Juma "Chimera" Ngomo

[Juma Ngomo]

Name: Juma Ngomo
Codename: Chimera (Previously Shaman)
Country of Origin: Uganda
Age: 18 (though he lacks official birth records)

Power Description: Juma can shapeshift into several animal forms and exhibit related feral traits, from enhanced senses to speed to claws. However, he must have eaten the flesh of the animal to mimic (to absorb some of its genetic code) first. This absorption process works best on freshly caught and raw meat; McDonald's does not cut it, nor does a little scraping of skin. Once absorbed, Juma's body remembers the genetic traits and with practice he can call upon them.

When Juma uses his powers, his appearance takes on some of the traits of the creature he is borrowing from; the more he pushes, the more animalistic he becomes, easily shifting into an animal/human hybrid form as he draws on his power. His body started with a relatively blank slate before his rite of passage (see history below) and his ability to manifest traits borrowed from a serval are still the strongest. At this point, he can only call on one species at a time, though with time he will be able to combine multiple species at once.

With great difficulty, Juma can even shift entirely into an animal form. He gains the instincts of his new body but loses some of his human intellect; this is a trade he is willing to accept, and telepathic examination raises the possibility that it is more psychological than anything else.

The known animals that Juma can borrow from/shapeshift into are:
Serval (large cat)
Chameleon
Great White Shark
Golden Eagle

History: Juma was born and raised in a small Ugandan village on the cusp of modernization. Tribal values and practices were still very strong, yet modern amenities including formalized education started to gain importance. As such, Juma and the others of his generation were often split between traditional beliefs and modern forces. He grew up learning to hunt, learning to survive, but also learning to read and speak English from the British evangelicals who set up a school in the community.

These contesting forces came to a collision when Juma was a young teen. As a coming-of-age rite, his grandfather took him hunting in the terrain outside of town. His grandfather wanted to keep the old ceremonies going and so the two set out with spears and wits and patience. After an arduous stalk, Juma managed to take down a serval, and his grandfather taught him how to ritually dress and eat the kill.

This rite of passage had greater consequences than anyone had forseen. His mutation was already active, but without a concentrated intake of fresh meat (especially organs), it had nothing to absorb. After the ritual, Juma began exhibiting cat-like traits: night vision, excellent hearing, faster sprinting, and the like. At one point he even grew retractable claws. Some of the elders heralded him as a new shaman, while the evangelicals tried to convert him and save his soul. His presence in the town was thwarting years of work to convert the tribe to the glory of God, and when nothing else worked, the head missionary took extreme measures: he reported Juma's presence to an unscrupulous band of thugs engaged in the illegal organ trade, who still sell organs on the black market for reputed medicinal or mystical properties.

Juma's keen hearing is what saved him. He heard the arrival of a group of trucks, a rare enough occasion in his village. That sparked his curiosity enough to listen in and piece together that the strangers were coming for him. Without hesitation, he bolted, making his way out of the darkened town. He knew from other conversations that a refugee camp could be found to the north of his village and he set out in that direction, living off the land, moving quietly, hunting when needed and avoiding contact with most of humanity.

When he arrived at the camp, he went through the standard battery of tests: general health, infectious diseases, parasites, and the like. When the operators of the camp heard his tale, they added an extra test, sending a blood sample away to be analyzed for the presence of the X-Gene. The positive result was brought to the camp by a colleague of Moira Taggart, who offered to bring him to Muir Island for an examination and possible referral to another facility. As reluctant as he was to leave home, the possibility of learning more, perhaps even learning how to protect his small community, was enough to secure his agreement. His stay on Muir led to a complete high school education at Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning.

After graduation, Juma wanted to continue training to join an X-Team and help his homeland. He is an adequate student academically, though he has done surprisingly well in philosophy. Strangely enough, he seems to act younger now than ever, as Western culture rubs off on him and he learns to relax.

Physical Description: A tall, lanky youth with ebony skin and a regularly shaven scalp. Three small scars, too precise to be accidental, adorn his right cheek, and his hazel eyes are always scanning alertly. He speaks with a British accent but has started to use more slang.

[Drascus]

Legacy fast track

[Juma Ngomo]

Power Development

Juma has learned how to combine traits from different animals at the same time. He is able to shift into multi-animal hybrids much as he previously could shift into a human-animal hybrid form. With the arrival of this new talent he has changed his code name from Shaman to Chimera.

Additionally, Juma is finding it easier to take on new forms, even smaller ones. Historically he had a great deal of difficulty shapeshifting into a chameleon, which at the time he attributed to the smaller amount of meat he could consume per reptile. However, with some more experimentation, Juma has been able to take on new forms more readily.

The known animals Juma can shapeshift into are:

Serval (large cat)
Chameleon
Great White Shark
Golden Eagle
Kodiak Bear
European Hedgehog
Gazelle