The flight from California to Washington State didn't cross any time zones and it wasn't super long, but the sun was already going down as the plane carrying Peter Talbot and Karen Yuletide came in for a landing at Seattle. Walking across the carpet in the gangway from the plane and into the terminal was relatively quiet as Karen tried to tone out some of the background noise. That noise only grew a bit louder as they came into the return area of the terminal and the other sounds of the airport echoed to her. She didn't need to have a werelion's hearing to hear these sounds. She only looked to Peter as they walked along with him holding her arm, he paused long enough to rub the back of her hand before leading her on.
"I... I still can't believe all of this has happened," Karen said slowly as they walked along and with the intent on getting to the baggage claim, "that my mom would get in a car wreck... and that it'll be months before she may even be able to sit up, let alone stand or walk."
Peter nodded quietly. Some of the time for Monica Yuletide's recovery might be off, but he put that up to stress and the surprise of the entire incident. An incident that had interrupted what had been planned for a romantic welcoming of Karen into werelion society and completing the path that had started with his marriage proposal on Halloween. He'd had a cabin rented and they'd even retired to it, only to receive a phone call on Karen's phone that alerted her to the car accident and then sent them to California for a few days to check on her and make sure things would be alright. All things considered, they were, but it revealed other surprises for Karen, namely her mother's engagement to another woman, who had grown rather protective of Monica in the space between Karen going to college in Moon Lake and the present. Karen felt that would protect her mother, and was glad for that, though her mother's injuries were still harsh and the fact that both needed to return for their own education made things worse.
"It must be rough," Peter said slowly, "and... I wish there was some way I could directly know what you're going through... but every member of my family is a werelion, and if a were were to survive the sort of injuries your mother suffered... lycanthropic regeneration would allow them recover fairly quickly."
Peter's voice was soft, barely a whisper into her ear, and she could understand why. Were-creatures had had something of a bad reputation thanks to so many horror movies that treated werewolves as either mindless monsters driven by a curse to be unnaturally violent or sadistic murderers that came because of being werewolves. Many would naturally fear exposure that if people knew that Peter Talbot was a werelion, people might fear him for that alone. Karen was a bit surprised that Joanne had responded to the revelation as well as she did, and that did provide some degree of hope for the future, but it was also something that didn't really work with their present circumstances.
"Well, don't go out trying to feel it," Karen instructed, "I know you care for me... and care for my friends because you care for me. That is enough. It is... well... it is where I would wish there were some way that you could have helped Joanne and my mom... but... rules and choices and all that. I understand... it's... it's..."
"You want your mother to be well," Peter finished.
"Yes," Karen nodded in agreement.
"I know," Peter assured her and continued to rub the back of her hand as they made their way through the busy airport, "I want that too... and I'll assure you that my parents would want your mother to be happy and healthy too. And pending some good luck... she will get better."
Karen felt relieved to hear that and gave a small smile as they walked along. As they came out of the terminal area, she was able to pick out a pair of familiar faces in the crowd, Peter's parents, Leon and Regina Talbot. At first there was the hope for a pleasant reunion, all things considered, though as the managed to get closer, Karen noticed a mixed look of concern and optimism from Leon. That got her to look to Peter, hoping he could read his father better. He gave her a small shrug but said nothing.
"Hello, Peter, Karen," Regina spoke as she gave her son a hug and then did the same for Karen, "I trust things are well... or at least as well as can be."
"They are," Karen said slowly as she returned the hug, "my mom has a long recovery ahead of her... but she seems to have made it through the worst of it. There are a lot of other things to worry about... but nothing that Peter and I can do to directly help. And there was a good surprise. She's found a fiancée in a coworker... a Joanne Hoard. So, I can at least be sure that my mom will have someone there for her."
"Well, that'll be good, all things considered," Leon nodded, "all you have left to get is your bags, right?"
"Pretty much," Peter answered and they resumed walking along.
