THE PACK Message Boards

Well, I was just wondering, for a person whom had just had his first shift and had had no clue he was a werewolf until said shift, what sort of things would he have to learn (Or to be taught if he's lucky enough to find a Pack) to function decently? I mean things like learning how to walk on that new set of legs, how to control one's instincts, things like that. What do you think he'd need to learn to be able to survive, and hopefully function decently both among humans AND werewolves?

I'd say #1 would be to conquer the fear of himself. Someone becoming a werewolf for the first time would probably think it was a hallucination at best, or at worst, he would be terrified at the prospect of being a bloodthirsty monster. Even to the point of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Negative emotions beget negative emotions, and according to my kind of werewolf, this fear is a slippery slope towards abandoning humanity. See my "Incredible Hulk" comparison. The guidance of a loved one and a calm, safe environment would be key to learning that the werewolf might be more of a gift than a curse.

You'd need to know if the first-timer learning needs mobility or mental assistance first.

I'm not sure that mobility would be a problem. I'd imagine digitigrade legs are kind of like walking tip-toe, but with natural balance. So it would be easy. (Most everyone can walk on tip-toe, even though humans are not designed for it.)

While there might be natural balance for the new Digitigrade Wulf, there would also be a load of Plantigrade reflexes ready to sabotage them. Add in the faster reaction times that Wulfen have, and...one word: Overcorrection. To the limits of the Wulf's abilities.

It might even look funny, as the new Wulf does a sort of shimmy and falls on their tail for the twenty-seventh time in a row. In the stories, I use a human "treadmill" that the Wulf can hold on to while learning to walk safely.
That's where the "Mindless" Werewolf has an advantage. There are no Smoothskin reactions to confuse them, since those reactions are turned off while the Wolf is in charge.

For the first few days, the newly bitten person is tired, weak, and ravenously hungry, usually feeling a bit sick as the body takes in the change. In due course though, they adjust and begin to learn about their new capabilities, usually mentored and taught by the person who originally bit them. -My Website

Initially they can walk around on all fours or in digitigrade stance without too much trouble (assuming they learned how to walk when toddlers), but when running, it does take a little practice to achieve full speed.