It became a pattern and we tried to break Aiden of his habit. He found comfort with his hands wound in my hair at night. I assumed he’d clung to his mother’s fur in the darkness and this sensation was familiar. He just couldn’t sleep unless he was wrapped around my head.

After a few days we gave up trying to change him. For being an orphan Aiden was adapting very well. If he needed to sleep that way at night, I would not begrudge him. Evan just used a brush and detangled my hair every morning as I nursed the boys. The solution was simple enough.

It took a moon for the boys teeth to come in. For that one moon they were mine to care for full time. My entire world revolved around their needs and they were absolutely consuming. I was Mama and they were mine. The time seemed to blur for me and went by much too quickly.

At the next gathering I felt myself tearing apart inside when my boys found their three Brothers the first day. It took all my strength and fortitude not to break down screaming. Jonathan and Aiden seemed thrilled to be playing with these other children. If I acted upset I was sure it would be disconcerting to my young ones and they meant everything to me. I stood stoically and buried my nails into my palms to distract from the mental anguish.

The women watched them during the gathering. They were fierce boys who liked rough play and movement. Nu-reeh commented they would never be content in a shop all day. Despite my weakness, my Little boy was a Warrior like his father. That’s how he would be raised.

The design for the tattoo was created by a group of women. There was far more information in those marks than even Runen and his brothers understood. A woman finding a lost man would know exactly who he was when she saw his mark.

I watched solemnly as the boys were tattooed. The women took them into a room and distracted them as they marked the children’s skin. One Brother at a time received the distinctive tattoo. The pain was spread out, so the Little ones barely noticed.

was important, it was a point of pride to decorate their lodgings distinctly. The women knew the men Liked

pages and pages of colors. The mothers each picked several colors they liked and pasted the colors to different balls. They sat the balls down and

appealed to my son. The other boys had no real opinion. I saw them deciding which ball

son had chosen something like his father’s colors. He’d been raised in a room full of blue, no wonder that shade called to him. No matter what happened I was happy he

trouble. My tears dripped silently down my

and her cousins sold my son and his family as

she lived in mountains not that far from here. Jonathan’s compound would be the one we associated with the red

and matching mittens.

all armed and obviously Warriors. Tosu explained the transports took the children most of the way. Trenal would “Leave them” with the Child Keepers, once they were

were herded I realized there were so many of them, but

knew this was not enough children to populate an entire planet. Something was very wrong. The community

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