Ask the BellHunters

Hello, I'm Dawn Hunter-Bellwether...er, formerly Dawn Bellwether if you didn't recognize the added surname. And before you ask, yes 'that' Dawn Bellwether. Ex-Assistant Mayor, Ex-Mayor, Ex-Criminal Mastermind (Reformed thank you very much), City Savior, Controversial Author, and Predator/Prey relationship advocate. I'm also, as you probably guess by the hyphenated last name, married, and happily so to my mate Vernon Hunter, a gray wolf. I'm also a mother to three wonderful pups, something I never thought I'd ever have the chance to be! But, lamb sakes, I've gushed enough about myself here without explaining exactly what this blog is for. You see, after the release of my book “Predator Seeking Prey”, our little family started to get a lot of public attention again, and with it came a lot of question from curious mammals and other pred/prey couples from all over Animalia. My best friend and mate Vernon thought it would be a good idea to deal with these questions directly by opening a sort of blog/forum and taking those questions about our lives directly. Since then, I'd like to say our little blog has been quite successful, with even members of our family and friend circle pitching in and taking a few questions as well. So with all that said., please feel free to Ask Away!


Oh, and also, feel free to check our old location for previous asks until we can get a better archive system in place!


The original Ask Dawn And Vern Tumblr! This blog is a continuation/reboot of the "AskDawnAndVern" tumblr, as I am permanently locked out of the Tumblr at present.

https://askdawnandvern.tumblr.com/


(Blog Author Note: This blog is based on the fanfiction “The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether” as well as it's pseudo-sequel “A Lamb Among Wolves”. If you haven't read them, it'll probably help you better understand what's going on here if you do. I'll link both stories below. Oh Also, I'm open to questions as well. Simply direct “Author” emails to “WastedTime” when composing them. And before I forget, I have a Patreon! Five dollars gets you access to in progress fics, Ask priority, and art previews of both SFW and NSFW art. Of course, even a dollar would help. Seriously, it's how I keep projects like this alive.


The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11999389/1/The-Rehabilitation-of-Dawn-Bellwether

A Lamb Among Wolves:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12364172/1/A-Lamb-Among-Wolves


Wasted Time's Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/wastedtimeee


And Finally, Please Submit your asks to this email address!
Submit Asks Here!

If the link doesn't work for you, send those emails to "Wastedtimeee@Askthebellhunters.com"

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Ask the Hunters; Religious Beliefs

 

Dorian: I think most of my pups largely take after us in terms of our religious beliefs...

Vernon: Yeah, we're probably all passive Volkinists...Norwulffish, whatever ya'll choose to call it.

Zach: 'Cept fer maybe Yuri...no offense little brother, but I mean, y'all spend a lot o' time crackin' off Native Wolf stuff.

Yuri: *Shakes Head* Just cause I like to throw around words like 'Ome-'.

Audrey: Ah! Ah! Ah! What did I say about usin' the 'O' word in this house?

Yuri: Aw c'mon now Ma! Ain't like I'm callin' any of these sorry sacks o' wolves around me an O-*Stops himself* Look, my point is, I use that stuff cause it gets under folks pelts, not cause I give it any real credence, okay!?

Trenton: That sounds about right. *Chuckles*

Dorian: Anyway, what they mean by 'passive volkinism' is that we follow rites fer big family events and uphold certain traditions. But it ain't like we're holdin' er' attendin' any services on full moon nights er' nothin'.

Wade: And a lot of us don't exactly pray all that often...to the Norwulffish gods I mean.

Yuri: I think the only one of us that breaks form is Ulric...I'd...honestly, I don't even know what to call that mutt...*Chuckles* I wanted to say he's one o' them atheists...but...*Rolls his eyes as if he's mulling things over.*

Xavier: His belief system tends to be in flux based on his current fixation...

Ulric: How many times do I have to say I am a 'TRUTH SEEKER', I seek "TRUTH', and when I find a newr, more compelling argument, I must pursue it!

Yuri: *Rolls his eyes* Here we go...

Zach: He does tend to gravitate back to that one really....weird obscure one though...that one that sound's like it's right out of a Loveclop novel?

