Bear Claw | Do Not Post

Before you continue, please respect that this is MY WRITING. You are NOT allowed to use it in any way, copy my pack lore, or change some words but leave the rest the same. I will get a mod involved.

Thank you for being respectful and writing your own stuff.

this writing may look familiar because I have posted it on a different site that I have since left.

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.overview.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

𓃦βear ₡law 𓃥

♦haunting memories that drown a wasted life♦

✧Εισαγωγή✧

Introduction

Many things with this pack are taken from Goblincore and Cryptidcore, and just wiccan practices in general. It's a very nice aesthetic those all have going and I thought it would be nice for my pack here. I am indeed aware that a lot of this stuff isn't related. I'm just trying to give them a sense of culture without it being one specific culture.

✧Το Aίμα✧

The Blood

There are two.

The first are the last of the pureblood Bear Claw wolves. They are almost always the alphas, and they are always strictly within the pack. They are the ones known as 'The Blood,' for the pack does not know of the second. Do not disrespect the Blood. They hold unrivaled superiority within Bear Claw, and many wolves blindly follow them.

✧Θρησκεία✧

Religion

Once, many years ago, Bear Claw worshiped two gods known as Heiti and Lupus.

That is no longer the case.

They have turned away from them, instead worshiping Selene - better known as the Moon. Many rituals surround her. Howling alone at midnight for mourning, leaving out crystals and water out on the full moon for Selene to fill with Her benevolence. Some within the pack have even started believing that silver pelts mean you are moonborn.

Wolves within Bear Claw can usually be seen decorating themselves with the insides of clam shells. These shiny pieces of clams are similar to the moon, and so they believe that by wearing them they have a better connection with Selene.

Both moths and bats are seen as holy figures to the wolves of Bear Claw as well. Though many see them as pests, Bear Claw views them as direct descendants of Selene.

✧Πουλιά✧

Birds

Bear Claw has a very odd connection with birds. Mostly every wolf has one as a familiar, and can understand what they say easily. Birds cannot speak, but Bear Claw and a number of packs can understand what they're saying so clearly it's like they can.

Most of the birds that Bear Claw has are corvids or turkey vultures. Rarely they have a songbird or two.

✧Αρσενικό νύχι✧

Bear Claw

Bear Claw hails from a pack under the same name. This pack began hundreds of years ago. They were started by Tikaani and Jeci, your average gray wolf and black wolf.

The pack started on the continent of North America, approximately 11,000 years ago. Somehow they made their way here over hundreds of years. While the original pack has long since disbanded, some ten thousand or more years ago, their offspring honor them by keeping the bear claw and naming whatever pack they create after it. It is less of the same pack and more of a long process of rebirth and destruction.

The bear claw is where the pack gets its name. Tikaani and Jeci had a cave bear claw for some reason, though none know how it was found. Maybe they found it. Maybe Bear Claw really is just that old, though it would be a miracle that the Purebloods stayed around for that long.

Alphas in Bear Claw always have the bear claw itself as an earring to signify their leadership.

✧Τοποθεσία✧

Location

Bear Claw has claimed a large expanse of territory, despite not really needing all the territory they own. The land they inhabit resembles Norway/Romania.

✧Γλώσσα✧

Language

Bear Claw speaks English, yes, like mostly any other pack. However, in case the titles didn't hint at it already, within the pack they speak Greek. They used to speak Native American a long time ago, but as territories mixed and wolves came and went, the language slowly changed and warped.

✧Το Kρησφύγετο✧

The Den

The den of Bear Claw is the strangest part about the territory. Odd, glowing mushrooms grow from the trunks of a roofed pine forest, where the light barely filters through. Some trees have carvings of wolf-like figures, others have simple carvings of the moon. Clam shells that have been gnawed into crescent moon shapes hang from low branches.

The den itself is in a strange clearing. It's not really a 'clearing' - the tree branches just allow more light in here. A pile of rocks is all the eye can see at first glance, but when one draws closer, it reveals the tiny den entrance in the middle. Overgrown lilacs and forget-me-nots and the like mask the opening fairly well, and sprout up from between rocks.

There is a bog a few meters from all this, where old skeletal trees rise from the water, and ancient moss covered logs struggle to stay afloat. There's a strange young maple tree here, on an island in the middle of it all, with gray bark and an oddly twisted branch. This tree has rare mushrooms growing at its base, and often Bear Claw's wolves can be seen swimming all the way through the murky waters and swarming around the base to eat some of these mushrooms. They say it has healing powers or something.

There are odd bones throughout the territory as well. Every wolf in Bear Claw has their own personal 'bone stash' where they leave all of their skeleton oddities. Skulls, legs, teeth - all of them. Bear Claw wolves have been known to make public stashes for teeth, and like to show them off to one another.

Many wolves in Bear Claw steal shiny things from outside packs and put them in the rockpile at the den. This is how they get crystals for Selene usually, but they're also just really obsessed with shiny things.

✧Διατροφή✧

Diet

Bear Claw wolves tend to avoid hunting. Not because they are some sort of vegetarian group or whatever - no, they just find scavenging and stealing food easier. When they do hunt, they usually go for deer, but they avoid going into head-to-head battles. Instead, they usually chase them off of steep cliffs or herd them into rocky territory, where deer are at high risk of snapping a limb.

