Ivan Braginsky

Stats
Age: ?!?

Birthday: 26th December

Hair: Light blonde

Eyes: Violet

Species: Werebear

Likes: Warm places, sunflowers, vodka, his sisters, Yao.

Dislikes: The cold (though he's used to it), pain (used to that too), Alfred.

History
Ivan's "condition" is genetic, passed down from his father's side. It's rumoured somewhere back along the family line, someone in the family had a child with an ancient tribal bear god, and from there onward, the male children of the family have been cursed. When agitated, angered or feeling particularly murderous, they will literally burst out of their human shape, becoming massive white bears. The size of the bear depends entirely on how angry the man is.

Ostricised for their curse, Ivan's family lived deep into the wilds of Siberia, a large clan all on their own that mostly kept raindeer. Ivan's father was a cold and distant man, who kept not only his anger supressed, but all his other emotions as well. Ivan grew up surrounded by fighting, the males in the clan occasionally landing a killing blow, which never helped the "curse". He hated it. He hated the cycle and the endless white snow. One accidental wandering south and Ivan was hooked on the feel of grass, the warmth in the air, those beautiful sunflowers he'd glimpsed.

Ivan's sisters were very dear to him, but he knew there was no future for them here. Yekaterina (known to her close family as "Katyusha") met a nice young man at one of the towns they went past, and though Ivan did not approve of him, he saw his sister was happy. They stayed long enough to see them engaged, though they could not stay for the wedding. Ivan's younger sister, Natalya, was much more difficult. For one thing, she was fixated on her older brother, and seemed quite insistant on marrying him instead.

Ivan woke from a night of fitful sleep and knew something was wrong. Without telling anyone else, he stole a horse and rode through the night back to where they had left Yekaterina. He finally found her sitting by the edge of a lake and sobbing. She revealed to him that her fiance had called off the marriage when he had found out about the family curse that could be passed if they had a son. She was already pregnant. Ivan assured her that she could just come home with him, and they'd forget all about it. She refused him.

"Oh Vanya," she cried, tears mingling with the water soaking her clothes. "I'm already dead."

Her fiance had drowned her, to rid himself of her and the potential baby. Enraged, Ivan burst into his bear form and rampaged through the village, but he couldn't find the man he wanted vengance on. But he remembered his face. He continues to hunt for him, searching across the world in a furious storm.