There was an old legend,
Of a man who had the ability,
To turn himself into a feral creature,
Formidable and fierce.
The skill of this shape shifting,
Was known to locals as Broccmann,
But is more commonly known now,
In modern times,
As the Werebadger.
Some say it is a curse,
But others hold different beliefs,
It is viewed by some folk,
That the Werebadger,
Is not a cursed man or woman,
But in fact one who is gifted.
When the sunsets,
And their eyes turn white,
Black streaks appear upon the flesh,
Hairs grow,
Claws grow,
And they hunch into a four legged creature.
They can explore places humans cannot,
Digging with their claws,
And rooting around in the ground.
Once transformed,
The jaw lends to great strength,
Allowing the person to bite its enemies,
In a terrifying manner.
Of all the stories,
One stands out the most,
About a young woman who saw a man change.
She followed him,
Her neighbour,
Out to the woods one night,
And watched his eyes turn milky white,
Whilst his skin became etched with black markings.
She screamed in shock,
And alerted the Broccmann to her presence.
Nor growl at her at all.
Instead,
After she calmed down,
It came to her,
And sat with her a while.
She stroked the fur,
And tickled his chin.
He proving quite tame.
When the morning came,
She found the man,
Returned to human form,
Lying naked in her lap.
She dressed him in her cloak,
And they returned to his house,
Where they talked and talked.
Days and weeks passed,
And the two neighbours fell in love.
Upon their first kiss,
The Broccmann felt a warmth,
Fill his heart,
And upon the setting of the sun that night,
Remained completely human.
It was told to all who would listen,
That the way to end the curse of the Werebadger,
Was to fall in love,
But that does depend,
If you consider it a curse,
Or a gift…