The next morning, Ignacio strides out of the den, clearly agitated. He looks guiltily over one shoulder, then paces. "Okay, I have to tell him today. Oh, where do I start?" He muttered to himself. "Uh... 'Son, Morder had a plot, and I used to be a part of it, but I don't want to be a part of it anymore, because... you're worthy of living.'"

Frustrated, Ignacio sighed, "He'll never believe me." He walks back towards his son. "But I have to at least try." He approaches Oscar. "Son, I need to talk to you."

The younger cat shook his head. "No. I don't want you talking to me." He said sternly. Before Ignacio, or Tucker, could counteract, Oscar smiled. "I want to talk to you." Tucker smiled as well, while Ignacio looks concerned. The younger cat winked. The three walked away from their resting spot, approaching an almost barren landscape of crabgrass and dead trees. Oscar, Tucker, and Ignacio walked across the plain together.

"Those soldiers murdered her husband, right in front of her." Oscar said. "Abuela didn't ask for any of this. She didn't know how to cope. That's where all of the pressure and perfectionism came from."

After hearing the tragic origin of the family's past, Ignacio was almost rendered speechless. "I've... never heard the story of the war that way. Those soldiers were killers."

"We are all capable of being killers." Tucker said, as much as he didn't want to admit it. "But, sometimes, what's left behind can grow better than the generation before..."

Oscar puts his paw down and raises some dust; when he lifts it, a young plant is there. The trio lean down, head to head. "...If given the chance."

An evil chuckle could be heard from the not-so-thick dust surrounding them. Ignacio gasped as he realizes what's happening. Two crocodiles appear from the clouds, surrounding them. The crocodiles' eyes glow a bright, sinister yellow.

"Oh no..." The trio looked around frantically. "No!"

The crocodiles growled as Murder appeared, flanked by Broma and Escama. "Why, gato..."

Oscar recognized the voice immediately. "Morder." He growled. "What are you doing out here, and—so alone?" Morder, Broma, and Escama encircle the three animals. "Good job, old friend... just like we always planned."

At first, Oscar was confused. But the confusion disappeared in a heartbeat and was replaced by pure anger as he whirled his head at his former father. "You!"

"Wh— No!" Ignacio looked around at the crocodile trio desperately as his son snarled at him. "I had nothing to do with this!" He said, looking imploringly at his now livid son.

"Attack!" Murder shouted.

Broma lunges at Oscar, snarling, but Oscar knocked Broma away with ease. "No!" Ignacio shouted as Tucker nailed Escama in the nose. Ignacio jumps into the fray, confronting the leader. Morder slammed Ignacio away with his tail, knocking him into a nearby rock. He falls unconscious. Meanwhile, the crocodiles swarm over Oscar and Tucker, still snarling.

Broma leaps into the fight, knocking Oscar off a cliff. He falls into a dried-up river. Morder surveys Oscar from the top of the riverbank. "Yes!" The crocodiles slid down the side of the riverbank towards Oscar. "We've got him!"

Oscar turned around and saw that his only means of escape was blocked off by Tosco and Risco, who pounced at Oscar. "Rah!" But missed. "Remember your training!" Morder shouted as the crocodiles chased Oscar through the empty river. One jumps on his back, but fell. "As a unit!"

Oscar pauses at the bottom of a log pile. He looks up to see that it leads to the top of the gorge. Panting, he looks behind him to see the crocodiles charging toward him. He begins to climb the log pile. As he climbs, he dislodges a log that falls toward the five crocodiles. They back away in time to avoid getting hit. Morder and Escama glare up at Oscar with a menacing snarl.

Oscar looks over one shoulder at the crocodiles down below. He then looks back up at the log pile. Meanwhile, Ignacio and Tucker stands at the top of the gorge, looking down on the feline in distress.

"Son! Over here!" Ignacio called out. Oscar looked up to see his father there, waiting for him. But he has made a terrible mistake; trust is a hard thing to built, but more importantly, trust is so easy to break, you could say that trust is fragile. Oscar shot his father a glare before he went to the opposite side of the river.

"Get him, Iggy!" Escama barked, but Ignacio remained unmoving. "Do it! Now!"

