Name: Gytrash/Mattie Raison

Gender: Nonbinary

Age: 158, born in 1860, but appears to be in their 20s

Appearance: A lanky guy/girl with a penchant for sweaters, collared shirts, pocket watches, skinny jeans, and leather lace-up shoes is the first impression most people see of Mattie. Their eyes are a deep brown, but turn coppery when they are angry. His/her hair is short, but longer on top and naturally black all the way down to the roots. Depending on the season and what they wear, they can look either Goth or Floridian. In other words, their skin is pale in the winter and tan in the summer. Summer leads to their hair lightening to a dark chocolaty brown and sunglasses donning their face. When they're scared or on edge, their canines become larger and their ears begin to form points at the tips.

Of course, like any person, Gytrash has scars. One is a thin cut on his left temple. It's surgical in precision, and small enough to be covered up by a pair of glasses. It's from when they had to be put down. The other is more gruesome and sinks into the skin. The scar is ragged, showing evidence of bite marks and tears. It looks like it took a long time to heal. If they wear a T-shirt, it shows at the hem of the left sleeve. This one is from the rabid dog. There are multiple other nicks from briars and brambles and such, but they aren't worth noting.

Irregular Appearance: The dog form is about the size of a Border Collie with a white patch on his/her chest, long legs, pointy ears, fluffy black fur, a skinny body, a long tail, and deep brown, intelligent eyes. Gytrash uses this form the most, but can also appear as a dark Frisian gelding (male), a cow (female) with eyes that stare into your soul, and a donkey (female) with black fur. They aren't sure why they appear as different genders, but it probably has to do with the situations at the time and the fairy's preference.

Species: A specific Grim called Gytrash or Guytrash, a guardian to the lost and a bane to those who would do others harm. They can take the form of a horse, cow, donkey, or, most commonly, a large black dog. They are often seen on the roads near Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Role: Superhuman, pseudohuman, human hugger. Sure, some aspects of human culture are weird, but Mattie has always protected them. A human form allows them to avoid the dog catcher and actually speak to humans, so Mattie only leaves the form if they want to do dog things like roll in a puddle or if the person they want to help is scared of people. Since they constantly use their powers to avoid getting lost, they are the definition of superhuman.

Powers:
-Cognitive mapping: Mattie knows where he/she is at all times, what buildings are where, and how to get to where they want to go, but only if they are somewhere they've been at least once before. It also doesn't work if Mattie has a cold or otherwise can't smell or if they are unable to see. However, they could go somewhere they haven't been in twenty years and know the streets that still exist.

-Shapeshifting: While it's not totally Gytrash's fault that this happened, they can shift into a horse, cow, or mule aside from their default dog form. In addition, they can choose if they want to be touched by anything or not, but not in human form. When they expand, they feel like they're being stretched on a torture rack. When they shrink, they feel like a cake becoming a cupcake. Too small and filled with too much at once. They become disoriented and must recover.

-Immortality: As a Grim, Gytrash doesn't age and, therefore, is immortal. However, they can still be hurt or fall ill in their human form. In addition, coming into contact with rock salt or iron weapons causes horrible pain and extensive contact can lead to their form dissipating for a few minutes to a couple days. Of course, they can only permanently die if their body is burned and salted or they decide their work is done, but Mattie has no idea where they are buried and anyone who knew the location is dead. Mattie also has no intention of giving up and going to the afterlife.

Relic: Mattie decided to keep their first relic, a simple anklet made of a black leather cord, rather than buy a different one. It matched everything and stayed out of sight if needed. They do wear other jewelry they like, such as a resin pendant with a flower from their home in it.

Personality: Mattie easily brushes things off. Insults roll off of their shoulders, rain just means they'll duck into the nearest store, getting lost in a new place just means more fun, and so on. They don't see the point in holding grudges when it comes to their sake. When it comes to other people, however, Mattie is on their side or against them. If you push someone once, they'll remember it. You catcall someone? They'll stalk you like a hawk to make sure you don't hurt anyone. You're a pickpocket? Mattie will find out why and judge your circumstances to see if they should stop you in the future. They harbor a deep resentment toward anyone who causes people pain, even if they don't show it outright. Sorry doesn't cut it with this puppy. They have to show some form of change.

Mattie is a little too easygoing at times and doesn't understand why everyone is always in a rush. Don't let their relaxed appearance fool you though. They're ready to jump into action at a moment's notice.

They aren't good at lying unless it's to calm someone down, to keep someone else safe, or to claim they're a human. They'll either tell you the blunt truth or stay quiet otherwise. The blunt truth can escalate into an unkind comment or snarky retort, which can lead them into trouble.

They can't resist helping someone in trouble. It's not in their nature to just leave someone who needs help. If it's a trap, they'll need to be physically restrained to not go to it, even if they know better and know they aren't strong enough to fight through it. It's a lesser known downside to being a Grim. They have to go. It's like a siren song.

They don't know when or if hunters will ever find their body, so they live every day to the fullest. A bad day is just so the good days seem sweeter and all that jazz.

Strengths: They have an excellent sense of direction, a steady voice in a crisis, and a sharp mind when it comes to making decisions.

Weaknesses:
-They never learned to read or write other than their name, so they're working on it.
-Mattie has an accent, and it's not Irish. It's easy to pick out a person who sounds like a Northerner (English) (i.e. the "drunk" type or the thicker than Tom Holland's accent or the Phil Lester type, whichever you know it as)
-They have a mouth that is bound to get them in trouble at some point. Now that they have a voice, they don't know when to shut up.

