The cub squinted lopsidedly at the human, "What do you mean? Is something gona-"
Abruptly, Whix cut off his own sentence as his eyes suddenly snapped toward the opposite side of the room, the direction in which Rico and Ryn had vanished.
" something's not right..."
For a few moments the kit's attention remained solidly on the far wall of the study, as though he were trying to pick up on any sound that might casually drift though from the adjoining rooms. Then, 'hurm'ing darkly to himself, he righted his gaze. "This place is so strange... Sorry. Whats going to happen in a few days then?" He finished, turning back to where Mike was stood.

Mike smirked and stood up stating casually, "End of the line for the nobility on this planet. Ask the bunny boy, he knows. Better yet little Ricky, he has a profound part to play in these interesting times."

What? The boys eyes widened slightly Mike, what are you on about?
Again he glanced at the doorway Johnny and Rico had left by, genuine worry etched on his features. What was going to happen?
What's going to happen??

Before Estella could answer, a gruff voice called out in the hall, "She's gonna get the boot, whether Vincent likes it or not."

She looked up past John to see Darien standing just outside of the doorway, arms crossed and his eyes locked on to hers. "I thought I heard some rodents pokin' their noses where they shouldn't be..."

"Where's Master Vincent?"

"He's too busy trying to continue with this 'work' to care. If you call balancing checkbook after checkbook time-consuming that is. You wouldn't believe he begged me not to lay a finger on that fox boy." The wolf smirked. "The head of the family has gotten soft; even his youngest son is bolder than he is. If that coward is going to do anything about you, then I'll take things into my own hands!"

Estella took a step back as Darien lifted up his left hand.
She would have actually started to turn and run for her life if it weren't for another voice that wanted to make itself heard...

"STOP IT!"

Ryn stood at the end of the corridor, fists clenched and literally shaking with fury. Her eyes remained locked on
Darien, who, as far as she was concerned, was now on her mental list of being the lowest of the low.

"Leave Estella alone," she finally spoke, sounding surprisingly calm despite her demeanor. "I don't really know what's happening here, but sensei or not, I won't let you harm anyone."

Nathan rushed past his brothers and called out, "Hey, punk! If you have the decency to stand there and look, then you might as well stop chat with us for a while!"

Darlena emerged from the master bedroom feeling quite ill. She hadn't been walking around as much as she wanted to, but no; all because of that oaf of a husband, she'd have to deal with crying babies and the smell of diapers again for the next eighteen or so years.

Looking up to see where she was, the cat was surprised to find herself standing just outside of the library.

"Oh dear..." She stared at the wide open door for a moment. "I wonder if someone's in there..."

Mike smirked, "I'm afraid I'm not exactly sure yet, but I can promise it well certainly be... interesting. By the way, I think we have a guest."

"Johnny." Rico growled out with the brothers on his tail. "Right." Johnny said turning to the brothers as Rico stalked past, almost as if an unspoken conversation had happened.

Rico stopped by Ryn blurting out, "AQUI!", Kydane slang for stop. Then his voice became a little more controlled, still loud enough for everyone to hear clearly though. "He's not avoiding me because that big loser told him to." The first sentence was more to Ryn but the rest cresendoed loud enough for the rest of the planet to hear. "He's avoiding me because HE'S SCARED!" The cub was verging on seething every bit as bad as Ryn by this point, "YOU WANNA FIGHT, YOU COWARD? HUH? DON'T THINK I'LL GO EASY ON YA JUST BECAUSE YOU WOLVES AREN'T AS SMART AS US!"

Johnny in the meantime stood facing the larger feline mob the young rabbit pulled the goggles that had seemed to be a fashion statement before down over his eyes. He smiling oddly and stretched first one leg then the other in front of him popping them as one would their knuckles. "Well now, I'm sorry but Mister Underwood is otherwise occupied so you'll just have to fight me if thats all right."

Darlena stepped gingerly into the doorway, nervously looking around. It didn't take long for her to spot a lone fox cub sitting alone at the desk near the back of the room.

"Oh, goodness," she said breathlessly, mostly to herself, "I scared myself for a moment... thinking there were voices coming from this room..." She paused, taking in a breath of air to calm herself. "Are you alone in here, little boy?"