Oscar continue to climb. In an attempt to impress his leader, Broma clambers up the log pile after Oscar. "I'll do it! For you, boss!" Broma shouted as he bounds gleefully up the logs. He loses his balance for one second. Broma looks down at Morder and Escama as he climbs. "Boss, are ya watching?" Then he said under his breath, "I'm doin' it for you, and I'm doin' it for me."

At the most inopportune time, Oscar lost his footing. Acting quickly, Broma grabs onto one of Oscar's back legs. The feline winced with a grunt. "This is my moment of glory!" The log Broma is standing on breaks, causing him to fall. "What? No!"

"No!" Morder shouted. He and Escama watched helplessly as the youngest of the three made his descent down the log pile. While he did manage to stop himself from falling, when Oscar finally made it to the top, he accidentally kicked a couple more logs down the pile. Broma could only sit there as one log knocked him right off, causing him to land back-first to Morder and Escama's feet.

Oscar watched from afar, what he inadvertently caused, as did Ignacio and Tucker, who were on the other side. The two stared at him for an agonizingly long minute before Oscar growled, teeth bared, and ran off into the rainforest behind him.

Ignacio watched his son. "Ay, dios, what have I done?" He slapped a paw on his head. "He hates me now." Tucker was at a loss for words as to what to say to him. The elderly feline turned his head at the grison. "Go follow Oscar and make sure he's unharmed. Physically."

As much as Tucker wanted to object, he swam across the river and ran into the underbrush after Oscar.

The poor cat couldn't run for very long, as the crocodile incident took out more energy than he thought. Oscar is now walking wearily through the rainforest. Tucker, who finally caught up to him, sees him from a distance. "Oscar!" The feline is walking with great pain. He stopped when Tucker reached him, sitting down. "Buddy..."

Oscar coughed and wheezed, having a hard time speaking. "Father..." He took a painful breath of air. "Lied..." Was all he had to say before he collapsed on his side, groaning in pain. Tucker felt tears threaten to spill from his eyes, but he willed himself against it as he hoisted the cat onto his shoulder.

He starts to carry him to safer terrain. "It's alright, buddy... I'm here for you."

Against his better judgement, Ignacio stayed to see if his past crocodile friends were alright.

Turns out, they weren't.

There Broma was, on his stomach. He was still alive, thankfully, otherwise Ignacio would be in even bigger trouble, but he was barely breathing. Morder and Escama stood before them, looking immensely concerned.

"Brother...?" Escama whispered, nudging the slender reptile with his nose. No reaction. Gently, Morder lifted Broma's snout to see Broma's eyes closed. His head fell limply in Morder's hand. The leader drew back slowly, leaving his head to rest on the ground again. Morder stares at his fallen ally in devastation, breathing heavily.

Escama approaches from behind his leader. "Broma..." Morder could only bow his head. The area remained silent. Ignacio didn't dare to say anything, letting the two crocodiles mourn the death of their seemingly dead sibling.

After a long while, Ignacio noticed a twitch from Broma's back leg. He let out a pained groan as he slowly managed to roll himself over on his belly. Morder and Escama looked up at hearing the noise, and were relieved when they saw Broma up and moving. "Sorry, boss. I tried." He wheezed. Morder shook his head, "I don't care, hermano. You're alive."

Ignacio did sigh in relief when he saw Broma move, but it didn't save him from Morder's wrath. The now irate crocodile leader glares over one shoulder at the elderly cat. "Oh..." Morder lunges at Ignacio. "You!"

The cat looked up and saw a mouth full of sharp teeth. He backed away before he could suffer fatal injuries from the bite. "What have you done?" Morder hissed, jutting his head at his former ally. "I didn't... I-I didn't mean to. I... It wasn't my fault. I..." He stuttered, before he steeled himself. "I didn't do anything!" He spat.

"Precisely!" Morder spat back, pacing around Ignacio. "And in doing so, you've betrayed your float." Ignacio shook his head, "I want nothing more to do with you!" Morder strides toward the cat, who backs away. "You cannot escape it." Ignacio slips on a rock and falls on his backside. "Broma could have died because of you!"

"No..." He said softly as Morder and Escama glower at Ignacio. "You've almost killed your own brother!"

