Thane Ryder (Reader Discretion, semi-mature content)

[Guest]

My Character:
Name: Thane Ryder
Age: 23 years old
Appearance: Thane, in a nutshell, is 6’4” of formidable bad-ass. Tall, but not lanky, his muscles are more long and whipcord tight, you won’t see much of them until he decides to use them. His hair is jet black, hanging in tendrils to his nose, in more of a bed-head fashion than any real style. His eyes are a piercing steel grey, with a fleck of gold in his left one. Thane’s usual fashion is fitted tee-shirts, blue jeans, and the same pair of worn boots he had all those days on the ranch. On his head, Thane almost constantly wears a black, weather worn Stetson. He wears a chain around his neck with a dog tag on it, always worn backwards so no one has ever been able to read exactly what’s etched onto its surface. Across his chest and back are scars of various sizes and shapes… each telling it’s own story of a battle.

Personality: Cynical, sarcastic, self-centered, egotistical, solitary, intelligent, quick witted, soft spoken… all of these things can be used to tag Thane. And indeed, he is all of these things and more. He’s the type to keep to himself and observe, not likely to get mixed in the affairs of others unless it concerns him or somehow is relevant to his interests, say, to further his own ambitions. The word ‘friend’ is not in his vocabulary, preferring to keep others as neutral acquaintances, or, better yet, not to even know any names. Names, after all, are only used when you intend to meet another more than once. This, is not in his desires. He contains a dark curiosity that is sometimes shown through behavior not readily accepted by most people. Thane tends to be rather unpredictable at times, it being just another reason for people to be uncomfortable around him. He has what appears to be a self-centered look on life, but in actuality, this happens because his people skills aren’t the best, and his confidence level can come across as smug. By no means does he think he’s the center of the universe, but merely lacks the ability to self-edit. Though Thane appears to have many flaws, he has many attributes. His lack of friends doesn’t change the fact that Thane is extremely loyal and trustworthy. The few acquaintances he’s had may bad mouth him as much as they please, but never would his integrity be questioned. Despite his quick temper, Thane is generally a laid back guy. It takes a lot to get him excited about much. He’s not one to jump into other people’s business; there can be a fight playing out in front of him, and unless it’s an unfair fight, he’s quite happy to just sit back and watch. All in all, Thane has a complex personality, just as every individual, that will take some time to get to know.

History: Thane’s history is rather foggy, even to him, and perhaps not as bleak as one might be inclined to believe. Much of his early years are a mystery. Thane was born on a horse ranch in Montana, where his parents raised working Quarter Horses. When he was 4, he lost his parents in a horseback riding accident. Both had gone out for a trail ride around their property, and had fallen, horses and all, when a hillside collapsed beneath them, weakened from a recent rainfall. From then on, Thane was brought to an orphanage in Montana, a working ranch with animals that were as varied as the children who lived there. The ranch belonged to the Martins, a couple who devoted their lives to caring for and rehabilitating abused and neglected animals, whether they be dog, cat, horse, or otherwise. Children were a side note, and they always had at least 5 of them at a time. From the day they got there, the children were assigned a chore and expected to complete it each day, otherwise suffer the consequences. Thane was adopted by the Martins when he was 9 years old, spending the past 5 years under the indifferent watch of the caretaker at the orphanage. On the first day he got to the ranch, he was assigned to help feed the dogs in the morning, along with 2 other children; Max, who was 12, and Anna, who was 8. Each day, they would go out to the kennels at 6am sharp, and feed each of the 32 dogs in the Martin’s care. Some were more interested in chewing on the children rather than the food, and for that, Thane was grateful the gap beneath the gates was just big enough to slide the bowl under.

For 4 more years, Thane was caring for the ever changing menagerie of canines coming and going from the Martin’s home. As the number of years he aged grew, so did the number of chores on his list. By then, he was not only feeding the dogs, but walking them, cleaning their kennels, bathing them, and rehabilitating and medicating the ones who needed it. In this time, his understanding of dogs and their behaviors grew in him, and he could handle even the meanest of dogs without worry of being bit. Max had since moved out to another foster home after an incident that included him being found in the barn with a cigarette. Anna’s chores changed, and she was now in charge of caring for the 9 horses. Thane and Anna, through the time spent together feeding the dogs and whenever they had a free moment, had become inseparable friends. Every day, after their chores had been finished, Thane would meet Anna up on one of the green hills overlooking the ranch and sit beneath a massive oak tree and talk until the supper bell rang.

Fast forward 5 years. Thane has grown into a fit young man, all the days of handling strong dogs and lifting heavy bags of feed for the animals built up his lean, muscular frame. He’d come to enjoy his life on the ranch and the daily work. It gave him purpose, and the companionship of Anna more than made up for his otherwise lonely existence. She’d grown into a fine girl, with long, wavy red hair and freckle flecked cheeks, and Thane’s affection for the girl had moved beyond just friendship, though he dared not say anything to her about it. They still met beneath the oak tree daily, the only change was that Dragon, a young jet black German Shepherd and Thane’s favorite dog, accompanied the pair. Anna had also started teaching Thane to ride on Saturday afternoons. However, their days of peaceful contentment were not to last.

