Alan Philip "Sumac" Readsta was the Nature Member of the Heroes of Gaia from 200 years ago, and is now the husband of Queen Maureen Archive, the third son of the Readstas of Nature, and Becky the Skyhog, Rickie Readsta, and Oddis the Hedgehog's father. He was born 200 years ago in the jungle of Adabat and was raised by the Chapellia Wolf Pack when his mother hid him and the rest of his siblings in the jungle. He joined Maureen on their quest to save the world from the Overlander army during the Gaia War as the Nature Member.
He is the current Mystic Being of Nature. As such, he cares deeply for all living things and is able to control the forces of nature by his will.
He uses a spear for combat and dons a mask that resembles a mandrill to symbolize him as a Native Gaian Warrior, giving him the alias of 'The Flying Mandrill'. As he is a skyhog, he uses his wings for flight in great distances.
His dragon is Persephony, a red Apotos dragon who escaped from slavery, and his title is "The Red Dragon of Adabat".
Appearance
Sumac is a black skyhog with Shadow the Hedgehog-like quills and red bangs that come off his head. His dragon wings are red on the outside and tan on the inside. His chest and muzzle are tan, but his arms are black, and his eyes are yellow. His attire consists of a red headband around his head, a cross necklace, brown torn-up pants with a belt with pockets, bandages around his knuckles, and spikey shoes.
Personality
Sumac Readsta is a generally kind-hearted yet fierce creature with a heart for nature and his family. He wears his heart on his sleeve in helping others any way he can.
He has a general wish for his people to be one with nature once again, and as such, he displays a deep disgust and insult to pollution and poaching.
He greatly cares for his wife and children and would risk his own life to protect them, making him a loyal family man. He even went so far as to rescue his daughter in person and bring her to the Realm of Nature.
Due to being raised in a jungle, he still displays some animal-like behaviors, yet his civilized behavior is thanks to how he was raised by the Wolf Pack.
He is also a fierce warrior and would not hesitate to start a fight when the situation calls for it. He tends to be as competitive as his daughter when it comes to games.
He acts mysterious around strangers, and doesn't trust any Overlander, Human, or Mobian due to being raised to hate them, and would not hesitate to attack.
History
200 Years Ago
Corinne, a hedgehog of the Spike Tribe of Adabat, and her children were threatened by the Overlander Army and forced into hiding. In a state of panic, Corinne tried to offer herself as a sacrifice to the patron god of Gaia to save her people, but Carolina the Jackelope Oracle stopped her. She told her of a prophecy that her children and their father will form the Readstas of Nature and do great things for the world. In order to protect them, Corinne separated her children by giving them to different animal family groups. Corinne hid her infant son Alan Philip under a sumac bush, where he was found by the Chappelia Wolf Pack. The pack named him Sumac after the plant he was found under and for his red hair, and taught him how to hunt and fight.
Throughout his childhood, Sumac had many adventures with his friends from the jungle, including the bear cub Balue Kipling, and Persephony the Green Water Dragon. These adventures include saving the life of Balue's love interest from a monster.
When Sumac was 13 years old, he stumbled across a ruined Villiage by the Green River, and meets the Guardian Spirit, the Green Water Dragon. It was there that Sumac was explained that he was the new Mystic Being of Nature, and he had three brothers and two sisters. He decided to leave the pack with Persephony to find his family, and in just one short week, he found his siblings. These siblings included the brothers Kupanda, Mystic Being of Plants, Aaron, Mystic Being of Wildlife, and Steel, Mystic Being of Earth, and the twin sisters Rain, Mystic Being of Water, and Erica, Mystic Being of Lightning. Returning to the Green River, the Dragon explains to the children that they are his children born to their hedgehog mother, and that they were the keys to defeating the Overlanders to reclaim their jungle home. With that in hand, the children unleashed their powers to control nature and force the Overlanders and millions of monsters and demons to flee. With their home restored, the siblings returned to a life of quiet and peace, until two years later when Sumac decided to venture away from Adabat to see the world for enlightenment.
