Night Broken

• Mercy's age, but the sun had weathered his skin so he looked a little older. He was her size and weight, too⁷⁵
• All muscle and rawhide⁷⁵

Werewolf

Night Broken

• Stayed human for almost an hour³⁴⁰

Fire Touched

• Black, but in the strong sunlight, has a brindle pattern⁷
• As the tibicena, smelled like brimstone and had eyes that glowed in the dark⁷
• Didn't have much control about what shape he wore²²
• Denser in tibicena form that a real animal could be²⁵
• His skin cracked and broke, revealing something that glowed fiercely even in the daylight²⁵
• Eyes were hot coals that glowed like those of a hellish demon out of a comic book²⁵
• Bigger than a werewolf, and left oily black marks on the ground wherever his feet touched²⁶
• Distinctive howl that was as much a weapon as the volcanic heat under his skin³⁹
• Lion-sized, half-formed and growing³⁹

Columbia Basin Pack

Wife - Lucia Arocha

Night Broken

• Dogs were his passion. He and his wife bred, showed and trained dogs⁹⁸
• As passionate in his desire to save dogs as the Marrok was to save his wolves¹⁰⁰
• From Texas²⁰⁰
• A descendant of the Canary Islanders who settled in Texas²⁰¹
• Tough, thoughtful and big-hearted³³³

Work Experience

Night Broken

• Worked in the vineyards, ten-hour days this time of year, with random days off. In the winter, he worked reduced hours and took other jobs to fill in⁷⁵
• Did some fill-in security jobs for Adam⁷⁵

Night Broken

• If his dogs were in trouble, Mercy would have to sit on him to keep him back²⁰⁶
• Believes there are more good people out there than bad²¹⁴

Night Broken

• Restoring a Thing, VW's version of a jeep⁷⁵

Name: Joel (pronounced Hoe-el in the Spanish style) Arocha

Appearances and Mentions:

Mercy Thompson 8: Night Broken Mercy Thompson 9: Fire Touched

Gender: Male

Classification: Tibicena [Pack Affiliation] See Columbia Basin Pack

Classification Description: Dog Form He was black, but in the strong sunlight, I could see a brindle patternFT-

Tibicena Form eyes that were a dark, sullen red that was more like garnets than rubiesNB- “The tibicenas are faster than the walkers areNB- apparent that the tibicena, like Guayota, was a creature of fire, of the volcano where it had been birthedNB- wounds glowed red, and something bubbled out for a moment, but it took two seconds—I counted—for the holes to closeNB- huge and hairyNB- the long, rocklike hairs that ruffed his neck rattled togetherNB- is going to be a monstrous tibicena, spitting lava and looking scaryFT- Joel’s eyes were hot coals that glowed like those of a hellish demon out of a comic book. He was bigger than Adam, and he left oily black marks on the ground wherever his feet touchedFT- looked as though he’d been half formed out of burning charcoalFT- Joel was a foggy presence in the hunting party. His actions were clear, but everything else was murky and hot-rage coated. The rage was unfocused, but I could feel the fury of it building. He let out a roaring cough that sounded more like a lion’s hunting cry than anything canine, but he refrained from making the spine-chilling cryFT- Joel looked a little different every time he took on the tibicena form. It was the subject of much discussion in the pack. Zack said he thought it might be because the tibicena is a creature of the volcano, and lava doesn’t have a hardened shape. That was my favorite explanationFT- This time, fully formed and mostly solid, he looked a little like a foo lion, his muzzle broad and almost catlike, with a mane of dreadlocks that crackled and hissed as they moved, breaking the outer black shell and displaying liquid-orange-glowing lava that cooled rapidly to black again as some other part broke open. The effect was a shimmering, flashing, black-and-orange fringe about six inches longFT- His body had thickened and his legs lengthened, front more than the rear, so his back had a German-shepherd slant. His tail lashed back and forth, more like a cat’s than a dog’s, and the end of his tail was covered with the same lava-light-enhanced dreads that his neck woreFT- Joel howled, and this time it was the real thing, full-throated and powerful, with the magic of the volcano that had birthed the tibicenaFT- Joel’s lips curled back, displaying black teeth and a red, red tongue. The fringe of stone mane around his neck rippled as he shook his broad head in open threat, and it made a clattering noise, almost like wind chimesFT- [Changed] See Guayota Immortal tibicena tied to a mortal, a mortal who was descended from the land where his volcano had fertilized the soil the people ate fromNB- But there was a possessive sort of territoriality in the destruction of Lucia and Joel’s bedroom—whatever had done it had been marking his territory. And none of the dogs had put up a fightNB- but Joel had killed the dogs and desecrated his own houseNB- the other dog was Joel. If the woman’s binding magic was a robe, his were silk ties. They wrapped securely around him but did not envelop him completely. They weren’t part of him yetNB- The dog’s body that encompassed him was poised on the deck, watching us, but silently. While the dog was motionless, Joel was not. He pulled and tugged at the bindings, peeling them back and leaving gaping wounds that bled behind. As soon as he cleared one place and started on another, the bindings grew backNB- When it looks like a mortal creature, the mortal flesh encompasses the tibicena and may be killed as any mortal creature. When it is wrapped in the tibicena’s form, it cannot be harmed by mundane meansNB- Tibicenas could be killed, temporarily, if they caught them in dog formNB- didn’t know how much of Joel had stayed in charge when he took full tibicena form. Joel said it was hit-and-miss. So far, the tibicena had been friendly, more or less, to anyone in the packFT- No human could have touched Joel when he was running that hot without getting hurtFT- fire was only one of Joel’s weaponsFT-

