Charlie
Name: CharlieRace: Native American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Ranch Hand
Age: 27
Height: 6'3''
Weight: 201 Ibs
Inventory
- Family photograph of Charlie, his brother Gordon, and Gordon's daughter Wren at the Slater Ranch.
- Steel woodcutter's ax
- An iron whistle, molded to resemble the head of a horse.
- Two small bundle of meat jerky
- 2 bottles of water
Background: Charlie was born and raised on the mountain reservation of the Ute Tribe, his people for whom his feelings were decidedly mixed between love and resentment. As a child whose parents passed away at a young age, he felt deeply indebted to an entire community that embraced him and his brother as two of their own, and the pride at belonging to a heritage spanning decades of history was immense. And yet there was always a longing to be more than just a man who lived on the reservation, not helped by the near constant influx of tourists who saw him as little more than a carnival attraction. The desire to run away and start a new life was thwarted by his brother, who had no qualms settling down with a wife, birthing a daughter. Over the years, a troubled life at home made her gravitate toward Charlie as a surrogate father, and that bond tethered him to the land for good, as he couldn't bear to leave her behind.
Years of working as a ranch hand for countless families gave Charlie the inspiration (and the funds) to purchase an allotment of land and construct a ranch of his own. Far from the prying eyes of distasteful tourists and the Ute who catered to them, he lived in relative peace and simplicity with the frequent visits from Gordon and Wren to break up the monotony. This idyllic lifestyle was shattered by the outbreak of flesh-eating corpses, which rapidly overtook the civilized world. Despite Charlie's best efforts to weather the storm, this plague ravaged the reservation with frightening efficiency, and the simple task of gathering Wren and fleeing with a single horse nearly killed him.
Now, the three of them seek the colder climates, where the promise of safety looms intangibly overhead...
Appearance: Charlie is an absolute mountain of a man, with bronzed skin darkened by long hours on the ranch, and long, raven-black hair that lazily fastens into a ponytail. His facial features are a mix of a strong, angular structure with soft, dark brown eyes and thin lips which rarely budge from their default frown. A lifetime of rough work with rougher animals has given him a hardened physique that most men would kill for.
Practical and straightforward, Charlie dressed for the colder mountain weather with dark blue jeans, thick brown boots, and a thick black sweater worn over a blue t-shirt. A large brown World War 2 era sheepskin bomber jacket -- a looted keepsake from the reservation, provided further warmth, and grey woolen mittens keep his hands relatively warm as well. Lastly, a dark red scarf serves as head protection, as it can cover his head completely.
Personality: Charlie is a man who prefers a life of quiet simplicity; an introvert by nature, he finds attention from strangers discomforting, and often feels that saying nothing is better than saying something foolish. As such, he can come off as rigid and curt with his aversion to a conversation, even a little rude if others insist on bothering him. That being said, loved ones consistently manage to bring out the best in him, revealing a kind, gentle-hearted person who can't stand to see others suffer, even if he doesn't particularly like them. However, this wish to be a protector makes him unwilling to let others shoulder his burdens, even if they're too much for him to bear. Past failures have made him resent the possibility of appearing weak, leading to bottled up anger or sadness that is released in private, where others can't see.
The Key of the Guardian: I promised I'd protect Wren from anything or anyone who'd hurt her, and I intend to keep my word.
The Key of the Brokenhearted: When I heard the screams coming from the reservation, saw the corpses feasting on my kinsmen, it...broke something inside me. Decades of fighting, the efforts of countless generations who shed blood and sweat and tears to protect our land were undone in an instant. If I hadn't of got Wren out of there...
Name: Bitters
Race: Hanoverian Horse
Gender: Female
Occupation: Horse
Age: 5
Height: 5'8'' ft
Weight: 1,039 Ibs
Background: The Ute were known for their love of horses in the older centuries of American history, a trait that they proudly carried on to the present with their horse breeding. Bitters was a faol from an old line of Hanoverian horses, tracing her lineage back to the German settlers who immigrated with their prized workhorses. Purchased for cheap by Charlie on account of her fiesty disposition, he managed to coax some small amount of respect out of her, enough to earn him a pitance from horse riding classes offered to tourists, something neither of them were fond of.
At the end of the world, bitters spirited Charlie and Wren out of the reservation. Where vehicles failed so many, the modest equine succeeded.
Appearance: Bitters is large, muscular and broad, as all Hanoverians are, and a proper upbringing by Charlie has made her the picture of health. He takes great pains to preserve her almond-colored coat, though the risk of being grabbed has led him to keep a normally flowing, ebony-colored mane and tail trimmed short.
Personality: Often, Bitters is described as having more in common with a mustang than most horses of her breed. As her name suggests, she has a fiesty attitude, taking some joy in tormenting the incompetent or the afraid. As much as Charlie has worked to train these behaviors out of her, it has only succeeded in ensuring (modest) obedience in him and Wren. Even then, she expects respectful treatment, as if she were a pampered child.
The Key of Beauty: The end of their journey was marked by Bitters' miserable disposition; mud from the trail clung to her like ugly scabs.
The Key of Domination: For a moment, one could believe the horse's neighing carried a mirthfulness to it, some playful contempt toward him for believing she could be completely tamed.