🩸🌙bleeding moon - fester lore [WIP, do not post]

Preface

⋆--links

  fester lore [you're here]

 fester discussion
⋆--vocabulary

  time

 seconds: heartbeats
 minutes: many heartbeats
 hours: suns
 days: sunrises
 months: moons
 half a year: two seasons
 full year: seasons

 measurements

 inch: whiskers
 foot: tails
 miles: horizons

 seasons

 spring: warming
 summer: sun low
 fall: cooling
 winter: moon high
⋆--directory

1. origins

 2. pack life

 3. territory, landmarks, camp

 4. laws, rituals

 5. roles

6. allegiance

 7. links

Origins

once there were two suns.

gold and silver.

they traversed the beyond.

exploring endless galaxies.

until they came upon something strange.

empty land, stretching out all around them.

barren and dead.

the two suns decided to share this land.

they gave it life.

the golden sun used its glow to grow plants and trees.

the silver sun used its tears to fill the lands with water.

after being alone together for so long, golden sun grew weary of silver sun.

it shunned silver sun into the darkness, remaining in its own warmth and light.

from it creatures were born, filling the world.

they ate the plants golden sun provided.

silver sun watched, uncertain.

when silver sun tried to approach, it brought dark and cold.

golden sun would draw away with its creatures and hide from silver sun.

silver sun continued to cast its faint shine onto the world alone.

as time went on, many creatures were born.

soon they filled the lands until there was barely any room.

the world began to grow barren again.

silver sun saw this and told golden sun they needed to be rid of.

golden sun was repulsed by the thought.

silver sun insisted and touched one of golden sun's creatures.

it fell to the ground and began to decompose, giving back to the land.

golden sun was horrified, and its horror turned to rage.

it attacked silver sun, tearing it open.

silver sun's blood fell to the earth where the creature had died.

a crimson pool began to gather, and from it beasts emerged.

the first wolves.

they chased after golden sun's creatures.

when they caught them, they consumed them.

eventually other predators emerged, joining the hunt.

golden sun watched in shock, behind it silver moon became hard and cold.

it was now a corpse, a spirit.

the moon.

it rose in its new form, crawling towards sun.

sun saw and fled in terror, just like the prey in the world below.

the two continued in a cycle of light and darkness, of life and death.

when wolves die, our howls guide them to the beyond, to join the moon's endless hunt as a star.

Pack Life

coming soon

Territory

around fester lake the land rots. its bodily fluids seep through its flesh, creating a sunken, stinking land; a swamp. plants flourish from the decay, its death giving the world life. fester lake itself lies in its center with water of red, the moon's blood. around it wolves have lived for countless seasons, for it was where they first emerged. fog blankets their world, concealing them and muffling their scents as they use their superior senses to track prey. it is a place of life and death in a perfect endless cycle.

Laws and Rituals

⋆--laws

  1. our ancient ways state only the soulkeeper is to breed among the pack. any pups from another male is considered forbidden and to be killed.

2. only creepers have the blessing to leave the territory as they desire. all other wolves may only travel beyond the borders with the permission of the voicehaver.

3. flesh, blood, and tears alone may be shed into the lake. anything else is considered defilement.

4. those who have forgotten the lake are not only a danger to themselves but you. upon finding an outsider who does not know of their origins, you are to enlighten them. treat them with respect, but do not let their narrow vision mislead you from the moon's blood.

5. the cycle of life must always be respected. only kill when it promotes life, like prey is killed for sustenance.

6. all prey is to be taken to camp and shared among the pack. sick, elderly, nursing mothers, and youth are to be fed first.

7. the council must meet every full moon to share information and make decisions.

8. relationships are permitted, but you must not have pups with anyone except the soulkeeper. only wolves who recognize the lake as their origin are suitable for romance. falling in love with a wolf who is ignorant to or rejects the lake is forbidden.

9. the pack is your life, and you must do everything you can to protect it.

