Good Company
Without a doubt, one of the most crowded, busy, and fast-paced places in Skylands was the Mabu Municipality. The grand city was one that floated on one of the biggest islands in Skylands, and, as its name suggest, it was populated with thousands and thousands of mabu. Everyday, all of these busy citizens would get out onto the streets, packed against each other like sardines, and go about their lives. Whether rain or shine, sleet or snow, the streets were always crowded with crowds of unfriendly mabu. The city very much looked like how the citizens acted; natural things like plants and trees were always a rare sight. The buildings were tall, grey, metal and foreboding, radiating control and pride. Litter scattered the streets, as people never cared enough to pick any of it up and properly dispose of the trash. It was cramped, cold, and cruel.
Which was why Stealth Elf was so reluctant to go on patrol to the city. She was completely out of her element here in this loud, polluted area. She had hoped that she would have been able to go on patrol in a different part of Skylands, but alas, she was assigned here.
'Cheer up, Stealth Elf. I'm sure next time you get posted to patrol an area, it'll be to a more natural place.' Said Smolderdash from behind her. Cradled in her arms was Hot Dog. The two of them had insisted that they had to carry him, to make sure he didn't get lost in the busy, pushing crowd.
'Well, I hope so,' Said the elf. The three of them were walking quickly, they needed to in order to not bump into anyone. The mabu here all walked really fast, which was impressive for a species that usually had short legs. They walked through the place, keeping their eyes peeled and ears open.
'Have you ever tried asking Master Eon to post you to a more natural place?' Suggested Smolderdash.
Stealth Elf shrugged. 'I never really considered it. I mean, I have thought about asking for a different post before, but at the end of the day, this is a job that I have to do. Requesting where I want to go is not really something that I can just do like that.'
'Well, you won't get what you want if you don't even ask for it. Believe me, Master Eon will understand and consider you.'
'I suppose I could try, but I'm not too bothered by it. Really.' The guardian of nature grimaced when she took a peek at a nearby alleyway. It was filthy, full of discarded furniture, graffiti, and old, moldy boxes. In one of the boxes, there was a small, dirty stray kitten. It was very grey, had a few scars on her face that were probably from cat fights, and it looked at the Skylanders with curiosity. The little corner of the city stank of mold and garbage juice.
'Please, Stealth. Your body language says it all. We all know that you really don't want to be here.' Said Smolderdash. She heard Hot Dog whimpering at the stench, and tried to comfort him.
'Well then, I guess the only thing that we can do now is to hold out until we can go back then. Let's just finish our rounds around here and be done with it.' The three of them kept walking around the city, observing their surroundings. Looking out for any trouble that might come out of this city. It was a large city, and they were the only group out here patrolling the premises.
'Woof! Why are we here, Smolderdash?' Asked Hot Dog. He didn't like the cold, steel-grey city much at all, and he wanted to return to the warmth of the outside world again.
'Well, Hot Dog, according to the mission report,' began Smolderdash. 'There have been increasing crime rates in this city. Our job now is to keep a lookout for any suspicious activity and to make sure whatever criminals are put to justice. The law enforcement is usually able to handle it, but apparently there was just this sudden spike recently.'
'Why aren't the Trap Masters doing this job?'
'This is only a small case, they don't really need to be involved. Besides, they're busy with other matters.' Answered Stealth Elf kindly to the puppy.
They continued walking for a while, Smolderdash was trying to keep up with the rest of the city and Stealth Elf. Hot Dog was getting pretty fidgety, and she was finding it hard to carry him. His legs were feeling kind of numb with pins and needles, and he was hoping he could be placed down to at least stretch his legs. He knew why Stealth Elf wanted him to be carried, but he really wanted to move around!
'Can you put me down, Smolderdash?' Asked Hot Dog. He looked at her with his hopeful puppy-dog eyes.
Smolderdash looked at the puppy. His eyes seemed to be casting some sort of spell on her. They made her want to do his will, whatever that may be. But as she was about to set him on the ground, a familiar voice snapped her back to reality.
'Are you sure you should be doing that, Smolderdash?' Asked Stealth Elf. 'I mean, the crowd is moving pretty fast, and it is pretty crowded here. I don't want him to get lost.'
'Woof! I won't get lost, Stealth Elf!' Said Hot Dog. 'I promise. I'll stay close to you and Smolderdash! Cross my heart!' Said Hot Dog. He still had his puppy-dog eyes on.
