He was going to grow up in darkness.

The two boys stared over the edge of the crib, gazing down at the sleeping child nestled between the rich, soft pelts of unknown animals. His skin was milky pale, almost translucent, and he had dark hair already curling over his forehead.

The infant's father sat, exhausted, in a soft white rocking chair, eyes closed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing rough. It had been a long night and he finally understood how hard it was to bring a child into this world. His hands, sore from catching rays of moonlight and strands of night sky, shook silently as he folded them together in his lap.

The baby in the crib sniffed softly and the two boys watched in silent fascination as his face turned from peaceful slumber to sadness, startling them by suddenly crying out, hands reaching blindly for something he couldn't see, but could feel. The pull of someone big, warm, strong.

The man flicked his fingers at the crib and the baby lifted up, then slowly glided through the air into his father's arms, wailing until he was being rocked gently, safe against the chest of that strong being.

The two boys, who appeared no older than 6, watched quietly as their father rocked their little brother in the big, soft chair. The man's eyes flicked from the infant to his toddler sons, beckoning them forward. They hopped up to sit on each wide armrest, peering at their new brother.

"What's his name?" The brother with the white hair asked, eyebrows furrowed slightly. He slipped forward to rest his head against the man's ribs.

"I haven't decided yet," their father said in a deep voice, low and gravely, his own eyelids drooping as the baby quieted down, his delicate tail curling around his father's wrist.

"Something cool," the black haired brother suggested sleepily, snuggling into his father's side too.

"He's a son of darkness, of course it'll be cool," the man replied to his son, whispering. The baby had fallen asleep again, tiny head on the man's shoulder, his breath coming short and soft.

The man, the father, was just about asleep when the name struck him. The perfect name for his new son. The name for a boy made from moonlight and the deepest dark of the sky found in the forest. The name for the boy who was foreseen to bring the Upper- and Underworld together in unity. My midnight boy.