The Wendigos

*"There are creatures on these mountains... dangerous creatures. I tried warning the Washingtons, but they didn't listen. Hopefully you don't make the same mistake."* —The Stranger

**The Wendigos** are one of the two main antagonists in *The Rise of Them*. They are humans who have been changed by a Native American spirit into cannibalistic monsters after they ate the flesh of other humans around the mines.

## History

It is unknown how long they have lived in Blackwood but it's suggested they've been around since before the first settlements. Long ago, a Native American tribe known as the Cree preserved the Blackwoods as well as it's wildlife, believing it would anger the mountain and unleash the Wendigo curse but what they call, "A creature born from ice".

In 1893, the mine was dug opened finding a rich deposit of radium but over the years the Cree warned the miners that they had unleashed the spirit that dwelled within the mountain cursing the land and its inhabitants. Around about the 1950s, a structural failure caused a piece of the mine to caved in, trapping a group of miners. After an attempted rescue they found that some of the miners survived after murdering and eating others due to starvation. The survivors had unusual characteristics, and a coverup ensued as they were confined in the sanatorium for study. The staff observed and experimented on the miners as they mutated into wendigos. Eventually, they broke out of confinement and slaughtered the sanatorium staff.

## Appearance

A typical Wendigo is hideous in appearance. Their skin is taut against their body. Wendigo also have spinal disfiguration, giving them a hunchback-like appearance. Their teeth become sharper and disfigured. A Wendigo also has their sight changed to be able to see only movement. Their limbs become much longer, giving them the ability to climb up walls, and make small jumps from spot to spot in the blink of an eye. They also lose their hair, and throughout time, they eventually lose their male and female characteristics, and become skeletal in appearance. It's interesting to note that the Wendigo will retain any tattoo or alterations to their skin.

## Characteristics

A Wendigo is known to have some sort of set pattern. This begins with the tracking of the prey which take up to several hours. It seems they like to hunt prey alone, rather than in packs. They are shown to have great predatory skills. They do not appear to lose their humanity completely as they can use some human-like tricks to lure their prey. Another example of this is how Hannah never directly kills Mike, suggesting that some of her affection towards him remains. She would also spare Josh from death if he recognizes her.

The wendigo sees movement, and mobile persons are highlighted in their vision. They are generally unable to track those who remain still. Their main way of communication is by screeching, and can use it to scare prey into moving, leading to a gruesome kill. It's interesting to note however, that they have the ability to mimic the voice of someone they hear. It's unknown how this happens. Wendigos may also attack each other, though the circumstances for that to happen is unclear.

Despite their frail appearance, Wendigo are incredibly strong, capable of crushing a human skull with their bare hands. They seem to favor brutal, deliberate methods of killing their prey, such as gouging out the eyes of their victims or impaling them on hooks rather than simply slashing them with their claws, indicating that Wendigo are sadistic rather than merely animalistic killers.

## The Rise of Them

### Prologue

A single Wendigo, presumably the Makkapitew, is tracking a pair of hunters through the woods. After the creature cracks a twig, one of the hunters runs off in pursuit of the deer, leaving the younger man alone. The Wendigo briefly attacks the young man but spares him before leaving him behind to pursue the others.

The Wendigo is then barely seen as it kills the cornered deer. After the deer's murder, the Wendigo attacks the older man, knocking him off the cliff ledge and jumping down after him. After a brief staring contest, the Wendigo easily evades the hunter's shots before decapitating him. When the man's companion shows up, the Wendigo crouches on a tree branch, preparing for the next attack.

However, it is then shot by the hunter, though it is unknown what happens after that.

## Known Wendigos

* Makkapitew - Fully Transformed
* Caleb Meyerhoff - Partially Transformered
* Billy Bates - Fully Transformed

## Trivia

* The Wendigo may attack each other if they're the only ones moving.
* The transformation into a Wendigo begins with what appears to be an incubation period of at least 4 days (perhaps much longer) before any visible signs appear. The transformation then progresses very quickly over the space of about a week. Each day they become more monstrous and lose their humanity.
* When a Wendigo bites or feeds, it becomes stronger.
* According to The Stranger's journal, a Wendigo's skin is hard like armor and cannot be cut, stabbed, or pierced by bullets, though a shotgun can slow them down. The only surefire way to hold them at bay is to use fire, making their skin weak, though he doesn't advise finishing it off, only as a last resort, as death releases the Wendigo spirit. It is unknown if partial-transformed Wendigo's still have tough armor as they are still undergoing transformation.
* Despite being undead-seeming mutant humans, Wendigos are not zombies, nor do they have an infectious bite; a person bitten by a Wendigo will not become one due to the attack, only if they eat human flesh while a Wendigo spirit is free to possess them.
* The Wendigo can mimic other people's voices into luring their prey to kill them.
* It seems they retain some kind of traces of humanity in their behavior, as one of them may have used Taylor's mobile phone as a bait to get her attention.