Xavier: The space, tentacle thing? The one with the big eye?

Ulric: If you guys would just actually LISTEN to me for once, you would see that that 'things' filthy tendrils have left prints on every culture, in nearly every age of Zootopian history! It's merely modern historians who are trying to bury the lead as-!

Audrey: Honey, have you taken your medication today?

Ulric: I TOOK MY MEDICATION! GEEZE! Listen, he's-!

Vernon: I was gonna say, he tends to start talking about that thing when he's been off his meds for a while...

Ulric: YOU GUYS BROUGHT IT UP! Besides, that's when he....when I see him! That's why I know he's planning to try and set events in motion that will cause his avatar, a son, to be born on Animalia!

Honey: Ully, did you replace-? Uhg, yeah, he replaced the meds in his bottle with M&Ms again...*Clasp Ully's wrists with her strong badger paws, restraining him.* I've got backups in my bag, I'm going to take him to our room give him a dose.

Ulric: NO! NOOOO! I have to TELL THE WORLD! H-HONEY! *Honey starts dragging the wolf toward the stairs.* HOOOONEY STOOOOoooOOOP!*

Honey: OH, and before I duck out, I'm agnostic for the record. I believe there's something...just not sure what. *Is now easily dragging the struggling wolf away.*

Ulric: NOOOoooOOOO! *Voice and whining fades as he is dragged up the stairs and out of sight.*

Vernon: *Coughs* Anywho, yeah....uh...let's just pick it up from Honey's answer and move on to the gals...

Dawn: Well, I'm a passive Capridist I suppose. I do about the same amount of worship and prayer that the rest of the Hunters do when it comes to Volkinism, and upholding the traditional ceremonies. I do...believe in the Elysian fields, or heaven as a sort of basic catch-all, but I don't think I truly believe in any of my pantheon's specific gods...I just feel traditions are important and a nice thing to pass on to your lambs.

Vanna: I agree with Dawn, to some extent. Traditions are nice, and Binduist beliefs have a great many traditions I look forward to sharing with our...kittens *Blushes softly as she grips Zach's paw.* when we adopt. *Smirks* But the tenets of Binduism and the concept of Karma and Dharma are a great sort of...moral framework to live by, and pass on to your kittens.

Zach: *Smiles at his mate* I think so too, although the same could prolly' be said fer Volkinism, and Capridism...

Dawn: Yes, it's good to have a moral framework to live by, and instill in your lambs...

Trenton: *Leans in to inspect Zach and Vanna and smirks* Y'all too got awfully smiley when talkin' 'bout adoptin'....you two fixin' to finally...?

Vanna: *Retracts slightly, covering her muzzle to hide her growing blush* Well...I-I mean....

Zach: We've been talkin' about it a lot lately...and well...we're gonna start touchin' base with agencies next month...

Vernon: *Flashes the couple a wide, toothy smile* Well I'll be dipped! *Chuckles* No way! Yer fixin' to take up rearin' some pup's finally?

Vanna: *Still blushing* W-We've-We feel that we're finally ready to t-take that step.

Zach: Already talked to Pa privately about addin' the new pup's bedroom to the house...we're puttin' some foundation down next week.

Ada, Dawn, Qali, Malcolm and Audrey: *Various excited and girlish squealing*

Dawn: OOOH! I'm so happy for you guys! *Hugs Vanna's leg* If there is anything Vernon and I can do to help, letters of recommendation, anything, you don't even have to ask!

Vernon: I imagine a letter from us could make thangs real nice and smooth fer the whole process all things considered. *Chuckles*

Vanna: *Leans down and hugs Dawn, slowly the other Hunter gals and Malcolm pile on the hug, Vanna's blush only deepens as she tears up. *T-Thank you all...

Audrey: *Audrey turns to Dorian while hugging Vanna* And when was you fixin' to tell me this was happenin'!?

Dorian:*Holds up his paws defensively* I was sworn to secrecy! I swear! They had time constraints, so they had to tell me, but they wanted to tell y'all as a group when the time was right...

