Carwyn Gramble
The Basics
Name: Carwyn "Horse" Gramble
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Race: Human
The Physical
Physical Description: A fairly nondescript man, Carwyn is a bit above average height, at six feet tall even (1.8m). He has very dark hair and dark eyes, and a seemingly perpetual five o'clock shadow. There is a tanned sort of glow about his complexion that tells of a man who spends time outdoors. Calloused hands speak to this as well. Horse is a fit man, weighing around a hundred and eighty pounds (81.6kg). Obviously a man who keeps in shape, he is well built, but not overly muscular, simply athletic.
Horse seems to favor fashionable clothing, though nothing overly fancy. He has glasses that he uses for reading or driving, though they are not necessary to navigate everyday life. He cuts a rather masculine figure, with a strong jawline and his build.
Alternate Form: Something long past down from generation to generation, there is a long line of Grambles that hold the magic that Carwyn does. Harnessing the spirit and power of nature, Carwyn's alternate form is a wolf. Jet black in color, like his human hair, and of great size. Eyes which reflect his intelligence reside in the large shaggy head. This form is seven feet from nose to tail (2.1m), with the tail another three feet (.9m). With long limbs the wolf stands forty inches tall (1.0m) at the shoulder. Carwyn also gains some muscle and mass above his human form, with the wolf tipping the scales at two hundred and five pounds (92.9kg).
Talents & Weaknesses
Skills:
Trained Veterinarian: Having always felt a deep kinship with nature, and with animals in particular, Carwyn dedicated his studies to the helping of animals. He has a PhD in VMED (Veterinary Medicine) from the University of Illinois.
Animal Empathy: This is definitely a skill most people have, or do not. It is hard to teach this skill to a person who doesn't care for animals, or views them as "lesser", and likewise it is hard to erase this sort of thing from someone who loves animals. Dr. Gramble, as he is known to his colleagues, has been a part of literally hundreds of animals rescues of all types. To say he has a way with animals, and communicating with them, is an understatement.
Powers:
Other than the aforementioned ability to transform into a wolf, Carwyn has no powers. Neither does the wolf possess anything spectacular. Keen senses of course, and all the powers a regular wolf would possess, even if in a larger than normal embodiment.
Vulnerabilities:
Carwyn, and his wolf counterpart, are as vulnerable to anything as a regular human and wolf might be, with no particular defenses.
Under The Hood
Personality:
Carwyn, and the wolf as well, are rather friendly, but especially the human. A very affable man, Carwyn is a giving and kind soul. Though he loves animals, he also tries to see the best in people. Many consider him too trusting, as his kindness has been taken advantage of many times, but he just shrugs such things off. He believes in karma, and therefore he tries to always do his best for people and especially animals.
He loves movies, comics, delicious (but unhealthy) food, and an assortment of other things too numerous to list here.
Horse can also be quite professional. He does have a PhD after all, though he is not so haughty as to demand everyone call him doctor. That's for holier-than-thou's. In fact, he thinks his own PhD is far more practical and useful, helping those who cannot help themselves, who have no choice. Having taken part in so many rescues it makes sense that the animals he has in his personal life have come from such circumstances.
The wolf, bearing his intelligence and mind, is wary but also quite friendly. The instincts of the beast are rarely allowed to run wild, but when permitted to do so can be as savage as one might expect. But this is ONLY done well away from population centers and out in the wild. In urban areas Carwyn rarely even brings on the transformation for fear of scaring people. Though it is possible he might be mistaken for a very large mastiff or some other large breed, he'd rather not run the risk.
Still, he makes it a point to get out of the city at least once every other month or so and make his way camping or hiking deep in the wilderness. A few very close friends know of his alternate self, and with them, perhaps in private, the wolf might cuddle. There's nothing quite like ear scritches and belly rubs.
If scritches come while cuddling and watching anime, all the better.
Backstory:
The history of the Grambles goes way back, especially in Alaskan history. A family that has built generational wealth in the timber industry, they have, within the last century, expanded their interests into other arenas. In Alaska they came to be known as astute business-people, highly competent and fair. Always with a reputation toward the future, their lumber business was known as sustainable before anyone even bandied about the word. This was where they laid their foundation for their wealth.
Now, several generations later, that business still thrives, and though Carwyn was born in Alaska, and his grandparents still reside there, himself and his immediate family moved to the contiguous states to help further their younger generations education. Though Alaska holds several universities it simply does not hold the choices that the lower states do. So, as Carwyn grew up, and his mother also gave birth to his younger sister, his parents decided it best to broaden their horizons. His father, Rance Gramble, has several brothers still in Alaska to carry on with business there, so Rance and his wife Janie, took their two children and wound up in Illinois. It still held very cold winters, was set on the Great Lakes, and had wilderness akin to what they were used to. Carwyn was five. His sister Mirielle was three. Most memories of Alaska are in pictures.
