It had been several days since I'd had my little run-in with Katherine, and since then I'd made my way up to the northern coasts of my homeland, following a few travelers who smelled an awful lot like wolves.
It had struck me as a bit too strange to ignore. After all, I couldn't be the only werewolf in Francia, and it would be interesting if I could find a place for myself to fit in. To make a long story short, I tailed them carefully as they traveled, keeping a good distance between us and doing my best to stay downwind, just as a precaution.
They were camping in front of a very large system of caves, and I watched them curiously from the trees. It seemed to be a sign that I might be right about them. Werewolves would be more inclined to stay near or in caves than humans, that's for certain.
I had been returning from hunting one night when I saw them: three werewolves, all sitting atop the rock that made up the caves, as they raised their heads, howling up at the cold night sky.
I immediately dropped the dead deer I'd been carrying, and raised my head as well, answering their howl. They all jerked their heads towards me, staring with wide, cautious eyes as I lowered my muzzle, approaching them slowly.
I stared back at them, and for what seemed like eternity, we simply stared at each other. Then, they cautiously approached me, sniffing and poking their muzzles at me as I did the same.
Finally, one of them, a female, growled at me, and strangely enough, I understood its meaning. For convenience, I'll be translating all growls into something that you can understand.
The female werewolf growled, "Who are you and what are you doing here...?" Her tone wasn't friendly, but it was not horribly hostile, either.
I stared at her for a while before I replied quietly, "My name is Raoul. I just happened to be hunting along the coast here when I heard your howl." I thought it would be in my better interest if they didn't know I'd actually followed them simply out of curiosity.
One of the other two, the only male, snarled and shook his head. "Well, unless you're of our pack, you shouldn't be here...and I don't recognize you."
I shrugged. "Well, sorry, I don't belong to any pack...Actually; I've never met any other werewolves before."
At this all of their ears perked up. The female who I had spoken to asked, "Never? Have you been locked in a cellar for all of your life?"
I grinned bitterly. "More or less, yes." My response earned a series of odd looks and the three of them exchanging glances, as I went on. "I was a slave up until just a few seasons ago. Didn't see much outside of a tiny village..."
The male wolf snapped, "Your life story doesn't concern us. Just be on your way, pup, and leave us be."
Before I could respond, two more werewolves came out of the trees, then shortly afterward, five more. More and more wolves showed up, and soon the entire system of caves and the general area around it was full of happily growling and snarling werewolves.
I was amazed; who knew that there were this many of my kind? And all together, at once! It was awe-inspiring. I leaped down from the rock before the male wolf could continue trying to force me to leave, and mixed into the crowd of wolves below.