A Father's Embrace

“Da...”

That single syllable was enough to stir the vampire from his slumber. Green eyes opened to peer up at the very large face hovering over him and blocking out the light of the late afternoon sun beyond the mountain outcrop they were resting beneath.

There was pained look in the features of that face and the wide eyes gave off a golden glow, bright and frenzied.

That also told him that something was off...

Killian's eyes rarely went gold these days.

Garrett rubbed a hand over his face, patiently pushing himself up from his bedroll while the Faron remained crouched over him.

“Having bad dreams again?” He looked up to the young giant in clear understanding. Killian's scent, posture and eyes allowed him to be read clear as a book. In his years with the kid, he'd learned his ways and ticks well and he understood times like this.

Poor kid had been through Hell already in his young days. Of course his dreams were haunted. Though...it had been a long time since his last nightmare. As far as he knew anyway.

He received a nod and apologetic mumble from the lad, the Faron's ears flicking straight back in a sheepish manner.

Killian was hardly a small child anymore, though nothing about him could be considered small to begin with. But it was obvious that at the age of pre-adolescence, he was ashamed to wake the Gharzav in the middle of their sleeping time over a dream. It had to be out of true need and desperation.

“Same one about your parents?” Garrett spoke calmly and evenly. Sleep was not something that his body really required anymore in its state of undeath, so it didn't really bother him to be pulled from the dreamless black. Slumber was something of a habit. Something to help separate the days and keep him on a somewhat normal schedule.

This time Killian finally dropped his gaze, gold eyes flicking to the ground as he seemed to wilt further still with shame.
“No.”

For being so incredibly huge, the lad had an awfully quiet voice at times.

“It's tha one 'bout tha town.” Killian seemed deeply distraught over his own words, sitting back on his heels as he rubbed at his eyes, as if he could make the stinging tease of possible tears go away.

Garrett grunted... “Ah, I see. That one.” He nodded. This dream had happened before as well.
He didn't bother asking Killian about what had happened in the dream, knowing it was tough for the kid to think about and worse to speak of. So why push about it if they both were in understanding?
“It's okay, kid...you're alright. It was a dream and you've done nothing wrong.”

The young Faron gave a soft whine, “I...I know. I jus'...I can't stop thinkin' 'bout it. I can hear an smell everythin' so clearly...it feels so real. Smashin' houses an grabbin' people up...eatin' e'ryone I can. Da, I...I can taste em. It feels like I'm actually there.” The way he spoke of it made it sound like he'd enjoyed it, but the way his hands trembled while he spoke showed that he was far more shaken up by it than delighted.

Hearing the young Faron calling him by the title of father was still something rather surreal to Garrett. After losing his own family so long ago he never thought that he would ever again be a father. Yet...life had a way of changing things. Being called by such a name melted his unbeating heart in a way he hadn't thought possible...but it also steeled it, reminding him that he had made a choice and he had a duty to the lad now.

The Vampire got to his feet, crossing the distance between him and the young giant. He'd never been much good with words of comfort before having to soothe a panicked child. Having Killian around had helped and he'd learned a lot about dealing with him. Faron were creatures of passion and emotion...touch and physical contact were of great importance to their kind.

He reached out and placed a comforting hand on Killian's knee, immediately feeling the trembling of the Faron ease as he relaxed, comforted by a familiar presence.

“Killian, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You're not a monster or a killer. The towns around here are all safe. Some of them are safe -because- of you. Don't forget that...” He gave a slight grin, a measure of pride welling up in him as Killian had indeed been stepping up and helping in his work. Just earlier this week the Faron had taken down two trolls that had been terrorizing a shepherding community. Two trolls...each half his size. The kid was strong and he was certain he would only grow in power as he aged and matured.

His words did seem to calm the giant down...a smile peeking through the otherwise shaken expression on the young lad's face.

Killian sniffled, his ears slowly picking back up.
“A-aye...I guess that's true.”

“Guess? What the Hell do you mean “guess”, kid?...It's a fact.” Garrett grunted, but a smile remained as he looked up at the lad.

“Yeah. But...you could have saved them if I hadn't.” the lad mumbled.

“No. I left that job to you, Killian. And you stepped up and did it. Take pride and credit for your work, boy.”

The Faron looked hesitant at first, but in the end he nodded...seeming to calm down as he came to terms with the fact that he indeed shared more in common with a hero than a monster.

“Are you good, then?” Garrett still eyed him, noting that the golden gleam in the lad's eyes had faded...but not left entirely. Something was still wrong.