Darien glared at the fox. "YOU LITTLE WARDEN BRAT," he snarled, already lunging, "I'VE HAD JUST ABOUT ENOUGH OF YOU!!"

Ryn would have gladly shouted back "Get out of the way!" if she hadn't seen Estella sink to her knees with a terrified look in her eyes. Deciding to let Rico handle the wolf, she tried to get the old rabbit to stand.

"Come on, Estella, it's gonna get dangerous here. Let's go."

Nathaniel gave John a disgusted look, then looked over to his brothers. "You two take of this joker. I don't think I'll bother myself with insects as low as him..."

Terald and Robert stared at him briefly, then shrugged as they took their fighting stances, waiting to see if this much smaller rabbit was going to strike first.

The cub seemed a little out of sorts, looking around as though he'd mislaid something in the moment Darlena had entered the room. His demenour shifted yet again, giving the general impression that he'd suddenly become quite lost, the scrawny state of his fur and clothing only adding to this image of someone who had suddenly become quite misplaced. After a few seconds however, his wandering attention seemed to been drawn back by the sound of her voice.
"I'm not sure," he said slowly, eyes still flicking occasionally as though there were a bug buzzing around his head "I think I'll go with 'yes' for the time being oh, I'm sorry."
Seemingly remembering his place, the kit slid down off the chair and stepped out from behind the desk, eyes again wandering absentmindedly over the western wall.
"Do you hear them, shouting again?"

The cub's eyes flickered, rage suddenly shooting through him. Darien had expected the boy either to charge or try to get out of the way, he was prepare for either. Instead the fox didn't move, moments before the large wolf struck he heard the the youth growl ancient Kydane, "Ka Melan."

Darien's claws raked the boy's chest, throwing him aside. But at the same time everything whited out for a split second. Darien felt his body scream in pain and something throw him backward, through the doors into the study. As if as an afterthought a blast of intense thunder made the onlookers are particapants eardrums feel like they were near bursting.

John released his poor overly sensitive ears and looked looked back in shock. The small foxboy was laying on his back on the ground, blood leaking to the carpet from not only the wound to his chest but from his nose and ears as well. The rabbit cursed and ran past Ryn and Estella, ignoring the two brothers who were also reeling from the shock of the event.

"Dammit, why does he always take it to far." He muttered kneeling down and checking the boy's small form out. He was alive, no worse for wear. John looked up and over at the destroyed door to the study the wolf had be throw into. "Geez Ricky, what the hell did you do put it all into one attack?" The question was rhetorical, Rico was unconscious on the ground, probably in much worse condition than his opponent.

"It is quite terrible, really," the female cat replied, walking over to the windows and pulling the curtains open with one hand while the other rested on her abdomen. "I tire of all this back and forth bickering. I don't think it's good for the baby..."

Seeing a six-foot tall wolf flying through the door and crashing smashing up such a fine and expensive bookcase was enough to frighten the living daylights out of Vincent. Assuming the massive beast was very much unconscious, he rushed out of his chair and looked through what used to be his doorway out into the hall.

"What on Kyzarie is going on out here?!"

"Darien tried to kill Estella!" Ryn answered, loud enough for him to hear. She was standing a few paces ahead of the hare. "Then..." Her eyes looked off to the side where John and Rico were.

Vince glanced at them briefly, then the fear-stricken Estella, and his sons down the hall, and the knocked out wolf before his eyes rested back on his daughter.

Ryn half-expected him to walk back inside his study, but instead he took a nearby painting off the wall and smashed the hidden glass door behind it, taking out what looked like a small suitcase and sat it on the floor. his hand was bleeding a little from the cut glass, but he didn't seem to care.

"Use this to clean up the wounds," he said to John. "I'll notify the authorities about the wolf." Turning back to a slightly surprised Ryn, he continued, "This man is no longer the girl's teacher."

"Right!" John nodded and hurried back over to the injured cub. The actual damage from Darien wasn't as bad as it looked, though he wrapped most of the smaller boy's torso anyway. He wiped the blood from his ears and nose, but he couldn't find any wounds that would have cause it. "No way he's learned that much from those religious babysitters at the academy. Where the hell did he learn that?

What the hell does this mean? I've never heard of anything like this before in any kind of magic user."

