Ava watched quietly for a moment when Conner went upstairs after they came back into the Ross house to find their parents going over the guidebook that Samantha Twist had left with the family. Conner had seemed to use it the most, but given that Conner had also seemed rather smitten with Ryan, it was quite likely that if Conner was recognizing or figuring out if he was bisexual or homosexual and had grown close to Ryan... it'd be likely that Conner might become a werewildcat to be were that had taken an interest in him. And some of that made some degree of sense, particularly when it came to new normal human residents. From what Ava had found out, most tended to match the were-species of the one they fell in love with. There were some cases of "mixed" couples, but Ava had seemed to notice that most people that joined were society after falling in love with a were tended to become the same were-species as the were they fell in love with. And if Conner was "in love" with Ryan, that wouldn't be bad, though Ava was certain that Ryan would ultimately get the "don't hurt my boy" talk at some point.
The thing that held Ava's curiosity for the moment was the fact that she and Conner had come home to find their parents discussing the guidebook and even becoming weres themselves, with little real prodding or pushing. It was something that made Moon Lake rather interesting in that this little wagon wheel shaped town was a secret were sanctuary with most of its residents being weres and those that were normal humans having some member of their immediate or extended family that was a were. If someone had told Ava this before they arrived in Moon Lake, she wouldn't have believed them and might have even laughed them off. She also figured that her parents wouldn't have put too much trust in that, either. Yet it was real and Ava had gotten plenty of proof that it was, and while she had no desire to have her sexuality changed, she had to admit that the werecats she'd met and seen in their fursonas, Samantha Twist and a girl from her grade named Ashley were quite beautiful. It was something that gave Ava the idea to become a weremountainlion and gain the base feline form without the outlandish stripes or spots of tigers and leopards or the gender split polygamy of lions.
It sounded nice... but her parents had also urged that she wait until she was closer to eighteen, which was something of a sore spot with Ava. She'd found out some details on weres that were a bit surprising but hard to get around. By Moon Lake's laws, those over fourteen could become weres, though the city also tended to include that those under eighteen had to have parental permission. That in and of itself wasn't bad, but when one considered that joining were society would ultimately require sex in order to complete the transformation, that was something that became complicated. From what Ava had found out, it seemed like the city simply looked the other way so long as all parties were roughly the same age, but because of that parent's consent clause her parents were able to deny Ava any ability to join were society until after she turned eighteen, and Ava didn't think this was fair. Her brother was looking into joining were society, her parents were just discussing on joining were society, and Ava had heard enough stories on others under eighteen joining were society. She felt it would be fair if she could be allowed to make that "jump" too, but her parents said "no" in that regard. That was the only negative thing that Ava had on Moon Lake, and it didn't really relate to Moon Lake, itself.
"Is something off with the stairs, Ava?" came her father's voice, snapping Ava out of her glance at the stairs that Conner went up.
Ava turned back to see her parents, Kent and Diana, looking back over the couch to Ava with slightly puzzled looks as they looked to their younger child. They'd heard footsteps from behind them as they were discussing the guidebook and possible weres they could be. While they assumed that this was just Conner and Ava coming home, they did turn back, where they'd found Ava looking up the steps that went up to the second floor. Ava just seemed to be looking in that direction with little focus beyond following something, and that was likely Conner. Both Kent and Diana had some worries as to Conner's health and development, as he'd seemed rather closed up on certain things, particularly those related to his sexuality before the move to Moon Lake. Neither Kent nor Diana had a hateful bone in their bodies and if Conner was gay or bi... there was nothing wrong with that. He was their son and they would love him regardless.
Their time in Moon Lake seemed to have fixed those concerns in at least getting Conner to recognize the likelihood that he was at least bisexual. Kent figured that maybe Tad or some of the other people that Conner had met at school were helping him and that got Conner to actually open up on things. Kent and Diana both took that as a sign of relief and they hoped that it would ease whatever stresses Conner had to have been feeling before the move. They didn't know if Ava knew for sure, but their children were always close, so they guessed that Ava might have managed some things out and was worried about her brother, and that was why she was so focused on looking up the stairway.
"No... I... uh..." Ava answered her father, taken a bit by surprise.
"I'm sure Conner is fine," Diana spoke, "and right now he's just getting ready for his evening."
