Turtle.
Turtle is Amott's pet and best friend. c:
Name [of pet]:
Turtle
Gender [of pet]:
Male ♂
Breed/Species [of pet]:
He looks like a sea turtle, but my boys were a Mississippi Map Turtle and a Red Slider. <3 So I'll make him a combination of the three, so that he can make his journeys with Amott on land.
Mississippi Map Turtle [Twig and Aspen] x Red Slider [Bud] x Eastern Sea Turtle [Himself xD]
Personality [of pet]:
.:Loud [Aspen] and Silent [Twig]:.
Turtle displays both loudness, and silence. Often times, I'll be home alone, and I'll hear a banging noise all of a sudden. Sure, it scares me to death, and I look over, and there's Aspen, climbing the walls of her tank and banging like crazy. o.e I don't know why she does it. Maybe she wants to get out and snuggle? xD But either way, Turtle is capable of using his voice, or getting people's attention. It's a surprise that up until now, he's not found anyone to scream at until they adopt him. At the same time, Turtle can be quiet or silent. ^^ Twig was always a man of mysteries, and sometimes Turtle himself prefers to be quiet and let Amott do all of the talking. This doesn't work though sometimes, because Amott doesn't talk much either. The two only find themselves interacting interdependently with each other, but often do not interact with the world around them. When Amott is quietest though, is oftentimes when Turtle's Aspen-trait comes in.
.:Stealth [Twig]:.
Turtle is very stealth, and he's good at being mysterious, quiet, and secretive. He doesn't usually let on his emotions or anything to you, which mistakingly leads people on the wrong path of thinking that he has no personality. No, this is not true. Like Twig, he has a ot of personality, but he prefers to shield it from most people and just to go about his own little life with Amott. ^^ Amott's the only person that he really opens up to, because he provides Turtle a true friend. Turtle, in his silent and stealth mode, can also be a good spy. He can be very near, and no one would ever know. He'd definitely be an awesome ninja turtle. ^^
.:Shy [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
Turtle can be kind of shy when he first meets someone. When I first got Aspen, Twig, and Bud, they would run away each and every time that we opened their cage to give them some food - yummy turtle pellets. Omnomnom. He doesn't usually trust people when he first meets them, and it takes a while for him to warm up to people. When he does, he's really friendly though. To an outsider, it may seem like he's too afraid to talk, and sometimes, other than to Amott, he is a tad bit scared of speaking up and sharing what he has to say. But this is only because he's a turtle, and like other turtles, he is easily scared and made shy by the overwhelming personalities or loudness of others.
.:Sun-loving [Aspen and Twig]:.
Turtle loves the sun, both figuratively and literally. He likes the brightness and the light of all sunshine or unnatural light, just like my three turtles that always enjoyed climbing out of the water and basking on their rocks. He enjoys the heat on his shell, but unlike a tortoise, he needs the water as well. (Oh my gosh, that rhymes!) Turtle, however, also likes to see the 'sun shine' in other's hearts. He can always pick up on the good qualities in other people, and he likes it when his kindness is returned by other people. Perhaps this is why he and Amott fit so well together. They both share this lovely trait. ^^
.:Small but Mighty [Bud]:.
Size never mattered to Bud, and he wasn't at all intimidated by his larger siblings or by us humans, cleaning his tank or feeding him. He did pretty much whatever he wanted, and he used his size to his advantage. He always used to like to find a small crack in between the rocks in his tank so that he could hide back there. As he grew, we got worried that he'd get stuck, and so we always used to take him out. Big mistake. xD He'd always find himself back in that crack within the next two minutes. Here we go again! Yu can imagine that it got quite monotonous after a while. Bud wasn't really afraid of what others thought, and Turtle is just the same. Hard-headed like his shell. ^^
.:Seaworthy [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
Like all turtles, especially sea turtles, which Turtle partially is, Turtle is more than capable of swimming. Turtles may not be the fastest or most intelligent creatures, but they can dart through the water when swimming at a pace not half as leisurely as the pace that they take accustom to on land. Turtle loves to swim, and he's quite good at it. He's fast and he enjoys both wading at the surface and hanging out at the bottom. Where there's water, there's a happy Turtle. ^^
.:Interpersonal [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
All three of my turtles were very reliant of each other. They were very interdependent and were always looking for each other, or out for each other, to cuddle, swim, or eat. None of them did very well alone, and they loved spending time together. Turtle is like this as well, especially towards Amott. He loves to interact with people that he's close to, and he's not sure that he could survive without Amott, or friends for that matter.
.:Loves to cuddle [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
My three turtles always used to stack on top of each other. Apparently, it was their way of cuddling, because they'd casually lay on top of each other, on their rocks and in the water. It was really funny to watch, and absolutely adorable to see turtles trying to provide shelter for one another when their hard shells couldn't have been comfortable on another one's stomach. Either way, Turtle loves to cuddle. He adores sitting on Amott's back, or Amott on his (xD), and he loves to lay at Amott's side. It's more of a brotherly love than anything else. c;
.:Loving [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
Like all of my turtles, Turtle is very loving and kind. He's friendly to other people and has an outstanding personality that differs from the other's. As demonstrated by his love for cuddling and his disability to tolerate while being alone, he's very loving, and he gets attached to things very easily. He's not the greatest at being subtle about showing affection for things, and he can demonstrate great love as a brother or friend.
