In a vast land filled with trees of massive lengths and beasts roaming the area, there was a large settlement established in a cleared-out part of the forest.
Several wood erected buildings were scattered in different parts of the settlement. The building themselves did not go more than the size of a standard bungalow.
The log cabins all had one distinct feature. And that was that they were segregated into circles that were spaced out from one another reaching distance of up to forty feet before the next cloister of log cabins was located.
Each cloister of cabin seemingly had a standout cabin with a roof that was higher than the corresponding cabins around it.
The largest and tallest of each cloister of cabins in their respective circle had a mark on it. A colour was attached to the tallest amongst each cloister.
In view now was a red-marked cabin surrounded by several more cottages that were not too far from each other but at the same time were equally spaced out. Out of the red marked cottage, a man walked out bare-chested and bare-footed.
He had black fur pant on but other than that, there was no other clothing item on him. His chest housed a forest of hair which trailed down to his navel region.
His abdominal region was carved out into blocks of muscles. He stood with long arms that were equally muscular and a chin covered with dark beards linking to his ear where the side beards were.
His hair was also black and spiky and his eyes were brown. He looked around the place and several other people dressed like him walked by and greeted him.
This show of respect was for a singular reason and that was because he was the red pack alpha.
The entire vast land occupied by segregated groups of log cabins was the werewolf settlement. A large group of werewolves lived here but not as a single pack.
Unlike the vampires that lived in close quarters and were basically a unilateral group when it came down to it, the wolves were different.
There were strata inoculated in the setting of their community due to certain factors. For one, wolves were born into bloodlines from a mating pair. Vampires on the other hand practised a more freehanded approach to procreation.
Unlike vampires that were a polyamorous group, werewolves were in a more restricted relationship or monogamous affair involving a single male werewolf and a female who wasn't allowed to mingle outside the confines of their bonded relationship.
This setting had its positive and negative sides. The positive side was that in each pack, a strong blood connection tied each member. They were like an extended bloodline of wolves from a single origin. And this meant that each pack not only shared blood ties but certain cultural beliefs and general pack mentality to support their own over others.
But the reason the vampires had taken their own form of approach to being polyamorous was quite simple. They valued strength amongst all other things. Growing as a strong group was their priority. And they believed that restricting themselves to a monogamous kind of relationship wasn't the way. They believed that having an open affair with different mates ensured that variation of some sort occurred leading to a disparity between the weak and the strong. And the strong when discovered from a bloodline are further allowed to proliferate.
The weak on the other hand are subsequently culled from certain activities ensuring that their weak bloodline doesn't spread through the population.
The werewolves on the other hand were more inclined to have pack members of a grand origin in whom they could put their full trust in. The pack functioned mainly on unrestricted communication and trust in each other. This to them was the key to achieving their end goal which was similar to the vampires goal of getting stronger.
But this didn't eliminate all problems. Certain grey areas existed and for one, the fact that werewolves were also severely territorial added to the bias that existed in the werewolf community. The alpha of each family or pack along with his mate were the father and mother of a long list of werewolves that answered to them. What this meant was that they were in a constant battle to be the higher pack in the large community of werewolves with numerous packs already existing.
"Zefra, it's yet another dawn, a chance to look into the future and snatch the present, why the look on your face?" a female walked out of the same cottage that the male who walked out of and was called Zefra did.
Zefra was the alpha of the red pack. A pack that boasted of around a hundred pack members. Looking at the two who were mates and by right were essentially the pioneers of the pack of a hundred werewolves, one would think they were too young for this feat.
But this was very likely to be the case except in Zefra's case, he had taken over as the pack alpha after the death of his father, the former alpha of the red pack.
"It does not please me that I have been called by that hypocrite and lazy fool to attend a meeting with the other alphas who are no different from the water breathers as they possess similar thinking patterns, "Zefra replied.
Lola, Zefra's mate could not refrain from chuckling. Having the physical features of a well-endowed woman, a laugh from her would certainly turn heads. But in a werewolf community, any head that turned towards the direction of the alpha's mate was sure to be found rolling.
Her two red pigtails resting on her neck were subtly matched with the red cotton woven fabric tied around her chest. Her eyelashes were long and curled. Each one was separated from the other giving it a more refined look. Her lips were also very seductive but with all of this beauty, she was feared not as the alpha's beautiful mate just alone, but as the official matriarch of the pack and lead huntress.
Given her physical appearance and that of her mate, the alpha, Zefra, one would be fooled into thinking they were as young and perhaps in their early thirties as their human counterparts would appear to be.
But being a werewolf came with similar perks as a vampire. And one of them included reduced ageing. The two mates were in their first century of existence and counting.
"You forget that I will be escorting you and be caught in the middle of all those suffocating egos as well?"Lola said with a slight chuckle while rubbing her hands on the bare back of Zefra.
"I still don't why he asked that we come along with our mates. Either way, it's best we proceed to the grand cottage now, "Zefra said.
They both walked side by side exiting their log cabin and making it onto a straight stone pathway surrounded by tall trees on both sides. The walk was long and along the way, they met some of their loyal pack members who cleared the path immediately they saw the alpha and his mate.
Wolves that didn't belong to his pack also did the same. Every alpha in the settlement was well known. They sat at the top of the food chain so it was necessary that respect was accorded to them.
This was a tradition that they followed. A culture that was born out of fear for the most part.
Though in the case of wolves that were related to the alpha, this culture was slowly becoming one born out of respect and admiration.
But then again, at the end of the day, a certain level of cohesiveness existed even amongst members of different packs like the one that was about to take place.
Just at the front, Zefra, the alpha male of the red pack could see several more figures walk in pairs into the grand cottage.
"The grand cottage, "Zefra said as a large cottage bigger than anyone in the entire wolf settlement was in view. The grand cottage had several log cabins surrounding it. These smaller log cabins were the pack members of the prime alpha, the overall alpha of the settlement.