⤖ The Gràdhfur Pack ⬻
Pack
Organising
⤖ Structures and Tasks ⬻
As already stated the pack is grouped into distinct "ranks":
Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Omega and Whelp.
These ranks only serve a visual purpose as they show the different levels of trust and responsibility of individual members. The higher a rank, the more trust and responsibility is awarded from the pack.
Furthermore, we will explain how digital communication within the pack is handled over our own Matrix/Element homeserver and why we decided to go for this option.
⤖ In the pack's everyday life, all members are
fundamentally equal! ⬻
Alpha
The Alpha is the main caretaker of the pack and its highest guardian. He is tasked with the organisation of meetups and events as well as pack security and the admission of new members. Furthermore, he is the main line for help regarding any concerns and needs members might have.
Furthermore, he is the administrator of our Matrix/Element homeserver.
⤖ There is only one Alpha at all times. ⬻
Beta
The Beta is a direct pillar of support for the Alpha and also his stand-in in case of absence. Both ultimately have the same tasks, which means that both of them work together tightly to ensure security, comfort and administration for the pack.
⤖ There is only one Beta at all times. ⬻
Gamma
The Gammas are seasoned members who achieved high trust and who have sizeable knowledge. They may support both Alpha and Beta with larger and more difficult pack affairs while also looking after other members.
Delta
Deltas are fully-fledged members. From this point on, members will be invited to physical meetups and have the permission to participate in them.
From this rank onwards, members are able to suggest non-members for accounts on our Matrix/Element homeserver.
⤖ This is the standard-rank which is given to every trustworthy member of the pack. ⬻
Omega
Members of the Omega-rank are newcomers who have yet to settle
into the pack and who have yet to acquire our trust.
They are barred from physical meetups due to security reasons,
and their voice is less important in larger pack affairs.
Whelp
This rank compiles all members below the age of 16 years. It is a rich phase of development, which means they will receive special attention from the rest of the pack. They are cared for the most and prominently supported with things they may struggle with.
⤖ Whelps are outside of the "hierarchy-system", their trustworthyness is decided upon on individual basis. ⬻
Organisation of our Communication
Matrix itself is not a Chat-App, but a decentralised communication protocol similar to Email. The difference to Email is that Matrix is real-time communication that also supports voice/video calls. "Decentralised" means that communication using the Matrix-protocol isn't realised over servers that are property to a single corporation or government alone. Instead, Matrix functions more like the web itself and consists of a loose network which contains both many commercial servers as well as many small community-managed servers. If you want to know more about Matrix, you can get more information on the Matrix homepage.
This means that pretty much anyone can buy some hardware and set up their own matrix-server within their home, at the office, or similar places. Thus, the owner of such a server has full control of all data that is processed or saved on their hardware.
The pack's Matrix Space exists on a self-hosted homeserver like this in order to ensure the safety and privacy of all pack members to the best of our abilities.
Please take note of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for this service.
If you have other questions about the service, take a look at our FAQ.
Element is a Chat-App implementation based on Matrix that makes using this mode of communication far easier. The user interface and overall mechanics are resembling that of Discord, however there are a few differences. For a regular user, the creation of an account as well as connecting to a Matrix Space are very simple tasks and do not require more effort than signing up for pre-2026 Discord. Furthermore, Element encrypts any correspondence during sending as well as storing, which already makes it a better medium of communication than Discord.
Element is available as a PC/Smartphone App as well as a web application, and you can get more information about this Matrix client on the Element homepage.
Last remarks about organisation
We are acutely aware what some other therians think about packs that are structured into certain "ranks". We hear often enough that it is not how real packs in nature work, that only certain species form packs, and that such a behaviour only induces abuse (of power) and other problems. However, that is not the point.
So at this moment, we want to quickly remind everyone that not everyone of us has the luck and the privilege to be able to find/form a pack which organically originates from an unstructured local friend group. For a centrally organised pack like ours which actively draws attention to itself in order to give an opportunity for community to random lonely therians in our vicinity, an organised structure built on trust and associated tasks is absolutely mandatory.
In case you don't share our opinion on this, we urge you to try and create a publicly discoverable pack and see for yourself just how quickly an unstructured approach fails horribly :3
Furthermore, the decision over the standing of a member within the "rank order" lies alone with the Alpha and Beta, though the opinions of all other members are also usually heard and considered.
Begging for a higher rank prematurely (like, why even?) will badly affect the trust of the pack leadership towards that member in the long run.
Repeated or especially severe violation of rules can lead to the withdrawl of a member's rank and ensuing demotion of that individual (= held trust/responsibility will be withdrawn).
Atrocious behaviour may very well lead to the banishment of a member.