Wendigo behavior sketches

A bunch of quick no-reference sketches to get some ideas out of my head. They haven’t been very important in the stories so far, but some apply to scenes in “Uninvited Guest” Uninvited Guest, part I Wendigo came across the first evidence of one of his own kind he had seen for a long time while following a path in the woods. It wasn't much of a path, just a pair of grooves left in the snow by some kind of machine, but as an unmistakable sign of recent human activity he was not surprised to find the Other's tracks. The scent told him the Other possessed a male human's body, but it was unfamiliar. He would not be able to tell who the Other was without a closer connection.

He followed the tracks until they intersected with a second pair. They were large and belonged to a human who must have been enjoying a day of snowshoeing. The outing w

My version of the wendigo is much more social than most mythological versions, which are usually said to eat each other on sight. They all know each other, so they want to avoid causing eternal grudges. They also have some degree of empathy, knowing that the others suffer the same unending hunger. They keep things relatively friendly by exchanging favors, usually meals.

1. Possible changes to character design for the “protagonist.” I think I suck at drawing frostbite, so I might drop it. He would also have an easier time approaching and deceiving people if he stole clothing from his victims. This further cements his status as a human-obsessed weirdo since the others don’t bother replacing their clothing after it wears off.

2. Possessive behavior over a kill. I based a lot of their behavior on different animals. Vampire bats have a fascinating habit of sharing regurgitated blood with others that didn’t find a meal and are near death. The wendigo can share a kill or even a portion of their own body with another that is low on spiritual reserves from eating human flesh. They don’t have to, but if they do the other is obligated to return the favor later. They have no way of enforcing this other than shunning someone who doesn’t play by the rules and never trading favors with them again.

3. Submissive behavior. People used to think dogs exposed their throats as a form of submissiveness, but I think this has recently been declared a myth. Wendigo are solitary in spirit form and after taking a human host, so exaggerated body language helps whenever they do cross each other’s paths.

4. Territorial boundaries are defined by scent. In ancient times wendigo would try to attack whole villages, but they discovered that inevitably some hero with the spirits on his side would exact revenge for his lost loved ones. Now they wander in search of prey. “Protagonist” assumes that with so many humans living in cities now they’ll never find him.
Whoever discovers another’s scent first is considered the “intruder” and it is his choice what to do next. Often they prefer to avoid each other. They may also approach to trade favors or attempt to team up for a hunt, though fighting over food soon drives them apart. The “intruder” shows friendly intentions by approaching in the open with submissive behavior and the greeting, “Good hunting, friend.” If the territory holder accepts their presence he returns the greeting. All these rituals are in place to avoid fighting. It is difficult to kill each other, and they can drain a lot of energy trying to do so. If close to “death” (starving and unable to keep the host body alive much longer) they may see each other as food. There are no grudges held if they kill each other through an honest hunt, only if they use lies and other methods of detestable human trickery.