Not much to say here, except for plot of this chapter: to find money for the bets, Charlie stupidly decides to steal a man's wallet right out of his back pocket, using Itchy and Oaklyn as distractions. Anne Marie sees the couple Charlie steals from as the perfect parents, but she's dragged away by Charlie to the horse races, where, of course, they place the bet and win the race. Enjoy!
Oh, and also... thank you SO much, animationgirl89, for making my day over on my brand new Tumblr account! I can't thank you enough!
A busy, busy area filled with people not far from the horsetrack awaited the trio of canines (plus an excited little girl.)
As Oaklyn hid in the bushes, Charlie skirted into the crowd, immediately looking around for anybody to steal from, of course, while Anne Marie twirled in circles, very excited and curious. Itchy was giggling, and he stood under Charlie for a second.
"Let's see here... all we need now is a couple a' bucks!" Charlie said, grinning and looking to the side. Itchy began to walk around too, looking for somebody's wallet on them.
"A couple a' bucks! A couple a' bucks!" he chirped, jumping up and down as he went on. Anne Marie walked under a couple's arms. "A couple, a couple... mmm, yeah! A mom and dad!" The little girl turned all around. Charlie smirked. "Yeah! Right! Sure, kid!" He trotted away, following some woman, and he starting digging around in her purse. Jewelry tumbled out as Charlie skipped behind her. "Whup, too thin!"
Itchy was wiggling around under a very large man's shirt while he bent over to drink from the water fountain. By now, Itchy was laughing loudly. "Hahahaha! Too fat! Hehehehe-"
Anne Marie knelt down several feet away from a cutesy looking couple; the woman was wearing a pretty pink dress, and her husband in a brown tux. Anne Marie pointed to them as they shared a quick kiss. "Oh, look! Charlie, they're perfect!" Charlie grinned, sitting down beside her. "Y'know, kid, I think you're right! Wait right here..."
He looked over as Itchy trotted over. "Itchy!"
"Boss! A number seventeen?" Itchy asked, starting to growl and shake his head around. "No- no, Itchy!" Charlie said, leaning over to put his arm over Itchy's neck. "A number three!" Itchy looked at Charlie mischievously. "A number three? The lame dog?" He lifted his "injured" paw up and started limping over to the couple, chuckling. "Hahaha... oh, boss...! Hahaha-"
He let out a short yelp/howl, suddenly lifting his back foot instead. "Owwwww! My feet- is killin' me!" he cried, squeezing in between the man's legs. "How-how- howooowwww!" he howled again, flopping down on his back; dramatically, he grabbed his foot and rocked back and forth, whimpering. "Oh, Harold! The poor little thing!" The man's wife kneeled down to look at Itchy.
Harold knelt down, as well. "Cute little fella... what's wrong, boy?" Seeing this, Anne Marie came over and picked a whimpering Itchy up, placing her toy on the ground beside her. "Itchy? Itchy! Oh, are you ok?" Itchy kicked his legs, still trying to pretend he was injured. The woman smiled at her. "Aww, is this your dog?" Itchy squirmed, and Anne Marie struggled to hold on to him. "Well- kind of! Itchy, what's the matter?"
Charlie, of course, was sneaking up behind Harold. Smiling when he spotted his wallet, Charlie leaned closer and bit onto it gently, trying to pull it out. However, he let out a shocked "oh!" as something grabbed his belly.
"Itchy!!" Anne Marie called, holding onto his leg. She was crouched under Harold's legs, and Itchy had wrapped his arms around Charlie's middle. "Boss!" Itchy whispered, accidentally yanking Charlie down as Anne Marie tugged his leg. "What do I do?!" Charlie glared at him, and Oaklyn, still hiding, started giggling at Charlie's situation. "Ham it up some more!" he growled, "we almost got it!"
Itchy howled dramatically once more as Anne Marie yanked him back over. He kept trying to get out of her grasp, and Harold and Kate, his wife, were still trying to see the problem. "Itchy! Let me see your paw!" Anne Marie said, holding on. "Oh, I think he's ok," Harold said.
