Like every morning in the last ten years a man, who had already lived the half of his life, went out on the sea to get in his nets. He was no fisherman, just getting from the ocean what he needed for the day. It was still dark out there, only far at the horizon one could perceive the slight dawn. Today his catch was rather meagre, three little fishes, but it would suffice him. He drew the net into the boat and let the rudders slide through the calm water, when something felt strange to him... what dark spot was that in front of the uprising sun? He changed the direction, this interested him. The closer he came; the clearer became the contour of a small boat, how astonishing was that? At this time just fishermen went out and it seemed as if nobody was in it. Hopefully the owner wasn't drowned, he rowed much more closer to it, until he could risk a look… what was revealing to him, nearly made him speechless. Mooring the nutshell to his own boat, he rowed back to the coast as fast as he could.

Completely distraught he dashed into the cramped shop and straight to it's owner that tried to kick him right out, she had clientele. "Arkas! Please, what's that big! The people are waiting!" He had to take some deep breaths before getting few words out. "You really have to come with me! It's... You have to see it yourself! I need a woman! NOW Evelyn!" Confused and up giving, she sighed and requested him to at least being allowed to cash up these three customers. Nervous he agreed and started walking up and down in front of the store, until she closed the door behind her. "Well, I hadn't expected you to become domestic…" Taken aback he gazed at her, than with a shake of his head, he snatched her arm and pulled her to his outlying landing stage. A smothered scream filled the air, as she looked into the boat, queasiness rose in her... this reek. There laid a carcass, utterly dead for three days, but it was one of the hottest summers ever and thousands of flies crawled upon the cadaver. "That's what you wanted to show me? It's nauseating! We must report it to the marine immediately!" He embarked the boat and turned the corpse with his foot on the back, flies arose and buzzed wildly around. "Naw! We just had to, if it was murder, but... she died willingly…" Evelyn covered her mouth with her hands... it was woman? How terrible! "We burn the corpse, that's all." He kicked the stinking heap onto the strand and fetched a bottle of Whiskey from his boat, he regarded it. "Actually it's a pity..." than poured it over the corpse and searched for his matches.

"But ... you don't need me for this, so why should I come here?" Arkas pointed with his head to the little dinghy, she kneeled down and peeked in. There yet laid something else, …something little… "For God's sake! Is that a child?" He nodded and flicked the burning match onto the cadaver, it caught fire immediately, the thing must have been completely parched. Carefully Evelyn nudged the child, it appeared still to live, so hardly breathing. She took it into her arms and listened onto his breast, the heartbeat was extremely slowly and weak, it needed a doctor! "The poor little thing needs a practitioner! I better care about it." She took a blanket from Arkas' boat and wrapped the little one in, than she wanted back to the village, but he grabbed her shoulder. "The little thing is a boy and I'll care about him. I just wanted you to give me the milk and food for him, half prize!" She was a bit astonished, that she hadn't awaited, he actually lived very secluded and wasn't interested in other people's business very much. "What'd YOU want with a child?" He kept silent for a moment and watched the waves, memories from his youth rose in him. "Beforehand I'd never spent a thought on setting up a family, but now I'm getting older and maybe…a bit sentimental. Probably I just want to pass on my knowledge and… Didn't you wanted to leave the isle for the mainland, if I'm correctly remembering!" It was right, the shop didn't run that well, so she had to close it, nothing was holding her here. "You're such an oddball, Arkas... but please, bring it up if you dare. Anyhow it needs a doctor first!" She put him the little boy with the black hair into his arms and watched them sceptically. Arkas wasn't really a perfect example for a human… "Didn't you hear me? Come on!"

„Hmm… That's not looking very good!" The doctor took the stethoscope out of his ears and laid the little back into this kind of cot. "A few hours later and every rescue would have been to late. So I can guaranty for nothing, still." Evelyn looked on her watch and said goodbye to Arkas, she had to go, but he should notify her when the little one felt better. The doctor wanted to keep him in, for observation, that's why Arkas stayed there, too. He didn't trust those quack doctors; he just let him out of sight for a moment, fetching a book from home. "Listen! When you're loitering in my practice, you can provide that the loss of fluid will be compensated!" The doctor seemed slightly displeased for every of his movements being watched. "Every two hours you have to feed it some water, it's to weak to drink, so just let it drop into its throat and keep watching that nothing comes into its trachea!" He bang shut the door and went into bed. Arkas shoved a chair to the cot, drew spectacles with circular glasses out of his waistcoat's pocket and leafed through the book and, as he found the page, put on the specs and started reading. Yet after a while he closed the book again, a silent whimper distracted him, he looked aside. The child had woken up, he laid crouched on the side, the deep dark-blue eyes stared filmy into the room, he cough and breathed irregularly. When Arkas wanted to pick him up, he flinched, but the grown-up adult took no notice of it, but poured some water into the boy's mouth, he did it like that doctor told him. But that expert must have appraised the youngster wrong, for it was eager swallowing the cooling fluid. Than it had to cough once more and the little body shook. "Hey pull yourself together and act like a man, you sissy!" He laid him back into the cot and concentrated on his book again.

