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Faolan McDuncan
The series protagonist, a young silver wolf with a splayed paw.
- Disappeared Dad: Faolan’s father is only ever mentioned a couple of times and is in general given far less attention then Morag.
- Happily Adopted: Despite the occasional angst and questions that naturally come with being raised by an entirely different species, Faolan was largely very happy with Thunderheart and loved her as much as any birth son could. Come the end of the series, he himself is implied to become the adoptive father of two orphaned pups that he would raise with his mate.
- Interspecies Adoption: Faolan was a wolf pup raised by a grizzly bear.
- Meaningful Name: In universe, the word ‘fao’ means both ‘wolf’ and ‘river’ and ‘lan’ means ‘gift’.
- Ironic Name: Out of universe, the name ‘Faolan’ is a Scottish name meaning simply ‘little wolf’. Faolan is described again and again as being a large, impressive wolf from his puppyhood.
- Separated at Birth: From his sisters Mhairie and Dearlea, who were raised in the McDuncan clan while he was taken away.
- Reincarnation: Faolan is the third and presumably final reincarnation of the first Fengo, a heroic wolf that led the ancestors of the clans to the Beyond. In the meantime, he also lived as an owl and a bear. It is referred to as a Gyre Soul.
- Reincarnation Romance: With Edme. Faolan is the reincarnation of the first Fengo and Edme is the reincarnation of his mate, Stormfast. They fall in love and get together in their current lives as well.
Edme McHeath
A small reddish she-wolf with one eye.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Edme is by far the sweetest, most demure of the main cast, but pressing the right buttons will incur her wrath. One of her earliest moments shown is anyone speaking ill of Faolan, who she is fascinated and taken with from the beginning.
- Mama Bear: Is quick to essentially adopt two orphaned wolf pups and seems fiercely protective of young in general.
- Reincarnation Romance: With Faolan. She is the reincarnation of Fengo’s mate, Stormfast. They fall in love and get together in their current lives as well.
Heep McDuncan
A small, yellow gnaw wolf who is both missing a tail and has a gnarled tooth.
- Abusive Parent: Is physically abusive to his son Abban in the later books.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: While he’s never nice to Faolan, it’s assumed at first that he’s just another gnaw wolf. He quickly devolves into little more than a bully.
- Blatant Lies: Claims to be the lowliest and humblest out of all the gnaw wolves, yet his actions and ego could not be any less humble.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Despite the above, he solidifies his villainy when he works with outclanners to murder a premature pup for no known reason and tries to frame Faolan for it.
- Hubris: Despite his insistence that he is lowly and humble, it is crystal clear that he holds a grandiose opinion of himself, first wanting to become a member of the Watch (which would give him authority over even the chieftains) than as the ruthless leader of the outclanners planning an invasion of the Beyond. Comes full circle after all malcadhs are cured of their deformities, giving Heep a tail which he precedes to flaunt around shamelessly and admire for hours on end.
- Humbler Than Thou: Gnaw wolves are supposed to be the lowest of the low, and Heep will make sure you know how lowly and humble he is. All the time. Every time. Even the chieftain of the clan finds him obnoxious.
The Whistler
A gnaw wolf with a twisted throat which in turn gives him an odd voice. He is one of Faolan’s best friends.
- Beautiful Singing Voice: More like howling, but his restored throat gives him a sonorous, far-reaching voice that many would be envious of.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Called "Whistler" for the odd whistling sound he would produce when breathing and/or speaking, and it's unlikely that his real name will ever be known.
Gwynneth
A young masked owl and rogue smith from the kingdom of Ga’Hoole. She is the first friend Faolan makes in the Beyond.
- Daddy's Girl: Despite their differing pursuits (Gwyndor was a disciplined military owl while Gwynneth was a free-spirited artist) it’s clear that there was a lot of love between the old war hero and his daughter.
- Dead Guy Junior: Was named for her mother who died before her egg hatched.
- Intergenerational Friendship: With the Sark.
Sark of The Slough
An old, ugly she-wolf who lives alone and holds distain for the clans of the beyond.
- Big Sister Instinct: In the past, she saved her little brother Rags from starving when his mother refused to feed him anymore by taking him out of the clan and placing him with a foster mother.
- Cool Old Lady: At her best.
- Intergenerational Friendship: With Gwynneth and Faolan.
- Pet the Dog: Despite her dislike of the clans, she’ll offer advice and help to those who ask for it with relatively little complaining.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Sark is a name given to her by the wolves of the Beyond, who thought she was a witch (Sark is an old wolf word for witch). She response to the name fine, but it is unknown what, if any, name she had had before.
Mhairie and Dearlea Mc Duncan
Two sisters from the Mc Duncan clan who befriend Faolan and feel compelled to protect him. Mhairie is the bossier, more assertive one, and Dearlea is the sweeter one.
- Long-Lost Relative: They are eventually revealed to be Morag’s daughters and Faolan’s sisters.
- Separated at Birth: From their brother Faolan, who was taken away because of his malformed paw.
Thunderheart
The grizzly bear who took Faolan in upon finding him.
- Interspecies Adoption: She’s a grizzly and her last ‘cub’ is a wolf pup. Decontructed when, throughout her time with Faolan, she constantly worries if she’s doing things right because wolves are so different from bears.
- Mama Bear: Goes without saying.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Faolan called her ‘Thunderheart’ in place of ‘mom’ because of the booming heart he could hear and feel when he nursed. Her true name is unknown.
