Untamed
Why hello there! This is a fanfiction for Oliver & Company, obviously, and I know I already have one, but I DO have an OC and I thought it would be interesting to pair her with Dodger, just to see. Tell me what you think :)
The painted red and gold sky of New York City touched the delicate arch of a nearby bridge, dousing the city in an orange glow while street lights flickered, stuck in their decision to be on or off. The last of the people at work shoved their briefcases into their cars and sped off down the street to meet up with their families, if they had any, and hit the hay to prepare for another day. Twilight was settling, and everyone was settling with it.
Well... almost everyone.
"Is that all you got boys?" Dodger winked, ducking behind a trashcan as a chorus of barks and thrown objects followed his question. The street-wise mutt had gotten himself in trouble again, barely escaping a local Chinese food place with all his limbs and a carton of fried pork. The enraged owner- a purpling man with a greying moustache and a jiggling belly- flew at him from just around the corner, tossing a pair of chop sticks as he went.
Muttering something vulgar in Mandarin, the fuming owner turned and abandoned the white and brown dog, stomping back to his restaurant in a huff. Dodger poked his head out from behind the trash bin cautiously, smirking in satisfaction when no angry man was to be found within his line of sight. Plopping the carton of pork on the ground, he nosed open the lid and licked a cube of the meat into his mouth for the road.
"Well Dodge old boy, time to hit the streets." He sighed, spinning the carton of food into his mouth and setting off on a trot down the busy streets of Manhattan. "Why should I worry? Why should I care?" He hummed to himself, bopping his head back and forth as he moved. Sometimes Dodger considered staying out all night and not actually going back to Fagin's after his work was done, but he loved his gang and wouldn't leave them high and dry. Maybe on a night that food WASN'T his responsibility...
The little boat that he called home loomed in front of him and the family he loved so much were waiting patiently for their dinner. Tito was the first to meet him at the door. The little Chihuahua bounced around excitedly, his red mop of hair flouncing above his dull green headband. Dodger swivelled around him, but Tito followed, his tongue lolling.
"What you got Dodger man?" Tito growled, still bouncing around with excitement. "Man you better have some food there man, I'm starving and I'm not waiting for Frankie over there to drop dead man!" Francis, a large grey bulldog with a taste for the arts, glared at Tito indignantly, stealing from him a piece of pork.
"Hey come on guys, knock it off!" Dodger barked, slumping in his inflatable tire bed. He'd since added an extra pillow to the four he already had- ever since the gang had saved that little orange kitten from the claws of Sykes and sent him back to Jenny, Dodger's bed seemed all the more lonely. Rita, a brown saluki with an attitude and a compassionate heart smiled at him. She was his best friend in the entire group, and she was also the only one who knew what he was going through.
"You miss him Dodge?" Rita asked, chewing on a piece of meat. Dodger had made it a habit to only truly connect with the people who weren't going to leave him- a hard lesson he'd learned in puppyhood- and he'd made a mistake with Oliver, even though he wasn't really gone.
"I don't know what you're talking about Reet," Dodger shrugged, scratching his shoulder absently on the hook of the umbrella-backed chair that supported his bed. "I'm fine!" Rita fixed him with a look, but didn't press the matter; afraid that is she did he would recluse from everyone including her. Dodger was stubborn when he wanted to be, and boy did he want to be.
After the meal had been mostly consumed, the deck door banged open and a bedraggled man in a red t-shirt and sagging overalls stumbled in with his holey hat in his hands and running a palm over his stubble. Fagin, the man who the dogs considered their owner, was in desperate financial trouble, even with Sykes out of the picture.
He crept across the rickety floor boards and settled into the damaged airplane seat, letting his muscles relax with an audible creak. Einstein, the Great Dane with no sense despite his name, pulled a sodden blanket around Fagin's shoulders, sighing when the man didn't respond. The past few weeks had been hard on the gang, and they needed a boost to lighten them all up and Dodger was determined to find that boost, he just didn't realize how easy it would be.
.
The morning light shimmered through the dull windows in the boathouse. Dodger groaned and rolled over. Sometimes he really hated that his bed was right by the window. But it was a new day, and he needed to get to work. Fagin had long since left and the rest of the gang would be getting up soon and heading out.
