the ROLEPLAY guide @ 'SOULS

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 here. Same-sex couples have the option of finding a surrogate parent if they're interested in children. Though nonconventional sexualities are generally accepted, there's absolutely nothing wrong with playing a character that's against the idea. :P

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 that uncommon or surprising. Mateships can be dramatic and may switch up frequently.

Mating may occur between any wolves 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 and stops bleeding). 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 wolves mate in werewolf 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 must follow the guidelines on the Rules page. Cross-species breeding within the genus is also possible: a wolf may mate a coyote and vice versa. For Luperci, the resulting hybrid will not be sterile. Cross-species breeding outside of the genus Canis, but within the family Canidae is not encouraged. In real life, such hybrids are not possible. We've decided to allow them at 'Souls -- thus, a hybrid between a African Wild Dog and a wolf would be allowed -- but they are still highly, highly discouraged. All such hybrids would be sterile. In cases where there is a significant size difference between species, as with wolves and foxes, no hybrid is possible. If you have any questions, please contact the 'Souls Assemblage.

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

The gestational period 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. More humanized Luperci may simply decide to den in a house.

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.

Puppies are born unable to see or hear, but they have a very good sense of smell. For the first two weeks of life, they are entirely dependent on their mother. At around two weeks of age, their blue eyes open and they begin hearing. At three weeks, their milk teeth appear, and they begin to explore their den. At four to five weeks, the puppies begin taking short excursions to the outside world and can begin eating regurgitated meat from the pack members. At six weeks, the puppies can move up to a mile away from their den when escorted by an adult wolf. When they reach eight weeks, they are weaned from their mother entirely and live on regurgitated meat. This is also the time when the pack will move the puppies from their birthing den into a rendezvous site. At twelve weeks, they can begin accompanying their pack on hunts. By 16 weeks, their eyes have changed color, although this may continue changing into adulthood. When they reach 28 weeks, their milk teeth have been replaced by adult teeth. At 6-8 months, they are finally able to hunt with the pack.

Sadly, rape is not an entirely uncommon occurance 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-consentual, you must still obtain the permission of the 'Souls Assemblage. 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.