No werebeast can possibly know which God cursed their ancestors as there are so many stories but in truth this have happened more than once. More than one God have cursed a human or a group of humans, making them take form of the werebeast. Which werebeast was it usually depended on the God in question, however this knowledge is lost on most shifters, outside of a few Spirit Guides that were able to learn it from the Sylvans. As for why were they turned, it depends on which story you listen too. Sometimes it was due to offense towards the God, other times God just felt petty, and other times they needed warriors, forcing humans to battle for them. 

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WEREWOLF

One of the most common werebeasts, a lycanthrope, a werewolf. The tale of which date as far back as epic of Gilgamesh, where someone got turned into a wolf after a Goddess lost interest in him. Another very common belief goes back to Fenrir, a God that had offspring of Skoll and Hati, who then spread the curse lycanthropy. Others think that perhaps it was not literal offspring but instead the first two siblings cursed. Native Americans have their own stories, tied to the spirits, and it does not stop there. In many corners of the earth, there is a legend about man turning into a wolf, howling at the fool moon in anger. 

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Regardless of personal beliefs, werewolves act very similar to the actual wolf pack. Many shifters speculate that the traditional pack titles came from the werewolves and then was widely adapted by every other shifter. They are rather territorial creatures, despite also being ones that travel the most, staking territory where they go. Being the most spread comes with certain perks, but it also have some downsides. Werewolves are responsible for the most scarred ones by far, said to be having more orphaned wolves around the world as all other shifters combined. This becomes a problem when those scarred one turn against not only their creators but other shifters alike. 

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Lycanthropes also known to be rather accepting of other shifters in their packs, even if they do still highly prefer a Wolf to be their Alpha. 

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Note: Technically werewolves encompass all of the "Big" Canine Breeds of Shifters, Were Doberman's, Were Rottweiler's, Were Danes etc. Which were the result of selective interbreeding in the long ago past.

However you will not encounter Were Pugs, Were Poodles or Were chihuahua's as such interbreeding to the point of disability was deemed non beneficial. So in short "Small lapdog types " are not permitted, as it dangerously veers into parody.

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WEREBEAR

Quite possibly the most independent werebeast out of all is werebear. They are often refrain from joining any packs, but it is not forbidden or looked down upon. Instead in werebear community this act often seen as looking over a pack, taking someone under your wing, rather than submitting to one. The werebear is not only powerful but also very wise. Their legends range from Viking berserkers taking a form of a bear to protectors of the forest, as well as great healers. Many connect werebears to the great sky bear from Native American folklore, how it protects the west from the ice giants, and when it sleeps during the winter, that's why the snow falls. While most can recognize that "snow during a winter due to bear sleeping" is an exaggeration, they still think there might be some truth to the ice giant part. In ancient times there was said to be a war where deities cursed humans to take animal forms to fight giants. This leads some to believe that perhaps the bears were protectors of the west. 

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That aside, what is perhaps one of the biggest differences between werebears and other shifters is that they are some of the few types that do not see themselves as cursed ones. Werebears at large came to accept what they are, seeing themselves as wardens of the wilds and guides for the Strongholds. There is a speculation that perhaps due to this generational acceptance is why werebears do not lose control during moon cycles. 

 

WERECAT

The cats even if not the most numerous are still some of the most world spread and variable shifter species. Unlike bears and wolves, that only really range in coloring, werecats have different species; Sun and Twilight Cats. The main belief held between the cats is that each of these species were cursed by a different God in different corner of the world. Like that of the Aztec legends and the two jaguar brothers, or Egyptian Goddess Bastet, etc. Yet perhaps what's the most fascinating is that they may cross breed, giving birth to some rather unique werecats. Such as if werelion were to breed with panther, an offspring would be a fully black fur lion. 

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The Sun Cats are comprised of large cats made for combat, like Lions, Tigers, Cougars, and Jaguars. They are the reason why African continent are nearly entirely dominated by the Werecats, as they are as fast as they are strong. 

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Twilight Werecats are some of the most magically inclined shifters, made up of Panthers, Leopards, Pumas, and Jaguars. They are known to even fully dedicate themselves to their studies of shamanism and other magics. This have landed them in hot waters during Witch trials back in time since the church thought them to be Witches since they practiced magic and turned into cats. 

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The cats are very flexible even society wise. They have no issue being solitary or making a Pride, which is their name for a Pack. They also do not all operate the same around the world though. Such as werecats in Africa stake their territory there, and are quite hostile to other shifters there. Meanwhile those in South and North America are far more friendly and even known to frequently join Strongholds and sometimes even run with werewolf packs. 

