Children of the Moon

Children of the Moon, known more commonly as Werewolves, are a mythical species from the Twilight Saga. These mythological creatures happen to be immortal, very strong, and they rarely travel in packs, unlike the Quileute shape-shifters. These creatures lack control over themselves when they are turned, during the full moon. The Children of the Moon are created after being bitten by another werewolf, and are not wolves because of their genes and ancestors or being the child of two werewolves. These creatures are not the same as the Quileute shape-shifters of La Push, since they turn into wolves at the full moon instead of anytime. When the moon isn't really full, then the Children of the Moon are not turned into wolves. None have appeared in the series.

They have been described as the natural enemy of vampires.

History

Not much is known about the Children of the Moon. It is known that Caius, one of the Volturi leaders, is terrified of them because he was nearly killed in a fight with one two thousand years ago. Aro and Marcus knew about Caius's encounter, and they began a war against the Children of the Moon because they pose a threat to vampires everywhere. In Eclipse, it also says that James hunted one across Siberia though he did not know it was a werewolf. The result of the war so far has been near extinction of the werewolves in Europe and Asia. It is unknown if they are found anywhere else in the world.

The Volturi refuse to tolerate truces or alliances between werewolves and vampires, the punishment for violating this law most likely being death. This was something that Caius tried to stress when the Volturi put the Cullen Family on 'trial' for creating an immortal child. But the werewolves the Cullen's had allied with were really shape-shifters who took wolf forms, and the law therefore didn't apply, so no one suffered the penalty.

Appearance and Traits

Due to the Volturi's initial assumption that the La Push shape-shifters were Children of the Moon, the Children of the Moon probably look very similar in appearance (when they are transformed) to the La Push Shape-Shifters. It can also be assumed that their abilities are similar but stronger as well. Although there is no more evidence to back these claims.

It is mentioned that Children of the Moon rarely form packs. It is not known if they possess similar pack qualities with the Quileutes, such as reading each others' minds and natural hierarchy, however, in Breaking Dawn, it was commented that true werewolves are disorganized compared to the shapeshifters, so it can be assumed that the mind-reading powers do not apply to actual werewolves.

A true werewolf has yellow eyes, which become more prominent during the full moon. Werewolves do not age, and have blood and a beating heart like humans, although they probably smell unappetizing to vampires. Werewolves consume flesh, human or animal. Like shape-shifters, werewolves probably have enhanced strength and speed, rapid healing, and heightened senses. It is unknown how strong they are as humans.

It was stated that Caius nearly lost a battle to a werewolf, namely, one werewolf. This means that, like the shape-shifters, the werewolves are just as powerful as the vampires. They may or may not possess gifts.