Montizue

You walk down a dark tunnel from the main entrance. Slippery moss coated the floors and walls. You finally step into a cave, fairly small, with little dents scratched out of the dirt on one of the walls. Various plants were stored in these dents. A small pool of water sat near a wall, the water bubbling from an underground spring.

A mossy male wolf sits in front of a few piles of sorted herbs, a concentrated expression on his face. His ear twitches every now and then as he separates a pile, pulling out limp, useless herbs.

"This frost has killed my herbs," he mutters under his breath. You feel like you shouldn't be here while he's working. Just as you think that he glances up. His eyes widen with surprise.

"Oh, hello! I'm Montizue." He greets you. "We haven't had a visitor in a while. Are you injured or ill?" He asks. You shake your head; you're fine, and even if you weren't, you have your own herbalist back home.

"In that case, feel free to sit. I can answer any questions about the pack while I work," he offers. You shrug and take a seat, watching him curiously.

"Let me see... I suppose I can tell you some about our culture," he offers, keeping his eyes on his plants.

"We believe in four deities. Alextra changes the seasons so our herbs may grow and our prey be plenty. She gives us winter so we can learn to be strong, and so we don't eat all of the prey before it can breed.

Etima raises the sun and the moon. She gives us the daytime to teach our offspring and gather herbs and nesting materials. She gives us nighttime for our pups to rest and for us to hunt while our prey can't see.

Inetim gives us the plants that I use to heal my packmates, and the plants we use for various other reasons. He helps them grow. Whenever you replant herbs after gathering them, you are thanking him for his help in saving your pack.

And finally, Pateor controls the weather. They work with the other three gods to give us the rain we use to drink, the snow we use to play, the wind we use to track prey, even the dry seasons we use to teach ourselves how to take care of ourselves in the hardest times."

He stays quiet, allowing you to digest everything he said.

After a few minutes, he flicks an ear, looking back up at you momentarily. "Would you like to learn more?" He offers.

You shrug.

"Our pack generally believes in monogamous relations. The only exception is the herbalist, who is chosen by the gods. He is what most packs would consider a "Breeding Male". The herbalist is chosen for various reasons. He is often wise, clever, and calm. These are good traits to pass on to our offspring, so for many generations, he has been our breeding male.

Our pups stay with us until they're nearly adults. They are trained and taught our ways before being tested. They are tested in the profession they chose, whether that be a type of hunting or scouting or something else altogether. If they pass, they may choose whether they stay or leave to find their own pack. If they don't, however, they are sent into the forest. If they return after a full moon cycle, they will have proven their strength and might be accepted back into the pack.

This is because the gods have tested them in their own way, proving their worthiness."

He takes another glance at you. "If I bore you, you're welcome to leave. If you want, I can still tell you more."

You make your decision.

He nods as you stay, before turning his attention to his plants once again.

"Every wolf may choose an apprentice, who will take over their role once they become too old to continue. The only exceptions to this rule are the Alpha and the herbalist. Our Alpha's apprentice is, much like the herbalists', chosen by the gods. The Alpha and the herbalist will both be able to recognize this wolf as soon as they are born.

The apprentices will be taught as soon as they've been with us for half of a seasonal cycle, giving them time to learn our customs and decide what they'd like to learn. They are then either assigned a mentor or are chosen by an older, experienced wolf. They will spend the rest of that season cycle learning under their mentor, which is when they'll be tested, as I explained before.

If they pass the test, they may perform their tasks without the guidance of a mentor. They cannot choose an apprentice, or be assigned one until they've been with the pack for two full seasonal cycles."

He pauses again, yawning. "I apologize, I've been sorting these herbs since before the sun rose," he explains. "A few troublemaker pups enjoy getting into my stock and scattering everything."

You can't help but feel a little sympathetic for him. You decide you've heard enough. If you have more questions, someone else can probably answer them. You bid him goodbye, and he nods.

"Thank you for taking the time to learn about us," he calls just as you begin to walk down the dark tunnel you came through.