Why would Smokepaw (or, his name spoken in his native Lenni Lenape language, Pihko Misit) suddenly be so non-wolfy and instead fully human? The answer is, he never wasn't human. Just as he was never fully wolf.

Being a werewolf blurrs lines like those.

A member of the Tipisk, or Wolf Clan, of the Lenni Lenape people, Pihko Misit has been a werewolf since the day he was conceived; the same as his parents and grandparents and great grandparents going back countless generations. Indeed, every member of his Clan and his village are werewolves. But instead of snarling half-wild beasts prone to rampage and bloodthirst, these are people of tradition and family. The Moon holds her sway, but not in painful forced transformation. While the days of the fullest Moon do indeed bring about the requirement of holding one's lupine physical form through the duration, outside of the peak cycle transformation (or lack thereof) is completely voluntary and it is not at all uncommon to have both human and wolf intermingling simultaneously.

In Pihko Misit's village in particular, it is almost strict tradition to remain in one's wolf form near-permanently, and as such only when venturing to trade with other villages and nations does a wolf turn into a human. It is often safer to to this, and aids in trade negotiations when the other party is not dealing with several imposing meters of thick fur, sharp teeth and heavy muscle! That does not go to say that others are unaware of who, or what, they're dealing with. An even stricter tradition, one could even label it a law, is to be tattooed with the sign of the Clan. The round circle of the full Moon, cut into a stylized crescent at one edge to signify that you're only able to see the human side during that phase, embracing a wolf's paw print. It is emblazoned on at least one shoulder at an early age; both men and women wear this tattoo. As one grows, gaining additional tattoos is common for both genders, and Pihko Misit has certainly added to his body heavily; the Clan's blazon remains prominent and displayed no matter how much ink a Clan member gets, however.

And so, we get a rare glimpse of the human residing beneath the familiar presence of the wolf. The furs on his shoulder suggests the role his transformation has been triggered for, trade with someone outside the Clan. And he waits patienly for that rendezvous, keen on his surroundings while being at the ready for trouble with a hand upon his knife.

Many, many thanks to Wolf-Nymph for making this fantastic pice come to life!