.:Sporty [Aspen, Bud, and Twig]:.
Turtle is really sporty and fun. This is because of his general love of swimming and climbing. As hard as it may seem to picture any turtle good at some sort of "sport", Turtle is a very fast swimmer and a very sporty little guy. He enjoys feeling the water passing through his 'claws', and he likes anything active such as swimming, hiking, or climbing. He's not one to slow Amott down on his journeys, and in fact, he is actually more than fast enough to keep up, even on land. With a wallaby's hop and a turtle's pace, it may seem like the duo gets no where fast, but Turtle tries his best to keep up, and in turn, is very fit and much faster than the average turtle.
.:Friendly and Social [Aspen]:.
Turtle sure does love a good laugh. He has a good sense of humor and he knows how to laugh at himself just as well as he can laugh at anyone else. He likes to make jokes all of the time, and he enjoys laughing at his own jokes a bit too much. He likes being a bit silly or goofy sometimes, strutting his "stuff" all around and falling over clumsily. He's social only to those whom he builds a real bond with, however, and may seem a bit shy to new people. He's very kind, and he would never try to hurt anyone else's feelings, especially Amott's own feelings. He likes to talk and laugh, and he believes that the two causes make friends (and fight old age!)
.:Supportive [Aspen]:.
Turtle is always very supportive of Amott. He cheers Amott on in everything that he tries to do, and he supports him to the fullest of his abilities, sometimes taking the lead as they walk on, and other times, watching Amott's back, both literally and figuratively. He is the weaker of the two mentally, so it may appear as if he is the sidekick t their relationship, but the two are quite equal to each other, just holding each other up day by day. They are like brothers, best friends, and an owner to a pet.
.:Lonely [Aspen]:.
Turtle gets very lonesome whenever he is without Amott or some other person to talk to. He gets a bit sad and loses his humor and good attitude if he's left anywhere by himself, and immediately, he is sent into a deep crisis-mode of panic. He's nothing like the person that he normally is without others, and he prefers small groups rather than being by himself.
Background/History [of pet]:
'Twas the day before Christmas, and Turtle walked along at a leisurely pace beside Amott. Amott looked over at Turtle and opened his mouth to signify that he would begin talking. He seemed to be on the edge of losing his composure as his face broke out into a wide smile. The same smile broke out on Turtle's face, contagious like a rash. "Can you believe it, Turtle?" asked Amott. "It's almost Christmas!" Turtle shook his head, knowing that this year was going to be different from all of the others. "I certainly can't tell!" he said sleepily. He had seemed a bit more drowsy lately. After all, wasn't winter a time when turtles should be hibernating? He looked around him with blurry eyes, cloudy with the sleep he'd lost. "It's not even snowy," sighed Turtle. This was quite true. All around them, wherever the duo looked it looked nothing like Christmas. There wasn't a flake of snow on the ground, and the trees looked bare without snow, leaves, or buds that usually came with the changing seasons. Amott nodded his head in sad agreement. Their first Christmas after meeting, the two of them had a great time. It was very snowy, and they'd taken a break from their endless traveling as they often did to have a bit of extra fun. They found a great hill for sledding, and Amott had gotten on Turtle's back while Turtle slid down the slope. It was a bit cold on his stomach, but Turtle was rather warm for a cold-blooded reptile. This year would be nothing of the likes. The two couldn't stop to goof around. They were on a mission to find a way to make their Christmas fun, even if there wasn't any sign of snow coming! Turtle looked to his left and to his right as he walked past the back of a pharmacy building. Every once in a while the two would pass through a small town inhabited by humans and would try their best to go through without any troubles. It was very dangerous to be in public for Amott because of his near-threatened species status. Occassionally a human would try to come near him if they recognized his patterns to be those of a yellow-footed rock wallaby. Turtle closed his eyes. He knew it'd be a while before the two could stop for rest because they were on a Christmas mission. They were trying to make the most of Christmas - they were trying to find out how to make it snow. He walked slowly down the alley behind the buildings, not able to watch where he was going with his eyes closed down to slits. He tripped in a small pothole and opened his eyes with a dazed expression. He laughed as he got up, but Amott was concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his eyes widening. "Of course I am," said Amott. The two fell on the ground all over again, laughing hard. As they recovered from the joy of the moment, the two made their way to standing up again. "Do you think we can really do it?" Amott asked Turtle. "Do you really think that we can make it snow?" he questioned. "Of course we can!" exclaimed Turtle. "We just both have to believe that we have that Christmas spirit in us," answered Turtle.
