Noah Bates

Moose

108 (34)

He/him

Pet

Shifter

February 2

Sam Heughan

5'11" // 180 cm

Blue

Red/blond

Noah dresses in whatever his owner has chosen for him - or rather, he’ll take completely random items of clothing and put on whatever, and he’ll only change it if Orion (often quite exasperatedly) asks him to. Sure, he has seen how other people dress for the past seven years, but it’s not like he’s taken note. It’s not like he thought he ever needed it.

On two legs, Noah feels clumsy and uncoordinated, and it's easy to see in the way he moves. Having spent the better part of the past decade as a dog, long arms and legs are uncomfortable and difficult to get used to - not to mention the use of hands and fingers.

Several friends, acquaintances and even strangers have joked/commented that Moose is too expressive, and seems to understand too much, to be a normal dog. He's the only one to know that they're not wrong - well, him and the mage who raised him to be what he is today.

In spite of - or perhaps even due to - being stuck in this form for so long, Moose has retained a very playful spirit. He loves going on adventures, often dragging Orion in odd directions, and he loves goofing around in the snow. He would tell you that playing fetch or tug of war is mainly for keeping up appearances and cheering up his owner, but he secretly enjoys it. Or perhaps it's just the attention he loves.

Noah is having so much trouble acclimating to the human existence, and there are a lot of subtleties and etiquettes he doesn't understand yet. Because of this he often finds himself feeling awkward, lost and confused, though he's not inherently a self conscious person. He also tends to say things very directly, which can be both a blessing and a curse, and he doesn’t understand when people misinterpret it his intentions.

Even through all the trauma, Noah is an incredibly sweet, kind and caring soul. In fact he doesn’t see that a lot of what he has been through is wrong, instead considers himself uncommonly lucky. This also means he has a difficult time dealing with the consequences of his past, and doesn’t understand why some of the things he feels or otherwise experiences are because of that.

While he is generally a very warm and happy, Noah is also a very private person, and doesn’t like to be surrounded by too many people at once. He’s very marked by his bond with Orion, which to him is the most important thing in the world. He is up for anything, as long as Orion is around (okay, he doesn't like to be separated from his owner at all), especially if he doesn’t have to share his Master’s attention too much.

Perhaps ‘introvert’ is a fairly fitting descriptor. He isn’t shy, but he’s definitely reserved toward strangers and greatly prefers people that he already knows, so the whole getting to know new people is always a bit of a challenge. Which he would like to just skip altogether if possible. He can be outgoing if the situation requires it, but prefers to quietly observe.

Loyal, determined, modest

Suspicious of strangers, reserved, unsure of how to be human

Orion Yale is his sexuality

Noah has Orion right now. He's sweet and easygoing, and generally quite a happy person, who loves to play around and have fun, or curl up on the couch and take long cuddle-naps. Down the road, I'd love to open up for some friendship plots for him, but as of right now it's not entirely possible. I'm very happy to plot, though!

The only enemies he has are the mages that are after Orion. Whether he gains some new ones down the line remains to be seen, but it's definitely not unlikely.

Men. Specifically, men that are looking at Orion.

Noah, being sold off as a pup and raised to be a Guardian, has never known his family.

February 2

Snow Haven, Alaska

Noah comes from a long line of Alaskan Malamute Shifters (unbeknownst to himself), and was taken from his family at a very young age, then sold to a Mage in the business of raising shifters as Familiars or Guardians (usually in the form of a good family pet). He remembers nothing from before his time in the kennel, and although he was allowed to be in his human form now and again, the Mage left no doubt about the purpose of his… charges.

All his life he has been trained to believe that he was put on this planet to be the obedient pet and protector of his assigned family, once he got adopted. Noah takes that task very seriously, and cannot imagine a world where that isn’t the reality.

When Noah was finally adopted, he couldn't have been more happy and proud. What he didn't know was that he would be placed under a spell, rendering him incapable of leaving his shifted form. The spell is also designed to mask his true nature, thus hiding the fact that he is anything but a real dog. Still, he had a job to do now, had been given a purpose in life, and that was what he had been waiting for for decades.

Noah's first family were not entirely kind to him, in fact mistreated him quite severely, but it didn't deter him from giving his very best. They knew exactly what he was, and had adopted him for one purpose only: Guard Dog. This wasn't something that was in any way less than he had been taught to expect however, so to him it was only natural. He was bonded to the head of the house, who was also the one he had the strongest tie with, but it was by no means a personal relationship - at least not for anyone but Noah. Or Dog (often said with contempt), as he was called at the time.

When anyone purchases a Guardian Shifter, 9 times out of 10 it is because the person is already in some kind of danger. This wasn't the case this time, and to begin with he was to be nothing more than a reminder to outsiders that this was a powerful family. They paraded the fact that he was a Shifter in bondage to them - a slave, of sorts. But an attitude like theirs is bound to make enemies, especially when information like that isn't meant to be shared.

Over the course of a handful of years, Noah saved his family from seven outside attacks. In the end however, it was the head of the family who turned out to be the biggest threat. He murdered his wife, and when their daughter sought revenge, the bond forced Noah to protect the father. The daughter did not die, but the entire incident ended in Noah's banishment, and the Mage's copy of his totems ensured that he would up back at the kennel.

Noah was wracked with guilt; he went through a new bout of training, but never forgot what had happened, and never let go of the feeling that maybe he could have done something - anything - to prevent everything from falling apart. That is until, years later, he was adopted again and met Orion. He hasn't forgotten it no, but he has managed to let go of most of the guilt, and to push the intrusive thoughts out of his mind.

This time Noah was bonded to an owner who absolutely and under no circumstances was supposed to know his true nature. He knew the basics of why he was not guarding this boy, and that he was supposed to act the pet while protecting him at all costs without his new owner's knowledge. What he didn't know was how strong the bond was truly possible of becoming, and how mutual love and respect only enforces said bond.

Life with Orion has been… challenging at times. Although the Aether isn’t under constant attack, there’s always reason to be on guard; Noah - Moose - is happy, though, and couldn’t wish for a better owner. The past 7 years, while definitely not easy, have been the best of Noah's life.

Disclaimers:
To simplify things, Noah has been written as his human name in the app, though this is a name that will be chosen for him later on. His name at the kennel was N327, giving any owner the freedom to call him whatever they choose.
Noah himself isn't entirely sure how old he is, nor how long he has been in the different places where he has lived. Especially his time with the Mage made it difficult to keep up.

Fully aware

As mentioned (and pictured), Noah’s shifted form is a big, red Alaskan Malamute with a friendly expression, and generally the same sort of disposition as long as you keep a respectable distance.

Noah's totem is the shape of a green wolf head bead, which is braided into his owner's bracelet.

Due to the nature of Noah's state and the fact that he has three totems (his own, a copy in Orion's possession, and a copy belonging to the Mage who trained him) his Shifter powers go above and beyond the norm for his species. He is - both in and out of shifted form - stronger and more intuitive.

In his shifted form he also has a higher level of control over the way he communicates, meaning he can pass entirely as a regular dog even to other supernaturals (this is also helped by the magic that has been placed on him). When he wants to use the communicative telepathy, he can choose to do it so subtly that you won't realise it's coming from outside of yourself - reversely, he can also send stronger messages than other shifters, should he choose to.

In addition to the above, Noah is more attuned to Orion, due to the magic they were bonded with. He can also smell poison and sense magic/spells.

Moose is a red Alaskan Malamute, whose owner takes good care to keep his fur clean and neat (perhaps partly because Noah makes sure to remind him not so subtly).