Reproduction

Wolves in the wild are usually heterosexual, but at 'Souls, we like to shake things up a bit. Lesbian, bisexual, and gay couples aren't all that uncommon, and same-sex couples have the option of finding a surrogate parent if they're interested in children. Though non-conventional sexualities are generally accepted, there's absolutely nothing wrong with playing a character that's against the idea or from an area where such practices are rare or taboo.

Although it's commonly said that wolves mate for life, there is a lot of varied information out there. There are some cases where a male wolf keeps two female wolves as his mates and some cases where wolves leave their mates and seek new ones. Because mateships here are more based on love than finding someone who will produce the best offspring, soap opera mating tactics aren't rare or surprising. Mateships can be dramatic and may switch up frequently, but there are plenty of very loyal and loving couples as well!

Mating

Mating may occur at 'Souls at any time, and there is no designated breeding season. For a mating to give way to puppies, the female must be ovulating at the time (just after she goes into heat). Otherwise, the mateship is purely for pleasure and will not result in puppies. The cycles of a female wolf are very easy to track and accidental parenthood should be rare, but the same could be said for humans and we all know how well that goes...

When normal wolves mate, or when Luperci mate in their lupus forms, it occurs just as any wolf mateship might. The male mounts the female, they do their thing, and then they get locked together for about an hour to ensure parenthood. The female is incapable of mating twenty-four hours afterward. When Luperci mate in shifted form, things are basically the same, except they're afforded the usual human leniency as far as position and kinkiness goes.

Although mating may occur at any time, please keep in mind that for puppies to be born and survive, the parents (and their respective roleplayers) must follow the guidelines on the Procedures page. Mature threads (and thus, threads involving sex) are allowed at 'Souls, provided one adheres strictly to the Mature Thread Guidelines.

Both Luperci and non-Luperci canines are officially sexually mature (able to reproduce) at 1.5 years (eighteen months). If the individual so desires, sexual activity may start before this time, but no pregnancy can occur before they are eighteen months of age. Note that this is more lenient than reality, where wolves are usually sexually mature at two years.

Hybridization

Cross-species breeding within the genus Canis is possible: a wolf may mate a coyote and vice versa. Please see Hybridization for more information.

Gestation

The gestational period of a wolf is around 60-63 days. During this period of time, the female will seek a den and ready it for the upcoming birth. Traditionally, a den should be near water, but not within flooding distance so the mother may get water whenever she wishes and not have to go for a long run. The den should be in a prey-abundant area and can either be dug by hand or created from an old cave. Dens in riverbanks are not uncommon because of the softness of the soil and the proximity to water, but it is dangerous to select a den so close to flooding zone in spring, when the ice and spring rains cause the rivers to flow. A den may also just be a big hole dug into the ground -- it's up to the mother and her mate, really. Near tree roots is prime territory: the soil is soft and the tree provides some shelter. Because of the area that 'Souls encompasses, it is also possible for mothers to den in a house or other structure.

The birth occurs on or around the 63rd day of gestation. The mother crawls into her den and lies down to give birth. Her puppies weigh around one pound at birth, and as soon as they enter the world, the mother cleans them up and severs the umbilical cord. The mother eats the puppies' placenta, umbilical cords, and amniotic sacs following birth, and directs them toward her nipples. If the mother is a Luperci, regardless of whether she carried them in a different form, her puppies will be born in their lupus forms. The minimum time between litters on 'Souls is twenty weeks.

Please take note as per the Werewolves Life Cycle page that a Luperci mother's gestation is almost exactly the same as a regular wolf's gestation; however, shifting becomes far more dangerous for the mother and her litter as the pregnancy advances. In the last two weeks of pregnancy, shifting from one form to another is a guarantee of fatality for mother and children alike.

Puppies

Puppies are born blind, deaf, and basically helpless -- almost immediately, however, they begin growing and adapting to their environment. By six months old, puppies are basically indistinguishable from adults; by one year old, they are fully grown. For detailed information regarding the growth of puppies (including language acquisition, psychology, and basic growth changes), please see the Puppies section.

At 'Souls, puppies are not playable until they are two months of age. Puppies younger than seven months are not allowed to be Loners without a designated guardian as it is highly unlikely that they would survive otherwise. Puppies are formally "adults" at nine months and will enter the adult ranks of most packs at this age. At fifteen months of age, adolescents reach sexual maturity.

Rape

Sadly, rape is not an entirely uncommon occurrence at 'Souls. A rape must be plotted beforehand. Your rapist character can't go around madly raping everything that moves; you must obtain out of character consent from the player whose character is being raped. Rape can and has resulted in pregnancy, but even if the IC situation is non-consensual, you must still obtain the permission of the 'Souls Assemblage as per the usual Procedure. If you decide to allow your character to be raped, please try to realistically play out the aftermath. Chances are, your character won't rapidly recover emotionally and start looking for love the week after (s)he is raped.