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Literature Text
Premise: A civilization of half-human/half-animal beings known as the weres or the were-folk is fighting a war against their human neighbors. The weres are ruled by the Dragon King, a powerful human/dragon hybrid.
History of the were-folk:
The true origin of the weres has been lost to time. Only the Dragon King knows the truth.
Countless centuries ago, longer than any memory or recorded history, the were-folk were once a tribe of human nomads. They lived a hand-to-mouth existence, foraging off the land or begging from city-dwelling humans. The nomads were scorned by the city-dwellers who thought them all thieves and vagrants. After being driven out of yet another city, the nomads were forced to flee into the Great Forest. Most humans avoided the forest, believing it to be haunted and full of evil magic, and so they did not pursue the nomads.
The nomads travelled deep into the forest and settled in a small clearing. The forest was plentiful and it protected them from the city-dwellers, so the nomads decided to stay. They built houses and farms and hunted the beasts of the forest for food. Over the years their small encampments became villages, villages became towns, and eventually the towns merged to form a great city at the foot of the northern mountains.
But these were no longer the same beings who had fled into the forest to escape persecution. It turned out the Great Forest was magical after all, and generations of living, working, and breeding within the boundaries of the forest had changed the nomads forever. They had forgotten their human origins and had become the were-folk.
Introduction to the were-folk:
Weres or were-folk are human-animal hybrids. In their usual form weres appear as humans with certain animal traits (i.e. fur, claws, scales, cloven hooves, etc.). With practice they can shapeshift and take on full animal form, though always with some tell-tale signs of their true nature (for instance, a transformed snake-kin will always be many times larger than a normal snake). Weres possess magical skill in roughly the same proportion as humans; about twenty percent.
Weres have several races, known as "kins" (listed from most common to least common):
- Wolf-kin: The most common race of weres. Wolf-kin are much given to nobility and teamwork and will go to great lengths to defend the lives or honor of their families and their people in general. Wolf-kin appear as black or grey-furred humans with pointed ears and pronounced canines. With effort (and long-sleeved, baggy clothes) they can pass for a normal human. Their abilities are more generalized than most other weres but their wolf heritage gives them a strong sense of smell and hearing, and wolf-kin hunters are the most proficient of all the were-folk (though the bird-kin would contest this).
- Bull-kin: The next most common were-folk, the bull-kin tend to be loud and boisterous. They appear as very tall, broad-shouldered, muscular humans with bullish features. They have short, coarse coatings of brown or black fur, ungulate noses (often adorned with a ring for fashion), cloven hooves on their feet, and two horns which are kept capped in mixed company. The size and strength of the bull-kin cause them to gravitate toward the hardest and toughest jobs. As a result, the bull-kin are most commonly farmers, builders, and blacksmiths. Bull-kin blacksmiths are renowned for the amazing quality of their metal-work and they supply the entire were-army with weapons and armor.
- Bird-kin: The most human-like of the were-folk, but also the most varied in appearance. Bird-kin appear as little more than winged humans in their natural forms. Their feathers can be any color or pattern common to normal birds, though always resembling the color or their hair, which is almost always grown past the shoulders regardless of gender. The wings of a bird-kin are very flexible. When they are indoors or moving through a crowd, bird-kin tend to "cape" their wings to keep them out of the way. By folding them around their bodies and over their chests, the bird-kins' wings appear to form a feathered robe or cloak. Bird-kin have a tendency to be somewhat vain about their wings, carefully preening them whenever they have a free moment and dying their feathers in fashionable colors. As befitting their avian heritage, bird-kin tend to build their homes in tall trees, or failing that, at the tops of buildings in the city proper. Bird-kin are not as robust as bull or wolf-kin and tend to be merchants, bakers, or other non-laborious jobs. Along with the snake-kin, bird-kin are the most common weres to possess skill in magic. Bird-kin often grow their nails long (no more than half an inch on males, an inch or more on females) and keep them wickedly sharp. They call these their "talons" and use them as weapons in battle. Bird-kin skilled in shapeshifting can lengthen their talons at will and transform their hands and forearms into more bird-like forms.
