Two-Faced Tricksters for Better or Worse.

Note: What follows is meant to be an entry all about Shape-shifters as they appear in the Iveswood series, from Storm’s Green Book, written in the voice of its author—whose identity is yet unknown in the larger story. For easier navigation, here are the main sections of this post after the intro:

• Accepting the Gift
• The Art of Transformation
• A Connection to the Aether Realm?
• Ruran’s Rite
• Dwelling in Community
• Signs of a Shape-shifter
• Where are they now?

It is said soon after the humans known as Skylians began to settle as far west as the fringe of the Etheryn Forest, one band of them stumbled upon a well, within a glade of the wood. The water it offered tasted sweet and cool…then turned tangy and searing…for unbeknownst to them, it was an ancient wellspring of energy left by Ruran, one of Moth’s first and mightiest creations, her fierce agent of change. When Ruran returned to the spring and discovered what these people had done, he wanted to remove the energy from them—until Moth called to him, and pronounced this power had changed them, and they should retain it if they honored a certain creed. If they lived according to a special set of rules, they would not only keep this gift of change, but would become guardians over Moth’s wood. Intermediaries between the Skylians and the creatures of the Etheryn.
The formal term bestowed upon these Skylian shape-shifters is, ‘Metamorphae.’
To this day, the recessive ability to transform has been passed down the generations to a fraction of their descendants. Contrary to current rumors, those who possess this gift remain, first and foremost, human.
Many other names for the Metamorphae have arisen, some more polite than others, such as the term ‘Two-shapes.’ As this name implies, Skylian Shape-shifters possess their primary human-form, and one secondary animal-form, which they usually find between the ages of five to twelve years. Once a Metamorphae has “realized” their secondary-form, they are bound to it for life. Any occurrence of a Shape-shifter’s form becoming something different later, of manifesting a third form—or of taking on the shape of a different human, a living organism that lacks the self-awareness to revert back, or a creature bearing the taint of Tarsk—has never been recorded, and would be considered impossible, or abominable to the Metamorphan creed.

