The full moon lit the Camden streets with its gleaming light. Hunter de Vil walked about with a lot on his mind. The Dalmatians had asked him to help find Dylan, Dolly, and hundreds of other dogs who had been abducted by a gang of dognappers, and he'd managed to save them all and thwart the dognappers with the assistance of all the Camden animals. While there was a lot of celebrating going on, Hunter had left without anyone noticing. Now that the crisis was over, he felt there wasn't a need for him to be with everyone.
It took him several minutes to finally arrive at De Vil Tower. As he looked up at his high-rise penthouse, he felt intent on going back to how things were: living by himself, not having any visitors or receiving any calls from anyone. That was the life he'd lived for so long. The only life he'd ever known. He sighed as he started making his way towards the entrance when two voices suddenly called out, "Hunter!"
Hunter turned around and was surprised to see that Dylan and Dolly were running towards him. They had to catch their breaths for a moment when they'd finally reached him. He figured they must've run several miles to get to him.
"What the heck, Hunter?!" said Dolly.
"Why did you leave so suddenly like that without saying anything?!" said Dylan.
Hunter sighed. "Let's just say I'm not really into dealing with crowds. Besides, the dogs are free, and you're back with your family. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to turn in for the night and get some rest." He turned and started walking, but the siblings quickly went in front of him and blocked his way.
"Come on, Hunter!" said Dolly. "We were having so much fun!"
"Didn't you wanna celebrate with us?" asked Dylan.
"Look," said Hunter, "I'm glad I was able to help you all out. I really am. But let's face facts. I knew from the very beginning this wasn't going to be permanent. You have your world to belong in, and I have mine. It's mundane at best, but I'm okay with that. You know who it was that saved you. And as long as you and your lot are safe and sound, that's good enough for me. So, I'll see you around."
Hunter walked past the siblings. They didn't move for a minute, but then Dylan stepped forward a bit. "You know," he said, which made Hunter stop but not turn around, "when we first met, I was actually excited to know there was at least one person who could understand dogs. I know not all humans are bad, but I've always been wary of them because I'm afraid what they could do to our family if they ever find out about us. Even now, I'm still afraid of you." Dylan paused for a minute. "But you went and risked yourself twice to save us because you really do care about animals. I can't imagine what you've been through, but I do know everyone needs someone to depend on. And I want you to know you can depend on me to be there for you."
Dolly then stepped forward. "And you can depend on me too."
Hunter was deeply moved by what was being said to him but also felt a bit concerned. "Come on now. I have everything I need to get by. Why should I have to depend on you?"
Just then, another voice said, "Because they don't want you to be alone."
Hunter and the siblings turned around and were immediately surprised to see that the rest of the Dalmatians were present.
"None of us want you to be alone," said Delilah.
Hunter was taken aback. "Wha... How did you all manage to find me?"
"When Dylan and Dolly took off to find you," said Doug, "Dorothy said they were going to the tall tower. Since we didn't know where to go, we had Diesel pick up your scent and followed it. And I must say, this place is way bigger than our house."
"You've seriously been living here?" said Destiny.
"This whole time?" said Dallas.
"All by yourself?" said Deja Vu.
"Yes," said Hunter.
The parents approached the three youngsters.
"Hunter," said Delilah, "the reason you prefer to be alone is because you're afraid of what you might do to those you care about and get close to. But you can't keep living your life in fear."
"I know," said Hunter, "but no one wants to be with me or anything to do with me, especially when they find out I'm related to that ghastly woman."
"That's not true!" said Dizzy. "We want to be with you!"
"We don't care that you're a de Vil!" said Dee Dee. "We like you just the way you are!"
"Indeed, we do!" said Dawkins. "And you know what? It would actually be nice to have someone other than a dog to develop new inventions with!"
"You're right," said Deepak. "And it would be great to have someone to meditate with!"
"And to make music with!" said D.J.
"To make art with!" said Da Vinci.
"To dig with!" said Diesel.
"To race around with!" said Delgado.
"To socialize with!" said Triple D.
"To play with!" said Dizzy and Dee Dee.
"To have massive fun with!" said the Dimitri Trio.
"To have… be by your side… when the world comes to an end?" Dante said nervously, which made the pups laugh since that sounded close to anything encouraging. "What? What did I say?"
The parents and the siblings were amazed by the pups' excitement.
"You see, Hunter?" said Delilah. "We all care about you because we understand your sorrow. You don't belong here in this tall, dreadful building. You belong with us, who will love you and not treat you differently because of your lineage."
"We might not be humans," said Doug, "but if you really want to, we'll be sure to look after you and take care of you like you were one of our pups, and you'll never have to be alone again."
Hunter couldn't believe what was happening. "You all would be willing to do that for me? After everything I've done?"
"We can't change the past," said Dylan.
"But we can make way for the future," said Dolly.
"So Hunter de Vil," said Delilah, "would you like to be part of our family?"
And thus, no more words needed to be said. With tears in his eyes and a huge smile on his face, Hunter got on his knees and gave Delilah the biggest hug he'd ever given. The mother Dalmatian happily hugged him back. Dylan, Dolly, and Doug immediately joined in. Dorothy, who'd been sitting on top of Doug's head the entire time, hopped onto Hunter's head and giggled with joy. The pups stood by watching the most, proudest moment to ever happen in their precious lives. A human was finally going to join their family and be their new honorary brother, and they couldn't be anymore happier.
