Tagging you guys in cause you said you wanted me too or I have talked to you via PM or on AIM. Feel free to IM/PM me any ideas you may have for the pack~
Bones are a strong influence in the Wo-ha-li Pack. They often times collect small bones from their prey and hang them in trees around the territory, using them as a warning sign if someone gets close. They have another purpose for the bones. They string them into jewelry or trinkets and wear them as a sign of strength and success. Only the raptor who lands the killing blows gets the bone, meaning if two raptors work together to kill the prey, they both get a bone. With more bones comes more respect from other raptors. The bones come into play in another part of their lifestyle. A part that most the raptors tend to look out for every month. The Go-la ceremony. The raptors gather in a fenced off area, barking and screeching in excitement. Those with enough bones to fight get paired up and enter the ring. They fight until the alpha or protector call off the fight, usually when one could be seen as getting to critical injury, and declare a winner. The winner then gets to pick a bone to take from the other raptor and wear it themselves. It shows their strength and pride for their culture. It's one of their most prized ceremonies. But that isn't where bones stop. When one of their raptors fall, there is a mourning ceremony. The pack gathers the fallen and takes them to a tree in the center of their pack ground. Many different raptors have died here, and with that, they allow the body to be taken back into the earth to join the ancient ones. But before they allow it, they gather a bone from their fallen comrade, and hang it in the tree so that they can remember their lost friends. They often will spend many hours and up to days around the tree, mourning and comforting everyone. The alpha won't leave the tree until every last raptor has been able to say their good-byes and gotten to a point where they can move on. They call this tree the A-da-nv-do Tree. The advisers tend to look at the sky for omens, be them good or bad. Often times there is no problems, and they don't worry about anything. But during the night, if a shooting star or a meteor shower happens to pass view, they send out warning shrieks. They see the falling stars as a sign of a poor hunt or the possibility of losing one of their pack. When it's called out, they will stay close together in the pack grounds, protecting one another. Only a select few will be allowed to leave the pack grounds to ensure nothing is coming near the pack. When the advisers call the all clear to leave, they will once more be allowed to go about as normal.
But some raptors can't fight to collect their bones. Some have other methods of gaining respect of others. The healers in particular. If a raptor is tended to by a healer, they generally will offer up a bone or a feather of theirs in order to show that this healing raptor has assisted and helped them. In that regard, raptors that are healers can gain respect and work with pride knowing that they too have something to show off.
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