Theo can easily draw anyone's eye with well-defined muscles that are quite obvious underneath her tri-colored coat and scars, giving the impression Theo is in peak fitness. Heavily muscular for a mare of her stature, it is clear that the mare has spent her life actively fighting for survival. Muscles roll and bulge underneath her painted coat without having to be flexed and are wrapped solidly around her hardy frame. Theo's build and frame border on being rather androgynous, as she lacks most feminine wiles and curves. Where other mares are soft, Theo is hard and full of sharp edges. Scars are littered across her body of various stages of healing and of varying ages. Her scars are a source of pride and she does little to hide them - to Theo, her scars prove her fighting finesse and experiences in life.

Theo's coat is made of earth-tones and white; primarily seen as a seal bay, yet a chimeric effect left her with marks of black that jaggedly slice haphazardly across her abdomen, back, and legs. Black runs down the center of her white blaze in a sharp, diamond-shaped pattern and colors her muzzle. White splashes the earthiness of Theo's coat, running heaviest along her back and rump. Three tall white stockings decorate her front two legs and the rear left leg, while a short white sock decorates her rear right leg. White birdcatcher spots are dispersed intermittently across her entire frame. Theo's mane hangs in a heavy, straight sheet of black and white that is almost neatly split into two even halves. Her tail hangs down to her pasterns in a thick waterfall of white, bluntly cut at the ends to prevent it from trailing on the ground and tangling. Her mane and tail are generally maintained with the same carelessness Theo exhibits for her own injuries, leading to the occasional dreadlock to form or knots to appear.

The most defining traits Theo possesses are two things - her eyes and her horns. The sclera of her eyes is a golden hue, while the pupils are a fiery red-orange. These shades can be seen again in Theo's curling horns. Her horns curl from behind her ears and start in the same golden hue of her sclera; as they curl away from her skull, the color blends into orange, to a red-orange, and finally a vibrant red like a flame. Her hooves are also the same transitional orange-red-deep red colors, though they never quite look all the same at any given time. Gold-colored smoke is ever-present, subtly emitting from the corners of her eyes, and can be seen billowing from her nostrils when angered.

Theo is first and foremost a fighter. She's fought to survive since her first breath; she'll gladly take down a giant and break your jaw to keep living. She has no qualms throwing punches - (literally and figuratively) - biting, kicking, or stabbing her way to freedom. She did it once and she'll do it again without any hesitation. Because of her survivalist nature and her deep-seated pride, Theo is almost absurdly independent. She's sooner cut her own leg off than accept anyone's assistance or charity. Theo has always been a caretaker to others and very rarely (if ever) admits it when she needs help. When she does, she'll grumble about it for ages. She'll huff and puff, maybe punch a wall or two to feel strong again, and then never mention that one time you helped her out of a sticky situation.

But she'll be damned if she never returns the favor. Scratch her back and she'll scratch yours; save her skin in a bar fight, and you're guaranteed to have a spitfire at your side the next time you get into trouble.

She dislikes being taken by surprise but manages to adapt well enough to whatever situation to emerge (mostly) unscathed. She learned her lesson of being lackadaisical and unaware of her surroundings from her youth. This also makes Theo wary of strangers, though not unkind to them. Theo is generally stand-offish until comfortable enough, or until proven that stranger at least poses no threat. This can make Theo rather critical, which makes her rather unyielding in most of her decisions. Her word is the law, and her word is almost always final. Theo speaks plainly, finding little need to sugar-coat her words to others. This tends to make her abrasive without intending to be; though don't expect any apologies from Theo unless they are well earned.

Her temper is swift to flare and ferocious. You'd think she was an uncontrollable giant when Theo flies into a rage. She has almost no qualms picking fights with anyone; she'll fight you, she'll fight that guard over there, and she'll even fight your dog. Yet, her code of conduct - no matter how skewed it might be - makes children and those who are weaker off the table. Regardless of her fighting nature, the weak and defenseless are meant to be protected no matter the cost.

Theo's life began as one of great sadness. Her mother, who she cannot even remember, was a woman that lived in severe poverty. The priestesses that raised Theo would later tell her that her mother had been a prostitute, but Theo never learned of the truth behind the mystery of her mother. Regardless, the mare who gave Theo life did not live long. Theo's mother died during childbirth without having a chance to even name her child. The infant Theo was whisked away to a nearby temple that was home to priestesses that raised the city's orphaned and impoverished children. The sisters there would name her Theodora.

Life in the temple was harsh. The girls who were raised by the sisters were brought up to believe that priestesshood was their destiny; that as they grew up, they would replace those who raised them. The boys were led to believe life in the army was the only thing they had to look forward to. It didn't matter your gender as a child in the temple - your life was to be bound by servitude, either to the gods or to the government, and something about that never sat right with Theo. She lashed out, behaved poorly, and purposely sought out trouble while she grew. Her first brawl in the streets after a merchant's son mocked them solidified Theo's burning drive to fight back against the oppression. As Theo grew older, she frequently took to the streets to defend the younger orphans from harm. She grew into a boogieman figure of sorts, despite her political stature. A gangster who lurked in the alleyways that no one wanted to anger.

As an adult, Theo chose to leave the temple entirely, much to the sister's horror. She bucked their teachings and traditions, but never abandoned the kids she left behind. To Theo, all the orphans she grew up with and subsequently helped to raise were her siblings. The small home she set up in the slums of the city was a safe haven for any of her adopted siblings, and for some, their way out of the temple for good.

Yet, Theo couldn't tell you just how she left the city in the first place. The catalyst to leaving it all behind is fuzzy; either burned away by alcohol or trauma, though by which one even Theo couldn't tell you. One moment, she was in the middle of a bar fight, then the next, Theo found herself surrounded by wilderness without a single soul near her.

words