Monster

Decision of the Elders

Grake just finished feeding the child, who contently settled to sleep, when a knock sounded on the door.

"Just a moment!" Grake called out. His green eyes flicked to the child, but he remained asleep. Relieved, the old villager gently lowered him into a make-shift crib that he made out of one of the large baskets. The lot of potatoes, which he kept in it previously, now sat in an untidy pile on the floor next to his stove. His eyes strayed there for a moment, then returned to the rough wood of the crib. The little Human's skin was so thin and fragile. He was certain to get splinters, the way he always flailed his limbs when he was upset.

"I'll build you a better crib soon." Grake promised. The knock on the door repeated.

"Coming!" Grake hurried to the door and flung it open, expecting to see his neighbor Grish again and ready to pour out more thanks. Instead, several stern pairs of green eyes met him. Grake's heart fell.

"Elder Haren? Elder Dar. Elder Jahn. Good evening to you. How can I be of help?" He tried to smile while his heart clenched with foreboding.

"Good evening to you, too, Grake." The eldest of the villagers smiled faintly. His eyes brows were thick and nearly silver. The younger of them, Jahn, with eye-brows still almost fully dark, huffed and shouldered Grake aside. He strode right to the crib, where he stood and glared at the little Human, his eyes slightly unfocused as if he was looking into great distance.

His breath catching, Grake blinked at that, his hands nervously flinging to the edges of his gown and grasping it for comfort. He shifted, urged to go there and pick up the child, shielding him from the disgruntled villager's attention. Instead, he forced himself to remain where he was, only watching the other with worried eyes.

Frowning even deeper, so his dark eye-brows joined together into a single furry line on his forehead, elder Jahn turned to the others.

"It is not a Human." He accused loudly. 

Grake's heart fell.

Turning back to the child, the villager continued. "If it was, it would have said so under his name. But its just a bunch of numbers and letters." 

Grake opened his mouth to protest, but another village elder was already walking to the little Human's crib and bending over it. Another moment of silence followed.

"There is an H in it. Where it should say his kind." Elder Dar pointed out to the others, unlike the other elder also including Grake in his gaze. His voice sounded much calmer as well, with a bit of curiosity and excitement despite his attempt to keep an esteemed image.

"Hmm. That means it could be a Human." A fourth voice spoke and another villager stepped out from behind them, his arms folded across his chest in a dignified manner. Grake blinked at their village librarian.

"Fir?" He asked, a little bit lost. The librarian nodded to him solemnly and some of the worry left Grake's heart. At least one of these villagers would be solidly on his side. While not exactly a friend, Fir was a very responsible villager. And while not an elder, a librarian's advice was always well respected.

"Some Human Mages have gibberish like that where it should say Human. It changes back and forth. Their magic is cause. And his eyes glow. Is that true, Grake?" The librarian addressed Grake directly and he nodded, relieved at the offered explanation. The absence of statement saying that the child was Human did bother him quite a bit and he had intended to go and speak to Fir about that, himself. Now he had a good explanation.

"Hmm. I have never heard about this. Our legends don't say anything about this." Jahn frowned at the librarian in doubt. The other villager's sharp eyes immediately held on him, heavy, and his voice grew impartial and cold.