Loving and Learning

Hidden Scars And Healing Wounds

Dante was in Doug and Delilah's bedroom, waiting while they and his older siblings put the younger ones to sleep so that there wouldn't be distractions. Dante pondered Juday's words, about not knowing the full story.

As he was waiting, he heard the door open and turned to see Déjà Vu and DJ coming in. Dante dropped his head, the guilt making it hard to look at them.

"They're mad at me. I don't blame them. I probably ruined their lives revealing their secrets." Dante thought to himself.

Regardless he knew he owned them an apology.

"G-Guys I-I'm.....s-sorry that I....failed to...-"

To his surprise, both of them hugged him instead.

"It's ok Dante." Déjà Vu said.

"No it's not, I ruined things for you and embarrassed you all. I told you all I keep your secrets and failed." Dante responded.

"Look Dante, you were just upset and frustrated. I think any of us would have done something like that is we had been in your position." DJ said.

"Yeah...in your position." Déjà Vu repeated.

Dante shedded silent tears. He gave them tight hugs back.

"I'll make it up to you all ok, i-"

He stopped at hearing the door open again. This time it was Dolly and Dylan.

"Hey guys, sorry." Dolly said.

"We need to talk to Dante ok. Don't worry, things will be fine." Dylan reassured.

Though feeling worried, DJ and Déjà Vu did as they were told. Once back upstairs to the bedroom, Dolly and Dylan gestured Dante to follow them to the basement, where Doug and Delilah were waiting for them. Dante followed his siblings up the latter and when he turned to find his parents, he saw them, surrounded by some items that weren't previously seen in the room. An old laptop, a disk, a tiny box, and some old photos that he couldn't make out yet. Delilah first approached him.

"Dante we do owe you.....and really everyone an explanation. You of course know now about Cruella, but with the exception to Dolly and Dylan, we haven't told you why she attacked us. We were hoping we could forget about her after she was arrested and after how much it traumatized you all, but it's becoming clear now that...."

Delilah paused and picked up some of the photos in the pile.

"That keeping this secret in this family has done more harm than good." She finished.

She showed him the photos in her paws. One of them including a old family photo of their ancestors. Immediately his eyes set sight on two familiar adult dalmatians.

"That's.......your great-great grandmother and grandfather, Pongo and Perdita. I remember you mentioning them and their photos in the house." Dante recalled.

He also took note all the pups surrounding them.

"They.....also had a lot of pups. Some I've seen pictures of. I know we had a lot of relatives, but I don't know how they're all related."

Delilah nodded.

"Well.....just like us, they two took in a lot of pups, and together with the first fifteen they had already, also made ninety-nine pups altogether. Everything began when Cruella stole the first fifteen after their humans refused to sell them to her because she wanted to turn them into fur coats. Pongo and Perdita did manage to find them, but they also found eighty-four other pups that she had purchased. These pups had nowhere to go and they knew they couldn't leave them. So after they bested Cruella, they took them in." Delilah told him.