A new child had arrived at the ranch, a boy by the name of Tyler. He was 16 and with a nasty temper, and from the moment he arrived, Thane disliked him with a passion, though the quiet boy gave him little reason to feel that way. Miss Martin assigned Tyler to help Thane with the dogs, much to both of their disappointments. Early the next morning, the boys went out to the kennels, and Thane showed Tyler where the food was kept, how much to put in each bowl. “For the big dogs with the blue tags on their kennels, put a whole scoop. For the red tagged dogs, put half of a scoop. Got it?” he glared at Tyler, daring him to misunderstand such simple instructions. Tyler just eyed him warily and gave a stiff nod, and with that Thane turned and left to start the time consuming task of cleaning kennels.

About mid-morning, both boys were working on cleaning out the kennels when Anna rode up on a fine bay mare. She called out to Thane, and when both boys appeared from inside a kennel, Anna waved to Tyler and smiled at Thane. Her long time friend smiled back and approached the young woman and horse, giving Tyler a glance over his shoulder, clearly saying he wasn’t welcome to follow.

“So how is he?” Anna asked, once Thane was close enough to touch the mare’s neck.
“Different. I don’t like him at all. There’s something bad about him, I know it.” he replied, a shadow crossing over his eyes.
Anna laughed, shaking her head at Thane’ immediate assumption, “Don’t be silly, he seems nice enough.” she smiled at Tyler, who’s stare hadn’t left her since she rode up. Thane just rolled his eyes and patted the mare on the neck. They continued to talk for a short time about the horses, before Anna rode off again to finish her chores. Thane watched her until she disappeared over a crest, before returning to the kennel and grabbing a rake.
“Who was that?” Tyler asked, his eyes still trained on where Anna had disappeared to.
“Another one of the foster kids, Anna.” Thane replied stiffly after a moment, raking the kennel floor.
“She’s pretty.” Tyler remarked, finally letting his eyes drift from the spot, turning the hose where Thane was raking. Thane stiffened, striking the ground a little too hard with the rake, making it clang. He whirled on the startled Tyler, standing close enough to dishevel the boys hair with his breath, a good head taller than him, glaring down “You stay away from her, you understand?” Thane nearly snarled. He surprised himself at his ferocity, having no idea why this boy riled him so much. Tyler stared up at him in stunned amazement, speechless, when Thane threw down the rake, brushing roughly past the boy and stalking from the kennel. “You can finish the rest of them.” he growled over his shoulder, heading towards the barn.

For the next few weeks, Thane was as unfriendly and cold as he could possibly be toward Tyler, his strong dislike for him obvious to anyone. He avoided speaking to Tyler unless absolutely necessary, and even then he was rude and icy. At first, Tyler brushed it off and remained aloof to Thane’s obvious hatred, but soon he began to sneer and return Thane’s numerous icy glares. He began to talk to the other children badly of Thane, telling them all sorts of stories, and just to really rile his nemesis, he would talk to Anna whenever possible. Anna didn’t understand Thane’s hatred for Tyler, because to her, Tyler was sweet, funny, and kind.

One day, while Anna was out grooming one of the horses in the barn, Tyler wandered in, giving Anna a warm smile and grabbing a brush, stepping beside her and helping with the chore.

“Do you have a favorite?” Tyler asked, nodding his head towards the horse in the pasture.
Anna smiled, running her hand lovingly over the bay mare they were grooming. “Yes. This is Hope. She’s my favorite out of all of them.”
Tyler grinned and gently ran the brush over the mare’s neck, not so subtly letting his hand brush against Anna’s.
“She is a very pretty horse. Very fitting for a girl as pretty as you.” he glanced at Anna to see her reaction. Anna blushed and shyly looked away, concentrating on the task at hand.
“You’re very sweet to say so.”
Tyler’s grin grew wider as he turned to face the pretty red head, leaning an arm over the mare’s back, doing his best seductive look he could manage. Anna stopped her brushing, looking at the boy, slightly confused.
“Was there something you wanted, Tyler?” she asked cautiously, gripping the brush a little tighter. Tyler’s grin turned into a devilish smirk, and taking a step towards the girl, he grabbed her arm, shoving her into one of the empty stalls. Anna stumbled in, nearly losing her footing, backing towards the wall and staring at Tyler, wide eyed, her breath quickening.
“Tyler! What on earth are you doing?” The boy stepped into the stall and pulled the door shut behind him, snickering at the look on Anna’s face, advancing quickly as she backed into one of the corners.
“Anna, you know what I want, and I want it now. If you won’t give it to me, then I’ll take it.”, and with that Tyler made a grab for the girl. Anna gasped, terror on her face, taking a wild swing at Tyler’s head with the brush. It connected, but only completed a glancing blow to the boy’s cheek, doing little damage other than some scratches. Tyler raised his hand so quick that Anna missed it, and next thing she knew she was sprawled on the floor in the corner after being delivered a vicious back hand. Tyler was immediately on her, pinning her hands in one of his while frantically tearing at her blouse with the other. Anna screamed and struggled, kicking and thrashing as best she could under the boy’s assault.

