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Make sure your wolf has realistic eye colors!
Your wolf may have a radio color as long as it is NOT active.
Ear tags are permitted as long as they cannot be used to track your wolf.
Your wolf’s pelt must be a realistic pattern and color.
Where has your wolf been? What is their backstory?

Creating Your Wolf

Starting a new character or introducing a beloved character can sometimes be daunting. There are several things to consider when starting a new character to join in our roleplay so we hope that you will find this guide helpful!

  • Only specific, limited ties with humans are allowed for characters within the realms of WolfSpirits. Read the specifics below.
  • Your wolf can be tagged or radio-collared as long as both are ‘inactive’. This means that humans are unable to track you.
  • Your wolf cannot have unnaturally colored or patterned eyes or fur.
  • Be creative with your backstory / history! We enjoy reading something new and refreshing!

Your Wolf’s Appearance

If you submit your character traits that are not that of a true wolf, your application will be denied. Our characters are modeled after wolves in the wild. If a wild wolf would not be a particular age or have a particular color or trait, neither can your character. This rule applies to all aspects of your character.

All of the wolven characters at WolfSpirits belong to the species “Canis lupus” or the gray wolf. Your character may not be a dire wolf or a dog, these animals are not playable species.

Wolf Pelt Colors

The coat colors of wolves can be of a single color or a mixture of many. Common colors include black, white, gray, silver, brown, tan, cream, russet, ginger, cream, white, and mixtures and combinations of many of these colors. Different wolf subspecies or wolves from different areas can sometimes have different or particular coat colors. For example, the coats of arctic wolves are usually solid white, to help them blend in with the flat, treeless, snowy environment they live in.

See the chart pictured below for examples of possible colors that your wolf’s fur could be. With the exceptions of lilac, red/sable, and blue, feel free to use this illustration as inspiration for your wolf. The coats of wild wolves do not have the colors lilac, red/sable, or blue pictured below.

Wolf Age

All characters joining WolfSpirits must be at or over the age of 1 year old.

Wolves give birth between the weeks of late March and mid-June. This means your wolf character cannot be born outside of this short time frame. A wolf any younger than one year of age would not survive on its own, as a result of predation or lack of hunting ability. If you would like to play a pup, be sure to ask the Alphas if any pups are expected within the pack in the Spring.

At the other end of your wolf’s life – golden years and saying goodbye. Wolves typically only live 8-13 years in the wild but can live upwards of 15 years in captivity. The older a wolf gets, the harder it is for them to hunt, compete for food, ward of hostile creatures, and travel. This is what often contributes to the end of a wolf’s life.

Life Path Rough Timeline
0-1 Years: Pup
1-2 Years: Adolescent
2-4 Years: Young Adult
4-6 Years: Mature Adult
6-10 Years: Older Adult
10+ Years: Elderly

Wolf Eye Colors

Wolf eye colors vary in hue, but the general colors range from green, olive, brown, yellow, bronze, and grey ( not blue ). Wolves do NOT have blue eyes naturally unless they are a wolf-dog hybrid. A wolf will not have blue eyes with the exception of pups under the age of ~8 weeks old. Wolves’ eye colors transition from blue to their adult color between the ages of 6-16 weeks.

Wolf Size & Build

Wolves are individuals and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Your wolf’s body type can also contribute to their size. Is your wolf short and muscular, tall and gangly? The size of the average wolf is usually measured by their weight, height at the shoulder, and length.

Length: 105–160cm/41–63 in long
Weight: 40kg/88lbs for Males or 37kg/82lbs for Females
Height: 80-85cm/31-33in tall
The largest wolf on record was an Alaskan male who weighed 175lbs/80kg. Please use this size as a reference for this species’ size limit.

These measurements change depending on the individual wolf and the wolf’s subspecies. If your wolf is a particular subspecies, their size may be different than these average values, but be sure to look up the average sizes for a wolf of that subspecies. Wolves who were malnourished as pups would likely have stunted growth and lone wolves are often underweight without the support of a pack.

wolf nuzzle

Non-Wolven Traits

Non-Wolven traits are physical or phenotypic traits that wolves do not possess or which have not been observed in wolves. Wolven characters in WolfSpirits may not possess traits that do not belong to wild wolves. Here are some examples of non-wolven traits that WolfSpirits characters may not have.

  • Blue eyes
  • Heterochromia (Sectoral and Complete)
  • Albinism, Piebaldism, and Leucism
  • Unnatural Colors and Patterns
  • Elements of Magic, Fantasy, or Supernatural quality
  • Unnatural wolf sizes
  • Dire wolves (extinct for 9,500 years)
Confused about what is allowed? Scroll back up and give the other appearance sections a read! If you have any further questions, feel free to ask us in our channels or in the form at the bottom of our homepage!

Backstory

At WolfSpirits we enjoy getting to know new people and characters! Your wolf’s backstory is a big part of who they are and who they are going to become the longer you roleplay them. Some of WolfSpirit’s members have been with the pack for many years, we have been around for 19 years, after all. When thinking about writing a new character’s backstory or modifying an existing character, WolfSpirits has some guidelines on what is and is not allowed.

 

Here are some things to think about when you’re writing your wolf’s backstory!

