| abstract | - Complications during Kaiv's birth claimed his mother’s life and his vision. Blind from birth, Kaiv's upbringing was as unique as it was lonely. His father succumbed to alcoholism early in Kaiv's youth the burden of caring for his disabled son, paying for the specialized schooling, and dealing with the loss of his wife was just too much for the man. Sadly, the outlet he found for his despair soon became beating young Kaiv. The abuse started out periodic, and then gradually became a regular part of life, until the day that Kaiv's father was fired from his job. Life changed for Kaiv, that day. His father had nearly beaten him to death when he had gotten home from work that night. Suddenly, Kaiv could see, he could actually see. He didn't understand what he was seeing or what to make of it, but it was better than he'd ever imagined it could be. He finally could see the face of his tormentor and as his father went for another blow, something even stranger than his sudden ability to see happened. Kaiv watched the shadow of his fathers swinging fist on the wall, closing his eyes and wishing with all his might that the fist wouldn't hit him. When he heard screams that were not his own, he'd opened his eyes, only to find his father crumpled on the ground, arms and legs broken at odd angles, his right fist just a mush of skin and crushed bone. At the time, Kaiv didn't understand what had happened. But it was that day, that beating that had triggered the manifestation of his powers. His ability to manipulate darkness. He'd explored the house as his father lay passed out from the pain. Only to find that when he looked into a mirror, he was covered in soft, short black fur and his eyes were orange. He'd always been told what lovely blue eyes he had, so he knew this couldn't be right... He'd found a picture of his mother and studied it for a long time. The woman his father cursed at him about, saying that it was Kaiv's fault she was dead... Day break had come, and with it, Kaiv's vision faded back out. The police arrived soon after Kaiv didn't make it to his school, and discovered the scene. They questioned Kaiv and after finding out about his fathers abusive nature, Kaiv was placed in a foster care system. It didn't last long, though. Kaiv soon began to understand the consequences of the miracle that had saved his life. He was a freak. When he held the human appearance, his blindness was active, though as the days went on Kaiv realized that he could start to sense things in the ways that nocturnal animals could, via bat-like sonar, enhanced senses of smell sound and taste. He could find no way to stop his body from morphing into the beastly form when in direct sunlight. No foster home would take the 'freak' and eventually he ended up on the streets, forced to live at night or stick to the shadows, scrounging and scrambling to survive in the dregs of West Midland. One night he stumbled into the wrong back alley and a street gang attacked him, forcing him to use his powers to defend himself. Another vagabond witnessed the feat, and told him rumors of a place for people like 'them' in the states. Kaiv thought it was likely untrue, but he had nowhere else to go, so he set off away from his home to find this Xavier Institute.
|
