It was past midnight when Nichol finally exited the Chunnel and parked in the customs area at the Dover end. It been a long drive and he was looking forward to a coffee.. or even a good stiff drink.

He had driven from near Romania and had been on the road for nearly 18 hours or more. The money for this load was good – over 5000 Euros. The shipment was from a company looking to escape the coming war. Tools, machines, parts – as the shipping documents said. Plus he had picked up the container sealed. Now all it needed was for customs to open it , verify it, and he'd be on his way.

Stepping out of the truck in to the pouring rain and thunder he squinted through the lights for the customs officers. It was a hellish morning and he smiled to see two men walking towards him.

“I have Papers here" Nichols said “Picked up container sealed. No open till get here" Steve took the folder and checked through the manifest. All seemed fine so now to check in the back. Walking to the doors of the container he cut the seal with a pair of pliers – noting that they had not been tampered with, and then swung open the back. A line of wooden crates blocked his view of the front so he climbed up and peered in. It was dark back there so he flashed to torch in – nothing, then there was a bark and what seemed to be dozens of reflected pupils suddenly flared back at him. And moved.

He go a brief glimpse of something large, furred, on two legs brush past him. He cried out in shock but then there was another, and another. All silently leaping past him. Shaken he turned to see furred figures racing over the concrete to the edges of the light. “What the Hell" he cried as his partner John grabbed his taser “Don't worry – we'll trap them at the fence" John called back and radioed the office “We've got animals loose in the compound" he yelled.
A moment later the full lights came on – lighting the full expanse of the concrete and there – at the fence he saw them fully.

He had heard the name before, seen depictions in movies, novels – but this was reality. Bipedal, furred, wolfen snouts and pointed ears, tails and claws – Werewolves, the stuff of legend but here.. real.. in the fur.

The group.. no pack was working together, larger ones climbing the tall wire links and reaching for the smaller ones. There were different sizes too – he saw what could be males, smaller females, and definitely cubs in arms.  And heading towards the group was a smaller one who limped and carried a furred bundle close to 'her?' chest. She called out and one of the larger ones turned and doubled back , helped her up and then stood – legs apart and arms stretched out as if to block any hindrance to their others passage.

By now security was on the move and several jeeps were heading to the fence but by the time they got there the rest of the pack was over and disappeared in to the night.

The last one still stood there watching the rest make it to safety and turned to face the oncoming vehicles. It did not snarl, or roar defiance.. but instead knelt down to it's knees and placed it's hands behind its head in surrender.

 
Steve finally got a good look at what had surprised them. It would have be nearly two and a half meters tall if it was standing, thick fur covered it in various patterns of blacks, greys, brown and silver tipping.  He.. is any comparison to canine anatomy  panted in the rain which slickened down his fur to show the shapes of muscles beneath the pelt. “Are you ok Steve – they did not hurt you did they" John asked. Steve shook his head “No, none of them touched me at all. The just moved past me.. That all"

 Warily the security guards walked up to it – nervously holding their tasers and guns. But the creature made no move, just lowered its muzzle to look at the ground. One guard braver that the rest took an arm and secured it with a strap, and then the other arm too. Then pulled the creature to it's feet.

It stood there, on bent legs more akin to a dog than a man, long tail limp behind it and offered no resistance when the guard pulled it towards one of the jeep. “You.. Steve was it. Come with us, and Charles – you get the driver. What a fucking night for this to happen"
The guard Charles jumped in to his vehicle and sped down apprehend the driver while Steve got in to the other jeep. The creature was put in the back and guarded by two other men.

“You ever seen anything like this before?" Steve asked “If you told me yesterday this actually existed then I'd called you mad. Hey – I'm just waiting to wake up from this nightmare myself" the guard replied.

By the time they reached the guard house the other driver arrived with the protesting driver. “I do not know what was in cargo. I just pick up container and drive to England. Non stop they paid me to do" Nichol said hurriedly. They looked at Steve who confirmed “The seals were not tampered with. Whatever was in there came all the way from where it was sealed to here.."

They nervously pushed the creature in to one of the cells and pushed the driver in to the next one. Nichols pressed himself as far away from the creature as he could. As soon as the creature's door was closed and locked it shrugged and with a snap it broke the ties that secured it's wrists. Bringing them in front of itself it rubbed it's wrists and then sat on the bed.

It was warm in the cellblock and as the creature dried it's musky dog like scent started to fill the air. Steve who was sitting with the guards was used to that kind of smell since he had a German Shepherd and often had to dry her from after walks.

 Walking over to the cell Steve looked at the creature. A set of deep golden eyes gazed back. There was an intelligence there. Seeing Steve there it opened it's jaws and panted – miming holding something .. a bowl.. in its human like paws and then lapped with a broad tongue as if to drink.

“Hey guys" Steve called – “do you have a bowl or something." “Kitchen around the corner" Charles replied. Finding a small kitchen Steve grabbed a bowl and filled it with water and then walked back. Realizing a problem in that he could not pass the bowl through the bars Steve stood there in till the creature mimed him to move closer. Watched by the guards Steve did so and when he got to the bars the creature carefully moved closer, dipped it's massive head and.. gently lapped the water.

“Thank you for not biting me" Steve nervously joked at which the creature flicked it's ears and chuffed something.. A mixture of soft growls and clicks.  It couldn't be Steve thought But if.. “Can you understand me" Steve hesitantly asked. The creature looked up and into Steve's eyes and slowly nodded.

“Guys..“ Steve called “Hey Guys.. I think it can understand English!!" “What!!" one of the other guards shouted and came across. “Ok.. Who are you. Where are you from. What are you doing here?" The guard excitedly asked.

The creature made gentle downwards motion with it's paws, and them mimed.. writing.

A pad and pencil was quickly found and handed through the bars.. And everyone watched in wonder as the creature took them and started to write in careful precise movements. When it had finished it turn the pad to be read by the others.

“My name is Taris. My people mean yours no harm. Was anyone hurt when we escaped?"

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