"Did, did I get the bastard." John blinked hearing a rather weak voice below him. "Holy hell, you're awake?" John yelped rather loudly. Ricky squirmed and started to sit up, but the larger boy held him down, "Stay put kiddo, you don't need to be moving around." The fox grunted and tried to force John off of him, but only succeeded in realizing the extent of his injuries. Pain from his chest and head hit him simultaneously forcing him back to the ground.

John signed and looked up, and over at Ryn. "Well, looks like he's done it again. May have destroyed half the house but it looks like you're rid of that overstuffed bully. And Lady Estella's safe and still has her job. Guess my old man was right about him."

"Broken vases." The cub muttered, vaguely.
Darlena glanced back though the corner of her eye at the cub still staring at the doorway.
"If a vase is dropped it can be mended." Explained the child. "Drop it again and it can be mended again. No matter how badly the vase is broken it can always be fixed, but the cracks will still be there if you know it was dropped."
Again the cub winced unexpectedly, and gradually turned around while still being distracted by unseen things.
"... It's gone quiet. Do you think we should go look?"

Darlena nodded. She was starting to feel a bit concerned for the boy as well as whatever was going on, so she started to head for the door. She figured as long as she wasn't in bed she'd be fine.

"I'm glad." Ryn glanced inside of the study, where she saw Vincent talking on a phone. "I was tired of him, anyway, but I could never beat him myself. I'd always manage to knock out my oldest brother, though; he's got nothing but muscles for brains."

Her eyes shifted over to Rico. "Thanks for saving Estella."

Nathaniel's ears finally stopped ringing as he looked around to see what was going on. He was ticked off now, but he quickly forgot about that once he saw Ryn standing by the entrance to the study and the foxboy laying against the wall. Laughing to himself, he strolled his way down the corridor to where they were, saying, "Looks like you've got a number done on you, huh?"

Again the bunny held is smaller charge down. This time it didn't take much. John turned his head to the now entertained Nathan and smirked, "Hey, you wanna see a magic trick?"

The rabbit held up his paw in the shape of a gun, as if he was going to play cop and robber or some other such childrens game. Nathan scoffed, then froze turning pale. Ryn blinked, and looked at the rabbit, it was as if her brother was suddenly scared of the rabbits fake gun.

Nathan however, wasn't scared of any mock handgun. He saw a massive handgun in the boy's hand, one that looked like it work both kill him in one shot and break the boy's arm in several places if he fired it. The smug look on John's face told him the kid was ready to do it.

Though weakened, Ricky knew John well enough to know exactly what he was doing. The hare was a rarity, a bucktooth that could use the Art. And only use it but his talent was unprecidented, were he nobility he would he have already surpassed the head families as the most promising student of the War Arts since Russell Underwood himself. Right now the bunny had Nathan dead to rights, the older boys lack of mental focus had made planting the idea of a gun all to easy for the young terrorist.

And after what this guy had to done to them, Ricky wasn't about to help him. In fact he seemed to be smiling as John retorted mockingly, "Whats the matter, massa? Scared of a weak, pathetic bucktooth?"

Nathan didn't answer, instead, he quickly backed away, falling back on his rear, then turned around and ran off, ignoring Robert and Terald, who were just getting back on their own feet.

Ryn had to keep herself from laughing as she looked on at the amusing sight, especially when Terald nearly ran into the wall chasing his brother.

She turned around to see Estella just beginning to stand, allbeit still terror-stricken after what she had just seen and gone through. "I'm so sorry," she started to speak, her voice barely audible.

"Sorry for what?" Ryn questioned, becoming annoyed. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Estella stared right into Ryn's eyes, her eyes filled with sadness. "I'd gone walking this way, and accidentally overheard Darien's conversation with your father. If I hadn't decided to walk down this way, none of this would've happened."

The cub smiled weekly and fell into stride behind the woman. Normally it would have seemed odd that no introduction was given, the boy after all was a stranger in the house, but Whix already had a good idea who the lady was, thus didn't want to speak out of tern with his questions.
The dcor of the prestigious household kept him busy for the rest of their short walk to the wing where the disturbances had come from, and thus the boy seemed far less distracted by apparently absent things by the time the mess came into view.
"Hay Johnny," Whix said with an air of normality, seemingly impassive to the wreck that lay before him from the fighting "Thought we'd come see what everyone was upto."