"No!" He yelled. With his eyes shut in anger, he runs away from the crocodiles. Escama takes a step forward to follow him, but Morder holds up a paw to halt him. "Let him go."

Morder climbs a pillar of rock and stands, overlooking the crocodiles. "That old man has hurt me for the last time." The Outsiders gather below Morder, grinning. "Now, he has attempted murder on Broma! Listen to me. Oscar is injured and weak." He said, lifting a fist. "Now is the time to attack!" Morder slammed his fist into the ground.

The crocodiles rear onto their hind legs, roaring, as Morder cackles triumphantly.

There's a throbbing pain in his head when he wakes, wincing at how it aches when he shifts slightly. Green eyes flutter open, lazy and slow, and he's much more aware as he lays on the softness of the grassy ground.

His head continued to pound when he saw Tucker holding two halves of something, presumably a coconut. "Uh..." He tried to crack it open so Oscar could drink the water inside, but once he finally got it to crack, it split in half entirely. Almost all of the water spilled all over the ground as well as Tucker himself. "Well... I saved some of it. But not a lot." He said to his tired friend.

Oscar shook his head weakly, "I don't care. I need something." He wheezed, voice quiet and raspy, grimacing at how it scratched his throat. He took the one half of the coconut that Tucker handed to him and slowly began lapping up the sweet-tasting liquid inside. Tucker sat quietly as his friend drank. "How are you feeling?" He asked. "Cansado... muy cansado." Oscar whispered, closing his eyes, sighing softly. "How long was I out?"

"Well... if you want me to be honest, a couple hours." Tucker informs him, and he turns to him just in time to see how he frowns. "Has it really been that long?" He asked, unsure, and Tucker smiled sadly. "You don't remember?"

"It's— hazy..." The cat confesses, squinting as he tries to recall the last time he was conscious, only for his mind to mix up, head throbbing. He gives up, groaning. "Relax, gatito." Tucker advised, reaching over to hold his shoulder. "Just rest for now." His gently squeezed his shoulder before letting go. "Do you need anything?"

"A body that doesn't hurt?"

There it is. Tucker snorted, nearly dropping the coconut he was saving for his friend, shoulders shaking as he held in his laughter.

"Oh, I'm sorry— I shouldn't—" He said between muffled giggles, and his laughter is harder to break when Oscar snickered near him. "No, no." He chuckled, breathing in, a quiet wheeze emitting from the back of his throat. "It's fine."

They giggle together, before slowly falling into a comfortable silence, and soon, Oscar finishes his coconut water. "Gracias." He thanks the greater grison, contemplating his gesture with glee, before he frowns. Tucker looks at him in worry, shifting so he's facing him better. "What's wrong?"

"I..." He settles on saying, voice wavy and wet. His eyes begin to get glossy. "I thought I could trust him. He— He was about to feed us to crocodiles, I couldn't just—"

"Hey, hey." He shook his head, getting off of the stump to kneel down, facing him and holding his paw, squeezing it three times. Tucker smiled when Oscar squeezed weakly. "You fought good. We're safe."

"It hurts, Tuck." Oscar moaned, shaky and filled with pain. He blinks away tears, and Tucker only stares, wordless. "Dad set us up. It hurts so bad."

"It's okay." Tucker whispered.

He clenches his eyes shut, biting his lip as his toes curl up slightly, tension pulling at each of his limbs, and he stifles a whimper as Tucker leans down to press their foreheads together. What Tucker didn't realize was that the forehead touch is a special act that Oscar shared with his family, a sign of high trust and a way that allows them to connect.

"It's okay, buddy." Tucker reassures gently, squeezing his paw three times once more. He returns the gesture, shaky. "You'll be alright. I've got you." Tucker turned away for a second to see a familiar face striding his way towards him and Oscar. "Uh, hey, don't shoot the messenger, but your dad's here."

This was definitely something he didn't need to hear right now. Oscar's ears twitched and his eyes widened. He struggled a bit, but he saw his former father approaching him. And if he wasn't exhausted right now, he'd fill that gap in a heartbeat. He glared at Ignacio from the ground he laid down. "Are you—"

While Ignacio was genuinely concerned about his son's well-being, this wasn't the right question to ask. Oscar cut him off. "Why did you come back?" He hissed.

