Lupen

Species of uplifted canids originally created as soldiers by Ancient America.

Biology

Looking like large wolves or huskies, they have enlarged skulls with raised foreheads to accommodate a sapient brain. Paws were reshaped into hands with opposable thumbs and vocal cords were modified to enable human speech. Lupens are quadrupedal, while they can stand up on their hind legs bipedal walking is difficult and slow for them. They usually wear vests or backpacks to carry objects.

Psychology

Unlike humans, who rely primarily on sight to take in information about the world, lupens use scent just as much. Being intelligent predators they are not afraid of the dark and tend to focus intensely on whatever their current task is. Reflecting their canine origins, lupens are staunchly loyal to their friends and leaders.

History

Following the first forays into animal uplift with superpigs and torens, the Ancient American military (having lost its last vestiges of morality long ago) began researching it as a means of creating elite fighting forces to keep order amidst the turmoil of the Collapse. The end result was the lupens: super-soldiers with the intellect of humans and the loyalty of canines. Lupens quickly became feared and despised by the human population, since they were used to oppress and terrorize migrants in the country. There were a few political movements agitating for lupen civil rights, but they did not get far as everyone was too preoccupied with basic survival.
When Ancient America fell in the wake of the Pulse, members of the elite escaped north to Canada, and some of them took lupens with them as guards and servants. Over time the two parties developed a symbiotic relationship whereby the humans gained the help of intelligent servants and the lupens had a safe place to live.

Scientific Name

Canis lupus sapiens