(age.) twenty two (species.) werewolf (occupation.) swim instructor and lifeguard (residency.) arrived september 2019 (mirror.) axel auriant
At eighteen years old, Emily Reynolds met Jacob Cooper, and the two hit it off. It was one long honeymoon phase: the two would constantly be together, whenever one of them wasn’t at college or work. They were practically inseparable, until Emily discovered that she was pregnant a year into the relationship. Both of them panicked, but quickly decided that they would keep the baby. Jacob’s parents had a basement suite the family could stay in once the baby was born, and their plan was to take things as they came.
Beckett Cooper was born in the middle of a rainy night, and his family was ecstatic. That was, of course, until Beckett was about two and a half, and started developing terrible ear infections. He would just start to get over one, would start to feel better, and then a few weeks later, would be at the doctor again for more antibiotics. A year of this went by, and Emily and Jacob’s patience with each other wearing thinner and thinner each day. They were suddenly arguing over nothing, all while shushing each other every few minutes because they just got Beckett to sleep. Finally, Emily snapped. While Jacob had Beckett out for lunch with his parents, she packed a bag, and left. On her and Jacob’s bedside table, she left a sticky note, simply reading “I’m sorry.”
From then on, Jacob and Beckett’s lives were much more difficult. Only having moved out from his parents’ basement a year prior, Jacob was hopeful that he could maintain what he had built with Emily before she left. He started pulling double shifts, and asking favours from neighbours. Beckett spent a lot of time with his neighbour Anne, an older woman whose child and grandchildren lived out of town. She was happy to chase after a little one again, at least for a few years.
As Beckett aged, he learned how to do more and more things by himself. He could make himself simple food like cereal, toast, and PB & Js by the time he started kindergarten. By age eight, he was making grilled cheese, hot dogs, and boxed mac and cheese. He knew the bus route to his swimming lessons, although Anne usually made a point of driving him. She taught him a few more things as he got older, and the Cooper boys always made sure to thank her however they could, whether it was inviting her to family dinners, or offering to do chores that she couldn’t easily do herself.
By middle school, Beckett was making dinner most nights for he and his dad, even if dinner wasn’t until almost 9pm. Jacob hated that he had to do it, but he knew it was better than eating drive through meals all the time - and cheaper in the long run, with leftovers. The Cooper boys were close, but Beckett never wanted his dad to worry, so when he saw the stress lines in his face, he carefully chose to omit things from his “how was your day?” answers, not wanting to add to that stress. First it was not telling him about field trips that would cost money, and then slowly, it became not mentioning that someone shoved him into a locker that day.
Beck wanted to get a job to help support his dad, but Jacob wouldn’t hear anything about it until his junior year. If there was any chance of him going to school, he needed a job, so he started lifeguard training during winter break, and started soon after. After graduating high school, he took a year off to work, and with savings, loans, and a small swimming scholarship, he was finally in a situation where he was alright with starting university. He attended a state school nearby, and did rather well, studying to become an art teacher. Although he was always rather quiet and timid, he found that when he was talking about something he cared about, it was a lot easier.
After what felt like forever, he graduated university. About a month later, his friends decided to drag him to a bonfire another faculty was throwing. He stayed with his friends for a bit, but decided to go for a short walk to get away from the crowd. What he didn’t know was that the moon shining above him was full, and soon, he heard a growl from behind a nearby bush. He spun around, just in time to see a wolf lunging at him. It bit down on his leg, but he managed to knock it over the head with a rock, and started to run back towards the crowd. He made it home, not seeing the wolf after that. After getting it checked out by a doctor and making sure he got all his shots, he bandaged it up, and tried to forget about it.
The next month, he turned.
Thankfully, he broke his window and ran out to the forest - he didn’t hurt anyone. However, he woke up among the trees the next morning, completely terrified of what had just happened. Too afraid to tell his dad what had happened, Beckett told him he landed a job in another state, and that he was needed immediately. So, after very quickly packing his things, he arrived in Hollow Grove, feeling completely alone.
After all, what is a werewolf without a pack?
❝ the nature of the beast
Beckett is rather quiet and doesn’t often make the first move in terms of conversation. Even though he’s in a town of supernaturals, he’s still afraid that people will judge him for what he is now. He already had a lot of insecurities about himself throughout his life, especially about his mom leaving, and then he had a really toxic relationship in college that left him with a very low amount of self worth. He has trouble accepting compliments or seeing good in himself, but stubbornly manages to see it in other people. Easily manipulated, Beckett will do almost anything if he thinks it will make someone else happy, especially if he thinks of them as a friend.
