Hi! Welcome back! Sorry for the long wait... All I can say is I have been extremely busy as of late, and have hardly had the energy for writing. But at last, here is another chapter ready to go. My summer vacation has just started, and while I still am very busy, I'll hopefully get some more spare time for writing. Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, and their universes belong to Disney. CiCi, XL, and Leo belong to XLR8 the Fox. Thank you for XLR8 the Fox and Evil-Copper for all your reviews and comments.
Chapter 21 - Unlikely Refuge
Wondering what Danielle and Puffball could possibly be talking about, Tramp listened with baited breath, wondering what would possibly be said next. Any second now could be the one where he'd finally get to bottom of all of this and figure out what's going on. However, the words he heard next were the last he expected.
"Hey!" Danielle shouted. "There's a lot of snow gone!"
Instinctively, Tramp stealthily retreated back to the living room. Having eavesdropped on plenty of conversations, Tramp knew that there was nothing more to gain from eavesdropping and every risk of being potentially caught. Just as he arrived though, everyone else had begun to congregate near the front door and murmured fiercely. Looking outside, they saw that while there was still some snow littering the backyard, it was hardly all-encompassing.
"Why's the snow gone?" Rolly asked.
"It may be the changing of the seasons," Perdita suggested softly.
"But not only that," Angel pointed out. "Maybe it was the fire that did it! Maybe the heat the fire had was enough to help melt some of the snow away."
"Yeah, plus, a little bit more sun could make all the difference," Pongo said. "No matter what, it's good for us."
"Yeah!" Scamp exclaimed. "I was getting real tired of that stuff...and I can't wait to go outside!"
Just then however, they heard some rapping at the front door. Everybody froze, looking at the door in shock.
"Could it really be ... Our pets?" Penny asked, looking at her parents with pleading expressions.
"I ... don't know," Pongo said cautiously.
"Who could possibly be using the front door besides them?" Annette said.
"Yeah, it can't be the bad guys, they always try sneaking in," Patch reasoned.
Before anyone could say another word though, they noticed the dog door was moving a bit. A soft groan echoed from everyone, realizing that it was not any of their pets who could be trying to enter through the dog door. Then upon looking closer, they saw that a long, black paw was sticking through the door. But what was weirdest was that there was something oddly familiar about that paw.
"Is that ... Who I think it is?" Danielle asked Lady, who looked thoughtfully at the paw moving forward.
However, another long black paw pushed through the door in that moment, and after that, a long, tan, svelte cat came in, with a long black tail, and big, eerie blue eyes. The cat smiled sneakily as everyone stared it. As little sense as it made, there could be no mistaking who that was ... Or rather, who they were ...
"You!" Collette gasped in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"Couldn't help but make a suspenseful entrance," the Siamese cat said slyly. "And in case you couldn't tell, which I'm pretty sure you canines would have difficulty doing, I am Si." At that moment, the door opened, and her sister slunk inside. "And this is Am."
"What are you gonna do this time?" Scamp asked. "You better not mess with us?"
"Why would we want to rough it with you dogs?" Si purred smoothly. "Forgive me, but chasing bones is hardly a pleasure for us."
"You know what we mean!" Lucky said. "You better not steal anything else!"
"Yeah, like Darling's china!" Angel exclaimed.
However, at that moment, Si and Am looked at each other. Apart from looking, talking, and acting almost identically, Si and Am also seemed to have an uncanny ability to read each other's minds. Leo, being a cat, also noticed how their body language changed, as their erect, mischievous posture had slowly begun to sink, and that was not all that changed. Far from their usual mischievous, troublemaking expressions, Si and Am's expressions looked almost hopeless, and strangely sad looking. At last, Si walked forward, not in her usual slink, but with a distracted waddle, and to everyone's shock, she opened her paw up to reveal Darling's china. "We have no use for this anymore," she said dejectedly, and pushed it over to the dogs.
