While one "huge" list of all the rules may seem overwhelming, there is probably a great deal less to read here then on a site with twenty different sections for rules. Happy reading.

JOINING

This site is rated PG-13, meaning that you should be atleast 13 when you join here as there may be some R-rated material included in posts. If you join, underage or not, understand that members will not be told to censor their posts (unless it's unnecessarily repulsive) and the adminstrator will not be responsible for anything posted here.

Register as your character's FIRST NAME (and surname, if you choose) ONLY. It can have letters with accents over them, though please be sure to use them correctly.

Go to the Submit an Application forum on the board, and use the form posted in Extraction. Fill out the form completely and correctly. An administrator or moderator will look through your form and either accept or ask you to fix some things. Be advised that each form is carefully inspected and will be addressed according to the site guidelines. Most forms are accepted unless it's completely horrendous--if it is, then you will be notified by the administrator as how you can fix it, or will be told to just leave.

Once your application is accepted you will be told to post (in a post on your character's application) a thread blog, other details, & a outline for how your character classifies other wolves.

NO POSTING IS TO BE DONE UNTIL YOU ARE ACCEPTED. Once you are accepted, your form will be moved into the 'Character Files' forum of the board, and then you may procede to attempt joining a pack, or post in the neutral territory as a loner. If you attempt to join a pack and are accepted into it your description will be moved under the pack name of which your wolf resides.

Please read-up on how a wolf shows submission when joining a pack; unless that wolf has been selected for an alpha position. A wolf cannot waltz onto another's land like they own the place and not expect to receive retribution or be asked to leave. Wolves can be killed if they don't follow procedure on how to submit to a superior, even if it's just a subordinate - a pack wolf is always above a loner wolf.

CHARACTERS

This site is a wolf RPG, which means that all the characters located on this site will be, majority, wolves. If you would like to role play a character of a different species, that is a possability, but it is based on your amount of points and seen as a reward. (Please see the point system thread for more information).

Because this is a semi-fantasy site, your characters can have some markings, slightly obscure fur colorations/details, and different coloured eyes. Markings that are not allowed are any sort of bands. Ultimately, though, it is up to the admins to determine if your appearance is okay for the sight. Things such as mohawks and manes are also not permitted. Your characters CANNOT have magic, have an extremely strange appearance (ex. a purple wolf), or be invinceable/all powerful. Godmoding or powerplaying is NOT permitted here. (Unless you are an alpha and someone is intruding upon your lands)

Please only create as many characters as you can ACTIVELY ROLE PLAY. Currently, there is a character limit per person - for now you may have ONLY 3 CHARACTERS. This cap will be removed when the administration can trust it's members to keep all characters active.

POSTS

Be forwarned that the general length on this site is three or four punctuated paragraphs. This is a table using site, all are welcomed and encouraged to use tables (it doesn't have to be spectacular), so utilize them! Utilize your friends/other members! Be creative!
If you're going to be vulgar, cuss, fight brutally, or be graphic, please mark the forums accordingly - with either an [m] or Mature Content; this is simply to forewarn other members of what lies inside. If it gets too graphic without the thread having a marker on it then you'll be warned and asked to tone it down (or mark the thread accordingly) - repeated offense and you'll be suspended or banned.
As for alphas - if you want to post in an alpha den just mark your topic accordingly (ex. alpha den) and the other members will stay away until the alpha wolves are done talking & out of the den.

MATES

If you and another person have two wolves that want to mate, and they have been granted permission from the alphas, you must post an application in the Apply to Breed section of the forum. It shouldn't take long for the administrator to reply, accepting or declining (reason will be given through PM if declined) your wolves.
NOTE ALSO: Force breeding is allowed on this site, so your wolf is free game as a loner/in neutral territory. Whether or not pups will be conceived is left up to mother nature.

The age that a wolf can mate is two+ years old. Any wolf beneath the age of two is not permitted to breed (or if they do it will not result in pregnancy). Wolf's will stop having a heat cycle at nine years of age, and if a wolf is over seven then the likelihood of them having a completely stillborn litter is much higher.

It's probably not a good idea for your character to have puppies if she is not ranked at Alpha for certain pack reasons. If a wolf breeds without the alpha's consent, that wolf can be harassed/kicked out of the pack or the pups will be killed (in rare circumstances).

Usually only puppies that are born into the pack will be allowed to live with the pack. A pack does not take an abandoned puppy in because there is likely something wrong with it (there may be rare exceptions in the packs).

On average, there will be 2-5 pups per litter, and on a very rare occasion, only one pup will be born. If your wolf gets pregnant (you will be notified by the administration) the color, gender, and number will be determined by the administrator (unless points are used)--you will be notified of this as the birthing date approaches.

The owners of the wolves that mated must decide who will be in charge of roleplaying each puppy. The pups must be roleplayed by either wolf in the pair, or you must make other arrangements for someone else to do it. Each pup, like all other registrations, must be registered separately by name; no combining just because they're family.

Loners are allowed to breed without permission from an alpha, though you will still need to post an application; however, it is not appropriate to create a loner or to join this site just for breeding purposes. If a loner does breed the probability of the pups dying will be increased drastically for obvious reasons.

Wolves are allowed to breed when it is not winter, though you must understand that no puppies will be conceived. Puppies are only concieved during the breeding season.

If your wolf is pregnant, you must be advised that it is not wise to fight/wander off the packlands as this will put the puppies in serious danger, and they could die. Fighting when having bred may also alter the development of the parent which might mean that she cannot produce correctly.

You are allowed to make your breeding's graphic, though only if the thread is marked accordingly. It is asked that you mark the forum with 'Mature Content' in the Topic Description so that people who do not want to read the breeding are forewarned and can stay away from it. If you insist on breeding extremely graphic, beyond what most people can handle, do it through PM's with the other person and inform the administrator once you've finished.

