"Andrew, it's time for dinner!" Helen yelled out the back door. A moment later a large monkey, larger than any gorilla, swung out of the forest before transforming into an even larger tiger in midair, sprinting to the house, and turning into a small five year old boy as he reached the door.

"Mom, you remember that bear I was telling you about? She had cubs!" Andrew told her as he rushed up.

"Oh really? You'll have to tell me all about it after you wash up and put some clothes on." Helen humored him as she handed him the robe they kept by the door for just this occasion and ushered him into the house.

Ever since he was three, Andrew had been exploring the forest behind their house under the supervision of his parents' Beasts. Since his Beast forms matured much faster than his human form, they were practically adults by that point, and nothing in the forest even stood a chance against him. Occasionally he'd even meet the Beast of another Bonded living around the woods, as this was one of the Clans' private forests for the Bonded to let their Beasts roam while they were on Earth. Bonded always lived near locations such as this when they settled down for a bit, so they didn't need to keep their Beasts inside the entire time, getting restless and grouchy.

Andrew headed to the bathroom and gave himself a quick scrub with a wet washcloth, mainly focusing on his face and arms, before putting on some clothes and heading to the dining room. "What are we having?" He asked curiously as he sat at the table.

"Mom made barbecue chicken!" His older sister Sarah, who was eight, exclaimed excitedly.

"And biscuits!" His other sister, the six year old Amy, added with a grin.

"Bithcits!" His younger sister Kate interjected happily. She'd recently turned three, so she still wasn't all that clear on which foods were good or not, and was just following the excitement of the others.

"You made sure not to fill up on deer while you were out in the woods, right?" Jack, who was now ten, joked, nudging him slightly with his elbow.

"I only did that once!" Andrew exclaimed defensively. "Mom's cooking is way better than some chewy deer."

"Now isn't that some high praise. Better than raw deer meat. I didn't realize my cooking had reached such heights." Helen responded sarcastically as she brought out the food, placing it on the table.

"Better than I can say for my mother's cooking." Stephen muttered. "That woman still thinks meat roasted over fire is haute cuisine."

"That's because when she was born it was haute cuisine." Helen shot back. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Stephen frowned. "What does her being a Dog have to do with her cooking?"

"It's an expression, dear." Helen sighed, sitting down next to him. "If you don't try and keep up with the times, you'll end up just like your mother." She chided him, before turning to Andrew. "So, you were telling me about this bear?"

Andrew quickly swallowed a mouthful of chicken before speaking. "Yeah! She has a den by the creek near the clearing with the apple tree in the middle! She had three cubs, two boys, one girl! She even let me play with them!"

"My teacher said that if you ever see a mama bear with her cubs, you should never get between them!" Amy interjected in a lecturing tone.

"That is very true." Stephen nodded. "Mama bears are very protective of their cubs, and they meet any potential threat with aggression."

"No, Mrs. Bear is nice!" Andrew objected.

"Andrew, Mrs. Bear is nice to you, because she knows you, you've become friends with her, and she knows you wouldn't hurt her cubs. She has no such confidence in anyone else." Stephen explained patiently. "Besides, the only reason you even had the opportunity to become friends with her is because if she ever tried anything, you could chuck her clear across the forest. Remember kids, beware of bears, unless you're strong enough to chuck them clear across the forest."

All the children looked to Helen to confirm. "He's right." She agreed with a nod.

Stephen shook his head, grinning in amusement. "Speaking of lessons, are you all ready to start school next week?"

Jack, Amy, and Sarah responded with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Jack wasn't all that excited, having reached that age where school became more of a chore, rather than a place to meet and play with friends, while Amy and Sarah were much more excited. Andrew, on the other hand, looked a little worried.

"Dad, do I have to go to school?" Andrew asked. He was used to spending his days exploring the forest, playing with the animals. Plus, he didn't see why he should go to school when he could spend all his time being a Beast! His parents had told him about the Outside, the world beyond Earth where powerful creatures roamed. They told him how people like him were the Earth's protectors, keeping humanity safe from the powerful existences which threaten them. Why should he worry about learning math when he was born to fight?

Stephen clicked his tongue. "Of course you have to go to school! You want to become a functional member of society, don't you?"

"But I am a functional member of society!" Andrew protested. "I'm a Beast! A protector! Why do I need to do more?"

Stephen raised an eyebrow. "You think physical power is all there is to being a Beast? If that was the case, why would the Bond be so important? You need both brains and brawn to be an effective protector! That's why you go to school, to build your brain, understand?"

