Back home, the pet shop was particularly quiet and calm- especially in comparison with, unbeknownst to them all, what Ralph was then experiencing. As dawn now approached, most of the animals were sleeping soundly in their beds, each dreaming quite peaceful dreams as they waited for Mr.Litwak to come and open up.
For them, the night had ended on a high note: the anniversary party had (mostly) been a huge hit- and most of the attendees had deeply enjoyed the shindig, now long over and mentally stored away as another great party...
And best of all, Ralph the bull mastiff was now gone. He had made his deal with Gene- and now the clumpy, huge mutt was gone. He'd run off, long disappeared, never to bother any of them again. Why not celebrate over that simple dream come true?
But as a certain, still all-too-awake corgi knew, that simple 'dream' was nothing to celebrate over.
The night for said corgi had begun and ended in a way he never thought it would. Ended in a way he'd never wished in million years it would've. In fact, he could safely say last night had been the longest, worst night of his entire life.
Because now the guard dog of Mr.Litwak's Petshop, it's very protector, was now gone. Poof. Just like that- all over some silly bet.
And now, for the first time in a long time, sleep had completely fled Felix- leaving him wide awake all night. In fear, in agony, in pure, unrelenting frustration and anger.. and guilt.
Although knowing he desperately needed sleep, all night long his mind couldn't help but punish him, repeatedly stabbing at him over and over with mental words of anger.
You could've stopped this from happenin'- if you had just spoken up, you little dope!...Ralph would still be here if you had defended him...treated him nicer...been a real friend to him!...All of this could've been avoided if you had tried a little harder to convince Gene to invite Ralph to the party... And had told him out loud that dag-gum Bad Dog meeting was a bad idea!...
Many times through the night Felix had these thoughts plaguing him, reprimanding him for what he did and didn't do. And many times through the night he was shocked at the language he used, disgusted with himself for having such a potty mouth...in his mind.
When he wasn't rebuking himself, the small dog couldn't help but keep wondering how any of the others could just sleep on, uncaring at the mess they had made...that he had aided them in making...
Not a literal mess; the group had long clean up the anniversary party's remains. No, it was the bigger, way messier mess that had been created that made the concerned corgi worry so much- and so restless.
Apart from Felix still hoped and wished that Ralph would come back and fix the mess. That he'd come bouncing back through the hole in the door that he left, saying that he had realized his mistakes and that the world out there was harsher than he thought it'd be. And all would be good and perfect- and safe again.
But as the seconds became minutes and the minutes became hours through the night, that hope Felix clung to waned painfully away- especially as the approaching sunrise suddenly burned his sleep-deprived eyes.
Still, all the small good dog could do was stare silently at the petshop's door, as he had done all night long. Right at the place where the doggy door once was- until it was, of course, broken off at its' hinges because of Ralph.
Head on his paws, Felix looked emptily outside, uncharacteristically ignoring the warmth from the upcoming sun. He lifted his head enough to gaze out onto the road, where cars zoomed by loudly- made even louder now with part of the door missing.
Laying his heavy-feeling head back onto his orange paws, Felix sighed as his little heart ached in pain.
This all is so very bad, he thought nervously, his huge eyes peering over to the clock above the cash register. 7:55 am.
He knew Mr.Litwak would walk up any minute- and immediately notice the hole in the door...and then that a certain bull mastiff was missing from his place outside by the door, his old blanket and doghouse empty and bare...
At the mere thought, Felix winced and shut his eyes tightly, hoping it would shut out his world of worries. Unfortunately, though, it only made them worse as he mentally pictured Ralph all over again- and guilted swallowed him whole yet again as well.
Gene was wrong. As clumsy and big and destructive as he was, Ralph was still a big, important part of the pet shop. His frightening sized always intimidated people, especially the ones always up to no good...With one low, threatening growl, he always made them take off running. And his judgments on those ones who were up to no good was always correct; I've had lost count at just how many times I've seen Ralph chase away someone only later to see their faces again on the news for some kind of crime...Felix paused in his thinking to gulp down the lump forming in his throat...as well as the unsettling memories that were settling in.