Charlie rolled his eyes, but immediately he went back to grabbing the wallet. Finally he managed to dig it out, growling softly. He jerked it away from Harold's pocket. "Hey! I got it! Let's go!!" he said very quickly, spinning around rapidly to sneak away.
Itchy, too, finally wiggled out of Anne Marie's grasp, barking and running after Charlie. "Itchy!!!" Anne Marie called, grabbing her toy, but Kate chuckled. "Seems to be just fine!" Harold laughed, and Kate got up to follow the young girl.
Charlie jumped behind a thick bush, and Oaklyn ran up beside him as Kate kneeled down to the girl's level. She was glaring at him. "Charlie, you're such a-" Charlie glanced at her, but before she could finish, Kate began to speak. "What's your name, little girl?" Anne Marie did a cute little curtesy. "Anne Marie! Pleased to meet you! I'm getting a new dress!"
Charlie's mischievous grin got even bigger. "Oh, that's nice, dear!" Kate said. "But where are your parents?" Charlie leaned closer to the girl while ignoring Oaklyn's whispering, and Anne Marie knelt down. "Squeaker, let's go!" he whispered tightly, glaring impatiently. "But-but I'm not done talking!" she whispered, looking from the shepherd and back to Kate.
Charlie, though, had had enough. He grabbed her wrist and stuffed a hat over her head. "C'mon! We're gonna miss Chawhee's birthday!"
With that, he pulled the girl away, and Kate, surprised and confused, simply looked around.
"Last call; last call for bets!"
A very tall man wearing a pink overcoat walked very, very clumsily and unsteadily up to the voting area. Only this person wasn't just a man. It was Charlie, Itchy, and Anne Marie all stacked up; Charlie had Itchy on his shoulders, and on his was Anne Marie. Oaklyn was just pretending to be a pet dog, sitting beside the stack.
"Charlie," she whispered up, "I don't... do you actually think this is gonna work?" Charlie peeked at her from in between the overcoat buttons. "Of course it's gonna work, Snowflake! Just trust me." Oaklyn rolled her eyes, scoffing and shaking her head.
Anne Marie had a fake mustache on, and a gray hat to disguise her. "I wanna make a bet, please!" she said to the man behind the window, in a really deep voice. The elderly man was staring in shock at her; Charlie, who was totally overjoyed at having a thick wad of money in his paws, was wagging his tail aggressively, and he was almost dancing with happiness. He was even tapping his feet on the ground back and forth. Itchy's head stuck out for a moment, but he quickly ducked back in.
Charlie's tail wagged so hard it made his rear end swing! With a huge smile, tongue flopping out, he gave his money a big kiss, but he noticed Itchy frantically pointing upward; Charlie, realizing that his tail was clearly visible, whipped his arm under himself and pulled his tail up, holding onto it with his free paw. He looked up at Itchy. "Grand Chawhee to win- pass it on."
He handed Itchy the money, and he passed it up to Anne Marie. "Grand Chawhee to win! Pass it on!"
Anne Marie grabbed the cash and pulled it out. "Grand Chawhee... to win!" Suddenly, of course, Itchy started scratching hard at his side. Charlie glared at him, and Oaklyn startled, waving at Itchy to knock it off. Charlie reached up, growling, and scratched at Itchy's side. "Why now?!" he whispered. Satisfied, Itchy grinned. "Ahh."
"Chawhee, huh?" the old man repeated, turning to the chalkboard; Chawhee's odds of winning? 1,000 to 1. "Ooh, y'know somethin', I don't know-"
"It's his birthday!" Anne Marie said, forgetting to use her deep voice; Itchy pushed the mustache back onto her face as the man turned around, confused. "I mean... it's his birthday!" The old man gave her a white ticket, and she replied, "thank you!"
Yanking Oaklyn with them, Charlie spun around, elated, and wobbled unsteadily up to an ice cream cart; he snuck a cone with pink ice cream dripping off, taking a lick. Then he passed it up to Itchy, who also licked at it, and finally up to Anne Marie. She tried to lick it, but she couldn't; she shoved the fake mustache out of the way, enjoying her ice cream.
Then a glob fell off, landing right on Oaklyn's head. She cringed. "Oh! Gross!" Charlie laughed at her while she glared, wiping it off.
