Categories > Anime/Manga > Ranma 1/2 > A Werewolf in Nermia
Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.
A Werewolf in Nerima
By: USA Tiger
Chapter 5
"So, you ready for me to tell you about Lycanthropes?" Sati asked, once she'd stepped into Nabiki's bedroom and closed the door behind her.
"Absolutely," Nabiki responded, motioning for Sati to take a seat upon her bed, as she pulled a tape recorder out of her desk drawer and set it upon the desk top, before swiveling her chair about to face her. "I hope you don't mind if I record our discussion, I like the information I get to be as accurate as possible, and I hate taking down written notes during the actual discussion."
"Suit yourself," Sati responded with a shrug. "You can take everything I tell you and write a book, for all I care. Only those who'd actually met some of us would likely consider it as anything other than a work of fiction. Just like so many others."
"You'll forgive me, if I decide to test that theory out for myself, I hope!" Nabiki said, pressing the record button. "So, you were going to tell me about Werewolves?"
"Actually," Sati began, "I was going to tell you the difference between Lycanthropes and the cursed werewolves made so popular in movies, perhaps a legend or two, and answer some of the questions I'm certain you'll have. Fair enough?"
"Agreed," Nabiki responded, nodding.
"The first difference is forms." Sati began, adopting a lecturing tone. "A True Lycanthrope, of which there is quite a variety as it's not just limited to wolves, has three: A human form, which is the weakest, physically; a full-animal form, which is the strongest form, and tends to be far larger than what a normal animal could ever attain; and finally, there is the middle form, sometimes referred to as the furry or hybrid form, which isn't as strong as the full-animal form, but is stronger than the human one. The size of the hybrid form varies, however, from individual to individual, although for the most part it tends to be much larger than the human form. I'm actually smaller than most."
"Could you elaborate on that, please?" Nabiki asked. "I noticed that you seemed a bit larger in your hybrid form!"
"I'm actually something of a runt among lycanthropes," Sati chuckled. "Let me put it this way... Most Lycanthropes would need to wear clothing that is the size of a small tent, if they wanted to wear anything while in their hybrid form, but in that form normal clothing would be far too small. And shifting to full-animal form usually destroys any clothing they might have been wearing, no matter how large. Myself, I don't really change that much in size, going from human to hybrid, except for gaining a few inches and putting on a bit more muscle mass. Fortunately for me, my daughter created a means by which I can enchant my clothing to go into a type of subspace pocket whenever I need to go into my full-wolf form. Let me tell you, it can get very expensive if you have to continually replace destroyed clothing."
"Enchant?" Nabiki queried with a raised eyebrow.
"Valamar is a mage. She knows all kinds of magic," Sati explained. "Now Cursed Lycanthropes, or just your garden variety shape shifters, don't have a hybrid form, and their behavior can vary drastically depending upon how they came to be. The most common variety, which is wolves, came about around a hundred-years before I was even born. What happened was a group of wizards tried to copy the way True Lycanthropes changed shape. Needless to say, since they decided to use Dark Magic, something went wrong. Anybody bitten or born from their descendants can only transform once a month, during a full moon, but they have no real control over their animal forms, as their baser instincts override their human intellect. And finally, there's the most well-known, but rarest type of cursed lycanthrope, the infamous Wolfman of movie legend. To me, they look more like were-dogs, than werewolves. Anyway, that type can't assume a full-animal form and have been all but completely killed off by humans in the last few centuries.
"Now onto silver and why it affects Lycanthropes like it does. This is one of the legends I mentioned at the beginning." Sati stated. "Long before even my own mother was born, there was a young, but powerful, wizard who was in love with a young female werewolf that was beautiful beyond imagination. He declared his undying loving to her, but she told him that she was unable to return his affections, as she was in love with silver and that was all she needed. Back then, Lycanthropes loved the metal, just as much as gold. So, the young wizard thought that she only wanted the metal like a spoiled brat. In a jealous rage, and purely for spite, he cursed all Lycanthropes, werewolves, weretigers, wererats, etcetera, etcetera, saying that since silver was all she loved, then it would be the end of her. Ironically, she hadn't been referring to the metal at all! The truth was that Silver was the name of a young werewolf male that she had agreed to become mates with."
