Werewolf Transformation

Not every member of the Quileute tribe has the potential to transform into a werewolf. Only those who can trace a direct bloodline back to the first shape-shifter, Taha Aki, are born with the potential to become shape-shifters themselves. The first transformations occurs between the onset age of puberty and approximately age twenty-five, and is based on two factors:  heritage and the proximity of vampires.

The direct descendants of Taha Aki are born with twenty four chromosomal pairs rather than the twenty three pairs of a normal human. It was once believed that the extra chromosome could be passed down only to male descendants. but that was proven false; in eclipse, we saw the first female tribe member transformed.

This extra chromosome will not have any effect on the character if her or she is not in close proximity to vampires during all or part of the critical time between the onset of puberty and the age of twenty-five. If the potential werewolf is not exposed to vampires within the window of time, transformation will never occur. It is the scent of the vampire that triggers the reaction; a potential werewolf would not have to actually see or touch a vampire, only cross his scent.

signs of imminent transformation:

If a tribe member meets both conditions for transformation, he will go through a number of physical and psychological changes. First, a male will undergo a noticeable growth spurt, affecting both height and musculature. For a female, the physical changes are more subtle, mainly denoted by definition of muscle rather than bulk or height. Both males and females will then experience a drastic rise in body temperature, one that a typical human would be unable to survive. At the same time, he or she will begin to have dramatic mood swing and brief, sudden episodes of nearly uncontrollable rage. When the transformation is very close, he of she will begin to tremble and shake during these moments of rage.

Phasing:

After the shaking begins, the first transformation, or phase, can happen within seconds if the affected person does not calm himself. All the initial transformations are triggered by rage, until the werewolf can learn to control his reactions. The actual act of phasing last only an instant. There is no gradual shift, no in-between form where the werewolf appears to be a mix of human and animal. Because the wolf has more than four times the mass of the human, to an outsider the change looks explosive as the human expands to the size of the wolf. This impression can be intensified if the werewolf did not have time to remove his clothes before phasing; the clothes rip apart from the pressure of the expansion, adding a tearing sound to the otherwise soundless transformation.

Young werewolves are often unable to control their phasing, shifting forms whenever they feel anger. This unpredictability, combined with the massive size of the wolf form and the suddenness of the phasing process, makes werewolves dangerous to any humans in proximity to them during the change. Standing too close to a young werewolf during phasing can result in unintentional injury, or even death.

As young werewolves gain more control over their phasing, they have time to remove clothing, preventing it from being destroyed in a shape-shifting process. Most carry a leather strap with them so they can tie their clothes to their legs before phasing.

With experience, werewolves eventually master phasing and can control when they shape-shift.

History With The Cullens

In 1936, cold ones again entered the Quileute land. They were different from the vampires who had come before. Their coven were larger - three males and two females - and the eyes were golden rather than red. The leader, Carlisle Cullen, somehow knew that the wolves had human intelligence. He told the wolves that the Cullens meant no harm to the wolves, the Quileute tribe, or any other humans. 

He claimed that they did not drink human blood, and offered a treaty between his coven and the werewolves. The three werewolves in the pack were outnumbered, so Carlisle had no need to make this offer other than a honest desire to refrain from killing the wolves, For this reason, Alpha wolf Ephraim Black believed Carlisle was making a genuine offer.

Ephraim insisted on two main points to the treaty; the vampires could not injure any humans (either by hunting them for food or by transforming them into vampires, as the Quileutes viewed this transformation equal to murder), and the vampires were never to trespass on Quileute land. Carlisle agreed to these terms and proposed adding the concept of mutual secrecy: The Quileutes would not be able to tell anyone the true nature of the Cullens, and vice-versa. Ephraim agreed, and they worked out boundary lines for their respective lands. 

The Quileute territory covered all of the reservation, plus some of the land that had traditionally belonged to the Hobs and Makahs. In some places, the boundary line followed the main road, now highway 101, but in others, it followed the old tribal lines. In turn, the werewolves would not cross into Cullen land. The Town of Forks, along with few other surrounding towns, and the highway were "truce areas" where both the Quileute werewolves and the Cullens were allowed to venture.

