This book is going to be a compilation of one-shots, short stories, character trivia and interviews, and whatever other extras I come up with for the Dogs, Bats & Monkeys series. I have over half a dozen goodies already scattered around the internet...
Last month we learned about vampires; here's a bit on shifters.
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Unlike vampires, where there are only two sub-species, there are many sub-species of shifters. The animal a person can shift into depends on their ancestry and country of origin. In America, wolf shifters (often called "werewolves", although some shifters consider the term offensive) and bear shifters (sometimes referred to as "werebears") are most common.
Shifters share physical and sometimes behavioral traits with the animal they can shift into. For example, feline shifters don't often live in groups (with the exception of lions), whereas wolf shifters would most likely live in big communities many of them call "packs".
Another example is coloration. The eye color in both of the shifter's forms is the same and the hair color in their human form matches the fur color in their animal form. This gives shifters who turn into striped/spotted animals a peculiar appearance in their human form as their hair is multicolored. In those cases, some would dye or bleach their hair so they wouldn't stand out when amongst humans.
Another peculiarity are the fox shifters originating from Japan. Some call them "kitsune" - a fox that according to Japanese folklore has magical powers.
In reality, Kitsune don't have magical powers or Gifts; the legend of them was made up by humans who saw fox shifters change forms. When recollecting their tales to others, these humans added fantastical elements, thus giving birth to the myth that kitsune are magical.
But what is interesting about kitsune isn't only the stories humans made up for them; they are the only shifters who might have a different coloration in human and animal form. Due to their Asian origins, fox shifters in human form have dark brown or black hair, but the fox they turn into could be reddish-brown, white (even if they are not an elder whose hair has gone white) or silvery-grey.
Also, kitsune turn into a fox much bigger than the real animal would be, whereas other shifters' animal forms are relatively the size of the real animal they shift into.
Scientists are still trying to figure out what causes these anomalies.
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There are a few other shifter facts I'd like to share with you, mainly because they are things I've been asked about, so I'll do another chapter on shifters. If you have any questions about them, ask in the comments!
Also, if you enjoyed this intro into what shifters are, please give this extra a VOTE!
