Metamorphosis

    The Shape Shifting Night people of Cybelle’s world aren’t exactly your standard Hollywood horrors. So in this instalment of behind the Night, I will be talking about metamorphosis, and how each type of shifting Night race works.

 

Werewolves

 

    There isn’t THAT much to go on with real Werewolves, since so far, none appear in Dead Night (wait for it, they will eventually). Werewolves are a separate race to Lycanthian Wolfchildren (in fact, Lycas are probably more closely related to Shifters than Werewolves), the main difference being that Werewolves can only (and have to) change on a full moon. They do tend to struggle more in a kind of internal conflict between their “human” side and their Wolf side; often the Wolf side threatens to take over the host completely, and very occasionally (out of the ones who don’t go insane and die one way or another), the Wolf can win this battle, and on the next full moon, the host will not de-morph back into human, they never will. They will remain a Wolf for eternity; as you can see, they are a very unstable Night race, and this is why you see little of them in Dead Night.

 

Lycanthian Wolfchildren

(or Lycas, for those with better things to do)

 

    Like Werewolves, Lycas can only change into the shape of a wolf, but here ends any real resemblance between the two races. A Lyca, having more control, can actually “part-morph”, something Werewolves cannot (although seeing as it looks repulsive and most Lycas are quite proud, this is a rare thing to see). Lycas can also choose when they morph, despite the process itself being similar. You will notice that there are many more Lycas in existence (at least in polite society) than Werewolves, and this is largely down to the fact that they have more control. A Lyca’s wolf is more one’s self than a separate entity that is using a person for a host, so in Wolf form they do have a great deal more self-awareness. The animal instinct is there (but that goes for a lot of Night races) and occasionally a burst of anger or strong emotion can cause the Wolf side to come out, but in this case, a Lyca is more of a danger to the people around them than themselves.

    Though the moon phases do not affect a Lyca’s ability to morph, they do have some impact on their abilities, something that happens to many races. When a full morph takes place, any Wolf will carry an appearance that references it’s ‘human’ form, this is often, but not always, hair colour. Personality can also have an effect on colour; for example Emma Bennett is brown, with patchy red paws and tail.

 

Standard Shape Shifters

 

    You’ll meet one of these in book two, actually. To put it plainly, they are very like Lycas but obviously, their morphs are not limited to just wolves. A Shifter can become any animal of their choosing, simply by obtaining a sample of it’s DNA. I say ANY animal, but that is not strictly true. The animal has to be of a reasonable size, for example, an elephant is too big, and a flea too small…all that human form does have to fit into the new shape somewhere. Similar to Lycas, the morphed animal of a Shape Shifter does not act like a separate entity that wants to take them over. Most Shifters, where they can turn into more than one shape, tend to choose a signature morph, something they know well and are comfortable in. The lady you will be meeting in Heart of Night, for example, hers is a hyena. Shifters cannot, however, morph into the form of another human/Night being, the structure is far too complex for them. The morphs for this race can also be the most painful, but it usually depends on the animal of their choosing and it’s bone structure in particular. If a Shifter were to turn into a particularly large python, for example, it would hurt.

 

Human Metamorphs, or 'Doppelgangers'

 

    Similar to Shifters but their opposite, doppelgangers can only take on the form of another humanoid being. There are no psychological symptoms associated with their morph, but they are known to be usually deceptive and false in nature. It has never been proven (I doubt anyone could get close enough) but many believe them to have no soul at all. Even people of the Night are somewhat afraid of these creatures, and they are to be avoided, if identified at all costs.

 

Fhearies:

 

    Many pure Fhearies are small and petit in appearance, but are not tiny little people as in the story books, neither can they shrink. They can be taller, particularly if they are a kind of hybrid. Fhearies are one of few Night races who can ONLY part morph, they can summon wings, the appearance of which really depends on the purity of their blood. A pure Fhearie will have wings that are insect like in appearance, however, a Fhearie with other genes in their lineage may well have something completely different. A Fhearie’s morph is the only morph that can be “polluted” by other genes, although due to the rarity of Fhearies in the first place, this is even rarer. There are no psychological symptoms associated with Fhearie morphs.

 

 

 

How Metamorphasis Actually Works

 

It’s such a painful process because the body has to actually re-arrange itself. The animal-like morphs are complicated for even me to explain to you, but it’s to do with rapidly growing/shrinking and rearranging (read, crushing), the bones. Also there is a lot of regenerating/growing/excluding of other body parts such as the hair…as I said, complicated.

 

Special and Unusual Cases

 

Cybelle, The Sirith Mage

 

    Cybelle’s morphs are theoretically endless, but due to her gene percentage not often leaning towards her Shifting sides, she does not often have means to use them, nor would she see reason in putting herself through the pain. She has gone Wolf before, but she finds it extremely difficult and taxing, and does not like how vulnerable it makes her while she morphs. She can also occasionally access her Fhearie morph, a pair of wings that are bat-like in appearance, due to her strong Vampire side, although due to the size and shape of them, they are also very painful and temperamental to summon.

 

James, The White Wolf

 

    For those who don’t know, James’s Wolf is unusual because it is pure white, despite his natural hair colour being brown. Nobody has been able to legitimately pin it down (as if he would let anybody experiment on him so shamelessly!) but it is thought that something similar to the case of Cybelle’s Fhearie gene may have taken place (although unproven, as Wolf morphs supposedly can’t be polluted by other genes).

 

Verity, The Fey Witch

 

    Verity is very rarely seen to use her morph, as it is not necessary, practical or painless, but should she choose to, her Witch side has caused her wings to appear like that of a large raven.