Bramblepoint red-hawk for dinner

Aureli's head tipped to the side. He supposed he could see why it might be a hinderance for someone so young. He gave a little shrug. "So you will be sore and scabby. There are ways to make that more comfortable, if you insist on afflicting yourself," he replied, his tone even. "You cannot change the way your skin reacts to the sun. In this way, you will never be normal. Your hearing will likely remain impaired for the rest of your life as well. You will simply have to learn to live with it."

He did not have much in the way of comfort for the boy. Aureli had once been a small and sickly child, too, but he didn't imagine Delos wanted to turn out like him.

"You can still learn to hunt, and to fight," he said, speaking each word with care. "Certainly, you can learn to think strategically, and to make plans. I have seen wolves with similar impairments live good lives."

The problem, Aureli thought, might very well be the boy's mother.

"I can teach you about a few herbs," he told the boy. "Something to help with the burns. It won't be much better than mud — but you ought to learn all that you can about your condition. You will have it all your life."