Bruno grit his teeth and concentrated, pushed on his vision more so than he ever had before. He had to hold himself steady. He could do this. He needed to do this. There was too much at stake. He couldn't allow failure. Not this time. He had to get it right, get it perfect. The emerald sand whirled and spun around him as he lifted his lips in a snarl, blood trailing from his nose that he paid no mind to. The vision burst into its' ending, sending sand flying instead of falling. He huffed, out of breath, and looked at the tablet in his hands. He gave a roar of anger and threw it to the side to fall amongst the other smoking shards. He needed to see more. He hadn't seen the butterfly before. Surely he was missing something. Surely there was something else.

He took a deep breath and spread his arms out. He was just going to have to try again. Grounding ritual be damned.

The day had started off well. Who would have guessed that it would've turned into this. He'd slept so well. The stars soothed him and he often sat by his crystal mirror to drink in their light. He'd lay there and ask them questions, knowing that they wouldn't answer. The voices of men cannot be heard by the heavens. He'd gone to bed tired and at peace. The nightmares stayed away. He felt good. The family felt good. Everything felt good.

To clarify, it was a good day.

Breakfast, he'd actually made it this time, was peaceful but with its' entertainment as well. He'd had a good appetite and ate well. Camilo was doing impressions and some family members would raise hands and say "oh, do me". There had been a moment of tense eye contact between himself and Camilo before Bruno started quietly laughing. He was being honest when he had said that he thought Camilo's impression of him was hilarious. He'd also said that now it felt like he had to live up to it somehow. Like, impression Bruno was more….well impressive than the real Bruno. He'd constantly ask the kid if he knew of a way that Bruno could grow a few feet. Say….two? He could get the boy to duck his head over it but they both always had a laugh.

In fact the two had been agents of chaos on more than one occasion by just having Camilo impersonate Bruno the whole day and confuse the family before they put two and two together at which point it became a game of "guess". How they managed to do that multiple times successfully they didn't know but it was great. He still loved to play with the kids. He'd always been that way. Bruno loved kids. Of course sometimes Bruno was the last person you wanted watching your kids because during those moments he could get into a kind of….mood.

A mood that said "Good thing I'm just an uncle, this is going to be a parent problem".

It was a mindset like this that led to a whole host of problems the majority of them being that Bruno managed to get them into ridiculous situations. In fact, at one point he'd wound up convincing Lusia to throw him onto the roof in order to prove that, yes he was as agile as Mirabel had said. He was exactly that level of agile and stuck the landing, sliding down the shingles, gripping the wooden door frame, flipping through the doorway to land on a chair and keeping his balance as it slid across the floor. He had hopped off the chair and gave a theatrical bow with the kids cheering.

Of course his mamá had seen the whole thing…..oops.

That had been a total of yesterday days ago too.

Needless to say, his hermana's were rethinking everything by this point but, all of that shyness and hesitation just went away around kids. It was good to see, even if what he was doing with the children was going to turn into a nightmare for them. Bruno and Camilo had teamed up to tell stories to Antonio, who loved Bruno's stories as it turns out, and that was just far too cute. Camilo was a good storyteller but Bruno was more creative.

Julieta had said that a family outing seemed like good idea so they could keep track of all the children while giving Bruno a pointed look. He just bit into his knuckles to try and stifle his laughter. Of course, as with any sibling, he'd managed to disappear with all of the children when they weren't looking simply because she had said that. That one had been carefully planned and executed so perfectly. He'd almost gotten smacked by Pepa for that one and, even he could admit, he'd have deserved it. The only reason it didn't happen was because Felix had thought it was hilarious. They wound up at his lake again just for the sake of Luisa wanting to learn how to skip stones. Bruno was almost insulted that no one had taught her. She said that everyone, and herself, were worried that she'd throw it too hard.

He'd rolled his eyes, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a piece of clay.

"Hard enough to skip, soft enough to not hurt anyone too badly."

So, he'd taught Luisa how to skip stones and had no idea how important of a moment that was as he managed to guide her strength in the toss. Why he had a lump of clay in his pocket no one knew but, by this point, something like that really wasn't out of the norm. He was stretching out his back, having been laying in the grass with his rats for some time, when he heard it. A ringing. A pulsed kind of ringing and he immediately took an opportunity to slip away and back to Casita. He burst through the door, ran up the stairs to his bedroom and right to shelf that held the prophecies he'd kept for himself but it wasn't coming from this shelf.

