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The cat woke to the feeling of something warm and heavy over his stomach, eyes fluttering to find a large gray figure lain on him. Alexander was asleep, face buried into the pocket between his chest and armpit, drooling in his sleep, the glistening liquid sticking onto Ryleigh's side. The cat was a little more than disgusted and uneasy and although he wanted to push him off, he couldn't. Alexander had his burly arms wrapped around his stomach, legs straddling Ryleigh's legs with his own. Alexander growled in his sleep and pulled Ryleigh closer, the stubble on his chin tickled the cat's ribs and Ryleigh stifled himself from making any noise.

Overhead, candelabra hung, much like the same in the hotel but in a much smaller scale, though unlike the one in the hotel, this wasn't rusty nor dirty. The glassy bulbs glistened like jewels in the light, sending a flurry of shadow patterns of elephants, unicorns, and butterflies everywhere. The furniture was made of polished mahogany wood neatly placed around the room a tens of square feet wide. The carpets were a cottony sky blue, with patterns of birds and clouds scattered. Despite of his discomfort, Ryleigh looked around, taking in the scenery before him. It was something like out of a child's fantasies, stimulating and equal to the enjoyment to that of a carousel ride. He liked it, loved it even, but a lingering feeling of bewilderment crawled underneath his enjoyment.

A white feline woman introduced herself as Marlene Wellings, his mother. Although he still couldn't quite believe everything that's happened, Marlene's face and eyes were more than enough proof that she was indeed somehow related to Ryleigh, minus his current fur dye. What he did then, when she tried introducing herself a few or many hours ago, he did not know. All he remembered was that he stared at her for a long time before collapsing back into sleep. Now, she wasn't present in the room, the door where she had come from was closed.

He felt Alexander shift from him and slid his arms off of him, getting up into a sitting position with a string of drool still connected to his face. The skin from around his muzzle was tarnished with thick black stubble, the gray skin only slightly visible. He blinked on and off, green eyes dark with the flutter of his eyelids. He scratched his eyes and stretched, the sheets falling off from his chest and only then did Ryleigh notice that Alex was bare-chested, a bandage wrapped around his pectorals with a few stains of blood in the spot where he scratched the rhino. Twice. A pang of guilt hit Ryleigh. He really shouldn't have done that, not when all the rhino wanted was for his own good.

"Alex..." he whispered.

Alexander further scratched his eyes, yawning wide, the canines showing over his muzzle's folded skin, "Yeah?" he said, his voice coming a little rough.

Ryleigh could not find the right words to say. Alexander deserved more than just an apology, but instead, he settled with, "I'm sorry."

Alexander was about to speak but smiled when his eyes narrowed then widened when he seemed to realize he had drool on his face. He wiped it with the back of his paw, "I think I should be the one apologizing." he said, pointing towards Ryleigh's ribcage, the trail of Alex's drool still there.

"Alex! I'm serious!" Ryleigh said, flustered and rubbing the liquid with the bed sheets.

"I know!" Alex said, "But it's no problem. I've had worse, really."

Ryleigh leaned the back of his head on the bed's overboard, relieved but no less deserving for Alexander's complacency towards him. He stared at Alexander's semi-naked figure and blushed. He'd never slept with him so close before, "So...Who was...she?"

"Don't you see the resemblance? She's your mother."

"I know! But I haven't closely looked...yet."

"Ryleigh," Alex said, placing his hand on Ryleigh's shoulder, "You're gonna have to see her sooner or later."

"It--It's a lot to take in."

Alex raised a brow, leaning his back on the headboard, and turned to Ryliegh with his face resting on his chin, "Well how do you feel about it?"

"Confused? I-I don't know Alex. I don't know if I should be happy or sad," he said. Truthfully, he shouldn't be happy and he wasn't.

"They...threw me away."

Alex squeezed his shoulders, "She didn't mean to Ryleigh." he said, with emphasis on She.

"She? My mother? How about my father?"

Alex stayed silent. A stern expression registered on his face. Ryleigh thought he looked angry.

"What is it Alex?"

"I don't think it's my place to speak." Alex bit his lip, his face looking more hardened than usual, "Come, it's already morning. Roland should've already asked the other servants to get a feast ready."

"Other servants? Feast?"

Alexander's face lightened with a grin, "You might be surprised how rich your family is." He laughed, "You'll find out soon enough, why don't you take a bath and brush your teeth. You smell. Really bad."

Ryleigh blushed. His breath did stink. The taste of vomit combined with his morning breath mixed totaled to smelling like rotten eggs.

"Where?" he asked.

Alex pointed to a corner where there was a built-in doored room, "There. You should really get acquainted with your room. Mom did her best to make it look the way it is now."

"Mom? Your mother?"

"No Ryleigh. Our mother."

"But--"

"Bathe!" Alex commanded.

Ryleigh tried inquiring for more, but Alexander refused and pressed that he should take a bath else he'd keep everyone waiting. He did not know who 'everyone' was, but he supposed that he'd find out soon enough. Still, an underlying feeling of anger was there. He did feel like he should be angry at them, his mother and father. Whatever happened before, they threw him away, their actions resulting to his life, a mess of pure sex and abuse. It was their fault.

But he believed Alex, despite of his anger before he passed out on the hotel's tunnel. Even now, he's surprised with how he acted. He didn't even know why he did that, his head had been hazy back then--Perhaps a result of days of being restless with no sleep and food with nothing but pure rage and adrenaline rush. Now, he really feels like everything was clear, every doubt of Alex and his actions dispelled, he hopes.

