Rachel was semi embarrassed as Megumi escorted her in through the back doors to the Tachibana estate to find that there were a great many others already present. All were of Japanese ancestry and some were in their werefox fursonas. Rachel could also note the females, like all female weres had generous curves that seemed to fit a near perfect hourglass shape, and one that Megumi would likely grow into. Though the thing that embarrassed her was more the scent of arousal that Rachel presently carried on her. That was soon added by the first to actually approach her and Megumi.
"Hey, cousin," Aaron came up and then had his own muzzle pull into a semi joyful smile, "and Rachel..."
"Hi, Aaron," Rachel said slowly, which soon lead to Aaron smiling, though an older female werefox was the one to approach next, with her red eyes focused on Megumi.
"Granddaughter, I trust that your guest is here willingly?" Akane no Tachibana said firmly, "for I would believe the Skulk has had ENOUGH embarrassing issues over the past few weeks, between a rogue and then another nearly breaking Statute 1A because of a wereraccoon's penchant for aphrodisiacs."
"You're Megumi's grandmother?" Rachel asked in surprise and preventing Megumi from answering, "you... look rather young to be a grandmother... forgive me if that's out of place."
Akane turned and gave a few discreet sniffs and confirmed that Rachel was still a normal human, "It is alright... We weres can live for a very long time, assuming that we do not meet a violent end. Once we reach eighteen to twenty, our aging slows down. I am only middle aged by were standards. Though, this has allowed me to raise many children and see them raise their children... and some even great-grandchildren."
"Wow..." Rachel managed, "You must be proud..."
"Of my family, I am," Akane said slowly.
"Well... Megumi did nothing wrong," Rachel assured the Skulk's leader, "you see... I was on may way home and kinda got a bit lost in the woods trying to find my way home. And I came within earshot of a pair of your neighbors enjoying their own romantic night... and I know I shouldn't have spied on them, but it all caught me by surprise and... well... it led me into some things that surprised me and turned me on... and well... Megumi only arrived after all that started and was helping me a bit with some of those questions that were rattling around as a result of what happened. It was surprising, but in some ways I was open to the help, because I'd never run into that issue before. Though... we agreed it would probably best that I not end up becoming a were before I can at least get my parent's permission first."
"We returned here because her father has recently become a werelion and would know that his daughter was "curious" about things and might not respond well if she returned covered in leaves and carrying the scent of sexual arousal on her," Megumi added, "thus she would need a shower and a change of clothes to go home in."
"And you took no force on her, granddaughter?" Akane asked.
"I did not, grandmother," Megumi bowed and glanced to Aaron, "though I did speak of your forming bond, cousin."
"So long as she smiles, I don't mind," Aaron answered, which actually drew some chuckles from the others present.
"Very good," Akane answered, "Megumi, you may see to your friend's bathing requirements. Aaron, you will remain with me. For if her father has become a werelion and is new to Moon Lake... I'd suspect he is also going to be protective of her and may be out trying to find her now."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Meanwhile, Richard Van Direstag made his way north from where he crossed Main Street toward the woods behind the row of houses and other buildings that were on Main Street at that point the western side of Moon Lake. He was still worried about Rachel's fate, because while her trail had lead her more toward home, it had also taken her into the woods, again, which ran the risk of her running into mating weres and the possibility of an accident, like what had happened with him the night before, or her stumbling onto a mundane animal that might not respond well to the heavy scent of weres that Moon Lake carried and be attacked the way Rose had been the night before. That drove him onward to catch up with his daughter and make sure she was safe. His fears of the former rose as he could also here many of the sorts of activities that had ultimately lead to his transformation the previous night.
"Please be safe," Richard thought to himself as he followed Rachel's scent into the woods.
The track then moved into the woods, his ears soon picked up the sound of a pair of weres having sex, though both were female. It worried him more when Rachel's scent seemed to go toward them and began to gain a hint of arousal to it as well. That startled him more and made him worry that Rachel might have been drawn into it, though he got close enough to observe where the two werefoxes were, he was relived to see that there were only two there. However, while Rachel's scent then lead away, her arousal didn't really drop all that much and she was soon joined by another female werefox. They moved on a more eastward path to space that was a bit clearer and among a bed of leaves from some of the surrounding trees. They were soft and were a bet wet underneath his paw-like feet, but Richard assumed that had had more to do with the rain that had come in when his family moved into Moon Lake and that didn't ease his worries. He could accept Rachel being aroused by something, possibly the two werefox vixens given that they were going at it hot and heavy, but that didn't mean he wanted his daughter being taken advantage of, and those worries when Rachel's scent stopped and the aroused scent intensified. It was as if this other werefox had done more than look good.
