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Description
Character Basics
[Name] Spider

[Birth Date] October Year 3
[Gender] Male

[Species] Meerkat
[Affiliation] Anklebiters
[Rank] Subordinate

Personality
[Watchful] | [Curious] | [Distant] | [Lonely] | [Daring]

Verdict: Spider is a socially confused oddball who will struggle to find his footing as he adjusts to life in a mob.

Backstory
[Humble Beginnings]
Spider's life began when his mother-- a subordinate female from an unknown mob-- was evicted for carrying a roving male's pups. She found sanctuary with a newly mated pair of yellow mongooses who were also expecting a litter of their own, and as the two species are natural friends and allies of one another, they agreed to support each other and their future children as a team.

[As Fate Would Have It]
Spider's mother only had one pup (yours truly) and was unfortunately caught by a bird of prey not too long after. Her mongoose friends decided to adopt Spider as their own, and raise him along with their litter of children.

[Promising Child]
Spider's puphood was relatively similar to that of an ordinary meerkat's, growing up in a close-knit family and being well looked after by his parents. He got along with his siblings and was never treated differently, although everyone was well-aware of his adopted status. Spider's parents were honest with him about his true origins, giving him straight answers whenever he asked about his glaring differences while continuing to assure him that he was one of the family. Spider didn't suffer emotionally from these revelations. He managed just as well as the rest of his brothers and sisters, but if anything there were times he wished for a tail as streamlined and bushy as theirs.

[Troubled Adolescent]
Spider only began struggling with his lot in life as the pups grew older. The closer to maturity they got, the more aloof his siblings grew from one another-- often going off on adventures by themselves for hours at a time-- and Spider, being of a more sociable species, was admittedly bothered by this. When they lived to see the season of their birth and his mongoose brothers and sisters finally departed to find their own places in the territory, it came as an unpleasant surprise to him. Spider had always sort of assumed that his family would remain together, but he supposed he'd been... silly to believe that. Still. He wasn't about to fuss over something that his parents had told him was perfectly normal. And wanting to make them proud, and to continue to prove himself as a capable mongoose in his own right, Spider also eventually left the nest. It'd be fine, he figured. He'd live.

...Right?

[Co-Dependent]
Spider survived as a loner relatively easily, but how he'd been faring emotionally was another story. Everyone else had seemed so content to be apart from each other, but the meerkat was frustrated by how lonely he felt at night in his nest. He found himself visiting his family members a little more frequently than most, and while they were never cruel to him or protective of their territories, he could tell that they considered his clinginess a little odd. He'd get irritated by the occassional brief flashes of pity in his sister Goldie's eyes, and just wished he could be as independent and happy with his solitude as she was.

[But Then--]
But as the seasons passed, Spider settled into the typical life of a yellow mongoose. He managed it for a full year without any real problems, looking out for himself, hunting for himself, and fighting off snakes when they creeped into his den. He didn't visit his parents and siblings as much as before (although he still felt awkward about it) and had found a niche for himself in a peaceful corner of the desert near a shallow creek.

Thanks to his visits, he was the first to discover that his parents had had another litter of pups. They were adorable, really. Spider liked the way they gazed up at him with curiosity instead of merciful concern, the way they climbed on him and made him their imaginary mountain, and batted him with their paws and nipped at his tail as they practiced hunting and fighting skills. He found himself wishing he could be a part of their lives, much in the same way he'd been for his older siblings... even if that was probably just a reflection of his apparent neediness.

He liked them so much that he made the decision to see them again that same month, and it was on the way there that he was captured by men who made a living out of selling exotic pets. He fought back as fiercely as he could-- earning himself the scars on his paw pads-- but to no avail. His crate was thrown into a truck and off they drove, taking him away from the only home he'd ever known.

