General:

Name: Ayn (pronounced EYE-yan)
Breed: 1/2 Wolf x 1/8 Border Collie x 5/16 Australian Shepherd x  1/16 Irish Setter
Sex: Female
Birth: 1925 Teller, Alaska (Early Spring)
Pack/Group: Search & Rescue Dogs of America
Rank/Position: Wilderness Search & Rescue Dog

Characteristics:

Personality: Shy, laconic, innocent, and determined. She is known not as a talker, but more of a walker, if you know what I mean. Ayn is very energetic, and fast. She prefers to be a dog of action and doing things that matter. She also tends to be a bit shy around strangers, a trait that developed when she was very young and living in the shed. She mostly grew out of it, but at times is still rather shy towards people she had just met. When Ayn has her mind set to do something, she won't stop trying until she succeeds.
Likes: Doing her job, spending an incredibly large amount of time with her boy, and making friendships with other canines.
Dislikes: Failing, being left behind, and when others confuse her
Loves: Her human family, doing something that matters, and helping others.
Hates: Those who pointlessly waist her time (That’s pretty much it).
Talents/ Abilities: Ayn is a very talented S&RD, and to be that her tracking skills have to be top notch including her sense of smell.
Weaknesses: Many mistake Ayn for being uncaring or think that she ignores them a bunch. This isn’t true, Ayn is very caring it’s just she is not very good at expressing that.
Dreams: To live a long and fulfilling life with her boy.
Fears: Loneliness, Ayn never wants to feel helpless or alone again after being traumatized as a young pup.

Design:

Colors: Grey pelt with a blonde “mane”, a white under belly and various brown and white markings on her legs and tail.
Pupils: Black
Iris: Green-blue
Schlera: White
Paw Pads: Black
Inner Ears: White
Extra: Ayn wears a brown leather collar and when working may possibly wear a search and rescue dog vest
Reference Sheet: N/A

Liniage – Primary Family Only:

Parents: ??? (??? X ???) x ??? (??? X ???)
Siblings: Unknown
Mate: N/A
Pups: N/A

History:

She was born a stray, her father simply being a lone wolf who had come across a female stray. It was a one-time deal, and Ayn's mother never saw the father agani. When Ayn was born, she was born in an old abandoned shed. Her mother had collected old rags and straw and other soft items to make a make-shift bed. Ayn's mother did not name her pups at all, simply because she couldn't come up with names that fit. When Ayn had just started to eat regular food and no longer rely on her mother for milk, her mother had to spend more time looking through trash. Ayn's mother was soon caught digging through the trash, and was never to be seen or heard of again. What happened to her is unclear. Anyways, Ayn and her litter-mate(s) spent days in the old shed, and eventually began to whine. A day later after the pups’ mother's disappearance, children who were walking home from school heard the pups' whines. The children went to investigate, and found the Ayn and her sibling(s) in the shed. Each kid took one puppy home. A boy picked out Ayn, and took her home. Luckily, the boy was allowed to keep the pup and gave Ayn her name. His father believed Ayn could teach him about responsibility and loyalty, maybe even get him to be less involved in books and go out and play. And he had no idea that Ayn would go overboard on playing outside.

Since it's in Ayn's genes to herd being a collie and a shepherd, she kind of was considered a little crazy for wanting to herd her boy around whenever they played. When the boy went to school, and his father went to work, Ayn would be left in the house. She'd get bored, and since she's part wolf, she gets a little crazy with energy. When she was a yearling, it became a problem. She'd tear up the house, simply because she was bored.

The boy begged his father to give Ayn another chance, right when he was bout ready to sell Ayn off. The boy began training Ayn as a sled dog. Ayn wasn't that great with pulling weight, she was better with speed, so they boy switched Ayn over to search dog training. Ayn turned out to be very good at it, and was the only dog in the Nome, Teller, and White Mountain Area that was certified to do formal rescues.

So, when the bush plane pilot went missing, Ayn was called on. However, when she found the plane, it was empty. Balto had already found the pilot. Ayn however, was scared, due to Balto smelling like a wolf, and two polar bears' scents lingering; she was scared Duke was attacked. She followed Balto's scent, which led her to Nome, where she found her answers and more. Upon Ayn's arrival to Nome, she met a piebald husky named Alicyn. Within time, the two became great friends, unlike Balto and Ayn. Ayn found Balto from his scent, and pounced on him, demanding to know where the pilot was, if Balto hurt him, etc... Let's just say that the two had a rocky start.

Ayn then meets other sled dogs in town such as Kodi, Dusty, Kirby, Tristan, and others. Ayn becomes great friends with the dogs of her age, and even develops a minor crush on some of the sled dogs there. All the others in Nome were fascinated with Ayn's job. Ayn's boy decided to stay in Nome for a few days to spend time in the town before returning home to Teller with Ayn. Ayn became great friends with all the canines in town; however, she still doesn't really like Balto that much.

Near the start of fall in 1926, (the same year where in the spring Kodi's mail team raced Duke), Ayn was approached by Balto to track Steele, since it seemed that he had vanished from town. Ayn agrees to do so since it is her duty as a search and rescue dog. So she tracks Steele and finds him lost and nearly fozen to death in the cruel wilderness. Ayn helps save his life and returns him back to the town, but after one evening of keeping him company, Ayn is able to change Steele's opinion on breed superiority, ultimately leading to Steele becoming more humble and apologetic for his harsh treatment to Balto. Steele even accepts the fact that his oldest son found love with a wolf and another son with one of Balto's kids.

Possibly continued in Fan Fictions...

Other:

Modifications: Her tones have been modified to match her breed more specifically, as well as a slight change in design to provide more balance across the body. Her bloodline has also been specified. As far as her body type goes, she has a right floppy ear (from her mother), and a straight left one (from her father). She also has a blonde "mane" which is really fluffy from her mother's herding dog genes. This should not be exaggerated especially on her forehead. They should be simple bangs, not a full head of hair.
Name Meaning: The name of a Russian-American writer who wrote Anthem and Atlas Shrugged, she lived from 1905-1982.
Relation to Balto: Was called on to find Duke when he crashed, attacked Balto by mistake and doesn't trust him, spends time with Kodi and various other sled dogs that were in the Balto movies. She eventually has a love interest in Steele's son, Tristan, but lets those feelings die when Tristan and Ava become mates. Ayn was also asked by Balto at one point to track Steele down in the summer of 1926, following his disappearance from Nome.

Credits:

Adopted from Black Rose
Lines by Benevolent
Design Adjustments done by Exile