"Look at this freak! He has four hands!" the 7-year-old boy jeered, pointing at Aurelian. The other boy joined in, laughing cruelly. Nathanielle tried to protect his brother and asked them to stop, but they did not listen.

"Stop it! Just leave us alone!" Nathanielle shouted, trying to defend his little brother.

One of the older boys laughed, "Or what? You gonna use your baby brother as a weapon?"

The other boy snickered, "Yeah, with his four arms he's like a monster!"

Samantha and Frey, Nathanielle’ s friends who had been playing with them, tried to defend their friend. "That's not funny, guys. Leave them alone!" Samantha spoke up, her voice firm.

But the boys continued to taunt and tease, until one of them shoved Nathanielle hard, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. That is when Aurelian, who had been watching from the side-lines, decided he had had enough.

Without hesitation, Aurelian lunged forward and bit the leg of the boy who had pushed Nathanielle. The boy yelped in pain and flung his leg, causing Aurelian to fall to the ground. The two boys and Nathanielle started fighting, with Samantha and Frey trying to intervene and stop the fight.

It was chaos for a few moments until an adult finally arrived on the scene and pulled the kids apart. "What on earth is going on here?" the adult asked, looking at the kids with concern.

"They started it!" the two boys pointed to Nathanielle and Aurelian.

Samantha and Frey quickly jumped in to defend their friends. "No, they didn't! Those two were making fun of Aurelian for having four arms!"

The adult looked at Aurelian with a mix of confusion and concern. "Four arms? Is that true?"

Aurelian nodded; his face flushed with embarrassment. "Yes, I’m showry" he said, hanging his head. Big blobs of tears forming under his eyes.

The adult did not know how to respond to this revelation, but he knew he had to put an end to the fighting. "Alright, that's enough. Everyone, go home now," he said, shooing the kids away.

As Nathanielle and Aurelian walked home, Nathanielle kept a protective arm around his little brother. "Don't listen to those guys, Aurelian. They are just jealous of the fact that you have four arms." Nathanielle said, trying to cheer up his little brother.

Aurelian looked up at Nathanielle, a small smile on his face. "Thanks, big brother." he said, feeling a little bit better.

Aiden and Lillian sat on the porch, discussing their future plans for the farm and their family when they noticed Nathanielle and Aurelian walking towards them. They were both covered in dust and had bruises all over their bodies. The couple immediately got up and rushed towards them.

"Oh my god, what happened to you two?!" exclaimed Lillian as she saw the bruises on their faces.

Nathanielle began to explain everything in his five-year-old voice that sounded like he was about to cry and had a sore throat. "Those two boys from earlier, they started mocking Aurelian for having four arms. They pushed me away and started hitting him. I tried to protect him but they were bigger and stronger." Nathanielle said in a whimpering voice.

"I tried, Dad, but they were too strong," replied Nathanielle, looking down at the ground.

Aiden looked like he wanted to say something, but then he sighed and put his hand on Nathanielle’ s shoulder.

"I'm proud of you for protecting your brother," he said softly. "But next time, make sure to defend yourself too. From tomorrow I will teach both you and Aurelian how to defend yourself. You have to attend it. Okay."

Nathanielle nodded, looking up at his father. "Yes, Dad. I will."

Lillian took Aurelian inside the house, tending to his wounds and comforting him. Nathanielle and Aiden sat on the porch, talking about what had happened.

Aurelian's tears dried up as Lillian pulled out some cookies from the kitchen. She offered one to Nathanielle, who eagerly took it, while Aurelian grabbed two and sat on Aiden's lap, his small legs dangling. Aiden chuckled as Aurelian broke one of his cookies in half and gave him the other half.

"Thanks, buddy," Aiden said, ruffling Aurelian's hair.

Nathanielle watched the exchange, his big eyes wide with anticipation. "Dad, can I have one more?" he asked.

"Of course, Darling" Lillian replied, passing a cookie to Nathanielle.

As Nathanielle bit into his cookie, Aiden asked, "So, where were you guys?"

"We were playing outside, and some big boys came and started making fun of Aurelian," Nathanielle explained, his voice still sounding hoarse.

"They were saying mean things about his arms," Aurelian added, his voice still a little shaky.

Lillian's eyes widened with concern as she looked at her children's bruises. "Are you okay, my babies?" she asked, her voice full of worry.

