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Chapter 4: Attraverso gli occhi di un randagio
"Get him!" The boy yelled at his friends.
The group of boys began chasing after him into a long dark alleyway. He didn't know where to go or where he was. He didn't even know who these people where. They just started yelling and chasing him down this alleyway. He had done nothing wrong. If he did, he didn't know what he did wrong. So he kept running down the dark alleyway with the little hope of escaping the group's wrath. He could see opening at the other end. He knew that he could reach it if he just kept going.
"I'm almost there." He thought just before he tripped over one of the various objects that littered the alleyway floor.
"Looks like we got you." said the leader of the group.
All he could see was various colors of the groups clothing as they began to beat him. Suddenly the group stopped leaving him a quivering mess on the floor. Through half closed eyes he could see the group's leader coming closer. He was too beaten to run. He could feel an intense pressure on his left leg until he heard a powerful snap. The pain was so great that he blacked out. He could hear someone nearby calling his name. He knew that voice. The voice told him that it'll be back with help.
With every minute that ticked away his pain seemed to increase. The only thing he could do was whimper in trying to call for help. He didn't know how long he was just laying there. An unfamiliar voice seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"I'm saved." he thought as the unfamiliar hands picked him up gently.
He could feel those strong fingers brushing on top his head telling him to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes letting a yawn escape his mouth. He didn't want to wake up yet. He just wanted to lay there and so he leaned into the warm hand.
The man once again spoke as he was lifted up for a moment then placed back down on the bed. The bed seemed cold without the man's presence. He had been lucky to be saved by someone so kind.
"Ludwig. That's his name." He reminded himself as he continued to stare at his savior.
Pleading Ludwig with his eyes to return to the bed. The man only said something before turning to his drawers looking for something.
"A uniform?" He thought trying to recall yesterday's events. "It got wet when I was given a bath. I should tell him." He thought before barking to get Ludwig's attention.
Ludwig turned towards him staring until something seemed to click in his head. He could hear the only other person in the house respond to Ludwig's question. And just like that Ludwig was gone from the room. He wanted to follow the man but, his broken leg made that thought almost impossible to pursue. So he laid there trying to let sleep consume him ,but despite the early hour he couldn't go back to sleep. He had always managed to sleep on the street. So he didn't know why it was so difficult to fall back asleep in a big comfy bed.
"I'm probably too worried. I need to get back. He would be so mad at me for being in a stranger's house. I hope he's not too worried about me. I doubt I could find him on my own. And with this broken leg I doubt I would get far." He thought as he began to test his injured leg.
He quickly stopped his attempt at getting up when he felt a jolt of pain.
"I Definitely can't do anything until my leg is healed." He scolded himself just as Ludwig appeared in the doorway.
He was then carried downstairs. His mouth watered at the smell of freshly cooked food. He couldn't really remember the last time he had food that wasn't from the garbage or dropped on the ground. He was set down by the big strong hands and once again the owner of those arms disappeared. He could hear the sound of Gilbert cooking on the stove. It reminded him of a time long ago. A time when he actually had a place to call home and a family.
"Maybe I could feel that way about this place. This could be my new home. But would he feel the same way about this place? I can't leave him alone." He thought as he rested his head on the wooden floor.
It was a small chirp that pulled him from his thoughts. A yellow fuzzy bird perched itself right next to him.
"Hi nice to meet you." The little bird chirped.
Normally he would be delighted to have someone to talk to ,but he didn't feel like talking. He knew he was being rude. He just couldn't help the guilty feeling that he got when he thought about him being all alone.
"You don't talk much do you? You just must be shocked by awesome presence."
"He is just like his owner." He thought trying not to laugh.
"My name is Gilbird, but you probably already knew that. I'm named after my awesome owner. What's your name?"
He didn't know what to say. Ever since he was rescued by Ludwig he was either called stray or house guest. He knew that wasn't his name. He had a real name after all. But he always told him not to give out either of their names no matter what. He always said that revealing their names would be bad luck . Of Course he didn't know what was the harm in telling someone his name. He knew that if he were to give out his name he would be very upset. So he decided to not answer Gilbird's question.
"No name hu? That's okay I'm sure you will get a name soon. It won't be as awesome as my name though." Gilbird went on not giving a second thought to the stray's silence.
