He carefully helped the young Fowl to standing back up into position. He swayed there for a couple seconds, trying to regain his composer. He blinked as Butler and Artemis Sr. tried their best to reassure him that things were going to be alright. But, Artemis's thoughts had wandered elsewhere. 'Children? I could carry a child? A demon child inside myself?' He wondered. Finally, his new found questions found themselves at the tip of his tongue. "So my Mother was… Was a male or female?" He wondered.
"Female, definitely that much I know." The other demon commented. "I know it's a scary prospect at first, the thought that you could birth a child from your body isn't something beings take well, but if you think of it, animals of the natural world do so all the time. The clownfish can switch genders, actually all kinds of fish and yet, they don't deter from doing so, it has it's advantages too. You can carry a child and that's nothing any human male's ever experienced before, they don't know what it's like knowing there's something inside of you…. Growing…. They also don't know what it's like to give it up."
"Have you?" Artemis wondered and stopped at seeing the other's expression change, it deepened..
"Once. The father died…. The same day I lost our child." The other commented, softly. "Well, back to work, we've got much more to do, we'll have to show you how to control instincts a little. It's very easy to do sometimes, other times however, it's best to listen closely to them."
Artemis nodded as they set about working again. By the end of the day, he could willing decipher certain instincts and willingly tune out the other ones that compelled him to attack at sudden surprises. Butler came in very handy for that practice, as he was the only one able to handle Artemis's onslaught when they took things beyond his ability of control. He also spent a good amount of time being taught how to strengthen his wings. Finally, everyone else had gone to bed, save him and his brother, who sat in the attic room rafters eating and talking. "I'm sorry about my earlier comment, it was….. Rude of me to ask something that personal." Artemis started, before the other hushed him.
"No, it's not, I'm your blood relative, you should know these things. Especially this one. Never beyond any circumstances become impregnated by a human, it'd never work out very well," The other stated. "We live about the same rates nowadays do to the war, but…. Loving one puts them at risk."
Artemis remained silent, he knew that the other was speaking from experience. "I found one who excepted me as I truly was… I loved him with my whole heart and soul and then…. One day, a demon from the other side came before I'd woken…. He captured the other. I was about three months along, the period of pregnancy for us is a little shorter then humans, about five months. He killed then consumed him while I watched, unable to do a thing as I had woken after he was already dying. There was no where to run to, or protect myself. The other demon tore it right out of me…. My child…. His child…. Ours…. He called it an infestation and then tossed it to the floor." He took a breath. "Needless to say, I was left expected to die, but I wouldn't let it happen, not after what they'd done. Physical wounds are shallow compared to what had occurred to me emotionally. I managed to make it to our other brother, the king of your type of demon. Needless to say he secretly had me nursed back to health. I tried to refuse, telling him how it would hurt his relationship with the kingdom."
"What did he say to that?" Artemis questioned.
"He told me that the kingdom was a sand grain compared to how important his family was." The other stated, truthfully.
"Then, he's a good man to have as king, I'd suspect." Artemis commented.
"You'd like him, I think. You remind me somewhat of him when he was younger…" The other commented.
"How are you able to withstand the darkness of night, when you can't stand the light of day?" Artemis questioned.
"Ah… That is the wonder of the night, you do realize, in fact that the moonlight is the reflection of the sun's light upon the moon's surface that's sent to Earth?" The other questioned.
"Yes, it's so simple, no wonder I didn't see it even though it's right in front of me, you have the moonlight at night to even things out for you." The other commented.
"And stars, remember I don't just feed off of sunlight, just light and human inventions have come in handy for cloudy, moonless and starless nights." The other stated.
"I see…." The other stated.
"While you strengthen in the darkness, you will weaken in the light, which if for an extended period can kill you, remember that above all…. Just like heat without water can kill any mortal being." His brother warned him. "But, hopefully, that won't be something you'll have to worry about anytime soon."
"And what if I fall in love with someone of the same sex?" The other questioned.
"It makes no difference, as I've stated before, you'll still love one another and that's what counts, it's one of the benefits to being demon opposes being human. Humans care about that do to their beliefs, however, they do not look at how all the other creatures of the world have loved before them. There's no need to fear love, embrace it openly when it comes to you." The other stated, simply. "Who knows when it'll disappear beyond your reach?"
Artemis nodded, he understood now where the other was coming from, or so it seemed. He blinked as the other commented lightly on what their lessons would be for the next night, while the humans of the household slept and how the last lesson would probably be that of flight.
The next few weeks went by quickly, with Artemis learning many things, until the last day of their lessons together, as Butler and his foster parents watched from below and his brother urged him to jump, he'd done so a few times already unsuccessfully, luckily unharmed. Until now, when he jumped and found himself actually flying. The only problem came when his brother spotted something far off. It shone in an unearthly glow that reminded Artemis of some of the pictures of the People, but when his brother yelled at him to fly quickly away from it, he realized what it really was coming towards them from the distance… As it shot at Artemis like a hawk chasing prey. Artemis dove in an attempt to escape it, before he shot straight. This was to be his first flight and possibly his last from the way things had taken a turn for the worse. He could hear his family going hysterical, his brother flew at the enemy demon, attempting to give him time, but was soon plummeting towards the ground below, Artemis didn't have time to see if the other was alive or not. He could feel tears start to trickle from his eyes as he shot straight up, before he was slammed into from the side and captured. He remembered screaming, clawing and biting into the other in an attempt to free himself he almost did once, but was only recaptured before he'd barely gotten a few inches away. Then, exhausted and battered, he just wept, as the cries of his family grew faint and finally there was nothing left in sight or sound of his home.
End Chapter