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"Well, now we have that problem sorted, we may be able to get a long slightly better."

Erhard glanced at each of his companions in turn. Together they would be a formidable pack by any mundane standards, but the enemies they were about to face would blast the sanity of anyone who was unprepared. Still, he could not ignore Yami's vision. Like it or not, they were all involved now. They deserved to know.

Erhard looked with pride at the brave werewolves before him and began to speak, his enhanced vocal chords emitting subsonic harmonics to his words, strengthening his companions' resolve as he wagged his tail fluidly to set the alphas at ease and admit his subservient role as beta and advisor.

"My friends, you already smell the stench that hangs over this valley. This is no mere human pollution or charnel house of dead animal kin. This place reeks of Outside. I and my people have hunted creatures called the Malandanti since before man walked upright. These... things... appear to be human, but make no mistake. They are devils, one and all, servants of an even greater darkness whose name I dare not speak.

"My brothers and sisters are few and scattered as we are recovering from a terrible war in the north. Our Assembly of Elders may yet respond to this blight in reality that lies below us, but I fear we cannot count on them. We must hope and pray that others join us before the creatures in that village realize that they stand unnopposed and begin to spread.

"Be prepared. They hate our kind and will kill us if they can. And what is worse, if we allow them to escape, they will give birth to greater evil than you can imagine: a cosmic presence that will claim the world as its feasting ground. In the name of your bloodlines, I plead for your aid!"

Yami nodded. "I can try my best. A lame wolf isn't very helpful, but as you saw me fight back there you know I can still hold my own. I'll help in anyway I can."

"When you begin to think you know what's out there, you find out that there is still another otherworld form. One demonic and unpredictble. Our numbers are few at the moment, and I think additional help would be needed soon."
Suddenly he turned around and looked into the distance.
"Looks like we have some certain hostile friends on their way to pay a visit."

Erhard sniffed the air and his muscles tensed. An old, familiar smell and not a welcome one.

But not coming from the Devil’s Seat. Perhaps another scouting force, trying to find out what had happened to their vanguard? He hoped so. They weren’t ready for a pitched battle.

“It’s inadvisable to simply stand here and endure wave after wave,” he said. “We’ll need to take the fight to them and soon. Otherwise, they’ll whittle us down through sheer numbers. I advise that we try to infiltrate the town and see what we can learn. As yet, the Malandanti only have a vague idea that something is wrong; otherwise they would have sounded a general alarm by now. It’s still night time, so we may be able to penetrate their veil of secrecy and find out what they’re up to.”

Yami stood back up, returning to his wolf form. <<Let me scout ahead. I don't want us to walk into a trap. Walk a few paces behind me, and I'll bark if I see anything or get attacked.>> He cocked his head, his ears perked.

Thunderclaw smiled.
"That will work incredibly well, unless they decide to attack you from behind. That wil be their bigghest chance to notice you.

Yami grinned. <<Ah, but if they attack me from behind, they'll run into you. Or you will see them. Therefore, we'll only have a problem if they ambush you from behind.>>

Erhard was making to follow Yami when a ghoulish cry sounded from somewhere in the forest.

In a vague way it resembled the howl of a wolf, but perverted and mangled into a burbling shriek that made the four werewolves bare their teeth in revulsion and hatred. Then another similar call sounded from a different place as if in answer.

“I’ve seen this tactic before,” Erhard whispered, his eyes flashing in the moonlight, his furry hands flexing with nervous excitement. “The Vroloks are closing the net. We have to hurry if we want to keep our tactical edge.”

Yami slipped away, immediately, not wanting to waste any more time. Erhard was right, they needed to move fast. He lead the 'pack' sniffing ahead inspecting every bush and tree. It all seemed clear to him, but he could still smell the abominations getting closer.

Thunderclaw stood at the back of the trail, checking to make sure none tried coming from behind them. It was the best he could do to try and keep the pack safe from the vroloks

Yami sniffed on up ahead until they somehow managed to make it back to town without any interuptions. He sat back on his haunches, and sneezed. <<There's something in the air, I can't make it out. Is it possible that these... strange happenings might have something to do with the source of the odor? Or is this the smell of those damned beasts?>>

It wasn't long before Erhard found the new scent as well. He tasted... something...

<<That smell,>> he said in the true speech. <<It's almost like...>>

He whined softly, struggling to contain conflicting feelings and reservations. Could it be?

