Genesis (n): the origin or mode of formation of something.
Not to be confused with the Genocide Route from "Undertale".
"My papi... wasn't the doting type. He... well, he was more sociopathic above everything else. One day, in the middle of a thunderstorm, he just... abandoned me to fend for myself. I was so scared... scared of the thunder, the lightning, and the crushing sense of loneliness. I guess you can say that's where all of my... cowardice came from."
Tucker was still laying there with a smile on his face. I guess he really does have all day.
"I'm not sure how long after, but I managed to find the Encanto. And... I was greeted and adopted with open arms. They were delighted to have a family pet. Though with a family of twelve, I thought there'd be at least two more. Anyway, I was generally enjoying my life there. But... you see, before any of us were born, my Abuela went through a really tough time. She, uh... didn't know how to deal with it. Started putting pressure on her three children; my aunts and uncle."
Would you believe me if I told you that Tucker is STILL here? Showing no signs of being bored. He looked invested, actually.
"Do you know what generational trauma is?" I asked him. He nodded vigorously. Alright, then, good. I don't want him to think Abuela's the bad guy here. She's anything but. "Well, two of her three kids are married and had three kids each. Now, the magic of the Encanto, see, when a child turns five years old, our house, Casita, blesses them with some kind of gift to help the village. My aunts and uncle were the first ones to receive a gift. One of my aunts can heal people with her cooking, the other can control the weather based on her mood, and my uncle... can see into the future. My cousins, my aunt's children, five of the six got a gift."
Tucker sat up to count on his fingers. "What about the sixth one? Did he get a cool power? Or she?"
I shook my head. "I was about to get to that. No, unfortunately, she didn't. Even though she was the fifth... Are you sure you want me to keep going? This is a really long story."
"Absolutely. Tell your old pal Tucker your troubles. All of them." He answered. Whelp, he asked for it. This story... is going to take forever.
But I'll spare you, so I don't bore some of you any further.
I told Tucker everything; Abuela's troubled past, the generational trauma that everyone had to endure, and the events of yesterday and the day before. It's safe to assume that the story took about an hour. And Tucker. Is. Still. Here.
"Sure, it was an eventful day... But it only took me one day to realize that what Abuela said about me was low-key true. It was my fault that the miracle died. My fault that I'm too much of a coward. My fault that my uncle had to live in the walls. My fault that I wasn't fast enough to try and save the miracle when it was already close to dying... My fault that Mirabel ran away. And I can't find her anywhere... I spent the majority of the night trying to find her. I didn't want to rest until I found her. But my limbs thought otherwise. They just... gave out while I was walking, and the next thing I knew, I was asleep. But I didn't want to sleep! I wanted to find my cousin!"
"That's really sweet of you... but that doesn't make sleep deprivation an okay thing to do." Tucker said. I nodded, "I know. But I was putting my cousin's needs before my own, because... she needed more help than I did. She's out here in the woods somewhere, probably loathing herself for what happened. I can only pray that the rest of the family is looking for her as well.
"They're her family. I'd hope so, too."
"Well, anyway, I got myself lost, having not a clue what time it was... and then you sat on me."
Tucker chuckled, rubbing his arm. "I didn't mean to sit on you."
"It's okay, really."
"So you said you came from the Encanto?"
"Yeah... I'm probably miles away now. It's nowhere to be seen. I can't smell anybody anywhere. And to make matters worse, I can't smell Mirabel anywhere. Anyway, thank you for taking all of this time to hear my stupid sob story." I told him. "Oscar, it wasn't stupid. I wanted to hear your backstory." The grison said. "I wanted to know why you were hiding." I grinned. "Thank you. It's actually kinda convenient that I found someone to vent out my feelings to." Tucker just laughed. "I have no fixed abode. I just roam around these Colombian forests. Or valleys, since we're in a valley right now."
"So, anyway, can you tell me more about... what'd you say you were? A greaser?"
"Grison."
"Right."
"Where should I even start?!" A huge grin spread across Tucker's face, almost as if he's stoked about me asking what a grison was. "We can swim, sometimes we're most active at night... I'm only active when I wanna be. I'm out in the open here in Cocora Valley when grisons are usually near streams or rivers. But I've snuck my way onto human plantations to steal some crops. We're generally carnivores, though, just like you."
I can't really call myself a carnivore, can I? I've never actually hunted before. When I said I ate the rats I exterminated? That was a lie. I'm sorry.
"I get the whole 'skunk' thing a lot. Everyone thinks I'm a skunk." He said. "Well... you have white fur on your back. And you smell the part. In a nice way, though!" I said. I wasn't sure how to say that sentence without sounding like a jerk. But Tucker clearly didn't think so. "We defend ourselves like a skunk does!" Tucker said, turning around and lifting his tail. "Wanna see?"
