Vince had long been interested in werewolves. He read many stories about them and enjoyed movies that featured them. Art was hard to come by at the time, but what he had seen in the library fascinated him. When the Internet became available, he browsed for them and got more than what he could ever ask for. He had joined a forum discussing various things about them. There were even very realistic-looking pictures of werewolves that they had seen. One was even in his area, and he could not help but investigate to see if it was true.
Indeed, there was a real werewolf lurking about some old buildings and it went inside one of them. Vince followed it to see what it was doing, and to his astonishment, not only did he see other werewolves, but cat, deer, and skunk people. They even spoke to each other! They were like a group of friends just hanging out for the evening. They had games and a TV set up in the room they were meeting in, and Vince watched as they enjoyed their activities. They were nothing like what the stories had told him, but that only piqued his curiosity even more. He waited for the wolf he had followed to leave and went after him to find out more. The instant they were outside again, the werewolf transformed back into a human and went on their way. At least that part was true, but it was apparently the variety that could control their transformation. He could not follow further, though, since they got into a car and drove off. That would have to do, since from that alone, he could deduce that normally, they looked just like anyone else and he would be unable to tell the difference. There were still so many questions he had, though, and he had to get either that wolf or his friends to tell him where they had come from and how they came to be. He could not wait to tell the others on the forum, but he also knew that he would have to get pictures so that they would know he was not making it up. After getting a considerably cheap camera, Vince set off to get the answers he was seeking.
He first took a picture the next time he saw the werewolf before he steeled himself to come out of his hiding place and confront the werewolf. The wolf was surprised that this young man had spotted him, but he was even more surprised that he just wanted to know more about him and his friends. He seemed pensive for a while, but he allowed Vince to join him as he entered the building to have fun with his friends. They were also astonished at first, but when the werewolf had explained, they all greeted him wholeheartedley and shared their tale with him.
The original weres, who called themselves Therians, were brought about by ancient rituals forming a bond with animals that allowed them to take on their traits. It seemed that anyone who performed this ritual could become one of them, or it just passed on to their descendants, overtaking the traits of their regular human spouses if they had them. Vince asked them if that meant they could do magic, and they answered that some could, but other than the ritual, they personally did not know any more magic, and most weres were like that as well. The question did arise if he would like to perform the ritual. Without hesitation, he gladly said "Yes". All he had to do was think of the animal he desired and imagine himself having the features of that animal, and he would eventually become it. Skeptically, he asked if it was that easy, why couldn't anyone do it? They gladly answered that anyone can, but the desire has to be genuine, and they have to actually believe they can do it. Most only believe them to be fairy tales, or they find such an idea to be ridiculous.
It was an interesting question for him. They further told him that any animal would do, even one that didn't otherwise exist. This confused him, but they brought out pictures of others like them, and they included to his surprise, that yes, that included dragons, unicorns, and various other mythical creatures. There were even some he had never seen before. Even extinct animals like dinosaurs and ancient mammals were amongst them. They explained that there were groups of them all around the world, and they meet in secret like they do. They are aware that not all would share their love of animals, and keep it to themselves. Vince told them of the forum he goes to, and they gladly revealed that they were some of the posters. The Internet had made it possible for the scattered communities to become aware of each other, and they were starting to form larger regional groups, and possibly unite into national and even a worldwide community.
He settled for something more mundane and spent the next few nights with them, hoping that he would transform like they do, but it was not immediate. They said it would take time. They had spent ages concentrating on their animals before they had their first transformation. It was no different for Vince, though he enjoyed meeting with the Therians and joining in their nightly escapades. They were not surprised when Vince arrived one night as yet another one of the werewolves in their group. All he had to do to change back was think of being human again.
That was thirty five years ago. Things have changed significantly since then, and the Therians' dreams of a larger community have come to pass. They even now have conventions, still held in secret, but they have become so large as to require entire abandoned buildings to house, if they haven't found a way to use unused space in a regular building and still have it be unknown to the populace. Vince is now part of the group, and many others have since joined them, with their numbers rising as the Internet has grown. Instead of having people stumble upon them, they now actively invite those curious enough to come join their group in person, giving the location and when they meet. They often now come as having already transformed, as they put the ritual online for anyone to perform on their own. Most dismiss the site as nothing more than fiction, but those who are willing discover it to be more. They otherwise live their lives like any regular human does, unbeknownst to the populace, and not having the desire for it to be anything more. They are happy to be who they are, but they need not tell everyone that, but will share to anyone who can accept them.
