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I have one question to throw into the mix - though I think it's almost not right - we call the mid-form gestalt, meaning the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. i.e. the mid form is better than the combo of both. They are stronger, faster, as intelligent as the human side -

So do we say their combined senses are
1. a combo of both?
2. better than both?
3. The best of both?

I think they would be the best of both and here's my arguemnt why. Werewolves are a highly specialized species that has been hunted down from the very beginning by their human cousins. WWs that were not able to outwit their human cousins die. Those that don't , die.

Now I know we've had discussions on born vs. bitten, and it seems to lean toward born do exist, though very very rare. So let's leave birth evolution out of this for now. Let's look at bitten evolution.

If WWism is a virus spread through the bloodstream (which is how we decided things), then its base is a disease. Diseases evolve much faster than their hosts. So a disease who's host dies does not evolve. One who's host lives, does. It would be to the advantage for WWs to have the best of both worlds.
So the disease has evolved to provide it.

Sight, hearing, natural defenses are the best of both sides.

What say yas?

I would agree...Best of Both.

Otherwise, why bother?

One can look at it as a "disease." Another can look at it as a virus. Or perhaps, a cancer.

Something is causing the body to "change" after being bitten by a WW. But to gain control of that change requires some thinking. Does the WW gain control of virus/disease/cancer itself? Or does the virus/disease/cancer gives the host control of its new found abilities?

As for the poll.... "The Best of both" works for me.

Well if the cancer/virus/disease/lergy takes control of the new abilities, wouldn't that mean the lunar cycle would still apply?

lupine wrote:Well if the cancer/virus/disease/lergy takes control of the new abilities, wouldn't that mean the lunar cycle would still apply?

it's possible.

Okay: Suppose that the Lupan mutation is spread by a virus, but is not itself a virus: it merely uses tha Virus as the survival vector.
It would be a really big virus, to contain all the metamorphic information and species shifting information, but it would work.
It follows, as Silver said, that the same pressures that make Evolution happen would make the Virus-based Were'ing represent the most survivable form of the parent stock.
It's all about babies and bites. The more Babies that live, the more Werewolves of one type. The more biters made, the more Werewolves of another type. They don't have to be the same!
Their senses would probably be developed to support whichever form of reproduction; Babies or Bites; was the Were's main method of making more Were's.
A "Baby" Werewolf would be able to spot the people most able to have healthy offspring, and would probably be sexually attractive in both forms as well.
A "Bite" Werewolf would probably be able to tell which people would survive being bitten, and which wouldn't. Probably would have nice sharp teeth, too.
All the senses would be tuned to survive in what was essentially a hostile environment; that would postulate good eyesight day and night, good hearing, superior sense of smell, and a natural timidity in the Were':
that is what would keep the Were' alive and in the background while others were out getting killed.
So, my vote is Best of both worlds (with a slight loss of color saturation as cones converted to rods for night sight).