Chapter VIII: Fast food
"Come on, little one, it's good for you," Jennifer instigated.
"But it tastes bad!" the wolf exclaimed.
"If you finish this one like a good puppy, I'll give you something yummy for dessert, deal?"
Aran sighed. "I suppose I don't have a choice?"
"In short, you don't, so open up that cute black muzzle of yours and let me put the spoon in," she encouraged once more.
The wolf wanted to continue the argument, but realized too late that opening his muzzle to talk would also allow Jennifer to shove the spoon in. Since the mouth is practically a one-way gate, it proved impossible to get words out and food in at the same time. Some of the food managed to stay where the collie wanted it to go, but most of it turned back and ended up on the bib.
"And you told me you could eat without making a mess of yourself," Jennifer mocked playfully, shaking her head, "You need that bib after all, don't you?"
Aran wanted to protest again, but he had learned from the recent past and firmly shut his muzzle.
"Oh no, none of that now," the collie responded, trying to push another spoonful of vegetable mush in his mouth.
"Pup, listen to me," she said sternly, "either you eat this like a good puppy, or I'm going to make you eat it. Believe me, I know seven, maybe eight ways to get this food in your tummy, but you won't like any of them. Do we understand each other?"
The wolf whimpered, then slowly opened this muzzle, allowing Jennifer to continue feeding him. He stared at her, his eyes begging for mercy, but to no avail. The entire contents of the jar was shoved down his throat, quite literally. Aran shivered, trying to get the horrid taste from his tongue. He was relieved when the jar was finally empty. For the first time, he was glad that he did not have to chew on the food. Anything that would delay the act of swallowing the mush would prolong the torture of his tongue.
"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"It was. Still tasted awful. Please don't give me any more of where that came from," he replied, crossing his arms.
"Oh? So you're not hungry anymore? Guess I'll put this back then," Jennifer teased, showing him a carton of strawberry yogurt she had taken from the fridge.
"No, no, please! I was talking about the veggies!"
"You said you didn't want any more just yet," she teased.
"B-but you promised something tasty..."
Jennifer smiled and gave in, opened the carton and scooped up a spoonful. Just to tease her charge some more, she held the spoon in front of the wolf, but not close enough for him to reach it. All he could do was sniff at it and smell the sweet scent of his dessert.
Aran wanted to lean forward some more, but the tray and the tether of the highchair prevented any further movement. He then came to his senses and understood that he was giving the collie what she wanted.
He was behaving like a hungry toddler, begging for his caregiver to feed him more non-chewable food. Aran decided to trick the collie by leaning back, in the hopes that she would close in as well. Jennifer did like he suspected, which granted the wolf enough space to suddenly lunge forward and snap at the spoon.
"Why do they always do that?" Jennifer queried aloud.
"Whaddya mean?" Aran replied after he swallowed the tasty yogurt.
"I promised you something yummy, didn't I?"
The wolf nodded.
"Then why do you act like I wouldn't keep said promise?"
He did not get the opportunity to react immediately, since his mouth was once again occupied by the plastic spoon. The wolf decided to let the question slip and enjoy his dessert instead. He accepted the servings of yogurt with such zeal that it might give a new definition to the term 'to wolf something down'. But then again, he was a wolf after all, so why not act on it?
In stark contrast to the previous dish, Aran was actually disappointed when the carton of yogurt was empty. On the other paw, his stomach told him that he was satiated, so even if he wanted to, there probably was no room for more food.
"Did my puppy like that?"
"The last one, yush," Aran confessed.
"It's not complicated, little one. I know what's good for you. All I ask is that you trust me. Now this example was simple, but I hope you've learned from it."
The wolf looked down with his ears drooping down, an expression that hinted towards guilt. In his head, two voices were fighting. One of them was shouting, telling the wolf to resist all this idiocy and to get out as soon as there was an opportunity. The other voice, however, was soft and gentle, and told him that Jennifer was right. Her intentions were good, but he treated her like she was crazy.
But was she crazy? Surely, treating a twenty-year-old like a toddler was far from commonplace, but she had to have a reason for all that, had she not? After all, everything he had seen and experienced so far had written 'this place is for big cubs' all over it. Something told him that the collie was not insane, but she certainly was not an average person with an average plan.
Furthermore, the collie even said that Aran was her third charge, so his predicament was not randomly chosen. However, the wolf had troubles putting the pieces of the puzzle together in such a way that Kaiser fit in. Jennifer then disturbed his pondering by wiping his muzzle with a piece of damp cloth, after which she untied the bib and put the latter in a bin. The bin looked like it had the function of a hamper, but it could be closed off so the smells of whatever was in there would not reach the rest of the room.
"Have you come up with a name for your husky yet, dear?"
Aran shook his head.
"What's the matter? Can't think of anything that suits it?"
He shrugged.
"Come on, you can't cuddle with a plushie that doesn't have a name."
"Why not? It's a toy, why should I name it?"
"It's not just a toy, little one. Your plushie is a companion. I can't be around you all the time, but your plushie can, even when you sleep."
"Fine. But how do I pick a name? I've never had a stuffed animal before, and even if I did, I can't remember naming it."
"My first charge named his plushie after someone that had meant a lot to him, but he had lost this person when he was young. Maybe that'll help you?"
The wolf pondered, digging in his memory for anyone to fit that description. To his surprise, someone quickly came to mind.
"I... I used to have a good friend when I was in elementary school. He moved to another city when we were in the fourth grade. I haven't heard from him since."
"Oh, I'm sorry for you, dear. What was his name?"
"Damian," the wolf replied plainly, "He was a jackal rather than a husky, but still..."
"I think it fits him. Do you agree?"
"I guess."
"Here," Jennifer said, handing the plushie back to her charge, "I think he'd like a hug now."
Aran accepted the husky with both hands and pulled it to his chest, not really sure what to do with it.
"Um... are you going to let me out of this chair anytime soon? It's getting kinda uncomfortable."
"Of course, dear. Give me a moment."
The collie released the restraint of the highchair, then unlatched the tray and removed it. Aran wanted to get out of the chair by himself, but Jennifer held him back. Instead, she grabbed him under his knees and one of his armpits. The wolf knew what was coming.
With a fluid move, the collie lifted her charge from the chair and put him down on the floor.