- Snake-kin: The most mysterious and enigmatic race of were-folk, as well as the least human-like. Snake-kin appear as scaled humans. They have no hair and often wear elaborate headdresses to compensate. As a rule they are the race most skilled at shapeshifting, often showing off their skill by merging their two legs together into one thick snake tail without changing their upper bodies. Despite their reptilian nature, female snake-kin still nurse and give birth to live young. A snake-kin's teeth are much smaller than the other races, except for their fangs which can be as long as three inches on a full grown adult. A minority of snake-kin have glands that produce powerful venom. Snake-kin venom is highly prized by were-folk apothecaries (many of which are snake-kin themselves) for its use in various potions (or poisons). A snake-kin with venom can make a comfortable living simply by milking and selling their own venom. Snake-kin are much more private and secretive than the other weres. They nest in rocky places away from most other weres and they keep to themselves most times. Snake-kin have a tendency to philosophize. In their free time they are often found sitting in the sun staring into the distance for hours at a time, then suddenly rushing back to their dens to record a poem, sonnet, or essay they have just composed in their heads. As such they gravitate toward intellectual or bureaucratic professions, becoming teachers, writers, natural philosophers, or officials of the royal court. Together with the bird-kin, the snake-kin are the most common weres to possess magical abilities.
Weres tend to breed within their own race but different races of were-folk can and do breed successfully with each other and there is no stigma attached to a mixed-race relationship. The race of a newborn were is generally determined by the race of the mother, but on rare occasions a newborn were has been of the father's race or an entirely different race altogether (even in the case of same-race couples). When this happens the parents are obligated to hire another were from the appropriate race as a "tutor" to show the child how to embrace his or her racial traits.
The Dragon King:
Ruler of the weres as well as a kind of messianic figure. Appears as a towering man with huge red dragon wings.
The Dragon King is the only dragon-kin known to exist. He has ruled over the weres for as long as anyone can remember, but his origin is unknown. Most weres believe he is immortal.
The Dragon King's powers are vast. He is the strongest, fastest, and mentally sharpest of all the were-folk, and his skill with magic is unmatched.
The Dragon King carries a magic spear with him at all times. The head of the spear is made of an indestructible green crystal. When the Dragon King throws the spear it returns magically to his hand.
The Dragon King never speaks in public. His orders are relayed through his wife, a bird-kin prophetess known as the Divine Queen (real name: Isella). It is unknown how she communicates with the Dragon King, but her word is considered as binding as his.
The World:
Story is set on the continent of Semaria. Including the were-folk there are five sovereign kingdoms on the continent.
- Were-nation: Situated in the far north of the continent up against the northern mountains is the were-folk nation-state. The were-folk city is surrounded on the east, west, and south by the Great Forest, all of which the weres claim as their own territory. The Great Forest is wedged between Chroma and Mellana and borders on three of the four human kingdoms. The weres keep to themselves and almost never interact with the humans, except to send them packing if they are discovered in the Great Forest. They need no imports and they offer no exports, though some bull-kin metalwork has managed to filter out into human lands over the years. From time to time a wolf-kin is sent out of the forest disguised as a human to spy on them and report back on the state of human civilization. The weres do not kill humans who have wandered into their forest (unless the humans attack them first) but many humans have become lost in the forest and disappeared. It is commonly believed by the humans that these missing people were killed by the weres, and they have become a kind of boogeyman for humans. Stories of were-folk sneaking into villages at night to steal children are common and human parents often discipline their young with tales such as these. "Go to sleep, or were-folk will get you." "Eat up your dinner, or the were-folk will come." "Come in this instant, or I'll tell the weres!"
