The Badge That Answered to the Branch

When enforcers serve power instead of principle, justice becomes just another tool of control.

A Forest Fable by Forest Moss

1

In the forest's old center, where truth once took root,

Where verdicts were measured and facts bore the fruit,

Stood a ring made of stones and a circle of trust—

Now overgrown quiet, and layered in dust.

2

Grizzle McBite was the badger on guard,

Once firm in his fairness, once noble and hard.

His badge carved of bark held a creed clear and clean:

“Protect what is right—not the loud, not the mean.”

3

He questioned all tales with a slow, steady paw,

Not swayed by the feathers or cheers of the caw.

He’d sniff out the truth, not the tail or the tag—

And never once bowed to a crown or a flag.

4

Then down from the branch came a Beak trimmed in gold,

Who shouted, “This courtroom is brittle and old!”

“Let ME call the guilty, let ME make it quick—

We’ll swap out the law for a much better trick!”

5

The Beak wore a sash that read Order Is Neat!

With a chest full of slogans and claws on repeat.

He whispered to Grizzle, “Your badge is too slow—

You’ll follow new rules now. I’ll tell you who, though.”

6

The badge was recast with a shine and a snap—

And Grizzle stood straighter inside the new trap.

He stopped saying “Maybe,” stopped saying “Explain”—

He barked, “Name the critter! I’ll fetch them by name.”

7

He cuffed every owl who remembered too much,

And silenced the moles who’d recall with a touch.

He flagged every raccoon who looked at the stars,

And penned up the turtles who questioned old scars.

8

He stopped weighing stories. He stopped checking facts.

He started reciting the Beak's list of acts.

“Too noisy. Too clever. Too slow or too spry.”

“Too feathered. Too furry. Too different. Too why.”

9

Finch was promoted to Keeper of Scroll—

A job with no justice, just boxes to toll.

Each scroll had a label like “Wanders Too Free”

Or “Owns Too Much Ink” or “Has Questions for Me.”

10

Grizzle marched daily with gold on his chest,

A badge that now glinted, “I bite what is best.”

And critters all nodded, with tails tucked in tight—

Because blinking too loud could still start a fight.

11

The court made no sounds. The roots would not rise.

The stones lost their shimmer. The truth shut its eyes.

And somewhere a fox once remembered the song—

But the scroll in his paw said, “The Old Way Was Wrong.”

12

The badge stayed affixed with a glittering grin,

Still shaped like old bark, but warped from within.

“Relax,” Grizzle chuckled. “It’s perfectly strong.”

Then he stared at the silence and whispered,

“What could go wrong?”

🎯 Moral of the Story:

When justice obeys power, fairness forgets how to speak.

✏️ Why I Wrote This (Expanded Edition)

I wrote this fable because justice isn’t supposed to serve power—it’s supposed to protect everyone equally. But in many places, that balance is slipping. Courts, cops, and even teachers are being told to obey leaders instead of the law. That’s not justice. That’s control.

In this story, Grizzle the Badger once stood for fairness. But when the rules changed, he didn’t just bend—he became the enforcer of fear. His badge didn’t break... it warped. That’s what happens when systems that should be impartial are told who to target and who to protect.

The Beak represents any voice that says, “Let me decide for you,” while demanding loyalty over truth. And the scrolls? They’re rewritten laws, labels, and lies—used to divide, silence, and shame.

For kids, I want this story to spark questions, not fear. Questions like:

Who makes the rules?

Are the rules fair to everyone?

What should we do if the rules change to hurt someone instead of help?

It’s okay to ask. In fact, that’s how fairness begins.

For adults, this story is a mirror. From Project 2025 to state-level book bans, we’re watching institutions once meant to protect the public become tools for partisan agendas. When justice becomes obedience, and laws become lists, we’re not far from forgetting what fairness ever felt like.

This isn’t just a warning. It’s a reminder:

The badge doesn’t belong to the branch—it belongs to the people.