Therianthropy

Prologue

The young child gripped the pants of their father, anxious about what was to come. The child had a small afro, their curls similar to that of spring coils, a dark brown that shone gold in the sun with dark skin that others compared to the color of chocolate. The child stared up at their father and granted the sun a full view of their small face. They had light grey eyes with flecks of green and brown, a crooked nose that fit their face snuggly, full cheeks, thick dark brows that were furrowed, and full lips that were fixed into a slight pout.

"Nao."

The child's head snapped towards the use of their name, causing their face to light up with a smile, "Mummy!"

A tall dark woman with similar facial features was walking towards them, her arms outstretched for a hug from her child. Nao ran towards their mother, a wide grin on their face, arms outstretched as well, with laughter starting to slip from their lips.

"Mummy! Where were you!?" they demanded cheekily as they embraced, "Daddy was getting upset."

"Are you sure only daddy was upset?" their mother asked with a small laugh, her hands cupping the sides of their face, "My favorite cub didn't miss me?"

They shook their head no and crossed their arms with a huff and playfully glared at her, "Mummy, I told you I'm big now. Big kids don't miss their mummies."

"Of course not, my cub is getting all grown up and you'll be leaving me soon."

This caused Nao to shake their head frantically, "No mummy! I'll never leave you! I love you and we're going to be together forever and ever and ever."

Their mother laughed lovingly and Nao took the time to admire how beautiful she was. Her dark skin glistened in the sun, her afro pulled back into a ponytail, and warts that lingered at the edge of her grey eyes were all so beautiful. Their father cleared his throat and looked disapprovingly at his ex-wife, arms crossed and refusing to look at his child.

"Melanie, we need to talk about our son."

"I'm not a boy," Nao said automatically, glaring up at their father, "I told you that."

"This is what we need to talk about. This-This idea that he's a sissy or something."

"I'm not a girl either."

"Shut the fuck up Nao. I am speaking to your mother!"

A slap connected with the side of their father's cheek and Nao looked up to see that their mother was very angry, "Never speak to our s-child that way again. They are non-binary and go by they/them and you are to be respectful and a supportive father."

"I don't have to do shit. He's 7 Melanie. 7. He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about and you encouraging this shit reflects badly on you as a parent! I don't want him around my kids anymore, he's making them uncomfortable and I won't stand for this ridiculous bullshit."

By this time their mother had already covered their ears and told them to sing a few songs quietly. They couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, but they could see that their parents were still yelling. Their parents looked so angry and it was because of them. Nao sniffled and began to cry, overwhelmed and overstimulated by their environment. Their mother ended the fight with something about child support and a lawyer but Nao wasn't able to pay proper attention, they just wanted to be in their mother's arms and go home. Their mother carried them to the car and strapped them into their car seat, pressing a kiss to their cheek once they calmed down.

"I'm so sorry, cub. I promise you won't have to see that man again. I know you're not a boy or a girl and I still love and support you."

Something about the way she said it, so full of love, made the young child smile and their heart flutter in their chest. She loved them even if they were different, even when their father did not.