Because all of us need to come to terms with one day that our parents are only human, and very rarely need to be cut out from our lives. Don't be so quick to think you are rare.

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Lazy Boi half believed his father could kill with looks alone when he wove into sight. Pity he wouldn't live long enough to figure out how his old man had managed to shoot invisible poison with his eyes.

"You must be the father of these odd young ones," said the monster beastman.

"Unfortunately," hissed his father. From behind him Lazy Boi could just make out the beaten and whimpering form of Freckles.

Stars, who came up from the rear, actually screamed when their father's gaze fell on him. He then flipped over as though dead, pink belly in the air.

The beastman chuckled. "I'm surprised these snakes know their way home, let alone know such tricks from just a look from their sire."

"What do you want?"

A wave of power rushed out from his father, like a ring of condensed air. Lazy Boi fell and rolled onto his back, exposing his belly, before he'd even thought otherwise.

The black beastman also flinched back, tucking his enormous pinsers against his face.

Then Lazy Boi blinked and the monster had turned into a man, with dark skin that was lighter and more brown than father Ryan's, and with a long, shiny black braid of hair that reached his knees. It's stinger-armed tail remained.

As the new man lowered his arms from his face, three black stripes over his collarbones appeared.

"I mean you nor your family any harm," said the beastman. "I only need some medicine. As you know, doctors won't serve scorpions. We are the most hated of savage beastmen."

"Scorpions don't need doctors," spat his father. "Hundreds are born at a time."

"It is for my mate," he said. "Please, she's very unwell."

"Where is she?" Ryan stepped out from the doorway. He didn't bother wearing his usual satchel on his thigh, so all four of his yellow marks shone out.

The scorpion's black eyes shivered at the sight. "I...never thought I'd see a black panther again...I, I left her at the peacock village. She wasn't able to travel with me any farther."

Lazy Boi's father scoffed. "Peacocks? They wouldn't let anyone in, not unless she was beautiful, and I doubt anyone you could get could be so."

"They did, because she's with child. A female child."

Lazy Boi cautiously turned his head around as his father's start.

"Then...then couldn't you have found a doctor to treat her?" said Ryan.

The scorpion wagged his head sorrowfully. "All her mates are scorpions. They wouldn't even let us come within sight of the village, let alone close enough to ask for a doctor, and...and she can't walk but a little ways. Her legs..."

At the scorpion's obvious distress and discomfort, Lazy Boi's fathers looked at each other.

"I'll ask my wife," said Ryan. "But you'll most likely have to bring your mate here. Can you do that?"

"I--I don't know. She's grown quite large, and with her sickness traveling is--and it's so cold--"

"We'll discuss it," said Ryan, cutting him off. "We have an Eagle beastman here. He may be able to fly her."

While Ryan stepped back inside, Curtis stayed outside, keeping his eye on the scorpion. From around the house Parker came, who also folded his arms, being sure to flex his muscles, and looked down at the scorpion with a sniff.

"Since when do scorpions care whether their females die or not?" he asked with a sneer.

"They usually don't," said the man. "Which is why I am alone. I am the only one who does."

"How many mates does she have?"

The scorpion looked down at his hands, which he then folded into his sides. "I don't know. I...I haven't--I can't count the marks..."

Lazy Boi's insides felt very funny at that. And not in a good way.

The looks on his father and Parker's face told him they felt the same way. Parker actually began to look a little nauseous.

"Things like you really shouldn't be allowed to reproduce," said Parker.

The scorpion man said nothing, and his many bulbed tail didn't move. Lazy Boi could sense no anger from the man, or even sadness. Just a sort of...resignation? Was that the word? Like how Lazy Boi had felt when he'd seen his three sisters run inside the house for the night while he was sent back out into the dark.

Just as Lazy Boi wondered how long he and his brothers would be on their backs, Ryan came back out looking chagrined.

"Miur agreed to bring your mate here. You'll have to specify where she is and what she looks like."

The scorpion man wilted with relief. "Thank you. I will pay you aptly, for certain."

"We'll expect it," said Ryan. "The witch doctor also said your mate will most likely have to stay here until she gives birth. For that time she suggested, that if you do not intend to return with her to Flame City, you should think about building a proper shelter for her, and if you don't know, you should learn while you wait. But while you wait, you will have to leave the snakes territory completely for the sake of yours and her mate's safety." Ryan wrinkled his nose as though the next words hurt him to say. "And that she apologizes for that."

"No, this is more than I had hoped for." The scorpion lowered himself to his knee and exposed the back of his neck. "Thank you. Please, thank you. What would you have as payment?"

"We'll let you know once we've discussed it. Is there anything you have to offer?"

"My shed shell is very hard and durable, even after I've shed it. I can offer five years worth of it. I also know where heart fruit grow in the desert, should your female have need of it." The scorpion glanced to the side at the prostrate baby snakes. "Which I doubt. But I also know about many other treasures of the desert and would be willing to serve as your guide."

