Werecoyote

* Partial-Shift
* Full-Shift

The **Werecoyote** is a species of human-animal hybrid that is distantly related to the Werewolf. It is unknown if they can gain power from being in a pack or if an Alpha can draw upon more power with a Werecoyote in its pack; however, an Alpha's roar has the exact same effect on a Werecoyote as it does on a Werewolf, forcing the shapeshifter in question to transform or allowing them to fight through pain and other weaknesses to order to shift. Additionally, the Werecoyote shares the same kind of family classification as Werewolves as well, due to the fact that mundane coyotes and wolves are both canine creatures. Werecoyotes have the power to shift their features into that of a coyote, with pointed ears, furry sideburns, glowing eyes, fangs, and claws, and at least some Werecoyotes, such as Malia Tate, can fully-shift their bodies into that of a true coyote.

Malia was the first Werecoyote to be introduced. In Season 3B, it was revealed that Malia had been trapped in her coyote form for eight years and had lived in the Beacon Hills Preserve as a forest animal the entire time until Scott McCall used his Alpha roar to force her to return to her human form. After she had begun to adjust to human life again, Malia later joined the McCall Pack as its first and only Werecoyote, allowing her packmates to help her how to actively and consciously use her powers rather than relying purely on instinct. Though it took some time to achieve, Malia has recently learned to full-shift into a coyote at will.

In Season 5, Theo Raeken was revealed to be a Werewolf/Werecoyote Chimera, and as such, possessed many abilities of a Werecoyote, including the ability to full-shift (though it is unclear how Theo, as an unnatural creature, acquired this ability). Malia's mother Corinne, an assassin better known by the code-name the Desert Wolf (which is another term for "coyote") was also confirmed to be a Werecoyote as well, though she was greatly weakened after Malia somehow absorbed a portion of her powers during childbirth. Now that Malia has stolen Corinne's remaining powers in Season 5's *Apotheosis*, Corinne is now presumably a regular human, leaving Malia as the only full-blooded Werecoyote on the series until the second half of Season 6, when a Beacon Hills High School student, Edgar, was revealed to be a golden-eyed Werecoyote living under the guise of being an ordinary human. He also revealed that his entire family is made up of Werecoyotes as well, indicating that Werecoyotes may not be as rare as initially believed.

## Abilities

Werecoyotes possess abilities that are nearly identical to those possessed by Werewolves.