Accepting the Gift

Being the child of Metamorphan parents nearly guarantees you will inherit their ability. Having only one shape-shifting parent, however, heavily decreases the likelihood. This is one of the reasons Metamorphae are now dwindling. A child inheriting the gift from a more remote ancestor is practically unheard-of, though a slim chance remains.
When a child is born with the nascent potential for shifting inside of them, they are indistinguishable from ordinary humans, or as the Metamorphae refer to them, ‘One-shapes.’ Unless you count the occasional trances and bursts of unusual behavior they exhibit when searching for their new form—a wonderfully mysterious process. It seems difficult for them to explain the experience when questioned.
My source has described it as: “Not something you choose, but something you find. Like a missing heirloom you don’t remember until you pluck it from a sandy riverbank, and then it strikes you—this thing is dear and familiar to me.”
Unrealized Shape-shifters, when searching, have been known to come in contact with an animal, and been struck by a momentary “swapping of minds,” in which they recall looking at themselves from different eyes, and moving around as through fluid, until they recall who they are, and “snap out of it” again. This can happen several times before a child finds the creature that “feels right,” and then will spontaneously find this particular animal species is no longer afraid of the child, and act tamed around them, or even treat the child as one of their own. This is a crucial sign the nascent energy within the child has absorbed…whatever sort of instructions or stimuli needed to manifest that creature’s shape. It still requires hours of rest for this process to be complete, and, usually after a good night’s sleep, the child will awaken as a realized Shape-shifter. (The way the animalistic visions happen, and the body’s involuntary absorption of the second-form remains obscure. To be further studied by Arboris).
Now, an unrealized Shape-shifter cannot initiate this process, the only control they technically have being to avoid creatures they do not wish to take the shape of. This is why Metamorphan families are extremely careful to keep their children away from certain types of creatures, and periodically hold a festival known as a ‘Gadhrial’ (gA-dree-all; literally meaning a “gathering to realize”), where the entire Metamorphan community gathers animals to be encouraged to take the form of. This is for two good reasons: parents don’t want their children accidentally taking on the form of animals commonly kept as livestock, such as cattle, sheep, or chickens, lest they be mistaken for food or a commodity (to say nothing of being undignified by wild Metamorphan standards); and to prevent the child from taking on the form of something so fragile or lacking in self-awareness that the child accidentally becomes unable to change back.
Metamorphae seem to have no problems retaining their human minds and level of intelligence while in animal-form, yet something in the strange quality of it means although a Shape-shifter could absorb the form of a tiny fish, an insect, a worm, or a tree, it would be too small a head-space for them to maintain their link to their human consciousness, and they would be trapped.
I am told to make no mistake, Metamorphae may inherit some heightened instincts, senses, or behavioral quirks from their second-forms, but they remain fully and easily in control in either shape. The idea of a fully-realized Shape-shifter needing to battle some animal-mind or opposing will threatening to take over is a myth. …Of course, there has been rumor of a rare mental illness in Metamorphae that sounds an awful lot like this. But my source is extremely skeptical.
There is a third reason family may try to shelter an unrealized Shape-shifter from certain possibilities and promote others, but is connected to a matter more complicated. Family troops predominantly made up of Metamorphae who turn into herbivores prefer certain traveling and feasting habits, while those who turn into carnivores prefer another. More mixed groups do exist as well, but the habits of “herders” and “packers” can be difficult to reconcile within a single family, so in the interest of all family members living by the same preferences, some will try harder than others to see that the child takes to the form of an animal that will not upset the balance of the group. This is understandable—but can lead to putting pressure upon children whose paths may already be laid out differently.
When a child interacts with an animal that ends up being the catalyst for their manifesting a second-form, Metamorphae attempt to keep that particular specimen with their troop thereafter, as a friend and prime example for the child to learn how to master moving about in their new shape, which usually works well, since this animal will treat the child in either form rather like a juvenile of its own kind, and the rest of the Shape-shifter’s family troop as leaders.
Some Skylians have exaggerated notions of a Metamorphae’s “special powers,” and assume they can “talk to animals.” The truth is, a Shape-shifter gains the ability to read all the minute signals, body-language, and psychology of the particular species they can turn into, along with that of any species similar enough in behavior. For example: a Shape-shifter with the second-form of a lynx can communicate with any feline, in either form, but will be unable to communicate with dogs.

