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Description
[Overview]
Name: Amaqjuaq (ah-mahk-shuk) "The Strong One"
Age: 5 Years Old
Gender: Female
Breed: Canadian Eskimo Dog x Alaskan Malamute/Greenland Dog Mix
Height: 27 inches at the withers
Weight: 92 lbs
Build: Bred out of bulky, athletic breeds, Ama was destined to be a Wheel Dog from the very beginning, sporting a wide and deep chest, muscular shoulders, an athletic midsection, and thick haunches, with a "blue" tongue. She is large, thick-boned and built for raw power, with big paws that help spread her weight over the snow. This is a dog born to thrive in bitter cold, a mixture of sheer strength and a defiant resistance to the elements. She has small scars on her nose, left from the rituals done when she was just a pup. After long, strenuous runs, she develops a subtle limp, also thanks to the same rituals.
Accessories: Her harness is a simple blend of canine leather inlaid with dense fox fur. However, the fur tends to be swallowed up in Ama's own thick pelt, so is not generally visible unless the harness is removed.

Family:
Tribe: Ikkuma
Position: Wheel Dog
Handler: Ulva Tanaraq

[Personality]
Queenly, or matronly, are perhaps the best descriptors for Ama's personality. Not because she's graceful, but because she exudes power and strength, and demands respect with a mere glance. Testing her boundaries is likely to end in flashing fangs and flying fur, but that doesn't mean she's only a vicious tyrant. She is patient, to a point, and congenial with the other dogs, even flirtatious in her humor. In her good graces is the best place for a dog to be. Land outside of them, and she can be quite cruel. She bears a great deal of pride in her own strength, and is highly sensitive to any weaknesses being pointed out or so much as acknowledged by other dogs, most especially where it concerns the death of her first master. She is quick to violence if that subject is brought up at all, and swift to punish disrespect. When Ama is licking her legs or chewing her paws, most Ikkuma dogs know to keep away, or at the very least tread lightly with her. Ama is prone to jealousy if she thinks another dog is gaining praise, or extra rations, without having done more work than herself, and isn't above stealing those extra rations to teach a dog humility. However, pups are the one exception to nearly all of her rules, as she feels a deep empathy for the plight they were dealt at birth. But new litters being born in the tribe is a time for anxiety in Ama, as she can't tolerate the sound of squealing pups in pain, and more than once has attempted to interfere with the Healers' rituals, and has only ever earned punishments for it. Though it is no question she would make for a good mother, some tribe members wonder if she wouldn't have to be muzzled and restrained if the time came for her own pups to be placed in a Healer's hands.
Good Traits: [intelligent] [alert] [authoritative] [protective] [matronly] [flirtatious] [strong-willed] [confident]
Negative Traits: [passive-aggressive] [unpredictable] [jealous] [temperamental] [manipulative]

Goal: Ama is in a constant struggle to redeem herself for the loss of her original master, and aspires to Asamir's position as Lead Dog. Beyond that, she is fiercely loyal and protective toward the other Ikkuma dogs and Ulva, her master. Though the dogs are not without their scuffles and fights, she believes that they are the entire reason the tribe is able to survive at all, and that they hold the lives of men, women, and children in the balance. One day, she hopes to overthrow the Illamar tribe, with deadly force if need be, so that she and her fellow Ikkuma dogs might know a life beyond the harsh and merciless conditions they were born into.

[History]
The breeding that produced Ama was one that had a great deal of careful planning, and was highly desired by the owners of her sire and dam. While her father was ill-tempered and unpredictable, her mother was his opposite, paired with the hope that their pups would land somewhere in the middle, while inheriting the impressive size of their parents. Like so many dogs of the Ikkuma tribe, Ama was greeted by two sensations soon after she was born; cold and pain. The warmth and comfort of her mother's tongue paled in comparison to those first experiences, and the pup squealed and squirmed the loudest and most desperately of her siblings when the Healer performed his rituals. From the beginning, she was a fighter, embittered at the start, and determined to be the strongest, grow the fastest, so that she could not be subjected to those pains again. She bullied her litter mates for their mother's milk, and then for scraps of fish and meat when their teeth grew in. In time, her fur grew thick and protective against the cold, and her body filled out with muscle, and true to her puphood ambitions she became the largest and strongest of the litter, while her actions played a direct role in the deaths of two brothers, claimed by starvation before they were weaned. Valuing her for that tenacious drive, her parents' owners argued over who would claim her. In the end, she was won with a gamble.

