[Continued from this project: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1098947192/ ] [TRADITIONS AND CEREMONIES] One of the most important customs in Laurelpack is the Entrance Exam. The Entrance Exam is exactly what it sounds like- whenever a new wolf wants to join Laurelpack, they will be required to take an exam. This is not to determine whether or not they are “worthy” of joining the pack, but to get an idea of their skills and what they’ll need to work on once they join. Sort of a placement test, if you will. Every exam in Laurelpack has three sections, based on that of the three Mentors' classes- Survival Skills, Hunting, and Self-Defense. There may be more of a focus on one section than the other, depending on the individual. Two other very important ceremonies in Laurelpack are the Celebration of the First Hunt and the Celebration of the First Victory. These ceremonies are both celebrations of important benchmarks in a young wolf’s life, meant to raise pack morale and increase the confidence of whichever wolf it is centered around, hopefully giving them more motivation to keep growing and learning. The Celebration of the First Hunt begins whenever a pup or a Trainee catches their first prey. Rather than being eaten immediately, the animal that was caught will be saved until the next day. In the meantime, Laurelpack wolves will gather as much food as they can, so that they may have a great feast in celebration of the young wolf’s success. And at the center of this feast, the young one’s catch, whether it be the hugest of stags or the tiniest of mice, will be the main course. The Celebration of the First Victory is slightly different: it begins when a young wolf wins an official spar or battle for the first time. While the Celebration of the First Hunt is a quieter celebration centered around talking, eating, and relaxing with packmates, the Celebration of the First Victory is much more raucous, with many wolves partaking in friendly spars and howling to the stars together. The wolf at the center of the celebration will often teach others (usually those younger than them) the moves that helped them win their battle, and participate in playful fights with their higher-ups. My personal favorite Laurelpack tradition is the Naming Ceremony. When puppies are born to or adopted by wolves in the pack, they will not receive names immediately, and their parents will instead wait for a week or two to name them. When the parents have finally chosen names for the pup or pups, they will let the High Regent of the Laurels know, and a Naming Ceremony will be held. The celebration will begin at sunrise, to symbolize the “dawn” of a wolf’s life, and it will last until noon. When the sun is highest in the sky, the parents will bring the pups into the center of camp and officially name them, after which the other members of Laurelpack will greet the little ones by their new names. If an older wolf ever wishes to change their name for any reason, they can have a Renaming Ceremony, though this is not mandatory. A Renaming Ceremony is basically the same thing as a Naming Ceremony, except that the wolf changing their name would most likely be the one announcing it to the pack rather than their parents. When a wolf of Laurelpack dies, a Farewell Ceremony will be held. A Farewell Ceremony is pretty simple; basically just Laurelpack’s version of a funeral, with some wolves close to the deceased delivering eulogies if they wish to do so. Everyone in Laurelpack will get a chance to approach the deceased’s body and say a final goodbye to their packmate, and will usually talk about what they were like, as well as their good deeds and successes in life. Farewell Ceremonies are usually held at dusk, though sometimes exceptions will be made. Laurelpack wolves are traditionally buried close to the campground, so that their spirits will always remain close to home, and the living can visit their loved ones’ graves whenever they’d like. The only exception is if the dead wolf had asked to be buried in some other location while they were still alive. [PACK CAMPGROUND] Laurelpack’s camp will be located in the Pine Woods, as it is a dense and lush place with a very rich history. There are plenty of spots in these woods that make for good training spots, and enough resources to support a pack. It's close to the New River, so the wolves of Laurelpack will have quick access to water and fish, and it is right next to the Forest of New Growth, which is Eleftheria’s favorite place in Dusk Valley. She believes that the Forest of New Growth is a representation of growth, change, new beginnings, and hope, all things that she values greatly. The Forest of New Growth will be considered a sacred place by the wolves of Laurelpack, and many exams and training sessions will be held there, as well as important meetings between the high-ranks. [CONTINUED BELOW]
[CONTINUED FROM ABOVE] [RULES] 1. Your packmates are your friends, allies, and equals, and you are to treat them as such. Everyone has inherent value, and you shall not treat any wolf as “below” you for any reason, nor shall you doubt their capacity to learn. 2. Pups and Trainees are the future of our pack, our lifeblood. You are to treat them with kindness, protect them with your life, and never harm them unless they attack you first. 3. You will only ever harm one of your packmates if you are doing so in self-defense. Attacking a packmate for no reason is a punishable offense. 4. While the high-ranks of Laurelpack are knowledgeable and should be respected, do not be afraid to challenge one when they make a bad decision, or give them your advice when it is needed. If a high-rank ever punishes a wolf for doing this without good reason, they are a tyrant and should be driven from Laurelpack. 5. The High Regent of the Laurels should be fair and just, and must always hear the ideas of their wolves out. They must never punish a wolf for their opinion unless that opinion is genuinely harmful to other members of Laurelpack. That being said, they are not required to accept every suggestion given to them, as long as they reject it peacefully. If a wolf of Laurelpack starts a rebellion against their leaders for peacefully rejecting a suggestion, they are the ones in the wrong and should be punished accordingly. 6. If the High Regent of the Laurels dies or steps down from their position, the Second will take their place. If there is no Second at that time, or the Second does not want to become Laurelpack’s new leader, the pack will vote to decide who will become the next High Regent. 7. If there is ever a decision that the high-ranks cannot make on their own, or do not want to make without input from the pack, a vote will be held. Trainees and pups are not eligible for voting. 8. Treat your prey with respect, even though you have to kill them. Do not hunt for sport, do not play with your food, and always give your prey a swift, clean, and painless death. Try to avoid hunting creatures who have not yet reached adulthood unless it is necessary for your survival. 9. Welcome outsiders with hospitality, unless they are hostile. Wanderers and packless wolves are our friends and allies; they can give us knowledge about things we do not know about, and in return, we shall give them whatever they need, within reason. Packless wolves are our guests, not our enemies. 10. No wolf in Laurelpack will be executed unless it is completely and utterly necessary. The worst punishment one can get is exile, and that is only for a severe crime, such as attacking a packmate without reason or murdering another wolf. 11. Punishment for minor offenses and rule-breaking will be decided by the high-ranks. The punishment must match the crime- no one will be exiled for simply disobeying an order. 12. If a high-rank begins to neglect their duties without forewarning or good reason, they are at risk of being removed from their position. 13. Any wolf in Laurelpack may have a mate, friends, and family outside the pack if they so wish. They will never be punished for loving someone who is not one of our own. [OTHER] As Trainees are kind of a weird new rank (not exactly Member and not exactly pup), I think maybe we can have a system similar to the pup slot system for them. Like, there can only be a limited amount of them at a time and if we have pups old enough to become one, I’ll ask some of the older ones to go ahead and take their exams or decide to leave so that we can clear up space. I think there was a rule at some point about wolves only being able to found a pack if they have a mate and pups, but I’m not sure if this rule is applicable any more. If it is, I would like to clarify that while Eleftheria doesn’t currently have either of those, I plan on her adopting a litter of pups soon after Laurelpack is founded and ideally, she will find a mate at some point! I’d prefer not to rush her into a relationship, but I can definitely prioritize finding her a partner if needed. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the alpha codeword in the pack-making project, no matter how hard I looked. I looked multiple times and read through everything, but I still couldn't find it. I couldn’t find the pack founding sign-ups project, either. I’m extremely sorry about this, and if you’d like, you can quiz me on the rules in the pack-making template or something so you can prove that I read it! If you have any questions about Laurelpack and how it functions, please feel free to ask me! I’m always happy to answer :D