#volček

[howl-of-the-blood]

My little heart is melting. Volčeks main love language would be physical touch. So when they feel sad or discomfort of any kind, their close one would gently touch them, caress them, hold their hand or brush their hair as a way to show affection and pacify them

[kainablue]

OC Interview tag game

Thank you @ragethewriter and @wingedcatwblr, this was an awesome game! Since you’ve interviewed your gentleman, I’ll be doing the same, and since your boys have ears, I’ll be interviewing my wolf-eared broody pants Ino.

1. How are you doing today?

“I’m okay... Thanks.”

2. You ready to answer some questions?

"... I guess.”

3. How do you feel about your name? Your surname?

"Like any Volček child, I’ve been given a name when I was three based on some personal characteristics of mine. And my surname is the name of my clan.”

You mentioned a personal characteris-

“Next question.”

4. Is there anything you’d like to thank your author for?  

”Well, I did have a decent childhood... until one point.”

5. You can only eat three foods for the rest of your life, what are they?

“It’s important there’s a lot of it; I really don’t care what kind of food it is. Of course meat, almost any kind of meat, but cooked... Fish...  Redcurrants, also. And that human stuff... sweet... candy. Yes, candy.”

6. Have you ever done or said anything that surprised your author?

“She was surprised when I first spoke - according to her, I have an extremely deep and husky voice. Also, I am attracted to both men and women - she thought I was a straight dom. Heh.”

7. You have limitless funds, what kind of party are you going to have?

“With lots of food and not many people.”

8. Tell us a quick story about something that’s happened to you that not even your author knows about… yet.

“When I was a kid, I didn't like to eat. I was very thin. The only thing I could eat were chicken soup and venison. Once I turned 12 I discovered food is actually delicious.”

9. Do you have a favorite Hero?

"Hardly. I used to admire my clan’s leader - Ton-ača - but, he disappointed me... When I was a pup, my older brother was my hero. He was a true leader: strong, independent, quick-witted and silver-tongued with just a dash of arrogance and recklessness.”

10. What do you plan to do after this?

“Well, I didn’t plan anything in particular, but a long, relaxing bath with you would really make my day...”

A-a-and thank you for your time! It was nice looking at you- TALKING WITH YOU!

And this was super fun! I’m not sure who to tag for this one, but feel free to do it if you are interested :)

[howl-of-the-blood]

And a Volček songster will tell you this story…

Long time ago, before first cities were built and nature was everywhere, humans and wolves lived in solidarity. Wolves protected humans at all times, especially during the night when demons and foul creatures lurked the most. Humans, on the other hand, offered shelter, healing and food whenever troubled wolves approached their villages. 

One year, unusually heavy rain struck the land. This downpour lasted for weeks and all living creatures suffered. When rivers and lakes near settlements began to flood them, humans sought help and wolves immediately came to their aid. The beasts swam over dangerous rapids to reach the trapped humans, carried children on their backs and gave their lives without a second thought. Many wolves died during that flood, but almost all humans survived.

Over time human kind prospered and developed. They started making tools and building cities and soon they closed the gates of their homes to everyone but their own kind. Yet wolves still faithfully protected them whenever humans ventured into forests and mountains.

Decades passed and one hot summer a terrible fire engulfed wooded areas. No animal, including wolves, could fight such a terrible force. They begged for help howling for entire days and whole nights as they helplessly ran away from their certain deaths. But humans were safe behind their stone walls and they decided to pay no heed to their painful cries. Even when wolves came to the gates while their hides were burning, humans turned their heads away.

However, not all humans were so ruthless. A group of brave and loyal men and women ran outside their walls, carrying buckets of water in desperate attempt to save the forest and their inhabitants. But they were too few and the fire was to powerful. They all died and their bodies turned to ashes.

Gods saw the treason of humans and decided to punish them. Dažbog*, the god who gave life to humans and the one who had commanded wolves to protect them, was furious. He cursed the disloyal humans by making them weak and susceptible to beings of Nav** and demonic creatures. Every todorian, psoglav, ala and aždaja, every rusalka and drowner, every omaya, nežid, mora and kemza*** will want to devour human kind. And there will be no more wolves to aid them.

