Hey, guys! This thread is the In Character explanation of the change in ranks and focus. For convenience and saving time, this thread is closed!
The creamy white female had been thinking for a rather long time. The pack she had grown up in - she had set out as a pup and had become an adult, a leader, in this new area of Souls - was dying. She had never thought that she would see that day; she didn't want to think of it, but it was happening. After the snowstorm and the brutal murders that Argul had wrought upon the pack, people had left - Sankara. Mars. Krystalle. Orin. Valinta. But she wouldn't forget them - she would never forget those that had been part of her family.
But it seemed that the number of artists in Souls were dwindling now - not as many as she thought there would be. Couple that with the docile nature of her pack, and she worried that if a pack grew hostile to hers, they might have to disband - they may have to anyway. It was time to make a change.
She let out an ear-splitting howl, and within moments, members of the pack were surrounding her. She raised her voice above the confused clamor in Thornbury; she had made up her mind.
"Members of Cercatori d'Arte," she called, "Our numbers are small. After the snowstorm and the murderer Argul, our pack has been weak." She let those words wash over them for a couple of seconds, then began again - "I feel that now is the time to rethink the values of our pack. Art is beautiful, wonderful, sacred - it is all these things. But with the growing number of packs in Souls, there is something that is also important - our standing with them. Relationships. Alliances."
"We're a pack of artists - but we also want to open our borders to those of all types. We need to be able to put our art to good use - I think it'd be in our best interest to focus on trading and making alliances with the packs that surround us."
"I think it'd be best to condense the ranks - and insert some new ones. Art will be split into two; performing art and traditional art. And we will have two new ranks - Merchant Ranks, for those who enjoy going out and making friends with other packs as well as selling things, and Livestock Raising Ranks, for the growing population of livestock we have. I hope that this will be enough to ensure the survival of our pack."
And she did - with the new focus on trade and friendship, maybe things would get better. Maybe they'd get new members from other packs. Whatever the reason... they needed to survive.
And they would.
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