Stealth Elf was usually able to resist the puppy-dog eyes for a little bit longer than most others, but in the end, she caved in. 'Oh, alright.' She told ahim. 'But stay close to us. Never walk behind us and always walk in front.' She instructed Hot Dog.
Hot Dog wagged his tail happily. 'Woof! Thank you, thank you, thank you Stealth Elf! Woof!' He bounded to the front of the elf, and the three of them carried on walking through the city.
Now, the mabu are not often known to be a scary species, after all, they look like small, cuddly pandas! But the citizens of Mabu Municipality looked kinda scary from where Hot Dog was. They were not too happy seeing Hot Dog walk so freely. Most of the passing mabu saw a dog without a leash on and gave dirty glares to Stealth Elf and Smolderdash. The way they looked at them scared Hot Dog. Were they not welcome?
One of the mabu went out of his way to tell the girls: 'You better keep your pet under control. Or else we'll have to call the council.'
'He's not our pet, sir. He's our team-mate and a fellow Skylander.' Defended Stealth Elf.
'Now a dog can be a Skylander. What is the world coming to?' He walked off.
Hot Dog felt hurt by that remark. Fortunately, Stealth Elf noticed his drooping ears and tail. 'Ignore him, Hot Dog. He's just being rude. You're a great Skylander and friend.' Those kind words helped Hot Dog feel a little better.
The crowds were getting thicker. Hot Dog found himself confused at this chaos. He ducked and dodged through the sea of legs, feeling claustrophobic while he did so. He could barely make out where he was going, and was beginning to regret asking Smolderdash to put him down.
As he made his way through town, he was beginning to get dirty glares. Earlier whenever someone gave a dirty look, it was targeted towards the girls. He decided that he did not like this city at all, and that he will never return here ever.
Suddenly, he saw something run past him very quickly. It was small and brown, could it have been a squirrel? It might be! Hot Dog saw the small brown thing scurrying across the road, and he decided that he must know where it goes!
But wait! Hadn't he promised Stealth Elf that he would keep close to them? He probably shouldn't chase it then. After all, there will be other squirrels in life. He should be patient.
But that one just looked so fluffy! Maybe if he doesn't run off to far, it would be okay. Yes, that will be what he will do. He will chase after that squirrel, but not too far from the girls. He will try to make sure they can see him.
He inched a little closer to the furry brown creature, and reached out to catch it. It was faster than it looked, and it ran away from Hot Dog. He sighed, a little further wouldn't hurt, would it? He ran after it a little further.
The animal ran off again. This time, Hot Dog had enough. He couldn't take it anymore. He ran after the squirrel. And what a chase it was! He was speeding past tons and tons of mabu, and even better, he was finally catching up on the squirrel. It was great!
He chased after it for what felt like forever. Eventually, the crowd thinned again, and he could see where he was going. He realized that the squirrel, was in fact a rat, and he decided to let it go. He looked around him, and he found himself in a seemingly different part of town. The buildings were still tall and grey, but they weren't made of steel. They looked more like they were made of brick.
'Woof! Hey, Stealth Elf, do you know where we are?' Asked Hot Dog. He waited a while, but no response came. 'Guys?' He turned around, but when he did, no one was there.
'C'mon guys, it's not funny. Stealth? Smolderdash? Where are you?' He had the sinking feeling that he might be lost, but he didn't want to believe that just yet. They were just hiding. Yes, that was it.
He looked around. No matter how much he called out to them, they still didn't show themselves. He called out for them one more time, but there was still no reply.
He hadn't gotten lost, had he?
He sniffed the air, trying to smell them out. He couldn't smell anything familiar at all. There was nothing that smelled like the girls at all. All around him was unfamiliar smells. Strange colognes mixed with the strong smell of rubber, nicotine and alcohol. He smelled traces of cement and dust too, hinting at nearby construction work. And there was that awful smell too, the smell of an alleyway. But nothing familiar at all.
Hot Dog was scared. He knew he was lost, but that can't be! He promised to Stealth Elf that he wouldn't get lost. They told him to stay in front of them so that he wouldn't get lost. But here he was; he was lost in the crowded, busy city.
A random mabu almost walked into the fiery pup, and began cursing at him. 'Watch where you're going, you mangy mutt!' He yelled. The mabu was big, his eyes were sunken and his nose was red. In one hand, he held a glass bottle, and it looked like he was going to throw it. When he was angry, he looked terrifying. Especially to a little puppy. Hot Dog ran off, out of the mabu's sight.
