LATER THAT NIGHT...
Claire watched as the Meyers drove up to the apartment complex that she was living in. She quickly made her way out of the apartment complex and towards the car. She could see Dean Meyers and a woman in the front seat. Dean motioned for Claire to come in and go in the back seat, which Claire did.
When Claire climbed into the car, she noticed a familiar woman with white hair. "Sasha?" Claire asked.
"Hello, Claire. Good to see you again." Sasha replied as she smiled.
"I'm glad you could make it," Dean said as he drove away from the complex. "It looks like you already know my daughter Sasha. I'd like to introduce you to my wife, Emily." Emily and Claire smiled at each other as Emily waved. Claire noticed that the family was dressed in loose robes. "Just to be clear as we go to the pride meeting, you are our guest, and you don't have to decide to change if you don't want to."
"Thank you," Claire said with a smile. "I appreciate that." After a few minutes, Claire asked, "So, were you guys always weretigers?"
Emily replied, "Oh, no dear. We moved to Moon Lake about 8 years ago when Dean got the dean job at MLC. That's when we learned about the law that at least one person of the family had to be part of a were group. Sasha at the time was too young to be a were, so it fell upon us to join a group."
"So, why did you decide to be weretigers?" Claire asked.
"Well," Dean replied, "Both Emily and I found them to be rather nice looking, and that weretigers tend to be very protective of their family, something that appealed to me. It wasn't an easy decision as to which group we wanted to join, but being a weretiger just seemed to be the right move for us."
"I see," Claire replied. She turned to Sasha and asked, "So, why did you turn into a weretiger."
"It's a long story," Sasha replied. "Something that I don't want to say, at least for now."
"Oh," Claire said as she looked down, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Sasha said as she smiled and put a hand on Claire's shoulder. "It's all right."
"Anyway," Dean said, "We're here." The car drove up to a pavilion with a good number of people milling around dressed in similar robes as the Meyers. The four climbed out of the car, and the Meyers started to mill about, greeting old friends. Claire felt a little out of place as she felt that she was the only normal there, and the only one still dressed in normal clothing. It was then she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Hi," she heard a male voice from behind her. She turned around to see a rather handsome man behind her. She almost blushed immediately when she saw him. "You must be new here. The name's Bob. Bob Simmons. I'm part of the welcoming committee here."
"Claire Robertson. I'm new around here."
"Oh, Claire!" Bob said, "I've heard about you. Word travels fast around here. So, are you thinking about joining the pride?"
"Well," Claire said as she looked around the room of the still human people, "Maybe. I mean, the town's nice and all, and the people here are really nice. If I were to stay here and become a were, a tiger would be an option."
"I see," Bob replied, "Well, if you need anything, please, feel free to ask." He got up close to Claire and whispered, "And I do mean anything." Claire blushed when she heard that. She wasn't sure if it was how he looked, his smile, or that scent he had, but it was turning her on a little.
"Excuse me," a man that was a bit older than the group was standing at the front of the room. "I'd like to call this meeting to order." The room fell silent as everyone turned towards the front. Claire moved towards the Meyers and whispered, "Who is that?" Dean whispered back, "That's Mr. Edward Jackson. He's the head of this pride."
Looking around the room, Mr. Jackson said, "It looks like all of the families are here. I see we have a guest. Mr. Meyers, could you introduce her to us?"
Mr. Meyers spoke up and said, "This is Claire Robertson. She's a visitor to this town, and she's thinking of joining us."
"Welcome, Ms. Robertson." Mr. Jackson said with a smile. "Please, feel welcome here, and if you have questions for us, please don't be afraid to ask". He turned to the rest of the group and said, "It is now sundown, and that means that we can change now." With that said, the group of people dressed in white robes started to take off their robes, leaving them all naked. Claire felt more than a bit uncomfortable as not only was she the only normal person in the room, but the only clothed person in the room. She wondered if she should strip as well just to fit in. She looked around the room and noticed just how fit all of the men and women were. Her eyes wandered towards Bob Simmons, and her look lingered on his body just a little too long. He noticed this and waved to her, causing her to turn away and blush.
It was then that she noticed that people were starting to change. All of them were growing claws and fur. Most of the people had black and orange stripes in the back with white fur in the front. A few had almost all white fur with some black striping. All of them had the feline muzzle, and more than a few gave a roar as they changed. Claire was awestruck by all of this, and noticed just how big everyone was. Compared to the werewolves she's seen, these weretigers were all bigger in all respects. She brushed the fur on the arm of Mr. Meyers and noticed just how soft it was, much softer than the werewolf fur she felt before. She was simply entranced by it all.
"It always feel good to get back into the fur, am I right?" Mr. Jackson said at the front, who was changed into his weretiger form. Several growls of agreement could be heard throughout the crowd. "So, if there's no further business, I propose we move to the fun part of our meeting. Today we'll play capture the flag." Roars of anticipation could be heard as people started to divide themselves into teams.
"So, Claire," she heard a familiar male voice behind her. She turned to see Bob in his weretiger form. If looked good as a normal human, he looked even better as a weretiger. She could feel herself getting warmer as he was near her. "What do you think?"
"It's really all amazing. When I first came here, I thought you were all monsters, but now, you're all amazing people." Bob smiled as best as a weretiger could as he heard this. "Just one question, though. Why capture the flag?"
"That's because it's fun." Bob replied with some enthusiasm. "Well, that's not entirely true. For most other were-groups, meetings tend to turn into orgies." Claire blushed when she heard this. "But for us weretigers, we like to hunt and play when we get together, and capture the flag is a classic hunting game that allows us to be good weretigers. Of course, it's not uncommon during this game for a couple of weretigers to engage in...other activities, but it's all in the name of fun. Although, in your case, I would advise not participating."
"Why not?" Claire asked.
"Let's just say that a few years ago, a normal decided that she would join in on the fun," Bob explained. "And she accidently got clawed during the play. Fortunately it was all an accident, so we didn't have to use Statute 1A, but we learned it's not a good idea to allow normals play with us weretigers when we play capture the flag." Bob leaned back against the wall, allowing Claire to get a full view of his body. He could smell the attraction on her. "So, do you have any further questions for me?"
Claire thought for a moment. No doubt that she was impressed by what she saw, and she was considering to be a weretiger. If that's what she wanted to do. She also remembered her experiences with Barbara and Ryan, and maybe she wanted to be a werewolf instead. But then she considered that whatever were she chose to be, it would be a permanent decision, and there would be no turning back. A part of her wondered it would be better for her to stay normal, and work as an ally for this community. It was then as she was weighing her options that she made her decision.
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Author's note: What will it be, folks? Weretiger? Werewolf? Something else? Or stay normal?