"Never push me!" the Wolf-Hide screamed, his fist raised. "Never. Push. Me." He gripped the Trickster's collar tighter for emphasis; the other boy sobbed, but to no avail.
A heavy, scarred hand closed around the Wolf-Hide's wrist.
"Let go!" The child twisted around to send a baleful glare at his captor. None of the Nobodies had been particularly enthusiastic about allowing an adult in their midst, particularly not a police officer, but S____, who not too long ago had been a Nobody herself, had spoken in his support. The boy suspected S____ was getting old.
The Inspector motioned at the sobbing Trickster, who still frantically muttered apologies, with his head. "The point has been made. He has been punished. Any more would be the excess." The Wolf-Hide grudgingly relented and released the other child, and the grip on his wrist was relaxed.
The Trickster, however, soon found he had only exchanged one captor for another; while the Wolf-Hide was no longer holding on to his collar, the Inspector now seized him by that exact spot and effortlessly heaved him to his feet.
"As to you," the Inspector snapped, "you have been given the chance. Your actions were imbecilic, careless, thoughtless, and by this endangered others. Change your ways, and that is where this matter ends. Persist in them, and..." Here he faltered, his newly found approximation of certainty wavering. The child had been an imbecile, certainly, but if this were punishable by the law, half of the city would by now be behind bars. He had been thoughtless and careless, it was true, but none of his acts truly warranted arrest. And yet the Inspector felt compelled to speak against them, though he did not know precisely how. Perhaps this, too, was a matter for common sense. "...and you will be reminded of your promises most sharply," he finally finished, attempting to cover for the brief hesitation in his voice by increasing the strength of his grip. "You understand?"
The child nodded, and reluctantly, the Wolf-Hide conceded as well. The Trickster shook with relief as the Inspector set him down; though neither of the urchins knew it, the Inspector's relief was similarly profound.
Together, they watched as the flames flickering over the dead spider-council slowly died (as the Inspector had decided fire remained the best solution to problems of this nature); the Wolf-Hide gave the body a final kick, then stomped his foot to extinguish his boot.
