I Don't Care

05 October 1998; Loch Tay Regional Combined School; near Killin, Stirling, Scotland, UK
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Ken flops onto his back and sprawls on the club lounge floor, hoping the change in altitude takes some pressure off his aching joints.
"Any mackerel, Ken?" asks Aurelie from directly across the circle of bodies on the rug.
He squints at his cards. "Go fish."
Aurelie sighs.
From Ken's left, Mattia exhales with force, makes a face at his hand. "Um, Tobias? Do you have a seabass?"
"Here. And call me 'Tobi'." He passes over the card.
"/Grazie, Tobi~!"
Tobi huffs.
Dreamboy stands, stretches, pads across the room.
Cards shuffle.
Dreamboy slurps water from his bowl.
"Tobi? It's your turn?" prompts Murron from near Ken's knees.
"Right, right," he grumbles. 
Dreamboy comes up for air, laps some more.
"Forget it, I pass."
"Really? You're usually so competitive."
"Right now, I don't care about stupid card games. The only thing in the world I /do care about is getting enough sleep tonight to take my advanced spells exam in the afternoon."
Ken says, "Missus Caulfield'll let you—"
"I don't care what she'll do. I don't want special treatment," snaps Tobi.
"But it would be good to rest so you are at your best?"
"I do. not. want. accommodations." Tobi turns a glare on Mattia, then Ken. "I will /not let this disease get the better of me."
Ken swallows as the quiet quickly gets uncomfortable.
Murron wades in. "No one thinks less of you—"
"Where is this other werewolf you promised we'd meet?" demands Tobi.
Murron winces.
Ken cringes in sympathy. "He's coming, far as I know, 'less he's sick again this month."
"We are sick /every month."
"This was some kinda stomach bug and they didn't want the rest of us to catch or stress him with traveling."
Tobi grunts a concession.
Dreamboy patters back, lies down across Ken's gut.
"Li'l help?" he wheezes.
Murron giggles, "Oh dear! C'mere, boy."
The dog /whuffs, doesn't budge.
"Dreamboy, you're /hurting him."
"Yea, mate. Shift," gasps Ken, poking the furry side.
Dreamboy oozes to lie next to him, expression contrite.
Ken rubs his ears.
Dreamboy sighs, /thumps his tail against the floor.
Ken smiles.
"So ... where were we?" prompts Aurelie.
"It is Murron's turn," chirps Mattia.
"Yes!" Murron sits straighter. "Aurelie, do you have a halibut?"
"Go fish."
Murron heaves an enormous sigh, plucks a card from the pile, grimaces.
"You have no face for poker," teases Aurelie.
Murron sticks out her tongue.
A knock sounds at the door.
"C'min!" calls Ken.
""Hello, lad and—er, lads and lassies,"" rumbles a familiar voice.
Ken peers between his feet, greets, "Hello, Mister Reid," as the man fills every inch of the open doorway.
"/woof."
"You, too, Dreamboy." Mister Reid saunters over, smiling brightly. "Ready for some more company?"
"Yes!" Murron jumps to her feet, skips over, arms wide.
""No,"" says Kris from somewhere invisible on the far side of Mister Reid.
""You know me. I give good hugs, you said,"" wheedles Murron.
""No."" A sniff. ""Ken.""
"Someone has a fan club," giggles Mattia.
Ken rolls his eyes, heaves himself to his feet, plods over.
Kris peers from under Mister Reid's arm.
"C'mere, you." Ken reaches—
Mister Reid eases Kris against him.
Ken staggers, resettles Kris on his hip. "Oof. Yer gettin' heavy."
"Amnae."
"He's gonna be big as /you soon!" cheers Murron.
Kris preens.
"What's the little man's name?" asks Tobi.
Ken finishes his trudge over, manages to get himself down cross-legged with bairn in his lap. "This's Kris."
"'m three now!"
Tobi and Aurelie exchange glances.
"Yes! Happy birthday!"
"What was that look about?"
"Dank you!"
"His is a common name here?" ventures Aurelie.
Ken shrugs. "Kinda, but he's the weird kind's not 'Christopher'. He's just 'Kris-with-a-kay'."
"Like the knife, Lessie said," adds Murron.
Everyone kinda blinks at her.
She shrugs. "I dunno. Lessie said it and it sounded cool?"