- Chroma [human]: Second-largest human kingdom. Situated on the eastern border of the Great Forest. Chroma is a mostly pastoral land. Most of their territory is farmland with cities scattered in between. Farmers whose land borders the Great Forest resent the weres greatly, blaming them for everything from missing livestock to broken tools. If a farmer leaves his plowshare out in the rain where it rusts, a were must have snuck onto his land and put it out there. If a woman runs low on sugar or cooking oil, weres must be stealing it. If the grain is spoiled, the weres must have done it. If livestock turns up dead, the weres must have killed it. The main strength of the Chroman military is their cavalry. Chromans are accomplished horse-riders and have created many fine breeding lines. To own a Chroman horse is a mark of status among human horsemen.
- Mellana [human]: Third-largest human kingdom. Situated to the west of the Great Forest. Mellana is an emerging industrial power on the continent. Their lands are heavily forested and their chief export is timber. Mellana has been in conflict with the weres several times in the past when they tried to expand their timber industry into the Great Forest. Although it has never progressed to open warfare, every attempt to take trees from the Great Forest has ended in disaster for Mellana and many humans have died in the process. As a result there is a long-standing mutual hatred between Mellana and the weres. Mellana's military might is their industrial capacity and their vast numbers. Their population is disproportionately large for the size of their territory (part of the reason why they wish to expand timber production into the Great Forest) and all Mellanan citizens are required to serve time in the army.
- Kevar [human]: The smallest human nation. Located slightly southwest of the weres and wedged in between Chroma, Mellana, and the Great Forest. Kevar is not truly a kingdom but a loose confederation of city-states, each one controlled by a powerful merchant guild. They are the smallest of the human nations but their economy is vast relative to their size. They are the trading hub of the continent, and more than half of all goods pass through Kevar at one time or another. Their cities are very close together (some of them within sight of each other) and are much more urbanized than the rest of the continent. Kevarans are highly mistrustful of the weres and would not be opposed to their destruction. They are most suspicious of the weres' shapeshifting powers. They believe (erroneously) that were-folk can appear in any form and could kill and replace any person without anyone else being the wiser. They also believe (like the Chromans) that weres steal human children in the night, take them back to the Great Forest, and transform them into weres. (Secretly, a small number of Kevaran merchants have established a black market trade in were-produced goods, including bull-kin metalwork and snake-kin venom.) Kevaran military capacity is negligible. Their cities are impregnable fortresses but they cannot project power beyond their borders. The most powerful merchants have private armies at their disposal, but they are too mistrustful of each other to mount a combined assault. In a war against the were-folk the Kevarans' main strength would be as an economic bedrock for Chroma and Mellana.
- Allania [human]: The largest and southernmost kingdom, Allania occupies almost the entire southern coast (bordering both Chroma and Mellana) and is generally regarded as the most powerful of the human kingdoms. Their strong economy is built on the sea-trade and their navy has unquestioned superiority in the waters. No other nation in recorded history has won a battle against the Allanian navy and they have lost more ships to bad weather than battle damage. Allania is not friendly with the were-folk but neither are they enemies. The weres would have to conquer the three other human kingdoms to reach Allania, and the Allanian navy cannot cross the northern mountains. As such there is an unspoken understanding between Allania and the weres that both will leave each other strictly alone.
Characters:
Nella [protagonist]
- Female wolf-kin.
- Originally a servant in the Dragon King's castle. Along with Nigellus, foiled an assassination attempt by treacherous humans and was honored with the right to join the were-army.
- Assigned to a skirmishing unit as a fighter/scout.
- In love with Icaro.
- Determined. Scrappy. Wants more than anything to protect her people.
Nigellus
- Male snake-kin. Childhood friend of Nella.
- Helped Nella stop the human assassins and joined the were-army.
- Assigned to the same skirmishing unit as Nella.
- Quirky jokester (unusual for a snake-kin). Thinks Nella is too serious and always tries to make her laugh.
Icaro
- Male bird-kin. Nella's lover.
- Golden-brown feathers with long blonde hair. Nephew to Isella, the Divine Queen. The Dragon King is his uncle by marriage, though they are not close.
- Laid-back and easy-going. Contrasts with Nella's brutally determined nature.
