Wolf Boy, Chapter 3, Part II

Rhys said, “Father Blaire researched the Anthros community in Greenland.” And complained about the job the entire time. “It is a loose confederation of kin groups led by Queen Artia. Overall, the settlement is fairly conservative. Most of the groups protest interspecies marriage. They maintain that Anthros arrived on Earth in the early twentieth century. They object to Anthros serving on ships and living on Mars. However, again, they strenuously deny endorsement of Junad’s actions.”

Armand said plaintively. “Why would any Anthros want to hurt Panfilo?” He looked entirely bewildered, and his wife, Tabby, patted his hand.

Lider said, “When aliens came forward on Earth, the question of sentience arose. Did aliens hidden for millennium—as the Siphons now claim—or did aliens not gain the ability to communicate—as Cubi claim—until recently? Recent sentience suggests a lack of full evolution.”

“Yet Cubi accept that explanation.”

“Each Cubi undergoes its own path from non-sentience to corporeality. They aren’t a ‘race” in the genetic or regional sense.”

Armand said, “What about using Anthros were hiding as an explanation? Plenty of cultures have stories about talking beasts.”

“Werewolves,” Einar said reluctantly, and Rhys nodded.

“There’s a stigma,” he said. “Werewolves. Humans punished to take Anthros form.”

Tabby said, “Some Anthros believe their ancestors visited Earth before Anthros arrived to settle there.”

Finley said, “Some Anthros reject the alien argument altogether.”

Armand flung out his hands. “Why not just say, We don’t know—but we are here now. Let’s get along.”

Rhys agreed with Armand. Lider, he knew, agreed. The obvious solution didn’t change the fact that someone tried to assassinate Panfilo.

Finley said, “Armand has a point though. Why Panfilo? As far I can tell, Allec is raising that kid to be practically an iconoclastic agnostic.”

Panfilo had nine years with his adoptive parents, Samantha and Gregory Aland, before Allec took over his care. The parents had hidden Panfilo’s nature until his mother died and he hit adolescence. Gregory Aland wasn’t a bad guy, but he was more interested in working on Mars than in caring for a son he adopted for his wife’s sake.

In any case, Panfilo’s upbringing wasn’t entirely the issue—though some Anthros and their supporters argued that he had been “cruelly separated from his animal context.”

The larger issue must relate to Panfilo’s origins.

Rhys and Lider had decided not to mention Junad’s clone rant. It was a rant, and so far, the forums hadn’t turned up any suggestion that Panfilo was a clone, which brought up the issue of where Junad got that particular oddball tidbit.

The forums were mostly occupied with news about the Cubi-become-Anthros, Xavier. That choice was being condemned alongside condemnations of humans who dressed up like Anthros.

Rhys said, “Panfilo’s origins are in doubt. No Anthros kin group has ever claimed him.”

Einar said, “Like that Xavier chap,” proving that no news in the known universe stayed in one place.

Lider said, “Xavier is a Cubus who adopted Anthros’s characteristics when he became corporeal.” (“And pissed people the hell off,” Lider had told Rhys when he heard about Xavier. “Talk about irresponsible.”)

“Panfilo was a toddler when he arrived here,” Tabby said, and the present Council members muttered unhappily. Many people had objected to Panfilo’s ejection from Mars, removal as a citizen, when his true nature was discovered. But the Siphon issue was currently under review, and most of the Council agreed, “We have to draw the line somewhere.”

“Panfilo was on the news,” Tabby said, referring to the two-year-old controversy. “When he was discovered, and people learned that his foster parents snuck him onto Mars. His image was transmitted.”

“Yes,” Rhys said. “And Anthros tell me that he has a somewhat unique appearance—the good tips along his forehead, the gold and purple rings around his tail, his indigo eyes. He stands out.”

Like something manufactured. One of the hares Rhys and Lider set in motion was a request to speak to technicians in the Cloning Lab on the Moon. So far, they hadn’t heard back. Adult cloning operations were shut down over five years ago. Even if Rhys and Lider tracked down a technician, that technician might not have the necessary information.

“The investigation is ongoing,” Rhys said, which struck him as a euphemistic way of saying, Actually, we have no idea. But the council members nodded and seemed to relax. They were concerned about Panfilo—of course, they were—but so much inconclusiveness wore on people.

“Siphons, Anthros, humans, Cubi—everybody wants protection against doubt,” Lider said later to Rhys. “They want specific and static stories."

"Except the stories never agree." 

"People cling to them anyway. Faith is so difficult for sentient beings.”