They say never to work with children or animals. For neither can follow the simplest of instructions well.
I see a puppy.
A bundle of innocent, exuberant energy. Some would call it cute, even.
Its adorable ginger fur, right down to the adorable little blades within its naïve maw.
But the little pup has one fatal flaw.
It’s a disobedient little shit.
It follows its nose and its curiosity, consequently finding itself in all sorts of strife. It barks at bigger, more dangerous mutts, the little puppy having a knack for steering itself into danger. But each and every time it manages to get itself in trouble, the pup is saved by its faithful owner.
But the pup never listens.
No matter how hard the owner tries, the disobedient pup never seems to learn. Try as he might to train the puppy, it simply smiles and nods, but it doesn’t understand.
It carries right on naively ignoring the words of its savior.
The sad fact for the little pup is that every act of disobedience takes the little puppy one step closer to the inevitable day when the owner simply gives up on it. Every time it fails to heed his words, it bites the proverbial hand that feeds it.
Because no matter how hard the owner tries, the puppy will always be a naughty little shit.
How long before The Burned Man gives up on you, Destructo Boy?
His words rang in the air, telling you not to get involved.
Those mutts were bad men, those Blood Runners. He knew that. Yet, despite your penchant for wandering into trouble, pup, you never learnt when to just listen.
Like the disobedient puppy following its nose into strife, you follow your endless desire to become a hero. But all you’ve succeeded in becoming is a puppy that needs to learn its place.
The pup never listens, and the Burning Man grows weary of your ill-disciplined ways.
Perhaps you feel that he’s holding you back from your goals. Perhaps you simply cannot see the danger you find yourself in. Perhaps you’re simply naïve.
Either way, you’ve bitten the proverbial hand again, haven’t you?
It’s cute that you try to be a hero in this dog eat dog world, you naughty little puppy.
But I don’t see the little puppy as cute. In fact, I don’t see it at all.
When I smell, it stinks that putrid wet dog smell. The stench of all the shit that it rolls around in while trying to be a hero and not listening to instructions.
I feel its matted fur, it’s sharp little teeth.
You’re not cute, Boy, you’re a pest.
All dogs need to grow up or be kicked to the curb, Destructo Boy.
I can teach disobedient little puppies to listen properly. For the more you hear, the more obedient you will become.
I’ll teach you simple commands for your ears to interpret.
Sit.
Stay.
Play dead.
Obedience school begins within that squared circle, little pup. Come, let the Third Eye show you what a good dog can become.