Now, I know what you're thinking. There's a gaping hole in my story. I've said before that Kairi has no idea about what I am, yet I also just told you she heard and saw the whole thing.
No, I'm not contradicting myself – both those statements are true. Be patient and I'll explain when we get to that point.

Nothing seemed to have changed, yet there was a difference in everything. The light seemed somehow brighter, the earth more earthy, the smells so much clearer and stronger.
There was a near absolute silence for a long time, broken only be Kairi trying to comfort Samantha. I hadn't moved, it was as if the world had stopped and now it was slowly coming back to me.
There were two differences I did notice easily. The first that registered in my mind was the lack of a scent. Not a single vampire was in this room, yet no one had left.
The second jerked me sharply back to reality as the smell of my own blood flared, and I remembered I was still injured.
There was no obvious way for me to leave the arena except by the stairs that led into the fortress, and that was blocked off by the crowd still. Some of them looked at each other curiously, others in relief. Most seemed afraid.
"Sora." It was Samantha. She now had deep green eyes that seemed to convey a greater pain from her loss, and her face was tear streaked.
I waited in front of the podium to hear what she had to say. Some of the assembled paid attention rather tentatively.
"That was a terrible thing you did," she told me.
"I know. It had to be done. There wasn't any other way for this to happen."
"How can you say that?" Kairi accused. "You didn't even look for another way."
"I had it on best authority that it was the only way."
"From who?"
"You wouldn't believe me. I think you could say she's distantly related to Hades, but I'd have to ask her. Or him, but he doesn't like me."
Kairi almost said something, but Samantha put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Let it be."
"Donald," I said then, "Do you happen to have a bit of healing magic to hand? I think I'm bleeding here."
Aside from the magic itself, he didn't say a word. It wasn't nice to think that I'd just turned all three of them against me because of something necessary.
"You owe them an explanation," Samantha murmured once Donald was done. "I'll make arrangements for rooms for each of you up in the fortress until you've explained. You're not going to leave until you've done that."
"If I have to leave, I'll find a way. I'm a werewolf, we're resourceful."
"We? You're the only one left, how can you say we?"
"Pack instinct," I shrugged. "Your Father left me stuck as a wolf for a long time, so I'm still thinking more like a wolf for now. It'll pass."
She shook her head, seemed to calm herself a bit, then stood up and to the crowd, "Get out. You all take orders from me now, no matter what we are. Get back to what you're meant to be doing." There was silence as most, if not all, turned to her. "Now!" she snapped at them, and they finally began to clear. "You are going to come with us, and you're going to explain things to them, where I can keep an eye on you."
"Alright." As I'd told her, I still thought more like a wolf, so this made perfect sense. There was no point in causing trouble by trying to get away, no reason to harm any of these people any longer or to hold a grudge. Wolves don't even have a word close to 'grudge'.

By the time the ex-vampires had cleared out and we'd returned to the fortress, it was already morning. Samantha lead us to a tower room, well furnished and fairly warm, unlike a lot of the rest of the place.
You can imagine Kairi did not take my explanation well, particularly not after it showed up a number of the lies I'd had to tell. They were all taken by surprise to find the little wolf pup that saved them was also me, and when I told her about the time I went hunting with Kadach, it was kind of clear she didn't approve of what I'd done, but she didn't pass comment on it.
I did not, however, mention Kathann or his Mother. I knew by the same pack instinct that it wasn't my place to tell them about either. There also seemed to be some restrictions still on me, as I couldn't speak of the ritual.
In the end, when I'd finished explaining, the first words said were, "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I couldn't," I told her. "Werewolves can't talk about it to anyone not of their kind... unless they already know, it seems."
There was a knock at the door, and Samantha, not trusting me, answered it. I didn't hear what was said, but I did see her eyes widen just slightly. She stood aside to allow a man to enter. He wore similar clothing to me, but all in white, matched in his very long hair that streaked down his back. His eyes were red, not the blood-red of the vampires, but a bright red. I recognised it instantly, and gave him a respectful nod.
"Kamaz," he greeted me, responding with his own nod. "I would not trouble you needlessly, but Mother wishes me to speak to you for Her. There is something She wishes me to discuss with you." Despite being human and speaking in the human tongue, there was still a very wolf-like formality about Kathann's speech, it was clear and crisp, and seemed to flow as if there was a kind of hidden beat and timing to it.