He entered the bathroom. It was quite large, many square feet wide and about half of it was occupied with a large pool. Steam rose from the water, the hot air very visible and snaking towards the ceiling. A number of flower tops floated on the water, plus a few aquatic toys--Toy ducks and ships around. It was all familiar and he was genuinely surprised that it was a total replica of his tub room at the Dungeon, save for a toilet and sink on one side.

Haven, he smiled. He was starting to like this place already. In the span of half an hour, he finished bathing, and exited the bathroom with a towel on his waist. The bed's sheets and pillows were neatly folded when he stepped out, a clean set of clothes sitting on top of it. Alexander was by it's side, adjusting his white cuffs of what looked like the same tailcoat Roland uses. He breathed deeply. The tailcoat's black really brought out Alexander's green eyes and gray skin. The thick dark stubble on the rhino's face giving him a chiseled and rugged look, and his tailcoat hugged on his form too deliciously. Ryleigh bade the thoughts away and walked towards the muscular butler's side and paused momentarily when he took in the same minty scent of Alexander's perfume.

"Why are you wearing that?" Ryleigh asked, picking up his clothes and hanging them on his arms.

Alexander regarded him and spoke, "I'm a servant here, Master Ryleigh."

Ryleigh twitched in irritation, "Please, don't call me that," he complained, "I thought Roland called you Master as well?"

Alex nodded, "I'm both a servant and a master in this house."

"How's that possible?"

Alexander gave a slight frown, "Questions again Ryleigh. Everything would become clear, soon. Now, chop chop. Everyone's hungry."

Ryleigh obeyed and took his clothes on without a word. Alexander opened the door for him and they walked through the halls. The place was like it was taken out of a medieval century castle, the halls spanning a long distance, probably longer than the Dungeon. It was adorned with a long red carpet in the middle, and by the walls, there were a number of knight's empty full metal armors with halberds, swords and other weapons which looked painfully real on their metal grips. Various portraits of different faces hung on the wall. Some of them, Ryleigh observed was of a male cat that somewhat looked a little like him.

Soon, they went down a grand staircase still littered with the same carpet. The place was huge, and it should take more than tens of people to keep it clean the way it is now. The mini chandeliers on the ceiling seemed spotless without a single bulb dead, even the armors on the walls shined with a silver luster, though there was barely a soul in sight except he and Alexander and he wondered where everyone was.

They went through the halls on the ground floor, looking too similar with the ones on the second's, although at the end, there was a large wooden double door spanning the whole width of the hall. They stopped in front of it and Ryleigh wondered how they would be able to enter with just one or two of them pulling at it. There were two metallic lion heads attached on the door biting on two large rings that Ryleigh figured was the knob and he gasped when Alexander started pulling at the two rings with ease, the door barely making a sound as it opened wide and collided softly with the walls.

For a second, he was blinded by the lights in front of him and he reflexively covered his face with his paw to block it. Soon, his blindness waned, and there were shadows, standing too still that they could've been statues. He tried to squint his eyes, but they remained blurred. Carefully, he dropped his paws. In that instant, his jaws drop.

There were two lines of different furs inside, their numbers easily reaching a number of probably fifty. They were in all smiles, all of them in casual outfits but definitely presentable. Hundreds of eyes looked at him expectantly, and they seemed to be beckoning him onward with their hands. He'd never felt so naked in his life.

"Come," Alexander smiled and pulled on his paws. Ryleigh reluctantly followed him, his forefinger's claw, scratching his neck. Whispers crawled on his unusually sensitive ears, words like That's Master Ryleigh, and Looks just like his mother registered. He blushed and held onto Alexander's grip harder, the latter looking back at him and giving him a comforting smile.

"Relax." he said. It barely helped him. Instead of meeting the expecting looks of the line of eyes, he forced himself to observe the surroundings. The room was larger than anything else he's been. It was like a gallery with plenty of breathing space that could've risen up to a second floor, though there wasn't. Several opened rectangular windows were at the walls, with light and breeze from outside blowing on the curtains to an illusion of a woman's long dancing skirts. There was a stained glass window on top of the gallery, with criss-crossing colours of white, blue and yellow forming the grand shape of a cat's face.

Alexander pulled him towards a dining table, which lengthened to half of the room with a snowed, silky tablecloth resting on it. On top were golden and shining bowls and trays, holding salads, iced cakes, a chocolate fountain and several kinds of other food that Ryleigh did not know about. The myriad of meaty, syrupy, herby and different other aromas pronged like music on his nose. A wallop of drool slithered down on his muzzle, and Alexander whom was observing him all the time that he pulled him chuckled. He brought a handkerchief resting on his breast pocket and wiped on Ryleigh's muzzle, who blushed in embarrassment.

Marlene Wellings, his mother, stood at the precipice of table, a calm smile on her face. She beckoned him forward and Ryleigh would've ran in dread had Alexander not been holding his hand. For a moment, Alexander released his paw before deftly bowing at the feline woman. He then turned to Ryleigh, and bowed at him as well, before pulling at a high chair on his mother's side and offering his white gloved hand at him.

"Master Ryleigh? Your seat?"

Ryleigh froze and fidgeted with his claws. He did not know how to act in this situation. He had charms, he knew, but his 'charms' only involved acting in lewd and seductive ways. High-class appeals were not his forte and he'd die if he even tried in this situation. Eyes bore on his back, and the needles that came with it seemed to gain intensity as the seconds passed. He felt his tail go limp, sweat, trickling down at his neck.

