"Anwyll, open wide."

I pouted at him. "What is it with my family wanting to feed me by hand?"

Uncle Andros lips curled into a devilish smirk. "It's because you are too adorable to feed yourself."

I quirked my lips down. "That's a horrible excuse."

"Excuse?" he smirked. "It's true, pup."

I dutifully opened my mouth, although I did pout a bit more beforehand, allowing my uncle to put a piece of what was called a "bacon and grilled cheese sandwich" into my mouth. I had never had a sandwich like that before, but Uncle Andros said that the plain one was delicious, too.

I heard him chuckle, and glanced down to my tail wiggling next to me while I chewed. My uncle was right. It was super yummy.

"I suppose I do not need to inquire for how it tastes." he chuckled, pushing his non-greasy fingers through my silvery-heather waves.

I nodded with a close-lipped smile, still savoring the first bite. It was rich, salty, a bit crunchy because of the bacon, and the bread was nicely grilled.

I was currently sitting on his right thigh at a cafe, and I could feel the stares on us. I giggled when he kissed my head between my wolf ears. I leaned back with a grin, opening my mouth for another bite.

"Eager now, hmm?"

I blushed, but my tail smacked against his side when the next bite-sized piece hit my tongue. Uncle Andros patted my head, then leaned back in his chair to sip at his coffee.

"Are you going to eat, Uncle Andros?"

"Hmm?" he glanced down. "Yes, I will."

"When?"

My uncle gazed down into my big violet orbs with his sharp emerald green. "I will eat later, pup."

My ears lowered. Did I make him mad by asking something I shouldn't have? I quieted down, still worried about my uncle. I nibbled at the next piece, leaning forward towards the table. I felt his hand move off my head, which made me worried. That hand, though, curled around my waist and gently eased me back to where I had been resting before.

"Stay." he murmured, rubbing my side.

"I will."

"It feels as though you know too little and too much all at the same time."

I giggled a bit, and the tension drew away from us. "Why do you say that, Uncle?"

He sighed and set his cup down. "Your eyes tell me that you know more than others would have me believe."

"Hmm, that may be true. Most people think I'm a dumb kid as soon as they look at me."

"And I know you are very intelligent, despite knowing very little about business."

I nibbled on another piece. "Angel said that I'd make a good boss one day."

"Did you help him, too?"

"Purely by accident. I caught a spy in Angel's office and convinced him to not go down that route. After I took him to Angel's meeting room, he walked away with Angel to talk. Angel's secretary seemed to think it would be okay for me to help out."

"What was the problem?"

"John, Angel's secretary, handed me the notes when I asked for them. I could hear the woman making noise about the new project, but she wasn't hitting any of the important issues. I wanted to make sure that those were brought up, so when I pointed the topics out, the woman got upset. She tried hitting me, but Angel caught her wrist and told her off."

"That sounds like quite an eventful day yesterday."

"Mhm, it was. In many ways, really." I responded with a small smile, finishing off one half of the big sandwich. I was stuffed.

The sandwich was around three times the size of a normal one for me. I can barely believe I ate so much. I'm also relieved I wore something really comfortable today.

I gently pushed Uncle Andros' hand away when he tried to offer the next bite. "I'm so full, Uncle. I can't believe I ate that much."

Uncle Andros chuckled heartily. "You barely ate anything."

I eyed the plate. There was still some fruit and a salad to eat.

"Um, I really can't eat any more food."

"Just take a bite of pineapple for digestive purposes."

I huffed and opened my mouth again while he speared the chunk of yellow fruit. When I bit down, I winced at the acidic, tangy-sweet juice flooding into my mouth. It came as a shock, but it tasted kind or yummy. But now I felt like I was going to pop out of my skort.

I whimpered softly and turned around, cuddling against my uncle for support. "I'm so full, Uncle Andros." I gasped, gently rubbing my tummy.

He chuckled as he rubbed my back. "Then let's head back to my office. I have a few more meetings to attend to."

"Uncle, may we box up the food?"

"Of course, Anwyll. For later?"