* **Super Strength:** Werecoyotes possess superhuman strength that allow them to do things such as break chains and locks, punch through walls, lift fallen trees and throw grown men across a room with ease. Even Werecoyotes who have passed down a portion of their power to their offspring are notably stronger than normal humans. Born Werecoyotes have been shown to need to initially activate this ability on a conscious level before it becomes a default setting, as shown when Malia, after returning to her human form following eight years of living as a coyote, needed to concentrate to break the lock on the door to Stiles Stilinski's "quiet room" when the two were in Eichen House. After becoming acquainted with her powers in her human-coyote form, Malia's super strength is active at all times.
* **Super Speed:** Werecoyotes can run much faster than even the most athletic humans. They are also capable of running on all fours in both human and in coyote form. Malia was shown running so fast through the woods after catching the scent of blood one night that Chris Argent, a highly skilled marksman, had to use a great deal of concentration to keep his rifle sights on her.
* **Super Agility/Reflexes:** Werecoyotes possess supernaturally enhanced agility and reflexes that allow them to move quickly, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion. This includes leaping very high in the air and across large distances, jumping down from several stories high and landing lightly on their feet, and performing a multitude of acrobatic and gymnastic feats such as flips, handsprings, and spinning kicks. This also extends to their reflexes as well, allowing them to perceive and catch projectiles such as balls or arrows before they can be hit and instantly dodging oncoming strikes during battle.
* **Super Durability:** Werecoyotes can take a great amount of physical damage without being slowed down. They are much more durable to blunt force trauma than regular humans, allowing them to be thrown through walls and fall from tall heights with only minor injuries. This durability also enhances their stamina to superhuman-levels, allowing them to endure and fight much longer than a normal human would be able to accomplish even when seriously injured.
* **Super Senses**: Werecoyotes, like their coyote counterparts, have extremely sensitive senses of sight, hearing, and smell. They can see in the dark and across large distances, track scents for up to several miles while also interpreting the chemosignals that indicate identity and emotional states, and can hear whispered conversations from outside of buildings with ease. These abilities help Werecoyotes fight at night, hear approaching enemies, and locating missing people by scent. A coyote's glowing eyes can also be used to see mystical or supernatural phenomenon that cannot be perceived by human eyes, such as the Nemeton while it is hidden or a Kitsune's aura.
* **Accelerated Healing:** Werecoyotes possess extraordinarily enhanced healing factors that allow them to heal from most mild to moderate wounds within moments. Throughout the series, Werecoyotes have been shown to heal from gunshots; stab wounds through the chest, abdomen, and extremities; and broken arms, legs, and spines. They are also immune to all human illnesses and conditions such as colds, cancer, epilepsy, asthma, etc., and cannot get high on drugs or drunk on alcohol because they heal the damage caused by the toxins too quickly. The only known substances that Werecoyotes are not immune to is wolfsbane and the modified canine distemper virus that was specifically designed to kill Werewolves and Werecoyotes. They are also vulnerable to the paralytic effects of kanima venom, though they will recover from their paralysis from it much faster than a regular human would.
	+ **Longevity**: Because a Werecoyote's rapid cellular regeneration prevents them from contracting any human illnesses or conditions while also replacing aging cells at a constant rate, Werecoyotes have enhanced longevity and a decelerated rate of aging, allowing them to live much longer and healthier than normal humans. It is unknown what the average life expectancy of a werecreature is, but the oldest known werecreature is an Alpha Werewolf named Satomi Ito, who is over 110 years old; this indicates that Werecoyotes and their Werewolf cousins have the potential to live well into their 100s as long as they are not killed.
* **Shapeshifting:** Werecoyotes have the ability to transform their features into those of a coyote, which involves glowing eyes (which can either be gold in the case of a Werecoyote who has not killed innocent humans, or blue in the case of someone who has), fangs, claws, a ridged brow, and large sideburns. With practice, Werecoyotes can learn how to only transform a few features as needed, such as only extending their claws to cut something, their fangs to bite something, or simply making their eyes glow to enhance their eyesight or identify themselves as supernatural creatures.
	+ **Advanced Shapeshifting:** Malia Tate has been capable of fully shapeshifting into a true coyote since she was nine years of age, though it wasn't until recently that she was able to consciously control it. It is unknown if this ability is something all Werecoyotes are capable of doing upon activating their powers, if it is a learned skill that any Werecoyote has the potential to achieve, or if it is a genetic trait that only some Werecoyotes possess; since the ability to fully shapeshift into an animal form seems to be common in the Hale family, and it was revealed that Malia is the daughter of Peter Hale, it is possible that she gained this ability from her paternal heritage. In Season 6, Malia is shown to have full control of her full coyote-shift.
* **Pain Absorption**: Werecoyotes, like Werewolves, possess the ability to absorb pain from other living beings through tactile contact. They typically do this through putting their hands on the arm or affected body part of the being in pain and drawing the pain into themselves, which manifests as a darkening of the veins in the Werecoyote's hands that travels up their arms and into their chest, neck, and sometimes even their face, depending on how much pain is absorbed. Malia has used this power to siphon the pain experienced by Corey Bryant after he was burned by Jordan Parrish's hellhound fire, and also used it to absorb the pain experienced by her biological father Peter Hale after he was burned following his trip through the portal between the real world and the Phantom Train Station.
* **Animal Instincts**: Werecoyotes possess the same animal instincts as their coyote counterparts, causing them to instinctively think and behave like a coyote would. This includes being territorial over their living environment, determining whether to fight or flee from danger, and being aroused by the scent of blood after a kill. Malia has especially developed animal instincts compared to her shapeshifter peers, and its unknown if this due to Malia being a born creature, a side-effect of living as a coyote for eight years, something all Werecoyotes possess, or if it is a combination of these factors.