Alexander seemed to notice, looking at him at the edge of his eyes. He stood tall, and took Ryleigh's paw, forgetting that his arm had stood frozen, still vertical from when Alexander left him earlier. Marlene gave a small laugh and Ryleigh felt himself further shrink in contrast, even his paw scratching his neck was weak. Alexander pulled him and gave him a smile, he spoke, his minty breath blowing over Ryleigh, "You make a good impression of a statue, Master Ryleigh. Why don't you do that sitting down?"

At that, everyone else seemed to laugh, filling the halls with mirth and spilling out towards the opened windows. It was a kind and hearty laugh, with no malice or insult underneath. Ryleigh didn't know why, but it put him at ease. Alexander's other hand guided his back, and seated him on the high chair. The plush cushion felt good on his buttocks and he sat himself more comfortably and let his back rest on the chair.

There was a scuffle of feet after he sat, and every other person on the line seemed to take their own seats on the long table with Alexander sitting on his left. Soon, everything was drenched in silence and he became conscious of it, only the curtains softly hitting the walls. Their eyes were still plastered towards him, and he felt like he should be saying something to them, albeit he does not know what. He turned towards Alexander's direction and found the rhino mouthing 'Go'.

He awkwardly nodded and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Uhm...Hi. I'm Ryleigh," he tried to say but what came was a croak. He cleared his throat much harder this time before speaking, "Hi," he said, "I'm Ryleigh. R-Ryleigh Wellings, I've just known, and I'm the son of Marlene...I think."

"Yes, yes you are, son." Marlene spoke, her voice strong, reaching out all throughout the gallery. Ryleigh looked over and saw her looking back at him with eyes that were very similar to his own, "You've been gone for quite a long time Ryleigh. I can't express in words how much I missed you, but alas," she said, motioning to the others in the table, "Everyone is hungry, perhaps we shall talk in private afterwards?"

To that, Ryleigh nodded, and she smiled in reply. Everyone else in the room started eating, and there was a loud buzz of voices and clattering in the room as the other occupants yelled and passed over their plates of food. Ryleigh's sigh was lost in the volume of the background noise, but he was glad that is was there. He felt the shift in weight on his chest as everyone's eyes were no longer on him, all except for Alexander and Marlene.

"Y-yes?" he muttered.

Marlene smiled, "I'm glad that you're here Ryleigh." she said, and Ryleigh could almost hear her tremble in her words. She picked a handkerchief on the table and brought it to her eyes, a bead of tear disappearing as she wiped it clean.

"Mom." Alexander whispered, "He's here now."

Marlene breathed and calmed herself. She blinked and she and Alexander seemed to share a moment, staring at each other. There was a silent connection there, like an invisible line was linking the two of them together and Ryleigh could feel it. Understanding. Affection. They loved each other.

Ryleigh wanted that.

"I'm okay now, Sandy." Marlene said, her voice no longer trembling.

"I'm glad," Alexander said, "Now, shall we eat?"

"We should," Marlene said, "I'm sure Ryleigh over here is quite hungry as well, isn't that right, son?" She said. The word son sounding very unnatural on his ears, though he felt a tingle of kindness in it.

He nodded and forced a smile, "Yes, Marlene."

The three of them started eating then. Alexander recommending various foods to Ryleigh who took it quite graciously. The meat was quite scrumptions and juicy, the cakes, sweet and explosive at the same time. He found himself murring at all the taste and a grin slipped on his muzzle in every few bites, though all the while, he could feel his mother's eyes on him, and not really eating. It uneased him somewhat, but he guessed that it was natural to feel like that if a mother was separated from her child for so many years. Even if they threw him away. Questions need be asked, perhaps after they eat.

A few bites later, Ryleigh leaned towards Alexander and spoke, "Sandy?" he asked.

Alexander smiled sheepishly, "Alexander. Sanders. Sandy. My nicknames."

Ryleigh giggled, "Cute."

"Shut up."

Ryleigh just laughed, and took another slice from his chocolate cake, savoring everything carefully. He drank cool juice from a glass, and choked mid-way when a thought occured to him. Alexander called Marlene his 'mom'. Twice.

"Alex...?" he said, carefully leaning towards the rhino whom was slicing a piece of red meat, but stopped when he heard Ryleigh.

"Yeah?"

"I kissed you." Ryleigh said, his voice really low.

Alexander's gray ears, flickered towards Ryleigh, eyes suddenly widening. They were thinking the same thing.

"You called Marlene, Mom. Twice." Ryleigh said, and hesitated for the next part, "A-are we step brothers?"

Alexander's pace of breathing seemed to quicken. He reached for his glass and drank before speaking, somewhat dry-lipped, "N-no Ryleigh," he stuttered, "I haven't been formally adopted by your mother."

Ryleigh sighed, "I see. I just thought that we were...you know, brothers."

"Would it be strange if we were brothers and I kissed you?"

"I don't know..." he trailed off.

"Ryleigh" Alex said, his tone was suddenly hard and harsh, "I need to know that it doesn't bother you. Are you bothered or not?"

Ryleigh straightened up, body tensely erect, "N-no. I've dealt with incest before. Remember Cedrick and Robbie? It doesn't!" He said, realizing that his voice was too loud. He looked around, relieved that apparently nobody was listening.

"I see..." Alex said and his shoulders seemed to shrink towards his body, "Well...Even if we were stepbrothers, I wanted to kiss you again."

Ryleigh's jaw dropped, and he felt the remnants of his food slip down on the ground. He readjusted himself and stuffed food on his muzzle, a little too quick that he started choking and his mother who had already started eating reached forward and patted his back.

