Jungle Madness 3

Behind the veil

The pounding of multiple keys could be heard as paws flew across the keyboard/controller. The feline's concentration zoned in on the screen as various colours were reflected in his eyes. With every shift of his gun, his enemies perished due to his mastery. Kill after the kill, the intensity of music increased. The only time the silence is broken is when he didn't need to intensely focus on the game; he would make short remarks, statements that either foretold his next actions or explained previous ones.

He'd try to talk or say something when the game didn't require him to focus but that was just an excuse for him to stay quiet and enjoy the game.

His display of high level mastery entertained his audience. It was mesmerizing how incredible and skillful he is in every game, but what attracts most to his channel is his insanely fast ability to learn, grow, and improve. People were naturally interested in seeing this monster at work.

An older canine knocked on the door, trying not to be too disruptive. "Are you streaming today?"

"Huh?" He removed his headset and paused the game. The noise of the game invaded his senses to the point where it covered most of what she said, forcing him to ensure it isn't just his imagination.

His mother opened the door slightly, her long nose poking into his room. "I wanted to know if you're streaming today. May I come in?"

His ears flopped as he muted the background music that was playing. "I asked my friends to come over and play this new game with me. Is that alright?"

"You should know that I don't mind," she reassured him, her wagging tail expressing her happiness. "You're allowed to do what you want as long as things don't go too far."

"Thanks Mom, I appreciate it."

"Is Nova also coming?" Her tone shifted, her wariness causing the casual mood from before to plummet.

He tilted his head, "Yes?"

She sighed, making her way to his bed she sat down. "He is safe, right?"

"What do you mean?" His confusion increased, not understanding what she was saying.

"I can't help feeling worried..." She admitted, "he's a hybrid."

"Is that a problem?" He rebutted, somewhat annoyed by what was happening.

She clasped her paws together. "Hybrids are dangerous. I'm scared that he could go crazy and hurt you. I'm always on edge when he comes here..."

He was speechless, hearing his own mother discredit a good friend. It was unexpected, and in some ways, hurtful. "He's my friend."

"I know, I know." She immediately tried to calm him down, "I've gotten the chance to interact with him as well over these weeks, and he's a very sweet guy."

"Then why—"

"Arthur, please let me finish," she abruptly intervened, "We all saw what happened that day at Mark's house. We decided to not act on it because nobody was hurt, but we didn't forget. This is exactly the problem of being a hybrid and the risk of being too close to one."

Arthur wanted so badly to shut her up but he knew it was a lost cause. Once she was adamant about a belief, there was no space for genuine talking. Really, what could he do?

"Am I really the bad guy here? I'm just trying to protect you!" She raised her voice, seeing the clear disapproval displayed by her son. "There are so many people in this world and you had to pick a hybrid..."

The young dog was frustrated and visibly annoyed by the terrible things she said, yet he couldn't say anything to her. Nothing he said could change her mind. She'd probably brush it off, claiming her adult card.