*The hug breaks up, and Auddey returns to Dorian's side, giving the older wolf a hug*

Audrey: Alright, I forgive ya Darlin'...*Audrey giggles, planting a kiss on Dorian's muzzle* Next time, y'all might not be as lucky...*Laughs*

*Dorian looks relieved, letting out and audible *phew* As he grips Audrey to his side.*

Vernon: Now 'er pups will finally have some cousins to play with. *Chuckles*

Ada: Dat's so great! I'm so happy for yas too! *Smirks at Yuri* Aldough it's gettin' me tinkin' I might be wantin' my own pups soon...

Yuri: *huffs and crosses his arms*  We got tithed last year fer cryin' out loud! We ain't doin' this now!

Ada: So later den? *Chuckles*

Yuri: *Growls* UGGGH!

Xavier: I think it would be better to give in now Yuri, Ada does seem to always win these sorts of discussions between you.

Malcolm: *Snickers* Best to stop strugglin' and ride the current out...

Yuri: Let's just get back on track already! *Snorts* Ada, tell them about your kooky religion...

Ada: *Rolls her eyes* Hey, don't take potshots at Zoodoo just cause youse know gonna lose dat pup fight.

Dawn: You practice Zoodoo? I thought the Sam Hain Costume your was last year was...well...

Ada: *Chuckles* A gag? Eh...a little from column A, a little from column B. My parents was passive Simboligsts, but me's, I couldn' jives with a religion dat frames all hyenas as evil...considerin' I was one...*Chuckles* 'Specially when I becames a moody teen...

Qali: So what is Zoodoo exactly?

 Ada: Eh...I ain't gonna bog ya downs wit da details. Clops notes voision is da Hyenas fleein' from South Afrikat to escape da treatment dere settled in Suddern Mammalia and da islands and sorta reinvented Simbology usin' a lot of 'non-canonical' texts and meshin' it with old Hyenyan Predganist religions. 

Dawn: Non-canonical...you mean...like Kovu?

Ada: Yeah, and reframin' da hyenas who was vilified unda Scar and puttin' dem' back into da whole 'cicle o' life' where day belong...aldough, we did put a hyena at da top of da pole. Dat would be Jasiri, da den mudder of us modern hyenas, and da goddess of death...

Giselle: She's a goddess of death...you don't see many that many religions with a death goddess at the top...

Ada: Wells, Hyenas as a species are verys intune wit death, I means, are ancestors was da undatakers of da wild...*Snickers*. Besides, she was balanced out by her mate Kion, God of life, and a lion a dat...a forbidden tryst...*Snickers*

Dawn: So do you still...I mean are you still-?

Ada: Eh...I'm passive about it now...more into it when I was a teen...back den I did spell rituals and stuff...no chicken sacrifices dough...wasn't willin' to go dat far...

Vanna: I was about to ask...

Trenton: As for Qali here, she's also a Volkinist...

Qali: My family bloodline trace back to Northern Roarope, and the way things were with foxes of all pelts at the time meant the Norwulves were going to be the only mammals who accepted us as equals...Naturally, my family's patron saint is Vulki! But we don't practice too deeply...

Trenton: It made things much easier durin' our own tithe...we didn't have to worry about meshin' anythin' into the frame work....no offense you guys...*Gestures to Dawn, Vern, Vanna and Zach*

Zach: Eh, we got along just fine...wasn't to hard...

Vernon: Same here, y'all and Gus did a great job mergin' two types o' ceremonies on such short notice. 

Xavier: We're in the same boat, Malcolm is also a passive Volkinist.

Malcolm: So we won't have any trouble at all durin' our tithe this Fall! *Laughs*

Vernon: Cheers to that! We're lookin' forward to it!

Wade: What about you Darlin' yer a Simbologist, right?

Giselle: Yes, my family was from Afrikat originally, and our species never really got a chance to have an organized religion of its own before the Pridelands took over. But like the rest of you I'm a passive worshipper, as are my parents...

Wade: Good thing too, 'er else we might run into some hiccups iffin' we ever got tithed... Simboligists are very anti-cross species tithin's and all...

Audrey: Iffin' yer ever gonna ask that gal, that is! *Laughs*

Wade: Aww MA! Don't start!

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