"Are you okay?" Marlene asked.

Ryleigh just nodded and drank to push the food down his throat. Marlene advised him to be more careful and went back to eating on her own food. Ryleigh blushed, feeling his pants suddenly feeling very tight. At the side of his vision, Alexander seemed to be concentrating on his food a little too much, but Ryleigh could see a shade of pink on his otherwise gray cheeks.

The three of them ate in silence while all the other people ate with lush abandon. Talks and boisterous laughter ensued, combined with the clatters of silverware against plates. Eventually, people started standing up and picked their plates up when they finished. Ryleigh himself was finished, and his stomach had never been happier and bloated. He started to stand and pick his own plate up when a paw patted him by the shoulder.

"Master Ryleigh?" The voice was familiar.

Ryliegh looked over, "Roland?"

The otter smiled, wearing his signature tailcoat, though there seemed to be a few stains on his inner shirt, "Your plate, sir?"

Ryleigh gave it wordlessly and Roland took it before striding off. The cat turned to Alex to ask questions but found the rhino absorbed in forking a cherry on his plate. He was still blushing.

"Ryleigh?" a female voice asked.

"Y-yes? Marlene?" he said, looking over to his mother.

"Can we talk?"

He nodded. Both of them got up from their seat and Marlene led the way towards the back a door behind her high chair. Alexander got up as well and skidded fast to walk beside Ryleigh. Ryleigh could still not meet Alexanders eyes and vice versa, but the rhino spoke in a whisper nonetheless, "Go easy on her."

Ryleigh flinched at Alexander's words, "Did you expect me to kill her?" he said, this time, meeting Alexander's eyes with a stern look.

"Yes." Alex said, returning the glare, "You haven't really been the most stable I've met, Master Ryleigh."

"And whose fault is that?" he whispered venomously and regretted it a moment later. The rhino was fuming through his nostrils, his immediate anger overriding any shyness he had felt earlier. He then said to Marlene, "Mother, can I borrow Ryleigh for a minute?"

Marlene regarded both of them and smiled, oblivious to their altercation, "Don't take too long. I'll be at the garden." She said, and walked past the door and outside.

Alexander's grip came hard at Ryleigh's arm and the cat squirmed and tried to shake him off. The rhino forcefully pulled the cat with him with both of their legs in erratic steps towards a far corner, where nobody could hear them.

"What the hell is wrong with you Alex!?" Ryleigh yelled.

"No. What the hell is wrong with You!?" Alexander yelled as well, tone, accusatory.

"It's their fault that I became like this!"

"You don't know what you're saying." Alexander said. Their faces were no more than a few inches apart.

Ryleigh did not step down,"I DO know what I'm sayi--"

"Your father's the one who threw you out!"

All of Ryleigh's anger seemed to vanish when he heard Alexander's words. He felt his tense body suddenly drop, breaths slowing, and unsheathing the claws that he didn't notice were unsheathed. Alexander's eyes loomed on his. He hadn't really noticed until now, but there was a single bead of tear on Alexander's eyes. The rhino's gaze was pleading, desperate. They carried a stronger message than any word he could've said.

Alexander wanted him to make peace with his mother.

"Alex...I--"

"Please, Ryleigh," he pleaded, rubbing the tear away, "Do this, for her. She loves you very much, and she didn't mean to do it. She was forced to. And if you don't want to do this for her, then at least do this for me."

"Ryleigh." he said again, sadness in his tone, "I can't bear to watch her cry over you for another twenty years." Alexander finally said, and passed by Ryleigh, their shoulders colliding weakly before Alexander half-ran to the double doors they came from.

Ryleigh stood paralyzed, unable to think of anything else other than Alexander's words. Alexander was a trustworthy person, and though he kept many secrets from Ryleigh, that did not make him any more of a liar. Now, he better understood what Roland said about the rhino telling the facts when the time is right. And just now, Alexander disregarded all of that and poured his heart out to Ryleigh. He better understood him now. Alexander was devoted to his mother, their mother, Marlene. He was noble. He was loyal. He was honest.

And Ryleigh knew he harbored feelings for Alexander.

---

Ryleigh wandered the garden. There was barely a soul in sight, all of the servants--the people who ate with them, Ryleigh learned were busy with the dishes or otherwise cleaning the already spotless mansion. He wasn't necessarily thrilled that they, consequently, he was rich. He never had money of his own before, and he did not want to have it at all. He already had too much experience with people who had been corrupted with the appetite for riches, he did not want to be like them, not one bit.

Still, he could not not have it, rather, he decided that he would tolerate himself for having it, no matter how much he would hate himself afterwards. The beauty around him were too much to ignore, all, bought with nothing else but money.

He was walking through a stony path, the large, pickled stones buried underneath earth and grass. To his sides were congregations of flowers, barred by a waving design of fences tipped with marbles of different colors. The flowers were a design in themselves: Poppy, tulips, carnations, roses, and other species that Ryleigh did not know were mixed in an elegant pattern of red, purple, white, yellow and green like a flowing collage of a picturesque kaleidoscope. The scent was lovely, and it hit Ryleigh as sweet and strong, but still pleasant.

Along the stony path and to the center of the garden was a cherry blossom tree, standing in all it's magnificence as the rosy petals softly unplucked themselves from their branches and poured down like slow flutters of pink butterfly wings. Underneath the tree were chairs beside small tables, but still, the white feline woman did not sit there, rather, she was sitting with her back on the tree's trunk, on top of the roots and grassy land. She was wearing a pure white dress, too white, it matched her fur's colors too perfectly that she looked like she was naked, had it not been for the shadows of her dress.