---
The odd pair walked along, this time with Turtle fully alert and awake. Amott hopped eagerly beside him. The two had been on many adventures before, but never had they been on one like this. They came across a cat that sat at the entrance of a gate at the back of the alley, licking its paw with a fish skeleton laying at its other paw. "Hello?" Amott broke the silence with a kind greeting. The cat looked up from its work, likely a tasty meal to its lips. "Hello," he said, seeming to be a bit distracted. He looked from Turtle to Amott and back again. What an odd pair they made, walking the alleys of the cats. Turtle decided that in the silence, he'd pipe up a bit. "I'm Turtle," he said. With his back foot and motioned towards Amott. "And this is Amott," he finished the introduction. "I'm Mouse," said the cat. He closed his eyes into slits and studied the two for an awfully long time as the stared at each other in confusion, made uncomfortable. "I've never seen you around," reclared the cat after a while of this. He'd racked his brain for the longest time, but he had no memory of these odd travelers before today. Certainly they weren't an easily forgettably pair either. "What is your business of being here?" he asked in a formal way that almost made Turtle feel as if he were talking to an enemy of his, formally and with stone-cold voices. He looked up, not sure if he should respond to this question in a happy voice or a toneless voice. His words came out as a mixture of the two, an oddly eerie shriek. "We've come to find out how to make it snow. We're searching for someone who has an answer," he responded truthfully. Beside him, Amott cringed, hoping that Mouse wouldn't laugh at them as they searched for such an odd answer. "What do you do to make it snow?" asked Turtle. He had figured that if they'd started the conversation and they'd already met him, they might as well try him. The cat seemed well enough knowledged. Perhaps he could honestly give them an answer that they were looking for. He laughed as Amott had feared, but it was more of a jolly laugh, a laugh that held memories in it. "Something to make it snow I see? Is that what you seek? When I was a kit, I always wanted a white Christmas. I ran around the alley five times - no more and no less - and it always seemed to work for me," he said, smiling more than he probably had in a while. "Really?" asked Amott. "Thank you very much!" With these final words, the two left Mouse behind, and they started their circles around the alley. But even after the fastest sprint that a wallaby and a turtle could manage, not a flake of snow touched the ground. Only slightly discouraged, maybe even more determined, the two turned away to see what else might work.
---
It came to pass that after their last lap around the alley, the two found that in order to find any other place, they'd need to head northward. In order for them to do so, though, they must cross the street. As the two strolled up to the edge of the tar road, they saw a small hole that had been nestled by the road, a great location for a small rodent. As they walked over to this hole, Amott stuck his slender tail in to see if anyone was home. When he pulled it out, a small shrew hopped out of the hole and peered up at the two. "Oh d-d-dear, p-please don't eat me," the poor little creature stuttered in fright. "Eat you!" exclaimed Amott. "Why that's the funniest thing I've ever heard," Turtle backed his friend up. "We'd like to befriend you," he continued. "We only want to ask you a question." The shrew looked up into Turtle's eyes and must have found a trustworthy element in them, because he nodded his head. "Go on." "Well, Mr. Shrew," said Amott, "we're trying to find a way to make it snow for Christmas!" The shrew looked up at the wallaby, several times his size, in surprise. "Snow? I love snow! But with the snow, my hole may be covered. A woe is me," he sighed. "Heikki Lunta," he said. "It's a song that I used to sing when I was but a wee lad when I didn't understand my mum's fear of the snow." The traveling companions looked at each other in confusion. "Heikki Lunta?" Amott finally worked up his own nerve to ask. "Yes," said the shrew. "Dance, dance, dance Heikki Lunta dance. Make it snow, snow, snow Heikki Lunta snow. Dance, dance, dance Heikki Lunta dance," sang out the shrew. He flailed his arms and tapped his feet on the ground, expertly performing a funny little dance that he'd obviously rehearsed since he was a lad. "That's it?" asked Turtle. "Singing and dancing?" he asked. "It's not just singing and dancing!" exclaimed the shrew. "It's a very meaningful tradition that my father taught me several years ago," he explained bluntly. "Can you teach it to us?" asked Amott. "Of course," said the shrew. "It goes like this..."A
And so, the three of them spent most of their afternoon learning the lyrics and the choreography of the song. But after repeating their dance nearly twenty times, still not a flake fell from the sky. More discouraged than determined this time, the two thanked the shrew and turned to the road that they must cross so that they could be on their way.
