EBC: Mouse

Name: Mouse

Nicknames: Little mouse, Gremlin

Birthday:  1st October 37BC (2024)

Starting Age: 3 months

Rank: Cub

Species: Eurasian Lynx 

Gender: Female

Sex: Female

Description

Babies are supposed to be small and squishy with a healthy covering of baby fat. Mouse is not that. She is small, but in a frail will be blown away by a breeze sort of way. Chronically malnourished she is lean and bony in all the wrong places. Her fur is a very normal brown with ticking, but its a bit patchy and fluffy in equal measure. She has the usual ear tips and cheek fluff expected of her species, with symmetrical face markings, while the rest of her body seems fairly random. It remains to be seen as to whether she’ll get enough nutrients to bulk up as she grows or if she’ll remain weedy.

Background

Bad luck is an inherited trait it seems… Mouse arrived into this world on a cold late autumn night. An only cub to an only mother. Not an ideal time to be born, when the wind is cold and the prey is scarce. She has fond faint memories of this time, the warmth and having a full tummy, the feeling of being loved. She remembers her mothers whispered stories and a sense that all was right in the world. That was before she really knew it, before she’d had to take shaky steps out into the cold frozen land she knows now. She can't remember quite why they had to leave, why her mother hurried her from the safe stump that was their home. The was a threat and she could smell the fear on her mother. She was carried for the first bit, to another little hole under a log. For a time it was safe and warm again. But all too soon they had to race away again, this time to a prickly thicket. It didn’t feel as safe this time. It was scratchy and mum needed to be gone more, though she got to come sometimes too, practicing “hunting” or more.. Digging up the wiggly worms under the leaf litter. The space was not quite big enough for them both to be comfortable, despite the fact her mum seemed to be getting smaller. Leaner.

The next time they had to move, Mouse had to carry herself. Her mum was weak now. Unable to carry the cub though she’d nudged her along and whispered words of encouragement the whole way. She didn’t know the destination, only that they were going somewhere safe. Something about others that lived in groups that might be able to help. They didn’t find a safe space this time. Instead her mum had hissed at her to hide in a holly bush, as high as she could get onto the thin branches at the top and to stay there until she came back. That she would find help.

She didn’t come back. She’d waited and waited and waited. Until she couldn’t feel her paws her eyes were nearly frozen shut.  And then waited some more. The ground had risen to meet her, the thump waking her, the wind whispered of fear and pain. She tried to find shelter beneath the bush, but there was something in these woods and she was in danger. Her barely developed survival skills kicked in, and she fled for her life, before the danger she could sense could notice her. She ran and ran on her frozen paws, skidding over ice and debris. 

She doesn’t remember finding it but she awoke within a hole, hidden under a rock formation… She tried to retrace her steps back to the holly but there were many similar bushes and none seemed the right one. She waited at a few of them. But mother never came back. The others must have taken her. Stopped her from coming back. Others couldn’t be trusted.

And that’s how Mouse ended up alone in the middle of winter, barely 3 moons old. Time will tell if she survives to adulthood. 

Personality

Skittish is an understatement. Mouse is much like her namesake, fleeing at the first hint of danger or a new scent or unexpected noise. She’s alone in this world and she has nothing to fall back on if things go wrong. So avoiding all issues and problems is high on her priority list. Not to say she won’t take a risk if it means dinner. Food scarcity does that to a cat, barely weaned and chronically hungry; she will take any opportunity to eat, and if given the chance will gorge until she’s sick. Will not share. She’s had to make it on her own. Why would she help another? She might not have had much time with her mother but she heard enough stories to never willingly approach another cat, and will avoid company at all costs. But… She is managing so far, her wits and pure luck keeping her out of harm, with her quick thinking and learning keeping her two steps from starvation.

Traits:

Skittish and Paranoid

~ Flees up a tree at the first sign of danger ~

She wouldn’t have made it this far on her own if she wasn't, let's be honest. She is cautious to the extreme, always taking the safest route and giving every new and unknown thing a wide WIDE berth so she can watch it from AFAR. When in doubt she will be at the top of a tree heeding her mothers advice. 

Greedy and Possessive

It’s MINE

Born from the scarcity she has experienced, she will take as much as she can get and then some. When you don’t know where your next meal is coming from you tend to be more than a little stronger feeling in this department. Sharing isn’t an option, others are competition only.

Independant and Aloof

Silence

Mouse has never known companionship outside of her few months with her mother. And believing that OTHERS took her away means she is highly wary of anyone and everyone she comes across. Skeptical at best of their intentions and downright fearful of anyone who tries to approach. This makes her seem cold or distant but in reality it is purely a defense mechanism. Time will tell if this changes.

Alert and Shrewd

~ Stares intently ~

Another survival mechanisms that has become a key trait. She HAS to notice everything, she has to be alert. And as such she is now hyper so. Changes to the woods around her are scrutinised and investigated, trusting nothing at facevalue.

Free Spirited and Curious

She may be wary, paranoid, and downright fearful of most anything, but Mouse still wants to learn and explore. When she can she will play and explore, interacting with the world around her as only a child can… While she will avoid contact with others wherever possible.. It doesn’t stop the curiosity from making her watch from a safe (faraway) distance. 

Habits and mannerisms

Grooming: Messy and unkept

Gait: Skittish and light pawed

Coordination: Over developed

Habits: Staring

Scent: Leaf litter

Relations

Parents: Mother - Missing

Siblings: Unknown