As the years passed and the Cullens moved elsewhere, the younger members of the Quileute tribe began to think of the treaty between the cold ones and the werewolves as part of a legend, not factual truth. 

The Cullens returned to the area in 2003, and Jacob Black later told human Bella Swan that the Cullens were vampires who had made a treaty with his werewolf great-grandfather, Ephraim. He though he was only telling her a scary story, but in fact, he unknowingly broke the treaty.

The Cullens' return had a huge impact on the tribe, especially those who had inherited the extra chromosome and how were in the right age range to transform. Werewolves hadn't existed in the Quileute tribe since Ephraim's pack. But the number of vampires in the Cullen coven caused an unusually large number of tribe members to become werewolves. The result was the largest wolf pack the tribe had seen since the days of the first shape-shifter.

Abilities of Wolves

Sight: 

A werewolf's eyesight is more than ten times Sharper than a normal human's, twice as sharp as the average bird of prey. Though a normal human can easily spot a vampire at a glance if he knows what he is looking for, a werewolf - even in in human form - sees much more than pale skin and characteristic eye color. To werewolves, vampires look shiny and angular, almost like moving crystal.

Sense of smell:

Like wolves and other predators, werewolves have heightened sens of smell. Of special note, vampires have a distinctive smell that werewolves are particularly aware off, in both their human and wolf forms. In General, for werewolves a vampire's scent in uncomfortable to the point of pain - a sickly sweet smell that burns, individually, each vampire has his or her own personal scent, which is easily distinguishable to werewolves. They can pick up this scent from a good distance, or from any item a vampire has touched.

Speed:

Quileute werewolves possess great speed. They can outrun motor vehicles. A fast werewolf can outrun an average vampire. In human form, they are faster and have greater endurance than all normal humans.

Telepathic communications:

Werewolves are pack animals. They are at their most effective, whether hunting or fighting, when they work as a team. In their wolf forms, the werewolf pack shares a group mind; every member of the pack hears the thoughts of every other member. This telepathic communication allows them to work as one, coordinating instantaneously and moving with perfect unity. The pack's true power isn't in each individual wolf's strength, but an ability to work together as a cohesive group.

The ability to smoothly act as a team comes at a price. 

When in wolf form, werewolves have no privacy. All thoughts, no matter how fleeting or seemingly insignificant, are transmitted to other pack members who are also in wolf form. Feelings are transmitted, too - even those that are personal or potentially embarrassing. 

When more than one wolf pack exist at a time, werewolves from one pack cannot communicate telepathically with werewolves from the other pack. The only exception is the Alpha, or leader, of each pack. The Alpha can decide whether to share his thoughts with another Alpha and can select which thoughts to send, in the same way that he would choose to speak aloud.

Healing:

Quileute werewolves heal very quickly, in both human and wolf forms. When they are wounded, they immediately begin to heal. Minor injuries heal in as little as a few seconds. More serious injuries, like broken bones, typically repair themselves in a matter of days. Quileute werewolves are not indestructible, and although killing one is easier than killing a vampire, it still takes a supernatural strength or great skill to seriously wound a werewolf.

An exception to this rule is vampire venom. In a werewolf's system - whether he is in human or wolf form - venom does not begin the process of transformation into a vampire. Rather, it acts as a poison that retards the healing abilities of the werewolf. Venom alone will not generally kill a healthy werewolf; however, in combination with other injuries, it can be fatal.

Mortality:

Once a werewolf transforms, his aging speeds up until he reaches the age of maturity, roughly twenty-five. At this point, as long as he continues to phase, he remains at that age. It's possible that a werewolf could choose to live his life this way forever and enjoy the same limited immortality as a vampire, but most Quileutes give up phasing in order to grow old and die alongside their family and friends. Once a werewolf gives up phasing altogether, he slowly begins to age again until his age reaches the normal human speed.

 

Link to Real Washing State Wolves