Age and ranking systems of the Quillion
Quillion have a ranking and aging system universal to their entire species.
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The tail is the first clue into determining both. Depending on how a tail is held and used, especially when in proximity of other of it's species tells a lot of where it is ranked among it's social hierarchy, personality cues and of course age.
A infant quillion has absolutely no tail length and instead only it's end tuft. It had first brought confusion on why pups were born with the tuft instead of a tiny tail, but later had been discovered that the tuft bobtail is a defensive mechanism for a infant within a pack. Quillions often use the length of a tail to determine who is more dominate or in charge so it is often a quick target for punishment. However with no tail length behind the tuft of hair it has a effect so that a infant or baby quillion will never be punished by it's own pack or group. A free to get away with stuff ticket, this doesn't stop from angry hissing and snarls but no physical harm will be done. The tuft is also a reminder to protect the infant from predators.
Sadly, aggressive enemy packs of quillion who spot this eye catching tuft bobtail see it as a easy target. If the defending mob or pack of quillions is not vigilant it could easily mean the end of their young. Infant and quillions at this stage of their lives have a higher chance to be eaten by opposing packs; as their fresh natural venom can have boosting effects to those who eat them.
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Infant quillions also have not grown in their quill frill yet, so when first born are completely deaf, blind and can only touch, smell, and taste their surroundings. A mother's milk has natural venom boosting properties which aid their pups ability to safely endure, tolerate, and neutralize any trace venom from her milk. Infants have their own precious protective immune properties against venom. It is said the raw venom in glands of a infant quillion only need a drop to act as the ultimate antivenom. If injected it faces no backlash from a body's autoimmune response due to it's adaptive nature; and as it's built to do will take any harmful toxin and become a neutralizer so that the infected person becomes immune to that certain venom. Allowing any other encounter with the venom type to become safe enough to handle.
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The black market it the biggest threat to the infants, thankfully due to a quick learning response most mobs are careful and elusive with their pregnant females.
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Once a pup is nearly ready to eat a solid diet it's body would have already built up trace amounts of it's mother's collected venom from her own diet. Making so that when it comes across the same toxic food or dangerous predators it will have a better fighting chance to adapt the venom into it's own. Once a quillion has become a pup it becomes useless to the black market. As the only other use it a highly concentrated mixture of venom is the only other worth which the eldest of quillions are worth.
Pup and lower ranks
When a quillion makes it to the stage of pup, it is quickly reminded it will be apart of the lowest ranking of that pack or mob. Now with a tiny black tail length it is no longer protected as it once was before it had a few inches of tail. Quillions enter this stage depending on how the mob or pack makes it's rules. The earliest documented age was that only only 4-6 months old, weened off of milk but still far from adolescence. A more relaxing and tribal like mob may be more lenient with their pups until they reach a full year giving them a chance to prove themselves as they grow before subduing them into ranking.
Lower ranks will also include quillions who had their tail damaged and it snapped off leaving a short tail, a bad punishment from a pack or mob can also result in this.
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When treated as a lowest rank, best described as a omega. The pack will treat every day as if it was a test of loyalty, strength, and wisdom. Aggressive packs may bully a individual and force them to eat last if they share hunts, or a tribal mob may ask of more tasks and duties to be done.
A young pup may need to find it's place quickly within a aggressive pack, best by making allies with stronger members to help them not be targeted, a wise pup will use it's mother or father to tip the scales in their favor. Mob pups placed in a lower rank will be expected to learn and contribute to the tribe; doing more duties will quickly find out what that young quillion is capable of so the chief or leader knows where their talents lay.
Leader, Alphas & gaining ranks
To become a leading quillion, it usually comes down to one thing. Tail length.
A tail not only shows but proves the longevity of that individual. A longer lifespan means more wisdom, a likelihood of having more potent venom and poison buildup, and also control of the strongest part of a quillion's body.... the tail.
The quillion has a instinctive sense to follow a member of it's species with a longer tail, in some uncommon cases this can turn into a quillion following or becoming interested in a creature with a longer tail than it which can result in mix-species packs or quillion mutts.
Once a pack member with a long tail shows it's worth, the most common step is the mating ceremony in which both genders separate and advertise their tail dancing, agility, and balance to the opposite sex. If two or more males or females are interested in a single individual they will preform a dominance fight; A fight between quillion is not by biting or clawing but with their tails. Acting like serpents they'll coil around their opponent's tail in a battle of strength and cunning to try and pin they're rival's tail down.
As usual, the longer tail has more strength and weight to it and if the quillion with that tail has good control over that length it will easily win. However; sulky quillion who are desperate or challenging enough might be furious enough to attack their rivals with bared teeth and claws as if risking or challenging their foes to see who's venom is stronger.
A quillion with much stronger more concentrated mixture of venom can overwhelm another quillion, making them extremely weak or die if their bodies bleed out in a desperate attempt to push out the powerful toxins. If they succeed, even by a win looked down upon it is still considered a win unless there was a higher ranking member watching this fight and decided to intervene. A fight of dominance between the two highest ranking members being won like this is often how mobs become packs lead by a vicious and aggressive leader who isn't afraid to fight dirty. The love interest will either accept their advancement or face punishment by the newly found leader.
A quillion who fights dirty and loses still to their opponents will result in the same way as if the alpha had intervened; harsh punishment. This could be only a punishing and scaring swipe across the face; a place often punished besides the tail to show other quillions of their past attempts, and/or a forcible tail detachment to force them into a lower rank. The highest punishments are either death or becoming a outcast from the mob or pack left with a brutal scaring and severed tail making their chances of survival lower out alone in the wild.
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