---
After the pair crossed the road, a snake hung its head down from the trees. Turtle saw the snake and retreated quickly to the shelter of his shell. "Oh my, oh me," recited the snake. "Who are these creatures I see?" he asked. "I'm Amott," exclaimed the friendly wallaby. "This is Turtle," he said, patting his companion's shell with his tail. Inside, the turtle felt the vibrations against his shell that pressed into the skin of his neck. "It's a snake!" a muffled voice came from the shell. "Never trust a snake, Amott!" he shouted as best as he could. The shell was quite a hiderance to Amott's ability to understand Turtle however. "Fear not little one indeed, this snake here does not eat meat," hissed the snake, his tongue rattling. "I heard that you are on a quest to find which snow ritual works best," he said. "I thought I'd share my very own, but it seems you'd like for me to leave you alone." Amott looked from his friend to the snake, then down at his own paws. "Go on," he said, somehow taking a trust to this snake. "Turtle and I would really like snow so that we could have a white Christmas." With this, Turtle poked his head out of his shell slowly and smiled. It was true, he wanted ever so badly to have a fun, white Christmas for him and Amott to enjoy. How else could Christmas be fun? The snake twisted itself tighter around the branch as a carnivorous snake might wrap itself around its victim's neck. "Imal-ufat-tawho is what I saw to bring some snow on the next day," said the snake as he tightened his grip around the tree branch. His green scales shown brightly in the moonlight which had now begun to shine after the sun had set and the pair of friends had reached the near-end of their search. They were desperate for an answer as to how they could ensure a happy, white Christmas. But the two were simply out of ideas, and so they decided to listen to the snake. "You must say it three times and after that say something that rhymes," whispered the snake, resting his head on the coils of his wrapped-up body. "Imal-ufat-tawho, Imal-ufat-tawho, Imal-ufat-tawho," chanted the two of them quietly. Amott dropped his head at a loss for words and a loss at what he should say for the rhyme. But Turtle continued, a smile still planted on his face. "We've done our best, you do the rest," he spoke to the clouds. And with this conclusion, the two tredged on, noticing not a flurry in sight. "Goodnight," they said, looking to each other. "Better luck next year," whispered Amott as they curled up at the edge of the forest, drifting into a deep, cold sleep.
---
Turtle woke up to a very moist, cold drop of something on his scales. He shook himself awake, freezing in the middle of the night. Beside him, Amott stirred, and even further to the right, in the sky, the sun rose to a low position in the sky, leaving an eerie sheet of grey covering the world. But to his surprise, as Turtle opened his eyes, he found a sheet of white covering Amott's fur as the other animal stirred and shook with the motivation of the cold. On the ground was a very thin layer of ice, covered with a sheet of snow. "Amott! Amott!" he managed to yell, his voice cracking ever so slightly. "Amott, it's snowing. It's snowing on Christmas Day!" Amott rolled over and looked up into the sky, squinting his eyes. "You're right," he said, laughter interrupting his words. "It is snowing. We're going to have a white Christmas!" The two of them jumped to their feet as quickly as they could with sleep still bordering the rims of their eyes and making their joints ache. They fell over again in a heap, laughing. "It wasn't the rituals!" yelled Amott. "No," responded Turtle. "It wasn't. It was our Christmas spirit!"
'Twas the morning of Christmas and throughout the woods, not a creature was sad, and everything was good. ♥
Merry Christmas, SCAA!
---
Use [for pet]:
Turtle here has been at Symphony Character Adoption Agency for much too long, and I can't stand to see him without a home. He was donated way back on page 72, and even though I never really expected the SCAA to take off like this, we are now on page 418. Up until now, this poor boy has never seen a form. The staff and I even considered moving him to the Urgent Care, a place where sadly, a few characters are sitting right now, unloved and untouched. Because of this, I want to rain down compassion and love on him, and give him a new home. I felt that I had enough muse for a form, and that I actually had a connection with this little guy, as simple as he is. So here goes nothing. <3
The reason I felt a connection with Turtle is because last Christmas, suddenly, in the middle of the morning, my mom was cleaning my turtle's tank, and two out of the three died. It was a very sudden thing, and we weren't sure if they were poisoned or sick, but the two males, the smallest ones, Bud and Twig died, leaving their poor sister, whom they loved to stack on top of and swim with, Aspen, alone. [Yeah, see what I did there? The biggest/oldest one was named after a type of tree, Twig, the middle one, was a branch, and Bud, the youngest/smallest was just a little bud. :D Heehee.] I cried my eyes out, and I was sure that 2010 would be the worst Christmas ever. It just so turns out, though, that this SCAA code drop is right before Christmas time, and I'd really like to give Turtle a home.. especially for Christmas.
My idea right now is to use Turtle as a character, a little "odd-species" companion for my fursona, a wallaby, Amott. He could be sort of a friend, and sort of the pet, and the two could be inseperable. I'm actually really looking forward to making this form, though, because I want to write a history story for Amott as well, and a collaborate story for the two of them would just be lovely. <3 Turtle would share a page on my characters and fursona website with Amott, and the two of them could simply be adorable together. <3 I'd love to write them stories, and to draw and order art of the two of them together. What could be more adorable?
Never could I have thought that I would like this kennel so much. <3 But right now, so much muse! I dropped out for kennel 31 to try for this guy, and I really hope that I'll be priveleged enough to get him. But one more thing that I have to say - Turtle's personality is based on the personality of the three sibling turtles that I had, that were simply inseperable. I dedicate this to Twig and Bud, and of course, Aspen, still in the tank in the corner of the room as we speak. <3 I love you guys. ^^
Art of just Turtle will be posted here, while you can find pictures of Turtle and Amott together here.
