Collette stood up quietly after a long while. Stormé had by now fallen asleep again.
"She must be so stressed out, poor thing." She thought, as she tip toed away from the spaniel. "All hungry, cold, dirty..." She turned back once to look at the sleeping spaniel, focusing in particular on her ears. Before they had been dirty and covered in mud. After some pawing and a good grooming they were back to what they looked like before the streets. "Almost as good as mine."
Satisfied she made her way back to the house, where it's inhabitants had now long awoken.
"That's enough Scamp!" Jim Dear's voice came from upstairs. "Hold still! You're much too old to still be fighting..." He let out a frustrated groan. "...over a simple bath."
Collette scoffed humorously. Her brother was over a year old now and slightly bigger than her father, yet he had still not matured yet. "I guess some things never change." Then she thought with a smile. "And some things do."
She walked slowly into the living room. Junior was playing gently with Angel on the soft carpet. Angel didn't seem to mind, giving the toddler an occasional lick on his bare toes. Eventually he walked, very clumsily, over to something else in the room, that had caught his attention.
The scene made Collette smile. Junior's innocence was never lost on her, it would always bring back memories of Danielle, memories that sent nostalgia racing through her body. "But I've got Stormé now. Right?"
She approached Angel apprehensively, after the Pomeranian mix nodded for her to come over. The terrible thoughts that she had before of this dog were still in her mind. Even when Angel didn't know, it still felt awkward to try and have a normal conversation, as if nothing was wrong.
"Juniors getting bigger and stronger everyday." Angel mused. "I'm gonna' miss being called his 'Little Angel'."
Collette forced a smile. "Yeah. He reminds me a lot of Danielle actually."
She noticed Angel's head dip down slightly. "Really? In what way?"
"Well for starters, he is just about the clumsiest thing I have ever seen."
Angel chuckled. "That's for sure, alright."
Collette continued. "He's really innocent too. Has no idea what the world has in store for him. Has no idea that the world can be a harsh and cruel place. Has no idea that the world can make you hate those around you." She paused, realizing that she had been rambling, said the next part slower. "He has no idea how lonely the world can make you."
"Collette." A half-whisper, half-sigh escaped Angel's lips. "I know we've never been really close or anything, I mean most of the time I hang out with Annette." She looked intently into Collette's eyes. "But we're both apart of this family, you're practically my sister. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'll always be there no matter what."
Tears were on the verge of welling in Collette's eyes. "Angel." She forced her voice, making it come out squeaky and hoarse. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"I-I uhm..." She hesitated slightly, but decided it was best to apologize there and then. "I had some really bad thoughts." A deep sigh came from her nose. "I was angry and sad and confused and I-I...thought of you really badly." She wanted to mention the whole "...attention seeking leach part...", but found the guilt of such a hateful thought too much to bear.
Angel looked on, as Collette struggled to keep her tears in. "Well...I'm not exactly innocent myself."
"Huh?" Collette sniffled slightly.
"When I first met you, I thought that you were really prissy." She went on. "One time you whined about Danielle getting to bath first, I thought you were really stuck-up. Another time you came off as selfish."
"Oh." Collette turned her head away sadly. "So it is true, I'm a prissy, stuck-up, selfish dog that no one wants to be around."
"No, no, no." Angel replied quickly. "I didn't have the best first impressions with you, but I've been in this house for a while and I've seen you for who you really are."
She felt like scoffing, more at herself than anything else. "And who is that?"
"A caring, sweet-natured dog."
"No, that's not-"
"You're my sister Collette."
Her eyes closed in a last ditch attempt to hold in her tears. "Thank you. Thank you so much Angel."
Angel smiled warmly.
Collette let the few tears that there were flow and smiled back. "Uhm- you said that I could talk to you about anything, right?"
"Yup." She nodded. "Something on your mind?"
Collette nodded back, for once actually interested in taking advice.
The soothing touch of Collette's tongue filled Stormé with more emotions than she cared to count. Try as she might, it was impossible to just enjoy the moment, enjoy the fact that Collette, of all dogs, was actually doing this for her. It brought back warm memories from what her life used to be. Memories that were now filled with nothing but sadness and heartache.
Her mother used to groom her ears every morning. By that lovely rose bush in the front garden. The two of them always woke up first, spending the mornings chatting like mother and daughter would, smelling the roses and much to her own disliking, having her mother dote her over as if she was still a puppy. She missed those days now, regretted having ever complained to her mother, even if it was all in good spirit.
She groaned softly, earning a gentle shush from Collette. Life was tiring.
When she'd first left, a newfound energy opened itself up. An energy that consisted of excitement, determination and hope. However as the days went on, they beat on her more and more. That energy shifted to desperation. No food, water and sleep for days at a time. She was forced to shelter under whatever measly cover she could find on rainy days. This compared to the warmness of the house, the fireplace that glowed a comforting red, every time she walked into the living room. The world was not kind to her at all, it had hit her head on, unexpectedly. It made her hate Farace, filled her with sadness and loneliness. Left her with only memories of the best times and even those were now brutally filled with pain and despair.
"What is there left?" Her thoughts clouded her tired mind. "What am I holding out for? What am I hoping for?" Then she remembered her mother's words, the words that had driven her to leave behind the dull sadness that lingered in her old life. "Pursue happiness...no matter what." Maybe that's why she was still here. She was still looking for happiness. "But...I have found happiness. Right here with...Collette." The wonderful sensation of Collette's tongue again touched her deeply. "She's the best...what is wrong with me?" Everything, beside her thoughts seemed to suddenly disappear. "Farace is out to get me. A dogcatcher is out to get me. I'm not doing anything, but putting Collette and her family in harms way...how could I be so selfish?" Her throat felt dry. "I have to leave...I have to...do this on my own." An image of her mother flashed once more in her mind. "What about the happiness?" An image of Collette flashed in her mind. "No...I can't endanger her, that wouldn't be fair." The idea of leaving was scary, but the idea of losing Collette was even scarier. "So be it. I'll be out of her hair, as soon as I get some strenght back."
Fatigue washed itself over her quickly. She was unprepared for such an attack and with the feeling of Collette's tongue slowly returning, she fell asleep within minutes, albeit in a troubled mind state.