Arik Thrift; District TEN (Fin)

At Six foot three, and one-hundred and sixty-two pounds, Arik is no different then any other boy his age. He is not overly muscular, nor is he overweight. He is simply average.

At first glance, his dark brown hair falls to just about his shoulders. It has the slightest bit of sass to it which is the major reason he wears it back in a pony-tail. Upon closer examination and in the bright light of the sun, it is actually more of a medium shade of brown that shines brightly. Despite his lower status and lesser privilege, one thing he is always doing is taking care of his hair. He has owned the same brush his entire life and uses it quite frequently, attributing to his hair's great luster.

His eyes are, apart from his hair, probably the most exotic thing about him. They aren't brown, nor are they green but a unique shade somewhere between the two. Not too deeply set, he has perfect vision and can see farther and clearer then nearly anyone.

His square jaw line and rounded chin give him the appearance of one a few years older then he actually is. His normally shaped lips are usually in a careless form but in the preasence of an animal, he has been known to smile quite often. As a whole, his face is hardened with the time that has come from working on a a farm, but is not anything less then kind.

Arik's just-over six foot frame is usually wearing nothing more complex then brown pants and a similarly natural coloured shirt. His feet, when shoed, are usually done so by brown boots that look a little more worn then they should be. In the colder months, he may wear either a long-sleeved shirt of the same colours or a grey jacket.

Arik is vegetarian. Anyone who spends even the slightest amount of time with him will know that quickly enough. Despite the fact that it keeps him slightly more malnourished then the others of his District, he refuses to eat the meat of animals and more often then not, he will leave the area if someone else does so. He is very outgoing when it comes to his animal rights ideals and although he would never push his own views onto anyone else, he is not afraid to chastise those who use animals merely for food.

Living in District Ten, Arik was born and raised around animals his entire life. He spent more time in the barns and in the forest with them then he did with the people from his school or living quarters. As a result, he developed a keen knack for understanding their body language as well as their chattering. Of course, he cannot speak with animals literally, but he is quite capable of telling the difference between a happy conversation between squirrels and one who is scared for it's life. In addition, he gives off an air that draws animals to him. For the most part, they trust him and even wild creatures wont shy away from his presence.

In the classroom, Arik is no different then any other average student. Average grades, average intelligence. He was reprimanding no more or less then was normal for his class. He was only scarcely interested int eh topics of discussion but did what he had to to maintain decent grades.

Despite the fact that he may be considered anti-social by many, he is a kind boy at heart. If someone is in trouble, be them animal or human, he is the first to hop up and do what he can to help. He would gladly sacrifice his own life if it meant saving another's, especially someone he cared about.

History:

Arik was born only a short seventeen years ago. Well, it seams short to him but his mother thinks quite differently.

Although he was never more of a handful then any other child in the neighborhood, Arik's single mother struggled with raising him and bringing in enough food for them both. Although the boy never ate more then his share (and would often give up his food so his aging mother could eat better) it was still difficult.

Arik doesn't remember the father that died and left he and his mother alone. The boy would have been no more then three years old when it happened. Although his mother hates talking about it, when she does, she claims he was killed by the Flu. Arik, although he never pushes the subject, doesn't quite believe it. But he always knew that she believed it with all her heart and if she did know how he really died, she had forgotten long ago.

From before he could remember, Arik had animals to play with. From the family dog to the quarter dozen cows that they milked, he cared more about their safety then the health of the other humans in his District.

When he was twelve, an event he simply calls The Miracle occurred. He was on the outskirts of town attempting to find soft grass for the chickens' beds when he heard a faint noise in the distance. He could tell that it was a creature in pain and his natural desire to help kicked in. Leaving the boundaries of his District and risking the results that may come, he ran toward the noise. It wasn't long before he found her.

She was beautiful. And she was injured. The boy ran to the fallen creature's side and quickly looked over the gash in her flank. Realizing that this could not have been accidental or self inflicted, he looked around frantically, attempting to see anyone who might have done this. When no one was obviously near, he returned again to the injured filly. After a few minutes of looking it over, he realized that she was entirely over-reacting. The gash was not that deep, however it did travel quite a distance through her flesh. She would be able to walk only a short distance.

He got her to her hooves and helped her to a safer area guarded by tall trees and ground hugging bushes. He asked her to stay put and left her. It was but an hour later when he returned with what he paid multiple name draws for. He bent beside the now far calmer horse and began to treat her wound.

He visited her every day for two weeks, bringing her food and treating her. When she was healthy enough, he had her stand and walk, testing her leg for pain. At the end of the two weeks, she was nearly as good as new. The only evidence that remained was the scar under her fur.

When she was ready, Arik brought her back into town, telling his mother that he had found her abandoned on the side of the road. The free horse was gladly welcomed and viewed as a gift from above. She was named Dreamer.

From that day on, he and Dreamer were quite the pair. He taught her to help him with loads, filling her saddle bags with carefully crafted soft patches to carry eggs and other delicate objects. the beautiful mare was an icon of their animals.

Little else of significance happened throughout the following years. As his mother aged, Arik began to do more and more of the work around the house until she was able to do little more then cook and sleep. Arik graduated from school near the middle of his class and began full time work in addition to his continued trading job. With only two years left before he was no longer a minor, he had high hopes that the odds were indeed in his favor.

Codeword: ODAIR
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