Chapter 7: Reinvigoration and Deterioration

Ever since leaving the family's main living area, Mary, Bernard, and De'Ausha started conversing among each other.

De'Ausha: "I thought we wa' gonna leave together, Mary."

Bernard: "Yeah. Why'd you go alone without us? I was worried sick when you weren't in the log when I woke up. You know that I need you." (Confidence drops with each passing word) "I'm...not a good enough raccoon to live on my own without you..."

Mary (cross tone): "Both of you, forget about running away and living on our own because look where it got me." (Points at her injured ankle) "And..." (Depressed tone) "this leg injury proves that I'm not a good enough raccoon to go it without our family either. If I couldn't go from our home to Elroy's home without messing it up, then how am I supposed to live on my own?" (Looks seriously at her brother) "You and I are only half-raccoon, Bernard...No offense, but when Tabitha said that you'll never live up to filling our dad's shoes, she should've included me too..."

Bernard feels more helpless than usual. He's used to himself having low self-esteem, but for his sister to feel this way is almost too much for him.

De'Ausha: "I three years older than you, gurl, I could always be th' leader a'this journey. We jus' need to find a place with food, fresh water, and shelter."

Mary: "We'll need more than that. We'd have to defend our shelter and territory from being taken over by other animals. Bernard and me are just 11-years-old; we're smaller, weaker, and more inexperienced than any animal of a similar or greater size that's older than us. We haven't gotten enough practice with our golf bag items to protect ourselves."

De'Ausha: "I can fend off predators while you two get mo' practice with ya golf bag items."

Mary: "But once you use up all your spray we'd have to wait 10 days for you to 'recharge', we'd be completely vulnerable."

De'Ausha: "I can climb trees like you, so we can live up high where no land predators can get us."

Bernard's next comment shows a rare moment of his raccoon-intelligence, albeit derived of his opossum-inherited fear, when he adds, "But what about owls, hawks, eagles, and...*gulp* bears that can climb trees?"

De'Ausha proves that even her three extra years of life still has its limits when her first word is full of confidence, her second word is full of doubt, and her third word is full of defeat when she says, "Well...I...uh..."

Mary: "Why are we still talking about this? Drop it. It's pointless! We're not cut out for living on our own, no matter how great it would be to not be around the very creatures who cursed us."

De'Ausha and Bernard know that she's referring to their parents, and take her advice on forgetting about the topic. That leads into a direction that the male opossacoon and female skunat had almost forgotten about.

Bernard: "You still haven't told us why you left for Elroy's without us."

De'Ausha: "Yeah, if we went togeth'a, we might've been able to stop you from gettin' injured. What was so important to you that you'd go on without us?"

Mary: "One, I had to be sure that I was the one who told Elroy that I was sterile. If one of our enemies, like Tabitha did, then it would have made things even worse than they already are. And two, you both were sound asleep, and I didn't wanna risk you waking up anyone else."

De'Ausha and Bernard look at each other and briefly give a lopsided grin while nodding and shrugging, a clear sign that Mary had two good points. Then De'Ausha gets down to business.

De'Ausha: "So...what did Elroy tell ya, gurl?"

Bernard: "Yeah. We know you had to speak to him about your—er, our—condition."

Both animals look at Mary with faces that show eagerness and dread at the same time. Mary decides to just put it out there plainly.

Mary: "Believe it or not, he actually didn't mind that I was sterile."

Bernard and De'Ausha gasp both is surprise and relief.

De'Ausha: "So maybe?..."

Bernard: "Mommy and daddy were right about—"

Mary hates to dash her brother's and De'Ausha's confidences just when they had gotten their hopes up, but also doesn't want them to go through the same pain as they did yesterday a second time. That's why she interrupts Bernard and says, "But Elroy doesn't want any kids when he grows up, and I'm not sure if that's how Ladarius and Patricia will feel."

Bernard's and De'Ausha's facial expressions sink like an anchor. Before they can think anything else, Mary continues to rant.

Mary: "And don't you dare give our parents credit for anything, Bernard and De'Ausha. They don't deserve it. Because we're still just half of one animal, and half of another...*Sigh* Why would mommy and daddy have kids if they knew we would be miserable? Knew that we would rarely, if at all, be accepted by others? Knew that we would—"

De'Ausha doesn't take too kindly to Mary's new Debbie Downer attitude and is quickly growing tired of it. The skunat doesn't feel as bad about being half skunk and half cat as Mary does about being a hybrid, and isn't in the mood to allow the opossacoon's toxic thoughts to infect her own. One of the most important things De'Ausha's father taught her from an early age was that complaining won't make anything better, only worse—a lesson that Stella hasn't quite fully learned, but has been getting better at ever since marrying Tiger.

De'Ausha: "Okay, we get it. Bein' a hybrid sucks, but complainin' isn't gon' help anything. So jus' be'cuz you feel miserable don't mean yo' brother and I gotta feel the same way as you do. Pull ya'self togeth'a, gurl. It's not the end'uv the world, especially since Elroy still wants ta be with ya."

Mary scoffs and angrily responds, " 'Gurl', if I wanna express how I feel out loud, then I'm going to do that, no matter how much it gets on your nerves! Who the heck do you think you are, telling me what I can and cannot say?!"

De'Ausha: "And who made you the boss of me?! I'm 14 and you're 11! Jus' 'cuz you the daughter of RJ don't mean you have authority ov'a me!"

Bernard: "Please stop, girls. You're not helping. We need to stick together. Maybe if we—"

De'Ausha and Mary simultaneously glare at Bernard and say in unison, "Shut up!"

Bernard whimpers in fear while cringing. He covers his ears and tries humming his favorite song to drown out the flaring argument between De'Ausha and Mary, but it doesn't work. He feels so weak, alone, and powerless. If he couldn't get his own sister and "cousin"—the only two family members who are hybrids like himself—to listen, then it may not matter if Patricia doesn't mind him being sterile. He'd make a terrible mate because he's too scared to say or do anything with strength. He loses track of time and doesn't know how long the argument goes on for.

Suddenly, he notices that Mary and De'Ausha have stopped their bickering and opens his eyes. The skunat and female opossacoon are looking to their right, and Bernard's eyes follow. RJ and Rebecca are standing with crossed arms and tapping a foot impatiently.

Rebecca: "And just what is going on here?"

RJ: "Y'all better have a good reason for whatever you're fighting about, too. I was coming over to invite you three to help Rebecca and I re-train some of the forest animals in combating predators—in the direction of Ladarius and Patricia's homes, no less—but now I'm wondering if I should put you in time-out instead."

Wanting to see Ladarius more than ever, De'Ausha quickly points at Mary and says, "It's Mary's fault. I told her to stop complaining about bein' a hybrid, and not make me and Bernard feel as bad as she does. She got angry at me fo' sayin' that, and I got angry back."

Rebecca: "Is this true, Bernard?"

Bernard: "Yes, Aunt Becca."

RJ and Rebecca give stern looks at Mary who sighs and says in a voice full of resignation, "They're both right. I started everything. Punish me, not them. They need to go see Ladarius and Patricia."

RJ: "I will. Come with me as I tell your mother, Grandma Sarah, and Grandpa Rogan why you're in time-out. You're to stay behind and sit in time-out until they say it's been long enough. No TV, no phone, no iPad, no books, and no talking with anyone else; just sitting quietly and staring at a tree."

Mary: "Yes, daddy..."

As Mary goes to her father on her three uninjured paws, De'Ausha and Bernard give perplexed looks at her for her submissiveness. They had expected Mary to try to find a way out of getting punished, and blame them, or accuse them of lying at the very least, but she didn't. They also silently admire her reason for letting them go with Rebecca and RJ. Perhaps all she needs to cool down is a time-out.

Mary has clearly learned her lesson, but another hedgie has yet to learn his.

Verne, Velma, and Plushie are traveling to their destination by themselves. Two have their minds on what they will re-teach to the animals they are going to see, and one has his mind on something else.

Plushie had wanted to speak his mind as soon as Verne finished telling Kale, "It doesn't make you any less of a family member for not being here when Emily gave birth, and no one faults you for it." But the teenage reptile held back any comment in order to not spoil the heartfelt moment, which would risk another humiliating punishment in front of everyone. At first, the length of the conversations and how they diverged from the topic Plushie wanted to bring up was annoying for the turtle, but then he became grateful for it because it gave him more than enough time to think of what he will say to Verne in relation to the older turtle's reaction to Kale's absence.

Now judging the timing to be right—where there are no other animal witnesses to add embarrassment—Plushie says, "Hey, Uncle, can I ask you something?"

Verne: "What, Plushie?"

Plushie: "I understand why you punished me last night, but why didn't you get onto Kale for missing the birth of Emily's kids?"