Now it was Curtis who wrinkled his nose. Lazy Boi didn't blame him. The thought of something hot, dry, and completely devoid of water didn't sound too pleasant to him either.

Ryan, however, nodded. "We shall consider it."

At a short call, Miur appeared atop the roof, feathers gleaming and bright eyes sharp on the scorpion. Lazy Boi imagined that the only reason he hadn't attacked the scorpion himself was because of the baby snakes leading it.

The scorpion gave accurate directions and landmarks of the peacock village, along with the description of his mate, before Miur gave a brief nod and took off into the air, the great gust from his wings parting the mist like rain like a veil for a moment.

"Now get out," Curtis hissed. "My children will make sure you do."

As one, Lazy Boi and his brothers flipped around.

"Not you, Boi."

Lazy Boi withered beneath his father's glare. He knew what was coming.

The scorpion beastman had just shifted back into his ugly, six legged form and set off, followed closely by Stars and Freckles, when Curtis finally turned on Lazy Boi.

"I expected more from you," he said.

"I'm sorry," hissed Lazy Boi. "Stars was the one who blurted out about mother--"

"And he will be properly punished as well. But you are the smart and strong one. You know that makes you the boss and that your brothers will follow you. And yet you allowed a scorpion of all things near your mother."

"We would have all died, and he said he just needed help--"

Curtis's tail cracked in the air. A smarting line of pain burst across Lazy Boi's back.

"STOP!"

His mother appeared in the doorway, beautiful, pale, and very, very angry.

Lazy Boi had only seen his mother angry on one occasion, and that was when Dawn had bit him and Parker. But as it was back then, she somehow managed to be absolutely terrifying without claws, fangs, or poison.

He watched in amazement as his all-powerful father shrunk before her.

"They would have died if they hadn't done that," she said, blue eyes like fire. "Are you saying my mates and guardians couldn't handle one scorpion? That my babies should have died rather than give you the trouble?"

His father's long body melted into legs and he all but knelt to the ground.

"If that scorpion had caught sight of you or the girls, he could have told the rest of his tribe, and we could have had the whole swarm of scorpions on us."

"But he didn't," growled his mother. "Lazy Boi was smart and sent his fastest brother ahead to warn us. And even if that scorpion had meant us harm, I'm sure he would have risked his life to stall it so that word could have reached us before it did, and I think that's a crying shame! They're BABIES! They're not even TWO! If they can't defeat something that even you couldn't at their age, they shouldn't have to risk their lives! And if a scorpion saw me, you could just kill it! Any of you can! You're five marks now, aren't you?"

As his mother's angry lecture went on, Lazy Boi watched in amazement as his father, who was as tall as the sky, sank lower and lower to the ground.

"Not only that, but I am a witch doctor and I've practiced being one, haven't I? What point is there to all my efforts if you end up making my kids kill all my patients!"

"What if they're not your patients?"

"Don't you think they're smart enough to figure that out for themselves? They figured out what that scorpion needed easily enough, didn't they? And I doubt that thing even spoke snake!"

Lazy Boi made a mental note to make sure his father knew that Stars didn't meet that intelligence criteria.

She ranted a bit longer, but Lazy Boi's favorite part was when she shouted at Curtis for beating Freckles, who had only done everything right, including being obedient and running as fast as he could.

When she was done, Lazy Boi wouldn't have been surprised if his father had tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You should be," she hissed. "Go make sure that scorpion leaves the territory yourself. And bring back my baby that you hurt for no damn reason so I can take care of him."

His father did so, shifting into his entire snake form so he could better hide in the grass from his shame. Parker watched him go with a snort of his own, cocky as usual, and suggested to Ryan that he ready a place in the house for the new patient. Parker himself offered to gather some grasses for the bed and Ryan agreed.

Leaving Lazy Boi with his mother.

His mother gave a snort in his father's direction before turning her soft gaze to him.

"Come here, my smart baby. Let me take care of that lash on your back."

For the first time since the first horrible, warning scale prickle ran down his spine, Lazy Boi allowed himself to cry. It had just been so scary. He thought he was going to die. And then dad hurt him, and he thought dad was going to kill him when he was only doing his best, and then--then--that scorpion had been so ugly! So scary!

His mother's face fell at the sound of his putters. It didn't matter that he wasn't small enough to hide in her hair anymore. She held out her arms and pulled his head over her shoulder.

"I know, you were so brave. You did so good. So smart. And you took care of your brothers even when you didn't have to, such a big boy. I feel so proud and so loved. You did it for me, didn't you?"

She led him into the house and set him in front of the fire, not caring that he was soaked and muddy from the rain. She let him cry as she cleaned him up and dabbed medicine onto his wound. She kissed his nose and sang her beautiful songs from another world. His sisters even came out with Harvey to help, as his body was still quite big. How he hated how big he was.

"Good boy," said little Sky, patting his side with her tiny hand. "Good boy."

Luna echoed her, though Dawn simply patted.

When he finally cried out all the tears he had gathered from the day, he fell asleep curled on the fur rugs with his head on his mother's lap.