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Werewolf
Species information
Sentience

Sentient (human form)
Animalistic (wolf form)

Eye colour

Varies

Skin colour

Varies (human form)
Black (Purebred wolf form)
Dark Grey (Mutt wolf form)

Hair colour

Varies (human form)
Black (wolf form)

Related to
Native range

Global

Alternative names
  • Dog (slur used by vampires)
  • Wolf
Distinction(s)

Transform into large, wolf-like monsters during the full moon

Status

Active

For the original BBC series' version of werewolves, see Werewolf (BBC)

Werewolves are a supernatural species; Humans that are cursed as a Werewolf will transform into fierce, powerful, wolf-like monstrosities once a month on the night of the full moon. Whilst seemingly human most of the time, a transformed werewolf will lose its humanity and sympathy; becoming a beast that only concerns itself with the hunt. Unlike vampires, werewolves are mortal, and they age and die in the same manner as humans.

Creation

Werewolves are former humans that are afflicted with a hereditary curse. The most common way for a werewolf to be created is for a human to survive being scratched (or presumably bitten) by a transformed werewolf. The victim remains human for the more month prior to the next full moon, at which time they will transform.

Children who are born to two werewolves will inherit the curse from their parents.

Appearance

Except on the night of the full moon, werewolves are visually indistinguishable from humans, though they may bear the scars of the attack that cursed them. Werewolves give off a dog-like odor that is noticeable to vampires and some other werewolves, though humans are unable to smell it.

In most cases, the transformation from human to wolf form is extremely painful, especially for mutts. The morphological aspects of the transformation differ from person to person. For example, when Josh transforms, his face is one of the last parts of his body to change. For other werewolves such as Nora and Liam, their faces would begin to change much earlier in their transformations. The speed of the transformation also seems to vary slightly; werewolves who are transforming for the first time tend to change earlier and faster than other werewolves who have transformed before.

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Josh transforming while held captive by vampires for a dogfight.

Transformed werewolves look significantly different from mundane wolves. They are quadrupedal, with the spine extending to form a tail. They possess a vaguely human bone structure in the limbs, hands and feet, but have a canine muzzle with extremely long, jagged teeth. Their fur is similar in hue to their human hair color and is sparsely distributed, except around the face and neck where it forms a thick mane. Their eye color is also retained from their human form.

Aside from being extremely painful, the transformations are detrimental to a werewolf's health, potentially resulting in faster aging over long periods of time. Pete, a werewolf who had been afflicted with his condition since childhood, appeared to be significantly older than his true age of about 40. Some werewolves, especially purebreds, seem to take to the transformation much better than the others and don't suffer this deterioration.

Behavior

Most vestiges of the werewolf's human personality are suppressed upon transformation, though they seem to retain their human memories to some extent, and can recognize people they know. Josh has been shown to recognize both Aidan and Nora while in wolf form. Seeing a friend or loved one may calm the wolf, though their behavior remains unpredictable. It appears werewolves are instinctively protective of their 'mates'. Josh and Nora's wolf selves have each protected the other at least once, even while the other may have been in human form at the time. Aside from possibly friends and loved ones, the wolf is compelled to kill and devour most living things they encounter. If the human side is particularly attuned with the wolf side, they may remember some things that they did while transformed. Werewolves normally don't attack each other, and their social behavior amongst each other is comparable to that of natural wolves. How much of their human selves werewolves retain when transformed, and how much they remember from when they were transformed, depends upon their connection with their wolf side; werewolves who resented and hated their wolf side like Josh did would barely have any recollection, while purebred werewolves and mutts who were more in-tune with their wolf side could recall what they did when transformed better.

While in human form, the wolf side of a werewolf exists suppressed within a region of the subconscious. This part of the subconscious can be accessed by the human side via meditation. Should the human side succeed in reaching it, they may experience a meditative vision in which they will appear in forest where they may contact their wolf side, seeing them represented not as twisted amalgam of wolf and human, but as a beautiful and majestic timber wolf. Though, if the human side resents or has a history of resenting their wolf, the wolf will be afraid to show itself, as they can sense the resentment and is repelled by it. It has been suggested that if the human side and wolf side can find a way to co-exist in the same body and mind without one trying to overpower the other, life as a werewolf, including the transformations, will be less stressful. However, the wolf side of a purebred werewolf has a much stronger and overpowering presence, which is why purebreds are more aggressive, even in human form.

Subtypes

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A new mutt's scars from the werewolf attack that infected them.