Months of difficult travel passed, but his journey was fruitful. He met many friends, who he formed the Heroes of Light with, who made it a goal to rid their planet from the threat of the Overlanders. In his final adventure as a youth, he helped Maureen Archive, the princess of present-day Spagonia escape the execution of her family to the sea. An Overlander soldier found them and open fired. Sumac took the bullet from Maureen, and refused to die because of his will to live to see a better world. With that will, he and Maureen transformed into their Superior Transformations and created a huge light that teleported all the Gaians to two different worlds. The Mystic Beings and Spirituals were teleported to the Celestial Comet, while the normal people were taken to a handful of pure islands to call their new homes.
Adulthood
Sumac and Maureen lived in peace with all their friends and developed a romantic relationship. Eventually, Maureen became Queen of the heart-shaped Capital Island on the Normal World and rule with a heart of gold. She married Sumac and had a son and two daughters with him. However, the daughters were born during a conflict with the dark and dreaded Wasteland and one of them was kidnapped along with the brother. Sumac chased the monster who kidnapped them through a time vortex and found himself back on the planet in the jungle he was raised in as a child, only 200 years into the future. He knew he will find his way back home soon, so he decided to live as a wilderness hunter while raising his son and daughter.
Reunited with the Second Daughter
One summer night as Sumac was hunting, he unknowingly caught the attention of four-year old Becky Archive. Meeting at a clearing where flowers grew, Becky & Sumac started off with a good relationship. Recognizing Becky as his youngest daughter, Sumac decided to take her under his wing and teach her how to hunt, respect nature, and life itself. Becky became best friends with Sumac's children Oddis and Rickie, and she and Sumac developed a Father & Daughter-like Friendship. After a time, Becky & Rickie finally realized that they are fraternal twin sisters, and that Becky's mother is Rickie's mother, and Sumac is Becky's father. This made their relationship grow stronger than ever.
Separation
However, when Becky was seven, she and Maureen were taken away from their home to live on Mobious. Furious, Sumac flew after the space ship, thinking that the Mobians kidnapped his daughter and wife. Trying everything he had, he could not reach them. The G-force of the liftoff forced Sumac off the ship and fall. Heartbroken, Sumac returned home in tears.
A Sacrifice for his Children
That very night, Sumac woke up to the sound of footsteps. Peeking outside, he saw enemy soldiers marching through the jungle, cutting down trees and killing wildlife. Enraged, Sumac took his crossbow and stalked them while sniping them with his crossbow. However, he was soon noticed, and an all out brawl emerged. Sumac bested the majority of them, but Rickie and Oddis were captured and held for ransom. Refusing to give up, he took his blade and began to ferociously fight to save his children. Finally, as it seemed that all the soldiers were defeated, Sumac went to reclaim his children. However, a spy was hiding, and was aiming to shoot Rickie. Sumac immediately noticed this, and willingly took the bullet from Rickie. Severely injured, Sumac was then thrown out a window as GUN marched in to stop the enemies. Sumac lay in a pool of his own blood, struggling to breathe. Witnessing his children being taken away by GUN, he passed out into death.
The Domain of Nature
However, Sumac woke up in a beautiful hospital tended by a troupe of odd-looking natural creatures. It was there where he met face-to-face with Adabat the Kirin. He explained to Sumac that by taking the bullet from Rickie, he committed self-sacrifice, and Mystic Beings who commit it are actually brought back to life after two hours. He also revealed that he is in the Domain of Nature, a moon-like planet orbiting the Celestial Comet, and his siblings are there as well.
Sumac recovered from the bullet after months of treatment and therapy, and became Adabat's general of the Forces of Nature. However, he would spend the next eight years unleashing his wrath upon any Mobian who soiled the planet or hurt the people, while searching for his wife and children.
Eight years Later: Wrath of Sumac
///underconstruction///
Powers
As Mystic Being of Nature, Sumac is able to grow plants and animals as well as control the elements of nature, such as water, fire, earth, lightning, etc. His huge wings allow him to fly and he carries with him a pike to use in combat against his enemies. He wears a utility belt full of charms and natural weapons such as cherry bombs.