Cabbage sat under the bush’s cover, practically embraced by leaves and branches. He didn’t mind. He was too busy waiting to mind. Twig and Fern were out watching humans for something Smarty wanted. It was hard to do that all together, especially when one of the fluffies was an Earthie toughie.
“Wait hewe fow Fewn.”
So he did.
But while he waited for Twig and Fern he watched the yard where Vanilla wasn’t. He hadn’t seen the white fluffy since last dark time, when his human gave him a big sorry not-hoovesies, then wrapped him up in not-fluff and went somewhere. The human was yelling something, but his talking was funny after drinking so much silly water.
The human wasn’t there, either. There was no metal monster on the other side of the house.
Cabbage shifted his weight. How long til Vanilla?
“Yu hab hewd fow hewp yu.”
“Nu, dis onwy fow Smawty tu du.”
How Jade hated saying those words to Leaf. The three weanlings held each other closely as they cried. She had taken them from the sleep area before the mothers and other babies were awake, Nurse helping load them onto her back. When the trio woke up, it was colder than they expected and more lonely.
“Whewe fwuffy?”
“Whewe fwens?”
“No wike! No wike!”
“Babbehs stop tawky,” she stamped, peering down at them. From the bottom of the hole they only saw a giant’s silhouette looming over them.
“SCREEEEE!”
“MUNSTAH!”
“Huuu huuu huuu…”
“BABBEHS STOP MAKIN’ NOISEY NAOW.”
All were stunned, cowed by the demand. They had never been yelled at before. The soon-colt and soon-fillies peed and pooped, scared in a way they never had been before. Trembling from something other than cold, they clutched each other as tightly as they could.
“Yu bebbehs no can be twee fwuffy,” Jade started, cheeks puffed. “Yu nu can hide in hot times when easy. Yu no gonna hide when cowd time when hawd. No can hide, no can find nummies. No can watch fow munstahs. No can do nuttin’ bu’ hewp munstah find hewd”
The red soon-colt felt her words stabbing him in the heart. The two soon-fillies sniffed and huu-huu’d as quietly as they could manage.
“Aww yu du is pway. Aww yu du is hab nummies. Aww yu du is ask not-mamas for t’ings. Dey no hewe noaw. Onwy yu,” Jade said, letting the words hang.
“An’ Smawty.”
The four started to cry, but the foals couldn’t hear over their own wailing.
“You were supposed to pick up Vanilla last night, Mr. Conner.”
“Yeah, well, I got to spend the night in County for a DUI after dropping it off.”
The vet-tech looked at Mike sideways through his glasses. “Well, since the doctor isn’t here now, you’ll need to call later so she can answer any questions you might have.”
“No questions,” he groused. “Where’s my kid’s fluffy?”
“Right here.”
Vanilla was wrapped up tightly in a blanket but asleep. A shake, a twitch, then back to being almost motionless.
“That was a real number you did on his leg there.”
“I told you, he fell down the patio.”
“Sure, whatever. Just sign and pay.”
A quick scribble on the form, cash swapping hands, and the vet-tech handed Mike the bundle of fluff. Vanilla didn’t stir, still sedated, but mumbled randomly.
“I can’t believe you’re charging me $500 for this.”
“It would’ve been less if you had stayed with him and took him home with you.”
“Whatever.”
“Fine. Just go,” the tech said. “And know what? Next time you want a pet? Don’t get a fluffy. Hell, don’t get anything.”
“Shut up, you self-righteous ass-hole.”
After watching them leave, the tech went to Vanilla’s record, clicking a red-flag by Mike’s information. His name entered a database which then got shared to lists that went out to various pet stores and breeders in the state.
“Suspected Abuser. Do not sell animals or fluffies to this individual.”