Post by Matt on Jul 14, 2007 19:51:34 GMT
Name: Matthew Kennedy.
Nicknames: Tends to go by a shortened form of his first name, Matt more than anything else. Is also sometimes called grease monkey and at least once he has been jokingly referred to as the ‘Engine Whisper’.
Race: Werewolf – Bitten.
Occupation: ‘Grease monkey’, pack mechanic.
Gender: Male.
Skin Color: Caucasian.
Age: 89.
Clothing: As he often gets into some kind of mess, be it dirt, oil or something else due to his ‘job’, Matt holds little importance when it comes to clothing and is generally seen in a tatty pair of jeans and a loose shirt. Considering his love for all things with engines, it is not uncommon for him to be seen in dirty overalls of one kind or another over the jeans and shirt. Matt has moved on with the times, his fashion sense dictated by whatever is in the shops when he needs more clothing. His favourite item of clothing is without a doubt, his leather jacket – Matt actually owns several different ones, in different colours, but his most treasured is his first one, given to him by his brother. He can, on rare occasions ‘dress up’, in black and grey shirts and pants, complete with a matching jacket. These are however, very rare times, Matt normally slipping back into his ‘comfort zone’ clothing as soon as he can.
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 146lbs.
Tattoos: None.
Piercings: None.
Jewellery: A number of power bead bracelets worn on his right wrist.
Body Modifications: A scarred mass on the inside of his right wrist, it isn’t enough deep enough to be recognised as anything but the mark is clearly burned and caused by silver. Normally however the disfigured flesh is covered by his bracelets. A small cut along the middle of left palm from where he was turned.
Wolf Form [/u]
Build: The wolf moves on two legs only, front legs shorter than the back, making it hard and uncomfortable for him to drop down onto all fours. His upper torso is muscular and well defined, tapering down into strong, well built hind legs that not only allow him a reasonable speed of movement but also enable him to leap, although his paws do not have the full limber skills his front paws have, meaning his grip is not really very great.
Height: Bipedal- 6’4”
Weight: 221lbs.
Hair: Shaggy, thick and rough in some places, his pelt is of a striking ice white colour, constant in that respect throughout. At the lower parts of both sets of legs the hair becomes shorter and finer, until it is only the barest of coverings. Along his back is a very thick ridge of hair, partly protection from the elements.
Eyes: Yellow.
Defining Marks: A short and very shaggy tail.
Pack[/u]
Pack: Cole’s pack.
Position: Pack Member.
Territory: Cole’s half of LA.
Hair[/u]
Length: Just to above his ears, with a slight length of sideburns down to the bottom of his ears.
Style: Messy, Matt’s hair resists all attempts to comb it down neatly, instead sticking up all over his head in a rather ‘wind blown’ affect.
Color: Brown.
Facial Hair[/u]
Length: None.
Style: Clean shaven.
Eyes[/u]
Color: Brown.
Oddities: When angry, scared, playful or if the wolf is trying to break out, they will flash yellow.
Personality: Matt is more at home in the world of engines and cars rather than the world of people and werewolves. He understands how vehicle’s work, understands the rules to do with engines, but when it comes to people, he is more uncertain of how to act and behave. Several months of torture have all but shattered his trust in humans, doctors and strangers and because of this, he doesn’t like talking to anyone he is not fully comfortable with. He is most comfortable with the pack leaders and certain wolves he has something in common with. A good way to work towards gaining his trust and friendship is impress an interest in his great love; vehicles.
If someone has managed to gain his trust, then a more relaxed Matthew emerges. With people he likes, he is a fairly easy going individual, friendly and willing to spend time with small groups of people. Large crowds tend to make him slightly nervous. However, although he is indeed normally rather friendly, he can become very timid if faced with someone or something unknown. Alternatively, loud and unexpected noises can also startle him.
In more than on instance, Matthew has been described as ‘twitchy’, almost excepting something unpleasant to happen. As a result of this he can be quite pessimistic about life. He knows how to tease and one of his favourite activates is when someone’s Window’s based computer has crashed or broken in some way is to point out the flaws verse the alternative and free system of Linux.