Andrew frowned. "How does learning how to spell and add build my brain?" He asked, confused.

"It teaches you how to think." Stephen explained. "Besides, if you don't know everything school teaches you, then people will think you're dumb. Do you want people to think you're dumb?"

Andrew's eyes widened. "No!"

"Then you better go to school, huh?" Stephen replied with a grin.

*

Andrew swung through the trees, before landing next to a monkey even larger than himself, resting lazily on the limb of a large oak tree. "Hi Sebastian!" Andrew exclaimed as he transformed back into a human, hugging the giant monkey's hanging arm. "Is Emilia around?"

A low rumble came from behind him, and he turned to see a large tiger padding out of the undergrowth. She gave him an affectionate nuzzle, before slapping the tree, knocking the lazy monkey off his perch. The monkey landed heavily on the ground with a loud whoomp, before rolling onto his back and snoring loudly, though Andrew could see him peeking at the tiger to see her reaction. The tiger let out a low huff, rolling her eyes, while Andrew giggled at their antics. Sebastian and Emilia were his parents' Beasts, and they shared a similar relationship, exaggerated by the fact that Beasts were truer to their nature than humans.

"You really must learn how to speak in your Beast forms, Andrew. That way you don't need to transform every time you wish to communicate." Emilia scolded him in her soothing rumble.

"Leave the boy alone. How old were you when you learned to talk?" Sebastian retorted with a yawn, scratching his belly.

"That's irrelevant! Andrew already has the necessary intelligence, he just needs to practice. He'll need to go to the Outside eventually and he can't be transforming back and forth in the middle of a fight just so he can talk! Best he learns before then." Emilia retorted.

"That's years off. He has time." Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"You know how quickly years can pass." Emilia countered.

Sebastian snorted, before turning back to Andrew, sending a dismissive feeling towards him. Andrew grinned and sent an amused feeling back. This was the power of the Monkey clan, to sense and project emotions, and it was Sebastian's favorite way to communicate. Often the large Monkey would spend hours resting on a large branch, projecting peace and contentment throughout the forest. Andrew wasn't powerful enough to do anything like that, but he could 'talk' to other creatures one on one, sensing their emotions and sending his back, which was how he'd made a lot of his friends around the forest.

Suddenly, a portal appeared and a large paw came through, smacking the Monkey across the back of his head. Emilia pulled her paw back, glaring at Sebastian. "You know I hate it when you talk behind my back like that." She growled. This was the Tiger clan's ability: Space control! Tigers could take control of a territory, within which they had complete awareness of whatever occurred inside, and at higher levels, they could even create portals or teleport! Creating a territory was an arduous, time consuming process, but once it was done, the Tiger was almost invincible inside.

"Ah, no fair! You set up a territory here? This is my favorite tree!" Sebastian complained.

"Oh? What would be so wrong with me setting up a territory around your tree? Isn't it nice to have me around?" Emilia asked, fixing Sebastian with an intense gaze.

Sebastian froze, a chill going down his spine. "W-well yes, b-but-"

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"So you'll be resting in this tree every day from now on, won't you?" Emilia interjected, a cold mirth filling her voice.

"O-of course!" Sebastian instantly responded. "W-why would I do otherwise?"

Andrew snickered as he watched the two play fight. He could sense the amusement and affection coming from both of them, so he knew they really were fond of each other. They just liked to play these games, acting as if they were aggravated or scared.

Suddenly, Emilia turned to look at Andrew. "Oh, you find this funny, do you? Tell me, how has your territory been developing?"

Andrew froze, eyes going wide. "I- it- I haven't-"

"Ah, you haven't. Why is that, hm?" Emilia asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you not powerful enough?"

"No! I- I just- I haven't found a spot I like…" Andrew muttered, flushing in embarrassment. It was true. Everywhere Andrew looked, he couldn't find a place that felt right. It always seemed to be missing something.

Emilia sighed. "Andrew, your territory doesn't need to be perfect. Just pick the spot you like the best, alright? A Tiger without a territory isn't much of a Tiger at all."

Andrew frowned, knowing she was right, but still, he couldn't bring himself to decide. Once he had a territory, he'd need to spend time looking after it, developing it. He didn't want a place he'd have to spend so much time in to be boring. Plus, especially at his level, it took a lot of work to build a territory and he couldn't support an unlimited amount. If he found a better spot, he'd need to abandon his original territory, meaning all that work would have been for nothing!

Emilia saw his dilemma and sighed, climbing to her feet. "Come, follow me." She told him, heading off into the forest. Andrew shifted into his Tiger form and followed Emilia until they reached a small clearing. "Tell me, what do you see living in this clearing?"