Name [of pet]:
Turtle
Gender [of pet]:
Male ♂
Breed/Species [of pet]:
He looks like a sea turtle, but my boys were a Mississippi Map Turtle and a Red Slider. <3 So I'll make him a combination of the three, so that he can make his journeys with Amott on land.
Mississippi Map Turtle [Twig and Aspen] x Red Slider [Bud] x Eastern Sea Turtle [Himself xD]
Personality [of pet]:
.:Loud [Aspen] and Silent [Twig]:.
Turtle displays both loudness, and silence. Often times, I'll be home alone, and I'll hear a banging noise all of a sudden. Sure, it scares me to death, and I look over, and there's Aspen, climbing the walls of her tank and banging like crazy. o.e I don't know why she does it. Maybe she wants to get out and snuggle? xD But either way, Turtle is capable of using his voice, or getting people's attention. It's a surprise that up until now, he's not found anyone to scream at until they adopt him. At the same time, Turtle can be quiet or silent. ^^ Twig was always a man of mysteries, and sometimes Turtle himself prefers to be quiet and let Amott do all of the talking. This doesn't work though sometimes, because Amott doesn't talk much either. The two only find themselves interacting interdependently with each other, but often do not interact with the world around them. When Amott is quietest though, is oftentimes when Turtle's Aspen-trait comes in.
.:Stealth [Twig]:.
Turtle is very stealth, and he's good at being mysterious, quiet, and secretive. He doesn't usually let on his emotions or anything to you, which mistakingly leads people on the wrong path of thinking that he has no personality. No, this is not true. Like Twig, he has a ot of personality, but he prefers to shield it from most people and just to go about his own little life with Amott. ^^ Amott's the only person that he really opens up to, because he provides Turtle a true friend. Turtle, in his silent and stealth mode, can also be a good spy. He can be very near, and no one would ever know. He'd definitely be an awesome ninja turtle. ^^
.:Shy [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
Turtle can be kind of shy when he first meets someone. When I first got Aspen, Twig, and Bud, they would run away each and every time that we opened their cage to give them some food - yummy turtle pellets. Omnomnom. He doesn't usually trust people when he first meets them, and it takes a while for him to warm up to people. When he does, he's really friendly though. To an outsider, it may seem like he's too afraid to talk, and sometimes, other than to Amott, he is a tad bit scared of speaking up and sharing what he has to say. But this is only because he's a turtle, and like other turtles, he is easily scared and made shy by the overwhelming personalities or loudness of others.
.:Sun-loving [Aspen and Twig]:.
Turtle loves the sun, both figuratively and literally. He likes the brightness and the light of all sunshine or unnatural light, just like my three turtles that always enjoyed climbing out of the water and basking on their rocks. He enjoys the heat on his shell, but unlike a tortoise, he needs the water as well. (Oh my gosh, that rhymes!) Turtle, however, also likes to see the 'sun shine' in other's hearts. He can always pick up on the good qualities in other people, and he likes it when his kindness is returned by other people. Perhaps this is why he and Amott fit so well together. They both share this lovely trait. ^^
.:Small but Mighty [Bud]:.
Size never mattered to Bud, and he wasn't at all intimidated by his larger siblings or by us humans, cleaning his tank or feeding him. He did pretty much whatever he wanted, and he used his size to his advantage. He always used to like to find a small crack in between the rocks in his tank so that he could hide back there. As he grew, we got worried that he'd get stuck, and so we always used to take him out. Big mistake. xD He'd always find himself back in that crack within the next two minutes. Here we go again! Yu can imagine that it got quite monotonous after a while. Bud wasn't really afraid of what others thought, and Turtle is just the same. Hard-headed like his shell. ^^
.:Seaworthy [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
Like all turtles, especially sea turtles, which Turtle partially is, Turtle is more than capable of swimming. Turtles may not be the fastest or most intelligent creatures, but they can dart through the water when swimming at a pace not half as leisurely as the pace that they take accustom to on land. Turtle loves to swim, and he's quite good at it. He's fast and he enjoys both wading at the surface and hanging out at the bottom. Where there's water, there's a happy Turtle. ^^
.:Interpersonal [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
All three of my turtles were very reliant of each other. They were very interdependent and were always looking for each other, or out for each other, to cuddle, swim, or eat. None of them did very well alone, and they loved spending time together. Turtle is like this as well, especially towards Amott. He loves to interact with people that he's close to, and he's not sure that he could survive without Amott, or friends for that matter.
.:Loves to cuddle [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
My three turtles always used to stack on top of each other. Apparently, it was their way of cuddling, because they'd casually lay on top of each other, on their rocks and in the water. It was really funny to watch, and absolutely adorable to see turtles trying to provide shelter for one another when their hard shells couldn't have been comfortable on another one's stomach. Either way, Turtle loves to cuddle. He adores sitting on Amott's back, or Amott on his (xD), and he loves to lay at Amott's side. It's more of a brotherly love than anything else. c;
.:Loving [Aspen, Twig, Bud]:.