Stunned silence rang through the room as everyone started bewilderedly at Si and Am, both of whose expressions were blank and unenthusiastic. "Are you … all right?" Lady asked nervously. Despite her animosities with them, she couldn't but help to feel concerned about them.
"No," Si explained simply, looking at Am, who sighed,
"Can you tell us what's wrong?" Pongo suggested.
"No, you're clueless dogs and wouldn't understand," Am said.
Trying to keep her voice open and to ignore the barb, Perdita said, "If you tell us, maybe we can help you."
The others watched, expecting Si or Am to come up with a nasty retort. But instead, Am sighed, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to admit it ... Our mistress … was kidnapped."
Everyone stared at the Siamese cats in stunned silence, only realizing then that the Siamese cats, like themselves, had their pets too. It never occurred to them, considering how difficult they were to deal with, that the Siamese cats had pets they deeply cared about as well. But seeing them like this, so scared and out of sorts, especially considering how they all had been without their pets for so long, made all the dogs deeply sympathetic. "Who kidnapped her?" Peg asked slowly.
"A bunch of ragtag, filthy dogs," Si explained. "With a stench that could span for miles. Even worse than you guys, we mean."
"Hey!" Lucky cried out. "You guys smell more I bet!"
"Obviously," Annette laughed derisively. "You cats never have once taken a bath."
"Please, stop this fighting!" Leo exclaimed seriously. At once, everyone paused and looked at Leo. It just occurred to them that he was a cat too, and thus he might have better luck dealing with Si and Am. And indeed, just the act of seeing another cat instantly seemed to change Si and Am's behavior. Their body language instantly began to change to the respect they could only give another cat, as they nodded politely and looked intently at him. "We would all like to know a few things," Leo said cautiously.
"Yes, and we would like your help," Am muttered so softly that no one could hear her.
"Could you say that again?" Leo asked.
"We would like your help," Am muttered.
"And the help of ... all those dogs," Si said, irritated with the mere suggestion.
Scamp couldn't help but to start snickering. "Wow, this is something," Scamp chuckled. "Cats asking help from dogs!"
"Do not rub it in!" Am said angrily. "Or I will scratch you on the nose!"
"Stop fighting!" Leo said again, before he turned to Si and Am. "Let's try starting over. But before we do this, stop acting condescending to all the dogs here. Remembering that they're allowing you in their home, and if you want their help, you better start treating them more civilly."
Reluctantly, Si and Am looked at each other. Then Am sighed, "Okay, fine..." The dogs looked at each other, both impressed at how well Leo could handle the Siamese cats yet also scared about what was bothering the Siamese cats so much to the point where they would back down to get cooperation.
"Now then," Leo said in a businesslike way. "What is it that you need our help in?"
"We might as well just tell you the whole story," Am said, and at once, she gave a heavy, dejected sigh.
"It all started a few cold days ago … Our mistress was inside with us by the fireplace… We were enjoying a nice long slumber … Until they came in," Si said angrily.
Seeing everyone's questioning eyes, Am continued, "A pack of dirty, ragtag, fleabitten dogs," Am said disdainfully. Quickly clarifying herself, she explained, "Not housedogs like all of you. Wild dogs. A whole horde of them. It all happened so fast, but at once they jumped through the window and sprang an attack on us."
"A couple each pinned us down in a matter of seconds," Si said angrily. "We tried to escape, but they placed their brutish paws on our necks and we felt their ominous putrid breath on our faces. Naturally of course, our mistress tried fighting them off. She got a broom to tried to whack them away, but unfortunately, they chewed that up. Then she tried to call the pound, but the dogs chewed the phone wire up before she could get there. Before she knew it, she was cornered by this pack of brutes and... they knocked her out, left the house, carrying her with them."
"The dogs holding us down then released us. One of them mangy brutes then said they'd free our mistress if we would go ahead and steal property from … You guys," Si said, as everyone looked at each other in confused horrors.
"But why?" Lady asked confusedly.