Arkas sighed, he felt the little one staring at him and looked down… °How old might this boy be indeed? Utterly two years, why was this young woman together with such a small child in a tiny boat drifting on the wide and dangerous sea? What would be dreadful enough to make someone that despairing to see this as the last chance? If the boy could already speak?° Anyhow this was a peculiar child, these oversized ears, the black hairs shimmering turquoise in the candlelight and these dark-blue eyes, so sphinx-like and attentive. As if he would comprehend everything occurring around him... usually toddlers weren't cognisant of their existence THAT much, they crawled funny through the landscape and slobbered on everything passing their way, one could plainly discern this at much of the village's children. He gave the boy again some water to drink, although the doctor had said every two hours, but if he was thirsty it could not impair. Maybe it just appeared to Arkas as if, but the boy seemed to mend more from minute to minute. His breath was calm and regular, now as well his eyes were gleaming normally. "You're much like that tomcat I had as child… often thought he would croak, but seemed to had nine life. That one went through a lot of shit, you know!" The boy looked fatigued, his eyes were closing perpetually, but he wanted to stay awake. He did not trust that man with the grey strands in his dark hair. "Sleep young man!" Arkas put his book aside and blanketed the boy again. After blowing out the candle he made it himself comfortable in the chair and slowly slept in, too.

Glittering sunbeams flooded the room and drew patterns on the wooden ground. Gradual Arkas aroused of Somnus' arms, he yawned and looked around confused. Then he remembered why he was here... the lad was still sleeping tranquil, coiled like a small kitten. The clock on the wall said half past ten. Beforehand Arkas never slept that long, they had no occasion for this. If one had told him he some day would bring up a child, he'd have rolled on the floor in laughter. But this life laid far behind him, he was a different man now. Well, he would have split his side with laughter yesterday, too… till he saw that child. Something in it made Arkas fond of it. He could not explain but it had a kind of aura that leaves nothing else to the people as to like it. The doctor walked into the room and examined the little one. "Amazing! The condition is much better, and that so fast, it verges to a wonder!" He took the kid up it was obviously displeased to be awaked that rough and the cold stethoscope, squeezed on his chest seemed to upset him, too. „Breathing and heartbeat are perfectly normal. You'd follow my instructions? ... And what else you did, it was right!" He turned the little boy round to overhear his back, as the boy was no longer in danger to life, the doctor could accurately examine him. „Equable physique, possibly a bit to thin for the age... Well... we should not talk about the ears… But, tell me Arkas. Did you noticed this grazed wound on his back straight above the coccyx? The skin there is scraped bloody and extremely sensitive... but that should be no bigger problem, too. The boy seems to have a good regeneration capability. I think tomorrow you can go home with him." Nodding Arkas leaned back in the chair. °Tenacious lil' lad, one can make something out of that!°

When Evelyn entered the practice to inquire about the child, she experienced a curious event. Arkas kneeled in front of the bed; the chin rested on the crossed arms and stared at the boy. What made the thing so strange was that this one stared back just as dogged and stubborn. "Well! There're two that found each other! Good morning!" She sat down on the side of the bed and took the boy in her arms, grim Arkas stood up. "I was actually trying to make him speak!" The little one yawned and robbed his eyes with tiny hands, Evelyn was delighted and found him really sweet. "Oh you cute little honey-bunny, are you tired? D'you want to do snoozy-snoozy?" unappreciative Arkas fixated the young woman, in the boy's dark-blue eyes, was a certain consternation, too. "How shall he learn to speak right, if you're talking such bullshit?" The just rousing mother's feelings were killed with one hit. When now the little one started to kick and wave, Evelyn sulky left the practise. "Don't crawl to my door, when you got problems with this child!" Shoulder twitching Arkas peeked after her, then he went back to the boy and looked at him long and insistent. "You're not donating your sympathy to everyone, are you? Maybe better in this times..." It almost seemed as if the lad would knew very well whereof the man was speaking. Arkas thought for a short moment to see the boy smirking at him, though he wasn't quite sure. "Lesson number one, little boy: Never rely on someone except yourself and possibly me, but I would not guarantee for that!" The boy laughed, Arkas couldn't believe it, a lucid, happy and innocent children's laugh, yesterday he hardly breathed! Somehow it was relieving for the self-willed man, to see the little that lively. This one now turned round and went on sleeping. "...Well... just like my black tomcat..." °°°

The day drew to a close; Arkas was occupied with the boy the whole time and hoped for an interaction. He had rolled some marbles to him, talked to him offered him fresh bread. The food he accepted, played a bit with the multicoloured glass-bubbles, but he said nothing, though Arkas was sure a child at his age could speak at least a few words. He just watched him from that beady dark eyes as if he wanted to say: I don't like this place couldn't you bring me back home? But what else do you expect from a little child, of course homesickness and longing for his parents, but Arkas didn't care 'bout that very much, he took the boy onto his lap (although he never let someone come this close to him before). "Now listen buddy! I know you're still a child but if you want to become someone in life, you gotta get tougher! Crying for mummy won't help! Use your elbows or get tussled yourself! As long as you can't defend yourself, I'll look after you. But as soon as you're standing on your own two legs, care for yourself! Just the strongest will survive and you got a hell of a potential. Do something with it and stop sniffing!" He gave him a head nut and awaited loud crying, the boy pressed his eyes together… but he didn't weep. "Works! You're a clever little tot, fast learning!" He skimmed over his hairs... really strange that he liked that child that much, so he could not stand anyone. Maybe there indeed developed some father's feelings in him... he, who ahead of time was hanging round with the most sinister and asocial guys. Luckily he retreated to this peaceful region. Imagine the humiliation if his old friends would see him now.

