A Late Night Reader: Guest Blog: Marked: An Expose of Characters

Xan

Present King of the Cats and sister to Ari and Ova. He is a member of the Knights of the Templar and friend to Overlord Lucca of the Wolves.

Gifts:

· He can shift between his lion form and a human form.

· He can speak mentally with his sister, Ari.

· He has the ability to mesmerize.

· He can hear the thoughts of others.

· He can wield the Eye of Panthera.

· The limitation of his gifts is unknown.

Description:

· Tall, with straight, black flowing hair that reaches his lower back.

· The reddish fringe of mane that would outline his face as a lion shifts into a trimmed blondish beard that outlines his muscled angular jaw, and accentuates his high cheekbones.

· His honey colored eyes mesmerizes all that dared look into them for too long.

· He has a wide frame and a muscled torso marked by a cross of hair on his chest.

· His typical attire is black leather pants, slung low on his hips, and a long, black hooded leather jacket.

Ari

Ari is a Princess in the royal pride and leader of the army protecting the Palace.

Gifts:

· She can shift between her lion form and a human form.

· She can speak mentally with her brother, Xan.

· She can wield the Eye of Panthera.

· She has the gift of strategic insight.

Description:

· Ari is taller than Ova but shorter than Xan

· Blondish brown hair and honey gold skin.

· Hazel eyes often change from gold to green.

· Her wide, muscled frame makes her a warrior through and through.

Ova (Sister)

Ova is a Princess in the royal pride. Being the smallest, she is also thought to be the weakest. She is still in the process of losing her spots. Although at the console, Ova is the reigning queen of any kind of technology.

Gifts:

· She can shift between her lion form and a human form.

· She can communicate mentally with her sister, Ari

· She can see her Mother’s preternatural presence.

· She is in the process of learning her gifts.

Description:

· Ova is the smallest of the siblings

· Blondish brown hair and honey gold skin.

· Hazel eyes often change from gold to green.

· Her slender frame makes many underestimate her abilities.

Catherine

Catherine is the administrative assistant to the Senior Councilman of the Knights of the Templar. A usually conservative woman, with a hidden streak of wild passion; she falls for Xan.

Gifts:

· None

Description:

· Dirty brown hair

· Green eyes

· Average height

Lucca

Overlord of the Wolves, Lucca is a shape shifter who maintains tight control over his rage and pride. He prides himself in his logic.

Gifts:

· He can shift between his wolf form and a human form.

· He dabbles in the magical arts.

Description:

· Tall

· Well muscled

· Pale olive skin

· Icy grey eyes

· Salt and Pepper hair

Xor

The old King of the cats, Xor is a tall lean aging shape shifter. Father to Xan, Ari, and Ova – he is prone to long periods silence.

Gifts:

· He can shift between his lion form and a human form.

· He can speak mentally with his off-spring.

· In his lion form, he can go without food or drink for extended periods of time by falling into a deep meditative sleep.

· He can wield the Eye of Panthera.

· The limitation of his gifts is unknown.

Description:

· Tall

· Copper skinned

· Curly hair adorned with a crown of coins.

Ova ( Mother )

Ova is the Mother of Xan, Ari, and Ova. Having died during childbirth she usually appears only to her youngest child and namesake – Ova, in the form of a ghost surrounded by bright light.

The characters in Marked were developed in response to the need to step outside of the stereotype.

While the Lion is the epitome of dominance, I wanted to depict a character that also had questions and doubts.

Similarly the wolf is usually seen as vicious and uncontrollable. At least the references seem to be that every shifter is a raging monster. I wanted a character that was always in control.

The rest of the characters were born and developed in a similar fashion.

I had to do quite a bit of research on the big cats and some of their traits distinguishing myth from fact and then figuring out what I wanted for the storyline.

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