He glanced quickly at a building whose boarded up windows lay only a block away, dark and ominous in the shadows cast in the streets. Black and haunted alleyways loomed on either hand and the stench of the Malandanti was emanating from all of them. He had to confirm his suspicions, but it would be dangerous. There was only one way, as distasteful as it was. To the Benandanti, knowledge was a great weapon; and it was time to use it.

<<Please give me a moment,>> he said. <<I won't be long.>>

A moment later, Erhard was back in his human guise, albeit without a stitch of clothing on. To the curious glances of his companions, he emerged openly onto the streets and began to shamble in a slouching gait, half reminiscent of some sort of ape. He crossed the street to the boarded-up building and appeared to lean up against it at several points. Then, he slowly wheeled about and slouched his way back to the dark alley where the other lycanthropes waited.

A moment more and he was back in his upright hybrid form. <<Forgive me if that seemed odd. I had to move and appear like one of their Corrupted so they wouldn't suspect me. I was careful not to let them catch my scent or the game would have been up.

<<That old building used to be the Sherriff's office. He was Benandanti, like me. We used to have a den here, but it disappeared along with the town. Now... now I've caught his scent again... or something... like it. I... I'm not sure.

<<But there's something wrong. The scent has changed. I... I can't explain it yet. This is something new. Unknown. We have to be careful. Something's happening here, in this town. Something very, very bad.>>

Thunderclaw looked at Erhard with a grim expression on his face.
" And when bad things go bad, then we can only hope and prepare for the worst.

"Bad things only ever get worse." Yami snorted. He pushed off the alley wall that he had been leaning on. "Where will we hide out? This place is crawling with those... abominations." He spat.

Erhard cast his gaze to and fro. Where indeed could they go? With every street filthy from the foul touch of evil...

Then he looked up. "The roofs. The thieves' highway. We should easily be able to jump from roof to roof. I haven't seen evidence that any of these things have the ability to fly. They're looking for us out in the woods; we can move with impunity provided we stay quiet.

"I'm not sure yet what lies behind this place and its Malandanti infestation, but that scent... it makes me nervous," he said, his teeth baring in partial snarl. "If any of you smell anything that resembles my scent, we'll need to check it out. More than ever, I'm convinced that whatever is happening here, it's tied to my brother Benandanti who disappeared along with the town."

"Well, it's better than being easy targets for their large numbers"

"Is there anyway to send oionut a signal?" Yami asked. "Some form of communication. We could call for some one to come help us, something."

Thunderclaw looked around nervously.
"I have a contact we could get to, but he doesn't like me contacting him this way often. This however, is probably an emergency enough to use it."

"Erhard? Would it be safe?"

(Sarence can stand upright in wolf form if he wants to, but he prefers to stand all-paws-on-ground.)
"I could find him in a flash thunderclaw, just tell me where." He then hears something behind him, turns around to find nothing...strange, he thinks.

"Sarence, you must be careful though. If you leave, a.) We could get caught off gaurd and be one less in a fight, and b.) You could get in trouble if they caught you alone. If we can send a message without any of us leaving, it would be best."

Erhard leapt up and scrambled to the roof of an adjoining building. After looking around and sniffing the air, he called softly down, his eyes glinting.

<<We need to keep moving. Thunderclaw, if you and Sarence can get hold of your contact, well and good. But we can't stay at street level for long. Once the Malandanti realize that we've evaded them, they'll double back. They may be on the alert already.>>

Somewhere, far away, a long moan began. Then it rose to a loud and horrible screech before dying away. The werewolves' fur bristled even as the sound faded. But the air was still laden with menace long after, as if the exhalations of the screaming thing had poisoned the very atmosphere and called malevolent spirits to haunt the darkness that lay like an amorphous predator between the houses.

<<They know!>> Erhard hissed. <<Up here, quickly!>>

Yami immediately began jumping onto items pulling himself up. His left hind leg almost gave out a few times and he struggled, finally pulling himself onto the roofs.

Thunderclaw turns to get a glimpse at the incoming enemy before getting onto the roof himself.
"He was an old friend of mine, I knew him before I became a werewolf. He understood me though, and although he's not lycanthropic, he is still both resourceful and pretty darn good in a fight. If any of those things try getting to us, hold them back. He may have some backup which will help us last the night."