Derek is descended from a hidden bloodline, inhuman in nature. Origins unknown (perhaps shadowkind turned to good ends?), rare members of this bloodline act as predators of the supernatural, guarding humanity from the true dangers in the darkness. During the day, in strong sunlight, they look as ordinary men and women, but out of the sun, or at night, their senses come alive, and they can turn into bestial forms, bearing claws, horns, wings, looking much like the psuedo-demonic form of the gargoyles that adorn medieval churches and other structures.
Derek is only minorly aware of this ancestry as a childhood story; his father grew up here, but left for unknown reasons, dying while Derek was only a boy. Now having lost his mother in a freak car accident, he has been forced to reconnect with his long-lost extended family, who haven't mentioned the bloodline except in the most vague terms (and it's unknown if any of them are also powered). The bloodline only awakens in the presence of supernatural energies, and outside of Howling Creek, his family powers had lay dormant. At school, he feels like an outsider in the junior class, excluded from the cliques that formed years ago, and while he excelled in sports at his old high school, he arrived to town too late to join the local team for the season. He's angry at the loss of his family and being forced into new surroundings, and of course nobody understands him, just as he doesn't understand the social customs of the small town.
His powers have already awakened, even if he's not aware of them yet. He's felt a hint of energy in the night air, calling to him in a way he doesn't yet understand. He will need to learn how to use those powers if he is to survive.
