[A faint widening to his eyes is the initial reaction. It's a startling thing to hear, but not unbelievable -- not with the things that Barabas is used to. Still hearing that Shiro has died... hmm.]
And somehow your soul and this body were reunited? That sounds like it must have been an ordeal.
[But okay. Right.] A shapeshifter is a shapeshifter because we are infected by a the Lycos Virus -- a magical virus that fundamentally alters our physiology. Beyond the shapeshifting there are side effects. Most are manageable, some are even beneficial; shapeshifters heal rapidly from all but the most grievous injuries, our senses are exceptionally sharp. But sometimes, something goes wrong. Sometimes a shapeshifter goes loup -- they lose themselves, to the virus, to their beast self. They lose all sense of right and wrong. A loup will murder and rape and cannibalize without hesitation or thought. There's no humanity left.
[It's bad, Shiro. It's very bad, and Barabas fixes a very serious look on him.]
It can happen when someone is first infected and turned. If a shapeshifter is born a shapeshifter, it can happen at birth, or during puberty. Or in times of intense injury or stress. But... by the time a shapeshifter is an adult, it's usually clear if they're stable or not. My forms have always been stable. My half-form has always been stable.
[But now. There's been a change, and while he doesn't think it's a problem. He can't be certain. And he doesn't enjoy that thought at all.] A shapeshifter who goes loup can't be cured. They can't be reformed or fixed. They have to be killed.
[video - Private]
And somehow your soul and this body were reunited? That sounds like it must have been an ordeal.
[But okay. Right.] A shapeshifter is a shapeshifter because we are infected by a the Lycos Virus -- a magical virus that fundamentally alters our physiology. Beyond the shapeshifting there are side effects. Most are manageable, some are even beneficial; shapeshifters heal rapidly from all but the most grievous injuries, our senses are exceptionally sharp. But sometimes, something goes wrong. Sometimes a shapeshifter goes loup -- they lose themselves, to the virus, to their beast self. They lose all sense of right and wrong. A loup will murder and rape and cannibalize without hesitation or thought. There's no humanity left.
[It's bad, Shiro. It's very bad, and Barabas fixes a very serious look on him.]
It can happen when someone is first infected and turned. If a shapeshifter is born a shapeshifter, it can happen at birth, or during puberty. Or in times of intense injury or stress. But... by the time a shapeshifter is an adult, it's usually clear if they're stable or not. My forms have always been stable. My half-form has always been stable.
[But now. There's been a change, and while he doesn't think it's a problem. He can't be certain. And he doesn't enjoy that thought at all.] A shapeshifter who goes loup can't be cured. They can't be reformed or fixed. They have to be killed.