"You're an idiot." Came Ricky's weak grumbling retort at Estella. "You think you're dumb just because they tell you that. You listen to retarded things that people like my dad say. I can't stand people like you lady, you wanna go lay down and die then go do it. Don't take any of us down with you."

John winced at the boy's insensitive reply but turned it into a fake grin for Whixan, "Hey squirt, we're just cleaning up a mess."

Ryn desperately tried her best to keep her mouth shut. That kid had a lot of nerve, bad-mouthing Estella like that.

"Leave her alone!" she found herself yelling. "I thought you'd at least thank her for offering you a room to sleep in out of goodwill, but I was wrong. You're the most insensitive jerk on the face of the planet!"

Darlena seemed to show no change in her facial expression when she saw the horrid condition of the hall. The first thing she'd heard was Ryn's shouting before the white kitten stormed off, followed by the child's sense of anger and annoyance towards some unknown source.

It didn't take long for her husband to spot her, though. "Darlena, what are you doing out of bed? You know what the doctor said this morning..."

"I'm fine, Vince. I just don't want to be cooped up in that stuffy room all day, so I thought I'd take a walk."

"Lena, you still can't be walking around in your condition... what about the child?"

Darlena took a step away from him. "I'm not an invalid," she said sternly, noticing Estella standing alone to the side and the rabbit and fox on the floor. "I don't want to know what happened here, but I've told you many times this has to stop. I don't want this child to grow up in such a hateful environment, Vincent."

"Darien is no longer Ryn's sensei," her husband said in a hushed voice. "He tried to get Estella..."

Darlena glanced at Estella for a moment before glaring back at him. "Well, I hope you can figure out what to do for her training," she told the cat before turning and walking away, apparently not stopping to notice the wounded fox that still lay on the blood-stained carpet.

Estella looked on for a moment before retreating from the hall. Still very saddened and shaken, she wanted to put this behind her as soon as possible. She'd never felt so helpless in such a long time...

When her own child died at the hands of the brutality of the world so long ago...

Standing close by, the cub remained silent though out the various arguments and insult throwing. The house hold was tearing itself apart at the seams, that much was clear. And in a way the events cast a glimmer of understanding against Mike's words, "Interesting times."
There was another fundamental reason why he remained outside of the conversation, as he recognized Vincent. He couldn't say when it had been, but there was a vague recollection of a social gathering some time before at which they had been briefly introduced. Whix was notorious among his father's closer friends for his sent memory, the child often knowing who was at the door before it was even opened, and even though it must have been a number of years since he had last seen the man the cub could still link the feline's sent with that place. Thankfully it appeared as though the old noble didn't either did not remember, or did not recognize the cub beneath his street warn exterior.
"She'll be alright." He said quite suddenly, no one really sure whom he was speaking of or too. After briefly glancing at the wolf slumped in the study, the boy took a few steps forward and lent down next to the wounded fox, peering over his shoulder at the gash before muttering a perfectly innocent question into the youth's ear.
"What do you know about interesting times?"

The scowl softened a little on the fox's face, confusion over the statement replacing it. Rico blinked at looked at the younger boy only managed one befuddled word, "Huh?"

"Interesting times," the boy restated, "Times that are 'interesting', perhapses even disterbing, but are yet to come. What do you know of them?"

Rico forrowed his brow and turn to glare at the rabbit, "John, have you fed this guy yet? I think he's seeing things."

The wincing and tears from the pain in his chest suddenly didn't seem to bother him and he sat up wiping his bloody hands on his jeans staring intently at the other cub as if dispite his words to John he was trying to figure out the seemingly inane ramblings of this kid. "You mean like the future? I dunno man, did someone tell you I was like a fortune teller or somethin?"

The child smiled slightly and shook his head "Nope. Are you? A friend of mine said that there were 'interesting times coming'. Something to do with the end of the 'nobility', and that if I wanted to know more I should ask you or John. It sounded like something bad was going to happen, so I thought I'd better ask before I forgot or if I didn't get another chance."