- Magic-user. Skilled in fire, ice, and lightning spells. Often snipes from high up or uses harrying spells to "herd" the enemy into positions where his fellow skirmishers can take them out.
Taro
- Male bull-kin. Commander of Nella's skirmishing unit.
- Oldest and most experienced of the skirmishers. Fights with battle axe and war hammer.
History of the were-folk:
The true origin of the weres has been lost to time. Only the Dragon King knows the truth.
Countless centuries ago, longer than any memory or recorded history, the were-folk were once a tribe of human nomads. They lived a hand-to-mouth existence, foraging off the land or begging from city-dwelling humans. The nomads were scorned by the city-dwellers who thought them all thieves and vagrants. After being driven out of yet another city, the nomads were forced to flee into the Great Forest. Most humans avoided the forest, believing it to be haunted and full of evil magic, and so they did not pursue the nomads.
The nomads travelled deep into the forest and settled in a small clearing. The forest was plentiful and it protected them from the city-dwellers, so the nomads decided to stay. They built houses and farms and hunted the beasts of the forest for food. Over the years their small encampments became villages, villages became towns, and eventually the towns merged to form a great city at the foot of the northern mountains.
But these were no longer the same beings who had fled into the forest to escape persecution. It turned out the Great Forest was magical after all, and generations of living, working, and breeding within the boundaries of the forest had changed the nomads forever. They had forgotten their human origins and had become the were-folk.
Introduction to the were-folk:
Weres or were-folk are human-animal hybrids. In their usual form weres appear as humans with certain animal traits (i.e. fur, claws, scales, cloven hooves, etc.). With practice they can shapeshift and take on full animal form, though always with some tell-tale signs of their true nature (for instance, a transformed snake-kin will always be many times larger than a normal snake). Weres possess magical skill in roughly the same proportion as humans; about twenty percent.
Weres have several races, known as "kins" (listed from most common to least common):
- Wolf-kin: The most common race of weres. Wolf-kin are much given to nobility and teamwork and will go to great lengths to defend the lives or honor of their families and their people in general. Wolf-kin appear as black or grey-furred humans with pointed ears and pronounced canines. With effort (and long-sleeved, baggy clothes) they can pass for a normal human. Their abilities are more generalized than most other weres but their wolf heritage gives them a strong sense of smell and hearing, and wolf-kin hunters are the most proficient of all the were-folk (though the bird-kin would contest this).
- Bull-kin: The next most common were-folk, the bull-kin tend to be loud and boisterous. They appear as very tall, broad-shouldered, muscular humans with bullish features. They have short, coarse coatings of brown or black fur, ungulate noses (often adorned with a ring for fashion), cloven hooves on their feet, and two horns which are kept capped in mixed company. The size and strength of the bull-kin cause them to gravitate toward the hardest and toughest jobs. As a result, the bull-kin are most commonly farmers, builders, and blacksmiths. Bull-kin blacksmiths are renowned for the amazing quality of their metal-work and they supply the entire were-army with weapons and armor.
- Bird-kin: The most human-like of the were-folk, but also the most varied in appearance. Bird-kin appear as little more than winged humans in their natural forms. Their feathers can be any color or pattern common to normal birds, though always resembling the color or their hair, which is almost always grown past the shoulders regardless of gender. The wings of a bird-kin are very flexible. When they are indoors or moving through a crowd, bird-kin tend to "cape" their wings to keep them out of the way. By folding them around their bodies and over their chests, the bird-kins' wings appear to form a feathered robe or cloak. Bird-kin have a tendency to be somewhat vain about their wings, carefully preening them whenever they have a free moment and dying their feathers in fashionable colors. As befitting their avian heritage, bird-kin tend to build their homes in tall trees, or failing that, at the tops of buildings in the city proper. Bird-kin are not as robust as bull or wolf-kin and tend to be merchants, bakers, or other non-laborious jobs. Along with the snake-kin, bird-kin are the most common weres to possess skill in magic. Bird-kin often grow their nails long (no more than half an inch on males, an inch or more on females) and keep them wickedly sharp. They call these their "talons" and use them as weapons in battle. Bird-kin skilled in shapeshifting can lengthen their talons at will and transform their hands and forearms into more bird-like forms.