Eyes widened, I raised my paws, "Ah, no thanks." I couldn't help but laugh, though. I feel like he was trying to make me feel better. He shrugged and stood up straight again. "So, what about you? You're a house cat, right? What cat things can you do?" Tucker asked.
I sighed. If he really wants to know. "Other than purr, meow, eat, sleep, and catch small rodents, there aren't a lot of cat things I can do..."
Tucker cocked his head to the side, that stupid grin still plastered on his face. "Come on, I've seen a jaguar haul a caiman out of the water, there has to be something you can do! Can you swim?"
"I don't do it often, but... yeah, I can swim."
"What about climbing trees? Can you climb trees?"
My heart dropped at that last one. "Ehh..."
"I bet you can climb trees! I've never seen a cat that couldn't climb trees!"
"Well, Tucker, I hate to say it, but there's a first for everything." I said, standing up. "I can't climb trees. I'm not good at it."
"Have you ever tried?"
"Uh..."
"You'll never know if you never try!" Tucker took off towards another wax palm, instead of the one that was right next to us. "Yeah, but..." I started as I followed him up the slope. "You won't risk falling to your death, or breaking one or more nails if you don't try, either!"
Tucker looked at me. He looked like he felt both sympathy and empathy for me. "Hey, listen, I get it. You're afraid of trying something new because you're afraid you'll get yourself killed." He asked. I nodded. "And that's okay. Let me just paint you a picture; let's say you're being chased by an animal that can't climb trees, like, say, a crocodile. Climbing a tree is your only way to make it out of that situation alive. But you can't climb. So you're stuck either running or swimming away from it. Crocs are pretty fast in and out of the water."
"What's your point?"
"My point is, you might get yourself in a situation where you'll need to climb a tree to survive. But if you don't know how to climb... then you probably won't survive. That's why I was taught how to climb, hunt, swim, and all that self-defense stuff. But you weren't. And that's fine, because I'm offering to teach you how to climb."
"But... I can't..."
"Hey," Tucker put a paw on my shoulder. "It's okay. You can trust me... And in a jungle full of much bigger animals than you and me, that's more that can be said for the most part."
Well, nobody wants 'death by crocodile' on their death certificate. "Okay... do I have to go all the way up?" I asked. Tucker shook his head, "Not if you don't want to. If you ask me, nature doesn't require you to go to the canopy. That's a good way to get snatched by a harpy."
"What's a harpy?"
"That's not important right now. So what you wanna do first is get a good grip on it. Like this," Tucker dug his claws into the tree, wrapping his legs around it. "Your claws are your friend here."
I blinked and stood there for a moment, before I crouched, and jumped, using my claws to keep myself from falling. My forearms are outstretched. "Just like that!" Tucker said. I groaned in discomfort, "I look like an idiot." Tucker shook his head, "No, you look like a cat climbing a tree. Now you just gotta push yourself up."
"How do I...?"
"Push up with your back legs, then stretch your arms out again."
I did what I was instructed, and... I think I'm climbing a tree right now... I'm going up, so I guess I'm climbing. Meanwhile Tucker was cheering me on from the ground. It got louder the higher up I went. "There you go! You're doing it! You're climbing!"
"I'm climbing!"
"You're doing the thing you were afraid of doing!"
"Oh, I'm afraid. I'm terrified. But I'm doing it..."
I stopped when I was about ten feet u the tree. "Okay, now w—" I cut myself off when I made the horrible mistake of looking down. While I was about ten feet in the air, it looked so much farther. I gripped the tree tighter as my breathing grew heavy.
Tucker's voice made me slow my breathing a bit. "Oh... did I forget to tell you not to look down?" He yelled. "My bad. Should I climb up there and get you down?"
Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to accept his offer. But... like he said, in a jungle full of much bigger animals, having someone you can trust is pretty important.
"Tucker, you said I could trust you?"
"I sure did!"
"So can I trust you to catch me if I let myself fall?"
"Ohoh, you're taking the fearless route, huh? I love it! Yes, you absolutely can trust me to catch you!"
I would assume he had his arms out ready to catch me. I took a deep breath. Here I go... I drew my claws out and lightly pushed myself backwards. All things considered, it's not like I don't think he'll catch me. Then again, I'm out in the rainforest, filled with unpredictable animals.
Anyway, Tucker DID catch me. Bridal style, but he caught me. I opened my eyes to see Tucker grinning at me. "I didn't have a lot of doubt, but I'll admit, I had some." I said. Tucker kept that adorable grin on his face as he set me down on the ground. "Don't sweat it. You made a friend on your first day out in the wild. That's an achievement in and of itself."
