Homo Lupus tracking reliquary

by Alex CF on September 4th, 2011

Status: SOLD
Inquiries – alex.cf (at) hotmail.co.uk

“A fine bureau of research pertaining to the study of the werewolf hominid – Homo Lupus”

Edward Harrell, Behavioural biologist was infected with Lycanthropy around 1820, after tracking “Nomadic group A” – a matriarchal enclave of Lycans migrating through the Norwegian Forests of Jötunn. He had tracked the group for almost two months, and believed to be completely hidden from the pack. He witnessed a subordinate female suffering a traumatic pregnancy which ended in a still birth. In a moment of curiosity, dug up the infant which he had witnessed being carefully buried by the adult males. It was in this moment he recorded “ I saw the vestiges of a deeper intelligence hidden behind their animalistic traits.” Regardless of this moment of epiphany, Harrell had desecrated their grave, and now carried the smell of the infant on him.

The attack came at night. It was quick and savage, a huge male, which he had named “big grey” tore him from his tree hide out, and lacerated him from neck to naval. At first Harrell believed the creature had left him to bleed to death in the forest. After three days it was apparent that was not the case. Edward had noticed that the wound had not become infected and was healing at an exponential rate. It dawned on him with a nauseating dread that he was now infected with the “Lupus strain” and would soon fall into a deep and possibly fatal coma, awakening to find severe anatomical changes. He was unsure of how long he would have before this occurred, but he dragged himself out of the forest, his wounds continuing to heal. He found board and lodging and set up a crude laboratory, and with his modicum of scientific knowledge, began to synthesize a viral suppressant.

The only known remedy was a common mountain weed known as Arowhist. This simple common flower held incredible recouperative properties, in its petals and root mass. The plant was dried and ground to a fine powder, heated in oil and reduced, mixed with alcohol and injected. The effect was excruciatingly painful, but could reduce the coma-like state the body would fall into as the virus spread though the body. Harrell treated himself with Arowhist for over a year, yet he was to be struck by the biological changes in his spine and legs, causing him permanent disfigurement. His diaries describing the effect of Lycanthropy upon his frail body are scarcely imaginable, a virus powerful enough to have created an entirely separate species of hominid.

The effect of this event seemed to shift his view of non human animals rather drastically, taking on a slightly more ethical stance. He had trapped and killed many Lycanthropes in the first years of his research, and alongside this infant, held the most significant collection of evidence of non human hominids existing today.

He writes “of the characteristics of Man I witnessed in these feral wolf-like apes, I realise a fundamental error in my thinking. It is not humanity I see in them, it is the animalistic qualities of parenthood, nurturing, caring and love that is seen in all species. How vain of me to bless only humanity with those traits so readily witnessed in all species”

This is one of many tracking cases Edward used to collect and study specimens pertaining to Lycan research. His medical tools, biological specimens, of both bone and tooth, fur and hide, his vague superstitions quelled with bible and rosary, alongside vials of silver filings and nitrates, flora samples and cuttings. His diaries are always brimming with fascinating illustrations and annotations, and his love of fine craftsmanship present in the case itself.