Verne: "As Bucky and Emily couldn't have said it better, Kale has very important job to do of keeping everyone in the forest safe, a job he alone has to do. So if he had to save more animals from being eaten, then he had a good reason to miss out on the birth of Emily's kids."

Plushie: "There you go doing it again! All you wanna do is micromanage me, but not anyone else in this whole stinking family! That's not fair!"

Verne and Velma stop in their tracks and look at their nephew with disapproval. Verne's face and voice indicate that he is in control of the situation, but is restraining himself from getting too emotional when he says, "We are not going down that same path again, Plushie. There are more important things for you, your aunt, and me to do today than talk about your attitude."

Velma: "We could've left you at home to cool your heels, but we agreed to bring you along only because it would give you something to think about besides how you've been acting up lately. Don't make us regret that decision."

Verne: "Now, if you do want to talk about your inappropriate behavior we can, but if you have another outburst, then it's back home for you."

Plushie: "N-no, it's okay. You have a good point...My bad..."

Verne grins and says "Good. I'm glad you're starting to understand. Now let's move on."

After nodding in agreement, Verne's and Velma's confidence in Plushie's understanding of their words seems solidified when the teenager asks, "So remind me the animals we'll be visiting and what we'll be teaching them?"

Velma: "We're going to see Barton's, the Gerald's, then the Kramer's. Take a lunch break, then head over to the Frank's, the Xander's, and lastly the Hill's."

Plushie nods at the mention of each family patriarch's name as they are softshell turtles, snapping turtles, frogs, otters, beavers, and box turtles respectively.

Verne: "And we'll be re-teaching them how to keep an eye out for predators, and how to use their nature-given abilities to defeat them."

Plushie: "Like the frogs using their ribbiting to confuse? The otters using their agility to evade and disorient? The beavers using their tails like spanking paddles? The softshell turtles using their thin bodies to camouflage? The snapping turtles using their jaws to attack? And the box turtles to use their shells as weapons like the time Uncle Lou used my 'leaping grenade' idea against that badly-dressed verminator at the supermarket we raided years ago?"

Verne and Velma raise an eyebrow and grin. They are really taking a liking to Plushie's questions as it shows his commitment to today's task. Perhaps his adolescent rebellion only flared once and needed good old-fashioned discipline to solve.

Verne: "My, my...you've really ahead of the game, Plushie. Those sound like great ideas!"

Velma: "We'll start from there and see how it goes. But we all got to remember to be patient in case the families don't learn as quickly as we want them to."

Plushie: "Yeah...Lessons can only be mastered by trial and error, and repetition."

Recalling that his nephew had repeated something Verne had taught him, the adult box turtle proudly says, "Taking my advice, I see. That's a great thing to do at this stage in your life. Keep it up."

Plushie: "Thanks Uncle, I will. And I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier about not getting onto Kale."

Verne: "You are forgiven, Plushie. Let's put that behind us and focus on what's in front of us, shall we?"

The other two turtles and agree and they all keep trekking. Shortly, they arrive at a creek, greet the Barton's, Gerald's, and Kramer's they see there, explain what the purpose of their visit is, and get to the lessons. Plushie does most of the work initially and then, as expected, Verne and Velma slowly take over the instruction until those two are doing it fully. Seeing how busy they are, and how attentive their audience is, Plushie sneers and uses the sound of the creek to sneak away unnoticed.

Plushie thinking: "By the time they realize I'm not around, I'll have gotten rid of my scent and be far away from them to see my real friends."

As it turns out, all of Plushie's positive attitude and responses were merely for show, as his only reason for saying those great things was to keep his aunt's and uncle's confidence in him solid, to make them think it's safe to let their guard down on him. And oh, how it's paying off.

If only the two older turtles could read minds, they would have known that Plushie was lying, and will not admit that they are right about him. As far as he's concerned, they are in the wrong. They should have gotten on to Kale just as they had gotten on to him. But they didn't, and their reasoning is worse than even Plushie had thought it would be.

He finds it insulting—enraging—how he has to listen to adults that are nothing like his mother, who was everything they are not. Kimberly was adventurous, daring, energetic, outgoing, and most of all, fun. She was a She-Ra mom, a daredevil, thrill-seeking, adrenaline junkie who was always willing to dive head-first into action. Verne and Velma are neurotically cautious, reclusive, slow-footed even by turtle standards, patronizing, and most of all, boring. They're so overprotective that they're afraid for Plushie to live life—at least in the teen's opinion. He isn't with them by choice, he simply had nowhere to go ever since Kimberly died at Verm-Tech as a test subject for the then-unstable Depelter Turbo 4000.

Moreover, after telling Verne, "N-no, it's okay. You have a good point...My bad..." Plushie had asked Mother Nature for the hundredth time why Kimberly had to die, and why he has been cursed to live with his uncle and aunt. His newfound hatred for Verne and Velma wasn't instant, but had developed over the years he has spent living with them. When he was younger, Plushie didn't mind Verne's and Velma's meekness because he thought that as he showed them how exciting being daring can be, they would warm up and start becoming more like Kimberly. But they have not done that at all, and have in fact become meeker and more cautious the longer Plushie has spent with them. It's not overprotective parenting, they're trying to shape him into someone he doesn't want to be, trying to make him as meek and cautious as they are. It doesn't help that the rest of the family is always in agreement with Verne and won't stand up for Plushie—hence the turtle's resentment for them lately—so he believes only one group of animals will understand him and let him be who he really wants to be.

After taking one last glance behind his shoulder and confirming that Verne and Velma are still occupied, Plushie smiles smugly while musing, "I'll show them what I think about them and their dumb and overbearing rules..."

As Rebecca walks with Bernard, De'Ausha, and RJ she feels sorry for what's been going on with her big brother and his family-by-marriage. This midsummer season has been nothing but trouble for him. First his kids are beaten up by bullies, then Heather is badly injured, then his kids hate him for their sterility, then his daughter gets hurt, then Rogan and Sarah announce they can't heist anymore, and then he has to come up with a plan to make Kale's job easier. He has done all of this while the rest of the larger family has been having troubles of their own. Rebecca can't express in words how proud and impressed she is with RJ for being able to handle all the responsibility he has on his plate.

At the same time, however, she feels both envy and relief that she doesn't have his job. She's thankful that she hasn't had to go through the turmoil he has been facing lately, because she knows she wouldn't be able to take the pressure. She's envious because she also recalls what her parents had said to her on the night she revealed her supposed homosexuality, and how she is the daughter of Rogan and Sarah and the sister of RJ, which means she should be able to handle the stress. She is 22-years-old and has done so little compared to her parents and brother. Her parents had already married by then and were fleeing and outfoxing wolves a few years later. When RJ was 22 he had already traveled hundreds of miles, overcame countless harrowing predicaments, and then joined the hedgies.

Rebecca thinking: "What noteworthy things have I done?"

Answer: she has caused nothing but trouble and stress for her parents and brother. She had inadvertently gotten the hedgies sent to Verm-Tech, then inadvertently gotten RJ's legs broken, added another huge regret to her parents' long list of regrets by confessing her possible homosexuality, and was the main reason Heather got injured. True, she did free the hedgies and the other animals from Verm-Tech eight years ago, but that was only because RJ had gotten her the cure to the poison that Dwayne LaFontant had injected her with. She also had single handedly incapacitated Bone-Chompers Bonnie and Clyde five years ago, but that was only because she was armed with her brother's taser and Kale had told her (and the rest of the family) about his pack members' attack preferences. Therefore, alone she has basically accomplished nothing that holds a candlestick to what her parents and brother have done.

Rebecca thinking: "I want to make my parents proud by contributing to my blood family's legacy. I want to help RJ by assuming more responsibility so he doesn't have to be overburdened. And I want to ensure my blood family's bloodline continues...But at the same time, I'll most likely screw up everything like I always do, and if I'm gay then I won't be able to pass the torch of my blood family's legacy to children who aren't sterile."

What's worse is that she can't talk to RJ about how she feels right now, even when she wants to, because De'Ausha and Bernard are present and she doesn't want them to know about her homosexual crisis because they'll tell the other family members. Instead she must remain strong, bear with the pain and uncertainty, and put one foot in front of the other as the four of them keep traveling to the first family they will help re-train.

Just as she gets her head back in the game, Bernard asks her something.

Bernard: "Aunt Becca?"

Rebecca: "Yes, Bernard?"

Bernard: "Do you think Patricia will still wanna be my girlfriend when I tell her that I'm sterile?"

RJ: "Of course she—"

Bernard (cross tone): "I want Aunt Becca to answer! Not you!"

RJ (angry and snappy): "Watch your tone, Bernard, or I'll take you back to join your sister in time-out. I know you're angry with me—you have every right to be—but I'm still your father and you will respect me." (Shouting) "Got it?!"

