"Alright, alright! Don't panic, we just need to find Desmond." Dylan exclaimed as his whole body began to sweat. "He probably got lost in the crowd."
"I say we should split and search, it will be the fastest way to find him." Delgado suggested, readying himself to go.
"What do you think, D.J.?" he asked his brother.
"Oh, no, no, no! We are not splitting!" Dylan protested sternly. "We are going to find him together!"
He couldn't be too far. Dawkins thought to himself. "Taking to account that it took us around two minutes to walk through the crowd, I think… Desmond should be approximately… 100 to 200 meters within this area."
Delgado and D.J. were looking at him with confused faces, with Dylan being the only one who understood his brother.
"He's close then, right?" Dylan asked.
"Yes. He should be, though that could change if Desmond decides to try and find us, himself." Dawkins looked around his surroundings then locked eyes with his brother again. "He could get closer or farther away from us, it depends. I'm wondering if he could just be sitting tight in one place, waiting for us to find him… I'm hoping it's that."
"Ay, ay, ay…! My head is starting to hurt from all this." Delgado rubbed his head. "Just say it normally, bro!"
"Desmond is close by." Dawkins said with Indifference.
"Okay, so, he's somewhere close, but that could be anywhere. We have to find where exactly he is." Dylan specified.
"Well, I can't tell you that." Dawkins exhaled. "The only thing we can do is try to find him before he goes further into the market and completely gets himself lost."
"We can also ask if someone has seen him." Delgado added.
"Then let's not waste any more time. Come on!" Dylan and his brothers began running around the area in search of Desmond. Asking every dog and cat if they've hopefully seen him.
As Desmond was slowly walking behind the cat, following it, and closely examining it, he noticed that the cat had no fur whatsoever. Instead, its whole body was covered in a wrinkled, pinkish layer of skin; it had long sharp ears and lacked any kind of whiskers.
A Sphynx cat? He thought to himself.
Upon further inspection, Desmond could make out a gray patch that covered both the cat's left eye and ear. And a small golden bell around the cat's neck that tinkled with each step the cat made.
When they reached the small bridge, the cat jumped onto the bridge's parapet, to get a better view of the tall dog. As he was jumping onto it, the cat felt a slight nudge at its neck, but he quickly dismissed it.
"…What's up with the bandages?" the cat pointed at them.
"A small accident, that's all." Desmond replied.
"That so…? Well, Desmond… Didn't think you'd be this tall." The cat noted. "How old are you?"
Desmond gave him an incredulous look as he slowly moved closer to the furless cat.
"Come now. I'm just being curious, that's all." The cat reassured.
"Seventeen." Desmond answered.
"What?!" The cat exclaimed in disbelief. "Hahaha! I didn't think she'd send a pup to do the job. Honestly, you look older than you say, especially with how tall you are."
"Aren't you… that kid's cat?" Desmond pondered. "Mister Cuddles, was it?"
"Please, don't refer to me with that absurd name." The furless cat frowned. "Though the boss' nephew calls me by it, that's not my real name."
"The name's Slade." He looked down at Desmond.
"I wanted to see how things were going." He added.
"Slade… Should I take it you were the one who stalked us then?" Desmond gave him a serious look.
"I was just trying to find a way to get you alone so that we could talk." Slade smirked at him. "Wouldn't want to blow your cover in front of them, now would we?"
"Fair enough." Desmond agreed. "But I'm a little lost as you can see, I'm more concern about finding my way back to them than talking to you."
"Don't worry. Didn't you hear me? I said I'd help you find them." Slade licked his paw. "But again, after we have a quick talk."
"…Fine. What is it that you want to talk about? If it's about how the mission's going, it's going well." Desmond sat down. "They've already invited me into their home and from the looks of it, they like me, though I'm not sure how much they trust me."
"Sounds good to me." The furless cat laid on the parapet.
"Now, tell me how to find them." Desmond demanded.
