[surprised by the enthusiasm, he just starts telling facts fall out]

T-they're partially human. Or, at least, I'd like to raise them in a human environment. They can all shift between a beast form and a human form--though the littlest one is struggling with the human form still. It doesn't hurt to do, but my body isn't that strong so it's not advisable to do more than one at a time. All of mine were born as toddlers between three and five years old. I imagine they could come out younger than that too? I haven't exactly had them genetically tested...it's a secret that I have the ability to have kids like that. And I don't want anyone to treat them differently because they think they're not human, you know? But as far as we know they're all biologically related to me. The older two probably have a mix of other people's genes in them too.

[he very carefully did not answer one of those questions and there was a flicker of deliberate avoidance in that. but otherwise, nothing but truth.]