Oops.
"That might be a problem, seeing as how I ate her. "
Andy slapped him on the shoulder. "Tough break, man. But you'll get used to it. Until then, it's probably a good idea to get yourself a nice, sturdy leash. "
"It's time to begin the meeting. Let's get started. " Irena leaned into Weston and softly said, "We can talk more later. "
Weston sincerely hoped so.
"Let's begin by joining hands and saying the Shapeshifters Anonymous Credo. "
Everyone around the table joined hands, including the silent Ryan. Weston noted that Irena's hand was soft and warm, and she played her index finger along the top of his as she talked. So did Phyllis.
Irena began.
"I, state your name, agree to abide by the rules of ethics as set forth by Shapeshifters Anonymous. "
Everyone, including Weston, repeated it.
"I promise to do my best to use my abilities for the good of man and therianthrope kind. "
They repeated it.
"I promise to do my best to help any therianthrope who comes to me in need. "
They repeated it. Weston thought it a lot like being in church. Which, technically, they were.
"I promise to do my best not to devour any nice people. "
Weston repeated this verse with extra emphasis.
"I promise to avoid Kris Kringle, the dreaded Santa Claus, and his many evil helpers. "
"Hold on," Weston interrupted. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Santa Claus is a therianthrope hunter," David said. "He kills shapeshifters. "
"You're kidding. Right?"
An uncomfortable silence ensued. Everyone stopped holding hands. Scott cleared his throat, then pushed away from the table and stood up.
"No one is sure how our kind got started. Some say black magic. Some say interspecies breeding, though I don't buy into that malarkey. Some say therianthropes date back to the very beginning, the Garden of Eden, where man and wer
ebeast lived in harmony. But the Bible doesn't tell the whole story. Certain religious leaders over the years have edited it as they see fit. Entire books were taken out. Like the Book of Bob. "
Weston looked around to see if anyone was smiling. All faces were serious.
"The Book of Bob?"
"The Book of Bob is a lost chapter of the Old Testament, dating back to the Hellenistic period. It tells the story of God's prophet, Bob, son of Jakeh, who is the first werewolf mentioned in the Bible. "
"The first? There aren't any. "
"They were edited out. Pay attention, son. You'll learn something. See, Bob was a werewolf, blessed by the Lord with the gift of lycanthropy to do His work by eating evildoers. But after eating his one-thousandth sinner, Bob became prideful of his accomplishments, and that angered God. "
"Why would that anger God?"
"This was the Old Testament. God got pissed off a lot. Didn't you ever read Job?"