During the couple of months Kyle and Elena spent with Kal, a few strange things popped up here and there. While Elena did not pay too much attention to it, Kyle, however, was keen to the strange occurrences. Having asked around the nearby villages and still have not found any signs of where the baby came from or whose baby he was, Kyle began observing the baby cautiously. Maybe he could determine some things about the baby by the way he acted and behaved. Soon, weird incidences appeared, causing Kyle to become even more curious.
Hard objects broke near baby Kal. Having given up on milk in a matter of days, the baby had a ferocious appetite for meat and bananas. Teeth had already grown from his mouth with four long canines. The kid could even walk now, though sometimes at night, it would walk on fours and growl at random things. He had a penchant for climbing as often Kyle would find the baby up a tree or on the roof of the house. Not to mention, the baby was highly intelligent and was able to speak and understand quite a few words.
One day, while Elena was out shopping after having recovered substantially, Kyle caught sight of Kal transforming into...a baby primate! This baby was not human but a demon beast! Kyle knew that only powerful demon beasts could transform into human forms. Does this mean that the middle-aged couple were in danger? Kyle must get rid of the baby.
However, the old warrior could not bring himself to do it after a few minutes of internal struggle. No matter what, the baby had brought happiness to their depressed life. And, even if it was a demon beast, it had not harmed them in any way thus far. Therefore, Kyle made up his mind and decided to continue raising it. Nevertheless, there are a few things he needed to make clear with the baby. In the meantime, he would try his best to keep the secret from Elena.
Kyle walked up to Kal while he was still in beast form, making sure that the baby noticed his movements. When Kal saw his adopted father come in, he panicked. He scrambled up a tree and hid behind some branches. Two glowing golden eyes peered out at the middle-aged man. Kyle stopped a few feet from the tree and beckoned towards Kal with a gentle smile.
"It's alright. Kal, you don't have to worry about anything. I...I'm not a bigot. I won't treat you with disdain. Please come down here. I want to talk to you."
Kal whimpered slightly and questioned suspiciously, "You aren't afraid of my appearance? You won't kill me?"
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"Heavens, no! You have not brought harm to me and my wife. Instead, you have brought peace into our once depressed life. Why would I kill you? Where did you get that idea from?"
"I-I don't know. I just did."
"Just did? Like instinct?" Kyle widened his eyes slightly.
"M-Maybe? I'm not sure."
"Alright. Enough of that. Come down here. Don't be afraid. I said it earlier. I'm not going to hurt you."
"Really?" Kal asked as he hesitantly peered at the human male who had taken care of him these past few months. Upon seeing the man's kind smile and gentle disposition, he agreed soon after.
Kyle sized up the young demon beast as he swung down, landing right next to him. Kal had short, black fur with piercing golden eyes. Now that the young demon beast dropped his initial hostile look, Kyle found that the young demon beast looked kind of adorable. Kyle smiled at Kal and asked.
"What type of demon beast are you? Some sort of monkey? Hmm, no, you don't have a long tail...then, an ape?"
"I'm not sure either. I-I don't know what I am."
"Hmm, well, it doesn't really matter. So, what is your real age? Are you truly just a baby? I thought those that can transform into human forms should at least be in their adulthood?"
"I...I don't know. I don't remember." Kal bowed his head and muttered.
“You don’t remember?” Kyle murmured back. Could this be…amnesia?
“S-So, what’s going to happen to me now?” The primate questioned, a look of worry flashed through his expression.
“As long as you promise me two conditions, I’ll allow you to continue living with us.”
“Really? That’s great!”
“Oh ho, now hold up. Aren’t you curious about the two conditions?”
“Ah…yea. Kind of…what are they?”
“First, never show your true form to anyone else…not even Elena. Second, my wife has taken a liking to you. Please treat her as your mother from now on…and you can also treat me as your father as well. Can you do that?”
“Yes! I’m willing…I can!”
“Good!” Kyle raised up his hand, palm facing Kal. “Our little secret, okay?”
The young demon beast reached up and swung his paw, a resounding high-five could be heard as the two sealed their agreement. Suddenly, a rustling sound could be heard from the distance. Kyle quickly turned around, shielding Kal from any potential observers, and peered towards the trail. It was Elena; she had just come back from shopping, her arms limping from too much groceries.
“Kyle! Don’t just stand there! Help me out!” Elena dropped the bags onto the ground while she massaged her strained arms.
Kyle quickly ran up to his wife while Kal reverted back to his human form. Elena unloaded everything onto her husband and greeted him with a kiss. “What were you guys doing outside in this breezy weather?”
“Oh, just bonding.” Kyle responded as grabbed a hold of the bags.
“Aw, how sweet.” Elena chuckled as she rushed towards the young child with open arms. She cooed gently as she reached down and scooped Kal up into her arms. “Kal, did you miss mommy?”
“Mommy!” Kal gave Elena a hug, causing her to brim with happiness.
As she returned the child’s hug, Kal stared at Kyle and raised up a thumb. The middle-aged man responded with a thumbs up of his own. He grabbed the bags and quickly entered the house. He called out to his wife, urging her to come in so to not let the chilly wind affect the two of them. Once Elena entered the building, she handed Kal to Kyle before making her way to the kitchen.
“Help Kal wash up and set the table while I make my famous fried pork sandwiches!”
“Alright! We’ll be done in a blink of an eye!”