The trailer was cold, it matched the intensity of Varuna's glare. It always sent shivers down his spine, but it didn't help that the room shared the same chill as well from the night air, there was just silence. If you could cut the tension in the room there would be two sides; one who thrived in this frigid environment, while the other was holding to the what little warmth they had left.

"Mono. why, didn't you go after him?" Mono knew the answer to this, but as if she read his mind she replied.

"I know I'm partly the reason for why you couldn't immediately go, but you could've just said no. I wouldn't mind." She avoided eye contact with him.

"Really? I Doubt that." Mono replied. She quickly turned her gaze at him and narrowed her brow. He wished they were daggers. "What I meant to say. Was that I wanted to relieve some stress from the both us. It's been years and we're still stuck in this place." He sighed as he continued to maintain eye contact.

Fortunately for the cub they hadn't noticed the box in the corner of the room near the door. He could see the door just through the opening on the box. He had to be quick the doors usually close after two minutes. Safety reasons and all that. He pushed the box slowly toward the door.

"I'm more stressed knowing my son could be in danger! I won't let him get hurt again!" her voice grew louder, she wanted to maintain control. The wind grew stronger as it blew into the room. "Dear it's fine, Pit is alright and nothing happened to him." he slowly walked forward to comfort her, but stopped as glare grew more fierce.

"You don't know that! He's lucky that new bear was there, otherwise that could have been him." Serena had told her about the act the ringmaster planned for the bear after the mouse left. I won't let that happen again.

Mono narrowed his brow. "He is not our cub. You don't know what the master could've done, let alone predict what happened to it." He despised that bear. As soon as he saw colour of it's fur he'd lose it. It matched the same colour as the rodents in the forest.

"I don't care. Unlike you, I show my affection to my son."

"By coddling him?' He quickly responded. 'What your doing isn't going to help him grow." It was clear he shouldn't of said that.

She bit her lip. "Really? Today I let a mouse agree to help our son become better. Something he told me you didn't even agree to. What's wrong scared your son will become better than you?" His blood ran cold, how dare she assume that, why would he be jealous of his own blood?

"No." he said quietly. She narrowed her brow again.

"You agreed to let that Vile vermin teach our son how to fight? I would've easily shown him, don't you trust me?" He noticed the box moving toward the door. His mate however, wasn't keen on that, she pulled his head back to her.

"I want him to be able to have his own future. And I doubt a poor excuse for a rat can help. He's too innocent for his own good.… The Circus life isn't good for him."

Her blood ran cold. "And living out there is better?"

"Yes!" He growled as she looked at him bitterly. Then he looked at her leg, He realized his own mistake.

"Look I know the first attempt at escaping this place wasn't the best, but we needed to go, for his sake. We were so close that day" She kept silent. He sighed knowing where this was going.

"Look, I know you care about us."

More than you know. Her head felt foggy, as she fixated on his words. "But sometimes you need to push forward."

No. She thought. A dull pain rang from her head.

I won't let them touch him again. She began to shake violently.

"We can't stay in the same place. No one is to blame for what happened to-"

"What happened to our son! Or what happened when you and the others tried to smuggle us past the traps the humans laid for us! You never think things through, you just jump in without thinking! And look what it's brought us." She growled in anguish.

Mono was about to retort, mistake number one on a large list of errors he made this night.

A loud bang was heard in the room followed by a thud. Mono fell back as he saw his mates fist in the trailer wall just inches away from his face, he slowly rose back up. Varuna's eyes were beginning to water but she kept a menacing glare that made him wish he had stopped talking. Her paw was still shaking as she pulled it from the wall leaving a small dent. She tried to regain her composure.

"S-Stop living in the past, w-we just need to wait. Something good will happen." her voice grew solemn. They both heard a ripping sound from the door. A box with a large hole in it was near the door. They both looked at each other and knew what happened.

He sighed, If only things could be more peaceful. He remembered a better time a long time ago:

...