Mutts

The most common type of werewolf; they are humans who have been afflicted with the curse through a scratch from a transformed or transforming werewolf. A supernatural bond seems to form between a mutt werewolf and their sire, similar to that which arises from between a Vampire and their sire. Werewolves remain human 29 days out of the month, and will develop heightened senses, strength and vitality in the days leading up to the full moon.

Purebreds

Liam with Connor's head

Purebred werewolves take on their wolf form in death.

Purebreds are werewolves who are born with lycanthropy, due to conception between two werewolf parents; the curse is hereditary. When a female werewolf falls pregnant, she will carry the child for approximately three months, and for the child to survive in the womb during the mother's transformation, it will be in wolf form for the entire pregnancy. Once the child is born, they will be a wolf for a short time before taking human form.

There are a number of distinctions between mutts and purebreds: a purebred’s strength, senses and vitality are heightened all the time, rather than just the few days before and after the full moon; Liam McLean, who came from a long line of purebreds, was able to overpower Blake, a decade-old vampire. Purebreds will transform much more quickly and less painfully, and the fur of their wolf forms is noticeably much thicker and darker than that of mutts. Purebreds are also in a constant state of agitation; it is described as their inner wolf trying to break through their human shell. Purebreds can treat this with wolfsbane, as it has a calming effect on werewolves. Unlike mutts, purebreds will also revert to wolf form when killed, rather than the other way around; indicating that they are actually more wolf than human.

Third-Type

These werewolves are essentially reverse-werewolves. They are only human once a month, on the night of the full moon; for the rest of the month, they are stuck in their wolf forms. These werewolves also have golden eyes in wolf form, instead of their human eye color. Josh became this type of werewolf after he was re-infected by Liam; how or why this reverse-type of werewolf existed is uncertain, but it has been suggested to be due to either magic, re-infection after being cured once before, or the result of a human being infected by a purebred instead of another mutt. This werewolf type's strength and speed seems to increase at a faster rate than normal werewolves, as noted by Aidan. According to Josh, this form of wolf felt much stronger than his old wolf.

Josh's Wolf

After he lifted his curse by killing Ray and was subsequently cursed a second time by Liam, Josh became completely overtaken by his wolf form. For a period of several months, he essentially became a reverse-werewolf, staying transformed at all times except during the full moon, when he regained human form for the night.

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Josh partially transforming, independent of the moon.

After Sally cast an incomplete banishing spell on Josh's wolf in an attempt to bring him back, Josh regained his human shape, but his transformation became erratic and unpredictable. He became able to transform (either partially or fully) at will, without the requirement of a full moon, which is suggested to be an unprecedented feat. Josh's wolf began gaining increasing dominance over his thoughts and actions due to the incomplete spell, and he became constantly agitated and enraged, his senses and strength becoming overbearing in the same manner as a purebred. Sally helped him regain control of himself by confronting and accepting his inner wolf, and his two natures finally became balanced.

Josh is the only known example of the werewolf curse manifesting in this manner.

Other characteristics

Scent

When a werewolf is in human form, the only apparent trait that distinguishes werewolves from humans is that they emit a wolfish scent. Werewolves' wolf scent is entirely invisible to a human-level sense of smell, and can only be detected by creatures which a very strong sense of smell; such as vampires, purebred werewolves, or mutt werewolves when their senses are heightened around the time of the full moon. In the case of turned werewolves, the wolf scent doesn't develop immediately but rather over the course of the month between when they're infected and when they transform for the first time.

Diet

Werewolves eat typical human food most of the time. As the full moon comes closer, werewolves may develop a craving for raw meat. While in wolf form, werewolves will eat any animal they can find, including humans and vampires.

When a newly-made werewolf reverts to human form after the transformation, they may regurgitate the dead animals they consumed overnight, but this subsides as the body adapts to the transformations (which may take years). This is one of the most unpleasant aspects of their condition for new werewolves, as the wolf will sometimes eat their own fecal matter.