[Thrilling Escape]
Thankfully, his crate was a conveniently old and shoddy one, perfect for plotlines such as these. When the truck screeched to a halt-- its momentum throwing the crate's door open-- Spider dashed out of his prison as quickly as he could and ran off into the surrounding wilderness, only to realize that he recognized none of it. Unfortunately for him, it was a part of the desert he'd never seen before; for all he knew, he could be a lifetime away from the territory that he and his family called home. It was a bit dismaying, to say the least.

[A Turn For The Better]
For the next few days, Spider wandered the wildnerness in search of any familiar landmark or scent that could lead him in the right direction. He wasn't having any luck, though, and his spirits were beginning to waver.

On one dismal morning of growing pessimism, he suddenly heard the cry of a frightened pup and...

After a fairly terrifying near-death experience, the very odd Spider found a very odd friend.

Rhapsody was instantly attached to the courageous adult who had saved her from the clutches of feathered evil, and Spider, having a soft spot for kids, didn't mind. He took it upon himself to look after her and make sure she wasn't eaten by any other hawks in the area until the day they encountered the Anklebiters; the meerkat mob that would become their permanent home.

Extras

Spider may be a social creature, but he has his limits. He'd grown up happily in a small family, and living in a highly populated community such as the Anklebiters has been jarring for him. The amount of faces around him can sometimes be overwhelming, and there will be moments that he needs to walk off by himself for a little bit or forage from a distance.

Speaking of foraging, Spider's diet is... a tad different from that of a normal meerkat's. After all, he was raised by yellow mongooses-- a breed of mongoose that typically feeds their young by dragging much larger prey straight to the den. As a result, Spider's new clanmates may or may not be somewhat put off by his tendency to hunt down lizards and wrestle with snakes for breakfast when any sensible meerkat would be just fine with a millipede and a few hundred termites.

The sound of water puts Spider to sleep. There had been a creek near his old den that had the same effect.

...Don't touch his cat.

Lineart template was created by and belongs to PancakeShiners . It can be accessed here: Meerkat Reference Sheet (LARGE FILE)

Description
Character Basics
[Name] Spider

[Birth Date] October Year 3
[Gender] Male

[Species] Meerkat
[Affiliation] Anklebiters
[Rank] Subordinate

Personality
[Watchful] | [Curious] | [Distant] | [Lonely] | [Daring]

Verdict: Spider is a socially confused oddball who will struggle to find his footing as he adjusts to life in a mob.

Backstory
[Humble Beginnings]
Spider's life began when his mother-- a subordinate female from an unknown mob-- was evicted for carrying a roving male's pups. She found sanctuary with a newly mated pair of yellow mongooses who were also expecting a litter of their own, and as the two species are natural friends and allies of one another, they agreed to support each other and their future children as a team.

[As Fate Would Have It]
Spider's mother only had one pup (yours truly) and was unfortunately caught by a bird of prey not too long after. Her mongoose friends decided to adopt Spider as their own, and raise him along with their litter of children.

[Promising Child]
Spider's puphood was relatively similar to that of an ordinary meerkat's, growing up in a close-knit family and being well looked after by his parents. He got along with his siblings and was never treated differently, although everyone was well-aware of his adopted status. Spider's parents were honest with him about his true origins, giving him straight answers whenever he asked about his glaring differences while continuing to assure him that he was one of the family. Spider didn't suffer emotionally from these revelations. He managed just as well as the rest of his brothers and sisters, but if anything there were times he wished for a tail as streamlined and bushy as theirs.

[Troubled Adolescent]
Spider only began struggling with his lot in life as the pups grew older. The closer to maturity they got, the more aloof his siblings grew from one another-- often going off on adventures by themselves for hours at a time-- and Spider, being of a more sociable species, was admittedly bothered by this. When they lived to see the season of their birth and his mongoose brothers and sisters finally departed to find their own places in the territory, it came as an unpleasant surprise to him. Spider had always sort of assumed that his family would remain together, but he supposed he'd been... silly to believe that. Still. He wasn't about to fuss over something that his parents had told him was perfectly normal. And wanting to make them proud, and to continue to prove himself as a capable mongoose in his own right, Spider also eventually left the nest. It'd be fine, he figured. He'd live.