- Snake-kin: The most mysterious and enigmatic race of were-folk, as well as the least human-like. Snake-kin appear as scaled humans. They have no hair and often wear elaborate headdresses to compensate. As a rule they are the race most skilled at shapeshifting, often showing off their skill by merging their two legs together into one thick snake tail without changing their upper bodies. Despite their reptilian nature, female snake-kin still nurse and give birth to live young. A snake-kin's teeth are much smaller than the other races, except for their fangs which can be as long as three inches on a full grown adult. A minority of snake-kin have glands that produce powerful venom. Snake-kin venom is highly prized by were-folk apothecaries (many of which are snake-kin themselves) for its use in various potions (or poisons). A snake-kin with venom can make a comfortable living simply by milking and selling their own venom. Snake-kin are much more private and secretive than the other weres. They nest in rocky places away from most other weres and they keep to themselves most times. Snake-kin have a tendency to philosophize. In their free time they are often found sitting in the sun staring into the distance for hours at a time, then suddenly rushing back to their dens to record a poem, sonnet, or essay they have just composed in their heads. As such they gravitate toward intellectual or bureaucratic professions, becoming teachers, writers, natural philosophers, or officials of the royal court. Together with the bird-kin, the snake-kin are the most common weres to possess magical abilities.
Weres tend to breed within their own race but different races of were-folk can and do breed successfully with each other and there is no stigma attached to a mixed-race relationship. The race of a newborn were is generally determined by the race of the mother, but on rare occasions a newborn were has been of the father's race or an entirely different race altogether (even in the case of same-race couples). When this happens the parents are obligated to hire another were from the appropriate race as a "tutor" to show the child how to embrace his or her racial traits.
The Dragon King:
Ruler of the weres as well as a kind of messianic figure. Appears as a towering man with huge red dragon wings.
The Dragon King is the only dragon-kin known to exist. He has ruled over the weres for as long as anyone can remember, but his origin is unknown. Most weres believe he is immortal.
The Dragon King's powers are vast. He is the strongest, fastest, and mentally sharpest of all the were-folk, and his skill with magic is unmatched.
The Dragon King carries a magic spear with him at all times. The head of the spear is made of an indestructible green crystal. When the Dragon King throws the spear it returns magically to his hand.
The Dragon King never speaks in public. His orders are relayed through his wife, a bird-kin prophetess known as the Divine Queen (real name: Isella). It is unknown how she communicates with the Dragon King, but her word is considered as binding as his.
The World:
Story is set on the continent of Semaria. Including the were-folk there are five sovereign kingdoms on the continent.
- Were-nation: Situated in the far north of the continent up against the northern mountains is the were-folk nation-state. The were-folk city is surrounded on the east, west, and south by the Great Forest, all of which the weres claim as their own territory. The Great Forest is wedged between Chroma and Mellana and borders on three of the four human kingdoms. The weres keep to themselves and almost never interact with the humans, except to send them packing if they are discovered in the Great Forest. They need no imports and they offer no exports, though some bull-kin metalwork has managed to filter out into human lands over the years. From time to time a wolf-kin is sent out of the forest disguised as a human to spy on them and report back on the state of human civilization. The weres do not kill humans who have wandered into their forest (unless the humans attack them first) but many humans have become lost in the forest and disappeared. It is commonly believed by the humans that these missing people were killed by the weres, and they have become a kind of boogeyman for humans. Stories of were-folk sneaking into villages at night to steal children are common and human parents often discipline their young with tales such as these. "Go to sleep, or were-folk will get you." "Eat up your dinner, or the were-folk will come." "Come in this instant, or I'll tell the weres!"
