Ranks Information

## Royal Ranks

Lord & Lady: The highest rank in the group, they are the mated pair which rule over all other ranks. They are given the most respect, and provide fair leadership and protection.

King & Queen: The King and Queen are the eldest offspring of the Lord and Lady. Being of the royal bloodline, they are chosen to be next in line to take their parents place when they pass on.

Prince & Princess: Like the King and Queen, they are also offspring of the Lord and Lady, but are a bit younger and still have yet to learn on becoming a ruler.

## High Ranks

All high ranks, no matter the title, serve as the right hand of the Lord and Lady. They are not of the royal bloodlines, but are the most trusted canids of the group chosen by the royal ranks themselves.

## Lead Ranks

General: The General is an individual who could be considered as a lead knight. They have much experience in fighting, and are able to lose their title from being defeated in a spar by a knight. He or she will also be used on the battle field, and is able to go out on solo patrols and hunting missions.

Punisher: Punishers are more of the executioners of the group. They will be responsible to keep the others of the group in line, reinforce the rules of the higher ranks and will aid the Shaman now and than with religious punishments against the species beliefs. And rarely, they will be used in hunting, patrols and combat situations.

Undertaker: A strictly male rank, the Undertaker is the one who disposes of fallen group members. They are forbidden to have a mate and kin, and will keep this rank until they pass on themselves, and a new Undertaker is chosen. They will do what is needed to make sure their fallen members are buried respectfully, and is in charge of tending to the site of the fallen members and tend to the area around their gravesite.

Huntsman: The lead assassin, the Huntsman's purpose is to pursue ones of the group who have disobeyed and decided to flee punishment. The Huntsman, along with assassins, are responsible to return the individual back to camp. They will be used during battle, unlike assassins, and is strictly a male rank. The Huntsman also shall be used to hunt down selected creatures along side the assassins, and return them for whatever reason back to camp.

Shaman: One of the more spiritual ranks, the Shaman is the lead medic of the group, along with being the 'priest' as well. They are thought to possess special gifts given to them by the moon itself, and must be skilled with herbs and strictly be of the female gender, along with being forbidden to have a mate and kin. They are in charge of all religious events, ceremonies and scarifies, including the Coming of Age ceremony of preteens. They are not used in any sort of patrols, hunting missions or battle, and will remain at camp for long periods of time to be protected and preach the word of the moon.

Guardian: Six in the group who are chosen to be, as the name entails, guardians or lookouts. They are responsible to guard the borders of camp, and scout for any possibly signs of a threat nearby. Their the first line of defense against an attack, and must be strong and loyal members of the group who would risk their lives for the welfare of the group.

## Medium Ranks

Knight: The warriors of the group, knights are used during battles with other groups, species etc. Knights are the only ones who are able to challenge the General for their title, and will become the new General if the spar is won. Knights are the main line of defense against an attack.

Nurse: Nurses are two, strictly female ones of the group who are considered assistances or apprentices of the Shaman. When the Shaman does pass on, one nurse will be chosen through certain means to take their place, upon the span of a couple nights. The other nurse who is not chosen will keep their rank, until the next Shaman passes as well, which they could possibly then be chosen to take her place.

Teacher: A mentoring rank, teachers are assigned to juveniles(apprentices) after they pass their Coming of Age ceremony and will train them in whichever rank they desire. Teachers must have knowledge on all ranks, from the Shaman to even a servant, they are wise and intelligent. They are allowed to mentor four apprentices at a time who are all interested in learning to become the same rank, including mentoring juveniles who wish to be teachers as well. Teachers are able to teach juveniles in becoming a gatherer, trapper, teacher, knight, assassin, observer, or a nanny, until their students become young adults or are thought to be ready. For example, a teacher who has more experience about a knight, will most likely be the one to teach four juveniles how to become a knight themselves, and so on.

Apprentice: A rank for students under the teachings of a teacher, apprentices are juveniles around the ages of ten to twenty-nine years who have passed their Coming of Age ceremony, and no longer need a nanny and their parents to look after them.

Gatherer: Gatherers are ones of the group who are sent out frequently to gather and retrieve needed supplies under command of the higher ranks, expected to know what item is asked for and to return without fail. They could be sent out to retrieve herbs for the Shaman and nurses, or to find suitable meat from a corpse the group could scavenge on.

Trapper: A rank for hunters, Trappers will be sent out to hunt for the main food source of the species, aquatic creatures.(meaning fish, crabs, etc) If food is scarce, they are responsible to locate corpses of anything they are able to find for the group to scavenge on. Since the species is rather slow moving and not quite agile, Trappers must come up with tactics and work together to hunt down prey.

Assassin: Assassins are just as the name entails, assassins of the group. They work under the Huntsman in pursuing individuals, and are used to send messages back and forth to other species or groups.

Observer: Four members of the group who are sent to spy and gain information on packs, clans, etc. They all must work together to remain hidden and silent for whomever their target is to not catch them. It could mean a matter between life and death to find out important information from other groups, and could even be used as blackmail against some as well.

## Low Ranks

Youngster: Another word for pup among the group, Youngsters are under the age of three years, and not very much will be expected for them around this period of time. They are taken care of by a nanny as their parents spend time following orders from the higher ranks, and need time away from the group. However, when they no longer are of three years, they must undergo the Coming of Age ceremony, where they will truly be apart of the group and be child of the moon.

Nanny: Another female only rank, nannies are the ones who look after pups and preteens until their Coming of Age ceremony, after they are of ten or so years old. They are responsible to protect them and provide safety, being forbidden to have a mate and kin of their own as well. They are unable to be apart of fights or spars of any kind, unless defending a pups' life. Nannies are not allowed to leave camp, not even to hunt for themselves, but will stay with the youngsters when their parents are away and doing their duties. Nannies are assigned a Forbearer to go with as well, to aid in the birthing of her pup and to protect them both until the pup is of at least eleven months.

Forbearer: A temporary rank for mothers who have or are expecting pups. They are to leave the safety of the group with one nanny to search for a den, far from even the camp's borders, leaving as soon as they can. When the pup is born, the Forbearer is to take care of their offspring, aided by the nanny who has accompanied them. Once the pup is eleven months of age, its mother and nanny will rejoin the others. The Forbearer will keep their temporary title until their offspring grows to the age of a pup, where the nanny will from there take care of it until their Coming of Age ceremony.

Elder: Elders are the seiners of the group, most having light gray or white tail tips to depict their old age. Despite their low ranking, Elders are treated with high respect amongst the group for their age, and are able to relax without question and remain in camp at all times.

Servant: The lowest rank in the group, servants have no rights or freedom, some having once disgraced the species beliefs or disobeyed in one way or another. They serve only the royal and high ranks, providing them whatever they order for the servant to provide, from humiliating themselves for the entertainment of the higher ranks to hunting down something for them. Servants also sleep wherever the higher ranks tell them too, even if that includes sitting out in the pouring rain outside. And unlike the others who freedom, servants don't have fangs like the species is meant to, their fangs have been removed.

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