As for the valiant few that gave their lives to save their animal guardians, gods decided to reward them with second life. However, after ashes were gathered, no deity was able to determine which burned remains belonged to humans and which to wolves. So they decided to mold a new being, one whose form and abilities would resemble both human and wolfish; and thus a new race was born, favored by all gods for their vigor and nobility. 

[howl-of-the-blood]

I got it!

The triggers are extreme hunger and fear. In other words, severe life-threatening situations. But those situations have to be of certain intensity and duration. I’m not 100% sure should I include anger as well, but in that case, the transformation would start only when Vo'raži are facing potential danger, like when they confront a stronger opponent, for instance. They might not fear their enemy, but the sheer fury and/or readiness to fight could trigger the shapeshifting if it lasts long enough.

There is a way they can induce the transformation by force and that is by drinking their blood. Wolves and Volčeks consider themselves kin, so wolves oblige, but this method is seldom used.

Vo'raž changing is a fairly slow process that makes them vulnerable. So they have to hide first and undergo the transformation somewhere remotely safe.

How do they return to their human form? First they have to calm down, rest and eat well. If they are not completely replenished, they can’t turn back. The next step is to find a humanoid willing to give them a bit of their blood. Other Volčeks recognize and understand Vo’raži so they help them, naturally. Others are often reluctant. Vo'raž in a wolf form has to drink the humanoid blood and another painful transformation will begin, and it's longer than the other way around.

What are the consequences? I don’t know yet. Losing bits of their humanity, for sure. The longer they live as wolves, the more they become ones. They can think and talk like humans even in their animal form, but they will gradually lose that ability the more they transform.

Some Vo'raži choose to turn into wolves forever and they become almost completely indistinguishable from them. Only ai can recognize them and sense their previous humanoid form. Other Volčeks call those once-human wolves - Nemi (Mutes)

Do you enjoy my content? Then help me fuel my creativity with a cup of delicious coffee! ☕

Certain Wolcheks can transform into wolves, but transformation is painful and exhausting so they don’t undergo that change often.

But what triggers it? 

And what are the consequences?

[howl-of-the-blood]

Happy STS! Can you tell us more about the Wolcheks? How close are they to the traditional werewolves? What inspired the name?

Thank you so much for your question!

I came up with the name Volček when I combined Russian word for wolf (волк) and Serbian (and some other Balkan languages as well) word for ‘human’ (čovek or човек). They are not traditional looking werewolves, they are humans with wolf features like these two

Art by @/kittensbooksart 

A certain special group of Volčeks can transform into actual wolves and they are called Vo’raži [short form of Volkobraz, “wolf-shifter”]. But, again, they don’t shift into traditional looking werewolves.

If you are curious even more about them here is a bit of WOLCHEK PEOPLE WORLDBUILDING and here you can read two ORIGIN STORIES about them.

💙

[howl-of-the-blood]

Sabeha loves water and swimming. She does it to chill and unwind. And that's kinda odd for a Volček. They are good swimmers but don't find water really suitable for relaxing. Maybe only during the night or in groups?

[howl-of-the-blood]

DAY 3 - Fancy

[canon]

[Sabbeha’s route]

๑ Sabeha’s bewitching ways ๑

~

The night had fallen more than an hour ago, but the earth is still warm. I am starving and every part of my body aches. But I can't move; not before I get some news. I have to wait. And hope. 

Curtain moves in a swirling motion and a small figure emerges.  

"There you are," Sabeha's voice is stern, "Temperature has finally dropped. She's resting."

A weight of a thousand stones falls off my shoulders.

Kalina... my sister... is going to be okay!

My legs wobble and I would have collapsed if the vidarka wasn't there. Sabeha manages to slow down my fall, but the effort makes her drop to her knees with me.

"Ah!" she growls a number of unpleasant sounding Volček words. "Silly woman, I don't need another sufferer!"

"I'm... sorry," I utter rubbing my forehead, very lightheaded.

"Don't move." She leaves my side for a minute and returns with a bowl of... something. "Drink slowly."

"Thank you," I reply before complying. A fresh, cool water quickly rejuvenates me, spreading from my throat through my chest. Did she... put something in it?

