Wolves

"Inside everyone are two wolves," they say. One craving bad things and one craving good. You decide which one will win in your life. The Josunese and Mongol peoples believe that one set of their ancestors, the Bei, descend from wolves. Strength, hunting abilities, and ability to look out for your "pack" are essential for a good leader, human or canine. The Karanyans, Cilitzians, Miravesians, Serbians, Crimeans, and Khamakrygans all view wolves and their presence as a good thing, even working with the populations to keep their flocks of sheep plentiful along with the wolf herds and depicting wolves on their family crest, royal coats of arms, shields for battle, etc. Having a dog that looks more wolf-like is a sign of strength (as opposed to having a Pomeranian, which is less of a guard dog and more of a "guard me" dog). A dog or wolf appearing to help you out of nowhere is considered on par with a saint visitation. Essentially, this is humanity's best friend - or at least, the best friend they acknowledge, in contrast to their Empyrean protectors that are not acknowledged.

Civilization and Culture

History

The first werewolves can be traced to the cult of Artemis, in Helles, and so the bond between humanity and wolves can also be traced to there. While werewolves are considered tortured souls in need of saving by most major religions, wolves (and subsequently dogs) are considered excellent protectors of property and a necessary helper in daily tasks. Wolves are essential to the ecosystem, maintaining the balance between species so there isn't a massive population of one prey animal or another taking over spaces designated for humans and, well, other animals. Because of their abundance, though, they actually aren't looked fondly upon by some purist Empyreans, who see them as one, a nuisance that eats some of the species they are protecting, and two, an animal needlessly fawned over when the humans could be nurturing their bond with their actual partner species instead.