Second to last chapter everybody! I'm hoping to have the story finished by Christmas, or at least by year's end. This chapter is very human-focused because it answers logistical questions and sets up conditions that will allow the series to be possible. Be sure to fav/follow/review if you wish! I have also slightly changed Whizzer and Dipstick's fate in this chapter to better suit their personality. Again, thanks to XLR8 the Fox for all the help, and of course the OCs which feature heavily in the story. Be sure to check out the series both of us will be writing! As always, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians and their worlds belong to Disney.
Chapter 53 - Heroes of the Town
With Alfred, Ford and Rufus finally down, the battle with the wild dogs was officially over. Every wild dog remaining, bosses, foxhounds and guards alike, was crated and put into the speech room for animal control and the police to round up.
"We'll treat them fairly," Lawrence advised. "See if any show genuine remorse for their actions."
"The few who do will undergo a strict rehabilitation program to teach them how to be good citizens," Clara said. "I'll see if we can use the pound building for that. If they prove to have model behavior, we'll look into granting them parole."
"Yes," agreed Maximus. "But for those who can't be trusted," Maximus glowered at the unconscious Bruce as he was being taken out of the room, "We've got a special place in jail for them. We've got some cells open deep underground, and we can use our more ambitious dogcatchers to serve as prison guards. We'll have the place so beefed up that none of them will ever escape."
"I'll bet they'll like that," Tramp chuckled, imagining the dogcatcher who once chased after Scamp and Angel overzealously berating the wild dogs for the rest of their days.
As the crowd began to filter out, CiCi said, "I'm going to get Thomas and Anna to bring Junior down here. Scavenger, you found the key yet?"
"Yep," he said, picking it up from the hole. Then CiCi took off to bring Thomas, Anna and Junior down to the basement. She quickly returned with Thomas and Anna, who was cradling Junior.
"Is this where your owners are?" asked Thomas thoughtfully to barks of assent, the others leading him to the keyhole. Then Thomas bent down to unlock the low door handle before they all hurried inside.
It was a spacious and dark room with tattered furniture, permeated with putrid smells they would rather not think about, and limited with remains they would rather not examine. At once, they could see the bodies of Jim Dear, Darling, Roger, Anita and Nanny, their bodies strewn across the room like rag dolls. Also scattered throughout were Tripod, Jewel, and Freckles, as well as Thunderbolt.
Hurriedly, Jim Dear and Darling's dogs and Roger's and Anita's all went over to their respective humans and began to lick their humans awake. Rebecca was uncertain as to what she should do next until Two-Tone smiled at her. "Why don't you help wake Nanny with me?" she asked. Gratefully, Rebecca nodded and joined her, as Thomas, Anna and their pets meanwhile stood back and watched.
Through the endless barrage of licking, Jim Dear, Darling, Roger, Anita and Nanny all woke up, albeit very groggily.
"They must have been sedated for a long time," Anna said thoughtfully as Thomas nodded.
Roger spoke up first. "Wha ... Huh ... Oh, Pongo!"
"Perdy!" gasped Anita.
"All of you!" Jim Dear, Darling and Nanny gasped.
In those first precious minutes, all five humans could only sit, watch and hug as their dogs danced around them, rubbed against them affectionately, and panted and barked in ecstasy. Then their situation began to dawn on them.
"How in the heck did we get here?" Roger asked, mystified as the others looked disgustedly at the morbid decor.
"Where even are we, anyway?" Anita asked.
"And who are you two?" Nanny asked, seeing Thomas and Anna, the others looked at them.
"Are you that couple that just moved in?" Jim Dear asked confusedly.
"Yes," said Thomas as he and Anna knelt down in the midst of dogs to accompany them. "My name is Thomas Bourne, and this is my wife Anna. We are your new neighbors."
"Before we get to know each other, I have someone to give you," Anna said, revealing the bundle of blankets she had held. Darling opened it, and gasped. "Junior! Why ... I don't understand," she said.
"What is going on, anyway?" Jim Dear asked.
Thomas sighed, not sure where to begin. "What can you last remember?" he asked.
They all looked blankly at each other. "Well, I can remember leaving our dogs at Jim Dear and Darling's, getting ready for the concert ..." Roger began, before gasping. "Oh no! How long have I been out?"
"Today is Monday, I think," Anna said.
Roger groaned. "That means I missed the concert."
"So tell us," Nanny asked. "What exactly happened?"
Thomas and Anna looked at each other. "You'll probably think we're crazy," Thomas said, "But hear us out." Sighing, he began. "It all started for us when our dog Scavenger had to get a bone removed from his mouth at the vet's. While there, we were attacked by a large group of wild dogs and were trapped at the vet's office. That is, until a couple of our pets and your pets rescued us."
"While we were at the vet's," Anna continued, "There was a vicious snowstorm outside. We think our pets CiCi, XL and Leo must have went to your house for company, for by the time we were saved, it was obvious our pets and yours knew each other."
