In fantasy shapeshifters are like wearing a black cocktail dress. With suitable accessories and proper presentation things rarely go wrong. Not to mention that in the XXI. century one can hardly avoid knowing the true colors of a werewolf.
That said, I have to admit I've been foolishly ignorant thinking wolves seized all the blessings a 'were' prefix can provide. Apparently I was wrong. Being an ordinary human, I usually don't like it when I'm wrong. But this time I'm glad I made this little discovery for two reasons:
One: My open-minded-consumer-self learned yet another thing about mythology and folklore. But this I shall mention no more. Because, despite its benefits, it would be way too boring. Besides, who likes that unmistakable flavor of "Not sure if I'm being educated here". (A 'jk' might be due here. And yet, there's none.)
Two: My wooden-headed-critical-rascal-self laughs out loud every time I read werehyena or werecat. And this is not even the best part.
I let my imagination run wild, which led to a whole list of were-things.
The first item is Raspberry, my dog. Every time someone sets his/her foot in our yard she turns into a barking-yelping twister. For that, Raspberry deserves the title: werewoof.
The love of my life spends at least five nights a week in front of his computer. I've always been suspicious of that, now the mystery is finally solved. By day he's an ordinary geek, but by night he turns into a fearsome wereprogrammer.
Does that make the code he writes werecode? I wonder...
At last, but not least I give the title of weresloth to myself for the many days spent being a vast consumer of animes, mangas and Asian live action dramas. I should aware you. The weresloth's fate is similar to a creature named Gollum. It includes skipping meals, neglecting personal hygiene, sitting in front of a screen for hours and other hideous habits. Long term side effects may vary.
Advice corner: What to do if, after reading this, you start discovering new were-creatures on every corner?
Be a good girl/boy and introduce yourself nicely. And if, by chance, you survive the encounter, come back here and share your experience for the greater good of mankind.
Seeing someone actually heed my advices would be rather... well, rather surprising.
Were-ificated
Treasure hunt
Before I tell you the story of an interesting August afternoon, there are two things you need to know.
Firstly, my in-laws are the nicest people I've ever met (no, seriously, they are), but my brother-in-law (hereinafter: B.) is downright crazy. Imagine middle-child syndrome meeting the selfish game-addict with no sense of responsibility whatsoever and you can't be far from the truth.
Secondly, his self-destructive lifestyle amazes the hell out of me. Which is why sometimes I just follow him around. It's a lot like seeing Jack Sparrow in action, only without the yummy Depp-like looks (sorry B.).
Much like vampires B. rarely leaves the house during the day. But when he does, something big is about to happen. Last week, for instance, he found a 200 years old sword in his grandmother's house. That was the day, when he decided a treasure hunt was due.
About two centuries ago there was a huge battle near to our village. Luckily, he found a few other dreamers and with the motto "Let's tear up the place!" we went on a life-threatening quest. The funny thing is that everyone had a different goal. B wanted to find another sword. A little boy searched for World of Warcraft items. There was also a guy who kept wandering how did B. manage to convince him to tag along. And I went out for a good story.
After two hours of digging the hard soil (excluding me, I just watched) next to an ancient looking poplar B. and the boys gave up. That day I was the only one who got what I wanted. But this is not the end of the story. B. purchased a metal detector and we are going back. As soon as the rain stops, that is.
Advice corner: What to do when you're bored out of your mind and/or are under a lot of pressure (reasons may vary)?
Find a dreamer and dream together. And if it doesn't work, if you can't laugh with such people, you can still laugh at them. The latter might seem mean, but all is far in a war to stay sane.
Needless to say pretending to be a cartoon hero by digging in someone's backyard is rather adventurous.
