Author's Note: The "violence" is in relation to a story told to Tad... Also, for the sake of making Tad's thread easier to identify from the other Moon Lake threads, I've added "Moon Lake... Tad" as part of the title.
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Tad felt ever more amazed by Moon Lake as he and Amy walked quietly through the woods. It was something that he had never remembered even seeing before. His father had taken him jogging at night sometimes, but more often than not, that was only on the specific base he was stationed at at the time. That meant that both of them had to remain in human form, as the area where people lived on military bases was kept well manicured and the trees that were there were only there for decoration. They weren't thick enough to hide a werewolf. None of that was anything like Moon Lake's thick forested areas, and in its own way, it felt like he was home.
In fact, the only time that Tad ever remembered being in places like this was when his father had leave and took the family camping, though there, he also insisted on a strict following of the rules and laws. That meant no hunting on those trips. Actually hunting was a surprise but a very interesting experience. It had gotten his adrenaline going and a good part of him grateful to Amy for being there with him. It had also filled his stomach after a very light meal before going to the pack's meeting.
"There certainly is a lot to like about this place," Tad commented, his head drifting to look at all the trees that surrounded them.
"Yes," Amy smiled with a nod, "Moon Lake has been a sanctuary for weres... were we are free to be what we are."
"Never could hunt before," Tad commented to her.
"Fun, wasn't it?" Amy smiled again.
"And filling," Tad agreed.
"Yeah," Amy agreed and patted her belly, "really hit the spot. Though... it isn't something that would go on every night..."
Tad looked over to her.
"We get around a lot of the hunting laws by the fact that as weres... we don't need guns or bows and arrows or spears to hunt," Amy explained, "we hunt in much the same way that the animals we're based on hunt. Now... with larger prey... that can get a were killed, as Elk and Deer won't hesitate to gore you if you miss... and some weres have ended up in a bad way that the animal became so enraged at being attacked by a were that it kept the fight going to "solve" its problem. I think there was a story from the late eighteen hundreds about a werewolf that was killed by a Moose it tried to kill. It missed on the lunge for its throat, the Moose swung its antlers, gored the werewolf in the eye and preceded to jump on the werewolf until it died of the injuries sustained."
Tad cringed.
"It's just something to be careful of when hunting," Amy spoke, "we can heal from quite a lot, but we aren't invincible to everything but silver and fire. And anyway... that was only a story, I can't tell you if it was true or not."
They continued walking along before Amy continued with her explanation.
"Anyway, because when we hunt, we hunt the way wolves... or for other weres, the way lions, tigers, bears, leopards, and even foxes, cats, and dogs hunt, we can largely hunt and avoid issue with regard to poaching," Amy explained, "as federal regulators and game wardens from outside Moon Lake will be looking for gunshot or arrow wounds. An animal that looks like it's been attacked and eaten by another animal doesn't register as "poaching" to them."
"Dad always told me to be respectful and not take things from nature," Tad commented.
"And we do try to live by that," Amy nodded, "to be a PART of nature, rather than just dominating over it the way normals tend to. Which will mean that while we do hunt from time to time throughout the year, we only hunt to eat, and if not, the City Council has a "catch and release" policy. Prey is to be caught and "subdued" but not killed if you don't intend to eat it."
"Makes sense," Tad nodded back.
"The other thing that we do to help and make sure that we don't drain the area of its deer population is to actually farm them," Amy continued, "the weredeer and some of the werecattle actually breed and raise deer on farms with appropriate licensing as a sort of "sanctuary." They wouldn't the sort of interaction you'd see on a ranch where they're raising cattle or sheep, but they do serve a purpose increase the deer population in the region and even help control the spreed of diseases that affect deer, so wild deer some times go in for various reasons... and once they've either matured or healed, a certain percentage are released into the woods around Moon Lake, which then gives the predatory weres something to hunt."
"How do they all keep track?" Tad wondered as he ducked under a branch, "and know how many deer to release?"
"Much the same way as if you were to accidentally hit a deer while driving," Amy answered, "though, you'd need to call the MOON LAKE PD. You call them, report that you've killed and eaten one deer, and they'll share it with Moon Lake's local game registry to see how many deer have been killed in the course of the year, they check with state's Department of Game, Fish, and Parks to get their estimate on the White Tail or Mule Deer's wild population in the state... They then do some arithmetic and send the finished numbers to deer farm/sanctuaries on how many they need to release to keep the wild population stable and how many they keep in the farm/sanctuary to keep their breeding stock up."
"Sounds like a lot," Tad commented.
"It is, and my dad is involved with a lot of the work in that regard... but he says it works, so I've trusted him," Amy shrugged, "not my interest for career... but one that's needed, I suppose."
They continued on their way home when they came across a pair of male werewolves half sitting half laying on the ground with their backs against a large tree. As they approached Tad heard the two planning out something, which sounded like weekend plans. They sounded rather romantic in a way. The conversation stopped as Amy and Tad actually came into view. Both pairs stopped and looked to each other for a few moments before Amy began the introductions.
"Hey guys," Amy said to them, "just resting on your way home or...?"
"More like resting halfway," the male on the left spoke, "We got a big weekend planned, and it'll great... we meet for breakfast with my folks..."
"I'll have a few things to get first," said the male on the right, "especially since my parent's induction into the Skulk will probably be a pretty formal event."
"But... you're a werewolf," Tad commented.
"I am now," the male on the right, "my family moved to town just before the school year started. I became a werewolf, to abide by Moon Lake's laws... and... well, I've always had a thing for werewolves. My mom became a werecat... and well... a rogue werefox clawed my dad, but he's adjusted well."
Amy nodded, "Tad, meet Alex Ramsey..." she paused to point to the male on the left and then pointed to the male on the right, "and Nate Anderson. Alex has been with the pack from birth and Nate joined us recently."
Tad shook both of their hands and announced, "I'm Tad Decker... my mom and me just moved here... or a move back for her."
"Well, welcome to Moon Lake," Alex gave a small smile, "enjoying things so far?"
"Pretty much," Tad answered, "it's different from the places I've been... but it is nice. And I've made a good friend."
Tad wrapped an arm around Amy's shoulders, his tail wagging behind him.
"More than a good friend, I think," Nate chuckled, "but that's good for you. You have each other, and I have this handsome devil here."
Tad watched Alex smile and lick the tip of Nate's muzzle. It was an interesting meeting, in the sense of remembering what Amy had told him about Nate joining the pack when he'd first met Amy, though for the moment, he didn't know what else to say, and a part of him was certain the two males had plans that didn't include Tad and Amy. He was about to excuse himself when he remembered Nate or Alex saying something about a rogue, and that stuck in his mind. His father had always reminded him that a were had a responsibility to protect the people he lived with, especially if they were normals. Any were that abused their abilities for any reason were the lowest of the low as far as his father was concerned, and Jeff Decker had made sure that Tad Decker learned the same lesson.
"You said something about a rogue, earlier..." Tad said slowly, the fur on the back of his neck and shoulders raising a little.
"Yeah," Nate answered, "a werevixen that couldn't take "no" for an answer, but she's caught now and will be in prison for a long time. No worries about that."
"That's a relief," Tad said slowly, "Dad always taught me that we're to protect our homes and friends, no mater who they are. Were or normal. We use our strength and power to keep them safe, not for our own gains."
"And that is a good lesson," Amy said to him and licked his cheek, "but we'd best be going. We got a little ways more to get home."
"Have a good weekend," Tad said to the two as they continued to camp under the tree.
"You too," Nate and Alex called after him as Tad and Amy continued on their own way home.