Were Notes

Transformations:
The weres of the Holders' Sagas are different from the anthros because of one major thing; their ability to transform or "shift" as it is more commonly called. Shifting is considered a skill; though it is one all weres share, some find shifting harder than others.

There four ways for a shift to occur:
1) a certain amount of time passes and the were spontaneously shifts
2) the were experiences extreme fear or extreme anger and spontaneously shifts
3) a were wills the shift
4) a were bites another were of the same species and shifts, forcing the bit were to shift with them.

The first two are called "forced changes", and almost always result in the shifted were locked in "berserker mode" as well as looking like a bipedal beast resembling the type of animal their were-wide is. These transformations are painful, especially the first, and typically avoided. These shifts can only happen if the were is in human form.

The third type is the most common; a were can shift from feral to beast to human. Particularly adept shifters can achieve full transformation in seconds. This type of change is still uncomfortable, but VASTLY less-so than a forced change.

The fourth type is reserved for emergencies. It is referred to as a "save-shift" or "save-change". Both weres must be in feral or beast form for this to work. Typically, it's used to snap a were out of berserker mode if they've undergone a forced change.

Packs, Herds, Prides, Clans, and Tribes:
Most weres are extremely social creatures. Even if an individual is more introverted, a solid social life is as vital to them as food or water. Because of this, many species create social groups based around their species. Most of these groups are extremely selective, though mixed groups are not uncommon.

Packs are formed by dogs, coyotes, wolves, and other canines. They are usually stationary, though some smaller packs are nomadic. They follow strict rules, and rarely allow a different species into their ranks. Most will accept a subspecies of their breed, though this varies from pack to pack and can change with the leadership. They are led by two Alphas; one male one female. In some packs, the High Alpha is whoever wins the Rank Fight against the current Alpha and the second Alpha is their mate. In other packs, the two Alphas do not need to be mates though they are always opposite genders. There is also an Omega. The Omega's duties vary wildly depending on pack. Some larger packs have multiple Omegas to prevent them from being over-worked. Other large packs have their apprentices share the duties of the Omega. The Omega is responsible for scouting out the territory on a regular basis - especially in times of war - to prevent surprise attacks. He or She may also serve as a messenger between packs. They gather herbs for the Healers, collect materials for dens, and occasionally assist the Healers after battle or during an illness outbreak. The Omegas of the Pack of the Moonlit Forest also acted as personal messengers, assistants, and advisers to their Alphas. This pack usually had at least two Omegas at one time - one male and one female - and allowed their Omegas to take mates if they wished, unlike other packs which frowned upon this.

Herds are formed by herbivores. They are mostly nomadic, though the stay around the same area. Unlike the feral herds, they do not need to worry about being hunted by the carnivorous weres, though there might occasionally be a brutal pack of weres that targets them for hunts.

Prides are formed by felines.

Tribes are formed by any species, and are more "civilized" than packs or Herds. Canine Tribes usually have the same ranks as a Pack, though with less strict rules for the lower-ranked members. They are led by a Chief or Chieftess - a Matriarch in the case of Hyenas - and either vote on their leader or follow the ways of the Packs using Rank Fights.

Clans are like tribes, but nomadic.

Species:
All were species can also be an anthro species, but not all anthro species can be a were species.

Weres are limited to canines (wolves, coyotes, and a few breeds of dogs), felines, a few equines (horses, zebras, deer, and moose), a few rodents (rabbits, chinchillas, rats, mice, squirrels), foxes, and hyenas.

Anthros can be all of the species listed above as well as bats, all equines, lizards, most rodents, marsupials, birds, bats, and fantasy beasts such as hellhounds, nightmares, gryphons, hipppgryphs, dragons, wargs, and Cerberus.

Crosses:
An anthro/were cross will most likely be a were. Their were forms will take after the wereanimal side with a few traits of their anthro side.

Crosses between different species of were can vary from common (wolfdogs and coywolves) to extremely rare (wolf/horse hybrid).

Rarely, a cross between a fantasy-anthro and a were will result in a were resembling the fantasy-anthro. Tribes, herds, packs, and clans of these mixes do exist and are very hard to find. They include shadow-weres (half werehorse half nightmare), were-hippogryphs, and dark-weres (half canine were, half hellhound).

The most rare of were hybrids are blood-weres; a cross between a were and a vampire. These are usually raised among vampires due to their were parent joining the vampire society, as vampires would no do well in a wild environment. (teh sun, it burns)