"You want to run right now. No plan, no thought just run?" Mono nodded seeing no fault in this logic Leonard shook his head dumbfounded. "We have an opportunity let's take it now while they're distracted planning for his performance." The lion scoffed annoyed at the bear. Planing only gets you so far, we need to go now .

"Unbelievable you are the most narrowed minded fool I have ever laid my eyes upon!"

"I'd rather be a fool than an oversized pompous house cat." Mono smirked at the Lion watching him stamp his paw like an upset child. The mates of the two watched them bicker they couldn't count how many times an argument like this would start between the two.

"Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven-"

"Are you seriously counting how long this has been on for?" The lioness, Serena asked Varuna jokingly. She nodded.

"Why not the outcomes always the same. They fight, one of them wins and we cheer like we're watching. This time we can compare the times." Serena shook her head in disbelief. "At least we're in the shade." The sun was very hot that day.

Two little cubs laid beside their mothers. The lion cub read from a small book they had between them. "To weep is to- Locke then noticed his pupil watching their father's bicker.

"Pitch are you even listening?" he responded annoyed.

Pitch yawned and nodded. "To weep is to make less the depth of grief." He said it to the letter which surprised Locke.

"I memorized the phrase yesterday."

"And do you get it?" He shook his to the side earning a tap with the book to his nose from Locke.

"Whenever you tell me something from that book you expect me to understand immediately."

Locke frowned. "That's because your smarter than you appear to be and your just lazy. Or easily distracted" he saw him gazing at their patterns squabble, he went with the latter. "Come, on let's play! " The cub smiled.

"No point I'd beat you anyways. Stop distracting me and let's continue your lesson." The cub groaned as the mothers smiled for a moment at their cubs.

Mono Held the Lion in a headlock as he struggled to get out of it, moving his head did nothing his mane just gave the bear an advantage. "Will you two act adults for once!" Serena exclaimed.

"I don't know what you see in him?" Varuna said, "He was the strongest in the pride, at least something good came from both us." She said coldly to her friend referring to Locke, Leonard heard from a fair and sighed.

Mono squinted for a moment in thought then pulled him closer in a headlock. "Damn it, bear stop using this fowl human technique."Leonard growled in anger.

"Yeah right, then I wouldn't be able to do this!" He twisted their head away from their mates and cubs. "Look, Leon. I know you don't want hear this from me, but the key to a woman's heart is honesty."

He didn't buy it, "Really?"

"Believe me listen to what she says and be honest... it works fifty percent of the time." He whispered in his ear.

"But what's the other-"

"Lie your ass off, either that or just do whatever she wants."

Leonard looked away embarrassed. "Why would I degrade myself further?"

"Either your whipped by her or whipped by the humans. And last time I checked it was the latter so why not be whipped from the one you love?"

Leonard squinted at him in confusion. "You have an odd view of relationships..."

"Whatever works. Besides I could say the same about the relationship with the rodents..." Mono frowned annoyed the moment he uttered those words. He looked at his son and narrowed his brow, Foul creatures like those should be thrown from the tallest mountain. He thought, No one hurts my boy.

He paused and looked at him pensively. "What about the Plan?"

"Waiting for the go ahead from Django, he will distract them."

"Fine." I don't trust that monkey... He shook his head as he stopped reminiscing. He needed rest maybe his son needed some too.

….

Present

Locke was dragging a book he had for Pitch in his mouth. He had been holding onto to for Pitch. He walked toward far end of the trailer just before the old cage. He saw his friend with his back turned him outside his trailer.

"Pi!" He walked up in front off Pitch only to immediately stop as he looked at his face. His face he couldn't bear look at him. Demeanor just radiated pure sadness, his head was down, eyes were halved closed, and he just looked defeated. No words were said he guided him toward his trailer. On the way the bear picked up a book that the cub dropped.

At the far end of the trailers an albino lone cub shared the same sorrow. His cries were heard by no one and his dreams only brought him terror and sadness. He always heard the mocking laughs of the little demons he entertained. And every night it would only get worse. He looked forward at the clowns in front of his tent, they lit cigarettes in front of the cage with their lighters this seemed familiar. Calming even.