He has never gotten over the death of his twin; indeed he does not even appear to have tried to come to terms with his grief. To Matthew his brother is still very much alive and a part of the world, so much so that he often appears to be having conversations with his brother, sometimes even going so far as to claim he can still ‘see’ Andrew. His dead brother is consulted on everything in Matt’s life, the young wolf trusting the replies implicitly, although if he really believes his brother is a ghost or if it simply his own mind is somewhat in question. Certainly, he has never directly brought the subject up with the pack’s medium, the one person who could settle it one way or another; Nerys Lanfair. He has however mostly come to terms with his werewolf side, although it is still an ongoing process. Matt doesn’t truly know what he is and what he is capable of, ignoring his more bestial side as much as he can.
Weaknesses: Like all of his kind, he is allergic to silver and will suffer if touched by it. Symptoms can range from dizziness, nausea, burning of the flesh and failure of internal organs depending on the type of contact and the length. Because of his age and inexperience, Matt is unable to control the change into his werewolf side during the three nights of the full moon, something which frustrates him no end, despite knowing it is in no way a failure – it still feels like one. He is not really a fighter and shies away from weapons when possible, hating weapons and killing.
He is terrified of anything to do with medicine, doctors or injury. Matt refuses to admit to anyone if he is hurt, because he simply does not want to be treated, unable to bring himself to trust anyone in the medicinal profession no matter how much he is assured by people and no matter how much he knows logically that they will not hurt him. Matt suffers from some kind of reoccurring nightmare that he is loath to talk about – if pressed he will only say it is about ‘wells’. Very occasionally he has bad dreams about things he saw in the War.
Abilities: With his werewolf side comes immortality of a sort. Time and illness do not affect Matt, unless it is an illness caused by silver, and only wounds can kill. He has all the heightened abilities, such as speed, agility, stamina, strength that the typical werewolf possesses as well as having all of his senses off the chart, along with increased tolerance to pain and rapid healing. Matthew has some knowledge of weapons and fighting due to his stint in the army as a human although it is very out-dated.
He is extremely good with all kinds of cars, trucks ad motorcycles, appearing to have an almost natural affinity with the engines inside. There is little that can go wrong with any type of vehicle that Matt cannot fix. He knows his way around a computer system, although Matt is rarely seen on one – engine oil and computers do not mix, he has learnt. Matt can handle all manner of computers, although his favourite system is Linux.
Weapons: None besides his natural wolf weapons.
Prized Possessions: His leather jacket.
Home(s): The Hyperion, with the rest of the pack.
History: Matthew Kennedy was born the youngest of a pair of identical twins; only a minute behind his brother and future partner in crime; Andrew in 1918. Their parents, Lesley and Rebecca Kennedy were childhood sweethearts, and married just before the outbreak of World War One. Lesley signed up almost at once, wanting to give his new wife the wage that went with a solider instead of a random handyman. Although there was the risk that he would make her a widow so soon after making her a wife, Rebecca supported his decision, both believing that it ‘would be over by Christmas’ as well as wanting to protect the country. Rebecca fell pregnant on one of Lesley’s visits home and the young man fought even harder in the coming months, determined that his child would be born in a free world.
The twins were born only a month before the end of the war, both healthy and well. Lesley however never got to see either of his sons, the young Captain dying in an attack. Rebecca was left to raise her two children alone, both her own parents and Lesley’s having died in air raids on England. She did as best she could, never one to complain about her lot or any difficulties she experienced. The war had left many widows and single mothers behind, Rebecca simply another face in the crowd. The twins were both little terrors growing up, although Andrew was the ring leader, Matthew following his brother anywhere without any hesitation. They seemed to fit easily into the role of big brother, little brother, Andrew forever getting Matthew into all manner of trouble and then getting him back out of it.
Despite the childhood sometimes being a hard one, the small family struggling to make do with the pittance of a wage Rebecca earned, Andrew and Matthew were both relatively happy children and then happy adults. Neither had any particular qualifications or any job they desperately wished to do. The only aim either appeared to have been simply to stay close and in touch with each other. Almost by chance they fell into the jobs of mechanics and after a while decided to save up as much as they could and open their own garage.
