They left the tavern.
Fian walked silently beside her.
“You know, choices matter…” the the white guardian began, gently placing a paw on his shoulder. “Yeah, that was stupid,” Fian muttered, looking down in shame. “There’s no question about that.” She walked on in silence for a moment. “But that’s not the problem.” Fian looked up, puzzled. She twitched her ears. “Well, no one’s perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. The problem is that choices have consequences. And eventually, the moment comes when you no longer decide whether the consequences happen. You only decide whether you’re willing to bear them.” She glanced over at him briefly. “Today, you chose to smash a buckle into a boar’s face.” A faint smile flitted across her face. “I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it.” The smile vanished. “But whether it was deserved or not has precious little to do with the consequences.”
She reached into her pouch and pulled out the collar.
She studied the piece of leather thoughtfully. “Now, though, I have to figure out how to explain this.” She raised an eyebrow. “Can my… Snuffles… actually walk through a forest alone without getting into mischief, running into trouble, or starting a fight?” She let the collar slide slowly through her paws. “Or does my Snuffles need to be marked so clearly that no one dares even look at him?” She let a moment of silence hang between them. “What do you think?”
Fian unobtrusively took half a step to the side. Her wolf’s gaze followed him instantly. Her ears pricked up attentively. “Oh.” A few more heartbeats passed. “That’s your answer?” “I wouldn’t exactly call that an answer…” he replied. She stopped, looked him straight in the eye, and lifted the collar slightly. “So, what *is* your answer? It’s actually quite simple. Yes or no. Both answers have their consequences.”
She fell silent for a moment. “And after what I witnessed in that tavern today, perhaps you ought to start reflecting on the consequences your decisions might have.” Her gaze softened, yet she tapped him firmly on the forehead: “Because apparently, it isn’t enough for me to worry about the charming soul dwelling inside that stubborn bard’s skull.” She weighed the collar thoughtfully in her paw. “Well?” Her ears gave a brief twitch. “Can I trust my Snuffel to use his head when walking through the woods from now on?” She raised the collar a little higher.
“Or should I decide, and have his problems solved *my* way?”
Fian took another half-step back under her watchful gaze and drew breath to speak.
But she placed her paw over his mouth. A faint smile flitted across her face. “What did I say the other day? I speak, and you learn.” She pressed the collar into his paws. “Whether you like it or not. I ask you: just how difficult do you want to make things for yourself right now? It’s your choice.” Then she stepped back and observed him. “What will you do now?” They stood facing each other like that. She simply stood there, watching him patiently.
After a while, she said softly, “A pity.” Suddenly, moving with incredible speed, she lunged forward, snatched the collar from Fian, and fastened it around his neck. “It seems you’ll be doing some more learning for quite a while yet.” Then, with a shrug of her shoulders, she turned and strolled slowly along the forest path. “So be it , simply the long way around, then. I’m going to enjoy the day at the forest lake now. Are you coming along, or would you rather be led and ‘practice walking’?”
Fian followed her without a word.
As he reached for the collar’s buckle while they walked, she turned and looked at him with expectant eyes. “Go ahead—just try it…” she breathed, her voice icy cold. He toyed with the clasp for a moment longer, then hesitated, unsettled by her watchful gaze.
Then he let it be.
She turned away indifferently. “Fine.” She continued on her way. “I suppose that concludes today’s lesson. I’m going to the forest lake now.”