Bernard gulps, nods frantically to signify his submission, and stammers out, "Y-yes daddy! I w-will, daddy! I-I-I'm sorry daddy."

Rebecca eyes RJ in question for his sudden and unnecessary roughness. Although fear can be acceptable, no parent should use anger and shouting to make their kids agree if they can help it. It's not like RJ to do that, but maybe everything that's happening to him and the family lately is finally taking its toll on his patience.

Wanting to get her nephew's mind on something else, Rebecca answers his question about Patricia still loving him despite his sterility.

Rebecca: I'm sure Patricia will still want to be your girlfriend. I don't think there's any couple more suited for each other than you and her."

Bernard: "How so?"

Rebecca: "She's headstrong, you're compliant. She's straightforward, you think things through. She's bold, you're shy. She has a lot of confidence, you need more confidence. She's not easily frightened, you need more courage.

Bernard: "But that's why we're so different from each other. If she's so strong and I'm so weak, she'll never want to be with me whether I'm sterile or not."

Rebecca: "First, you are not weak, Bernard. And second, sometimes opposites attract. You're the one who can keep her from doing anything rash, and she's the one who can help you become stronger. Long story short, she can help bring out more of your raccoon side."

Bernard: "I see...Hm...How are you so sure about this? Did you learn this from being with Garrett?"

Rebecca: "Not really. My relationship with him is very different from your relationship with Patricia. You two just seem so compatible that it would be weird if y'all didn't get together."

Bernard slowly nods yes and smiles when he says, "You're right!"

Rebecca: "Just talk to her and she'll understand."

Bernard: "Thanks Aunt Becca, you're the best!"

Bernard hugs his aunt who hugs him back. This talk has done more than boost his confidence, it has restored his faith in the words of non-hybrid animals. After he had failed to get Mary and De'Ausha to listen to him during the two girls' argument, he has begun to question if the hybrids were really the ones who knew what was best for themselves. But now he thinks that maybe the advice of a purebred animal isn't as worthless as he and the two girls believed ever since disowning their parents.

Soon, Bernard briefly covers his nose on instinct when the four animals come within range of Ladarius's family's hollowed out log home. He's used to Stella's and De'Ausha's skunk odor, but each skunk has his/her own specific "fragrance" that's different from others, and Bernard hasn't fully gotten used to Ladarius's smell yet.

De'Ausha: "Boy, you betta breathe normally when we visit Der and his family. You don't wanna offend 'em."

Bernard: "I know, De'Ausha. It's just my possum-inherited sense of smell. It outclasses yours, Aunt Becca's, and daddy's."

He uncovers his nose and breathes in short bursts at first, then increases the inhale time until he has become nose-blind to the skunk family they are approaching.

De'Ausha cups her paws around her mouth and shouts, "Yo, Der! It's De'Ausha! Long time no see."

Shortly after that, five skunks emerge from the log. There is the father, Jordan, his second-wedded mate Ahniyah, the oldest daughter Markasia (17-years-old), second daughter, Lakeisha (15-year-old), and finally the youngest and only son, Ladarius (14-years-old). There used to be an even oldest daughter, Shaniqua, but she is sadly no longer alive. Jordan and Ahniyah had Markasia, Lakeisha, and Ladarius after marrying. Shaniqua was Ahniyah's biological daughter that she had with her first mate. Ladarius has a brush-top hair style and green eyes. Jordan looks just like his son with the exception of having brown eyes, and has with short whiskers and chin fur that resembles a beard. Ahniyah has blue eyes and has white head-fur that curves down the back of her neck and stops at her shoulders. Marskasia has brown eyes and wears her braided head-fur in two buns on the top left and top right of her head. Lakeisha has teal eyes and lets her jerry curl head-fur hang down.

Ladarius wears his winning smile like always and says, "So what choo doing, gurl?"

RJ: "Actually, we're on our way to the Stevens, Williams, and Kings homes to re-train them on how to defeat predators."

Rebecca: "Yeah, Kale's job is becoming too much for him alone and we need to do what we can to help him and any other families from suffering anymore losses."

De'Ausha: "Y'all wanna come along?"

Jordan: "I don't see why not. We got nothin' better to do today. Y'all in kids?"

Ladarius, Markasia, and Lakeisha in unison: "Yes sir!"

Rebecca: "Thanks for doing this. We need all the help we can get."

Ahniyah: "Whenev'a yo family needs help with somethin', just let us know, Rebecca and RJ."

Judging the time to be right, De'Ausha executes the next move for her personal visit by saying, "I need ta talk to Ladarius alone really quick. Y'all go on ahead. Us two'll catch up late'ah."

Markasia (playfully seductive): "I thank I have an idea of what is it you wan' talk about..."

Jordan: "Come along now, Markasia. You know Der and De'Ausha are responsible and mature."

De'Ausha waits until everyone else is out of sight, and then takes Ladarius by the paw over to the outside of the log.

Ladarius: "Wouldn't inside the log be betta fo' privacy?"

De'Ausha: "Our voices'll echo."

Ladarius nods in agreement but also says, "Must be really important..."

De'Ausha: "It is."

The skunat looks deeply into her boyfriend's eyes, knowing that the future of her happiness and his depends on how he takes what she's about to tell him.

De'Ausha: "Ladarius...You know that Imma hybrid. Because of that there's somethin' you need to know about me..."

Ladarius: "I'm listenin'."

De'Ausha: "I'm sterile. I'll never be able to have kits with you..."

Ladarius's expression goes from diligent to blank, although he's still listening closely, so De'Ausha continues to break the news to him.

De'Ausha: "I jus' found out yesterday, and me an' my parents aren't getting' along very well...probably won't ev'a again. I know I can't force you to stay with me, so I'm leavin' it up to you. I perfectly understand if you just wanna be friends so that you can fall in love and marry a full-blooded female skunk so y'all can have kids and be happy fo'ever. I'll live with whatev'a choice you make. Jus' do what you know is best fo' you, yo family, and me."

Ladarius blinks for the first time since going all blank-face, and takes time to process what De'Ausha has told him. The skunat has little hopes and is pretty sure he will choose to just become her friend instead of mate. But unlike Mary, De'Ausha has resolved to take it like a real woman and go on living with pride and with as much happiness as being a sterile hybrid can muster, regardless of what Ladarius will say.

Ladarius: "What I want in order to be happy fo'ever...What I know is best fo' me, my family, and you...Is ta fall in love with the gurl I love.

"And guess what, I'm lookin' at her right now."

De'Ausha's slit cat pupils dilate to the point of being miniature black holes. She still looks dumbfounded by Ladarius's response that her head doesn't clear out until Ladarius starts kissing her. She returns his kiss and adds a hug to the mix.

When they break away, De'Ausha can't help but ask, "You still want me, even when I can't give you any kits? You don't mind that I'm sterile?"

Ladarius: "Gurl, I knew you wa' sterile the moment I first laid eyes on you. I fell in love with you, the gurl underneath all the fur and organs. Fell in love with yo' soul, not your biology."

De'Ausha: "Oh, Der!" (Flings her arms around him again) "Thank you!" (Pecks him on the cheek with her lips) "Thank you so much!" (Kisses him on the cheek again) "...Forgive me, but I actually thought you'd choose ta dump me an' marry a real skunk so you could have kids one day. I'm sorry that I doubted you fo' a second!"

Ladarius: "I won't lie, havin' kids would be nice..." (Sees De'Ausha frown while drooping her ears) "But as long as I got you wit me, I'll be so happy that I won't need kids to be a part'a my life!"

De'Ausha's ears and feelings perk back up. But then she recalls something Ladarius had said, and asks, "Wait a minute. How'd you know I wa' sterile when you first met me?"

Ladarius: "You ain't the first hybrid I seen. Fo' a time, me and my fam used to live near a human farm, where my mama and dad told me about mules. At first I thought they was their own separate species, until my parents said they're really hybrids of horses and donkeys, and as such, are sterile."

De'Ausha: "So you still loved me all along, even when you knew I'd nev'a be able ta give you children...You not just the gnarliest skunk of all time, you're the biggest sweetheart too!"

Ladarius: "Gnarliest...biggest sweetheart...That's music to my ears! And now I'm gonna do the same to you."

De'Ausha is speechless when Ladarius gets on one knee and holds her paw in both of his.

Ladarius: "De'Ausha, will you marry me? I mean, we still too young and need to wait until we become adults, but I wanna go ahead and make sure you'll be mine and I'll be yours, and to let the whole world know it too."

De'Ausha beams in joy and excitedly says, "Oh yes! Yes, yes, yes! I'll marry you, Ladarius! I'll marry you!"

Ladarius: "I knew you wouldn't say no. You, me, and our families, we been through so much together—good and bad—that it would make no sense fo' us not to marry each oth'a. I love you, De'Ausha."