## Weaknesses

* **Mountain Ash**: Werecoyotes, like the majority of supernatural species in the show, cannot cross barriers made of mountain ash or rowan wood, nor can they touch or manipulate the wood or its ash in a non-barrier form. This makes them vulnerable to being trapped within a ring of mountain ash, or being prevented from entering an area that has been warded with it.
* **Wolfsbane:** Werecoyotes can be weakened or killed by exposure to wolfsbane, depending on the species and the method of exposure. Blue wolfsbane (also known as Nordic Blue Monkshood) is an extremely potent strain that will poison and kill a werecreature, while purple wolfsbane causes intense and terrifying hallucinations, and yellow wolfsbane acts as a non-lethal sedative.
* **Full Moon:** Though being a werecreature is considered a gift in the supernatural world due to the increased speed, stamina, and healing that it provides, it also comes with a price, which is that the Werewolf, Werecoyote, or werejaguar is beholden to the phases of the moon. During a full moon, werecreatures without training will become overcome with a rabid anger that will cause them to attack any living creature they come upon, which is why they all must learn control to avoid exposure and harm to innocent civilians. The full moon will make a Werecoyote stronger, but it will also make them more rabid and chaotic, which makes them easy targets for supernatural hunters. With adequate training, a Werecoyote can learn to remain in their human form and mind through the full moon, but under the right circumstances, even the most well-disciplined Werecoyote can lose control.
* **Lunar Eclipse**: During the phase of a lunar eclipse where the moon is completely covered in the earth's umbral shadow, a Werecoyote or other werecreature will lose all of their powers, including their super strength, accelerated healing, and shapeshifting abilities, essentially making them human for that time period and thus vulnerable to anyone seeking to take advantage of this weakness and harm or kill them.
* **Electricity:** Werecoyotes can be weakened or killed by exposure to electricity, depending on the level of voltage used. Lower voltages will disable their healing abilities and prevent them from transforming, while higher voltages can severely slow or even stop their heart completely. For this reason, electricity, typically in the form of cattle-prod tasers reaching up to 800,000 volts to account for the Werecoyote's superhuman durability, are one of the most common weapons hunters use against their prey.
* **Letharia Vulpina**: As a canine Werecreature, Werecoyotes, like Werewolves, can be weakened by exposure to *letharia vulpina*, otherwise known as "wolf lichen" because of its toxic effects toward the canine species. However, unlike their mundance counterparts, *letharia vulpina* is not fatal toward Werecoyotes.
* **Modified Canine Distemper Virus**: One of the assassins in the Deadpool, The Chemist, created a modified version of the canine distemper virus, changing it so that it could also sicken both humans (albeit temporarily) and any canine shapeshifter, such as Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and Kitsune (in their cases, potentially killing them). Malia, a Werecoyote, was exposed to the virus and nearly died from it after beginning to bleed black blood from her nose, mouth, and ears, and after losing her vision completely. Malia was also the one who became the sickest in their shortest amount of time out of herself, the Werewolf Scott McCall and the Thunder Kitsune Kira Yukimura. There are several possibilities why this was the case, such as: the fact that she was only a Beta-level shapeshifter while Scott, as an Alpha, had an extra spark of power to help him recover, and Kira, as a Kitsune, is a spirit-based shapeshifter who was affected differently by the virus; or the fact that she is a born Werecoyote, whereas Scott was born a human and Kira has human heritage on her father's side. Regardless, consuming wild purple reishi mushrooms are known to both cure a the virus after it has been contracted and prevent those who ingest it prior to exposure from being infected in the first place; inhaling the dust of the jar of wild purple reishi in the Hale Vault cured Malia of the virus, including the side effects such as her blindness.
* **Loud Noises**: Werecoyotes, as supernatural creatures with heightened senses of hearing, are vulnerable to sounds at certain frequencies. For example, the Argent Hunters are known for using ultrasonic emitters that produce an extremely high-pitched noise that only animals and people with supernaturally enhanced senses can hear. Conversely, there are also certain subsonic, low-pitched sounds that can be used against Werecreatures as well, as a group of Deadpool assassins used in *Perishable*. Sounds at this low frequency have been shown to cause Werecoyotes to become incredibly disoriented, woozy, nauseous, and unable to control their bodies, to the point that others have mistaken them for being drunk. In this state, they are unable to defend themselves due to the sounds making them weak and unable to stand, walk, talk, or see clearly.

## Trivia

* Malia naturally trusted Theo due to his Werecoyote status, though she didn't initially know it.
* In real-life mythology, coyotes are considered tricksters, just like the raven and the fox.
* Werecoyotes and Werewolves are said to be natural enemies. However, just like the antagonistic relationship between Werewolves and Kitsune, this biological rivalry can be overcome, as evidenced by Malia Tate, a Werecoyote who has close personal relationships with Werewolves such as Scott McCall, Derek Hale, and Liam Dunbar. In fact, during the second half of Season 6, Malia's relationship with Scott evolved into a romantic one, with Malia freely admitting she had fallen in love with the Alpha Werewolf in Werewolves of London, and the pair being in a happy, loving relationship as of the end of the series.
* Also, Malia's very existence as the child of a Werewolf and Werecoyote proves the two supernatural species are biologically similar enough to reproduce, though it is unknown why Malia is solely a Werecoyote, and not a Werewolf as well, which would make her part Werewolf part Werecoyote. It could be that Malia simply did not inherit Peter Hale's power, as is the case with some children of werecreatures, or that a child of both species can only inherit the powers of one. Of these two, the former is more likely, given Garrett Douglas' nature as a Werewolf/lion hybrid known as the Löwenmensch.
* Malia was able to steal some of her mother's power during childbirth. Judging from comments made by Corinne, this was not an entirely singular occurrence and even somewhat expected, but the exact circumstances required for this to occur are unknown.
* In Season 3 and Season 6, many new details about coyotes (and by extension, Werecoyotes) have been revealed.
	+ According to Allison Argent, coyotes do not like wolves and are so smart that if they don't want to be heard, they will tip-toe through the forest to avoid making noise and leaving heavy tracks.
	+ According to Chris Argent, the heightened senses of a coyote are overcome when they smell blood from a fresh kill, which causes them to be driven into a frenzy.
	+ According to Malia Tate, coyotes are nocturnal, much like their wolf cousins, and they eat their young. However, the latter comment may have been simply made in jest.