Killian nodded. “I'm better.” but rather than returning to lay down, he instead lowered a hand for Garrett. There was a silent request from the Faron...a request for touch and comfort. He no longer had people of his own kind to be with...he couldn't be held by arms big enough to wrap around him normally.

At first Garrett looked at the hand offered to him...
At Killian's size and age, the Vampire still nearly filled his grasp with his tall frame. But it wouldn't be long at all before each finger on that hand would be longer than he was. Killian was growing fast and if he were to guess, he would be quite big...even for a Faron.

The Gharzav gave a gentle smile,
“Do you want me to sit with you, kid?...or would you rather sit with me?”

The question did make Killian brighten a little. “Can I sit with you?”

It was the way they decided who between the two would be the larger...given that Garrett's powers allowed for that to flux and change quite easily.

“Of course, kid...” He chuckled softly, but finally approached the hand offered to him. Rather than climbing into it though, he grabbed a hold of one of the large fingertips, bending his head to bite it instead. Bite really wasn't the proper word though...as he never actually sank his teeth into the flesh. Rather, he merely pressed the blunt tips of his Gharzav fangs against Killian's skin as he began to drink away the lad's size. As he consumed it, he started to grow...while Killian began to shrink.
He was careful not to take too much though, stopping when he was a size compared to Killian that would be equivalent to an adult Faron. Big enough to hold and hug the lad properly.

He hardly needed to move to do it though...as soon as he lowered Killian's hand from his mouth, he found himself being tackled by the kid in a deceptively strong hug.

“Whoah! Easy there, Killian. Damn, had I known you needed a hug so badly, I would have offered sooner.” He grinned a little though, returning the young Faron's embrace while he reached up to ruffle the incredibly thick mass of Killian's dark hair. He liked to tease the boy that it was practically a creature of its own that happened to live on top of his head.

“S-sorry...” Killian eased up, mumbling sheepishly while he backed up to give Garrett more room.

“It's all good, kid...don't worry.” The Gharzav re-situated himself, being mindful not to crush their gear as he sat down, propping himself back against the stone wall of the mountain and tucking Killian in against his side in a close hug.

He felt Killian curl up against him, one of the lad's arms passed around his middle as the young giant took refuge in his presence, fully trusting him and expecting him to care for him as the father he called him to be.

The rumble of soft purrs from the kid was nearly enough to doom the longlived and usually moody Vampire with a wave of strangely sentimental feels.
It was far cuter than he ever wanted to admit aloud.
Killian was a good kid...kind in nature and gentle in manner. He seemed to have a strong sense of right and wrong. Because of this, Garrett had no doubt that he would grow to follow in his footsteps and carry on defending beings less powerful than him. Killian would be a champion of the underdog and a defender of the less powerful.

The thought did fill him with pride. Perhaps he wasn't so bad at this dad thing after all.

He surely had never expected this the night he'd stopped a feral Faron child from rampaging a town. He would have never guessed that what had started as work would end in him adopting an orphan...and gaining a son. The thought had been overwhelming to say the least.

But now...he was glad of it. And he wouldn't trade it for the world.

The moment of contentment wasn't to last though as Killian seemed to tense in his arms a little. He felt the lad burrow further against his side, his small hand curling into a fist to tightly grasp the fabric of his shirt.

The Gharzav frowned, looking down to see the Faron's dark eyebrows drawn together in a troubled frown....and his cheeks were damp with tears.
The purring had stopped and a soft whimper had taken their place.

“Killian?... what's the matter?” Garrett was almost startled. One moment before the lad had been all relieved smiles and purrs...now he was tense and clinging to him.

“D-Da...can I ask ya somethin'?” The effort with which the lad spoke in an attempt to keep his voice from cracking was pitiful.

The Vampire did his best to sound reassuring. It wasn't a tone he often used. But...with Killian it was genuine.“You know that you can always ask me anything....”

It seemed to be enough to provide the encouragement needed for Killian to carry on.

The Faron swallowed hard. “If....if I were t'go feral...like I was when ya found me....Would tha make me a monster? I'd eat people...so...that would make me bad, aye?” He paused, seeming to have to take a moment to gather himself before he could speak again. “Y-you kill monsters like tha, da. So wouldn' tha mean ye'd have t'kill me?”

Garrett was rather old. He'd lived through many ages and experienced many things. Seen horrors and wonders powerful to leave any being breathless. And yet, nothing had ever caught him off guard quite like the words coming from the young lad just now had.
He felt as if he'd just taken a cannon shot directly to the gut and for once in a very long time he was left stunned.