That dream had to be put on hold at the outbreak of World War Two, both brothers becoming caught up in the fighting during the first year. Despite their mother’s fears, both went to war as engineers. It was the first time they had spent any serious time apart, assigned to first different regiments and then completely different areas of the world. Matthew fixed engines and fought as best he could; living each day as thought it was his last, and just trying to come through it alive. Andrew was wounded in action after two years and discharged from the army, returning home to look after Rebecca. Matt himself saw the war through it its entirety, being lucky enough to avoid any serious injuries although he saw a lot of action.
After the war, Matthew returned home, Andrew making sure he had a job in the garage he himself worked in. They worked long hours almost everyday, saving every penny they could towards the idea of their own garage, everything else going on living and looking after Rebecca who was becoming increasingly ill. Andrew and Matthew looked after their ailing mother as best they could, sacrificing free time and as much money as they could, both brothers used to getting by on the simplest of food. One night, in January of 1946 with Rebecca worsening suddenly, Matthew decided to travel into the large city of Manchester, to visit there old doctor who had recently retried, neither of them fully trusting the new doctor who had taken over.
The trip was a pointless one, the old doctor had left Manchester hours before on a trip to visit his sister. Matthew stayed the night at the city, taking little notice of full moon that hung in the sky, sleeping in fits and starts, for some reason restless and unable to settle. He couldn’t help but think something was wrong, somehow, although he was at a loss what or how. All he knew was that he had to get back home and fast, the young man leaving Manchester at first light.
Even before he reached the outskirts of the small village they lived in, he knew something was terribly, terribly wrong. Black smoke hung above the buildings and as Matthew grew closer, he realised to his horror that the smoke was above his own home. He was frantic with worry, knowing that his mother was weak and his brother never the same after his leg wound. When he reached his home, it was only to find there was little of his house left apart from a smouldering ruin. The elderly woman who lived next to his family told him of a stranger who had knocked on the door the evening before. He had appeared to know Andrew Kennedy and was invited in. The next thing she knew there were screams coming from the house and the fire broke out. Although people rushed to the aid of the family it was too late for Rebecca, dying of smoke inhalation. Andrew was pulled from the wreckage badly scarred but of the stranger there was no sign.
Matthew spent the next few weeks by his brother’s bedside, leaving it only to sleep and make the arraignments necessarily to bury their mother. He bitterly blamed himself for being away from the house at the time of the attack, defending his brother from the police who came to question him, only half believing the tale of the stranger. Andrew himself claimed to have no memory of the attack, something Matt didn’t believe but refused to push. To his amazement, Andrew seemed to physically bounce back from the attack, wounds healing quickly with only a gash on his shoulder taking a decent amount of time. More amazing was discovering that his brother’s limp had gone, the leg somehow healing itself.
He had to push then, asking what was going on. At first Andrew didn’t seem to want to explain, at least not in the hospital and Matt had him discharged. Finally his older brother revealed that the stranger had been a man in his regiment, a man who had seemed almost invulnerable to the bullets that sang overhead day and night. It was him who had saved Andrew from death during the war, who had saved him from being injured further. He had come to the house to try and make up for the limp, revealing that he was a werewolf and offering to turn him, giving him immortal life. When Andrew turned down the offer, the ex-solider exploded in a rage, having only recently achieved control over his wolf. It was shaky at best and the last thing Andrew remembered was the out of control beast turning on Rebecca.
When the moon came round again, Andrew and Matthew were ready, and they were able to safely contain the elder twin during the three nights. At the end of the third, Andrew offered to turn Matthew so they could remain a family, not liking the thought of watching his younger brother grow old before his eyes and Matt, always doing what Andrew wanted, agreed without putting any real thought into what it would entail. He slit open his palm, Andrew doing the same and mixed blood, letting his twin take the lead and ‘sire’ him. There was no question that they could remain in the village they had grown up in and once Andrew had recovered from his painful transformation they fled.
