Shapeshifters Species

Life Stages

Life Stages

Before Birth
The pregnancy of a female shapeshifter lasts for about ten months, during which time their hormones in the female body suppress the ability to shift. This is often used as an early indicator of pregnancy in shifter communities where shifting is commonplace, whereas those who live covertly amongst humans might not be aware for several months. One of the more common and notable early signs is the cessation of menstruation.

Female shapeshifters generally give birth to one offspring at a time, though they are more likely than other sapient species to have a multiple births. Twins, for example, occur about once every three hundred births. Any pregnancy with more than three foetuses is most likely to survive to full term, and even twins and triplets still can carry a much medium-sized risk than a singleton pregnancy risk.

The process of childbirth itself also carries a medium-sized risk to both mother and child. This can almost double in more remote communities, where access to healthcare is limited.

Infancy
For the first year or so of their life, shapeshifter infants are helpless and completely reliant on their parents or their caregivers. Their eyesight is poor for the first few months, so they rely on both sound and scent to recognise their parents or their caregivers. Communication is chiefly achieved via crying, with parents learning to differentiate between cries for needs such as hunger and discomfort.

An infant's head is large in proportion to their body, accounting for a quarter of total body length whereas an adult's head accounts for only one seventh. At birth, an infant's skull has not fully converted to bone, leaving several softer spots known as fontanelles. These fontanelles are generally fully ossified by eighteen months of age.

Like all mammal species, shapeshifter infants survive solely on milk at first. Generally, they are breastfed by their mother or another female caregiver, though some are fed with bottles full of milk from another mammal species, such as a goat milk. At around seven months of age, weaning begins, with different foods being slowly introduced to an infant's diet as their teeth begin to grow.

Childhood
Childhood is the period between infancy and puberty, generally coming to an end around the ages of twelve or thirteen. It is a time of great growth and learning skills, with shapeshifter children physically growing taller and soaking up the knowledge and life skills they need to survive in the human world and Mushroom Kingdom world.

Shapeshifter children experience their first transformation at around the age of three, a little earlier than the closely-related witches. It takes several years for the young shapeshifter to gain control over this ability, though most children are able to shift at will by about the age of seven. The earliest transformations are always triggered by high emotions or great emotional distress, so a child having a tantrum can quickly become an upset ball of fur and claws. Uncontrolled emotional shifts may continue into their adulthood, though children are often taught techniques to remain calm as a matter of priority.

In most societies, children have much less responsibility than adults, with their time focused on learning skills and playing. This lower standard of responsibility often means that the parents or their caregivers take on the consequences of the child's actions. Children also tend to have less rights, often unable to take part in decisions about their own care or how society is run.

Adolescence (Teenhood/Teenagehood)
Adolescence years begins with the onset of puberty, where an increase in the production of hormones leads to changes in a shapeshifter's growing body. Body hair will begins to sprout on the legs, underarms and groin, and for males on the face. Bones grow and shift, and body fat and muscles are redistributed, changing the androgynous body of the child into the sexually dimorphic body of an adult. In females, breasts developed, hips widened, and menstruation begins. In males, the voice deepened, shoulders broadened, and the genitals grow.

The adolescent years are often considered to be the most dangerous of a shapeshifter's life. At this point in life, the part of the brain responsible for reasoning is not fully developed yet, leading to young shapeshifters taking risks without fully thinking through the consequences and actions. Adolescent shapeshifters, will be testing boundaries and pushing for independence, and generally spend much more time in their animal form than they will do at any other point in their entire life. This leads them to have a greater risk of becoming wild, a rare condition that eventually can prevent them from returning to their human form sometimes. At the same time, this age is when a shapeshifter is expected to be taking on more responsibilities; in some cultures, they are even considered to be full adults.

Adulthood
Adulthood is the longest life stage for shapeshifters, beginning when one is sexually mature and ending when the body or mind begins to deteriorate with the age. The exact moments this stage starts and ends varies from shapeshifter to shapeshifter and, more notably cultures to cultures. In many societies, sexual maturity is not the only mark of adulthood, and a shapeshifter must reach a certain age or hit a certain cultural milestone to be fully considered an adult.

In general, adult female shapeshifters are the ones to give birth to and raise children, and it is at this stage of life that they are most suited to doing so. Elderly male shapeshifters are still fertile; though this diminishes with the age, there does not seem to be an age at which fertility comes to a complete stop. The oldest male shapeshifter on record to father a child was over one hundred years old. Adolescent female shapeshifters are also known to procreate, though the younger the mother the greater the risk of pregnancy complications.

Older female shapeshifters experience the menopause, which is the ceasing of menstruation and the end of fertility. As this usually occurs between the ages of forty and fifty, most cultures see this as a sign of late adulthood rather than as an indicator of old age. This process generally takes about three years.

Elderhood
Elderhood is often seen as an extension of adulthood, with no defined age as to where it begins. Often, one of the first early signs of aging is the hair beginning to turn grey or white, or to start to thin or fall out. As they age, elderly shapeshifters are more likely to need help from their community, as their mobility often deteriorates. Senses such as eyesight and hearing begin to weakened, and the skin becomes more fragile and looser, causing visible wrinkles. This decline continues until something in the body, often the heart can no longer work as intended, as leading to a natural death.

Life Cycle
Shapeshifters are relatively short-lived and have lifespans comparable to a human lifespans, though many live shorter lives due to their wild and sometimes solitary lifestyles. Most average somewhere in the range of 50-70 years, though elderly shapeshifters can live up to their nineties and are treated with enormous respect.

Shapeshifters are considered adult at the time they successfully complete their Hidewalker's Year, which is typically attempted in their late teens with the exact age varying from 16-20. Most begin thinking of families after they've returned from the time young shapeshifters spend in the wilderness, and will often pair off and begin raising children by their mid twenties. Shapeshifter families will often have several children staggered in age.