"And one that could make him different," Ava thought to herself if some of what Conner had said to her before they came inside was true. That Conner was not just recognizing what his sexuality was, which Ava considered a good thing as it would mean Conner was being open with things, but was consciously thinking actually becoming a were with Ryan. Ava didn't have a problem with that, either, but she was a bit jealous as it seemed like everyone in the Ross family was looking into becoming a were of some kind, except her... She was left out because she was "too young" as far as her parents were concerned.
"Why don't you come sit with us... tell us how your day went," Kent offered to Ava.
"My day went fine," Ava spoke as she slowly walked around the couch, "quiet... that sort of thing... I'd be more interested in seeing what you two were up to. It sounded like you were interesting in joining were society too..."
"Well... it's a possibility," Diana answered as she looked over to her husband, "and we hadn't made any final decision, yet. Much of it could well relate what Conner says after he's become a were..."
"But Conner's made friends with a werewildcat..." Ava pointed out, "wouldn't that make his experience a bit different from other weres? Wouldn't you wish to talk to those that you were considering?"
"And that may come, dear," Kent answered, "but if and when Conner becomes a were... he can still provide some general facts that relate to weres in general and what he thinks..."
Neither Ross parent said anything about it adding to some of their own interest in the fact that weres seemed to be drawn to be well built. None looked overweight, all looked at least reasonably strong, and according to the drawings in the guidebook... had everything in just the right places. It wasn't that Ava was unaware of those sorts of things, as Ava had managed to listen in on when they'd given Conner "the talk" when it related to things like puberty. As such they knew that Ava could probably figure those things out, but that didn't mean they were partially considering becoming weres solely for "sexual" reasons.
"And what all were you looking into?" Ava inquired.
"Mostly just looking through the various options that are there," Kent explained, "with no firm decision in any direction..."
"Yes," Diana agreed, "it seems like there are a wide variety of animals that are represented among weres... Some have some peculiarities, like werecats and werecheetahs being female only species and the former being bi if not homosexual... or werewildcats being all male and either bi or homosexual... Or that some could apparently have a size range, particularly with the werecattle and werehorses, largely depending on the breed... according to the guidebook."
"They even have wereskunks in there..." Kent nodded, "I'm not sure why a were would have gone after a skunk..."
"Maybe it's all some kind of magic," Ava commented, "or a totem..."
Diana shook her head to Ava, though some of that line made a degree of sense in its simplicity. After all, from things that Samantha Twist had said during the initial welcome to Moon Lake, there were things about weres and were society that didn't come off as purely scientific. The fact that some weres were mono-gendered had no heterosexual members seemed rather different, particularly when Diana was also fairly certain that things like sexuality weren't something that could be inherited. Thus she didn't think it was a genetic condition, but Diana also had to admit that she wasn't smart enough in that area to be any real authority on that.
"Perhaps," Kent said slowly, "but then there are many things that we often refer to as "magical" when we simply don't have a scientific knowledge of how something works. Thus some kind of supernatural explanation is the thing that people turn to..."
"And from the way Mrs. Twist described being a were," Diana said slowly, "I'm not sure that the old supernatural answers would actually work. For I don't think weres are "cursed" in any way... as surprising as finding out weres are real is..."
Ava and Kent both nodded in agreement at that. In general the Ross family had responded to things that related to Moon Lake's secret in a way that was totally against what most weres expected in that there was no real resistance and that neither Samantha nor Tad had had to do anything to essentially "twist arms" when it came to the Mandatory Were Law. Conner may have been the first to volunteer over it, but there were things that were reasonably attractive to all of them And now that Conner seemed to be on his way toward either making up his mind or figuring out enough to know who he was, Kent and Diana had enough confidence to actually look into things for themselves.
"Yeah... they're all blessed in a way," Ava said slowly and then turned to look away toward a far wall, "but you won't let me join..."
Kent and Diana sighed as they looked to their daughter and stood up. Diana carefully shutting the Moon Lake Guidebook and setting it on the couch as she then moved to join her husband in approaching Ava. Their intent was more to comfort her than anything else.
"It's not that we'd forbid you from ever joining," Kent said slowly, "it's nothing like that..."
"It's just you're only fourteen... still our baby," Diana answered.
"But I'm NOT a little kid any more!" Ava protested, "I know all about the birds and the bees and all that... and I've been growing up over the past two years... you know that."