"We're okay, Mom," Nathanielle said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Aiden leaned in and kissed Aurelian's cheek, making him giggle. Nathanielle watched them, a little envious. Aiden noticed and turned to him "What about you, Nathanielle? Do you want some kisses too?"

Nathanielle nodded eagerly, and Aiden leaned in to give him some kisses on the cheek. Lillian watched her family with a soft smile, feeling her heart warm at the sight of them all together.

"It's moments like these that make everything worth it," she thought to herself.

As Aiden was kissing Nathanielle, Aurelian suddenly spoke up, "Daddy, what about mommy?" Lillian could not help but blush a little as all eyes turned to her. Aiden laughed and said, "Of course mommy gets kisses too!" He turned to Lillian and started planting soft kisses on her cheeks.

Lillian closed her eyes and savoured the sweet affection. "Oh, you guys," she said, trying to hide her smile. "You're too much."

Aurelian giggled and climbed onto Lillian's lap. "I love, mommy," he said, wrapping his little arms around her neck the other two around her waist. Lillian hugged him back tightly, feeling grateful for her loving family.

Nathanielle, not wanting to miss the affection, tugged at Aiden's shirt. "Daddy, can I have more kisses too?"

Aiden scooped Nathanielle up and gave him a big hug, peppering his face with kisses. "Of course, little man," he said, chuckling.

The family was sitting on the porch, enjoying their moments of joy, when a group of women appeared, led by the mother of the child whose leg Aurelian had bitten off. The group was muttering amongst themselves, casting evil looks towards Aurelian, and whispering about demon blood and the like. As they got closer, the mother spoke up in a loud and aggressive tone.

"How dare you people show your faces around here! Your child is a demon! Four arms, like some kind of monster! And what is this about him biting off my child's leg? I will have you know; I am going to force you to leave this village!"

Aiden stood up, his face growing red with anger. "First of all, my child is not a demon. He may have four arms, but that does not make him any less human. And secondly, you need to get your facts straight. It was your child who attacked mine, and Aurelian was only defending himself."

The mother scoffed. "Defending himself? By biting off my child's leg? That is ridiculous! You're just trying to cover up the fact that your child is a monster."

Lillian stood up, her voice firm and resolute. "My son is not a monster. And we will not stand here and let you insult him like this. If you have a problem with us, go and talk to the village head. But don't you dare come here and start making false accusations."

The women continued to murmur and mutter amongst themselves, but the mother stepped forward once again. "I know what I saw. Your child is a demon, and you are probably in league with them too. I heard rumours that you've been having an affair with a demon, and that's the only way your child could have four arms."

Aiden's face grew even redder with anger, his body exuding a strange and powerful energy and then he took a step forward and spoke. "ENOUGH. Be grateful that I have not thrown you out of my property. One more word against my wife and your family won’t live to see the next sunrise."

The mother glared at them for a moment longer before turning and leading her group away. The family stood there for a few moments, the tension in the air palpable, before Lillian broke the silence.

Aurelian nodded; his eyes wide with fear. "Mommy? I am sorry."

Lillian wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "You don’t have to be Sorry Honey. It is their fault for acting that way. You have done nothing wrong."

Aiden put a hand on his wife's shoulder, his voice soft and comforting. "Lily ! Just so you know this and I know you do. I trust you more than myself. So do not even think that I would ever … ever have any kind of suspicion on you. Okay."

Few Hours Later , Aiden and Lillian lay in bed, tired but content after a long day. Nathanielle and Aurelian were already asleep, their soft snores filling the room. It was then that Aiden spoke up, his voice soft and regretful.

"You know, none of this would have happened if you had been there to supervise the kids," he said, his tone apologetic.

Lillian felt a pang of hurt at his words. "Aiden, I can't be everywhere at once. We have a new born daughter to take care of too," she replied, her voice laced with frustration.

Aiden quickly realized his mistake and reached out to hold her hand. "You are right. I am sorry, Lillian. I should be giving the kids more attention. I will be a better father from now on," he said, his voice remorseful and apologetic.

Lillian softened at his words and leaned in to give him a gentle kiss. "You know when you were giving Nathanielle kisses, I was jealous of him. My father never smooched me." she whispered, a smile on her face.

“Well, I mean you can call me Daddy. I can give you plenty of smooches.” Aiden said as he snuggled closer to her.