Tytos is all fire and anger and brimstone. Tytos was the kicker in the womb. It only makes sense. Rhonan just chills. Mostly. He’s got a button, it’s even possible to push that button, but it takes a whole hell of lot to get there. For the most part, he just doesn’t give two shits. Actually, he doesn’t even give one shit. Less than two shits, which aren’t worth very much to begin with. But of course, when you are pretty pretty princess colored and obviously the not-favorite child, there is only one way to get by. Actually, no, that’s a lie. There are two. You can kick and scream and shout and let it bother you. Or you can give less than two shits.
Rhonan picked the latter. Except about the pretty pretty princess thing. He was still bitter at genetics.
He brother lays into him. A normal brother, a useful, good brother, might look upset or vaguely remorseful about leaving his twin behind. Rhonan honestly had to stifle a laugh. It wasn’t Rhonan’s fault that he was smart enough to get out before Mom would notice. Tytos could have (should have) been faster than him. But he wasn’t. That’s his punishment for being the normal colored twin. He had that going for him.
“No. You look like dad. You are the one she watches like a hawk. I look like her, and Rhy, and a bunch of other masculine Amazonians, as you so point it.” He maybe be an asshole to everyone, but he was also an asshole to himself. From far enough away, he did pass for one of the jungle mares easily enough. As long as he timed it right, left while Mom was looking away, she’d never even notice till he was long out of the Jungle.
And the world outside the Jungle was a beautiful thing. Even if there was still a lot of green.
But they are brothers, and the topic changes, because they fight like brothers. Punch one minute and talk the next. It’s how the world should be. Especially when surrounded by a bunch of mares on steroids. ”It’s still pretty green dude. But the sky and the water are blue, and shit there actually dies and it turns brown. Like spectacular crap.” Crap because obviously, it is brown. And spectacular because it is not green.
Tytos switches to girls, and now Rhonan really does laugh. Not because his brother is wrong. There had been a girl. But flirting? Aletheia herself probably didn’t know she was a girl, let alone that Rhonan was a boy and that maybe they could flirt. She definitely doesn’t know what flirting is. “There was a girl, but she was weird man. Like, one hundred and ten percent from outer space weird. Which is saying something in this place.”
And here’s the truth that he doesn’t say: He kind of liked the weird. He wanted to find her again. But there’s no way in hell he’s going to tell his brother that. He’ll never hear the end of it.
rhonan.