De'Ausha: "And I love you, Ladarius."

The two kiss on the lips and nuzzle their faces. Then they head out, walking paw-in-paw to be with the three hedgies and four skunks. While doing that, they silently reflect how they didn't need to verbally go into the details of what their families have been through together, but mutually understand the magnitude of those details. It's because their love is deeper than being able to have children. Even though Ladarius and his family quickly took a liking to De'Ausha and her family, there was a time when De'Ausha's relationship with Ladarius almost ended, not once but twice. The first time was five years ago when De'Ausha revealed that she was one of three hedgie children who decided to help Kale recuperate. Since Kale had nearly killed Ladarius earlier that day, it's no surprise why the skunks would feel resentment. The second occasion was when Kale killed Shaniqua. The wolf was gunning for Jordan and Ahniyah at the time, but Shaniqua got in the way and saved them at the cost of her life. But after spending weeks of exile with the hegdies away from the woods bordering the Elysian Fields Estates during the Bone-Chomper Pack's rule, the skunk family learned to forgive De'Ausha, and eventually Kale himself. If De'Ausha's and Ladarius's relationship could survive that turmoil, it could survive anything.

They hold on to that confidence when they rejoin with the others.

Ahniyah: "I see two animals that look very happy..."

Unable to contain her excitement, De'Ausha blurts out, "Ladarius asked me to marry him when we the proper age and I said yes! He doesn't mind that I'm sterile or that I can't have kids with him, and just wants to be with me because he loves me as a person instead of for my body!"

RJ, Rebecca, and Bernard briefly look at each other with twinkling eyes and happy faces and then look at De'Ausha and Ladarius and say "Congratulations!"

Jordan: "Hold. Up. Right. Now."

The hedgies and Ladarius look at Jordan in confusion, not to mention unease, with how his tone had been stern and cold.

Jordan: "Ladarius...You proposed without Stella's and Tiger's blessing? And ours?"

Ladarius: "Mrs. Stella and Mr. Tiger would approve fo' sure, but I knew y'all wouldn't approve. But it's too late now, we engaged."

Ahniyah: "My stinkin' rear end you are!"

Markasia: "How could you not approve, mama and dad?"

Lakeisha: "Yeah? You can't deny Der's and De'Ausha's love. They made fo' each oth'a."

Jordan: "Stay outta this, girls. Ladarius, you need to marry a skunk who can give you kids and give your mother and me grandkids."

Ladarius: "I don't need any kids to be happy, I'll be happy with De'Ausha. Isn't that what you want for me? To be happy?"

Ahniyah: "You won't know full happiness unless you have kids, Der."

Lakeisha: "Markasia and me can give you grandbabies, mama and dad."

Jordan: "I told you two to—! Fine. You wanna get grilled by yo mama and me, then we'll set a few mo' thangs straight for you too! Jordan is our family's only son, as such he's the only one who can carry my bloodline's surname, whereas you and Markasia will take the surname of your husbands."

Markasia: "Now that is sexist! Just 'cuz we gurls, means we can't carry on yo' family's legacy?!"

Ahniyah: "It is sexist, gurls, but that's how all marriages are. We live in a patriarch world, and there's nothing you or anyone can do to change it."

Rebecca almost intervenes on Markasia's and Lakeisha's behalf by telling Jordan and Ahniyah how she's a female and Rogan and Sarah told her that she's the only one who can continue her parents' family legacy. But she refrains because, as has been observed, Jordan and Ahniyah obviously raised their family under different rules, and she doesn't want to make a bad situation worse like she normally does.

Jordan: "Anyway, Der, you need to think about yo family's happiness too when considerin' your own. It's selfish fo' you to wanna only make yo'self happy and not make you, me, and yo' mama happy."

Ladarius (earnest tone): "No offense, but aren't y'all bein' selfish too fo' wantin' me ta not marry the love of my life?"

Ahniyah: "You're still too young to understand how love works, son."

Ladarius: "Am I? Isn't love gettin' to know yo' lover after years of spending time with her? Isn't love seeing and gettin' used to her when she's angry and happy? Isn't love being there for her to get her through tough times in ways family and normal friends can't? Isn't love about lovin' the person beneath the body instead of the body? Isn't love still findin' yo' lover interesting even after years of being around her? Isn't love when you feel empty and incomplete without yo' lover beside you? Isn't love being able to embrace your spouse's own negatives that all folks have about themselves and can't always help? Be'cuz that's what De'Ausha and me have been doin' for each oth'a for over five years now. I'm pretty sho I know what love is.

"I know that I won't be able to experience the joy of raisin' my own kids who I will see grow and pass th' lessons you have taught me. I know that I'll be mocked for loving a hybrid. I know that yo' idea of family legacy won't be fulfilled when I marry her. But I love De'Ausha too much to let her live on her own without me to love her, because she's nev'a loved anyone else like she does me, and I nev'a loved anyone else like I do her."

Jordan and Ahniyah look at each other slowly, captivated by their son's words. They never imagined he was that passionate about De'Ausha...that honest...that committed. Even Lakeisha and Markasia are taken aback and can only look on with awe, not that they need to add anything in defense for what their brother has already said. The hedgies also remain silent for the same reasons, in addition to knowing full and well that it's up to Jordan and Ahniyah alone to come up with their decision.

Jordan: "How far are you willin' ta go fo' this gurl, Der?"

Ladarius: "I'd give my life fo' her, dad. 'Cuz I love her in every way a creature can be loved."

Ahniyah: "And how far are you willin' ta go fo' our son, De'Ausha?"

De'Ausha: "To the death, Mrs. Ahniyah and Mr. Jordan. 'Cuz I love him, all of him, from every individual hair on his body to every cell inside his body. "

As the teens spoke, the two adult skunks see the dedication in their eyes, hear the firmness of their words, and feel the aura of their feelings for the one they spoke of. For the first time, Jordan and Ahniyah question their parenthood and what they have taught their kids when it comes to marriages and continuing legacies. Now that they've heard De'Ausha's and Ladarius's recent answers, they realize it would be selfish of them to deny De'Ausha to their son just for the sake of having him fulfill their idea of passing on the family name. They figured him wrong, he does know what love is. So who are they to tell their son and his girlfriend what they can and can't do?

Jordan: "De'Ausha?"

Ahniyah: "Ladarius?"

De'Ausha and Ladarius in unison: "Yes?"

Slowly but surely, the skunks' stern expressions soften into big smiles.

Jordan and Ahniyah in unison (nodding): "We approve."

De'Ausha and Ladarius look at each other, gasp while smiling, and then embrace in another hug, with Ladarius spinning his fiancé around. The other animals that are watching cheer, clap, and whistle as if it's already the two lovers' wedding day.

Once the spinning stops, Jordan approaches Ladarius, puts a paw on his shoulder, sqeezes it affectionately and says, "Sorry fo' bein' so stubborn, son. Fo' bein' blinded by our old-fashioned ideas." (Looks at Lakeisha and Markasia) "And gurls, we sorry fo' not believin' you two can carry on our family legacy."

Ahniyah: "I mean, I'm still carryin' on my father's legacy by what I say and do. So legacies are built mo' through actions than through names."

Ladarius: "It's okay, mama and dad."

Markasia: "Yeah, you and mama was jus' doin' what you thought was right."

Ahniyah: "No it's not okay, kids. Times're changing, the world is changin', and animals are changin'. Be'cuz'a that, we gotta learn t'ac-cept that not every single thang our parents taught us, and their parents taught them, can work in this day and age."

Having experience in the matter that Ahniyah is speaking of, and seeing no risk in saying something now that the situation has been resolved in the best possible manner, Rebecca adds, "I know what you mean, really I do. My parents raised me to believe interspecies marriages and hybrid children were wrong and against the laws of Nature, too. But they realized how wrong they were after seeing how much RJ loved Heather and his kids."

De'Ausha: "It's like my mama and baba said, 'You don't have to be the same species to fall in love. As long as two animals love each oth'a fo' who we are on the inside and it makes 'em happy, there's nothin' wrong with that.' "

Ahniyah: "True, gurl...So true. Yo' parents would be so proud of you, and you should be thankful fo' havin' them as yo' parents."

De'Ausha's eyes widen and she shakes her head as if to clear it, for only now does she realize that she just gave credit to her parents, on instinct no less. It's said that people are most honest when acting on impulse, so if she really hated Stella and Tiger she wouldn't have quoted their famous motto as a way to help Jordan and Ahniyah better understand why interspecies marriages between animals who truly love each other aren't wrong.

Before she can think about it any further, Jordan says, "Alright, I'd say that's enough'a the mushy stuff and newly-learned life lessons fo' now. Why don't we go on and re-educate the animal families how ta properly defend 'emselves from predators?"

Animals in unison: "Yeah!"

Nothing else needs to be said and the families head out, closer and more understanding than ever.

