Vernon: Well, it ain't as obvious anymore really. These days, the names are more of a formality for a country that's united on purty much every issue imaginable. Though back in the day, the leadership of both countries were at odds more often than not.
Dawn: Especially when it came to relations with Scottram and Irelamb. Lesser Norwulff especially wasn't keen on having Scottramish and other caprine transplants so close to their borders.
Vernon: Lesser Norwulff was, historically, considerably more of a species-supremacist country. Whereas those in Norwulff had been buildin' 'unconventional' packs fer centuries based on how loyal and reliable them non-wolves proved themselves to be. Lesser Norwulff was strictly a 'wolves' only pack structure. They reluctantly welcomed non-wolf predators into their society as second-class citizens and prey mammals weren't allowed in at all.
Dawn: That's why, even with Erik's royal status aside, his tithe to a sheep would still have been accepted by the populace in general should it have gone public. Granted, it would have been easier to swallow if said sheep wasn't royalty herself. But Ancient Norwulff had by that point seen a fair share of interspecies tithes. Not that they were rampant of course, but there was long since a precedent set. Hel, Erik wasn't even the first Duclaw to pursue sheep mates.
Vernon: *Blushes, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly* Yeah, and Erik wasn't the last either, current couple excluded I mean. *Vernon grins sheepishly* Seems like the Hunter bloodline gets a cravin' for mutton every other generation er' so...But in the case o' what my Honey Lamb is talkin' about, she means my ancient...well...ancestor ain't the right term I think...is it? Y'all have to have pups fer that...
Dawn: There's really no other term to use. He may have been infertile, but he was a Duclaw.
Vernon: Right, anyway...there was a Duclaw that lived about four hundred years before Erik. Back durin' one of our families 'high skirmish' eras against the Scottramish. I'm talkin' back when Norwulff would take and occupy territory in Scottram fer ten ta fifteen years at a time before bein' forced out again. Fenrir Duclaw, yep, named after the god, was one o' seven pups in the royal family.
Dawn: Just like you...*Snickers*
Vernon: Well, I ain't a royal by any means other than blood. *Shakes head* Anyway, he was a proud warrior, and preferred to be on the front lines rather than in the royal court. The thing about Fenrir was that he was infertile. He suffered an injury while sparing as a pup that...er...well let's just say it...scrambled his eggs permanently...
*Dawn and Vern share a wince*
Vernon: That said, I think that's what ended up kinda drivin' his 'fightin' spirit', always feelin' like a lesser wolf. His brothers tore at him for it, and despite his status as a bein' a royal, as well as his increasin' number of accolades, he was passed over by all the eligible shewolves at every opportunity.
Dawn: Fed up with his lot in life he...well, he spurned the gods and decided to actively buck Norwulff morality when the opportunity arose just to spite them. It was revenge for them dealing him such a bad paw, at least in his eyes.
Vernon: And one o' the ways he chose to do that was to take a new sheep mate with every successful occupation o' Scottram territory.
Dawn: Not to say he....got rid of the old ones...he just...decided to take a page from the book of the ancient lion prides.
Vernon: *Shakes head* At the height o' thangs, he had five sheep wives. And as much of his family disapproved, there was little they could do to scold him because he remained such an effective warrior.
Dawn: I will point out though, that every time he and his armies were ousted from Scottram, and his mates had the opportunity to escape, they always returned with him to Norwulff. Even the families of the stolen lambs didn't hate him, as having such a tie to Fenrir allowed their family favor to keep operating in the occupied territory. And it made them even more wealthy than when they were operating in the former Scottramish system.
Vernon: The story has a bit of a happy ending dependin' on how ya look at it. Fenrir's last wife, once she was settled in, was an expert at readin' folks...at figurin' out how to get to a fella's soft yellow underbelly. Both her and Fenrir's personal journals corroborate how much of a 'therapist' she seemed to be...even if the job didn't exist yet. She helped Fenrir face his insecurities, and his anger at his circumstance, and come to terms with the wolf he was, and the wolf he wanted to be.
Dawn: Upon being ousted again, and returning to Norwulff, Fenrir decided to return to the old ways. He gave his mates the opportunity to return to Scottram, or live within the protection of his family name while being allowed to pursue proper mates. All of them preferred the latter.
Vernon: Fenrir would renew his tithe his second mate Kathrine Lambaher, his most beloved, and his other sheep mates would be free to tithe whoever they wanted in the Norwulff community. Three o' four married other wolves, and the last married a goat who sat in the family's high court. However, they would always remain close to Fenrir, even if it was strictly platonic.
Dawn: It's an interesting little footnote in the Duclaw history and one that was barely talked about until the whole...Moira Blackwool thing came out thanks to Ulric. Of course, it's far from the only instance of Wolf and Sheep relations in Vernon's family lineage as we've found out since then. Not to mention it's not the only unconventional one. One of my favorites is the story of Sheriff Rowan Clawter who lived in the old west. Never tithed, but frequented a saloon run by a very enterprising sheep lass named Maureen Sheepard. *Chuckles* it's believed the sheriff had taken to bankrolling her saloon just to keep Maureen from ever having to resort to prostituting herself like the rest of the girls who worked under her. According to Maureen's diaries, Rowan made it very clear that Maureen was 'his', and that was, apparently, just how she liked it...*Giggles*
Vernon: That's where that fella writin' that there magic western novel got his names fer Rowan and Dolly from...sorta...*Shakes head* Mam', we've really gone off track haven't we?
Dawn: Oh my yes, w-what was the question again?
Vernon: About Greater and lesser Norwulff bein' separate countries? Which...I guess I already said...they are still technically, but it's one o' them formalities...
Dawn: Yes....though that tangent made me realize it might be worth writing a book on the many 'unconventional' affairs that riddle the Duclaw lineage. At the rate they're piling up, I could write something as thick as a dictionary. *Snickers*
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