AΩB
Semi-Sequential Hermaphroditic human based species. While many individuals may use male or female gendered pronouns, those are purely personal chooses and do guarantee and indication of any reproductive preferences. There are 3 genders commonly found in the population, while some argue Alphas in Rut and Omegas in Heats as two additional genders, brining the total to 5.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
All members are born with both male and female gametes, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which either partner can act as the female or male. However, successful reproduction odds vary wildly based on secondary gender characteristics.
* during Rut/Heat
| ♂ \ ♀ | A | A* | Ω | Ω* | B |
| A | 15 | 5 | 50 | 75 | 50 |
| A* | 25 | 10 | 75 | 99 | 60 |
| Ω | 15 | 5 | 5 | 35 | 25 |
| Ω* | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| B | 50 | 5 | 50 | 85 | 75 |
Growth Rate & Stages
When pregnant, the carrier parent's scents are usually strong with the scent of both participating parents - completely indistinguishable as two people scents. While nursing, the birth parent's smells often take a sour or sick undertone to them, effectively signaling to other's they are unavailable. First time nursing parents are often very strong in the sick smell, but it eases off with later births as the parent becomes more confidant. Pups do not seem to notice the sick or sour smell - even pups belonging to other families - and by the time the pup has finished nursing, the birth parents scents has returned to their own once again. It's thought that this teaches the pup both of their parents scents early.
After birth, Pups had a strong 'baby' smell that has no other real world equivalent. They may have notes of their birth parent while still nursing, but are otherwise neutral smelling - to the point they can cancel out the scents of mature adults around them. It's believed to be a survival response to trigger care instincts in both alpha and omega strangers and come off as non threatening. Ruts and Heats are often mellow to nonexistent in Alpha or Omega parents while pups are still present in nests.
In healthy communities, puberty starts around age 11 or 12, and secondary genders present around 13, by 15 at the latest. It rare for healthy teens to present as A or Ω after 16. During this time, the Pup smell fades, and a person's unique scents settle in. Scents can often change during these few years as a young person finds their identity, but are generally settled by puberty end. Ruts and Heats are common enough at these early ages but are often weak and sometimes called a pseudo/false* Rut/Heat. It's less a partner bonding/breeding need and more a pack bonding/community need.
After presenting(pup scent fading to person scent in case of betas) teens and young adults start forming early peer packs of their own, moving away from family packs that raised them. These are sometimes called degenerate packs by more conservative and propriety concerned generations as they tend to be all of one secondary gender instead of the more bonded pairs meant for starting families and raising pups.
* The other pseudo/false Rut/Heat are called sympathetic Rut/Heat where a new alpha, omega or even beta is in an established community of alphas or omegas who have synced in their cycles. They may have not yet synced up with their pack, but will still get the release of hormones and