While taking another sip, I look at Sabeha standing a few steps away. With her arms akimbo and a deep frown, her tail hanging low, she looks utterly spent. After a few deep breaths, she raises her arms in the air and stretches them. I take in her figure, her round hips and the curve of her waist. There are no muscles bulging beneath her skin - only soft waves decorate it. She is short and graceful, reminding me a lot more of a house cat than a wolf. 

"I can move my hair so that you can have a better look."

Her purple eyes cut through my core. I am mistaken - she is very much like a wolf!

"I apologize."

"Now, now." She turns to face me, her stance a lot less tired and a lot more assertive. Unfortunately. "Indulge me - what did your eyes see and whispered to your lips making them smile."

Smile? Did I really?

Somehow I know I can't blatantly lie and say that I was looking at her dress - which is a rather plain thing - but I could try to evade.   

"Your white hair. It's... incredible. Also your skin - your freckles are very pretty. You're... interesting."

Her grin grew even wider. I blink. What... did I actually evade by telling her all this? Earth why won't you swallow me now?

She approaches me in small, flowing steps. Again - so catlike. "Saying such nice things about my hair and freckles and that you find me interesting is just a fancy way of saying that you like me."

My whole face goes ablaze, nausea storming in my stomach. But I can't take my eyes off of Sabeha. 

She kneels in front of me, placing her lush tail over her thighs. It is as same as her hair: white as pure snow.

"I know humans are not really keen on girl love - but you're not immune to it either. How do you feel about it?"

Her question took me by surprise.  

"How do I feel about... what?

Sabeha's seductive expression changes back into a grim frown of impatience I've grown to know and fear. "You know what I mean."

"Y-yes, I know! But... I don't know." Why do I sound like Lalik right now? I take in a deep breath. "I don't know how I feel."

Sabeha's suspicious glare softens. "Yes... Of course not."

She shifts into a more comfortable position, mild and caring smile decorating her face. "Volčeks are very animalistic when it comes to coupling. Very... copulatory." She almost spits out the word and leaves me wondering what does it mean. "I don't like that. But there is something I like..." As she smiles in a rather unsettling way, two very sharp fangs emerge. "Let me show you."

My heart jumps, hitting my ribs and she must've heard it. Sabeha giggles, once again flashing her white teeth. "Give me your hand."

Quite weary of her intentions, I place my fingers in her outstretched palm, like they do in the Western courts. With a cocky grin she twists my hand and cups it in her own. She moves her thumb across my palm, barely touching the skin, and her sharp, long, black nail draws invisible lines. The delicate circles, the gentle dance of her finger over my skin, the feathery pressure of her claw - they mesmerize me, encapsulate me in this tiny moment. Like there is nothing else but our hands.

I wish to see Sabeha's expression but... her head is bowed, her curly hair covering her face. Is she hiding herself from me?

Her thumb brushes over my fingers one last time before she lifts my hand up, somewhere behind the curtain of her locks. A soft sensation covers the middle of my palm. It takes a few seconds for my over-stimulated skin to sense a kiss. Shivers run up my spine as she places dozen of long pecks at exactly the same spot. It's so delightful I--

She lifts her head and a satisfied smile lightens her up. What did she see on my face to make her smile like that?

"This was for you," she says, "And this..."

This time she doesn't lower her head. This time she keeps her back straight and her hair out of the way so that I can see what she's doing. And she - without even batting an eye - licks my hand, all the way from my fingers across my palm to the heartbeat of my wrist.

"This was for me."

[kainablue]

@jacquesfindswritingandadvice

Thank you for analyzing this so much, you are the best! 💙

Humans have always had a problem with Volčeks. True reason is pretty much lost, like in any kind of hate, nobody is sure why they really started disliking each other. I have a feeling neither side were completely innocent, but considering the sheer number of people and their greed vs the tribal and down-to-earth way Volčeks live, I believe humans were worse.

I'm glad you liked the origin story and I'm glad you felt the emotional weight to it! Thank you for reading!

If you ask a human bard, Wolcheks were once humans that broke the heart of the sun god Hrs. 

