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28

There is a part of you, deep within your bestial werewolf nature, that almost wants to be discovered. You know well that you'll have the strength to deal with such a situation should it arise. You walk into the warehouse with the others, heads held high and self-assured as though you have every reason and right to belong there. You're almost disappointed when you encounter no humans.

You're in a large room, partitioned off from the rest of the building by corrugated metal walls. The room is filled with piles of scrap metal in varying states of disrepair, most of it covered with rust. Not a promising start. You walk over to a door on the opposite partition and swing it open. The warehouse floor spreads out in a vast plain of gray, interrupted only by the bulk of a large, graceful-looking contraption.

"A helicopter!" Dena gasps with wonder. "I've only seen them up in the sky before, and they looked so tiny." She walks up and runs a paw along the cold metal of the machine. "It's absolutely magnificent! Kinda rusty though. Maybe it's in here for repairs?"

A sharp cry from farther into the warehouse startles you, and you turn in its direction, peering off into the dim light. Another wall separates the northern half of the building from the helicopter hangar. You're sure the sound came from the other side.

"What was that?" Lapu says, clearly unnerved.

"It sounded like someone in pain," Tiva replies, her fingers twitching reflexively, claws clinking against one another. She starts toward the source of the cry. "Someone might need our help!"

Lapu frowns, his brow furrowed in worry. "I don't know if this is a good idea."

But it's too late for second thoughts, because the four of you, Lapu included, are already headed toward the sound. Curiosity brought you here to the forbidden human enclave, and curiosity drives you farther into the belly of the beast.

The northern wall is split by a long, grimy window, and you huddle underneath it. Now that you're closer, you can hear more than the occasional wail or moan; discordant, strange, and terrible sounds create a constant low buzz from the other side.

You have to know what is happening, and it appears that you're not alone. As one, the four of you slowly raise your eyes to the window.

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