Fears: Crows, the smell of chemicals and/or cleaning supplies, getting caught

Backstory: So, there was this little puppy called Mattie who got lost with his/her owner on the way to the doctor in town. They came across a path and followed it, but it was the wrong path. The owner had a heart attack and little Mattie went into town for help, where he/she was mistaken for garbage because their fur was so lumpy from the briars he/she ran through. When they caught the attention of the doctor, they led them to their owner, who had, unfortunately, died without Mattie by his side. The doctor, who was on horseback and uncertain of where they were, asked if Mattie could lead them home. Mattie lead him back into town and his house. When Mattie was seen in town next, people said, "Hey, look, it's that guy's trash." The name stuck.

The doctor had no need for a pet and didn't want anyone else to die trying to make it to him, so Mattie, who was now called Gytrash, was trained to lead people to him in exchange for food. When Gytrash died, it wasn't because of normal circumstances. After Mattie had led someone to the hospital, they took a trip to the butcher, who would give them bacon sometimes. Before they made it to the shop, a rabid dog rushed out from behind it. The dog tried to attack a toddler nearby and Mattie jumped in the way and took down the perpetrator for good, but also received the bite meant for the kid. With it, they would have contracted rabies, but the doctor decided to put them down first. The doctor used chloroform to make sure Gytrash was unconscious when they were stabbed in the temple, but it resulted in Mattie's fear of the smell of chemicals.

They came back as a Grim, knowing no one would continue to lead people down the path. They continued to lead people to the doctor and the plaza, where the people occasionally died due to the lack of modern healthcare, leading to the black dog becoming a symbol of a guide to the afterlife. Some rumors spread and others believed Gytrash caused the deaths with a curse of sorts. The paranoia led to fear, but no one knew where Gytrash's body was buried, so they couldn't get rid of the ghost dog.

Gytrash still helped others, including the little girl named Anna who he/she saved from the rabid dog. Anna called them "raisin." Mattie visited her often and when Anna learned how to write and read, she drew a picture of Gytrash and labeled it as "Raison," which led to Gytrash using Raison as a last name when they got their relic.

The horse and donkey part of the myth started when Anna was older and stumbling along the path to the new doctor. In an attempt to save the little girl who was kind to them, Gytrash looped her arm around him/her and dragged her. As he/she dragged her, a passing fairy took pity and granted Gytrash the ability to shift into a swift horse. Anna was settled onto Gytrash's back as he/she shifted. She was treated after some time at the doctor's, but couldn't climb onto Gytrash's back because they were so tall. The new doctor's brownie (a house spirit), noticed the lady's plight and consulted the fairy who lived in their garden. The fairy, slightly annoyed, gave Gytrash the ability to shift into a donkey as well, since they couldn't alter the magic of the other fairy without angering them. By this point, it was night and the drunkards were roaming about. One of them made the mistake of trying to throw a glass bottle at Anna. Gytrash shifted back into a dog and chased them off, the reins from before the shift still hanging off of them. Anna called Gytrash a "good raisin" and they went to her home. Not before starting another legend about a black dog in chains who preyed upon drunks in the streets, unfortunately.

Later, Gytrash was hunted down by the drunks. After being chased through the woods and finally losing them by hiding among a band of cattle, a passing fairy became angry with the situation. Gytrash was under their protection because they considered them an animal of the glen rather than a spirit. So, the fairy's solution was to turn Gytrash into a fierce cow. Gytrash went to the front of the herd. By this point, fairies deciding to add a form to his/her repertoire was nothing new. He/she marched up to his/her pursuers, who wouldn't dare lay a finger on a farmer's cow, and scared them off with hoof stomps and mooing and snuffling. In other words, they were convinced the cow was crazy and going to trample them.

The rest of the time was normal, for the most part, until World War II came along and the town faded away. Anna, who was in her sixties, traveled to the front as a medic. She never came back.

Mattie could only assume their friend was gone and traveled between Lancashire and Yorkshire before visiting either to help people lost in the streets. This continued until they were given their relic and caught a boat to the Irish town.

Quote: "Am I a guy or a girl? Uh, a guy, actually, but I don't really consider myself one. I don't really consider myself a girl either." Well, unless they were a cow. Mattie rubbed the nape of his neck. This was awkward. Humans were completely unpredictable when it came to genders. He never knew how they were going to react. It was much easier as a dog, grim, horse, cow, whatever. Mattie never cared about it when people didn't mention it. "If you go by hormones, I'm neither, but you can just use whatever pronouns. I don't care."

"Oh no, it's okay. Don't cry." Mattie knelt down to the kid's level, their voice softening, and put a hand on their shoulder. As a dog, they would have licked the kid, but that wasn't acceptable with any other form, especially not this one. "We'll find your Mummy, I promise. Do you know where you last saw her?"

"B*tch?" Mattie raised an eyebrow and lowered their sunglasses. They hoped the human took a hint and skiddaddled out of there. This was just a potty-mouthed distraction. "Please. The only b*tch here is me and I'm not even female."

"I'm not a doctor, but I know this is bad. Just hold on. I'll get someone." By someone, they meant themselves. After ducking into an alley and taking off their anklet, they transformed into a horse. Their bones elongated and their face broadened. Every piece of them felt like it was being wrung out on a washboard and pulled through a taffy machine. The expansion was sudden and painful. It was worth the shocked expression of the other Irregular, however. Mattie snickered. Like them, the joke would never grow old. Of course, they couldn't tell the difference like Mattie could.

Other: Mattie was fixed as a puppy and never really considered himself a guy or a girl because of it. When everyone else called them Gytrash, they didn't care if they were a boy or girl and usually used one pronoun or the other instead of checking. So, they don't care what pronouns people use for them/him/her.