W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

not know what to make of these new shapeshifters. Sofar the interactions have been more curious than confrontationalbut it is only a matter of time before theAjaba make some insult to the proud Garou, and bothsides give in to their Rage.Ajaba who travel to the Americas gravitate to Centraland South America, where they find it easier to fitin with Latin American countries and to deal with thesmaller numbers of Garou. Unfortunately the Ajaba’sgreater numbers and confidence have drawn the attentionof the region’s Bastet. Many of those werecats are awareof the rewards offered by Black Tooth. The werehyenasmay soon be caught in another war for survival againstthe Bastet — or used as pawns in an intercontinentalwar between tribes of werecats.Culture and KinfolkIn the past, werehyenas placed great importance infamily ties, ancestry, and group identity. They huntedas a pack, keeping their Kinfolk close. Most huntingparties had human, hyena, and shapechanger members,and although the Ajaba had the upper hand, the Kinfolkhad a say in group activities.Now many of the ancestral bloodlines are cut; theEndless Storm slew the Ajaba’s Kin alongside their cousins.These days, the Ajaba mate with whomever theycan to keep their kind alive. The older members dislike“polluting their blood” with undesirable strains, but thisis survival, and the end is all that matters.48YAVA OF THE AJABAEach of these secrets has been seized bythe Simba, and played a key element in theirnear-annihilation of the Ajaba. Even so, theyare not common knowledge — the Lions havecarefully cultivated their image of superiority,and deny that the Yava had anything to do withtheir success against the hyena-folk. For moreinformation on Yava, see p. 73.• Each Ajaba has a nick the size of a quarter onthe back of her skull. He who strikes this spotwill demolish the brain.• Mixing white wine in a hyena’s footprint intoxicatesthe animal who left it. The strongerthe drink, the longer its effects will linger.• An Ajaba cannot bear the taste of baby meat; aninfant younger than a year of age is always safe.CHANGING BREEDSHERMAPHRODITES & HYAENIDSHyenas occupy a strange niche in the animalkingdom. Although they share many physical andbehavioral traits with canids (non-retractableclaws, non-arboreal hunting, etc.) they areclassed as members of the Feline Family, anddemonstrate many of the same grooming, mating,and territory behaviors as their cat-kin. TheirShifter cousins, the Ajaba, tend towards thepack structures and socialization of the Garou,while sharing the Yava of the Bastet.This, along with the air of mystery (anddistrust) that surrounds the hyena, has resultedin them historically being mis-grouped as abastardized cat-dog hybrid. In truth, however,they share closer ancestry with civets and genetsthan they do wolves or any of the big wild cats.For centuries, due to unique characteristics inthe hyenas’ female reproductive system, Europeansbelieved the animals to be hermaphrodites,possessing both male and female genitalia. 21 stcentury researchers discovered the truth: femalehyenas have a clitoral pseudo-penis throughwhich they urinate, mate, and give birth. This,along with their greater mass and more aggressivenature, was responsible for much of theconfusion about the gender roles within naturalhyena groupings.This unique characteristic is present infemale Ajaba hyena Kin, although female homidKin have entirely human anatomy. FemaleAjaba demonstrate aggressiveness and combatprowess like that of their hyena Kin. Howeverposthumous reports from the researchers taskedto uncover whether they also share their hyenaKin’s anatomical peculiarities were inconclusiveon the topic. The (late) researchers were unavailablefor comment.AppearanceWhile their traditional Kinfolk are from the tribalvillages (and hyena packs) of Central and SouthernAfrica, because of the cataclysm of the past few decades,modern Ajaba may descend from any human racial stock.Regardless of their heritage, werehyenas tend tohave large lower jaws, thick teeth, bristly hair, heavybuilds, broad shoulders, and hoarse voices. They’re not