In this moment the door banged open and two marine soldiers entered the room. Arkas surprised shoved up his spectacles. "Arkas, we were notified, that you picked up an exposed child, though the order is, that all street-kids must be brought into the marine's orphanage! We'll take it with us!" Arkas got up, internal he cursed Evelyn and built up in front of the bed. "In your wonderful orphanage they're raised as conformistic soldiers... I like neither the marine nor its repression of individuality. He stays with me!" The soldiers looked at each other, than one walked round Arkas and snapped the black haired youngster, which scratched and bite him, trying to free himself. But without any success, against a grown up man he had no chance. As the soldier had enough of this fidgeting, he grabbed the boy at his legs and banged his head against the wall… Arkas twitched, one could see the pain in the little face. A red rivulet seeped down his forehead; he was slightly unconscious from the hit. The dark eyes filled with tears as the soldier once more smashed him toward the wall. "Howl, you bastard!" Arkas fists knotted, the knuckles shimmering white through the skin. His relationship to the marine was always deeper than a light antipathy, he hated them, they were his enemies ever since. Because oppositely to pirates they were mendacious hypocrites. Pirates say: We kill you and then they do… but the marines introduce themselves as your friends, than ram a knife into your back. The soldier went angry, the boy just didn't want to cry, no matter how much it hurt, instead he again tried to scratch his kidnapper. Arkas was impressed and proud in one, considering he had taught him to behave like a man, but the little body could not stand out much more. Once again the soldier reached out, when his arm suddenly was stopped, Arkas fist clasped his wrist. "Do it and you'll regret it!" Surprised the soldier let the boy down, Arkas took him and carefully laid him onto the bed, in pain he rolled into a ball. "We take this obtuse brat, if you like it or not!" A disgusting creak resounded as Arkas' fist smashed the soldier's nose. With a bloody face he tried to get up. "How can you dare!" His colleague that had just stood silently watching hitherto, tried to slink to the boy. But Arkas detected it and placed a low kick in his back. "I give a shit on what high ratings you got! The boy stays with me!" Something hard hit the back of his head and for one moment he went to the ground. The soldier stood over him with a chair and let it come down on Arkas, but this drew two daggers from the cases at his belt and ripped his assailer's shins. With half closed eyes the boy followed the happening, he roughly grasped what went on here… The men that had hurt him wanted to take him with them and the other one protected him... even if they hurt that guy now... he staked his life for him… The soldier yowled and fell backwards Arkas jumped on his feet and let the daggers rotate in his hands, apparently he was extremely skilled with this weapons. The second soldier received some violent cuts on his back and face, before Arkas took a few steps back. "Beat it, if you care about your pathetic life!" Both dragged themselves to the door as fast as they could, one had to carry his workmate, Arkas had completely cut his leg's tendons. Before they finally left the practice the carried shouted something. "Keep the brat! But we'll see us again this will have a repercussion! Asshole!" A dagger flashed into his direction and bogged in the doorframe, directly next to his face. They dashed away.

Arkas turned to the little one, trembling and dazed he cowered between the pillows, the man sat himself to him. "You comprehended lesson two, before I've even told you… Never lose your pride, never give them gratification and kick straight back in their asses when you got the chance!" The boy slowly opened his lids, gradually he regained his consciousness. Till now Arkas had not noticed, that the dark-blue of his eyes meanwhile had turned into an unfathomable black. "You fought bravely, I can be proud of you, young man!" He stroked over the small head and something happened he had not expected... The boy entwined him, searching for security, than exhaustion overwhelmed him and he could no longer hold his tears back. Mutely weeping he pressed himself at the man that saved him. Arkas was stunned it was the first act that came from the boy and it was so much emotive. The boy cried heart-rending, all piled up dread and grief of the time spent alone with the dead woman in that boat, unloaded in an ocean of tears. Arkas embraced him tightly, trying to calm the child. "Shhhh... Everything's all right… all's good, little boy…" It seemed as if the youngster would finally trust him… °Hard skin tender core… you're really similar to my old black tomcat… I think... I'll call you like him…° Arkas considered a while... did he truly wanted to name the boy after a cat? In point of fact it wasn't even a real name ... but it had been a proud, shrewd and tenacious being, the only true friend he ever had… beside of this, the boy had black hair and eyes…

"Kuro!" He shoved up his glasses and determining smiled at the boy, who was looking attentive up to him... obviously the name seemed to please him. He cuddled up to the adult and slept in, devitalised. Arkas glanced out of the window into the falling night. Who thought that he'd ever have a son?