All was not as easy as the telling of it, the ghouls and cannibals fought back. They fought with a desperate ferocity, fearing their way of life, their very kind were threatened. But, they could not fend off the mind collective of the Mankind combined with that of the Wolfkind. Slowly, the ghouls and cannibals were driven back, many, with their backs against that which they could not survive, chose death. In a few short years, they became the "boogiemen" in stories told to small children. Peace reigned in all the lands of the Earth, Mankind and his friends were thriving. There was no ruler insofar as someone making laws, but Nok and his family, along with the four young princes were the leaders of Humankind. Great Gray and his clan, were the leaders of the Wolfkind. All was at peace when a mind of great force "spoke" so that all could hear, "You have matured and are made welcome to those of us from the stars."
Chapter 1 - EMBASSY
From the stars, those of Earth heard, "We are the Dracule, your cousins. We are coming to you, await us at your city of S'Geo. We are coming in friendship at long last!"
A huge vessel settled to the ground outside S'Geo, those of that city watched beings emerge, holding their hands out in peace and friendship.
That they were vampiric, there was no question, their eyes glowed red and fangs were seen protruding from their lips. A delegation of the Dracule approached where the four Twins and Nok were standing. Great Gray had joined them as did the oldest among them, Lord Gan, the Ancient Vampire.
Mob stood beside the blind Prince, transmitting all he saw to the old man.
The leader of the Dracule, Captain T'klee addressed the crowd, both mentally and by voice, "Cousins, we greet thee in peace, long have we waited for you to mature. Our folk are few and our home long since destroyed. Life is scarce among the stars, we have found only two worlds to have ever developed life such as ours. We ask that we might join you in peace on this world."
Great Gray walked out to meet the Dracule Captain, they stood there, each communing with the other.
Great Gray announced, "The Wolfkind accept the Dracule as brothers, may they live long among us!"
Nok, his sons, and the Twins joined Great Gray and the Dracule Captain, trading mind images. The air above them crackled with the energy of their communion.
Nok and his sons and also the Royal Twins reached out and held the Captain in an embrace as they transmitted to all on the planet. "Mankind also accepts the Dracule as brothers. They are we and we are they, long may we all live in peace."
Nok asked, "Where are your folk, can they not also be greeted?"
The Captain replied, "We are few, all who remain of our folk are on this vessel. We are but 50 who remain of our race."
At that, a group of Dracule emerged from their ship, all looked weary and the few children clearly were starving.
Mob and Jef screamed in distress, sending to the 'paths to bring food and drink that the Dracule might eat.
Shopkeepers handed food and water to the Telepaths who were racing through the city, mothers took food from their own tables and gave it for the visitors.
Three female wolves approached the group of children and led them to where the 'paths were setting out food for the starving Dracule.
Captain T'klee stood there not believing what he was seeing, tears began to flow down his face as he tried to thank the telepaths who were bringing food for his folk, "Our food was gone, we were living on hope that you would help us and accept us."
Great Gray walked up to the Dracule Captain and nudged him towards the food, "Eat and become strong, Brother. You are safe among us and all that we have, we share with thee."
For the first time in their memory, the Dracule children had full tummies.
They curled up on the soft grass, each with a female wolf upon whom to rest their heads.
Soon, all the Dracule children were asleep, curled around a mothering wolf while their parents were eating their fill of the food brought to them.
Slowly, the Dracule told their story, that war had destroyed their home world and they were all that remained of the three races that had inhabited that world. They told of wandering the stars looking for an inhabitable world and finding only this world that was inhabited by those at war with each other.
They watched as mankind sunk into savagery and warfare, the Dracule numbers diminishing as they watched. They grew hopeful as they saw civilization begin to return, their food was fast running out.
At last, they felt that those living on this planet had matured and would accept them, for they had no other choice. Their food was gone and their children were starving, so they took the chance at contact.
They were powerful mind speakers and when Great Gray approached them, they saw in his mind his trust and fellowship with mankind.
They knew that, at last, they had found a home.
The Dracule were welcomed into the homes of the citizens of S'Geo, for the first time since their home world had disintegrated into a fiery ball, they had beds, with sheets and soft pillows in which to sleep. Mothers filled up the Dracule children with special foods and provide places for them to sleep, with space for their protecting Mother Wolves.