Long time ago, a group of people was up to no good for months and, as time passed, their crimes became more and more severe. One day the group tricked a kind man to give them shelter from a storm and then they burned his house to the ground. No one was hurt but the damage done to the owner and his family was terrible. Hrs decided to punish the criminals by giving them tails so that everyone could easily recognize them. The group now started moving only during the night. Their next crime, most vile yet, was to kidnap a child and cut his fingers one by one while asking for ransom from their parents. Hrs now cursed them with wolf ears, yellow eyes and sharp teeth to resemble beasts they were gradually becoming. Unable to hide their monstrous features, the vile group was finally caught and punished, convicted to a death sentence. But they escaped and abducted a young girl and a young boy before hiding in the forest. There they violated, mutilated and ultimately killed the children. God Hrs, no longer able to look at those villains, stripped them of their humanity and cursed them to live in the forest as Wolcheks, wolflike creatures, forever resented by humans.

On the other hand, a Wolchek songster will tell you a different story…

[howl-of-the-blood]

Howl of the Blood - visual novel [main page]

A clear, long and mournful howl echoes through the night. It sends a cold chill down my spine and every drop of sweat on my body feels like it’s made of ice. When I was a child, I thought I was blessed. I enjoyed my superiority and used it abundantly. But the dreams made me ask questions about myself. They made me insecure and confused. The howls did that, too. Especially the howls. After the dark, whenever I heard a long, loud crying of the wolves, I would become sorrowful and anguished. I felt the need to run to them, to comfort them and seek comfort for myself.

IMPORTANT UPDATE - 29.07.2023.

This project's main character will no longer be Tajena Viogor. I'll try to turn this project into a first or second person pov with customizable pronouns. Tajena will remain my personal character but I will not include her sprite into the game. RIP Tajena ⊂(・﹏・⊂)

Short synopsis

After your sister’s kidnapping, you, a young heir, disobey your father and leave your family’s castle for the first time in your life. During your perilous journey, you will learn about past events that ruined many lives - and that your family is in the centre of it.

Long synopsis

Your upbringing was an unorthodox one to say the least. You are the eldest child of knez Belad Viogor and his wife Zetana. Oddly, you've never been allowed to leave the castle walls and you have spent your youth under a watchful eye of your father.

That is, until the day a wounded messenger arrived to your castle. Kalina, your younger sister, had been kidnapped by Volčeks, a mysterious half-wolf, half-men people. You decide to secretly track her down. Even though love for your sister is enough to make you disobey your father, you are also tormented by curiosity and painful dreams. Ever since you were a child, you have been having nightmarish visions whenever you heard howls of the wolfs - or Volčeks - and no one could explain why. But you always felt they have a deeper and much more sinister meaning than anyone could have thought.

You will learn about bloody events that occurred in the past and discover horrifying secrets that your family’s been hiding for decades.

Genre 📖

Dark fantasy / Historical fantasy / Drama/  Romance / Visual novel / Interactive fiction

POV 👁‍🗨

First or second person

Romance 💟

G/B/NB x B/G/NB

Audience 🧠

NA / MA

Warnings 💥

Murder, sex, mention of rape, gore, mention of incest, relationships with significant age gaps, abuse, violence

This story will have NSFW, art included. I am dealing with serious and heavy topics mentioned above, but I do not support them!

Setting 🌍

Fictional world named Aestrin, in a land called Trnogorje, inspired by Slavic culture and mythology

Note 🔞

A lot of my art and writing will be NSFW or better said NSFT (so there will be naked bodies, sex and explicit language involved). None of the visuals will be posted on my blog but cropped versions 16+ at worst. If you don’t want to see any of that, block hotb:nsfw

Characters 💀

Tajena Viogor (my PC)  | tag | inspo |

Lalik Kohanov  | tag | inspo |

Janlila Emnestra  | tag | inspo |

Elemir Juroš  | tag | inspo |

Ino ai’Izusa  | tag | inspo |

Sabeha ai’Izusa  I tag | inspo | 

Kalina Viogor  | tag | inspo |

Vid Jazorik | tag | inspo |

Belad Viogor  | tag | inspo |

Zetana Viogor  | tag | inspo |

Pairings 💕

Lalik x Tajena

Elemir x Tajena

Ino x Tajena

Sabeha x Tajena

Vid x Tajena

Jana x Tajena

Other 🌿

General #hotb tag

Art

Writing

NSFW

Places

Worldbuilding

Inspiration

Silly stuff

Extra 🧶

Old writing [ no longer accurate 😑 ]

Old art [ no longer accurate AND embarrassing 🙃 ]

Slavic mythology | Slavic tradition

[howl-of-the-blood]

Four Hundred Followers Fluff - Sabbeha

Hello, everyone!