There is a lake in a remote spot of the mountain that only Bear Claw wolves know about, and even then it's a challenge for them to find. This lake has oddly warm water, most likely from volcanic activity, and the fish within the lake are called cichlids. Bear Claw wolves usually snack on these when carcasses/other packs with food are hard to find.

✧Πεδία Σελήνης✧

Moon Fields

Throughout Bear Claw's territory, there are small fields. Three of them are referred to as "Moon Fields," and are used for different rituals.

The first is a field of overgrown flowers like poppies and the like. There is one old oak near the eastern edge of the field with one branch low enough for a wolf to get in. They use this field for night rituals.

The second is closer to the den, and far smaller. It lies on the other side of the bog, and is filled with purple flowers and long grass. The wolves use this one for burying the bodies.

The final is at the far edge of the territory. This one is more rocky, with bigger, more spread out trees. This one they use for social gatherings such as festivals.

✧Κυρία Λουάνα✧

Lady Luana

Has there ever been a wolf as beautiful as Lady Launa? Certainly not. None could compete with her gorgeous howl, or her lovely looks. Lady Launa is known as the best wolf to ever live in Bear Claw. A wonderful, loyal servant to her gods, and the Raven Master, and most importantly, the best healer in their history. Lady Launa is now a wolf that is used often as an example for the pups to follow. She herself is irreplaceable, but they can honor her memory by striving to follow in her divine pawsteps.

✧WIP✧

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Detailed and Broken Down Lore Below

In the following posts, you will find:

Ranks

Detailed Practices

Rituals

Detailed Beliefs

And more

Ranks

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THE PRIESTESS

The most important role in all of Bear Claw, the Priestess schedules and leads rituals such as burial rights, prayers, the beginning of a festival, and rituals said to keep the zocráfolian and other evils away. She is also known as the Herbalist, or the Healer, though Priestess is much more preferred. Spells are often performed under the full moon on clear nights or thunderstorms. The Priestess is the only rank who can have her own den. Her den is devoted mainly to healing and a study of her craft.

The Priestess is the most easily recognizable of all Bear Claw wolves besides a member of the Blood. She is adorned from head to tail in skulls, bones, herbs, feathers, and plenty of other things. A Priestess must be shown respect at all times or you will receive punishment. Unless she is proven to not be doing her holy duties and abusing her power, she should be clear of all disrespect.

Most often, she is a member of the Blood, and yet she earns even more respect than before. During the Lunar Events she leads rituals, festivals, and even performs stunning spells to boast the power of Selene. These spells are more prayer-like than trick-like. However, it has been said that especially powerful Priestesses can summon the orbs from the dream realm or even manifest spirits if she focuses hard enough.

A Priestess trains her whole life to become more powerful and connected with the nighttime world. It is said that when a Priestess dies, the nights are silent for many weeks afterwards.

Priestesses are most commonly leaders.

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The Blood

The Blood is basically the alphas. They lead Bear Claw by birthright. Apparently, their family tree stretches to the very first wolves who began Bear Claw, back sometime in the final ice age. They were not gray wolves, but they weren't dire wolves either. Their offspring did interbreed with the gray wolf, however, resulting in the modern Bear Claw wolf you see today.

The Blood are highly respected. No matter their alignment, they are kept as the leader. Multiple times the Blood has been threatened, but multiple times it has saved itself. Clearly. Or they would not be here today.

As stated in the longer intro post, the Blood always carry the real bear claw in their ear. Just a simple earring, really. Over the years it has been adorned with some miniscule carvings and moss has grown on a large portion of it, but it is still the iconic earring that adorns the Blood.

WIP

space reserved.

space reserved.

Enemies

Foxes

Of all the creatures, foxes are by far the most hated. Foxes are a kill on-sight animal. Once slain, the wolves don't even do anything with their corpse. They believe it's laced with wicked and evil, and to take anything from it would corrupt oneself. This belief's origins are from a she-wolf buried in Bear Claw's past. She was an ally with a fox, and she was as cruel and blood-crazy as a wolf could be.  The story has been twisted by generations, and somehow along the way the rumor was born that it was her fox ally who made her so wicked. Thus, the tradition of slaying the lesser canine was born.

However, some foxes are exceptions. For example, foxes in the dream realm are allowed to walk free of harm. As stated in [to be added], anything in the Dream Realm is considered sacred and must not be harmed unless it's aggressive.  Another example would be hybrids of two fox breeds, such as a silver/red fox. Bear Claw has always seemed to have a soft spot for misfits, and this carries over to their religion. These hybrid creatures are seen as innocent and betrayed by the laws of their own breed.

There are also foxes who are actively hunted by Bear Claw wolves. Silver foxes are, according to legend, a pure demon. If a wolf reports seeing one, it is taken as a serious matter and hunters will be deployed to slay the beast and ghost the den, assuming it has one. This is different from others because most fox sightings are merely treated as a sighting and something that can be taken care of later. When a vixen is slain they usually don't go searching for a den as they do with silver foxes.

Note: I have nothing against foxes. It's just something to add lore to my pack based off of an old roleplay of mine. I did not intend to offend anyone.

reserved juuuststststst in case.

.:|LORE STORIES|:.

to avoid spamming imma just edit this every now and then with uhh h hh   stories of past Bear Claw. Future Bear Claw will receive special posts as a log of sorts.