Monster

One of their Own

Hero sat in his crib and tried to bite an apple. It didn't work well with his few teeth, but he was determined to conquer it. It tasted so good!

His eyes fell on his grandfather, who was walking back and forth, excited and nervous at the same time. At a knock on the door, the old villager jumped up and with a wide smile hurried to throw open the door. 

Two villagers stood behind it, one slightly taller than the other and confidently smiling and the other somewhat shyly drawn back behind him. In his hands, the taller villager held a small child, who was sleepily rubbing his eyes. The old villager beamed at them.

"My dear boy, how much you have grown!" Grake squinted up at his taller nephew. Both of them were taller than him now, but Beor was nearly a head taller than even his brother, who was closer to Grake's size. The tall villager responded with a proud, pleased smile. He lifted his child a little.

"And this must be little Margol." The old villager bent to take a better look at the little guy.

"Come in. Come in!" Grake remembered hospitality and ushered the two inside. Picking up baskets filled with their belongings, the two villagers awkwardly squeezed into Grake's small hut. 

Forgetting his apple, little Hero curiously stood up, clutching to the bars of his crib with one hand, and brightly studied the two strangers. His caretaker was glad to see them, so he was glad, too! Hero brightly smiled, feeling their curious eyes turn to him and study him in return.

"That's my little Human. I named him Hero." Grandpa Grake said, his eyes on Hero proud and glad, too.

The two newly arrived villagers looked at the strange little toddler, who met the new arrivals with curious, bright eyes as he stood in a little crib, holding on to the bars.

Rangil immediately approached the being and crouched so he could be at his level, proceeding to smile and talk to the child in baby talk, to which the being readily cooed back. Smiling, Rangil looked back at the pleased old villager shakily nodding his head at them and exchanged a friendly glance with his brother.

"I've tried to move a few things to make room for you, but heh. I am a bit too old to do much." Their uncle apologized.

"Do not worry at all. My brother and me can do more than fix that. After all, we are here to help." Beor smiled back confidently and looked at his own child, whom he held in his arms.

"Isn't it right, Margol? We are going to help Grandpa Grake. And his little Human."

In response, the little child brightly laughed and tried to grasp on to his father's face. Beor turned to his uncle.

"Is it safe to put them together for now? Until I build him a crib?"

"Sure, go ahead! Little Hero won't bite."

Relieved, Beor carefully placed the little villager together with the little Human and watched how the other child sat down as they both eyed each other with fascination.

"Baby!" Margol crawled toward the little Human and tried to touch his face, doubtlessly tempted by the child's glowing white eyes, but Rangil hurried to intervene. The little Human cooed back and with equal interest reached out a hand that had a shaker toy in it. Distracted by the noise it made both children switched their full attention to it.

Curious, Beor studied the little being.

"And he is... how old?" He asked. The other villager hesitated a little.

"He is almost a year, I think. It's been about a year since I found him."

Beor's brows lifted in surprise. "And he is still so small? Margol here is only two months and he is already bigger than he is. Aren't Humans supposed to be bigger than us?" The younger villager eyed the child doubtfully.