3. Mark of Ownership 1

Ravi woke up sweating and exhausted. He massaged his forehead and took a deep breath, realizing that he could still smell the chocolatey aroma. He pulled the edge of the blanket up to his nose, inhaling deeply as if it were his lifeline. Ravi initially thought that what had happened earlier was just a dream, but when he sniffed the blanket in his hand again, he knew it was all too real.

"Enjoying something, huh?" Ravi froze as if he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

His cheeks grew warm as he realized that Daniel had caught him sniffing the blanket in an unusual manner. Ravi quickly let go of the blanket as if nothing had happened. He didn't understand why he had acted that way, and it seemed irrational to him. It was unlikely that he would be so affected by another man's scent.

"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Daniel asked whom Ravi understood who his brother was referring to.

Ravi sighed and shook his head, moving the blanket away from his body. He suddenly felt anxious about what had transpired when he had lost consciousness earlier. It didn't make sense; he had been fine before, and it seemed unlikely that he would suddenly faint for no reason. "Where's Raymond, Daniel?"

Daniel stared at Ravi with narrowed eyes, his suspicious gaze a constant presence in such situations. He leaned against one of his legs, his hands folded in front of his chest. "For now, I've confined him to the storage room. Ravi, it's clear he's not human. He might have sinister intentions. We don't know why he came here. How can you trust him so easily?"

"I know, but for some reason, I believe he won't do anything bad," Ravi reassured Daniel. For a moment, silence enveloped them, but Ravi decided to stand up and walk towards the door.

"Nevertheless, Ravi, you've only known him for less than three hours, and you're already trusting a stranger like this. I can't even call him a man, with those black wings. Just feeling safe is not a reliable measure, Ravi. He's a man who walked into your room without any clothes on; I don't know what could have happened if I hadn't been there."

"Daniel, if Raymond truly wanted to do something malicious, he could have done it when I entered the room and closed the door right then. But he didn't," Ravi said, trying to convince Daniel gently. "I believe it because my heart and mind tell me so. That he's not a bad person."

Daniel sighed heavily and shook his head. "I don't feel the same way. Trusting someone is not that simple, Ravi." He then pointed at his injured finger, adding, "Look, Ravi. His feathers were sharp when I tried to touch them."

Ravi was surprised to hear Daniel's last words. He shook his head slightly and tucked his hair behind his ear. "No, his feathers are very soft. I touched one that had fallen to the floor."

"That's not possible. I did the same." Ravi knew Daniel was not lying, but the feathers were indeed soft, and Ravi wanted to touch them directly. "Listen, Ravi, he's a stranger, and he's not like us. We don't know his true intentions for coming here and why he suddenly appeared in your room without a balcony. We can't trust a stranger so easily."

Daniel repeated his concerns, but it didn't change Ravi's decision. "I know that Raymond is not a bad person, Daniel."

"Ravi, we never really know what's going on in someone's mind and what they might be planning. It's not just you I'm worried about; it's also Mom, Dad, and myself," Daniel said, gently gripping Ravi's shoulder. Ravi fell silent for a moment, contemplating these words. He realized that he didn't fully understand Raymond's true nature before the man's arrival and the potential risks his family might face. However, Ravi couldn't ignore the feeling in his heart that told him everything would be alright with Raymond's arrival.

Ravi had to end the conversation so that he could meet Raymond and ask the questions that had been on his mind since his arrival. "Daniel, I want to see Raymond first, and I'll find out."

"Just like Mom and Dad, you're too quick to trust," Daniel mumbled, resigned to Ravi's determination. "He's been crying loudly, so I had to lock him in the storage room. If anything happens, you should scream immediately."

Ravi snorted at Daniel's last statement, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. However, he eventually nodded. He also held back his questions about Raymond's reasons for crying. But he couldn't shake the uneasiness he felt when he learned that Daniel had locked Raymond in the storage room. Before he could leave his room, Daniel spoke again. "Mom and Dad have gone to buy something he can wear."

For some reason, Ravi's heart warmed upon hearing that his parents also believed in Raymond, rather than simply ejecting him without discussing it with Ravi first. It brought him relief, even though he recognized that he was quick to trust Raymond based on his heart and feelings.

Still, he was certain that Raymond's arrival was not just as the man had described to Ravi. Something more pressing had occurred in his life.