Just Lyca Lady

Chapter 10 : An Innocent

 "He's but only a child, an innocent, nothing to fear as a threat," my voice was far from even as I began to test my argument on Gray that I intended to hold against my father.

Mindful as I was or not to the fact a lycan could still be civil, be human despite the beast they changed into, the town would surely see this boy, well, see he was just that: a boy. There was nothing dangerous about him beyond the normal mischievous little boyish behavior he probably had. A bite from a lycan, it didn't change that. He was still an innocent, still the same child he was yesterday. It was as simple as that, wasn't it?

The delay my lycan provided as well as the grimness that continued to cast shadows to his features gave rattle to the fundamental truth I believed. It wasn't that simple.

"Grown men can barely control the beast's impulse. A child...he'll be completely out of control of himself after his first shift, folding into the whim of the wolf," said Gray, voice dark and void of emotion beyond one that tangled itself subtly into each word. Anger. "The only thing his youth does for him is condemn him."

Of course Gray should be angered, not at just the situation, but at himself. How could he, him a lycan who had proven to be capable of control, be so quick to cast another of his kind to the gallows just for being a werewolf? Who was he to say who was capable of taming their monster and who wasn't? If a single person deserved the chance to prove themselves, all did. Equals, weren't we? My lycan was given the chance to prove himself, and he should be set on providing others with the same. Age regardless.

Emotions had a funny way of clouding judgment, of making someone capable of pushing aside keys and answers. Sadly, it wasn't Gray who was clouded by it, and emotion fogged that fact as well from me.

"You over anyone should know better than to fall in line with the prejudice lycan receive--" my heated words were cauterized by Gray's even hotter ones, the silvers of his eyes seeming near a boil as he cut them to meet mine.

"I over anyone should know the struggles it takes to keep from being exactly the image humanity has painted of my kind. I over anyone, Lady Anna," he made sure to fall to formalities, voice going from scolding to frozen, "know pardoning this child, allowing him to live, is worse for everyone, including him."

My opened mouth had drawn to a close as he'd spoke. The fire burning within to make Gray see where he was wrong was unable to shift from a mess of flame licked emotions and beliefs to actual words. The one time I was unable to push and shove someone from the ground they stood would, of course, be that moment. Between us grew a thickened and edged quietness, a sort of quiet that had my skin crawling and blood bubbling. We weren't even lucky enough to have it been a deafening silence. No, no, it was just mute with regards to Gray and myself; the pounding steps of town's folk had grown so loud it sounded as if they were right on top of us.

With them at earshot now, even if I'd found viable points to make, I wouldn't have been able to voice them against Gray without risking exposure of his being—nor would I have been heard over the barrage of voices all asking the same basic question as everyone huddled around.

"Is he okay?" "The boy alive?" "Is he hurt?" A question asked several different ways by a handful of voices at once was a bit overwhelming on its own, but pile on the fact the answer wasn't exactly a beautiful one made it that much worse.

Shoving her way through the tight packed circle, a frantic-faced woman rushed up to Gray as he was standing to his feet with the child in his arms. "David, David," she cried out, pulling her child from Gray as soon as she was given the chance. The tangled haired brunette dropped to the ground, my gaze and thoughts leaving Gray to follow and focus on her and David. She cradled her son in her lap as she shook him.