The Art of Transformation

Most adult Shape-shifters make the act of switching between forms look fast and effortless. While this ability is innate within all Metamorphae, performing it is a skill that requires years of practice and concentration to master—not to mention all the energy it expends. ‘One-shapes’ enjoy teasing Shape-shifters for their large appetites, and penchant for naps and extended sleep patterns, but, as it turns out, re-assembling your own body into the correct form is an exhausting task.
The less skilled a Shape-shifter is, the longer a transformation takes, and the more energy is consumed. The most masterful Metamorphae can isolate certain body parts and semi-transform them too fast for the eye to follow, and pull off several full-transformations within the course of a few hours, even while in motion. An untrained Metamorphae will have difficulty managing a transformation at all, even while remaining still, with intense focus, and will become easily drained by their first attempts.
It is worth noting an animal-form that differs greatly in mass and anatomy from a human will increase the difficulty as well. A particularly large or small creature, or a non-mammal, will require more training to master, and will always consume more energy to transition between.
While calling upon only certain aspects of an animal-form can be useful, semi-transformations are the most difficult type of shifting to master, and could be lethal if miss-handled. Untrained Metamorphae are banned by a ‘Wooden Law’ from trying it, lest they become stuck mid-shift.
An exception to the need of training to transform is when a Metamorphae does so out of self-defense. This is instinctual. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work as a means of escape or protection, since Shape-shifters lose the ability if they are too weary, weakened, or wounded. One of the only means of trapping a Metamorphae in whatever form they currently inhabit is to injure them. As soon as they sufficiently recover, the ability is regained.
A Metamorphae that is temporarily hurt or weakened in their second-form may be trapped as an animal for days, or even weeks, until recovery. A crippled Metamorphae will either sustain their handicap in either form—such as a lost arm that remains a lost foreleg in animal-form—or they could permanently lose the ability to transform.
Ever since a particularly wicked troop of Metamorphae were said to have been wiped out by Ruran himself, the punishment for violating one of the seven ‘Iron Laws’ of the creed is to be ‘Banished to the Wild,’ in which the larger gathering of Metamorphae scare the offender into taking on their animal-form, then injure them so they might never turn back, and release them into the depths of the Etheryn. It is a grievous punishment, meant for those who cross the line into becoming “a beast in mind rather than shape,” and to prevent the wider group from suffering Ruran’s wrath. Individuals banished in this way rarely survive for long, and would be hunted and killed if encountered again by other Metamorphae.
Only one other way of trapping a Metamorphae is known: binding, chaining, or caging them in a material too strong to be broken by brute strength, while they inhabit whichever form is the smaller. A Shape-shifter in human-form who grows when they change will be unable to without choking themselves, if a tight iron collar is fastened around their throat, for instance. A Shape-shifter in the form of a squirrel locked in an iron-bound chest just big enough to house them will be crushed if they try to transform within it. The tricky part comes when a Shape-shifter’s second-form is unknown, and obviously these tactics will not work if reversed. Since Metamorphae are notoriously clever at eluding and escaping capture, their own punishments for enemies or wicked Metamorphae never involve imprisonment.
Skylian folklore in which a One-shape traps a Shape-shifter by seizing them and refusing to let go throughout the course of a full transformation is derived from the same concept. Although the effectiveness of this trick is derided by Metamorphae, and they are so insulted at the mere mention of it they will often refuse to discuss it, one can’t help but notice even the Metamorphan means of showing affection to any aside from the closest of kin don’t include embracing, and they consider unsolicited hugs rude, or presumptuous at best. Whether this is from an irrational fear of being trapped is negligible.
To ensure their ability to shape-shift in a crisis, Metamorphae will always travel with a ceramic flask full of vigurwort-draught to replenish energy within minutes. It is a sweet and stimulating drink brewed by steeping vigurwort leaves and spices in boiling water for about two hours. The strength from consuming it is temporary, and drinking too much can result in a sudden drop in energy, or restlessness, so it is used sparingly.
If an adult Metamorphae becomes so skilled at transforming as to pass the hardest ‘Trial of Immutatus,’ they are recognized to be a true master of the art, are gifted with a set of armor crafted for them by a Tolleor, and may train other Metamorphae. Not every Metamorphae attains this degree of mastery over their ability, but those who do are greatly respected. Originally, only a true master was considered qualified to mentor a newly-realized Shape-shifter; this ideal has fallen by the wayside now that all Metamorphae are scarce.

A Connection to the Aether Realm?

The mechanics of shape-shifting are not fully understood by anyone—not even by master Shape-shifters themselves. Among the bodies of those slain in the war between the Skylians and Arboris, (the War of Thorns and Tears), a handful of Metamorphae were found, and an Arbori healer and Skylian scholar examined them, and discovered something startling.
Metamorphan anatomy is identical to that of One-shapes, except for two things: an “extra” series of vein-like strands running through the body, and an “extra” sort of organ resembling a tube narrowing at the center, which these strands connect to and wrap around in concentric circles. The Arbori healer Kalodendrum proposed this strange organ might have something to do with the mystery of how Shape-shifters change to inhabit forms with a differing mass. Upon finding trace amounts of Aether within these strands and the organ, the Skylian scholar Drefan Lygand speculated that the tube was in fact a tunnel connected to the Aether-version of Skylia the Demiror hail from, or rather, connected to some alternate plane sitting between the ordinary and Aether versions of space, and that Metamorphae are somehow able to access this “pocket of space” to store the matter from their larger form when not in use.
As wild as this theory is to contemplate, some Arboris remain so intrigued by Metamorphan anatomy as to take it a step further, and debate whether the system of “strands” send signals through the body to instigate change on a scale too small to be seen—others, that the strands are some special means of ferrying mass and energy to various parts of the body. No one knows, and it is doubtful anything will ever come of these questions, as Metamorphae, preferring to keep their secrets to themselves, frown upon their fallen comrades being examined by anyone.