He ran off, looking around for a space to get away from the busy street. He didn't care where, he just wanted out. It was suffocating down here, and he just wanted a place where could stop walking to avoid bumping into people.
He ducked and dodged through the crowds of mabu, trying his best to get out of the place. It was a difficult task when nobody seemed to care about the little pup. Most simply ignored him.
Eventually, he made it to an empty space. It was an alleyway, but it was something. He lay down, resting his head on the concrete ground. Hot Dog lay there, wondering what he could possibly do. He tried to think of a plan to find them, but he didn't even know where to start. He buried his head deeper, watching the busy mabu ignoring him.
He went up to a passer-by for some help, but she just kicked him away. She scowled at the lost puppy while she did so, clearly not happy with him touching her. He went up to another mabu. 'Excuse me-'
'Get lost.' was his reply. Hot Dog's ears flattened, and he backed out. He didn't like the people in this city at all. They were just so mean.
Suddenly, something small and furry landed on a nearby stack of boxes. Hot Dog heard its landing, and turned his attention to it. To his surprise, out popped a familiar looking grey kitten. She had all of the same scars and markings of the kitten they had seen earlier. She looked at Hot Dog curiously, she had seen him earlier too, and was now inspecting him as if he was a museum exhibit.
'I don't think I've ever seen you around here before. Who are you?' Asked the kitten brashly. 'What are you?'
'Uh, well, my name is Hot Dog, and...uh, I'm a fire dog.' He was surprised at how scary this tiny kitten was. She projected an aura that reminded Hot Dog of the way some Skylanders talked to enemies.
'What are you doing here?' She asked, suspicious. 'I don't think I've ever seen someone like you around here before.'
'Well, I'm here on Skylander duty.' Replied Hot Dog. He attempted to sound important to the kitten.
The kitten's brows raised. 'A Skylander?' She sounded impressed . 'I've heard of your kind's heroic acts before. Have you done any of those type of acts? You know, like fighting against huge evil forces?' She looked at him with curious green eyes.
Hot Dog nodded. 'Yeah! I've helped to keep Skylands safe time and again. I've got tons of stories.'
The kitten looked around, 'Where are the rest of your kind? I saw you come just now with that fire lady and that green lady with the big ears.'
'She has never even heard of elves?' Thought Hot Dog. He looked at the curious little kitten. 'I'm separated from them right now. I need to look for them.'
'Mmm… I see.' Said the kitten.
Suddenly, the sky thundered from above them. They looked up, and it was clear that it was about to rain. The sky was a dark grey and the smell of wetness was slowly filling the air.
'You said you're a fire dog, right?' asked the kitten. Hot Dog nodded.
'Does that mean that water puts you out?'
'I don't know.' He answered. 'But I don't want to find out.'
'Then I guess you should follow me. You can find shelter with me.' Said the kitten. Then, using an old mattress as a launchpad, she jumped onto the stack of boxes. From there, she leaped onto the brick wall. She motioned Hot Dog to follow her up from there.
Hot Dog looked at the stack. The boxes didn't look very stable, but he supposed that it was the only way for him to get up. He took a few steps back, then ran towards the launchpad. He jumped onto the mattress, and when he did, he had managed to jump on a particularly springy part. That sent Hot Dog soaring through the air. He squealed a little, and sealed his eyes shut. Eventually, he had hit something solid. He meekly opened one eye, and then the other one. He had managed to launch himself onto the brick wall, and was now clinging onto the edge. He pulled himself up, and began to follow the kitten.
'Wait, what's your name?' Asked Hot Dog. He had almost forgotten to ask her.
The kitten turned around and faced him. 'The other cats around here call me Pebble.'
Pebble instructed Hot Dog to follow her, and he obeyed. She was a nimble little thing, easily walking along the she was always careful, and looked at all the grey brick buildings thoroughly. 'Are you really a Skylander?' She asked. 'Because that is so cool!'
'I am!' Smiled Hot Dog. He almost tripped off the brick wall, but he caught his footing just in time.
'I've gotta introduce you to the others then, they'll love to meet you!'
Finally, she arrived at an old building. She nodded at Hot Dog. 'We're here.' She said, and climbed into the building through a hole in the wall.
Hot Dog thought that the building didn't look safe at all. But the storm clouds outside were looking awfully big, so he decided to follow Pebble in.
