Aster was killed by those she trusted the most at a young age in the forest surrounding her village. The same forest that an ancient wolf spirit, Shade, resides in. After making a deal with the spirit, she is brought back to life with Shade becoming part of her; thus, leaving both parties to have control over the body at separate times. After destroying her old village and killing most of the villagers, Aster and Shade are found and raised by an old doctor named Byrd. With Byrd’s assistance and Shade’s knowledge of the spirit realm, Aster was able to contact spirits and attach them to masks in order to change forms.

Before turning 18, she had grown fairly well-known in the region. Her loyalty, skills -such as tracking and medical care- were widely sought after. One day while practicing with Byrd, a Merling king called her over to the nearby river. He tasked her with finding his sibling, who had left their pod as part of a coming-of-age rite, and protecting them. She was allowed to keep them company and even befriend them, but not let them know why she was really there or who had sent her.

Long before Aster’s time, a great spirit in the form of a large white-gray wolf protected the forest and helped the nearby village. Anytime the villagers needed anything, they would go to the spirit with offerings and the wolf would assist. Whether it was a food shortage or a war, the spirit always helped in what ways it could.

One day, a group of hunters and trappers from the village began to kill the wildlife in the forest after some animals had been found destroying the village farms. The slaughter upset the great spirit and it stopped helping the villagers. The villagers grew tired and angry with the wolf’s behavior. The village sent the same hunters and trappers as before to kill the spirit and bring back its body and so they did.

The group tricked the wolf into one of the elaborate traps laid out for it and attempted to quickly kill it. However, the wolf struggled in the trap, making it hard for a clean kill. This made the spirit’s death slow and painful. The great wolf was finally dead and its body was dragged into the village for all to see. The pelt was given to the leader, the meat used for a triumphant feast, and the bones and spirit blood used in the soil.

A few centuries later, a warning was given to a woman that had just given birth: her child would bring death and despair to the village -possibly even the world. Originally, no one took this warning seriously until the child turned 5. She was young and still learning, but she had accidentally injured some of the other children in the village. Reminded of the warning given at her birth, the village began to worry. Everyday, the village seemed to shun her more and more. She became an outcast in the village and eventually her entire family by the age of 6.

The town decided to chase her out of the village and into the nearby forest. While forcing her out, the people threw stones at her and chased her with swords and farming tools. While most stopped at the edge of town, a group of young hunters followed her into the forest. During the pursuit, one of the hunters slashed at her, cutting across her left eye and cheek. This cut was very deep and caused her to lose lots of blood as well as her left eye. She collapsed and bled out; all alone in the forest.

She woke up to a rustling in a nearby bush. Scared of the noise and confused as to how she was alive, she tried to hide and figure out what happened. Before she could even try getting up, a huge white-gray wolf pinned her to the ground; mouth open and razor sharp teeth nearing her throat, she simply stayed still and closed her eyes. The wolf -interested in and confused by this strange child- backed up.

The wolf looked beside the child and quickly moved to block her view from something: her lifeless body. Despite its hatred for people, the wolf empathized with the girl. They had met a similar fate by the hands of humans they thought they could trust. While in thought, the girl had looked around the wolf and saw herself. She fell to the floor and began to cry.

“Please don’t cry. You know, you aren’t so different from me, little human. A long time ago, I was betrayed by those same miserable villagers that murdered you. They killed me because they are cruel and it seems they’ve done the same to you. Please… let me help you.” The girl gets up and turns to the wolf, hugging it and nodding into its soft fur. Surprised by the girl’s actions, the wolf flinched, but it allowed the child to continue hugging it. The wolf whispered something to the girl, to which she giggled and nodded again.

The next thing she knew, she woke up in a pool of her own blood with a headache. “Let me take care of everything for a bit.” The girl heard the wolf’s voice again and saw it walk in front of her. She agreed and blacked out. She only saw brief flashes of red and light. She only occasionally heard faint yells and shrieks. She only felt intense warmth. However, she did see and hear and feel other things the rest of the time.

She was in a decent sized bedroom with her favorite color, blue, surrounding her. She had plenty to do: games to play, books to read, paper to draw and write on. A large timer was displayed on the wall above the door. The door was locked and the blinds of the windows were permanently shut. This didn’t bother her though; she didn’t really care to leave or see outside of the room. When the timer had reached zero, she heard the door open and saw the familiar wolf standing there.

She watched as the bedroom faded into a hill just outside of the forest. It overlooked the village, which was now on fire and mostly destroyed. Blood stained her hands and clothes, but none of it seemed to bother her. Instead, she smiled and sat on the hill watching the flames consume the place she once called home.

Hours went by, but the girl just sat and watched the village even after the fire had died down. Above the remains, a large bird-like figure circled the area. This figure spotted the child sitting on the hill watching. He approached the child quickly, worrying if they were alright. The birdman began asking her many questions fairly quickly, but still allowing her to answer each one before asking the next. After learning that she was killed by her own townspeople and then waking up to the destruction and blood, the birdman grew curious. He explained to her that he lives in a large house in the woods not too far from the village and was just getting back from a trip when he saw the smoke. Eventually, he asked if she wanted to come with him to his house where he lives with some other orphaned children that he has adopted.

Unsure at first, Aster looked away from him and began talking with the wolf. To the birdman, she seemed to be talking to herself or an imaginary friend. She eventually agrees to go with him and he tells her to get on his back. She does as he instructed and he begins the journey home.

Years later, the birdman has been told about the wolf spirit within the girl’s mind and body. He created a mask system for the two to use as a boundary for the wolf’s aggression towards new people. The mask serves as a way to keep the spirit from taking over when the girl wasn’t in any danger. Only when the mask is taken off or broken can the wolf choose to take over.

Shade is a large white-gray werewolf in its manifestation through Aster. However, Shade appears to Aster as a large white-gray wolf with glowing crystal blue eyes. It has two star-shaped scars on its right cheek. Shade’s exact height varies depending on Aster’s emotional state due to their strong bond and Shade’s determination to protect her. When particularly irritated, Shade will turn almost completely black in either form.

It is a highly complex creature; although, Shade tends to be hyper-protective of Aster. This protectiveness comes off as overbearing to most and somewhat abusive to others. It can become extremely jealous of people liking Aster -even close friends. Shade will do anything to protect Aster and itself, even if that means destroying an entire civilization to do so. Shade becomes terrifying and destructive when released as a last ditch effort by Aster. Shade is the most anxious of the two and hates everyone. Despite that hatred, it truly cares for Aster and trusts her to make correct decisions for them.