FINALLY!

THIS TOOK ME WAY TOO LONG! Sorry, everyone!

 Here’s the fourth fluff I prepared for my 400 followers celebration fluff (it took me so long that now I have over 600 lol). If you missed the previous ones, here they are:

Lalik x Tayena

Elemir x Tayena

Ino x Tayena

I am so excited for this one! Sabeha is a new character even for me. 

Without further ado, here’s some wlw fluff to lighten your day (or night)!

-

NOTE: As I said, I’ve never written about Sabeha before, so this scene might change in the actual novel.

No warnings

-

SABEHA x TAJENA

“So tomorrow, huh?”

The night is warm and welcoming but the air is a bit too dense and heavy for my liking. Truth be told, it probably wouldn’t bother me that much if  I wasn’t still breathless and sweating from dancing. It feels so good - holding hands with other dancers in a long chain, moving, swaying and jumping in fast rhythm of drums and flutes, all while singing and chanting old songs. Dancing fills me with energy and joy. I feel as light as a snowflake. Sometimes I close my eyes and let myself be washed away from my body - I become one with the song, with rhythm and fiery dance; I flow ethereally, no longer bound by my skin and bones. I melt into the world. 

But it always ends. Every dance must stop and I am always pulled back into my flesh - back to worries and uncertainties of being human. And this was my last carefree dance; tomorrow Kalina continues her journey to Ubeja and I am going back home.

“You’re going back to Volkobran tomorrow morning, right?”

Sabeha’s voice is sweet and melodious even when she’s angry which is a good thing since she’s a rather moody woman.

I lick my salty upper lip before answering: “You know I am.”

“Why?”

“I have to.”

“No, you don’t.”

I exasperatedly shake my head. Sabeha’s been avoiding me the whole evening. She would come and go, her violet eyes reflecting flames of the festive fires and then disappearing whenever I tried to approach her. She’s now kneeling next to me, careful not to touch me, but the herbal smell of her hair and clothes is overwhelming me. Unfortunately, dancing didn’t ease the pain and guilt for parting our ways. Nothing will, I think.

“Sabeha, we talked about this: I am the heir of Trnogorye and- “

Sabbeha grabs my arm and jumps to her feet, pulling me with her. “Come with me!”

I obey her without a fuss as, even though annoyed by her behaviour, I’m still pleased for this chance to talk things through before leaving. I realize how small and soft her hand is compared to mine and my heart flutters melting away all ire within.

After few minutes of walking, Sabeha stops when festival music became just a distant noise, but she doesn’t let go of my hand. She is in front of me and I can’t see her face so her emotions remain hidden. For a while, we caress each other’s fingers in painful silence.

In one elegant motion, Sbbeha faces me, placing her free hand on my cheek. I thought she was going to kiss me but she stopped herself a second before our lips touched. Her eyebrows knit in frustration as she backs away. The moment she opens her eyes I feel my heart sink.

Gods! This hurts too much! I... I don’t want to leave her.

“Come with me!” I grasp her hands and press them onto my chest, “Come with me to Volkobran.”

“To that prison?”, she snarls,”I don’t want to live in a cage.”

“I know...”

I pathetically surrender. I know how much Volčeks hate human cities. I know how much they love their forests and wilderness. But Volkobran is my home, my duty, my... burden.

Sabeha’s gentle hand cups my cheek. She is shorter than me but I sometimes feel so small under her gaze.

“You should come with me, Jenka. Let’s leave together. Let’s abandon this forest and your realm and all that holds us back. Come with me and I’ll take you to the sea. We will visit scorching deserts and icy glaciers. I will show you every wonderful place I gazed upon on my Wandering. I promise you! Let’s go together and see the world.”

Her eyes shine like amethyst even in darkness. She is smiling, radiating hope and vigor that I cannot reciprocate.