Abilities

  • Enhanced Vitality - In human form, werewolves, in even as old an age as their 70s have the stamina, strength, vitality and capabilities of a human in their physical prime. A mutt werewolf's strength increases when the full moon is near, to the point of being able to fight off moderately-weakened vampires or even to overpower inebriated vampires. Purebred werewolves seemingly have this vitality all the time due to being mentally and metaphysically closer to their wolf than regular werewolves are. This makes them able to physically exert themselves for hours in any way, though they can eventually become exhausted and need rest, as humans do.
  • Enhanced Strength - Werewolves are incredibly physically strong, both when transformed and in human form, though their strength waxes and wanes with the moon, and they are almost human for
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    Liam, a purebred werewolf, restraining Blake, a vampire, with one hand.

    most of the month. On the night of the full moon, Josh was able to shove Will through the air. A werewolf in their wolf form is arguably one of the physically strongest supernatural beings known, as even a werewolf on their first transformation can overpower and kill a vampire as old as Heggeman. A werewolf's strength on the day before their transformations is heightened to the point where they can challenge a vampire, but only when said vampire is weakened. Werewolves have the strength to shove, strike and grab humans of seemingly higher muscle mass and size and with staggering, stunning, and incapacitating force and can easily overpower humans. Their strength is inferior to that of a fully-powered vampire or the powers of a ghost or witch. It depends on natural size and mass to determine a werewolf's strength over another. A purebred who is close to a full moon could potentially be strong enough to overpower a vampire, as Liam McLean was able to effortlessly restrain Blake by grabbing her neck with one hand. They are even strong enough to overpower vampires who are weakened or blood intoxicated, especially when nearing their transformation.
  • Enhanced Senses - Werewolves have a well-developed sense of smell, which also intensifies in the days before, and a few hours after the full moon. Werewolves seem to also possess night-vision in wolf form. In human form, werewolves possess the smell sensitivity of domestic dogs; they can smell things distinctly from a distance of yards away, and can hear with the same effectiveness.
  • Enhanced Speed - In wolf form, werewolves are faster than humans and some vampires, however, vampires are very likely to escape a transformed werewolf, on-foot due to their particular speed capabilities. The third-type of werewolf is much faster than mutts and purebreds, and gains more speed at a quicker rate; almost matching the speed of a vampire. While it may be a result of their vitality, untransformed werewolves, when close to the full moon, are able to quickly run across long distances, and can rapidly catch up to others in a chase.
  • Clairvoyance - As supernatural creatures, werewolves can see and hear ghosts in a similar manner that vampires and other ghosts can. It should be noted that the ability to perceive ghosts only takes effect after a werewolf's first transformation.
  • Vampire-toxic Blood - Werewolf blood is toxic to vampires, causing them to experience severe bleeding and seizures when ingested, however it is not fatal in small doses. It does, however, remain in the vampire's system, for an unknown amount of time, and causes any new vampires who that vampire turns during this time to develop horrible mutations.
  • Transformations - For most werewolves, they are forced to endure a grueling transformation into a wolf like beast every full moon. The transformation is extremely physically traumatic, causing the werewolf's bones to break and reshape, the skin to tear and reform into an extremely tough hide covered in fur. While in this state, werewolves possess far greater physical attributes. They are immensely strong, and can move at faster speeds than most animals, their senses are even further enhanced, and they possess near limitless stamina and endurance. The transformation also initiates a healing process that allows werewolves to heal all injuries while transformed.
  • Enhanced Healing - During their transformations, a werewolf's ability to heal is enhanced. This healing factor allows them to survive their transformations, and is likely the reason why they do not suffer traumatic injuries like skin ripping or skeletal damage from transforming. Consequently, it is extremely difficult to slow down a transformed werewolf with anything less than silver. Werewolves have shown to heal minor wounds like scratches, other wounds like silver bullets will heal the next day, as proven by Josh. Werewolves can completely heal their wounds after they transform, as Josh once healed from a silver bullet wound over one night when he transformed. Formerly permanent ailments such as sterility can be cured, making humans fertile again.
  • Enhanced Resilience - Werewolves, when transformedm are amazingly resilient, allowing them to endure blows from vampires and other werewolves. They are able to endure almost any form of physical punishment without sustaining permanent, if any injury. It is likely that, when transformed, a werewolf is only susceptible to harm from silver weaponry.
  • Enhanced Stamina - Transformed werewolves can chase down their prey all night, until they change back to human form. It has also been shown that if a werewolf does not transform back into their human form, they still possesses the same energy throughout the day, allowing them to run across great distances for hours without tiring.
  • Teeth and Claws - While they are transformed, werewolves possess extremely sharp claws and wicked fangs. A werewolf's greatest weapons are their sharp teeth and sharp claws which can rend through most materials, including steel, wood, and easily rip apart human flesh.

