THE SILVERLEAF PACK
Introduction
The wolves of the Silverleaf Pack are a curious bunch, hailing from the unpredictable, damp mountains of the Pacific Northwest, specifically from the Cascades mountain range of the US state of Washington. Living in the silver birch forests bordering the boundaries of a tribe of cats, these wolves have, from the days of their ancestors, agreed to live in peaceful coexistence with the tribe, which they keep in this iteration of the pack. The ability to communicate with other animals were lost to the flow of time, but the pack, being strict followers of rule and tradition, keep this truce, as long as the cats do not come across the border, outside of observing a ceremony of theirs the wolves consider as a “rite of passage”.
The wolves of the Silverleaf Pack have a structure not unlike that of a clan of cats - the Alpha female and Alpha male lead the pack, with the Beta female and the Beta male being the second in command. The healer(s) have a strong connection to the stars (ancestors), and heal the other members with herbs found nearby. The hunters hunt and provide the pack with sources of food, and the fighters provide protection, although all wolves, by instinct, know how to defend themselves at all time of day. The apprentices make up those pups who have reached the age of six moons (months), who will be assigned mentors by the Alpha female to train as either a hunter or fighter. The mothers give birth and raise the pups who are essential to the survival of the pack. Aging wolves, known as sages, have reached a ripe old age, and are allowed to retire from their duties. As it is rare that wolves reach this point, the sages are respected, and all members take care to listen to their stories and advice that they tell. The Omegas make up the last of the ranks of the Silverleaf Pack, and these are the weakest members, or prisoners. All new members will automatically assigned the “Omega” status upon joining for a mandatory period of two moons, unless both the Alpha female and the Alpha male override this.
Background
The Silverleaf Pack has always coexisted with the Tribe of the Shrouded Mist for countless moons, with their ancestors agreeing on keeping the boundaries between clan and pack at the start of the silver birch grove known to both as the Silverleaf Forest. And as such, these wolves had roamed the forest and surrounding area north of the tribe, and they had never encroached on their territory, and the cats of the tribe stayed well away from the forest, outside of prey-hunter final assessments, which were respected by the pack.
That was… until both tribe and pack suddenly disappeared without a trace. Nothing was heard of from either of them, and both cats and wolves who roamed the area eventually forgot about them.
A lone she-wolf, who had broken off from her previous pack in order to answer the call of the stars, arrived in the area, only to be visited by the spirits of the wolves of the long-forgotten Silverleaf Pack, imploring her to restart their proud pack and lay order to the lands where cat and wolf once lived peacefully.
I am requesting this wolf as my alpha female.
The Territory
The Silverleaf Pack’s territory covers the entirety of the expanse of silver birch forests of a mountain part of the Cascades range in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, specifically in the state of Washington. There are a total of seven “points of interest” within this territory:
The Path of Man - To the east of the forest lies an old road, called “The Path of Man”, or “Man Path” for short. The road has been abandoned by humans countless moons ago, but the acrid scent of Man can still be detected.
The River of Wails - To the west, a river runs wild through the canyons. There are rumors of wolves who went mad after spending too long in the vicinity of the river, which is said to be filled with the wails of the wolves whose spirits were rejected by the stars.
The Creeping Mists - To the south lies the domain of the Tribe of the Shrouded Mist, a tribe of wild cats, and it is covered in thick mist most of the time. It is said that the mist protects the cats from their predators, as anyone who attempts to travel into it often return hours after, dazed and confused as to why they came to run in circles. The Silverleaf Pack usually avoids this area by default, aside from routine patrols, to respect the agreement made between their ancestors and the ancestors of the Tribe.
Border Trail - To the north lies another man-made road, known to the wolves as the Border Trail. It was once a popular hiking trail for Man, but they abandoned it once the wolves reclaimed the land for themselves. They mostly call this place the Border Trail to distinguish it from the large road to the east of their territory.
The Barn - An abandoned Man’s den, the barn is located just inside the southern reaches of their territory, and is left alone by the wolves, especially when the cats of the tribe seem to engage in what the pack deems is a rite of passage of sorts for them. The barn scents heavily of mice, but out of pride and respect for their ancient treaties, the Silverleaf Pack rarely even goes near this structure.
The Camp - The main dwelling area for the Silverleaf Pack, the camp consists of a sheltered valley found near the northeastern border. There are many rocky outcrops and small cave-like areas dotted across the landscape, and the wolves make home inside such areas. Not surprisingly, the Nursery, where the mothers and pups stay, is the central point of the camp, with at least two sentry wolves stationed at each of the camp’s two entrances at any given time.
The Alpha Den - Located near the main entrance to the camp, the alphas of the Silverleaf Pack do not live in protected seclusion; instead, they put themselves in the front line if the camp is attacked, and they take pride in this.
The Beta Den - Located near the secondary entrance to the camp, the betas serve a similar purpose to the alphas, in the sense that, in the event the camp is attacked, the alphas would protect the main entrance, and the betas the secondary one.
The Healer's Den - Located near the Nursery, the healer’s den houses the healer(s), and any he/she/they choose to train as their successor. They are as protected as the mothers and pups due to the pricelessness of their abilities to heal.
The Moon Reach - The meeting point for the pack, the Moon Reach is where the Alpha female calls the pack into meeting, whenever an important decision or ceremony must be carried out.
The Cave of Stars - Located a short way from the camp, but within the same valley, lies a curious cave where, it is said, the healer, his/her/their apprentice, or the alpha female, will be sent dreams by the stars (ancestors) to guide their actions, or send the pack new packmates.
Traditions
The wolves of the Silverleaf Pack don’t believe in gods or goddesses, but they do practice a form of ancestor worship in the form of venerating the stars. They believe that that the stars shining brightly in the night sky are individual spirits of wolves who have gone before them, and thanking the stars after successful hunts will please their ancestors, and in turn, the stars would advise their pack in their decisions and actions. The number 3 (three) is sacred to them, as, according to the ancient stories of the pack’s original founding, the first Alpha female and her mate, the first Alpha male, had three pups in their first litter, and they all set down important rules and regulations the pack follows to this day.
The three sets of codes that the Silverleaf Pack follows are known as the Tri-Code, and each set has their own unique name, named after the three sisters who were born to the founding pair: Lunaria's Code, Lumia's Code, and Argenta's Code.
Prey
The Silverleaf Pack’s prey mainly consist of mice, squirrels, hares, salmon, and deer. A hunting party of at least three skilled hunter wolves must be present in order to take down a full-grown deer, however.
