Life was different after that encounter. The young girl, as they came to learn, was uniquely interested in them while everyone else was afraid. She saw that they were smarter than just an animal, or a monster.

  She taught them many things, coming to the river to meet with them on most days. They learned all they could, from words to emotions, and they came to understand more about the world. It was hard at times, sad at others, and scary a few.

  They never liked it when she left, because that meant they would be alone again, and usually in the dark. The young girl had helped them find a place to sleep, digging out a small hole beneath a rock so they could squeeze in. The entrance was covered up with moss and leaves that smelled bitter to help them hide and cover their scent. That didn’t stop it from being scary, though, as creatures large, furry, and with sharp claws or teeth would prowl around in the night, coming dangerously close to finding their little hole at times.

  After learning the word for fear and how to express it, the girl became worried for them. That evening she brought something, a gift, a first for their time in this world. She called it a doll, and it was made out of bundled up grasses and cloth tied together. It was a little prickly in places, and it certainly had signs of use about it, but it made them happy, and when they went to sleep that night, they cuddled with the doll. Its presence was a constant reminder that even in the dark, they weren’t alone, and that thought was enough to inspire courage.

  The days turned into weeks turned into months. Their grasp on language began to expand, and with it, the concept of names. It was then that they learned the girl’s name was Adelaide, and she was overjoyed when they finally realized what to call her. That wasn’t the end of it, though, as she wanted something to call them.

  An investigation was performed, and in it, it was discovered that they were actually a boy. At first, Adelaide thought that he might have been a girl like her, but it turned out that his ‘boy parts’, as she called them, would only come out when he needed to use them. Adelaide said that there were some animals like that, so it wasn’t too surprising.

  Then came the process of naming him. She was taking her time with it as she mumbled words that he didn’t yet know or couldn’t make sense of. He didn’t mind, though, as just spending time with her was fun because it made him feel like he was part of a group, even if that group was only of two. He just didn’t want to be alone.

  It took her most of the day to figure out a name, but eventually she came to him with an excited look on her face. “I got it! Your name can be Daegal! It means ‘dweller by the dark stream’, which is perfect since you spend so much time by the river.” She seemed rather happy with herself for coming up with that, and he slowly processed it all with his still limited grasp of language.

  Eventually a grin formed on his lips. He liked the name, especially since it was Adelaide who gave it to him. “I like. Good name. I am Daegal.” Having a name made him feel special, and more connected with Adelaide. She took to calling his name every chance that she could for the rest of the day, a fact that made his chest feel warm and happy.

  Despite spending so much time with Adelaide, getting a name of his own, and learning about humans and their language, he was not a step closer to joining them in their homes. He had thought that with Adelaide’s help and a better understanding of words that perhaps he could convince them to let him stay. Adelaide, though, said it wouldn’t work so easily.

  “Everyone is still feeling uneasy after you approached me and the other kids. Our parents didn’t see much of you when you ran away, but what they did see frightened them. They think you’re some kind of monster.” She smirked conspiratorially at him. “I am kind of sneaking away to come see you as Dad didn’t want me to wander too far from the village ever since you showed up.”

  “You get in trouble?” He was concerned that she might be punished, or at least restricted from coming to see him.

  “Nah! I’m too sneaky for them,” she said with confidence. “I just have to make sure I do all my chores first, so they don’t suspect anything when I slip away.”

  Daegal didn’t really know what chores were, but she seemed liked she knew what she was doing to stay out of trouble. Parents were a concept that was foreign to him, and he had a difficult time wrapping his head around the idea. Someone that was there for you the moment you were born, who watched over you, cared for you, and helped guide your life sounded like a dream to him. He wanted something like that, but the closest thing he had was Adelaide, and she called herself his friend and not his parent. Apparently, there was a difference between the two that he was still trying to figure out.

  Time kept moving, and Daegal experienced the seasons of the world for the first time. It began to get colder, and some of the trees started to change color. It was pretty at first, but then they lost their leaves and looked rather skinny and sad. Little white flecks began to fall from the sky on some days as well. Adelaide called it snow, and she liked to play with it by balling it up, tossing it around, and making little sculptures out of it. Daegal wasn’t as excited about it as it made him constantly shiver whenever he was outside his little den.