"She's had sex," Richard worried to himself, he leonine tail twitching, "or at least gotten sexually stimulated by this other werefox."
This worried him in that he didn't want his daughter ending up drawn into the highly sexual lives that weres seemed to lead, as a part of him felt that he could only barely resist it as an adult. He'd been too easily pulled into it by Shelia, which created the misunderstanding with Rose that in turn lead to her being attacked by the Mountain Lion. And while he was more than willing to accept Shelia as a pride member, particularly that Rose had offered her own acceptance of Shelia along with bi-leanings on her part, he still recognized that that entire entrance into were society for him could have been a lot better than what happened. He didn't want Rachel to get dragged into that, as he soon found that he wasn't fully able to resist it and that was further proved when Rose got curious in his new form. If Rachel really wanted to make that choice, it had to be for the right reasons and not something where someone tricked her or took advantage of her.
The only thankful thing was that as Rachel's scent then moved east, it remained human. It didn't transform into a werefox's scent, which was a good thing. It lead him to what he found was the walled estate to the south of his own home. It was large and covered what would allow for multiple smaller houses and carried a very oriental feel about it, which if it weren't for the fact that he was trying to find his daughter so that he and Rose could then explain things to Rachel and Rob fully he might be curious. He followed the track of Rachel's scent to the back gate and knocked on it for a moment and then sighed. He was about to turn to head toward the street and knock on the front door when he heard a latch open from the inside. It then opened to reveal an adult and transformed werefox vixen in her fursona. Though Richard also noted she might be older than he was was a few strands of gray in her black hair and had a younger male werefox, also transformed, standing in her shadow.
"Konichiwa, Mr. Direstag," the adult werefox spoke, "Come in. I take it you are searching for your daughter?"
The werefox took a step back and allowed Richard entrance, and as he did so, if he weren't looking for Rachel he would be impressed and curious about the grounds. The home that he saw looked like a Japanese palace and the werefox had a Japanese accent. It peaked parts of his curiosity, but he was looking for Rachel and he had to make sure she was alright.
"Yes," Richard said slowly, "though it would be Van Direstag. The family name is Van Direstag and is of Dutch origin."
"I see," the werefox answered, "I am Tachibana no Akane. This is my grandson Tachibana no Aaron."
"The family name is used first in formal Japanese introductions," Aaron explained.
"I see," Richard said slowly and then looked to Akane, "well, Ms. Tachibana... I am looking for my daughter. It would appear that she got lost on her way home from the hospital. I'm trying to make sure that she has retained her humanity or worse... gotten hurt."
"Then I can assure you that neither has happened," Akane answered, "I will not deny that her being lost in the woods hasn't avoided some of form of trouble, but no one has disobeyed Moon Lake's laws, and has been through willful interaction between all parties."
"That sounds more like a lawyer's excuse to avoid further trouble," Richard gave a low growl.
"Forgive me if that is the way you take it," Akane spoke, "but I assure you, your daughter is still a normal human and was helped by friends. She came here to get clean and with the concern over potentially giving you grief."
"Well... that is good news, I suppose," Richard said slowly, "and probably the best I can hope for... given all the sexual... urges that go on with weres, and things that have gotten me in trouble. I wouldn't want my daughter to have those same problems that I faced."
"Understandable," Akane answered, "particularly when you are new to Moon Lake. Though it may be best to also keep in mind that many of these things may happen anyway. Teenagers are teenagers, regardless of being weres or normal humans. And in the modern era... they will rebel. That, may actually be something that never changes. I could tell you stories about how they rebelled two hundred years ago in Japan. The exact nature and details of the "teenage rebellion" may be different, but it is still rebellion."
Richard didn't say anything, though he could remember his own days of teenage rebellion. Though at the same time, those memories were things that he felt should be avoided.
"And at times, one never knows when and where pleasant surprises may come," Akane continued.
"Pleasant surprises?" Richard asked.
"A bond," Aaron spoke up nervously.
"A bond?" Richard asked.
"One of the things that make werefoxes special among weres," Akane answered, "every were has at least one thing like that. For werefoxes, the bond is an unbreakable union between that werefox and his and her partner and will last for the life of the pair, regardless of how long one member lives. The surviving partner would carry that bond until the end... and while they live, the pair will instinctively know they have found their "true love" and will do anything and everything to make that partner happy."