The four of them finally made it into the racetrack stands as the horn started to play over the speakers, and Charlie sat down with Itchy and Anne Marie still on his shoulders. Oaklyn huffed at the pink stain on her head. "Yuck..."
Anne Marie was still eating her ice cream, and it was starting to drip on Itchy. "Hey, you gettin' any a' that in your mouth up there?" Itchy complained, watching her lick it; then the entire thing fell off the cone, and onto Itchy's face. He stuck his head back into the overcoat. "Eww! It's j- aw, c'mon, gimme a break! Gimme a break!" he grumbled, taking it in his paw and shaking it off. Charlie cringed as it fell onto his muzzle. "Knock it off," he growled, "you see anything up there?"
Itchy was holding up his dripping paw. "Well, mostly the back a'da buttons, but- other than that..." He swiped his tongue at what was left on the ice cream on his paw, and Oaklyn tugged on the sleeve. "Hey! Look, guys, it's starting!"
She was right; gates numbered 1-8 opened at the bell, and all horses took off instantly... uh... most of them. The Grand Chawhee took a few slow steps facing the wrong way, but he spun around and took off as well. Oaklyn scoffed, shaking her head.
Anne Marie, though, didn't seem to care. "Come on, Chawhee!! You can do it!! It's your birthday!!" Itchy popped his head out again, looking kind of angry. "I don't care if it's his-... his bar mitzvah!! That horse is a gluepot!" Charlie did the same. "Shut up!!" he yelled, turning his head back to the track.
"Please, Chawhee!!! Please!!!" Oaklyn watched the horses run, but she just shook her head. "Charlie, you're a moron," she said, and Charlie glared at her. "COME ON!!! Move your legs!" Itchy called.
The pink female horse Anne Marie had spoken to was almost leading, behind Chawhee. "Yoo-hoo! Reginald... excuse me!" she called sweetly to a male horse with fancy attire. "Ah, splendid, hello, Stella!" he greeted. "Jolly good day for a race, eh?" Stella chuckled. "Oh, yes! But Reginald... honey! I do hate to rain on your parade... but did you know-" Her face turned somewhat frustrated. "It's the Grand Chawhee's birthday?!"
Reginald chuckled. "Oh, really? Haha, you don't say-" His eyeglass fell off, and he frowned. "Oh! Terribly sorry!"
As Chawhee made it to the front, Stella and Reginald came up behind him and shoved their heads into his back legs, propelling him forward. He slowly turned his head around with a derpy smile, waving in a friendly way with his tongue hanging out.
Charlie, now very anxious, let out a sharp gasp as Chawhee was shoved across the finish line, where he blew a kazoo.
Itchy started laughing very loudly and did a backflip, yanking hard on Charlie's ears and pulling him and Anne Marie backward. The hat Anne Marie had on settled on Charlie's head, and the girl fell off of Charlie's shoulders. "HAHAHA!!!! Who-hoo-hoo-hoo!!! He did it!!!" Itchy yelled, laughing and jumping around with joy. Charlie laughed. "Hahaha! No! Anne Marie did it!!" He threw his arms around the giggling child, who stood up and Itchy hugged Charlie's neck. Oaklyn cheered, jumping up and hugging Charlie as well.
"Happy birthday, Chawhee!" Anne Marie called, giggling in between words, as people began to snap photos of Chawhee. "I knew you could do it!! Hehe- happy birthday!!"
Charlie laughed lowly to himself; then Anne Marie leaned down and kissed Charlie's muzzle. Startled, Charlie coughed, eyes huge, and he cringed. "Yuck! Bluh-!" Oaklyn and Itchy, laughing, both were watching Chawhee and waiting to collect their winnings. Oaklyn, grinning brightly at Charlie, ran over and hugged Charlie's middle hard. "Charlie, we did it!!!" she shouted.
Surprised at the hug, Charlie stared down at her with his paws just staying in the air, blushing a bit; then he grabbed her and hugged her back, picking her up in the air. "Nah, Snowflake- that was Anne Marie!!"
I finished chapter 8... oh my gosh, it took forever! I know... anyway, please review if you enjoyed!