Pegasus Kestrel Strike (ready)

[RainbowFoxxy]

(Please note that this application has been prior approved by Presteza as their character has a main role in her story. All references to Khamsin, the dojo, and the 'The Way' are Presteza's creations and used with permission.)

 

Role Play Type: World of Equestria

Name: Kestrel Strike

Sex: Female

Age: Young Mare

Species: Pegasus

Eye Color: Steel Grey

Character Color: Deep grey, boarding on black with dark purple pinion feathers.

Mane and Tail:
This young mare’s mane and tail are shining raven black with a streak of dark purple. Both are long and straight, cut to fall softly when she has time to actually do her mane and tail properly. She keeps it out of her way during training by braiding it and tying it back on her neck.  She lets her tail flow freely in the back, sometimes plaiting the middle section.

Physique:
Kestrel is well toned due to long hours of consistent training at the dojo. She strives to remain completely in control of her body at all times. She has excellent reflexes, adding to the smooth manner in which she carries herself. Everything about her body is lithe, calculated, and collected.

 

Residence:
She rents an upstairs apartment in Canterlot not far from the dojo and Joe's Coffee Cafe. It is a modest place to call home but has everything she could need. She tried to keep it neat and organized, working to add some discipline into as many areas of life as possible.

 

Occupation:
Her main concern is learning to master the path of ‘The Way’. This means long hours of both supervised and unsupervised training at the dojo in Canterlot. When she is not practicing, Kestrel works part time as a waitress at Pony Joe’s Café which is located near the dojo.

Cutie Mark:
A silhouette of a kestrel diving down for a strike. For details on how the mark was gained see history.

 

History:

The pegasus filly was born to a professional dance artist pegasus mother and a business-stallion pegasus father. As a young one, Kestrel’s father was a part time falconer and often took her to enjoy his favorite hobby. The young filly was fascinated both with the partnership her father had with his two birds and with their seemingly effortless ability to fly fast and true. Both were peregrine falcons that her father purchased years before Kestrel was born. They were trained to dive like arrows out of the sky after the lures she and her father would toss in the air.

 

Kestrel was also instructed in the fine art of dancing from her mother. She was accustomed to ballet, tap, and modern dance styles, all requiring a great deal of strength and stamina. She enjoyed learning to dance and often put in extra hours of training to become strong enough for the more advanced forms and techniques of the dancing arts. Soon she was excelling in the styles her mother taught her. Kestrel got to take part in many dance competitions after that, often coming home with ribbons and trophies.

 

At one on particularly challenging dance competition, Kestrel found herself matched against only one other pony to take home the top prize. She would be the second to perform a special piece for the judges. The young filly could feel her heart beating fast as she took center stage. The spot light focused on her and she began her routine. Spinning, kicking, and whirling, all with the grace and ease of one born to the task. Then, on one particularly difficult position in the dance, Kestral tripped! She could feel her hooves coming out from underneath. She was going to fall flat on her face! The filly seized the moment, contracting her muscles and springing into an amazing leap with spread wings! Though it was not part of the original dance, the move was a huge success. It saved her from the fall, and won her the event!

 

It was after she left the stage that she realized her cutie mark had appeared. The Kestrel is a bird of great strength from within. It uses precision and agility to knock birds twice its size out of the air! She had learned all about such birds from her father and had always admired their abilities. The mark showed that she had agility like a kestrel in flight, able to control her body for whatever task was at hoof.

 

Though her parents were both proud of her, and it seemed she had found in calling in life to follow her mother’s hoof steps, Kestrel was still left wanting. A career being a professional dance artist was at her hooves, but it did not fulfill her the way she thought it would. She knew there was more to her new found cutie mark than being a great dancer. One day as she was walking the streets of Canterlot, she came upon an event. A mixed Martial Arts tournament was taking place. Though she had no understanding of martial arts at the time, the cheering of the crowd made her take a quick peek inside.