Ruran’s Rite

Ruran, mightiest of the beasts Moth created during Anvior’s first age, primarily depicted in the shape of an Arkentine, is considered to be the primordial Shape-shifter, and the only physical creature capable of taking on multiple forms. Considering the Metamorphae’s legendary origin, and the fact Ruran himself was granted his abilities from Moth, it makes sense that the Metamorphae would consider Ruran their foremost role-model. Thus, the Shape-shifters’ term for their ancient creed: Ruran’s Rite.
While there are remnants of the broader Skylian culture present within that of the Metamorphae, Ruran’s Rite is the part of their creed that specifically, only applies to Two-shapes.
The rules that are integral to Metamorphae retaining their humanity, and not descending to the realm of beasts in heart and mind, are referred to as the “Iron Laws,” whereas the mere guidelines that may be bent or broken with far less dire consequences are referred to as “Wooden Laws,” of which there are many more. The caution against children taking on the form of an animal considered livestock is a Wooden Law, for instance, in that it must be avoided for their own safety and dignity, rather than punished as abominable.
The seven Iron Laws are as follows:

1. Rule of Hunting – No Metamorphae may hunt another human, or their chosen animal, in either form.
2. Rule of Feasting – No Metamorphae may consume any part of another human, or of their chosen animal, in either form.
3. Rule of Mating – No Metamorphae may engage in any courting or mating behavior in their secondary-form, or with a non-human partner.
4. Rule of Serving – No Metamorphae may harm a human or animal in their service.
5. Rule of Herding – No Metamorphae may be pressed into service as a beast of burden, or be treated as livestock, in either form.
6. Rule of Raising – No Metamorphae may abandon or mistreat a human or animal too young to survive on its own.
7. Rule of Resting – No Metamorphae may abandon or mistreat another Metamorphae too old or weak to transform.

Despite the Metamorphae’s famed penchant for pushing boundaries and breaking rules, most Metamorphae have held true to this code; those that did not were either apprehended by their kindred, or tended to meet chaotic and, frankly disturbing ends, especially during the War of Thorns and Tears. War brings out the best and the worst in people, and the Metamorphae were no exception.
Thanks to communities of One-shapes catching wise to Shape-shifters’ meddling, (going so far as to hold animal trials, when an animal considered guilty of a crime was suspected to be a Shape-shifter, to varying degrees of success), Metamorphae, while perennial tricksters, never sought to become embroiled in a serious conflict between themselves and another people such as the Skylians, and traditionally traveled in groups too small to be much of a fighting force.
However, when the Arboris went to war against the Skylians during the reign of King Tobrytan, they managed to convince some troops of them to harass the Skylian forces, and thus distract and prevent them from tearing up their territory in the Etheryn. The rest of the Metamorphae kept clear of the fighting—but due to the horrifying acts of one troop, (a notorious hunting party that broke the rules of Hunting and Feasting with abandon, if not others as well), the reputation of all Shape-shifters was stained in the eyes of the Skylians, and by the war’s end, the Arboris wanted little to do with them either. Few of those involved in the war survived, and those that had nothing to do with it soon found themselves shunned when they entered Skylian villages, towns, and cities.
Even the Wild Piper, a shape-shifting folk hero and sidekick to the infamous Farena Dragon-slayer, ceases to be mentioned in the tellings anymore. In contrast, shape-shifting villains play a role in folktales now—although the less evil, more annoying trickster continues to be their usual role.
Some One-shapes turned so hostile to the Shape-shifters as to drive them out of Skylian habitations with militia. In more recent years, with the scarcity of Shape-shifters now, the hostility is generally limited to joking about Metamorphan stereotypes. Not much is known among One-shapes of Metamorphan culture, outside of their habits, values, and insults that were influenced by Ruran’s Rite.
For example, there are few insults more heinous to Metamorphae than fastening any sort of leash, collar, or saddle on one, no matter which form they inhabit, as this stands at the symbolic pinnacle of being reduced to someone’s pet or beast of burden. The mere mention of such a thing in jest is a sure way to make them your enemies.

