Chapter 8

And a little less than a week later, the truth came out. Not only did it just come out, it came out in the open so that everyone in the family, plus other herds, heard it. But it wasn't Amelia or I who said it.

It all started in the morning when we were washing in a hot spring. It was only Amelia and I there. I had already taken off my leaf dress and was now resting in the water, soaking up the heat. It wasn't that long before we started up a conversation. Little did we know then that someone was spying and heard the whole thing.

"I can understand your reason for wearing the leaf dress." Amelia was saying. "Insecurity, right?" I nodded without a word. Amelia smiled, "I really like it! What's it made of?" I sat up. "It's made of vines, leaves, a special fur that's really soft. We had a friend who has that fur, so I borrowed it from him. There are a few other materials in it that we found, and all of the materials are Earth-made."

Amelia nodded. "Maybe I could have something like that. Do you think you can make one for me?" I nodded, "Probably!" She smiled and we changed the subject. "So when are you going to tell Jonathan the truth about your ancestry?" Amelia sighed, "I should've known you'd bring that up…"

She looked up at the sky. "I don't really know…I don't think I have the courage to…" I sighed, "Well it's your secret so you have to do it." She looked at me. "Can you do it?" I shook my head. "Like I said, it's your secret." She turned away. "How do you think he'd react if he knew I had ferret blood in my veins?" I shrugged. "Like I said, he might take it weirdly at first. But if he truly loves you, then he'll accept the truth and continue to love you."

It was after that sentence that I heard the snapping of a twig. I got up. "What was that?" Amelia stood up too. "I heard it too!" Her voice was a little shaky. I looked at her with worry in my eyes. I knew then that someone had been there. And they had obviously left by now to tell what he had heard.

I quickly put my leaf dress back on and together, Amelia and I ran back to the main camp area. By the time we were back, we saw Jack, one of Jonathan and Amelia's sons walking up to his father and whispering in his ear.

I gasped and shouted at him, "STOP!" But it was too late to stop him, so as he whispered to his father, Jonathan's face turned redder and redder with anger. When he turned to Amelia and me, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "WHAT!" We both flinched and I nearly fell from the blast of vibration that seemed to vibrate everywhere.

Jonathan was now inches away and I stepped in front of Amelia as I was protecting her, which I probably was. Jonathan stopped in front of us. "You BOTH are half-breeds!?" I shook my head as I heard the rest of the family gasp. I stood my ground, "No, I'm the half-breed! Your mate has less than I do!"

Jonathan roared almost like Rudy had in the Dino World. He turned to Amelia. "I thought you– I thought I could trust you! All that you said was a lie!? HOW COULD YOU!?" Amelia was crying so I spoke up. By now whole herd, including Buck, was here. They watched.

"Your mate was scared you would reject her for not being what you call a pureblood! I found her a short while ago sobbing about telling you the truth. You have to understand that she was scared! She loves you…and she just wanted you to love her back…I don't see why you can't do that…" I looked at the rest of the pureblood weasel family as I realized something.

"Y'know, I bet that there are others in your family who aren't pureblooded weasels! But I bet that they are amazing nonetheless! I can see that you are a perfectionist in a way. You want to be pure and perfect in every way! But you have to know that NO ONE is perfect! No one! I'm not! Your mate isn't! And you're not! You can't judge people based off of their ancestry…if they are pureblood, half-breed, or any other type of creature that has a weird DNA running in their veins! Just let it go of your prejudice against anything that isn't pure like you, or you think you are. For all you or I know, you could be a half-breed too. You never know…but that's okay, because we're all here to live…not to fight or to be cruel to each other. We are all equal and are great in our own ways."

I didn't say another word after that. It was all up to Jonathan now. He looked at me, at Amelia, at his family, at the other different herds, and then back at me. The whole area was completely silent for a long time…no one spoke, moved, and everyone was barely breathing. Every creature here was waiting for Jonathan's answer.

He looked at me as the new idea that I presented sank into his mind. I heard a very small gasp escape his lips. He closed his eyes. "My parents were wrong…" He opened his eyes. They were now glazed over with tears. He continued, "They were the ones who taught me to be prejudice against half-breeds and others like that. They made me think that anyone who wasn't a purebred had muddy blood. But you…you just showed a new light to the whole thing. You're right…"

I nodded with a smiled. "Just think of it this way," I began. "New breeds are being made when half-breeds are made. Like I'm a fweaset or a ferret-weasel mix. It's the same for my siblings…and even yours. I don't think you know, but Cody and Emma both have ferret blood from their mother. But that doesn't make them bad. Cody is probably the most hilarious being I've ever met. He can imitate anyone and tells the funniest joke ever. Plus he can act out things that I've never seen before. And Emma is such a sweetheart! She's so smart and willing to listen. She's generous and helpful and truly amazing. She learns quickly and is skilled in many things. She and her twin were the ones who helped Buck escape the day he left…"

Jonathan looked at the twins. His stare wasn't cold or angry. It read amazement and almost knowing. He turned back to me. After a few seconds of pausing, he smiled. "Thank you, Jade. You may be young, but you have the knowledge of the wise. You've shed a new light on my life, and I thank you for that."

I smiled as he opened his arms and allowed me to enter his embrace. I had a good feeling now that I knew it would be okay…but I hadn't done all of this alone. I had to thank my family, the twins, Amelia, Buck, and my parents for their help.

As I backed away from Jonathan, I looked up at the blue sky. It was a sunny day now and the world was peaceful. My family joined me and I knelt down carefully as I hugged my siblings and the twins. As I hugged all of them, I looked up at Buck's knowing expression and smile. He understood and was happy for what I had done. He was thankful…thankful that he didn't have to worry or run any longer…

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