In Illinois the family made their living by investing in a horse and sheep farm. Used to hard work, they also grew a healthy crop of soybeans, which would supplement their sheep and horse stables. They knew great success, but of course had the money to back the endeavor to begin with. So Carwyn is the first to admit he grew up in a home where opportunity was abound.
As he began to grow it was easy to see the empathy the boy had for animals. It seemed natural, and his mother fostered that strength in him. His childhood was full of love and happiness really, and most would consider it idyllic. Still, despite their wealth, his parents went out of their way to teach their children the meaning of hard work and the value of doing things for yourself, while also giving back to others and helping those less fortunate.
Even at a young age Carwyn showed deep interest in the health of the animals, and would watch closely everything that their veterinarian did to keep them healthy and happy. He quickly grew to understand that death was a part of life, and not only saw animals sold for wool or equestrian purposes, but also sold for food, or killed when they became lame. The farm was also on the lookout for wolves, coyotes and other species which would destroy their livelihood.
Which Carwyn then found ironic as he came of age and began to have very vivid dreams. Strange dreams that he would confide in his mother about. Recognizing the growing unrest in her son, Janie began to teach her boy the rudiments of their inherent magic. The spell needed to harness and complete their spirit. Of course his father knew, though was not a shifter himself. His mother was, and now so was Carwyn. Then, in only a few scant years, his sister Miri was as well. Their own little insular pack of sorts, though they never sought out others.
Through his high school years the siblings would practice under the tutelage of their mother and watchful eye of their father. Though it was difficult at first, soon the magic and the change were much easier. It was during this time that Carwyn earned his nickname "Horse". The ranch had several miniature horses that they used for various occasions to allow people to bring kids and ride, as well as rent for birthday parties and special occasions. As Carwyn grew, so did his wolf of course, and soon he was as large or larger than some of the smaller little ponies they had. So it started as a tease, but it stuck.
There's also other rumors about how this nickname might have come about, but Carwyn will not confirm nor deny such things.
After high school, which he graduated from when he was seventeen, Carwyn immediately enrolled in the veterinarian programs at the University of Illinois. The studies were more difficult than he had realized, but he did well, and after going for his degrees, eventually his PhD, he had eight more years of study under his belt and was now twenty-six.
He did, as expected, get help from his family to get through college. One of the many advantages he had.The families normal vet was close to retiring age, and after speaking with him, and working with him over his last year, Carwyn got a nice loan to buy the business from their friend, and allow him to retire with a nice nest egg, watching the man retire to the much warmer climes of Florida. So taking over that business, which included his own parent's family farm, Carwyn began his life as a vet. He came to be known as a very good and fair practitioner, always kind to the animals, and allowing people to pay as was fair for their situation.
This was going well, and Carwyn was constructing a new house when things in Chicago went to hell. It was a rough time for his family, and after much debate, and realizing the danger they might now be in, the rest of his family decided to move back to Alaska, though Carwyn elected to stay behind, though move well away from Chicago. There were many places he could go of course, but he found he was interested in the city life. He had spent the last several years in college in a larger town, and traveled to Chicago as well. The problem was finding a similar place; harsh winters, nearby wilderness.
He settled on New York. It had bad winters, was still close to main waterways. The Adirondacks. The Catskills. Oh, he'd have to travel of course, to get really out of the way, but then that was never a problem. So, he packed up and made his way East.
It took awhile to get settled, but he got his practice set up, found a place to live, and found immediate use in helping so many animals. The city was teeming with them, and in many ways it broke his heart. But Carwyn is a tough man, and he helped as he could, not only his practice, but his very home became known to strays as a safe place. Funny how that happened, but once he helped a few stray cats and dogs, it became a regular occurrence that others would stop by. Usually just for food and a nice place to sleep and they'd be on their way.
So now that he is in New York, and has been here now for almost a year, he wants to begin his life in earnest.
Connections:
-Rance Gramble (Father)
Janie Gramble (Mother)*
Mirielle Gramble (Sister)*
-Ronald Gramble (Uncle, Father's brother)
Wendy Gramble (Aunt, wife of Ronald)
Turner Gramble (Cousin, son of Ronald)
Kelton Gramble (Cousin, son of Ronald)
-Russell Gramble (Uncle, Father's brother)
Patricia Gramble (Aunt, Russell's wife)
April Gramble (Cousin, daughter of Russell)
-Jonathan Gramble (Grandfather, Paternal)
Helena Gramble (Grandmother, Paternal)
-Hugh Stokes (Grandfather, Maternal)
Louise Stokes (Grandmother, Maternal)*
-Lucas Stokes (Uncle, Mother's brother)*
-David Stokes (Uncle, Mother's brother)
Kimberly Stokes (Aunt, David's wife)
Orleans Stokes (Cousin, David's son)
-India Stokes (Aunt, Mother's sister)*
- = Head of family
* = Shifter (wolf)
