We entered the house doused in silence. Markus was sitting on the couch, texting on his phone. It made me wonder what kind of job he had. Actually, what does Matteo do for work?

"Hi, Markus." I said softly, and he ignored me. No surprise there.

Matteo ruffled my hair with a soft smile and left me in the living room to grab some food for himself. The small bowl of salad wasn't enough from breakfast. I walked around the quaint living room, my socked feet hitting the hardwood very lightly. I looked at the few pictures on the wall, the fireplace in the corner, a chair resting on the corner of the decorative rug, a solid wood coffee table in the middle of the rug, and the couch that Markus was sitting on. There was even a TV that was mounted on the wall above the stone fireplace.

I sighed, my tail swishing around my ankles. It happened to whack into Markus' foot, since his left leg was crossed over his right one.

"What?" he gasped, and I turned with a grin. He frowned and looked at the distance between us. It was about a foot, and I was faced away from him.

"Did you touch me?"

"By accident, yes."

"How?" he frowned.

I smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Markus' sapphire blue eyes flickered with annoyance. "Yes, actually. So spit it out."

I rolled my eyes. "Would it kill you to be polite?"

He clenched his jaw. "Just get on with it."

I shrugged and whacked his knee with my tail. I glanced back to see Markus frozen in shock, his facial expression one of fear. I giggled and hopped backwards, then smacked my tail across his face. He yelped, then his eyes opened. They widened as soon as his vision cleared.

"You—!" he hissed. "What are those ears and that tail!"

I turned around and grinned, flicking my tail behind me, my ears perking upwards. "I received them when I was three. These are part of the reason I was abused."

Markus' face drained of all color and he dropped his phone next to him. He flopped his arms over his knees and sighed heavily. I stepped over to him and flopped my tail over his head.

"Markus, are you okay?"

He groaned, gripping the tip of my tail in his fist. "Hang on, I'm just breathing through my mental breakdown."

"Okay." I chuckled, patting his head. "Take your time."

Matteo strolled in, munching on a veggie plate he had made for himself. He stopped short when he noticed my fluffy tail over his half-brother's neck and my hand on Markus' head. A small smirk curled his lips as he took a seat on the chair.

"What magic did you use this time, Anwyll?"

I grinned. "I seem to be made of magic, Mattie. My tail allows people to see, and with enough time hugging my tail, they can attain an ability that can see through walls. Russet has that ability."

Matteo's eyebrows shot up. "That is quite amazing." he said, then crunched into a carrot. "Can he see you through your clothes?"

I glared at him with burning cheeks. "You perv!"

He grinned. "Eh, I wouldn't need it."

I pouted at him, but beamed when I got a kiss on my cheek. My right ear slapped his head as he drew back. Matteo chuckled and continued eating, so I looked down and caught Markus staring. He blushed and looked down.

"Um, what relationship do you have with Matteo?"

"I'm his lover." I stated clearly, and Matteo inhaled sharply.

He began to cough, and I stared into Markus' sapphire blue eyes. "I came here to be my lover's support and his shield. His shield from his family."

Markus swallowed thickly from the intense stare, but I didn't let him pull away. "Do you want to know, Markus? Do you want to know why Matteo refused to come back?"

He clenched his eyes shut. "Y-yes." he whispered. "I want to know why my brother left me behind."

Matteo was calm by that point. He stood up and patted my head, then tugged Markus up onto his feet.

"Fine, Mark, let me show you why I hated our father with a passion."

Markus stumbled, but I held him more upright as Matteo moved to a more open spot by the door. He turned around and slowly removed his shirt. Markus tensed, then gagged and fell to his knees. I offered my tail, so he clung to it as he stared at the gruesome marks.

"D-Dad did that to you? Why!" he shouted, pushing himself to his feet.

"I learned the reason today, but my mind is still reeling." muttered Matteo, shrugging on his shirt again. "Anwyll confirmed our father's testimony, but I still can't forgive him for what he did to my mom and me."

"He cannot and will not allow himself to be forgiven as well." I stated quietly, and Matteo whirled around and swept my small body into his arms.

I hugged his neck, gently kissing his skin. Matteo sighed and took a seat on the chair from before. He tucked his face into the crook of my neck, sighing aloud while I pushed my fingers through his hair.

"I guess I shouldn't ask what Dad said."

"It's what he both did and did not say that are equally troubling." I mumbled, nosing and kissing my beloved bull's tense jaw. "Breathe, Mattie."

Matteo did as told and cupped the back of my head. "Say, Anwyll, should I show him?"

I blinked. "Don't force yourself, Mattie."

"I-I know, but this is my chance."

"To break the floor." I giggled, and he snorted.

"Ma—uh, Anwyll, don't tease me."

My giggles grew more abundant. "S-sorry, Mattie. But you're really big and muscular."

Matteo chuckled. "Do you like that version of me?"

"Yep! I like riding you a lot."

Markus and Matteo coughed and spluttered, so I frowned. It suddenly occurred to me what I said and my face burst into flames.

I sat back and cupped Matteo's cheeks. "I didn't mean that!"

He was practically crying with laughter while I pouted at him. Matteo gently kissed my forehead in the midst of his chortles, but buried his face in my neck while he continued muffling his laughter. His entire body was shaking from the force of it.

Markus was as red as a fire hydrant, snickering away like an weirdo. My pout deepened, but I hugged Matteo to the best of my abilities. He sighed aloud and leaned back, cupping my cheeks as he held my face above his own.

"You really are the love of my life, Anwyll." he said quietly, smiling happily with tears in his eyes. "I love you."

