[ For as long as he's been alive, Alby has known that he was a shapeshifter. He didn't know his shape for a long time, but all the same he'd known what he was. It wasn't difficult to accept that, either, especially when he could simply regress back into an animal's instinct instead of focusing on the responsibilities that came with humanity. While being part of a dogfighting ring had been hard on him, ripping him apart again and again, and almost sealing away his humanity, it was still easier.
People had less expectations placed on animals than they did other humans.
But then Newt came along, and he'd known immediately that he had to take care of him. Had to make sure that he was safe, that he was happy. So he'd taken a responsibility that no one had anticipated, no one had expected him to take on, just to make sure he could keep this boy happy. He'd set his big head in his lap, ears pressed back on his head, and simply stared up at him every time that times got hard.
And the guardianship continued to when he shed his animal skin and became human again, if only for Newt. Because he loved him, and never wanted to be apart from him, but the lifespan of a dog was so very different from a person's. And it was always wrong of him to lay about, pretend that he was something that he actually wasn't.
So he took care of him with heart and hands alike, now. Took care of their little girl on two legs and four. Right now, he's comfortable on the couch, letting Lucy nap on him while they wait for Newt to come home. They're not going to be sure what Lucy is for a while yet, but he has no doubt that she'll take on something beautiful to reflect who she is, what her potential will be.
Alby's ears twitch a little at Newt's touch, his words, and he stretches his neck so that he can tilt his head against the couch, looking up at him placidly. ]
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People had less expectations placed on animals than they did other humans.
But then Newt came along, and he'd known immediately that he had to take care of him. Had to make sure that he was safe, that he was happy. So he'd taken a responsibility that no one had anticipated, no one had expected him to take on, just to make sure he could keep this boy happy. He'd set his big head in his lap, ears pressed back on his head, and simply stared up at him every time that times got hard.
And the guardianship continued to when he shed his animal skin and became human again, if only for Newt. Because he loved him, and never wanted to be apart from him, but the lifespan of a dog was so very different from a person's. And it was always wrong of him to lay about, pretend that he was something that he actually wasn't.
So he took care of him with heart and hands alike, now. Took care of their little girl on two legs and four. Right now, he's comfortable on the couch, letting Lucy nap on him while they wait for Newt to come home. They're not going to be sure what Lucy is for a while yet, but he has no doubt that she'll take on something beautiful to reflect who she is, what her potential will be.
Alby's ears twitch a little at Newt's touch, his words, and he stretches his neck so that he can tilt his head against the couch, looking up at him placidly. ]