Kodaway

Tucked into the folds of the mountains, a wide, U-shaped glacial valley funnels icy winds down off the glaciers and into the lowland forests. Tall loblolly, good-smelling cedars, grand old sequoia, and quaking aspen groves sway gently in the sunlight and the cold air; the dense mixed conifer stands are interspersed with sunny fire meadows dotted with flowers. Above the treeline, scree slopes lead up to pale cliffs. Down in the middle of the valley, a broad glacial-fed creek meanders this way and that through the grasses. When you walk forward to dip your toes into the water, it's ice cold.

And as the cold mountain breezes sweep over your face, rustling the grasses and putting ripples on the water... you smell wolves.

This is Valley Kodaway, named for the stream which runs through the center of it. It is also the name of the family of wolves that live on the stream's banks. The Kodaway are gold-and-grey wolves, keen-eyed nomadic hunters who wander the peaks and forests surrounding their natal valley. Typically cheerful and confident, these wolves are friendly enough when you meet them in their travels -- but their valley is sacred, and protected. Very few get to walk here.

Kept safe in pride of place inside a hollow in the roots of a fallen redwood, the matriarch and her inner circle of wolves in their prime conspire to raise the future of the pack. Nested in a meadow of wildflowers in a sunlit opening in the canopy created by the redwood's fall, the up and coming primes enjoy the warmth; the rest of the pack, nested in patches of grass under the canopy's shade, hunt and scout in celebration of the matriarch and her heirs. Not far away, the creek murmurs to itself as it cuts through the meadows; youths play on a sandy shoal beside the creek, out where passing packs might see them and take an interest in recruiting the young dispersals for their own packs.

When a wolf comes of age, they shall join the hunting packs. Most beloved inheritors, destined for breeding, shall gain the prized roles of stalker or finisher.

When the first scout reaches the prime of their 20th level, they shall no longer be a scout. The second scout shall become the first, and the eldest of the beloved inheritors shall be awarded the role of second scout.

When a wolf enters their prime, their work shall be the work of the future -- breeding, the nursing and mentoring of pups, healing the ill. Hunting and scouting are the work of the striving young. The only exception shall be if their presence is needed to make up the numbers of the hunting parties.