rules of the amuk
General
Rules
1. Never be disloyal the Amuk or its members. (This includes disclosing Amuk
secrets to outsiders, deliberately physically or mentally hurting another member,
betraying another member, etc.)
2. Follow any direct orders given by a superior member. (This
means those members who rank higher above you in the Amuk hierarchy.) The
shadow Amuk hierarchy is as follows:
Rama/Kali (King/Queen)
Laksmana (Second in command)
Abhay (1st Bodyguard)
Uprala (2nd Bodyguard)
Muttamakkin (Alphas)
Adhini (Betas)
3. Never reveal Amuk secrets to outsiders without permission
from the Rama. (This is betraying your Amuk, and if serious, can result in
death.)
4. Never deliberately hurt another Amuk member, mentally or
physically. (This includes outing a member who is hiding their lycanthropy.)
5. In order to obtain a power position, you must fight your way
up the hierarchy. (This rule does not apply if the position is already open.
However, a member can still be challenged if other Amuk members do not feel the
person is capable enough to fill the position.) The only positions that are NOT
fight positions are the Bodyguard positions. These are positions of trust and
must be granted by the Rama/Kali.
6. All punishments will be decided by the Rama. There is an
automatic death sentence for members who betray or deliberately bring harm to
the Amuk and/or its members.
Vocalizations
Vocalizations are the tiger’s main form of communication. Though, vocalizations
often accompany body language, too. It has been proven that like whales,
elephants and many other mammals, tigers can communicate through infrasound. Infrasounds are low-pitched sounds like those that come
from a bass or sub-woofer audio speaker. Unlike other sounds, infrasound can
travel for long distances and go through objects, including buildings, dense
forests, and in some cases, even mountains. All the sounds mentioned below can
be heard here.
Chuffing or Prusten: The 'chuff' or 'prusten' is considered to be a friendly and non-threatening
alternative to purring. In German, prusten means to
sneeze, snort, or suddenly burst out laughing. This low-intensity sound is
produced by holding the mouth closed and snorting through the nostrils. In the
wild prusten is used when two tigers meet on neutral
territory, while captive tigers sometimes start to use
it with keepers. Chuffing is used as a method of greeting. Roaring:
Roaring is usually reserved for long distance communications. It advertises
location and warns away other tigers, or attracts them when the search for a
mate is on. Sometimes it is sounded after a successful kill, but never during
the actual attack which is carried out in silence. During a roar the ears are
laid back and rotated so the backs are visible, the nose wrinkles and the eyes narrow.
Moans or Grunts: Roars may be preceded with a long, low moaning noise.
Softer versions of the moan are used in communication between mother and cubs
or during greeting. Growls and Snarls: Growls and snarls are easily the
most common form of communication, with the growl being aggressive, while the
snarl is defensive.
Other Behaviors
In the wild tigers for the most part live alone. However, in some cases small
groups have been documented with numbers as high as six tigers living
communally. Usually these are family groups that haven’t broken up, likely
consisting of a mother and cubs. Tigers have also been known to socialize when
put into group settings like those in captivity. In fact they seem to enjoy the
company of other tigers, often playing and showing affection towards one
another. It is on these facts that the weretiger
social behavior is based.
Hunting As a rule tigers are most often solitary hunters. Though, in
some instances they have been known to share a kill. Normal behavior during these
hunts is for the tigers to set a trap in which some members chase the prey
while one waits in hiding to make the kill. When the prey has been killed,
feeding occurs. Adults usually feed one at a time unless they are siblings from
the same litter or in the midst of courtship.
Greeting Behavior
Tiger greeting behavior is similar to that of other large cats. Usually it
begins with a soft butting of heads. Often the cats will rub along each others cheek, scenting the other. Then the two greeters
strongly lean into one another. Sometimes the lean is so strong that if one
tiger is lying, the standing tiger may fall on top of the lounging one. As a
rule, the weaker of the two cats always rubs against the stronger. It is up to
the beta to initiate the greeting. The greeting is almost always accompanied
with the "chuffing" sound and an occasional moan or grunt. (see vocalizations)
When in human form the tiger greeting is less aggressive. Instead of butting
heads, the humans skip to the scenting. Each rubs along the other’s cheek,
often this looks as though they are whispering to one another. It can also be
masked by a hug, which represents the leaning of bodies. In human form the beta
should initiate if he or she wants to recognize the other tiger as dominant.
However, if on good terms it isn’t uncommon for an alpha to initiate a greeting
just to keep a good bond.
Aggressive Behavior
Tigers may become aggressive if they feel threatened, angry or are trying to
establish dominance. Aggressive behavior is displayed in a multitude of ways.
The cats head is lowered, raising its shoulders higher than normal. The
crouching position it assumes is similar to that of the hunting position,
mainly because it is readying itself to spring into action if need be. The tiger
will gaze steadily into its opponent’s eyes, unwaveringly. Ears are laid back
against the head, and the mouth opens in a snarl, displaying teeth. If tail
lashing occurs usually an attack is immanent. Sounds
that may accompany aggressive behavior are growls, hissing and snarls. (see vocalizations)
Aggressive behavior in human form differs from that of the tiger form. Usually
the only time a weretiger will display animalistic
features of aggression are in extreme cases of emotion or dominance. In these
cases, the unwavering gaze is still present. Sometimes snarling and the display
of teeth are present, too. This may depend on how public the display is and how
many humans are near. Aggressive vocalizations may occur in human form also.
Subordinate Behavior
Subordinate behavior is only displayed during acts of dominance. When a tiger
wants to show an act of submission it will adopt a fawning or cringing position
and, by crouching or lying submissively on its back, deliberately exposes
itself in such a fashion as to make killing as easy as possible for the
superior tiger. The aggressor, recognizing the appeasement gesture and that it
is no longer threatened, breaks off the attack. Disputes between mature males
are not generally governed by the normal etiquette, however. These
confrontations can be extremely violent, where submissive gestures and other
body posturing can result in severe injury or death to the weaker individual.
Often moaning or grunting vocalizations accompany the submissive posture.
In human form the subordinate will drop their eyes and perhaps lower their head
in order to acknowledge the superior tiger. Again a soft moaning or grunting
may occur if the submissive tiger is distress.