Andrew shifted back into his human form, frowning. "Uh… nothing? There's no animals here."

"Oh really? Well then, what is this?" Emilia asked, gesturing to a small mound.

"An ant hill? That doesn't count! Ants are bugs!" Andrew protested.

"Does that mean they aren't life? Once you own a territory, even beings smaller than these will become frighteningly clear to you! Life surrounds us constantly, in many, many forms, each going on in their own unique way. All you need to do is look closer, you understand?" Emilia explained, directing Andrew's focus back to the ants.

Andrew frowned as he crouched down, inspecting the ant hill closely. Slowly his eyes began to grow wider and wider as he saw more and more ants running back and forth performing various tasks. He began to wonder what was going on deeper underground. Where did they go? Why were they taking things into the hill? What were they doing with them? The more he saw, the more questions he had as he became more and more engrossed in these tiny little creatures.

"You see? You don't need to look so hard to find a territory bursting with life. You just need to look a little closer." Emilia commented with a grin.

*

With Emilia's encouragement, Andrew had finally decided on where he would set up his territory, but he'd barely begun before it was time for his first day of school. Andrew tried to get out of it, using the territory as an excuse, but his parents weren't having any of it. Soon Andrew was dressed in his nice, new school clothes, carrying a tiny backpack as he walked with his older brother and sisters to the bus stop.

Sarah nudged him as they walked. "Cheer up, Andrew. School is fun! You get to make friends, do crafts, and then there's gym and recess!"

"I have friends, I don't like crafts, and I can play in the forest all I want!" Andrew retorted grumpily.

"Animals don't count as friends." Sarah countered, rolling her eyes.

"Yes they do!" Andrew argued.

"Guys, quiet!" Jack shushed them. "Remember, we're not supposed to talk about Andrew's stuff! Do you want to have to move away and never see any of your friends ever again?" He scolded them with a hard glare. All three of the others shook their heads quickly. "Then keep. It. Quiet! Understand?" All three nodded and they began walking again.

"If I was in the forest, I wouldn't have to hide my abilities." Andrew grumbled, kicking a rock and embedding it in a nearby tree.

They soon reached the bus stop, waiting a few minutes before the bus finally arrived. As they got on, the other three quickly found their friends, gleefully rushing over to them, happy to see them after a long summer break, leaving Andrew standing alone, not sure where to sit. As he stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do, a voice called out from a nearby seat. "Over here!" Andrew turned to see a cheerful looking boy around his own age waving at him before patting the seat next to him. Andrew was relieved to have some direction and quickly sat next to the boy. "Hi! I'm Benjamin!" The boy greeted him.

"I'm Andrew." Andrew replied with a slight smile.

"Is this your first day too?" Benjamin asked and Andrew nodded in response. "Cool! We're going to be in the same class! Aren't you excited?"

"I- I guess?" Andrew stammered. He could feel the emotions coming off this boy, full of excitement and anticipation. It was almost a little intimidating. How could someone feel so much about something as simple as the first day of school?

"Yeah! I can't wait! I'm going to make so many friends!" Benjamin continued practically bouncing in his seat. "Will you be my friend?"

"Sure?" Andrew answered tentatively. Was this how it worked? He'd never really asked any of the animals if they wanted to be his friends, he just interacted with them until they were. Could you just ask someone to be your friend and have it happen?

"Great! What's your favorite TV show? Mine is Naruto!" Benjamin asked.

Andrew frowned. "I don't really watch TV."

Benjamin's eyes widened. "Your parents don't let you watch TV?!?"

"They do! I just- I like to play outside." Andrew replied, catching himself before he mentioned the forest and the animals.

"Oh! Do you have a swingset? A trampoline? Do you like to climb trees? Have you ever caught a frog? I caught a frog once! It was slimy!" Benjamin instantly got excited again.

The rest of the bus ride was spent discussing the various things they enjoyed doing outside. Andrew mentioned a few of the smaller animals he'd interacted with, but avoided talking about the bears and wolves and other large creatures, thinking that would be too abnormal. Soon however, they reached the school and they had to get off the bus. Out front, several teachers were waiting, gathering the students together before leading them inside. All the kindergartners were gathered together into a group and two teachers began to call out names in alphabetical order, calling students to group behind them. It turned out that there were actually two kindergarten classes and Benjamin was actually in the other one, leaving Andrew slightly disappointed.