At another location in the forest, Plushie is inside a small bush for privacy as he had to take off his shell to spray it and himself with a bottle of Scent-A-Way. Normally used by human hunters on their clothes in order to hide their human scent from deer nostrils, it works just as well on animals too. Although certain animals can know something is off by how someone isn't giving off a scent from a great distance, turtles are not among them. Moreover, Plushie has put a lot of space between himself and his aunt and uncle, so even if they come looking for him it's too late for him to be found.

Having just finished spraying himself, Plushie grins at the ingenious idea his armadillo friend named Anthony "Tony" had suggested to the reptile's close friends who called themselves "The Extreme's" a few weeks ago. Namely, to have Scent-A-Way spray buried in the ground at many locations in case any of them needed to sneak away from their parents and hang out with each other. The Scent-A-Way sprays like the one Plushie just used is also quick-drying, so he neither has to wait to put his shell back on, nor deal with his shell sliding off his body.

Plushie thinking: "I hate the ickiness the spray leaves on my body, but it's a small price to pay for the reward of being with my awesome friends."

Satisfied, he puts his shell back on, re-buries the spray in the ground, and then exits the bush. Recalling the meeting spot he and his friends had discussed last night, Plushie heads out and after five minutes of walking, he hears their voices.

Female voice: "Let's go now, Tony. Plushie's taking too long and he can figure out which house we're going to on his own."

Male voice: "Yeah, it'll be easy. All he has to do is listen to us having a ball."

Tony's voice: "No LZ and Will, we wait until Plushie joins us."

Now in view and judging the time to be perfect, Plushie raises his voice and says, "Tony's right, y'all, it's not a party without me!"

Tony: "Hey, hey! He's here!"

Plushie: "Sorry about the delay. I had to travel a good distance, and I am a turtle."

A male mink says, "No worries, Plush. But now that all nine of The Extremes are here, we can have a blast! Wha'do'ya say, folks?"

The others cheer and raise their arms. From oldest to youngest the gang is composed of the 18-year-old Anthony "Tony" who's the ringleader, the 17-year-old mink Alfred "Alfie", Plushie whose nickname is pronounced "Ploosh", the 16-year-old monitor lizard named Caleb "Cabe", another 16-year-old female turtle Eliza "LZ", the 15-year-old male raccoon Wilbur "Will", the 15-year-old female possum Lacey "Lace", and the 11-year-old male beaver Albert "Al". Tony, Alfie, LZ, Will, Lacey, and Al have lived in the woods all their lives, but Caleb and his family came to America all the way from the Sahara Desert in Africa as mail-ordered pets. They escaped their human owners, but had been so violent while doing so that a Verminator was immediately called, which led them to becoming captives at Verm-Tech until eight years ago when RJ's and Rebecca's efforts had freed all the animals from there. But the American animals don't mind a foreigner among them at all, especially not one who is just as exciting and daring as they are.

Plushie: "So, Tony, are we still going through with what we talked about last night?"

Wilbur: "You sound like you're scared, Plush."

Lacey: "Yeah. You losin' your nerve, reptile boy?"

Plushie: "In your dreams, Will and Lace. I'm just making sure our ringleader has the guts to do this, 'cuz no one's more prepared for it than me! So, Tony, you have what it takes, or do you need me to lead the team?"

Anthony: "The only way you'll ever lead is if I die, which won't be now or ever! Y'all remember what we talked about, what we gotta do. Get to it!"

The group shouts a long "Yeah!" and then Eliza says, "Let's raise some Heck!"

Caleb: "As they say in my home country, 'Go for it all, or not at all!' "

Albert: "This is gonna be so rad!"

Alfred: "Those pathetic fools won't know what hit 'em!"

The animals storm through the hedge and emerge out the other side in a human backyard that has an unoccupied multi-purpose swing set. It looks like a treehouse with two regular swings and a trapeze bar-ring combo, a slide, step ladder, monkey bars, rope swing, and sandbox all in one, which would be perfect for the animals to play on—if playing on it is what they had in mind. But their idea of fun is extreme.

Caleb bites on the rope swing and uses his feet to climb up, shredding the rope beneath him while doing so. Wilbur quickly scales the step ladder, goes past the wooden platform and up to the plastic tarp roof, and starts starching or biting holes in it. Plushie and Eliza go up to and stay in the wooden platform and rip off the binoculars and ship steering wheel accessories. Lacey coils her strong possum tail around the trapeze bar part of the bar-ring combo and gets a push from Alfred so that she can start spinning, which tangles up the chains holding the bar and rings. Alfred goes down the slide backwards, making sure to leave deep claw marks on it, then climbs back up it and repeats the clawing process. Anthony goes into the sandbox and doggie-digs the sand all over the grass. Albert chews on the wood of the A-frame holding up the swings on one side and then goes to do the same to the A-frame on the other side holding up the monkey bars.

It's pure vandalism, just for the sake of making a mess, but they are having the time of their lives.

One would think that someone as young and innocent as Albert would have nothing in common with a group of teenagers like The Extremes, but nowhere is there more of a fitting place for him to be than with them. Al is Brooke the beaver's little brother and has had "issues" ever since his father Alan died by the teeth of Bone-Chomper Leo five years ago. When that happened, the then-6-year-old Albert's innocence died too, and now he's hanging out with this group of animals to let out all his anger and sorrow. That makes Plushie empathize with him most of all, because he and the beaver know what it's like to lose a parent, only to be taken care of by a blood relatives who don't understand their pain.

The other members of the group don't have a tragic death as an excuse for their behavior, they simply destroy things because it's fun. Every animal present is also fed up with their parents trying to micromanage their lives; always telling them "listen to me, wait until you're older, mind your manners, watch your language, go to bed on-time, stop doing this and that, behave yourself," and the greatest annoyance of all, "be more like me." They use those memories to fuel their actions, to augment their strength as they vandalize. Plushie speaks for everyone when he silently muses "Up your big noses, Uncle Verne and Aunt Velma!" as he and his friends continue to destroy the multi-purpose swing set. These kids don't want to be goody-goody, they want to be free, defy their parents, and have fun while doing so.

But the real fun isn't what they're doing right now. No, this is just the warm-up to the extreme that The Extremes will partake in. Just when they think the homeowners aren't home, three humans—a father, uncle, and mother—come out of the house and look in shock at the animals destroying the play set. Their shock quickly turns into anger, and the three make a mad dash toward the animals.

Wilbur: " 'Bout time those deadbeats showed up."

Father: "You scumbag varmints! We worked for days getting that set up!"

Mother: "Get outta here! SHOO!"

Uncle: "Before we call a Verminator OR take matters into our own hands!"

Anthony: "Okay Extremes, let's rush 'em!"

The animals quickly get to the ground and charge toward the humans who panic and retreat. Having driven them back to the back porch, The Extremes stop to laugh and gloat—blowing raspberries, sticking their tongues out, and patting their rear ends. One doesn't have to know animal language to understand The Extremes are mocking the people, and the latter don't like that. One bit. The three humans go over to a toolshed and come out wielding a pitchfork, spade shovel, and metal bow rake.

Father: "You wanna have fun?!"

Mother: "Okay then!"

Uncle: "Let's have fun!"

The animals run around the yard, dodging the humans as they swing the tools at them. Two minutes later, once the humans start to pant, The Extremes execute the next part of their fun. They go on offense. Being the deadliest of the bunch, Caleb runs forward, dodges the Uncle's metal bow rake, and bites into the man's ankle. The Uncle screams and tries to hit Caleb with the rake, but is hit in the head by Plushie who is curled up his shell and had been thrown by Anthony. Out cold, the Father and Mother rush to his aid, whereby Eliza gets into their path, and curls into her shell, which causes the Mother to trip and fall to the ground face-first. The Father turns around and kneels down beside his wife, only to be gassed by Alfred whose spray is just as foul-smelling as a skunk's. Unable to see or breathe, the helpless Father is scratched in the leg by Anthony, whereby Wilbur climbs up the man's back and bites him in the shoulder and then the ear. The Mother would have gotten up and helped her husband or her brother, but Albert starts smacking her across the face with his thick and firm tail, leaving big, red imprints. Wanting to add humiliation to the mix, the animals claw or bite through the three humans' clothes, leaving them in their underwear.

The Extremes would have kept going if Anthony didn't raise a paw and command, "That's enough, folks! We've pwned these douchebags, they know who owns them! Back to the forest!—after we spit shot them!"

The animals spit on the humans and then cheer as they go back through the hedge. That's when the true celebration begins. They revel, high-four (or five), fist bump, chest bump, and secret handshake until everyone has done each of those things to the other. And boy, do The Extremes feel alive! The adrenaline, the tension, the rush, the thrill, it's everything they had hoped for! They feel no shame for their actions, only pride.

