(Because I can't decide which coat looks better)

The lives of beastpeople have improved over the last century, but many still loathe their fate.

Thomas G. Altaire, son to the mayor and lead councilor of the town of Marose, was twelve the day he was turned into a beastperson (by a vengeful parent upset he beat their child in a local fencing tournament no less). Before then he had been quite social; rubbing elbows with other children of politicians, attending every function he could, and generally helping his parents' "family focused" appearance.

Things went south after his transformation, however.. Marose didn't have a large population of beastpeople, and opted to keep it that way. He was abandoned by his friends and made the subject of spiteful gossip in his local community. He didn't want to believe it, but his community was full of good people. They had to have good reason to turn on him after his transformation, right?

He had heard most known criminals were beastpeople, living empty lives in seedy pubs and dark alleys, mugging anyone they could. Not wanting to shame his family by turning into a criminal, Thomas swore to live the rest of his life at home.

For years he wallowed in self-loathing, living down in his family's basement with only books and radio to occupy his time. Every so often his father would drag him out to attend a public conference and build public relations between humans and beastpeople. The image of a close-knit family was still present, but at home, Thomas was often ignored.

But, as the years went on, he began to question things. If beastpeople were monsters, who would allow them to write the books he read? Or star in the radio shows he listened to? With the invention of film and television, he only saw more and more, some of them even treated like the average human!

At twenty years old, he finally reached acceptance. He was no longer human, but neither his family nor his peers knew what he really was. The only way to learn how to truly live life like this was to go out and experience the lives of others. In the dead of night, he left his home, ready to travel the land in search of others like him, in hopes of learning what it meant to be a beasterson.

The doubt and fear remained in his mind however. He held onto as much of his humanity as he could. He dressed in the classiest clothes he could afford. He spoke politely and eloquently. He even fashioned a wig to appear more human. He didn't know how to be a beastperson, but that was no reason to be anything less than a model citizen.

One night, selling newspapers on a street corner, he meets a young woman saying her companion could use a friend she can relate to, aka, another beastperson. Seeing this as his chance to learn more about himself, he takes her up on the offer. It's sure to be a rocky start, as Gestal does not seem to appreciate his ignorance, nor his assumptions about how she lives.

But he's learning.

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Huge thanks to  foolgirl for the wonderful art!