Her eyes were closed, ample chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Her face was small, interior of her pointed ears were pink like the cherry blossoms landing on her feet. She must have heard Ryleigh approach because her eyes opened, the blue pupils suddenly on Ryleigh. Their similarity was quite startling, Ryleigh thought, they could've passed for the same person if only Ryleigh wasn't a little taller or had a bosom like her.

"I wish that soon, you, Alexander and I could have Hanami here in the garden."

"Hanami?" Ryleigh asked, sitting down beside her though not too close as to touch skins.

"Yes," she said and smiled at Ryleigh, "The flowers are in bloom this season, and we would have a grand feast, us three."

She was making small talk, Ryleigh knew. Maybe she was just as uncomfortable in talking with him as he is to her. All the while she was smiling at him, but they haven't met eyes yet, "How about my father? Isn't he coming?"

She flinched at that and felt that he shouldn't have asked, "He ran from his responsibilities long ago, he's not coming. I'm sorry."

"Oh." was all Ryleigh said. He really did not know what to say.

Her paws found one of his, and Ryleigh felt compelled to meet her eyes for once, "Ryleigh...I heard from Alex. What happened to you all these years." There was a sob from her, beads of tears already forming at the sides of her eyes, the insides of her ears turning rosy red. She was trying to speak, but her words were lost in her hiccups.

Ryleigh felt the approaching emotional surge from her and from himself--A possible emotional outburst. He felt that should wrap his arms around her. Tell her that it was okay. That he forgave her and tell her that it wasn't her fault that things turned out they did. That is, what he should do...right?

But still...there was a lingering hatred for everyone. It was there without a doubt, and perhaps it will be present until he dies. It wasn't something that could easily be dispelled in a snap of a finger. It was a seed that fully grew into a corrupt tree over years of being sown with crude hands and dampened with men's semen. The fruit was who Ryleigh is now.

He wanted to...needed to vent it out. It wasn't his fault that he had become like this. It was somebody else's, and right now, Ryleigh felt that it was Marlene's fault. It had been her who let his father throw him away. Surely she had a say in it did she? Everyone who sinned deserves punishment, and Marlene bore a grave sin against him, a sin that deserved a punishment many times worse than death. She had to live with it. One reaps what one sows, and if that's true then...

She'll be saddened with what she'll reap.

Ryleigh did not know why, but suddenly everything seemed silent. There wasn't a rustle of the wind, nor the silent drop of the petals on the floor. In front of him, Marlene was now crying, and her shoulders were in tremors. He should be hearing her, but no sound was made. Everything seemed to suddenly move in slow motion. Even the rose petals took more than a minute to fall.

He felt something drop on his paw, and when he looked at it, it was a droplet of tear. Marlene wasn't leaning on him, and it dawned on him that he himself was crying. Marlene crawled towards him and wrapped her arms around him, and Ryleigh felt her warmth on him. He didn't know why but he returned the hug. Everything felt warm and cold at the same time, both light and dark, love and hatred.

Her words registered on his ears in mutters. She asked him to forgive her, admitted that it had been her fault and that she should've defended him, that she did not understand what he'd gone through but she knew that it was more than Ryleigh could take. That she understood that she was terrible and she should've killed herself many years before.

"No." Ryleigh muttered under his sobs, "You are not a terrible mother."

He had read her diary, even if it was for only a few pages, but somehow, he knew that she was sorry, and she had been carrying the grave weight of parting with her son, Ryleigh, all these years. He knew that Alex loved her as his own mother, and she loved him back. She would never sacrifice one she calls her own if she didn't have to. But she did. She had to go through the excruciating pain of parting with Alex and it was all for Ryleigh. He understood her, and somehow, he understood himself a little better. No longer did he see that his naïveté was naïveté at all. He was in need, deprived--wanting to be loved for so long, even if it was in the wrong place. He believed that someone can love him in that dark musky dungeon and was ever looking for a source, even from the wrong people. But now, he does.

Their cries turned into sobs and much later, into silence. They backed off from each other's embrace and shared smiles.

"Do you forgive me...son?"

Without hesitation, he replied, "Yes, mother."

They leaned back against the tree, this time, their shoulders touching. They reveled in the moment of peace and tranquility and silence. The scent of the flowers smelled sweeter, the grass underneath him, smoother. The sunlight was bright on his eyes, but much, much warmer. Ryleigh had never felt so good before, so great! So...at peace.

"Do you want to have Hanami during the week? Son?" She asked, and Ryleigh noticed that her voice was really kind and soft, much like his own. Like he was hearing his own innocence from her.

"Us three? Yes." he replied, unable to hide the excitement and happiness in his voice.

"I'm glad." It was the last thing she said before they were silent again. Breathing, relaxed. Happy.

"I...understand that Alexander has taken a liking for you."

Ryleigh blushed, looking down at his paws, "Y-yes."

"I see," she said, "Sanders had been quite a good son to me, even if he wasn't my real son."

Ryleigh thought who Sanders was and remembered that it was her nickname for Alexander, "He's grown to a fine man. You were a great mother to him." Ryleigh said in spite of himself.

"I will be to you too." She promised, "So...Do you like Alex?"

Ryleigh dimmed many shades pinker on his ears, where his black dye hadn't reached, "I-I think. I'm not sure. I c-can't really tell or know what I feel. I j-just think it's..." he paused, trying to find the right word, "Different."

"I see..." she said, her eyes brightening, "I'm a therapist Ryleigh."