Purebreds

Unlike mutts, purebreds have their strength, vitality and senses heightened all the time, and they are more connected with their wolves. The McLean twins and their father Liam have shown themselves to be strong enough to challenge, defeat, beat and kill vampires. Purebreds also have a stronger healing factor than mutts, as Liam was able to withstand several gunshots from silver bullets without slowing down. The teeth of a purebred in wolf form are capable of tearing open steel doors with ease.

Mutts

29 days out of the month, mutts are practically human, but in the days and hours leading to the full moon, a mutt's senses and physical capabilities heighten.

Third-Type

The third werewolf type was possibly the second most powerful werewolf, building up speed and strength at a faster rate than mutts and even purebreds.

Spellbound Werewolves

These werewolves are more powerful than the others. These wolves are able to shape-shift either impartially or fully anytime they please. They do not have full control of their wolf and can lose control to instinct and negative emotions.

Weaknesses

  • Silver - Silver is very harmful to werewolves; direct contact with silver will burn a werewolf in wolf form, and silver-inflicted wounds take much longer for werewolves to heal.
  • Mortality - As they are living beings, it is technically possible to kill werewolves in mundane ways such as; decapitation, suffocation, bludgeoning, impalement; although werewolves are much more resilient against mundane methods of killing when in wolf form.
  • Wolfsbane - Wolfsbane can suppress a werewolf's heightened senses.
  • Tranquilizers - Even in wolf form, a werewolf can be affected by tranquilizers and rendered unconscious, as was demonstrated on Josh.

Cure

If a werewolf kills their maker while in human form, they are cured of their lycanthropy, though if the now-cured werewolf had turned others into werewolves before curing themself, those werewolves will remain infected. Liam has stated that there are a very few ways to repress the wolf full-time, and that "none of them occur in a lab."

Society and behavior

Though they lack the rigid hierarchy that vampires have, interactions and community between werewolves does exist. Even in human form, werewolves (at least ones who accept their condition) may socially interact with each-other, sometimes even forming packs, although it's not rare for werewolves to alternatively be more solitary towards other werewolves.

While solitary werewolves (be they ones who hate and deny their condition or have learned to live with it without joining werewolf packs) have a much more clear and human mindset, werewolves who become part of a pack can often end up becoming twisted and deluded; embracing a dog-like pack mentality that they and other werewolves be loyal to their pack and that they look out for and defend their own kind, and in extreme cases also preferring to let their wolves run free and do what they want rather than contain them to avoid harming others.

Josh and Nora retain a human perspective on relationships, hence why they distance themselves from other werewolves who think otherwise. Liam is shown to embrace both family and pack ideology; though he is deluded in thinking who's a member. A similar delusion is held by the pack introduced in the final season, where they attempt forcing Josh to be their alpha.

Relationships

Vampires

Werewolves typically have hostile relations with vampires, driven by a seemingly instinctual loathing of them. Vampires will often call werewolves dogs and bully them when they are in human form, although vampires usually do so when werewolves are too far from a full moon to fight vampires on equal if not greater footing. Friendships between vampires and werewolves are rare, but not nonexistent. (Said friendships are VERY strong as Pete was heartbroken when his vampire friends were killed by the blood virus; Josh and Nora were even willing to let Aidan's ghost haunt them. In the alternate timeline, Sally maintained her relationship with Aidan after she got scratched in Nora's place). Transformed werewolves are actually feared by vampires as killing machines which they have no chance of fighting victoriously.

Ghosts

Werewolves are able to see ghosts while in human form as well as when transformed, though their wolf forms will attempt to attack ghosts like they would humans or vampires.

Mutts and Purebreds

Despite being proud of their status as purebreds, purebred werewolves do not look down upon mutts. The terms mutt is used by purebreds simply as a slang term and is not intended to be offensive; in fact it appears to be a sign of affection. Purebred werewolves will readily accept a mutt into their pack and seem take pleasure in teaching mutts the ways of being a werewolf. While purebreds seem to like mutts, the feeling isn't always mutual. Some mutts chose to reject their inner wolf, while purebreds always embrace it. Consequently, mutts may find a purebred trying to convince them to give in to their inner wolf annoying and unwanted.