For a dog with so much promise, she was trained relentlessly, and she threw herself into the work of weight-pulling and fighting. However, over-exertion proved to be a reminder of the pain she faced as a pup, and her legs became stiff and excruciating. Her master only drove her harder, thinking the dog was simply being lazy and stubborn. Ama spent her nights obsessively licking and chewing her aching legs and paws, until the man's wife took to massaging and wrapping them in bandages to avoid her being crippled and ruined by the man's overzealous ambition.

It was this ambition that ultimately lead to his death. After trading with the Illamar tribe, Ama's master was eager to get back home, resentful of the other tribe's offering to let him stay for the night rather than brave a blizzard. He would not take such a favor from the people who cast his away, and felt certain that the strength of his dog would see them safely back home. But Ama was already tired from the long journey, and as he drove her back over the path they'd forged in the snow, her legs grew stiffer and more painful. Still, she strained against the violent winds, hauling the small sled while her master walked at her side, shouting his orders and encouragements through the deafening roar of the blizzard that swallowed them up. She had pulled heavier loads with ease, and his confidence only swelled each time Ama lunged against the lashings and poured all her efforts into leading them back to the Ikkuma tribe. They were half-way home, and off-course, when her legs finally gave out, and Ama committed the great sin of lying down in the lashings, panting and blinded by the white haze that swirled all around them. The man hauled her back up, only for her to collapse again, unable to take another step. His unbreakable dog was, along with his confidence, shattered by the storm. And they faced the very real possibility of death.

He unhitched her from the sled, telling himself they could come back for the meat and supplies the next day. Without the heavy load, Ama could stand, but her pace was slow, limping along her master's side as he squinted against the stinging, whipping snow, and grew colder and more disoriented by the hour. There was no pitching camp, no starting fires to banish the cold that bit deep and to the bone. By the next morning, the man was half-buried in snow, exhausted, frost-bitten, and barely alive. Ama had dug with the last reserves of her strength, until she'd made a hole for herself, and snow blanketed over top of her, to hold in her heat. By the time she surfaced, it was mid-day, and Ama was sharply aware of how lost they'd become in the storm. When she licked her master's cheek, his flesh was icy cold. She half ran, half limped away; she was an Ikkuma dog, the failsafe for her master's survival, and it would be a disgrace to let him die.

But death may have been more merciful to the man. When Ama managed to find their home, and lead several Ikkuma people back to where he was, frostbite had claimed his hands and feet. He would never drive a sled again, and would be a burden to his people, if he survived the next several days. Ama stayed at his side when he was brought back to his tent, his wife and the Healers tending to him, but the Spirits would not relinquish their claim, and he passed away in the night.

Ulva, the man's wife, mourned him bitterly, She comforted herself with caring for her lost husband's dog, and though the two feel very differently about his death, his passing paved the way for a tentative bond between them. The woman took up Ama's training, albeit at a more forgiving and reasonable pace, and dedicated herself to pouring her husband's legacy into the strength and tenacity of his dog. Before long, Ama earned her place as Wheel Dog. But even now, despite Ulva's greatest efforts, Ama will walk with a subtle limp after being over-worked, a not uncommon ailment for an Ikkuma dog like her.

