this will be the divider and information page for the Malamute Pack

Malamute is a pack located in Alaska, deeper into the frontier, deeply removed from human life, though members of the pack do venture to Juneau from time to time, but really only during the Iditarod, to watch and make sure the dogs are being treated well. In fact, they travel the whole Iditarod, making sure the dogs are treated well. Deep in the frontier, they were a pack closely associated with the Inuit people of Alaska, getting their name from the Inuit word malimuit, the same word a dog breed was later named after, and the Inuit tribe of Mahlemuts, who developed the Malamute dog breed. Many Malamute wolves are actually of Inuit descent, lines bred into the Malamute pack long ago when connection with humans was more common. Those of Inuit blood are also recognized Inuit members, as well.

Strong hunters, they are a tightly bound pack, who also happen to believe in Hunterra, though they call her Hantamu - similar in name to the Inuit god of the moon. They are also believers in the Wolf Guardian, the Prince of Bears, and have a very strong desire to protect the species of werebears from the world, and the other wolves who may mistreat them. Werebears, to this pack, are sacred creations, almost above werewolves in a way, though not superior - a bit of a paradox, yes, but werebears are deeply sacred to the Malamute pack.

The Malamute pack speak their own language, a blend of Inuktitut - the Inuit language - and something far older, though they never speak it around outsiders. Preserved within their pack, they fear the language will be common-spread, taking away their privacy. Though, some chosen few will be spoken to in the language, learning it and keeping it secret, just as any Malamute wolf would. They also speak English, though they tend to have 'strange' accents when doing so, and Inuktitut. A small pack, they are nomads, traveling all throughout the frontier - though their nomadic patterns are very similar to migration patterns, moving where it is safest and most hidden at any time of the year - save for the Iditarod, which takes place in early March each year, lasting roughly a week, and then those who go to follow the Iditarod return to their pack when it is over. 

Closely in tune with their wolves, and the world around them, most Malamute wolves have white fur, allowing them to blend in with the snowy tundra of the frontier - which, admittedly isn't snowy year round, though they tend to stick to the snowed areas - with shaggier, thicker fur to keep them insulated from the cold. Their wolves are also more bulky, hard-working in appearance, with strong shoulders - much like a Malamute dog, which was named after the Malamute pack. A kind people, they are also wary of outsiders, untrusting until those they are dealing with are proven trustworthy. Still, a Malamute werewolf is almost always on-guard when around outsiders. 

Low on technology - really, none, save for those few stationary members of the pack - they get their news through letters and the Inuit people, as well as the moments when one or two head into town, usually once a month, sometimes longer. Meaning, they are sometimes behind on current events happening in both the human areas and with their fellow werewolves. If a Malamute wolf was to end up in a major city - say New York City, Los Angeles, or Chicago - they would likely be equally as overwhelmed as they would be fascinated, though some older Malamute hold the belief that technology and machinery is nothing short of evil. 

Malamute wolves have a very strong connection with the world around them, specifically the animals and the Earth and Waters. Though they do not have deities specifically named or in charge of these domains, the Malamute believe the Earth and Waters have their own spirit that must be respected and taken care of. Deeply spiritual, the Malamute are not religious in the extreme sense of the Brokenridge or High Crescent packs, but they do hold beliefs outside the normal beliefs of werewolves. Because of their deep connection to the Earth and Waters, many Malamute wolves have an inherent gift in terms of 'reading' or 'predicting' what will happen - earthquakes, tremors, mudslides, avalanches, flooding, or if water is unhealthy, for example. Some equate this to powers and abilities outside that of a normal werewolf, others simply equate it to having grown up in the frontier. Whatever the case, it allows them to prepare and get to safety.

The Malamute are also strange in regards to their mating bonds and beliefs. Not as extreme as the 'sacrilegious' pack of Silver Creek, and yes they do follow the Goddess (whom they call Mother of Wolves in English, or Wolf Mother), but they do not believe that every person only has one, true, Goddess-given mate, nor do they believe everyone has multiple. The pack is very open to polyamorous pairings, and very open to monogamous pairings. So long as everyone is respectful, no issues arise. Though open to polyamory, most mated pairs are monogamous with each passing generation - when the pack was far larger, and longer ago, polyamorous mating pairs were far more common. Love is infinite, and not everyone was made to love just one person. This is their belief.

Found just as often in their wolf forms as they are their human forms - maybe more so their wolf forms, with traveling - they are much smaller in stature than a typical werewolf, whose wolf forms are usually much larger than a 'real' wolf. Though certainly still a bit larger than a normal wolf, they are no where near the size of most traditional werewolves. Why? They had to blend in, and their pack evolved to blend in better with the true wolves of the area, so that they weren't hunted down into extinction like had been happening. This is, they believe, a blessing from the Goddess, to keep them safe from total annihilation. Though their human forms still vary in height, just like any normal human or werewolf, their human forms don't necessarily match up to their wolf in terms of height and size. One may think, doesn't this give them a disadvantage against other werewolves? And that answer would be yes, it does. Though they were blessed with speed. Not easily matched speed, faster than a typical werewolf, and it would certainly help them if attacked. That, and when in human form, they are wonderful at camouflage in any given environment, though in wolf form they are miraculous when it comes to blending in with a snowy, icy environment.

Their pack structure of leadership is also a bit different. No official Alpha, they do have an elected leader, who is basically just in charge of settling any inter-conflicts that may arise, and in charge of keeping everyone together. This person is usually the most spiritual of the pack, and able to convene with their ancestors, and naturally very wise. Speaking of ancestors, they believe theirs to be either reincarnated or in the Aurora Borealis, or both. 

In addition to their leader, they also have storytellers. There are no set number of storytellers, but if one has the gift, they are a storyteller. Someone who can also convene with ancestors for stories, but also who get stories gifted to them in their dreams, they are able to lock everyone in a sort of spell when they fall into their 'storyteller' mode - usually employing a voice of trancelike power to keep people's attention. Storytellers enact their roles around fires - either whole pack fires or smaller fires - and are very important to the pack. There are currently four in the pack, including Miki Locklear. Storytellers are sometimes believe to be prophet-like, but also able to peer into the past. Omens and lessons are taken from their stories.

Because of their reclusiveness, it is hard for an outsider to get into contact with them, though the sure way to arrange a meeting is by sending a letter to one of the post offices in Juneau, where they have a few stationary members of their pack, who live amongst the humans. One may think them rogues, though they are not. The rest of the pack will be linked if mail arrives - always addressed to M. Mute, no matter what. The stationary pack members also guard the written histories of the Malamute pack, a role considered to be near-sacred in the pack.