Ignacio led Oscar into a small tunnel that goes through one of the many mountains that surround the Encanto. "Was that tunnel always there?" He asked Ignacio. "I don't believe it was... but it's a good thing it is. Would've gotten severely injured, if not killed going up and down the mountains here."
He wasn't wrong. Oscar knew a coati that almost fatally fractured his skull going down one of the taller mountains going out of the Encanto. As he squeezed through, he decided it was time to get more information about the drought problem. "So, what's causing our problem here?" Oscar asked. "It's actually a 'who' that's causing our problem." Ignacio answered.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Do you know who they are?"
Ignacio sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Oscar just gave him a look. "Ignacio, not trusting you is one thing. Not believing you is another. If you know what's going on, I'm willing to believe you this one time." He said.
He wouldn't expect Oscar to call him 'dad,' since he wasn't exactly his father anymore. To be fair, he never really was.
"Well... they're dogs, alright? A pack of dogs dammed up the river. And they do not like me." Ignacio blurted out. Oscar's ear twitched. "Dogs? What are dogs doing in the wild?"
"They were supposedly born out here. That's what their leader told me when I tried to take the dam down. I was beaten and chased before I even got close to picking sticks and logs out."
"Do you know why they're doing this?"
"I'm afraid I don't. All I know is, they've taken water from thousands of animals who need it. And seeing how bravely you confronted me all those months ago, I knew you could do something about this."
The younger cat looked at Ignacio with wide eyes. That's the first time he's actually complimented him on how brave he really could be, when he wanted to be. "Thanks... for the compliment."
"You're welcome."
Oscar and Ignacio walked through the forest a few minutes more, in silence, before Oscar brought up the dogs again. "These dogs probably don't know that there are some good-natured cats that exist. I had an issue with dogs, too."
"You did, did you?" Ignacio asked, concerned.
"Oh yeah, before I was brought back to the Encanto, this Argentinian Mastiff found me and Tawney and led us back there. We didn't interact much at all before then. You could imagine my delight when I found out that he was owned by my second oldest primo's boyfriend, previously betrothed to my oldest one."
"Remind me again who your oldest cousin is?"
"Isabela."
"Right. And your second oldest one?"
"Dolores."
"Alright. I've heard of them. Nice kids, they are."
"You have no idea." Oscar said, grinning at the numerous memories of his primos he's had over the years. "Anyway, if those dogs attacked you when you tried to break the dam down, they'll probably attack me too."
"Definitely." Ignacio said.
"But I'm sure I can talk some sense into—"
Oscar was cut off when a caramel brown dog tackled Ignacio, pinning him down on his back. The dog had a notch in his right ear, and two notches in his left. His ears are round and smooth at the tips, instead of being pointed. He is probably the largest and most well-built dog in the pack, sporting a thick neck and a large, round jaw. The fur of his cheeks are long and curves upward. He has brown lower forelegs, paws, a large gray nose, and a peach underbelly that is cleft below his neck. He has a black tail. His eyes are black with light yellow sclerae and two patches of dark brown fur cover the areas around them.
Unfortunately, this dog ALSO had an entire mouthful of teeth.
"We told you not to come back, cat!" The dog said, growling in Ignacio's face. "Hey!" Oscar shouted, then pounced on the dog, now being pinned on his back like Ignacio was. "Whoa! Who the heck are you?!" The dog asked. "My name's Oscar." He answered, his glare still on his face. "What's your name?"
"Amarga! Hey, Amarga!"
Another dog made his appearance on top of a fallen log. This dog had the same black tail, caramel brown fur, and dark brown spots, paws, and muzzle, but this one had one tooth sticking out of his mouth and spikier hair atop his head.
"Rico! Little brother! Tell him to let me up!" Amarga said. "Is this a friend of yours?" Oscar asked Rico, who sighed. "He's one of my older brothers."
"That's right! So you'd better let me up! It's one against two now!" Amarga growled, lifting himself up once Oscar stepped off of him. "Clearly, you two imbeciles can't count. It's two against two." Ignacio said, standing tall (but not straight) next to Oscar. Amarga and Rico didn't let their guards down. "Hey, what kind of fool are you, anyway? Siding with this old codger!" Rico asked.
