While Tad and Connor were discussing Weres upstairs in Connor’s room, Diana and Kent Ross were downstairs in their living room with Samantha Twist, having their own discussion about Weres.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions about all of this,” Samantha said to the couple. “But I assure you, everything will be okay.”
“I know, I know…” Diana said softly, giving Samantha a soft smile. “It’s just...a lot to take in.”
“It is for most people,” Samantha said. “But I’ll be honest with you: I’ve met a family that has taken this better than yours.”
Kent and Diana both nodded slowly. “So what kinds of things should we know about Weres now that our son is going to...be one…”
“For starters, Weres are nothing like they are in stories and movies. They don’t transform under the light of a full moon, and they have complete control of themselves when they’re transformed. They are essentially humans in the body of an anthropomorphic animal.”
“And...how many kinds of Weres are there?” Diana asked.
Samantha closed her eyes and thought for a minute. When she was finished, she opened her eyes and looked at the couple.
“To be completely honest, I’m not exactly sure,” she said. “There are your standard Weres, such as werecats like my wife and I, and werewolves, such as Tad and my son. But then there are the different variations of these species, such as weredogs and werewildcats. Also, there’s the more uncommon kinds of Weres.”
“Uncommon?” Diana asked. “Uncommon how?”
“‘Uncommon’ as in that you don’t hear about these species much,” Samantha said. “Werehorses, were bears, wereraccoons, etc. There is a variety of different Were species in Moon Lake, but outside of the town, I’m not sure. Until recently, I had no idea that such a thing as a Were-Komodo Dragon until a few weeks ago.”
“And how about becoming a Were?” Kent chimed in. “How exactly does that work? Does it work like in the movies where a Were has to bite a human?”
“Well...yes and no,” Samantha said. “A human can be transformed when a Were, for lack of a better word, ‘infects’ them. It works a lot like a virus does actually.”
“So if our son were to become a werewolf, he would have lycanthropy,” Kent said.
“Right. Connor is able to ‘contract’ lycanthropy through one of three ways: saliva, scratching, or...sexual fluids.”
Diana shifted slightly, seeming a bit uncomfortable. “And I assume that...most people choose option 3?” she asked.
“Well, yes,” Samantha said. “Given as it doesn’t involve the recipient getting hurt and the nature of Weres, both parties tend to choose this option for the first part of the transformation. Both parties benefit from it.”
“What exactly do you mean by ‘the nature of Weres?’” Kent asked.
“Weres are quite...active, Mr. Ross. We enjoy engaging in sexual activities more often than most people would.”
“You mentioned that starting the transformation was the first part,” Diana said. “What’s the second part?”
“After the recipient begins their transformation, both the one undergoing the transformation and the one who started the transformation tend to have sex with each other, to put it bluntly,” Samantha explained. “If the recipient chooses not to have sex but has already started their transformation, then they technically won’t be able to finish their transformation.”
“So Connor would need to be 100% dedicated to the Were he wants to become,” Diana said.
“Exactly,” Samantha said.
Diana and Kent exchanged a worried look, which Samantha noticed.
“Is something the matter?” she asked.
“Oh...it’s nothing too big,” Diana said. “It’s just…”
“We’re a bit worried about Connor,” Kent started. “He hasn’t been acting like himself lately.”
“How so?” Samantha asked, curious as to what they were talking about.
“He’s been shutting himself off from the rest of the family,” Kent explained. “He just isn’t like the young, energetic kid he used to be.”
“Maybe he’s suffering from depression,” Samantha suggested.
“That’s what we initially thought,” Diana said. “But when we took him in to get tested, he wasn’t diagnosed with depression.”
“Neither of us knew what was going on until Connor’s laptop had to go to the shop to get fixed last month,” Kent explained. “While his laptop was being repaired, I let him use my laptop to do his homework. When he finished his homework, I used the laptop right after him so I could get some work done. But when I opened the internet browser, I noticed that it asked me if I wanted to restore my tabs because the browser closed unexpectedly.”
“And I take it that you did?” Samantha guessed, to which Kent nodded in response.
“I looked, and what came up were multiple articles on how to tell if you’re gay or not. I showed it to Diana and….things just made sense.”
“He’s in denial,” Samantha concluded. “But what does this have to do with what kind of Were he becomes?”
“Well, when we confronted him about it, he was quick to deny it and tried to write it off as research for a school project,” Diana said. “But I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't telling the truth. I was afraid that if he ended up getting with a girl just to tell himself he was straight, he might do something that he’ll regret. But now that we’re in Moon Lake and having sex with a Were can turn you into a Were, we’re worried that…that…”
“...that he’ll end up making a rash decision and becoming a Were species that he’s not happy with in the long run,” Kent finished.
“I see…” Samantha said. “Well, I personally wouldn’t worry too much about this. I know it’s hard not to, but we need to let our children figure things out on their own. I’m sure that Connor will figure out whether he’s straight, gay, or bi, and he’ll end up becoming a Were species that he’s happy with. And he also knows a Were that can help him with this sort of stuff.”
“Right…” Diana said, giving Samantha a small smile before hugging her husband.