Moon Lake had thrown a lot at the Charleston family as Moe and Nichole settled down for the night. They had come hoping to get away from the Gamboni crime family, which had chased them across the country and always found a way to show up, often just after they'd gotten started again in a new place. Both parents had desperately sought to protect their daughter, Karen, from likes of Marcus Gamboni who had taken a fancy to her and just wouldn't take "no" for an answer. After their arrival in Moon Lake, they'd gotten the alerts on how the Gambonis had tracked them. One was through a tracking signal the result of Moe checking his email on his phone, and that really hadn't worked because of the company he used seemed to get poor reception in the mountainous area around Moon Lake. The other was the fact that the Gambonis had apparently hacked every bank in America and thus learned his home address when he took out a business loan to get his pizza shop running again.
That revelation had sent them from their home, across the street from the town's high school to a cabin to the southwest of town. It was high enough up one of the mountain slopes that surrounded the town that when they'd entered the cabin, they could barely make out the reflective surface of the water for the crescent shaped lake that was on the northwest side of the town. A part of Moe felt that view was actually rather peaceful and even natural. Of course, as he made his way to bed he could faintly hear what sounded lie animals outside the cabin, which only served to be a reminder of the thing that had really thrown them for a loop after their arrival in Moon Lake, that the town was a sanctuary for were-beasts of various kinds and that most of the people who lived in Moon Lake were weres, including old friends who joined were society when they moved to Moon Lake years before the Charlestons did.
It was that thing that seemed to be the most "unnerving" for Moe and Nichole, especially with the town's mandatory were law. Nichole had been against it and firmly so, at first. And while they had gotten a bit more accepting of Moon Lake's more unique inhabitants, that didn't necessarily make either of them that willing to join. They'd only just accepted the idea that Karen did appear to want to join were society, they didn't approve of it completely and certainly weren't eager for it, but given their economic situation and the threat from the Gambonis, there wasn't that much of a choice to really work with. Getting to learn from the Brooks helped them get better used to things, and if Karen didn't want to be a were, a part of Moe figured he'd do it, just to protect his daughter. It was all that that ultimately got them to "accept" Karen wanting to be a were.
"Things are quiet here," Nichole commented to Moe as he sat down on the edge of the bed, likely Tara's bed normally since it was her cabin.
"Reasonably," Moe nodded, ignoring a rumbling growl in the distance.
"Would you really want me to be a fox?" Nichole asked seriously as she set Moon Lake's guidebook down on the nightstand beside her, remembering a knowing smirk on Karen's face when she borrowed it.
"I'd want you to be you," Moe answered, remembering the various nicknames he'd given Nichole over the years, often referring to how beautiful he felt she was. The prospect of it being possible for her to become an anthropomorphic vixen had never crossed his mind. "Whether or not we become weres is a different issue. And if we do... we do it together."
Nichole smiled at that, and it wasn't long before they drifted off to sleep. Though, her mind was still racing over things. Some of it related to the mandatory were law, some of it related to the teasing Karen had given them earlier, and some of it related to some of the other things that she'd come across over course of the past few days... And with all of these still in her conscious thoughts, her subconscious was soon bringing other things to focus...
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Nichole seemed to become aware of things in rather bright environment. One that was almost purely white and antiseptic, which puzzled her as she'd gone to bed in a cabin, with its log walls that smelled of pine, and in a bed with blue sheets and blanket. She looked around as another figure came into the light. It looked vaguely human, but then the outline of two round ears on the top of its head betrayed something otherwise. As the figure came into focus, Nichole could soon see that figure was an anthropomorphic Spectacled Bear. This werebear stood a bit taller than her with its largely back fur with the exception of the curving lines of beige/tan fur that encircled the werebear's eyes.
"Wha…?" Nichole managed.
"Hello," the werebear spoke in Nichole's own voice.