The building was dark. They appeared to be in some sort of abandoned one-room flat. The wooden floors were dank and moldy and the walls were full of peeling floral-print wallpaper. The corners of the place were full of dust clusters and cobwebs. And stray glass shards littered the floor. Hot Dog walked carefully, to avoid stepping on the glass. As he looked around some more, he noticed that some of the wooden planks on the floor were full of holes and cracks. This made the floor look very fragile.
Pebble walked into the center of the one-room flat. 'I'm back!' She called out.
Immediately, four larger adult cats walked out of the shadows. They were all of different fur colors and the all gave the kitten a welcoming look.
'Hey, kid. Did'ja get any food for us?' Asked the ginger cat. He had some of the biggest, bluest eyes that Hot Dog had ever seen. He also had a few scars on his face and a chip on his left ear.
'I wish I did, Cobalt. But the butcher was having a slow business day, and he was looking a little too murderous today. I doubted that he wanted to play "feed the little kitten" today.' Said Pebble.
'Aw, that's a darn shame!' Said a black female cat. 'You're the cutest out of all of us, and our best shot at getting any good food.' The black cat had a long scar running across her right eye.
'What about those rats we caught just now, Felicity? We can eat them.' Said the cat next to her. He had a black and white fur pattern, and a few scars across his body, which gave him a more playful look compared to the other cats in the room.
'Excuse me,' Said the tabby cat. He was looking at Hot Dog. 'I don't mean to interrupt, but what is a dog doing here!?'
Immediately, the other three cats turned their attention to the dog. The gave him a suspicious look, and began walking towards him together.
'Yeah, Atlas is right, what is a dog doing here?' Repeated the ginger cat, Cobalt. His blue eyes staring directly at the dog.
'Let him be, Cobalt. He's just separated from his group. He just needs a place to stay while it rains.' Said Pebble. She stood between Hot Dog and the other cats as they advanced towards them.
'Who needs a place to stay?' Boomed a voice from behind the cats. Immediately, the five cats turned around, and stood at attention as a figure walked out of the shadows.
The figure belonged to yet another cat. Only this one wasn't the type of cat you would expect to be living in an abandoned building. Compared to the other cats, he looked round and plump. This was because he was covered from head to toe in fluffy, shiny, snow-white fur. Although, the white fur did made him look more dirty than the other cats. He had a handsome face, devoid of any scars, and from the way he walked, you would have thought he was a show-cat. The fluffy white cat looked at Hot Dog with a wary eye.
'What is a dog doing here?' He asked the cats.
'Beats me, Blanc. He just showed up.' Said the black cat, Felicity.
'He's innocent Blanc.' Defended Pebble. 'Let him be. You don't want to hurt him.'
'Why not, Pebble? He's just another dog trespassing onto our territory.' Hissed Blanc. 'Give me one good reason why we shouldn't chase him out like always. What makes him so special?'
'Because he's a Skylander!'
Immediately the room became silent. Blanc especially, now looked at Hot Dog with a little more respect. 'Is what Pebble said true? Are you really a Skylander?' he asked.
Hot Dog nodded. 'Yeah, it is.'
The cats' expressions all changed. They no longer looked at him with suspicion and disdain. But now their faces showed a more welcoming curiosity. Blanc walked up to him, realized that he was wearing a collar, and looked at it. 'If lost, please return to this address.' He read. 'It is the address of Skylander Academy. He speaks the truth.'
The white cat looked at Hot Dog, embarrassed. 'My apologies, Mister…'
'Hot Dog.'
'Thank you. My apologies, Hot Dog. I thought you were just another one of those neighborhood dogs that come here to disturb us.' Apologized Blanc. From behind him, the other cats looked sorry too.
'That's alright.' Said Hot Dog. He was just relieved that the cats were no longer ganging up on him. He looked at Pebble, who smiled at him.
'Well, Hot Dog, to truly say sorry for our behavior earlier,' Started Blanc again. 'Why don't you sit down and join us for some food?'
Hot Dog perked up at that. He hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and he was starving. The cats all gathered into a circle, and invited him to sit with him, and he took his seat in between Pebble and Blanc. He saw that the cats had all gathered around a small pile of dead rats. Immediately, the tabby cat Atlas began distributing out the rats to everyone.
Hot Dog looked down at his meal. He had gotten a fairly meaty rat. It was a dark grey color, and there seemed to be fleas on it. He turned to Pebble, who was busy tucking into the meat.