Lacey: "Those humans think they own the world, but we just proved it's us who really do!"

Alfred: "Yea-heah, Lace-dude! You said it!"

Anthony: "Way to stink that man right when he got close to his wife, Alfie!"

Alfred: "I wouldn't have been able to do that if it weren't for LZ trippin' her first!"

Eliza: "And the way Will bit him!"

Wilbur: "I should've taken off his whole ear, but decided to go easy on him. But I won't on our next extreme stunt!"

Plushie: "Man, I love hanging out with you guys. You know how to have a good time! You're the only one's who know what I need, what we all need."

Albert: "Wickedly extreme daredevil fun, baby!"

Caleb: "Al is right. We be the best gang of thrill seekers in this nick'a the woods!"

Anthony: "No, Cabe, not this nick of the woods. In all woods's, period!"

Albert: "You the man, Tony!"

Anthony: "No, you the man, Al! All of you are the man, even the ladies!"

The group laughs at the contradicting joke, and when they finish, Plushie asks, "Let's go ahead and plan our next extreme stunt."

The group converses about different ideas and places they could hit next to get their adrenaline fix, then find something they all agree on.

Eliza: "Oh yeeeeahhh. Sign me up, baby!"

Wilbur: "Count me in too!"

Caleb: "I wouldn't miss that for the world."

Anthony: "Al?"

Albert raises a cocky eyebrow and says, "Do you even have to ask?"

Lacey: "I'll be there for sure."

Alfred: "I can't wait to take our stunts to the next level!"

Plushie: "I'm in too, but you'll have to put it on hold for a week...my Uncle and Aunt are gonna be so ticked off when I return home. It'll be harder for me to see you guys, even if I try to sneak away like today."

Anthony: "We understand Plushie, we'll wait for you."

Alfred: "How do you put up with those lame-wads, Plush?"

Wilbur: "I know, for real."

Caleb: "The rest of us have gotten on our parents' nerves so much that they've practically given up on us."

Plushie: "Yeah, but my Aunt and Uncle are stubborn."

Anthony: "Everyone has a limit and a breaking point. Keep defying them until they see you as a lost cause too."

Plushie: "It'll all end when I turn 18, then I'll be legally free to do whatever I want, with whoever I want."

The others sneer and smirk smugly, making Plushie feel a little bit of peer pressure to make Verne and Velma stop trying to manage him, but also feel hopeful that these friends of his will wait for him to be truly free.

Plushie looks at his shadow and then up in the sky at the sun, and says, "Again, thanks for today guys, but I gotta go. See y'all next time, Extremes!"

The others whoop and cheer as Plushie leaves, knowing that any punishment will be worth today's fun. He knows he'll be punished even harder when he returns home, but if he didn't have his cool friends to hang out with, he'd feel like blowing his brains out in boredom.

Plushie (out loud to himself): "Worth every single second..."

After witnessing the amazing exchange between Ladarius and his parents, there is no doubt in Bernard's mind that Patricia and her family will accept him even though he is sterile. The hedgies and Ladarius's family have already finished re-educating the Stevens family, and are on their way to the Williams, but Richie's home is on the way, and RJ is more than willing to drop by so Bernard can talk to Patricia. It doesn't take long and the animals to see the raccoons' home which is an abandoned shooting house that hunters built long before the woods bordering the Elysian Fields Estates were protected by state law. One would think that the wood of the shooting house would have rotted away by now, but Richie's father Eric, who inherited the home from his grandfather, continues the work the latter had started by having him and his family keep the dwelling well-maintained with wood preservative, as well as gathering any construction supplies and tools to fix and replace worn out parts. The four, gray-furred raccoons are doing just that right now, and consist of Eric, his mate Elaina, son Richie, and daughter Patricia. All four have light-brown tails with seven black rings, Eric has a brown mask and blue eyes, Elaina has a black mask and cedar-colored eyes (if brown and gray were combined), Richie has a black mask and fern-green eyes, and Patricia has a brown mask and air force-blue eyes.

Even the sight of Patricia from behind makes Bernard excitingly reminisce how they met seven years ago. Even then, she had accepted him despite being an opossacoon, enjoyed how he played possum all the time, and was perfectly fine with him timidity. Whenever he was with her, it's like her bright smile, positive attitude, entrancing giggle, and fun personality rubbed off on him, making him braver and more confident the more he spent time with her. He still has a way to go, and typically stammers nervously when talking to her while others are around, but she doesn't hold any of that against him. Armed with that knowledge, she'll still be his even after he breaks the news to her.

The four raccoons are so engrossed in their work of re-painting and hammering in nails (which creates noise that drowns out surrounding sounds), that they don't notice the skunks and hedgies approach until Patricia smells an unpleasant odor and says, "Geez Louise, what is that smell?"

Unfortunately for her, she had said that just as her brother had lifted his arms above his head to hold a piece of wood for Patricia—whose height stops at his armpit level—to hammer. Thinking that she's complaining about body odor, Richie flicks his finger hard against her head.

Patricia: "OW, you jerk! I didn't say it was you!"

Elaina: "What's going on here, kids?"

Patricia: "Richie just hit me!"

Richie: "Because she said I stink!"

Patricia: "Liar! I mean, c'mon just smell the air."

Elaina does and says, "Ugh, that is quite the stench..."

Eric: "Wait, I know that smell. It's—"

Eric looks in the direction it's coming from, taps his kids on the shoulder, and points. Richie's and Patricia's eyes widen and they give embarrassed smiles at the cross-armed skunks traveling with the hedgies.

Patricia: "Oh...um, hi Ladarius, Mrs. Ahniyah, Mr. Jordan, Markasia, and Lakeisha. Sorry about the comment."

Richie: "You owe me an apology, too."

Patricia: "No, you owe me one! I never said you were the one who sti—"

Jordan: "Eh hem!"

Patricia: "Sorry again."

Eric: "And your sister's right, Richie. Say you're sorry to her."

Richie sighs, looks at Patricia, and says, "I'm sorry for hitting you, Patricia. I thought you were doing your little-sister thing again."

Patricia: "Apology accepted."

Elaina (to the guests): "So what brings all of you to our humble abode?"

RJ: "We're actually on our way to the Williams and Kings to re-teach them how to fight against predators in order to make Kale's job easier. But we wanted to stop by your place because Bernard wanted to visit Patricia."

Bernard steps forward, looks at Patricia and says, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Patricia: "Okay."

Patricia puts down her hammer and walks over to the retractable metal ladder that connects the shooting house to the ground. But before she can climb down, Bernard shows just how much his confidence and attitude have improved since seeing De'Ausha and Ladarius by speaking while everyone is around to hear and watch.

Bernard: "We've been spending time together for a while now, and I..." Unsatisfied with his approach, he quickly uses a different angle. "You've probably noticed how much I like you, just how much I've noticed how you like me."

Patricia blushes and says in a slightly embarrassed but mostly flattered tone, "Bernard...you're being awfully more friendly than normal."

Bernard: "That's the thing...I wanna be more than friends. I...I..."

Patricia: "Yes?"

Bernard takes a deep breath and says, "I wanna be your boyfriend."

While her parents' and brother's eyes widen to the point where they almost fill up their whole masks, Patricia's reaction catches Bernard completely off-guard. She smirks and casually says, "About time."

Onlookers in unison: "Huh?"

While making her way down the ladder and to the ground, Patricia says in a sincere tone, "I know your feelings for me go deeper than a simple friendship. I know you want more out of our relationship." By now she's on the ground and walks toward him, looking into his eyes while continuing to speak. "I know you love me...I know this because I feel the same way about you."

Bernard: "Really?"

Patricia: "Of course! You're the sweetest, most likeable, honest, and understanding boy I've ever met. Not to mention I can't get enough of your acting, how you can hang by your tail, and your other cool abilities that come from you being a hybrid."

Bernard: "You mean, you don't mind that I'm shy or easily frightened, and not very brave?"

Patricia: "That's what makes you so adorable! I mean, yeah, you could get better at those things, but if you're with me I'm sure I can teach you how to be braver and more confident."

Bernard looks over his shoulder to glance at Rebecca with a smile. She smiles back and gives a thumbs-up. He then looks back at Patricia and wraps his arms around her.

Bernard: "Oh, Patricia! Thank you so much for accepting me even though I'm a hybrid!"

Patricia: "No, thank you for finally telling me you wanted to be my boyfriend. I wanted to be your girlfriend ever since before winter hibernation but I've just...never had the courage to tell you myself. I've been waiting, hoping, dying for you to say it to me."

Bernard can't believe it. Patricia didn't have the courage, and he did? Maybe he's becoming braver already. Even so, he's only accomplished the first step of what he wanted to say to her today. But with his confidence boosted even greater by Patricia's acceptance of him, he goes ahead and carries out Step 2.