She then sort of stamped her foot a bit as her father came to hug her from behind and her mother moved to rest a hand on Ava's shoulder. They paid little notice to Conner coming back down the stairs and then going out the front door as they talked with Ava.
"We know you're growing up, dear," Kent said, "and that means a lot of changes... but you are still a kid. Growing up a bit doesn't change that as far as the law is concerned and it doesn't change that becoming a were would be a one and done thing, regardless of your age. There are no take backs."
"Yeah, I know that..." Ava answered, "but I'm pretty certain on what I'd want... a weremountainlion. I'd look like a larger version of a brown colored werecat, but the sexuality issues wouldn't be there and I'd look beautiful... And a girl I met in school could probably help me get in touch with a male weremountainlion that could do the job.... it's what I'd want. That is the kind of were I want to be."
"And if that is your end choice... that's perfectly fine," Diana told her daughter, "but we'd still prefer you WAIT until you're older. More mature... And who knows... maybe you'd change your mind between then and now. That'd be one of the values of not rushing into things. Especially when you also don't have all information down on weremountainlions right now..."
"But Conner's going to be a were... probably to be with Ryan," Ava protested, "and you were discussing being a were... It'd be like I'm left behind. And I've met plenty of others my age that were normal humans who became weres."
"You wouldn't be left behind, dear," Kent assured, "you would always be loved..."
"And just because other parents... and the parents in Moon Lake have been rather lax around certain things doesn't mean WE have to," Diana answered, "and given that according to Mrs. Twist... assuming a were isn't violently killed or gets some disease that their immune system can't handle... a were could potentially live to be close to four hundred years old. That is a LOT of time. Four years to turn eighteen... that's not much by comparison."
"And it isn't like you've already found a steady boyfriend... have you?" Kent asked.
"No," Ava admitted, "would that help?"
"Help us let you have sex before your eighteen... no," Diana answered and glanced over to Kent, "but in that situation that could be something more that we'd understand it more. We wouldn't approve of it and you'd be grounded... but that could be something where that decision could be made for reasons that go beyond just wanting to be a were."
Ava sighed as her parents ushered her over to the couch and then sat her down and they sat down on either side of her. Sitting down was a bit uncomfortable, and she had to lean to a side while reaching under her. She ended up finding that her parents had gotten her to sit down on the guidebook. Thankfully the book had a strong enough cover to avoid real damage, but that didn't make it comfortable by any means. Ava sighed and handed the guidebook to her father.
"And some of that is a concern for your mother and I as well..." Kent added as he accepted the book, "as if we are to become the same were-species, at least one of us would have to have sex with a were in order to complete the transformation and if both of us were to become different weres... we'd both have to have sex with someone other than the one we love..."
"But that'd just be part of the whole transformation process," Ava countered, "it wouldn't be personal."
"Yes... and we can understand that for us, and even accept that," Diana nodded, "but right now... would you really say that you want your first time to not only be while being so young... but with someone that may ultimately have little interest in you beyond going through the motions for the transformation? There would be nothing special or romantic about it... and if simply becoming a were is the goal... four years won't be that long."
Ava only sighed in frustration at the response to that. That was part of the frustration that a part of her really didn't want to wait, as some of the conversations she'd had with Ashley and others at school was that they liked being weres and that there was a lot of good things that were there that didn't relate to sex. Ava looked more toward that than anything else. But at the same time, she also recognized that her parents did have some good points to. While she was smart enough to know that things like "love at first sight" weren't things that truly happened for most people and that could well mean that the first person she was with might not be the person she ultimately marries. In that, Ava wasn't looking for a Mr. "Right Now" as it were. Which meant that while she didn't like the fact that her parents wanted her to wait, that didn't mean simply wanted to have sex... That was simply more a side issue related to becoming a were.
"And what have you thought on being?" Ava asked to them, hoping that maybe turning.
"Not really sure," Kent answered, "I might prefer something more feline... or at least something athletic... but a lot of weres fit that bill... so I don't think either of us have gotten very far."
"Partially as neither of us would want to have our sexuality change," Diana added.
"I could talk to Ashley... see if she'd get her dad to come and talk about weremountainlions... that's what he is," Ava offered, thinking that might be enough of an introduction that she could learn more about that group as well.
"Maybe... but let's let Conner get through the night first," Kent told her, "if he joins were society... and seems okay... we can go from there. If not, we can wait until Conner is ready."