The Wolf World . . .

Pack Hierarchy:

- Alphas are the leader of the packs, but they are not the heart. Their sole purpose is to keep order among other ranks, can declare "battle", but not war, on other nearby packs, and are the ones who preform ceremonies for pack members. They make the "big boy" decisions of the pack and rule as they see fit. Though they are known to be mainly male, a female can be an Alpha. Alphas are generally the strongest wolf of the pack and the title is usually handed down from father to son, who trains his entire life to take over the pack.

            --> At any given time, a pack has the ability to usurp an unfit Alpha and completely disregard the bloodline from ruling in case any possible blood-relations commit the same crimes. The Council cannot get involved in pack usurps. The new Alpha can be replaced based on voting, or in some packs, 1v1 battles for the title.

- Betas are an Alpha's second in command. A Beta's duties are to observe training sessions, list out territory patrols, and assist the Alpha in any battle plans. A Beta can be male and female, and the title is not passed down from parent to child. An Alpha who is taking over the pack will either choose to keep the previous Beta or ask him or her to stand down and put someone in their place. A Beta will take over the pack if the Alpha dies and has no heirs, or will run as acting-Alpha until any too-young heirs come of age to take over.

- Gammas are the Alpha's third in command. A Gamma's duties are behind the scenes -- they take care of keeping alliances among other packs, taking complaints any pack member might have to the Alpha, keeping up with paperwork, and drafting out battle maps. A Gamma can be male and female, and the title is not passed down from parent to child. An Alpha who is taking over the pack will either choose to keep the previous Gamma or ask him or her to stand down and put someone in their place. The Gamma will take over the pack if both Alpha and Beta die and have no replacements.

- Deltas are the Alpha's fourth in command. A Delta is the wolf that will become Alpha if the three other rankings die and the pack is falling apart. A Delta is trained his or her entire life to be a Delta, and it is not likely that they will be chosen at random. Their job is to make sure that the other ranks are doing their jobs properly and will never, under any circumstances, leave the territory when the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma do. They are to be the leader when the other three leave, and if they are dead, the Delta must be Alpha.

- Omegas are the ranking that were once considered below the mid-rankings, but are, in the modern world, higher than Alphas. The Omegas are the heart of the pack itself and are considered to be gentle and have been referred to as the light that fills the darkness Alphas bring. They are strictly female, but it is not known why. Omegas are incredibly rare, and almost completely died out in the 1930's. Some packs are too far dark to welcome Omegas back into their ranks -- these packs are usually packs that have not had an Omega since the Great Depression. Omegas are more likely to become Luna due to their high compatibility with Alphas.

- Lunas are the female variant of an Alpha [ except for a female Alpha, which is rare ]. They are strictly female, even in packs where an Alpha male is mated to another male wolf, who will, in this case assist in Alpha and Luna duties alongside his mate. A Luna is the ranked female right next to Alpha. She is not any less equal than him and they are considered to be a spiritual connection to the Moon Goddess for the pack. They often times look to her for advice when it comes to entering battles, issues mates be having with one another, and leadership. A Luna is often times an Omega, but non-Omega females can be titled Luna — even humans and other species.

- Other Rankings include Healers, Pack Guards, Messengers, Den Mothers, and Mediators
• Note: These rankings are middle rankings of the pack. They are all considered lower than Alpha, Luna, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and in SOME packs, Omegas — however, they are all equal rankings to each other.
— > Healers are shifters with an uncanny healing ability that makes them successful in their practice. They are likely to be seen with a kind, but no-nonsense kind of attitude when it comes to their patients. They will protect the injured fiercely if need be.
— > Pack Guards are shifters that train their entire adolescent and young adult years to protect the pack. Their jobs include patrolling the pack territory's borders daily, taking shifts at posts around these borders be it day or night, and are trained to be ferocious warriors for battle. They are usually first at the battle scene when the territory is invaded.
— > Messengers are shifters with agility and speed rather than muscle and brawn. Though they are trained to fight if they meet an enemy in battle, this is not their purpose. Their purpose is to transfer any and all important messages from pack member to pack member. They also are given territory rights from other packs so that they can deliver messages or documents from one pack to another. There is only about two to three messengers per pack to avoid taking advantage of this rank.
— > Den Mothers are shifters who prefer not to be involved in the nitty gritty workings of the pack. Den Mothers, despite the title, can be held by both male and female. Their tasks are to take care of the pack house, keep it running, stocked full of necessities for the members, and to care for children while their parents are doing their own jobs. They will be the ones who will fight to protect younglings should enemies get through the others and attack the home. They are just as respected as other rank-holders of the pack, if not more, for their seemingly simple, yet very important, practices of keeping the structure of the pack life running.
— > Mediators are shifters that often get confused with Messengers. Mediators are, in a sense, like Omegas — but not quite. Their duties are to keep peace when possible during pack meetings, when two or more packs are having a gathering, and to not get involved in battles in order to insure this peace [ this ranking is especially important if a pack has no Omega ]. Mediators also keep relations with the Council and other Supernatural creatures at an agreement level, and will be involved in human affairs to keep the pack "modernized" if they grow too isolated.