Activity Log:

------
[Featured Artwork]

[Relationships]

|| Friend
  || Kin

|| Pity
  || Relates to/Understands
   || Feels Uncomfortable Around

|| Suspicious
  || Fear

|| Respect
  || Feels Responsible For
   || Dependent On

|| Trust
  || Possessive

|| Attraction
  || Lust
   || Love (romantically)

|| Approve
  || Love

|| Disapprove
  || Loathe

|| Mate
||dead/missing

-----

IKKUMA

ILLAMAR

KISSIMA

-----

Description
[Overview]
Name: Amaqjuaq (ah-mahk-shuk) "The Strong One"
Age: 5 Years Old
Gender: Female
Breed: Canadian Eskimo Dog x Alaskan Malamute/Greenland Dog Mix
Height: 27 inches at the withers
Weight: 92 lbs
Build: Bred out of bulky, athletic breeds, Ama was destined to be a Wheel Dog from the very beginning, sporting a wide and deep chest, muscular shoulders, an athletic midsection, and thick haunches, with a "blue" tongue. She is large, thick-boned and built for raw power, with big paws that help spread her weight over the snow. This is a dog born to thrive in bitter cold, a mixture of sheer strength and a defiant resistance to the elements. She has small scars on her nose, left from the rituals done when she was just a pup. After long, strenuous runs, she develops a subtle limp, also thanks to the same rituals.
Accessories: Her harness is a simple blend of canine leather inlaid with dense fox fur. However, the fur tends to be swallowed up in Ama's own thick pelt, so is not generally visible unless the harness is removed.

Family:
Tribe: Ikkuma
Position: Wheel Dog
Handler: Ulva Tanaraq

[Personality]
Queenly, or matronly, are perhaps the best descriptors for Ama's personality. Not because she's graceful, but because she exudes power and strength, and demands respect with a mere glance. Testing her boundaries is likely to end in flashing fangs and flying fur, but that doesn't mean she's only a vicious tyrant. She is patient, to a point, and congenial with the other dogs, even flirtatious in her humor. In her good graces is the best place for a dog to be. Land outside of them, and she can be quite cruel. She bears a great deal of pride in her own strength, and is highly sensitive to any weaknesses being pointed out or so much as acknowledged by other dogs, most especially where it concerns the death of her first master. She is quick to violence if that subject is brought up at all, and swift to punish disrespect. When Ama is licking her legs or chewing her paws, most Ikkuma dogs know to keep away, or at the very least tread lightly with her. Ama is prone to jealousy if she thinks another dog is gaining praise, or extra rations, without having done more work than herself, and isn't above stealing those extra rations to teach a dog humility. However, pups are the one exception to nearly all of her rules, as she feels a deep empathy for the plight they were dealt at birth. But new litters being born in the tribe is a time for anxiety in Ama, as she can't tolerate the sound of squealing pups in pain, and more than once has attempted to interfere with the Healers' rituals, and has only ever earned punishments for it. Though it is no question she would make for a good mother, some tribe members wonder if she wouldn't have to be muzzled and restrained if the time came for her own pups to be placed in a Healer's hands.
Good Traits: [intelligent] [alert] [authoritative] [protective] [matronly] [flirtatious] [strong-willed] [confident]
Negative Traits: [passive-aggressive] [unpredictable] [jealous] [temperamental] [manipulative]

Goal: Ama is in a constant struggle to redeem herself for the loss of her original master, and aspires to Asamir's position as Lead Dog. Beyond that, she is fiercely loyal and protective toward the other Ikkuma dogs and Ulva, her master. Though the dogs are not without their scuffles and fights, she believes that they are the entire reason the tribe is able to survive at all, and that they hold the lives of men, women, and children in the balance. One day, she hopes to overthrow the Illamar tribe, with deadly force if need be, so that she and her fellow Ikkuma dogs might know a life beyond the harsh and merciless conditions they were born into.

[History]
The breeding that produced Ama was one that had a great deal of careful planning, and was highly desired by the owners of her sire and dam. While her father was ill-tempered and unpredictable, her mother was his opposite, paired with the hope that their pups would land somewhere in the middle, while inheriting the impressive size of their parents. Like so many dogs of the Ikkuma tribe, Ama was greeted by two sensations soon after she was born; cold and pain. The warmth and comfort of her mother's tongue paled in comparison to those first experiences, and the pup squealed and squirmed the loudest and most desperately of her siblings when the Healer performed his rituals. From the beginning, she was a fighter, embittered at the start, and determined to be the strongest, grow the fastest, so that she could not be subjected to those pains again. She bullied her litter mates for their mother's milk, and then for scraps of fish and meat when their teeth grew in. In time, her fur grew thick and protective against the cold, and her body filled out with muscle, and true to her puphood ambitions she became the largest and strongest of the litter, while her actions played a direct role in the deaths of two brothers, claimed by starvation before they were weaned. Valuing her for that tenacious drive, her parents' owners argued over who would claim her. In the end, she was won with a gamble.

