Lycan History and Beliefs

 '''This information is from Tristan's exomemories. It is not a fictional universe or fantasy setting.'''

History of Lycans & Werewolves
Before the existence of humans, the Moon Goddess was craving physical intimacy and saw the wolves on Earth. She descended upon them and copulated with one, becoming impregnated and giving birth to the First Werewolf. He was crazed due to the power of the Moon Goddess and the primal nature of the wolf, and impregnated many wolves who then gave birth to more werewolves. Werewolves continued to live on in the wild.

Then, humans came to exist. The First saw a human woman travelling along the forest's edge and was completely enraptured by her beauty, and her similarity to the Moon Goddess. He slowly gained her trust while in wolf form, and they formed a strong bond of trust and love. He showed her his werehuman form, and she accepted him. They procreated and she gave birth to the first lycan.

Due to the Bond, every child she birthed was a lycan, even with a human man. All lycans descend from her and her male partners. She was accused of being the spawn of evil and a seductress, due to the children's behaviors and her many male partners as a travelling woman. The places she visited all heard of her children and decided to hunt them, forcing the lycans to flee to the forests. They were never found by the humans, and continued to thrive in the woods in secrecy.

The name of the Mother of Lycans was lost, as all human records of her were erased, but the name that has been passed down through word of mouth is Celesta.

Nature (Alpha/Beta/Omega Alignment)
In lycan society, your Nature is where you are on the Alpha/Omega spectrum, this is also commonly known as "secondary gender". This is determined by the moon phase you are born in. If you are born during the gibbous phases, you are more Alpha. If you are born during the crescent phases, you are more omega. This is due to the amount of the moon that is visible. There are pure Alphas and pure omegas, born on the full moon and new moon respectively. The pure Beta only occurs when the moon is exactly 50% visible, and are the only form of Betas, so they are the rarest Nature of lycans.

Power of the Moon
The concept of moon visibility also applies to the amount of power you have as a lycan when you are born. The spirit of every wolf in history is within all lycans, as they are all connected to the moon and its energy. They are stronger during the full moon, weaker during the new. Their power is a constant ebb and flow between the earth and the moon. The more power absorbed by the earth, the less that is bestowed by the moon. In this way, every Alpha will know lack of power, and every omega will know excess of power, maintaining balance between all. Betas are at a perfect homeostasis and do not experience a fluctuation of power. The longer you are alive, the more powerful you become, due to more exposure to moonlight.

Eye Color
The natural eye color of lycans can be any color of human eyes, however their eyes change color during the full/half/new moon and during heat/rut to reflect their respective Nature. Pure Alphas are red, Alphas lean more red, pure Betas are blue, omegas lean more yellow, and Pure Omegas are yellow.

Shifting
Lycans are able to control their shifting. They are able to fully shift to wolf form, however it is seen as sacred and only is done while hunting on special occasions as it heightens predatory instincts, or during the Ritual of Returning.

Heat/Rut (NSFW Mention) & Soulmarking
Lycans go into heat if they are more omega, and ruts if they're more Alpha. These are times when they need their mates very close, are very protective of them, and usually have heightened sexual libido. Until a lycan's soulmate is found, they do not experience sexual or romantic attraction, and experience attraction solely to their soulmate once they meet. It is possible for lycans to have multiple soulmates, but it is a rare occurrence. During the first heat/rut, lycans usually Soulmark each other, an instinct developed from the Bond formed by Celesta and The First. Traditionally, the Alpha soulmarks the omega first, and then the omega reciprocates, however the order of soulmarking isn't necessary and doesn't affect the Soulmark.

It is common during mating in heat/rut to shift up to 3/4s, depending on genetics. Meaning (at most): still bipedal, full hair coverage, wolven facial changes, claws and paw-like hands, and decrease in speech capacity. The heat/rut shifts usually slowly revert after the omega mate has been knotted, and usually is consistent in timing with knot decrease.

Nesting
Nesting is a common behavior in omegas, but is not unheard of for Alphas to nest. It essentially is gathering comforting items, such as their mate's clothes and blankets, as well as their own personal comfort items, and snuggling with them for extended periods of time. The urge to nest can be spurred on by missing their mate, being anxious/sad, or just wanting warmth. Nesting also happens very often after mating, as a way to slowly regain composure afterwards.

Marking
Marking is when lycans reinforce the Soulmark given during the first heat/rut with their mate. It doesn't need to be formalized, but some lycans choose to have a Mark Ceremony every year on the Soulmark anniversary, similar to humans "renewing their vows".

Pack Structure
Most lycan packs have a Head Alpha that has been elected to lead. The Head Alpha then chooses a right hand, and they both have authority in the decisions of the pack. The pack still has the most power, and it is possible for the decision of a Head Alpha to be overruled by the pack majority, though many just go by the Head Alpha's choices because they aren't often unfavored.

Another popular way of appointing Head Alphas is by whom is the eldest, born closest to the full moon. This is often seen as more traditional.

There are multiple lycan packs across the world, but they don't all communicate with each other. There has never been a need to.

Ritual of Returning (Death Ritual)
Upon a lycan's death, their body shifts to wolf form. It is traditional for those present for the death/close family to conduct the Ritual of Returning on the night of the death. The moonlight must clearly shine on the body or else the spirit will not be able to travel back into the moon, so many lycan packs have a designated clearing with a carved stone tablet for this purpose. The phase of the moon determines how much of the spirit returns to the moon, and how much is imbued in the earth where the body lays. If no one was present to the death, the responsibility falls upon the Head Alpha, and close family members.

The body is carried to the clearing, placed upon the stone. Those present and the closest family members shift to wolf form and groom the body as a way of saying goodbye. The entire pack comes and Howls for the loss of life. They can shift to any degree they wish during the Returning Howl. The Howl can last as long as the pack desires, and usually those who conducted the Ritual are the last ones to finish, though that is not a rule.

The pack leaves the body alone in the clearing to Return. It is unknown what exactly happens to the body, but it vanishes by sunrise. Most lycans believe that the Moon Goddess descends to carry the body into her realm.

Misconceptions of Lycans & Werewolves
It is common for those who do not know to refer to lycans and werewolves interchangably. That is incorrect.

However, due to the differences between lycans and werewolves, ignorant ones can have derogatory views of each other. (Please note: This is not rooted in colonialism or seeing indigenous peoples as animalistic/savage.)

Lycan prejudices against werewolves include:
 * Lycans being better than werewolves due to their intelligence and societal structure
 * Werewolves being incapable of having morals or organization
 * Werewolves and lycans being incompatible/have to live in separate areas

Werewolf prejudices against lycans include:
 * Lycans do not respect the natural order due to their desire to label alphas/betas/omegas
 * Lycans are causing their own downfall by restricting themselves too much
 * Hunting is not sacred, and treating it as such is ridiculous and detrimental to truly living
 * Werewolves and lycans being incompatible/have to live in separate areas