"Kamaz?" Samantha murmured thoughtfully. "I've heard that name somewhere before."
He glanced at her briefly, then to me asked, "May I address the lady?"
Human social niceties did not come easily to him, so he had fallen back on the wolven customs. His request wasn't so much to ask to speak to her, as it was to ask me to wait. Wolves don't like interrupting a conversation, so when something like this happens, they ask permission to put the current one aside.
I nodded, knowing what he meant and he turned back to her.
"Kamaz is a name of great honour among the werewolves," he explained. "The name Kamaz was given to the very first werewolf, and has since been given to werewolves who have distinguished themselves above their kin. The second Kamaz who brought honour to the name negotiated a cease-fire with your kin a great time ago, and he-" he pointed at me, "- is the third Kamaz to honour the name."
"By killing my father," she muttered with an edge to her voice.
"It was an unavoidable necessity. May I return to address him?"
She looked puzzled, so I explained, "He means is there anything else you want to ask him before he continues his conversation with me."
"Oh. Yeah... I guess."
Kamaz looked uncomfortable for a moment, then said, "What I must say is not easy to speak of in this way. I would speak with you as one wolf to another."
"Don't be afraid," I said, to reassure them, then became a wolf. Samantha turned away, muttering something under her breath.
Kathann followed my lead, becoming the great white wolf I remembered.
"I would ask that you do not speak of the deception I have just caused," he told me. "It was also necessary. They must not know what we speak of."
"What is it that we must speak of?"
"Your pack-" meaning Kairi, Donald and Goofy this time "-has turned against you for what you have done."
"I have noticed this in them."
"This cannot be. There is much that you have yet to do alongside them, and they must be with you for it."
"One could speak with them about what I have done and explain."
"Was it not her intention to have you explain to them? They do not appear changed by it. Mother wishes me to give you a different solution."
"I would hear the solution of her."
"The ritual must take place tonight. They must be present at the time of the ritual."
"May I ask why that must be?"
"Mother will gently remove from their minds the knowledge that has disturbed their friendship and turn them aside from their enmity. In doing this, it shall be as it was before, and you will again be unable to tell them."
"Must it be so?" This simple statement conveyed to him why I didn't want it to be this way. Despite their reactions, I felt better for getting it all out the way and telling them the truth. This would set it back again, and I'd chafe at those restrictions again.
"It must be so," he confirmed. "You must have them with you when you perform the ritual tonight."
"They may not wish to come."
"Then you must make them come. Leave to the north and enter the forest there. You will know where to go then."
Then he became the human again, ending the conversation. Just before I changed back as well, I noticed that he was distinctly uncomfortable that way. I got the impression that this was the first time he'd ever tried to appear human, and he didn't seem sure how to take it.
"I will see you tonight, Kamaz," Kathann told me with another nod, and then he left.
"If I let you back in," Samantha muttered.
"He isn't coming back in," I told her. "I've got to go out to meet him."
"You're not leaving my fortress."
"I don't have a choice. He's given me a command; I can't ignore it."
"What gives him the authority to command you?"
"He is above me in the social structure of the werewolves, even if I'm the only one. He isn't entirely what he seemed to be." That was about all I dared say. I hesitated before adding, "He did say that you three could come with me."
"Where will we be going?"
"North, into the forest."
"That forest isn't safe," Samantha warned. "Even we never went into there unless we had to. Sometimes people from the town ran into there to get away from us. They never came back."
"It'll be a lot less safe for anyone else once I get there. I've got the keyblade, and I've got the same gift every other werewolf has ever had."
"Gift!" she snorted.
"Just because you saw your side of it as a curse doesn't mean we have to look at our side the same way."
"Sora," Kairi asked suddenly. "Did you miss anything out when you were telling us everything?"
"I might have. I did try to cover everything. Why?"
"When I saw you just now, when you were a wolf... I think I saw you, or a wolf like you."
"When?"
"It was before the town got attacked. You were missing, and the wolf came to me in your room."
"Ah, yeah. That's me. I guess I forgot to mention that."
She hesitated, then quietly said, "Thanks for that night. You were really warm."
"It's the fur. We stay warm easily."
"Could you... maybe stay with me like that again until we leave tonight?" It was her way of offering peace between us I guess. I felt a little guilty knowing that come tomorrow, she probably wouldn't remember it.
It was nice to do it again though.