10. above all else, we must pledge loyalty to the lake. we honor how it gave us life and continue to carry where we came from in our memory. forgetting the lake is forgetting yourself.
⋆--rituals

the lake

 all life starts and ends within the lake. pups are born within its waters, anyone who dies is left to decay within. food is also sacrificed when it begins to rot, as it festers their ancestors are feasting on it.

howling

howling is used for many reasons; communication, bonding, celebrating, morning. the howls of fester pack vary in meaning depending on who leads it. voicehavers conclude ceremonies/successful rituals with howls. starsayers lead the howl to guide the souls of deceased packmates into the beyond. reapers howl after a kill to chase the soul of their prey into the hunting grounds of the beyond. specters howl an alarm when danger threatens the camp.

 soul circle

starsayer apprentices are brought to the soul circle to prove themselves. one of the mushrooms from the circle is consumed by the apprentice. some apprentices enter a trance and see things they usually cannot. others begin foaming at the mouth, writhing until they die. apprentices who survive are considered worthy of being a starsayer. death is usually avoided, as the starsayer is chosen wisely. once they complete this trip successfully, they return to shed their blood into the lake.

 WIP

Roles

voicehaver

the soul of the pack.

leader of the pack, the voicehaver makes the final decisions, leading their packmates in survival. voicehavers, unlike most leaders, are not chosen by bloodline or strength but rather by the voices. the voices come every generation, filling a wolf's mind with a stream of conversation, giving them constant information. at first this is overwhelming, but as the wolf learns to live with them, they become guides to their life, then to their whole pack. the ones who hear the voices are highly respected and, in turn, chosen as their leaders.

allwatcher

the heart of the pack.

allwatchers organize the pack and keep things running smoothly. they also ground the voicehaver, helping navigate them through the cacophony in their head. allwatchers are chosen by the newly named voicehaver and are usually someone close with them, the one who gets through to them. they usually grew up with the voicehaver and are used to the voices, acting as a guide and anchor for them.

council

the voice of the pack.

the council consists of the voicehaver, allwatcher, soulkeeper, starsayer, the creeping, specter, and reaper. they meet every full moon to discuss pack life, what has happened, information they've gathered, and decisions to be made. the voicehaver always consults them before making a choice for the pack.

heir

the destiny of the pack.

the heir is the next wolf to hear the voices. they are found around six moons and apprenticed to the voicehaver and allwatcher. the two wolves guide the heir and help them learn to live with the voices, shaping them into their role. 

soulkeeper

the lover of the pack.

soulkeepers are named this for the belief they are gateways for new souls into this world. they are the sole breeding male, providing their services in growing the pack. this is a holy role that has been passed down for countless seasons. they are worshipped in a way, but more as a part of a ritual than as a deity or god. the soulkeeper maintains pack bonds, usually a popular male who gets along with many wolves.

starsayer

the healer of the pack. 

starsayers, like voicehavers, are born every generation into the pack. instead of the voices, the stars find them. they experience symptoms of spiritual connection. this can include insomnia, star-gazing, daydream-like visions, dissociation, out of body experiences, or other abilities. once found the starsayer is trained in the way of the herbs, learning to care for the pack.

the creeping

the eyes of the pack.

the creeping, or creepers as individuals, are wolves who wander. they are responsible for exploring the world around their territory and bringing back information. they are often gone, and the role is considered high risk. only wolves who volunteer at two seasons of age are chosen to do it. the pack only allows two wolves to do this at a time. creepers are often somewhat loners in nature, but are respected by the pack anyways.

the haunt

the guardians of the pack.

the haunt remains at camp, or rather 'haunts' it. they watch the pups and keep an eye out for any danger. though this job seems laid back, a haunt needs to be strong enough to defend the pack if anything occurs. they are considered the pack's guard and are vital to keeping it safe.

specter

leader of the haunt.

through a trial a lead of the haunt is chosen, or the specter. they organize the haunt and are the ones to howl an alarm if danger comes to the pack. theyre incredibly strong and usually older, having many years of experience.

the bloodletting

the blood of the pack.

the bloodletting is the main and largest role of the pack. though a bloodletter is considered an average wolf, they are of vital importance. the bloodletting is responsible for tracking prey and bringing it down for the pack to feast on. three sections of the bloodletting exist; stalkers, chasers, and finishers. they work in teams of five, one stalker, three chasers, and one finisher.

reaper

leader of the bloodletting.

the reaper is chosen through an ancient ceremony and is the leader of the bloodletting. they organize the hunts and are the ones to lead the howl in chasing their prey's spirit into the beyond for their ancestors to feed on. this can generally be any wolf who has proven themselves in hunting skill.

pups

the future of the pack.

pups are the youth of the pack. from birth they are assessed by personality and what they excel in to fit them into a future role. the pack does this as a whole and gives information to the voicehaver, but it is the voicehaver's decision alone in the end. at six moons old they are apprenticed and collectively trained by the wolves in their future role. at two seasons old they go through a trial or ceremony to receive their full status as a member of the pack.

