Part 3

The next day passed quickly...too quickly for Vandal's liking. She was too worried about becoming a leader to focus on a plan for fighting the Socs. The moon had risen, and surely, the Greaser dogs were already at the shed. Vandal had been resting in the park all day, hanging near the fountain, but her heart pounded furiously when the day became night. She had to go to the shed. She swallowed fearfully. She hoped that a plan would come to her while she walked. She left the fountain, and started to stalk down the sidewalk. No plans would come to Vandal, to her dismay.

"Ah, come on!" she said to herself. "You can do this, Vandal...for the Greasers, the Greaser Dogs, and for you. Everything's gonna be alright. Ponyboy called you tuff, remember? Be tuff."

Vandal walked on,slightly reassured. But she hadn't realized that she passed a certain house.

"Vandal?" said a familiar voice, causing the wolf-dog to turn. It was Ponyboy!

With an excited flick of her bushy tail, Vandal ran up to him, and jumped on him. She placed her huge paws on his chest, and licked his face. Pony chuckled.

"Ok, ok, girl, I'm happy to see you, too," he said between each lick Vandal gave him. "Down, now."

Vandal got down, and whined happily. Pony gave her a little pat on the head.

"Pony!" another voice called. "Who's that?"

Another boy, pretty much a man, stepped outside. He appeared older than Ponyboy. Vandal sniffed at him. He looked like a Greaser. That made him a friend.

"This is the dog from the fountain, Darry," Pony explained to the other Greaser. "The one that saved my life."

Darry looked down at Vandal. Vandal looked at him. Her orange eyes stared deep into his. Darry knelt down, and slowly raised a hand, which Vandal sniffed and licked.

"So this is Vandal, huh?" Darry whispered, still staring at the wolf-dog. "She ain't as vicious as you decribed her."

"You should've seen how she handled those Socs, though," Pony replied. "She was rippin' and tearin' like crazy. Darry, she's a tuff dog. I think we should keep her, you know, like a bodyguard."

Darry looked back at Pony with a serious look.

"You know you're still grounded from the incident, right?" he said. Ponyboy sighed.

"You said I was grounded for a week," Pony explained. "It's been four days. I should have some freedoms now?"

" But a dog!" exclaimed Darry. "We're already not doing so well as it is. How can we take care of a dog this big!?"

"Look at the muscles on her!"Pony argued. "She's been taking care of herself! We can leave a bowl of water for her and give her a snack now and then, but she's taking care of herself. She can be like, a guard dog for the gang. We won't have to spend any money on her."

Darry furrowed his brow in thought. Vandal, who had been listening to their conversation, grew a bit worried. It was growing darker and darker outside. The Greaser Dogs would start to get worried...

"Alright,"Darry sighed. "We'll let her hang around for protection for you and the rest of the group."

A smile grew on Ponyboy's face, and he gave Darry a hug. Darry rolled his eyes, but also smiled.

"Ok, you go on back inside, and get to bed," Darry ordered.

Pony nodded, and went into the house. Darry looked at Vandal again, and Vandal looked right back. The Greaser's hand patted her head.

"Take care of Pony,ok?" he told the canine.

Vandal's eyes widened. It touched her just how loving he was for the younger Greaser. She licked his nose, and wagged her tail. This caused Darry to give her a small chuckle. With that, the man went back into his domain. Vandal looked at the house once more before turning her attention back to the meeting with the Greaser Dogs. Her worries about a good plan came back to her. But then, she remembered the night at the fountain. She remembered the Mustang the Socs rode in. She remembered... her vandalizing said Mustang...She smirked. It gave her an idea...