Bernard (lets go of Patricia and speaks in a serious tone): "There's just one thing you need to know about me, Patricia."

Patricia: "What?"

Bernard: "Well, being a hybrid, I...can't have children with you because I'm sterile."

Patricia's eyes widen, which makes Bernard quickly continue.

Bernard: "But it's okay because you've spent time with me all these years and have gotten to know who I am on the inside. And you just said that you like me because of my hybrid abilities, so we can still be together and be happy, kids or no kids, amiright?"

Patricia blinks and shakes her head as if to clear it. She looks to the side in thought for a few moments, then looks at her boyfriend and says softly "Bernard..."

Bernard: "Yes?"

Patricia (angry yet sad): "How dare you do this to me?! Making me agree to become your girlfriend, only to say you can't give me children in the future?! Are you trying to break my heart, HUH?!"

Eric (aghast at his daughter's behavior): "Patricia!"

Ignoring Eric (as well as the shocked reactions of the listeners), Bernard responds to Patricia's questions by saying, "No! I'd never say or do anything to hurt you!"

Patricia: "But you have. You should have said you were sterile before asking me to be your girlfriend. I would've never said yes to you if I knew that."

Bernard: "I didn't say I was sterile first because I was afraid you would reject me."

Lakeisha: "You not bein' fair to him, Pat!"

Patricia ignores Lakeisha and tells Bernard, "I'm sorry but, I already reject you. We...can't be boyfriend or girlfriend anymore."

Bernard's face droops into a wreck of anguish, loss, and betrayal.

Bernard: "Wh-why?"

Oddly, it's Richie—the one who had initially mocked Bernard upon their first meeting—who now comes to his defense against his sister, who ironically had accepted Bernard after first meeting him despite his being a hybrid.

Richie: "Yeah, how can you say that after all the things y'all have done together, Pat? You always liked him for who he was before."

Patricia: "I didn't know he was sterile before. Why would I ever marry a male who can't give me children?"

Bernard (desperate): "Because I love you, and you love me!"

Markasia: "Yea-eah. That's mo' than enough reason to be Bernard's gurlfriend."

Ladarius: "That's why I gon' marry De'Ausha one day. Even though she can't give me kids, our love matters mo' than havin' children."

Patricia: "But don't you get it? The whole point of getting married is to have children and raise a family...I want to have children, I want to know the happiness that only being a mother can bring." (Looks at Bernard) "And if you can't give me any kits, then there's no point in me marrying you. And it makes even less sense for me to be your girlfriend."

Bernard: "But I love you, and you alone! Not any other girls, just you! How can you be so cruel?! It's not my fault that I'm sterile! I can't help it! It's like a disability! Would you hate someone just because he was born with only three legs instead of four?!"

Patricia (sad tone): "I don't hate you, Bernard, and I know it's not your fault for being sterile. That's what makes this so hard for me! This hurts me too." (Wipes the tears from her eyes) "I did love you, I did want to be with you, I wanted to be happy with you...but I also want a marriage that can give me kits. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do...It's going to take a while for me to find a boy raccoon who I can love as much as I loved you, not to mention he has to love me as much as you, but I have no choice now...My happiness depends on it."

Elaina: "Patricia, how can you say that? Can't you see that you and Bernard are meant for each other? For seven years, you two have gotten to know the other's personality, and your pros and their cons. Y'all have stayed close friends despite all of that, sharing the ups and downs of your lives as one."

Eric: "That's the first sign of true lovers. You'd be crazy for not wanting to be with Bernard."

Patricia: "You can't make me fall in love with someone I don't love anymore, mom and dad." (Looks at the other animals) "None of you can! I want the happiness of having and raising my own kids. I can't do that with Bernard, so...as much as it hurts me and him, I need to just find a boy raccoon who can give me kits to fall in love with and marry.

(Looks back at Bernard) "Bernard...I-I'm so sorry, but...I can't offer you my love anymore. I wish I could, but I just can't. P-please forgive me..."

Patricia buries her face in her paws and runs into the forest to be alone. Unable to take the emotional pain anymore, Bernard collapses to his knees and wails. RJ approaches his son and hugs him tight—only to be punched in the jaw by Bernard. The onlookers gasp as RJ stumbles to the ground in a seated position. The blow is more surprising and doesn't hurt physically, but emotionally it tears RJ apart, as do Bernard's next words.

Bernard: "GET AWAY FROM ME! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, DADDY! AND MOMMY'S FAULT! I HATE YOU! HATEYOUHATEYOUHATEYOU, HAAATE YOOOOUUUU!"

Bernard continues to wail, and RJ remains speechless and glued to where he is sitting. Everyone feels terrible for Bernard. After Elroy had accepted Mary, and Ladarius had accepted De'Ausha, they were certain that Patricia would do the same for Bernard. But the exact opposite has happened, the worst case scenario has happened.

Being a fellow hybrid, De'Ausha feels for Bernard more than anyone else present as she muses, "Why is it that the one with the lowest confidence, the most emotional heart, and the most fragile spirit, is the one who gets rejected by his lover?"

The animals also feel terrible for RJ whose efforts of being a good father have taken a turn for the worse a second time. But he also remembers the talk he had with Verne last night, at how choosing to become a father was his second best life decision. He won't let his son brush him aside so easily this time.

RJ: "Bernard...? Son...? I know that I've caused you a lot of pain that neither me, your mom, sister, anyone in our big family, nor anyone in the world can undo. But know this: I did not, for a nanosecond, intend for you to go through what you're experiencing now."

Bernard: "Shut up! I don't wanna listen to you! EVER AGAIN!"

RJ: "Well too bad because I'm still going to talk...And I think you do wanna listen, because you want to get out of your mire of despair."

Bernard wipes his tears away in order to make room for more to fall from his eyes, and looks at RJ with anger, but also gives his father his undivided attention. Because, yes, he does want to get out of his despair.

RJ: "Like I said yesterday, we can't fix your sterility, but you can fix your confidence and spirit."

Blinded by his anger after hearing what's becoming the "ST-Word", Bernard madly says, "I can't fix my confidence or spirit! You and mommy ensured that!"

RJ: "It has nothing to do with what your mother and I have inadvertently done to you, or what Patricia has told you. Just because you're sterile doesn't mean you have to live in sadness. Living a life of happiness isn't for people who need it, it's for people who want it. That's something you choose, that all creatures on this Earth choose, whether they're sterile or not. And it really is up to you to want it and be willing to follow through with it. I can only help guide you, but the choice is yours. Do you want to feel better, or just remain miserable for the rest of your life?"

Bernard is speechless and doesn't know whether to feel angrier, sadder, or to give what RJ said a try. Knowing he's asking a lot of his son, RJ adds, "I know you're probably not in the mood right now and need to let out your emotions, but when you are ready I'll be waiting. If you want to go home, I'll have Rebecca take you there, because I still need to help the Williams and Kings, and I'm pretty sure you want nothing to do with me now."

Feeling overwhelmed and tired, Bernard says, "Yeah...I wanna go home."

Rebecca walks up to her nephew, takes his paw in her own, and says, "Then let's go." (Whispering) "You can have all the sweets and ice cream you want to help you feel better."

Bernard gives a faint smile at his aunt's willingness to spoil him, and once those two are out of sight, the others look at RJ with impressed eyes. He did very well at keeping his temper in check—he had to with all the other adults and kids around—which enabled him to respond instead of react. A lot of that was also because Bernard did not outright challenge and insult him...But there is a biological family within the larger family that will have a hard time doing all of that.

While walking back home, Plushie has gone over in his head what he will say to Verne and Velma in defense for his actions of going to hang out with his friends. Fortunately, they have no idea what he did with his friends today, and can't punish him too much for not knowing the specific details. He also has been to a stream and washed off the Scent-A-Way, planning to brush aside one of their claims that he used that, and instead telling them they're just losing their sense of smell. But what he doesn't expect is for his aunt and uncle to come across him before arriving home, for Verne and Velma emerge from a brush.

Flustered, Plushie says, "Whoa! You guys startled me."

Verne and Velma put their hands on their hip area of their shells, give Plushie death glares, but uncomfortably remain silent.

Plushie: "How'd you sneak up on me?"

Velma (angry monotone): "The same way you snuck away from us: used Scent-A-Way."

Verne (ditto): "Plushie...How could you? How could you be so low and despicable? Missing out on Emily's children's birth was bad enough, but sneaking away while your aunt and I were busy trying to make the woods a safer place for all animals—" (Raised voice) "while, by the way we had grounded you—is a new low."

Velma (raised voice): "We thought you'd feel better doing something to help out Kale who is a part of our family, but if you refuse to do even that, then we're going to take away what little privileges you still have."

Verne: "If you thought we were strict and controlling before, then you haven't seen anything yet!"