I returned his grin. He's right. "Thanks, Tucker. I..." I paused, nostrils flaring. On the ridge ahead of us, a herd of tapirs double back and starts running toward us, pursued by flames. My expression turns to horror. "Oh no..." Tucker turned and ran in the opposite direction, with the herd hot on our heels.
....................
Meanwhile, a sleek crocodile with dark green patches and three green markings on the side of his ribs and tail, and an elderly male cat, surveyed the fire from a nearby ridge.
"The plan is in motion. Go!" The crocodile ordered.
The elderly cat runs off.
....................
I paused, my path blocked by flame. I panted and looked over one shoulder at the fire behind me. I screamed and, against my better judgement, ran into an area of thick smoke. I coughed, desperately trying to find Tucker. "Tucker!?" I shouted, but I didn't get an answer. Wait, there's a ridge above the flames here!
I ran toward the ridge, dodging around several fires. I leaped and caught onto the ridge with my front paws. But I struggled to hold on, nearly falling into the flames below. Regardless, I managed to leap to safety. Unfortunately, I think I might have inhaled too much smoke. I collapsed with a moan, feeling incredibly lightheaded.
Behind me, a dark shape with glowing eyes approaches through the smoke. I looked up at the stranger weakly. He bared his teeth. My vision blurred, and then I collapsed, the world fading to black.
....................
An overly concerned Tucker circles around to Oscar's head and lifts his chin with one paw. He is unresponsive. He looks both ways before picking him up and carrying him over the shoulder. He frantically looked to the left and right, until he saw what appeared to be another cat. "Over here!" The cat said before he disappeared.
Tucker knew that time was of the essence. He climbed down the ridge, following the strange feline with the fire blazing behind him. He races through a burning forest. A tree falls and blocks his path. "Whoa!" Tucker leaps over the tree and heaves himself over another ridge. Tucker and Oscar fall down a steep cliff into a river below.
Tucker emerges above the water, still carrying Oscar over his shoulder. He gently sets him down on his side. Footsteps approached Tucker and Oscar. The feline from before looked similar to Oscar, except slightly bigger with coarse gray fur in his ears and his coat.
"Are you... the cat from before?" Tucker asked. The other cat nodded. "I am. I'm Ignacio. Your name?"
"...Tucker."
Oscar coughed, weakly opening his eyes. "Where am I?" He asked.
...................
"Son?"
Upon hearing the voice I wasn't familiar with, I didn't think before I pounced on the strange second cat next to me. I growled and hissed at a bright yellow, serval-looking cat. In his ears was long, crooked, coarse gray fur. His whiskers were also crooked, tinted with white.
The older cat looked mortified as I expressed my aggression. "Oscar, it's me!" The cat said. "Your father!"
Upon hearing those last two words, the defensive anger turned into REAL anger. I rounded on Ignacio. "Father?!" I roared, before hissing at him again. Tucker was surprised at my ferocity, as was Ignacio. "Whoa." He muttered. "What are you doing here!?" I asked.
"I humbly ask—" I cut him off. "You know what, no. After everything you put me through, none of it. You've never listened to me. Why should I listen to you?"
Ignacio's breathing grew labored for a moment before he had the gall to speak to me. "Look, I know who I was before. But I have left that part of me behind now. I'm a rogue. Judge me now for who I am... or am I to be blamed for a crime I didn't commit?"
I snarled and placed around. "You don't have to listen to what I'm saying. But I'm asking. Please. Just... give me a minute of your time."
I narrowed my eyes. "Fine."
"I — I know you're smart." Ignacio looked at his paws for a moment, smiling. "You're practically an adult now. So please don't — don't think I don't know that, because I do. I know you're smart, you're capable, and you can do... amazing things."
He inhaled deeply. Exhaled. "But... how can I put this... I've heard the way you look out for your family. The way you make your cousins laugh when they need it. You put your family before yourself." He gave me a fleeting smile. "Your family, it's everything to you. I get it. I'm not... well, you don't know me as well as you might know everybody else, but, uh..."
He sighed. My tail tapped on the ground, growing impatient. And angrier. "You're family, alright? I couldn't — I couldn't handle it if something happened to you. You understand, don't you? So, please - just for tonight - Let me stay with you and this... skunk. Please. For me."
He was speaking softly and nervously, but his smile seemed genuine. His eyes flitted across my face as he looked for a reaction, fidgeting with paws, patient and understanding. As if. He has the nerve to call me family.