"Wait a minute, the curse with silver was over a misunderstanding?" Nabiki asked in disbelief.
"Yep. The wizard had thought she'd meant the metal, but it had been her future mate that she'd been referring to." Sati chuckled. "So, any other questions?"
"Hmm, what about wolf's-bane?" Nabiki asked.
"Tryin' to run me off already?" Sati asked in return, grinning. "Yes, it affects werewolves, but only werewolves and not all of them. It's like an allergy; most are affected by it, while others aren't. I've had pack-mates who'd become violently ill just from the smell of the stuff. I'm one of the few it has no effect on."
"That's good to know," Nabiki said, smirking. "Akane was asking Kasumi where she might be able to get some. That and some garlic."
"What? She thinks I'm part vampire, or something?" Sati asked, amused. "She'll be disappointed, I like garlic."
"Okay, but let's allow her to discover that on her own, shall we?" Nabiki said conspiratorially. "Next question... How many types of Lycanthropes are there?"
"Not as many as there used to be," Sati stated sadly. "Most of the non-predator types were hunted to extinction, long ago, as sources of food for the ever-expanding human population. Even some of the predator types are now extinct, or bordering upon it. Just as an example, there's only one werecheetah left in the world, that being a Brittany Elan Digger, over in America." (1)
"I only have one other question," Nabiki said, after an uncomfortable silence. "Are there any other Lycanthropes that are older than you, and still alive today?"
"Yes," Sati responded, after a bit of thought. "Last I heard, anyway. Jade VonWolf is one of the first of our kind, and she's roughly about … well.. that’s the thing no one really knows but she’s much older than me. If I can ever get a hold of her, she can tell you a whole hell of a lot more of the history of the world, than I ever could. And if that's all of your questions, let's head on downstairs. I believe I can smell Kasumi's cooking, and that must mean it's about time for dinner."
***
Not a lot occurred over the next few days, although Sati did manage to convince Genma that it wasn't necessary or beneficial, especially for him, to wake up the entire household every damn morning to train with his son. Afternoon sparring matches were just as affective, and far better for his continued good health. Sati had also come to the conclusion that Kasumi was working far too hard, trying to take care of everyone all by herself, and was presently attempting to force her out of the kitchen.
"Look, even you need a break every now and then. Take the day off. Go see a movie or something, and let me take care of the cooking and cleaning today!" Sati said as she lightly pushed the Tendo girl into the main room.
"But..." Kasumi started, but ceased as Sati shook her head firmly.
"No buts, just sit there! I'll make breakfast this morning, as well as the cub's school lunches today. You're taking the day off! You'll drive yourself into an early grave if you don't take some time for yourself, occasionally," Sati said over her shoulder as she walked back into the kitchen. "Now then, let's see what I can make in the way of an American breakfast. Something that'll stay with ya for more than an hour or two."
Several minutes later, a disgruntled and wet redhead made her way into the room, who promptly rushed back to take a quick peek into the kitchen after seeing Kasumi sitting at the table. Apparently satisfied with what she'd seen in the kitchen, Ranma headed outside and into the garden to do some katas before breakfast. Not a moment later, Akane entered the room, swinging a now empty bucket.
"Kasumi? But I thought..." Akane stammered, blinking in confusion and looking from her eldest sister and back to the kitchen doorway where sounds of industrious cooking could be heard.
"Sati said that she was doing the cooking and other chores today. Isn't that nice of her? She insisted that I take the day off," Kasumi said with a smile.
Walking back to the kitchen, Akane stepped inside and watched as Sati went about the task of cooking pancakes, eggs and bacon. She was even preparing the bentos for them to take to school, all at the same time.
