The Kanima is a creature that is not wildly known in the supernatural world and only dedicated and knowledgeable lore experts have heard of it. It primarily appears in South American lore. Kanimas are said to be a were-jaguar creature that hunts and preys upon murderers. In reality it is a man sized serpentine creature.
Kanimas have been known to be called weapons of vengeance. This is because it binds itself to a person who controls it instinctively or a 'master'. The longer that the Kanima and Master are bonded, then the stronger that bond will become. It could become strong enough that the master could control the Kanima not only when its transformed but when they are still in their normal human state. The master could even invoke the shift by willful command and even go on to talk through them as though they were a living puppet. The master chooses who is to be killed, by vocal command and even mere thought, and the Kanima will go and kill the target without question. As to choosing its master, the person must be one who has vengeance in their hearts and it must be towards murderers. There is an old story of a priest in South America that gained mastery of a Kanima and used it to purge his village of evil-doers. However, the bond between them got so great that the Kanima killed whomever the priest wanted, guilty or innocent.
The Kanima has lizard scales cover its entire body from head to toe. Their eyes turn yellow with reptilian slitted pupils. It sprouts razor sharp teeth and claws on its hands and feet. It uses these claws to be able to climb up solid stone walls and ceilings. It has a tail that ranges from three to five feet in length. This is referred to as its beta shape. The Kanima has a more evolved form and though I have never actually seen it personally, or encountered anyone that has, it is said to be bigger, stronger and possess wings.
Kanimas possess great physical strength, among the greatest in all shapeshifters. It has been seen that a kanima could outmatch an Alpha werewolf and his pack singlehandedly. The kanima is also highly unsusceptible to physical damage. A kanima has been known to take a clip of bullets as well as blades and claws and still manage to walk away with little evidence that anything even happened to it.
A unique and powerful quality about the kanima is that is secretes a paralytic toxin from its claws. It uses it as a surefire way to paralyze its target or enemies and rendering them immobile and defenseless. This venom is quickly absorbed in through the skin and attacks nervous system, cutting the nerves from the spine. This makes the person freeze up and be paralyzed from head to toe. The speed in which this takes hold of a person depends on the amount of toxin and how it is introduced to the body. Touching the venom is perhaps the slowest, taking effect after about a minute at most. The kanima's preferred method to rendering its prey helpless is to scratch at the neck, right above the spine, where its venom makes the paralysis happen almost instantly. The venom's lasting time varies as well. Whether they be human or supernatural, a kanima's venom could last for at least an hour if the venom quantity was low. Higher and more severe doses could last much longer.
The kanima is actually a mutation of the werewolf gene. Like a werewolf, it draws its power from the moon. However, unlike a werewolf, it gains more power during the new moon instead of the full moon. Also, as was stated before, werewolves seek to belong to a pack but a kanima seeks to belong to a master. The kanima has no identity or purpose so it needs a master in order to give it one. It will stay with that master until either the Kanima dies or the master does. Should the master be killed, then the Kanima will go seek another master, usually the first person they come across with vengeance in their heart. It doesn't howl like a werewolf but emits a terrifying hissing roar.
To become a kanima, one must be bitten by an Alpha werewolf but not turn into a werewolf. It is said that when a person has a strong internal conflict that keeps it from knowing its true self, it keeps the person from turning into a werewolf and they descend into transforming into the Kanima instead.
I have only known one person who had experienced this particular situation. He had been born by C-section as his mother died in a car crash before being able to give birth to him. His father had been killed in the same crash so he had been born without being given a proper name. This created deep identity issues that followed him to his teenage years up to when he had been given an Alpha's bite. When he transformed into the Kanima, he retained no memory of his actions and seemed to have simple events planted into his head to cover any memory blanks. He was cured of being the kanima and transformed into an omega werewolf when he heard a banshee's scream comprising of his christened name.
The kanima has one natural enemy and that is the Garuda.
A/N: Well, there is the entry for the Kanima. The next entry will be the longest one seen yet and be titled Kitsune.