He followed his new teacher into the school building and down the hall to their classroom, sitting at his assigned seat in between two girls. He looked around, noticing that each seat alternated boy girl boy girl throughout the entire class, frowning as he wondered why they'd done that. He could sense varying levels of disappointment from all the other kids as they were separated from their friends. However, before they could get too upset, the teacher began the class, focusing their attention on her as she introduced the first project they'd be doing, which was to cut an animal out of a sheet of paper and color it. There were several animals to choose from, and Andrew struggled to choose between the monkey and the tiger. Andrew eventually chose the monkey, but colored it with black and orange stripes, like a tiger.

"Hey, you can't do that!" One of the girls yelled at him as she looked over at his desk.

Andrew hesitated. "I can't do what?"

"You can't color a monkey like a tiger!" The girl elaborated. "That's wrong!"

Andrew frowned. "But what if it's a tigermonkey?"

"There's no such thing as a tigermonkey!" The girl protested.

"This is a tigermonkey!" Andrew retorted, holding up his animal with a grin. "See? Monkey shape, tiger fur. Tigermonkey!"

"That isn't how that works!" The girl complained.

"Why not?" Andrew asked, cocking his head.

"Because you can't just make up an animal!" The girl replied.

"Who says I made it up?" Andrew countered.

"Have you ever seen a tigermonkey?" The girl asked.

"I'm looking at one right now!" Andrew held up the cutout again.

"Besides that!" The girl responded.

Andrew looked over at her animal, which was a rabbit she was coloring pink. "Well, have you ever seen a pink rabbit?"

The girl flushed. "Th-that's different! My rabbit is still a rabbit!"

"My monkey is still a monkey too! It's just also a tiger!" Andrew retorted with a triumphant grin.

"You- ugh!" The girl groaned in frustration, before ignoring Andrew, continuing to color her rabbit.

Once everyone had completed their project, the teacher moved on to their first lesson on the alphabet, the teacher writing out each letter on the board. She then handed out tiny slips with their names on them and had them copy their names onto their animals before collecting them and moving on to the next lesson. Eventually it was time for lunch and they all lined up to head to the cafeteria. The other kindergarten class arrived around the same time, and Andrew waved at Benjamin, who waved back excitedly. They quickly got their food and sat down together.

Benjamin talked the entire time, even while eating, making Andrew wonder how he didn't choke, before dragging him out to the playground. "Let's swing!" Benjamin exclaimed, rushing over to a swingset and jumping onto it, beginning to swing back and forth. Andrew climbed into the one next to him, doing the same, but quickly getting bored. Swinging through trees was much more exciting.

He was about to get off when a group of boys from an older class rushed over. "Hey, get off! These swings are ours!" One of them yelled.

"What do you mean? The swings are for everyone!" Benjamin protested.

"Shut up!" The boy yelled again, pulling Benjamin off the swing and shoving him to the ground.

"Hey!" Andrew jumped off his swing and rushed up to the boy, shoving him back, sending him tumbling backwards, falling to the ground as well. "Don't push Benjamin!"

The boy jumped back up to his feet, furious. "Get him!" He yelled, pointing at him. The other two rushed at Andrew, attempting to push him backwards, but Andrew didn't budge, instead pushing them back, sending them tumbling. He was beginning to get a little angry, so he used a bit more force than normal, and both boys skidded across the ground, though thankfully the playground had a woodchip ground, so they weren't injured.

"Andrew!" A loud yell echoed out behind him. Andrew turned to see his older brother Jack running over. "What are you doing?!?"

"They were bullying my friend!" Andrew explained defensively, pointing at the bullies lying on the ground.

"Andrew, you can't- come on, let's go." Jack grumbled in frustration, pulling Andrew away. He dragged him off to a secluded area, away from the rest of the other kids. "Andrew, when you're trying to hide that you're a super strong monster person, you do not shove other kids!" Jack scolded him the moment they were alone. "That's how you get caught!"

"But they were bullying Benjamin! What was I supposed to do?" Andrew protested.

"Get a teacher! You don't have to solve every issue yourself! Other people solve their problems without being strong! You can too!" Jack explained in frustration.

Andrew furrowed his brows, but knew his brother was right. He didn't need to fight the bullies himself. It was just, he could, so why shouldn't he? Why did the world not accept who he was? Why should he have to hide? Frustration burned in Andrew's chest.

Jack looked down at the obviously still frustrated, before sighing and putting his arm around him. "Look, I know it sucks, and in a perfect world, you'd be fine, but the world isn't perfect and sometimes you just need to accept that."

"It's just dumb." Andrew grumbled.

"I know." Jack sighed. "I know."