  The weather wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Daegal himself was going through some very drastic changes as the months passed. He was gaining height quite rapidly as his body grew. He had surpassed Adelaide handily, gaining a full foot in size in only a matter of months. By the time winter had concluded, and spring was starting to show, Daegal was constantly looking down at Adelaide now. She complained a little about that, saying that she was eleven and older than him, so she should be taller. It was funny to him.

  This new size also came with a new, and frightening, learning experience. While playing with Adelaide as they usually did when together, his claws accidently hooked on her arm, and with barely any effort, cut her. The sweet metallic scent that came from her blood was enticing but also revolting to his senses. It wasn’t very deep, much to Daegal’s relief, but the fact that he could cause harm without intending to scared him. He was also worried that Adelaide might become scared of him because of that too, but she brushed it off as just an accident.

  His size wasn’t the only thing. The claws on his hands and feet were getting longer and stronger too. He found that he could slowly carve rocks with them if he scratched on it enough. Those hard nubs on the crown of his head were growing as well, becoming more pointed with a slight curve to them now. Adelaide made plenty of jokes about them. She said they made him look like a scaly goat. He had seen those goats in her village from a distance, and he was quite certain that he looked nothing like them. Didn’t stop her from poking fun at him, though.

  In a time that felt both lengthy and all too short, it had been a full year since the day he woke up in that cave. He had nearly outgrown the ability to use his little hole under the rock, what with him almost being the size of a human adult now. At the very least he didn’t have to worry about too many of the animals that roamed the dark now that he was bigger. The few that he had seen in person wanted nothing to do with him if they could help it, but he still avoided the larger animals, bears, as Adelaide had explained. Even so, he needed a new home soon and figured the mountain that was a short distance from the other side of the river would be a good place to look later.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  After a whole year of learning, Daegal had grown to be quite proficient at speaking Adelaide’s language. Now that he could speak to her clearly, there was a question that had been on his mind for a long time.

  “Adelaide.” She responded to her name with a hum and a turn of her head. “Can I ask you a question, about the day we met?”

  “Sure. What is it?” She gave a curious tilt of her head.

  “Why weren’t you afraid of me like everyone else? They all ran screaming away from me, or angrily toward me, but you were different. Why?”

  She paused for a moment, considering the question before responding with a smile. “Well, when I saw you approach us all in the field, I saw that you weren’t trying to be threatening at all. In fact, you looked more nervous than anything. Even with your strange face, I could tell. You waved at us and tried to speak too, which is something that a monster wouldn’t do. But to be honest, that all just made me curious more than anything. What really convinced me that you weren’t dangerous was when I saw you crying by the river after you ran away. Nothing evil would get that sad after being chased off. At that point, I knew you just wanted a friend, and I was happy to be yours. You’re the most interesting friend I’ve ever had; that’s for certain!”

  She reached up and gave his arm a pat which was followed by a chuckle. He was incredibly grateful for her and her ability to see what others had missed. Despite being so young compared to other humans, she had a wisdom and tenacity about her that made him respect and value her friendship, even if she did rub her age in his face sometimes. She always made it a point to say that she was older than him even though he was bigger, and she used that as a means of ordering him to do a bunch of silly things. He didn’t mind, though, because most of them made her laugh, and he liked that.

  Now that he understood language, Adelaide started to teach and share other aspects of her life and people’s culture. She tried to teach him sowing using bits of spare cloth, but he wasn’t very good at that. His claws kept getting in the way and his fingers weren’t as nimble as hers. Sometimes she would bring him snacks too, and he enjoyed a variety of offerings from her home, but particularly the meat pies. The flaky crust hid the wonderfully juicy meat in the center that was further augmented with wild herbs from the forest. It was by far his favorite treat, and his growing appetite usually did not allow him to wait for such indulgences.

  Daegal found that he got hungrier faster as he grew, and his needs forced him to expand upon the list of things he considered food. While at one point the fish from the river were an excellent source of meat that sustained him, he had to actively hunt other land-based creatures now. Rabbits, squirrels, even some foxes when he could catch them. He tried for a deer once, but he was still too small, and it ended up kicking him in the chest as it ran away. Despite his scales, the bruises the kick left hurt, and he cried a bit to Adelaide who did her best to soothe him that day.

  Adelaide showed him how to skin an animal so he could get by all that pesky fur without having to spit up a hairball later. Her dad was apparently a woodsman, as she called him, which meant that he hunted, cut firewood, and harvested wild plants as a job. Her dad taught her a lot about living off the land and dealing with wildlife, a fact that she was now passing down to Daegal.

