Spirituality and Religion

# Leaders of the Sky - Night and Day

The Leaders of the Sky are personifications of the night and day, named simply as Night and Day. They act as gods in WotW, and are mostly forgotten by newer generations aside from wind seekers.

Day and Night are believed to be the first wolves to travel the land, amongst the first of all creatures. While the bison beat the ground to create mountains and hills, and the eagles’ wings whipped breezes into motion, and the salmon spun rivers from nothing, the wolves leaped high into the abyss and stretched out to create skies to shelter everyone. They soon came to be known as Night and Day.

## N I G H T

Night rules over death, the afterlife and physical energy. He is father to all wolves and is more likely to communicate with the living. Dams and elders tell stories of Night to pups about how he watches everyone, this influences them to stay loyal and work hard as they grow up. He also controls the wolves’ afterlife: the Beyond.

The moon is depicted as Night’s eye; most spiritual activities and gatherings take place when the moon is full, and most villainous schemes are performed when the moon is not visible, as it is believed it is then that Night can not see them.

## D A Y

Day rules over life, rebirth and emotional energy. She is mother to all wolves and is less likely to communicate with living wolves, but is said to offer the most to the packs when they ask and cast rightful punishments. She was prayed to most by all wolves, especially by pregnant dams, since she controls reincarnation and rebirth.

Day is seen as a calm and caring being, although ruthless when it comes to protecting her faithful followers. The sun is believed to be her eye; it never closes as she is always busy in keeping a close watch of the wolves in order to decide what fate they should have, and what they are worthy of gaining or losing.

## T H E   S K Y

The sky is considered to be the pelts of the great leaders of the sky: Night’s beautiful fur glittered with stars and his glorious northern light that stretches across his pelt, Day’s fur bright and clean, showing off her charming wisps of pinks as she rises over the land. At dawn and dusk when the sky is painted orange, pink and purple, it is said this is the two giants passing each other and grooming each other’s fur as they greet one another.

Wolves are most active at dawn and dusk because it is when both the sun and moon are in the sky, and so both leaders are watching over them and have the chance to assist them in hunting, scouting or even in battle.

Wolves describe the clouds in the sky as the trails their paws have made whilst traveling.

# The Afterlife

There are two afterlives that all packs mutually believe in: the Beyond and the spirits to come.

It is important to note that there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ afterlife, if a wolf is considered morally bad in their life they may be punished by not being able to reincarnate after they die or enter the Beyond, leaving their souls to wither away lonely on the land or fade as soon as they die. A wolf can choose what happens to them after death, although to be reborn and serve your pack all over again seems to be most desirable.

## T H E    B E Y O N D

The Beyond is the ‘other side’ of the land that no living wolf can see. It is full of colour and stars, and of course spirits. The dead wolves who roam the Beyond look as though they did when they were in their prime: whether that be the age they died, when they were happiest, or when they were young and strongest.

Spirits of the Beyond can often make themselves known to wind seekers by speaking to them via gusts of wind and breezes, visiting them in dreams and even willing a visible form in the fog or snow - these wolves are called wind runners. When wind runners pass on omens and prophecies or advice to wind seekers, it is often the words of the Leaders of the Sky. Although a wolf’s ancestors sometimes pass on messages through wind runners to send to their living relatives.

## S P I R I T S    T O    C O M E

The Spirits to come are deceased wolves about to be reborn or reincarnated. There is no afterlife for the Spirits to come; When it is a spirit’s time to be reborn, Day will guide them from the Beyond to meet their new body. After they are reborn, the wolf will forget all of their past memories but keep the unique skill or characteristic of their former selves. For example, if an incredible swimmer with a white dot between his eyes was reborn, his ‘newer self’ may inherit his swimming skills and his white dot, or maybe just the white dot.

## F A D I N G    A W A Y

After wolves are completely forgotten by the living that still walk the land, their soul in the Beyond fades away for good, even if there are spirits in the Beyond that still have relations with them.

However, a wolf's spirit can stay alive in the Beyond through spoken stories on the living land. It is because of this that some of the very first wolves to walk the territory around the mountain are still thriving in the beyond as their stories are still being told by living wolves, although their relatives may have faded away a long time ago.