brytnoises

This centaur post by Chrysopoeia made me think of an old idea I had for unusual werewolves in a world I haven't worked with in a long time.

The idea was that werewolves and wolves were just... the same thing.

All wolves had both a human and a wolf form. How easy it was to change forms and which form they were more comfortable in, was a result of how they lived.

A wolf who acted more human and civilized looked more human and civilized, and had an easier time staying in human form, and thinking like a human. They were usually shorter and hairier than humans, but within typical tolerances so you couldn't really visually tell the difference between a civilized wolf and say, me (5'2" and a bit shaggy).
A more bestial werewolf on the other hand, who lived as an animal, would be uncomfortable trying to act or look like a human, and would only take human form if they needed to. A naked hairy man showing up at your camp begging for food might be a hermit, but they're more likely a hungry wolf who doesn't want to make trouble.

Every wolf's preferred lifestyle and form would come from a mix of that wolf's preferences, choices, and upbringing. Wolves would typically be most used to the form that made their lives easier and helped them thrive. Though a wolf could always change to the other lifestyle if they wanted to and tried hard.

Writing all this up, I could see how it could fit some sort of racial/racism allegory into it? Or queerness, esp. bisexuality? Or transness? But I was coming at it from the more fantastical angle. That these are literally a shape-shifting wolf-person living in this fantasy world. They hadn't even been meant to be a major part of the story but they're clearly something you could write an entire story around.

I haven't worked on that world in a long time now, but some time it would be nice to go back, or to reuse these wolves elsewhere.