Connor’s morning was rather uneventful. He had to be out the door and at the bus stop by 6:45, so he had gotten up at 6:00 and put on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans that he had set out the night before. Once dressed, Connor went downstairs and poured himself a bowl of cereal for breakfast before sitting down on the couch, opening his backpack, and making sure he had everything he needed for the day ahead.
At around 6:25, Connor heard someone coming downstairs. He turned his head to see his mom walk down the last few stairs. Diana saw her son and smiled at him as she walked over to him.
“Morning honey,” she said, kissing Connor’s cheek. “How’d you sleep last night?”
“Yeah, I slept fine,” he responded. “You’re not usually up this early…”
“I know,” Diana said as she walked into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. “I figured that I would see you off before you left for your first day of school here in Moon Lake. It would also allow me to get a bit of a head start on unpacking some things.”
“Alright then,” Connor said before looking at his phone. “It’s 6:30. I should probably head out.”
“Have a good day honey!” Diana called from the kitchen as Connor opened the front door. “I love you!”
“Thanks mom! Love you too!” Connor yelled back before stepping outside and shutting the front door behind him. As he turned around to face the street, Connor noticed that there was someone standing by his mailbox, staring at him.
The person in question was a male who Connor assumed was of Asian descent due to the color of his skin and his facial features. He had short black hair that was nearly styled using hair gel and an athletic body frame. He wore gray jacket with a solid black shirt underneath it and a pair of jeans, and on his back was a navy blue backpack. Hanging from his neck was what looked to be a pendant of some kind.
Connor and the other teen just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity to Connor. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but there was something about this person that was just…
Connor’s thoughts were interrupted when the male gave him a small wave and said “Hey.”
“H-Hello…” Connor stammered.
“I was wondering who was moving into that house,” the teen said. “Saw the moving truck yesterday afternoon, but I never got to see who was moving in.”
“I-It was just me and my family,” Connor said before taking a deep breath and walking forward. “Sorry, I’m not really sure what happened there. I’m never usually all shaky like that when I meet a new person.” As he got closer, Connor could now tell that the pendant the male was wearing was in the shape of a Bobcat.
“It’s cool,” the teen said. He then pointed at Connor’s backpack and asked “You heading to the bus stop?”
“Yeah, are you?”
“Yep. What year are you in?”
“Senior year.”
“Hey, I am too!” the teen said with a smile. “I’m Ryan, by the way. Ryan Chang.” Ryan held out his hand.
“I’m Connor. Connor Ross,” Connor said, taking Ryan’s hand and shaking it. “So...you want to walk to the bus stop together? We can talk more on the way there.”
“Sure,” Ryan said. “I mean, we were both already heading in the same direction.”
“Right…” Connor said. “So...how long have you lived in Moon Lake?”
“I’ve lived here all my life,” Ryan said. “Just me, my mom, and my dad. I have an older brother, but he’s currently studying abroad over in London.”
“And are you guys Weres?”
Ryan smiled. “Yep!” he said. “My mom and brother are both Werewolves while my dad and I are both Werewildcats.”
“You’re a...what?”
“A Werewildcat,” Ryan repeated. “It’s a mouthful, I know. Basically, they’re like the male versions of Werecats. While Werecats are exclusively female and always based on a house cat, Werewildcats are exclusively male and based off of wild cats.”
“And what kind are you based off of?” Connor asked.
“My fursona is based off of a Bobcat, hence my pendant,” Ryan said. “But enough about me! Let’s talk about you for a bit! What kind of Were are you thinking of becoming?”
“Oh…” Connor said, scratching the back of his head. “I’m...not really sure. There’s just so many different species to choose from. Thankfully, it turns out that I already knew someone who was a Were.”
“Who’s that?”
“An old friend of mine who moved here a few months back. His name is Tad Decker.”
“Oh, I know Tad!” Ryan exclaimed. “We have two classes together, but other than that, we don’t talk all that much. So I assume he’s doing his best to help you pick out a werespecies to become?”
“Yeah,” Connor confirmed. “He has expressed how much he enjoys being a werewolf, but I want to look at other species before I make my final choice.”
“That’s definitely the right choice to make. If you become a species of Were that you don’t like in the long run, you can’t go back. You’re stuck like that forever.”
“I know, I know,” Connor said. “I’ve heard that from basically everyone that I’ve talked to since I moved here.”
“Well if you wouldn’t mind, I could also lend you a hand,” Ryan offered. “It would allow you to have two different perspectives on different species.”
“That sounds like a good idea to me!” Connor said. “Thanks Ryan.”
“No problemo!” Ryan said happily.