Like all of my turtles, Turtle is very loving and kind. He's friendly to other people and has an outstanding personality that differs from the other's. As demonstrated by his love for cuddling and his disability to tolerate while being alone, he's very loving, and he gets attached to things very easily. He's not the greatest at being subtle about showing affection for things, and he can demonstrate great love as a brother or friend.
.:Sporty [Aspen, Bud, and Twig]:.
Turtle is really sporty and fun. This is because of his general love of swimming and climbing. As hard as it may seem to picture any turtle good at some sort of "sport", Turtle is a very fast swimmer and a very sporty little guy. He enjoys feeling the water passing through his 'claws', and he likes anything active such as swimming, hiking, or climbing. He's not one to slow Amott down on his journeys, and in fact, he is actually more than fast enough to keep up, even on land. With a wallaby's hop and a turtle's pace, it may seem like the duo gets no where fast, but Turtle tries his best to keep up, and in turn, is very fit and much faster than the average turtle.
.:Friendly and Social [Aspen]:.
Turtle sure does love a good laugh. He has a good sense of humor and he knows how to laugh at himself just as well as he can laugh at anyone else. He likes to make jokes all of the time, and he enjoys laughing at his own jokes a bit too much. He likes being a bit silly or goofy sometimes, strutting his "stuff" all around and falling over clumsily. He's social only to those whom he builds a real bond with, however, and may seem a bit shy to new people. He's very kind, and he would never try to hurt anyone else's feelings, especially Amott's own feelings. He likes to talk and laugh, and he believes that the two causes make friends (and fight old age!)
.:Supportive [Aspen]:.
Turtle is always very supportive of Amott. He cheers Amott on in everything that he tries to do, and he supports him to the fullest of his abilities, sometimes taking the lead as they walk on, and other times, watching Amott's back, both literally and figuratively. He is the weaker of the two mentally, so it may appear as if he is the sidekick t their relationship, but the two are quite equal to each other, just holding each other up day by day. They are like brothers, best friends, and an owner to a pet.
.:Lonely [Aspen]:.
Turtle gets very lonesome whenever he is without Amott or some other person to talk to. He gets a bit sad and loses his humor and good attitude if he's left anywhere by himself, and immediately, he is sent into a deep crisis-mode of panic. He's nothing like the person that he normally is without others, and he prefers small groups rather than being by himself.
Background/History [of pet]:
'Twas the day before Christmas, and Turtle walked along at a leisurely pace beside Amott. Amott looked over at Turtle and opened his mouth to signify that he would begin talking. He seemed to be on the edge of losing his composure as his face broke out into a wide smile. The same smile broke out on Turtle's face, contagious like a rash. "Can you believe it, Turtle?" asked Amott. "It's almost Christmas!" Turtle shook his head, knowing that this year was going to be different from all of the others. "I certainly can't tell!" he said sleepily. He had seemed a bit more drowsy lately. After all, wasn't winter a time when turtles should be hibernating? He looked around him with blurry eyes, cloudy with the sleep he'd lost. "It's not even snowy," sighed Turtle. This was quite true. All around them, wherever the duo looked it looked nothing like Christmas. There wasn't a flake of snow on the ground, and the trees looked bare without snow, leaves, or buds that usually came with the changing seasons. Amott nodded his head in sad agreement. Their first Christmas after meeting, the two of them had a great time. It was very snowy, and they'd taken a break from their endless traveling as they often did to have a bit of extra fun. They found a great hill for sledding, and Amott had gotten on Turtle's back while Turtle slid down the slope. It was a bit cold on his stomach, but Turtle was rather warm for a cold-blooded reptile. This year would be nothing of the likes. The two couldn't stop to goof around. They were on a mission to find a way to make their Christmas fun, even if there wasn't any sign of snow coming! Turtle looked to his left and to his right as he walked past the back of a pharmacy building. Every once in a while the two would pass through a small town inhabited by humans and would try their best to go through without any troubles. It was very dangerous to be in public for Amott because of his near-threatened species status. Occassionally a human would try to come near him if they recognized his patterns to be those of a yellow-footed rock wallaby. Turtle closed his eyes. He knew it'd be a while before the two could stop for rest because they were on a Christmas mission. They were trying to make the most of Christmas - they were trying to find out how to make it snow. He walked slowly down the alley behind the buildings, not able to watch where he was going with his eyes closed down to slits. He tripped in a small pothole and opened his eyes with a dazed expression. He laughed as he got up, but Amott was concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his eyes widening. "Of course I am," said Amott. The two fell on the ground all over again, laughing hard. As they recovered from the joy of the moment, the two made their way to standing up again. "Do you think we can really do it?" Amott asked Turtle. "Do you really think that we can make it snow?" he questioned. "Of course we can!" exclaimed Turtle. "We just both have to believe that we have that Christmas spirit in us," answered Turtle.
