Werewolf

Often, and incorrectly, regarded as brutes and thugs of the supernatural world, werewolves are humans who are cursed to turn into wolves at the full moon, although many Packs have mastered the curse and broken the chain to the moon, and can now transform (or not) at will.
Werewolves possess superhuman strength and speed, and all the enhanced senses of a wolf even when they are in human form. Moreover, werewolves can also sniff out other supernatural creatures. Most werewolves can only smell a generic supernatural scent, but some werewolves have honed this sense and can detect exactly what type of supernatural species they smell.
Because of a werewolf's strength, speed, and enhanced senses, they are extremely difficult to kill, but ultimately can be killed by any normal means. The 'silver bullet' theory is a myth that has been perpetuated by werewolves.

Basic Information

Anatomy

In their animal form, werewolves are always wolves (meaning that an Australian werewolf is still a wolf, not a dingo.) The transformation is horrifically painful, for every bone and muscle in the body breaks, stretches, morphs, and reforms into the new shape. However, once the transformation is completed, the werewolf experiences a great euphoria as their body is flooded with the strength an senses of the wolf. Because of this extreme pain and the unnatural pressure placed on the human body, it is not uncommon for a werewolf's first transformation to kill them. Hereditary werewolves are usually coached by their packs in the year leading up to their first transformation to help them get through it.

Genetics and Reproduction

Werewolves can either be born or turned.
Werewolves by birth can be both male and female, but the werewolf gene only travels through the male line. This means that only offspring of male werewolves will be werewolves. Some Packs have completely died out because the only offspring were females; typically females are deliberately wed to male werewolves to keep the line from dying out. Essentially, a male werewolf and a female human will produce a werewolf, but a female werewolf and a male human will not.
Werewolves can also be turned, by being bitten by another werewolf. Because turned werewolves will usually not have a pack bond, they will not have been coached and taught about their transformation, and will often die during their first transformation.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Because of the vast amount of energy it takes to transform and then operate a wolf's body, werewolves have an extremely high metabolism, and need to eat high protein meals regularly and often.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Werewolves adhere to very strict family hierarchies - these family units are known as Packs, which is always led by an alpha. The alpha is typically, but not always, the strongest werewolf in the Pack, and usually attained the position by overthrowing the previous alpha in a show of dominance and strength. All werewolves of the pack obey the alpha intrinsically.

Civilization and Culture

History

The first werewolves were created as a result of a witch's curse, lycanthropy. A coven of Neolithic witches belonging to a Wolf Cult sacrificed three brothers to the wolf god Fenrir during a full moon ritual in the year 3480 BCE. This ritual wound up cursing the brothers to transform into wolves in the light of the full moon. The curse altered the brothers' DNA, so that their progeny were also werewolves. The descendants of these brothers spread lycanthropy across the globe.