Caleb and Artemis Lyall were cleaning out the rainwater storage tank when Diana got home from school. "Welcome back, Diana!" Artemis called back. "How was school?"
"Pretty good," said Diana, stripping naked now that she was on pack land. "Selena and I hung out with Abbie and the girls. I'm on a real great team; it's almost kinda like a second pack! Go Cheetahs!"
"Nice to see you're so enthusiastic," said Caleb. "What'll you do now?"
"I was thinking I'd go for a walk around the lake with Sylvie," said Diana. "Maybe we'll go for a swim if it isn't too cool."
"Sounds great," Caleb smiled. "Have fun with your girlfriend!"
Diana nodded to her dad, her nude body growing furry as she shifted into her werewolf form. "I can guarantee it! Laters!"
Artemis's face grew thoughtful as she watched Diana run off to find Sylvie. "Hm, Sylvie."
"Come again?" said Caleb.
"I was just thinking about Diana's thing for Sylvie Forrest," said Artemis. "Before her, Diana was dating Juniper Woolf, and before that it was Dawn Connors."
Caleb chucked. "What's the pattern, dear?"
Artemis looked the alpha in the eye. "They're all girls, Caleb. It's pretty damn obvious that Diana's a lesbian."
"Is that a bad thing?" asked Caleb.
"On its own, no," Artemis answered. "But look at her sisters. Luna's mated to Lucy Littlewolf."
"The Klallam girl?" Caleb asked.
Lucy Littlewolf was a refugee from a Klallam Indian werewolf pack that had been destroyed by a rogue vampire clan. She and her mother were the only survivors. In her human form she was a petite girl with glossy black hair, copper skin, and high cheekbones. The Native American girl's werewolf form was just as lovely, her fur a a striking russet color. It was always a relief when she was around; her sweet personality was often the only thing that could make Luna behave.
"Yes, the Klallam girl," Artemis repeated. "Surely you've noticed how affectionate they've been since they came back from college. They hug, they kiss, they lick, and I can't be the only one who hears all that moaning that comes from Lucy's room at night. That's not normal howling at the Moon! As for Selena, do you realize who that dud wolf—that human!—is dating? Tatiana von Karnstein! You know, the leech? She's been seen holding hands with that slutty little fang all over town!"
Caleb stroked the stubble on his human chin. "Hmm, a von Karnstein. I can't say I'm too wild about that. But let's be real, honey. The issue's Tatiana's species, not her gender."
"Don't you find it odd that all three of your daughters are lesbians?" asked Artemis.
"Only a little," Caleb answered. "It's a bit of a long shot, but hardly impossible."
"I'd agree if it were just our girls," said Artemis. "It isn't. It's Sylvie Forrest, it's Juniper Woolf, it's Dawn Connors, it's Lucy Littlewolf, it's Mona Packer, Argenta Hazelhurst, and more. Nearly every female in this pack who's under thirty is into girls. Even my generation has a lot of bisexuals."
Caleb smiled wryly. "You mean like that crush you used to have on Hazel deWolffe?"
"Yes," Artemis said, rolling her eyes. "Like that. Point is, the girls get gayer every generation around here. And not just in the pack either. The human's in town are going through the same thing. Trust me, I'm the one who gets saddled with PTA meeting attendance. Most mothers I meet have lesbian daughters and straight sons. Gay boys and straight girls make up maybe three percent of the student population. A lot of the cheerleaders' moms are really surprised their daughters turned out gay. The basketball players' family saw it coming, but the cheerleaders are the kind of girls who grow up to be straight... and yet they're ALL lesbians. Every single one."
Caleb shrugged. "Weird. Well, it's none of our business, is it?"
"It kind of is," said Artemis. "A handful of exceptions aside, the wolfgirls are only mating with partners they can't possibly hope to have cubs with. To continue their lineage and the pack, they'll need artificial insemination, and that doesn't mesh with out nature-centered lifestyle."
"I guess that is a bit of an issue," Caleb nodded.
"What could be causing it?" asked Artemis.
"Let's think," said Caleb. "It's obviously magical, but it can't be something unique to werewolves. If it were, the Stokerville humans wouldn't be having the same thing going on with their own daughters."
"I think I've figured it out," Artemis said darkly. "It's the leeches."
Caleb laughed and shook his head. "Not to defend the bloodsuckers, but you think they're behind every time the toast burns."
Artemis sniffed. "You would too if YOUR grandmother'd been killed by one of those Clan von Wisborg exiles! Those neck-biting corpses are pure evil! But I'm not going off emotion this time. Think about it. The nearest vampire clan to us is Clan von Karnstein. I'm sure you've heard all the stories about Carmilla von Karnstein."
"The lesbian vampire from that old novella Sheridan Le Fanu wrote?" asked Caleb. "Yeah, I've heard the rumors. They sound like malicious hearsay, but you can never be too careful. Hmm, maybe we should ask Selena. She's dating a von Karnstein, after all."
"We'll worry about that later," said Artemis. "The important thing is that Carmilla's clan culture revolves around celebrating sapphic love. Now, why wouldn't an ancient vampire matriarch like Carmilla have the power to slowly shift her community's sexual preferences into something more to her liking."
"Sounds possible," said Caleb. "Hell, she might even be doing it by accident."
Artemis narrowed her eyes. "You're feeling awfully charitable towards the fangs today."
"I have to be these days," said Caleb. "I'm sure you've heard about the skulk that just arrived, babe."
Artemis grimaced. "Ugh, don't remind me! Those bushy-tailed bastards bring nothing but trouble wherever they wander. At least are girls are all too gay to get pregnant from any of the werefoxes."
"Well, I might need Clan von Karnstein's help to run those punks out of town," said Caleb. "Whatever you might think of the leeches, at least they don't have shenanigans."
"Point taken," Artemis nodded. "Still, it's something to keep in mind for the future. Perhaps we could use diplomacy... persuade her to stop turning the entire town into a recruiting pool. Now, back to cleaning the scum out of this tank, I suppose."