Nichole only gasped at the sound of that. Though things also betrayed that this werebear was female. For while she was very well muscled, like a champion wrestler with rock hard muscle around her shoulders, abdomen, arms, and thighs, Nichole could also see that this werebear's hips were wide and her large and prominent bosom stood out. Even the longer black fur on this werebear's chest couldn't hide the dark nipples poking out from the large, at least E cup orbs on this werebear's chest. The werebear soon gave a small smile to Nichole.
"You look surprised to see you... or what you could become," the werebear said to Nichole.
"But I'm not a were... I... I don't want to be one," Nichole insisted.
"I remember feeling like that," the werebear laughed, "but then over time... I got more used to it and more curious. That lead to interest... and interest lead to... well..."
Nichole watched as her werebear counterpart twirled to flaunt her fur covered muscles, hips, and butt with a small tail sitting just above her glutes. Nichole also got a side view of the werebear's head and noted that it's muzzle was shorter than what Nichole would have expected. But then she remembered some trips to the Bronx Zoo when Karen was little. The keepers there explained that the Spectacled Bear was actually more related to the Giant Short Faced Bear from the last ice ages than the Brown and Black Bears living through much of North America.
"And you are my future?" Nichole wondered.
"A possible future," the werebear answered, "One were you and Moe become werebears... but there is always potential alternatives."
The light around them suddenly became less blurry and Nichole found herself surrounded by many other versions of her. Nearly all of them were weres of some kind, except one, who was human. There was a weremermaid version of her in a bikini in the Stage 2 form, the coloring and scale pattern to her scales mirroring the Marlin. There was a werefox version of her, with the standard Red Fox's coloration and standing there just as nude as the werebear version of her. In fact many of the were versions of her were nude, and all of them looking quite pleased with each other and even with Nichole, herself.
"And why did I choose to be a werebear for you?" Nichole asked the werebear version of her.
"To protect Karen," the werebear answered with a few others, including a weretiger and werelioness version of her, nodding agreement, "and it did work out..."
Nichole raised an eyebrow and then her eyes widened as the werebear flexed her impressive biceps and gave a toothy grin, "even in human form I could knock Marcus out with one hand and without turning him. It'll be quite a while before his cheek and nose heals."
Nichole was surprised at that, as she'd never considered herself "violent" before.
"He's deserved it fall he's done," the werelioness huffed, "chasing us around the country. Threating our child. Wouldn't you want some personal satisfaction at seeing him take his just deserts."
"Well... yes," Nichole admitted, which earned triumphant smiles from the were versions of her. Her eyes then drifted to the other human version of her. This Nichole looked to be a few years older, who seemed calm with all the were versions of her around them. "And what about you... you didn't become a were."
"No... my Moe and I never became weres," the older Nichole spoke, "a part of me wishes we did... but we're too old now to survive the transformation."
"Too old?" Nichole wondered.
"It should be in the guidebook you borrowed from Karen," the older Nichole answered, "once you turn fifty... the odds of your body being able to survive the first transformation goes down, and quickly. By the time you turn sixty... the stresses of the first transformation will kill you."
"Why didn't you join, then?" Nichole wondered.
"Daniel caught and arrested Marcus and Vito, and with that the Gambonis were either on their way to prison or retreated to New York," the older Nichole spoke, "Karen did join and Moe and I had no reason to change. And so we decided to stay together, that was all we needed. Karen is happy with Peter and Moe and I are happy for her..."
"And Moe?" Nichole wondered.
"He's marvelous in bed, absolutely marvelous," the werevixen commented swaying her hips and then cupping her F cup breasts in her paws, "Every touch... every thrust... makes me wet just thinking about it... he's that perfect as a werefox."
The werebear version of her rolled her eyes, "All of us that did turn were... we did so together and in love."
"The sight of him confirmed our love," the weremer version of Nichole smiled.
"Our bond has never been firmer," the werevixen smiled happily.
"We joined together because we loved each other and were willing to be together," the werewolf added, "by mutual agreement to be stronger together."
"And we stand beautiful together," the werebear smiled, "me a Spectacled Werebear... and him a very striking white furred Kermode Bear..."
