Meet the Character -- Lexi

Name: Alexia Lyall, "Lexi"
Age: 26 Sex: Female
Family: None or unknown
Infection Level: Immune / OFAR 'hunter' Gene
Race: Caucasian / Strong Russian Height: 5'1"
Eyes: Mulled-Cider Brown with deep-set, hooded eyes
Face: Pointy, rather thin nose, well groomed eyebrows, cupid-shaped mouth, high cheek bones and a well-defined jaw.
Hair: Ashen brown (probably dyed), long thick and straight hair, normally pulled back in a ponytail
Body: Small chest, muscula physique typical of those with the tracker gene, especially fond of her muscular calves

Lexi is a new recruit to the FLI unit, as noticed by Ranulf almost exclusively calling her 'Rookie.' She went through the Alabama police academy before deciding to take a tougher career turn and applying for the required genetic testing to be in the FLI. She is very gung-ho and sticks to her training to the letter. However, she is also wet behind the ears, and lacks the experience to deal with a lot of the real-world problems that differ greatly from her training. She is Ranulf's new partner, replacing Lupe, who recently went into semi-retirement. Ranulf is loathe to admit it, but he finds her sometimes overwhelming enthusiasm refreshing and a bit addictive. And he appreciates early on the speed with which she acts. In the first chapter, it was Lexi that downed the third werewolf, by tazing it from behind immediately upon arriving in the squad car.

The biggest thing Lexi has in her favor so far is being so obviously new. Even the lycanthropes underestimate her ability. In chapter three, she gets to register her first werewolf, Boxer, before questioning him about the attack on Lyka and Lowell. Lexi quickly sets Boxer straight on a few things, much to his chagrin. I don't want to give anything away, but I really liked writing the registration scene.

Her call name, Lexi, is a shortened form of a Greek name meaning defender of men. I think this is appropriate for a newly recruited FLI officer. New recruits tend to be the most tenacious in abiding the letter of the law. Her name, Alexia, means defender of mankind. It is a little variation on my wolf-themed names, but I thought the meaning was appropriate for what I envision for her character. As for Lexi's last name, that has gone through many changes. I firstly wanted it to be a solid Russian name, but instead have opted for Lyall, which is Scottish for shield wolf. As a defender of men, she would be a shield between them and the lycanthropes.

Meet the Character -- Alf

Name: Aiden "Alf" Fillin
Age: 42 Sex: Male
Family: None
Infection Level: Immune / OFAR 'hunter' Gene
Race: Caucasian Height: 5'8"
Eyes: Dark brown, large eyes, well hooded but not deep set
Face: Slightly arched brows, well separated; prominent nose, fairly Romanesque, square face, flat hairline, thick jaw
Hair: Rust colored hair in a shaggy, mop-top style hangs just over his ears
Body: Well tanned skin; very muscular, especially arms and upper legs

Alf is the no-nonsense leader of the Federal Lycanthrope Investigation unit stationed in Birmingham, Alabama. He reeks of former policeman, and I love him that way. He likes to keep a tight ship, but with people like Ranulf under his command, a tight ship is unlikely. When it comes to the small section of the FLI that he commands, he is very protective of them. Even when they retire, he keeps watch over them as much as possible. Alf doesn't ask his officers to do anything he isn't willing to do, and they love him for that.

Having been an officer for both human and lycanthropes for decades, Alf doesn't really do field work anymore. He prefers instead to control the situations from the main office, rounded out with visits to the FLI clinic for newly infected and occassional trips to Ran's desk for a chewing out.

Alf's call sign is based on his initials, A. L. F. His first name, Aiden, is sometimes used in the story, but being that he is the boss of this unit, they usually just call him Alf. The name Alf is a diminuitive of Adolf, which means noble wolf. He does try to be noble, forcing his unit to do the right thing, even when it may seem better to do something else. His first name, Aiden, means little fire. I believe this is fitting, because he has a passion for his job of upholding the law, even when it comes to werewolves.

Fillin is English for little wolf, and is a derivation of the Celtic name Faelan. I picture Alf as a beefy Irish guy, like a prize fighter. I didn't want his name to sound too Irish, so I chose the English name instead of the other. It doesn't give him more respectability, just sounds a little less stereotypical. As for his middle name... well, I haven't actually decided what it should be. All I know is that I want it to start with an L.

Meet the Character -- Lowell

Name: Lowell Theron

Age: 30 Sex: Male

Family: Twin sister, Lyka; Father, Willis (location unknown)

Strain: East Siberian

Infection Level: Stage 1 infection (Less than 1 month, hasn't moonlit)
Race: Caucasian Height: 5'9" Weight: 169 lbs.

Eyes: Dark green; rounded eyes, not too close set

Face: Slightly hairy eyebrows, close set but separate; pug nose, lips turned slightly downward, but can give a wide grin; fairly average facial structure

Hair: Light brown; short cut, but wavy when allowed to grow long enough; does not touch the ears

Body: Medium tanned skin; clean shaven usually; not too muscular, rather like a tennis player's physique; has a mole at the base of his neck on the right side

Lowell is a major secondary character, at least at this point.

Lowell is a French version of Lovel, meaning wolf cub. Very fitting, if you keep in mind that he is infected with Hensen's disease within the first chapter of the book. He is basically the visualization of the changes that take place when someone is infected with lycanthropy, and he is new, hence he is a cub. His last name, Theron, as we already know, means hunter. What is he hunting? Or is it just a hand-off name from his sister, the heroine of the book? One must wait and see to find out... muhahaha.

Lowell is in love at the beginning of the book with Suzanne, a childhood friend from who's engagement party the twins had just left. He works as a lawyer 'up North,' and is pretty opposite from Lyka in many respects. He doesn't work with nature, so doesn't admire it, isn't curious about it, and doesn't want to have much to do with it. His protective nature for his sister is what gets him hurt in the first chapter, but it is still up in the air whether it was actually his fault or his fate. We will have to wait and see.