Well, dear readers, I've been busy (and not just with doodling my cast of characters like the one above). Hidden is turning into an exciting monster of a book, and I'm nearly done with mapping the dialogue through Chapter 6.
As you can tell, the number of characters I'm juggling in Hidden is rather hefty, and this picture only includes the good guys! Of course Mari, Gren, and Ruv are at the heart of all the action, but this time they'll be joined in the majority of their journey by a slew of friends. Some old fan favorites return, including Killer, Derek, Brae, and Micaleth (and Sam and Sarah, for those who have already read the novella Bound). Frostbite and Wendy are delightful new additions to the adventurous crew with some surprising talents of their own.
Thus, without giving away too many spoilers of what's to come, here's a breakdown of everything you need to know about the good guys going into Circle 2: Hidden!
Mari (The Dreamer)
Full Name: Maraka Rojko
Race: Human
Sanguine Totem: Eurasian gray wolf
First Appearance: One of the four main characters in Destined
Background: Mari is an assertive, intelligent young woman with a bit of an impulsive streak. Her prophetic dreams guided her and her friends along their first adventures in Aorea, but how she'll fare without her psychic cheatsheet as the adventures continue is anyone's guess.
Gren (The Wanderer)
Full Name: Gren Brien VanDern
Race: Human
Sanguine Totem: Bengal tiger
First Appearance: One of the four main characters in Destined
Background: Gren is a smart, sensitive musician who occasionally prefers to play the fool rather than own up to his true talents. In addition to shapechanging into a tiger, he possesses the ability to sing open the traveling circles that unite Earth and Aorea.
Ruv
Full Name: Unknown
Race: Human
Sanguine Totem: Eurasian gray wolf
First Appearance: One of the supporting characters in Destined
Background: Ruv is the former Alpha of a pack of shapeshifting wolves. He has no memory of his life prior to waking up as a child in the woods of Slovakia, where he was adopted and raised by a local Roma family. He now spends his days traveling with Mari and Gren, no matter what world they happen to be in at the time. When he left his pack days behind, he ceded his Alpha spot to his former Beta, Buddy.
Derek
Full Name: Derek Wilk
Race: Human
Sanguine Totem: Eurasian gray wolf
First Appearance: One of the supporting characters in Destined
Background: Originally from Poland, Derek is one of the founding members of Ruv's former wolfpack. With Ruv no longer filling the role of Alpha, Derek has stepped into the Beta slot. Left the pack temporarily to help out Mari, Gren, and Ruv.
Killer
Full Name: Kristof Fyodorovich Leonov
Race: Human
Sanguine Totem: Eurasian gray wolf
First Appearance: Small role in Destined
Background: Nicknamed "Killer" due to his incarceration for a murder he did not, in fact, commit, Fyodor was the last member to join the wolfpack before they accidently found themselves haunting the Endless Forest in Nomansland, Aorea.
Brae
Full Name: Brae Berkana
Race: Leshii
First Appearance: One of the supporting characters in Destined
Background: Brae is the mobile spirit of a birch tree who Mari and Gren meet when they rescue her from becoming a dragon's lunch. Bold, impatient, and perfectly willing to let anyone know exactly what's on her mind.
Mickey
Full Name: Micaleth
Race: Nietheran
First Appearance: One of the supporting characters in Destined
Background: Micaleth is one of the nietheran guardians who normally lives in the sanctuary with the Spinner, a position currently held by Mari and Gren's friend, Laria. He suffers an unusual fondness for common flowers, which when disturbed will crystalize and form a potent liquor known as quartz.
Sarah & Sam
Full Name: Sarah and Samuel Kuroneko
Race: Human
Sanguine Totem: Black panther
First Appearance: Causing shenanigans in Bound
Background: Collectively referred to as the Panther Twins, the inseparable siblings make quite the dynamic duo. Formerly thieves who worked for a trickster named Kutkah, their colorful past has at least provided them with a handy set of skills. In a word, these two are *sassy.*
Frostbite
Full Name: Yuri Tigrov
Race: Human
Sanguine Totem: I'll give you a hint: it's another big cat!
First Appearance: Introduced in Hidden
Background: He'll tell you pretty early on (well, he tells Mari), so you'll just have to wait and see!
Wendy
Full Name: Ceridwen MacEunrig
Race: Human
Sanguine Totem: It's a surprise <3
First Appearance: She's the narrator of the upcoming short story, "Faerie Stones."
Background: You'll just have to read the short story to find out!
Hope that's enough to whet your appetite for now; I've got loads more writing to do!