Mwamba wrote:Come to think of it, if Farrar was a wolf, wouldn't she have transformed during the Spirit revolution? For example, Whitewall pulled her Afrit-of-doom card as a last fighting attempt before she died. Surely Farrar would have tried something similar.
I think
Mwamba makes the best point.
-1. If Farrar was a werewolf, then she would have transformed to escape at Some point.
-2. Even if Farr was biding her time, she had the perfect time to try and escape when she and all the hostages were locked into that room.
-3. The rope and stuff was meant to restrain un-athletic, normal people. It was only stuff like rope, tape and a few nets, right? I doubt even the daintiest werewolf/wolf would be much troubled by such bindings.
-4. Even if the bindings could have still restrained Farrar in wolf-form, she still would have at least Tried to transform and break out.
-5. Even if Farrar had wanted to be turned into a werewolf, she might have been too young for the process, or just not gotten around to it.
-6. Becoming a werewolf might have some undesired side effects. We see many of the Night Police are really just feral and can being mindless with bloodlust. Full Moons might also cause problems for people that have become werewolves. Farrar, being calm and calculating, would not like the idea losing part of her powerful mind.
However, there are still some other things to consider:
-1. Maybe it takes a Spell or something to transform into a wolf. Since Farrar was gagged, now speaking the 'transformation spell'. (They became werewolves Through a spell, right? So, maybe it takes magic to activate the transformation.)
-2. Again, it might take certain circumstances to transform into a wolf. Many times I read the Night Police running after people growling and snarling, like they were just in a half-wolf form. And other times, when they were outside attacking Kitty, many transformed into full on wolves. So, maybe they can only transform So much on their own. Maybe they need a full moon, or at least some form of moonlight. They ARE called the NIGHT Police, after all.
-3. Thinking back to the beginning of book 3 when Bartimaeus is trapped under a bathroom, but can't transform his way to get out. This might be a similar problem for the Wolves. Their bodies transform at different rates, so when they start to grow, they get bigger, but they don't have the full endurance and strength of a werewolf yet. In that case, transforming while bound could be dangerous and crush bones or cause suffocation. ["Animorphs", anyone? :) ]
-4. It might be 'preferred' to only turn larger people into wolves, but Is it mandatory? Being the apprentice of (and then Being) the Chief of the Night Police would easily give Farrar the ability to turn herself into a wolf, if she so desired.
-5. It might be Mandatory for everyone in the Security Department and/or Night Police to become wolves. The Night Police seem the most loyal to each other out of any of the other Ministries. It seems like Everyone else was always hating or plotting against each other, even in their own departments. The wolves, being very different from the magicians, would probably demand new members to become wolves just like them to prove their loyalty. That seems like something a very Macho, Frat house-like organization like the Night Police would do.
-6. Duvall was a fellow wolf and he seemed very respected by his minions. Becoming a Wolf would probably help anyone wanting to get promoted and move up in the department. So, I believe Farrar would want to become a Wolf simply for any political benefits it would give her.
-7. While it is true that Farrar is very smart and cunning (i.e. subtle), these traits wouldn't necessarily be hindered by her being a Wolf. Being able to transform into a ferocious killing machine is always a handy tool to have. Farrar might want to have that power "just in case", for emergencies. That seems like a smart thing to do.
-8. Farrar being a wolf might explain why she Led the Night Police against the Hybrids. I mean, if she was just a normal person, then what exactly was she Doing? Was she just giving advice to the other Wolves? "You, bite him. And you, scratch him!".....The only reason she had to be their would be if she was a Wolf and could help fight. I mean, most magicians, especially the higher-up ones, are cowards. A magician wouldn't run to the front-lines, but a Wolf probably would.
-9. This would also explain why Farrar died. If she was just issuing orders or even using a demon, she probably would have been out of harms way. If she was a werewolf, she would have been charging into the danger.
-10. Farrar didn't seem to like Magic very much. I rarely saw her control Any demons, and when she did, she was obviously very unimpressed with their power. When all the hostages were free, Farrar didn't put much stock into using demons and magic to fight the Hybrids. Farrar had a lot of faith in the power of the Wolves. This makes me think that she valued the strength of being a werewolf much more than that of demons or magic. Having such confidence in Wolves, and being power-hungry, I believe Farrar would have chosen to become a werewolf.