  His claws were sharp enough that he could easily cut through the skin and remove any fur from his catches. Unlike Adelaide, he did not have to cook his meals as he devoured them, bones and all for the smaller animals. He still preferred the cooked meals that Adelaide brought him every now and then because they were far more flavorful than the raw meat, but he had to fend for himself more often than not.

  One day, Adelaide was doing something strange with a few thin planks of wood and blackened little stick that smelled burned. He came up to her and asked about it.

  “What are you doing there, Adelaide?”

  She looked up from her work and smiled as she turned the plank around. He saw what looked like a wildflower that grew around the area, though it was a little crude.

  “I’m drawing,” she proclaimed proudly. “I once saw a painting when I visited the city with my dad, and it was so pretty that I wanted to make something like that too. Dad says that it’s risky to make art because it’s expensive and sometimes people might not like it, but I want to try anyway, so I’m practicing with what I have, which is just some charcoal for now.”

  “Painting is different from drawing?”

  She nodded. “Really different. When you paint, you use a bunch of different colors to make a painting that looks almost like it’s real. The one I saw looked like if you put it in a window, you could trick someone into believing they were someplace else entirely. It was amazing!”

  She was very enthusiastic about the topic to the point where it felt contagious. Daegal smiled at her. “I would love to see one of these paintings, especially if it was made by you.”

  “You’ll be the first person I show whenever I do make one!” She resumed drawing with increased vigor, trying to figure out how to get the flower to look just right.

  Watching her work with such focus and determination was inspiring, but talk of the future caused some disquiet inside of Daegal. Adelaide appeared to have a plan for what she wanted to do when she got older, but what did he have? His plans only considered what he might have to do in the next day or two, never so far ahead as to consider years from now. Would he spend the rest of his life by this river, content with having only one friend, one person with which to talk to? What if being a painter meant that she had to go away to that city place she mentioned? Would he follow her? Could he follow her? The humans in that city probably wouldn’t react to him any better than those from the village. Considering the idea that Adelaide might be separated from him caused all sorts of knots of emotions to tangle up in his chest.

  He didn’t want her to leave him, but he also didn’t want to deny her dream for his selfish reasons. The very thought of being without her was enough to cause him some form of pain inside. There was a lot that he was still learning about emotions and feelings, but the desperation that he felt to keep the only person who ever dared to speak with him close was clear. It didn’t matter where she went or what she did; he would follow her anywhere.

  Would he have preferred to be accepted and live with Adelaide in her village? Obviously. He still longed to be with others who would talk to him, in a place where he could be warm and away from the creatures that lurked in the dark. Even so, reality was cold, and deep down he knew that if they were afraid of him when he was small, it would only be worse now that he had grown so much. It was deeply disappointing, but Daegal was starting to get used to experiencing disappointment as there were many things that his appearance prevented him from doing.

  Sometimes he wondered why he looked this way. Adelaide said that she had never seen or heard of another like him, so where did he come from? He just woke up in a cave with nobody around and a foul smell in the air. Did he have a family of his own somewhere, or was he truly the only one of his kind? These internal questions upset him when he thought about it, so he tried to ignore them and focus on the present.

  There was plenty to do and many things that could distract his thoughts from unpleasant subjects. Adelaide was helpful with this as he helped her arrange flowers and other scenery like rocks or branches for her to practice drawing. He could also practice starting his own fires, fruitlessly attempt sewing, try his hand at trapping instead of hunting, or look for a new home.

  Daegal’s entire world had been this river and this forest. He had never strayed too far, and even though the mountain was close, it was still far enough away that it would be the longest distance he had gone from the water. It made him a little nervous, if he was being honest, and that nervousness was expressed as he scratched a nearby tree. Adelaide would not be able to travel that far with him, so he would have to do it on his own. It would be the most significant thing he had ever attempted by himself, but he knew he would have to learn to handle it.

  He couldn’t lean on Adelaide’s kindness forever, in fact, physically leaning on her would likely crush the poor girl. She was brave, confident, and almost half his size. If he couldn’t at least do this by himself then there was no way he could find the bravery to follow her to the city if she became a painter. So, he steeled his will and convinced himself that such a task would be simple, and good practice besides. He reaffirmed his desire then and there that he would do anything for her, even if that meant facing uncertainty and fear.