The twins roamed England without any real aim or destination in mind. They knew that the dream of owning their own garage was now a near impossibility. Unable to control the change, neither of them were willing to risk settling down anywhere in case they broke free during a night of the full moon and neither wanted to stay anywhere too long in case the fact they didn’t age was brought into question.
In the 70’s, the two decided that as much as they loved Britain, it was time for them to move on. The island had become an increasingly smaller place and they thought in America they could continue to roam from one place to another without being noticed. They were content enough in a ‘pack’ of two, having no wish for a new family after the loss of their mother and for the next three decades, the Kennedy twin’s explored America, before tragedy befell them.
Although they thought they had covered their tracks well, the twins had come to the attention of a shadowy government run experiment that dealt with werewolves. The head doctor was especially fascinated by their twin status and she arraigned to have them captured in the summer of 2001.
As neither were skilled fighters, relying more on speed and fading into the background than outward aggression, it was easy enough for them to be brought down by humans.
For several months both underwent a series of horrific tests and experiments, some designed to see their tolerance to things such as silver, pure pain, starvation. They were kept separate at all times, trapped in some faculty that stank of other wolves, although Matt never saw any of them. He was branded time after time on the inside of his wrist, a series of digits etched into his skin with heat and the very slightest inclusion of silver. Over the months the skin became scarred and disfigured, the brand being in a slightly different place every time. He was tested to see how long it took wolves to recover from all manner of injuries, stabbings, gun shots, poisoning and unknown to him, his brother was undergoing the exact same tests.
The leader of the organization, a woman by the name of Doctor Wells, had decided to test the brothers against each other, to race them in a way to see if as they were twins the healing time was the same or if one was faster, to try and work out why. After a few months of simple torture and tests, the focus of the experiments changed subtly. They were placed in the same cell again, reunited at last. This time one would be hurt or experimented on in some way, sometimes in view of the other, sometimes in separate rooms. It was all to see if the so called ‘bond’ that was sometimes recorded between twins stretched to werewolves as well, to see if one could feel the pain of the other.
It all passed in a painful haze to Matthew, his memories of the time mixed up so he was never sure if he and Andrew were feeling each other’s pain or not. The only parts which stood out in his mind were any times left along with Andrew, his brother returning to the role he had played as a child and at various points in their lives, the protector, urging Matt to keep going and to not give up.
Both were worn down eventually, the constant agony and torment from their human captives too much and when they stopped responding, broken down in mind it was decided by Dr. Wells that one of the brothers would be killed to see what the reaction was. Wells was the one to shoot Andrew with three silver bullets; Matthew forced to watch helplessly, screaming as he saw his beloved twin die right in front of him. The death sent Matt into shock, slumping limply in the arms of the men holding him. He appeared to be near catatonic, staring blankly into space and not reacting to anything, even pain.
Disgusted, Wells ordered that he be taken to the dump site and disposed of, along with his brother and every other wolf in the building. The organization was moving city, as if often did and with Matt no longer responded, there was no wolf of any redeemable interest left and so no reason to keep any of them alive. It was here that Matt saw his brother as a ghost for the first time, Andrew urging him to use the opportunity to escape. Although he had little desire to live, he did as his brother told him to, as always and surprised the man who was supposed to kill him, suddenly bursting into life and fleeing, getting a bullet in his shoulder for his troubles.
The werewolf staggered away into the night, somehow evading the search parties looking for him. He placed all of his trust on the ghost of his brother, following his instructions and moving through the towns rapidly. Matt didn’t even dare go to a hospital to get the bullet removed from his shoulder and although it healed over, the metal was still inside. After a few months of wandering he stumbled into the territory of Cole Stanton and his pack.
Andrew told him to trust the alpha and Matt shyly agreed to let Cole help him, letting the pack doctor treat him and remove the bullet. He joined the pack, having no where else to go and tired of running.
Since the loss of his brother, Matt has struggled with the knowledge of his immortality, knowing that bar a painful death he could live forever. Although he does not want to die right now, it is hard for him to accept that he will never die naturally, something that he simply never thought about until it was in his face. Matt doesn’t know if it is really his brother he sees, if it is part of the twin bond or something else but he seems as content as he can be with the way his life is now, quietly passing time in the pack.