Pack Information

• Packs are often named after the founding member of said pack [ for example, Blackwood Pack, Harrington Pack, Wrennrings Pack ]. Interestingly enough, that does not mean that any Alphas will carry the last name of the pack, whether it be due to the name's bloodline dying out, pack usurps, or other reasons that place an Alpha of different bloodlines in the role.

• There are ten founding packs in the United States, all of which were there when settlers came from Britain in the late 1600's. It is, however, well known that shape-shifting creatures existed long before the English settlements — Native Americans were shape-shifters long before the English arrived, and over the hundreds of years that followed the settlement of the Old World into the New World, the legends of the werewolf and other known myths and legends were born.

• A shifter pack can contain anywhere from 30 to 250 members. The size of the pack, be it in America or Europe, will range based on location, resources, safety and health services, and population of other Supernaturals, packs, and humans of the area
— > Fun fact: the smallest known pack was recorded to live in Ohio, with 15 members, while the largest known pack was [ and still is! ] in Russia, with a whopping number of 586 members — all scattered in small "subpacks" across a very large range, unthreatened territory.

• Pack mindlinks are a thing. This means that all pack members are mentally connected and can see any images, read any messages, or feel any emotions their fellow pack member broadcasts. This is why it's important to learn how to dial down the connection when you don't want everyone in your head. They're able to pick and choose who gets to see their mind the most and who is shut off from certain parts.

• In America, all ten founding packs have an object that their founding member or Alpha had kept to use in ceremonies. They are rumored to contain the whispers of past Alphas and have a powerful spell cast on them — more about these objects will be discussed in Ice Blue

Other Information

• Lycans are a form of feral werewolf. Lycans are strictly of European descent, and a Lycan cannot be made, only born. These wolves travel in rogue packs of 5-10, whereas a shifter wolf pack can contain anywhere from 30 to 250. Lycans differ from shifters in a sense that they are the werewolves humans have made an image of — semi-human and able to walk on two feet.
Lycanism is due to a deformed werewolf gene and will set in at the age of sixteen, by which time the said Lycan will not be allowed to shift at any time, be killed, or exiled from its pack out of fear. Unlike with shifters, Lycans can be harmed dangerously by silver.

• The Moon Goddess, also known as Artemis and Diana in Greek and Roman legends, is the deity that the wolf-shifters claimed created and nurtured the wolf spirit and, despite being a goddess who remains virginal herself, created soul-binds so that wolves will find their mate
— > how this came to be is not known, due to the fact that in Greek myth, Apollo, Artemis' twin and the Sun God, is associated with wolves in the legends
— > Scholars, for this reason, reason that their goddess and Artemis are perhaps not one in the same, but got accidentally identified as the same being in old scripts

• The Council is the government of supernaturals and they are made up of two members per "species" of Supernatural. More will be discussed in the book.

• A human and a wolf shifter can produce shifter children, and they are more likely to do so rather than produce non-shifter children.
       —> Children of shifters that are not able to shift are called Wolfbloods, for they have shifter blood, but the gene itself has skipped them.

• Wolfsbane is not life-threatening to werewolves in small doses. It is, actually, rather like a drug. It can be used to dull pain if a wolf is seriously injured, as it is almost the only thing strong enough to put a shifter at ease. In larger amounts, it can be used as a recreational drug, though the council has made it illegal for anything other than medical use.
     —> Wolfsbane also works on other supernatural species, except for Felines. It does nothing good or bad to them.

The Feline World . . .

Clan Hierarchy

- The Denari is the leader of a Clan. This title is derived from the Roman word and currency 'Denarius', which itself derived from the term dēnī, "containing ten". It is unknown why this term was used as the leadership role for a Clan, but it nonetheless stuck. Only males have the ability to be Denari, and they have complete control over their Clan. Word is law in their eyes, and this means that they are not keen to disobedience. The Denari has no female equivalent title, and any mate a Denari takes will not hold equality in any sense. She might hold other high rankings, but never leadership.

— The Denari's Companion is the Denari's second, the "beta" to the Clan. This ranking was put into place to leave a leader available in case a Denari dies without heirs or the heirs are too young. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for the Denari's Companion to slaughter the deceased or exiled Denari's young so that their own bloodline may go, for a while, unthreatened in leadership. The Companion's duty is to keep Clan members from disobeying, breaking up fights, and establishing territory laws with other Clans. Denari's Companion is strictly male and has no female equivalent.

— Third Line is the Denari's third in command. This title holds a lot less respect and power than the Denari does, and it is also strictly a male role with no female equivalent. A feline with this ranking is usually given the tasks of handling Council inquiries and overseeing training sessions. A Third Line will become Companion if a Denari dies without heirs. A Third Line has the ability to challenge a new Denari if he hasn't gotten his power over the Clan just yet.