Rico suddenly looked serious for a moment, then closed his eyes as if thinking of the appropriate response. Then opened his eyes slowly, avoiding eye contact with the boy and speaking as a child would that was caught doing something he knew he'd be punished for a pouty and depressed tone, "I wouldn't know anything about anything like that, I'm just a kid. But if the Wardens got their butts kicked I wouldn't mind at all, just a buncha stupid jerks anyway. You should probably stay away from your friend though, people that get involved in grownup's fights don't live long on this planet."

A playful victorious grin spread across the boy's muzzle, "Ah, now I know you know something! But don't worry though," he leaned down a little closer to Rico's ear so that his words would remain private, "I don't tell anyone my secrets either."
With that, whix stood up properly and stepped back from the fox, still smiling slightly "And I don't think I can avoid him. See he kinda always seems to find me, rather then the other way around."

Rico's eyes turned more to fear and concern than anything, his small muzzle opening slightly as a set of plausible events unfolded in his imagination. John raised an eyebrow at Whix, the traditional rodentia incisors making the expression even more confused looking than it was. "Avoid who? What are you two whispering about?"

Rico shook his head and regained himself, recovering and covering both at the same time with, "Nuttin, just baby stuff is all."

"Just about a friend of mine. He's been helping me for a long time, but Rico doesn't seem to like the sound of him." Whix explained simply.
"What about you Johnny?" the kit asked innocently again, looking up at the tall rabbit with a childish awe "What do you know about interesting times?"

Johnny smirked, "Time doesn't interest me. Not one bit."

This time it was the cub's turn to look confused, one of ears cocking to the side to give an even more lopsided look to his features.
"Wha? But what about..."
The kit shook its head slightly, as though trying to manually dislodge his thoughts.
"Err, I mean Ugh, look, Mike said that 'interesting' stuff might be going to happen real soon and that you and Rico were the one's to ask so I thought I'd find out if he was telling the truth..."

Both of the other cubs seemed to freeze on their tracks. Rico slowly started getting to his feet, dispite his injuries something now had him spooked and nervous.

John's ears seemed to turn into radar receivers, his body suddenly looked tense even through this baggy clothes. The rabbit swallowed and stared the younger boy down, "Mike? What does this Mike look like?"

Whix looked around nervously at the other two, unsure what to make of their reaction.
"err well, he's human, lil bigger then you an' scruffy dark hair.. why?"
The cubs eyes opened a little more, as though something exciting had just occurred to him "Is he in your head too!?"

John looked around, the other didn't seem to paying them too much attention. No more than a pack of snickering children usually get. "He's not imaginary kid. When did you fir- HEY!"

Rico shoved him aside and grabbed Whix's shoulders. The cub wasn't sure what to think, the older boy was holding his arms so tight it hurt but the look on his face was utter fear. "Stay away from him. You can't trust him, he hurts us, just run away if you see him."

"Hey Warden boy, knock it off." Came John's taunting voice behind him, the word making his eye visibly twitch. He dropped poor Whixan and spun around barking out, "I SAID NEVER CALL ME-OW!" His quick movement had reaffirmed he was still injured. The boy sunk to the ground holding his side. The older rabbit tapped his foot, "Got you to quit scarin the poor guy didn't it? Now stay there or I'm callin your mom."

For some reason the threat seemed to work. The indignant cub folding his arms, further hurting himself the process but held his silence. John on the other hand rubbed the back of his head in frustration.

There was a dull 'thud' as Whixan found the wall of the corridor, having backed up as far as physically possible after Rico had released his grip, shaking like a leaf. But there was something more then just the shock of the other vulpine's actions and words etched on the cub's face, his expression remaining dumbstruck except for his eyes. There was something terribly wrong with them, something that didn't immediately jump out at you but still was enough to say that something wasn't quite right. Their pupils had shrank past any normal parameters, so that the Jade and blue striations of his irises dominated the very center of the eye. But in a blink this strange traumatized effect was gone, replaced only by the stunned 'Doe in headlights' appearance that anyone would expect from a child of his age. Gingerly, the boy pushed himself back of the wall, rubbing his shoulder idly as he looked around at their kind hosts still observing from the sidelines.
"Y-you shouldn't shout. Its rude, we're.. we're guests, remember"

Ryn's feet pounded the floor as she ran through the corridors of the manor. With most of her anger and irritable attitude directed at either Darien or that fox cub-- Ricky or whatever his friend called him-- she just wanted to be alone.