Not far off, Thane was walking with Dragon, muttering to himself, when Dragon froze and whipped his head toward the barn. A second later, Thane could hear Anna screaming, and without a moment’s hesitation, he burst into a dead sprint in the direction of the girl’s cries, Dragon streaking after him.

Anna’s screams got louder and more frantic, and as Thane got closer, he could hear a male voice yelling, “Shut the hell up! No one can hear you way out here.”, which caused Anna to scream as loud as she possibly could. Thane raced into the barn and skidded to a stop, looking wildly for the place where she was. He spotted the spooked horse cross tied in the hall and immediately ran for the stall, throwing open the door and staring at the scene in front of him. Anna lay sprawled on the floor, her clothes torn and dangling, her pants down by her knees, and her face bloody and swollen from being struck multiple times. Tyler, a wild look in his eye, was over her, a hand on her throat, pinning her down, the other jerking at his pants.

He would never even get them unbuttoned.

In his frantic state, Tyler hadn’t heard the stall door swing open, or Thane grab a shovel from the stall wall. With an enraged snarl, Thane swung the shovel as hard as he could at Tyler, slamming him with a bone-jarring strike to the left shoulder. Tyler yelled in pain and surprise, being knocked nearly half way across the stall. He blinked up at the ceiling, trying to gather his wits, but Thane was on him before he could. Furiously, Thane slammed fist after fist into the boy’s face, blood and bits of teeth soon covering Tyler’s face. Tyler tried to throw his hands up to protect himself, but to no avail. There was no stopping Thane’s onslaught now. Time after time Thane’s fists delivered punishment, until Tyler lay completely still under him. Breathing hard, Thane stared coldly at the boy for a long time, waiting for him to show any sign of life. When he didn’t, Thane turned to Anna, who had managed to sit up and huddle in the corner, transfixed on the scene before her. Slowly, Thane stood and walked to her, hands shaking as he bent down, gently brushing a finger over her swollen cheek, the only sound to be heard were the horse’s terrified snorts and Dragon’s incessant barking just outside the stall. Finally, all went calm and still, and as Thane watched, a silent tear rolled down Anna’s battered face. He swallowed hard, trying to suppress the urge to go over and beat Tyler again. “Anna, I’m going to go get help, alright? It’ll be ok, just wait here.” and he started to rise. Suddenly, Anna let out a strangled yell and grabbed Thane’s arm in a death grip, her eyes wide with terror, looking beyond him. Thane whipped his head around, locking onto Tyler. Tyler had managed to sit up, his left arm dangling uselessly, the shoulder broken, but his right arm pointed straight out in front of him, a pistol in his hand. His broken face sneered, and he began to squeeze the trigger. At that moment, Anna jerked Thane’s arm, knocking him from his unbalanced stance, and the crack of the handgun was deafening. For an instant, Anna’s grip on his arm became painfully tight, her nails digging into his skin, before going completely limp and breaking completely. Thane’s gaze flew to Anna, and his world vanished. There she lay, blood soaking her bare chest. There was no life in her. The world around Thane went silent and seemed to move in slow motion, and everything became very, very clear. The horse in the hall, rearing and screaming in terror, Dragon leaping over the stall’s half door.. Every detail of his fur was in stark contrast as he flew across the stall at Tyler, still sitting, staring at the girl’s lifeless form. The way his mouth moved when he screamed in pain, his good arm locked tight in Dragon’s jaws, the way his body contorted in agony as he tried to throw the young dog off. All could be seen in Thane’s head. Just then, Mr. Martin and three other children appeared in the stall doorway, throwing it open and racing in. Two of the children, both teenage boys, raced to pull Dragon off of Tyler, the third grabbing the dropped gun. Mr. Martin bending down beside Thane, feeling for a pulse on Anna. He turned and started to speak to Thane, rapid and frantic, but Thane couldn’t hear.. His world was still silent and slow.

The rest of that day was a blur of sirens, police, and people asking him questions. Constantly, there were questions. ‘What happened?’, ‘Who did this?’, ‘Where did Tyler get the gun from?’, ‘Did you help do this?’. Thane had had enough. When it had all finally settled down late that night, Tyler had been taken to the hospital to be treated for his broken shoulder and injuries to his face. Anna had been taken to the morgue. By sheer luck, they hadn’t taken Thane for questioning, they believed him when he told them what had happened. It didn’t matter whether they let him go or put him in prison for a lifetime, it was all the same to him. In the dead of night, Thane slipped out with his few belongings, went and got Dragon, and together with the horse Anna loved, rode off to find someplace away from the horror.

For a long time, he wandered the Montana wilderness, living off the land and what few supplies he had with him. Dragon became very good at helping in the hunt, and Hope became as sure footed and reliable as any good trail horse could ever be. Thane himself became hardened and gruff, cold and unfriendly to the world around him. He continued to wander, along roads or through the wilderness, his destination unknown.


Myself:
Name: Just call me Thane
Age: 21
Location: USA
RP Experience: 9 years

[Guest]

Thinking about it, but.... How long would you like each post to be...?

[Spritz]

Wow, this is really sad, but also really good. Great job.

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