A smile and a bit of affection wasn't going to undo anything that had been done, or change what was right or wrong. I seriously doubt he actually loves me, let alone knows me, and I didn't care to see him pretend to understand what I felt.
He wants to play hardball? That's fine. I can play hardball, too.
"Do you know what I said to Mirabel the night I was adopted?" I asked. "I asked her what I've done wrong. I was five months old. It was the first time anyone saw me cry. They didn't get it. But I did my best to put the past behind me. It was all I could do. Where were you then?"
Ignacio's eyes were wide and fearful. He took a step back.
"You left me in the middle of a thunderstorm," I said, "What, did you think I died? There was a lot of tension. A lot of anger, confusion, and grief. You knew it was wrong, leaving me to die, didn't you? So where were you?"
Ignacio was backing away like I was physically attacking him. He stumbled, but didn't take his eyes off of my face.
"You weren't there," I hissed, "You could have helped. You could have protected me. You could have helped with my confidence problems. You could have done anything. But you didn't. You watched every second of my turmoil-infested life and you didn't lift a finger. And now you wanna come back into my life like nothing happened and tell me what to do?"
Ignacio was now backed up against the tree behind him. I hadn't realized I was closing in until I was already there, staring my former dad in the face.
"You don't know me. You're not my family. I'm not doing anything for you."
Ignacio didn't even have the guts to defend himself. He just stared, shell-shocked and horrified, and said nothing at all.
Tucker stood in between me and Ignacio. "Look, why don't we all just settle down for a minute. I don't know what happened between you two, it's really not my business." He said. "But I will say this; the kid's hurting right now. The least you can do right now is respect his feelings and try to make him feel better."
"I don't think you're aware of who you're talking to." I snapped. "My dad is a terrorist, feared throughout the entire rainforest. He doesn't care about the needs of others! He's constantly out for himself! Why do you think he abandoned me?" Ignacio moved his head to his right in a side look of shame.
The grison put his paw on my arm in a comforting manner. "I don't know. I really don't. But I can tell you this; you might not like me after this, but... I really think he's trying to make amends with you. Give him a shot, why don't you?"
"Son, the skunk is right. I know you don't trust me."
"Of course not!"
"And you have every right not to."
"Well within my right!"
"But I am trying to make things right." He said, coughing a bit. "I understand that nothing I can do will excuse what I've done to you, but I want to try. Please, at least give me a chance. I will leave if you tell me to, I'll understand. You don't want me around after everything."
At a crossroads, I was. On one hand, I hate Ignacio's guts for abandoning me, at such a young age, during a thunderstorm, leaving me to starve. I was lucky to somehow find the Encanto and get adopted by the Madrigals. On the other hand, he did sound like he wanted to make things right. To earn my trust back. It's possible for him to do that, but it'll be far from easy.
"No. While I don't trust you, I'll give you a second chance. For right now, you can stay with me. Show me you've changed. Show me you can be trusted again." I said as I wandered in the opposite direction. "By the way, I'm not a skunk. I'm a greater grison." I heard Tucker say to Ignacio behind me. "Ah. Yes, I see the difference now."
I rolled my eyes. He can't tell the difference between a skunk and a grison, I wonder if he actually knows the difference between right and wrong.
....................
As night falls over the rainforest, Oscar notices Ignacio about to lie down next to him. He stands up with a growl, intimidating him away from the younger feline. "Whoa, easy, I just... wanted to say thank you. For giving me a chance." The older cat said. His son kept his glare, but his ears rose a bit. "You're welcome." He growled out, then went back to his previous spot to lay down.
Ignacio took a step forward and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Should he even bother asking him? The chances are pretty high that he'll say no. Then again, if he's giving him a chance to get his trust back... "Son?"
Oscar had to will himself not to groan to the sky. "What?" He spat the word out like it tasted horrible. Ignacio took a deep breath and finally popped the question. "May I... sleep next to you?"
"Absolutely not."
Ignacio shrugged. It was worth a try.
"Not right next to me."
The elderly feline straightened himself. "Sleep over there, where you can see me." Oscar pointed to his left. Ignacio glanced, getting the picture. He wanted him about two or three feet way from him. So Ignacio took a couple steps to where his son wanted him to sleep.
...................
At a distance from the three animals, four crocodiles watch Ignacio lie down a couple feet from his son, hiding in the underbrush.
A small and slender crocodile, with bright green spots and markings under his tail and top of his muzzle, spluttered, "D-did you see that?! He let him go! If that were me, I–"
The same crocodile from before, Morder, snapped his head. "Hush." Broma ducked down sheepishly. "The plan worked perfectly, and that idiot fell for it." Morder bends down to Broma's level. "Now, the closer Iggy gets to the offspring," Morder strides past Broma. "The closer he gets to the skunk." Broma gestures wordlessly. "And once he has them alone..." Morder slashes at a bush with a snarl, stripping it from its leaves. Broma ducks just in time.