Velma: "But before we get into that," (puts a hand to her forehead in anger) "why Plushie? Just, why?"

Plushie: "I have a life outside of this family, you know."

Verne: "And by 'life' you must mean helping your so-called friends destroy a swing set like a gang of delinquents?!"

Plushie: "How did you—?"

Verne: "Simple. As soon as I noticed you snuck away from us, I had a bird friend of our family's find and keep an eye on you. He told me everything you and those hoodlums did over a walkie talkie."

Plushie (raised voice): "Still doing your best to micromanage me, I see. And I bet you didn't hire a bird-watcher to follow around everyone else, eh?"

Velma: "Why would he? No one else in the family is as rude, disobedient, and belligerent as you!"

Plushie: "If you're afraid for my safety, don't be. I'm not a helpless little kid who gets lost in his own shell. I know these woods well."

Verne: "Then stop acting like a careless little kid by walking through the woods when you know there are predators increasing their attacks on the prey animal population! What if a predator attacked or killed you?! How can you be so reckless and irresponsible! How can you not think about your own safety and what our family would go through if we found out you were injured or dead?!"

Plushie: "You're just jealous that I'm not a coward like you two!"

Verne slaps Plushie across the face, but rather than ease up, this only causes teen to go into overdrive.

Plushie: "Hah! The fact that you did that to me proves that I'm right!"

Verne: "Wrong! The fact that I did that to you was because you said an insult and a lie! There's a difference between cowardice, common sense, caution, and just having a death wish!"

Plushie: "I was being cautious. I traveled through the woods by myself and no predators were in sight, so that's proof that you're too paranoid. And by the way, I didn't sneak away to die, I snuck away to live. I wanted to have a real adventure like I used to."

Velma: "You weren't having an adventure, you were engaging in pure vandalism!"

Verne: "These woods are humongous and offer plenty of varied terrain for animals of all species to go on adventures. And out of all the things and all the places to do foolish stunts, you had to go where there are humans who you know very well will kill us?!"

Velma: "How are you unsatisfied with your environment, why do you and your degenerate friends want more?"

Plushie: "Because we're bored."

Verne and Velma in unison: "What?!"

Plushie: "You heard me, we're bored! Me and my friends have done every extreme thing there is to do in these woods, that we've run out of ways to have fun. So naturally, we've graduated from the woods and moved on to the next best thing. We need new ways to do extreme things, things that're only possible in the human world; we need the thrill of the chase."

Velma: "There are plenty of things you can do in the woods that you haven't done yet, you just need to use your imagination to be a little more creative."

Plushie: "I'm not a 5-year-old anymore! I don't use my imagination to pretend silly games and imaginary adventures. I'm 17, I use my imagination to think of the extreme things I can do in order to feel like myself. I'm not like you, I'm extreme!"

Verne: "If you keep doing the things you do with your group of bad-influence 'friends', you won't be extreme, you'll be dead!"

Plushie: "Why're you guys making such a big deal out of this? We've fooled around with humans plenty of times before, and are experts at evading them thanks to all the heists we've done."

Velma: "In none of those heists did we ever try to make humans attack us on purpose, not without an escape plan, at least. And even so, we never attacked the humans, but fought them in defense."

Verne: "And if a Verminator had come by, you and your friends might have been captured and taken to Verm-Tech. And the rest of the family would have no idea of that because you, one," (holds up a finger) "snuck away from your aunt and I, and two" (holds up two fingers) "ridded your scent."

Plushie: "Geez, could you just stop worrying about me, and trust that I can survive on my own whenever you're not in eyesight of me? My friends and I had everything under control. It was the humans who lost their cool and reacted like idiots. You two can't blame me for how you overthink everything and try to prevent others from living their lives to the fullest."

Seeing that nothing they have said has broken through Plushie's stubborn defenses, and remembering something they had learned from last night, Verne and Velma have no choice but to tread dangerous waters if it will get their nephew to listen.

Verne (rhetorically): " 'Living your life to the fullest...' that's something your mother taught you isn't it?"

Plushie crosses his arms and holds his head up high in pride.

Verne: "Do you want to die like your mother did—at Verm-Tech, after being captured while doing an irresponsible stunt?"

Plushie grits his teeth and seethingly yells, "Don't—bring up—my mother!"

Velma: "Why aren't we talking about your mother? You obviously have a problem and it seems rooted to her."

Plushie: "Because you're not worthy to talk about her! You never knew her! Never knew what she was like. She understood me! Let me do whatever cool things I wanted to! And unlike you two, she was exciting. Whenever she told me to do something I obeyed her willingly because she wasn't overbearing and boring!"

Verne: "But your mother is regrettably no longer here anymore, and you're living with me and your aunt now. Kimberly raised you with a set of rules too, and now that you're living with us, you need to obey our rules."

Plushie: "Why?"

Verne: "Need I remind you that I am your uncle, so you must listen to me. Why do I have to keep telling that to you?"

Plushie: "And why do I have to keep telling you that you're not even my real father, so you can't tell me how to live my life. My mom was 10,000 times the turtle you'll ever be—and about half the weight too. If my mom was still alive, we'd be having fun. We'd be adventuring from one side of the continent to the other. She wouldn't try to keep me in her sight 24/7 because she trusted me to take care of myself, and I trusted her to do the same for herself and me. That's why I need to spend time with my other friends. It's the closest thing I have to feel like mom is still around, and if you don't like it, then too bad!"

Irate, Verne yells, "Do you hear yourself?! You just used your own mother's death as a weapon to argue against my upbringing of you! As Kimberly's brother, I take grave offense to that! If you truly loved her, you'd have never stooped so low!"

Plushie's eyes widen as he actually agrees with Verne for the first time since their argument. He has overplayed his hand, and caused his dear sweet mother to roll over in her grave. Seeing Plushie back off, Verne pants three times and resumes in a calmer but still angry tone, "Do you see how selfish you're being? Why do you think the only way you can have fun is when you're doing everything possible to intentionally push my buttons, or your aunt's buttons?"

That comment relights the fire in Plushie, as he retorts with, "I'm selfish? You're the one keeping me under a 27/4 watch. Well news flash: I'm 17, I can take care of myself and do whatever I want."

Verne: "No you can't...as you have clearly demonstrated before."

Plushie: "That's a load of—!"

Verne: "Velma, hold him. Make sure he's facing me."

Plushie (to his approaching aunt): "Don't you dare touch me—!"

Velma slaps Plushie and sternly says, "Silence! I'm your aunt, I'll touch you whenever I feel the need to! And every time you refuse to look and listen to your uncle, I'll slap you harder!"

Now a captive audience, Plushie has no choice but to do as he's told.

Verne: "Off the top of my head, there are five ways that prove you can't take care of yourself. First, you don't think about the consequences of your actions, just the blind fun you have while doing them, like the time you came home with a scratch on your knee when you got clipped by that human teenager playing street hockey. Second, you can't think five minutes in front of your face. Once word of what you and your delinquent friends have done today spreads, the humans will take steps to make heisting all the more dangerous for us. Third, you do nothing to ensure anyone around you is safe, like that time we heisted from the Harry house and you thought it would be a fun idea to make Bernard play possum just as the humans came inside. Then you left Lou to fend off the father when you should have been there alongside him; it was a miracle he didn't get hurt. Fourth, you're completely overconfident about yourself and make bad situations worse, like how you goad predators into attacking you by bragging they'll never get through your shell.

"If I was to judge you by your actions instead of words, I'd say you're trying to get yourself killed so that you can be reunited with your mother."

Plushie: "I said to never talk about—Ah!"

After giving Plushie a slap to the head Velma says, "Your uncle isn't finished yet. He's only given four of the five reasons."

Verne: "And fifth, you don't take responsibility for your mistakes and place the blame on someone else, like how you keep saying 'I need to live more' and 'you're just being too paranoid.' You overstepped your bounds and you know it! Own up to it like a man! And these are just five examples, I've got plenty more I could discuss, but there's no need to do that now."

Plushie: "Talk about sad! You have nothing better to do with your time than to make a list of everything I do! What kind of father figure does that?!"

Verne: "A father figure who cares about his son-figure, especially when said son-figure has done nothing positive of note lately! It's hard to talk about your upsides, when there are no upsides!"

"Now, onto your punishment. And I better not hear any retorts, insults, or surprise from you because you have lost your privilege to question my authority over you."

Plushie grimaces but heeds Verne's words, but not without silently vowing, "I'll get back at you and Aunt Velma one way or another. You'll see..."

Well, I didn't add in any new stuff like I said I would at the end of Chapter 5, but hope these two chapters kept you invested anyway. Having said that, rather than give you a teaser of what is to come, you'll just need to tune in next time to see where the story goes!

For those of you who like conflict and complex characters, you're in the right place! See ya next time!