Dwelling in Community

Long has it been since the days when Metamorphae were to be found exclusively in the depths of the Etheryn, traveling in merry bands or troops ranging from single families, to an entire village’s worth, as they did in the Wild Piper’s time. Metamorphae first began to mingle with One-shapes in the rare instances one of their children was born without the ability, in the interest of seeking a healthier, less wild environment in which to raise them, (or a One-shape family willing to adopt them, which was unusual).
Later on, many small families or lone Shape-shifters began to live in Skylian cities, abandoning traditions such as crafting and wearing the garb made by Tolleors, in favor of dwelling secretly among One-shapes, and taking up new professions uniquely suited to the skills they possessed from their animal-forms.
It was not uncommon for Metamorphae with the shape of burrowing creatures to take up living in one of the Terracondran hives, alternatively, as their behavior and food preferences made them quite at home among them, without any pressure to hide. The trickster-nature of Shape-shifters did tend to grate on the Arboris, however, so cases of them living alongside the tree-people was less common.
Arboris and Terracondras who encountered humans in the wood usually assumed they were Two-shapes; this has since changed, though Arboris and Terracondras are still accustomed to the Metamorphae, whereas One-shapes tend to regard them with distrust, fear, or even disbelief.
When the Shape-shifters as a whole still kept more to themselves, as nomadic tribes within the Etheryn, much of their lives revolved around hunting, gathering, and feasting together. Rather than wandering permanently, they had two or three settlements hidden in the Etheryn that they traveled between during the change of the seasons, where Shape-shifters who were too old to ever transform again, and those who were recovering from illness or injury, could rest and be cared for by the families of Tolleors and Brewers of vigurwort (which requires time and resources to steep that are easier to maintain in one place). This way, the Tolleors could maintain their workshops and forges, and the nomadic troops could bring the excess of their food to special storehouses, and prepare long-lasting foods that, during the winter months, all the Metamorphae could live off of, and thus “hibernate” among the permanent residents of these sanctuaries in relative warmth.
It is rumored that the oldest and most hidden of these sanctuaries was founded at the site of Ruran’s Well, the seed that created the first Metamorphae—but most Shape-shifters claim the location of the site is unknown to them.
Naturally, the Metamorphae who shifted into carnivores versus herbivores held differing food preferences, despite remaining omnivorous as people. This led to the recognition of the two main “types” of Metamorphan troops, or factions, termed “packers” and “herders,” and some (usually friendly) rivalry between the two. Technically, the solitary hunters and foragers form a third known as “scavengers,” but, naturally, their more scattered lifestyle makes it harder to consider them a unified group. (Those who are omnivores or insectivores also tend to fall in this general gray area).
These differing factions Metamorphae usually fell into, led to some variance in lifestyle, but Metamorphae as a whole were always bound to each other by their shared sanctuaries, their creed, their habit of holding grand feasts together when they crossed paths, and their shared ceremonies.
The first of these ceremonies celebrated the birth of children, the Gadhrials, and the Metamorphan rite of passage.
Once a young Metamorphae gained full control of their ability (and proved it in the easiest of the Trials of Immutatus), made their first kill within a hunt, or made their first discovery of a rich deposit of food for harvesting, and reached the age of seven and ten years, they were deemed ready for the rite of passage into adulthood.
