Trickling Moonbeam
By Rakusa
09/10/09
AN: I'm sorry, I haven't read anything, books, stories whatever for almost three months, and then today, I was reading some stories, and unfortunately for you, when I read, I get ideas for new stories, whereas when I don't, I just work on previous ideas.... So... We'll see what happens from here? I'm going to try to update others as well, but this one is rather interesting so far in my mind, however undeveloped it is. :) Any thoughts? (I hope this isn't that long, I don't know if I could take another epic...)
Summary: He lived by the moon, he was freed from the life he was forced to live once the moon's beams touched his back.
Part One- The Curse
A long time ago, there was a genetic mutation that caused humans to be two different ways. The first was the average human, short, round, red toned hair whether formed lighter with shades of blond or darker with shades an almost brown color. These humans all had the distinct attribute that separated them from the other type, each had a red tint to the hair and their eyes were all black. Their subtle differences kept their section from being altogether boring. Yet every generation was more of the same.
The other subset of the species, could not recapture what they had lost, for born of the same red haired, black eyed, parents, the parents could produce offspring of either path, it was unfortunately a chance they took, then dealt with. For parents feared for the second, was a vile path to live. These children were easily told apart from their brothers at birth, they had brown hair with no hint of red, and when their eyes opened, their eyes were not black, rather a range of brown from golden to a warm darker tone. Their skin, was a russet color, unlike the tanned yellow color of the other.
The physical attributes would form later, and often would give rise to the parent's fear that their child was not saved from the curse they believed plagued humanity. Those of the second column grew to be strong and tall and broad. As the child aged, more changes started to occur, their hair started to grown longer, more grew in places unexpected, and thick. Their bodies would begin to stretch and bend and morph, and at night, it all seemed to reverse only to start up the next day all over again. When the child reached adulthood, it would be completed, for in their place, would no longer be a human, but a dog, larger than any domesticated and glowing gold eyes.
Beyond just the physical scare, was that the mentalities would change as well, these children were more aggressive, and would hurt others by accident, and could only play nice with other children like them and as they got older, it got easier until the change was in full effect, then they lost all sense of who they were for a few years and would run wild, away from the eyes of the remaining humans. Those humans never knew what their instincts would tell them to do, just that they didn't believe it was anything good.
Fearing that these creatures would grow up to harm the average human, it became common practice, not to allow it to get to that stage. They stopped the growth, by stopping the children born with these attributes. Of course not all followed that pattern, many still knew these to be their children, knew that behind the wild facade, laid conscious and reason.
Whenever the moon was present in the sky, the person would return, for however long they had. It was only the between years that not even the Moon could adjust their natural run.
Then one day, amidst all the chaos of what was right and wrong, a small child was born in a well-to-do house, large powerful lungs screaming as the first breath of air entered and exited. There was a slight tuff of hair, matted to the child's head, thin, but still a color that was see-able. It scared the woman, for her husband was one who believed in the immediate death of any child born into the latter section, but the hair looked black. She could not tell if it was just the moisture or if it was a color not seen upon any head for many centuries so it almost seemed like myth. "He's got brown hair." Her husband growled, and shot her a look, not believing that she could not mate with one of the creatures.
"It's black." She defended to her husband, weak but still protecting her child. She had not chosen to marry him, her views were so different than his, but she was forced into it.
"Black is a form of brown."
"Black usually also has red in it."
"The eyes will decide for us." The nurse butted in, holding the child out for the mother, now that it was cleaned up. "He's just got to open them for us. Go on sweetie, show your big black beautiful eyes."
The small child squeezed its eyes closed and sought the shelter his mother's arms provided. But with the constant speaking, he finally turned and the eyes slowly blinked open. What was seen there, shocked everyone present. Two Indigo irises stared out at them with wonder.
"What does this mean?" The woman whispered fearfully, they could not take much more of these changes.
"I don't know. A blue eyed child, who would could have imagined?" The nurse shook her head, and brought the doctor in to examine him.