"Huh?" Nichole asked.
"It's a rare color variation in a subspecies of American Black Bear from British Columbia," the werebear explained, "and can be differentiated from the Polar Bear based on size, the length of the outer coat, the thickness of the inner coat, and lacking of a size of the ears."
"And you're all possibilities?" Nichole asked.
"Depending on what you choose," the werebear commented as the other versions of Nichole began to fade back into the light.
"But should I?" Nichole asked.
"That's all up to you," the werebear spoke as she faded into the light as well.
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Nichole sat up in bed to find Moe's arm laying across her waist and came to her senses. It was dark in the room with all the lights out, and the sound of activity outside the cabin was a bit louder now. She guessed that Officer Strange's warning that weres living outside the official city limits were a bit more active than the weres in the town itself, at least with regard to outdoor activity. She glanced for a moment to the guide to Moon Lake on the nightstand and then down to Moe who seemed to move to hug her in his sleep. And with all the things on her mind and all her fears, that made her smile, and she cuddled next to him.
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Moe found himself in a modest sort of conference room where he sat on a red leather couch with Nichole. The floor was a set of pine boards and the walls covered in calm light blue colors. She held his hand and smiled to them as Samantha Twist came into the room and sat down in small chair across from them. She gave them a small smile as she sat down.
"So... you're both willing to become weres?" Samantha asked.
"More that we're looking for the right reasons to be weres," Moe answered.
"Those reasons vary... and since your daughter became your family were, you and your wife are both free to figure out the reason on your own," Samantha explained with a small smile.
"But we love each other," Nichole said while holding Moe's hand tightly.
"That's good," Samantha nodded, "but since you both came here as Normal Humans, that isn't a reason for either of you to become weres if you do not wish it. If one of you were already a were... or someone attacked one of you, that would be another thing. That would be something require you to become weres. But as it is... you're both free to make a choice."
Moe and Nichole nodded, "but should we and if so what were?"
"A lot of that is up to you," Samantha told them, "I can only give you some of the positive reasons to join..."
"Well... Karen's become a mother," Nichole commented, "we would like to be there fore her... and our granddaughter."
"Well... that would be good, but then the question on which were you'd want to be is up to you," Samantha answered.
"Yes... but there I really have no idea... and sometimes the pull of this place... some times I feel like it's out of my control," Moe told her before glancing to Nichole.
"Well... some have commented that Moon Lake is magical or have described things that have happened here as magical," Samantha commented, "but there won't be any force that would make you lose control... at least none that I know of. As for choosing a were... do you have a favorite animal or favorite ability?"
"Well... I've actually kind of liked cats," Nichole commented, "but I'm not gay, nor do I want to be."
"And the werecat strain would also kill your husband as he is not female," Samantha nodded, "anything else?"
"Well..." Moe began with a blush, "I've always called Nichole "foxy" from time to time... she's always been beautiful to me. And I'll admit that part of my mind has imagined her with a werefox's curves."
"But I've never thought of myself as a fox, nor am I comfortable with how openly sexual werefoxes are described as," Nichole commented.
"Well... nearly every where is going to be hornier than the average human, you'd have some of that to deal with regardless of what were you become," Samantha said slowly, "and werefoxes with their bonds can be quite dedicated to each other."
"Every were?" Moe asked.
"Yes... about the only difference for werefoxes is that they're more open about it," Samantha answered. "Every were will enjoy some "fun" at night. Some may be more open, as werefoxes are. Some may be more playful as weredogs are. Some may be gentle as werecattle are. Some are athletic like werehorses. And some of that can then be different with the individual."
"So you can't tell us which to choose?" Moe wondered.
"No..." Samantha answered, "but if you both choose for love, that's all that matters."
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Moe felt himself shake awake for a moment to find himself cuddled up next to his wife. It was after two AM, but she was sleeping comfortably and was with him. He thought he heard some footsteps outside the room, but he guessed that was probably Karen just going to the bathroom. With that, he drifted back to sleep.