Age: was Mercy's age, more or less, but the sun had weathered his skin so he looked a little olderNB

POB: San Antonio, TexasNB-

Mother: Name UnknownNB-

Significant Other: See Lucia Arocha

Residence: See Tri-Cities, Washington

Occupation: worked in the vineyards, ten-hour days this time of year, with random days off. In the winter, he worked reduced hours and took other jobs to fill in. Last year I’d introduced him to Adam, and he’d done some fill-in security jobsNB-

Physical Description: was HispanicNB- He was about Mercy's size and weightNB- One of those tough, tough men who were all muscle and rawhideNB- Joel had scars on his arms and a huge one on his leg from a terrified, half-grown RottweilerNB-

Character Traits & Facts:

Education, Experience & Languages: his accent was Southwestern USANB- Second dog-fighting outfit I’ve turned in since Christmas. If it were up to me, I’d shoot all those bastards, no trial, no nothingNB- dogs were his passion. He and his wife bred, showed, and trained dogsNB- His mother never lets anyone forget it. She’s a proud woman, and she swears that not only were they Canarios, but her family actually was Guanche, descended from the original inhabitants of the islands before Spain conquered it about seven hundred years ago.” Her smile broadened. “She talks about moving back there someday. I really hope that she does. We could vacation in the tropics and also see her less often. Win-win in my bookNB- killed the other tibicena; one of the tibicenas bite deep into the other and shake it until it turned into a much smaller thing. I recognized the mutated woman that the walking stick had once shown me. Joel, the tibicena who was Joel, dropped her to the ground. She writhed once, then was stillNB-

Spirituality & Personality: Joel is a good man. He would never have killed, have sacrificed those dogs of his, given any kind of choice. He’d have killed a person before he killed those dogsNB- tough, thoughtful, and big-heartedNB- Joel looked at me, a little affronted at her disregard of his scarinessFT- Joel wouldn’t survive if he killed a childFT-

Talents & Skills: In his not-so-copious spare time, Joel was restoring a Thing, VW’s version of a jeepNB- either he or Lucia did some woodworkingNB-

Health & Fitness: Joel is . . . yesterday he stayed human for almost an hourNB- he sometimes regained his human form and sometimes took on the form of a tibicena, a giant, very scary beast that smelled like brimstone and had eyes that glowed in the darkFT- Mostly, though, he looked like a large presa Canario, a dog only slightly less intimidating to most people than a werewolf, especially if the people weren’t familiar with werewolves. We were hoping that someday he’d get control of his change and be able to be mostly human instead of mostly dogFT- I wasn’t certain how much control Joel had about what shape he wore except that it wasn’t muchFT-

Quirks:

Relationships:

With Mercy: she introduced him to Adam who gave him a few fill-in security jobsNB- he liked to chat with Mercy while she worked; Usually, Joel and I talked carsNB- who keeps him in parts for his old carsNB- We claim you, Joel Arocha, son of Texas, son of the Canary Islands, guardian of four-footed cousins. By my flesh and blood that is the flesh and blood that belongs to the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack is our bond sealed. From this day forward, you are mine to me and mineNB-

With Lucia: He was up here visiting some cousins when we met. We moved to Texas first, but I got homesick, and we moved back to the Tri-CitiesNB-

With The Werewolves: Joel had done some work for Adam, and that was enough to make him Adam’s responsibilityNB- even though he was a member of the pack. It was as if something in his magic fought to be seenFT- the troll on the Cable Bridge; This was Joel’s first public appearance as a member of the packFT- Joel had been a little more successful, and the troll had quit letting the tibicena close with him. So they’d decided to force the troll into a confrontation with Joel, more to see exactly where the troll’s weaknesses were than because they expected Joel to be able to finish him off quicklyFT-

With Guayota: Guayota is, the spirit of a Canary Islands volcano, that he needed a descendant of the Canary Islands to re-create the physical form of his tibicena. I think that maybe he sought Joel out because his family came from the Canaries, where Guayota originatedNB- He told us that Guayota needs a connection to his home to function here. I think the dogs are that connection. Now that one of them is dead, he needs a replacementNB- I think he’s taken your husband and is forcing him to become one of his tibicenasNB- He was hunting his wife, and she wasn’t there. He responded like a territorial animal in a rage.” Rage at Guayota redirected at the things he loved mostNB-

With His Dogs: The dogs Joel bred were expensive, well trained, and obtainable only when he was certain the person buying them was capable of taking good care of them. They were good dogs—better, he’d told me seriously, than most people he knew. He had no use for idiots who didn’t respect the damage dogs could do when left untrained or put in situations where they felt they had to defend themselvesNB- In addition to breeding, he and his wife rehabbed the “aggressive” dogs that were brought to the local shelters that would otherwise have just put the dogs downNB- He was as passionate in his desire to save his dogs as the Marrok was to save his wolvesNB- the dogs; They will take on anything to defend Joel or LuciaNB-