"Son... I had nothing to do with—" He was cut off once again. "I'm not your son." Oscar growled, ears pinned back. "Please. I ask your forgiveness."

Tucker stood behind Oscar. "Uh, buddy, I think you should listen to him." He said. Oscar looks over one shoulder at Tucker. "Tucker, please, let me handle this." He said in a normal tone. He turns back to face Ignacio. "When you first came here, you asked for a chance. A chance to earn my trust back."

Harsh, maybe, but Ignacio needs to hear it.

"And in the span of seven months, you did prove that to me; you saved me from a crocodile the first time, you gave me the encouragement I needed to prevent falling to my death. In return, I let you get close to me. I felt comfortable around you."

Ignacio could only sit down in shame as his son rambled about all of the good things he's done.

Oscar shook his head in disgust. "But I guess that didn't matter. Leading me and Tucker towards crocodiles to get eaten is your way of showing gratitude."

"Son, please," Ignacio begged. "I didn't have a choice!"

The younger feline wanted to scream, but he was growing tired enough by doing the opposite of resting. "You had the choice to either ditch your crocodile float entirely, or let them take control over you."

"I know I made the wrong choice then." Ignacio said. "But I want to make the right choice now; leave you here when the crocodiles could come back, or stay with you in case they do. That way, you won't be outnumbered two to five."

There was a long moment of silence between the two as Oscar laid down, resting his feet and regaining his breath. His former father sat down, waiting patiently for his son to respond. Meanwhile, Tucker blew out a breath while rubbing his arm. While he had nothing to do with what happened between them when Oscar was young, he talked him into trusting him. Truth be told, he was surprised Oscar didn't go off on him at all.

He thought he was about to when he turned his head. "Tucker, you talked me into this, you were more willing to give him a chance than I was, what do you think I should do?"

Looks like that's about as much as he's going to go off. "Oh, uh... The first thing he—"

A loud BOOM! cut Tucker off. He looked up and saw some fairly dark gray clouds; a thunderstorm was rolling in.

At the loud noise, Oscar jumped and, completely out of instinct, tried to hide under Ignacio. The elderly feline was initially shocked at the sudden sound, but he was even more shocked at how quickly Oscar went to him. And the fact that he went near him at all.

This is exactly what he looked like the night he abandoned him... and it brought back the worst memories.

The three animals took shelter from the storm underneath a shady tree.

Poor Oscar was breathing heavily and trembling in fear, jumping out of his fur coat at every clap of thunder and every flash of lightning. Like the good parent he could've been but never was, Ignacio stayed close to his son's side, caressing his head in gentle strokes.

Every aspect of the current events gave Oscar terrible PTSD.

There was a vicious thunderstorm the night he was abandoned. He had to find shelter by himself, and braved through the storm by himself. He was anything but brave, curled into a ball and wailing like a five-year-old girl, before he fell asleep. And after a week and a half of barely eating anything and avoiding getting eaten, he miraculously found the mountain village he called home, where the Madrigal family took him in with open arms. But all of the good things in his new life went out the window when he decided to run away and leave his best life behind.

The thunderstorm gave Ignacio some bad memories also.

Back when he was the feared, arrogant jerk he used to be, he just... left his son behind at the worst time possible. He knew his son was afraid of thunder and lightning, but he didn't bat an eye about it. That same day, he was cat-napped by Morder, Broma, and Escama, where he was forced to assist them in their dastardly deeds. Either that, or he'd be their next meal.

Ignacio never wanted anything to do with Morder. He didn't ask for any of this. But he supposed it was some form of karma for leaving his son behind.

"Breathe, son." The cat spoke in a soft voice. "In, and out."

Ignacio listens as Oscar inhales a shaky breath, lips quivering. He nods, letting out a deep exhale, guiding his son. They do these a few times and Oscar slowly regains his breath. "I'm sorry..." He whispers out, shaking his head against her, trying to hold in the tears. "Lo siento... Lo siento..." He shushes him, feeling his fur tickle his face. "Son, no... You don't have to apologize. It's okay."

