Samantha and Frances Twist sat in their living room with their son Ben, his friend Nate, and Nate's brother Eric; talking about whatever came to mind except what might be going on at the Andersons' house at that moment, when there was a knock on the Twists' front door just as Frances' cellphone rang.
Samantha got up to answer the door, as her wife took the call.
"Konichiwa Mrs. Twist," said Tachibana no Akane, as she bowed slightly before the other woman. "I was in the neighborhood on business and it would have been impolite of me not to have stopped by and say hello. May I come in?"
Having dealt with the Skulk leader on several occasions before, Samantha bowed slightly in return and said, "You honor ourselves and our house with your presence. Please enter."
"Thank you," said Akane, before turning to face her grandsons on the porch behind her. "I shall not be long. Please have the car ready. Our next stop shall be home. I will be out in a while."
The grandsons bowed and turned to leave while their grandmotherly leader entered the house.
"I hope I am not interrupting anything," said Akane, as she saw the Anderson children in the living room.
"No, not at all. You know my wife and our son Ben," said Samantha.
"Mrs. Twist, always a pleasure. I have not seen either of you since the last general assembly of the Town Council. My, you are becoming a handsome young man Benjamin. You must bring great honor to your family and your pack."
"I try Miss Tachibana," said Ben, nodding his head toward the older woman.
"And you must be Eric and Nathaniel Anderson," said Akane, nodding toward the other boys.
"Yes ma'am," said the boys, almost in unison.
"I saw pictures of you two a little while ago. You both do your parents proud."
"Speaking of which," said Frances, while putting away her cellphone, "that was Mrs. Anderson. We've all been invited to dinner before Nate's induction ceremony into Ben's wolf pack tonight."
"Please, don't let me keep you," said Akane. "I only need a few minutes of Samantha's time."
"Why don't you take the kids on over and I'll meet you there," Samantha suggested to Frances.
"Good idea," said her wife. "You boys ready?"
"Just let me grab my travel backpack and we can leave from there to the ceremony," said Ben, as he went briefly to his bedroom.
"Travel backpack?" asked Nate.
"Ben keeps a fresh change of clothes and some basic necessities in there on wolf nights," explained Frances. "It's also a good place to keep what he's wearing and his personal stuff so it doesn't get damaged changing."
"I'll have to set up something like that myself," said Nate, realizing what a good idea it was.
"That's right. Tonight you join werewolf society," Miss Akane said to Nate. "I'm sure you will be a fine addition to their pack."
"Thank you," replied Nate.
"And you young man," Akane said to Eric, who was trying not to be noticed. "I realize our ways and customs here in Moon Lake might be strange to you, but despite the unfortunate incident with your father, which is being addressed as I speak, everyone is free to choose their own path, whatever that might be. Do not be in a rush or allow yourself to choose prematurely. Whatever it may be, you will find your proper course in the proper time."
"Thank you," replied Eric, as Ben reentered the room.
"Is everybody ready?" asked Frances, as she grabbed her purse off the dining room table. When the boys all nodded affirmatively, she said, "Okay. Let's go."
The boys started filing out the front door, but as Frances passed her wife, she said, "We'll meet you over there honey," before kissing Samantha on the cheek.
Akane acted like she never saw the brief exchange between the two lesbian werecats, although admired the fact that their marriage was still going strong after so many years together. While Samantha took on more masculine aspects at times, it surprised the Skulk leader that the Town Chancellor never dressed in a butchy style, preferring longer hair and feminine dresses whenever possible, although Samantha would not back down when challenged and always stood up for what she believed was right and protected those she cared for.
Qualities she might need in the days to come.
When the two women were alone, Samantha faced Akane and asked "What's up?"
"Always straight to the point when needed. Something I've always admired about you," said Akane, before briefing her on the situation with Yvette Smith.
When the Skulk leader finished, Samantha weighed what she said in her mind, then asked, "Do you think that werevixen might really threaten any of the others to get William?"
"I hope not. She has already brought great shame to the entire werefox/werevixen community as it is," admitted Akane, "but we cannot take the risk of being unprepared either."
"Even if there is something medically wrong with her, that would only affect sentencing. Despite the reasons why, she is still guilty," pointed out Samantha.
"True, but from the brief meeting he had with her, our lawyer suspects there might be something medically wrong with her. Tests will need to be performed to discover if the suspicion is valid, but she seems to have formed some bond with William Anderson, even if his is with his wife Martha."
"Unfortunately, the Andersons' marriage has been on rocky ground for a while now, and part of the reason why they moved to Moon Lake to begin with."
"Until the matter with Yvette is resolved to everyone's satisfaction, Eric will be the most vulnerable. But it amazes me that they have been here less than a month, when other families took much longer to embrace our culture. Yet the husband is now a werefox, albeit not by choice. The oldest son is about to become a werewolf."
"Something he willingly volunteered for when I first met the family and explained the town rules to them," said Samantha.
"And Mrs. Anderson joining your pride as a werecat?" asked Akane, while staring at the remains of the rose petal path on the carpeting.
The Skulk leader thought she saw Samantha blush a bit as Twist said, "Besides their rocky marriage, it turns out that Martha had been suppressing her bi-side for years. Those two points, coupled with the fact that William's transformation into a werefox was incomplete after that first night and she feared him attacking and changing her into a werevixen, led to Martha's decision to embrace both the dual nature of her sexuality along with werecat society. She knew who and what we are before Yvette tried to sink her claws into William. Frances and I both wish it was under better circumstances, but Martha was already our friend and turned willingly. Even if she wasn't a member of our pride, she's our friend and we'll look out for her until the end of time."
Tachibana no Akane stood there silently for a moment after Samantha finished speaking, thinking over everything, and then said "So be it. It's getting late now and we both have places to be. Things shall be peaceful until the preliminary hearing Monday morning, so I hope you and yours enjoy the rest of the weekend."
Then the Skulk leader bowed, said goodbye, and left.