was, and knowing her can't contain herself.

Apricot has a scratched front leg from a feisty old raccoon in the riparian woodland. The hunt Rumbling Thunder itself did was unsuccessful, but Apricot got dumb lucky and stalked it with little effort. It dug its claws in his shoulder, and after being overpowered by the wolf, was taken down. He's still got that finishing training in him from being an underpaw! It was fun to show off to Vision and rub in her face when they shared it as fresh kill.


lobotomy log
Spoiler
He was originally born as sarcastic, an aggressive personality.
(9/21) Used a romantic coin and changed it to keen.
(9/27) Didn't like that i changed it and forgot he was aggro, thought it was friendly and changed him "back" to friendly where he became fair.
(11/19) Going to run a test on Rumbling Thunder, my hunting party, and change him to romantic. More than willing to chuck 3 gc into him to bring it back to fair later if it doesn't work out. Goodbye fair, hello reliable!