'What's wrong Hot Dog?' Asked Pebble. 'Never had rat before?'
Hot Dog shook his head.
'Oh. Well, it taste better than it looks.' Said the kitten.
Hot Dog looked at the remains of the rat. He was hungry, so he really didn't care what the rat looked like. He just wanted something to eat. He immediately ate the rat up in a single mouthful.
Hot Dog grimaced. The rat meat tasted kinda weird. It tasted kind of like raw chicken meat, but there was this unpleasant aftertaste to it. Like chicken boiled in a dumpster.
Hot Dog looked at the other cats. They didn't seem to be enjoying their rats much at all, either. But it was the only thing they could eat, so what could they do?
'So, Hot Dog, do you have any stories about your heroic adventures you could tell us?' Asked Pebble. 'Blanc usually tells us about some stories because he can read, but he ran out of stories, so can you tell us a new one?'
She had abandoned what was left of her rat and was now bouncing excitedly, hoping to hear about his endeavors with the Skylanders.
Hot Dog looked at the eager kitten and smiled. 'Okay!' He thought about the best story to tell her. 'I know! How about I tell you about how I became a Skylander?'
'Really? Yes please!' Cheered Pebble.
'Sounds good to the rest of us too.' Said Felicity. 'Right, Domino?'
'Uh huh. Yeah!' Went the black and white cat.
Hot Dog began to tell the cats about his origin. He talked about waking up in the volcano away from his family. He talked about the explosion that brought him to the Skylanders. He told them about burning Gill Grunt's tent, and he told them all about helping them out on their mission, the great quest that he embarked on, and finally, him becoming a Skylander, receiving his new collar and becoming a part of his new family.
'And that is the story of how I became a Skylander.' He concluded. 'The end!'
'Wow!' Breathed Pebble. 'Do you have any more? I wanna hear some more!' She asked enthusiastically.
'Are you sure you want to hear another one now, Pebble?' Asked Atlas. 'It is getting awfully late, you know.'
Hot Dog looked out the cracked window. Outside, the rain was still pouring heavily, but it was quite obviously night time. This surprised him. He had left with the girls at one, but he never really asked for the time after that. The afternoon had really gone by in a flash.
'No Atlas. I'm fine!' Said Pebble stubbornly.
'It's late now. Don't you want to wake up refreshed?'
'You're not the boss of me, Atlas, I can stay up later if I want! I'm not tired at-' She then yawned a large, tired yawn, proving her statement wrong.
'Time for bed, Pebble.' Said Atlas. He picked her up by her neck, and started moving her to the pile of rags. At first, she struggled from up there, but she slowly succumbed to her exhaustion, and by the time Atlas brought her to the rags, she was already fast asleep.
Blanc smiled at the fire dog, which surprised himself. He didn't usually act so welcoming to dogs. Yet, here he was. 'I have got to thank you, Mister Hot Dog. I don't think that I have ever seen Pebble act this much like a child. Usually, she acts so much like a miniature adult that one would think she was just a small cat. Not even a kitten.' He sighed. 'She had to grow up so fast to survive around here.'
'Oh…' Said Hot Dog. He was watching the tiny grey kitten that was curled up in a ball, drifting off into dreamland. He turned to face Blanc, 'Are you her dad?'
'Oh, goodness no. Well, at least not biologically.' He sighed. 'You have told us so much about your life tonight, and we have all enjoyed your stories greatly. I figure, that it should only be fair if I shared a little more about us.'
The white cat closed his eyes, recalling all the events that took him here. 'I have never truly known my birth parents. I have vague memories of them, but ever since I could remember, I was always the only kitten living in a vast mansion. I was probably sold off to a rich family the moment I was weaned. My family adored me back then. I was always fed the finest foods, and dressed in the best garments. I was living in paradise. I thought my family loved me, and in return, I loved them back.'
'But then, they started doing awful things to me. The first of these awful events began around the time of my third birthday. That was the day when they took me to be declawed.' He grimaced at the memory, 'I still remember the pain I went through that day. It was pure torture. Claw removals, I feel, are absolutely barbaric.'
'They said that they did it as "punishment", because I might have ruined a few curtains worth a few thousand dollars. Well, that was my birthday present that year. It was also just the start of what was yet to come.'