- Chroma [human]: Second-largest human kingdom. Situated on the eastern border of the Great Forest. Chroma is a mostly pastoral land. Most of their territory is farmland with cities scattered in between. Farmers whose land borders the Great Forest resent the weres greatly, blaming them for everything from missing livestock to broken tools. If a farmer leaves his plowshare out in the rain where it rusts, a were must have snuck onto his land and put it out there. If a woman runs low on sugar or cooking oil, weres must be stealing it. If the grain is spoiled, the weres must have done it. If livestock turns up dead, the weres must have killed it. The main strength of the Chroman military is their cavalry. Chromans are accomplished horse-riders and have created many fine breeding lines. To own a Chroman horse is a mark of status among human horsemen.
- Mellana [human]: Third-largest human kingdom. Situated to the west of the Great Forest. Mellana is an emerging industrial power on the continent. Their lands are heavily forested and their chief export is timber. Mellana has been in conflict with the weres several times in the past when they tried to expand their timber industry into the Great Forest. Although it has never progressed to open warfare, every attempt to take trees from the Great Forest has ended in disaster for Mellana and many humans have died in the process. As a result there is a long-standing mutual hatred between Mellana and the weres. Mellana's military might is their industrial capacity and their vast numbers. Their population is disproportionately large for the size of their territory (part of the reason why they wish to expand timber production into the Great Forest) and all Mellanan citizens are required to serve time in the army.
- Kevar [human]: The smallest human nation. Located slightly southwest of the weres and wedged in between Chroma, Mellana, and the Great Forest. Kevar is not truly a kingdom but a loose confederation of city-states, each one controlled by a powerful merchant guild. They are the smallest of the human nations but their economy is vast relative to their size. They are the trading hub of the continent, and more than half of all goods pass through Kevar at one time or another. Their cities are very close together (some of them within sight of each other) and are much more urbanized than the rest of the continent. Kevarans are highly mistrustful of the weres and would not be opposed to their destruction. They are most suspicious of the weres' shapeshifting powers. They believe (erroneously) that were-folk can appear in any form and could kill and replace any person without anyone else being the wiser. They also believe (like the Chromans) that weres steal human children in the night, take them back to the Great Forest, and transform them into weres. (Secretly, a small number of Kevaran merchants have established a black market trade in were-produced goods, including bull-kin metalwork and snake-kin venom.) Kevaran military capacity is negligible. Their cities are impregnable fortresses but they cannot project power beyond their borders. The most powerful merchants have private armies at their disposal, but they are too mistrustful of each other to mount a combined assault. In a war against the were-folk the Kevarans' main strength would be as an economic bedrock for Chroma and Mellana.
- Allania [human]: The largest and southernmost kingdom, Allania occupies almost the entire southern coast (bordering both Chroma and Mellana) and is generally regarded as the most powerful of the human kingdoms. Their strong economy is built on the sea-trade and their navy has unquestioned superiority in the waters. No other nation in recorded history has won a battle against the Allanian navy and they have lost more ships to bad weather than battle damage. Allania is not friendly with the were-folk but neither are they enemies. The weres would have to conquer the three other human kingdoms to reach Allania, and the Allanian navy cannot cross the northern mountains. As such there is an unspoken understanding between Allania and the weres that both will leave each other strictly alone.
Characters:
Nella [protagonist]
- Female wolf-kin.
- Originally a servant in the Dragon King's castle. Along with Nigellus, foiled an assassination attempt by treacherous humans and was honored with the right to join the were-army.
- Assigned to a skirmishing unit as a fighter/scout.
- In love with Icaro.
- Determined. Scrappy. Wants more than anything to protect her people.
Nigellus
- Male snake-kin. Childhood friend of Nella.
- Helped Nella stop the human assassins and joined the were-army.
- Assigned to the same skirmishing unit as Nella.
- Quirky jokester (unusual for a snake-kin). Thinks Nella is too serious and always tries to make her laugh.
Icaro
- Male bird-kin. Nella's lover.
- Golden-brown feathers with long blonde hair. Nephew to Isella, the Divine Queen. The Dragon King is his uncle by marriage, though they are not close.
