ToW | Benny

Name: Benzin
Nickname: Benny
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Breed: Zonkey
Height: 14 hh
Color: Rose Grey Dun with Splash and Zebra Stripes (only on face)

Herd: Children of the Witch
Rank: Messenger
Status: Taithi
Spirit Animal: Airehound
Skill:
Gift:

 
Family:
Great-Great Grandfather - Ozzer
Cousin - Milo 

Former Mentor: Solomon

Personality

MBTI type: ENFP
Alignment: Neutral Good

Curious | Adaptable | Humorous/Gregarious | Mercurial | Foolish/Instinctive | Distracted

Curious
Benny's curiosity comes naturally, and drives much of his being. He was absolutely one of those foals that asked "why" to every statement and command, though to what end no one is quite sure. He doesn't seem to explore the world for understanding, or to question the hierarchy or the herd and land. Anyone's best guess is that he simply cannot stand the allure of the unknown. Whether exploring the land, or talking to others he is motivated by his curiosity.

 
Adaptable
Easy-going and low maintenance pair well to make Benny very flexible. Few obstacles truly bother him, as he goes with the philosophy that everything will turn out okay in the end. Complaining is not in his nature, and he feels comfortable most anywhere. He is equally happy alone or in a crowd.

 
Humorous/Gregarious
A smile or a laugh goes a long way in Benny's book, and he enjoys making others happy. While he does not set out to change others' moods, when a good result is achieved it makes him feel happier in turn. Even if he can't change their mood, he believes that socialization is key, and enjoys talking to EVERYONE. He would talk to a tree if he necessary, and it is this easy-going, friendly manner that makes it easier for him to gain information from other herds' equines (note: he does not set out to be deceptive - spying and gossip just happen to be a byproduct of his constant chatter).

 
Mercurial
While Benny is happy and cheerful 90% of the time, he does feel other emotions from time to time, and when he does it is sudden and powerful. Happiness is so much a part of him that when it is removed he is left with a deep cavern for other emotions to fill. It can take a while to build emotions, or a very traumatic event, but when frustration or anger finally reach the surface they break through with a suddenness that startles even his closest family. His mood swings will end just as inexplicably as they came, so it is best for onlookers to just ride them out. 

 
Foolish/Instinctive
Emotions, more so than logic, powers all of Benny's actions, which can be rather dangerous in such a unpredictable world. He is generally given to think the best of others, and fear is not an emotion he feels often. This can lead him into unfortunate situations, and he does not perceive things as harmful until absolutely proven otherwise.

Distracted
While someone who is so curious might be thought to be very observant, Benny's attention span has only two modes - hyper focused, or non-existent. When something or someone really catches his eye, he might not notice anything else around him, so focused is he on that one thing. Other times, too many things may catch his attention, and he will lose sight of the forest for the trees. This can be rather frustrating when talking to him, particularly when he has returned with information that he was supposed to collect, as it might take a really round-a-bout conversation and many anecdotes to get to the point.

History:

My great-grandfather is said to have been the first Messenger of the Children. There were messengers before him, but it is said that they were disorganized ... Loners ... they worked for their own purpose and not the well-being of a herd. Ozzer, that was his name, was a kind, patient, and curious soul they said. He volunteered to leave the Aether Pool when the Children were too small to give up many members to seek the knowledge that they wanted. It was he that brought back those first gleanings of the new world - a world recreated in front of his very eyes. From the landscapes, to herd information, and even the first Diviner, Pippin, he brought back all that he could. But the most important thing, in my mind anyway, that he brought back was my grandmother.

She was the first of many foals he would find. The ten year war left many casualties, and many orphan children were left behind. Ozzer would find them in his travels, and bring them back to be nurtured under the care of the Children. Many of us have him to thank for our lives within the herd. These days, my grandmother can hardly recall the conditions of her birth herd. Born during the war, she never knew it in its prime, but Ozzer would tell her many stories of it as she grew. The Bachelors, they were called, and ever honest he did not sugar coat the details of their harsh laws. But they are long gone, and now Ozzer is too.

