Fading Scars: A Series of Malec One Shots

Raising Alexander

This is a spin off of Four Seasons. Someone requested I write about when Magnus adopted and raised little warlock child Alexander after Alec died, so here it is.

It was a few years after Alec died that my life spun out of control. Nothing was the same. I didn't enjoy my morning cup of tea anymore. The songs of the birds didn't relax me like they normally do. Books didn't catch my interest. It was as if life had stopped at a standstill and I was expected to make a tough decision. The tough decision. I couldn't go on like this. The sadness was too crippling for me to handle. Even my boys noticed a change in my demeanor but they were too afraid to bring it up around me as if the mere mention of it would break me altogether. I'm not made of glass but I will shatter.

I was on my way out one night when I noticed something perched in the trees above my loft. A small boy, no older than 7, with black stripes on his skin like a tiger. At first I thought it was just dirt on him but as I shone the light from my cellphone up at him, I could easily see that he had tiger stripes.

A warlock child. Abandoned, no doubt. Tossed aside because of his unique differences. It still baffles me even to this day how cruel mundanes can be. As evolved as they were, they still managed to show me how low they can stoop when they want to. I've seen a lot of lows in my life but abandoning children because of what they looked like was the lowest of low for me.

"Hey there. What are you doing up in the tree? Aren't you cold?" I raised my hand to help him down but he cringed away, only climbing higher. "Don't be scared. I'm like you. See?"

I allowed my hand to be enveloped in my magical blue flame and this seemed to grab his attention. He cocked his head and watched as the flames danced across my fingertips. I also showed him my cat eyes. He seemed to want to try it too. Raising his small hand, he tried to do the same magic as I did. But something different happened entirely.

The boy shapeshifted into a small bird with stripes.

My hand immediately dropped and stood flabbergasted at what I just witnessed. I've seen a shapeshifting warlock before, but not an animal shifting one and believe me, I've seen my share of really unique warlock abilities. I once knew one with stag antlers but that's another story for another time.

The small bird chirped once before changing back into the boy. He was still perched on his branch when he changed back, only this time he didn't seem as scared. My guess was that he felt like he could trust me after seeing what I could do and after showing me what he could do.

"That's a neat trick you did. You should come inside with me and show me some more tricks. How does that sound?" He started to move away but I shook my head and raised my hand again, blue flames crackling gently. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. You can trust me. I have food and water and clothes that you can wear. You'll be safe with me."

He seemed convinced enough. He jumped down from his perch but still eyed me warily as I lead him inside. I smiled as he sniffed the doorway and felt the hardwood floor with a hand. Had he ever been in a house before? His actions strongly reminded me of a dog being brought home for the first time and it wasn't used to its surroundings.

Then it clicked in my head. The boy had been abandoned at a very young age and he discovered his powers at that young age, living as an animal just to get by. He was more animal than boy from the looks of it. I doubt he even knew how to speak.

"Let's get you some clean clothes. I think my youngest son Max has old clothes from when he was your age around here somewhere. He doesn't throw out anything. I think he hoards," I laughed, pausing when the boy cocked his head like a confused dog. "Hoarding means you keep everything. Never throw anything out-ah here we go. But first....we should give you a bath."