empathy
    identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings and motives [AHD 3]
metaphorical / mythological [see Mythology]
mysticism [see Religion]
play [see Psychology]
predators
    relationship with prey
hunters
    prediction of quarry
        location
        actions
knowing
    study
    observation
non-linear [see Chaos Theory]
the others [see Communication]
creating a model & assuming it
    identification with the model / with the other
        totem animals
    assuming the model
        acting the part
        Voudon
            being ridden by the Loa
        Wicca
            Calling Down the God/dess
        Pacific Northwest indians
            Kwakiutl
                Cannibal Society Dance
shape-shifting
boundary issues
    blurring of identity
        soul loss
 
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Speaker for the Dead - ibid
The Hunting Peoples - Carleton S. Coon
The Others: How Animals Made Us Human - Paul Sheppard
The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game - ibid  
Thinking Animals: Animals and the Development of Human Intelligence - ibid