The waheela (Waheela sapiens) hail from Canada's Northwest Territories, where we have often, frankly, wished that they would stay, given their tendency to lose their tempers and eat whatever happens to be vexing them at any given point in time. As with many therianthropes, it is unclear whether they arose from humans, or from a now-extinct genus of bear-dogs with whom they share many physical traits. Regardless of where they came from, the waheela are here now, and we need to try to avoid getting eaten by them.
Individually, waheela are reasonable people, but one must be cautioned against assuming that "reasonable people" means "think like humans." Waheela are not human. They are not even as close to human as those cryptids which share our evolutionary roots. To a waheela, humans are a convenience at best, and a threat at worst.
Due to their relatively recent "discovery" (a term which must be used loosely; the waheela always knew where they were, as did the people who lived nearby), the waheela have suffered relatively few losses at the hands of the Covenant of St. George, and intend to keep it that way. This makes them fierce allies, when the need arises, providing they don't confuse us with the enemy.
BIOLOGY
Waheela belong to the class Therianthropa, making them one of several types of natural shapeshifter still extant in the modern world. They are biologically mammalian, and bear live young, frequently in pairs. Waheela are not social creatures. The largest waheela family ever encountered consisted of six individuals: a female, a male, their two youngest children, an older daughter, and an older male past breeding age. They were considered something of an aberration by the other waheela, although their unified fighting strength kept them relatively protected from attacks.
Given the choice, waheela will generally live far from others of their kind, establishing hunting ranges of two to twenty miles. They come together to mate, and when the time has come to make decisions regarding the future of a region. Younger waheela have begun moving into human-dominated cities, maintaining the same division of territory; it would be highly unusual to find more than one or two waheela in even the largest of cities, and most have chosen to remain in North America.
Waheela tend to be suspicious and overly literal, although they are not actively hostile. They simply don't understand most of what the naked monkeys are asking them to do. This confusion tends to extend to anyone who spends much time in a waheela's company.
DESCRIPTION
Waheela possess two primary forms. One is physically identical to the human norm. The second, which seems to be their default form when in their native habitat, is a hulking wolf-bear hybrid that can be as much as twelve feet tall and is capable of lifting a small SUV. There's a reason people don't generally mess with the waheela when they have another option. Waheela can switch between forms at will, and while they may be able to assume a more animal shape, they have not done so within the family record.
It should be noted that the only waheela willing to pose for our field guide was one of the "modern" type, and is currently living in Manhattan, where she has wider shopping options, and can more easily embrace the Goth subculture. We do not pretend to understand. Her name is Istas, and as she can throw cars (see above), we also do not ask questions.
Artwork by Kory Bing.