Thank you! Like I said, SHAPE SHIFTER. That means more than one shape.Couldn't let this one alone.
First, if I remember all our postings on the subject, there is no reason why both types of chest can't be used. As the WW flows from bipedal to quadapedal, the chest shape would, I think, have to change. And back again.
That's pretty much what werewolves are all about.
Now, on that note:
Adriancolac:
Before I start disagreeing with you and going on and on about this and that, first, I have to say bravo on all the other stuff that I agree with, and welcome to The Pack!The thought about werewolves being misunderstood and peaceful is another concept i think is plainly stupid.
Now, on to disagreeing. Yes, I also agree that werewolves are scary, but for different reasons. They're scary because they're not supposed to be real. They're the stuff of monster stories we tell each other to scare each other. A real person turning into a wolf would therefore scare the (expletive or hyperbole of choice) out of any of us, by virtue both of pre-existing reputation and of the sudden realization that they do exist, and therefore reality as we know it is wrong.
But, while werewolf legends may describe ravenous monsters, our legends from the same culture got a lot of things wrong about things we know today. (Wolves don't have only one cervical vertebra; they've got seven, like the rest of us mammals. Some people of medieval days genuinely believed that wolves couldn't turn their heads. Where this idea originated, I haven't the foggiest idea.)
Wolves are aggressive, but humans are more aggressive. And yet, we all know humans who aren't compelled to murder and slaughter their children. Most of us don't bomb London subways or crash hijacked planes into buildings. Some humans even become great peace advocates--consider the fifteen Dali Lamas throughout history, or Ghandi. And, most people we know are really not that vicious.
Wolves are feral, wild animals. But, that doesn't make one vicious. The monsterous, ravenous dogs we hear about, such as the pit bull fighters, are not regressed to wolf-like behavior. They've been specifically conditioned to act outside what is normal for canines. (I'll avoid a detailed rant about misconceptions about pit bulls, but suffice it to say, the ones I know act more like oversized lap dogs. They're only monsters if they've been abused.)
Still, there are reasons for a werewolf to be a monster:
1. The human could be a psychopath, and lycanthropy just gives him or her some extra help.
2. The expectation of being a monster could bring about a self-fulfilling prophesy. (I've pictured werewolves finding themselves "allergic" to silver and forced to shift on full moons in a world setting where neither of those should affect lycanthropes, just because of the expectation.)
3. There could be a bad strain of lycanthropy that carries with it "a few dots of Rage" and the need for "frequent Willpower checks."
4. The process of rethinking one's life and existance could cause the person to get aggressive for awhile as a reaction to stress.