“I... can’t. My country-”

“Screw your country! Screw it all!” A painful lump chokes me as she pushes me away. “Your sister is marrying Elemir, right? They can rule both dominions. And she will give birth to many children, trust me. They don’t need you.”

“No. You don’t understand; that cannot be. That’s not how ruling works.”

Sabeha takes a few deep breaths tensing after each as if she’ll start yelling at me; but eventually she deflates, defeat written all over her face.

“I know. I am being selfish, I know. I just... I just didn’t care before. I didn’t need anything, I didn’t want anyone.” Her violet eyes lock with mine, “But I want you now for as long as it can last.”

She comes closer to me and places her hands on my neck, gently brushing my cheeks with her thumbs. My nostrils are filled with pleasant aromas of mint and sage. Sabeha smiles, but her eyes have a woeful shine.

“I’ll come with you, Tajena... I’ll try.”

As these words leave her lips, I am left speechless. How can I reply to such sacrifice? How can I ever repay her for staying by my side? Not being able to think of another response, I press my forehead on hers, hoping she won’t see how, deep inside, horrified and regretful I am for making her do this. Hoping she won’t see that her sincere love pains me almost as much as saying goodbye to her would.

[howl-of-the-blood]

If you ask a human bard, Volčeks were once humans that broke the heart of the sun god Hrs. 

Long time ago, a group of people was up to no good for months and, as time passed, their crimes became more and more severe. One day the group tricked a kind man to give them shelter from a storm and then they burned his house to the ground. No one was hurt but the damage done to the owner and his family was terrible. The god Hrs decided to punish the criminals by giving them tails so that everyone could easily recognize them. The group now started moving only during the night. Their next crime, most vile yet, was to kidnap a child and cut his fingers one by one while asking for ransom from their parents. Hrs now cursed them with wolf ears, yellow eyes and sharp teeth to resemble beasts they were gradually becoming. Unable to hide their monstrous features, the vile group was finally caught and punished, convicted to a death sentence. But they escaped and abducted a young girl and a young boy before hiding in the forest. There they violated, mutilated and ultimately killed the children. God Hrs, no longer able to look at those villains, stripped them of their humanity and cursed them to live in the forest as Volčeks, wolflike creatures, forever resented by humans.

On the other hand, a Volček songster will tell you a different story...

[howl-of-the-blood]

@jacquesfindswritingandadvice

Thank you for the questions! I did have to think about them for a few minutes lol

When children are born, the whole clan takes care of them. It's not really important who actually gave birth, the whole clan is the parent. When they hit puberty, girls can either stay or change their clan. Most of the times they stay. Boys are encouraged to find another clan. If they want to stay, they can't have a relationship with anybody within the same clan so they accept celibacy. They can change their mind later in life of course. Nobody's forced to either stay or go.

Honestly, now after so many years, something about this rubs me the wrong way, so I might need to change it hmmm

The couple that wants to soul bond needs to go through a specialceremony. They enter a trance state where their souls enter Nesvet or Unworld. In that completely bizarre world they are separated and only connected by a red thread. And they need to find each other. If they don't, they never wake up, if they find each other, they will be soulmates for eternity.

When Volčeks have a child, their souls get marked - both father and mother's. In a sense, the souls of parents get scarred because a part of them enters the child. Soul bonding is a way for souls to be intertwined. If one of the soul bonded dies, the damage on the widowed partner's soul is severe. Having a child could be dangerous for both them and a child.

Something very interesting could happen but I have no idea what lol

World Building - Howl of the Blood

Volcheks

Volčeks (volk chovek or “wolf human”) is the name of the race of half-humans, half-wolves. They are coexisting with human beings on the continent Aestrin. Humans address them only as Volk, but Volčeks don’t consider this name an offense, even though they do prefer their original title. 

Appearance

Volčeks most prominent features are animal ears and tail. They are shorter and more slender than humans, but even their average woman is far stronger than any average human man. Their skin tone varies from warm beige to almond. Volchek hair colour is as diverse as human but often accompanied with grey or black undertones. Their eye colour is always yellow, golden or light amber.

Leadership

Each clan is guided by ača and ai, the most prominent and sensible members of one clan. They  are judges and advisers, they decide about clan’s migrations, interactions with outsiders and other major issues. Ača and ai are chosen by voting among 10 eldest, 5 most skilled and 5 wisest Volčeks in one clan every nine years.

