the_protector raze red_tail probes the pastureland for whatever riches it's willing to give up. his mange is getting better. what was lost before summer shrugged its shoulders is being returned one wisp at a time. "i've got a treat for you," i tell him. he looks up. i toss him a slice of banana. it comes from a tiny tupperware container full of what i cut in the kitchen before i left the house this morning. what was white beneath the peel has been browned by moisture and heat. i follow the math his mind makes through the twin oceans of his eyes. hot day + cool fruit = bliss. it's gone inside of ten seconds. i've never seen him eat anything so fast in my life. the next time he sees me coming, he runs to reach me. i drop some walnuts for him to have. on the other side of the tree trunk he keeps half a breath from his back, there's a grey explorer half his size. i take a few steps. i toss her some nuts. she doesn't run. she doesn't take what i've offered. she pretends not to see me. every time i make a move toward the young one, red_tail stops eating. his eyes are always on her. it takes me a minute to work out what he's doing. she isn't his kin. they probably live at opposite ends of the park. that doesn't matter. he's checking to make sure she's okay. to see if she needs anything. if he could speak, i think he would tell her, "you don't have to be afraid. this is someone you can trust." and if my hands weren't wild enough to make him think i meant him harm, i would raise him above my head like a beacon so every living thing could be blinded by the brilliance of this small soul i'm lucky enough to call my friend. 220623 what's it to you? who go blather from