...Right?

[Co-Dependent]
Spider survived as a loner relatively easily, but how he'd been faring emotionally was another story. Everyone else had seemed so content to be apart from each other, but the meerkat was frustrated by how lonely he felt at night in his nest. He found himself visiting his family members a little more frequently than most, and while they were never cruel to him or protective of their territories, he could tell that they considered his clinginess a little odd. He'd get irritated by the occassional brief flashes of pity in his sister Goldie's eyes, and just wished he could be as independent and happy with his solitude as she was.

[But Then--]
But as the seasons passed, Spider settled into the typical life of a yellow mongoose. He managed it for a full year without any real problems, looking out for himself, hunting for himself, and fighting off snakes when they creeped into his den. He didn't visit his parents and siblings as much as before (although he still felt awkward about it) and had found a niche for himself in a peaceful corner of the desert near a shallow creek.

Thanks to his visits, he was the first to discover that his parents had had another litter of pups. They were adorable, really. Spider liked the way they gazed up at him with curiosity instead of merciful concern, the way they climbed on him and made him their imaginary mountain, and batted him with their paws and nipped at his tail as they practiced hunting and fighting skills. He found himself wishing he could be a part of their lives, much in the same way he'd been for his older siblings... even if that was probably just a reflection of his apparent neediness.

He liked them so much that he made the decision to see them again that same month, and it was on the way there that he was captured by men who made a living out of selling exotic pets. He fought back as fiercely as he could-- earning himself the scars on his paw pads-- but to no avail. His crate was thrown into a truck and off they drove, taking him away from the only home he'd ever known.

[Thrilling Escape]
Thankfully, his crate was a conveniently old and shoddy one, perfect for plotlines such as these. When the truck screeched to a halt-- its momentum throwing the crate's door open-- Spider dashed out of his prison as quickly as he could and ran off into the surrounding wilderness, only to realize that he recognized none of it. Unfortunately for him, it was a part of the desert he'd never seen before; for all he knew, he could be a lifetime away from the territory that he and his family called home. It was a bit dismaying, to say the least.

[A Turn For The Better]
For the next few days, Spider wandered the wildnerness in search of any familiar landmark or scent that could lead him in the right direction. He wasn't having any luck, though, and his spirits were beginning to waver.

On one dismal morning of growing pessimism, he suddenly heard the cry of a frightened pup and...

After a fairly terrifying near-death experience, the very odd Spider found a very odd friend.

Rhapsody was instantly attached to the courageous adult who had saved her from the clutches of feathered evil, and Spider, having a soft spot for kids, didn't mind. He took it upon himself to look after her and make sure she wasn't eaten by any other hawks in the area until the day they encountered the Anklebiters; the meerkat mob that would become their permanent home.

Extras

Spider may be a social creature, but he has his limits. He'd grown up happily in a small family, and living in a highly populated community such as the Anklebiters has been jarring for him. The amount of faces around him can sometimes be overwhelming, and there will be moments that he needs to walk off by himself for a little bit or forage from a distance.

Speaking of foraging, Spider's diet is... a tad different from that of a normal meerkat's. After all, he was raised by yellow mongooses-- a breed of mongoose that typically feeds their young by dragging much larger prey straight to the den. As a result, Spider's new clanmates may or may not be somewhat put off by his tendency to hunt down lizards and wrestle with snakes for breakfast when any sensible meerkat would be just fine with a millipede and a few hundred termites.

The sound of water puts Spider to sleep. There had been a creek near his old den that had the same effect.

...Don't touch his cat.

Lineart template was created by and belongs to PancakeShiners . It can be accessed here: Meerkat Reference Sheet (LARGE FILE)