"We didn't know why, and we didn't care. All we wanted was to get our mistress back. So that is why we did what we did … But it was foolish. By the time we got back, they were gone and not once had they came back, so we knew then that we were tricked ... As embarrassing as it is to admit it..."
Am looked at them, her angular eyes wearing an almost pleading tone in them. "Where are your pets?"
"We don't know," Lady said. "They are gone too …"
"Well, you've got to help us rescue our …"
However, Am was cut off as they heard another frantic rustle of paws up the front door. Turning, they saw that a small puppy had slipped in through the door, panting and thoroughly out breath. She was a shade of medium brown, with darker, long ears, a cream belly, muzzle, paws, a big purple bow collar, and a plumy tail both medium brown and cream. "Oh my … I can't believe it's safe here!"
"Hey! I've seen you walking around town," Scamp exclaimed.
"Yes," the dog said. "My name is Katie … I'm sorry to intrude and to bother you but … Just well … Can I stay here for a bit?"
"Well, I guess..." Pongo said confusedly. "But we're all alone without our pets and we don't have much food left."
"That's okay, I don't need much," Katie said. "I just want to be safe."
"Why are you worried about being safe?" Collette said. "You have nice pets.."
But just as she said that, a few tears fell from Katie's eyes. "I don't know if I have them anymore."
"Where are your pets?" Patch asked curiously.
"Gone... They were kidnapped... By a pack of strays ... And now they're after me too," Katie said tensely.
At once, everyone looked at each other in astonishment, before turning to look at Si and Am, who both wore very ominous expressions. "I think those might be the same fleabrained dogs…" as Am hissed in agreement.
Suddenly, Am asked a question. "Did those dogs leave any marks in your house?"
"Yes, actually," Penny said tensely.
And at once, everyone looked at one of the chewed up corners of wall a few yards away. Crowding around it, they then also found the peculiar symbol that was left behind as well. Upon looking at it, Katie gasped and recoiled, "That's the mark …. It's been in houses all over town …. All the houses they've hit … The houses where they've taken pets from…"
With these words, a wave of fear and dread drenched over them, stinging their every bone at the implications of what this might mean. "You mean…." Tramp asked slowly.
"Our pets…." Pongo continued.
"Could be kidnapped?" Perdita finished in horror.
Everyone looked at Katie, who closed her eyes, before she said, "I think … they might be… Mine were…"
There was a profound silence, as the impending horror of what exactly was going on sweeping over them. At last, Angel broke the silence, standing up determinedly with her chest puffed out in a determined rage. "I already lost five families ..." she growled, "and I'm not gonna lose the best owners I've ever had!"
"Yeah, that's for sure," Peg piped up. "Adopting Spunky, Angel, Tramp, Puffball, and myself... They're the best pets anyone can ask for."
"Plus our pets adopted to Two-Tone and the other pet shop puppies, " Lucky pointed out.
"And how they sensed I wanted to be here ... to see you, Lucky," Two-Tone muttered shyly, blushing a little bit.
"Yeah, and they stand up for us no matter what!" Rolly pointed out. "Remember how Roger and Anita refused to sell the farm?"
"And how they pay attention to us each as special individuals?" Patch added.
"And how hard they work to keep our coats clean," Collette added,
"Plus how much fun they want us to have!" Danielle declared.
"They really are something," Tramp said. "I never thought any pets would be this great."
"You cannot get any more perfect than them," Lady sighed. "And I want to make sure that we will have plenty of great memories with them."
"Yeah, I wanna tell those guys not to mess with our pets!" Scamp shouted angrily. "Let's get going, right now!"
However, just as Scamp said that, a series of rapid, high-pitched, frantic, and scared barks rang from somewhere down the street.
"Did you hear that?" Patch asked tensely, as everyone else nodded.
"XL!" Collette gasped. "Where are you going?
But without another word, XL leaped through the dog door, with only one thing on his mind as he charged down the steps.
"Katie" is the girl puppy seen in the Welcome Home sequence in Lady and the Tramp II. I wanted to give this role to an actual character from the universe.