Generis

9. Family

When Bär was a child, he was exposed to loads of things, both natural and supernatural, normal and abnormal.

Not that he isn't exposed to it now.

But from as little as three years old, he watched things happen that only a few would relate to, and things that so many wished they could experience at least once, he experienced often.

His father was a shaman, someone who often felt both good and bad auras from anyone, and was believed to be a mouthpiece for the Five. Though most resorted themselves to an isolated life, Marbach, his father, was never missing from his childhood. Even on remote journeys he went on to "increase his connection of both worlds", he'd always consider Bär before any of this, which often led to his father walking for hours with Bär planted firmly on his shoulder, eating away at a leg of a lobster absent-mindedly, his bushy tail often covering his father's view.

His mother was a mage, and whilst being recognised, preferred to stay at home and teach Bär what she knew. She tried teaching Allenya, his sister, but she never had the passion for learning magic as Bär did. And Bär was a quick learner.

It was her idea for Bär to be put on the routine to become a Demi-god. And though she had no ill intentions — she loved her son with all her heart — she knew what she was potentially putting Bär through. And best believe that sparked some quarrels at home, which soon evolved into arguments between her and Marbach and then spiralled into out of control fights. These eventually died down with time. Not that Bär ever minded this three year ritual he went through. At least, the days he came home sobbing in pain wrapped in his mother Makie's loving embrace or his father's pats on the back felt all worth it in the end. Other days, when he was passed out in the grass and one of his parents or the other had to pick him up, he remembered stirring awake and looking up at his father or his mother and feeling happy for being in such a loving family.

His father was part of the Overseeing Leaders that everyone knows about, so he was assumed to be always busy. But no matter how many meetings he attended, how many debates took place, how many people he had to shake hands with, his son was always by his side; sitting on his shoulders and sticking out his little fingers to shake all the hands of the people his father met, all of them ranging in status and importance.

So he remembered this one woman who he refused to shake hands with, since he was a toddler, because she had an air of such evilness and malice that Bär could do nothing but watch, amber mane of hair swishing behind her, and from since he had stayed weary of her. Even his father looked like he was about to retch anytime she passed, and though he was very good at masking it, Bär could always tell.

One thing about Marbach is that he always saw morality, and stood his ground all the time. When the rule regarding the regīi was proposed by Thea, out of the five overseeing leaders in that meeting, only three of them agreed, including her, because, she proposed the idea after all. This obviously infuriated Thea, because she had expected them all to see her viewpoint, but clearly not. And with Bär sitting by the foot of his father during this growing heated debate, he heard everything.

"Honestly, the both of you, trying to be so different. Just agree with me and there'll be no problems, okay?"

That was the voice from the lady Bär never liked, and the following voice was from the woman who sided with his father in this debate.

"Me and Marbach will not be agreeing to these new terms, Thea."

Thea. That was her name. That's the only thing Bär remembered before her father picked him up and walking off, holding in a puke. He remembered the absolute putrid look Thea gave his father while they were leaving, and also recalled the way her eyes settled on him, and for a second she seemed almost... interested in him. And he knew that wasn't a good thing, even as a kid.