It didn't take long for them to pick up their bags. The size of the airport was large enough to handle even international traffic, which in turn meant that by the time Karen and Peter could make it from the terminal to the baggage claim, their bags were already on the conveyor belt that went around the area. From there it wasn't long before they were then following Leon and Regina out into the early evening night air. It was cooler than California, though not necessarily by too much. They made it out and moved into the parking lot with relative ease. There were various lamp posts that were on that illuminated the parking lot, but the Talbots could see even better, even while in their human forms.
"There has been a lot that's gone on in Moon Lake since you two had to attend to this emergency," Leon spoke softly once they were far enough away from the airport itself. There were some people that were mulling about and heading to their cars, but the distance was wide and long enough that provided "inside voices" were used, no one would hear unless they got too close.
Peter blinked at this and noted that his father's car was parked next to his own. This gave him some indication on why his mother had come along. This report that he'd mentioned over the phone that sounded like weres would be exposed or that Moon Lake was considering it, or something like that, had to be big. Given how long weres had tried to keep themselves secreted away from the rest of humanity, which had led to sanctuaries like Moon Lake forming in the first place such a decision would be controversial to say the least. Karen really didn't know about that yet and Peter really had no idea on what all was going on after that point. In the meantime, while his father held no political power in Moon Lake, his position as the werelion "King," would likely carry some weight among what the other werelion prides supported. This was all what came into play BEFORE other potential complications came into the picture. Leon likely wanted to inform him and Karen on this while his mother drove his car back to Moon Lake. Peter then handed his keys to Regina and then followed Leon to his car.
"Should I..." Karen began.
"It may best if you came with me," Leon spoke, "what has happened will involve you two one way or another. Best not to get it from gossip or something else... and it is something of a responsibility for me."
Karen nodded and watched as Regina moved over to Peter's car while she and Peter got into the back seat of Leon's car. The windows were rolled up and things were otherwise quiet. As Leon began to pull forward, he began to explain.
"At around the same time that you two left for California, a young werefox... though one more mature than the rogue that clawed your friend, made an appearance before Moon Lake's City Council," Leon spoke, "and while I wasn't there for the meeting, I did hear on the results of said meeting. One in which it would appear that the werefox's petition was that the were-secret cease to be a secret."
"I take it this was all turned down?" Karen asked.
"Actually... no," Leon said slowly, "and the werefox did make some good points. Particularly in how we've had incidents that could well have had the potential to expose were society in some way. The issues with the Harpers and Dieter Wilhelm manipulating the father, at least. From all that went on there... there are all sorts of ways where the agents that were sent into Moon Lake could have stumbled onto something and gotten away before law enforcement could respond. The fact that one assassin shot your friend's brother-in-law is a good example of that. There then followed the case with mobsters coming in with their own agenda, drawing in additional FBI agents, and then the actions in Seattle that had one wererat transform on reflex to being shot by law enforcement and then having a gunfight with the assassin that killed the wererat. All of these things represent the potential for exposure that the werefox felt Moon Lake... or at least the world's weres cannot keep getting lucky on."
"With ever growing technology..." Peter mused, "we could face exposure and not even know it."
"And from what I've heard, this werefox wants weres to get at least the existence of weres out in the open and in control of the narrative before weres are associated with a crime that exposes them," Leon nodded.
Karen sort of sat there in shock at this. She'd been told plenty on how weres didn't want to be hunted and that places like Moon Lake were built to protect them. Some of it came as a result of what had all happened after Jenny had become a werefox and was dealing with the pressures from her near impossible family. And from what Jenny had told her of her father, the more Karen felt that the were secret might have to be protected.
"But... what about all those old fears that have been mentioned?" Karen asked, her voice sounding very nervous, "old were hunts and so on."
"I'd imagine all the old fears would still be there," Peter told her and looked to his father in the front seat, "though... from the way things are going, I would imagine that the case that was made that it's something that's otherwise unavoidable."
Leon nodded, "and it's something that many are quite aware of and having different responses to. Even within the various prides. One new male and his wife are actually quite supportive on the idea and voiced that it might enable weres to show that they aren't the monsters old stories have made them out to be... and that while it may take time, it WOULD offer an opportunity to a future where weres wouldn't have to hide."