Dodger leaped over the sleeping forms of his friends and bounded out the door with a bounce in his step. The sun was shining on the water, coloring it a pristine blue, and the docks were busy with people. Many of these people were kids with nothing worth taking, but it would be beneficial to come back when their parents were around.
"Ok Dodge," The mutt chatted aimlessly to himself. "It's time to show these people what it means to be a New Yorker." The throng of people moved almost in unison along the docks, making it easy for Dodger to blend in. He scampered around the people, sniffing for wads of cash in anyone's pockets. He came up dry- it was going to be a long day.
"HEY YOU MUTT! GET BACK HERE!" An angry voice hollered from down the docks. Dodger turned in confusion.
"Not even ten and people are already yelling at me?" Dodger questioned, weaving through the many people to avoid his unseen adversary. "I'm better than I thought." His reverie was interrupted as another dog burst through the milling humans and came flying straight towards Dodger. He didn't have time to react as the dog tumbled into him, sending them both rolling on the ground.
"Whoa what's the rush?" Dodger asked, shaking his fur back into place. "Your tail on fire or something?" The dog he was talking to shook his head, clearing it of the shock of bumping into Dodger. He was clearly a mixture of Samoyed Husky and Golden Retriever- what with the round blue eyes and curved physique, followed closely by a thick coat of white fur tinted with a shimmering gold. If his appearance wasn't striking enough, he also had a bright blue bandana similar to Dodger's tied loosely around his neck.
"Sorry," the dog responded, and Dodger quickly realised his mistake. It was not a 'him', but a 'her', and she was shifting rapidly as though trying to maintain her adrenaline but still be coherent. "I'm in a bit of a rush here, as you can tell."
"What's your hurry?" Dodger asked, immediately turning on his charm with a wink. "Not too keen on spending some quality time with the Dodge?" The other dog blinked at him a few times before bursting into a hearty laugh. Dodger's ears fell in annoyance.
"Sorry," She apologized again. "It's just that I really don't have time to-" She was interrupted by a growling only a few feet away. Dodger and the other dog turned to see a menacing looking sheepdog with his lips pulled back in a snarl and the morning sun glinting off his collar.
"Hey! I think you have something that belongs to me," He rumbled, puffing out his chest in an attempt to become more threatening. Dodger looked confused, but the girl dog just smiled.
"You want it big boy," She cooed, snatching up a brown paper bag in her jaws and dangling it in front of the sheepdog. "Come and get it," With a swish of her tail she turned and nudged Dodger's shoulder roughly. "Run!" She took off, leaving Dodger stuck between following her and dealing with the slobbering sheepdog. After one look at the angry animal, he tore after the other dog.
Her unique coat was easily spotted amongst the crowd and soon he was running alongside her, slinking through the people and ducking under benches. It was clear she was leading him into town- towards buildings and squares where ditching the opposing dog would be easily done. The sheepdog was hot on their heels.
Dodger leaped to the side and upturned a row of trash cans. The girl dog turned her head and laughed as the sheepdog slipped on a misplaced lid and crashed into a pile of garbage. Dodger attempted to smirk but in a flash the dog was gone, disappearing around a corner and into an alley. Dodger followed relentlessly, turning the same corner but stopping dead when the dog was nowhere to be seen.
It was the first time Dodger had lost another dog in pursuit. He'd been lost before, but never lost someone himself. He took a cautious step forward and then was jerked roughly by the bandana into a nearby box. He tumbled into the box paws up and back on the floor, temporarily stunning him. He started to bark his discomfort but was shushed.
"Be quiet! You want him to find us?" The girl dog whispered, sinking further into the box. Dodger shook himself back into focus and righted his stance, sinking down next to the Samoyed/Goldie mix. She scooted over to give him room and pressed her ears to her skull, peeking over the edge of the box. Dodge followed suit, glancing down the alley for the sheepdog.
He wasn't far away- sniffing at the spot Dodger had lost the girl dog. She seemed unfazed by their adversary's proximity, only sinking lower into the box. Dodger eyed the sheepdog knowingly, calculating a plan if they were caught. The slobbering animal in front of them snapped its head in their direction and Dodger was hauled down again. All was temporarily silent while they waited as the sniffing grew louder and then stopped all together.
