In 1899, Doubleday & McClure Company published S. R. Crockett's novel, The Black Douglas. Taking place in the fifteenth century, it chronicles the battle between the Douglas Clan and the necromancer Gilles de Retz. After kidnapping William, Earle of Douglas's sister, de Retz plans to sacrifice her at his Black Mass. This story includes a female werewolf in the form of de Retz's companion, a witch-woman called La Meffraye, who has the ability to shapeshift into a large wolf. In contrast to The Were-Wolf's White Fell, La Meffraye does not disguise herself as a beautiful young woman. She instead alternates between her wolf form, and that of an old crone. Another notable difference in Crockett's text is that it does not feature a singular werewolf. Rather, La Meffraye controls a pack of them (Crockett, Black Douglas; Frost, Essential Guide to the Werewolf).