Tachibana heads to the basement of her compound. There, she had much of her family’s possession stored. Despite the vast accumulation over the years; Tachibana had left a small corner containing; the few meager possession from when she lived in Tokyo. It is there she find the strong box mentioned in her husband’s secret message. Opening it up brings back a flood of memories. She picks up a wedding fan that she had once held. The marriage with her Husband was a happy time for both. It was by a lily pond, partially protected by a group of cherry blossom trees in full bloom. Her mother and father, stoic and proud. Their daughter Tachibana marrying into a respected Samurai family. A family in good standing with the local Daimyo.
More precious keepsakes are in the box. An old photo album, letters from long dead friends and family. A few ceramic keepsakes. Tachibana spends time looking at each object from here past. Each object allows her to look longingly into her past. As she nears the bottom of the box, she notices that there is water staining. Fearing what might have happen she searches for the lock that will release the secret compartment. Finding the innocuous lock she places the key in it a turns to right. There is an audible click and a side panel pops open. Noticing the water damage on the scrolls she shakes her head; knowing that the knowledge written on them are possibly lost forever. “If only they were made of vellum instead of rice paper,” she mutters. Yet she sees the journal and snatches it out of the box. Relieved that it looks undamaged; Tachibana takes the small leather bound book and heads back to her office. Turning back to see the strong box; Tachibana makes a mental note to see that it and the contents are restored to their former glory.
****
Dr. Tora Akane is on the phone with a nurse at Moon Lake Hospital. Her mother’s request of giving a checkup to two special weres was going to possibly ruin her already busy schedule. While she was not the only general practitioner for Moon Lake; she was however the only O.B.G.Y.N that specialized in pregnant were-patients. Since one of the new weres she was seeing is pregnant it was not so much difficultly to rearrange the schedule. The hiccup was the secrecy for the exam. Since the two weres are from a clan that no one thought existed. When Tachibana informed her daughter that the two individuals where reptilian weres; Tora’s jaw dropped. While she helped were’s of various species to maintain healthy pregnancies; all where mammalian based.
With the rescheduling done, Tora does some preliminary research. Going online she reads up all about Komodo Dragons. Jotting down a few notes.
‘Komodo dragons have thrived in the harsh climate of Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands for millions of years. Yet amazingly, their existence was unknown to humans until about 100 years ago. These carnivorous reptiles have an average life span of 30 years. They can grow to a length of 3 meters and weigh roughly 150kg.’
Dr. Tora rubs the bridge of her nose and continues.
‘As frightening as this species is in the wild, I can only imagine what an anthropomorphized version will look like. Apart from the usual medical exams I will need to draw blood for genetic testing. The blending of reptilian and mammalian DNA is a fascinating avenue to research. Perhaps this is the missing link needed to crack the were genome.’
Dr. Tora calms herself. While it has been a while since she had to do any lab work; she did feel somewhat giddy at the prospect of going back into a lab. The last time she was in one, was when helping to develop the were-birth control pill to ensure that their population didn’t run unchecked.
‘Reminder to one’s self. Priority must be given towards the health of the mother and baby. Standard medical history questions. Will need to ask the husband to shift in his fursona. Or would scalesona be more apt in this case.’
Dr. Tora closes her note book. Satisfied that she has hopefully prepared herself for tomorrow she prepares herself for bed.