"Not so fast!" Slade laid his head on his paws. "Yes, I wanted to know how your mission was going, but there's one more thing I wanted to talk about."
Desmond tilted his head in confusion. "And what's that?"
As Dylan and his brothers were searching for Desmond, they also stopped to ask here and there about him.
"Excuse me, miss!" Dylan said to a female Gordon Setter who was walking along with her human through the market.
"Yes. Can I help you?" She asked.
"Have you seen a Dalmatian pass around here recently?"
"He's about a head taller than me, his tail is fully black, and wears a red collar like mine."
"A crimson red collar." Dawkins corrected.
The Setter pondered for a moment. "No, I don't think I've seen a dog like that around here. Sorry, sweetheart."
"Is he lost?" She asked.
"Yeah, we lost him in a crowed a couple of minutes ago." Dylan said.
"Fifteen minutes ago to be exact." Dawkins specified.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you find your friend soon." The Setter gave them an encouraging smile before her human pulled her into a shop.
"We've asked anyone we could find and none of them have seen Desmond. Plus, we've searched every shop, street, alleyway…" Dylan put a paw on his forehead, discouraged.
Just then Delgado and D.J. who were nearby, asking around as well, ran towards their oldest brother.
"Dylan, I think we found someone who can help us!" Delgado spurted, gesturing towards an old male Border Collie. "Right mister?"
"Indeed. I think I've seen the dog you're talking about." The old dog told them.
Dylan's tail began wagging left and right in excitement.
"Where?" Dylan asked elatedly. "Where have you seen him?!"
"At the end of the street to the left, there is a small bridge. While I was passing on that bridge I saw a Dalmatian that fit your description." The Collie said.
"It also seemed like he was talking to a cat." He added.
"A cat?" Dawkins wondered. "What ca—"
"Who cares, we found Desmond." Dylan interrupted his younger brother. "Let's go!"
"Oh, yeah! Thank you very much for helping us, sir." Dylan tanked the Collie in a rush.
"You're welcome, lads." The old dog smiled at them. As Dylan and his brothers began rushing towards the bridge.
"Just a small favor." Slade stood up. "It's an easy job, really."
"And I should do you this favor because…?" Desmond rose an eyebrow.
"Because you can gain something in return." The cat tilted an ear.
"And that is?" Desmond's ears perked up as he stood on his hind legs, propping up on the parapet, closer to Slade.
"First… This favor requires you to be stealthy and silent…" Slade explained. "So, before I tell you what you'll gain from it, I need to know if you're capable of doing this little job of mine."
Desmond landed himself back on the ground and sat on it.
"Shake your head." He told the cat.
Slade looked at him with confusion but did as Desmond asked.
"And?" Slade asked, unamused. "What was the point of that?"
"Aren't you missing something?" Desmond clarified, pointing to his own collar's golden tag.
The furless cat pondered for a moment, trying to understand what the tall dog was saying. Slade shook his head again, then he noticed what it was that he was missing. The tinkling from his bell was gone. Slade put a paw on his collar, realizing that his golden bell was gone.
He then quickly turned his attention back at Desmond, with a bit of nervousness on his face.
Desmond spat out the small bell from his mouth on the ground. "I took it while you were jumping onto the parapet. It was hard talking while hiding it under my tongue, though. I'll tell you that."
"So, that nudge earlier… was you taking my bell?" the cat figured as he jumped off the parapet.
"Just like a cat." Slade giggled.
"What do you think?" Desmond gave him a cocky smirk.
"Hehehe—Hahahaha! Yes, you won't have any problems at all." Slade laughed in amusement. "Alright, I'll tell you. But first, tell me this... What were you planning on doing with my bell? You didn't honestly snatch it away just to impress me, did you?"
"Well, first… I took it because its ringing annoyed me." The tall dog said then he made a serious look. "But I mainly took it because if you happened to be any kind of nuisance, I would be able to track you by your scent on the bell."
