Star Light, Star Flight

They arrived at the grocery store and Yang sighed. She despised grocery shopping, but there was nothing she would really do about it. Plus, Trinitydidneed food. She couldn't just leave the poor dog to languish while they fed Zwei. Trinity needed to eat too. Yang had accepted the responsibility of another dog. She hoped and prayed that Trinity was properly housebroken, though; she hadn't even thought of that until now. Trinity had been through far too much in her short life. The poor day deserved a much better future. Yang deeply hoped that she could provide that better life and future. She looked down . "I don't think I'll drop out." She knew it was a bit out of the blue , but they had talked about it during lunch. She still wasn't surewhatshe would do, but if she wanted to provide for the pups, She couldn't drop out. Even a lot of basic jobs like fast food and waitressing would probably pass her over it she didn't have a high school diploma. She needed at least that much to provide for Zwei and Trinity. Taiyang smiled. "Glad to hear it, kiddo." He ruffled her short hair and she pushed him off. He grinned at her and she grinned back. He really was something else. "But seriously. I’m proud of you for making that decision. If you had dropped out. I'd still love you, Yang I'm just glad you chose to do this what made you decide?" “I want to provide for Zwei and Trinity. And even a lot of entry-level jobs won't accept people without a high school diploma. And a GED often isn't seen the same" It was tough to admit, but she did want to provide for the dogs . It might be silly to most people, but it was her driving force right now. She just…didn't have any passions in life to really pursue. She wasn't like Ruby who had a deep passion for music and had discovered it as a child. Nothing drove her in the same way it drove Ruby. The dogs were really the only thing she had right now… “Gotcha. Well, if you can graduate, you can geta job. I really don't want you to not graduate, Yang. I'd love you regardless, but I want you to succeed in life. A real diploma will go a long way." He smiled at her and she returned it. He was a good dad and she didn't want to disappoint him. He'd put so much time, effort, and care into raising her and Ruby that she didn't want to throw back in to his face. She disagreed with how he treated Qrow. But she was almost an adult and she could make that decision for herself. "What do you think you'll do? Be a mechanic? You're pretty good at it." “Dunno really. I still have time." Her junior year had reallyjuststarted. She knew she needed to start applying to schools next year, but she still had time. Even if she did something like take a gap year, Valian schools wouldn't look down on her. Maybe a trade school some sort. She would need to do more research and see if any in particular stood out to her. She did need to get more serious, though. If she wanted to provide for the pups, she needed to be more serious. He ruffled her hair "Yeah, you do have time. Don't fret. You aren't your sister and don't have to try to push your way through school so quickly. Learn your options and pick what appeals to you most. Higher education in Vale is free so you can do what you want" He smiled and she nodded. She was glad for that. She'd heard Atlas charged outrageous prices for higher education. She was glad she wouldn't have to pay her way through school if she chose something like that. "Thanks, Dad." She hugged him. He really was an outstanding father. Flawed, of course, but outstanding. The rest of the shopping trip was quiet while they doubled their dog food ingredients. She was worried about Trinity at the groomer's, considering how matted her coat had been. A double-coated dog shouldn't be shaved, but when the mats were that bad, not much else could be done. She knew how important double coats were to thermal regulation to those types of dogs. But no, she needed to be shaved. After getting what they needed from the grocery store, they headed back to the groomer. They picked Trinity up and she looked so sad without her fur. But she did perk up a bit when Yang approached, tail wagging slightly. "Hey, girl Feel better with all of those mats gone?" Trinity nodded, "Let's get home, then!" She got into the back seat with Trinity who lay her head in Yang's lap, Yang's heart warmed a bit and she petted the dog's head. She seemed a bit more at ease now which was good. Maybe the mats had been contributing to her anxiety somehow. The dog lay with her head in Yang's lap while they headed back to the house. Once there, they got out and went inside. All Yang wanted to do was curl up in her bed and sleep if she were honest. But she knew she needed to take care of Trinity and get her all settled. A second dog was a huge responsibility and she didn't want to make it seem like she was slacking. Trinitywouldgo back to the breeder if she didn't show her father she'd take care of her. The last thing she wanted was to seem irresponsible to her father and have him decide Trinity and possibly Zwei had no place in their home due to Yang's negligence. Zwei greeted them when they came in the door, though he cocked his head at Trinity."You're keeping her?"he asked,though his tone was simply neutral. Yang nodded. "She wanted to stay with us and Dad signed the breeder contract. Guess I should've asked you first, huh?" She really hadn't thought about Zwei's opinion on all of this. Of all of the things she should have done, that should have been the top of her list. They would have to spend most of their time together when Yang was at school and Tai yang was at work. She hoped they would get along well enough. Zwei sighed."Well, not like I can stop you now that the contract's signed. We'll just have to learn to get along."He shook his head and Yang looked at Trinity, only to see Trinity whale eying again. She leaned over and patted Trinity's head. "It's okay,'he's not mad at you. He's unhappy withmefor not consulting him about us taking you in. But he won't