Non-Human Groupings

Non-Human groupings

Twists of Fate

In the Twists of Fate series I use terms to describe Non-human groupings, which I decided to put up so that it is there for you the reader to go back to when you wish.

In the stories I don't always refer to all the groups as generally the character I am focusing on will view all other groups or refer to those groups as what they call their own group. A pride member will refer to other groups as prides and so on. Only the 'pure groups' will differentiate between their group and the mixed groups.

Here is an explanation of those terms in the context of the Twists of Fate series and some further information which I know but may not put into the series.

Pure Groupings:

Pure groups are declining in numbers as if a member of that pure group finds their mate and that mate is of another race it forces them to leave in order to be with their mate. It has led to declining numbers in those groups, which has forced them to reconsider their position. Whether it was worth it to keep hold of such an outdated notion of purity of race in this day and age. However, there are still some groups left and these are the names and descriptions of those groups.

Ambush:

Is a pure group of tigers, species non specific, with no other species of Were or Non-humans present.

Extra: At the moment there are only two Ambushes left in the world after the Storm Fist Ambush was disbanded. Both are in Europe. The numbers of the members in those groups have been slowly declining for the last hundred years.

Clown:

Is a pure group of Song birds, species non specific, with no other species of Were or Non-humans present.

Extra: There are many clowns, the majority however live in Australia and most are parrots. Unlike most Were who can't blend in with their non-shiftingcounterparts these people can and sometimes can spend their entire lives in their animal forms.

Tribe:

Is a pure group of Vampires with no other species of Were or Non-humans present.

Extra: Vampires generally don't like other races and consider Humans as merely food or useful servants. Humans who work for Vampires are called familiars and are not considered members of the Tribe and are disposable.

Strike:

Is a pure group of raptors, species non specific, with no other species of Were or Non-humans present.

Extra: There are only two Strikes in existence, both are in South America and number in only a hundred pairs per group. These Were spend more time in their animal form then their human form although they do spend time as humans.

Flight:

Is a pure group of Centaurs with no other species of Were or Non-humans present.

Extra: There are four flights of centaurs, two in the USA (one being in Alaska,) one in Canada and another in Sweden. Each group is small, numbering no more than seventy, a third of which are usually juveniles. Centaur groups are led by a either a Boss stallion or a Boss mare.

Skulk:

Is a pure group of Foxes with no other species of Were and or Non-humans present.

Extra: There are six skulks, three in the UK and three in Australia. In the UK two are urban dwellers and one lives in the country side. In Australia however the Skulks must be careful as they are often confused with their feral counterparts who have decimated Australian wild life.

Mob:

Is a pure group of Dingoes with no other species of Were or Non-humans present.

Extra: There are very few mobs in Australia and those that do exist, exist because of geographical isolation and or human interference which thankfully now is dwindling however it is predicted that Dingoes will eventually become Were Dogs and the term Mob will become extinct.

Quarrel:

Is a pure group of sharks, species non specific, with no other species of Were or Non-humans present.

Extra: It is difficult to tell a 'true' shark from a Were shark and while they generally appear to swim alone they do in fact hunt together and like to live near reefs or food sources where they can live a sustainable life style. There are currently four Quarrels all of which live in the waters off the coast of Australia. The Human side of these Sharks are normally involved in jobs which allow them to be near and or in the water.

Mixed Groupings:

Mixed groups are much more common and generally take their group name from what ever species their Alpha is a member of. These are the names of the mixed groups.

Flock:

Is a mixed group of Were and or Non-humans with a Bird type Were as Alpha.

Extra: Although Flock refers to a mixed group most of the time the flock is comprised mainly of Song Birds with the odd raptor.

Coven:

Is a group of Were and or Non-humans with a Elemental or Fae as the leader and are land bound.

Extra: Covens generally live in the territories claimed by Were. Since they don't need land to run on only to practise their art or commune with nature there is no conflict with hunting rights. They also prefer to live in Were territory as it used to offer them a margin of safety when times were darker.

Pack:

Is a group of Were and or Non-humans with a K9 type Were as Alpha.

Extra: Most refer to Were groups as pack as it is the most prevalent of the groups, almost half of all Alphas come from the K9 family.

Pride:

Is a group of Were and or Non-humans with a Feline type Were as Alpha.

Extra: After pack pride is the most used for naming non-humans and make up a quarter of Alphas.

Drove:

Is a mixed group of Were and or Non-humans with a Centaur as the leader.

Extra: There are currently six droves and while four of those droves have their own territories two however live in the territories claimed by Were. Those two groups are primarily made up with Centaurs and their non-Centaur mates. They generally prefer to stick with themselves however as social people they are slowly joining mainstream society now that they are protected from attack.

Pod:

Is a mixed group of water type Were and water type Non-humans.

Extra: These groups are hard to find as they can move from land to sea instantly, these groups are behind the myths of mermaids. Also because of nature there are no numbers on how big the known groups actually are.

Kennel:

Is a mixed group of Were and Non-humans with a Fox as Alpha.

Extra: There is currently only one Kennel and it lives in Australia.

Names of now extinct groupings:

Yes there were group names which have become extinct because the actual species of Were has gone extinct or because the name no longer held the same meaning or was considered inappropriate. These terms probably won't come up but I thought you may like to know them anyway.

Cave:

Was a pure group of Bears, species non specific, with no other humans or non-humans present.

Extra: This term was dropped as very few bears live in groups, family groups not included, and have mostly joined the other groupings.

Troop:

Was a pure group of Thylacines aka Tasmanian Tiger, which are now sadly extinct due to human hunting. The last known Thylacine died in captivity in 1933.

Extra: There have been unconfirmed sightings of lone Thylacines in Tasmania since they were declared extinct but those sightings are considered urban legends.

Murder:

Was a pure group panthers with no other humans or Non-humans present.

Extra: The term was dropped due to general consensus as it was believed a Murder of Were panthers was a bad term to use when humans and Were started coming together. There are currently nine 'murders' four in India and five in South America. They currently just use the term pride and while not exclusive have yet to get any Non-Were panther members.

So that is it for groupings in my Twists of Fate series as it currently stands.