Ragwyn MacHeath was a female Dire Wolf, or Aenocyon dirus, who, after migrating from the Distant Blue, lived during the time of the Legends of Ga'Hoole. She was one of the mates of Dunleavy MacHeath, the mother or step-mother of Blackmore and an abused she-wolf who bore the long, lightning-shaped scar of an old wound delivered by Dunleavy running across her face. Among his consorts, Ragwyn seemingly acted as Dunleavy's chosen messenger and served as a contact between her mate and Hordweard after the latter's desertion.
History[]
The Always Cold[]
As with all of the dire wolves, Ragwyn MacHeath once roamed the land across the sea known as the Distant Blue, but was driven from her birthplace by the Long Cold and henceforth followed Fengo in the long and arduous journey to the warmer climates of Beyond the Beyond, surviving the obstacles. At an unspecified point in time, Ragwyn became a mate of Dunleavy MacHeath, who claimed to have named all his mates, rendering it dubious if Ragwyn was truly Ragwyn by birth. It is unknown if she had any pups with him.
As was the case with all of the unfortunate mates of the MacHeath Clan's lord, Ragwyn was constantly the victim of cruel abuse from her husband and during one of his violent rages, Ragwyn joined an injury (presumably from a slash) which partially healed, leaving a scar that ran like a jagged bolt of lightning over Ragwyn's face.
The Coming of Hoole[]
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Despite the abuse she suffered, when Dunleavy, wounded from a scuffle with Fengo, approached Ragwyn, she — through a mixture of threats, bribes and favours — chose to remain with MacHeath rather than escape when given the chance, though Ragwyn obviously came to regret it. Along with the other wolves of her clan, Ragwyn henceforth retreated with her lord to the den of the Carreg Gaer MacHeath clan, where she, Sinfagel, Dagmar and the rest of the she-wolves who were bound to Dunleavy in paw-fast licked his empty eye socket clean of blood. As Dunleavy, in a mounting fury over the desertion of Hordweard, began to pace the cave, Ragwyn groveled before him in terror, receiving only a snarl in answer as she knelt. As days passed without yielding Hordweard's return, Ragwyn was dispatched by her husband to seek out her fellow mate of MacHeath and discover her whereabouts, which Ragwyn fulfilled, observing the lack of true clanship Hordweard was now facing and noting the slight more attention Fengo paid the turnpelt compared to the others. During her observations, Ragwyn also discovered that the collier Grank, in the company of three other owls, had been sighted winging their way over the southern ridges, which she reported to her master along with news of Hordweard. In answer to her report, Ragwyn was instructed to bring MacHeath his gnaw bone, then remonstrated harshly to bring MacHeath the best of the batch. Obeying silently, Ragwyn was henceforth told by Dunleavy to offer the bone up to Hordweard in return for information, as well as to relay MacHeath's offer permitting the she-wolf to keep the bone while considering it. Her green eyes wide, Ragwyn was sent reeling when, in answer to her inquiry if MacHeath was sure about giving up his best bone, swatted at Ragwyn harshly over the muzzle. Ragwyn subsequently followed her mate's orders and delivered the bone and Dunleavy's offer to Hordweard. However, though the bone was accepted, Hordweard would soon return to the MacHeaths not to rejoin them but to return the bone, which Dunleavy cracked in his fury, to the howls of superstitious horror from Ragwyn and the others. Later on, Ragwyn was among the wolves that gathered at the Sacred Ring when Hordweard, now known as Namara, returned to the Beyond, carrying in her jaws the lifeless body of her's and Ragwyn's tormentor. Though certainly silently elated that the mate that had left her scarred would never torture her or her pups again, Ragwyn, who stood with MacHeath's other widows, showed signs of nervousness as well, clearly afraid of MacHeath's crimes being pinned on her as well due to her marriage. Ragwyn presumably participated in the subsequent battle against the followers of Lord Arrin and, assuming she survived, beheld Hoole retrieve the Ember from Dunmore. It is uncertain what became of Ragwyn, the scarred, green-eyed mate of Dunleavy MacHeath l, but she might have remained with the MacHeaths or left the Clan to form the MacNamara Clan. |