FIGHTS

1. Wolves can fight for a number of reasons as it does happen in the wild quite often. Fights cannot go on for an extremely long time and if one does it will be considered a draw. Though please do not make a character that is prone to getting into fights if you cannot handle the possible consequences of creating such a character.

2. Fights can occur anywhere in the packlands or in the neutral territory, so be careful of not allowing your wolf too close when one is occuring--accidents can happen, you know. In addition, a wolf pair CAN fight together; a loner fights alone. Though other wolves don't generally participate unless so-stated, however, other wolves can be pulled into a fight if they get in the way, etc.

3. In a fight, you are not allowed to powerplay, godmode, or make your character invinceable to every attack. You may hint at where a hit might be made, "His jaws were aimed for the opponents neck, and it seemed improbable his attack would miss." You CANNOT make direct hits such as, "He snapped on the wolf's leg and broke it." However, if you make a post which hints at where the attack might be made, and the other does not state whether or not the hit was made, then it's an automatic hit, no questions asked.

4. Fights must be realistic, meaning that your wolf cannot have been attacked in the neck and several other places and still be at full strength. Wolves can and will die in fights because it does happen occasionally--however, both role players should agree to this beforehand, unless it's a "spur of the moment" deal, in which case there may be alterations to the bindings of this rule.

5. You cannot make more then one hit in a single post, and you cannot make a hit and leave the area in the same post--you must give the other a chance to reply.

6. Battles and rank challenges must be fair for both role players and realistic (your wolf cannot dodge every attack). You are allowed to decide what happens to your character, but anything you decide must be both fair and real.
If someone challenges you for a rank, you are REQUIRED to answer--none can go without a response. You must respond within three days, unless you are on a leave of absence and have posted in the departures forum. If you refuse to respond within the required amount of time then it will be considered a forfeit, and the challenger will automatically be given what he/she challenged for.

HUNTING

When in a pack the designated hunters will do most of the hunting and will bring catches back to the pack to present to the Alpha. However any wolf is able to hunt within a pack, it is just more then likely that the hunters will be the ones to get a hunting part together.

The prey will be controlled on a special account (the "Prey" account); this is so no member can god-mod prey appearing. You character may attempt to catch them at any given time, though this is not always an easy task. Small animals such as birds, fish, insects, and smaller mammals such as mice can be created within a post at any given time.

When hunting you cannot god-mod. This is the reason that there is a prey account. Medium-Large game ultimately have the final say-so in if they are going to escape or be eaten. If a prey escapes it is gone and is a failed hunt for the character. It is not always easy to bring down large game--keep that in mind.

You may also come across "Predators" upon the site; there is a special account for those beasts as well. When confrotned by a predator, you character has two choices--run away or fight. If they choose to fight keep in mind that the battle will not be easy--most predators are skilled fighters looking to make your character their meal.

Any person on the site is welcome to roleplay a predator or prey on the designated accounts. We simply ask that you put an ooc note in your post stating who you are so that the team can award you the proper amount of points.

LONERS

Here at When Wolves Cry the term Loner refers to a character who has chosen to secede from his or her pack, or to those who simply never bothered to join one. Solo characters are most often wolves and canine hybrids who do not fit in with the structure of packlife. Sometimes, however, a loner will be another animal that is not of a canine dimension.

The solo life is generally quite tough and not meant for everyone, for while the lands are inviting, the inhabitants of it are usually not. Because these lands are for lone wolves, a great deal of predators will dwell here, if only for a limited amount of time. Also, because of all the predators, hunting prey or even finding it is quite a laborious task. Sometimes a wolf will have to go several weeks without eating, causing them to become anemic. Overall, loners do not usually have mates because the root of 'soloist' is solo, meaning alone. And typically their life is shortened by (upto) 4 years.

As a Loner, you expose your wolf to a great deal many more threats. First of all, Loners cannot hunt large game--they are allowed to have mates, so there will be no more then two solo wolves allowed to hunt together. Secondly, a solo wolf is not allowed onto packlands or that wolf can be killed--for hunting, roaming, etc. The wolf CANNOT be killed if they are seeking acceptance into the pack; meaning, if you later decide that you'd like for your character to be a member of a pack, you can join it. Third of all, your wolf is not protected because it has a mate, and forcebreeding can occur, allbeit rarely because the females can DEFEND themselves.

AGING & TIME

Every one week in real life is two weeks game time; the seasons are role played accordingly here, the seasons go according to the months IRL. This translates to every 24 weeks IRL is one year Game Time. Reports will be posted accordingly, you must follow them.

Because this is not a complete fanatical RPG, your wolf will age and quite possibly die. However, the average life span here is eleven-thirteen years. Yay.

OOC & IC

There should be no unnessessary Out Of Character posts in In Character threads -- full OOC posts, that is. You are allowed to make OOC comments, just attach them to your IC post (mark which is which with the appropriate tags); unless it is an important OOC comment, none of your posts should be OOC in IC threads (unless you are an admin/mod, of course).

As for character descriptions, ONLY administrators and moderators are to post comments/suggestions/criticism/etc on someone's description. If I find that someone who is not one of the above member groups is posting on these, that person will be put on a temporary suspension -- repeat offense will lead to a permanent ban.

We so use Liquid Time here on When Wolves Cry and that simple means that all characters are allowed to be in multiple threads at the same time, just be sure to keep all threads active.

Please remember to keep OOC and IC disputes separate. I understand that sometimes this is a little hard to do, especially when you just don't get along with someone. But if you don't like a character just because it's mean/rude/vicious/whatever, doesn't necessarily mean that the person roleplaying the character isn't nice -- especially for Vetis wolves!