If you weren't familiar with the area, you'd think that the crumbling, abandoned prison near Kah'ren's forest was haunted. The structure often emits howls and yips, hollers and hoots like nothing you've ever heard before. The locals will tell you a differnt story, but it's just as crazy as your first theory.
That prison is the home of a wild and brashe dog clan known as the Why'os...and they seem to like to hear their own voices. They're loud, crude, and silly. To others they surely must appear to be nonsensical, careless even. They probably get on their neighbors' nerves. They don't really care. They're always ready to get going and make some noise. A little brash, a little impatient, and a lotta bit rough and tumble. They love to wrestle and play, sometimes quite spontaneously. They're pretty serious about being hardy. You'll see them quite often urging their injured kids to just shake it off after a fall. CHARACTERISTICS Family Oriented
Why'o bonds run deep. There isn't anyone more important to a Why'o than another Why'o. They keep their bonds strong by playing with one another and staying in close proximity to beloved gang mates. If one Why'o gets hurt, everyone feels it. And then the one who caused the hurt feels it too. Revenge will happen.
Signature Call
Everyone knows the Why'os signature howl. It's right there in their name. It's a sound to be feared...because it means that war is coming over the hills. You'll also hear this sound being crowed within the walls of their prison shelter, or even atop the roof. When one dog throws back his head and howls at the moon, you can be sure that more will soon join in.
Fast
The Why'os are said to be the fastest dogs in the whole city, and they know it too. It's said that no dog could outrun a purebred Why'o. That they hit the ground running at birth. Whether that's true or not, these dogs are definitely fast on their feet. They start practicing early, racing through the cold corridors of the prison strengthening their legs for a lifetime of sprinting.
Colors
While not a steadfast rule, multigenerational Why'os often share physical similarities. The clan is full of dark speckles, black and white coats, red and white coats, and bright blue eyes.
TRADITIONS Escape The Slammer The pups of the Why'os play a gamed called 'Escape The Slammer'. A few puppies play the Pound Guards, and the rest play captured dogs. They gather in rusted out cells in the prison and make their escape plan while the 'guards' patrol the halls. When it is time, all captured puppies will make a break for the outside world. Wrestling, squealing, snarling, and biting will ensue as they fight their way out. It is hilarious good fun and pups rarely ever actually get hurt, but it can be quite stunning to watch just how rough and determined these Whyo kids can get! Eti'uru Eti'uru is a Why'o tradition that goes back generations. It means "Sneak Out." Before a Why'o litter is ready to be apprenticed, they challenge themselves to sneak out of the prison one night without being caught by the adults. The pups must make it all the way to one of the territory borders and back without being detected by their clan - And they have to race there and back before sunrise. Bonus points if they leave their mark there! The adults like to pretend like they disapprove, but every potential mentor is excitedly keeping an eye on the puppy that succeeds. Sleep Pile The Why'os lack of personal space and close bonds with their clanmates are evident in the way that they spend their nights. Despite the prison having many, many rooms for the clan to spread out into, most Why'os choose to sleep cuddled up next to one another in a giant puddle of warm bodies. This is also a great way to conserve warmth in the cold, concrete building. No one bats an eye if someone creeps away to have some alone time, but it's very normal to see most Why'os snoozing peacefully in a pile. Racing Racing is in every Why'os blood. It's how they challenge one another for strength, how they solve disputes, and how they play. Its not uncommon for a disagreement between Why'o pups (and even sometimes adults) to be solved
with a racing challenge.
CLAN BASE 
The tall red brick structure sits eerily in a large overgrown yard. Dilapidated buildings surround the area, the remnants of a once booming bail bonds business. Lawyers and such have no place here now, not since the prison closed years ago. The prisoners are long gone and the building
sits empty. Well...empty of people anyway. Even before the earthquake happened, this prison sat completely abandoned for many years before the Why'os took over. It was
long-empty before they arrived.
The Why'os have claimed the dusty hallways and rusted out cages their home. Graffiti is splashed about the inner walls, but it is old. Humans quit coming around when the ghost rumors started. The howling, shrieking Why'os are to blame for that. There are far too many rooms and halls to make sense of anything, at least for organizational purposes. Most of the day's haul is brought into the cafeteria on ground level and divided into immediately surrounding rooms. You'll find a lot of dogs lounging about this large area, laughing and telling stories about their day. Beyond that the hundreds of rooms are fair game to run and race. No Why'o will get lost in the old twisting halls though. They know the place like the back of their own paw. 
Healer's Den (Owi'ayalu) But the thing that stands out the most in this vast room is the foliage. When the earthquake altered the town, the prison was not entirely immune. When the Why'os returned to their dilapidated library, they found that the high ceilings were broken open in places and that established trees were now growing through the floor. Because of the holes in the ceiling, patients are moved to nearby rooms in the winter to prevent them from catching a draft. Nursery (Patayalu) 
The ground floor, final row of cells lining the outer wall of the prison. Believe it or not, this is a well thought out
and very intentional location for the Why'o nursery. Here, the pups of the clan can run up and down the wide hallway without their mothers worrying about
them taking a tumble down a flight of stairs. Parents and caretakers have a clear view of the pups when they're playing. You will often find babysitters
lying in the hallway entrance, staring down the row at puppies racing in and out of various cells.
This hall isn't bleak and empty though, no! Far from it! There are wide windows spilling bright light onto the floor, and you won't be able to walk into this nursery without tripping over a toy or a stick. Why'os LOVE to play, and they're known for bringing home treats for their pups to play with to help them grow stronger. Every great now and again, you might hear a caretaker or mother shout out a "drill." A playful warning for all of the pups to run and hide from grimm or enemy clan. All of the pups in the hallway must drop what they're doing and squeeze through the bars of the nearest sealed cell. (There are a few of them on this row.) A full-sized adult canna might not be able to squeeze through the bars, so the pups are drilled to hide in these cells for safety. Courtyard (Eti'aga) 
Walled in by the prison itself is a large courtyard that would have once allowed human prisoners to spend time outside without a chance of escape. Now,
the yard serves two purposes - One, to allow young pups to play outside while still being in the safe confines of their pell'galu.
Two, to allow healers to grow various herbs and plants without worry of thievery. This place is heavily bathed in shadow though, so those options are a bit limited. Some plants absolutely must be grown outside the walls in sunnier areas, unfortunately. |
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Thanks to Trinity Blair of Adoxography for Mini Profile and Banner hovers and PC for their Duesseldorf icons.