Minerva

mate- none
nestmates- none w/in the clan
close friends- Lilith, Lea (Harpy)
bonded familiars- blue tang hippogriff, masked harpy, murktooth bramblekeep

current head of clan defense, Minerva takes great pride in protecting her clan and territory.

she was not fond of Eclypse's non-confrontational leading tactics, and was frustrated by the "open travel/visitation" Eclypse allowed in the clan's territory. Minerva finds Rai's leadership more agreeable, as he's more stern in such matters; though the clan's territory is still "open range", visitors are at least more closely monitored. Minerva would prefer to close off their territory completely to such visitation (and has voiced this opinion several times), but she's willing to deal with the current setup, as opposed to the old.

Minerva is generally hot-headed, ready to fight tooth and claw for any slight against her clan or herself. while she, more often than not, needs to be held back from useless brawling, her protective nature is a boon to clan defense, and she's a steady companion one can rely on in battle.

such loyalty and fighting finesse caught the attention of a Harpy ambassador (Lea) that was taking a tour of the clan in hopes of creating an Aceraceae/Harpy alliance. Minerva had been training underlings at the time, and Lea was taken by the Spiral's skills. Minerva, at that time, was not all that fond of the Beastclans, thinking they were encroaching on her clan's rightful territory. she knew the history of the clan w/ the local Centaurs, so was willing to accept them at least, but other Beastclan connections only ruffled her scales. thus, when Lea approached her in interest, Minerva was less than accommodating to the Harpy. Lea, not one to take such treatment laying down, challenged Minerva to a duel. thankfully, Minerva's actions, nor the duel, affected clan relations w/ the Harpies, but the young Spiral got her rump handed to her by Lea, which did little to quell her rage towards the Beastclans. once Lea established herself as the official Harpy ambassador to the clan, she and Minerva continued to squabble and skirmish frequently, Minerva losing each time. as the Harpy's smug expression grew ever more present, Minerva only became more irritated, practically throwing herself into training to improve her skills. it was several months later, after dozens more duels, that Minerva finally bested Lea. as Minerva stood proud over Lea, finally able to crow her success, Lea, unexpectedly, held out her talons, a proud smirk gracing her own features (at least, what was visible under her mask). Minerva, perplexed, took the offered talons in her own paw for a shake, and when she released, Lea let out a hearty laugh. even more confused, Minerva watched as Lea pushed herself to her feet, brushing the dust off her wings and adjusting her feathers before turning back to Minerva w/ a smile, "Good battle, my friend; I see you've been improving!"
Minerva only tilted her head in question before the Harpy explained that she had never fought Minerva out of ill will, but for fun-- she saw potential in the Spiral's talent, and wished to know her better. Minerva was left a bit stunned, and took a few days after to parse thru her own thoughts. it was because of this incident that Minerva became more open to Beastclan relations, and Beastpeople themselves. she's still not the friendliest, and puts her own clan's protection first, but she's becoming more accepting of the presence of Beastclans in their territory. she and Lea still duel, but both parties now have gleeful smiles on their faces all the while, and rest together afterwards, the Harpy sprawled across the Spiral's back in tired contentment.

the tulip lei that rests on Minerva's neck was a recent gift from Lea, after one of their frequent battles. Minerva treasures the delicate accessory, and wears it proudly as a token of their friendship.

since clan affairs tend to be settled rather peacefully, Minerva doesn't have much opportunity to battle, thus she frequently visits the coliseum to earn money and special items for the clan, and keep up her fighting skills. she also patrols clan territory during nighttime hours.

Lilith, before she retired from such work, taught Minerva much of what she knows in terms of battle technique and strategy, and Minerva grew to somewhat idolize the aged Pearlcatcher. While Minerva is brash and curt with most everyone, she, by contrast, treats Lilith with great respect and reverence, and often sneaks into Lilith's quarters to lounge with her and chat ("sneaking" required, as Minerva tries to keep this soft spot of hers a secret, but most everyone knows, anyways). Minerva secretly reminds Lilith of her own fiery, younger self, so she quickly grew to like the Spiral as well.

-primary poison
-secondary butterfly
-tertiary underbelly