"Do you know what Mapoza means? It is Zulu, for 'he who chases'. I chase the filth of mankind... Do not get in the way of my hunt."
Name: Petiri (Peter) Mapoza
Aliases: Jungle Cat, King of the Jungle, Fire of Africa, Lord of All That is Night
Age: 29
Race: Mutant
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 167 lbs.
Gender: Male
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Goldenrod yellow
Relationship: None
Family: None
The Jungle Cat
Petiri was born to two nameless parents in Chad, Africa. Born into slavery, the young child had no idea of the mutations that he actually held deep within him. Whatever happened, he assumed was perfectly natural, and as such went about work as one usually would, in the diamond mines of Africa for little reward. Often, Petiri was beaten by his masters, and other slaves. Most of the time, it was for him misbehaving... But, other times, it was for no real reason whatsoever. In fact, there seemed to be a general hate for the boy. Not understanding, Petiri grew resentful of those around him, and soon even started fighting back whenever they struck at him.
Eventually, this turned out to be a mistake. Getting into a fistfight with one of his superiors, Petiri accidentally killed him- becoming a fugitive among the village he lived in. Giving himself up, the now teenage boy was sent out into a nearby jungle, known for it's large population of vicious, unruly beasts. They intended for Petiri to die out there, but on the contrary- he thrived. Animals did not attack him, but let him exist in peace, for reasons that still remained completely alien to the teen at the time. The only animal that dared to attack him was a panther- a panther whose skin Petiri still wears to this day. For almost seven years he lived in this jungle, thriving off of the land, before he discovered a plot made by the village he used to live in that concerned tearing the forest down.
In an almost primal way, the man defended the new home of his- sneaking into the village in the dead of night and setting fire to some of the slave-master's houses. Many would only report of a man clad in black, rumors circulating that it was some local nature spirit or another. Hundreds of slaves were freed, and- during the wreckage- Petiri found old records that pertained to his birth. According to the records, his mother's DNA had been spliced with that of several different animalistic qualities, most of them pertaining to big cats. The result- her son, Petiri, an artificial mutant that grew into a man with superhuman senses and strength.
With this information clearing a saga of his life, Petiri set off on a journey- to free Chad, and then Africa, of slavery. A noble cause, but one he had right to, as former slave- and current empowered being. Travelling Africa, Petiri became a common freedom fighter, and soon found a target with much more corruption than the villages he was saving.
The world.
Fire of Africa
Being part-animal, Petiri is gifted with superhuman physicals and senses. Stronger than any normal human, he is capable of lifting well over six tons, albeit it takes him extreme effort to do so. His fists can crack ribs as easily as a normal man might break the wishbone to a chicken, and can snap the neck of fully grown gorillas with only a small amount of exertion. The strength carries over to his striking, and his stats are actually surpassed when it comes to speed, surprisingly enough.
Speed comes in many different forms. Running, firstly, grants him speeds of up to 92 mph., up to three times what the world's fastest human being (Usain Bolt) can go. Reaction time-wise, Petiri can dodge bullets and move at blur speeds, actually able to 'speed-blitz' individuals he comes across, unless they can keep up.
Senses are a great part of what makes Petiri the perfect hunter. Whereas most humans can smell a fire from a great distance away, Mapoza is able to smell each individual item in a room as if they were all completely different. Even items that are seemingly identical (say, two pencils) have separate strong odors to him, and is capable of picking up someone's scent from over half a mile away. Two miles, if they so decided to wear cologne. This trait is better for hearing, as he's much better with sound than he is with smells. If he listened carefully, he could hear a feather flutter to the ground in a room with (supposedly) soundproof walls from across the street of the building.
Gear
Suit
The suit that Petiri wears when in combat is, based on looks, the literal skin of a panther. However, this is only the outer layer- the finely skinned fabric covering his body to keep him warm, in emergencies. Underneath this outer layer lies a thick vibranium undershirt, the vibranium actually woven into nigh-microscopic nanotubes and meshed together, to keep him mobile. Unfortunately, what aids his agility actually decreases his durability- the mesh is not as thick as actual vibranium plating, and thus renders that Petiri is not bulletproof. Luckily, however, he does withstand most blunt physical trauma, unless it is excessively damaging to him.
The rest of the suit, besides the vibranium undershirt, is quite diverse. The bottoms of his feet are padded with thick foam covers, so that when he balances his weight perfectly (a trait he has mastered) he is completely silent when stalking his prey. These shoes do not keep him from quick movement, but instead rather help propel him forward, an interesting change that is especially useful for combat (charging opponents, etc.).
The gauntlets that Petiri wears are especially deadly, for two different reasons. Firstly, at the edge of his fingertips are blunt adamantine claws, each one about an inch in length and half an inch in width. The claws are purposefully blunted by Petiri so that his strikes may induce more physical pain in his opponent, and so that when picking up casual objects his claws do not damage them. The other reason that the gauntlets are so dangerous is because of the 'pull back'- carbon tubes that work like rubber bands, so that whenever he moves his wrist in a direction (say, to pull back for striking an opponent) the rubber bandesque tube will snap, and cause a greater drawback for Mapoza to swing his wrist- inducing much greater amounts of damage than he normally would.
Skills
Engolo- The African martial art, a true key to stealthy combat, N'golo (Engolo, in America) is a form of combat that involves several kicks, leg sweeps, and large, arcing dodges. It is designed to take out the opponent with minimal effort, and even if there is a response from the foe, the smooth dodging/flips can aid him in keeping out of harms way.
Capoeira
Jujitsu
Tae-Kwon-Do
Quarterstaff Mastery
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