I nodded, but scooted higher to whisper, "For later, but also for you."

He stiffened, tightening his grip around my back. I sighed and tucked myself in his lap again.

"You truly do know more than I would like you to know."

I weakly giggled. "No, but I can guess."

My uncle hummed. "Sleep, pup. We will talk later."

"Mmkay, thank you. And thank you for lunch, Uncle Andros."

He stroked my scalp, making me shiver and snuggle deeper. "You are very welcome, Anwyll." he murmured in a deep voice.

__________________________

I stretched with a soft yawn, my tail curling over my back. I scented leather, hearing the couch squeak underneath my weight. I slowly sat up, curling my tail over my legs. I gently rubbed my eyes, hugging my tail with my right arm.

My gaze lifted to the spacious office, dark with the lights off and the blinds drawn. No one was in sight. I pushed off the couch, landing lightly on the thin carpeted floor.

My footsteps were silent as I wandered over to the windows. My fingers found their way to the plastic wand to turn, so the blinds began to tilt up for me to see outside. It was a nice view, I suppose. I liked the forest and mountains better than any city skyline.

I began to hum softly, my tail swishing to the beat inside my head. My fingertips tapped lightly on the thin metal, causing the blinds to rustle. The sound began to grate on my nerves, so I moved away and looked around the office. Nothing looked weird, but it felt as though someone was watching me.

My gaze snapped to a bookshelf, and I wandered over to it. My fingertips traced along the spines, then tugged one weird book out. I stared into the dark lens hidden in the spine, quickly tucking it to my chest.

Did Uncle Andros purposefully put that there? Or was it someone else?

Someone suddenly burst in, making me squeak in surprise. The man's eyes zeroed in on me as I held the book. He strode over, but I hopped away when he tried to grab my body. He grunted, then muttered something about an "intruder" into his shoulder.

"Come here, kiddo. No need to be scared. How'd you get in here?"

I shuffled further away from him, not liking the way he was now looking at me. A second man came in, coming around the other side. I could see that they were ready to trap me in a corner. I nervously scratched at the spine, quickly getting my nails underneath the edge. I ripped out the lens and its wires, then threw the book at the guy who was leering at my body.

It caught them both off guard, so I skirted underneath the bigger man's legs and dashed out of the room. I looked around. Not much was going on, but now I had a few individuals' attention. I rushed over to one woman with a desperate expression.

"Miss, will you please tell me where Mr. Lucaon is?"

Her eyebrows rose, but before she could answer, I heard heavy footsteps. I hoped for the best with my instincts and took off down the hallway. The startled grunts of the men were picked up by my ears, but I had to focus on my uncle's whereabouts. I dodged and twirled around people, hearing their shouts of alarm as they were pushed aside behind me.

I spotted my uncle in a meeting through a space of floor to ceiling glass windows. I glanced behind me, seeing the men's determined expressions quickly move closer. My breaths left me in short gasps, and my palms were sweaty, but I hung onto the device I knew they were trying to keep me quiet about.

I quickly rushed back to the door, swinging it open and bursting inside. Uncle Andros' shocked expression met my panicked one as I was grabbed by the bigger man. My mouth was sealed by a hand, so I bit it and made him grunt. He squeezed my jaw in response, causing me to whine in pain.

"What is going on!" growled my uncle. "Release him this instant."

"I'm sorry, sir. We do not know how he got in here. He caused a mess while we were trying to capture him." falsely explained the smaller man, glaring at me. I glared back.

Uncle Andros straightened to his full height as a dangerous power emanating from his body. "I said, 'release him'. Do it now or your jobs are forfeit."

The bigger man tensed and dropped me, but grappled with the device I held. "He stole something, sir. I just wanted to get it back."

"Lies!" I cried, tugging on it. "You put this in a book to spy on Uncle Andros, and tried to capture me to make sure I didn't tell on you!"

The room grew still, and the air density thickened until it was almost hard to breathe. I could tell the others were choking on the pressure my uncle forced down on them. The spies dropped to their knees, gasping for air.