'I used to be a show cat. My owners would sent me in for shows and they would always win blue ribbons for their efforts of raising a beautiful cat. But eventually, age began to take its toil. I grew fat, and I lost most of the cuteness of my younger years. My owners eventually noticed, as they began to lose their blue ribbons. They never explicitly said it, but I could tell they were no longer pleased with me. I was no longer allowed to rest on their laps or cuddle in bed with them. Every night, whether rain, sleet or snow, I would sleep outside instead.'
'But the final straw came, on that fateful day, that day that I will never forget.' He sighed. 'It was a day like any other. I was fed a small breakfast - my owners no longer fed me large breakfasts at that point in time. I had no idea what was to come.'
Hot Dog looked at the old white cat sympathetically. He had a small, awful feeling that he knew exactly what happened to Blanc. But he let him continue the story anyways, a part of him hoping that it was not what happened.
'They told me to come with them. That we were going out. I should have questioned what was going on, but I foolishly agreed to their plan.' He shook his head a little sadly at the memory.
'We drove around the city for a while. And we didn't stop until we arrived at this part of town. I had never been here in my life before, and I was confused as to why they would bring me here. Then, the car stopped. I was confused when it did; why would we stop here? My owners took me out of the car, placed me in a box full of cloth, said a goodbye, and left me there. I waited there patiently for them. At that time, it hadn't even registered in my head that I was abandoned yet. So, I waited for hours, they never returned. I never felt very welcomed even at the mansion, but that was the first time I had ever been truly alone.'
Hot Dog felt that small, terrible feeling in his heart grow. The story by itself was already pretty sad, but he remembered feeling lost and afraid. He also remembered feeling very confused. Blanc's origin story was just hitting him a little too close to home.
Blanc caught sight of the puppy's expression, and returned it with a bittersweet smile. 'You don't have to be so upset. As you can see, the story does not end up without a happy ending.'
'I was left by my owners to starve. I had no way to hunt and no survival instinct, but just as I was about to give up on all hope, I met Felicity and Domino. They found me in my box while they were still kittens and they offered me some of their meat. The two of them were orphaned siblings, with no parental figure to guide them. So, I took them under my wing and raised them to become the cats they are today.' He smiled at the two cats, who were currently watching over little Pebble as she slept. 'I'm proud of them.'
'What about the others then?' Asked Hot Dog.
'Patience, I was about to get to them.' He began his story. 'We all found these three abandoned in some form or another. Atlas was abandoned by a pet owner like I was. Cobalt was left to die by his parents for being the smallest of his litter. And we found Pebble in a bucket during a rainy day. We saved her from drowning.' He smiled a little wider. 'It wasn't the family that I started out with, but it was the one that I love the most, and the one that loves me back. And that's all that really matters, isn't it? We've got to look out for each other, especially since no one else in this city would look out for us.'
Hot Dog just had to agree there. After all, hadn't he also found his own family? He understood where he was coming from one-hundred percent. He would always look out for his family, no matter what. But all that talk about family reminded him of something that he almost forgot.
'Stealth Elf and Smolderdash!' He called out, 'I still have to look for them!' He began to make his way out of the crack which he and Pebble had entered from, but a quick peek outside reminded him that it was still raining. It was probably not safe for him to go out just yet.
Hot Dog deflated. He was feeling scared again. Scared, and kinda sad. He wondered how the girls were doing. Did they return back to the Academy? After all, Smolderdash was made of fire too, she could easily have her flames be put out in this weather. They might have left for her safety. If they really did return, what would happen to him? How would he be able to find them again? It was a big city, and although he was probably the only dog made of fire here, he didn't think that most of the locals here cared particularly much for helping people look for lost dogs.
Hot Dog sighed. Right now, the rain doesn't look like it would stop anytime soon. In fact, the storm only looked like it was growing heavier.
Hot Dog felt his eyelids grow heavy. He knew that it was probably late now, even though he had no way of telling the time. Today had been a tiring day, and he was feeling pretty sleepy. He found himself a dry spot on the floor, curled himself up, and fell asleep.
He slept for only a couple of hours, before he got woken up by a mew no louder than a whisper. 'Hot Dog?'
Hot Dog opened an eye, to find Pebble looking at him. 'Hmm?' He turned to face her upright.
'There's some weird looking guys down there. They're all acting kinda weird and they look scary.'