"Coo'?"
"Yes, cool."
"'m coo'!"
"Yes, you /are!"
"Extra cool, even. Coolest member of the family," says Ken.
Kris puffs up, beaming.
"That's right! We've got news!" announces Mister Reid from his perch on the sofa.
"What's that?"
"The paperwork /finally went through and Kris's officially a Reid, for better or worse."
"What was he before?"
"A Swan." 
"He'll be a very powerful witch someday, then?"
Mister Reid raises an eyebrow.
"Swans have so much magic they say they need two big shapes to hold it all!" sings Mattia.
Mister Reid bursts out laughing.
"What is so funny?" demands Tobi.
"He's not /that kind of swan, lads. It's his father's family name was 'Swan', not his blood."
"Oh." Mattia shifts. "I am sorry, but I must know: why is he not with his parents?"
Ken hugs Kris closer.
"They've passed on," says Mister Reid, voice gentle.
Mattia curls tighter around his middle. "Why won't his ... broader family raise him, then?"
Mister Reid sighs. "That's part of why it took so long for the adoption to finish. The courts had to work through all of 'em to make sure no one really wanted custody." Huffs. "They didn't feel safe raising a werewolf, so /we get to be his family." Reaches across the circle and strokes Kris's hair.
Kris coos.
"A werewolf, you said?"
"Woof!" says Kris.
"/woof!" echoes Dreamboy.
Murron laughs into her hands; Ken smiles.
"So ... this is the Kris who will be Changing with us?" marvels Mattia.
"Yea?"
"He cannot be the other werewolf you mentioned," sniffs Tobi.
"But, umm, he is?"
Murron cocks her head. "Why can't he be?"
"Because he is a baby and no werewolf, no matter how mad, would attack a /baby."
"Well, this one did," says Mister Reid.
"Witnesses /saw him bit and /we've seen him Change," points out Ken.
"He's /definitely a werewolf," agrees Murron.
Aurelie frowns. "I don't—"
"You want to see /his scars, too?"
Aurelie sets her teeth, twists—
Kris tugs up his shirt and jumper, announces, "Scars!"
Ken winces.
Hisses from Aurelie and Tobi; Mattia squeaks.
"Master Reid," intones Mister Fairbairn, stepping into the lounge, "you are a bit too young to be performing a striptease. Save that for your teens, at least."
Kris furrows his brow.
"Jumper down," says Ken, pulling the hem into place.
"No." Kris yanks—
Ken tugs more firmly. "Yes."
Kris squirms. "Itchy!"
"Wasn't a problem a minute ago."
"Itchy /now," pouts Kris. 
Ken doesn't quite roll his eyes.
"Dumb moon."
"You can say that again."
"Dumb moon!"
Mister Fairbairn sits beside Mister Reid on the sofa, stretches his legs out between Tobi and Aurelie. "Now then, I leave for /five minutes and you lot /multiply."
"We're not /rabbits," giggles Aurelie.
"Would you like to be? Temporarily, of course."
"No, thank you, sir. It is a big enough pain in my ars—"
"Language, Aurelie," scolds Murron, lunging and covering Kris's ears.
Kris swivels, scowls at Murron.
She releases him, smiles. "You didn't hear anything, did you?"
"Nope!"
Aurelie huffs spectacularly. "I have enough problems being one animal."
Mattia picks at the cuff of his outer jumper. "It is not really a problem, is it? Only a Change and a Change back each month?" 
"It's not the Change that's the trouble, yes? It's the people in between Changes."
"Exactly," grumps Tobi. "Lycanthropy would be easy if not for them."
"But it's easier now, right?" ventures Ken. "Now that we've got each other?
"Yes yes! I am so /happy to have a pack!" Mattia hugs both Ken and Kris.
"Ow!"
"Sorry, Kris!" Mattia leans away, reconsiders, leans against Ken's side.
Kris grumps, shoves at Mattia.
"Oi. None 'a that. There's enough room for both of ye."
"There's even space for me," laughs Murron, tucking up close.
Dreamboy /whuffs, stands, rests his head on Ken's shoulder.
"Okay. This's nice, but—"
"Count us in!" hollers Aurelie.
She and Tobi dive around, press themselves to his back.
Ken ... sighs, lets himself melt into the warmth.