From the beginning, Rydu was different. He was born into a tribe which worshiped the animal spirit, a powerful spirit behind all of the animals of the land. As the shaman's son a great deal was expected from his tribe, and at a young age he was sent into a nearby forest on a rite of passage. It was there he was expected to survive for one night. Rydu was given some provisions, and sent off into the forest. There he arrived, and wandered about aimlessly until he found a clearing. It was in this clearing that he found a surprise - a wolf laying on it's side, bleeding from his leg, probably from a trap left by his people, and obviously unable to walk. In this situation, most others would thank the animal spirit for such a gift, and kill the injured wolf for food. However, while the way of his tribe was to hunt with spears and traps, Rydu had always hunted on equal terms with his prey. He would not kill this proud animal who had fallen victim to a trap, and instead took his only medical supplies and used them to clean and bandage the wolf's wounds. The wolf looked at Rydu for a moment before scampering off, leaving him alone.
As darkness fell, the howls of wolves echoed through the pines. Rydu had gathered wood for a fire, but struggled for hours to light the only thing that would offer him safety. Eventually he gave up, and drifted off to sleep. It was a rustling of a nearby bush awoke him, and Rydu found himself surrounded by glowing eyes peering from what seemed like every direction. He jumped to his feet and entered a defensive stance as the wolves left their bushes and crept into the moonlight. However, to Rydu's surprise, the wolves did not attack. There was no snarling. No bristled fur. The wolves sat a safe distance away, while one lone wolf walked closer - the one that Rydu had spared earlier. The wolf extended his head towards Rydu's hand and closed his eyes. He felt compelled, and extended his hand and placed it onto the wolf's forehead. Then, he felt himself changing. He grew a snout, claws, a tail. He had become a wolf. He spent the rest of the night running free and hunting with the wolves - an experience he will never forget. He left the pack at sunrise, and found himself able to become human again. He had been blessed by the animal spirit.