Hot Dog walked over to a crack in the floor, walking quietly so as to not wake up the sleeping cats, and began peering through it. Pebble wasn't wrong, there were three scary looking guys down there. They were big mabu men, with brass knuckles on their fingers and menacing faces. But as Hot Dog looked at them more carefully, he noticed that they wore black masks. The table in front of them was also full of fat stacks of money. The three mabu each had a stack in hand, and they seemed to be counting the amount they had.
'We sure did a good job today boys, didn't we? The bank never even saw us coming.' Laughed the tallest and leanest of the mabu. He grinned at the two other mabu, showing a row of yellowing teeth.
'Ha! Sure did boss!' Replied the second tallest. He was focused on counting his money carefully, and looked to be barely paying attention to his surroundings.
'I still think that we should have done something about those girls. They did almost get in the way of us getting all this dough.' Said the shortest and roundest of the three.
'Ah, forget about those two. They're a thing of the past now. Cause if they think that they can defeat our team, then they've got another thing coming.' Said the tallest guy.
Hot Dog was alarmed to hear them mention "two girls" that almost got in the way of them getting their money. It sounded like he was talking about Smolderdash and Stealth Elf. This alarmed him, what happened to them?
By now, he had realized that the three mabu down there were thieves. They had also probably hurt his friends in some way or another. He wasn't sure what had happened to them, but he hoped it was nothing bad. He knew there was only one way to find out what happened though, and that was to confront them down there, it was the right thing to do, and hadn't Master Eon always told him to do the right thing no matter what? His mind was made up, he was going to go down there and try to find out from them.
'See spot burn!' Went the puppy, and he jumped through the crack in the floor, down to the bottom-most level.
'Did you just hear something?' Asked one of the robbers, but no one got the chance to answer him. Because after that sentence was said, a flaming puppy landed on the table. His landing scattered banknotes all over the room and the sudden movement surprised the robbers.
'Stop there!' Said Hot Dog. He had his ears folded back and stood there in a menacing position. The three robbers looked at the little puppy, who was trying to growl menacingly, and began to laugh at him.
'What, does the "widdle puppy" think he stands a chance with us?' Mocked the tallest. He towered over Hot Dog, threatening him. 'Get him boys.'
The two other robbers reached out to grab Hot Dog, but when they touched him, they immediately drew their hands back in pain. They screamed, and tried to cool their hands by blowing on them.
'You idiots! I meant grab him by the collar! Like this!'
He went up to Hot Dog and tried to grab him by his collar, but before he could get his hands on him, Hot Dog ran off to the other side of the room. He stopped at the corner of the room. In hindsight, it was probably not a smart move to run into the corner. Because he now faced three angry robbers with nowhere to run. The three robber charged at him like enraged bulls, looking just as murderous. Hot Dog felt his heart pound against his chest, and in the adrenaline of the moment, he did the first thing he thought of.
He threw a fireball at each of them. Then he ran out of his corner.
Foom! Went the fireball, as they all hit their targets. The robbers all had their clothes caught on fire, and they all ran around the room screaming, trying to put the flames out. The tallest robber tried to douse himself with some water on the table, but in his rush, he spilled it on the floor. He then ran around the room, desperately trying to put it out by blowing on the flames.
The shortest wasn't any brighter. His plan was to run around the room in circles, hoping that that would miraculously put out the flames.
The middle robber was the smartest of the three. He was the only one out of them that decided to stop, drop and roll.
As the middle robber got up, suddenly, the door swung open. The police officers ran into the room, followed by two other figures that Hot Dog missed very much.
'Stealth Elf! Smolderdash!' Called out the relieved pup.
'Hot Dog? Is that…' Went Smolderdash. Hot Dog saw that she was holding a few slabs of wet cardboard along with her whip, probably as an umbrella. Next to her was Stealth Elf, who was drenched to the bone. Both of them had a shocked expression on their faces. But not shocked in a bad way. Not at all, they were shocked in the best way.
'Hot Dog!' Called out the two girls. Smolderdash threw the wet cardboard to the ground and wrapped Hot Dog around her arms. As Hot Dog hugged her back, he realized that she was surprisingly cold, and shaking like a leaf. How long had they been out looking for him?
'Oh my goodness. Hot Dog, we're so sorry. The streets were just so busy, and we thought that you would have been able to follow us. I'm so, so sorry.' Apologized Stealth Elf. She looked frantic. 'Thank goodness you're safe! We thought we lost you!'
Hot Dog didn't have anything to say. He was too relieved for words. He just wanted to stay in Smolderdash's arms for now. He was tired and hungry, and he wanted to leave this city and never return again.
