Ref Sheet - Tawny

My first of two adopted characters from 's fictional Antarctic orca species - Tawny. While I may have picked out a name for this character, and my second (a ghost variant) to come, her personality/history is as yet unwritten. But both are intended more for RP use than painting subjects.

Name: Tawny ("tawh-nee"; adjective describing anything brown or tan in color)
Species: Orcinus orca / Killer whale / Orca
-Sub-Species: Antarctic / Caramel variant [fictional]
Gender: Female
Age: 15 (est.)
Appearance: 16 ft. at 8,000 lbs. Lean, yet heavy build. Tan skin with caramel-pointed coloration. Relatively scar and rake-mark free. Blue eyes.
Personality: Having always been a lower-ranking female, Tawny is a gentle and non-combative individual by default. Her well-behaved, submissive nature saves her from being disciplined most days. The downside is she is easily susceptible to bullying by older, more aggressive orcas, and is quick to retreat at the first sign of trouble. Only when it comes to defending Gwen's safety does she show any hostile behavior.
History: Tawny was born into an average-sized Antarctic pod consisting mostly of normal variants and caramels. Other orca ecotypes in the given locale have always fascinated her, but having always been on the shy side, she rarely ever left the confines of the pod for any great length of time. As a result, she did not grow up to be a very prolific hunter, but has proven to be an adept babysitter to the pod's younger members.
She was also her mother's first successfully-raised calf, being the fourth born, but the first to reach reproductive age. However, while Tawny was pregnant with her own first calf, her mother fell victim to a case of chronic wasting disease, supposedly transmitted via infected parasites residing upon infested penguins. Three others of the pod died of the same ailment, and while she became sick and feverish around the same time, Tawny's illness was evidently not the always-fatal strain which took her mother and other podmates. At the age of eleven, she gave birth to her first calf, Gwen, a ghost variant orca. She is very protective of her daughter, and while doting and affectionate, she has not been the best teacher in terms of discouraging Gwen from weaning and moving on to solid food.
Other:
- ID number is AA-3.
- She is a supposed cousin or half sibling of AA-1/Cappuccino, being around the same age and overall coloration, and/or AA-2/Dulai.

Family


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