Slade jolted slightly as he looked at Desmond a bit surprised. What an odd kid…
"…Okay, I'll tell you." He repeated, dismissing Desmond's statement as an empty threat.
"I have information about the Dalmatians that'll ease your mission." Slade then started to circle around Desmond. "Well…? What do you say?"
Desmond thought about it, scratching on the ground with his paw without realizing it.
As Desmond pondered on the offer, Slade walked behind him, at that moment Desmond spun his head to give the cat his answer, just to see him gone.
...?! He was just behind me. Where did— Desmond thought when he suddenly felt a light breeze flowing through the fur on his head.
"Nice cap, by the way." Slade walked in front of him, wearing the skipper cap. Desmond quickly turned his head at the furless cat, sweating a little from the sight.
"… Like a cat, huh?" Desmond made a nervous smile.
Slade grinned at him as he gave Desmond back his cap.
"You can have it back." Desmond rolled the small bell towards the furless cat.
"Keep it." Slade rolled it back to Desmond. "I prefer my bells to be saliva free."
Desmond shoved the bell off the bridge.
"Fine, I'm in." Desmond put his cap back on. "So, what's it you want?"
"No need to rush. I'll tell you when it's appropriate, it's still too early." Slade told him. "You just enjoy your time in London until then."
"If you say so, then so be it. However…" Desmond gave him a forbidding stare. "If you think about screwing me over, even for a second… I won't hesitate to bite your tail off."
"Hey now…! Where did this aggression come from?" Slade backed away a bit from the tall dog. "We're from the same side, you and I. You can trust me."
"We'll see how much I can trust you." Desmond said with a slight frown.
"DESMOND! HEY, DESMOND!" Dylan yelled from afar, seeing the tall dog as he and his brothers ran towards the bridge.
"Seems like they found you themselves." Slade snickered. "Lucky you!"
"Get out of here before they see you!" Desmond worried.
"I was about to."
"Oh! And I'll find you when the time comes." The cat added. "See you soon."
Slade then quickly ran into a nearby crowd, completely out of sight. Desmond looked at the direction Slade ran off to, pondering on what he agreed on.
"Desmond!" Dylan and his brothers reached the tall dog.
"Oh! I'm so glad we managed to find you!" Dylan put his paw on Desmond's shoulders. "You didn't get scared, did you?"
"No, I didn't, Dylan. Calm down." Desmond gave him a reassuring smile then giggled.
"Who was that cat?" Dawkins asked, pointing at the direction the cat went.
"I asked around if someone has seen a group of Dalmatians. I was just asking him if he happened to see you somewhere around here." Desmond explained.
"That old Collie was right, after all!" Delgado exclaimed in happiness. "Glad to see you again, Desmond!"
"Glad to see you too!" he rubbed Delgado's head. "You said something about a Collie?"
"Uh-huh! He told us where you were." Delgado told him. D.J. nodded in agreement.
"You shouldn't get yourself lost like that, Dylan was worried sick about you." Delgado added.
Desmond turned his attention at Dylan. "You were?"
Dylan let go of Desmond's shoulders and sat on the ground near him. "Well, yeah! I mean… Who knows what could have happened to you."
Desmond put a paw around Dylan's shoulders, hugging him.
"Thanks, Dylan!" Desmond smiled at him as Dylan blushed a bit.
Dylan's younger brothers began to somewhat chuckle from seeing their older brother blushing out. Dylan frowned at them as Desmond let Dylan go from the hug.
"Ahem!" Dylan cleared his throat, dragging everyone's attention to him. "Alright, since it seems everything's back to normal, I suggest we continue the tour."
"Shall we go around London, then?" Dawkins asked.
Dylan nodded with his head in agreement. "So, Desmond, which landmark would you like to visit first?"
"… Umm… Well… Oh, that's right! I want to go see the Buckingham Palace first!" Desmond said, wagging his tail in excitement.
"As you wish!" Dylan smiled at him. "We'll just take a bus from Camden High Street and be there in around twenty minutes."