- Laid-back and easy-going. Contrasts with Nella's brutally determined nature.
- Magic-user. Skilled in fire, ice, and lightning spells. Often snipes from high up or uses harrying spells to "herd" the enemy into positions where his fellow skirmishers can take them out.
Taro
- Male bull-kin. Commander of Nella's skirmishing unit.
- Oldest and most experienced of the skirmishers. Fights with battle axe and war hammer.
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Part 1: [link]
Part 2: [link]
While this is in some ways a story outline, the primary purpose was as a world-building infodump. Sort of like the appendices at the end of Lord of the Rings, or the Codex in the Mass Effect games. A lot of the stuff written here will probably never come up in a story (i.e. I doubt I'll be showing human parents scaring their kids with scary stories of were-folk) but it gives the story some structure, heads off a lot of reader questions, and helps set up the atmosphere of the setting. And by describing all this here I avoid having to bog down the main story with too much exposition.
Misc. stuff:
Sadly, although this is kind of a furry story and my OC catgirl Raelee is my favorite character I've ever done, there are no adorable, huggable catgirls to be found here. Catgirls in my mind have always seemed more like fantastical sex objects than anything else, which just doesn't seem badass enough to fit into the war story that this will eventually be. A tiger girl might have been badass enough to work, but tigers seemed out of place in the Tolkien-esque fantasy setting I was trying to create.
Some other things that were planned but didn't make the cut:
- Originally I had included a line stating that female bull-kin are called "cows" and they have two sets of breasts (i.e. "udders") to nurse their young, just like a real cow. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but I realized very early on that it raised a lot of inconvenient questions about were-folk anatomy. For instance, if female bull-kin have four breasts, do female wolf-kin have eight breasts, just like a real she-wolf? I wanted readers to be able to identify with Nella the main character, but giving her four sets of tits would have killed any chance of that, not to mention making her look more than a little ridiculous. It also would have made snake-kin anatomy seem too inconsistent. If female bull-kin mirror bovine anatomy close enough to have four breasts, then logically (since snake-kin are canonically the "least human-like" of the were-folk) female snake-kin should have no breasts and be egg-layers, which is something I definitely didn't want to do (I don't care if it makes no biological sense, all furry girls should have boobs, goddammit!). Point is, there was no real reason for bull-kin to mirror animal anatomy so closely while the rest of the were-folk did not. So, four-breasted bull-kin ladies were out.
- In the original draft there was an additional fifth race of were-folk known as the deer-kin. I had this mental image of a beautiful young girl with elegant deer antlers sprouting out of her forehead which I thought was quite charming. But I discarded the deer-kin idea for a few reasons. First, because I couldn't think of any traits to give them that would set them apart from the other were-folk. Every role I had planned for them could have just as easily been filled by snake or bird-kin characters. Second, because I had a hard time imagining a deer-human shapeshifter acting badass in battle. Which is kinda funny because, in real life, a full-grown deer can be extremely badass. Those antlers are NOT just for show and anyone who's gone hunting knows that an adult deer can be as deadly as a grizzly bear when cornered. There's a reason why a lot of deer hunters hide in trees where the deer can't get to them. But no matter how much I know, intellectually, that a deer can be just as badass as a wolf or a bull, on some level I can't shake the perception of them as weak and timid. And perception counts for a lot in fiction. Power perceived is power achieved, but I couldn't figure out a way to make a deer-kin soldier seem legitimately badass. Deer-kin were out.
- Originally there was going to be another character in Nella's skirmishing unit. Shard, a male wolf-kin. I had planned to have a love triangle between Shard, Nella, and Icaro, with Shard crushing on Nella and resenting the attention she gave to Icaro. But I discarded this subplot because a) it wasn't really going anywhere; b) it would require me to specifically write in a bunch of scenes establishing Shard's feelings for Nella which would be a distraction from the action scenes; c) Shard's character was way too one-dimensional, and aside from his lust for Nella and jealousy/resentment for Icaro he had no other characteristics. I may reinsert him into the final story if I find something to do with him (in fact even as I type this a few ideas have occurred to me) but as of now, Shard is out.