"By the time we got out, we saw that the entire town had fallen to these wild dogs," Thomas said. "The pack had to include hundreds at their peak. Your dogs seemed to be the only ones left in their homes."
"By the looks of it, it seems as though your dogs were caring for Junior," said Anna. "As strange as that sounds."
"Actually," Jim Dear said, "We can believe that. Lady always watched over Junior, Tramp saved Junior's life, Scamp loves playing with Junior, and Angel bonded with him at first sight."
"We took your dogs over to our house," said Thomas, "And it seemed like all they wanted to do was rescue you. We drove them here," he explained. "This was the wild dogs' base of operations, which your dogs and ours decided to challenge all by themselves."
"We didn't see what actually happened," Anna said. "We were too busy taking care of Junior. But it seemed as though all of our pets led a group of wolves and cats to take on these wild dogs. And judging by how this place is now empty, it looks like our pets succeeded."
Silence befell all of them as the five humans looked at each other. The story seemed to crazy to be true, yet all the same, they knew that their dogs had gotten into quite strange behavior.
No sooner had this happened when the mayor, the vet, and the police chief walked into the room, accompanied by their dogs. All five of them looked at these public figures blankly as they arrived.
"That's them," the vet said. "The owners of these dogs, cat and fox, and all of the animals themselves."
"Well I'll say," the police chief told them admiringly. "You've got your pets exceptionally well-trained. They could make fine police dogs."
"Well-trained? What do you mean?" Roger asked.
"Well then, maybe it's something running in the family that makes them crime fighters," the police chief said admiringly. "Even Maxie here is impressed," he said as Maximus barked in approval. "You ought to be real proud."
"Proud?" Darling asked, the humans looking at each other confusedly. It was one thing for Thomas and Anna to tell them very odd things about their pets, but to have these public officials effusively praising their dogs was beyond the unexpected.
The mayor noticed their lack of understanding. "Do you not have any idea of what happened here? About what your pets seemed to have done?"
Mysteriously shaking their heads, the mayor said, "Very well. I've got a limo arranged. We can all fit inside and go to city hall. You must be very hungry considering what you went through. So are we, so we can all eat and we'll explain everything."
"Yes, not to mention we have to check up on your pets," said the vet, before turning to Thunderbolt and the other puppies, who despite Scavenger, XL, CiCi and Leo trying to wake them, still remained unconscious. "I assume these are yours as well?" the vet asked, before looking at them. "Hold on, that is that Thunderbolt dog! How did these dogs get here?"
"Your guess is as good as ours," said Roger, shrugging. "Those others are our puppies, but they're staying with our tenants the Dearlys in Britain."
The vet sighed. "Fine. I'll call the British veterinary association and prepare to have all four of these dogs sent back." Petting them, the vet frowned. "These dogs are dosed with quite severe amounts of pentobarbital. Not lethal mind you but more than I would use as a sedative. It will take a while for them to wake, but when they do, they should be ready for the long trip back to Britain."
"So are we all ready to discuss?" the mayor asked. "Chief, you get all of your officers' reports and be ready to fill us in. Doctor, make sure all of these dogs are taken care of."
Everyone agreed, and so after winding their way through the building, they all got in the mayor's limo and headed off to city hall. The ride was quick, and upon arrival, they went inside. After the vet gave the dogs, XL and Leo to the other members of the veterinary department, all the humans sat down in the conference room.
The mayor began. "During the past week, our town was under siege from a massive pack of wild dogs," he said, and as he did, Roger, Anita, Jim Dear, Darling and Nanny looked at each other, realizing Thomas' and Anna's story was indeed correct. "Not just normal strays. These dogs were extremely organized, numbered in the hundreds at their peak, and were downright ruthless. They seemed to have a deep hatred of all humans in our town. Through sheer force, they appear to have captured nearly every person in town, as well as destroyed their property. Considering the role your pets played, I highly suspect your houses have especially been ravaged."
All seven owners nodded understandingly, dreading to imagine what they might find at home when they returned. "These wild dogs were unconquerable," said the police chief reluctantly. "They even marshaled a large pack to conquer the police department, despite us all being armed. But because they took us by surprise, even we were beaten," he said.
"They also seemed to hate housedogs," the vet advised. "For they, like us, were also captured by these wild dogs and put in prisons just like we were."
"How come we were found on our own then if everyone was captured?" Anita asked.
"It seems," the police chief answered. "That you five were treated differently from every other prisoner."
"We were struggling, yes," the vet advised. "But none of us were injected with pentobarbital to keep us unconscious."
"We were drugged?" Nanny asked as the vet seriously nodded.
"It seems," the vet said cautiously, "That you, as well as these dogs that were dosed, were used as bait to get your dogs to come and rescue you."
