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Basics

Seeing themselves as the caretakers of the island, having been here for as long as their oral history can remember, the Ra'kari are a spiritual group of hunters and catchers, living off the land and, occasionally, capturing wild feral minded animals such as Peccary, Capybara, and Ocellated Turkey to fatten and lessen their impact on the environment. They also collect the eggs of the Giant tortoises of the land, monitoring the population raising the hatchlings up to later release once big enough that the other native predators cannot hunt them, only ever killing enough to keep the balance and allow them to create bowls from their uniquely shaped shells.

However, as guardians of the land, they cannot play favorites -- when some of the other familiar populations get too high, the wolves of Ra'kari hunt. After a three years of near peace, having only picked off a single goat per season as they managed the populations of other animals, the wolves turned on the goats of Yahn Weya, having had a booming few years in population and descended onto the land to strip of the resources necessary to support such large numbers, and began picking off entire parties of gatherers that went beyond the traditional territory of the goats, stealing their seeds and scattering them into the earth.

Enraged and emboldened by their numbers, wishing to rid themselves of the wolves permanently, the Yahn Weya took to the high mountains in force, leaving only some of their numbers behind, and descended upon the wolves from above in their own dens, catching them off guard and giving them no chance for rest, the tired members of the Yahn Weya retreating to the cliffs to rest as fresh warriors lowered to take their place. Desperate, the wolves howled for backup.

And the parrots of Hawiya Ayelasdi came to their aid, the flock swarming at the eyes of attacking goats on the ground and swarming goats on the cliffsides until they fell to death or grave injury. Rallied, the remaining wolves fought valiantly until there were no more assailants, parrots and wolves giving up their lives to give others a chance to survive.

It was only after every goat that had turned on them was dead and the heat of combat dimmed that they realized in horror what had happened: Not only had they lost all but twenty of their own members, only five males left in the whole pack, but they had decimated most of the goat herd that was the only prey animal large enough to be capable of allowing the wolves themselves to flourish.

Setting into action, they began to dry and cure meats to store, hiding their males away in the heart of their territory, away from the cliffs, and now wait, watching the surviving members of the Yahn Weya, hoping to, eventually, be sure of their own survival.

The island needs them. Even if those who live on it do not want them.

FAQ


Q: Will the Ra'kari Wolves Hunt soquili?
A: for the time being, no: Soquili breed at a much slower rate with smaller 'litters', and when they reach adulthood become far too large, and tend to be too unified, for the Ra'kari wolves to hunt. In addition, soquili grazing habits causes less harm than that of goats. Because of this, the Ra'kari are more prone to help the soquili learn how to leave a lighter impact and help manage the island's balance after they have developed a larger territory. This will not happen until the fourth generation a minimum.

Q: Do they capture goat/Lizard familiars and fatten them like they do the capybara, turkeys, and peccary?
A: With Familiars, they believe it is disrespectful to them to treat them that way and not let them live their lives naturally and unaware that their fate ends in the belly of a wolf. The Non spirit touched animals meanwhile are given comfortable lives within their main camp before slaughter, and some are raised through several generations before they add fresh blood from the wild into their stock.


Q: How much do they hunt currently and how much do they raise?
A: At their current size, the animals they raise and fish from the river near their home is enough to sustain them, however they still hunt wild game and some of the other familiar species to help keep their numbers under check as the largest predator of the island. Once the goats raise up in population, they will return to helping keep the numbers in check.


Q: Armor? Tools? Soup? HOW DO THEY DO THIS?
A: While wolves paws are not as dexterous as even a cats, much less a raccoon or hippogryph, they are still able to use them to manipulate things. Because of this they are able to make rough tools and accessories. Some Metal, such as Bronze, is beyond their abilities (though gold, Silver, and copper may be used, but is scarce enough to be used more as an accent or thin coating -- most gold items owned are leftovers from back before a time remembered, passed down heirlooms, scavenged from old ruined areas as gifts from "long ones" (a long dead human civilization, called such due to how long their arm and leg bones are and their size compared to most familiars on the island, all that can be found of them are brittle, crumbling bones and scraps of gold.)... Or things traded for with the Seagulls), but they can tie knots, knap stone into basic tools, use sap to create glue, carve wood and bone (and shells), use flint and iron pyrite to start fires, stack wood, drill beads, even create simple clay figures they can set in the flames to fire. Soup is made by putting stones into a fire, then using a large bone curved 'fork' held in ones mouth to take the stones out of the fire and put into a pot to heat the water. Meat can be stuck onto skewers and cooked over the fire or laid on hot slabs of rock next to or placed over the flames.


Q: After such a large massacre, it makes one wonder: What do the wolves do with their own when they die?
A: Usually, when a wolf dies of old age or injury, the are prayed over and spend a little time being spent in honor, before being carried deep into the jungle, stripped of their accessories, and left out on the forest floor with other food offerings, returning them to nature and allowing the other scavengers of the island to return them.. Save for Their Tail, which is carefully removed, preserved, and given to their relatives to do with as they wish -- it is common for wolves to have shrines devoted to their ancestors inside their dens or tents, the tails there so they can "follow" their ancestors wisdom, and, as much communication is done with the tail of a canine, communicate with their spirits. Others may privately bury the tail.

When they die of an illness, they are cremated entirely, only metal and gemstone accessories removed (As they are easily sterilized and are difficult to replace), and ashes buried beyond their territory, and a totem is made to represent them for their families shrine.

In times of much death, such as the war that wiped out all but twenty of their members and all but ten of the goats, accessories are stripped and they give what members they can a skyburial (leaving them in the forest, scattered broadly for scavengers), but eventually tails are simply removed, and members are added to large funeral pyres.

Accessories are often given out in a will before their death, though if the death is sudden it goes to their next of kin to be distributed. Even if the will states otherwise, each child they left behind gets given something. If no next of kin or children are left, the pack will distribute them evenly among their members.

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