[INTRODUCTION/BACKSTORY] The she-wolf Eleftheria has always had a passion for teaching and learning from others, and a natural gift for leadership. From a young age, she was chock-full of ambition, and knew that one day, she wanted to lead a pack. A pack with values that aligned with hers; a pack that revolved around learning, around knowledge, and around wisdom. A pack where everyone had the same opportunities as their peers, something that Eleftheria herself had never been lucky enough to receive when she was young. But now, here she is; living her best life in Dusk Valley, with all of the resources she needs to do what she’s aspired to do since she was but a little pup. Welcome, my friends, to Laurelpack. The home of knowledge. The home of opportunity. The home of victory. [OVERVIEW] Laurelpack, as stated above, is a pack that places a high value on the passing of knowledge through generations. The core values of the group are knowledge, wisdom, learning, and equity, and it will be founded by my wolf Eleftheria, with the help of her allies Cherri (belonging to @yallimgay ) and Rosemary (belonging to @A_rather_cute_fox ). Laurelpack has a lot of unique traditions and rankings that I’ll be going over in the next few sections, as well as having some traits that I’m hoping to have developed in-RP rather than established as soon as the pack is founded. Laurelpack’s core beliefs are these: every living being is worth something and deserves respect, even if they are prey animals that must be killed to survive; knowledge is one of the most important things in our world and everyone should have access to it; every wolf has the capability to learn and grow and should never be told otherwise; and no one has a predetermined path in life- everyone makes choices that determine who they are, and no one is born to fulfill a certain purpose that they did not choose. Eleftheria will be a very passionate and determined leader who will see her packmates as students and colleagues rather than subordinates, and she will dedicate herself to leading Laurelpack until the end of her days. [RANKINGS] Like most packs, Laurelpack will begin with the “alpha system” for their rankings. They will be led by an alpha, with a beta as their second-in-command and eventual successor, and most wolves being regular members. However, as time goes on, the names of some of these roles will change; the “alpha” will instead be known as the High Lady/High Lord/High Regent of the Laurels, and the “beta” with be known simply as the Second or *name of the leader*’s Second (ex: Eleftheria’s Second, Rosemary’s Second, etc). They could also be called the Second of the High Lady/Lord/Regent of the Laurels, if you’re feeling fancy. The High Regent of the Laurels will also be referred to with the prefixes Lord or Lady, and if these two prefixes don’t fit with whatever gender they identify as, they can use Liege or some other title they come up with instead. All of these terms will be coined by Rosemary, who will be the first Second of Laurelpack, because her mother was part of a pack who used a similar naming system to this. Eleftheria will object to being referred to as “Her Ladyship” and other such formal names at first, but due to Rosemary’s insistence on using these titles, they will eventually catch on and become the official name for the high-ranks of Laurelpack. [CONTINUED BELOW]
[CONTINUED FROM ABOVE] Due to Laurelpack’s core values, most of their rankings and lifestyle will be centered around learning. The third-highest ranking group in Laurelpack are the Mentors, wolves who teach classes for the other members of the pack. Different Mentors will have different “subjects” they teach; the starting three will be Hunting, Self-Defense, and Survival Skills, though more may be added later if future leaders decide to do so. Mentors will often double as some other high-rank (such as the High Regent or the Second), though if a Mentor gets chosen for another high-rank, they can decide to step down from one of their positions if they think it is too much work. The starting Mentors will be Eleftheria for Survival Skills, Rosemary for Hunting, and Cherri for Self-Defense. Mentors will often be given the prefix of Madame, Sir, or whatever other option they may prefer (ex: Madame Cherri, Madame Rosemary, Sir Ridge. Keep in mind that “Miss” and “Mister” can also work as more casual alternatives if your wolf isn’t very formal!). Once a pup reaches the age of 6 moons and becomes a juvenile, they will be given the rank of Trainee, where they will begin taking classes from the Mentors. When a Trainee reaches the age of 19 moons and becomes a young adult, they will be given the option to stay in Laurelpack or leave to join another pack or become a packless wolf. If they choose to stay, they will take an exam conducted by a high-rank (or some other trusted wolf in the pack, if the high-ranks are all busy at the moment), and if they pass, they will become an official Member of Laurelpack. If they fail, they will not be exiled, as it is not in Laurelpack’s nature to exile a wolf for a simple mistake; instead, they will stay a Trainee for a few more moons to be taught more about the skills they struggled with in the exam, and will take another once they have improved. Since Laurelpack places a high value on learning throughout one’s life, full Members can still take classes if they want to, and may even retake exams to test their skills every once in a while! Though obviously, Trainee exams will be prioritized over Member exams, so Members may have to wait a bit to have theirs if they choose to do so. Trainees and Members have similar privileges, but the only difference is that Members have the right to vote if the pack ever needs to do so, while Trainees do not, and Trainees cannot be sent on dangerous/important missions such as spying, diplomacy, or risky patrols. Elders are the rank that requires the least explanation. Once a wolf that is already a part of Laurelpack reaches the age of 51 moons, they will have the option to retire when they wish to do so. Elders can still participate in pack votes and can hunt and fight if they wish to do so, but they will not be expected to, nor will they need to participate in classes or take exams. Laurelpack will not have an omega, as Eleftheria doesn’t like the idea of having one wolf who is “below” everyone else. [Continued in this project: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1098948877/ ]
