Little Jinx had always felt safest tucked against his mother Jade’s warm chest, listening to her heartbeat while he nursed. But today the forest felt different. The air was tense, and Jade’s behavior had changed. She was beginning the natural weaning process, yet to young Jinx, it felt confusing, frightening, and unfair.
Jinx reached for his mother, tiny hands trembling as he tried to climb to her belly to drink. But Jade gently pushed him away, guiding him toward the ground where pieces of soft fruit lay waiting. Jinx didn’t understand. His small body shook with frustration, and he let out loud cries, hoping she would change her mind. His voice echoed through the leaves—soft at first, then full of desperate sadness.
Jade looked back at him with firm eyes, not angry, but determined. She knew this moment was important. Jinx was growing, and he needed to learn. Still, her tough stance felt like “bad hands” to him—hands that suddenly refused the comfort he loved.
Jinx tried again, climbing up her leg, hugging tightly. Jade picked him up for a moment, holding him close so he could feel her warmth. But again she nudged him toward the fruit. He shook, confused and scared, crying as if the world was ending.
Slowly, Jade guided him to chew a small piece. Jinx tasted it, stopping his cries for a second. Jade reached out and groomed his back gently, reassuring him silently: You are okay. You are growing.
Though his heart felt shocked and terrified, Jinx finally sat beside her, nibbling the fruit with hesitant bites. Jade kept him close, teaching him step by step—even if it felt harsh to him now.
It was a hard moment for both, but a necessary one in their journey together.