"They rescued us first," Thomas explained. "We were trapped in the vet's by these wild dogs until all our pets came to our rescue. Then, our pets and your dogs did all these funny things ..."
"If I didn't know better," said Anna, "I'd say all our pets helped some of your pups disguise themselves to break in to their headquarters. Because once they were done, some of your pups looked like scary streetdogs. They barked us the directions to the wild dogs' place before the disguised pups headed off. They came back looking normal though."
"Sounds like an infiltration attempt," said the police chief, impressed. "An effort to scout out the terrain."
"They kept acting strange," Thomas said. "Our dog CiCi ran off and came back with a pack of wolves on her tail, and our cat Leo was talking with this group of other cats."
"Who both helped out I might add," said the vet.
"Then they all went out, to that building I presume. Only we don't know what happened next, we were too busy taking care of Junior until CiCi called us," finished Anna.
The police chief nodded. "We don't completely understand ourselves,"he said, "But a lot of strange things happened. First, many of the prison guards left their posts, we presume to battle the wolves and cats your pets called up."
"Then we heard something strange going on upstairs," said the vet. "In that old auditorium. It sounded before like there was a crowd of rabid, angry dogs, barking madly, just like the ones who attacked us. But then the barking changed. Suddenly, we could hear puppies whimpering plaintively, and ... I don't know, they were almost inspiring. The next thing we knew, the anger from there seemed to vanish and be replaced by excitement. I wouldn't be surprised if your puppies were behind this."
"We also found these," said the police chief, retrieving a large key ring from his pocket, containing each of the keys the group had found, arranged in a rainbow. "Not a fingerprint was on any of these, but they all had tooth marks on them, not to mention many dog hairs were found around them. All these keys were found in keyholes on doors that led to key rooms of the wild dogs' operation. I would bet that if we analyze these traces, we would find that these keys were held by your dogs, which means that your dogs broke the prisons."
The vet continued again. "We were ultimately freed by a band of dogs who broke our chains and lifted our bars. Most of them didn't have collars and were previously witnessed as having been involved in crimes. The only exceptions were a group of dogs that all belonged to your families. This suggests your dogs, having reformed these ex-wild dogs, had then led them on into taking part in the rescue. I would imagine a similar group also rescued the housedogs, who were jailed separately from us."
The mayor then said. "Somehow, it seemed as though your dogs also got to more collarless dogs, many who have been living in the pound and others that are extremely independent. It seems as when all was said and done, your dogs assembled a coalition of fellow housedogs, pound dogs, street dogs, and reformed wild dogs to work together and become friends."
"Well, our dogs do have ... Well, complicated histories," Jim Dear explained. "Many of them are ex-streetdogs."
The mayor nodded understandingly. "When we were released, the first thing we saw was all these dogs greeting us, and right of the middle of them were all of your dogs. It seemed as though your dogs earned the respect of all these other dogs, even our dogs, who are serious working dogs and usually only follow instructions from us."
"Your dogs led us all to the wild dogs and were key to their quick capture and apprehension," the police chief said.
"But your dogs were still not finished," the vet said. "We were investigating the building, but I couldn't help but notice how strange my Clara was acting. When I looked in to check on her, I saw that she was in some kind of talk which once again was led by your dogs. I also saw your dogs seeming to help puppies reunite with their parents and help some of our strays find owners."
"Then of course, just now, your dogs were seen in the basement, fighting what appeared to be the wild dogs' ringleaders," said the police chief.
"There were a lot of syringes along with heavy amounts of pentobarbital on the floor," said the vet. "It looked as though the wild dogs had stolen our euthanasia medicine and attempted to kill your dogs with it. And considering the location, the only thing that makes sense out of this is that your dogs were coming to your rescue."
Finishing, the mayor sighed. "As strange as this sounds, the evidence all seems to suggest that your pets are directly responsible for taking on the wild dogs and saving our town. There is too much evidence for us to dismiss this as just circumstance. Your pets seem to have been instrumental in saving everybody in this entire town. And for that, we will always be grateful."
A long, drawn out silence occurred as the owners of the pets stared at each other, hardly daring to believe their ears. As it all began to sink in however, their expressions became more and more curious.
"Is this behavior typical of your pets?" the mayor asked.
"Not that we know of," Jim Dear said cautiously. "But now that you mention it ... Well, this wouldn't be the first time our dogs have done strange things."
"I wouldn't have met Anita if it wasn't for Pongo," Roger explained. "Pongo really wanted to walk that day and literally led me to Anita. I suppose he had his eye on Perdy," he chuckled.
"Maybe you've heard the stories about the both of them," Nanny added. "Our puppies were burgled by a couple of no-good thieves once, and no sooner did that happen before Pongo and Perdy ran away. We all gave up on seeing them ever again, but lo and behold, they returned with another 84 puppies."