"Perfect timing, Cub. Here, go give this to Ranma, so she can change back," Sati said as she placed a cup of hot water into Akane's hands and pushed her back out the doorway. ‘Whew! Avoided that disaster, don't want breakfast to run off.’
***
"Is it safe?" This was the question upon the minds of the Tendo family as they looked over the unusual breakfast items Sati had placed onto the table. Their answer was Ranma and Genma digging into the unusual food with their usual gusto as soon as Sati gave the go ahead. Shrugging, the Tendo family also began to eat, getting their first taste of an American-style breakfast. It wasn't their usual fish, rice, and miso soup, but... Nabiki, at least, had found a new favorite food, the pancake! With lots and lots of syrup! Where Sati had acquired Maple syrup on such short notice never even entered her mind as she savored the light and fluffy delicacy.
Later in the day, after she'd cleaned up the lunch dishes, Sati found a sedate Kasumi sitting on the porch, just looking out into the garden.
"Didn't I tell you to go out? Go see a movie, I'll even pay for it!"
"I'm quite alright, Sati," Kasumi responded hesitantly, not truly knowing what to do with so much free time, now that she had it.
"Look, you need to go out and do something, not just sit around the house! I hear there's a good romance movie playing at the mall, go see it! Be a teen for once, I insist!" Sati argued, ushering the girl onto her feet and towards the front door.
Kasumi was still hesitant, but Sati wouldn't give an inch on the matter, and she was soon on her way to the local shopping mall to catch the latest chick-flick.
"Dang, but that cub is stubborn," Sati sighed, watching from the doorway to make certain Kasumi wasn't about to run back into the house. She'd been more than a little worried that Kasumi was going to be one of those women who were actually afraid to leave the safety of their homes, after spending so much of their lives sheltered within them.
****
Edit 5-6-14: Fixed spelling and grammar mistakes here and there. Retconed mentioned character’s Jade VonWolf’s age as well, leaving it open to being older than Sati but not how much older.
(1) I do not own Gold Diggers.
A Werewolf in Nerima
By: USA Tiger
Chapter 5
"So, you ready for me to tell you about Lycanthropes?" Sati asked, once she'd stepped into Nabiki's bedroom and closed the door behind her.
"Absolutely," Nabiki responded, motioning for Sati to take a seat upon her bed, as she pulled a tape recorder out of her desk drawer and set it upon the desk top, before swiveling her chair about to face her. "I hope you don't mind if I record our discussion, I like the information I get to be as accurate as possible, and I hate taking down written notes during the actual discussion."
"Suit yourself," Sati responded with a shrug. "You can take everything I tell you and write a book, for all I care. Only those who'd actually met some of us would likely consider it as anything other than a work of fiction. Just like so many others."
"You'll forgive me, if I decide to test that theory out for myself, I hope!" Nabiki said, pressing the record button. "So, you were going to tell me about Werewolves?"
"Actually," Sati began, "I was going to tell you the difference between Lycanthropes and the cursed werewolves made so popular in movies, perhaps a legend or two, and answer some of the questions I'm certain you'll have. Fair enough?"
"Agreed," Nabiki responded, nodding.
"The first difference is forms." Sati began, adopting a lecturing tone. "A True Lycanthrope, of which there is quite a variety as it's not just limited to wolves, has three: A human form, which is the weakest, physically; a full-animal form, which is the strongest form, and tends to be far larger than what a normal animal could ever attain; and finally, there is the middle form, sometimes referred to as the furry or hybrid form, which isn't as strong as the full-animal form, but is stronger than the human one. The size of the hybrid form varies, however, from individual to individual, although for the most part it tends to be much larger than the human form. I'm actually smaller than most."
"Could you elaborate on that, please?" Nabiki asked. "I noticed that you seemed a bit larger in your hybrid form!"
