Chapter Three
Mrs Snyder, who had taken the time and effort to prepare such a rare and luxurious feast for her family, was a tad ticked off, as she eyed her precious flower sneaking chunks of chicken to the rascal under the table. Having had enough with the poor discretion of his well-intended daughter, Mr Snyder got up and fetched a saucer from the kitchen and took the liberty of carving a decent portion for the powerpup under the table.
"Skin, skin, please gimme skin" beckoned the pooch, panting happily. She had scorched the sides of her mouth a number of times having tried to consume the meat at such a quick pace. She was starving and encircled the man impatiently, wagging her tail.
"Tee-hee, he's funny" said Robin gleefully.
At this point, Buttercup didn't care for the mis-gendering, she was only focused on chicken.
"Can you sit?" said Mr Snyder.
The pup yapped, jumping excitedly.
"Sit!"
"Nuts to you, old man, gimme food!" the raven haired canine snapped, obviously just coming across as a mess of barking on the human's end.
However, Robin pushed herself from the table and jumped down.
The woman scowled "Robin! Park your toosh!"
"Hang on, mommy. I'm gonna teach him" she explained. Sitting by Buttercup, still with 100% focus on the delicious meat, she gently went to hold her buttocks down to the floor, taking her by surprise.
"What the-?"
"That's it. Sit, doggy"
"I ain't taking orders from no one" gruffed the bratty pup, looking to the sweet angel.
"Please doggy" she cooed. "Do it for me?"
The powerpup's ear twitched and she sighed, obeying, so to make her neighbour happy. She sat.
"Well done!" cheered Robin, patting her. How degrading. But, she was rewarded and took to her bowl noisily. Her tummy rumbled as she unknowingly pushed the dish about with her face, leading it into the table leg.
With that, the Snyder's resumed their meal, with the daughter occasionally looking off to the side charmed and amused by the wanna-be pet.
"Yes, job well done, ya mangy mutt"
Buttercup rose her face, caked with chicken and saw Ginger sitting at the doorway to the kitchen. She sure didn't have the voice the pooch would've expected. It was a little harsh, like Buttercup's own, a taint of feign elegance to it. She prowled over to the visitor slowly.
"Dunno whether to say it's typical privilege or the fact you're a guest, but It's been too long since I've had fresh cooked meat that was warm" delivered the puss with a sneer.
"Ginger?"
Twitching her ears, halting in her tracks, the domesticated feline inwardly growled, squinting her eyes at the apparent stranger. "Have we met?"
"I'm from next door. Of course you know me" Buttercup explained to the suspicious onlooker.
Flattening her ears, Ginger cautiously approached her "One moment...". Gingerly, wary, the cat checked her, giving a good sniff of the specimen that should otherwise have been hissed at and demanded out of her home on sight. Her ears pricked up, alarmed and she retreated a bit in surprise. "My word... Buttercup? Is that you"
"How did you do that? How did you know?" questioned the dog, still astonished she was talking to another animal.
She didn't reply. It was still sinking in, and when it did, it didn't bring about the reaction the tomboy had expected.
"BWAHAHAH! This is for real?" cackled the kitty. Letting her guard down, she studied the pup. "In Bastet's name, look at you. This is ridiculous"
Rather irritated by the mocking, the young black puppy had no choice but to take it and bare it. She didn't want to be kicked out after all. Instead, she let out an audible murmur of disapproval, catching even Robin's attention.
"Can you fly?" pondered the puss.
"No. I have no powers. I'm useless"
"Oh" grumbled Ginger, unimpressed. "Well, my hoomans are pretty warm to you, or Robin at the very least, so you should be fine here". Eyeing the tempting morsels left in the pup's saucer. "Since we're gonna be temp roommates an' all, you don't mind surely?..."
"AH! Ginger!" exclaimed Robin with a pout. "No. You get yours later and lots of it. Don't be greedy"
Unamused, the cat turned and made her way out of the room. "See what I mean by privilege? Damn dogs..."
