Diepdale

Born in an Earth Flight clan, Diepdale lived there for a long time before leaving the Earthshaker's domain. He didn't do it on purpose; he and some fellow clan members set forth looking for honey, but when they ended up tangling with the bees of the hive that Mbaiki guarded, his "friends" fled without looking back, leaving him at the insects' mercy. Mbaiki rescued him, and, feeling that it would please Calabar, invited him to join their clan. He quickly made real friends there, and ended up bonding with Mbaiki's bees, assisting her in their care. He's also one of the hatchling battle trainers, along with Ourense.

Though he is, like most tundras, gentle and good-natured, Diepdale is not particularly perceptive. He's terrible at catching unspoken social currents or cues, reading other's feelings, or catching on to tricks, jokes, or lies. Very gullible, he takes everything he's told at face value, making him easy to manipulate for the children whom he helps care for. That lack of perception extends to even physical observation; he's oblivious to what goes around him unless it's directly related to the thing he's immediately focusing on. This is in part because when his attention is on something, he focuses on it wholly, turning all his thoughts towards the subject, and is intensely preoccupied by it until it's done. Because of his trouble with reading others, he's socially awkward, and he's just aware enough of his problem for it to make him shy, since he's always afraid of putting his foot in his mouth. Being a kind and gentle person, he's always apologizing for things he's said that he thinks might be taken wrong, and is the sort to preface all his statements with softening, prevaricating phrases like "it's just my opinion" and "I don't know, but maybe" even when he thinks he's right. In all honesty, he's kind of a nerd.

He adores Mbaiki, and though he's aware that she doesn't feel as strongly about him as he does about her, he doesn't really care; she's his champion, his best friend, and his beloved all in one. He's also struck up a good friendship with Portsmouth, and since he started working with Ourense has come to be very close to the guardian as well. Many of the more antagonistic or reserved members of the lair make him nervous, but he's not the type of person to hate or even strongly dislike others, just avoid them. He is, unfortunately, easy pray for Ghanzi, and all the ridgebacks have learned that he's exceedingly easy to borrow from.