For a dog with so much promise, she was trained relentlessly, and she threw herself into the work of weight-pulling and fighting. However, over-exertion proved to be a reminder of the pain she faced as a pup, and her legs became stiff and excruciating. Her master only drove her harder, thinking the dog was simply being lazy and stubborn. Ama spent her nights obsessively licking and chewing her aching legs and paws, until the man's wife took to massaging and wrapping them in bandages to avoid her being crippled and ruined by the man's overzealous ambition.

It was this ambition that ultimately lead to his death. After trading with the Illamar tribe, Ama's master was eager to get back home, resentful of the other tribe's offering to let him stay for the night rather than brave a blizzard. He would not take such a favor from the people who cast his away, and felt certain that the strength of his dog would see them safely back home. But Ama was already tired from the long journey, and as he drove her back over the path they'd forged in the snow, her legs grew stiffer and more painful. Still, she strained against the violent winds, hauling the small sled while her master walked at her side, shouting his orders and encouragements through the deafening roar of the blizzard that swallowed them up. She had pulled heavier loads with ease, and his confidence only swelled each time Ama lunged against the lashings and poured all her efforts into leading them back to the Ikkuma tribe. They were half-way home, and off-course, when her legs finally gave out, and Ama committed the great sin of lying down in the lashings, panting and blinded by the white haze that swirled all around them. The man hauled her back up, only for her to collapse again, unable to take another step. His unbreakable dog was, along with his confidence, shattered by the storm. And they faced the very real possibility of death.

He unhitched her from the sled, telling himself they could come back for the meat and supplies the next day. Without the heavy load, Ama could stand, but her pace was slow, limping along her master's side as he squinted against the stinging, whipping snow, and grew colder and more disoriented by the hour. There was no pitching camp, no starting fires to banish the cold that bit deep and to the bone. By the next morning, the man was half-buried in snow, exhausted, frost-bitten, and barely alive. Ama had dug with the last reserves of her strength, until she'd made a hole for herself, and snow blanketed over top of her, to hold in her heat. By the time she surfaced, it was mid-day, and Ama was sharply aware of how lost they'd become in the storm. When she licked her master's cheek, his flesh was icy cold. She half ran, half limped away; she was an Ikkuma dog, the failsafe for her master's survival, and it would be a disgrace to let him die.

But death may have been more merciful to the man. When Ama managed to find their home, and lead several Ikkuma people back to where he was, frostbite had claimed his hands and feet. He would never drive a sled again, and would be a burden to his people, if he survived the next several days. Ama stayed at his side when he was brought back to his tent, his wife and the Healers tending to him, but the Spirits would not relinquish their claim, and he passed away in the night.

Ulva, the man's wife, mourned him bitterly, She comforted herself with caring for her lost husband's dog, and though the two feel very differently about his death, his passing paved the way for a tentative bond between them. The woman took up Ama's training, albeit at a more forgiving and reasonable pace, and dedicated herself to pouring her husband's legacy into the strength and tenacity of his dog. Before long, Ama earned her place as Wheel Dog. But even now, despite Ulva's greatest efforts, Ama will walk with a subtle limp after being over-worked, a not uncommon ailment for an Ikkuma dog like her.

Activity Log:

------
[Featured Artwork]

[Relationships]

|| Friend
  || Kin

|| Pity
  || Relates to/Understands
   || Feels Uncomfortable Around

|| Suspicious
  || Fear

|| Respect
  || Feels Responsible For
   || Dependent On

|| Trust
  || Possessive

|| Attraction
  || Lust
   || Love (romantically)

|| Approve
  || Love

|| Disapprove
  || Loathe

|| Mate
||dead/missing

-----

IKKUMA

ILLAMAR

KISSIMA

-----