"I think they rescued them from Cruella," Roger said, as Anita reluctantly nodded. "That seemed to be the case ... I wonder what ever happened to her?" she wondered aloud as Roger and Nanny shrugged.
"The pups are just as strange as the parents," Roger commented. "For starters, all of them came back in black soot when they returned home that first time. And somehow, our pup Patch wound up on the front page of a newspaper in a TV audition we never went to."
"Around that time, we've heard that a double-decker bus had been found covered with short white dog hair. Which most likely was those of our puppies," Anita added. "That's not to mention the circumstances of the others have been involved in. Among other things, people tell me they have seen Lucky and Rolly on TV before in some strange animal competition, and a strange prize bone appeared in our property afterward. And little Cadpig once showed me my wedding ring after Roger and I had a falling out, helping us to get back together again."
"And for some reason, the Dearlys who are taking care of the rest of the pups seemed to think that Two-Tone would do better here than there," Nanny said.
Then the vet asked a question. "Who owns the pup with the heart-shaped spots and the pink lace collar? Only she has no data in the records."
Thomas and Anna and Roger and Anita looked at each other, expecting the other couple to own Rebecca, only to see they looked dumbfounded.
"None of you know her? Yet she was with your dogs in your rescue? That is very curious," the vet said, before turning to Jim Dear and Darling. "What about your dogs?"
Jim Dear and Darling looked at each other. "Well," Darling began, "Our first dog Lady has always been extremely protective over our son Junior. One time she wouldn't let us leave for a trip because she seemed to fear we were abandoning him."
"Then when we returned, Lady had changed," Jim Dear explained. "She had fallen in love with a stray, and though it was only a few days, the chemistry between them was remarkable. Lady and her boyfriend were found by Junior's crib, the crib overturned. But when the dogcatcher was called to take Lady's boyfriend to get euthanized, Lady fought to make sure that didn't happen. She brought us over to the crib and we found a large, dead rat. We realized then that Lady's boyfriend was only protecting Junior from the rat, and we hurried to the pound to explain and adopt him. We named him Tramp, for it suited him, and soon, Lady had four pups, beginning our dogs' family."
"The pups are just as interesting characters," Darling said. "Our only boy pup Scamp got into a lot of trouble, and eventually, he ran away from home. But like his mother before him, Scamp found a stray girlfriend, with both a heart and fur of gold. She was a little angel, and that name fit her perfectly. So we took Angel in and since then, Scamp has been much happier overall. As has Junior, since Scamp and Angel both love to play with him."
"Except for that time when our pups ran away," Jim Dear said, shaking his head as Darling, Roger, Anita and Nanny all nodded. "Yes, some of our puppies from both of our families ran away at the same time."
"Judging by the fact that their parents seemed distraught afterward and soon took after them, we're guessing that they had some family troubles," Darling said tentatively.
"We got to know each other while our dogs were missing, discovering that Darling and I were long-lost sisters in the process," Anita explained.
"And just as we were getting to know each other, so did they," Roger added. "They all came back at once, looking like they resolved all their problems and seeming to treat each other like one big family."
"Not to mention they made new friends," Jim Dear added. "Danielle too found another friendly stray on the street who seems to be her beau, and Angel found two strays who based on her interactions with them we could tell were her parents. We took them all in, and they've fit right in with our other dogs and well, that's our family."
"And your pets?" the mayor asked Thomas and Anna curiously.
"Well, we just moved in, but our pets also do strange things," Thomas said. "Our husky can howl without moving her lips, our dalmatian can literally find anything, our cat seems to like every dog he meets and our fox is fully domesticated. Not to mention he seems to have a soft spot for one of Jim Dear's pups."
"I suppose it's not really a surprise that our pets would become friends with yours, considering how unusual they all seem to be," Anna said.
"Yes indeed," said the mayor thoughtfully. "Your pets are clearly remarkable individuals, and their past exploits only make me certain in how special they are."
"How they've tackled every challenge and still remain deeply loyal to each other, you, and their community proves how they are truly good citizens," said the police chief approvingly.
"Yes, the potential your pets have is impressive," the vet added. "I think we need to provide your pets ... An enrichment opportunity of some sort. To allow them to live up to their full potential. And to thank them for their endeavors."
As the others looked on blankly, the vet began to explain, with the mayor and police chief soon catching on and elaborating specifics.
"Would you really do that?" Darling asked as they finished.
The mayor nodded. "Of course, if you don't feel comfortable ..."
"No no, I trust our dogs and am sure they'll handle this just fine," Jim Dear advised.
"I think that would make a great Christmas present," Roger said as the others agreed.
"Could you work it all out by then?" Thomas asked, as all three officials confidently nodded.
