He (refers to himself as he, but gender is but a concept) was raised in a cottage in the woods. For the first few years he remembers, his sister was his only companion.
Odessa, taking after their mother's elvish side, was tall and beautiful, her golden hair dancing around her when she hadn't braided it back. With her kind, soft voice, she often lulled the fussy young half-elf when he was young, and when he was older, she taught him everything she knew of magic and told stories of their parents and their love.
Henrik had been a young human adventurer who was in persuit of knowledge, wanting to see all the beauties of the world and learn magic.
Aerith was an elf living a peaceful but restless life in a small elven tribe, who longed to explore the world outside of the borders.
Henrik found himself captured on his travels when he accidentally stumbled into the territory of the elves, and Aerith, enchanted by the strange man and his hushed tales of adventure, released him and escaped with him.
For decades, they traveled, bringing young Odessa with them. But eventually, Aerith wanted to return to her tribe, introduce Odessa and their newborn son to the place she grew up and have them meet their family before they settled for good, even though she knew that there would be conflict upon her return.
However, she never anticipated how unhappy they would be. She had gone alone to the territory border to meet them, and days later, she still hadn't returned.
They sent someone to investigate, and the adventurer came back with solemn news. Aerith had been killed by her father for her abandonment of the tribe.
Heartbroken, Henrik and Odessa took Callahan to the cottage home to begin their new life, keeping Ardith's memory alive in the Elven songs they would sing for the baby.
Henrik didn't take his loss well, and being confined to one place only made him sink deeper into his grief, until he was sinking his sorrows into bottles from the nearby village.
Before Callahan was even a year old, Henrik had sunk so low that when he got sick, he didn't let Odessa try to tend him back to health. Soon, Odessa, only seventeen, was the sole caretaker of Callahan.

Despite the sorrowful past, Odessa kept a smile for him, and he knew a happy, peaceful life of learning and play with the wildlife. Eventually, he found his calling in nature magic, his connection to the foxes he often played with inspiring his magic until it transformed him into a more foxish appearance, his senses keening and agility and stealth improving as he trained.