He just continued to stare off in the distance .Gilbird continued to carry on a conversation without a care of the lack of responses. He was only aware of the lack of chirping when a bowl was placed besides him. The bowl contained some of the strange meat that he was given yesterday. He knew that he should eat , but the guilty feeling made him lose his appetite.
"Not going to eat? Okay I'll help myself." Gilbird said as he perched himself onto the bowl's rim. Beginning to peck at the stray's food.
He continued to watch Gilbird peck away at his food until Gilbert spoke while shaking a tiny bowl.
"Yeah! Seeds my favorite." Gilbird chirped happily as he flew over to his master.
He starred as Ludwig was told him to be careful and not to move around so much. He couldn't really pay any attention while Ludwig's hands were once again petting his head. He loved the way it felt to have fingers run through his fur.
"If only Ludwig could just stay here. I don't think I would ask for anything else." He thought once again leaning into the touch.
He felt so peaceful with Ludwig, as if he had always belonged to Ludwig. He wanted to be by Ludwig's side forever, but he knew that he couldn't. There was someone out there looking for him. The sudden stop of petting brought him from his thoughts. He watched as Ludwig grabbed his bag only giving him one quick glance before running out the door. Leaving him in the now empty house.
At first he didn't think much about being alone, but as time ticked away the feeling of loneliness snuck up on him.
"I wonder what Ludwig is doing?" He asked himself.
He knew that he couldn't just lay in the kitchen and let his thoughts consume him until they returned home. He wished that Gilbird had stayed with him. He wouldn't have minded the constant chirping. It was better than the silence that engulfed the house.
"If my leg wasn't badly injured I would've gone exploring." He thought putting some weight onto his left leg ,but quickly recoiled from the pain.
He knew he couldn't move around much ,but he needed to do something before he either went crazy or died of boredom.
"Maybe I should name things in the house. Lets see. …. Sedia, tavolo, piastre, forcella..."
The hours seemed to tick away as he named everything that he had seen in the house. He had no idea how long he had just laid there naming house objects. Only the grumbling of his stomach gave him some clue of the time. He limped his way to his bowl that still held some left over breakfast.
"I don't know how they eat this by itself." He thought picking at the bowl's contents.
He managed to eat half of the food given to him, which was enough to quiet his stomach. He didn't know what to do now. He could spend another few hours naming objects. Instead he decided to just take in his surroundings. Although Ludwig's room looked new, the rest of the house showed its age. He could see several floorboards popping up from the house's foundation. Despite the cleanliness it was obvious that the house was far from new. He could barely help himself from wondering why Ludwig and Gilbert lived in such a run down home. And then he began to wonder where their parents were. He had never even met his own parents.
"Maybe they are the same." He thought sadly.
This sad thought bounced around his mind. Reminding him of his past.
"I need to get my mind off that, They seem completely happy on their own anyway. Who cares what their house looks like. It's better than living on the streets." He thought trying to cheer himself up.
"I should do something for them. They did take me in when they didn't have any reason to. I can't do much. I doubt I can even move out of the kitchen." That's when an idea hit him. "That's it I could make dinner for them!" He thought as he slowly got up and limped his way to the refrigerator.
" First I have to see what they got ." He said as he pressed his head to the side of the fridge.
Carefully getting a grip of the fridge's rubber sealing with his teeth he managed to open the door. The fridge was almost bare. There were a handful of vegetables, a carton of broth, several types of meat, and one half carton of eggs.
"I wonder if they have any pasta." He thought closing the fridge and making his way over to the pantry.
It was a bit difficult ,but after a few tries he managed to get the pantry door open. Inside was a half loaf of bread, one bag of Russet potatoes, various canned food and a small bag of brown rice.
"No pasta. What could I make? There are a lot of vegetables ….. I know minestrone soup!" He thought happily.
With that he went straight to the cupboards to gather the necessary pots and pans. He found one saucepan and a large stock pot that looked a little old ,but he knew it would work all the same.
"This use to be a whole lot easier." he thought grabbing a wooden spoon and knife from a drawer and placing it into the sock pot .
He knew it was going to be difficult to cook in his current state, but he wanted to do this. He wanted to show his appreciation for what these people had done for him. He was determined to make the best dinner they had ever tasted. He had helped in the kitchen countless of times before his days on the street. And he was going to use that knowledge and experience to make the best minestrone soup ever.