take it out on you. He's a little frustrated, but that's it." She hoped they would be able to get along; Zwei wasn't the reactive type, at least. But with Trinity's issues, she might be very fearful of Zwei and his reactions even if they were muted. He wouldn't hurt Trinity physically, but his occasional frustration with her may cause issues. She hoped it wouldn't, but there was no telling until they started interacting unsupervised. Trinity nodded but her ears were down. Zwei gave a soft bark and wagged his tail, motioning for Trinity to follow. Yang also followed him into the living room where he grabbed a rope toy and encouraged Trinity to grab it. Trinity stared, obviously uncertain what to do. All Yang could do is frown. "Do you not remember how to play, girl?" Trinity stared at Yang for a moment then shook her head. Poor pup. "Well, then, watch, and we'll teach you." Over the next several hours. Yang and Zwei helped teach Trinity how to play again. Her body language remained timid and withdrawn, though, and she constantly looked to Yang for reassurance. Zwei never lost his patience, either, and kept his body language relaxed and receptive. She was glad that she had raised Zwei so carefully; it was really showing how he had absorbed Yang's patience, empathy, and understanding. His patience now was a Testament to the way Yang had treated him during his most imperative development time. Eventually, Yang clapped her hands. It was meant to just be a way to get attention. However, Trinity yelped and started to cower. Yang frowned. Well, she wouldn't dothatagain. She was simply too used to getting Zwei's attention and shifting his attention that way. She spoke softly to Trinity. "Hey, girl, it's all right, I'm not going to hurt you." She spoke softly until Trinity came down from the episode. The dog looked at her warily, the whites of her eyes showing. "Sorry, girl; I'm just used to doing that to change Zwei's energy and attention. I'll try not to do it again,okay? It's lunchtime, so I wondered if you wanted a snack." Trinity and Zwei would get their dinner after the family ate, but a little midday snack for the dogs wouldn't hurt. Zwei's tail wagged and he gave a soft bark. Trinity looked skeptical. Yang smiled. "Promise you won't go hungry with us, girl." Words were just words until backed up with action, unfortunately, and it would take Trinity time to understand they wouldn't starve or abuse her. Trinity didn't look convinced which didn't surprise Yang. She got up and went into the kitchen. On the counter sat a jar with homemade dog treats. "Huh, we're getting low. Better make some more soon." She popped a couple of hot dogs on the skillet and fried them, then ate them in short order before gathering the ingredients for the dog treats. Zwei's vet had helped them build his diet carefully including treats because Yang refused to let her dog eat only kibble. They did use a high-quality kibble that was available in puzzle feeders, but it would never be the dogs'only source of food. She got into the jar and took out half a treat for Zwei and two for Trinity. The Bluefell setter's eyes locked onto the treats. Yang should have expected it, but it was still sad to see, she broke the treats up and put them in a puzzle feeder. "Gotta work your brain to get' em, girl." she did the same with Zwei's half treat so it wouldn't be unfair. She did normally just give Zwei a half treat for free on weekend days, but she wanted to keep Trinity active and engaged. There was a difference between keeping food from a dog to starve them and just making them use their brains to get some goodies. Yang followed the recipe she knew by heart at this point while the dogs worked on their puzzles. Flax, applesauce, natural peanut butter, parsley, and whole wheat flour. She had made it weekly by this point since Zwei liked the recipe. She had other treat recipes that she ought to see if Trinity liked. But, fur now, she’d just double up this one and hoped Trinity liked it just as much as Zwei did. How he didn’t get sick of the same treats after eating them so often, she didn’t know. But it definitely made life for her a lot easier since he did like them so much. ound while Trinity continued with her puzzle feeder. "Having some trouble, girl? "She wasn't sure if Trinity had ever encountered a puzzle feeder before or not. It was difficult for most animals at first, even aura breeds. It did provide enrichment, though, which she knew a lot of animals lacked. A cooked me a/was one thing as it could grow bacteria if left out too long. But kibble and treats? Those could easily be left out for an extended period for the dogs to pick at. Trinity looked at her and whined, pawing at the feeder. Trinity's blue eyes showed her hunger. Yang sighed. It was unfair to Zwei to simply give Trinity the treat pieces, but with as hungry as Trinity was... "Do you understand her hunger, boy?" Zwei nodded. Yang took out the treat pieces and put them on the floor for Trinity. They were gone within seconds. It did suck that Trinity was so hungry, but keeping aura breeds occupied was important. "You'll have to learn puzzle feeders, girl. It's how we give kibble and treats if we aren't training." It wasn't like puzzle feeders were abuse; it just slowed feeding and engaged their mind which was so important to aura breeds. Speaking of… She picked up one of Zwei’s puzzle feeders and put his kibble in it. She put it on the floor and he went at it. Trinity looked at her, almost betrayed. "Just give me a minute." She opened one of the cabinets and took out a snuffle mat. This would probably be better for Trinity since it wasn't so mentally demanding. She put a small amount of food in the mat then put it on the ground. "Kibble isn't your main source of food; it's a supplement. Your main meals come twice a day and are cooked. Okay?" she wasn't sure if dogs went through re feeding syndrome or not... She didn't want to hurt Trinity by giving her too much at once and sending her body into shock from too many nutrients