"A better question is, why aren't you two anywhere near a human civilization?" Oscar asked.
"Oh, yeah, like our pack would enjoy domestic life." Amarga chided.
"Why not? Where I come from, it's more than being pampered and spoiled for days on end. You get a good diet, a good amount of exercise—"
"The food we eat here is fine!" Rico barked. "Where DO you come from, anyway?"
"Uh, the Encanto! Where else?" Ignacio said.
"The Encanto?!" Both dogs repeated. Their shock disappeared quickly, however. "I heard the people over there are friendly, but trust us, they wouldn't like us." Rico said, then turned to his brother. "We should take him to the boss."
"Oh yeah! He's gonna wanna meet the Encanto's most respected feline, right?" Amarga got in Oscar's personal space, letting him see all of his teeth. But Oscar pushed him gently. "I have a name. Use it." He hissed. Amarga just rolled his eyes. "Okay, Oscar. Old man. Let's go." Rico and Amarga walked off in the same direction the two cats were going.
Oscar leaned towards Ignacio. "Are these the dogs who dammed up the river?" He whispered. "Yes. I don't trust them." Ignacio answered. "Me neither. But this has to be some big misunderstanding." Oscar said, picking up the pace of his walking to catch up with Amarga and Rico.
At the river, two dogs dip their heads near the water to drink.
One of them is a small, caramel brown dog with two notches in his right ear and one in his left, which are dark brown and round at the top. He has a large gray nose. He is quite skinny, with a peach colored belly and spotted brown fur. His muzzle and spots are dark brown, as are his paws. He has long canine teeth and a thin and scruffy tail.
The other is a buck-tooth dog with long forelegs and a sloping body. He has a darker brown muzzle and spots on his back and neck. His paws, tail, and ears are dark brown. He has large, round ears with brown inner ears.
And bulky dog with a notch in both ears was sleeping by the bank.
"Hey, boss! We have a visitor." Rico announced. "It's that cat from the Encanto, Oscar!" Amarga added.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in." The bucktooth dog said with a dark chuckle at his lame pun. "Indeed." The other said. "He pounced on me!" Amarga whined. "I bet you pounced first, yes?" The scrawnier dog asked. "Well, yeah." Amarga said. "Good, then our sparring sessions are paying off!"
Oscar and Ignacio shared uneasy glances. What the heck is sparring?
"Anyway, I welcome you, Oscar. I'm Locura. This bucktooth is my immediate younger brother, Divali. You've met Amarga and our youngest brother, Rico. And the dog that's sleeping over there is Fabio."
Ignacio sighed. Locura already went through this introduction yesterday. He still can't get over the fact that Divali is almost always looking at him with narrowed eyes. Like, is he not used to being exposed to sunlight, or does he have vision problems? He wasn't sure, and he didn't dare ask.
Last time he was here, he made a snide comment on how slightly deformed the dogs looked, making them almost resemble hyenas. Offended, they attacked him.
"So tell me, Oscar, what brings you here to our new territory?" Locura asked. "I did." Ignacio said, glaring. "He's my son. At least, he used to be..." He trailed off.
Locura feigned surprise. "The father of a cat from a respected family? Well then, I underestimated you, old man."
I'm gonna start counting how many times I've been tauntingly called an old man, Ignacio thought to himself. Although, they're right, I am an old man, but they're saying it in a condescending sort of way and I don't appreciate it.
"Well, you better not underestimate me." Oscar growled. "I wanna know why you dammed up the river."
Divali groaned. "You're the fourth animal this week who asked us that question. Ignacio there was the third one." He said. "What I don't understand is, why don't you just use your weather-controlling aunt to give your Encanto the water they need." Locura said.
Oscar's tail grew erect with anger. "Okay, first off, how do you know my tía Pepa? And second, I'm not gonna manipulate her to make it rain. I'm better than that."
Locura and Fabio, who just woke up from his nap, shared a glance. "You really do care about everyone who needs the river for water, don't you?"
"Well, DUH. Of course I do." Oscar said. "I'm gonna ask you one last time; why did you and your pack dam the river?"
"So many questions, all these questions! And I'd be happy to answer them." Fabio said. "Except, I feel rather uncomfortable discussing it in front of... him." He gestured to Ignacio. "Oh, by all means, don't mind me, I'm just his escort!" He growled. Fabio ignored his remark. "Maybe we can go somewhere private and talk."
