Name:
Asteria 'Aster'
"From the Stars"
Age:
3 years
Gender:
Female
Breed:
Border Collie
Appearance:
(Credits to Miahii on Deviantart)
Asteria looks like a typical dog of her breed. She, as with most of her kind, run on the smaller and lighter side; she stands at 19 inches at the shoulder and weighs 35 pounds. Her fur, while silky and wavy in appearance and somewhat long, her fur is a bit shorter than what you would see on some other collies; she is from herding dog lines, so she has a more lean build and shorter fur, but still retaining that wavy double coat. She almost looks skinny if you look at her right, although she is well-fed and healthy. Of course, she has the distinctive black and white coat, being mostly a shiny black that gives off a slight blue tint in the sunlight; and marking-wise having a white chest and throat, muzzle with a stripe going up between her eyes and stopping at her forehead, a white tail tip, white paws, and the white on her right front leg goes up further than the paw. Her overall look is a muscular but nimble worker.
Asteria moves with a smooth, athletic gait; light and quick. And she sure can move fast, running one way then pivoting the other way with what seems like impossible agility. This is in part to her quick reflexes, and just the way she was made, the way all Border Collies are made. Something special to her breed, and therefore to her, is the ability to move swiftly in a cat-like crouched position, ideal for herding livestock. She can make quite a picture, running, seeming to anticipate her herd's actions before they even do anything; sometimes falling into that cat-like way of movement, her stand-up ears lowered slightly as she works, bright brown eyes alert and sharp. It truly is something to watch a herding dog do what their meant to do, especially one as swift and agile as her.
Clearly, she isn't built for strength. Instead for the ability to seemingly turn on a dime, change directions sharply enough that most other dogs would have to slow down in order to make a turn while she can do with while almost going at full speed, for speed, and also for endurance; for what use would a herding dog be if they couldn't keep the pace and the flock or herd together for long periods of time? And if in a fight, she will use her speed and agility to her advtange, use it to beat her opponent with shock before the fight really starts. And despite her light frame, she is more resilient than one would originally think
(Credits to Miahii on Deviantart)Personality:
Asteria is a very energetic dog, she needs to work and work hard to burn off her energy. And she loves to do anything active, running, working, swimming or whatnot. As a very intelligent breed, one that needs a lot of mental stimulation to keep busy, she can be destructive if left alone with nothing to do when she is all ready to do something, and even sometimes when she's tired. She is also quite playful most of the time, ready to play fetch or tug-of-war or anything really; again, very active dog, high-energy. But while energetic, and while this energy can lead other dogs to thinking she might be a bit scatter-brained or not able to focus on something easily, this is quite the opposite. She is a very focused dog, driven and she will not waver from her task unless given a
very good reason to do it. Determined. While it seems like she would be a high-strung dog, she really is not.
She is very alert, watching her surroundings and basically everything most of the time. Her ears pricked up, standing or sitting down, bright eyes scanning the area, standing tall, nose taking in the scents, she honestly looks like a sentry. Not much gets by this female, watching, listening, just observing in general. Even when she's sleeping, it still seems like she has an ear out for trouble or suspicious activity, able to wake up at the slightest noise that signals something different. She is a dog who deals with change very well, she handles changes and variations in day-to-day life easily, flexible, is a good way to describe it.
While not bred to be a watchdog, she is quite protective over what she considers hers. Territory, those she considers pack, and all that. She is very likely to react to a potiental threat, alerting someone of an intruder, sometimes even a squirrel or something of the like. And her barking and growls isn't always for show, if given a chance, she will take matters into her own hands- er, paws. An intruding human? Watch out for her, she will attack, although she will most likely give a warning of impending attack, unless she deems it important enough to go after the threat without any signals. While she is very responsive to commands issued to her, mostly by her human and is obediant, she is more than capable of working independently; she is smart and has good judgement.
While reserved around strangers, or those she doesn't like, she is affectionate when with her family. Especially after she's been working, she is happy to just be around her 'pack'. She's a loyal dog, that is for sure, she'd defend those she cares about, and would gladly her give for life for them. In terms of how vocal she is, she is about average, which can fluctuate depending on mood and what she's doing as well; she will talk of her own volition, answer questions, and be quiet sometimes.
Asteria can be quite fierce. She isn't one to take things lying down, and will fight back. She is not one to be pushed around, and if needed, take somebody down a notch if she feels they're too arrogant for her liking; sure, she is confident and takes pride in what she's doing, but she doesn't flaunt it, only does her best and takes the satisfaction from it. When she needs to, when she's pushed enough, she will bite back. Her anger is not so much fiery, but cold and quiet, a controlled type of anger; a withering glance, baring her teeth, a icy tone are all indicators of displeasure in her. But if at the very limit of her tolerence she can certainly blow up. Overall, she is not what she seems to be at first glance.
Fall 
Day Weather: 
Heavy Rain