In the hallways, the other vets were hard at work, treating each of the dogs, XL and Leo for their injuries. Due to all the dog bites and scratches they had accumulated, it took a long time for the vets to clean their wounds and apply antibiotics to prevent any infections. Once they finally did, they each received a general checkup, upon which no other problems were found, and then were given a comfortable warm, soapy bath, followed by a massage. After which, the dog groomers were called over, who primped up each of them so their coats were all bright and shiny, their claws trimmed, their mats untangled and their fur perfectly in place. Once it was all over, considering the ordeal they just went through, none of them had ever felt so pampered.
"Wow, I don't remember ever feeling this good," Collette said dreamily as everyone else agreed.
Soon, the humans finished their meeting. The owners walked in to accompany their pets, the vet began checking on operations, and the mayor and police chief went to talk with their colleagues, with Lawrence and Maximus to guide their pets along in any which way they can. Soon, the vet techs rolled a few gurneys over, containing Tripod, Jewel, Freckles and Thunderbolt, all of whom were now awake.
"They look good to go," the vet tech advised. "And we've arranged for them to go back to Britain."
"Back to Britain?" Thunderbolt asked, leaping off the stretcher as the newly awoken pups all looked confused. "Oh my goodness! I don't remember leaving the country."
"Hi Thunder!" cried out Lucky and Patch, greeting their favorite TV star.
"Oh hello you two," Thunderbolt said. "Tell me, what happened? Where am I?
Lucky and Patch looked at each other excitedly, and then began to tell the story, leaving Thunderbolt in shock.
"You mean to tell me you pups took on a whole pack of wild dogs and lived to tell the tale?" Thunderbolt asked.
"Pretty much," Lucky answered.
"Thanks for Episode 58!" Patch exclaimed. "That really helped out."
"Well, I'm honored I helped in some way," Thunderbolt smiled. "This would make a great episode. You okay if we base an episode off your story?"
"Yeah!" Patch exclaimed. "That would be awesome."
"It would be cool to watch you doing all we did," Lucky said. "You'll actually do the filming this time, won't you?"
"Well, my stunt double will help, but I'll be sure to film this one." Thunderbolt promised with a chuckle.
"Hey, speaking of filming, can you film an episode here?" Patch asked.
"Yeah! And have us be guest stars?" Lucky added.
Thunderbolt smiled. "Well, if I can wrangle my producer into it, I'd love to," causing Patch and Lucky to cheer excitedly.
Penny, Cadpig, Rolly, Two-Tone and Scavenger meanwhile went to greet Tripod, Jewel, and Freckles.
"How did we get here?" Freckles asked blankly.
"It was our fault," came two voices, and into the building entered Whizzer and Dipstick, looking very remorseful.
"Mooch told us to capture you and bring you here," Whizzer explained as the three puppies began to remember.
"Where is Mooch now?" Jewel asked anxiously.
"We left him," Dipstick explained. "We wanna start over."
"Yeah, and really be ourselves," Whizzer asked. "Now that we've ditched Mooch ... Can we start over with you guys?"
Jewel, Freckles and Tripod nodded and hugged Whizzer and Dipstick. Then Jewel noticed Scavenger. "Pardon me, but ... Who are you?"
Scavenger however locked eyes on Tripod, who stared at Scavenger uncertainly. "Are you Scavenger?" he asked.
Happily, Scavenger nodded.
"Who is he, Tripod?" Freckles asked.
"Well," Tripod said, "He's my lost brother ... Who I never thought I'd see again."
Jewel and Freckles could only gape as Scavenger and Tripod approached each other.
"I thought you died in the snow," Tripod said. "I never heard from you again."
"I was found by my pets," Scavenger said excitedly.
"Are they nice?" Tripod asked.
"Yeah," Scavenger answered, before smiling, "I can't believe I finally am seeing you again!"
"Neither can I," Tripod smiled, and Scavenger hugged Tripod, who smiled warmly in return.
"I'll be back!" Scavenger said. "I wanna introduce you to my family."
And Scavenger went to get his family. Jewel and Freckles meanwhile, looked at Tripod, who was looking deep in thought.
"You okay Tripod?" Jewel asked.
"Yeah," Tripod said. "Just ... I don't know. I just met my real brother who I thought was dead. And now ... I don't feel like I should say goodbye."
Jewel and Freckles looked at each other understandngly. "The Dearlys will understand if you want to stay here Tripod," Jewel said.
Reluctantly, Tripod sighed and nodded. "It's gonna be a big change for me ... I'm so used to life back home. Helping Pug out with the Bark Brigade and entering all those meets. But I've been away from Scavenger long enough, and hey, it's not like I won't be with some dogs I know."
"Right," Freckles added. "And don't forget, Roger's still planning on buying that place out here in the country someday. Then we'll all be together."
Gratefully Tripod nodded and said, "Bye guys," just as Scavenger arrived with Thomas, Anna, CiCi, XL and Leo and Tripod walked over to join them.
"Guys, this is Tripod," Scavenger introduced as Tripod smiled, the three other pets excitedly greeting him.
"Nice to meet you," Tripod said shyly at them.
