Avery's bed was too small for three, so she and Silvie were spooning together on it.  I took a spare blanket, folded it into a pad, and, in my cougar shape, I curled up on top of Avery's six foot tall armoire.  I was just about to drift off when I heard soft footsteps in the hallway.  The doorknob squeeked slightly as it was turned, and Mrs. Johnston looked in.  She saw the girls on the bed, and when she didn't see me, stepped into the room and softly closed the door behind her.  In her other hand, she held a plate with three big sandwiches on it.  Even through the plastic wrap, they smelled wonderful.

She scanned the room, but didn't look up.  Figuring it was time to make my presence known, I stood up on all four paws and stretched, arching my back until my fur touched the ceiling.

The armoire creaked a little under my weight.  Mrs. Johnston looked at it, then reached for the door handle, muttering, "They better not have stuffed him in there!"

I lied back down, and let my long tail drape down the front.  She looked at it, then looked up at me.

"Oh!  Look at you!  So that's what you were trying to tell us!"  She reached up towards my face and asked, "May I?"  I nodded yes, and she scritched behind my ears.  I pressed my cheek into her palm and purred.  

She continued.   "I keep telling Joe to think first and then respond, not just react to things.  Maybe this time he'll learn.  Let's go have a chat in the kitchen, huh?“

She layed the plate on Avery's nightstand as I softly dropped to the floor.  I followed her out the door, and she closed it behind us.  We went down the stairs, her on two legs, me on four.  In the kitchen, I hopped onto a chair, sat down and curled my tail around my forepaws.  

"You missed dinner.  Can I get you anything?  A rare steak, maybe?" 

I half-shifted.  Maybe someday I'd be comfortable nude in front of her, but unti then I'd keep my fur on.  "Mmm.  Do you have any more of those sandwiches?  They smelled great!"

"Sure," she said, as she started pulling ingredients out of the fridge and assembling them into a sandwich.  Rare roast beef, a smelly cheese, and a bit of thousand island dressing on a fresh baguette.  Even before she was done, my mouth was watering.

For the first time, I got a good look at Caleb and Avery's mother.  Caleb was a junior, so unless she was a teen mom, she was at least forty years old.  I could see where Avery got her looks.  Her mom was an alluring blend of curvy and slender.  Her hair was dark like Avery's, but had a bit of a wave to it.  If I didn't know better, I'd think she was a decade younger than she was.  I don't think the term had been invented yet, but today, she'd be the ultimate MILF.

"Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but are all werefolk women good looking?  It's too small a sample size to draw a conclusion, but Avery, Sylvia, my friend Tenny and my boss, and you.  You're all well above average."

She smiled. "Thank you.  You should add my husband and son, and yourself to that list.  Yes, we tend to be.  I'm pretty sure at least a third of Hollywood and a lot of fashion models are werewolves."

"How can you tell?"

"Partly the werewolf rumor mill, but if you know what to look for, there are subtle cues, like narrow, straight noses, eye shape, arm and leg proportions, things like that." She looked closely at my face.  "You have big eyes and a shorter nose.  That might be something to watch for in the others."

"You might be on to something.  Tenny and Ashley do have big eyes."

"You know, I always thought it was odd that we existed, but not any others.  Now that I know your scent and features, I wonder who else I'll meet."  She placed the sandwich and a glass of milk in front of me.  

"Thanks!" I said, as I picked up the glass and took a sip.  "Gee, I don't feel stereotyped at all!" I grinned at her, and she smiled back.  "Um, I only became a puma a few months ago. Tenny's family is local.  I've been told there is a lion pride somewhere in the area, but I haven't met them.  That's all I know about."

"Good to know, thanks."  She sipped on her glass pensively for a minute.  "So, what happened between you and Caleb?"

"Well, it started a few weeks ago.  Tenny is Black.  One of the football team members is a bigoted asshole,  and he's mad because he thinks she's my girlfriend. He started harassing us.  Tenny said he mostly bothers her when I'm not around, and I'm pissed about that.  I want it to stop.  I thought maybe I could ask Cale to tell him to stop, as one werefolk to another.  I made the mistake of saying I knew what he was before I told him what I was, and the next thing I knew, I was l locked in his trunk, on my way here.  You know the rest."

"That's reasonable.  When you and the girls come down for breakfast, I'll make sure to bring it up." 

A second or two later, she asked, "So, Tenny is your friend?"

"Yeah.“

"Not girlfriend?"

"No, why?"

"Just thinking about Syl.  There are more wolf girls than boys her age in San Antonio, so she hasn't had a chance to have a boyfriend."

"Oh, okay, hmm"

"So, she's a cat?"

"Yeah, a cheetah."

"But not your girlfriend.  Why not?"

"Um, I guess partly because things are complicated with my boss, and, I never really thought of myself as boyfriend material."

"Have you looked in the mirror since you were changed?“

"Yeah, but I'm not really used to it yet."

"How old is your boss?"

"I dunno.  Thirtyish?  She may be older than I thought, unless you were extremely young when Caleb was born."

"You should have someone closer to your own age. Tenny or Sylvia.  Pick one and go for it."

I really felt uncomfortable with the topic. I sighed and said, a little sarcastically, "Yes, mommm."

She laughed. "You can't talk about this with your mom, can you?"

'No. I can't."

"And your boss isn't a mom, is she."

"No."

"I wasn't much older than you when Joe changed me.  I'll give you my number.  If you need to talk, call me."

"Thanks.  Oh, my phone is in my backpack. It's in Caleb's car."

"We'll get out back to you."

By that time, I was picking at the crumbs on my plate. 

"We have a spare bedroom, if you want it."

"Does it have an armoire?"

"No, it doesn't."

"Oh, no thanks. I like sleeping up high.  It's... a cat thing, I guess."

"If you've had enough to eat, I'll let you go back to sleep." She picked up my plate and glass, and took them over to the sink to wash. "See you in the morning.  Sleep well!“

"You, too, and thanks for dinner!" I said as I went up the stairs.