#canonically!

“Welcome to the second official meeting of the Bug Squad!” Agitha said as she twirled in a circle and threw her arms in the air. Cori bounced a little where he was kneeling and clapped his hands together. Wayra squawked loudly and Sky laughed with him. Sailor scooted closer to Twilight, farther from Wayra, though he still had a smile on his face. 

“Roll call,” Cori said. He picked up his notebook and pencil and turned to a specific page. 

“Co-leaders Cori and Agitha, here,” Cori said. 

“Heeeere!” Agitha sang.

Cori turned to Twilight and stared expectantly. 

“Oh, uh, Twilight. Here,” Twilight said. 

Wayra squawked, evidently deciding it was his turn. Sky laughed again and put a hand on his neck to calm him. 

“Wayra and Sky, here!” Sky said. 

“Sailor, here,” Sailor said. 

“And that’s everyone!” Cori said, pencil scratching in his notebook. 

“Where’s the other one? Wild?” Agitha asked. Twilight’s eyes widened and he immediately made a stop motion with his hands. Agitha didn’t notice. 

Cori’s gaze darkened. “He is not allowed in the Bug Squad.”

“Why?” Agitha asked. 

“He tried to eat a stag beetle!” Cori exclaimed. Agitha gasped and put an affronted hand on her chest. 

“What?” Agitha yelled. 

“He will never be forgiven,” Cori said. 

Sky, Sailor, and Twilight made awkward eye contact while Cori and Agitha stared at their bug collections with ire. Sky cleared his throat. 

“So… bugs?” Sky said hesitantly. 

Cori brightened and bounced again. “Yes! Bugs. Very important. Does anyone have any new bugs to share?”

“Oh! I do!” Sky said. He excitedly rummaged through his bag until he pulled out a beetle and displayed it for the group. “I found this one on a tree. Caught it with my bug net.”

Cori and Agitha both gasped and leaned forward reverently. 

“A western Hercules beetle!” Cori said excitedly. He glanced at Agitha with a wide grin then back to the beetle. 

“Oh, oh, oh boy! What a li’l cutie!” Agitha said. “Li’l beetle, li’l beetle, li’l beetle!” 

Cori cupped his hands in front of Sky’s so the beetle could crawl onto his palm. After a bit of investigation, it did. The beetle was big enough to cover his palm from one side to the other. Cori giggled as its legs tickled his skin. He carefully twisted so he was holding the bug up between himself and Agitha. 

“ Dynastes grantii !” Cori said. The others crowded around to get a look at the beetle and Wayra peeked his head over the group.

“Nice horns,” Twilight said. 

It took all of Cori’s willpower not to bounce with excitement. He didn’t want to scare the bug. Instead, he hummed to release his happy energy. 

“It has cool spots on its wings,” Sailor said. 

“Not wings,” Agitha corrected. “Elytra.”

“Which is…?” Sky asked.

“Hardened forewing. It protects the wings,” Cori explained. “The spots are cool! They’re different on every beetle. Did you know, in places that are really warm or humid, they’ll have so many spots that they look black?”

“I did know that!” Agitha said excitedly.

“I didn’t,” Twilight said with a grin.

Sky sneezed. The beetle quickly opened its elytra and extended its wings to fly away. Cori watched it fly into Agitha’s tree with wonder. 

“Oops,” Sky muttered apologetically. 

“It’s ok,” Cori said. 

“Who else has a new bug?” Agitha asked. 

“I brought one!” Sailor dug around in his pouch until he produced a small creature Cori didn’t recognize. “Ta da!” 

Everyone leaned in. Wayra squawked.

“I don’t recognize that one,” Cori said with a frown. “Are you sure it’s an insect?"

“I dunno.” Sailor shrugged. “It looks like a tiny lobster. It could be a bug.”

“That’s a crawdad, not a lobster,” Twilight said. 

“What? No it’s not. That’s a crayfish,” Sky said. 

“Fish? So, not a bug?” Agitha asked. 

Cori frowned and huffed out an irritated breath. Why would Sailor bring a fish to bug squad? Although, Cori thought as he leaned in for a closer look, it didn’t look much like any fish he had ever seen. He didn’t pay much attention to fish. They weren’t bugs.

