Thrall infant with his adoptive mother
Added 2019-12-22 06:07:26 +0000 UTCHere's a full-resolution file for you guys! Thanks again for making these paintings possible.
Thrall infants switch randomly and obnoxiously between their two forms (human-like 'home' form and monster-like 'major' form). In the first years of the child's life these forms remain a similar size, before rapidly diverging. Babies can also get 'stuck' between the two forms, sometimes for periods of months. This guy is somewhere in between right now, but it's not exactly slowing him down.
Since many thrall children are born on the fronts of a permanent war, thrall culture has evolved to make child care a collective responsibility. It's very common for thralls to adopt children, if they seem to be in need. Children might lose their parents to combat, or be separated by sales or troop movements. Most thralls have benefited from the kindness of strangers at some point in their childhood, and they're usually more than willing to return the favor. Even those who dislike children will normally care for an abandoned child until they can find someone else.
Children are always considered non-combatants, and a strong taboo exists against harming them. The official position of governments in the war is that immature enemy thralls be captured where possible. In practice, thralls regularly disobey this. If a soldier stumbles on an enemy child they'll pretend not to see or hear it, and leave as soon as possible.
To see more of the Loyal Ones universe check out my site here: http://thralls.weebly.com/