It's how she'd always felt her entire life, anyway...

Almost shoving the front doors open, she was almost blinded by the sunlight shining directly in her eyes. The kitten shielded her face and stepped through the entryway, closing the door behind her.

Before long, she found herself walking towards the gardens in the rear of the estate, letting her feet take her where she wanted to go. Carefully making her way through the small maze of bushes, she finally reached the lone tree towards the back near the white picket fence.

Ryn remembered stumbling upon this particular area of the garden a long time ago, while she was still a small child, after Nathan, Terald, and Robert had been shoving her around and teased her...

It was her very on place of solitude, someplace where the child could get away from the family she hated so much, though it was the only one she'd ever known.

... whenever she ever felt deeply hurt and depressed...

The area was just same as it always had been. Although she'd gotten much taller, the tall bushes were still high enough to hide her.

Ryn decided to sit in her usual spot, a small patch of brown grass at the base of the tree. Leaning onto the trunk, she closed her eyes and sighed. Everything was still untouched, just the way she remembered it years ago.

It was probably one of the only times she'd never feel unhappy...

"You should all probably go back to the library," Vincent said blankly, his mind still preoccupied with his wife. "Estella will be back to show you to your rooms."

He walked back into the study and reemerged with the dazed Darien's large arm over one shoulder, focused on dragging the overgrown canine to the front entryway of the house to meet up with the Enforcers that were to show up momentarily.

Things remained rather sedated as the three outsiders trudged back to the small library, the smallest cub blatantly keeping his distance from the other youngster. Rico's impromptu overreaction had obviously shaken him, yet his expression was oddly unstable, changing from mild shock to a look of painful despair every time he glanced toward the east. Remaining oddly subdued as they entered the room, the boy took up a seat on a small desk chair situated against a bookshelf on the far side of the room.
A few minuets of unsure silence covered the room. It was a moment of recuperation that whix required, a moment or two for reflection and recalculation of his position between the two odd companions he had been left with. For the slim amount of trust Johnny had gained in him, the boy at least could credit his reaction to Mike's name as a bad sign, but this was far outweighed by the trust and loyalty he had gained to Mike, and his faith in the human was only slightly wavered. For the time being he would remain with Johnny as instructed and only hoped Mike would contact him again soon.
"This is a nice room" the boy muttered to himself, stairing at the back wall with a grin on his face, "it's so quiet."

"You can quit that at anytime. Putting a fake smile is pointless and only serves to lie to people around you." Rico grumbled out in Whixan's direction.

Johnny was far more serious than he'd ever appeared before. He seemed transfixed on some invisible spot on the floor, deep in thought.

"I have to smile," The cub said distantly, " 'When thing go awry, a laugh or a smile is better then a cry'."
Whix smiled lightly and looked over at Johnny "Did I say something wrong back there?"

Rico didn't retort, there was no reason to.

Johnny blinked and looked up with a confused look on his face, "Huh? What?" Seeing the smiling cub he plasted his own cheesy grin on, "Oh! Oh no, not at all! Just worried about little Ricky here is all!"

"...is that so? Okay, I'll leave it to you, then."

Vincent closed the front door to the manor, sighing with relief. He was glad this whole mess with Ryn's former tutor was over for the time being. The wolf had been taken to the hospital for his injuries, after which he'd be taken into custody.

Now his problem was what to do about Ryn's training... she'd been taught in the home up until now, but now he wasn't so sure if this was the best place for her lessons anymore.

I suppose it wouldn't be too bad to send her off to a school. It'd be a nice change of pace for her...

After pondering over it for a few minutes, he headed back to his study. He had some phone calls to make now...

Despite her efforts in cleaning, Estella still couldn't shake those feelings of fear and despair. It was like a plague that wouldn't go away; she hated it.

It kept reminding her of that day...

It was early afternoon, and her only child had only gone out to play. She didn't think it would be hours later before she found out the terrible news of her fate...

"Francis," Estella murmured softly. She'd been stopping like this for some time now, and it was slowing her down. It never did take the rabbit this long just to straighten up a few guest rooms.

After a moment, she got a hold of herself. picking up the duster she'd dropped on the floor and taking her broom, she decided she'd head back to the library to see if the boys were there, then prepare lunch; she was sure they hadn't eaten anything. Or had they?