---
The odd pair walked along, this time with Turtle fully alert and awake. Amott hopped eagerly beside him. The two had been on many adventures before, but never had they been on one like this. They came across a cat that sat at the entrance of a gate at the back of the alley, licking its paw with a fish skeleton laying at its other paw. "Hello?" Amott broke the silence with a kind greeting. The cat looked up from its work, likely a tasty meal to its lips. "Hello," he said, seeming to be a bit distracted. He looked from Turtle to Amott and back again. What an odd pair they made, walking the alleys of the cats. Turtle decided that in the silence, he'd pipe up a bit. "I'm Turtle," he said. With his back foot and motioned towards Amott. "And this is Amott," he finished the introduction. "I'm Mouse," said the cat. He closed his eyes into slits and studied the two for an awfully long time as the stared at each other in confusion, made uncomfortable. "I've never seen you around," reclared the cat after a while of this. He'd racked his brain for the longest time, but he had no memory of these odd travelers before today. Certainly they weren't an easily forgettably pair either. "What is your business of being here?" he asked in a formal way that almost made Turtle feel as if he were talking to an enemy of his, formally and with stone-cold voices. He looked up, not sure if he should respond to this question in a happy voice or a toneless voice. His words came out as a mixture of the two, an oddly eerie shriek. "We've come to find out how to make it snow. We're searching for someone who has an answer," he responded truthfully. Beside him, Amott cringed, hoping that Mouse wouldn't laugh at them as they searched for such an odd answer. "What do you do to make it snow?" asked Turtle. He had figured that if they'd started the conversation and they'd already met him, they might as well try him. The cat seemed well enough knowledged. Perhaps he could honestly give them an answer that they were looking for. He laughed as Amott had feared, but it was more of a jolly laugh, a laugh that held memories in it. "Something to make it snow I see? Is that what you seek? When I was a kit, I always wanted a white Christmas. I ran around the alley five times - no more and no less - and it always seemed to work for me," he said, smiling more than he probably had in a while. "Really?" asked Amott. "Thank you very much!" With these final words, the two left Mouse behind, and they started their circles around the alley. But even after the fastest sprint that a wallaby and a turtle could manage, not a flake of snow touched the ground. Only slightly discouraged, maybe even more determined, the two turned away to see what else might work.
---
It came to pass that after their last lap around the alley, the two found that in order to find any other place, they'd need to head northward. In order for them to do so, though, they must cross the street. As the two strolled up to the edge of the tar road, they saw a small hole that had been nestled by the road, a great location for a small rodent. As they walked over to this hole, Amott stuck his slender tail in to see if anyone was home. When he pulled it out, a small shrew hopped out of the hole and peered up at the two. "Oh d-d-dear, p-please don't eat me," the poor little creature stuttered in fright. "Eat you!" exclaimed Amott. "Why that's the funniest thing I've ever heard," Turtle backed his friend up. "We'd like to befriend you," he continued. "We only want to ask you a question." The shrew looked up into Turtle's eyes and must have found a trustworthy element in them, because he nodded his head. "Go on." "Well, Mr. Shrew," said Amott, "we're trying to find a way to make it snow for Christmas!" The shrew looked up at the wallaby, several times his size, in surprise. "Snow? I love snow! But with the snow, my hole may be covered. A woe is me," he sighed. "Heikki Lunta," he said. "It's a song that I used to sing when I was but a wee lad when I didn't understand my mum's fear of the snow." The traveling companions looked at each other in confusion. "Heikki Lunta?" Amott finally worked up his own nerve to ask. "Yes," said the shrew. "Dance, dance, dance Heikki Lunta dance. Make it snow, snow, snow Heikki Lunta snow. Dance, dance, dance Heikki Lunta dance," sang out the shrew. He flailed his arms and tapped his feet on the ground, expertly performing a funny little dance that he'd obviously rehearsed since he was a lad. "That's it?" asked Turtle. "Singing and dancing?" he asked. "It's not just singing and dancing!" exclaimed the shrew. "It's a very meaningful tradition that my father taught me several years ago," he explained bluntly. "Can you teach it to us?" asked Amott. "Of course," said the shrew. "It goes like this..."A
And so, the three of them spent most of their afternoon learning the lyrics and the choreography of the song. But after repeating their dance nearly twenty times, still not a flake fell from the sky. More discouraged than determined this time, the two thanked the shrew and turned to the road that they must cross so that they could be on their way.
