Despite having a good breakfast, Karen Charleston was feeling a bit peckish about noon that day, so returned to the kitchen in Tara Strange's cabin for a bite to eat.
While she was there having a snack, the phone rang.
At first Karen froze, for this was their hiding place from the Gambonis and none of the Charlestons wanted to be discovered before the crime family was arrested and brought to justice.
Then Karen remembered that very few people actually had the cabin's number, but she still cautiously answered the phone with a generic "Hello?"
"This is Tara Strange," began the voice on the other end.
"Oh, hi Tara," said Karen, more friendly now.
"Listen. I've vetted the werelion rep and we can be there in about an hour. That okay with you?" asked their hostess.
"I-", then Karen paused, as she felt a hot flash rush over her whole body.
"Karen? You okay?" asked Tara, fearing the worst.
"Yeah. I'm just—" then Karen looked down in shock as she saw that her snack was actually some of the hamburger meat her mother was defrosting for dinner that night. I've been eating it raw!
"Karen?" Tara repeated, about to lead the police rescue squad to her cabin herself.
"Yeah. I'm just excited about being so close to announcing my decision and joining were society," said Karen, as she tried to 'fluff' up the remaining meat to hide what she ate before covering the bowl.
But then Karen realized that she not only didn't think twice about licking the raw meat juice off her fingers, but that she enjoyed the taste of it!
NO! thought Karen, afraid of what was happening.
"Oh. Okay. Well, like I said, we'll be there in about an hour and—"
"Tara. I need to ask you for a REALLY big favor."
"Under the circumstances, it depends upon what it is."
Then, in a low voice to make sure she wasn't overheard, despite the fact that her parents had gone back to the master bedroom of the cabin and closed the door behind them, Karen whispered, "Can you pick me up a bottle of weretigress birth control pills without either the Gambonis or my folks finding out?"
There were a lot of questions that entered Tara Strange's mind at that request, but the only one she asked was "What happened?"
"I got curious about all the noises outside last night and went out to see what was going on," said Karen, not admitting that it was actually her second foray into the woods.
"Didn't I warn you not to?" Tara asked.
"Yeah, but I couldn't help myself. I'm sure living here, you've heard them too."
"Which is why I usually fall asleep with my headphones on listening to audio books. So what happened?"
"Well... while I'm technically still a virgin at the moment, I won't be for much longer if what I fear is happening is happening," added Karen, while mindlessly scratching herself. "But I have no desire to become a mother before I even finish high school and—" then she stopped, shocked but not surprised to feel a small patch of fur in the small of her back.
"Okay. I get the picture. But what do I tell the werelion rep?" asked Tara.
"The rep can still come if they want to. I still need to keep my promise to my folks about talking to all the felines before I make a decision, and weretigress was among my top two choices. The final decision looks like it's been made for me, but I'm not complaining as long as my parents don't discover my mistake. Besides, they're talking about joining were society too now, but they're still in the early stages of thinking about it, so are far from a final decision themselves."
"Okay. I'll get the pills and smooth things with the lion, but you owe me young lady."
MEANWHILE...
Blissfully unaware of these new developments, her parents were sitting together, next to each other on the bed in the master bedroom, discussing their own possible were future.
"No. For some reason I keep picturing you furry, so I don't want to be anything aquatic based," said Moe Charleston.
"Well, the were-otters have fur," replied his wife Nichole, holding up the image in the Moon Lake Were Guide Book (as she called the otherwise untitled volume) to show him.
Moe studies the image, looked at her, then turned back toward the book and said, "Not enough."
"Since when did you develop a fur fetish?" she wondered.
"I've always loved it when you wear your hair long," said Moe, leaning to lay his head upon Nichole's shoulder and feel her long strands against his cheek, "and unlike some men, I've never had any problem with you being hairy, down there," he added, pointing to the desirable space between her legs. "But I'll admit that I've never felt the urge so strongly, let alone ever knew what to call it, before we moved here."
"Well, Fran did tell me this place was special," said Nichole, referring to their friend and Daniel Brooks' wife. "What about weredogs?" she asked, thinking about the Brooks.
"With all due respect to Daniel and his wife, that's too common. If we do this, I want to be something... special with you. So werewolves are out too, because they're too cliche and Hollywood."
"Okay," agreed Nichole, thankful she didn't have to bring up the subject of werecats and their male partner the were-wildcat, since for some reason every member of that group was at least bi, if not outright gay, and she preferred her husband just the way he was.
"There is one thing I would like to know honey," she began, turning to look directly at Moe.
"What?" he asked, raising his head to sit more regularly again.
"If we do become weres, are you going to want more children?"
"I... Truthfully, I've never really thought that far. Why?"
"As a regular human being, I'm nearing the end of ever possibly having more, let alone delivering them into this world safely. But if we become weres, I figure I'd have at least another century or two to increase our family, if you want to."
"Really?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," she said with a smile. "You haven't read this book for yourself yet?"
"No," he confessed. "I've just been going by what you and Karen have told me about weres. But doing so would be just as much your decision as mine. Would you want to have more kids?"
"Like you said, I never really thought about the possibility before now. At the moment I'm pushing 40 and normally my baby making days would be drawing to a close. But even if we decide that Karen's it and I stay on whatever were birth control pill I'd need to take for the rest of my life, I would still love to go through the motions of trying to create one with you every chance we'd get," added Nichole, before passionately kissing her husband.
When their lips finally parted, Moe looked at his wife and said, "Well, if you don't mind, despite how much I love you and Karen, I'd love to have at least a son join our family at some point in our future."
"As weres, we'd have all the time in the world," Nichole pointed out to him.
"If we can find one we both agree on becoming and actually do so," Moe reminded her.
"With Karen planning to join, we have plenty of time to keep looking until we find something that is just right for both of us," replied Nichole, not knowing that their only daughter would be joining were society a lot sooner than they thought.
TO BE CONTINUED...