Aging

== Aging In Shapeshifters ==
SnB's werewolves' longevity is applied through the age-old trope of regenerative healing. Ageing happens due to the deterioration of DNA, but werewolves constantly replenish their DNA every time they shift. Obviously, over time this process can wear down (ageing) and eventually stop altogether (dying of old age). For natural-born werewolves, ageing is normal up until 20-25 when it slows dramatically. It will begin to pick up again at around the 150-200 year mark when a werewolf will begin to take on more middle-aged aspects. Ageing will gradually begin to speed up until about 400 years at which point they may already appear to be in their 60s/70s. Ageing can be hidden or even delayed with the use of magic, however. And there is some belief that eating human flesh on a regular basis can also ensure an extended youth but there isn't much to support this theory.
Bitten werewolves also age much slower, with their progression gradually falling more in line with that of a natural-born shifter's. An individual bitten at the age of 18 may remain looking as such until their late 20s or so, when they may begin to notice more changes. Another long stretch of what appears to be little to no change as a result of aging may follow until roughly the 150 year mark. Depending on the life lived, one's appearance can change rather dramatically over time due in part to aging. This does not include physical abnormalities as brought upon by contracting lycanthropy, which can begin to take effect in as little as a year if they are newly bitten. Typically these changes are hardly noticed, however, and involve minor modifications to ears, teeth, and hair growth. See the human form section for more information on this.
The gestation for natural-born werewolves is often 10-11 months, with the extensive time period presumably permitting to create the needed anatomy for transformation and setting the conditions for the extremely efficient maintenance their bodies are known for.
As infants and toddlers, shapeshifters are generally slower to develop physically and mentally than their human counterparts. While demonstrating what is often thought of as a surprising amount of strength for a being so young, they may not learn to control this power to the appropriate degree until slightly later, learning to walk and talk on average six months behind a human child. Once these skills are mastered however, their true personalities may begin to manifest. Young werewolves are often problematic. More dominant than other children, they're prone to outbursts of rage, biting and clawing, growling, and other animal-like behavior that is often taken for mental or emotional handicap in normal children. With their increasingly strong grasp on motor skills and communication, however, many excel at learning in this stage, often surpassing their human counterparts in terms of cognitive functioning and perception of the world around them.
This animalistic behavior tends to reach its peak around age 4 and will gradually decrease with time and discipline.
As a side note, many natural-born werewolves describe as being aware of the Other Self since the Mirror Stage. Many children manifest this side of themselves as imaginary friends who influence their behaviors and decisions. Some do not outgrow this until they "come into their wolf" in which they begin to develop psychologically and physically into a fully developed shapeshifter at roughly the age in which puberty is likely to set in. Coming into one's wolf can happen before this, but it is rare in hybrids, being more common in pureblooded werewolves. Most will see their first transformation either during or after they've reached the peak of sexual maturity.
The maximum age for a shapeshifter, without influence of magic or an Artifact, is roughly 500 years, with the oldest ever recorded being about 1200 years. There is a possibility of there ones older that simply haven't been documented. 
The longest lived Clans are, in order of longevity: Lycaon (usually due to magic), Neuri, and Versipellis.
The shortest lived Clans are: Ulfhednar, Cinocephali, and the Benandanti, who are known for literally working themselves to death.
There is a belief among many old-blood Ulfhednar and Lycaon that regularly indulging in human flesh, especially that of children (which to many werewolves, even Ulf, is considered taboo) results in maintaining the appearance of one's youth for longer than average. There is nothing to confirm this.
== On the Subject of Reproduction ==
Werewolves are capable of breeding with one another given they are the same species. A werewolf and a werelion, for example, can't have offspring. Shapeshifters can also crossbreed with humans, which is where things get a bit messy. Male Hybrids (offspring as a result of a shapeshifter and a human that can transform) are infertile. Female Hybrids are also considered infertile, but there have been some that have born children. Naturally, werewolves who have been bitten will remain fertile after becoming werewolves. The Bite has a 25% chance of resulting in lycanthropy and has been particularly resilient to any alterations even with furtive organisations' experimentation. It should be noted that the Bite behaves similar to a retrovirus but is, in fact, not a virus, but something completely different. Essentially it is its own animal. I'm sure it could be scientifically quantified somehow but that is beyond my range of knowledge. I stop short of calling it outright "magical" though.
To further complicate things, pregnancy is very difficult for female werewolves. Transformations are violent things and while a young fetus may be able to, in a sense, move/shift with the mother's body, the later stages can become more at risk as cells settle. Werewolves at around the five-month mark are discouraged from transforming as much as possible. This is difficult because, as already has been established, werewolves HAVE to transform at some point. Many pregnant shapeshifters end up venturing to Lycaon midwives to help procure transformation-dampening drugs or rituals. More powerful mages or alchemists have sometimes been able to provide talismans designed to protect the fetus from harm for a few transformations. Though these talismans will usually break into pieces after their power has been used up, and are known for being very expensive. It is estimated that only 1 in 3 werewolves will be successfully delivered. Many die due to the mother transforming too violently or other complications. Abortion is almost a guarantee in the instance of the fetus being human though there have been a few cases of this happening. Gestation for shapeshifters is typically 10-11 months, 2-3 months longer than a human.
Hybrid fetuses stand a high chance of miscarrying or being stillborn. Even if a hybrid is successfully brought into the world, they may later suffer a horrible death as a result of their body trying to undergo a first transformation but failing to complete due to insufficient biological resources. Others (and this can even happen to purebred werewolves) may have the biological resources but no trigger. This has already been mentioned in the "Hybrids" section of the Bitten vs Natural-Born page regarding Metamorphic Malfunction aka "Therianism". Hybrids also have an increased risk of deformation if brought to term and even if they are born successfully they may be, by all accounts, a normal human. Which to some werewolves this could still be considered a deformity of sorts, but that's neither here nor there. The chances of a shapeshifter being born to a crossbreeding couple are 1 in 5.
== Population Control ==
Aside from the aforementioned hurdles that werewolves have to jump through in order to reproduce, there have been epidemics, wars, and of course, the ever-present human hysteria that has taken a big chunk out of their numbers throughout history (namely the werewolf trials of the 16th and 17th centuries). Not to mention their competing with other supernatural creatures for resources and/or being hunted to near-extinction by Fae in the past - back when Fae were far more numerous in the human world (so probably 12th-14th centuries at their peak). Surprisingly, it is believed that the gene pool for shapeshifters is, in reality, relatively small, given that they have never exceeded a population of (rough estimate) 500,000 worldwide.
Category:Lore
Category:Character Creation