— Other Rankings include Combatant, Physician, Housewatch, Advisor, and Elder
—> Combatants are the rank that most members in a Clan will take up. They are the rank just under Third Line and share the same amount of dominance as Physician and Advisor, if not just a tad bit more. They're there for the purposes of training younglings, chasing off any intruders, and are the warriors of battles that occur on or off their territory. They keep their territory's border guarded and patrolled daily.
—> Physicians are Felines who take up the art of healing and taking care of healthcare. Physicians are known to be highly skilled in the art of treating almost any injury and ailment a Feline might approach them with. Often times in a Feline Clan, there can be anywhere between 2-15 healers depending on the size of the Clan itself. Physicians very rarely get involved in the fighting part of battles unless it's deemed necessary and life-saving. They are the only Feline able to be at the birth of a Denari's child and will be the only one outside of the mother and father touching the cub so soon after his or her birth.
—> Housewatch Felines are given the duty of keeping an eye on the den. It is where the cubs, ill and injured, elderly, and weakest shifters are at all times and therefore one must be in charge of keeping the den clean, stocked with food, and protected from intruders. Though Combatants and the higher ranks are never really far away, a Housewatch will always have some sort of combat training. Generally, this rank is considered lower ranking despite the tasks they do for the Clan. They're expected to always keep their eyes lowered amongst higher rankings and very rarely get involved in skirmishes.
—> Advisors are Felines that assist, or attempt to assist, the Denari in decision making. They are usually older Feines, who have experienced at least two disputes with other Clans, or have lived to see hardships within the Clan and dealt with it. The Denari has the final say in the end, but Advisors are more than likely to be sought out by a younger Denari if he struggles to make some decisions. Advisors will also be heavily involved in the other rankings and share their advice and wisdom with anyone who asks. Respect is given to these members.
—> Elders are the roots of the Clan, always. Though they hold no power over the Clan and are considered retired and unable to fight, many Clans have considered Elders to be a universal ranking that has earned their younger pupil's respect and kindness. Felines usually carry the idea of "keep up or be left behind" notion about running their Clan, yet the Elders are a strict exception that nobody attempts to remove or challenge. Elders keep cubs entertained, usually get involved with Advisors when needed, and keep the history of the Clans alive. Without them, who would remember their proud Feline history?

Clan Information

• A Clan is physically unable to usurp its Denari. Any one Denari holds a mental "wave of power" that allows them, with just a single look or a certain tone, to control their Clan. Disobedience, as rare is it may be, is either met with punishment, or the Feline body will destroy itself.

• A Denari does not have the ability to mind link their Clan like wolf shifters can. Their communication is done through a central nerve system that reacts more intensely to emotions and looks. A Clan member can send an emotional signal from up to fifty miles away before the connection becomes static.
—-> It does well to note that Clan members still have a sort of presence in one another, and they can feel it when one of their own dies or leaves the Clan permanently.
—-> A Denari does have a mind link with his Chosen, only available by remarking his mate when his previous mark begins to wear off. Other mated pairs can communicate via mind link as well, so long as they hear each other's marks.

• A Clan does not usually have a set name, such as Packs do [ like Blackwood Pack ], but rather title their Clans based off who their current Denari is [ i.e., Denari Landon's Clan, Denari Andy's Clan ].

• Clans can contain anywhere from 12-150 members.

• Most clans usually have a diverse number of species. Rarely are there Clans that contain one shifter type.

Other Information

• Feline shifters date back to Ancient Rome, when old reports and even a personal journal were found containing information that claimed a lion sent out into the gladiator pits managed to, "manifest itself into a god". The records, found by archeologists [ one of whom was a shifter ], were later reported missing and had been determined to have been stolen.
—> the Council had been contacted about the findings and ordered the records to be taken from human's hands. They're now stored safely in the Archives . . . Supposedly.

• Feline shifters were first spotted by werewolves in 1330 New England, and they tore a wandering shifter to shreds when it crossed into their territory without knowledge of who had it claimed. A six year war broke out until the Council had to declare this war ended, and the two have since have cautious relations.

• Feline shifters do not have any known weaknesses that can cripple them, but catnip, which in reality is nice for normal felines, has an awful taste and smell for shifters. It gives them an awful two week rash that lets them know not to touch it again.

• On the other hand, Felines can be healed with poison ivy! An interesting thing, seeing as for everyone else, it causes the most annoying itch and welts! Poison ivy, for this reason, is kept in stores in a healer's office.

• There is no feline-shifter subtype of a lynx. These shifters died out from a air-borne illness that only affected the felines with the lynx shifting gene. It was a long, brutal, and painful death for those suffering, and it was too late once a treatment was found. The treatment is, however, there in case something like this happens again.

—

This is all the information about the two species I have at the moment :) I may add more later, but I thought it would perhaps be interesting and helpful to know a bit more about their world.

Thoughts?