---
After the pair crossed the road, a snake hung its head down from the trees. Turtle saw the snake and retreated quickly to the shelter of his shell. "Oh my, oh me," recited the snake. "Who are these creatures I see?" he asked. "I'm Amott," exclaimed the friendly wallaby. "This is Turtle," he said, patting his companion's shell with his tail. Inside, the turtle felt the vibrations against his shell that pressed into the skin of his neck. "It's a snake!" a muffled voice came from the shell. "Never trust a snake, Amott!" he shouted as best as he could. The shell was quite a hiderance to Amott's ability to understand Turtle however. "Fear not little one indeed, this snake here does not eat meat," hissed the snake, his tongue rattling. "I heard that you are on a quest to find which snow ritual works best," he said. "I thought I'd share my very own, but it seems you'd like for me to leave you alone." Amott looked from his friend to the snake, then down at his own paws. "Go on," he said, somehow taking a trust to this snake. "Turtle and I would really like snow so that we could have a white Christmas." With this, Turtle poked his head out of his shell slowly and smiled. It was true, he wanted ever so badly to have a fun, white Christmas for him and Amott to enjoy. How else could Christmas be fun? The snake twisted itself tighter around the branch as a carnivorous snake might wrap itself around its victim's neck. "Imal-ufat-tawho is what I saw to bring some snow on the next day," said the snake as he tightened his grip around the tree branch. His green scales shown brightly in the moonlight which had now begun to shine after the sun had set and the pair of friends had reached the near-end of their search. They were desperate for an answer as to how they could ensure a happy, white Christmas. But the two were simply out of ideas, and so they decided to listen to the snake. "You must say it three times and after that say something that rhymes," whispered the snake, resting his head on the coils of his wrapped-up body. "Imal-ufat-tawho, Imal-ufat-tawho, Imal-ufat-tawho," chanted the two of them quietly. Amott dropped his head at a loss for words and a loss at what he should say for the rhyme. But Turtle continued, a smile still planted on his face. "We've done our best, you do the rest," he spoke to the clouds. And with this conclusion, the two tredged on, noticing not a flurry in sight. "Goodnight," they said, looking to each other. "Better luck next year," whispered Amott as they curled up at the edge of the forest, drifting into a deep, cold sleep.
---
Turtle woke up to a very moist, cold drop of something on his scales. He shook himself awake, freezing in the middle of the night. Beside him, Amott stirred, and even further to the right, in the sky, the sun rose to a low position in the sky, leaving an eerie sheet of grey covering the world. But to his surprise, as Turtle opened his eyes, he found a sheet of white covering Amott's fur as the other animal stirred and shook with the motivation of the cold. On the ground was a very thin layer of ice, covered with a sheet of snow. "Amott! Amott!" he managed to yell, his voice cracking ever so slightly. "Amott, it's snowing. It's snowing on Christmas Day!" Amott rolled over and looked up into the sky, squinting his eyes. "You're right," he said, laughter interrupting his words. "It is snowing. We're going to have a white Christmas!" The two of them jumped to their feet as quickly as they could with sleep still bordering the rims of their eyes and making their joints ache. They fell over again in a heap, laughing. "It wasn't the rituals!" yelled Amott. "No," responded Turtle. "It wasn't. It was our Christmas spirit!"
'Twas the morning of Christmas and throughout the woods, not a creature was sad, and everything was good. ♥
Merry Christmas, SCAA!
---
Use [for pet]:
Turtle here has been at Symphony Character Adoption Agency for much too long, and I can't stand to see him without a home. He was donated way back on page 72, and even though I never really expected the SCAA to take off like this, we are now on page 418. Up until now, this poor boy has never seen a form. The staff and I even considered moving him to the Urgent Care, a place where sadly, a few characters are sitting right now, unloved and untouched. Because of this, I want to rain down compassion and love on him, and give him a new home. I felt that I had enough muse for a form, and that I actually had a connection with this little guy, as simple as he is. So here goes nothing. <3
The reason I felt a connection with Turtle is because last Christmas, suddenly, in the middle of the morning, my mom was cleaning my turtle's tank, and two out of the three died. It was a very sudden thing, and we weren't sure if they were poisoned or sick, but the two males, the smallest ones, Bud and Twig died, leaving their poor sister, whom they loved to stack on top of and swim with, Aspen, alone. [Yeah, see what I did there? The biggest/oldest one was named after a type of tree, Twig, the middle one, was a branch, and Bud, the youngest/smallest was just a little bud. :D Heehee.] I cried my eyes out, and I was sure that 2010 would be the worst Christmas ever. It just so turns out, though, that this SCAA code drop is right before Christmas time, and I'd really like to give Turtle a home.. especially for Christmas.
My idea right now is to use Turtle as a character, a little "odd-species" companion for my fursona, a wallaby, Amott. He could be sort of a friend, and sort of the pet, and the two could be inseperable. I'm actually really looking forward to making this form, though, because I want to write a history story for Amott as well, and a collaborate story for the two of them would just be lovely. <3 Turtle would share a page on my characters and fursona website with Amott, and the two of them could simply be adorable together. <3 I'd love to write them stories, and to draw and order art of the two of them together. What could be more adorable?
Never could I have thought that I would like this kennel so much. <3 But right now, so much muse! I dropped out for kennel 31 to try for this guy, and I really hope that I'll be priveleged enough to get him. But one more thing that I have to say - Turtle's personality is based on the personality of the three sibling turtles that I had, that were simply inseperable. I dedicate this to Twig and Bud, and of course, Aspen, still in the tank in the corner of the room as we speak. <3 I love you guys. ^^
Art of just Turtle will be posted here, while you can find pictures of Turtle and Amott together here.