The Negative Myth of the Wolf

Many cultures have myths or ideas of human shifting into animals in many Native American and First Nation communities. In Mesoamerica, there's also something called a nagwa, which is a human being who has the power to magically turn themselves into animal forms. The legend of a Sena is an old Turkic myth that tells of how the Turkish people were created by Chinese soldiers. And actually in Turkish legend, people are the descendants of wolves. So like you said, it's like a reflected tether version of yourself.