at once. Trinity still didn't want to seem to engage with the toy despite the fact it was easier than the puzzle feeder. "Too much still?" Trinity's blue eyes looked dull and lifeless. Yang sighed. She didn't want to upset Zwei by having Trinity be fed in a different way, but she also couldn't push Trinity when her spirit was so broken. She had no idea how to handle this. She sighed then snapped her fingers. "Zwei, would you be mad if Trinity had an automatic feeder?" It would be unfair to free feed Trinity the supplementary kibble when Zwei had to work for his food. This still wasn't entirely fair to him, but Trinity was so food insecure she wasn't willing to work for hers... or maybe she simply didn't have the energy. Maybe they could get her to work eventually, but not right now, not yet. Zwei's ears went back."I can understand, but it doesn't feel fair with how you've trained me for using puzzle feeders.”His body language spoke to how unhappy he was about it."It's not fair to me, but it's also not fair to Trinity to force her to do something she's so unwilling to do. No matter what, it's unfair to one of us. It's a no-win situation for you, Yang."Well, at least he could see the situation for what it was. She didn't want to be unfair to either dog, but there really was no way around it either. It felt like it was more unfair to the starving, food insecure dog to put effort into eating than having the normal dog have to watch her get easy meals until she was able to handle having to work for her food. "Thanks for understanding, Zwei." She petted his head, though she could feel the tension in his body. He understood it intellectually but didn't like it emotionally. Once Trinity had healed a bit, she'd treat them the same. She just couldn't right now, not when Trinity was so fresh off the streets. She knew it wasn't fair to Zwei, but she had no choice but to do something to let Trinity have food and put weight on. She was skin and bones right now especially with all of her far shaved off. "What's going on in here?" Taiyang poked his head into the kitchen and Yang explained. He frowned. "Yeah, that is a no-win situation, Yang. I can run out and go get an automatic feeder. Do you want one with an app or a timer?" "Good question." She wasn't sure which would be better in this case. The timer option would probably be cheaper though it would probably have to be replaced more often than the app one. "Would you have a preference, Dad? "They were already out money and she didn't want to blow his whole budget on dog stuff. There was only so much extra money he had to spend outside of bills." she already felt bad about spending so much on Trinity. They went back and forth for a bit on what they thought would be best. Eventually, they did decide on a wifi-based feeder with an app. Taiyang left which meant it was Yang, Ruby, and the dogs. She poured a small amount of kibble into a bowl and put it in front of Trinity who inhaled it. She did feel bad for the starved pup. Who knew when she'd last been fed consistently? She didn't want Trinity to feel any farther food insecure, but she also didn't want the dog's body going into shock over the sudden increase in nutrients. It was going to take Trinity time to learn that she would never go hungry and would be safe here. They wouldn't harm her. Ruby came wandering into the kitchen. She looked at Yang, then Trinity, and back several times. "When did we get another dog?" she asked, completely baffled. "And why didn't Dad say anything to me?" Yang explained what had happened until that point and Ruby took in the story. They hadn't thought about Ruby's reaction either which was... short sighted at absolute best. But she really doubted Ruby would mind having another dog. Ruby squatted down and extended her hand to Trinity who cowered and whale eyed. "Hey girl, it's okay," Yang said. "This is Ruby, my little sister. She won't hurt you; promise. Right, Zwei?" His response was to walk over to Ruby and flop down on his belly. Ruby smiled and petted him all over, a soft smile on her face. Yang also smiled. "See? Zwei trusts her." Then again, Trinity hadn't known Zwei for very long,so she wasn't sure if it would mean much to Trinity at all. He was a stranger, after all. Trust took a long time to build if it was as eroded as Trinity's was in general. Trinity hesitantly went over and sniffed Ruby's arm, her ears back. Raby stayed as still as she could. Even though Ruby could miss social cues and misread the room, Trinity's story had no doubt made it clear that the poor dog was scared beyond words. Even Autistic people like Ruby could understand what Trinity was going through and know that slow, gentle patience was what was needed. Trinity had been through far too much in her short life and needed kindness and gentleness, not harshness and a rough hand. Ruby turned her hand over to show Trinity her palm but the dog backed up and cowered. "Just give her time,Rubes. She just came off the streets." Ruby could be quite empathetic and hoped she would be patient with Trinity until she truly settled down. This was a rescue situation and not like Zwei who had been a blank slate when brought home, at least in some regards. Trinity had been shaped by her abuse and subsequent time on the streets. Ruby nodded. "It'll take time to build trust. I understand, Yang. We'll have to work with her to build that trust." Yang smiled at Ruby's words. Ruby was a certifiable genius, being in her Master's program at only fourteen. Empathy could sometimes be a problem when it came to people, but not when it came to animals. She was glad Rube was so understanding toward Trinity. The oven beeped and Yang took the treats out, patting them on a tray to cool. Ruby left the kitchen with Zwei. That left her and Trinity alone. "Want to rest, girl?" Trinity nodded.Yang couldn't blame her. The last 24 hours had been a whirlwind for everyone to the point even Yang felt exhausted. So she mounted the stairs with Trinity and headed up to her room, grateful for the respite.