How could he even begin to answer something like that? With the way Killian was acting now this surely had been something on his mind for a long while now...and he'd had no idea at all about it.

“Killian....no.” He finally managed to speak, slowly shaking his head. “That's not how it works.” He took a moment to try and figure out how to word things. “What happened with you is very different. You didn't hurt people because you wanted to...you had no choice, lad. You were hungry. Your body couldn't take it anymore and you lost control.” he felt a sense of pity to think that Killian viewed himself so terribly. He'd labeled himself as a monster because of his nature. “You were much younger then, kid...and you didn't anybody to take care of you. I would never have held it against you. I couldn't kill you for that.” he sighed, still holding the lad close as he thought over the memory of how bad he'd felt for the small Faron he'd had to shrink to keep from biting and clawing everything in sight. The poor lad had truly been on the brink of starvation.

Killian shook his head. “No. I know...I know. I mean...now. If something were t'go wrong and if I were t'lose control. These dreams keep happenin' an I feel tha urges t'hunt an eat so much more now. I feel like it could happen again. B-but I dun wanna be a monster.. I dun wanna hurt good people..and I dun wanna die!” the Faron was genuinely crying now, a hiccuping sob escaping him as he clung to Garrett's side. Tears were very uncharacteristic of the child who normally was so calm and quiet. It was obvious that this had indeed been tearing at him for a very long while.

Garret was even more stunned than before, blinking down at the sobbing child in his arms.
“No. Absolutely not. You're not going to die.” he shook his head, wrapping the other arm around the boy to hold him steady. In that moment the hardened edge of the merciless warrior faded and the tenderness of a caring father took its place as he rested his chin on top of his son's head, clinging to the boy just as much as Killian was to him. “Killian... I wouldn't kill you. It's not going to happen. That's something that will never happen.”

The very thought of something so terrible turned his insides into knots and broke his heart several times over. The idea of ever turning his hand against the boy was unthinkable. It would never happen.

“B-but ya have t-t'save tha people...I wouldn' want ya t'let me hurt them.” The goodness in the heart of this child was unbelievable. “H-how d'ya know I'll ne'er l-lose m'self again?”

“Because I won't let it happen.” The level of confidence in Garrett's voice made it sound final.

It was enough to make Killian lift his head, tearful eyes turning up to look to the man who cared for him now. “Y-ya....ya promise?”

The sight of his face, the level of earnest trust and the desire to do good was enough that even the gruff old Vampire was finding it difficult to keep his eyes dry.

“You have my deepest and sincerest promise, Killian. As long as I walk this Earth, I will never let you lose yourself. You're no monster...and I will never let you become one.” He shook his head, returning to hugging the lad tightly. “You don't need to worry about these dreams. You're growing up, Killian...these urges to feed are a part of your body's way of telling you that you are on your way to becoming a grown giant. It's nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. We'll take care of it...and you will never need to worry about ever losing control of your hunger.”

His words were enough to calm the lad back down again, his breathing evening back out.
“Th-thank you, da...” The Faron's words were practically a whimpered sigh of relief.

Garrett couldn't help but crack a sad smile at the sound. The lad was so grim...so mature and methodical for someone his age. He had a heavy weight to carry for someone still so young.

“You don't need to worry, Killian. I'm here to help you. I have been up until this point...and I have no plans to ever leave you to fend for yourself like that again. There's no sense in worrying over what isn't going to happen. It's going to be okay. Trust me.” He gave the lad a squeeze, “Now...I'm guessing those dreams before kept you up much of the day. You need to get some more sleep now. We'll be leaving again soon...so rest while you can.”
There was a tone of authority in his voice...again, the nature of a father showing through.

Apparently Killian hadn't needed any further coaxing. With Garrett's reassuring words, affirmation and his strong embrace around him, the young Faron had already abandoned the worries and was already lost to the realm of sleep once more.

He'd passed out before the tears on his face had even dried.

Garrett could only chuckle. The lad was certainly unique...there was no doubt or mistake about it.

He knew that Killian would need to begin feeding on real prey soon. His nature was fighting against his morals and he was in desperate need of a middle ground to survive or the feralty really would claim him.
He had a few ideas on how to help the boy...but he knew it wouldn't be easy.
Killian likely wouldn't enjoy some of the methods he had.
But these things could be addressed in time.
For now though...they would rest. The worries of tomorrow held no place in the peace of this moment.