Pascal found himself wandering the streets out a town he didn't know. It wasn't Corona, that much he knew, but he couldn't quite remember how he got here. It was evening, and the light was fading fast. He could here dogs barking in the distance. He knew what they would do with a chameleon. Hiding behind a dustbin, he tried his best to blend in, turning a greyish colour. He could hear foot steps coming closer. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best.
Lady was trotting through town, searching for the flower shop. It was Jim Dear and Darling's anniversary, and Jim Dear had sent Lady out to get a single red rose. In her collar, there were a few dollar bills to pay for it. Lady was used to this by now. Before the addition of Tramp and then the puppies to their family, Jim Dear and Darling had each sent Lady on errands. They had trained her to do these types of things when they were little. Now, the puppies obviously couldn't do it, and Tramp occasionally did. But Tramp had a tendency to chat with strays and stop at Joe's for pizza before returning home, so Lady was still sent more often.
As she approached the entrance of the flower shop, Lady noticed two very different items on either side of the threshold. She leaned to the left and smelled some lovely lilacs. On the right, there was a dustbin that smelled just like pizza. Fresh pizza, one of Lady's favorites. As she breathed in the appetizing scent, her toe stubbed against something, but it wasn't the dustbin. She heard a squeak as her toe touched it, but when she looked down, she couldn't see anything.
When the dog touched him, Pascal suddenly lost focus and turned back to green. He scrambled further in behind the bin. Turning a bright red colour, he hoped it might just scare the vicious dog off. Seeing it wasn't working, he tried to growl, but it just came out as a squeak. "Please don't eat me!" he said, with his paws overs his eyes.
Hearing more squeaking, Lady laid her head against the pavement and looked. She noticed a little green chameleon. She remembered learning about chameleons through one of those nature shows Darling like to watch sometimes on the television. They were small, lizard-like creatures who camouflaged with their surroundings to hide. That explained why Lady couldn't see anything at first.
"Oh, hello, little one!" she said carefully. She noticed the little chameleon shaking, and she didn't want to frighten it. "It's okay, don't be scared! I'm not going to hurt you." She gave it a gentle smile.
Pascal looked at the dog, still wary of what she might do. Slowly he faded from red back to green. "So, you don't eat chameleons?" He stepped out from behind the bin. "Yea, I wasn't really scared. I was just acting. Yea that's it…" he said, as he looked around hoping nobody saw him. "So where is this place?"
Lady made a sour face. "Oh, no, dogs don't eat chameleons! We never eat other animals!" As the chameleon told Lady he was just acting, she suppressed a giggle and replied, "Why, you're in New Haven, in America!" She then shook her head. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Lady, and I live just down that street over there." She nodded towards her home, then looked back down at the chameleon. "What's your name?" she asked.
"Pascal, at your service." he said, taking a bow. "So this 'New Haven,' is it close to Corona?" Pascal looked to where she nodded. "That's a nice house. I like the colour." Stepping out fully onto the pavement, Pascal dusted himself off. "So which way is Corona?" he said, as he looked up and down the street.
"Thank you, Pascal!" Lady replied. "Oh, I'm afraid New Haven isn't very close to Corona. I've been there before. However, I think it's.." she looked around her. "That way," she nodded to her right.
Pascal squinted in the direction she pointed. Just crossing the street for him was a journey. "You don't suppose, you know anyone that could take me home?" he said with a weak smile. "I would go myself, but I would probably get run over before I even make it across the street." he said, as he watched the cars whiz past.
Lady felt pity for the small, poor Pascal. She could tell her was lost and a bit frightened. "Oh, I could take you home, if you want!" She then looked at the sky and realized it was getting late. The puppies would need to be fed and then put to bed. "However, I did learn of an alternative route that doesn't have much cars or people, and it is a bit shorter. Would you like me to bring you there? I would take you all the way home if it wasn't so late. My puppies are going to need me soon," she explained.
"Sure! Once I'm out of the town I'll be fine." Pascal said, looking a bit more happy. "So when you say puppies, how many do you mean?" Pascal said, looking inquisitive. He started walking with Lady, but was getting tired pretty quickly. He found it hard to keep up with her. "Can we walk a bit slower. My legs are tired." he said, nearly out of breath.
"Oh," Lady sighed as she watched Pascal struggle. "Here," she gently picked him up and placed him on her back, "you can just sit here, I'll take you to the path." She smiled and then continued to walk. "I have four puppies, three beautiful little girls and one mischievous boy."
"Thanks!" Pascal said, as he sat proudly on her back. He could see they were getting a few strange looks from the humans on the street, but he didn't pay it any attention. "Four? That must be hand full, all on your own."
"Oh, no, I'm not alone! My husband Tramp, he, of course, cares for his children as well. But he's out of town with one of my humans on a hunting trip. So, I guess for a little while I'm on my own, but my other human helps care for the puppies sometimes as well. But she has her own baby to take care of." As she passed some of Jim Dear and Darling's friends and was recognized by them, Lady barked her hello and smiled at them as they patted her head.
Pascal waved nervously back at the humans. "Oh that's great that you aren't alone! What's Tramp like? Does he look like you? So, the way you live with humans, does that make you a pet?" Pascal hated that word. "I live with a girl called Rapunzel and a man called Eugene, but I don't think I'm their pet. Well, I hope not."
Lady couldn't help but laugh aloud. "Oh no, Tramp and I look absolutely nothing alike. He's a mutt, and obviously I'm a purebreed. He's also much taller than I am. And well, I guess you could say we're pets. But we have lots of freedom, and the house is absolutely wonderful." This topic came up a lot when Tramp and Lady were first dating. "It's kind of complicated." She then noticed the path in the distance. They were almost there.
"Oh, well that's good that you have your freedom. It's great to be able to go exploring." Pascal could see that street and houses were coming to an end up ahead. "You know Rapunzel and Eugene were kind of like you guys. They're not dogs, I mean! But Eugene was a tr…" Pascal was going to just call Eugene a tramp, but that wasn't fair. "Well, he was an adventurer and kind of lived a rough life, while Rapunzel was a Princess." he shrugged. "It's kinda the same, right?"
"Yes! I would say it is. I've met both of them before. Rapunzel while I was lost in Corona, and Eugene when he was lost here. Nice people, the two of them. They seem like a great match, and Rapunzel is an absolute sweetheart." As Lady finished speaking, they arrived at the entrance to the path. "Well, here we are!" she said.
Pascal hopped down off Lady's back. "Well, thanks. I don't have anything I can give you, but you're welcome in Corona anytime." He started walking down the dark path, but turned his head and shouted, "I'll tell Eugene and Rapunzel you said hello!"
"Thank you, Pascal!" Lady sat on her haunches and waved with her front paw. "You'll be alright, that path is very safe! You'll be home in no time!" She watched the little chameleon for a moment as he walked down the path. Grinning at making a new friend, she turned her back to the path and began to walk home, just as the sun began to set.