"That sounds... loving," Richard said slowly.
"It is," Akane smiled, "and the bond would be there even if the werefox's partner isn't a werefox. The big thing is that it forms only after a pair has engaged in some sexual act together, and can make werefoxes, and particularly single ones, very forward as they look for who they may bond with. Once found... the werefox will see images of themselves and their partner through the rest of their lives. If the partner isn't a werefox, that partner may not be aware of the bond forming... but it is there and is a symbol of true love given between the pair."
"That sounds complicated, and a story I do not have time for," Richard spoke, "I am here to escort my daughter home."
"I am afraid that honesty and responsibility would require that you listen," Akane said firmly while Richard heard a door open and a collection of male werefoxes emerged from the main home on the grounds.
Richard glanced over his shoulder to see that one brandished an unsheathed katana. He didn't like where this was going, but he wasn't going to pick a fight.
"May I ask why?" Richard asked slowly and with his voice low. He wasn't going to pick a fight, but he would at least get to the bottom of why things were taking longer than expected to recover Rachel and take her home.
"Because... I believe have bonded with your daughter," Aaron spoke up weakly and a bit nervously. He wasn't necessarily afraid of Richard because he was a werelion, but more because of the fact that he was a new werelion and thus would be likely to be a very protective father.
"WHAT?!" Richard roared back, his eyes drifting from Akane to the teen who couldn't be any older than his daughter, "You had sex with my daughter!?! But... she was a normal human this morning... We were you the one that met her in the woods earlier?"
"No, that would be my granddaughter, Megumi," Akane spoke, "who had gone out for a jog before dinner and appeared to have stumbled onto your daughter lost in the woods and with certain questions of her own that Megumi wished to help with, and acted with respect to your daughter's wishes and what she would want to do regarding her future."
"I met her, yesterday," Aaron answered, "your daughter had come home and worked on her homework with my cousin, and had questions about werefoxes and the like. Some that she even asked of me and which I tried to answer. Though it also lead to her... um... well... it wasn't all out sex, but it was sexual. I didn't force anything on her... HONEST... but she seemed curious and I couldn't resist the attention that easily... but I did manage enough that nothing happened that would turn her, and I was glad to have avoided that. But when I walked her home later, it was like I could see us faintly sitting on a rocker somewhere looking happy. And well... that is what I'd want to do... make her happy."
"And she was the one to instigate this?" Richard spoke.
"Out of curiosity," Aaron answered honestly, not wanting to lie before a likely protective parent and his grandmother. "But it was never something with serious intent of becoming a were at the time. As I believe she was worried over a lot of other issues related to the mandatory were law at the time, and while she said she wished to be a were... she didn't want to teen mother to become a were."
Richard slowly nodded, though that brought him back to the events of the prior afternoon, and his panicked decision to try and flee the town for fear that Moon Lake would take Rose from him or hurt his family. He was pretty sure that Rachel hadn't been home when he first came up with the plan and argued over it with Rose, but then he'd also been vocal enough that Rachel might have feared something like that. For he knew Rachel was smart, and possibly the most investigative of his children and that was enough to ease some of his own protective outrage at the moment. For the moment, part of that was replaced with a minor degree of guilt over the fact that it seemed possible that his own actions might have driven some of Rachel's more rebellious actions in Moon Lake. At the same time, he couldn't help but respect Aaron's bravery for speaking honestly and Aaron's efforts to honor Rachel's efforts to remain a normal human, which had seemed to have worked for the moment.
"That is a relief," Richard said slowly, "Young man... I cannot say that I approve a lot of this. But there have been some things done on my part that may have frustrated and frightened my daughter before the two of you met. That likely drove her "rebellion" while trying to avoid what she perceived as my mistakes. In this, I can respect your honesty with me and that you didn't force yourself on my daughter."
"Thank you," Aaron said respectfully.
"And while my daughter and I... as well as her mother... have much to discuss at present," Richard said slowly, "if this bond is as solid as is claimed... you are welcome to visit, so long as you treat my daughter with respect." He then paused to look to Akane, "and I apologize for any roaring, Ms. Tachibana... the day has been hectic for me and my wife and I was deeply worried for my daughter."
"As any parent would be," Akane answered, and then looked over Aaron, "you may go in Aaron. Inform Megumi and her friend that Mr. Van Direstag is here and waiting in his fursona. They are to come out the back gate here... given that Main Street is one of the areas where a were is not to cross in their fursona."