The Bestiary by Lydia Martin

Wendigo

Native American legends tell of lost and stranded men growing so desperate to survive during prolonged life threatening situations and were starving that they resorted to killing and then eating their fellow companions to live. For the men that succumbed to this, they were transformed into something no longer human. They were cursed to have an insatiable love for the taste of human flesh as they were transformed into a monster, a Wendigo. In truth, the Wendigo is a type of shapeshifter that outwardly looks like any other human being though they do have strong cannibalistic appetites and require human flesh for sustenance.

For the most part, Wendigos look completely like ordinary humans who are commonly mistook for normal cannibals. The eyes of a Wendigo turn and glow white when they shift or face hunger. They are able to produce two rows of sharp teeth that seem as sharp as those of a shark which they use to easily tear through flesh. Other than that, there is nothing to physically distinguish them from being anything other than human.

It isn't fully understood how one could turn into a Wendigo though it is conceivable that it could be a mutation of the werewolf gene. If their inner nature reflects being a "man-eater" then with 'the bite' it might transform them to reflect that nature. It is seen that the trait is genetic, inherited and passed down from a Wendigo to their children.

The hunger they experience for human flesh is strong. For the most part, a Wendigo is able to control their appetites and nature with a good degree of control which improves as they get older. However, should a Wendigo go too long without eating, they will lose control and fly into a killing frenzy and start to devour anyone in sight. The flesh they consume must be fresh and most tend to kidnap an intended victim before they move to kill and devour them. Because of this they commonly tend to adopt a psyche that mirrors that of serial killers. There was once a family of Wendigos that preserved and refrigerated the corpses of their victims in the same manner as commercial meat as to avoid drawing attention. It has been seen that Wendigos may also feed on the flesh of other shapeshifters as well which will give a boost to their strength as well as sustenance though this is risky as this prey is more difficult for them to bring down alone unlike with normal humans.

Wendigos have great strength that seem to be nearly on par with other shapeshifters such as werewolves though hunger could make their strength falter. The damage that a Wendigo's fangs cause can cause internal damage that takes a while for shapeshifters to heal from.

Currently, it doesn't seem as if Wendigos having any vulnerability or weakness that is unique to them. A line of mountain ash will keep them at bay as most supernaturals would. Though, it has been seen that they are as vulnerable to weapons and susceptible to injury almost like a normal human would be. It has been seen that an injury such as a stab wound would have more of an effect against them than it would on other shapeshifters such as werewolves. Yet, this can be mended by consuming a fresh supply of human flesh to quickly regenerate and heal the injury.

Wendigos are not too common in the supernatural world. Many have been driven to ground and keep out of sight even from other shapeshifters. They do not look at other shapeshifters too fondly, especially werewolves. They, in turn, are not thought too highly of either. Therefore wendigos are somewhat antisocial and don't really interact with anyone outside their own kind. There were a couple that worked within a shadow type of organization but most of them fell to the Beast Pack and their allies. To this day, their reputation is not much of a good one.

  A/N: The next entry in the Bestiary will be titled Werewolf.