He breathes heavily, drawing in a gasp, tightening his grip on his father's arm. "You're okay. I've got you." He tells him, rubbing him along his knuckles. "Breathe." He nuzzles his forehead, letting him lean against her before quickly placing a kiss on the bridge of his nose and letting Oscar's head rest under his chin. The ears tickle him, soft and gentle, and he felt him lean in, shivering. Oscar breathes deeply, inhaling a long gasp, then letting out slowly. Ignacio nods over him.

"That's it." He encouraged, allowing himself to smile slightly. "Like that. Easy. Deep breath in, deep breath out." Oscar does it again, letting his chest expand with the air he lets it, before releasing it all with a long and deep exhale. He does it once, twice, several times again, before his body settles down and he's able to breathe calmly once more. "There we go." Mirabel smiles, squeezing his hand three times. "There you are."

His son lets out a wet and quiet laugh. "You—" He starts, cutting himself off to sniffle, letting go of his paw to wipe his cheek. "You sound like my tía." Ignacio breathed out a laugh, burying his nose into his fur and inhaling softly. "At least you calmed down." He points out, letting himself rest into his son's fur before pulling back, gently bonking their foreheads together again. "Better?"

Oscar nods slowly, exhaling as he closes his eyes. They stay there, quiet and linked, before he breaks the link and huffs out a sigh. "Sorry for being a mess." He quickly apologized, letting his head rest against the pillow again. "Don't do that." Ignacio shakes his head, pinching his shoulder before letting it go, smiling at the hurt look he gives him. "It's okay to be a mess sometimes."

The feline blinked before he turned his head to the pouring rain. It was brighter than it was when the storm first started, but it was raining so hard, he could barely see anything farther than a few feet. It may as well have been fog. In times like this, he can't help but think, I wonder what has tía Pepa so upset? Could she be worrying about me that much?

Ignacio shuffled his paws in the ground nervously. Now might not be the best time to tell him, but if they're out in the open where Morder's crocs could be around any corner, he might as well know if this is how he goes out. "Son, I have something I should tell you." Ignacio said. Slowly, Oscar lifted his head to make eye contact with his father. He still thinks he won't believe him, but he's going to try anyway. "...Morder had a plot... and I used to be a part of it."

Oscar cut him off with a venom-laced sentence. "How did I let Tucker talk me into trusting you?"

"Please, let me finish. I don't want to be a part of it... because I wanted to see you again. I knew you'd hate me once I showed my face, and you have every right to. But I wanted to try to make things right." He said. "I didn't mean for things to go this far. I know I failed at my endeavor to earn your trust again."

Oscar shook his head, "No you didn't."

"What?"

"I'm scared of heights. Always have been. But you and Tucker gave me the confidence I needed to pull myself up when that log broke. You could've died defending me from Morder, but you stood in front of him anyway. And... you abandoned me in the middle of a severe thunderstorm. I was terrified. I wondered where you were, or if you were ever coming back."

Ignacio's ears seemed to droop. The thunderstorm now was reminiscent of what he can very well now say was the worst day of his life; simply because he made the worst decisions of his life.

"You have no idea how much it means to me, having you and Tucker here with me to help me get through this."

Ignacio's ear straightened again. "Every thunderstorm was just a painful reminder of all of my past transgressions. I should've been there for you. Instead I ditched you for no reason."

Oscar placed a paw on his father's paw. "Well, you're here now. You're not ditching me now." Oscar sat up to face Tucker, who was watching the family moment with that signature goofy smile on his face. He nodded, then turned back to his father. "If living with my family taught me anything, wondering about what you could've done won't help in the future. You have to wonder what you're gonna do now."

"Excellent question."

Oscar was jump-scared by the sudden unfamiliar voice. He whirled his head and saw one of Morder's crocodiles right in front of him, with a sadistic grin on his face. The feline screamed, while Tucker and Ignacio ran for the large reptile out of instinct. Tosco knocked the two animals away with his tail, sending them crashing against a tree. He immediately turned his attention back to Oscar, who was now in a fighting stance.

Tosco laughed, "I'm not scared of you, cat."

"I'm not scared of you, either." Oscar snarled. "Or Morder."

The crocodile backed Oscar to a steep, muddy slope behind him. Oscar didn't see it until his back leg slipped. He shot a look down the slope, then back to the crocodile "You should be. Because you're seeing him next."

He effortlessly used his nose to push the feline down the slope.