The town's children took the Dracule children as their own, Dracule parents watching as their children were drawn into games and playtime. Dracule science began showing up, a small radio station came on line, while a shop in S'Geo began selling radio receivers based on Dracule technology.
When Chief Medic Mala learned that the Dracule were healers, she rushed to invite them to the hospital. They were astounded at what the Dracule Healers could do and, then, it was the Dracule's turn to be astounded when the strongest of Mankind's mind speakers were able to do the same thing.
Those who had been terribly wounded in the wars with the ghouls and rogue ogres came to the hospital to be restored, missing limbs, eyesight and horrible scars were repaired under the guidance of the Dracule Healers.
Soon, Healers from among Mankind were able to restore those injured and maimed.
Machinery to harvest foods began appearing and large tracts of land put under cultivation. It was a time of good years for both the races of Man and the Dracule, but, like all good times, there were rocky spots also.
Word came from the ice barrier that folk living in those lands were disappearing. There had been no sightings of ghouls in several years and Ogres gone rogue had been wiped out even before that.
Jef and Mob requested of Great Gray permission to query members of the Wolfkind who lived in the land of ice and snow.
Great Gray not only gave his permission, he also sent his oldest pup, Wise Gray, to accompany them.
Mob asked for volunteers from Fort S'Geo and he was mobbed, he had to hold a lottery in order to keep the numbers to two Troops.
As they mounted up, Mob and Jef were concerned that Wise Gray would have trouble keeping up with the mounted troopers, they need not have worried. When they met up with the offspring of Great Gray, they discovered he was nearly as big as the trooper's horses! Had it been possible, they were sure the young Wolfling Prince was laughing at them, they found out later that he was!
It was no laughing matter to the farmers they came across when they spotted a 500-pound wolf leading troopers across the landscape!
Prince Wise Gray queried his relatives as they headed north, the foxes, the night howlers and farmers' dogs in an attempt to discover who or what was attacking the borderland farmers.
By the time they reached the Ice Wall, they had pieced together a description of what they were looking for, WERES! There had not been any trouble from Werefolk in 200 years and they had never been known to inhabit places cold and frozen. They stopped at the Ice Wall and Jef and Mob distance spoke with their Father, Prince Nok. Wise Gray contacted his Father, Prince Great Gray and they proceeded to have a conference.
They decided there must be an "other side" to the frozen lands and a way across the ice. Dracule Captain T'klee had been invited to participate in the conference and he volunteered the use of a scout craft from his ship.
Wise Gray in particular, was not enthused about riding in such a craft, but he realized it was the only way they were going to be able to discover the Werekinds' lair.
Captain T'klee himself piloted the small craft and he landed beside where the search party was waiting. There was only sufficient room for the searchers and one troop of Troopers, without their horses.
As the Dracule Captain piloted the craft over the ice fields, he knew he was dangerously overloaded, but he put the engines in overload and continued the search.
As they crossed the ice fields, they saw pockets of green land and smoking mountains, but mental scans showed them to be devoid of higher life. They came around a huge mountain, with fiery molten stone belching from its top. Beyond the mountain were great valleys free of ice and of temperate climate. It was here they found signs of habitation and the mental signatures of Werefolk.
Those mental signatures were like scratching their fingernails on slate, Wise Gray's hair stood on end and all the telepaths had to raise their shields to preserve their own sanity.
They knew they were discovered when a mental tidal wave of evil and hate washed across them, so intense that Captain T'klee nearly lost control of the scout craft.
He turned the craft around and headed back in the direction they had come, the throttles against the emergency stops.
The Dracule Captain was so shaken by his experience, the small craft wobbled and shook as he landed it where they had left the remainder of the troopers. When he finally had the scout craft down on the ground, he asked in a shaky voice, "What in the name of the Seven Hells did we discover?"
Of their party, only two troopers were old enough to have ever encountered Werefolk before, they told him that it was Werefolk they had found, the kind who had nearly destroyed this world with their bombs and poisons.
Both Wise Gray and Mob were already in conference with their elders reporting what they had discovered. Mob ordered the mounted troopers to return to Fort S'Geo at their fastest rate, he and Jef, along with Wise Gray were returning in the scout craft to report their findings.
The troopers were to warn the settlers, as they fled back to S'Geo, about the danger.
Chapter 2 - WEREWAR
By the time Captain T'klee got them back to S'Geo, Nok had already mobilized the reserves and asked the Chieftains for as many Tribal Warriors as they could spare.