He stiffened and turned to the other shelf on the far end of the room. He gulped and took trembling steps toward it. He reached up and crumbled the stone to dust. It was one of the scarred ones. They rang out, all of his prophecies did, when they came to fruition. He was the only one who could hear it so he knew exactly when something he had foretold was happening. It flashed faintly along with the rhythm of the ringing. He bit his lip, took a breath, squared his shoulders and looked.

It was the jaguar. It was happening right now. Right now, down by the river, a mother was being mauled and mutilated by a jaguar in front of her own children. When it stopped glowing was when he knew that she was dead. He stared at the image, tears in his eyes, and whispered how sorry he was. He slid it back onto the shelf, moving it to the side reserved for ended prophecies, and waited for the inevitable as he walked back out to join his family again. Soon enough those children were going to run into town. It didn't take long to get to the river. He just had to keep a straight face.

"Fake it 'till you make it" He told himself. "Sé valiente bruno. No hay nada que puedas hacer. No dejes que nadie lo sepa. No sabes lo que pensarán. No sabes lo que harán."

Of course he was right and he tried to keep the kids away from the situation, especially Antonio but they were the Madrigals and the Madrigals were the ones who took care of the Encanto. Once again, there was nothing he could do. He just stood there, helpless. The world devolved into chaos around him and there was still nothing he could do. He decided that it might be a good idea for him to leave. He didn't know if people might have thought that he had had a vision and didn't say anything. Which was true but not for the reasons they would think. He left.

He wishes he didn't.

Antonio was missing and it was all his fault.

So, he had to see. He had no choice. He had to see beyond the scar! He had to know the change! He had to know…..Antonio….he-he had to know. He had to find him. He had to! There was no choice here. Again the sands fell and again he saw the same. Again he'd stared and watched the woman as she fought for her life, skin hanging from her face in jagged strips. Her lips were gone. The beast pulled at her skin and it stretched and stretched before snapping like a band. He snarled and started again. He could do this! There had to be more!

The sands whirled and his vision cave shook as he trembled violently. There was red spinning around him. This had to be it. This had to be beyond the scar. He pushed harder before realizing that something was wrong. He felt a pop and his world faded to black as the sands burst, cracks running through his cave with the force of it, and he hit the ground, unmoving.

You see, Antonio was trying to do the right thing. The Jaguar must be confused. They must be lost. They needed help and he was the only one who could speak and reason with it. It was his gift after all. That is what the child had told himself.

"Antonio I don't like this." Parce ducked his head, ears flat. "The man eaters are man eaters for a reason."

"I have to do something. This is my gift."

"Then bring the bigger ones with you."

"They'll kill her!"

"I don't feel right about this. I can smell her markings. She's laid claim."

"I have to try."

Parce shook himself and followed the boy into the jungle. He'd already asked about bringing other animals but his friend only said he thought that it might be intimidating and they would never find the jaguar.

It's not fair really to be angry at Antonio now is it? After all, he only wanted to do what was right. Which is far more than any parent should be proud of. He was right. It was his gift. He was right, they did find her. Parce was right too.

The sleek cat dropped down from the trees in front of them and hissed a warning.

"My food." She snarled. "Away!" She hissed.

"Wait." Antonio said quietly and emerged from behind Parce.

She was far more muscular than Parce, though he was larger. She was thin though, thin enough to see spine and rib.

"She's starving. We need to leave." Parce said in a quiet "mrr"

The other jaguar bared her teeth. "Traitor!" She yowled at him. "Traitor! You two legged slave!"

"No, no he's my friend."

"Two legs are no friends toThe Mother. Murderers. Killers with no reason." She snarled. "With their fire sticks and metal monsters that bite."

It was then that Antonio saw her broken and twisted front leg.

"She's gone lame. She can't hunt. There's nothing we can do." Parce whined.

"Silence pet!" She growled. "You defend a two leg cub? You would turn on your kin?"

"That's not what's happening. He can help. He can hear. He has the ears of The Mother. He is blessed."

"I will tell you what blessing a two leg might have." She grinned. "Death!"She roared and lunged.

Parce leaped at her with a deep roar and slammed into her chest. He knocked her onto her back and howled as she raked his stomach with her claws. She dug her teeth deep into his shoulder and he yowled in pain, giving her the chance to slide out from underneath. Parce hissed.