"I'm actually something of a runt among lycanthropes," Sati chuckled. "Let me put it this way... Most Lycanthropes would need to wear clothing that is the size of a small tent, if they wanted to wear anything while in their hybrid form, but in that form normal clothing would be far too small. And shifting to full-animal form usually destroys any clothing they might have been wearing, no matter how large. Myself, I don't really change that much in size, going from human to hybrid, except for gaining a few inches and putting on a bit more muscle mass. Fortunately for me, my daughter created a means by which I can enchant my clothing to go into a type of subspace pocket whenever I need to go into my full-wolf form. Let me tell you, it can get very expensive if you have to continually replace destroyed clothing."
"Enchant?" Nabiki queried with a raised eyebrow.
"Valamar is a mage. She knows all kinds of magic," Sati explained. "Now Cursed Lycanthropes, or just your garden variety shape shifters, don't have a hybrid form, and their behavior can vary drastically depending upon how they came to be. The most common variety, which is wolves, came about around a hundred-years before I was even born. What happened was a group of wizards tried to copy the way True Lycanthropes changed shape. Needless to say, since they decided to use Dark Magic, something went wrong. Anybody bitten or born from their descendants can only transform once a month, during a full moon, but they have no real control over their animal forms, as their baser instincts override their human intellect. And finally, there's the most well-known, but rarest type of cursed lycanthrope, the infamous Wolfman of movie legend. To me, they look more like were-dogs, than werewolves. Anyway, that type can't assume a full-animal form and have been all but completely killed off by humans in the last few centuries.
"Now onto silver and why it affects Lycanthropes like it does. This is one of the legends I mentioned at the beginning." Sati stated. "Long before even my own mother was born, there was a young, but powerful, wizard who was in love with a young female werewolf that was beautiful beyond imagination. He declared his undying loving to her, but she told him that she was unable to return his affections, as she was in love with silver and that was all she needed. Back then, Lycanthropes loved the metal, just as much as gold. So, the young wizard thought that she only wanted the metal like a spoiled brat. In a jealous rage, and purely for spite, he cursed all Lycanthropes, werewolves, weretigers, wererats, etcetera, etcetera, saying that since silver was all she loved, then it would be the end of her. Ironically, she hadn't been referring to the metal at all! The truth was that Silver was the name of a young werewolf male that she had agreed to become mates with."
"Wait a minute, the curse with silver was over a misunderstanding?" Nabiki asked in disbelief.
"Yep. The wizard had thought she'd meant the metal, but it had been her future mate that she'd been referring to." Sati chuckled. "So, any other questions?"
"Hmm, what about wolf's-bane?" Nabiki asked.
"Tryin' to run me off already?" Sati asked in return, grinning. "Yes, it affects werewolves, but only werewolves and not all of them. It's like an allergy; most are affected by it, while others aren't. I've had pack-mates who'd become violently ill just from the smell of the stuff. I'm one of the few it has no effect on."
"That's good to know," Nabiki said, smirking. "Akane was asking Kasumi where she might be able to get some. That and some garlic."
"What? She thinks I'm part vampire, or something?" Sati asked, amused. "She'll be disappointed, I like garlic."
"Okay, but let's allow her to discover that on her own, shall we?" Nabiki said conspiratorially. "Next question... How many types of Lycanthropes are there?"
"Not as many as there used to be," Sati stated sadly. "Most of the non-predator types were hunted to extinction, long ago, as sources of food for the ever-expanding human population. Even some of the predator types are now extinct, or bordering upon it. Just as an example, there's only one werecheetah left in the world, that being a Brittany Elan Digger, over in America." (1)
"I only have one other question," Nabiki said, after an uncomfortable silence. "Are there any other Lycanthropes that are older than you, and still alive today?"
"Yes," Sati responded, after a bit of thought. "Last I heard, anyway. Jade VonWolf is one of the first of our kind, and she's roughly about … well.. that’s the thing no one really knows but she’s much older than me. If I can ever get a hold of her, she can tell you a whole hell of a lot more of the history of the world, than I ever could. And if that's all of your questions, let's head on downstairs. I believe I can smell Kasumi's cooking, and that must mean it's about time for dinner."