  • Where did your wolf come from?
  • How did it end up becoming a lone wolf?
  • Are any of your relatives still around?
  • Are you roleplaying with a friend? Perhaps consider adding them to your family.

Learn about wolves, their maturity, and life path on our About Wolves page.

Please follow the guidelines below regarding your wolf’s backstory. Similarly to appearance, your application will not be approved if your wolf’s backstory does not meet our guidelines.

1

Your wolf must be at least 1 year old.

Wolves under the age of 1 year would not be able to survive without a pack. Therefore, we do not accept new characters with an age less than 1 year. Wolves do not reach adulthood until ~2-3 years of age, and this is when most wolves "disperse" from or leave their birth pack.
2

Human Ties

Only limited or specific ties with humans are permitted in WolfSpirits. Your wolf is allowed to have been born or found in a sanctuary (not a zoo) and released in the wild. Your wolf is allowed to have been involved in human reasearch projects (radio collaring) and released back into the wild. Wolves have been known to coexist with humans but dependency on humans for food and shelter damages a wolf's ability to coexist with its own species and fend for itself after release into the wild. Radio collars, tags, and other human influence on your wolf's physical appearance is allowed as long as it doesn't interfere with your wolf's survival and as long as humans CANNOT track your wolf. All tracking or monitoring devices must be inactive. If your wolf's backstory involves humans in any other manner it will not be approved by the Alphas or Betas. When in doubt, be sure to ask!

Developing Your Wolf

This is probably one of the most overlooked sections when creating your character. Who doesn’t want to create an awesome, exciting character from the start: big rippling muscles, charismatic, killed 10 other wolves, and saved a pack in the process! While this might seem like the best way to make an interesting character, it makes for a very unimaginative wolf and limits your character’s possibilities for growth. In the wild, no wolf is the same, each has their own personality and traits. The wolves of WolfSpirits are like this too! Giving your character room to develop and change strengthens your bond with them. Many WolfSpirits long-time members play their characters for the span of their wolf’s natural life, sticking with their characters for years! Could you play your character for 11 years without getting bored?

One of the more appealing things about roleplaying is that it allows you to expand your imagination and with that, expand the story of your character. No single wolf is born with the weight of greatness upon their shoulders. When you role play, you develop your character’s own story. This is the exciting part! When you interact with other wolves and roleplay stories, then you get the unique opportunity to develop your character into who you want them to be, and sometimes, they will surprise you! The longer you play your character with us, the more your wolf will have the chance to develop alongside and together with WolfSpirits. Become a part of this pack’s history and walking along this path with many other wolves, those who have come and gone and those who have yet to visit.

Staying True

Here are some things to consider while creating and roleplaying your character. Keeping your character true to their personality, history, and traits will help you determine the path their development takes.

Would your character do that?

Asking ourselves as roleplayers how our characters behave is one of the most important parts of maintaining our unique characters. This is what gives them their personalities, quirks, and sets them apart from each other. As you type out your post, make sure to check that your characters actions, words, and thoughts are something they would actually do, say, or think. Otherwise, your character can quickly turn into an entirely new wolf!

How would your character react?

If your character hears something they disagree with does your wolf argue, listen and stay quiet, walk away, or something else? If a pack member jumps out of the bushes to scare your wolf do they yell and get angry, laugh along with it, act embarassed, or do something different?

How would your character respond to a troubling situation?

Would your character try to dominate and take control of the situation? Would they run and get help or wait for help to arrive? Or, is your wolf prone to shutting down and shutting out their environment?

Would your character interact like that towards another wolf?

Think about your characters back story and behavior. Will it respond appropriately? Does your wolf greet others with affection and a wagging tail? Is your wolf standoffish and cautious of new wolves? Maybe your wolf is afraid of strangers and prefers to wait for someone else to greet them first? Or, does your wolf greet others with confidence and security?

How would your wolf solve troubles towards other wolves?

What does your wolf do if they experience troubles or conflict towards other wolves? Do they avoid the wolf or try to resolve the problem? Is their resolution style confrontational or apologetic? Does your wolf always think they are right or do they more likely to compromise for civility?

What are your wolf's ambitions and goals?

Are they searching for lost family members or a best friend? Maybe your wolf's mother was an expert huntress and your wolf wants to follow in her pawsteps. As you progress thorugh the pack, does your wolf admire any of the ranked wolves and aspire to serve the pack like they do?

Introducing Your Wolf

Once you figure out your character’s details and back story, it’s time to introduce them to our channels! Head over to How To Roleplay A Wolf to read in depth about how we roleplay at WolfSpirits and for ideas on how to introduce your wolf!

  • Look at the Territory Map for a point through which your wolf will enter the WolfSpirit’s Territory. Popular points include the Great Crossing, the Widow’s Creep, and the Southern Border.
  • Write out your first post! Start with describing the entry point your wolf chose to use so other wolves can find you as you journey through the Territory. The Clearing is the heart of the pack’s territory, you’ll probably find other wolves here if you don’t run into a Scout on the way!
  • Introduce yourself to visitors, pack wolves, and pack members. Make sure to seek out the Betas or Alphas IC to introduce your wolf and hear the ways of the WolfSpirits.