 

There in the arena stood a tall pegasus stallion. Despite the crowd’s cheers and the fact that he was facing an opponent twice as heavy as himself, the stallion seemed so calm and collected. The reddish brown fighter moved like water as his opponent charged towards him, hooves ready for a strike. It seemed he would go down but the stallion stepped quietly to the side and delivered a blow that sent the other stallion straight into the mat! Such power, such grace! Kestrel had never seen anything like it! She had to meet this stallion.

 

Not long after their first encounter,  the stallion fighter whose named was Khamsin, asked Kestrel to become a full time student at his studio. It was a newly built dojo called the Desert Storm’s Studio of Self Defense. She was untrained in the art called ‘The Way’, but seemed to possess the qualities he was looking for in a full time student. She was strong, capable, and had great control over her body. Plus she was willing to devote herself entirely to learning ‘The Way’.

 

Kestrel has spent the last year and half training at the dojo. Though she is far off from mastering the art, her frequent training has allowed her to move up many ranks. She trains under the strict tutelage of her sensei Khamsin. In the dojo Kestrel was finally able to tap into an art form that spoke to her like nothing else ever had. She continues to learn how to take her body to new limits, training her muscles to respond efficiently, and her mind to observe the world as keenly as her namesake.

EDIT

Kestral studied at the dojo for many seasons and eventually took what skill she had learned out into the world. She had become restless and sought out more than what The Way could offer her. She went far and wide, gathering training from various and sundry sources. Over time and because of some endeavors of the villainous nature Kestrel has taken to swathing herself in leather and black. She also covers the bottom portion of her face in black lest she be recognized. The deadly mare is never without her trusted katana. She seeks to better herself by villainy or other wise and thus she has sought out WRAITH...

 

Summary:

Though she could be one of the best dancers in Equestria, Kestrel has opted to take the path to discovering ‘The Way’.  She remains a young mare bent on developing herself as a full-fledged master of the art she has undertaken. Like her sensei, kestrel retains a love for her art form, using it as a way to center and better herself while also looking out for others. When she is not hard at work training, Kestral also knows how to relax and have a good time. She often visits the dance clubs of Equestria, putting her background training to good use on the dance floor.  Lately she has been especially fond of the rave scene, having discovered a fixation for light sticks and glow in the dark paint.

 

Besides being a committed follower to ‘The Way’ and an avid practitioner in dance of all kinds, Kestrel maintains a soft side as well. She has developed a skill in painting and is particularly drawn to artistic calligraphy. Khamsin has allowed her to display one of her original works entitled “River Over Stones” in the back entry way of the dojo. Many are the evenings when she can be found in her apartment with candles lit, incense burning, and calligraphy brush in her muzzle.

 

She is also currently undertaking the task of developing her own unique dance style. This form which she refers to as ‘Wind Fan’ is an art form that is designed specifically for those with wings such as pegasi and griffons. Use of the wings for fan like maneuvers plus in air movements renders this style impossible for all but those graced with feathered wings. She sometimes interweaves practicing her dance techniques with her training in ‘The Way’, but only when Khamsin doesn’t see her! Deviation from her training outline is not acceptable dojo protocol.

 

Most ponies enjoy Kestrel’s company though to some she can seem a bit blunt. She does not mince her words, however she also takes into account the feelings of others. Since she has spent much time training and focusing she can often offer sound advice tempered with reason to her friends and those that wish to seek her council. As she is a full time student at the dojo, many individuals who train there offer her respect. She takes this all in stride, wishing to be seen as any other student.

 

Since she is in good shape and naturally attractive, Kestrel has developed a certain way around stallions. She is much more sarcastic with the males of her species, keeping them from really getting to know her early on. Those stallions she does have in her life are trusted friends. She also has a close circle of mare friends, some of which are students at the dojo. She is well liked at Joe’s Coffee Café, often serving the regulars there who ask for her by name.

 

Overall Kestrel is a confident, calm, and calculated young mare when practicing ‘The Way’ and her dance and painting art forms. She is much more willing to let loose and be wild when she visits the clubs of Equestria. She leads a balanced life with control and discipline counter balancing her love for the dance floor and moving with the music. This balance allows her the ability to remain focused and agile, like the kestrel as it strikes.

 

[IceStorm]

Looks good to me. Submitting for second review.

[SteelEagle]