Chapter 35: Beware of Guard Dog (Not)
(Quick A/N: I know I've gotten waaaaay off track from how the movie Wreck it Ralph actually is and its dialogue, but I'll get back on it soon. It just has taken me awhile filling in a few gaps to get there ;) )
With Felix still cradled with one arm, a distraught Mr.Litwak slumped over and picked up Felix' little fuzzy blue bed and his plush hammer squeak toy. After he carried them all into the break room and set them down, the man then set the orange and white corgi in the middle of the dog bed.
"You stay here, boy, while we figure this all out," he told the corgi softly as he reached down and ruffled the fur on Felix' head. Sighing once more, the man finally walked away and shut the door behind him, containing Felix alone inside.
Now only with just his thoughts as his company, Felix continued to shake in his dog bed. His mind struggled to sort through all that had happened- in just a few hours time.
The beloved petshop...my home, he slowly pieced together, is temporarily closin' ...because we may be at risk of being kidnapped. No, animal-napped...
All at the hands an abusive, crazed group of extreme animal 'scientists' who may or may not on the loose, although the odds looked to be in favor of it actually bein' true. Why would anyone just break into various animal-related places?
If- if we get broken into again...and those people get a hold of any of us here in the pet shop...
At the mere thought of something so terrible happening, Felix shuddered and trembled, trying to push out the horrific possibility.
But when his mind suddenly raced back to the break-in from several months ago... he realized that it all might be more than just a possibility. More like a reality.
None of us ever thought that break-in would ever happen, Felix pointed out to himself, yet it did. It had come out of nowhere in the middle of the day ,while Litwak was out to lunch...
Sudden unwelcomed memories of the sound of wood splitting and cracking under the weight of a crowbar being prided into it came flooding back...The sharp, unnerving sound still rang sharply in Felix' ears even after all these months later; it was a sound forever imprinted in his mind - and a sound he never wished to here again.
It amazing him that one sound, one event could cause so many nightmares to him and others.
Closing his baby blue eyes, Felix found him unwillingly remembering more and more of that one event...and could just picture himself in the scene...
...I cowered behind the huge fish tank stand, shakin' somethin' awful the burglar continued to sharply break the door in. All time seemed to freeze then, crawlin' at an unimaginable, agonizin' slow pace...I didn't know what to do, what to feel...other than to hide and shake with fear...The masked man had just barely slipped in after busting the door open, apparently ready to grab as many small animals in reach that he could...including me......
When the man let out an ear piercing scream suddenly.
Felix opened his eyes suddenly and blinked repeatedly, once again completely overwhelmed by the memories he could never forget.
...I peeked out from behind the large fish tank stand to see the image of Ralph appearin' out of nowhere. He clamped down with sharp teeth on the man's right leg, causin' the man to buckle to the ground instantly...The bull mastiff, who face was usually soft, contorted into a savage-like snarl as he ... scarifyin'ly gently... dragged the screamin', masked man from away from the broken door..so that Ralph himself could stand in front of the pet shop, protectively and heroicly ever on guard as he ferociously growled at the would-be robber.
At the mere mental image of Ralph, standing on the defense and protectively in front of their pet shop, the tenderhearted corgi felt his bottom lip quiver slightly as more memories came.
After that, the police -and paramedics- were called by a concerned citizen who had witnessed the whole break-in. By the time Mr.Litwak had heard about the whole incident and had frantically rushed to get back to his petshop, the situation had come to a dramatic conclusion as the injured robber was placed securely into the back of the ambulance.The policemen still on the scene reported and recounted the events to Litwak to fill him in...which included telling him just how much to Ralph's credit it was that none of the animals had been taken or injured by the masked man...who had stolen other animals elsewhere before...
...And how surprisin'ly gentle of a watchdog Ralph really was with the robber although bitin' him the way he did. How most guard dogs would've savagely ripped into an intruder like a killin' machine- even if it wasn't really warranted at all at that point...
Of course, Mr.Litwak was shaken up about the whole incident...but mostly, he was so glad he had decided to adopt the gentle yet strong, full-grown bull mastiff when he first opened the pet shop so many years ago...
My owner -our owner- praised Ralph greatly and even thank the dog for bein' there...
Perhaps...more than I ever did...
Felix' mind paused in its flashback for just a moment to chew over that one single thought...and his gut did a backflip when he recognized just how true it was.
Shaking off the heavy thought that he never showed Ralph any real appreciation, the corgi's mind race on.
Everyone in town quickly heard of what Ralph had done to protect the shop...and how the attempted thief had to get 25 stitches on his leg before being thrown off to jail...
...Sure, a lot of stitches, no doubt...but for as strong as Ralph really was...he could've pulled off the man's leg if he really wanted to...
No one would dare to break-in into the petshop after that. Would-be crooks were completely scared of what Ralph could and would do to them- and for good reason. Now the dog's mere presence at the pet shop had the power to deter potential robbers or thieves away...
...Or, at least it did at one point...
Closing his eyes, Felix sighed once more and felt his body shaking again.
Ralph truly was a great guard dog; he showed that simple fact very well that day.
He's fiercely protective and loyal, no doubt...yet would never be threatenin' towards any of us or Mr.Litwak or Stefanie or the customers...And yet, even towards the would-be stealer, Ralph chose not to really tear into him...
All because the bull mastiff knew his potential power. He knew that his bite was extremely dangerous...but he wasn't just a savage killin' machine like most guard dogs are.
He could probably even kill a man fairly easy if he ever wanted to, as many guard dogs would at the given opportunity...but Ralph chooses not to until a situation was absolutely dire enough.
Yes, Ralph was one of the strongest, toughest guard dogs ever...And yet also one of gentlest at the same time.
Felix opened his eyes suddenly and after a moment, he realized that he was no longer shaking. That he felt calm. Relaxed. Strangely unafraid...
A sudden new feeling came to the corgi, a feeling that Felix recognized, for the first since Ralph had been gone, he now suddenly felt relentless.
Safe.
Felix the corgi felt unexplainably safe while Ralph had been around...and even at the mere mental image of the strong yet kind mastiff was enough to slow down his shaking and trembles. A slight smile surfaced on his face.
Ralph could be a cluz, yes, and a bit too big...and boy, could he have a temper. But overall... he would wholeheartedly protect me and the rest of the pet shop animals from any robber that dared to break-in...
Ralph is a great guard dog. No, a great dog.
A real good dog...
Or at least, at one time the bull mastiff was.
Because now, he's...gone.
Instantly, as if almost by magic, the calm, relaxed, unafraid... the safe feeling Felix had felt was gone. Just like that.
Just like Ralph.
Ralph's gone. Gone Turbo, Felix whimpered softly in his head as he gulped down the lump in his throat- focusing his mind to accept the truth. And all partly because...I didn't show Ralph the clear praise he deserved- that fateful day or otherwise.
I lied to him, convinced him to go to that bad-dog meetin'...instead of doing the kind to do and invitin' him to the anniversary party. I let Gene demean him, make fun of him...to push Ralph around mentally, emotionally...
And I inadvertently aided Gene in chasin' away the best guard dog Arcadia has ever known.
At that mere thought, the little corgi cringed, almost in physical pain at the realization of just how badly he treated Ralph. One thought, one he'd never thought he'd had, came pushing it's way into his mind and making he want to cry at it's undeniable answer.
Who really is the good dog, then?