"A therapist?"

She smiled, "I'm someone who offers services to let people talk their problems out, as well as provide programs--steps or solutions to problem behaviors." She looked at Ryleigh and read if he followed. He didn't.

"Think of it as a 'healing' process."

"Oh." was all Ryleigh said while scratching his head.

"Now..." she said, her tone turning blank, "My practice forbids me to treat close relatives, but I don't trust anyone else to be able to help you like I--" She stopped, and smiled, she spoke and his tone was no longer blank like it had been, "We shouldn't be discussing this right now. You need rest, lots." She offered.

"Yes!" he yelled, "I just want to relax. For now."

"You should," she said, "Though I doubt that you're sleepy. I've heard that you've taken a liking for reading, is that true?"

Ryleigh nodded.

"Good," she smiled, "Our library's complete with novels and the such, I'm sure you'll find it to your liking."

Ryleigh tilted his head sidewards, "...Novels?"

"Oh." she said, apparently recognizing Ryleigh's ineptitude, and her eyes looked downwards, left and right, like she was searching for something, "Mmmhhmmm. Makes sense. Perhaps we should have you tutored." she muttered to herself, then looked up at him, "Are you comfortable with Roland?"

"Very much." Ryleigh nodded, "He's quite..."

"Humorous?"

"Funny." Ryleigh said and realized that what Marlene said meant the same thing. He pouted, "I guess I really do need a tutor."

Marlene laid a hand on his shoulders, "It's quite normal for it to happen, especially for someone who's gone through the same thing as you did. If it makes you feel better then I'd say that you're much more intelligent that you should be."

Ryleigh's face lightened up, "Really?"

"I mean it," she said and smiled, "Do you want to do something?"

"I don't know..." he admitted, "I think I may need to take a nap--have some time for everything to sink in."

"I understand. Do you want me to leave you alone for now?"

"I-if you don't mind?"

"I don't." she said, reassuring him, "Though I have to leave Roland or Alexander with you, if you don't mind. I'm afraid that you might get lost if you're left on your own."

Ryleigh flinched at the mention of the rhino's name and Marlene seemed to narrow her eyes on him and nod, "Roland then."

Ryleigh gave a sheepish look to his mother, "We fought...Sorry."

She just shrugged then stood up, "Don't worry about him, he'll come and apologize to you soon. He just needs some time."

She bade her goodbye to him and Ryleigh just nodded. Soon, she had walked through the stony path Ryleigh had trudged earlier until she disappeared from his line of sight behind a tall green hedge. Once again, everything was drenched in silence, and he found himself embracing it. This could all be a dream for all he knew, it was simply too good to be true. Though, he just had a dream before he woke, and he did know that he woke, so this could not be a dream, at all. He denied himself of his next thoughts but they slithered through like piss on a peehole.

He had forgiven his mother somewhat, maybe even mostly, but his hatred would not fully disappear in one sitting. No, this isn't a fairytale. It wasn't a simple story from the books he read, that though the usual fairytale's heroine's mother or stepmother had sinned against them, that in the end, all would be forgiven. He would understand that he could forgive them if he was in the same fairytale setting as they did, but then again. They haven't been raped or fucked more than a hundred times did they?

Roland came on a calm stride through the stony path towards Ryleigh. When he stood in front of him, it was obvious that Roland had changed into another of his similar tailcoat, the food and wine stains no longer there, but the cat could still smell the faint stench from the otter's breath.

"Master Ryleigh, whereto?"

Ryleigh sighed, patted the dust from his buttocks and spoke, "A tour perhaps?"

Both of them exited the garden and then through the gallery where they held their feast. It was almost empty now, with only one or two servants still cleaning the mess from the tables which were almost already spotless. They passed by and Roland gave him a wide tour of the house. The kitchen was found along the hallway, a door from the gallery, packed with clean silver kitchenware as well as a number of refrigerators and freezers no doubt containing the much needed ingredients to serve food to such a large household as this one. Men and women in casual clothes were conversing when they stepped in, and when they spotted both of them entering, they swiftly approached him and saluted, all the while calling him Master. Ryleigh accepted their greetings with an uneasy delight, and Roland shooed them away before they wasted any more of their time.

They wandered the halls, and it all came in a blur. There were hundreds of doors and rooms in the house--mansion, Ryleigh learned, one of the only ones in the whole of the city. He made a conjecture that he was the old man compared to Roland, who seemed to point and enter at a room and name it's function without trouble. Each room had at least one servant tending to it, still in their casual clothes yet wielding feather dusters, rags, or whatever tool they needed. Ryleigh wondered how much servants were present at the house, and when he asked Roland, all he said was.

"A lot." he said, and he stopped at a door in front of a narrow wooden door.

They were at the third floor of the mansion, and having already walked kilometers worth of steps, he was already panting under his breath. The light from outside the windows were casting a faint hue of orange-red towards the floor. Still, having already walked those many steps, there still proved to be an inch of a spot that had dirt in it. The door, compared to all the others was quite plain, no golden knobs, no golden plate embossed with a number on it's center, no nothing.

"We aren't allowed to enter this room, not without permission from the Mistress' brother himself."

Ryleigh tilted his head to the side, "My mother has a brother?"

Roland coughed and his face turned to that expression he wore whenever he spoke to Marlene and Alex, respect, "Yes," he said, "In fact, he owns the mansion. You must've already seen him in the news--I remember Alexander complaining that you might have already seen his face."

"Oh," he said. He didn't really see his face, but the repercussions if that happened struck him, "So that's why he didn't want me to watch."

