Silverback Terms

Adoption: Ceremony that takes place when a pup’s pack has died and there are no family members to take care of the pup. When a pup is adopted by another pack, they lose their former pack name and take the pack name of the adopted family.

Alpha: Leader of a tribe of Silverbacks.
 
alpha: Strongest member of a litter of Silverbacks. Determined by which pup opens their eyes first, until the pups can challenge one another, when one will assert their dominance over their siblings. It is also a term used among the Watchers and Hunters for the leader of their five-male packs.
 
Alpha Father: Silverback god.
 
Alpha Hunter: Typically the position of Alpha’s mate, oversees the planning and execution of the hunts for the tribe.

Alpha-Taur: Silverback ruler of all Taurs.
 
Barchus: Pack name of the runt that was added to the hunting pack of Terrabyss’ litter.
 
Bear-Shit: Common Silverback curse.
 
Belly-Greeter: A coward.
 
Boulder: Well-sized stone that is kept near the Shaman’s den and used to measure weights.
 
Cana: Tallest Silverback tribe.
​
Council of Elders: The council that helps guide the Alpha’s decisions within the Mauler tribe.
 
Eclupse: Silverback tribe known for their stealth.

Fist: Silverback unit of five fighters.
 
Gathering: Mauler communal grounds.

Guards: A position created by Grimmis and continued by succeeding Alphas. Reserved for female Maulers.
 
Hunch: All Silverbacks have a slight hunch to their backs, mainly because of their large shoulder muscles which are used when they run on all fours. Among the Maulers, the hunch is considered prized and is seen as a sign of virility and connected to ambition.
 
Hunt: Silverback tradition to allow pups to ascend to adulthood. If they successfully complete a kill, they will become adults, or must try again the following year.
 
Invasion Council: The war council that is established separately to the council of elders. It consists of Dio, Luna, Terrabyss, Numa, Maxyss, and Suskyss. Eventually, Rymmall is added.
 
Kanabo: The weapon that Terrabyss uses. Shorter than traditional kanabos, it is only about the length of his arm. It is made of sequoia and has inch-long iron spikes attached to metal bands that circle the weapon.
 
Lobu: Dominant Silverback tribe, naming all Silverbacks for their grey-marked coats.
 
Lone Wolf: A title given to a Silverback when they are exiled. It is also used to refer to a single survivor of a pack that has not pledged to any Alpha.
 
Lue: Distance of an average, single lunge.
 
Mahuer: A common Beast-Speech term for ‘Great’. It is used among the Silverbacks to refer to the first in a litter to take a mate and start a family.
 
Materimony: Official union between two Taurs of the same clan.
 
Mauler: Silverback tribe known for their strength, but also small numbers.
 
Mutts: Clan of Canine-Taurs that are not Wolf-Taurs, considered the “sixth” Silverback tribe.
 
My Skull: A popular game played at all Mauler events. It consists of as many players as want to play, but needs at least two. The players start in the middle of a circular area and attempt to get a skull across the circle’s boundary, although it is contested if it can be any boundary or the furthest from the player’s position when they get the skull. When a player is tackled, they must release the skull and form a huddle around it. The skull can also be stripped out of one player’s hands by another, at which point no huddle is formed. After a point is scored, the skull is reset to the middle of the circle and the game begins anew. There can either be point totals or the game can be played until everyone is too exhausted to play. Recently, new rules have been added such as being able to kick the skull over the boundary for a single point and running over the line is now worth two points.
 
Paw and Ear Method: An Eclupse tradition that was implemented when the Ozars conquered the Eclupse. A way of determining if a juvenile is ready to become an adult.
 
Pellet: A vulgar Taur swear that means herbivore excrement.
 
Scouts: Female Mauler military division that keeps communication with the outer and inner grove. Also used for monitoring the outer grove for enemies and keep intelligence on other Taur tribes within and around the grove.
 
Shaman: The magic users of the Silverbacks and the Maulers, who was usually also the Alpha.

Star Flies: Insects that only come out at night.
 
Varggs: Smallest Silverback tribe known for their speed.
 
Watchers: Five-male teams that guard the canyon pass between the Green Wall and the Grove