The quintessential gift to the fully-fledged Metamorphae would be a new set of garments fashioned by a Tolleor (toll-ee-er). This was generally bestowed at the climax of the celebration, on their birthday, or the day they passed the test to prove their basic mastery of shape-shifting, if that step came later. Oftentimes, celebrations would be postponed till two larger troops could gather together, or at one of the sanctuaries, and would include honoring more than one person at a time.
This rite of passage would be completed with the Shape-shifter’s decision on whether to take up with a different troop than that of their family, or to start a new one by entering into the Metamorphan version of a Skylian marriage with another Metamorphae of equivalent age. It was quite unusual for Metamorphae to marry One-shapes when the majority of them lived within the Etheryn, but became quite common after their integration into broader Skylian society, (in which marrying-age is considered 19 or 20 years, and not to be considered until they have chosen a profession, or completed “the Journies”).
The remaining ceremonies included that of marriage, and that of recognizing a Shape-shifter who has passed the final Trial of Immutatus as a master.
For a Metamorphae near death or dying, it was customary for either their troop or their smaller family-unit to make a journey out of the Etheryn and through Fimond Plains, northeast to the White Wood, where, once escorted, they would say their farewells, sing in mourning, then part at the edge, leaving them to be guided ahead by the Faceless, into the Valley of the Parted Ways. If the journey could not be made for some reason, only then would Metamorphae resort to performing a burial instead, once the individual had been dead for a few days.
We have touched upon how age eventually makes transforming quite hard on Metamorphae, who usually chose to remain in their human-form indefinitely, if they lived to be 7 or 8 decades—but what of Shape-shifters with an animal-form that ages at a very different rate?
There is a tale from Metamorphan folklore of a middle-aged Shape-shifter whose husband and children were killed, who chose to remain in her secondary-form—a giant tortoise—for the remainder of her days; and that a hundred years later, a young Shape-shifter found her still alive, but living as if she had never been human. It took the young Shape-shifter being in a state of peril for the woman to finally transform back—but when she did, she was only roughly a decade older in appearance than she had been when she had last inhabited her human-form.
There are few creatures known to age slower than humans, and so the reality of a story like this is not easily proven—but it leads to an interesting question: How might shape-shifting tamper with the normal aging process?
Evidently, there are risks involved for those with short-lived animal-forms, who would remain in them for a long period of time; a Wooden Law cautions against Metamorphae taking on the form of a creature with a lifespan shorter than a year, and another against remaining in animal form for longer than a moon-cycle. (Metamorphae striving to keep their ability a secret from One-shapes might have spawned this myth that their transforming is connected to a monthly pattern).
This suggests, if Kalodendrum’s theory of the “Aether pocket of space” holding a Shape-shifter’s extra mass is correct, that time does not pass at the same rate in this middling-plane of existence, as it does in the normal world. Yet it does not explain how a Shape-shifter’s human age usually dictates the age manifested in their animal-form. Does time pass in this mid-Aether realm at all? Could the tale of the hundred-year-old tortoise result instead, in a sudden rapid-aging that could kill the woman upon changing back, or turn her to dust? Who can say?
Since the Metamorphan culture retains the Skylian value of respect for their elders, the option of remaining human and dwelling in one of the sanctuaries till the end of their days, is the far more common choice.