"Scavenger's told us all about you," CiCi said. "How you're able to do so much even with only three legs!"
"And how you were the first brother he had!" XL added. "Hey, do you think we can have Tripod live with us?"
"Yeah!" Scavenger exclaimed excitedly as Tripod nodded. In no time at all, Thomas and Anna figured out Tripod and Scavenger's relationship, and explained the situation to Roger and Anita, who gladly agreed to let Tripod live with Thomas and Anna. Then Thomas and Anna, with their other pets happily bounding alongside them, filed adoption paperwork for Tripod with the vet, joining their family officially.
Rebecca meanwhile, upon seeing the families of dogs and humans interacting with one another, began to feel increasingly left out. Never had she once imagined that she would meet such a fun and loving group when she first wondered if she would ever see Lucky again. What she had given even less thought to was the possibility she would find it so hard to leave. Yet her she was, with a tear in her eye, taking in each of those smiling faces who had been with her so much. As she looked at every one of her new friends, her heart dropped as she realized she would never be seeing them ever again. But she knew that sooner or later, she had to head home to keep her own De Vil in check.
Sighing, she knew saying goodbye would be too hard, and so she traipsed over to the bathroom to do what she needed to. No sooner had she reached the bathroom door however when she realized she was being followed by Lucky, Rolly, Cadpig and Two-Tone.
"Oh hello ye all," Rebecca sighed softly, determinedly not looking at any of them.
"What's the matter Rebecca?" Lucky asked concernedly.
"You hungry?" Rolly asked.
"Or suffering from PDS?" Cadpig asked.
Sadly, Rebecca shook her head. "I ... I've got to be getting back to me own world now," Rebecca said, shedding a few tears. "I really enjoyed meeting each of you."
"Wait Rebecca, you're leaving?" Two-Tone asked, aghast.
"Yes," Rebecca sighed. "Judge Dimsdale De Vil needs to be watched, and I am the only one who can do it." She looked at each of her new friends for one last time. "I best be on me way."
None of them knew what to say for a second, before Lucky approached her. "We'll miss you, Rebecca. I still don't remember going to De Vil Ville or meeting you before ... But I believe you when you say I did," Lucky said. "And this time, I know we'll never forget you."
"Yeah! No amount of hocus pocus can stop the magic of friendship!" Cadpig exclaimed.
"I'll remember you with each bite of jerky I have," Rolly said as Rebecca smiled, remembering their disguise incident.
"Becca ... I ... I'm gonna miss you so much!" Two-Tone said, abruptly giving Rebecca a warm hug. Rebecca smiled, thinking about how far her relationship with Two-Tone had come since they started off fighting.
"Thank ye all," Rebecca sniffled, before mumbling, "Well, goodbye."
"Goodbye," the four said sadly as Rebecca placed her front paws on her lace collar and spun it around three times before lying down on the ground. A beam of white light surrounded her, concealing her from everyone else's sight.
"Do you think we'll still remember her?" Rolly asked.
"For sure," Lucky answered confidently, trying to fight back a tear. "She's earned a place in all our hearts."
Rebecca stood up, surrounded in a vast expanse of white. Knowing how to get through the time portal, she was surprised that upon walking forward, she suddenly bumped into something fluffy and soft. Falling backward, Rebecca looked confused until her eyes adjusted to the whiteness and saw a little white, curly-haired bichon in front of her, who beamed at her warmly. "Miss Belinda?" Rebecca asked, confused.
"Hi Rebecca!" Belinda exclaimed, before she called out, "Shala!"
A second later, the curvy, dark gray wolf with a bushy tail appeared through the mist and nodded understandingly to her apprentice before facing their visitor. "Welcome back Rebecca," she said proudly. "You have come at last."
"Ready to go home?" Belinda asked.
"Yes," Rebecca sighed meekly.
Shala and Belinda looked at each other. "What is it?" Rebecca asked confusedly.
"You don't sound very happy," Belinda observed.
"I ... I ..." Rebecca stammered as Shala stared at her piercingly. "You're having second thoughts, aren't you?"
"What? About going back!" Rebecca stuttered. "No! I've got to! I've got to protect my world from the evil Judge Dimsdale De Vil! I ... "
"Yes, we know," Shala interrupted. "But circumstances have changed."
So Rebecca sat down with the time wolf and her apprentice, looking at them blankly as Shala began to explain. "The purpose of the curse upon your village was to punish Judge Dimsdale De Vil for the cruelties he inflicted on the townsfolk and so that everyone in the town would be immune from any suffering. However, Hester Hen had discovered that due to a loophole in her curse not specifying which De Vil was to be confined to the village, Judge De Vil had almost escaped from his town, upon which he could only create more strife. So Hester Hen knew she had to rectify her mistake. She put a new spell in place to ensure that Judge De Vil himself would be confined to De Vil Ville once and for all. Her new spell had turned him to stone, and all he can do is watch the town around him in their eternal happiness."
