Don’t eat that.
Three words. 11 letters. Don’t; do not. Eat; the act of consuming, tasting, or chewing. That; what in the name of Ordonia are you holding—?
If Twilight was human, he’d consider beating his head against a wall. He’s stuck as a wolf, though, so he settles for head-butting a tree.
Okay? Time asks, watching.
No, he says, petulant.
Wild, for his part, is happily munching his way through another mysterious mushroom. If he doesn’t get food poisoning he’s going to get actually poisoned from something toxic.
Somehow, Twilight doesn’t think the Goddess will accept he’s a gremlin as the cause of death for her hero.
No, instead the rancher has the dubious honor of watching any and everything go into the cub’s mouth. The kid is a blank slate; a little too blank. The world is an amazing discovery to him and muscle memory seems to be the only thing left.
Cub, no! Time interrupts Twilight’s thoughts. He looks up to find Wild contemplating—is that another rock?
No, no, no! Twilight abandons his tree to jump at the cub, knocking the rock back into the underbrush.
Wild howls, batting at him. Snack! Tasty?
No! Don’t eat that! Not food!
Snack?
No!
The cub gives him a sly look. Only testing.
He’s not and he knows it. Good with kids Twilight might be, but that’s when he’s Hylian and can hold a full conversation with the person in question. Time isn’t much help, through no fault of his own. He may have appeared to Twilight as a golden wolf, but it’s clear he’s not used to a canine form like Twilight is. His body language is rusty for communication and he’s pretty sure Time tripped over his own paws at least twice.
Still, this is a side of Time the rancher is happy to get to know. Sword skills may have helped on his journey, but this experience is deepening their bond.
No! Once again, Time’s bark has Twilight jerking back to the situation at hand.
Wild pauses, berry halfway to his lips.
With a sigh, Twilight trots over to sniff the berry. Yes, okay, he says with an exaggerated nod to get the point across.
Wild pops it in his mouth, followed by three others. Juice smears his lips and his teeth are purple when he grins. Here! Share! He tosses a berry to Twilight, who catches it out of the air with a snap.
Time’s berry bounces off his nose and he has to hold back a snicker. The stink eye he gets in return says his mentor knows he’s laughing anyway.
~
Pup. Here, now. Time’s bark is all serious and Twilight wakes groggily.
Standing, he yawns and stretches his front paws, claws digging into the dirt.
Pup!
Time’s not really saying pup; it’s more little-pack-protect-young, but the rancher’s wolf-minded brain easily translates it for his Hylian half.
Coming, coming. With another yawn, Twilight ambles to the outskirts of the clearing where Time was keeping an eye on the cub.
Help. The whine needs no translation and Twilight is instantly wide awake.
Wild is curled on the ground, half under a bush, and whimpering.
Cub? Hurt? Twilight steps forward and nudges him, nose wrinkling at the sour smell around him.
Wild only moans, pressing his forehead to the ground. His cheeks are flushed red and he’s sweating.
What? What? Twilight turns back to Time for an explanation, but the other wolf is as lost as he is. How can they help a Hylian without hands?
Twilight tries again, Hurt? Sick? Why are they locked to this pantomime of language? He can’t help if he doesn’t know what’s wrong!
The cub doesn’t answer, just jerks away to be sick. His lips are stained nearly black, matched by the dark color of his vomit.
Time whines steadily, crawling on his belly to Wild and looking to Twilight for help. He nudges the hero again and his hands unclench, something rolling free.
It’s smashed, but Twilight recognizes the sharp, sour smell. Poison berries.
He runs through every curse he can think of and makes some up for good measure. How is he supposed to care for a sick Hylian like this?
Sick, bad, do not eat.
Hurt? Time’s attention is sharpening at Twilight’s words.
Hurt, he confirms. Danger.
The two wolves turn to look at their cub. Wild whimpers and curls in a tighter ball, clutching his stomach. They have no fairies or potions, or any way to provide first aid. The most the wolves can do is keep him company. And pray.
It takes two full days of sickness and misery for Wild’s body to stop rebelling. Partway through Time helps Twilight bully the cub onto his feet and lead him to a stream for water.
His whimpers cut, but it’s better than him becoming dehydrated on top of it. Nothing will stay down, but hopefully, it means the last of the poison is expelled as well.
Time’s wears his paw pads raw pacing and Twilight can barely keep his eyes open. He appoints himself on watch most hours, even though he can do little while Wild sweats and pants. By the time the color fades from the cub’s cheeks, everyone is exhausted.
Hungry.
It takes a long, dull moment for Twilight to focus on Wild and translate body language into words. He gives another yip, repeating it. Hungry!
Stay! No hunt! Time’s snarl has Wild cowering back into his shallow cave-den
Twilight shoots his mentor a tired look before crawling in next to him. Safe, peace, food yes.
Time seems unconvinced until Twilight gestures with his head. He will stay with the cub and Time can find him food. Safe food.
It takes a while for him to return and when he does he’s covered in dirt. However, he’s gripping a large radish by the stalk. It may not be the best food for a sensitive stomach, but it doesn’t need to be cooked.
Wild snatches the vegetable, then begrudgingly washes it in the stream when Time snarls warningly. The first few bites stay down and some of the clamminess fades from his skin.
Twilight wiggles into the cave first, flopping on his belly so Wild can cuddle into his fur. Time joins on the other side, sandwiching him.
“S-sorry,” Wild whispers. Then again, sorry, with a duck of his head and low whine.
Oh, Cub. Scared, worried, keep you safe.
On the other side, Time thrums, packmate, safe, love.
Finally settling, Wild rumbles back his own love, love, pack before drifting into quiet sleep.
Also posted on A03 here!
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Actually, the President of the United States is powerful
US Presidents have lots of things they can do beyond signing or vetoing legislation. Their administrative agencies have broad powers that allow them to act without dragging Congress behind them.
For example, Jennifer Abruzzo, the ass-kicking superhero that Biden appointed as National Labor Relations Board General Counsel, has used her powers to establish a rule that companies that break labor law during union drives automatically lose, with the affected union gaining instant recognition.
For a followup, Abruzzo is using a case called Thrive Pet Care to impose a “duty to bargain” on companies. If a company won’t bargain in good faith for a union contract, Abruzzo’s NLRB will simply force them to adhere to the contractual terms established by rival companies that did bargain with their unions, until such time as a contract is signed.
But wait, what about the dastardly Supreme Court? What if those six dotards in robes use their stolen seats on the country’s highest court to block Biden’s administrators?
Well, Biden could do what his predecessors have done. Like Lincoln, Biden could simply ignore the court, embracing popular policies he was elected to enact, revealing the Supremes to be toothless, out-of-touch, undemocratic and illegitimate.
(Andrew Jackson was a monster, but when he ignored his own Supreme Court, he proved that the Supremes’ only leverage came from their legitimacy; recall the (likely apocryphal) quote, “[Chief Justice] John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!”)
Like FDR, Biden could threaten to pack the court, creating a national debate about the court’s illegitimacy, which would add fuel to the court’s plummeting reputation amidst a string of bribery scandals.
-Joe Biden is headed to a UAW picket-line in Detroit: “I want to do it, now make me do it.”
Image:
Fabio Basagni
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/:Sahara_desert_sunrise.jpg
CC BY-SA 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
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