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It was a beautiful summer day in the port town of West Aeres. The wind was just right for a cool breeze without it being too overbearing against the warm sunlight. The water was even warm, but there wasn't much room for swimming. The harbor was full of freight ships coming and going as this was one of the more busier ports this side of the countryland. Each vessel a grand example of craftsmanship and labor. White sails billowed against the wind giving each boat a certain majestic look and feel to it.
One such ship was busy unloading it's cargo by a rather noticeable crew. The men were distinctly hairy. And not just beards and long hair. It seemed to even crawl up their arms and shoulders. To an average looker by one might think they were just brawly sort of men. But to a more trained eye, they'd see them as werewolves. Now there were three known kinds of werewolves. The first being the most notable, albeit the more rare. Most considered it even a myth, even to their other brethren. This was the classic story of a man who would uncontrollably turn into the beast when the moon was full. While there were no proven cases that such a race existed, it was possible for the lupus virus to be so strong that it overtook the man and made him turn in such a way.
The second was the most popular of the species, and they were the ones Man did not know about. Or rather, the secret was closely guarded. There was a pack who called themselves lous garous. They were skin walkers. Most of their kind could take on the shape of a mountainous beast such as a bear, a boar, a horse, etc. Or in their case...a wolf. With a single thought they would become the wolf. They were no bigger than ordinary wolves and typically hunted during the full moon. This is where the prior myth came from of man turning to beast. But these skin walkers kept to themselves and hid in plain sight, disguising themselves from man and his kind. They didn't trust other species either for that matter. Elves especially. Their eyes could see through the disguise and ruin any attempt at keeping their secret. So they tended to live in cities where Elves and other species were unwelcome. Others simply kept to the wilderness and avoided society altogether.
The last of the wolf species was what these men were. They were not men who became wolves but the opposite. They were born as wolf cubs and as they grew took on more human traits like being able to stand on their hind legs. These wolves could swap skins just as easily as the Lous Garous, going from wolf, to true human form, to a half hybrid shape that would stand at ten feet tall. The tallest ever recorded was actually fourteen feet in height. Naturally he was a pack Alpha the time he lived.
But there was one such person in their midst who was different by far, and not just because she was human. She was a lady first off, the only one in sight of this part of the bay. Long black hair with trimmed bangs lined her face. A red bow tied gently above her ear. Her outfit though was the most peculiar as she wore all black making it appear she was in mourning. She must have been dying in this summer heat though she made no motion to show it. She had a long sleeve dress that covered every inch of her frame from her neck down. Even her hands were gloves in silk and lace. She had a corset on her stomach which kept her frame looking prim and proper.
Once the majority of the crates were unloaded the men began to split up. One of the nicer groomed ones came to the girl's side and walked her down the gangplank with her hands nestled in the nook of his arm. He escorted her away from the ship and towards the more lived in side of towns, the opposite way to the marketplace. The wolves would head to bars and the like or shop for themselves before getting lost in their drinks. They were the kind to be loud and messy, which is why the female wanted nothing more than to head to a private residence and get some well earned quiet time.