A pack is the vital social unit of the Uratha. Like wolves and humans, werewolves are a social people and only in rare cases, a lone hunter can survive.
Overview
Packs are centered around Territory, a geographical area in the physical as well as the spiritual world, that the Uratha defend from intrusions. Creatures from the Shadow are kept on their side of the Gauntlet, hostile intruders like Hosts or the Idigam are battled and the human herd is kept from learning about the Shadow Realm and its denizens.
Werewolves find that they can only truly be themselves with their packs. Nobody else has the frame of reference to understand what the People go through on a nightly basis. In fact, most people would think the werewolf insane.
Packs can congregate to form a Protectorate, a shared Territory that is too large or demanding for a single pack to supervise.
Composition
A pack is usually constructed to include all five Auspices, or similar roles in the case of the Pure. Packs made out of one tribe are not uncommon, but in most cases, Uratha tend to view mixed packs more favourably. Each pack organizes itself differently, depending on cultural background and the threats they face.
While the Uratha are the nucleus of each pack, others can become a part of it. The most common additions are Wolf-blooded relatives, who provide the Uratha shelter, moral support and, on occaison, join the Hunt. Even regular humans are sometimes included, for much the same reasons, although these are often not aware that they are part of the pack or that they are friends with actual werewolves. The Pure, especially the Predator Kings, instead experiment with the inclusion of wolves into their packs. In rare cases, Uralath and similar spirits can also become part of a pack or a specific Hunt. In some exceptional cases, other supernaturals, like Mages, Beasts or Prometheans join a pack. All packs are bound together by a Totem, a spirit that acts as a patron for the pack and as a guide in the Shadow.
References
- WTF: Werewolf: The Forsaken Second Edition
, p.63-64, 66, 90