Oscar just sighed. It seems as though he doesn't have much of a choice. He walked over to Ignacio for a moment. "I don't trust any of these dogs, Oscar." Ignacio muttered. "I know. But I'll see if I can convince the dogs to break the dam down." Oscar replied. "I hope you're right." The older cat muttered. Oscar turned back to Fabio and Locura. "Alright, Fabio. Let's talk."
"Great! My brothers, I'll be back soon." Locura said, with Oscar and Fabio in tow. Rico turned to Ignacio and growled. "Play nice, Rico!" Locura called back. The youngest dog pouted for a moment. Then Ignacio surged forward to bite Rico's leg, who yelped in pain. Ignacio laughed. "That's right, Rico, let's play nice."
"So, Oscar, the famous cat of the Encanto." Locura said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"It is?" Oscar asked.
"Of course it is!" Fabio said. "After all, you were born in the wild like the rest of us, right? Not that it matters or anything. Because we're dogs, and you're a cat. That's what's important. Except..."
"Except what?" Oscar asked, baring his teeth.
"Everyone wants a dog."
These dogs can't POSSIBLY be serious. The pack thinks their species is superior towards the thousands of others in the animal kingdom? No. Oscar wasn't having any of that. He's not like that. All animals, species notwithstanding, are equal. Dogs certainly aren't better than cats just because some people prefer dogs, that's for sure. Oscar learned that when he had some bonding time with Fuerza and Mariano.
"Um, no, not true." Oscar said. "Some people prefer cats, but still like dogs. My family just has a slight preference for cats. But that doesn't mean they don't like dogs."
"... Let me rephrase that." Fabio said. "Everyone SHOULD want a dog."
"Give me a reason why."
"Dogs can be trained better, and easier, than cats ever could."
"You can tell that to my family, okay? We all have different points of view." Oscar pointed out. "Uh-huh. And that's why we're here, skipper. To talk!" Locura said, leading him and Fabio out of the think underbrush and into a clearing. "This way."
On his way out, Locura met with Amarga. The two shared a knowing smirk before Locura advanced forward. Amarga hid in the shadows. "Alright, Locura, we're alone. Can we discuss the damming of the river now?"
"Don't get your whiskers in a knot, Oscar. I'll tell you. But first, I need to know; are you on the wild side, or the domestic side?" Locura asked. "Both. I'm here for both wild animals and domestic animals, and for everyone who needs the water most." Oscar answered, chest puffed out. Fabio sighed, "You do take after your mother, don't you?"
Oscar grew irate at the mention of his mother. Not the mention in general, but the fact that they were simply and carelessly taking his mother's name in vain. "And what's that supposed to mean?" Oscar snapped. "Honestly, Oscar, I thought you'd side with the wild animals. With us." Fabio said. "But, if that's your answer..."
Sensing his cue, Amarga crawled out from the bushes, growling at Oscar. He heard the growling, turned to see the large dog, and grew nervous. "Locura, what's going on here?" He asked. "It's your choice, Oscar. WIth us, or against us. And if you're against us... you'll never see your precious family again."
"Ignacio was right. He knew not to trust you." Oscar said, realizing the dogs' true intentions. "Now tell your brother to back down. I have teeth and claws. And you know what they can do."
Locura, Fabio, and Amarga burst out into laughter. It was similar to Cinco's hyena laughter, but the dog's laughter was more spine-chilling. Oscar's gonna have a hard time un-hearing that. "I'm terrified." Locura said. "I'll forgive you for that little outburst. If you promise that you leave our dam alone and don't come back."
Oscar scoffed loudly. "You're insane if you think I'll do that!"
"I'm insane either way. But very well. Think about it for a while. I'll lead you back to Ignacio and my brothers. I want them to hear your final decision." Locura said, walking away. Fabio and Amarga pushed Oscar forward with a harsh growl.
Back at the dam, Divali and Rico were getting impatient, as was Ignacio. "What's taking them so long?" Divali asked his brother, sounding concerned. "I don't know. But I'm tired of waiting!" Rico said. Then he turned to pounce on Ignacio, when Divali stepped in front of him. "Rico, don't start anything! Locura said to play nice!"
