Chapter 48: The Power of Cuteness
Felix bounced after her, not willing to come this far just to give up.
He slipped through the doors himself, nearly assulted by the brightness of the sun over head. His eyes were blinded for a split second, causing him to trip slightly as he stepped off the hospital steps.
"Wait...wait!" he cried desperately behind Calhoun. "I can't let you just k-kill Ralph!"
"Oh, really? You want to try and stop yourself?" The doberman answered, spinning on her heels to lean over him. Her growling jaws dripped with somehow intimidating drool as she stood over him, blocking the sun from his vision. Her sides heaved in and out in a steady, frightening pace underneath her K-9 vest as she dug her nails into the concrete steps.
Felix lowered his body once more, cringing in fear as he started to shake.
"N-no, ma'am...I-I just...please, don't kill him!" he begged out.
Calhoun groaned as she dramatically rolled her head back, the overhead sun reflecting beautifully off her jet black coat.
"Give me one vaild reason I shouldn't just snap that dogs neck the second I find him!" she hissed at him.
"Because...because he's needed at my petshop!" Felix barked out as he slipped back from under her head to stand up straighter before her.
Calhoun jerked her head back to laugh cold-bloodedly. "Oh, yeah? Why'd he run off like a moron last night then? Huh? Answer me that!" She hissed as she turned and continued her way down the concrete steps.
"That's what I was trying to tell you!" The corgi cried as he stumbled after her. "He ran off to win a bet that he could get a good dog collar-"
"Wait...he stole my collar to win a bet?!" Calhoun bellowed as she stopped in midstep, causing Felix to run right into one of her back legs.
"Ooh, he's going to be deader than a roadkilled opposum when I'm done with him!" she snarled as she flattened her ears against her head and continued in her deterimined stride.
Felix felt himself begin to panic. His attempt in trying to change her mind had somehow only made her more determined to follow through with executing his colleague.
He bounced after her, failing to catch her attention as she pranced along one side of the building.
Both Felix and the doberman were somehow unoticed by the crowds of people in front of the hospital, most of them not even facing the enterance of the bulding. The scared citizens were gathered around the newscaster and relaying their stories and that of their loved ones inside, while the police men and women were standing guard by a police van and a few firetrucks.
Calhoun eyed them cautiously knowing she'd never get off the hospital grounds without being noticed. Seeing a row of large, well-trimmed bushes to her left before the walls of the hospital, Calhoun slipped behind the first one with great grace and agility, now completely unseen by the groups of people.
Felix quickly dashed into the hedge after her, then maneuvered his tiny body through her legs until he was standing in front of her, blocking her path.
"Wait, please!" he begged once more, nearly getting trampled as she sped to a halt. "M-my petshop does needs him, really. I-I need him," he whimpered out softy, ears flattening.
Calhoun paused to stand up straight and peer over the hedge on the look out before scoffing down at Felix. "No one needs a stealing, low-grade, lying jerk like that around."
Felix sighed, staring down at his feet. "Yes, yes, I admit. He was a straight up jerk and flat out crazy and wrong for trying to steal your collar- a-and I'm not justifying that," he told he quickly before looking back up at her. "But- but ma'am-"
"Calhoun. Call me Sergeant Calhoun," she mumbled out suddenly, ears flat against her head in annoyance. "Enough of the 'ma'am' junk, already."
Despite his fear and worry, Felix couldn't help but smile up at her. Sergeant Calhoun fit this fiercely beauitful dobernan... quite perfectly.
"Ok, Sergeant Calhoun...," he began, loving the way the name tickled his lips before sitting straighter up. "Ralph is the guard dog at my petshop and we need him there to protect us from those robbers breaking all over town!"
Calhoun shook her head, unable to handle the ridiculous excuse for not massacring that mastiff.
"Pff, such wimpy and selfish reasons why I should destory him. It's gonna take more than that to convince me, pup," she grimaced before stepping around him to keep walking.
Felix felt himself wilt slightly in defeat before he sat up and huffed out his chest in determination.
It was time to use reasoning, a flat out guilt trip, and ,well, those big, puppy eyes Felix was born with on this stubborn gal.
"Wait...you're right," Felix surprised Calhoun by calling out, causing her to pause in walking. "That is a selfish reason for wanting Ralph to live ...but that's not the only reason I have.
"Sure, he's a mess, but Ralph is a good guard dog- no...a great one, actually...," he then surprised himself by admitting outloud.
The corgi shrunk lower as Calhoun turned to look at him square in the face.
"He's gentle and kind and...and would never hurt anyone without cause. But he's also tough as nails and would defend me and my other friends when need be... but now, that's gone." He paused before slowly, cautiously walking up to her.
"My whole petshop is in danger because he's not there now...lives are in danger because he's not there... I-I'm in danger...," he finished telling her, pulling the widest, sadest puppy dog eyes he possibly could...And he could tell Calhoun, perhaps surprisingly, was quickly waning in her resolve.
The Sergeant, for her part, had never seen such big eyes on a dog before...in fact, she didn't even know it was even possible for eyes to get that big. She couldn't even process the thought of someone, anyone, wanting to hurt, harm, or dognap something so...stinking cute.
She felt her teeth grit together, jutting them over to one side in annoyance... not sure what bugged her more: the fact that the corgi -this Felix fellow- was pulling at her natural need to protect others, that he was actually making sense, or that he was just so... absolutely, cursingly adorable.
She sighed and closed her eyes, finding herself mentally swearing and already regretting what she was about to do.
"Fine. Fine, ok?" Calhoun spat out finally, rolling her head back in defeat. "I won't kill your preicous colleague, ok?"
