the Starcallers

*         *         *         *         The Solemn Compact of the Starcallers         *         *         *         *

- This is the compact drawn up between the First One and her companions, and so shall we forever be bound by its creed -

- ALL are welcome - ALL are worthy - NONE are above any other -

- The sick must be healed, the hungry must be fed, and the weak must be protected -

- We owe our lives to that which sustains us: the elk, the deer, and the grouse; and so shall their spirits be honored -

- The wisdom of the ages is the wisdom of the mother, and so shall our names pass from mother to child -

- The pack shall be defined as all adults who have willingly and freely bound themselves to the Compact -

- To better organize us and perform diplomacy with others, the pack shall be led by a Queen -

- The Queen shall be our guide and our friend, entrusted by us to keep us safe, yet neither servant nor ruler -

- In times of famine or hardship, the Queen shall be the arbiter of how best to feed and care for the pack -

- The Queen shall now and forever be a direct female descendant of the First One, Larka the Skysinger -

- The Queen may appoint a valid successor at any point during her life, or the pack shall elect a new Queen upon her death -

- When a new Queen shall come of age she must choose, for herself and for us, her Starcaller - 

- The Starcaller shall be as father to the next generation of the young, and only he may sire the Queen's pups -

- Each new Starcaller must come from foreign lands and foreign bloodlines, so that ours may grow strong -

- Should the Queen or the Starcaller act dishonorably or callously, a majority vote of the pack may censure them -

- Should the Queen or the Starcaller act with malice or gross negligence, a unanimous vote of the pack may remove them - 

- No wolf may lie with another wolf of the same lineage, and none may serve whose blood is thus polluted -

- It is blessed for wolves bonded in the Sisterhood of the Hunt to bear their pups on the same day -

- Those who serve the pack as Scouts shall refrain from bearing pups in the same season as one another -

- A male may serve the pack only as watcher of the young; unless he be the Starcaller, who may serve as he pleases -

- Should it be the will of the Queen, an exception to the above rule may be made, allowing a single male to serve as hunter -

- The young are as treasures: they may not be driven out, though they may leave as a gift to another pack -

- Upon reaching the age of maturity, pups must choose whether to bind to the Compact, or to depart with our blessing and love -

- Should any pack member seek to change this compact, they may do so only with a unanimous vote of the pack -