The three of them watched the three robbers get taken away by the police. 'I was talking to these guys Hot Dog, and apparently they aren't even allowed to have dogs in the force. They're trying to change some laws, but the treatment of animals here is awful.' Said Stealth Elf. 'I'm just relieved that we found you.' She had been worried that Hot Dog had been taken to a pound, or worse. Especially in this weather and in this city.
'I should be sorry, Stealth Elf. I was chasing after a rat because I thought it was a squirrel. I'm sorry.'
'Well, it doesn't matter now. All that matters is that you're safe.'
Suddenly, Hot Dog heard some gentle mewing from behind him. He turned around and saw Pebble looking at him. 'Wait, I want to introduce you two to some cats I met today. They helped me out.'
He told Stealth Elf and Smolderdash about Pebble. He told them about how he found the cats and how they looked out for him in the rain. The cats couldn't communicate with the girls, and vice versa, so Hot Dog acted as the translator.
'Do you think, to say thank you, we can find a good home for them?' He asked the girls.
'Well, I'm not going to leave them in this city. Especially after what they have done for you.' Said Stealth Elf. 'Please invite them to come with us.'
Hot Dog nodded. 'Would you like to come with us?' He asked Blanc. 'We'll make sure that all of you will find a loving family that will love you all no matter what. You can even stay together.'
'Will we have more food?' Asked Cobalt.
'Will you ever!'
'And will we live in a warm, sheltered place?' Asked Atlas.
'Yeah!' Replied Hot Dog.
'Alright, count me in!' Went Cobalt.
'I wanna come too!'
'Me too!'
'Me three!'
'You can most certainly expect me to come with all of you.'
'Well,' Begun Blanc. 'Normally I would disagree with you. But you seem like a trustworthy lot, your friend over there is an elf, and since my family is agreeing to the plan, you can include me in on this too!'
'They all said yes!' Said Hot Dog to Stealth Elf. She smiled, and motioned for the cats to follow her. They did, all in a neat little row. It looked very much like ducklings following their mother.
Pebble walked beside Hot Dog. 'I have some questions.' She began.
'Yeah?'
'First, why was Blanc okay with your friend being a-what did he call her?'
'An elf.'
'Right.'
'Elves are supposed to be close to nature. And I think that Stealth Elf is one of the nicest ones out there.'
'Okay. Second question. Would life be different?' She asked. 'I'm not scared or anything,' She insisted, 'I'm just wondering.'
'Well, it is different. But it's also good! You won't be hungry, you will be warm, there will always be people there to play with you, and you will never be alone.' He smiled. 'Isn't it great?'
Pebble thought about it. 'I think I'll see what the new family is like first. When I decide I like them, then I will play with them when I want to. I don't think I can do it everyday, unless I really like them.'
They walked all the way to a bay area for ships. The rain had stopped and the ground was filled with puddles of varying shapes and sizes. There, they found a familiar looking airship, with a very familiar driver.
'Hey guys! I see we've got some new passengers joining us for the journey home. Well, not to worry, there's more than enough of my awesomeness for everyone to marvel at. Boom!'
'Hey Flynn. Thanks for picking us up at this time.' Said Stealth Elf.
'No problemo. Sharpfin's a little mad that I had to borrow his ship at this time, but he said that he was too tired to drive. So he let me drive. On the one condition that I bring her back without a scratch. But that's something that Skyland's best pilot can easily handle. Boom!'
He saw Hot Dog get back on the ship. 'So, I heard you went on a little adventure throughout the city today. How was it?'
'Scary.' Said Hot Dog.
'Really? Well, not to worry, little buddy. We all get scared. Even, and I know it's hard to believe, the ol' Flynnster. Why, just last week…'
The little group set off, away from the cold, grey city. They were off to help find another family, in hopes that the two would become a larger one. They went away, never to return to that place ever again.
And frankly, they couldn't have asked for a happier ending.
FIN
OoOoOoOoOo
This started out as a prompt by RainStorm to write about Hot Dog finding a kitten. I may have strayed a little bit from the prompt, but I think it's still relevant. I hope you like it.
Also, I have a small announcement: I probably will not post anything here until October. This is partially due to an increasingly busy life, and also due to a large project that I have decided to do. Hope you guys won't miss me too much (which I don't think you will), and I will see you in October.
-Tabbyluna
PS. Edited because I forgot to add a line. Whoops.