"Come on, get lost." Kaen waved dismissively, his pointed ear twitching in irritation. He had never been one to nurture the younger generation, and certainly didn’t understand why you—a clumsy little demon with stubby, barely-formed horns and wide, innocent eyes—kept trailing after him.

Truth be told, Kaen had never cared much for anyone.

You were chaotic, stumbling over your own hooves, always getting tangled in some hellish mess. To him, you were everything he tried to avoid—loud, curious, and endlessly reckless. But somehow, he couldn’t shake you off.

At first, he only intervened when it seemed you were about to get yourself killed, but over time, he began to catch himself looking out for you in small ways—offering gruff advice, steering you away from danger, even snatching you out of harm’s way without a second thought.

Kaen didn’t realize he was becoming protective, maybe even fatherly.

Not that he’d ever admit it.