Editing Terminology

= Terminology =

Head – The center of a pack, a beta who forms pack bonds through pack bites. When the person forming pack bonds doesn’t have any authority in the pack (for example, when the previous head dies and all the betas are quite young) they may be called the ‘pack beta’, even if there are multiple betas in the pack.

Alpha - the leader of a mate-bonded group. Also used for leaders of groups where the leader and head are separate functions.

Sire – the proginator/person who ‘fathered’ a child.

Father – parents capable of siring a child. Traditionally used in situations where multiple partners could have sired a child, or for partners that are known to have NOT sired the child. In modern times, may sometimes be used to refer to male parents of any dynamic, though usually only when their dynamic isn’t known.

Dam – the proginatrix/person who conceived (and usually carried) a child. 'Dam' and 'Head Dam' can also be used honorifically for the partner of the group's Head or Alpha, especially if they have their own authority over the group. Omega leaders of groups are also usually called 'Head Dam'.

Mother – parents capable of conceiving and/or carrying a child, OR for female alpha parents. Traditionally used for omega and/or female beta partners of a child’s dam. Now used by some all female communities as the general term for sires. ALSO used as a disparaging way of distinguishing female alphas from other alphas and male betas – ex. in the phrase “sires and mothers”.

== Pack vs. Family vs. Clan vs. Band ==
A band was traditionally a group of betas without a head, who form reciprocal bonds with each other. It now also refers to many small groups which don’t have a single head, but work together and have at least some pack bonds. 

An order is an unrelated mixed group with hierarchical head betas that forms for a specific purpose. They tend to be large. Bonds may be very weak, and emotional connection with other order member minimal. Many church congregations and charitable organizations form orders.

A Family is a familial group with a mate-bonded head couple, and possibly pups. It is polite to refer to households with a single parent, or unbonded parents, and kids, as a family, even though they technically aren’t. 

A House is a group that lives together and has a single head beta. All members either have bonds with the head, and/or are mate-bonded with someone who does. 

A Group is any other group that lives together. 

A Pack is a group with a single head beta and at least two generations. All members either have bonds with the head, and/or are mate-bonded with someone who does. Members may not live together, but the bonds are considered familial.

A Clan is a group with multiple generations and a head beta. They may live in multiple houses, and/or have hierarchical betas under the head. All members are supposed to have bonds that eventually connect them with the head beta, but some clans may continue acting as a unit even if that network breaks. As the head beta ages, many larger clans will have a period of fictitious connection, where the group pretends that bonds exist while the betas actually operate independently.

A troop is a group with multiple head betas, with the packs connected through mating bonds. Packs don’t have empathic connections with each other.

It is polite to refer to groups by the structure they’re closest to, even if they don’t perfectly match it. If a group matches multiple definitions, the hierarchy is generally:
* Group→Family→House→Pack→Band→Troop→Clan

If you don’t know the structure of someone’s group, “pack” is the respectful assumption.