"But not everyone agreed with the idea," Peter surmised.
"That is correct, and the whole city has been on edge since that decision was made," Leon said with a grumble, "there have been multiple cases of small scale fights breaking out over this whole thing. One was on the college campus, and supposedly a woman working for the custodial staff got hit in the head with a thrown object. The police have had to respond to a few public disturbance calls and a few that would border on local rioting, if you ask me. The worst of it has so far come from a werelion..."
Peter's eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't so much on the potential for fights, for from what his father told him, that before he and his brothers came to Moon Lake, the werelion community in the town had had a fair number of issues that often lead to fights and threats over mates and related topics. It'd never been something that had caused damage to the city, but there was a fair amount of under the surface chaos that related to battles between pride males getting into fights over females that at times reached points where it interfered with werewolves, weretigers, wereleopards, werecougars, and werebears hunting deer, and even other werelion prides. The Talbots taking over and forcing a more formalized structure to where these challenges were limited to formal wrestling matches and forbidden outside of a formal challenge and things like this.
It let Peter understand the potential for fights and violence, but his father and uncles had cut down on that and essentially fixed many of those behind-the-scenes issues. That was something where what his parents and uncles had done had helped curb many of those issues within werelion society within Moon Lake. It might not mean that fights and issues would be impossible, but that they would have learned not to take these issues so far. The prospect of the were secret ending was big enough that Peter could understand the prospect of frustration, but he'd also felt that people would have learned enough to be civil about these sorts of things. The fact that it was a werelion who went so far was the surprising thing, particularly when it didn't seem that this reveal had actually happened, yet.
"A werelion?" Karen asked with her eyes widening.
"Yes... a male named Greg Penn," Leon answered, "he didn't take this news well and expected the city to just shut it down. And he called in a threat to the Twist residence to get his point across."
"Are they okay?" Karen blurted, thinking of Moon Lake's Town Chancellor, who'd been so kind and helpful to Jenny in terms of her move to Moon Lake.
"So far as I know, no one was harmed, it was just a phoned in threat," Leon replied, "and the police were able to rather quickly track him down. I only heard about it when his wife called me after calling a lawyer be there for Penn's questioning... and in some ways that does present some good news."
"But not completely," Peter surmised.
"What comes next may be more complicated," Leon answered, "not necessarily bad... but complicated. For Penn may not be evil and he may have even had "good" intentions... but threatening city officials is something that crosses a line. A line that I can't stand by on and that the city WON'T stand by on, regardless of what is ultimately decided with this reveal plan."
"So... you mean..." Peter began slowly.
"Even if Greg Penn doesn't end up in the city prison, he WILL lose his pride," Leon spoke, "and will be outside all other werelion activities... and that's all assuming he doesn't end up in prison. Either way, his pride will need someone to take over the leadership of it. Your uncles already have their own prides to look after... and more full-time coalition partners, which would then make taking on more females taxing for them for organization, hunting, and at times helping those werelionesses find their own proverbial Mr. Right."
"You want Peter to take over this pride?" Karen asked, "wouldn't they all be older than him? Wouldn't they want someone... their own age?"
"They may prefer that, and ultimately in the long term, something like that could be arranged," Leon answered, "as we do have a new werelion and his wife... but their pride right now is really just the two of them, and both of them are learning how to be werelions at the moment. Having them inherit Greg Penn's pride will only tax them. And to a great degree... many werelions will give Peter a lot of leeway because of his relation to me... regardless of how often my son has tried to urge people to treat him as an "equal." And while you may not be a werelioness, yet, Karen... because of your love for my son and his love for you, many werelions will probably show you the same amount of difference... unless they're really jealous of your engagement."
Karen understood the last part.
"So... you want both of us to take over the pride," Peter finished.
"At least for a short time," Leon answered, "I'm sorry if this interrupts any plans that you two were working on for establishing your own pride and with those in your own age group... but this is a case where events have overtaken planning."