Touch him
“I’m not sure if there is an answer to that question, but I do have an hypothesis I would like to test.”
“An hypothesis about what?”
“When the attack happen at the estate, how did you feel?”
“Feel? Terrified. Angry.”
“When that nanny you told me about took you, how did you feel?”
“Scared.”
“I’m thinking, what purpose would any creature have to be fatal to the touch? How would it help them survive?”
“Aren’t some frogs and insects poisonous?”
“Yes, but those are creatures that would be prey if they weren’t poisonous. You, for lack of a better term, are a predator, but not any sort of predator, a predator that is too large and too formidable to be concerned about becoming food.”
“That seems to be true,” the young master said licking his long tongue against his fangs.
“And you aren’t just poisonous to potential predators or prey, but to those tasked with caring for you, with the notable exception of your mother. How is that advantageous? Maybe it’s your fear that triggers your natural defenses.”
“But what about my brother?”
“Do you think being born isn’t frightening? Think about it? Why was your brother affected only at your birth and not during gestation?”
“I never thought of that.”
“And I’m in proximity to you, day after day. Touching the things you touch, walking where you walk. I’ve never felt any symptoms, not even a low fever or fatigue.”
“True.”
“How sad would it be, for both of us to shut ourselves off from the whole world because of a rumor? A lie?”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. I’m prepared. I need to know. However, you have to be calm. Can you do that?”
“Calm?”
“Don’t be afraid, for me or for anything. Let me give you a hug like any parent should be able to give their child.”
“A hug?”
“May I?”
Even though he had changed so much, it was still easy to read his expression. He had been isolated and lonely for so long. He put his head down, he closed his eyes, and found his calm.
“I love you, son,” you said as you sat down beside him and lay your hand gently on his shoulders.
He made a purring sound.
You pressed your forehead against his, being careful not to get your hair caught in his horns. “You were never poison. You were never evil. You were scared and alone. I don’t want that for you anymore.”
“Do you feel alright? Are you really alright? You’re crying.”
“I’ve never felt such joy, not in a very long time. We could travel and do research, find out more about you. Maybe we’ll find other Kyn. Son, I want to show you the world.”
“I’d like that.”
The Beginning
