Shaye fell into these strong beliefs of family pride, of honor and hard work. She wanted nothing more than to make her Clan proud, and so she grew into the shoes that her father made for her. She learned how to hunt and trap, always running after her father's larger steps. He was a well-renowned Falconer in Halo, one of the best of the Clan - of which Falconry was a common trade. It was practically a namesake, a birth right. They would host large-scale hunts, which many Flynns would bring their best birds and they would all compete to see who could catch the most prey. The Clan was valued for their dedication to Halo, to providing their people lots of food and pelts.

And eventually, when she was old enough and skilled enough, Shaye began to learn the practice too.

Her father was approaching old age at that time, though. Many members of the family feared that one day he might not return from the hunt. Eventually, after an accident in which he broke his leg, he was convinced to retire. Shaye had four older brothers before her. Her father chose his eldest to take care of the birds, to continue training them and hunting with them, and carry on his legacy. Admittedly, this was a heartbreaking moment for Shaye, who had wanted that for herself.

After her father retired and her brother took over the Falconry business, Shaye no longer wanted to hunt. She stayed at home with her parents while her brothers hunted often on the tundra, training birds and bringing back lots of food, hide. So her mother taught her how to make warm furs and even armor from pelts or leather. She became a skilled furrier and otherwise helped her parents take care of her family's homestead. For a while, that was all she needed.

Until she met Ophir Alexander. The Alexander family were a rough, tough bunch. They kept to themselves, mostly, but always joined the Flynn Clan in their annual hunt. This friendship had lasted through generations. It was not uncommon for a Flynn to marry an Alexander - or vice versa. In fact, it was preferred that Flynns marry into another Halovian family. So when Shaye's mother saw her interest in Ophir, the woman did everything within her power to ensure the two ended up together.

In truth, Ophir did not love Shaye in return. Shaye's admiration for him went unmatched. Ophir was a hunter, and an arrogant one at that; he didn't see the honor in staying home, making furs, tending to animals or babes. He reluctantly entertained Shaye but, in truth, he had no intention of being with her.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, under the misconstrued guise that the two of them were happy together, their parents made an agreement. An arranged marriage, to benefit the families and ensure the prosperity of the next generation. Shaye, of course, had been ecstatic. With the pressure on from all sides, Ophir reluctantly agreed and they were married the very next season. It was a huge occasion. Lots of drinking and merriment; the two Clans couldn't have been happier. The bride and groom eventually retired to their new home, a gift from the Flynns, and laid together for the first time.

It was not two months later that Shaye discovered she was with child. Of course it was celebrated, seen as a blessing. But Shaye, at first, was eaten up by nerves and self-doubt. Upon seeing that it made her husband happy (for he was all that mattered to her at the time), she began to embrace this new chapter of her life.

All was not well, however. The marriage between Ophir and Shaye was threatened when a woman appeared at their doorstep, claiming that her baby was his and that he had promised to marry her. He sent her away, of course, proclaiming it was nothing but lies. Though she did not say it, Shaye saw the truth in that woman's eyes. It destroyed her to realize that Ophir had been seeing another woman, that he hadn't been true to her at all. But her mother insisted that she give Ophir a chance to make things right, that it was better for their child to grow up with a father.

But all Shaye could think of was how that woman's child would grow up without its father. It depressed her, stomaching the truth, hiding it behind a veil of togetherness. With each passing day, she grew more and more cold to Ophir. When he left on a hunting expedition with her brothers, she went in search of the other woman. Only to be left with a horrible feeling; no one had seen the woman or her child in weeks. Whatever happened to them, no one knew. Or if they did, they wouldn't tell.

She stayed at home after finding that out, shutting herself in, unable to trust anyone. Only her father was allowed to visit, bringing her fresh food and checking on her health. Eventually, a month after Ophir and her brothers' departure, one of them returned. Tariq, the youngest of her brothers. They said he came back in a bad way, wounded, missing fingers, in a feverish panic. Shaye went to stay at his bedside, not leaving until he got better, using her healing abilities to a point that exhausted her. When he finally came to, he told Shaye and their father what happened.

The group was attacked by an Ursur they were hunting; Samuel, the eldest brother, had been badly injured trying to protect Tariq. They were forced to seek refuge in Whitebrim. Things had taken a turn for the worse when cannibals got to Samuel in the night. Ophir and the others went out after them. There were horrible screams, shouts, and then nothing. Until they'd come for Tariq. He was caught, tied up, and tortured for days. They had started eating him when he escaped.

Shaye's father called him a coward, much to her utter shock, and told him to leave, to not return. Her mother was outraged, and they fought endlessly over it.

In the years that followed, Tariq had moved into a small cabin on the outskirts of Snowcloak, becoming reclusive and all but disappearing into the tundra for most of the year. Shaye lost her baby not long after Tariq's initial return, a miscarriage brought on by the stress and grief. Her mother moved in with her to help her, afterward, but she knew it was in part because things were not well with her father. He had grown severely depressed, angry. He turned to alcohol to cope with the loss of his sons, even though Tariq was still alive. "He's no son of mine," he'd argue vehemently. And Shaye left it alone, knowing that nothing she said would matter, not wanting to upset her father more.

It was not long until her father passed away. When Shaye and her mother moved back into the family's homestead, they found one of his old Falconry hawks in the barn. They thought he was done with it, thought he'd given all of his birds away. Maybe he kept it for sentimental reasons, or maybe.. he wanted someone to take up after him. It was what he had always wanted. Perhaps not in the way he wanted it but, if not Shaye, then who?

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