I looked over at my uncle, then hurried over to him to place the device on his open palm. I hugged his hips, nosing his side with a pleased purr in my throat. It deepened when he praised me by stroking my scalp.

"Good work, Anwyll." he purred, almost bending in half to kiss my forehead. The others in the room gasped breathlessly. I giggled a bit more.

"I'm always happy to be of service to my beloved family."

"I can tell." he rumbled in a pleased tone. "You have done a great service to me. How did you find it?"

"Mm, I was looking around 'cause I was bored, and nothing looked odd, but it felt like someone was watching me. I followed my instincts, and they led me to a bookshelf. That device was inside a book spine. I could feel it when I ran my fingertips over it. Those men burst in after I grabbed the book, and they tried to capture me. The thinner man was looking at me in a weird way, so I threw the book at him after getting the device out, and followed my instincts to get to you." I explained softly, nuzzling his side.

Uncle Andros cupped the back of my head. "How did he look at you, pup?"

"Like I was a snack." I whispered into his shirt, squeezing my uncle's hips to the best of my abilities.

A guttural growl of dragon-like fury vibrated the dense air, making the men writhe in pain from the sound. The other people clapped their hands over their ears. I merely pressed my face into my uncle's torso and slapped my ears against his body to muffle the roar of a mere growl. What type of dragon is my uncle Andros?

He retrieved his phone once the roar calmed, and called someone. Within minutes, four beefy guards came in and hauled the sniveling men away. Uncle Andros petted my hair, so I tilted my head back to smile up at him.

"Mr. Lucaon, may I inquire about this child's identity?" asked one older woman, who looked semi-familiar. She continued, "I spoke with him at the gala yesterday evening, so I became curious."

Wasn't she Annalise Fractal?

Uncle Andros bent down and picked me up, tucking my body into his right arm. I clutched onto his shoulder for a moment, then rested my head on his chest.

"This truly is my nephew."

"He is?" asked a younger man. "He doesn't look anything like you!"

I pouted at him, watching his cheeks flush. I nosed my uncle's neck.

"He doesn't look like anyone in our family, but he is of my brother's flesh and blood." explained Uncle Andros.

"Did you get a paternity test?"

"Yes, something like that. Although my brother would recognize his son in an instant." he chuckled in response, gently stroking my back.

A few looked surprised by the "brother" statement. "You have a brother, Mr. Lucaon?"

"I do, and he is in the business world, but works from home since he runs a place that cares for special unwanted, mistreated, and abandoned children."

The older woman's face filled with compassion. "Bless his heart," she murmured.

I dipped my head in a nod, simultaneously rubbing my cheek on my uncle's shoulder. An older man stood up, and cautiously approached Uncle Andros.

"May I look at him for a moment? He looks very familiar to me."

Uncle Andros' grip tightened, but he stiffly nodded. I sat up a bit straighter, looking into the older man's light brown eyes. He did look familiar.

"Anwyll?" he asked softly, and my eyes sparkled.

"Mr. Herald!" I exclaimed with a grin, my tail whipping back and forth. "What are you doing here?"

Timothy Herald was my middle school teacher for math. He was really nice to me, and I liked him a lot because of that. Sometimes he would give me a caramel candy if I did really well, but if Mama caught a sweetness on my breath, she would backhand my face and punch me until I vomited. I usually just kept the candies in my backpack to keep them safe.

Mr. Herald smiled and grasped my hands. "I should be asking you that, Anwyll. And look at you, you haven't grown an inch from all those years ago."

The older woman from the gala frowned. "What?"

Uncle Andros chuckled. "Did I not tell you? My nephew is eighteen years of age."

I giggled at the flabbergasted expressions, then looked back at Mr. Herald. "I wanted to thank you for keeping me cheerful back then. It was only a week ago that I finally got out of that abusive house my mother lived in."

His light brown eyes filled with pity. "I still regret not trying to help more. When you came in with bruises on your face and arms, I should have fought harder against the principal. But I am at least a little relieved that the caramel candies brought a little joy to your life."

I decided not to say anything about my mother forcing me to vomit after I ate one, so I merely smiled at him and squeezed his hands in response.

