The two year old shifted uncertainly, not knowing how to act now that he was here. Castile looked as discomfited a his shimmering son, trying to pull the right words from the aether. Santana knew himself. He knew that his emotions ruled him, that the coiling monster that inhabited him would not take much encouragement to rear its scaly head and overpower him. When Castile as much as confirmed this, Tana found that he had to break eye contact. His pink nose twitched as he tried to get himself back under control, pretending to exam a particularly scrubby bush at his feet.
For a moment the two gathered their thoughts there on the sand. Sabra, had she been present, would have been quick to notice how their expressions of concern drew similar lines between their brows. The lines deepened, and Santana flinched at the firmness in his sire's voice when he speaks again. The blue and orange contrasts of his irises glinted with defiance that died away as quickly as it was born. He wanted to hate his father, so badly. What gave him the right to inflict this curse? He had to have known that it could happen. That he could make monsters of his children.
Words saying as much touched his lips, but never passed. Santana thought back to the previous day, the way Castile and his mother had stood by each other.
His mother didn't need anyone. To her sons she seemed to be an almost supernatural force, capable of taking on the world and laughing when it knocked her down. Even when she'd been taken, Tana had never doubted that she'd return, one way or another. What he'd seen on the beach, what had made him so angry, was the way she had looked at the black and white stallion. Soft and sweet and scared.
"I don't want to hurt anyone. But Venus smells like a bird, and I wanted to eat her." His voice cracked on the sentence, thick with pained emotion. He was coming to realize that his life would be different from others. From his own twin's, even. Raul could fall in love if he wanted to. He could have kids and not worry about becoming so angry or frustrated that he ate them. Venus might be as blind as his own mother, willing to overlook his curse. But how long would that last? "How... how did you learn to control it? You have to teach me. Before I..." He swallowed hard past the burning in his throat. "I'm sorry I said the things I did. I need you to help me." the sentence hung in the air between them. It was a jumbled mess, but all Tana could see was his mother's face, shock mixed with fear as her blood dappled the sand and wet his lips. That couldn't happen again.
@[Castile]