Darlena closed the back door behind her as she headed outside to the gardens, seeing the small bench where'd she'd always sit read books to her sons when they were small. Too bad none of that happens around here anymore...

Taking a seat on one side of the bench, the cat lifted up the small book she'd gotten on her way here from her vanity in the master bedroom. She turned the pages until she found one with the corner folded over, and began reading from the top of the page.

She had been preoccupied, though; she'd been feeling worse with each day that passed. It was making her worry about the unborn child... was he healthy?

---

OOC Edit: Fixed the post a bit.

"Oh," The child replied, seemingly unfooled by the rabbits guise, but his expression remaining placid.
Another few agonizing minuets of silence shrouded the room and whix could consciously feel the tension building behind the charade, knocking from his false ease.
"We really didn't get off on the right foot with these people, did we."

"Like I care." Ricky muttered, folding his arms and sulking.

John sighed and shook his head, "Good and bad things, I guess it will be interesting to see which these people see."

"It looks as though they're overly distracted by their own problems at present." Whix muttered, seeming to blatantly ignore the other vulpine's unhelpful comments. "Maybe they'll still let us stay if we behave? It would be nice to have somewhere warm for the night for a change."
The cub seemed to go into a semi dazed state for a short moment "Warm blankets, books to read, showers. Oh gosh I hope they have showers."

It didn't take long for the hare to reach the door leading to the library. She knew this place well, even the little shortcuts going from room to room.

Estella paused just a few inches away from the door before gently knocking. "Boys? Are you in there?"

The door swung open steadily, revealing the young kit standing on the other side with the same indiscriminate smile on his face.
"Hello again, Ma'am." he said, politely, apparently trying to make up for some of the earlier commotion. But despite his best intentions, there was still something about the child's voice and appearance that made Estella feel a little wary, as though he wasn't quite 'all there'.

The hare started to look concerned for a moment, but once she spotted the other two youths, she felt a little relieved. "Your rooms are ready. I'll take you to them, if you'd follow me, please."

Ryn's eyes snapped open as she sat up, feeling a bit groggy. She didn't think she'd fall asleep like that, much less out here.

She decided she'd better go back inside the manor, to her room. It was the only other place she could pretty much be alone, except the bickering amongst her brothers could be heard in the hall.

As she stood up to full height, she paused, spotting her mother through the bushes on the bench.

Whatever. It's not like she ever cared I was out here in the first place.

By all accounts the rooms were modest for the times, the original architect apparently going for number rather then size, exactly what one would expect for a household of this kind. It was quite common for the richer households to have guests of one description or another, epically in the prelude and aftermath of a social gathering. The hallway boasted a single shared bathroom that was more then large enough to serve the occupants, though Whix did have to wonder what would happen if more then one dignitary were to rush to the connivances at the same time. After his resent string of luck, the cub was not likely to turn down any kind of accommodation, especially one with proper facilities. After being directed to his room set about trying to remove the thick matting of dirt and street filth that had gathered during the past months. The boy had been remarkably quiet since Rico's outburst, though he no longer looked shocked or rattled, more like encased in his own thoughts as he mulled over the events that had unfolded. Even while scrubbing down his fur in the shower cubical he silently contemplated. He had been presented with several enigma's this evening. What were these 'interesting times' Mike had referred too, and how would it effect the 'nobel's' as dramatically he had described? And what of Rico's reaction to Mike's name? It was most peculiar that was for sure, more then just as simple overreaction cause by fear for another's safety. Then, there was Johnny. The hair knew a lot more then he was willing to say about both the previous two, but Mike trusted the youth enough that he seemed assured of Whixan's safety. And finally in the middle of it all was him, the only part that seemed to indefinably link all three puzzles at the toe, and oddly enough the one part he seemed to know the least about.
Towel draped about his shoulders, the boy stared blankly at the words he'd written in the misted mirror, filling in gaps of the equation with various random pieces as he drew a number of 'educated conclusions' from the mess of interwoven facts.
Unresolved, but at least with a few finite decisions to hand, Whix swept a paw across the surface of the mirror and turned away from its glinting surface to finish drying his fur. Perhaps he was looking at this from the wrong angle, maybe it was what he 'did know' that was throwing his mind. It seemed almost silly that it was bugging him this much. Any other child wouldn't have paid any attention to such details, but for whixan not knowing what he was a part of was unacceptable, especially when it was a serious as Mike seemed to have implied.
As he pulled the stretched sweater back over his head, the boy looked back at the mirror, a single word surviving from his efforts to erase the notes, 'Johnny'.

