Instead of a bloodsucker, this time our poor, put-upon protagonist has been chomped on by a livid lycanthrope. Horror of horrors!
...I'm sorry. I had to.
A werewolf might have an easier time of it than a vampire in some ways. First off in that the transformation is not instantaneous. I don't think I've ever seen or read anything in which the soon-to-be werewolf changes right after being bitten. It's usually the next full moon. The victim will usually believe themselves to have been attacked by a large dog, and seek treatment for such. After that they'll resume life as normal, maybe with a few "tells" like their senses of hearing and smell becoming much more sensitive, or increased strength and stamina. They'll know something's different about themselves, but not exactly what until the big night.
It goes without saying, but I'm ruling out the variety of werewolf that can change at will. I know they're becoming increasingly popular, but it makes things far too easy. It's also less of a curse for these guys, and more of a superpower. They don't count.
Anyway, a werewolf's only a werewolf on the night(s) of the full moon, right? Once the afflicted gets over the shock of abruptly transforming into a slavering hellbeast the first time, they have a full lunar cycle to prepare for the next. If you don't know when that'll be, a quick Google search will bring up a calendar of lunar phases for the year. Or, if this is a setting where computers and the internet are not available, they'll use whatever means are present to figure it out. The point is it's not really going to take our werewolf by surprise unless they're careless and forget when that all-important night is.
I always found that funny, you know? When a werewolf looks up fearfully at the sky and says "It's a full moon tonight." Like you didn't know? Full moons don't exactly sneak up on you; it's easy to determine when they'll occur. The moon doesn't just jump from waxing crescent one night to full the next. If it did...well, I'd think we all have bigger things to worry about than your problem, werewolf guy.
In the end, a werewolf knows when they are going to be a snarling monster, and can plan accordingly. Locking themselves up for the night in a sufficiently werewolf-escape-proof room is common.
Usually it's wolfsbane that's the go-to plant for an aspiring werewolf hunter's garden, but I've heard tell that mistletoe drives them off too. If that's the case, Christmastime must be the most awkward holiday season ever for these guys. Just think about it: wherever mistletoe is hung, the lycanthrope cannot venture. They're repelled by it, cowering and growling, possibly bristling with fur as the hated plant forces them into their unnatural form. This is the sort of thing that can easily blow your cover. How exactly are you to explain your aversion to this simple plant? Allergies? In a more modern setting this might work (provided you're not revealed as a monster), but in a less-modern one, people will be looking at you funny at the very least. At worst they'll know what you are and start grabbing torches.
I've also come across a belief that rye will ward off werewolves. I don't know how common it is, but I'm not going to be the one who chucks rye bread at a snarling man-wolf in order to find out.
The werewolf's allergy to silver can also be a dangerous giveaway. Silver doesn't normally burn one's flesh as if it's a hot iron, now does it? So there goes all the silver jewelry one might possess, and what if someone who's wearing a silver ring offers a handshake? Or maybe a hug from someone wearing a silver necklace? Even the most skeptical skeptic is going to realize that something is amiss when our lycanthrope is burned by cold silver, and it won't be long before the silver bullets start flying. I suppose one could claim they had a silver allergy before coming in contact with it ("Oh, is that silver? Could you take it off? I'm allergic."), and that would have you covered. Who's going to dispute the fact that you're allergic? And technically it's not a lie, now is it?
A werewolf's feeding habits aren't exactly exclusive. Yes, the're known to kill and eat humans, but they go for animals too. Unlike the vampire, your food bill is probably only going to increase as you spend more of your budget on meat to satisfy that craving. It might not seem as "cool", but it'd certainly be easier on a guilty monster's conscience.
Also unlike the immortal vampire, a werewolf usually has a normal human life span. There's no need to worry about remaining static while everyone around you ages; you do too. In that, the werewolf could probably avoid the perpetual loneliness that plagues the vampire. With enough care and creative thought, lycanthropy really could be one of the easier supernatural afflictions to manage.
...well, provided you don't get loose on the night of a full moon, of course.
Anyway, a werewolf's only a werewolf on the night(s) of the full moon, right? Once the afflicted gets over the shock of abruptly transforming into a slavering hellbeast the first time, they have a full lunar cycle to prepare for the next. If you don't know when that'll be, a quick Google search will bring up a calendar of lunar phases for the year. Or, if this is a setting where computers and the internet are not available, they'll use whatever means are present to figure it out. The point is it's not really going to take our werewolf by surprise unless they're careless and forget when that all-important night is.
I always found that funny, you know? When a werewolf looks up fearfully at the sky and says "It's a full moon tonight." Like you didn't know? Full moons don't exactly sneak up on you; it's easy to determine when they'll occur. The moon doesn't just jump from waxing crescent one night to full the next. If it did...well, I'd think we all have bigger things to worry about than your problem, werewolf guy.
In the end, a werewolf knows when they are going to be a snarling monster, and can plan accordingly. Locking themselves up for the night in a sufficiently werewolf-escape-proof room is common.
Usually it's wolfsbane that's the go-to plant for an aspiring werewolf hunter's garden, but I've heard tell that mistletoe drives them off too. If that's the case, Christmastime must be the most awkward holiday season ever for these guys. Just think about it: wherever mistletoe is hung, the lycanthrope cannot venture. They're repelled by it, cowering and growling, possibly bristling with fur as the hated plant forces them into their unnatural form. This is the sort of thing that can easily blow your cover. How exactly are you to explain your aversion to this simple plant? Allergies? In a more modern setting this might work (provided you're not revealed as a monster), but in a less-modern one, people will be looking at you funny at the very least. At worst they'll know what you are and start grabbing torches.
I've also come across a belief that rye will ward off werewolves. I don't know how common it is, but I'm not going to be the one who chucks rye bread at a snarling man-wolf in order to find out.
The werewolf's allergy to silver can also be a dangerous giveaway. Silver doesn't normally burn one's flesh as if it's a hot iron, now does it? So there goes all the silver jewelry one might possess, and what if someone who's wearing a silver ring offers a handshake? Or maybe a hug from someone wearing a silver necklace? Even the most skeptical skeptic is going to realize that something is amiss when our lycanthrope is burned by cold silver, and it won't be long before the silver bullets start flying. I suppose one could claim they had a silver allergy before coming in contact with it ("Oh, is that silver? Could you take it off? I'm allergic."), and that would have you covered. Who's going to dispute the fact that you're allergic? And technically it's not a lie, now is it?
A werewolf's feeding habits aren't exactly exclusive. Yes, the're known to kill and eat humans, but they go for animals too. Unlike the vampire, your food bill is probably only going to increase as you spend more of your budget on meat to satisfy that craving. It might not seem as "cool", but it'd certainly be easier on a guilty monster's conscience.
Also unlike the immortal vampire, a werewolf usually has a normal human life span. There's no need to worry about remaining static while everyone around you ages; you do too. In that, the werewolf could probably avoid the perpetual loneliness that plagues the vampire. With enough care and creative thought, lycanthropy really could be one of the easier supernatural afflictions to manage.
...well, provided you don't get loose on the night of a full moon, of course.
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