Dodger and the girl dog looked at each other for a long time, waiting for a noise or sound to indicate they were safe. When it didn't come, the girl dog opened her mouth. "What-?" She whispered but was cut off with a yelp as the box was viciously tipped over and she was yanked out by the scruff of her neck. The sheepdog flung her forcefully into the opposite brick wall, letting her fall to the ground. Dodger shouldered the mountain of trash from his back and looked over at her.
She was currently jumping up, shaking her head and growling at the sheepdog. The sheepdog was clearly twice her size, but that didn't mean much. Dodger was smaller than most of the dogs he faced and he usually won. But then again, this was a girl.
"Alright girlie," The sheepdog barked. "Hand them over."
"Let me think about it," the girl growled back, clutching the brown paper bag tightly in her jaws. The sheepdog lunged at her, snapping at the bag but she side-leaped out of the way, twisting so she was facing him as he collided head-first with the wall. The girl dog glanced at Dodger and nodded for him to follow as she bolted for central park.
'This chick is insane,' Dodger thought admirably as the girl dog he was trailing shot along the paths, making her way to the middle of the park. Directly in front of them was a bridge, and beneath it a shining river with little current. The sheepdog was behind them again, but she didn't seem fazed as she dove headfirst into the water, dragging Dodger with her. The two dogs collided with the surface of the water, sending a giant wave of clear liquid over the side of the bridge, drenching the sheepdog. He glared for only a minute before apparently deciding it wasn't worth the trouble and stalking off in a huff. The girl dog grinned.
"Well, that's what I call a Sunday morning!" She laughed, paddling over to the shore and shaking her fur dry. Dodger laughed, following her and doing the same. "My name's Sam by the way; and that barrel full of monkeys you just met is Jose. I've been stealing his breakfast every day for a week and he finally caught on. Sirloin?" She offered, producing three steaks from the contents of the paper bag. Dodger stared for a split second. So she was a street dog, one would never tell from the state of her coat.
"Don't mind if I do," Dodger agreed, pulling a piece of rare meat into his paws. Sam grinned at him and bit into her own steak, chewing slowly as she watched the gulls swarming above the city buildings. "So, how come we've never met before?" He winked, licking his chops to be rid of any excess juices. Sam giggled, crossing her paws and fixing him with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
"I don't usually run into this side of town," She explained, shaking her head to fix her bandana. "But a dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do. Closer to the boarder was getting a bit scarce in goods, so I shot over here. Hope I'm not intruding," She batted her eyelashes.
'So she knows how to flirt,' Dodger thought with amusement. "Not at all," He smirked, resting his head on his paws. "Friends call me Dodge."
"Do I fall under that category?" Sam winked, rolling over in the grass. Dodger grinned, he liked this girl.
"I suppose you could," He thought out loud. Sam responded with a sideways grin and stretched. When Dodger set out for his morning routine he never thought he'd end up underneath a bridge in Central Park with another dog -a girl dog at that- with as much and possibly more street smarts than him. And yet here he was, munching on a delectable sirloin with one character of a mutt.
"So what's your story pup?" Sam yawned eventually, rolling her shoulders. Dodger looked up at her in alarm; pup? Who did she think she was, calling him pup? He stifled a growl and rolled to look at the sky.
"I'm from around," He shrugged. "My gang runs this joint. Best pickpocketers this side of the state! Slim pickin's lately though. Last decent meal I had was at a birthday party." Dodger laughed at the memory of Jenny opening her birthday presents and the look on her butler's face when she hugged every one.
"Oh so you're not a solo dog huh?" Sam barked, causing a nearby child to jump and drop his ice cream. "I'd never have guessed."
Dodger didn't say anything, but continued to stare at the sky. He loved the gang, but occasionally he wished he was a solo dog; responsibility wasn't always his thing. This Sam seemed to have the no-responsibility thing down. She was living the good life and Dodger found himself wanting the very same good life she had.
"Well," Sam jumped up suddenly, shaking herself free of any grass clippings. "I've got to take off. I feel some rain and I'd rather be inside when that happens. Take care Dodge, wouldn't want to get that cute face of yours drenched." She winked at him and bounded off before he could respond, disappearing into the crowd of New Yorkers.
Well that's Sam! I'd appreciate any feedback, and future chapters are to come! (May be incredibly slow as I'm now living the full-time university life)