No couple
Ulaz held up a strange, wiggling creature as it cooed and reached out to him.
"Ulaz! Hold his head!" His fellow Blade hissed and snatched her son back. "It's okay, Keith. Mama's got you." She shot a glare at Ulaz, cradling Keith to his chest.
"I don't know what it is..." Ulaz grumbled, gesturing to it. "It's weird..."
"Keith is my son." She growled, nuzzling his head of fluffy black hair. "So what if he's different. His father is different."
Thace snickered, peeking over the new mother's shoulder. "I like him. I think he's cute." He wiggled his finger in front of Keith. Keith cooed and reached up to him with big, violet eyes. "May I hold him, Galara?"
Galara nodded and allowed Thace to take Keith. "Oh, he's so little! So small compared to Galran cubs!"
Ulaz crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't believe you had a cub with an Earthling."
"Human." Galara corrected with a huff. "Greg is human, you jerk. They're not called Earthlings. Makes them sound inferior."
"They are- ow! Galara!" Ulaz rubbed his forehead, hunching over. Thace laughed, lightly bouncing Keith.
Thace pat Keith's back. "So, how'd you come up with his name? I've never heard anything like it."
Galra reached up and pet Keith's soft, raven hair. "It's an Earth name. I want him to live on Earth, and the name really spoke to me. Greg liked it, so you will, too."
"I didn't say I didn't like it." Thace mused as he handled Keith back to his mother. "It's just interesting. How long will he be with us before returning to Earth?"
"Two years."
~
"No- Keith!" Thace cried, snatching the child up off the ground.
"Ahh!" Keith gasped, blade falling out of his small hands as he was lifted. "Ahh! Tace, Tace, no! Mm, baaa!" Keith wriggled and reached down to the blade.
Thace secured a hold on the nine-month-old and walked away from the blade. "You cannot handle one of those yet, buddy." Thace nuzzled his nose into Keith's chubby cheek, making the baby giggle and squeal. "Your mother would murder all of us if you got so much as a cut."
~
It was Kolivan's turn to watch Keith. Kolivan has never been good with children of any kind, let alone children of a race he's never encountered before.
Kolivan never got used to Keith. The cub was getting harder and harder to watch after.
"No, don't-"
"Keith, put that down-"
"Keith, stay- NO NOT THAT-!"
"Keith-!"
Keith giggled and squealed excitedly as he nimbly dodged Kolivan and wobbled quickly on his small, stubby legs. Keith shrieked as Kolivan finally got a hold on him and lifted him up. "Koviv, Koviv!" Keith grinned, only a few of his teeth in. Kolivan was pretty sure that human children were the strangest cubs he's ever encountered. Why are they born without teeth? How do they eat until they have all teeth?
Kolivan sighed and sat down. He set Keith on his lap and pulled out his blade. Keith's eyes widened and sparkled and he immediately reached for the blade. "Bade! Bade! Bade!" The child cheered and Kolivan let Keith take it. Keith cooed and bit down on the metal. He stuck out his tongue, then continued to play with it.
He heard a soft chatter nearby and,pass the open door, then a sudden pause. There was a loud clatter and Thace ran into the room. "KOLIVAN, NO!"
~
Antok wasn't affected as Keith played with his tail. He flicked it back and forth, occationally hitting Keith's nose.
Keith loved it. He squealed and laughed uncontrollably, eyes wide and sparkling as he grabbed at the tail. He leapt and bounced, his small hands reaching as Antok raised his tail. Keith has got to be the happiest little cub Antok has ever met.
~
"Mama! Mama!" Keith shouted, running down the hall to his mother. Galara smiled and scooped him up. "Mama, Koviv gave me blade!" He grinned, beaming as he held,up a sheathed blade.
Galara shrieked and tore the blade from Keith in terror. "KOLIVAN! HOW DARE YOU GIVE MY CHILD A BLADE!"
"Mama, I can't get it..." Keith pouted, reaching up for it as she held the blade above her head. "Mama, mama, mama, please?"
Ulaz took both the sheathed blade and Keith from a fuming Galara and offered the blade to Keith. Keith's eyes sparkled and he hugged the blade.
Galara cried indignantly. "Ulaz! Give him back!"
"Let him have it." He hummed, eyes soft as he watched Keith. Galara blinked. "He's leaving in just a few quintents. It was Kolivan's goodbye present."
~
Galara sobbed holding Keith close. "I'm going to miss you so, so much, little one." She whimpered, kissing his forehead. Keith was fast asleep so he wouldn't cry the trip back to Earth with Ulaz.
Thace pet Keith's hair and stepped back. "Everything's ready to go, Galara." He murmured. She only nodded.
Kolivan was the one who ended up stepping up to take Keith from Galara. "Time to say goodbye." He whispered, then pressed a gentle kiss to the child's forehead. He held him out to Ulaz. "Keep him safe and make sure he gets to his father."
Ulaz nodded, carefully taking the two-year old. "Of course."
~
Fifteen years later, Thace and Ulaz were the only two to have recognized Keith right away.
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900 words
Damnit, I had to.