Everything was quiet now. Vincent had finished his business with the enforcers, the boy's had retired to their rooms, and the guests had bedded down in their kindly provided accommodation. The household had become unnaturally silent, only the occasional flash of light from cars passing outside illuminated the tall arch windows as a warm but untrustworthy darkness presided over the long hallways. Within the second guest room Jonathan lay awake atop the covers, arms behind his head and legs crossed at the heel. His features, shrouded by the shadow cast as they were, did not reflect his relaxed position. Thoughts kept him awake, distrust of his surroundings constantly pressed upon his mind along with the various distracting revelations. Then again, it could have just been the presence of the cub that had wandered quietly into the room some minuets before and was now looking at him over the top of the bedstead.

"Do you always find it hard to sleep?" Whix said plainly, as though such a question was perfectly normal.

(ooc: felt like writing something, not even sure if its still alive, but at least it was something to do.)

(OOC: I'm not even sure, either, so I had held off from posting just in case. I sometimes kept thinking that I killed it. ^^; )

The rabbit's eyes opened a little wider and looked to on side as if to acknowledge the voice more than looking at its owner. "Only the last few months, tension's starting to get pretty bad between the Warden sects ya know. Things aren't really safe anymore." He paused for a minute as if debating something in his mind, then asked a question back with the same nonchalant tone the younger boy had had while asking his question. "So tell me, how much does Mike know about whats going to happen?"

Hearing soft rustling coming from the bushes, Darlena looked from her book. She tensed up, not knowing who or what was going to emerge... at least, until she saw Ryn's head and shoulders poke out from the vegetation.
"Ryn? What are you doing out here?"
"Getting away from everyone else. Since you're here, I might as well go to my room."
Darlena tilted her head slightly to the side. "Don't go just yet. There's something I would like to ask of you."
Ryn turned to look the older cat in the eye. "This had not be another one of your attempts to get sympathy from me through lies. I'll hear you out this time, but don't think I'll buy it."
"I assure you, Ryn, this is no time for you to be full of contempt and hatred for me," the mother replied sincerely. "I'll go straight to the point: I don't think I'll live long after my son is born." Darlena looked down at her pregnant abdomen. "I want you to watch over him after I'm gone."

At first, she thought Ryn would call her a liar and storm off into the manor. That didn't happen. Instead, the girl's reaction was of complete shock.
"You're asking a lot of me," came her response. "I don't even trust you."
"That may be true, but this unborn child is innocent. For too long I've turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to all the negative things going about here and there, and I've grown tired of it. I can't take it anymore. I haven't even been a proper mother to any of my children, including you, Ryn."

"Why are you asking me, though? Why don't you talk to Dad or one of my brothers?"

"You are the only one I can speak to, Ryn. The only other one that seems worried to some extent is your father, but your brothers are truly not concerned. Even though you've been through hell growing up with this family, you've still remained as pure-hearted as you are now, even through that tough-natured, moody exterior.

"You don't have to trust me, Ryn. Just do what you believe is right. When you have thought over it enough, I'll be waiting for your answer."

Darlena turned her head up to see the the girl's eyes still locked on her.

"Don't hold your breath on my account," Ryn said, turning to walk away.

"I'm more interested in knowing the reason behind Rico's over reaction," The cub said calmly, seeming to be staying close to his main reason for being there in the first place "The moment Mike's name left my lips both of you froze up like a ghost had just floated past the window, enviably drawing to the same answer despite the fact that there could be hundreds of people called 'Mike' in this city alone."

Though he'd looked asleep, a snort came from the fox's location. A fairly clear indication he was faking it to eavesdrop on them.

The rabbit stared hard at the ceiling, obviously trying intensely to avoid eye contact now, "There's only one Mike that would have said what you repeated, only one that could. The riff raff of the revolution don't anything. The person you're talking about, though, does he look human?"