Ignacio laughed, "Oh, don't worry, tim-bucktooth. Any game your brother wants to play, I can play better!" He said. "Oh, I'm not planning to play at all!" Rico growled and jumped, but Locura's voice stopped him from actually attacking him.
"RICO!"
"Locura! You're back!" Divali said, his tail wagging. "Brother! Nothing's happening here. We're just playing nice!" Rico pulled Ignacio towards him in a fake hug, of which Ignacio pulled out of. "So, where are the answers we've been asking for?" He asked.
"Well, my brothers and I have reached an agreement." Locura said. "And what's that?" Ignacio asked. "We agreed to let you go back home alive. Only if you promise that you won't come back." Fabio said.
Ignacio was flabbergasted. "What? Oscar would never agree to that!" He said. "Oh, he didn't agree to this. But if he knows what's good for him—"
Oscar growled, smacking Amarga in the face, then tackling Divali. Chaos ensued between Oscar and the four dogs. Despite being outnumbered, Oscar had lots of stamina. However, Ignacio had to helplessly stand in the sidelines as his son fought for his life. With a loud yelp from Rico, Oscar was thrown into the path of the river by Divali, then pinned on his stomach by Fabio. The three dogs stood behind him.
"Keeping me here doesn't make any sense. I just want you dogs to share the river!" Oscar said. Not wanting to hear it, Fabio applied pressure on Oscar's head, pressing down on it. "You're a worthy adversary, cat. Now, why don't we just wait quietly for Locura to give the order?"
"Oh, I will, Fabio. So, Ignacio, are you gonna come back? Or would you rather see your son's blood splattered?" Locura asked. Ignacio stared in disbelief at the sight; his son's head pinned to the ground, gradually being pressed down harder to the point where Oscar will most certainly come back home with a headache, if not a migraine.
All he could do was stand there, panic, and think carefully about his answer; if he goes in to save him, then Oscar's skull could be crushed beyond repair, even if they did make it back home. Saying no would have the same outcome. His only choice is to say yes, and hope that Oscar formulates a plan to take down both these dogs, and the dam.
He blurted his answer out at the perfect time. "Alright, alright, I won't come back!" At his response, Fabio stopped applying pressure to Oscar's head, even though Locura didn't tell him to do so. "Just... Just don't kill him. Please." Ignacio begged.
Locura merely stared the old cat down for a few seconds with a growl. He could see the pure and utter desperation in his face and eyes, although one was whited out. He turned to his brother, nodded with a grunt, and Fabio released Oscar. He was alive, thank goodness, but he was in terrible shape. In addition to his newfound migraine, his limbs were hurting from all of the bites, scratches, bruises, and kicks the dogs gave him during the fight moments before.
What broke Ignacio's heart was the fact that Oscar didn't stand up straight away. He laid there, motionless except for his labored breathing, for one slow minute before he made an effort to stand. The way he shook reminded him of a newborn foal trying to stand and walk for the first time. Even big bad Amarga felt a small pang of remorse for hurting the feline so badly.
It took even longer for Oscar to make his way to Ignacio. And when he did, he gently rubbed his head against his chest. Almost as if he was nonverbally thanking him for answering what he answered. Or that he needed some comfort, since Oscar genuinely thought he was gonna die, knowing that Ignacio could've changed that outcome and not lift a finger as he did before.
Or both.
"Be grateful. I could've had Fabio take his life." Locura said darkly. "You have your son back, now, leave! And do not return!"
"I won't... I won't." Ignacio said, gently helping Oscar walk. It was a while from here to the Encanto, and Oscar's condition is just gonna make that trek slower, but he needs medical attention from his aunt IMMEDIATELY.
"Oscar... One of your aunts that can heal others' injuries with her cooking... What's her name?"
He didn't answer at first.
"J... Juli... Julieta."
"Alright... Just stay with me, chico, okay? I'll get you back home, she'll fix you up..." Ignacio paused, feeling an immense wave of anxiety pass through him. "And I have a butt-ton of explaining to do."
He remembered the threats that Tawney and Valiente gave him just before they left.
If my little brother comes back injured, I'll take out your other eye.
I can assure you, the consequences will be dire.
"I am in so much trouble."
