"Not right now," Rachel said slowly and politely, a bit nervous over some things.
Megumi made for a good friend, and Rachel greatly supported the openness the Japanese-American teen had offered to help her deal with the issues she'd had at hand. In fact Melissa and all the friends she'd made in Moon Lake seemed eager to help with that issue, and it made Rachel feel quite grateful. Melissa might be bigger in many ways than she was in Michigan, but she was still the caring friend that had been there for her, even if it was to listen to Rachel complain over things her parents had done over rules and curfews and that sort of thing, and it was that sort of thing that Rachel greatly respected. It gave her a greater sense of comfort with Moon Lake than she had on the first day, and that was reinforced by what interactions she'd had with Melissa's new friends and other students in Moon Lake High. After all, yes, they were different but wasn't as though they were monsters.
And Megumi's werevixen form went along with that. Her fur was silky smooth and aside from her generous curves for High School Sophomore, she was quite sleek with good muscle tone, though much less bulky than what Melissa had gained. And from the guidebook, Rachel had surmised that when Megumi grew up, she'd be an F cup with hips that balanced them perfectly. It all certainly fit in with the idea that either weres were built to inspire creating new weres or that some wizard or god in mythology created weres and was a bit of a pervert besides. Though not that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Not interested? Megumi asked playfully as she moved back to sit on a couch, while Rachel sat down beside her. Almost absentmindedly of her, Rachel began checking with the homework she'd gotten from school as she sat down.
"Well... I actually am a bit interested in being a were... just not a werewolf," Rachel answered, "I told this to Mel when she told me about Moon Lake and it's weres... but a big part of that is because the first night I was here... I had this dream in which I found myself in this empty room and tied down. Then a werewolf came in... claimed to be and scratched me."
"Yes... I would imagine that would be intimidating to envision yourself being attacked by yourself," Megumi nodded as she ran one finger down her muzzle and feeling her fur slide around her claw as she did so, "and yet you volunteered to be your family's were?"
"Well... it is all weird when compared to what I knew in Michigan... no offense," Rachel began.
"None taken," Megumi answered, "it's actually pretty rare for normal humans to come to Moon Lake that are already aware of weres. Thus seeing so many congregated in one place... even in our human forms... many that are new to Moon Lake will find it weird. So it's understandable."
"But yet at the same time, it's relatively interesting... and I guess... well... don't tell Mel this but a part of me is a bit jealous," Rachel admitted, "I mean becoming a were gave her a decent sized boost to her must, a massive increase in her muscle mass, and a few fractions of an inch in height... not necessarily a bad thing. And since she's still the same old Mel I knew in Michigan... at least where it counts... a lot of my issues with weirdness were replaced by more curiosity than anything else. See what it's like."
"It is a wonderful experience," Megumi assured her with a nod and set about her own homework.
"And if it weren't for my dad's issues... or at least the fear that he might do something stupid... some of the research would be wonderful," Rachel sighed as she slumped against the cushion behind her, "but instead there is the feeling of being rushed and having to go through with it before that stupid stuff happens and the town takes any choice away in the defense of its own laws..."
Megumi nodded at that. She couldn't think on anyone who had been forced to become a were that she knew of, but that didn't mean that it didn't happen from time to time. The Moon Lake Police did regularly patrol Moon Lake's streets day and night, and had freedom to interpret if someone might be trying to flee Moon Lake to avoid the Mandatory Were Law, and with only four points of entry to and from Moon Lake any escape attempt could be contained before they'd leave the city limits. And so far as the Mandatory Were Law was concerned, fleeing would violate that law, but so far as she knew, nearly every new family took the time to learn about weres and found something that they liked and wanted to join were society as a result, ultimately regardless of the law. Melissa's relaying her father's falling in love with Virginia McCoy and Melissa's own falling in love with Trevor Tyson were proof of that sort of thing.
"And the really sad thing..." Rachel then continued, "is that with what you said about werefoxes and their bonds... that might actually be something that would fit my mom and dad."
"Oh?" Megumi looked up, feeling a bit curious.
"I mean sure they've had their arguments at times, as I'm sure any married couple does," Rachel explained, "but they've always been dedicated to each other. Dad treats mom like she's a queen... even when they're working together and when something does lead to an argument... when he's realized the mistake, he'll do everything he can to make up for it. And when it's been my mom's fault... she goes out of her way to make it up to him. In this they've been quite happy together and dedicated..."
"That would sound like a werefox's bond," Megumi noted, "or at least so far as a normal human could... though the bond is more instinctive for us. Thus we know instinctively what will make our mate's happy."
