Standing at 36 inches by the shoulder, and 63 inches in length, this she-hyena is a beast to deal with. Very large front shoulders with long front legs and thick paws. Haunches covered in long rusty tan coarse fur. A sloped back with medium hind quarters and hind legs, equipped with a small tuff of a tail.
A very large head and thick neck, accompanied by the same rusty tan colored mane, a formidable foe if tackled head on. Most of her body decorated in either rusty tan or sandy brown coloring. Scattered black spots cover her torso, shoulders, and back. Black mask covering most of her muzzle and front paws. Lighter coloring on the front of her throat, chest and belly.  Very large almond brown eyes, which will glare at you in the night given the chance.
Because of her past, there are very large indents and scars on her chest, front legs, neck and head. Battle-scars that are easily noticeable from approach.

Harsh is a strong word when looking at the personality of this she-hyena. The world has been cold to her and therefore she gives the same back. She'll speak her mind, or speak with her mouth more than with words if you tick her off, and she's somewhat easy to tick off. She'll give you the cold shoulder, she'll be blunt, devious, and outright snappy to anyone she doesn't deem worthy hearing what she has to say. 
Stubborn is another factor, you can't really move her to do something she's not willing to do, or move her away from something she's either doing, eating or keeping. She's as stubborn as a mule and won't have anyone move her.
She has no care for anyone besides herself and her coon. Making sure only the two of them are safe, fed, and healthy as can be. It takes a lot for her to trust, follow, or even give one inch of care for something other than herself and her coon.

Those who do get her trust are face to face with an overly protective brute. From her past, she feels certain influences can harm or brainwash her friends, and therefore behaviors from others towards the ones she cares for will set her off as overly protective to the point where she'll fight to get anything away. This can lead to arguments and skirmishes amoungst strangers and along with the ones she cares for. Sadly, even though she's seen what brainwashing does to dogs, she herself is still controlled by her past.

The only soft side to be seen is only really shown around her coon friend. Under the rock-hard barrier is a strong willed and caring mother hyena, like a small gem hidden by thick walls of thorns. Her life still clings on because of her coon friend, and he knows it. He keeps what sanity she has left, and knows how to calm her down, even in times of her wanting to fight.

A caged animal, a fighter for life, forced to battle to thrive. The 'Devils Circus' was all too familiar to the she-hyena, born in the clutches of evil men, using what they had to make all the money and fame from the slums of their town. You could say Æthel was born in the pits of hell, if you witnessed the everyday deeds they had to do to eachother.
Dogs were mainly used, from small baits to large dominators...all of them scar'd from head to tail. This fighting freakshow was the only one to take in hyenas, transported from africa. Æthel's mother, being pregnant since capture, did not last too long after her birth due to lack of nutrition and her more passive nature, as she was the lower ranked females in her previous Clan before the capture. Æthel had to be grown from human interaction...and it wasn't happy sunshine and dasies. She was quickly taught that fighting was what you did if you wanted food from other puppies, bitting was what you did if you wanted what they had, to protect yourself, to keep you alive. Of course as a hyena, this behavior was quite normal; hyena cubs grow up learning who the bigger boss was from birth, but the humans made sure that she was the one more fed, more kept after in harsh conditions. She was the one to beat those in battle, to be their next big showstopper, their next champion!
Æthel didn't know any better, she'd pick on the smaller, weaker ones. Occasionally she would sneak them a portion of someone elses food if she could manage it; she at least still had the mindset of a Clan. The pups were all she had, as the pups were never taken care of by the older dogs in fear of them snapping and killing them.

2 years of rough but sheltered growing up. Æthel grew large and incharge, the pups she grew with knew she was their boss or they'd be getting their ears nipped and pushed to the ground. She at least still cared for them...that would change within the years. As they were all split up once they became two years of age; fit to fight. The cruel world of bloodshed, pain and wounds plagued Æthel's sheltered mind, weeks going by where all she could do in the cage they put her in was bellow for help, call for the pups she grew up with...for some form of hope.
That hope did come...but it was a very small one. The fighting circus had different animals for fighting or for casual shows, one of those creatures was a Raccoon. A very rusty red mingled in his black and white coat which seemed unusual for any raccoon coat. He didn't seem to have any scratches on him, but it didn't mean he was well. He cowered in the tiny cage he was in, he knew what he was there for and what would happen to him. With his cage placed next to Æthel's pen, weeks went by with them giving small talk. It was mostly the she-hyena telling the Raccoon it would be over soon before they were both taken out to do their deeds for the day; to fight...or be bait. 

Around the age of four years, and battle scar'd on her chest, neck and face; 
Æthel's mind slowly began to loss it's grip on reality. Her only way of life was fighting and she hated it. The humans she hated, and she'd try to lash at them with her jaws at any chance she got, same went for dogs and other big creatures. The only one who wouldn't get this reaction was the tiny coon that still had that nasty little cage. His little spirits were slowly crumbling before her, and he was the only one who'd listen to her or even talk or cheer her on with her big fights. 
The she-hyena had enough; sick of the pain, of the scars, the hurt that her friend was in. They were going to be free, one way or another. 
It was one week before the Fighting Circus was going to pack-up and leave to a new slums in the next town over. But not without a finale fight with Æthel going up against a champion from that very town they were to move too. Low and behold...it was a pup she grew up with. She almost broke into tears as they saw each-other, ignoring the crowd, the she-hyena attempted to talk to her challenger. To reconnect with her old litter-mate, but to no avail; a snap of painful jaws, something she was so used too by now but bewildered her to this day. Her sanity broke that day, realizing that even those she grew up with were nothing more but mindless machines like herself, kill or be killed. She had no choice but to either knock the dog to the ground out cold, injure it or kill it off. She however knew what happened to those who lost battles, they were instantly killed with the human's long metal sticks and ground up to be feed to the champs. 
Æthel had no choice but to kill her old friend, saving him from nights worth of deathly torture. It took her a while to get him down and exhausted, but when her final blow hit she made sure it'd be her only blow. This made the crowd rage with excitement of seeing the hyena rip the dog apart. 

She wasn't finished there, the moment the gates were open to retrieve both her and the limp body her muzzle was still holding onto, she dashed! Slamming into a few of her trainers, snapping at hands that tried to grab her as she fled to the cage rooms. Finding her cage and jumping up to where her coon friend was, she grabbed the cage with her jaws and took off; luckily the back door was wide open due to lack of care from some trainers.
They were free, but Æthel was fighting still. Her mind racing, hating, her coon friend could sense her confusion and pain, her sorrow and hate. 
For a few days the she-hyena ran or trotted, carrying the cage in her maw. Her coon friend had to convince her a long while to stop, she agreed but only until they found themselves in an unfamiliar land with no humans and a place to just crash for a few days and recover.
And till now, they've just entered the world of wild canines. Will these two battlescar'd misfits survive and become accepted?