I beamed, my tail whipping back and forth. "I love you too, Mattie."

Matteo grinned and pecked my lips, then hugged my body and aligned it with his own. I snuggled into his arms with a happy sigh, my tail curling partway around us.

Markus nervously cleared his throat. "U-uh, if you didn't mean s-sexual riding, what did you mean?"

I blushed a bit when Matteo's chest rumbled with muffled laughter. I turned my head to look at Markus with a small smile.

"Would you like to go to the park with us this evening?"

Markus blinked. "What?"

I repeated my question and then added, "You'll be able to know how he got some of those scars, Markus."

Matteo's brother made his decision in an instant.

Hours later, when evening began, Markus walked alongside his older brother while Matteo kept me closely tucked into his firm embrace.

"Why do we have to go to the park?"

I sighed. "Well, it would be bad for Mattie if he's seen by anyone else. It's a pretty big and heavy secret my Mattie is carrying."

Markus' wide eyes met mine and I blushed. "It's not what you're thinking! Well, maybe it is..."

Matteo snorted with laughter. "Anwyll is correct, though. Both terms."

"I haven't seen it yet, though." I mumbled, which made a throaty rumble start in Matteo's chest.

"Would you like to see it sometime?"

I blushed. "S-sure." I then whispered, "Maybe you can do me in dragon form with it?"

Matteo's sharp inhale made my skin heat up even more. He nosed my head and kissed my wolf ear closest to his face.

"You're so cute, Master." he whispered ever so softly.

I hugged him a bit more firmly. "And you're so sexy, Mattie."

Markus groaned. "Stop flirting!"

Matteo chuckled. "I can't do that, Mark. Anwyll is my cute lover. I can't stop gushing over him."

"And on him." Markus rolled his eyes, and I found myself blushing.

"He hasn't done that yet." I said softly, and Markus' sapphire blues widened dramatically. "Mattie has some mental blockages right now, but we're gonna get through them. Aren't we, Mattie?"

Matteo nodded, petting my head and rubbing my back in a comforting loop. It took an easy fifteen minutes to reach that park from before, so I was nearly asleep when Matteo gave me to Markus in the shadows.

Markus was shocked, but he carefully held my body. I rested my cheek on his shoulder to watch Matteo stretch a bit. I held onto Markus as Matteo bent over and fluidly shifted into his bull form.

"Wh-what the fuck!" screeched Markus, but I clapped my hands over his mouth as he went to scream again.

"Shush, Markus." I murmured, staring into his eyes. "This is Matteo's other form. He is still himself, though."

Markus snorted, but I figured he was calm enough, so I lowered my hands. Matteo lumbered over, snorting at his brother. Markus flinched, but I patted his cheeks.

"He wants you to put me down."

His sapphire blue eyes were wary, but Markus agreed to put me down. I approached Matteo, petting his face while he breathed.

"My handsome bull." I whispered, and he flicked his tail and moved his head to lick my face.

I pouted from the rough, slimy kiss. Matteo snorted, but I grinned and kissed his cheek. I moved around his right horn and opened my arms to plaster myself on his side. I rubbed my cheek on his dark brown fur, scenting his body. It smelled exactly like him, not at all like an animal.

Matteo turned his head and nosed my side, snorting softly. I turned around and leaned on Matteo's side, watching Markus.

"This is how Matteo got most of his scars. The gruesome ones between his shoulder blades came from illegal bullfighting. There are also other deep mental and physical wounds that have scarred over, but never truly healed."

Markus looked sick to his stomach. I held out one hand, and he stared at my fingers with a blank expression. Finally, he slid two of his fingers into my palm. I grasped his fingers and tugged him closer to Matteo.

Matteo shifted uneasily, which made Markus flinch back. I sighed and yanked Markus against Matteo and myself. He froze, but Matteo wasn't too startled when his brother's hands landed on his right side, since I was smushed against him.

"See?" I grinned to myself. "It's okay. What do you think?"

Markus seemed to have lost his voice until I poked his abdomen a few times. "H-he's so hot." he finally croaked.

Matteo snorted and shook his head while I laughed. We knew what he meant.

"And so sturdy. He's really a bull..." murmured Markus, then he stepped back a bit to let me breathe. His breath caught when he saw my bright smile.

"Yep, and he's my bull." I beamed, which made Matteo's body thrum with happiness. His skin writhed when I scratched an itchy spot, though.

"Say, what are you? Can you change forms, too?"

I looked over at Markus. "I'm a hybrid. The only known one in existence."

His jaw dropped. "What are you a mix of exactly? Wolf and gnome?"

My own mouth fell open for a moment. "You meanie!" I exclaimed. "I'm both wolf and dragon."

Markus snorted, sounding a lot like his half-brother in bull form. "Dragons don't exist."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "Up until several hours ago, you couldn't even see my ears and tail. If I hadn't whacked your face with my tail, you would still be clueless as to why and how Matteo got those scars. Dragons exist. My daddy is one and my uncle is kind of one, too. And magic exists, Markus. I have a buttload of it."

"Oh yeah? Let me see it." he said while he crossed his arms.

Matteo turned his head to look as I stretched out my left hand. A ball of white floated above my hand and a shape began to take form. Markus stepped back as feathery ice-blue wings emerged from the ball. A long, featherlight, fluffy tail uncurled as did a bird's head. A melodic song began to flow from its open beak as the hybrid albino phoenix placed its talons on my forearm.

Cyan-colored eyes opened and the light gray beak snapped shut. It made a soft chirp when I greeted it into this world.

"Hello, my regal bird." I said with a smile, gently rubbing its head. "I'm your mama and your papa; your creator."