"But my dad's possible reaction... it'd mean he'd miss something that might make him happy and would rush me into something I don't want," Rachel sighed as she looked down, "not to mention that I wouldn't know how I'd be able to get approval for either werefox or werebear birth control pills... let alone afford them. If I were into girls... I suppose I could go that way... but it'd only be a last resort, like there's no other choice."
Megumi nodded, as that was a bit of a potential hurdle. For while she and Alice both enjoyed practical jokes and that sort of thing, both of them also greatly respected the friendships they'd formed, and that applied to Trevor, Roy, Jason, and Melissa too. Friendship was important and worth fighting for, or even making sacrifices for. That had been a key reason why she'd made the offer to turn Melissa if she wanted to be a werefox. The whole group could see Trevor and Melissa falling in love in that both seemed to focus on each other, and when Megumi had a class with Melissa, Trevor ultimately came up one way or another. It was something of an obvious tell, and given the sexual nature that related to weres and the process of a normal human joining were society, Megumi had the hunch that if Melissa became a werefox, she would begin to bond with Trevor, even if he wasn't there. Thus from a romantic sense, the best thing Megumi could think of was let Melissa sample her... and Trevor would get the honor of taking Melissa's virginity. Though, as things turned out, Melissa chose to become a werecow and was happy with Trevor anyway.
But in many ways, Megumi had the sense that she would do all she could for Rachel. Like many new people that had come to Moon Lake, she'd seemed to take things rather well, or at least with enough of an open mind she wasn't turned off by Moon Lake's weres. That was something that gave her hope for the wider world. But what Rachel had reported on what her father might do was something that was troublesome. For it sounded more like Rachel's father was the sort that Moon Lake feared the most if he was willing to challenge the law in a way that would leave the threat of exposure open, which then made Rachel's position harder. For it would also mean that she'd have limited time and few options. And while Megumi could help with werefoxes, she wasn't as fully knowledgeable on werebears. They'd managed to find some arrangement with another werebear at school, but Rachel wouldn't get to meet him until the next day.
That then presented the risk of the timing if Rachel's father did try to pull what Rachel feared. Moon Lake generally tolerated... or looked the other way when minors were active with each other, but a lot of that still depended on parental consent to things like the specific were birth control pill. For were reproduction was different from normal human reproduction. It was something that often combined human and animal "ways," much like the weres themselves were. A female were wouldn't ovulate once a month the way a normal human woman would, but would have a heat cycle that went through once a month. It would only be thanks to heavy sexual stimulation during that period that a female were would ovulate. The timing of this period would follow a fairly standard pattern, much like normal women could, and before the were birth control pill was developed that was largely how weres tried to avoid pregnancies, but even that wasn't necessarily perfect.
This would mean that any woman seeking to become a were would need to have the birth control pill for her specific were-species before joining were society. Without it, there was no way of knowing for sure if the new were would be in heat when she became a were, which then combined with the often prolific mating that then followed the transformation, it would be quite possible that a new were could find herself pregnant after her first time. In this, the were birth control pill was quite helpful the world's were population as they learned of it, but because of the specifics behind it, it had to be prescribed to make sure that the were secret didn't slip out. And if Rachel's parents wouldn't accept the appointment or pay for the pills, Rachel's options would then be limited further still. And with time as a factor, that would mean risking pregnancy or being with another female were.
"But she is a good friend," Megumi thought as she looked Rachel and could see some of the look of frustration on her face and likely the fear that went with it, "Like Alice has always been. As Jason, Trevor, and Roy are. As Mel is... and while being with another woman isn't exactly my cup of tea either... if pushed, honor would demand to help her in any way."
And Megumi would do what she could, even if it wasn't within her sexual tastes. It was the friendly thing to do, though for the moment there wasn't that much to do about it beyond what they'd agreed to. Megumi had told Rachel about werefoxes and they could only wait and hope that Rachel's parents didn't try anything risky or foolish. As they began working on their homework, an idea came to Megumi as a possible way around their present problem.
"You know... if your parents relationship is that close to a werefox's bond," Megumi mused, "perhaps you could share with them what I've told you. The guidebook is a bit old, admittedly, and doesn't get into all the details. And most of it would really only focus on our build and sexual prowess. The bond is barely mentioned if at all."
"That might help..." Rachel said slowly, "though it would still assume that my mom and dad are interested... but it could be worth a shot, I suppose. Would that mean I couldn't become a werefox later?"
"No, what group one joins is all up to you," Megumi assured her, "Some new families become different were-species. One, I've been told has two parents, one became a werefox and the wife a werecat. One son became a werewolf and the other a weremer. Some all join the same were group. One of the kids in the school became a weredog because that was what his parents became. So your choices are your own in that regard."
"Good to know... thank you," Rachel answered and they resumed their homework.