"Away!"

She leaped at him again and raked her claws across his face as he reared onto his hind legs. Fur flung from her paw as she drew back and caught him under the chin with her teeth. He fell onto his back, twisting his head to bite back while clawing at her back.

"Go!" Parce roared at Antonio who stood frozen in shock.

At the reminder of the boy's presence she abandoned the fight in favor of chasing down an easy meal and settle scores. Parce launched himself forward and caught her at the hips, bringing her tumbling to the ground. They hissed, roared, and yowled as the two big cats fought, one for territory and the other for love. His teeth caught on her brow and he clamped his jaws shut as hard has he could, feeling a crack beneath his teeth. She snarled and lifted a paw to scratch at his eye.

Antonio listened to his friend and ran for help, leaving the two cats to fight.

"Away!" Parce hissed. "Mine! My place! Mine! My own!" He roared loudly to display that this territory, the Encanto, was his.

"There's the real beast! Unleashed from that two leg. It's softened you."

"Away." Parce growled, low and deep in his chest.

"A pet, a traitor, doesn't keep territory. You're a two leg guard. Nothing more."

"Wrong!" Parce roared and leaped forward.

She ducked down, letting his leap carry him over her. She sprang up and sank her teeth into his belly before slamming him to the ground. She leaped over him and wrapped her jaws around his head. Parce howled in pain and he could feel his skull breaking. He rolled and yowled but couldn't dislodge her. He felt a crunch.

There was a loud sound. It was a gunshot. Yes, Parce knew what fire sticks were called by the humans. He was dizzy and out of breath but there wasn't a pressure on his skull anymore, though there remained a weight atop him. He laid there huffing and puffing. He was exhausted but he forced himself to move. He heard voices shouting. He shook his head.

Antonio!

Parce pulled himself to his feet, the female jaguar rolling off of him limply. She was dead. He could smell that life had left her. He let out a breath through his nose. What's done is done. She could not be helped. Her body will return to The Mother. She will know peace. It is the way of things. Antonio ran to him and he nuzzled at his little cub, licking away tears and ignoring his wounds. The boy stuttered out apologies but Parce would have none of it.

"You tried." He purred. "Which is more than any human can say for themselves." He licked away the dirt from his cub's hair and purred in comfort and relief.

He lifted his head. There was a smell. A faint scent on the wind. He lifted his nose and flared his nostrils.

"What is it?" Antonio asked before being yanked up by his father.

"There is...a scent."

"Wait! Wait!" Antonio called but Felix wasn't about to stop. They were going home and they were going home now.

Parce nudged and limped his way through the undergrowth. The larger ones, Antonio's family, were here and trying to make him go. He almost fell into what he was searching for it was so well hidden. He stuck his nose down through the plants at the base of a large boulder. He blinked.

"Well hello little ones." He purred and one hissed.

An imitation of their mother. They weren't old enough to speak. Two cubs is quite the job for any wild jaguar let alone one such as her. She was desperate and paid the price, but her cubs didn't have to. He gently reached down and removed one despite it pawing at his face. He placed the cub down in the undergrowth before retrieving the other.

He heard the voices of the other two legs but they were not Antonio so he could not understand their words. It was not The Mother who had blessed them.

When Bruno awoke he was none the wiser to the situation. His head lolled back and forth, he could taste blood in his mouth. He groaned and rolled over, trying to push himself to his feet. He had to try again. Why was it so dark? He stood and stumbled. He fumbled his way over to the closed door, normally the candles stayed lit but he had thrown tradition to the wind. He found the handle and gave a push, opening the cave and letting the light in.

Or….it should have let in the light.

He stopped, brows creased in confusion. Had something fallen and blocked off the cave? Was it night? There should be some light but there wasn't. He spit blood from his mouth and reached a shaky hand up to feel his eyes. He didn't feel the pain at first. The pressure was worse than anything he'd felt before. It felt like his eyes were ready to pop or burst. They felt raw, like they'd been scratched at. He pulled his hand away wet and the liquid grew sticky on his fingers. He retched as his world spun and by the grace of god did not throw up.

But, he still couldn't see. Why couldn't he see? He pulled a match from his pocket and struck it. He could feel the heat of it on his fingers.

But, he still couldn't see.