Claire was on her couch reading a book that Samantha left her titled, "From wereaardvarks to werezebras: Everything you need to know about were-creatures, but afraid to ask." Claire was fascinated by all the different weres, and she wondered how many of them lived in Moon Lake. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she went to answer it. She opened the door and smiled when she saw Ryan holding two plates of curry and rice.
"Hey," he said as she opened the door. "I thought you'd be hungry at this point, so I brought dinner." Claire noticed that Ryan was dressed up in his police officer uniform.
"Come on in," Claire motioned for Ryan to enter in her apartment. Ryan walked in and placed both plates on the table. Claire got some silverware, and the two of them sat down at the table to eat. "So, off to work?"
"Yeah, it's my turn for the evening shift. But I've got some time, so I'd figure that I'd drop by."
"Aw, so sweet," Claire answered. She took a bite of the curry and rice, and her eyes went open. "This is so good!" she exclaimed.
Ryan smiled as he saw Claire's reaction and said, "Thank you. My mom taught me well when I was growing up. She didn't want her sons to starve when they were living on his own."
"Well, your mom is a good teacher then." She took another bite of food and then asked, "So, how old is your mom? Hundred-fifty?"
Ryan grinned and said, "Not that old yet. She's celebrated her seventieth birthday last week."
"And she doesn't a look a day over 25." Claire grinned back.
"You know it," Ryan laughed a little and he took another bite of his food.
"So," Claire started to ask as she stirred her food a little. "Samantha said something to me while we were in your apartment. She said that no were could change me against my will."
"Ah," Ryan answered, "She must be referring to Statute 1A. It states that no were can change a normal against his or her will. It happens rarely, but it does happen. A couple of months ago, we had a case of a werefox who changed a man and a woman into werefoxes. She tried to get the man to make him her mate but ended up killing him instead. It was a sad case really."
"Oh wow," Claire responded, her eyes wide.
"Yeah, but stuff like that happens very rarely. Most weres are rational people, and they generally obey this law. Obviously, there are exceptions to this, such as rogue weres and feral weres. Feral weres tend to live out in the woods and they don't endanger anyone except the normals who happen to cross their path. When weres do go feral, part of our job is to take them down so they aren't a danger."
Claire thought for a moment and asked, "If it's against the law to change a normal against their will, why would the town threaten changing me against my will?"
Ryan looked at Claire, and had a serious look on his face, "There are two exceptions to this law. First is that if a completely normal family moves in to the town and becomes residents, at least one of the family must join a were society and become a were. The other is what you were going to be charged with, and that is if a non-resident normal discovers a were, and is caught with evidence of a were, he or she must become a were. Since you were caught with a picture of those two werewolves, you would have been in trouble."
"I see," Claire responded as her smile disappeared. She remembered her time with the mayor and the Twists. "Why do they have this law?"
"Well," Ryan answered, "Remember how you reacted when you first discovered weres? Imagine that happening across the country. People would be scared, and the town would be destroyed, residents killed, or worse."
"That makes sense," Claire said thoughtfully. "So, how do I join a were society?"
"It depends on the were society, but there's usually some sort of induction ceremony, and then a were of your choosing would probably take you somewhere private and change you, generally by sex."
Claire raised her eyebrow and said, "Oh really? Why sex?"
"For a couple of reasons. First, it's less painful than scratching or biting, plus it feels so much better." Ryan noticed the strange look on Claire's face, almost like it was jealousy or something. Since she brought up the topic, he started to feel a little uncomfortable. "And it also helps complete a person. Our experience is that even with scratching or biting, having sex with the person who changed you also forms a bond with that person, and, for a lack of better term, completes the transformed person. If that doesn't happen, then the transformed person, over time, starts going feral, and becomes a danger to everyone."
"So..." Claire, "if I wanted to join the werewolves..."
Ryan brightened up a little and said, "Well, I could bring you to our next howl on Tuesday and if you wanted to join, introduce you there. After a bit of introduction, I could take you out to the woods and change you there."
Claire thought of the moment and her face turned red. He looked up at Ryan and asked, "And I take it that I wouldn't be your first? How many girls have you changed?"
Ryan choked on some food and looked at his watch. "Oh look at the time. I've got to get going to my shift." He stood up and started for the door. Claire was trying to stifle some laughter as for once, she made him feel uncomfortable. Before he left, Ryan turned and said to Claire, "Oh, before I leave, let me give you a word of advice. By law, weres can change during the night. Now, if you go out later tonight, don't be shocked if you see some weres out there. Just stay out of the woods where the feral weres are, and you'll be fine." With that, Ryan exited out of the apartment and made his way to his car. That girl was going to drive him crazy, and he strongly considered calling one of his old howls for some relief.
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After finishing and clearing their dinner, Claire looked out the window. She wondered what was going on out there. At around 9 o'clock, she was getting a bit stir crazy in the apartment, and decided that she was going for a walk.
She put on her red coat (with a hood) and, after making sure she had her keys on herself, walked out of the apartment, locked the door, and made her way to the street. She remembered Ryan's warning, and kept to the more lit parts of the town, namely the streets and sidewalks. She wanted to explore the town a bit, and, if she were being honest, she was hoping to run into a were of a different type.