Roland nodded, "You would've seen the similarities right away. Though he and your mother are fraternal twins, they still look too much alike--and you too."

"I see..." he murmured, "I feel so overprotected."

Roland curled his arms over his shoulders, Ryleigh feeling the gesture both uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time, "I think it's only right that you get some rest after going through all of those things, eh?"

Ryleigh couldn't agree more, "Yes...I guess. I just wished that Alexander explained everything to me instead of hiding it."

"Like I said, Master Alexander's actions are not without reason," Roland said, "and I think I clearly see why. You aren't really the most stable person we've met, Master Ryleigh." he grinned.

"It's starting to become a joke between you and Alex I see." he said, gripping Roland's arms with his claws unsheathed and digging them onto his exposed skin. Roland withdrew his arm with a yelp, Ryleigh grinned after watching the old otter's reaction.

The otter settled down after a few seconds and gave Ryleigh a hurt look, "That wasn't nice! Bad Kitten!" he yelled, and instantly, Ryleigh frowned at the nickname.

Roland, upon reading Ryleigh's reaction, straightened himself up, "All jokes aside, Master Ryleigh. We mean everything we said. Not everyone would be willing to tolerate your destructive habits and if you want to get better then I suggest that you follow your mother's advice--That is if you do want to get better...Don't you?"

Ryleigh could only just whisper his assent.

Roland smiled and sat himself on the carpet and patted the spot next to him, urging Ryleigh to sit. The cat looked down at Roland, his brown eyes very light against the orange hues of the sun. He looked young when the whiting fur wasn't obvious and Ryleigh could almost see that the otter had been handsome once when he was younger. Ryleigh sat and pulled his knees towards his chest and hugged them with his arms, eyes, sideward at Roland.

"I'm sure that it would be discomforting to talk to your mother as if she wasn't your mother at all," Roland said, "But believe me, it would all be better soon."

Ryleigh shrugged, still skeptical, "How would you know?"

Roland leaned his back towards the wall and looked up at the ceiling, and sighed, "If it hadn't been for your mother, then I would still be living on the streets. Stealing, robbing people of their money just to get drunk in the eve' " he said, his eyes were reminiscent, "But I figure that you'd get bored if I told you every single detail."

"Yeah." Ryleigh said. No matter how interesting the cat thought Roland was, he was already tired and wanted to take a rest for the evening, and he was glad that the old man gave him a choice to cut everything short.

"Well...Long story short, your mother asked his brother to pick me up and bring me here and treated me for years--Even let me stay and gave me a job."

"So...Did you know who my father was?" Ryleigh asked, turning to face Roland with expectant eyes.

The otter's muzzle took a grim line, and Ryleigh almost thought that he wouldn't speak about him, "Yes. Very much, Master Ryleigh. Though I advise that you do not speak of him in this house."

Ryleigh shivered, "Oh."

They kept silent for a while, and afterwards, Roland stood up and offered his paw to Ryleigh and the latter took it.

"Do you want me to escort you to your room?" Roland asked.

Ryleigh shook his head, "I remember where it is, thanks anyway." he said.

Roland bade his goodbyes and walked off, Ryleigh still leaning himself against the wall. After Roland disappeared from sight, he himself started through the carpets and turned to go down the flight of stairs. A pair of servants were dusting some furnitures, spotted Ryleigh and gave him a curt smile before Ryleigh waved to them and let them go back to their business. His eyes still looked around, and he sighed when the man he'd been looking for the whole day was still nowhere in sight.

The purpose of the tour...had been for Alexander all along. He was too shy to overtly admit that he was looking for the rhino, and still, even during the tour, he was quite fidgety that it was a wonder that Roland didn't call him out on it or noticed at all. There are things to be said--apologies. He haven't appropriately apologized for those scratches yet, or the hurtful words he said about his mother--their mother. Still, he wondered where Alexander was, or whether he was still in the mansion for that matter. Ryleigh just had the feeling that the rhino doesn't want to be found.

It took him many minutes before he reached the end of the second floor's hall and was in front of his room's door. He sighed, feeling the whole day's events take their toll on him. Though this was nothing compared to what he had to go through everyday at the Dungeon, the prospect of learning so many things about his life that he never knew existed was draining in it's entirety. He sighed, turned the knob on his paws, and closed the door behind him. The red-orange light from the sun no longer present, now replaced by the dimmed white of the moon. The curtains were closed, the light casting it's patterns of dinosaurs along the walls. In the night, it looked more eerie rather than appealing. Ryleigh could barely see anything, and he fumbled for the light switch along the walls, the dinosaur shadows seeming to devour his hand as he slid his paw along.

Hot air slithered along the back of his neck and Ryleigh yipped and froze in place. The umistakable hardness and heat of a body pressed on his back and Ryleigh's nose was pushed against the cold walls. The stranger's hands found their way around his waist, pulling Ryleigh and turning him around to face him. The stranger's emerald eyes gleamed in the darkness, the familiar minty scent of his breath and perfume stirring Ryleigh's senses in all arousing ways.

"Alex..."