For the time being, Buttercup was satisfied, and also relieved seeing there was someone she could talk to, even if they didn't take to her most kindly. When the young Snyder had made her way to the lounge for telly time, the pets followed suite. The puss positioned herself on a convenient stool put aside just for her, like a little throne. Bunching up into a tidy furry loaf, the cat sat and, as Buttercup approached out of curiosity, hissed at the pup.
"You may be fine and dandy in Robin's book, but as long as I'm around, you're just another mutt. So mind yourself when it comes to MY STUFF"
"But, you know I'm not really a dog" complained the canine, her ears drooping. "I'm Robin's friend"
"Doesn't matter. I'm gonna have enough to explain to the neighbourhood sharing my home with some assumedly stray mutt. Don't want the gals to think I've gone soft. Ain't nothing worse than being on the fence"
Blinking at the concept, the raven haired tyke probed further "On the fence?"
"Cats and dogs" she lamely explained. "An ugly issue. When they get chummy with each other, things get hideous pretty quick. I knew some other neighbours who had a lab and raised it with a common mog from when they were babies. Rest of the cul-de-sac wouldn't drop the topic, wouldn't leave them be, till the day they died"
For an odd reason, Buttercup started to imagine Ginger as a human. Based on the way she talked, she sounded like some angsty teen caught up in a terf war. She pictured her with a cigarette, kicking back on a brick wall.
"In other words, we're not friends, acquaintances at this stage more appropriately. I don't wanna be seen around you too much. Don't take it the wrong way. I like you and all you've done for Townsville and it's hoomans, but for now, we're on opposing sides and that's just the way that nature wants it to be. So go hang with Robin. She's waiting for you anyways. See?"
Looking to the big sofa, Robin was patting the side of her on the seating, calling her over. "C'mon boy. C'mere!"
"Oh yeah, she thinks I'm a boy" mumbled the tomboy, wondering over, hearing the cat snicker as she went.
She was too small to jump up, but the persistent encouragement motivated her to keep trying anyway, until she managed to latch onto the edge and pull herself up. So there the three sat, watching television and during the time, Buttercup was stroked and pet. Murring at the sensation, feeling like a massage, she began to let her mind trail off and she started nuzzling into the human girl. Pawing at her for more attention.
All the while, Ginger rolled her eyes and flicked her tail in annoyance.
"Cutie, aren't you?" praised the delightful child, ruffling the dog's hair playfully.
Buttercup was experiencing this heightened reaction at the love being shown to her and was almost in a state of blind euphoria. She wasn't sure why she was feeling all these rich meshes of emotions, bubbling in her puny noggin, but they were all provoking her to act in strange ways which can only be deciphered and explained by the actions a dog would make. As, the girl picked her up to nuzzle her, enjoying the bundles of fluff that caressed her cheek, there was a strange occurrence, where Buttercup felt like they were mingling. Becoming one, or at least trying to. Enthralled by the intimate displays of affection, the canine instincts in her took over and she lunged forth to lick Robin's cheek.
"EEK!" cried the kid and she giggled at the enthusiastic little licks from the pooch.
"Ugh, you mongrels know no shame, do you?" grimaced the kit-kat in disgust.
Taking a moment to pause, the pooch looked to the loaf of fluff on her stool "What are you whining about?"
"I think you'd have the decency not to slobber all over my hooman, thank you. I see enough of you hooman's doing that out in public"
A little confused, not really comprehending what she was doing, Buttercup pried her for more details. "What's the big whoop? Cats lick their owners, right?"
"Don't you liken my sentimental neat licks to your salvia fests, mutt. Besides, you wouldn't do that with Robin as a human right"
"Pfft, of course I wouldn't"
"Why not?"
"Because people don't lick each other" the Butterpup chuckled a little, appearing just a happy pant to the hooman kid holding her.
Smirking, the feline said "They might as well"
"What?"
"Licks are the equivalent of hooman kisses. Has the idea never occurred to you at all?"
If it weren't the stark black fur that covered her, she would be revealed to be a red as a ripe raspberry. Instantly, she tried to wriggle out of Robin's grasp, resulting in further cackling from the kitty.
End of Part Three