Yes, Ralph was the strongest, fiercest the guard dog around- and Mr.Litwak kept him around for an obvious reason.
And now, he was gone.
A sudden, faint click of a doorknob was heard, making Felix' eyes jump open as his body froze in rapt attention.
Oh, no! It's happening again! he thought frantically, starting to shake helplessly as he eyed the front door in utter dispear...
To find that it was only Mr.Litwak unlocking the door, punctual as always.
Sighing in relief, Felix eyed the clock up on the wall and saw it was straight up 8- opening time. Forcing himself to stand up on shaky legs, the corgi banished his thoughts -for now- as Mr.Litwak slowly and bewilderedly came through the petshop's door.
"What is blue blazes happened here?" Felix heard the old man mumbled as turning to examine the hole in his pet shop's door, scratching his balding him in confusion.
Shaking his head, Mr.Litwak quickly switched on the lights- openly exposing the completely befuddled look on his face. Peering around with a look of extreme worry beginning to become etched on his face, the man's eyes finally fell on a miserable and anxious-looking Felix, standing up and shaking slightly.
His eyes widening, Mr.Litwak blocked everything else out -including the huge hole in his petshop's front door- and immediately focused solely on the corgi. He'd never seen Felix act like this; the mascot of the pet shop was usually bouncing around the room, more than happy when the old man came to through the door in the morning.
Something was wrong. Very wrong- and Mr.Litwak knew it had something to do with the doggy door missing in the front door.
"What's the matter, boy?" The pet shop owner asked Felix in concern, kneeling down to one knee on the floor and beckoned the corgi closer.
When Felix dragged himself forward, the old man gingerly picked him up and examined him- and at seeing the corgi was physically unharmed, his face relaxed a bit.
"Do you know what in the world happened to the door?" the older man wondered out loud to the corgi, peering deep into his dog's sorrowful eyes...and getting more worried by the minute.
In response, Felix just whimpered silently with his head hung low in a sadness his owner had never seen in him before- making Mr.Litwak worry even more
Absent-mindedly scratching the corgi's head, the man instinctively eyed the other animals around the petshop...and sighed in total relief to see that they were all starting to be stirred awake, everyone fine along with his Felix.
Holding the corgi a little closer to his chest, the old man's eyes danced around the room- then finally they landed on mangled remains of something metal left abandoned in front of the large aquarium. As he approached it, he squinted at it for a minute realized that it was the doggy door itself...and that it had been broken and ripped apart from the door. By something big...
And strong...and very, very clumsy.
A small smile surfacing on his face, Mr.Litwak chuckled slightly- sounding somewhat relieved at seeing the doggy door in such shambles.
"Looks like this is Ralph's doing, huh, Felix?" he asked the corgi, who helplessly gulped in reply. "Heh, he knows better than to try and make it through that little door anymore."
Rolling his eyes and adjusted his glasses, Mr.Litwak paused to shake his head...
Before suddenly asking the very question that stabbed Felix all over again.
"Wait...where is Ralph, anyway?" The man finally connected as he put the two and two altogether. Upon getting no reply from a very shaking Felix, the old man came back over to the front door.
"It's not like Ralph to just not be here in the morning," he mumbled as he opened the door and peered outside, more worried than perplexed. "Where is he?"
Despite his anxiety climbing as Felix seemed to shake more and more, the concerned man set the corgi down and slipped back out the door...
And began whistling and calling out Ralph's name louder and louder, his voice getting more and more concerned by the second. In his old age, Mr.Litwak even walked up and down the street for a few minutes, searching for any sign of his giant guard dog...his friendly pooch...his beloved and loyal pet, Ralph...
And as his beloved owner suddenly came rushing back inside, searching for his cellphone to desperately call the pound, then Stephanie, then any other place he could think of where Ralph possibly could be at...
Felix couldn't help but place his shaking orange paws over his eyes as his ears replace flattened up against his head- knowing full well Ralph wouldn't be coming back any time soon.