"It wasn't so much the candies, Mr. Herald, but the kindness you bestowed upon me." I spoke the last few words in a playfully posh accent.

Mr. Herald managed a grin on his aged face, wrinkles forming at his eyes as tears gathered in the corners. In the meantime, Uncle Andros was petting my hair and pressing his lips on my crown.

"You are a good boy, Anwyll." he murmured.

I beamed in response.

__________________________

My tail wiggled next to us while I was snuggled into Uncle Andros' warm arms. He was cradling me like a baby, but I really didn't mind.

I nosed his chest, humming a happy tune on the way to my uncle's home. He chuckled, petting my hair and face with gentle caresses.

"Have you enjoyed the day so far?"

I beamed, flipping my tail up to hug it. "I have! It's been fun, aside from that creepy guy at Xavier's and those company spies chasing me."

Uncle Andros' emerald green eyes flared with fury, but he calmed down once I placed my hand on top of his. I giggled, my face bright with happiness while I sucked on the side of his thumb. Uncle Andros swallowed thickly, stroking his four free fingers through my hair. I stared into his face, gently nibbling on his thumb.

"Gods, you are the most precious child on the planet." he murmured, curling down to kiss my forehead.

I blushed, turning my face against his body to hide my burning cheeks. The car parked not long after, and my uncle stepped out without a word. He dipped his head to David, then disappeared into an elevator. I was cradled into his left arm while he held his briefcase with his right hand. I held the leftovers from earlier, so after Uncle Andros unlocked his apartment, he put the recycled paper container into the fridge.

I was set down on the floor while he walked into another room. I carefully surveyed my surroundings with a curious gaze.

It was incredibly spacious, and appeared to be the the top floor of the building. All of the appliances and furniture looked to be top of the line and completely brand new. There was one full wall of floor to ceiling windows, and dark gray curtains were pulled back against the opposite walls. The occasional rug sat atop the dark hardwood flooring and below the coffee table, between two matching couches. The flat extended beyond the open living room to my uncle's quarters, so I didn't investigate.

I moved over to the kitchen and inspected what I could. I sensed my uncle come up behind me, so I turned with a smile.

"Uncle!" I grinned, closing the distance to hug his hips. He was wearing a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a matching t-shirt.

Uncle Andros was trying to fight off a smile, but he gave in and scooped my small body into his arms. "Anwyll, come sit with me. I must ask you a few questions."

"Okay, Uncle Andros." My eyes lowered and I hugged his neck. "Did I make you mad earlier?"

He patted my back. "No, my cute nephew. I just have this feeling that I should talk with you."

I kissed his cheek, my tail wiggling with happiness. I'm glad my uncle wasn't mad at me.

"Mmkay, Uncle Andros." I beamed, pecking his cheek again. "What would you like to talk about?"

He chuckled, moving to the couch. He folded one leg underneath him as he sat down in the corner. I settled down with a happy smile, then watched his hair and eyes turn color. My mouth dropped open.

"You're so pretty, Uncle Andros!"

He snorted, but cupped my cheeks. "Thank you, Anwyll. You are far prettier than me, though."

I blushed and shook my head, but he squished my cheeks together and pecked my forehead. I giggled and grasped his hands.

I meant what I said, though. His hair was the color of snow with an azure sheen in the light from the window. His irises were a deep midnight blue with an azure ring around each pupil, and silver flecks danced in the deep blue sea of his eyes. Silvery snow-colored horns protruded from his head just like Daddy and Dian, but they were thinner and curled slightly more into an L-shape than their horns. The sharp tips were also were pointed upwards, rather than curled down down like the others.

"You really do look super cool, Uncle Andros." I grinned, which made him chuckle under his breath. "So what would you like to talk about?"

He sighed softly, petting my head. "As you noticed, Anwyll, I did not eat much today."

A somber expression filtered onto my face, and he smiled sadly. I was drawn closer as he shifted a bit on the couch. I listened to his heart pound underneath my ear.

"I..." he started, and I waited with my own heart thumping a wild beat.

@So-Fucking_gay