***
Not a lot occurred over the next few days, although Sati did manage to convince Genma that it wasn't necessary or beneficial, especially for him, to wake up the entire household every damn morning to train with his son. Afternoon sparring matches were just as affective, and far better for his continued good health. Sati had also come to the conclusion that Kasumi was working far too hard, trying to take care of everyone all by herself, and was presently attempting to force her out of the kitchen.
"Look, even you need a break every now and then. Take the day off. Go see a movie or something, and let me take care of the cooking and cleaning today!" Sati said as she lightly pushed the Tendo girl into the main room.
"But..." Kasumi started, but ceased as Sati shook her head firmly.
"No buts, just sit there! I'll make breakfast this morning, as well as the cub's school lunches today. You're taking the day off! You'll drive yourself into an early grave if you don't take some time for yourself, occasionally," Sati said over her shoulder as she walked back into the kitchen. "Now then, let's see what I can make in the way of an American breakfast. Something that'll stay with ya for more than an hour or two."
Several minutes later, a disgruntled and wet redhead made her way into the room, who promptly rushed back to take a quick peek into the kitchen after seeing Kasumi sitting at the table. Apparently satisfied with what she'd seen in the kitchen, Ranma headed outside and into the garden to do some katas before breakfast. Not a moment later, Akane entered the room, swinging a now empty bucket.
"Kasumi? But I thought..." Akane stammered, blinking in confusion and looking from her eldest sister and back to the kitchen doorway where sounds of industrious cooking could be heard.
"Sati said that she was doing the cooking and other chores today. Isn't that nice of her? She insisted that I take the day off," Kasumi said with a smile.
Walking back to the kitchen, Akane stepped inside and watched as Sati went about the task of cooking pancakes, eggs and bacon. She was even preparing the bentos for them to take to school, all at the same time.
"Perfect timing, Cub. Here, go give this to Ranma, so she can change back," Sati said as she placed a cup of hot water into Akane's hands and pushed her back out the doorway. ‘Whew! Avoided that disaster, don't want breakfast to run off.’
***
"Is it safe?" This was the question upon the minds of the Tendo family as they looked over the unusual breakfast items Sati had placed onto the table. Their answer was Ranma and Genma digging into the unusual food with their usual gusto as soon as Sati gave the go ahead. Shrugging, the Tendo family also began to eat, getting their first taste of an American-style breakfast. It wasn't their usual fish, rice, and miso soup, but... Nabiki, at least, had found a new favorite food, the pancake! With lots and lots of syrup! Where Sati had acquired Maple syrup on such short notice never even entered her mind as she savored the light and fluffy delicacy.
Later in the day, after she'd cleaned up the lunch dishes, Sati found a sedate Kasumi sitting on the porch, just looking out into the garden.
"Didn't I tell you to go out? Go see a movie, I'll even pay for it!"
"I'm quite alright, Sati," Kasumi responded hesitantly, not truly knowing what to do with so much free time, now that she had it.
"Look, you need to go out and do something, not just sit around the house! I hear there's a good romance movie playing at the mall, go see it! Be a teen for once, I insist!" Sati argued, ushering the girl onto her feet and towards the front door.
Kasumi was still hesitant, but Sati wouldn't give an inch on the matter, and she was soon on her way to the local shopping mall to catch the latest chick-flick.
"Dang, but that cub is stubborn," Sati sighed, watching from the doorway to make certain Kasumi wasn't about to run back into the house. She'd been more than a little worried that Kasumi was going to be one of those women who were actually afraid to leave the safety of their homes, after spending so much of their lives sheltered within them.
****
Edit 5-6-14: Fixed spelling and grammar mistakes here and there. Retconed mentioned character’s Jade VonWolf’s age as well, leaving it open to being older than Sati but not how much older.
(1) I do not own Gold Diggers.
Sign up to rate and review this story