Creature [Diamond Dog] Rook [Ready]

[Jane]

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria

Name: Rook

Sex: Female

Age: Young Adult

Species: Diamond Dog

Eye colour: Glowing yellow

Coat: Her coat is a soft blue-grey colour. She wears a big black diamond-studded collar and a black vest.

Physique: Rook is big for a female diamond dog, with solid legs, a broad chest, and massive paws. She has no need for a pickaxe - her sturdy claws are strong enough to do the job adequately. Her ears hang down like a hound dog's and nearly touch her shoulders.

Picture of Rook:

Original drawing done by the ever-so-talented Atryl can be found here. If he wishes, I will remove it without hesitation.

Residence: Rook lives in a diamond dog camp south of Ponyville, on the edge of the Everfree forest.

Occupation: Being a diamond dog, her occupation is naturally that of a gem miner. She spends all of her waking hours deep beneath the surface of the earth, cutting through the stone walls with her strong paws in order to get the gems. Her pack uses the gems for various reasons, mostly tools and decorations but also for trade with other species in Equestria.

History:

Rook was the pick of her litter and her father's pride and joy. Ever since she was a pup, her goal in life had always been to live up to his expectations by embracing the traditional values of an Equestrian Diamond Dog. A diamond dog was strong, a diamond dog was brave, a diamond dog was a hard worker, a diamond dog remained true to her pack, a diamond dog did not need to go out into the world to seek adventures - working the mines was adventurous enough for Rook anyways.

She was younger than most dogs when her pack called on her to start work in the mines, but this was of course due to her size and strength. She started off using a pickaxe like other new miners, but eventually the tool began to feel awkward and clumsy in her big paws and she found herself far more efficient just using her claws to dig through the rough dirt.

Now she is one of the more respected dogs living in her settlement, due to her reputation as a hard worker and her undying adherence to the rules and expectations of her community. She does not take the respect she has earned for granted, but continues to be a quiet and diligent worker. Her parents are still highly influential among the hierarchies of the pack and she hopes one day to follow in their pawprints and become a leader herself.

Kalime

This whole leadership is a bit of a touchy topic for her, however. Her sister, Kalime has more of a take-charge attitude than she does - despite being the runt of their litter, Kalime had demonstrated and even greater aptitude for leadership, though not in a sense viewed as fitting for a diamond dog as far as Rook was concerned. Rook was the oldest, shouldn’t she be the one in charge? What’s more, when they were pups Kalime received praise and encouragement for every little thing she accomplished, from doing well in a rough-and-tumble with their other littermates to finally learning how to manage a pickaxe. Rook wasn’t quite resentful of her little sister, just a little bit irked that she seemed to be getting more attention.

You see, underneath her rough and solid exterior there is still a rather sensitive soul. Rook still sometimes worries that she’ll never quite be ‘good enough’ for her father, and one who worries about her sister, too; Kalime is a bit more non-traditional and takes pleasure in leaving the camp and gallivanting all over who knows where, fraternizing with the likes of frilly, colourful equines she claims are 'pretty'. Rook disapproves of this sort of behaviour not only because it is not fitting for a diamond dog, but because the world outside the camp is unknown territory to her; she has never ventured far from home and doesn't plan to.

There is still a love between the two dogs; the unconditional sisterly love that comes from simply sharing a home, sharing a family and sharing a history. Rook may sometimes be cross with Kalime, or openly disapprove of her behaviour, but she honestly believes that she knows what’s best for her sister and is only trying to help. The two do manage to put aside their differences more often than you would think so that they can sit down together and enjoy a meal and some friendly, sisterly conversations.

Character Summary:

Rook is a rather quiet dog who usually speaks in sentences of five words or less. She prefers to express herself with actions and other non-verbal methods of communication, so never let it be said that her bark is worse than her bite. She is often stern with younger pups and strives to serve as a constant example to everyone of how a good diamond dog ought to behave.

Despite her many strengths such as loyal, diligent, and strong, one probably wouldn't describe her as brave or courageous due to the fact that she has many fears. Oh, she'll squish spiders with her paws and scoffs at rats and scorpions; her fears mainly revolve around a fear of the unknown. She dislikes being the first miner to enter a newly excavated tunnel, preferring to keep the ones she deems trustworthy. She also prefers not to leave the safety and familiarity of the camp. Sure, the ponies probably are harmless enough, but what of the hydras and manticores, dragons and sea serpents who exist beyond the borders of her territory? Thinking of what dangers may lie beyond its borders turn her insides to mush, so she prefers not to think of them.

All of this is, of course, to be kept completely secret to strangers. She has a reputation to protect, and respect among her packmates; she isn't about to let them see the scaredy-cat that hides underneath her tough and rugged exterior. The best way to do this is, of course, to avoid her fears altogether and stay well within the constraints of her camp.

((BIG THANKS to QuickLime for sticking this idea in my brain so that I couldn't get rid of it. On that note, all references to Kalime are used with permission))

[QuickLime]

I give all the permission!

[starswirlthebearded]

Great work Jane! I really see no problems with this! I'm going to pass this up the latter

[Jane]

Awesomesauce, thank you both!

[RarityDash]

Excellent application! Good work.

[Rosewind]

Moving to creature!