Part Ten
Snowball couldn’t process what she’d just heard. There was no way mummah just told her to kill the babbehs. Everyone knew only bad fluffies gave babbehs forever-sleepies, and she wasn’t a bad fluffy. It had to be some kind of sick joke.
“Mum-mummah am bein’ siwwy.” she stuttered, then winced when mummah’s expression didn’t change.
“Really, Snowball?”
“Bu’ Snowbaww nu am bad fwuffy! Nu wan gib babbehs fowebah-sweepies!”
“So you want them to be in pain? You want them to suffer? Because I’m telling you right now, they aren’t going to survive until adulthood.”
“Bu’ Snowbaww nu wan be bad fwuffy.” Snowball flinched as mummah’s hand slowed from a blur mere inches from her face.
“That ship already sailed when you almost got Buddy killed. Right now, I only see you as a stupid disobedient fluffy. Maybe someday you’ll be a good fluffy again, but not right now.”
“Nu! Snowbaww am gud fwuffy! Nu undastan’ wai mummah wan gib heawt-huwties! Nu am faiw!”
“No, it’s not fair. Neither of us have been being fair. I’m sorry, I really am, but the fantasy you’ve been living can’t last anymore. I didn’t want you to have to grow up, but that’s changed. You want to be a mummah? Then learn to make the hard decisions.”
“Nu wan gib babbehs fowebah-sweepies! Nu wan be bad fwuffy! Pwease, mummah!”
“Snowball, do you want babbehs?”
“'es! Snowbaww wan babbehs mowe den anyfing!”
“Then imagine these are your babbehs. Imagine if your babbehs were born sick and hurting, born dying. Would you want them to suffer like this? Would you want to be a ‘good fluffy’ even if it meant being the worst mummah?”
“Nu…Snowbaww nu wan babbehs tu hab huwties, bu’…”
“But?”
Snowball raised a hoof, preparing to bring it down on the foal she’d attempted to embrace. Internally she struggled, knowing that it was for the best but unable to quell the feeling that it was so, so wrong. Finally she lowered her hoof, bursting into tears. “Snowbaww nu can! Nu can gib babbehs fowebah-sweepies!”
“Fine. I guess Buddy will have to.”
Snowball flinched. As much as she desperately wanted an out, she knew that killing the foals would destroy Buddy. He was still grieving, she couldn’t make him do that. But…she didn’t want to be a bad fluffy. Maybe she should just let-
“Nu! Nu wan Buddy hab mowe heawt-owwies! Snowbaww wadew be wowstest fwuffy ebah! Nu wan!” she wailed, stomping violently, wincing at each snap of bone or squelch of malformed organs. After a moment, she calmed, breathing heavily, stained with gore.
“See? You can learn. Now stop being so damn selfish. If you ever mention this to Buddy, though…I’ll do the worst things I can imagine to you. And believe me, Snowball, I can imagine things much more horrible than you can.”
“Nu ‘haff’ am faiw.”
“Nothing ever is.”
…
Buddy woke up, his injuries feeling much better, but also absolutely ravenous. When he opened his eyes he realized it was still dark-time. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but the hunger and restlessness he felt wouldn’t let him.
He stood, looking around the saferoom by the dim night light’s glow. Walking to his bowl he realized it was full of kibble. While he preferred the chow he normally got, he wasn’t a picky eater, and from experience he knew that chow got pretty rancid if left uneaten.
As he ate he wondered how long he’d been asleep. Most of the day, at least, since it was night and he’d fallen asleep at the vet’s office before noon. From the way his stomach was growling he estimated a couple of days since he’d eaten. Had he really been that tired?
Feeling mostly satiated, he returned to the bed and snuggled up with Snowball. He tried to forget what had happened, how mummah had told him he’d done the wrong thing by trying to save her. What kind of bad fluffy would let their friend get hurt, even if she was being a dummeh at the time?
Oh well, it could wait until morning. Now that he’d eaten he was feeling tired again. He’d slept so long, but he still felt so tired. Better to go back to sleep and take care of everything in the bright-time, when everything seemed better.
“Snowbaww am sowwy, babbehs…” Snowball murmured in her sleep. “Snowbaww nu wan gib fowebah-sweepies. Nu wan.”
Suddenly he was wide awake. He tried to put it down as just her having a bad dream, but the image of the twisted dying foals from the feral herd suddenly came to mind. Surely mummah wouldn’t have…?
He tossed and turned, trying to go back to sleep, trying to put aside his doubts, but sleep only came when the first rays of sunshine began to peek into the room through the window.
Part 12
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Buddy is very astute for a fluffy. He immediately jumps to “Mummah made her do it” rather than “she did it herself” or even “Wat u takin bout?”
He does have the experience to back it up, as his time with First Daddeh probably gave him PTSD regarding human power interactions.
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