Blessed by Night

Cami and her father stared at the cupped palm of Tsath without even bothering to blink.

Right before their glowing violet eyes, the doe started to drink the strange black water after only a couple of cautionary sniffs.

It's small tongue darted out and collected the dark nectar with no discernible traces of disgust or revulsion on it's adorable face.

'...I kind of want to watch 'Bambi' now.'

As Mal fondly remembered the childhood film favorite, his fond recollections suddenly unfolded into an unnatural nightmare.

The doe suddenly became unsteady on it's thin little legs and started wobbling from side to side as if it were drunk.

Tsath caught it's small body before it could hit the ground, and lowered it down ever so gently.

At that moment, the mother deer came over, both concerned and confused about the state of her baby.

But after Tsath gave her muzzle a single reassuring rub, she seemed to relax.

From that point on, the young deer began to change.

It's bones began to stretch and contort as the creature grew too quickly for it's own skin to contain.

The fur and flesh on it's body turned an ominous black color that closely resembled the liquid it had just drank.

It's hooves broke apart and started to resemble claws made from some kind of dense and jagged rock.

When it was all over with , the creature got back into its feet without showing any signs of looking as weak as it had previously.

Nor did it look like the kind of creature that could remind Mal of a 'Disney' movie.

It was a large, demonic looking beast in the shape of a fully grown buck with parts of it's skull and legs exposed beneath torn skin.

In place of it's eye sockets, it had acquired two more mouths full of teeth and a tongue, though it still seemed to be capable of seeing just fine.

It's horns had become something akin to crystallized ink, while possessing a majestic and ferocious looking nature.

To add to the horror of the creature, an appendage that closely resembled a scorpion's tail now swung freely behind it's back.

Malachi: "Christ..."

Camille: "Fwa..."

Unlike the father and daughter pair, the deer's mother did not seem to be bothered by her child's new appearance in the slightest.

Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was still her innocent baby and she went back to guarding over him in case of nearby danger.

She didn't seem to realize that her baby was a gargoyle level threat who was more dangerous than everything else in this forest.

"We are free to shape and shift their genetics as much as we like to a certain degree." Tsath explained. "The more of your essence they drink, the stronger that you can make them. It is also worth mentioning though that not every creature can drink the same amount as another."

"Oh yeah?" Malachi asked. "Why's that?"

Tsath paused momentarily as his red eyes stared off into the distance.

"We... do not have a concrete answer for that. I suppose the closest theory that we have gotten is... willpower?"

"Huh... imagine that."

Camille leaned forward from atop her father's shoulders as if she wanted give the hulking creature a few inquisitive pats just to be certain that it was not as scary as it looked.

For a moment, Mal felt his own heartbeat spike and he nearly yanked her back hard enough to cause whiplash.

However... he recognized that such behavior was apart of what he was trying to change.

But in the end, his decision came too late as Tsath had already recognized that Mal was about to stop Camille out of worry.

While he did not seem upset, his eyes did narrow by a fraction of a centimeter.

As Cami teleported directly onto the back of the large creature, their instructor turned to Malachi with his arms folded.

"You seem to be working quite hard to forget your prejudices against N'Kai despite being one of us. I believe humans have a term for this..? 'Uncle Ruckus mentality', is that correct?"

Mal didn't know what was more surprising, the fact that a space alien had knowledge of a thirty year old earth cartoon or that he was actually likening it's most infamous character to Malachi.

"W-Why do you know that term?!"

"I have yet to show you, but we can read minds outside the N'Kai through contact. One of the first things we usually do upon arriving at a new word is sort through the minds of it's inhabitants so that we might better understand how they lived in society.

Any advancements that they have made will be taken and added to our own, and they are usually quite popular. I am quite certain that our people will enjoy the finer points of adult animation, though finding voice actors with enough aptitude may prove difficult..."

Malachi rubbed his throbbing temples in an effort to prevent himself from growing an ulcer.

Honestly... it was just like Nadine all over again!

Sighing, he decided to jump right into the heart of the conversation without worrying about needless things for now.

"Look, Tsath... I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. All of this has just been a little difficult to fully grasp... but I can promise you that I am trying to do better."

"You still perceive us to be a malevolent force on some level. Why?" Tsath asked plainly.

"I... am not sure. Could be everything that I've heard, or all of the destruction I've seen across the world... I mean, you just turned a deer into a demon beast like five seconds ago man."

Tsath looked at the 'baby' deer he had augmented and connected to his hive.

He held out one of his hands and the creature instinctively nuzzled against his palm like he had been eagerly waiting for this opportunity.

"A 'demon beast' you say...? Tell me... does this creature seem aggressive to you?"

"...No."

"Bloodthirsty?"

"Greedy?"

"It's an animal so.."

"How about conniving?"

"..."

"No then? I'm assuming that is your answer."

Malachi nodded solemnly, not understanding where this was going.

"You consider this being to be the demon of your world, when I have done nothing more than change it's shell and ensure that it need not ever be afraid again.

Now I ask you... what about that is so wrong or demonic? You earthlings tend to think that anything that does not meet your standard of appearances is inherently evil. Monstrous. Demonic.

Is that not why you feared the reactions your women and friends would have to your N'Kai appearance? Because in your heart you felt that their love came with the condition that they see you as desirable? As 'human'?"

Silence seemed to be the only answer that Tsath needed, and once he had received it he immediately relented from his barrage of questions.

He stretched his limbs unnaturally to lift Cami right off of the back of the deer he had created and held her with he utmost care; almost as if she were his little sister.

"I do not mean to condemn you, K'horror, nor am I upset with you for your thinking. My only goal by the end of today is that I can get you to see, not with the human sight that you have developed during twenty years of life, but as N'Kai.

Since I do not particularly require an apology, I will accept that as the proof of your wish to change."

Malachi nodded and lowered his head until his head was nearly touching his chest.

"You have my word."

Tsath smiled slightly as this as if he were satisfied with this outcome, then he suddenly held out Camille above his head.

"I was planning to teach the two of you how to hive your own creatures first, but it seems as though there may now be a more pressing subject to address. Perhaps the two of you will find this one more interesting."

"Hm?"

"The trait that separates all N'Kai from each other and also makes us shine the most brilliantly. It is time we talk about bloodline abilities."