Werebeasts
It might not be as obvious in the city as it were in my hometown, but werebeasts are around us. Among all non-human folks, they are certainly those who blend in society best. Even calling them non-humans is not entirely correct, but we'll come back to that later. You probably know them through the fabled big bad wolves, due to some French werewolves going on a rampage several centuries ago, but they are far from limited to this predator. I firmly believe there is a werebeast equivalent to every existing animal, even if I have yet to see a werewhale or a werefly.
The wolves among us...
If a human ever came to read this, know that your best friend might be a werebeast. The woman you flirted with yesterday might be too, just like the professor you used to love back in middle school. My point is dual there: in opposition to most denizens of the Abyss, they are not creatures of the night, and they are not harmful by nature. This friend I talked about, isn't he ever so kind? Does he seem the kind to kill the defenseless passerby to feed on their guts?
For most of them, they are the closest thing to a human you could ever find. In their human form, they actually are identical to you. And when they transform, they have the characteristics of the species they shapeshifted into, while keeping their intellect. It is not like they need to transform, either. One could live all their lives as a human and go as far as to forget the animal within.
The condition is hereditary. The child of two werecats will share the same race as their parents, except in rare and poorly documented occurrences. The matter of intercourses with humans or werebeasts of other species is more complicated. In the case of non-biological werebeasts, they are either unable to reproduce outside their kin or will give birth to human children. If it was not for their longer lifespan that allows them to have multiple partners in one life, they would probably be in danger of extinction by now or shut down in small communities.
Biological werebeasts, on the other side, are able to transmit their characteristics even with a mate of another species, albeit not systematically. Their child has more chances of not being viable than normal, and may also be human. However, for a couple of two different werebeasts, let's say a werebear and a werecrow, the child might be able to shift at will between the two shapes, which makes the denomination of such offspring way harder. It seems however that the descendants of such a child cannot inherit both shapes, but will get randomly one or the other.
...And the hunters that came along
There was a time when werefolks weren't hunted down and burnt to a crisp at first sight by an angry mob of peasants. Celtic druids of old were all able to change into animals, it was a way for them to show off the strength of their connection to nature. The rise of Christianity jeopardized the tradition by proclaiming such practices to be unnatural and pagan.
Through the dark ages up until now, the Church chased after werebeasts, killing any of their kind without mercy. To them, werefolks were subject to death sentences simply for the sin to exist. This is how, from respected elites of their society, they were reduced to runaways forced to hide their true nature until they forget most of it.
The main obstacle in their quest for annihilation is the difficulty to discriminate a werebeast from a regular human or animal. For most of them, the only way to be sure of their identity is to witness a transformation, which does not happen often. Unless they are forced to, werebeasts avoid changing in open rooms and find very credible excuses as to why a dog or owl is frequently seen going in and out of their home. After all, is there a species that has not been domesticated by at least one lunatic in a city so vast?
My help is often required when hunters think to have identified a werebeast but did not manage to confound them. I have potions that force them to shapeshift and come way cheaper than spells. It is quite the ethical dilemma, as I have no grief with this otherwise kind of peaceful people. Even though I don't really lose any clientele since they hardly buy anything, I am not comfortable with participating in extermination.
Once upon a time
Needless to say, werebeasts are the source of many tales and legends from the dawn of humanity. Wolves, of course, but bears, crows and foxes all have their fair share of stories born from werebeasts endeavors. Rarely told are the stories of how they came to be. The various werebeasts have different origins depending on the area.
Being a werebeast in current days
There is a duality between countryside and city werebeasts. In the city, we see mainly weredogs, werecats and various werebirds, as most other species stand out too much or are systematically hunted, like wererats. Furthermore, their animal side is restrained and they live as humans until there is a need for them to use their abilities.
In the backcountry, they are free and tend to embrace the beast within. More feral, too, nevertheless not that dangerous. They make for successful farmers, hunters and guide for obvious reasons.
Understanding animals
One would think that being able to shapeshift into animals allows werebeasts to communicate with them. It could not be further from the truth, as they are ultimately closer to humans than animals. A werecrow blends in perfectly in a murder and may even fly in formation, but it cannot really comprehend what the other birds may say.
Some think it is proof that animals have no soul or intelligence. I personally think they are so complex that merely changing one's shape is not enough to understand their secrets.
Risks of mental disorder
Staying sane while going back and forth between two bodies of very different shapes and hormones is a real challenge, and requires the werebeasts to possess a strong will. Sometimes, they go overboard and shapeshift too much or lose their grasp on themselves. It is very common for werebeasts to be afflicted with a form of schizophrenia, as their animal self becomes dissociated from their human self. Taken alone, both forms show no disorder, but a very kind werefox father might become a blood-crazed beast while transformed.
Divine spirits of the far East
In the East of Asia live mystical creatures, rarely sighted by humans. It is said they feed on the souls of the dead, sometimes killing people out of hunger. Battlefields are a feast to them, as they absorb humongous quantities of what they call food there. If such a spirit animal comes to absorb too many human souls, they are granted the ability to change into one. Of great beauty and wisdom, they led their countries into favorable suns and gave birth to blooming descendants that spread throughout the world to strengthen the strings they pull in the shadows.
There are those who blur the line between werebeasts and mage shapeshifters. Often bearing supernatural powers and enticing beauty, they keep a great part of their original selves in human form. And I do not know about their rumored ageless wisdom, but the two I happened to make a deal with were more ferals than anything. If you ever have the chance to interact with one of their kind, I strongly suggest that you don't.
Shamans of the South and West
Independently, the American and African shamans created the same kind of werebeasts. By communing with nature and spirit animals (in a different sense than the spirit of Asia), they were able to integrate them into themselves, effectively becoming werebeasts. Those were humans at first, and must still invoke the spirits they are bonded with to transform into them. It requires a strong link between the caster and their bond, which can be severed in multiple ways.
European werebeasts
The only biological werebeasts are endemic to the old continent. However, their origin is also the haziest. They don't live longer than us and the memory of their origin is long lost, so one can only guess. The church folk argues that they are, as well as every living creature, a creation of their god, failed experiments as he tried to mix the superior species with lesser beings. And as is the will of this god, the failures are to be exterminated. Quite ironic that an omniscient and omnipotent being would make such mistakes if you ask me.
I, for myself, think that they are indeed an experiment, but from a very powerful mage living in the primal age of magic. The fabled Merlin would certainly be able to pull off the feat of merging humans and animals to the core of their beings. As to his purpose in doing that, it is yet another guess that I am not willing to make.
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