It would be nice to say that the burgermeisters of Ooaterveld had been dealing with troubled shapeshifters for centuries,but thats not what happenned.
Up till about 1946 it had been a quier village,then the dutch-indonesian war erupted.
While Holland had basked in the benefits of running a empire,its colonies had to deal with exotic new problems.The plantation owners found themselves dealing with nagas,king cobra womaen,shape shifting tigers,shark men and komodo dragon maidens,as well as other exotic beasties.
As long as the plantation owners cursed daughter slithered through Indonesian looking for mice,who cared.Out of sight,out of mind.
Then the dutch lost the war.Malarian wasn't the only thing returning to holland.All manner of shapeshifters with dutch nationality,as well as refugees,came hopping,galloping,slithering ,flapping and swimming back to the mother country.
After having a near heart attack,the dutch minister responsible for immigrants got to work.
Barger Oosterveld,shapeshifting capital of the World,slowly came into existence.
Jon knew the ropes and suggested that we visit his friend Doctor Johannes Hendriks,Gedaantverwisseling Expert.
As he told me as we drove to the doctors modest offices at Metamorfose Academie"we have to beat this or it'll tear you apart"