Shala then looked at Rebecca intently. "Yesterday, Hester Hen visited De Vil Ville to check on the effects of her curse. But on her visit, she learned that someone besides Judge De Vil was in a state of unhappiness."
"Let me explain," Belinda asked, and Shala nodded. "Hester saw many things that weren't right. There was a bone mangled from depressive chewing and a dog bed soaked in tears. These are not the signs of someone in eternal happiness! These are signs of a pup who like Judge Dimsdale De Vil, was not enchanted by the curse. A pup who was once enchanted, only to have the curse broken when she made new friends who she never saw again. A pup who was sad and lonely, looking to live life just like any other pup, but never had the chance because she was trapped in a cursed community, where she could never talk to anybody who was not enchanted. And that's just not right!"
Rebecca looked on uncomfortably as she recalled all those feelings she once felt. Shala then continued, "Hester Hen is not an evil witch, and so naturally she was startled to find that an innocent puppy was feeling the same pain as a wicked De Vil. So once again, she tried rectifying her mistake, ensuring mindless happiness for everyone besides Judge De Vil who truly calls De Vil Ville their only home. But as we can see, the spell had no effect on you. Now why do you think that is?"
"Because I was not there?" Rebecca guessed.
"Yes," Shala said, "But this was a powerful curse that transcended time and space, so that would have no effect."
"I don't understand," Rebecca said slowly.
"I think you do," Shala advised. "Look inside your heart."
"Because ... Because ... " Rebecca sighed, before mumbling, "Because De Vil Ville is not my only home anymore?"
"Yes," Shala answered. "Your actions and the relationships you have built on this journey have strengthened your heart, proving you've grown far too much to be well-served by a permanent enchantment. Therefore, with that and Hester immobilizing Judge De Vil, the path forward for you is clear."
"Ye mean that ... I should live with Lucky's family?" Rebecca gasped as they both nodded. "But what about my parents! I won't see them again!"
However at that point, Shala put a paw on Rebecca's shoulder. "Time is a complex thing to tamper with, but your needs are truly exceptional. So Belinda and I have decided to allow your collar to remain as a time portal. Spin it around just as you did before and again, you will be let into the portal between your old and new homes. Because your parents are in a state of eternal bliss, they cannot pass through this portal. However, after spinning your collar, if you hold paws with any of your new family, or if many of you hold paws together, they may join you in visiting De Vil Ville."
"Besides, you've earned your way to be in this family," Belinda smiled. "And you deserve to be part of of it."
Rebecca looked at Shala and Belinda in disbelief. "This must be a dream, isn't it?" she asked.
"A dream perhaps, but a dream that has come true," Belinda smiled, and with a last glimmer of sparking light, the time wolf and her apprentice vanished.
"Rebecca, wake up!"
"Huh?" she asked, and looking up, she saw that Lucky, Two-Tone, Rolly and Cadpig were surrounding her, and also joining them were Patch, Penny, Pongo and Perdita.
"What happened?" Rolly asked.
"Well ... I realized that while I love my parents ... You all are beginning to seem like another family," Rebecca answered.
"I'm glad to hear you say that," Pongo said. "Because Perdy and I would like to offer you a proposition."
The other dalmatian puppies looked at each other excitedly.
"What kind of proposition?" Rebecca asked.
"Well," Pongo looked at Perdita who nodded before he asked, "As long as you are in our world, how would you like to be our adopted daughter?"
Rebecca looked stunned. "I couldn't do that," she asked. "You have enough adopted children as it is!"
"Most of our puppies are happy on the farm, where our friends the Dearlys and their dogs Prince and Missus are taking good care of them," Perdita explained. "They will come here at some point once Roger and Anita buy their place in the country, but they really appreciate the space that a suburban home cannot provide."
"All our puppies here chose to be because they preferred being part of a closer knit family over having a lot of space," Pongo said. "And we would like to give you that option too. And since you've already gotten to know everyone living here, we think you might prefer to live here too."
"Well," Rebecca said shyly.
"Please?" the six puppies asked.
"Well, all right," Rebecca said, and the other puppies cheered.
"You will be so happy here!" Cadpig explained. "There are so many wonders to our world!"
"Yeah, like the taste of apple fritters," Rolly said hungrily.
"Or all the new fashions!" Two-Tone added. "You can help me decide what to try next!"
Rebecca smiled. "Gee, thank you so much ... I really don't know what to say."
"Well, I do," Lucky exclaimed before looking at all his siblings before they all said, "Welcome to the family, Rebecca!" and the six puppies circled in and hugged their newly adoptive sister. Pongo and Perdita then barked to get Roger and Anita's attention and saw the six puppies with Rebecca.
"Anita, do you think we should see this puppy?" Roger asked.
"Our puppies really seem to like her!" Nanny added.
