Brunch at the Twist household was a delicious, although spur of the moment, repast.
Having yet to go grocery shopping, Frances and her son Ben took leftovers, as well as other odds and ends, and combined them into a meal that Samantha had no idea wasn't totally brand new by the time she joined her loved ones.
Ben the (adopted) werewolf was still in his human form, after having recently completed some necessary pre-winter yard work.
The ladies, being happily married lesbian werecats, were still in their respective fursonas. Between being within the privacy of their own home and all the window curtains being closed, no Moon Lake public display laws were violated.
Ben considered shifting to his lupine form, but there were still a few things to do outside before sunset, yet they could certainly wait until after he ate.
The three of them initially engaged in idle small talk between the Sunday paper and catching up on everything.
Then the conversation started to turn a bit more serious.
"So, how's Kenya?" Samantha asked, wondering where the question might lead in regards to Ben and his werepanthress girlfriend.
"She's wonderful mom," Ben replied with a smile on his face.
"We haven't seen her in a while. Would you like to invite her over to dinner some night soon?"
"Sure."
"Kenya's a good woman. Do you think the two of you..." began Frances, picking up on Samantha's cue.
"Someday..." said Ben wishfully, to which he didn't need his wolf hearing to listen to both women softly purr in contentment, for his mothers wanted their child happy.
Then Ben brought up the (were)elephant in the room that no one wanted to address yet needed to be talked about.
"The one dark cloud over everybody right now seems to be will the Town Council really reveal were existence to the world? Let alone what happens when they do?"*
"I can understand their reasoning for even considering the proposition this time," Samantha said cautiously. "We've had some close calls lately between Yvette Smith, Dimixious Drake, that wererat Ulysses, those mobsters, and Alice Decroux. (*2) I personally fear the day we might not be so lucky," she added, while looking at her wife, who was almost shot when the Drake situation blew up in the other house next to theirs. The one not occupied by their friends the Anderson family. "Yet how long it actually takes them to come up with a viable plan, let alone initiate it..."
Frances was about to speak when the house phone rang.
Because of the mountainous terrain that made up part of Washington State, most people in Moon Lake had both cellphones and traditional landlines, for when cell reception wasn't as great as it should be.
"I'll get it," said Ben, rising before either werecat could to answer the phone.
"Hello?" he said, when whoever called hung up.
"Guess it was a wrong number," Ben observed, sitting back down.
"Technology is improving day by day," Frances said. "There will come a day when, pardon the expression, the cat's out of the bag and we can't reseal it."
"But we already have an emergency plan in place," Samantha, in her position as the Town Chancellor, reminded everyone.
"Which, even if it was up to date, is for after the fact," Frances pointed out. "What if that's too late?"
"I know what's at risk honey," said Samantha, reaching across the table to take Frances' paw in hers. "But you're the professional therapist. Are normal humans ready to know about, let alone deal with our existence positively?"
"Some? Definitely," Frances said without hesitation. "All? That would have been iffy even under the best of circumstances. But how the questionable ones will actually react when they do discover we exist?" and to that all she could do was just shrug her furry shoulders.
"Well, whatever plan they come up with will only reveal weres exist, not where we are," said Samantha.
"But even if they're working from the best of intentions, does Moon Lake have the right to do something that will risk weres around the world?" Ben wanted to know.
"One thing I've always hated is how... compartmentalized we are," complained Samantha. "Sure, we know there are other weres across the world besides our humble town, and not being in regular communication with them has kept everyone safe so far. Yet now..."
With that the conversation stopped, each Twist thinking things over, before the house phone started ringing again.
"I'll get it," said Frances, rising to answer it.
"Hello. Twist residence," she said.
"Stop the Council from ruining us or forfeit your life Chancellor!" an angry voice said, before hanging up.
Frances just stood there, shaking in fear as her wife and son rushed to her side, each having heard both sides of the brief conversation thanks to their unique nature.
"Probably the hang up from earlier. They weren't expecting a male's voice, knowing you're a werecat," guessed Ben, taking the phone from Frances to put back in the cradle even as Samantha lovingly embraced her.
"H-honey?" Frances said, teary feline eyes looking at her.
"It's okay dear. I'm right here," cooed Samantha, pulling her closer because Frances was still trembling.
"Ben, get my cell from our bedroom," said Samantha, leading Frances to the living room couch. "I need to call Martin," she began, referring to Mayor Stovall, "and then you need to call the police and report this threat."
TO BE CONTINUED...
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*A decision recently made in Moon Lake: Tad, although a plan has yet to be created, let alone finalized and implemented.
*2.) Between this series, Moon Lake: Tad, Moon Lake: Charlestons, and Moon Lake: Jenkins respectively.—tmw.