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Loup Garou
Jean Codere was born to a single mother who was living with her parents on a farm near Riviere du Loup, Quebec. She died when Jean was 10 and he was raised by his maternal grandparents from that point on.
During Jean's suspension - the four were suspended together- Jean's grandfather Michel let Jean in on a family secret; he transformed into a wolf before Jean's wide eyes, and then back again. "It takes a lot out of you at my age, and come to think of it, at yours too." Over the next few weeks, Jean's grandfather taught Jean how to live with his strange gift, and its history in their family. "I've got it, my grandpa had it, so did his grandma. It takes practice to will the Change, but once you know, you never forget how. The full moon, though, there's no stopping THAT one. You must be careful not to reveal our secret to anyone. Folks just wouldn't understand."
Returning to school the following Monday, Jean found that other things had changed too. His friends blamed him for getting them in trouble, and Danielle avoided making eye contact for weeks. Eventually, he convinced her to go out again. He carefully avoided making plans at certain times of the month, and with his grandfather covering for his periodic absences from school, life returned to normal and the incident was forgotten as new "scandals" drew the student population's attention away.
The exam showed claw marks and hair consistent with a large black-furred wolf. Danielle didn't speak for months and was later committed to a sanitarium when the only word she would utter was "wolf". Jean tried, against his grandfather's wishes, to visit her in the institution, but when she saw him she started screaming and wouldn't stop until Jean left and she'd been sedated. He thought he would never see her again. He was wrong.
While he was attending McGill, he stopped an assault in progress on his way home. The would-be victim turned out to be the future Prime Minister of Canada, Marion McCloud. She promised to keep his secret and vowed she would repay him someday. Later, at a political rally at the university, he fell under the influence of the Coup twins, Etienne and Isabeau. They were assembling a metahuman team to finish what the FLQ hadn't in the 1970s. Young and naive, he was easily controlled by the powerful telepaths.
RHPM Marion McCloud pardoned Jean of all his crimes in exchange for his promise to join up with Canadian Shield and to get therapy to undo the mental damage cause by the Coup twins. Since confinement is something he absolutely couldn't abide by, he accepted her gracious offer. "The slate is clean, Mr. Codere; The rest is up to you."
In his various forms, he has enhanced senses, speed, strength and a rapid healing ability.You may be able to knock him down, but he'll come right back at you a few seconds later. About the Lycanthrope Retrovirus
Loup Garou wants to atone for the mistakes of his past, and there are many. He carries the guilt of what happened to Danielle (Witch Wolf) Beauchamps around his neck like an albatross, and the weight of what he did as a terrorist in the NFLQ only adds to his already heavy heart. Marion McCloud gave him a second chance and he intends to make the most of it. He also wishes to help the human race overcome its centuries-old prejudice against wolves and werewolves. He feels that lycanthropes are just another misunderstood, stereotyped minority group and wants to change people's perceptions and prejudices. He wants to network with other were-persons around the world (if he could find any) to help train any cubs (new, adolescent werewolves after their first change, still not in control of their powers) he finds, form a support group and educate the public. He feels a strong kinship with mutants, since they, like himself, were born the way they are and can't help being different. Many mutants's forms are met with horror by the public and he can identify with that too. Consequently, he is a fighter for mutant rights also and feels a particular bond with Wild Card, who undergoes radical uncontrollable transformations all the time, many of them grotesque.
Loup Garou is becoming quite confident with his ability to heal and so will often try to take a potentially lethal attack directed at a teammate on his own chin instead. He will shift quite often between one form or another, to make the most use out of each form's strengths. The werewolf form is the strongest, the wolf form has the keenest senses, and his human form has all the skills and smarts.
Loup Garou wears loose fitting, stretchable clothing with snaps or zippers - never anything that takes more than a second to undo. He has a belt with a special pouch for storing his clothing when in other forms which shrinks to a collar when in his lupus form (complete with CSF logo), but if it is unavailable, he is unperturbed. He has long since gotten over any modesty he might have had, and bears the dubious distinction of being the Least Dressed Canadian Shield team member, even surpassing Siren in that regard. |
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Jean's first change occurred when he was 17, on a double date with Danielle Beauchamps. They were sitting by the river, enjoying the moonlight, when Jean started convulsing. Danielle rushed to the car to get help from the other couple, who had been busy enjoying the moon themselves. A few minutes of fumbling and they dressed and rushed to where Jean had collapsed. When they arrived, they were greeted with the sight of a large black wolf standing amid the shredded remains of Jean's clothing. The teenagers fled and returned to the town, where news quickly spread of a huge wolf that had apparently killed Jean. The local sheriff and a group of farmers and townspeople organized a hunt for the wolf. When the hunt failed to produce a single pelt and Jean reappeared at his grandfather's doorstep naked, suffering from exposure, but otherwise unhurt, the townsfolk assumed it had all been some elaborate prank concocted by the high school kids.
Jean didn't need his grandfather to explain to him
how people would react to someone being different; he was going to high
school, after all. "The more you Change, the closer the two parts of yourself
will come together - the wolf and the man. The wolf side is strong and
has keen senses, but doesn't have man's ability to reason. The older you
get and the more moons you see, the closer they will come. Eventually,
you will have the strength and senses of the wolf, but with the mind of
the man to guide him."
Later that year, alone in his family's barn, Jean and
Danielle made love for the first time, surrounded by horses and hay. At
the moment of climax, Jean began to change. Hair grew longer, fingernails
extended into black claws, a tail grew from the base of his spine, his
ears became pointed and hairy and his face stretched forward into a canine
snout. Colour faded from his vision, but suddenly, every sound was louder
and every smell was intense and rich. The horses began to shriek and stomp
about, causing Danielle to open her eyes and behold the creature that lay
over top of her; Seven feet tall, with the black-fur covered body of a
man, but with the head of a wolf. She started to scream. Jean withdrew
and Danielle fled the barn into the night.
Michel sold the family farm and retired to New Orleans,
leaving enough money for Jean to pursue a university education. Jean attended
McGill and studied all he could on the fictional and scientific aspects
of his nature, majoring in Literature and minoring in Genetics and Anthropology.
When the NFLQ rigged an explosive to the parliament
buildings, Canadian Shield, naturally responded. The NFLQ had anticipated
this, which is why they needed the extra metahuman muscle. In the course
of the battle that ensued, Siren broke the mind control that Coup de Tete
and Coup de Ville had on Jean and he then helped Canadian Shield defeat
the Fronte and save the day.
;)