Demon's Genesis

Chapter 1

Sunlight.

That's the first thing I remember.

Its soothing rays warmed my pelt, akin to the heat of my mother's gentle tongue. And although I couldn't hear well, the sound of relaxed birds chattering to each other was comforting to me, albeit in a strange sort of way.

Of course, the unmistakable scents of my mother and father washed over these sounds like water over sand. It's one of the things you never forget.

My mother had a soft scent, like the sweet tang of fresh lavender buds crossed with the richness of warm milk.
My father, however, had a strong and musky scent like dust and grit mixed with acrid smoke on a cold frosty morning.

Some cats would say it was a strange scent, or shrivel their noses at the thought, but I loved it. Even in the first few weeks of my life, the scents of my parents were my favourite tranquillity in my anxious newborn brain.

But that was all about to change.

I yawned, stretching my jaws open as wide as they could go, showing off my tiny little white needles. I had been awake for hours, listening and to the sounds of the forest. I couldn't see—not yet, anyways—but strangely enough, I felt different this morning. It was like the invisible glue that'd previously been sealing my eyes shut had finally loosened.

Suddenly a huge force barrel into my left side, knocking me to the ground, and whisking me. back to reality faster than you could say Urigi. My breath escaped me as I skidded across the dirt.

"Ow! Kai, you furball, that hurt!"

Did I mention Kai? My older brother, the firstborn and the yet-to-be-confirmed favourite of my mother.

"Sorry! Didn't see you there, Lloyd!" Jeering, he gathered his haunches and leapt on top of me. His weight squashing all the air out of my lungs like a child squeezing a balloon.

"Ma! Pa!" I mewled for help. "Kai won't get off!"

I tried to raise my voice so they could hear me, but it only came out as a hoarse whisper.

"Don't be such a baby, Lloyd," he whined. "Open your eyes already, so we can play!"

Too busy trying to get as much oxygen into my lungs as possible to reply, I noticed dots starting to dance in my vision when suddenly he let out a yelp, and the weight crushing my body was removed.

I sucked in as much fresh air as I could, then fell into a coughing fit as a bit of saliva found its way into my lungs.

"Kai, how many times have I told you?! You can't attempt to murder your brother just because he hasn't opened his eyes yet!" I heard my father scold him in a joking tone.

I knew soon enough my mother would butt in and say something to defend my brother, since he was, indeed, the obvious favourite. I heard her enter, stopping at a spot where I assumed my father stood.

3, 2, 1, aaaaand...

"Well, he should open his eyes already. It's been 3 whole days since Kai opened his!"

There it was. My mother's shrill voice filled the small den, exactly as I had predicted. And although I'd known it was coming, I couldn't help but feel self-conscious of the fact that she had already pointed out multiple times—that I hadn't opened my eyes.

"He just needs a little more time, Lav. He'll get to it eventually." The soothing voice that belonged to my father now had a sharp edge to it, like he was warning her. I felt grateful that he was there to defend me from my mother's cruel expectations.