The rhino didn't answer, only pressed their bodies tighter against each other. Ryleigh's cock jumped at the contact with the other's hardness, his paws suddenly slithering their way around the bigger man's back and down his muscular rump. He gave it a squeeze, and Alexander gave a delighted grunt and pushed his muzzle against Ryleigh's. The cat parted his muzzle halfway, but the rhino's need was far too strong, his thick tongue had already slipped in at the narrow opening and slickened Ryleigh's dry caverns with his own saliva. Ryleigh's hips bucked in reflex and he opened his muzzle wider, giving Alexander full entry into him. They kissed hard, under the veil of darkness and the silence of the night. The slops of their kisses and guzzles of their mixed saliva falling only to each other's ears, hands rubbing against clothed tailholes. Alexander gave Ryleigh's rump a last squeeze before withdrawing, still, Ryleigh's muzzle suckling on his large tongue, their kissing ending with a loud Pop.

The emerald eyes of Alexander disappeared for half a second and reappeared, and Ryleigh reveled in their shine. Once again, Alexander closed his eyes and leaned into another short kiss before Ryleigh felt a sudden pressure on his underside and got himself lifted off the ground. Alexander cradled the back of his head and let his face rest on his chest. Ryleigh murred, and buried his snout softly at the cleft of the rhino's pectorals. He felt the rhino vibrate at the contact, and Ryleigh remembered that he was injured on that spot--By his own hands.

"...I'm sorry." he whispered, and rested his ears on him. Alexander still stayed silent, but Ryleigh could feel the steady thumps of his heart on his ears, and the delicate splay of his breath on his face. He closed his eyes and felt Alexander carry him towards the bed, resting his whole body on top of the soft sheets and pillows. Alexander climbed up next to him; only half his face visible against the illumination, eyes still a grand show of lightworks. His warm hand caressed Ryleigh's cheeks and slid his thumb gently under his eyes, leaning his head towards Ryleigh until their muzzles were only an inch apart and gave him a light kiss.

Ryleigh reached his own paw, caressing the rough stubble on Alexander's face and pulling and rubbing his own cheeks against them. Alexander was a man of discipline, and any man of discipline and better hygiene would shave everyday. The fact that Alexander failed to do that meant that he hadn't had time, or energy to do so. Maybe he was stressing over Ryleigh. Maybe...

"I like the stubble on your face." Ryleigh whispered and let his paw wander on Alexander's chin.

"Really?" Alex asked, his thick basso so close to Ryleigh's ears that it stirred his chest, "I haven't had the time to shave...I thought I looked terrible with it."

"You don't," Ryleigh stated, circling his finger around the rhino's cheeks, "I kinda thought that you looked lame as a bouncer without the beard or goatee going on."

"Really? You thought that?"

"Yeah." Ryleigh admitted, "But I take it back. It's perfect on you. It makes you look good, and mature and--"

Alexander silenced him momentarily with a kiss, and Ryleigh buried himself on it. He was breathless when he pulled away, "--And hot." He finished.

"Ah." He said, "I was afraid that you wouldn't like me...I look the same as those other guys at the club. You know...all muscles, dominant..." he trailed off

"I never really felt like that about you." Ryleigh said, "It's how you treat me that counts."

"I treated you like an animal." Alex said, his voice hoarse, "I'm sorry."

"That's because I acted like an animal. I would've locked me as well if I was in your position. I--I'm very unstable Alex. I never admitted it before but I knew I was. Still am."

"I'm here for you Ryleigh." He said, pulling the cat closer, "If ever you want to express your anger then I'm willing to accept your blows. I deserve your anger, and if you want to kill me now then I'll let you."

Ryleigh gasped, "Alex!"

"I mean it." He said, his emerald eyes beaming with ingenuity.

"If there's anything that I want to do now then it's...it's..."

"Make love?"

Ryleigh felt his cheeks flare up, "Y-yes."

Alexander kissed him on the cheek, "I think that it's still too early for that."

"But back at the café!"

"You caught me by surprise. I'm sorry if it seemed that way. I--" Alexander hesitated, "I'm not really active when it comes to...you know...But when you kissed me I just couldn't control myself. It's been a while since I did..." he hesitated again.

"Masturbate?" Ryleigh filled in.

"Yes. That." Alex said.

"Then you mean that you don't want to do it with me?"

"No! I want to...It's just that...What exactly are we, Ryleigh?"

"I don't know." He admitted, "I mean, I've always looked at you with both hatred and--"

"Love?"

"Y-yes. I didn't really know what I felt. I mean you've hidden a lot of things from me Alex, and most of the time I wasn't sure whether you meant well or not--I didn't know. I always thought of the worse."

Alexander sighed, "I'm sorry. But you do understand what would've happened if you did know."

"Before. I wouldn't."

"Exactly. But now, I'll tell you everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything you wanted to know. On one condition."

"Yes?"

"I'll tell you. As long as it wouldn't hurt you."

Ryleigh whimpered, "I feel so overprotected."

"With reason." Alex said.

Ryleigh sniveled, "Fine. I trust you Alex. Now more than ever." He said, "So...when exactly are we gonna?"

Alexander chuckled, "Here I thought you wouldn't want to do it." He said, "After wanting to get away from it all, you beg to do it again?"

"It's different. You're different."

Alexander exhaled, "We'll see. But not now. Not too soon."

"Then--"

"Hush. Sleep." Alexander breathed.

Ryleigh smiled, happy that Alexander wasn't overly eager about the whole thing despite his own eagerness. Alexander was willing to wait until it was the right time, and so was Ryleigh.

"Kiss me." He murred and Alexander gladly acquiesced. They kissed for minutes, only letting their paws wander over their bodies and tongues to do the talking and after that, Alexander slipped off and meandered his stubbled face to Ryleigh's neck and gave him a single, long, wet lick. Then he gave a weak, reassured sound and slept. Ryleigh closed his eyes, and soon, darkness took him.

And all he felt and smelled were nothing but Alexander.