 Of course, Anton acted surprised. He claimed to have no knowledge that the "Sabbat" he sent me to kill were actually Lupines. He apologized profusely, and offered me a sizable amount of cash to make up for the misunderstanding. And I almost believed him, too, until I showed him the photographs I developed. He looked at the Lupines' bodies with some disgust, as he did the other pictures, but there was no surprise there. Even with a face as ugly as his -- purple and scaly -- I stake much of my existence on being able to read expressions. Anton just handed the snapshots back to me and shook his head, as blase` as if I had asked him if these were pictures of his lost dog. I nodded my head, took my jars of blood, and got out of there. I refused his gratuitous cash bonus, as I knew he'd pay me later. In spades.
That's why I didn't tell Anton that I left at least one Lupine behind; I don't know if he sent anyone else out there, but I sure hope he did, and if so I hope the werewolves enjoyed their Nosferatu lunch. And when the Blood Curse fell in '98, Anton was the first Kindred I hunted down and drank. He was canny and a tough fight, almost as much as the Lupines were, but it was worth the effort. It's ironic that he helped me lower my generation twice, and thanks to his heart's blood I can talk to animals to boot.
The point of this little diatribe is to convince you to make damned sure what you're getting into, and always go prepared for as many eventualities as possible. I'm not telling you to walk around everywhere with a small arsenal strapped to your back, complete with a machine gun loaded with silver-tipped bullets, or to carry around a map of Mars if those aliens the tabloids keep warning us about carry you off. However, when you accept a job, make a point out of learning as much as you can about what you're getting into. Don't rely solely on the information your employer gives you. Do independent research, including talking to other Children. If he was wrong about anything, collect evidence to that effect and show it to him, preferably in front of as many of his cronies as possible; it'll make them think twice before playing us for dupes. And make sure he makes up for the slight, one way or another.
I, for one, don't go near anywhere where there are even rumors of Lupine activity unless I absolutely have to, and when I do, I carry my brand new silver-plated dagger. Thankfully, I haven't come across any more yet. Yes, rumors of Lupines might only be sightings of wolves or Gangrel, or might just be bullshit, but I'm not willing to stake my existence on maybes. While hunting Kindred is very profitable, there's no reason for any sane Child of Haqim to deal with werewolves... stupid, flesh-eating, devil-worshiping, psychotic, unclean, flea-bitten freaks that they are. In my esteemed opinion, the only good those guys ever do is kill other Kindred, making our clan's job easier. But don't think these guys won't kill you, too, as soon as look at you.
If you want to go out and find a Lupine, and get his opinion on all this, I personally know of one about two hours' drive from here.
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