Allegiance

coming soon

Links

⋆--stories

1. found
⋆--bios

coming soon
⋆--misc

theme

 abyssal badlands

Found

Thick fog rolled over the swamp in swirling sheets of haze. Ghostly shadows of trees stretched out over Yarrow as she walked, the red water pulling at her paws with every step. It was as if she had awoken from a dream, or was walking in one. One moment she had been somewhere else, she knew she had to have been, and now she was here. As to where she had been, her memory turned up nothing. Even more strange, she felt anxious.

Yarrow walked along the shallows of the lake, thinking. Something was missing, someone was missing. She had to have been with others, for why else would she be here? Yarrow emerged from the waters onto an empty shore and turned to look out over its crimson surface. It was familiar, for she knew where she was. Fester Lake, the place of origins, of the moon’s blood. Her home. Still she remembered the pack law, order, and origins. Surely that was enough. Still, something in her felt that it wasn’t.

Everything was quiet, only the sound of waves could be heard. Yarrow padded towards a den, looking inside. Bones of prey were scattered over the floor, pale and silent. It was the lair of the Bloodletting, their hunters. But where were they? Others had been here before, hadn’t they? She knew for herself that she had always been here. Born in the lake, just like every pup of the Fester Pack. But where were those she had grown up with? Everything drew to a blank, and beyond her own feelings, Yarrow realized she had no evidence anyone ever was here.

  No matter how much she thought, she couldn’t remember anyone besides herself. Had she always been alone? No, she did remember someone. And this unusual anxiety wasn’t strange, it was because this was important. It was a pup, a pup had gone missing. Whispering Light, an orphan she cared for. Yarrow shook herself and left the cave, picking up her pace. It wasn’t like her to get distracted by her own imagination. Perhaps the fog was disorienting her more than usual.

  Yarrow turned into the dark shapes of the forest. The fog coiled around the foliage and trees, blanketing the ground in swathes of white. Still her thoughts wouldn’t leave her alone. No one else was out here, because they weren’t now. So it must have always been just her and Whispering Light. Right? Yarrow closed her eyes, drowning out a whisper of doubt in the depths of her mind. It was just her, her and Whisper. Nothing was wrong. 

  A root snagged Yarrow’s paw and she nearly stumbled forwards. She hadn’t realized how fast she had been walking. Looking over her shoulder she could no longer see the lake. Something about it not being in her line of sight made unease prickle her pelt. At the same time, she was confused by her own feelings. The lake was important, but surely she could survive away from it. Yarrow sighed and licked her paw before forcing herself forwards. She had to find Whisper.

  A clearing opened in front of Yarrow, bushes with white bulbs enclosing a small meadow. And, as if her thoughts had summoned her, there she was. Curled up in the middle of the flowers, blonde pelt shimmering with gold even in the gloom. Whisper lay without a scratch on her, her sides slowly rising and falling. Yarrow found herself barely reacting. It was as if she knew she’d find her here all along, as if the desperate search had never occurred. And this disturbed her. This wasn’t right. None of it was.

  Yarrow padded to Whisper’s side and lowered herself next to her, curling around the pup. At this moment the little blonde’s eyes fluttered open, looking up at the mossy she-wolf above her. They were wet with tears, glistening as they ran down her cheeks. Whisper tucked her head under her paw, small sobs escaping her. Yarrow watched with solemn patients as the sounds slowly died down.

  “I’m so sorry, Yarrow. I hear them. I hear the voices. And when I heard them I ran away.” Whisper said, her voice shaking.

  Yarrow had already known, for the winds that spoke to her had told her. The little pup was the next Voicehaver, the leading role of their pack. Every generation the voices came to a new pup. Once heard, that pup would become the heir.

  “I don’t want this,” Whisper confessed. “I don’t think I can do it. But they want me to. They tell me to, that it’s my destiny.”

  “The voices always choose carefully,” Yarrow told Whisper, giving her head a gentle lick. “You may not be ready now, but you will be. And I will help you get there. I’ll always be by your side, little star.”

  Whisper sniffled and nodded slowly, burying her face into Yarrow’s shoulder. 

  “Thank you.” 

  The two wolves curled up together in the meadow, sharing silence as the fog closed around them.

Bio: Whispering Heart


✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
name: whispering heart
nickname: whisper
role: voicehaver
gender: female
pronouns: she/her
orientation: bisexual
theme: lily - alan walker
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
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⋆--personality

coming soon
⋆--history

coming soon
⋆--art