The elemental powers of canines begin to manifest anywhere from 6 months to a year. Whenever young canines reach 6 months of age, they are tested to see what their main element is by performing four simple tests. Each canine starts out with one of the four primary elements - earth, air, water, and fire. The test the pup passes shows what element they’ve been gifted with. It is common for a canine to pass one of the tests, uncommon for one to pass none or two, and extremely rare for one to pass all four.

The fire test is conjuring up a small flame in their paws. The earth test is moving a small rock without touching it. The water test is lifting a small ball of water from a river or lake. The air test is making an object levitate.

Canines who fail all four tests are deemed kirottu. They are allowed one more chance to pass when they reach 1 year of age, but after that they are either banished from their group or put at the bottom of the social hierarchy, even lower than an omega.

When I was first coming up with a prophecy for this, I asked around in the amino communities I’m a part of for help. This is a modified version of the prophecy that Lewis Brunt on the Books & Writing Amino wrote for me. :) It’s still a work in progress, but I think this is good for now.

Five hundred blossoms trampled into mud,

Six thousand moons must wane,

Ere the birth of breath and blood,

Of spirit and of bane.

One will rise, the other fall.

The spirit will be strong.

Those who must will hear the call

To join salvation’s song.

A Wolf of snow, with ocean eyes;

A Wolf of aetherial life;

From the shadows she will rise

To end the nights so filled with strife.

First to towns, to sun and sky.

First to gather and prepare.

Time to live in secrecy,

Time to hide her silver hair.

Fifth summer falls to forest of gold,

Yet before the last leaves fall,

A journey to land of ice and cold,

Of cavern deep and mountain tall.

A life is given, a price is paid;

A death shall seal the sign.

A chance for tyranny at last to fade,

Not all canines are blessed with the gift of nature. They are given the title Kirottu, or “cursed one.” For canines that live in packs, the rules differ from species to species on what is done with kirottu. Some are allowed to remain in the pack, just at the bottom of the hierarchy. Others are expelled from the pack and forced to fend for themselves. In these cases, kirottu packs tend to spring up, formed solely out of the outcast kirottu. If multiple canine species live in certain regions, these packs are sometimes mutlspecies.

This series starts in a modern everyday setting with hidden fantasy elements underneath. Here is how the Great War (original title I know xP) started.

When the first mammals were roaming around, the two main gods of the world, Ákos of the light and Kali of the darkness, decided to bestow a gift on two predators of their choosing, the canines and felines. Each god offered a single gift, one for each of the predators. Akos offered the gift of control over nature. Whoever received this gift would be able to control nature and the elements. Kali offered the gift of control over others. Whoever received this gift would grow strong and powerful with the ability to control the minds of lesser beings to do their bidding. The canines chose to accept Akos’ gift, and the felines chose Kali’s gift.

When the first humans emerged and began developing, the canines and felines discovered they both had some influence of these new creatures. They could change and erase memories, as well as take on human form by stealing the souls of humans. The soulless bodies would then turn into mindless slaves obedient to who was in possession of their soul. Possessing human souls also allowed the user to live longer, with the souls acting as an “extra life” in a way. The canines saw these humans as creatures who needed to be cared for and protected, while the felines saw them as a food source and free labor. This is how the Great War began. The canines fought to defend themselves and the humans they decided to protect, and the felines fought for total control over all creatures in this world, sometimes creating mass armies of soulless humans.