The night was filled with the noises of Great Gray's Wolfkind gathering to assist their Mankind Brothers.
Wolves great and small answered the call as did their cousins, the foxes and dogs. Last in, the night howlers came timidly, not knowing if they were welcome.
Great Gray and Nok went out into the fields to meet the night howlers, making sure they knew they were welcome and wanted.
A small troop of Dogkind answered the call, none had ever seen their like before. They called themselves, "Dingo". They kept to themselves and caused no trouble, their relatives were soon to learn however, that they did not want them for enemies, so fearsome were they, when it came to fighting Werekind.
The Weres would turn and run at the very sight of these "Dingos"!
Nok divided the War Party into three Commands, one under the leadership of Mob and Great Gray, the second under the leadership of Jef and Wise Gray. The third Command he held in reserve under his command. He debated where to place the Dingos and Great Gray recommended they be placed with him.
As soon as the Commands had assembled, they headed off to two separated points along the Ice Wall, each Commander enforcing mental shields so that the Werekind would not know of their plans.
Captain T'klee and several of his most powerful mind speakers boarded the Scout Craft to act as spotters for both forces. It took several weeks to reach the mountains that surrounded the lands claimed by the Werekind. It appeared they had remained undetected as the Weres were observed going about their normal routine with no visible preparations for war.
When all the forces were in place, Mob gave the order to ATTACK!
Great Gray and his Wolfkind swooped down on the unsuspecting Weres, the Dingos raced out in front, slashing and tearing at the fiends from hell.
Great Gray had assigned his largest, most powerful Wolves to separate out the captives and herd them away from the battle. Wise Gray and his Wolf Troops descended like a great wind upon the Weres, where they passed no living Were remained.
Mankind's Warriors followed, making sure no Werekind survived. This was a battle to put an end to the Werekind forever.
By mid-afternoon, not a single Werekind remained among the living, the Fiends from Hell were finally finished.
The leader of the Dingos approached Mob and crouched down in front of him, "Lord Mob, our task is completed, our Manfolk have been avenged. The Werekind invaded our homeland and wiped out all of our Manfolk, not one was left living. We will return now to the land of our birth and live out our lives without purpose, our Manfolk are gone from us."
Mob replied, "Why should you dispose of your lives, you and all your kind are welcome among us, we honor your loyalty but you have purpose and welcome among us, stay and be part of our lands and folk."
The Dingo leader asked, "You would have us? We, who have lost our Manfolk?
Mob broadcast, "Who of us will accept the Dingofolk?"
All the races of Mankind responded, "They are welcome among us!"
So it was that the Dingofolk, like the dogfolk and Wolfkind became the companions of Mankind in this new society.
Peace was established throughout the lands, the only Werekind remaining on the planet were the Wherries and they lived in the sea where they had no contact with those living upon the land.
Slowly, the races merged and became even longer lived. The Vampires remained only males and only Vampires gave birth to Vampires despite one of the parents being Ogre or Human.
With the passage of time, Humans and Ogres became indistinguishable, and, as science progressed, startling discoveries were made. The DNA of the Dracule and that of those native to the Earth showed kinship and a common ancestor.
It was never discovered when or how that came about, but the Dracule merged into the Races of Mankind and became truly one race, one people.
EPILOGUE:
Additional space faring craft were built and Mankind began to explore the stars. Always accompanying them were representatives of the Wolfkind, particularly of the Dingofolk. Wherever they went, the Dingoes' search for their lost Humankind never ceased. On a small green planet, circling an unimportant star, their quest ended, they discovered a race of Mankind who smelled, sounded and behaved as their own lost Mankind. DNA studies showed them to be related to both the ancient Dracule and the Ancient Mankind. It was a mystery never solved, but for the Dingoes it was salvation. They left the world of their birth and emigrated to Bir'nith, where they became merged with their own species of beloved Mankind.
Mankind thrived and spread out among the stars, few planets had life of any sort, but, where it was found, it was carefully nurtured. Only once more did Mankind go to war, an insectoid race was discovered and they preyed upon Mankind and their Companions, the Wolfkind, as food. It was a battle the insectoids could not win, they could not compete with the reflexes and adaptive abilities of a warm-blooded species. The insectoids disappeared from the cosmos and the Humankind DNA became dominate throughout known space, accompanied by the Wolfkind and their cousins.