Part 2: [link]
While this is in some ways a story outline, the primary purpose was as a world-building infodump. Sort of like the appendices at the end of Lord of the Rings, or the Codex in the Mass Effect games. A lot of the stuff written here will probably never come up in a story (i.e. I doubt I'll be showing human parents scaring their kids with scary stories of were-folk) but it gives the story some structure, heads off a lot of reader questions, and helps set up the atmosphere of the setting. And by describing all this here I avoid having to bog down the main story with too much exposition.
Misc. stuff:
Sadly, although this is kind of a furry story and my OC catgirl Raelee is my favorite character I've ever done, there are no adorable, huggable catgirls to be found here. Catgirls in my mind have always seemed more like fantastical sex objects than anything else, which just doesn't seem badass enough to fit into the war story that this will eventually be. A tiger girl might have been badass enough to work, but tigers seemed out of place in the Tolkien-esque fantasy setting I was trying to create.
Some other things that were planned but didn't make the cut:
- Originally I had included a line stating that female bull-kin are called "cows" and they have two sets of breasts (i.e. "udders") to nurse their young, just like a real cow. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but I realized very early on that it raised a lot of inconvenient questions about were-folk anatomy. For instance, if female bull-kin have four breasts, do female wolf-kin have eight breasts, just like a real she-wolf? I wanted readers to be able to identify with Nella the main character, but giving her four sets of tits would have killed any chance of that, not to mention making her look more than a little ridiculous. It also would have made snake-kin anatomy seem too inconsistent. If female bull-kin mirror bovine anatomy close enough to have four breasts, then logically (since snake-kin are canonically the "least human-like" of the were-folk) female snake-kin should have no breasts and be egg-layers, which is something I definitely didn't want to do (I don't care if it makes no biological sense, all furry girls should have boobs, goddammit!). Point is, there was no real reason for bull-kin to mirror animal anatomy so closely while the rest of the were-folk did not. So, four-breasted bull-kin ladies were out.
- In the original draft there was an additional fifth race of were-folk known as the deer-kin. I had this mental image of a beautiful young girl with elegant deer antlers sprouting out of her forehead which I thought was quite charming. But I discarded the deer-kin idea for a few reasons. First, because I couldn't think of any traits to give them that would set them apart from the other were-folk. Every role I had planned for them could have just as easily been filled by snake or bird-kin characters. Second, because I had a hard time imagining a deer-human shapeshifter acting badass in battle. Which is kinda funny because, in real life, a full-grown deer can be extremely badass. Those antlers are NOT just for show and anyone who's gone hunting knows that an adult deer can be as deadly as a grizzly bear when cornered. There's a reason why a lot of deer hunters hide in trees where the deer can't get to them. But no matter how much I know, intellectually, that a deer can be just as badass as a wolf or a bull, on some level I can't shake the perception of them as weak and timid. And perception counts for a lot in fiction. Power perceived is power achieved, but I couldn't figure out a way to make a deer-kin soldier seem legitimately badass. Deer-kin were out.
- Originally there was going to be another character in Nella's skirmishing unit. Shard, a male wolf-kin. I had planned to have a love triangle between Shard, Nella, and Icaro, with Shard crushing on Nella and resenting the attention she gave to Icaro. But I discarded this subplot because a) it wasn't really going anywhere; b) it would require me to specifically write in a bunch of scenes establishing Shard's feelings for Nella which would be a distraction from the action scenes; c) Shard's character was way too one-dimensional, and aside from his lust for Nella and jealousy/resentment for Icaro he had no other characteristics. I may reinsert him into the final story if I find something to do with him (in fact even as I type this a few ideas have occurred to me) but as of now, Shard is out.
© 2011 - 2024 Doornik1142
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what a wonderfull story! its just brimming with details, a real wonderfull work!your creativity for names is also very cool(a thing i never had was name creativity)!I'll be reading your story from now on!