Signs of a Shape-shifter

We have covered the inherent nature of Metamorphae’s ability to transform. Yet, why does the myth that Shape-shifters need some fantastical piece of animal-skin to do what they do still persist among some Skylians? The confusion probably stems from the fact many Shape-shifters are seen wearing special garments made from animal hide, and are not fond of switching forms without them. This is because of a slightly-less fanciful but still amazing phenomenon connected to them.
It seems that if a Shape-shifter is holding or wearing material that came from the same species of animal as their secondary-form, it will be absorbed upon their taking on that shape—and upon transforming back into a human, that material will re-manifest, too. For instance, a Metamorphae who turns into a bear may wear a tunic made of bearskin as a human, transform into their bear-shape and have the garment assimilate into this shape, then transform back into a human, wearing the tunic again. This applies to any form of bone, cartilage, teeth, claws, hide, fur, feathers, scales, membranous or fibrous sort of material from that particular creature, that might be preserved and fashioned into a garment, armor, tool, weapon, belt, or receptacle.
Naturally, such a quality of shape-shifting is extremely useful. And yet, you may ask, how does one hunt and kill the same species as their secondary-form for material, without violating the creed? According to Metamorphae, animals are meant to be killed to sustain life, not for mere harvesting of hide, (although it is encouraged that all parts of a hunted animal be used, rather than only the meat). This is where the special role of the Tolleors comes in.
The name “Tolleor” comes from an ancient word that, in the tongue of the Others, meant “someone who accepts a gift,” a recurrent theme the mythos of the Others, Skylians, and Metamorphae share. Tolleors, often aided by a couple apprentices and assistants, carefully comb the wilderness until they find an animal that has died or been killed by natural causes. They then collect what materials they can from it, in an attitude of accepting it as a gift from Moth, and a way for part of that creature to “live on” as a part of whoever wears or carries what is made from it. They return to one of the sanctuaries once they have all the material they can carry, and the matter undergoes a thorough cleansing—along with any matter brought to the Tolleors that is collected by wandering Shape-shifters, who collect it in a hunt or by chance.
While the materials are being cleansed and prepared, the Tolleor sets about taking measurements of the Shape-shifter to be fitted, and designs the items being crafted especially to fit them. The stitching, shaping, hollowing, and forging of the Tolleors involves some secrets of craftsmanship that are closely guarded, and must be learned over the course of many years by an apprentice, before they can become a master Tolleor themselves. It is rather like a skill combined out of tailoring, smithing, fletching, and…a little something other-worldly. Mastery of “Tolleoring” is the only skill held in higher esteem than shape-shifting by Metamorphae.
If a Metamorphae isn’t visibly garbed in the prized work of a Tolleor, another identifying feature may be a vivid, unnatural hair or eye color. Many Metamorphae possess an animal-form with coloration normal to humans, and may prove indistinguishable to One-shapes; but if you spot a Skylian amid a crowded marketplace with striking pigmentation, chances are high this is because they are a Metamorphae with a vibrantly-colored animal-form. Unrealized Shape-shifters are always born with human hair, skin, and eye colors; the change to something outside that range may be a shock to them when their secondary-form manifests, as this change is permanent. There are cases where aging or traumatic stress may cause even these vibrant colorations to fade, however.
There is a third instance a Shape-shifter may be identified: by an animalistic quirk. For example: a Shape-shifter with the second-form of a crow might exhibit some impulses to steal shiny things, and arrange them around their blankets where they sleep, and might fuss over their hair and clothing, or those of a loved one, in a similar fashion to preening, all while in human shape. These quirks can be endearing, unsettling, or downright problematic, leading to some of the unsavory stereotypes formed about them; the notions that Metamorphae are dirty, lazy, thieving, or downright insane, make more sense when considering their instinctual quirks are often misunderstood as deliberate misconduct.
It’s hard to say whether Shape-shifters gain these quirks by inhabiting their other form, or whether they take to their realized-forms like a fish to water because they always held the seeds of these characteristics inside of them. It is probably a mixture of both.
In the case of Metamorphae lacking obvious or debilitating quirks, possessing natural human hair, eye, and skin colors, or concealing an unusual coloring, and dressing in ordinary Skylian attire, some manage to spend their entire lives alongside One-shapes without anyone suspecting a thing. And the only way to distinguish an ordinary animal from a transformed Shape-shifter, would be to spot them exhibiting human-level intelligence, as they cannot speak in animal-form.
The Caldoran Empire, on the other hand, is so paranoid of being taken by surprise—and so cruel—that when they discover someone merely suspected of being Metamorphae, they torture them to see if they can force a transformation from them, then if successful, they brand their forehead with what the Skylians call the ‘Immutatus Torris,’ or, “mark of the Transmogrified,” resembling three spirals within a triangle, the symbol of the Metamorphae of yore. Needless to say, Metamorphae and Caldorans despise each other with a vengeance.

Where are they now?

No one knows. Between the recessive nature of the gift being passed down, and the toll the War of Thorns and Tears (and the One-shapes’ prejudice) took on their numbers, the Metamorphae were bound to become a rarity. It is estimated less than thirty of them now dwell among tens of thousands of One-shapes within Skylia’s various towns, cities, and villages, if that. Some Skylians doubt Shape-shifters even exist anymore.
And yet, all of this does not account for the sudden absence of them within the last twenty years, in the wilder reaches of the land. Ask the populations of Arboris and Terracondras dwelling in the Etheryn, and they will tell you even the troops that stayed out of the war seem to have vanished from the Heart of the Wood without a trace. Let us hope these bands of two-faced, mischievous, courageous tricksters yet survive, lest our lives lack some of Moth’s merriest children.

Have a question about Metamorphae? I will answer as best I can in the comments!