He grabbed the stock pot's handle in his mouth and dragged it over to the pantry. Using the wooden spoon he knocked the can of beans into the pot. He then dragged the pot over to the fridge and knocked the various vegetables and broth into the pot and the meat into the saucepan. Then dragged the large stock pot and saucepan next to the stove. He knew that he couldn't reach the stove by himself so he pushed the closest chair until it was flushed against the stove. Causing several pieces of newspaper to scatter about the room and knocking down his bowl.
He first set the pot and pan onto the counter and began to pour out the items. He was grateful for such a small kitchen. He could reach the sink without having to move his chair or putting more stress on his injured leg. He set the now empty stock pot and saucepan onto the two front burners. using all his strength he managed to lift the pop top of the can of beans and began pouring them into the saucepan. He quickly heated the burner under the saucepan to the correct temperature with the help of the wooden spoon.
"Now I need to add the meat and six cups of broth." He thought going over the recipe in his head.
Using his teeth he punctured holes into the carton of broth and poured what he thought was equivalent to six cups into the saucepan. He placed the meat onto the cutting board and tilted it like a ramp. He didn't know what type of meat this was ,but he hoped it would work as well as pancetta. Pushing the meat with the wooden spoon into the saucepan and placing a cover over it.
"Now I have to let it simmer for one hour." He said turning the timer with the opposite end of the spoon.
Turning on the sink he put the cutting board under the water as well as the various vegetables in a strainer. Placing the now clean vegetables onto the cutting board he took hold of a knife in his mouth. He tried his best to dice the vegetables. Once that was done he poured oil into the sock pot and turned the burner on. When the oil was sizzling he added the chopped vegetables and began to sauté them until they were golden brown. He then added the chopped tomatoes and about five cups of broth.
"Now I let that simmer for 40-50 minutes."
He began to put the used cutting board and knife under the sink's running water. When the timer went off for the saucepan he removed the meat and placed it onto the cutting board. Carefully he sliced the meat as finely as he could.
"Half of the beans have to be mashed." He reminded himself as he took half of the beans and began smashing it in a bowl. When the beans were smashed into a paste-like substance he added it to the vegetable mixture. The rest of the beans and shredded meat followed shortly after.
"Now I just let this simmer for five more minutes and then it's done. I can't believe I did it. I can't wait for them to come home and try my cooking." He thought happily sitting down.
Once again the pain in his left leg shot through his entire body.
"I was so excited that I had forgotten about my leg. He would've called me an idiota for forgetting such an important thing." He thought almost laughing at his own idiocy. "Hope Ludwig doesn't mind that I used the kitchen." He thought putting the used cutting board and knife into the sink.
The timer went off and being careful of his leg, he went to check his dish.
"Looks great!" He thought as he used the wooden spoon to turn off the burner and push the stock pot to the back burner. "I'm a little tired. It's been awhile since I've cooked like this. Ludwig should be home any minute." He yawned.
Slowly he got down from the chair and limped his way to the spot he was placed earlier. Resting his head he decided to sleep until Ludwig came home.
Not even five minutes later he heard the door close and someone's footsteps echo across the wooden floors. He could see Ludwig standing in the kitchen's entrance. Ludwig didn't seem so happy with the condition of the kitchen.
"How the hell did it get so messy?" Ludwig shouted making him shake with fear.
He tried to show how sorry he was with his eyes. Hoping that such an apologetic look would save him from a beating.
Ludwig was furious at the kitchen's state, but before he could give the stray a well deserved tongue lashing he smelt something wonderful.
"What is that smell?" Ludwig asked the stray.
"It's my cooking!" He barked happily.
"What is it?" Ludwig asked the barking stray.
"Look on the stove." He barked motioning to the stove.
"The stove?" Ludwig asked walking towards said stove.
Sure enough there was a stockpot on the back burner that held what looked like soup. The stove showed that it was still hot. This told Ludwig that the soup was just recently made. Ludwig didn't understand how this soup could've possibly been made. There was even dishes in the sink.
"Looks as if someone had cooked ,but no one was home but you." Said Ludwig staring at the stray.
"I cooked!" He barked.
"You did this?" Ludwig asked.
"Si!" He barked shaking his head.