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WEREFOX

Kitsune are found all across Japan and other parts of Asia, though they are most predominantly seen in China (called Huli jing)  and Korea (called Kumiho).  They are identical to wild foxes found elsewhere in the world apart from their incredible magical powers and the appearances of their signature multiple tails, which they grow as they age. They are known to feed from the life force of mortals, sometimes in very gruesome fashion (eating internal organs such as hearts, livers, and such). Each Kitsune is born with a Star orb, which contains their life force.  Upon reaching nine-tails, a Kitsune may create a second Star Orb, and even learn to pass along their gift, by creating a star Orb from a Mortal’s life force, and feeding it to them.

 

Most Kitsune have a natural inclination toward magic.  They are powerful elementalists, illusionists and shape-shifters, and delight in mischief, pranks, or evil. There are stories in which they trick or even possess humans, and cause them to behave strangely. Despite this wicked nature, kitsune keep their promises, remember friendships, and repay any favors done for them.  Less commonly, legends tell of celestial foxes providing wisdom or service to good and pious humans. These holy foxes act as messengers of the gods and mediums between the celestial and human worlds.

 

Unlike other werebeasts, Kitsune do not start as human, nor are they affected by the cycle of the moon.   They start as fox spirits, and as they age they learn to take on a human form.  By the time a kitsune reaches adulthood (about 18 human years), they would have learned to take a complete human form.  On more than one occasion, this has resulted in a marriage with an unwitting human. Some kitsune even spend most of their lives in human form, adopting human names and customs, taking human jobs, and even raising families. When startled, or drunk, or careless, a patch of their magical disguise can fail—the kitsune’s true nature may be revealed by a tail, a swatch of fur, fangs, or some other vulpine feature.  

 

Offspring of Kitsune are Kitsune, even when the other parent is human.  However, a Kitsune may pass on their gift to a human.  This is normally done by one who has reached the Nine-tails form.  The Kitsune may drain the life force from a human and create a star-orb out of the life force. By having the human eat or swallow this star orb, they may become a Kitsune over time.  This usually takes one cycle of the moon to complete a full transformation.  While it is possible for Kitsune to breed with other types of werebeasts, the offspring will be whatever type the other parent is (I.E. Kitsune + Werewolf = Werewolf Child).  Kitsune may only birth Kitsune with other Kitsune.  This is the reason that Kitsune are rarely found in large numbers outside of Asia.

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WENDIGO

Perhaps one of the most terrifying shifters is the wendigo. It is hard to believe when dealing with like of giant wolves and even invisible werecats are around, but it is true. The wendigo are a breed of their own, rather different than other shifters and often far more malicious. 

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There are many legends of different wendigo, most notorious originating from Native American Folklore. Out of all legends one is correct, amount other misconceptions. A witch or a werewolf is not a wendigo, a pale cannibalistic figure is. The truth about wendigo is that they originated long time ago but got most spread in the in the Great Plains of old America. Some lands are watched over by what Native Americans think to be spirits, and deities. When someone performs an act of cannibalism in such lands, they are cursed, undergoing painful long transformation that may take anywhere between a week to a year, depending on how much the person resists the desire to eat human flesh. No matter how long it takes, they all succumb to it and during that transformation they change, losing all hair, turning pale, eyes turning red, growing sharp teeth and claws as their limbs elongate. This becomes their true form, contrary to other shifters that only take forms of half animals, the wendigo is a monster in their real shape. They then are able to forms of animals and even other human beings after tasting their flesh. Lastly, no matter how much they eat, they always remain skinny in their real wendigo form, ever starving. 

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Due to such malicious nature they are often solitary or roam in small wendigo packs. It is rare for them to join Strongholds but not impossible, even if they are often looked at with distrust and caution. More often than not they end up in conflict with local shifters, who are no saints themselves by any margin but at least they are not cold hearted cannibals that are in full control of their mind when they eat people. 

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WEREAVIS

The wereavis, aka werebirds are likely the most intelligent of the werebeast races. This shows even within their shift, outside of gaining physical proves, the members of avian family claim that the more they master their shapeshift powers, the more enlightened they become. This does not seem to be a boast either, as their kind seem to have origins all over the world, ranging from Egypt, to old Norse, Native Americans, etc. Such great diversity also shows in how many different wereavis types are there. 

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Similar to that of werecats, not all werebirds are the same. The most known ones are Corvis family, made of Crows and Ravens. They are most often end up being shamans, spies, information brokers, thieves, and when time calls for it, fighters. Then there are the Strix, the wereowls, the wise ones. The Strix are more likely to be historians, teachers, warriors, as well as practice green magics. As for Eagles, hawks, falcons, these are of a raptor family, and are often focusing on path of a warrior or protectors. This being said, these are just commonalities, and not the set path every Avian have to take. The decision what to be is up to each individual. 

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This brings us to their society. The Avians have no enemies or strong allies, being able to integrate anywhere they go rather easily, be it part of some group or solitary. 

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