No one knows for sure what happened to him, though many have sought the answer. He was last known heading into the marshes of the south. An old donkey - he did not carry many messages or packages anymore, but he still liked to explore, and at the time that land was still rather unknown. Given his well-known aversion to water my grandmother said she was surprised by his decision to travel to the swamps, but he had simply told her he had an odd feeling about the place. He never returned. It is now known as the home of the Kelpies, and his fate can be guessed at, but it is not one my family likes to consider much.

But though his story ended, mine had hardly begun.

------------------------------------------

Benny was born soon after the end of the aphebel conflict. Only seconds into his life, still coughing and spluttering on the afterbirth that covered him, he had tried a wobbly smile. His mother and father had smiled back at him, with his large ears still floppy, and coat sticking up wetly in several places. The could not help but return his cheer, and it was with such vivacity that Benny grew. He was a light in the darkness of the family's grief (Ozzer bit?), and his personality reflected it. He was a happy foal: always laughing, talking, and bounding along behind anyone that might let him. He had been marked as a messenger, as most of his family did, and his family felt that he would be excellent at the job. Is curiosity and kindness reminded them strongly of the late patriarch of the family, but as years passed they, along with many of the herd, started to have their doubts.

Benny never lost his pep, but he stared to prove himself as easily distracted, gullible, and just a bit too chatty.  As he neared adolescence his family began to worry about his productivity as a messenger. He easily wandered, whether alone or with a group, and often got lost due to not paying attention to his surroundings. They worried he might be too gossipy, and would easily give up confidential information to outside herds when he was supposed to be spying on them. His outer-self and inner-self were exactly the same, which they worried would compromise his spy abilities.

But the zonkey never worried. He paid little attention to the doubting solas, and never failed to try to do as he was asked  - even if he did get distracted from his task more often than not. His positivity relieved a lot of his family's doubts. Even if he could never live up to his great-grandfather, at least he should have no trouble relaying simply messages back and forth to those who needed it.

But when it came time for his soul journey his family's worries returned ten-fold. Not only did he wear his inner-self on his shoulder, they were doubtful that he would ever return. The young horse still could not pay attention to anything for more than a moment, and he was so trusting that he could easily be taken advantage of. His parents made sure they were home from their missions to see him off. His solas nuzzled him, and everyone offered him advice that they silently prayed he would remember for once. His send off was met with much less excitement than normally punctuated the start of a soul journey, and instead a ripple of fear ran through them all. Would this be the last time they would see the innocent colt?

But Benny left with his typical, big, toothy smile. The fear did not permeate his mind, and he wandered for several days in a blissful trance, so excited to see the world that he almost forgot the point of his soul voyage. By the time he remembered he was very, very far from home. He had wandered almost to the base of the Edurne Range. Snow blanketed the ground around him, and an unfamiliar chill in the air made him shiver suddenly. He looked around, but found no one. Even if there had been someone, he couldn't speak to them, he remembered gloomily. The chill sank into his bones as the quiet hiss of snowfall closed in around him. The excitement that had carried him this far was gone. Doubt fell heavy in his stomach as the growing snowstorm picked up, and everything was blanketed in white. How would he ever find his way out of this? "Way to go, Benny." He blurted out. "You've done it again!" He whipped around, deciding to just randomly pick a direction and try to find his way back home.

Instead he was met by a retriever.

Immediately Benny smiled. He knew who this was. It was as if he had always known, though he had never seen the hound before. "I found you!" he called excitedly, bouncing forward, his mood flipping. Without making a sound the dog mirrored his movements, bounding forward and dropping into a play position. The two jumped in unison, running and jumping around each other. Benny laughed, the cold forgotten again. They played in the snow for a while, before the dog led Benny to a small copse hidden in the snow, where they hunkered down while the snow blew around outside. The dog, though Benny was pretty sure spirit animals weren't tangible, kept the zedonk warm until morning, and as the rising sun sparkled on the now still sheet of snow the spirit began to lead him home.

The herd was genuinely surprised to see Benny return a week and a half after he left - both for the fact that he had returned at all, and that it hadn't taken him longer.

He proved to be a good messenger. Though he often got lost on his journeys he always returned, and he always brought back information on what he had seen or heard. You might have to be patient in extracting the information from him, as his recall was not as great as his memorization, but once he did start remembering he remembered every detail. His picture-perfect memory and chattiness made him especially good at reconnaissance and finding missing equines.



Benny (c) Me