"What do we do now?" The man asked when the doctor pronounced the baby healthy.
"We wait and see. He'll grow and he'll take whatever path he's been given. I do hope though, that this is not the end of your line, and that others are starting to have more unique children as well."
"Three subspecies?" The woman felt faint. "We'll never converge again."
"Maybe or he's the missing link to finally reuniting our clans."
...
And so the child grew.
Freed from the fate which he would have been given if he was like his hairier relatives on the day he was born, but not free from it altogether. For as he grew, he hid what he could from his absentee father, only allowing himself out of his room, doing 'homework' within, on nights the moon was out, for he had the wits about him to know that his father would have him hidden or 'sent away' had he known, and the brain power to know when he was safe at such a young and tender age.
His mother knew though, and helped to keep his secret. It was easier to keep the rumors from spreading to his father than it was about fellow classmates, whom when he did see his father, had very severe opinions about what to do when dealing with them. It was easier, because his hair didn't grow in as fast or as often and his temper was controlled with an iron clad fist of self-measurement. Any anger he had that rose within himself, was squashed and dispelled. He was naturally a very genteel personality, well-mannered and thought to be a mild almost lame personality by some. In truth though, he was very charming and could often talk his way out of doing things he did not want to do or convincing someone to see things his way. Underneath though, he was cataloging all things wrong and trying to figure out ways to fix it, to protect the brothers harassed and threatened by the 'vulnerable normals'. The brown haired children were only categorized as violent because they were tricked into it, or egged on enough that it became part of their nature, and when they got angry, they could not always control themselves. It was no wonder why they ran as soon as they were old enough.
His looks aided in his quest to go unnoticed enough so as not to be the taunting of the red haired children, and was the go between for most debacles of the two types of children. Unfortunately though, since he kept a part of himself hidden for the sake of this position, he was not accepted into either clan. The browns distrusted him, fearing he was just like the reds, the reds feared he would one day be like the browns, and all sides taunted him for being nobody and unlike any other. He would have shown himself had he not feared the retribution his father would take out on not only him, but his mother as well.
No other child was born of different looks. He was on his own in this world. The father, seeing a possibility for exploitation tried having more children, even forcing himself on his mother occasionally. She bore him three more, two were red haired and black eyed. The other had eyes so brightly golden brown, they looked like the creature's without being old enough to change and hair so brown it glowed with its color.
The child was as well unlike any before it, in how dominantly it fit the description of what to fear. The oldest boy's knowledge was put into action as the fear from the father pushed him to act, thinking if physically, he was most like the strongest other, then if it was allowed to grow, then it would destroy all of humanity.
The boy watched his father from a window take the child out back and he knew what his father had planned. There was many ways the father could have killed the youngest of them, some quick and painless, some more drawn out and agonizing, nothing though compared to how he chose to let his youngest child suffer the fates that he had hand dealt. He left the child upon a ledge in the forest, and then just walked away, able to claim that god would want him if he didn't survive, and it was not on his shoulders.
After that, his wife bore no more children, try as the man might, he did not receive another like his first, and consequently, his favorite, to the distrust and hatred of the other two normals.
So the blow came as a shock to him when thirteen years of age, too early for a full morph-ation, he'd come home to a giant black dog in his living room. The eyes were as clearly blue as the ocean in bright sunlight. The boy had been growing at an exponential rate, but it had been expected at that age, the dog now, came up to his chest and the father knew, he wasn't fully grown and would only get bigger. It had been an instant transformation, and the anger that over came the father at the possibility of having something unique vanished in that instant and rage conquered his love and pride over the son.
Grabbing a shot-gun, fully intent on claiming that there was an intruding wolf and it was only after protecting his home, had he learned too late, that it was his own child.
The black boy-wolf-dog roared ferociously, never truly trusting the father to be any better towards him than the younger sibling the man had set out to kill, bounded and jumped over the father's head and out the door, living now as the freed ones that could not change back, five years too early but happier now than ever before, though that was not saying much.