"You and Escama stay here and watch that cat. Risco, you're with me." The crocodile leader ordered. Broma and Escama, a bulky green crocodile, with a large dark green spot at the end of his long snout, some light green markings on the side of his ribs and the end of his tail, stood side by side and nodded.
Another bulky crocodile, this one with dark green spots, stood with Morder. "Come back to the lake if you see or hear anything."
....................
He was looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Unfortunately for Ignacio, it just wasn't coming. He couldn't stay asleep.
But with everyone dozing, Ignacio quietly opened his eyes. With the moonlight in his eyes, he quietly approached his son. He looked at the younger feline and then Tucker. Neither of them were awake. He grinned, proud to have convinced them into accepting him. Lifting his paw, he gently stroked his son's ear. It twitched upon contact, but Oscar remained asleep.
Ignacio sighed, looking up at the starry night sky. Morder is most likely waiting for him. Waiting for him to eliminate his son. And chances are that he wants Tucker dead as well. No real reason. Morder doesn't need a reason to kill, or to force others to kill. Ignacio knew this, and he refused. In the past, maybe not, but for the first time, his eyes have opened.
His son has genuinely cared about him before he... abandoned him. When Oscar was a kitten, he'd try to play with his father, gift him with small animals he successfully caught, and sleep by his side every night. And what would Ignacio do? Turn his nose up to his son's generosity.
The old man truthfully didn't know what sort of dark force came over him to think that leaving his son to die, in the middle of a severe thunderstorm notwithstanding, was an okay thing to do, but he feels horrible about it now. For the longest time, all he's ever wanted was to reunite with his son and apologize for his immoral choices he brought upon Oscar, for he didn't ask for any of this. Nor did he deserve it.
Ignacio quietly walked away from his son, who was peacefully sleeping alongside Tucker.
I was DARED to add this song.
For oh so many months, I have been haunted
By one mistake I made when he was a youth
Since then the only thing I ever wanted
Was that my son would never learn the truth
Right now, I think I do not need to worry
They both believe my tale, through and through
But now my heart aches, and I have to hurry
Don't know what would happen if he knew
It's true
Now I cannot let this bring me down
I cannot bear to see his frown
Not so thrilled, yet still I know what I must do
I must protect my son's heart
I cannot break his world apart
Hurting him is something I should never do
Something I should never do
Ignacio froze when he heard his son moan in his sleep, fearing that he was waking up. He was proven wrong when Oscar stretched and tucked his head underneath his arm. Ignacio released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He tried to keep his singing to a low volume.
Months ago, I did not know
Just how much he cared for me
But now I feel his love was real
And I can't bear to lose my family
I can't reveal my little lie
I must deceive and then deny
Not so thrilled, yet still I know what I must do
I must protect my troubled heart
I cannot break my world apart
Losing him is something I should never
So I must do something I should never
Yes, I will do something I should never do
Ignacio looked at Oscar again with a genuinely remorseful look. Still asleep, thankfully.
Something, something I should never do
More relaxed than he was before, he took a step to his resting spot, but stopped when he heard a noise up on a nearby hill. He quietly approached the hill and saw bushes rustling. Crouching down, like he was hunting, he leaped into the air and tackled his watcher. But as he landed, he saw that it was an adult male Orinoco crocodile, small and slender.
"What the...?" He muttered as he was latched onto the croc's nose. "Go ahead. Try to slice me. It'll be the last thing you do." Broma growled. Ignacio glared back at the large animal. "I'm workin' here, you waste of oxygen." He unlatched himself from Broma's nose. Then came a much bigger, much bulkier male crocodile. "Frustrated, Iggy? Tracking down helpless prey too difficult to you?"
"What are you doing here?"
Escama took a step forward, looking very displeased. "Morder's waiting."
The elderly cat chuckled. Ignacio doesn't have to take orders from these two. He does, however, have a plan. "Well, do I have a message for your boss. Tell him I'm leading them to Lake Guatavita. Your next hangout spot." He said. "It may take us a couple of days to get there. I suggest you go back. Tell Morder I'll be on my way."
The crocodiles nod and head out, leaving Ignacio to return to his sleeping spot and start dozing off. This should keep those crocodiles busy for a while. He wasn't really going to lead them to their deaths; he was leading them away from Lake Guatavita, and from any deep waters. After all, crocodiles live in or near water.
Any kind of water.