“No, not a bug. Sorry,” Twilight said to Cori and Agitha. Agitha hmphed and crossed her arms. Cori frowned and leaned back on his heels. He was ready to go back to the bugs. 

“But not a fish either,” Twilight continued. 

“I know it’s not a fish, that’s just what we call it,” Sky said. 

“Why would you call it a fish if it’s not a fish?” Twilight asked. 

“That’s just what it’s called!”

“That is not what it’s called! It’s a crawdad!” 

“Um,” Cori muttered.

“Why would it be called a crawdad?” Sky asked, voice dripping with disgust.

“Why would it be called a crayfish ? It’s not a fish!” Twilight argued. 

“Guys?” Sailor asked. 

“It’s not a dad either—” Sky said. 

“You don’t know that,” Twilight replied with a scowl. 

“—or a craw , whatever that is.”

“How is that different from cray?” 

“It’s clearly— ”

Wayra screeched loudly in Twilight’s direction, flapping his wings and shaking his head. Cori slammed his hands over his ears and scrunched his eyes shut. The bird was far too loud.

He could hear Sky saying something, but couldn’t make out any of the words. There was a light tap on his knee, and Cori cautiously opened one eye. Sky was smiling apologetically at him and Wayra had moved farther away from the group. 

“Sorry. He won’t do that again,” Sky said; Cori read his lips. 

Cori carefully lowered his hands from his ears and glanced at Wayra. His head was hanging low and he looked apologetic, as much as a giant bird could. Cori glanced at the others and noticed Sailor pressed against Twilight’s side, face pale.

Hm. Cori could fix that.

“Let’s go back to insects, please,” Cori said. 

“Agreed, agreed, agreed,” Agitha said. “Yes please.”

“I have to disqualify the– that,” Cori pointed at Sailor’s creature, “from bug squad. Sorry.”

Sailor shrugged and put the creature in his pouch. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

Cori looked around Agitha’s room for a suitably cool bug to bring to the group next. He saw a mantis perched on a branch and jumped up to get it. He carefully nudged it onto his hand, then went to kneel beside Sailor. 

“Here.” Cori nudged Sailor’s arm until he held his hands out, then pushed the mantis gently into his palms. 

“Li’l mantis, li’l mantis, li’l mantis!” Agitha cheered. Her hands flew to her cheeks as she grinned and appreciated the bug. 

“This is a mantis. I think it’s in the Paramantis family, but they can be hard to distinguish,” Cori explained. 

“Cool,” Sailor said. His smile was back and he wasn’t leaning so heavily against Twilight. Twilight met Cori’s eyes and grinned. Cori looked back at the mantis and smiled. 

“Did you know praying mantises can turn their head 180 degrees?” Cori asked. 

“Woah,” Sailor said. 

“Mantises are the only insects in the world that can do that,” Cori continued excitedly. “It helps them when they’re hunting their prey.”

“What do they eat?” Twilight asked. 

“Soft-bodied insects,” Cori answered immediately. Twilight nodded, impressed. Cori grinned widely. 

The mantis jumped off Sailor’s hands and scuttled away. 

“Did anyone else bring a bug?” Agitha asked. Everyone shook their heads. 

“We could go catch some?” Sky suggested. He pulled a giant net out of his bag with a conspiratorial grin. Cori leapt to his feet, eyes wide. 

“Yes. Now,” Cori said. 

“Ok,” Sky agreed with a laugh. “Where’s the best spot to catch bugs around here?”

“South Hyrule Field is closest,” Twilight said. “There’s plenty there.”

“Let’s go!” Cori grabbed Twilight’s hand and dragged him to the door.

“Ok, ok, I’m going,” Twilight said with a laugh.

“Not fast enough!” Agitha exclaimed. 

“Oh yeah?” Twilight barked out a laugh and stopped in his tracks. Cori’s tug on his arm did nothing. Agitha put both hands on his back and pushed as hard as she could, feet sliding against the floor. 

“You’re too heavy!” Agitha complained. Sky and Twilight both laughed and Wayra bounced around the group. 

Sailor leapt onto Twilight’s back and pinched his ear, tugging it towards the door. “Onward, lowly steed!” 

“Ah, ow, okay, fine!” Twilight laughed and let himself be pulled to the door.