Matrian sat down and looked at all the furres present.  He sighed.

"Well, I've been here quite a while now," he said, "and I've never bothered to tell any of you how I happened to come here.  That's because, well, it has some rather personal things in it, and, well, I wanted to make sure you, well, you'll understand.  Just listen...."

A faraway, longing look appeared in Matrian’s eyes.

“I was born almost 19 years ago,” he began, “in the small port town of Pont-du-Loup, Frrance.  ‘Twas a dark and stormy night, and that’s how I was named.  My real name, Mrr’t’rrn, means ‘Stormy’ in Ancient Lupine.  My family's profession had always been carpentry and shipwrighting, but I longed to do more than just fix ships.  I'd always look out across the sea, and long to find out what, if anything, lay on the other side of the Great Western Sea.

“When I was about 13, I began to realize I had a sort of... talent with the weather.  I found that I could, over a period of days, bring about rain, clear away lingering clouds, and small things like that.  Bringing bad weater was easier than bringing good I found, so, since I lived in a town where ships were constantly in and out, I was discouraged from using my ability, since too many stroms would harm trading.

“A few year later, the soon-to-be-great explorer Pierre LeMew was gathering a crew to sail west as far as they could go, to reach Taigoria by sailing around the world.  He'd heard of the young wolf in Pont-de-Loup who could change the weather, and decided I would be a valuable addition to his crew.

“I was elated, for, as I said, this had always been my dream.  However, my family, much less my pack, did not share my enthusiasm.  They insisted that my line was not meant to go to sea.  My family had always worked with wood, and that is what we should always do

“Including me

“They told me that if I chose to leave, I could never return.  However, I found I didn't care.  If they were that rigid, why SHOULD I be with them.  So, I left my family, abandoned my pack, and sailed with Pierre LeMew west across the Western Sea.

“We sailed smoothly for many days, but I now have a feeling that was due more to luck than to my small talents.  Finally, we reached land.  However, it was not Taigoria, as LeMew had hoped.  It was an entirely unexplored land.  LeMew, of course, named it the Mew World, and wanted to explore it.  However, expecting a shorter journey, we were already low on supplies, so the captain decided to return to Frrance, resupply, and return for a massive exploration.

“So, we headed back.  We got almost all the way back, again uneventfully, when a freak typhoon blew up.  I, of course, was powerless against this giant force of nature, So, it blew us around, causing great damage, but miraculously leaving the ship intact.  “However, my homesick crewmates were furious.  They had expected me to be their guardian against such things.  Before the kind captain could stop them, they had thrown me overboard.

“Luckily for me, we were near an island.  I soon washed up on the beach, having no idea where I was.  I got up, shook the salt water out of my fur, and looked around.  I quickly realized that I would not have to worry about my banishment from my pack.  I was definitely NOT in Frrance.

“So, I began to walk inland.  I found that I was never in need of water, for it rained often, or of food, since the land was seemingly overpopulated with small, fat, flightless birds that tasted good, even raw.

“However, I began to wish I has a fire, both to warm myself after I'd been drenched by the rain, and to cook the birds.  One day, I was trying futilely to start a fire with a few sticks.  I was getting nowhere, and I threw the sticks into the pile of tinder in frustration.

“Suddenly, a bolt of lightning split the sky!  It hit my pile of wood square in the middle, setting it ablaze!

“After I recovered from the sheer shock, I began to wonder what had happened.  It couldn't have been chance, the sky had been hardly threatening only moments before.  It began to dawn on me that I must have done it.  Somehow, in this place, my weather powers were much more powerful.

“With my newfound power, or I should say, magic, I found it much easier to make headway.  One day, I heard some voices off ahead of me.  Overjoyed to hear another furre's voice, I ran ahead, right into to middle of a town.

Matrian smiled, and pointed off towards Meovanni.  "That town."

“And the rest, matters little,” he continued, “Or, perhaps, it matters the most.  I found a group of furres who, instead of spurning me for my wild ambitions, loved me for them."

He stood up.  "They are you."  Matrian moved around the room, hugging everyone in turn.  "Thank you," he said, with tears in his eyes.  “Thank you all.”