Indeed fearless

A week later

His real height now stood at a perfect four feet five. He was tall for his age among his peers but he couldn't complain.

He walked the grounds of his parents large estate that evening and ended up in his old room beneath the estate.

Of course he remembers his days here. The day of his last escape. Though Adin never closed the secret passage way, but because of that act of trust, he never did escape again. Maybe that's how the humans feel. They didn't build walls around their city, maybe as an act of trust or maybe it was laziness.

Mama said the humans were quite lazy and lacked strength for many things. That could be the reason, he thought. There was no trust between both worlds. They coexisted perfectly by avoidance. Each one to their business, never crossing paths except the unfortunate ones who were used for tests during the transformation period. Some made it out alive, some didn't.

But his mind wandered to the baby he had met those years ago. He remembers every detail from that night. Out of habit he walked to the passage and looked around first before going through it.

Just ten minutes Zaccai, he said to thin air and himself. Ten minutes. No one will notice he was gone in all the busy-ness happening in preparation for his presentation to society.

He found himself in the forest for the first time since the incident. It looked the same. It held a certain coldness but he was warm blooded. The cold didn't bother him at all.

He tested his speed just for the fun and thrill of it and enjoyed doing so, he jumped from trees to trees. His feet was still yet to change as were his eyes and his fangs and ears and his tail wagged behind him.

All in its right time, his mother had told him.

He ran around the forest, jumped from trees to trees. Tested his flight. He shifted his hands to his claws, breaking the bark of a tree into pieces. That excited him.

Running to the stream, he did what he did when he was in his other form. He splashed water on himself, getting his pants wet as well as his vest. He splashed some on his face then his hair followed. The alabaster white hair was peculiar to his family, his father had same. His mother dorned an umber color of mass bouncy curls.

He splashed more water on himself letting happiness take over. A blank slate was now getting laid in front of him, what will be the final picture will be determined by him alone.

He was happily heading back home when he decided to the dumbest thing ever. To find the tree, to find the place where he had once met her.

The tree marked the place of their first meeting. Tiny legs had chased him round the tree. He always wondered what became of her. Maybe she wondered back into the forest and got eaten alive, or maybe she never dared come back again. Or maybe, maybe she was dead from a sickness. His mother told him the human didn't live long years like they did.

He stood at the tree, crouching in front of it when he caught the scent of something different.

He stood and turned around, as sure as the night sky above, it was her. She stood a few feet away from him. He said nothing, neither did she.

She was watching him carefully, those eyes he clearly remembered still held the same excitement and wonder it once did. On one hand she was holding a drawing pad, on the other she held some pencils.

"Hi," her voice was tiny and beautiful. She smiled at him, then looked him up and down. "What is that?" She asked pointing to his tail.

He walked past her not replying, shell shocked and tongue tied. This had to be a dream.

He can't engage in a conversation with her for sure. Just like the first time, he was wondering why she was here in the forest at this time. Alone! Again!

"Where are your parents?" He asked finally turning back to face her. Unruly dusty brown hair framed her round face. Her eyes looked like they were dipped in honey. A beautiful golden brown.

"They are in our village. They are dancing. We have a new babies," She announced.

"Why are you here?" He asked ignoring her wrong use of words.

"I saw a butterfly. It went this way. It was shining." she pointed in the direction leading up to his city.

She started to move towards it.

"No!" In a flash he stood in front of her.

"Wow! You can run fast!" She was impressed.

"You can not go there. They will kill you," he warned.

"The beast people?" She asked wide eyed.

Was that what they were called?

"Are you a beast people?"

"That is wrong." He frowned at her wrong use of words again.

"What is wrong?" She asked innocently.

"Wow. I thought you humans are intelligent. How old are you?" He asked.

"I'm five, and I am integigent." she protested.

"I'm sure you are." He said on a dismissive note.

He turned her towards her village. "Go back home."

"What is your name? Why do you have a tail and why is your ear like that?" She persisted.

"Zaccai is my name."

"My name is Crown. My dad says I am special!" She announced excitedly. Forgetting about the other questions she asked that he was yet to answer.

"Are you special too Za... Za- za -car?" She found it hard to pronounce his name.

"You are not very smart are you?"

"I am smart," she argued. "I am five years old. How old are you?"

"I am one and--"

"You are a baby." She cut him off laughing. "Will you be my friend?"

"I am not a baby. And I cannot be your friend."

"I like your voice. It's like my brother's voice," She didn't know to describe it as a deep baritone.

He said nothing.

"See you tomorrow," she giggled then ran in the right direction towards her village.

A butterfly, again? He looked up and surely there was one, flying towards the night sky only to disappear into the trees.

On his way home, he couldn't help but note that she still bore the innocence and naivety from four years ago. Either she was indeed fearless or just plain ignorant.