"I don't see why not," Anita answered, picking Rebecca up and examining her. "You look like a Rebecca to me."
"How did she know?" Rebecca asked blankly to which the others looked just as uncertain. Roger and Anita then took Rebecca to the vet to get licensed, and now with Tripod and Rebecca both adopted, the three families were now complete.
The clock then rang three times, upon which the official dogs made sure every single one of the Brown, Radcliffe and Bourne pets were in the room. "It's time for the press conference," Lawrence said, and the group followed him to the front door, which was ajar for them, and they walked out onto the city hall's front steps.
To their shock, a huge crowd of humans had been standing there waiting, and began to applaud upon their arrival. Likewise, a similarly large crowd of dogs was also watching them excitedly, howling and barking in a frenzy. Turning to their right, they saw that Lawrence joined the mayor, who was speaking at a nearby podium.
"Greetings to you all," the mayor spoke over the microphone. "Today I declare the invasion of the wild dogs in our town is officially over. None of us can fully know what happened, but we do know for certain that these heroic pets belonging to the Brown, Radcliffe and Bourne families on Park Avenue were instrumental to our town's rescue. Through their sheer perseverance, incredible ingenuity, and amazing love and loyalty to one another, their families, and our whole town, these pets did not back down in the face of adversity and shall be honored today as true heroes."
"In their honor," the mayor said, "The city council and I have taken action to address some of the issues facing our canine population, which in turn affect all of us. First and foremost, the city has reclaimed the abandoned base of the wild dogs and have sold it to Kanine Krunchies, who intends to convert it into a new factory for their specialty line of dog kibble."
"Does that mean fresh Kanine Krunchies?" Rolly asked excitedly as all the other dogs began to salivate.
"The factory will provide countless jobs for our people at living wages. And with the high population of dogs in this town, we can be sure that the company will succeed in its mission to satisfy the hunger of all of man's best friends," the mayor said to another round of applause. "In our contract with them, Kanine Krunchies has also agreed to donate a portion of their product to the city government. We will distribute this dog food throughout the town to feed our streetdogs, as well as to our animal shelters, which will allow them to officially become no-kill. Thus, thanks to Kanine Krunchies' charitable efforts, we will be able to improve animal welfare in our town without costing our citizens one cent," he said to more applause.
"Secondly," continued the mayor, "We have decided to reform the animal control system to make more efficient use of their services. Most of our dogcatchers will continue to patrol the streets, but will increasingly work with the veterinary office to ensure animal welfare. They will tag each animal to ensure that all animals have received their basic shots, and the veterinary office will make a determination on whether the animal is adoptable, and if not, whether the animal is safe to release back to the streets. Donations to the veterinary office in conducting these efforts would also be greatly appreciated, so we can convert the pound into a correctional facility and create a new shelter for adoptable animals."
The mayor continued. "Rest assured that violent and dangerous animals, such as the ones involved in this crisis, will not get away with their crimes. They will be sentenced to life imprisonment in our town's high security prison complex, where many of our most ambitious dogcatchers will be reassigned to perform their new role as specialized prison wardens."
"And I can have fun taunting all the bad doggies all day long!" the dogcatcher who once caught Scamp and Angel snickered, relishing the prospect.
"Lastly," said the mayor. "As a result of the safer community we will create and as a reward for our heroes' courage, we will be forming a commission and holding a town hall meeting looking into enriching the lives of our most esteemed animal citizens. The goal behind this is to encourage model citizenry among our pets and to provide rewards for those who have earned the honor. We will be discussing how this would work and specifics at the meeting, but we want to begin enacting this program by Christmas. All who would be interested in working with us to make this program possible would be greatly appreciated."
Many of the pups on stage looked at each other curiously and excitedly, wondering what exactly the mayor was talking about. "In honor of these exploits, I declare these dogs, cat and fox the first inductees to receive these privileges, and present them each with good citizenship awards, as each has shown a real sense of devotion to our community."
As all their pets went to collect the animals' certificates from the police chief and vet to more applause, the puppies in particular continued to look at each other, wondering exactly what the mayor was talking about. But they didn't have any more time to think about this, for the mayor moved on to the end of his speech.
"Finally," said the mayor. "We will dedicate a plaque in City Hall to all these pets who courageously saved our town. We will have each of them record their pawprint upon it as a way to immortalize their accomplishments, and following this, we shall take an official photo shoot in their honor, a photo from which will be proudly displayed in City Hall."
A sculptor then walked forward, carrying a slab of wet cement, while Jim Dear, Darling, Roger, Anita, Thomas and Anna all helped make sure their pets made a good pawprint in the cement before wiping off the cement that had gotten stuck in their paws. Once that was all done, the big family of pets all got into position and smiled endearingly at the camera. Within minutes, all the shots were taken, and in their hearts, everyone knew that they had finally reached the end of one very challenging adventure.