A Quileute Wolf Experience
I am a Quileute werewolf. Who would’ve thought that the stuff made of legends was the truth? Not me, that’s for sure. If you grew up on the reservation, you’ve heard all of the stories; you’ve heard all of the tall tales. About the cold ones who were different from the rest of their kind, who came to Quileute lands in hopes of forging a new life. The Quileutes didn’t take that very well, and a treaty was made – albeit against the Quileutes’ better judgment. The cold ones were our pack’s entire reason for transforming, after all. Quileute werewolves were put on the Earth for no other reason than to protect the Quilete tribe from the vampires, both evil and “good” alike. They are the reason our werewolf pack is around, which makes them both a blessing and a curse.
Legends of Quileute Werewolves
The very first time I made the change, I was scared out of my mind. But along with that fear was something deeper: a sense of power at the senses that were gained and honed due to the change; a sense of pride that I was one of the few who could eventually hope to master such a change; discomfort due to having to learn to maneuver with a whole new body – a larger, furrier frame, at that. Aside from these feelings, there was also that sense of something clicking into place. To many people, this ability would’ve been outlandish or impossible, but in my community it’s an honored ability.
Not everyone can master the change right away. There are days, even weeks that we constantly go back and forth from human to werewolf unintentionally, making it dangerous to be around us unless you know how to handle it. There are only a few people who truly do know how to handle it. The rest just think they do, but unintentionally trigger a change because of their reactions, whether it be fear or something else. Not only that, but due to the change in my frame, it also rips any clothes I might be wearing at the time of change to shreds, so it’s not exactly a public-friendly ability. I do what I can, though. And the fur isn’t fair weather friendly – then again, living in Washington, you don’t have to worry about too many hot, sunny days. The good thing is that if I can keep my human hair short, my coat tends to stay short, as well.
Once you can somewhat control the change – I say somewhat, because for most of us, all it takes is a strong flare of our emotions, usually anger, to make us change involuntarily – it’s an exhilarating ride. Not only can I see for what seems like a few miles, but I can run faster than anything on Earth. Doing laps around the forest is nothing, but it’s my favorite past time. Watching everything go by in a blur, knowing there’s no danger of running into anything is a powerful feeling.
There’s the change in our body heat to deal with, too. And the gain of appetite. While those don’t seem like bad trade offs compared to what I get in return, sometimes I miss piling on blankets while I’m sleeping. And I have to wonder, once the vampires are gone, am I going to have this ability forever? If I don’t, what happens if and when they come back? Do I have to struggle through the change all over again, learn control again? Like I said earlier, it’s both a blessing and a curse.