Where Fluffy Bodies Lie
By @Za
Chapter Eight:
Enforcer
You are Smarty Sunset.
Deciding to do better takes a second. Doing better takes many forevers.
Cookie was sickies, very bad sickies. She kept coughing and coughing, she could barely breathe. The cold times had taken many of your herd, and they would sadly take more before the warm times came back. You had the toughies drag Lemonade away last night, deeper into the woods. Her foals weren’t ready to say goodbye, and you understood that feeling all too well. But keeping her through the night would attract barky munstahs or worse.
You were pretty sure the barky munstahs already knew where you were staying, though. You could hear them get closer over the past few bright times. It was probably a smart idea to start moving, you couldn’t fight off an entire herd of barkies.
You tried to begin organizing things, getting fluffies to contribute and carry their weight. You asked really, really nicely too. But they were so set in their ways, all they wanted was to run and play and eat nummies you didn’t have.
You figured, though, that it couldn’t hurt to try one more time.
You trudged through the snow, which had partly abated, to go around to other stumps and find volunteers for work.
“Hewwo? Wauw?” you called, and the tan fluffy peered over at you through his one eye.
“Smawty Sunset!” Raul said, toddling over to you. “Bwing nummehs fow speshuw fwen an tummeh babbehs?”
A purple fluffy, who you recognized as Peppy, rolled over to face you. Her body was swollen, she obviously had lots of tummeh babbehs. You’d just got through telling the herd not to have any more babies, since you were already short on food.
“WAUW!” you shouted, stamping your hoof in frustration. "Sunset say nu hab nu mowe babbehs! Nu hab enuff nummies!
Raul puffed out his cheeks, pushing you back onto your rear with his front hooves.
“Dummeh! Wauw wan enfies wif pwetty mawe Peppy! Peppy gib Wauw bestest babbehs!”
And that was where that interaction ended. You turned back, scowling at the disobedient fluffy as you trotted away. You needed advice, and you didn’t know where to get it. Usually Cookie had some wisdom to impart, but she was too sickies to even talk.
You wandered out of the clearing and down to the nearby creek, which had frozen over. You tapped your hoof against the ice, breaking it absentmindedly. You needed more fluffies willing to work, but your word as smarty meant next to nothing anymore. You were too little, too docile. You needed someone to help keep people in line. You needed more than just a toughy.
You needed an enforcer.
You stomped harder into the ice, grinning to yourself. You turned, making tracks quickly through the snow as you galloped back into the clearing.
“Wenny! Wenny!” you hollered, huffing and puffing as you ran. “Bestest fwen Wenny!”
Lenny came barreling out of a stump, his derpy eyes scanning for anything amiss.
“Wuh? Wuh habbun?” he blubbered, running to meet you. He calmed down once he reached you, but he never stopped looking around in case of some unseen threat.
“Nee Wenny do somefing fow Sunset,” you began. “Dummeh fwuffies nu wan wowkies. Nu wisten to Sunset! Buh if fwuffies nu wisten, nuffin get done. Hewd nu hab nummies, nu nuffin!”
He gazed down at you, his mind still trying to follow your train of thought. His jaw hung slack open.
“Duh… uh huh?” he nodded.
“So Sunset nee Wenny make fwuffies wisten,” you commanded, stomping your hooves. “Make dem wisten wif hoofies!”
Lenny grew a worried look in his eyes, choking out a fearful sigh.
“Buh… Wenny nu w-wan huwt fwuf-fwuffehs.”
“Nu gib wowstest huwties,” you explained, patting his enormous front leg reassuringly. “Just widdwe huwties, an onwy if fwuffies nu wisten. Pwease?”
Lenny swallowed hard, sighing again.
“We-Wenny nu kno… befowe smaw-mawdies nebah-”
“Sunset am smawty nao! Sunset nu wan do dis buh am onwy way!”
Lenny hung his head, nodding solemnly as his gaze met you. You didn’t like that look. It was one of fear… of shame… but also respect. He knew what he needed to do, but he sure didn’t like it.
You pointed him in the direction of Raul’s stump.
“Teww aww da fwuffies,” you instructed him with a frown. “Nu wowkies, Nu nummies, jus huwties.”
He stooped down, crawling into the stump. Raul barely got a greeting out before he started screaming. After a moment, Lenny emerged with tears in his eyes as he walked to the next stump. He kept glancing over at you weakly, as if trying and failing to make eye contact.
Raul slogged out of the stump, his eyes affixed on the ground as he sobbed.
“Wauw sowwy… wuh smawty wan Wauw do?”
As you sent him to gather nummies, you felt something well up in your chest.
It sure felt good to be listened to.
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