"Oh! If we're going to take a bus… Can it be a double-decker one?" Desmond asked with a bit of eagerness in his voice.
"Of course, we wouldn't have it any other way!" Dylan reassured with a smirk.
With that, the dogs made their way to a nearby bus stop on Camden High St. waiting for the bus to arrive. As everyone patiently waited, except for Delgado who was spinning in circles around the bus stop and Desmond who was constantly checking for the bus with eagerness, a red, two-storey bus appeared in the distance.
"There it is!" Desmond happily exclaimed.
When the bus arrived all the dogs got on it, except for Desmond who got an unpleasant hunch that someone was monitoring him, making him look around for a moment.
"Get on, Desmond! Or we're leaving without you!" Dylan joked.
"Yeah, yeah! I'm coming!" Desmond said as he quickly jumped on the bus before the doors closed.
As the bus was leaving the stop, a figure from above, on a building was closely watching it.
"… An odd fella, indeed…" The figure giggled, then reached to the collar on its neck. "Better get a new bell. I'm already missing its delightful tinkle."
"Top or bottom deck?" Dylan asked Desmond.
"Top, of course!" Desmond exclaimed. "It'd be a waste if we didn't use the top one."
They then went up to the second floor of the bus. Luckily for them, there weren't many people on the top floor and the small number of people that were there, didn't pay much attention to the dogs, so they were able to choose wherever they wanted to sit.
Dylan and Delgado sat on one seat, Dawkins and D.J. sat right behind them and Desmond sat right behind Dawkins and D.J.
Delgado noticed that all the windows were opened, so he tapped his older brother on the shoulder, Dylan knew what his brother meant by that and held him as Delgado stuck his head out the window and let his tongue hang out.
D.J. saw his brother sticking his tongue through the window and jabbed Dawkins on the side, getting his attention then pointed at Delgado.
"Want to do it too?" Dawkins asked his younger brother to which D.J. nodded in agreement as his tail began wagging left and right.
Dawkins held his brother as D.J. proceeded to stick his head out and let the wind blow through the fur on his face. Dylan then turned at Dawkins as he gestured with his head for them to join their brothers.
Dawkins twitched his head towards the opened window, gesturing for Dylan to go first. Dylan joined Delgado, sticking his tongue out then looked at Dawkins as he rose his eyebrows repeatedly in a smug manner. Dawkins chuckled at that, then he stuck his head out the window as well. Dawkins contemplated if he wanted to stick his tongue out or not but then decided to do so.
Desmond was watching them the whole time with a bit of confusion from their actions.
"Um… Guys! Don't you think that's a bit… Inappropriate?" Desmond asked, tilting his head as he gazed at the dogs.
Delgado looked back at Desmond then moved his head back into the bus. "What?! Come on, Desmond. Don't tell me you haven't done it."
"Well… No, I was taught that it was a bad thing to do." Desmond looked at Dylan, then to Dawkins and D.J. "Didn't… Didn't your parents told you the same?"
"Whaaa! Why would it be bad…?" Delgado gave him a confused look. "Come on just try it! I promise you'll like it!"
Delgado then shoved his head back out the window. Desmond looked to the opened window to his side, pondering for a bit, but decided to go along with it. He stuck his head out, instantly feeling a strong gust of wind that blew in his face which made Desmond shiver, making him quickly retreat his head back into the bus.
He frowned at the window as he puffed at it as well. Desmond looked at Delgado then to Dylan then back at Delgado and to Dawkins and D.J. As he saw how much they were enjoying it, he decided to give it another try.
Sticking his head out again, Desmond beard with the strong wind hitting him in the face and soon, he got used to it. Desmond then began copying Dylan and Delgado, slowly sticking his tongue out until it was fully hanging out from his mouth.
"Hey…! Haha! This… feels pretty good!" Desmond grinned in joy, then proceeded to extend his head even further out the window. "WOOHOOOO! This is amazing! HAHA!"