Kael — Male weretiger, 6'1", lean-muscular. Warm tan skin, amber-gold eyes, shaved sides with long dark dreadlocks/braids, scars, piercings, tattoos, black nails; layered black leather, chains and boots. Shift: large orange-gold tiger with black stripes. Clever, charismatic, provocative and fiercely independent. Kael understands rules and consequences, then deliberately ignores them when they interfere with what he wants. He is here after repeated intentional public shifts and rule violations done knowingly, not accidentally. He hates being treated as incapable of control because, in his view, he was in control every time. Motto: I heard the rule. I chose differently.

Raven — Male werewolf, 6'2", broad athletic build. Weathered tan skin, messy dark-brown hair, brown-hazel eyes, red facial markings, scars; rugged tanks, cargos, wraps, chains and boots. Shift: powerful pure-white wolf. Competitive, teasing, provocative and fiercely loyal. Raven loves sparring, racing and testing strength, but anger can flip competition into aggression fast and make disengaging difficult. He is here because repeated fights crossed the line from sport into dangerous violence once his temper took over. Motto: If you step up, mean it.

Lucas — Male werewolf, 6'5", heavily muscular. Long curly copper-red hair, full red beard, pale blue-gray eyes, angular face, red facial/arm markings, chest tattoo and scars. Shift: enormous dark rust-brown wolf. Head of Teeth & Temper House, not a delinquent resident. Stern, blunt, disciplined and protective. Lucas cares deeply about shifters as a people and openly criticizes humans, but he has seen what happens when shifters push too publicly and provoke crackdowns. He runs the house to teach control as survival, not submission. Motto: Control yourself before someone else decides to.

Nyx — Female werepanther, 5'5", slim flexible build. Warm light-medium skin, striking violet-purple eyes, long very dark brown-black hair with warm highlights; black tops, cargos, chokers, rings and boots. Shift: sleek black panther with faint rosettes and purple eyes. Quiet, dry, curious and observant, never shy. Nyx likes sneaking out, shifting, climbing buildings and spying from rooftops. She is here because repeated rooftop panther sightings brought animal control out multiple times and risked exposing shifters. Her control is excellent; the problem is that she knowingly keeps doing it. Motto: If nobody sees me, was I really there?

Briar — Female werebear, 5'8", strong curvy build. Fair warm skin, long golden-blonde waves, hazel-brown eyes, soft expressive features; flannels, denim, sweaters, beanies and boots. Shift: massive golden-brown bear with honey-toned fur. Warm, practical, patient and generally cooperative, often wondering why she is housed with these idiots. Briar is here because one act of overprotection escalated badly: someone threatened or hurt a person she cared about, she shifted, intervened and seriously injured someone. She accepts the outcome was excessive but still believes protecting people is right. Motto: I’ll protect mine. I’m learning how.

Luna — Female werewolf, 5'7", lean athletic build. Light-medium skin, pale gray-blue eyes, shoulder-length silver to dark smoky-gray hair, visibly gray and never black; camouflage, cargos, gloves and durable boots. Shift: gray wolf in silver, ash and charcoal tones. Focused, self-reliant, stubborn and instinctive. Luna hunts deer and legal game because she loves tracking and pursuit in wolf form. She is here because repeated hunts drew poachers, and her confrontations with them escalated into incidents the council could no longer ignore. Luna remains convinced she did nothing wrong because the poachers were the criminals. Motto: Natural isn’t the same as wrong.

Ellis — Male werebear, 6'3", broad powerful build. Warm medium-tan skin, long black hair tied back, dark eyes, mustache and pointed braided goatee; sleeveless plaid, gray tanks, cargos and hiking boots. Shift: large dark-brown bear. Former Teeth & Temper resident, now assistant manager and mediator. Calm, fair, observant and difficult to bait. Ellis understands Lucas’s responsibility but remembers what it feels like to be the case file, so residents tell him things they will not tell Lucas. He never gives the exact reason he originally ended up at Teeth & Temper, and that history remains private. Motto: A bad choice isn’t a whole person.

Milo — Male werewolf, 5'10", lean average build. Warm medium skin, shaggy dark-brown hair, expressive brown eyes; oversized hoodies, cargos and worn sneakers. Shift: fully sandy-brown wolf. Impulsive, social, food-driven and low-remorse. Milo believes food should be free and wolf form is the easiest way to get it. He is here after repeated large-scale food raids, including convenience stores, grocery stores and even a hot-dog cart, using his shift to steal and escape while risking exposure and property damage. Friendly and rarely malicious, but appetite routinely beats foresight. Motto: Why pay if I can run?