Ludwig couldn't handle this. How was it possible for a dog to cook? There was no logical answer. Ludwig didn't want to let the stray's efforts go to waste. Instead he simply put the stray's actions up to excellent training.
"You are a very special dog. You know that?" Ludwig said leaning down to pet the stray's head. "How could such a gifted dog been abandoned in that alleyway" Ludwig thought .
This dog was amazing. The things he did seem nearly impossible.
"Whoever trained you did one heck of a job. I'll clean up your mess. Gilbert and Gilbird should be home by the time I'm done." Ludwig said with a smile.
And true to Ludwig's prediction the moment he was done cleaning the kitchen Gilbert walked through the door.
"Yo west I'm starving! What's for dinner?" Gilbert asked as he entered the kitchen.
"I'm not really sure." Ludwig responded honestly.
"What do you mean west? It smells delicious." Gilbert said walking further into the kitchen.
"Well it looks like some sort of soup." Ludwig responded.
"Wait you are telling me that you didn't make that?" Gilbert asked pointing to the stockpot.
"No." Ludwig said, pouring soup into bowls.
"So who did?" Gilbert asked not sure what was going on.
"Well.." Ludwig said looking at the happy stray.
"Wait. Wait. Our house guest made us dinner?" Gilbert asked looking at the stray dumbfounded.
"It appears so." Ludwig said placing two bowls on the floor and the other two on the table.
"Lets see just how good of a cook our guest is." Gilbert said pulling the bowl closer to himself.
"Guten Appetit." Ludwig said before they both took a spoonful into their mouth's.
Ludwig honestly was ready to taste something awful and pretend that it was good until he could make a proper dinner. What he tasted was not awful. In fact it was perhaps one of the most tasty thing he had ever tasted. And that was only one spoonful. Honestly it could've been restaurant quality.
"This is really delicious." Ludwig said to stunned to give a compliment worthy enough for the meal.
"You are an awesome cook! Almost as awesome as me!" Gilbert said smiling at the stray.
He couldn't help but feel happy at their compliments. It had been so long since he had gotten praises from his cooking. He really felt like this could be a new start for him. Yet he knew that such an idea couldn't become a reality. He needed to return to him. He couldn't just abandon him.
"Will stay until I'm well enough to leave on my own. For now I'll be a good guest." He thought looking at their smiling faces.
"Tornerò te lo prometto." He whispered under his breath.
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Author notes:
Happy Martin Luther King Day!
A quick thank you to HetalianDweeb for noticing my tendency for run-on sentences. I'm trying to fix that little bad habit of mine sorry. I will try harder to keep my sentences from running on and on.
Another chapter done. Sorry for it being boring,but I just had to finish up this crazy idea of letting the stray cook. Don't worry because chapter 5 will be more exciting since it will be a Lovino chapter. I just love writing Lovino's thoughts and dialogue. They make me laugh so much. In any case hope you liked the chapter. I kind of feel it turned out to be a small italian lesson with a full on cooking lesson. Well now we all know how to make minestrone soup. A lot of questions must be bouncing around in your head ,but it will make sense soon enough. So hang in there! Hopefully you didn't get too confused with the povs and that bold italicized he him which are refering to a mystery person.
Now for some news I recently made a twitter account with the same username as my fanfiction account. This way it can be easier for those of you who have a twitter account to stay in touch with the stories' progress. Also it will help me be able to get in touch with you all if something comes up and I can't update in time. That way you aren't freaking out and don't have wait to see my excuse for the chapter's tardiness.I haven't had the time to learn how to massage anyone back so twitter also helps with that too. Not to mention the couple voting. Couple voting will continue until February 4th. You can vote either using twitter or fanfiction. Please limit voting to 2 votes per couple per site per day. All couples with a vote will be featured within the story in some way ,but couples with the most votes will be an official couple in this story. Meaning that they will receive a little more than the occasional mentioning within the story. Maybe even their own special chapter that ties in with the existing plot. As of now the votes are as followed:
PruCan 3 votes , FrAus 1 vote and UkUs 1 vote.
So keep voting, and commenting. Thanks for reading. On to the translations!
Translations:
Italian:
attraverso gli occhi di un randagio - through the eyes of a stray
idiota- idiot
sedia - chair
tavolo - table
piastre - plate
forcella - fork
Tornerò te lo prometto - I promise I'll return
German:
guten Appetit-good apitie