Social life

Women and children are the most numerous in each clan. Women are also, in most cases, related by blood, while adult men are not. When boys reach adulthood (around the age of 16) they are given two choices: they can leave and seek out another clan willing to admit them as their members. If they choose to stay within their birth clan, they become guardians and undergo celibacy. Women don’t have to change their clan. Both sexes are allowed to leave whenever they like (which is called the Wandering) and nobody is allowed to stop them or question them about their travels.

Depending on the clan’s ača and ai’s decision, interactions with humans may vary from complete avoidance to connections in the name of trade.

Clashes between clans are rare but they do happen. Two clans can also merge into one but that hardly ever occurs.

Sexuality and gender

Volčeks don’t have gender roles: both men and women engage in household jobs, caretaking, farming, hunting, trading and war duties if and when necessary. They are free to choose their partners and bond (have sex) with whomever they like but only if that person is an adult or at least same age (if both partners are still considered children); and if bonding is consensual.  

Soul bonding

Soul bonding is considered a very serious matter; very few couples decide to undergo this ritual. The reason for this is that when you soul bond to a man or a woman, you become completely devoted and committed to them - in life and death. If your “other soul”, as they call their partners, dies, the living partner has to abstain from bonding for the rest of his or hers life. Reason for this is because widowers are considered soulless and shouldn’t reproduce.  

Children

Children born in the same clan call each other brothers and sisters. They are all educated equally and after a while, ai determines what their strongest abilities are. They are given names on their third birthday after a certain distinguishable trait they show.

If you have any questions about my OC’s or story, I would be more than happy to answer. Thank you for reading! 

[howl-of-the-blood]

World Building - Howl of the Blood

Volcheks

Volčeks (volk chovek or “wolf human”) is the name of the race of half-humans, half-wolves. They are coexisting with human beings on the continent Aestrin. Humans address them only as Volk, but Volčeks don’t consider this name an offense, even though they do prefer their original title. 

Appearance

Volčeks most prominent features are animal ears and tail. They are shorter and more slender than humans, but even their average woman is far stronger than any average human man. Their skin tone varies from warm beige to almond. Volchek hair colour is as diverse as human but often accompanied with grey or black undertones. Their eye colour is always yellow, golden or light amber.

Leadership

Each clan is guided by ača and ai, the most prominent and sensible members of one clan. They  are judges and advisers, they decide about clan’s migrations, interactions with outsiders and other major issues. Ača and ai are chosen by voting among 10 eldest, 5 most skilled and 5 wisest Volčeks in one clan every nine years.

Social life

Women and children are the most numerous in each clan. Women are also, in most cases, related by blood, while adult men are not. When boys reach adulthood (around the age of 16) they are given two choices: they can leave and seek out another clan willing to admit them as their members. If they choose to stay within their birth clan, they become guardians and undergo celibacy. Women don’t have to change their clan. Both sexes are allowed to leave whenever they like (which is called the Wandering) and nobody is allowed to stop them or question them about their travels.

Depending on the clan’s ača and ai’s decision, interactions with humans may vary from complete avoidance to connections in the name of trade.

Clashes between clans are rare but they do happen. Two clans can also merge into one but that hardly ever occurs.

Sexuality and gender

Volčeks don’t have gender roles: both men and women engage in household jobs, caretaking, farming, hunting, trading and war duties if and when necessary. They are free to choose their partners and bond (have sex) with whomever they like but only if that person is an adult or at least same age (if both partners are still considered children); and if bonding is consensual.  

Soul bonding

Soul bonding is considered a very serious matter; very few couples decide to undergo this ritual. The reason for this is that when you soul bond to a man or a woman, you become completely devoted and committed to them - in life and death. If your “other soul”, as they call their partners, dies, the living partner has to abstain from bonding for the rest of his or hers life. Reason for this is because widowers are considered soulless and shouldn’t reproduce.  

Children

Children born in the same clan call each other brothers and sisters. They are all educated equally and after a while, ai determines what their strongest abilities are. They are given names on their third birthday after a certain distinguishable trait they show.

If you have any questions about my OC’s or story, I would be more than happy to answer. Thank you for reading!