List of known werewolves

Image Name Age Status Info
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Douglas 50s-60s Deceased An elderly werewolf that had been a captive of the Boston vampires and forced to fight other werewolves in prize fights for fifteen years. Type: Mutt
Mclean Liam
Liam McLean Unknown Deceased Father of Connor and Brynn. Type: Purebred
Ray
Ray 40s-50s Deceased The werewolf who originally turned Josh and killed his friend Stu in 2009. Josh kills Ray to cure himself. He was brought back from the dead by Donna as her undead slave, and was killed again by Josh. Type: Mutt
Being-Human-S3x10-Pete-shares-philosophy-about-life-with-Josh
Pete 39 Deceased A werewolf who taught Josh and Nora how to communicate with their wolves. Type: Mutt
Andrew2323
Andrew 30s Deceased Andrew is the husband of Caroline and the father of their child. Type: Mutt
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Caroline 30s Alive Caroline is the pregnant werewolf found by Josh in the park and the wife of Andrew. Type: Mutt
Joshhouse Josh Levison 28 Alive A werewolf who was originally a mutt, but has since changed types. He is the infector and husband of Nora Sergeant. After killing his maker, Ray, he broke his curse and became human, though he was later scratched and infected once again, this time by purebred Liam Mclean, which turned him into the third-type. He then became the spellbound type after Sally unsuccessfully attempted to banish his wolf with magic. He is the only character known to have experienced multiple forms of lycanthropy. Type: Spellbound
Nora-sergeant
Nora Sergeant Late 20's Alive Josh's wife. She was accidentally turned by Josh after she stumbled upon Josh in mid-transformation. After Sally changed the past Nora is never scratched by Josh. Type: Mutt
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Mark Unknown Deceased Mark was the alpha of the Boston werewolf pack. He was killed by Josh after threatening him and Nora. Type: Mutt
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Sally Malik 25 (alternate timeline 2011) Deceased After travelling back in time and creating an alternate timeline by preventing her death, Sally was eventually scratched by Josh and is later killed by Ray. Type: Mutt
Photo
Connor McLean 20s Deceased Connor was the son of Liam McLean and the twin brother of Brynn. Type: Purebred
Tracy
Brynn McLean 20s Deceased Was the daughter of Liam Mclean and the twin sister of Connor. Type: Purebred
Erin1
Erin Shephard 16 Deceased A teenaged werewolf found by Josh and Nora at the hospital. Type: Mutt
April23
April Newborn Alive She is the purebred daughter of Caroline and Andrew that Nora and Josh helped deliver. Type: Purebred
Astrid
Astrid 20s Deceased She was a member of Mark's pack and Kenny Fisher's girlfriend. Type: Mutt
Wendy22
Wendy 20s Alive She was a member of Mark's pack and Mark's girlfriend. Type: Mutt
Charlotte23
Charlotte 20s Deceased She was a human who volunteered to become a werewolf, she wanted to be a member of Mark's pack. Soon after she was infected she was killed by Josh. Type: Mutt
Ewrwe1
Brick Shithouse 20s Deceased He was a member of Mark's pack. Type: Mutt
Clark
Clark Unknown Deceased He was a friend of Liam. Type: Unknown
Josh's and Nora's unborn baby Unborn Deceased Nora looses the baby, because her body couldn't handle the transformation of her unborn child. Type: Purebred
Sally Levison
Sally Levison Unknown Alive Josh's and Nora's daughter. Type: Purebred
Aidan Levison
Aidan Levison Unknown Alive Josh's and Nora's son. Type: Purebred
  • Unknown Deceased Werewolves - several werewolves were hunted down by vampires so that they could use the werewolf blood to protect themselves from the Virus.

Gallery

Trivia

  • According to Toby Whithouse at Comic-Con, werewolves are unable to practice witchcraft, because lycanthropy is its own innate, untappable form of magic.
  • A purebred werewolf baby is born in three months.
  • It appears that a werewolf has a slower transformation during the full moon if they had sex just prior; Josh made it to the basement after having sex with Nora, but had to go back home to transform due to it being occupied (in the alternate timeline, he didn't have sex with Nora and began transforming on the way to the basement.) This implies a werewolf changes faster if they aren't physically spent.
  • A theory is that infection by a werewolf causes a new persona/mind to develop from the curse; which explains why purebred werewolves change in a more relaxed and accepting manner.....
  • If the werewolf in question has a romantic partner, their wolf side will always recognize them.
    • Regardless of this, the wolf side can choose to sleep with another werewolf.
  • The day before and the day of the full moon, a werewolf's wolf side tends to become more dominate, such as the mating instinct.
    • Josh shared a kiss with Nora just prior to turning. The passion caused the wolf to take over and have sex with Nora. Josh came to his senses after finishing.

Behind the scenes

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