Chapter 2: The Beginning Part 2/3 (EMOTIONAL WARNING!)

The next morning, we all headed down to the Roseville food bank where we met a crowd of people waiting to get their monthly rations. The bank consisted of foods that were donated within the month. Brian and Sutter checked for expiration dates while our parents divided the supplies evenly. That left Todd in charge of passing out the rations to the line of families waiting. At first, I sat and watched as people entered and exited and thought to myself, my family is doing all of this without asking for anything in return. It inspired me into becoming a better pup. So after I got my thoughts together, I chose to help Todd pass out supplies. We continued working nonstop for the next 13 hours and honestly, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate.

Despite having a low amount of donations, we were able to help everyone except for a family of two. I was helping Brian and Sutter clean out the back when I overheard Todd explaining to a female customer with a brown coat and glasses that we ran out of supplies. She stood in disbelief after hearing that. She later explained how she's been through a rough month and how she needed supplies to take care of her new pup. I felt my heart slowly sink while listening in on the conversation.

Later, a small female pup entered the building. As the woman was crying, she tried her best to assure her that they'll make it through the month a different way. It took her a moment to calm down, but eventually, she ended up apologizing to Todd and was ready to leave. Without thinking, I rushed in and stopped them. Todd was confused at first, but then I suggested that we should buy their monthly supplies with the money that was supposed to be used for my party. He seemed unsure about it at first, so it took me a while to convince him. The family couldn't believe it. Nobody had ever volunteered to help them before so this was a major surprise. They instantly thanked us and introduced themselves. That's how I met my first friends, Delilah… and Skye.

During the following five months we all got to know each other. We arranged family dinners, bonding activities, and Skye got to celebrate her birthday a month after mine. Eventually, Delilah told us that if she doesn't fix her current living situation over the next two months, she may be forced to give up Skye to an animal shelter. Unfortunately, Pine Rest was going out of business, and the nearest shelter was overseas in a place called Adventure Bay. She was also aware of this. But one thing I noticed about her is that no matter how hard fate pushes her down, she always stays positive. She told us that she would be okay with it as long as she wasn't considered a liability to Delilah. Todd agreed to take care of her if that were to happen but we weren't ready for life's twists…

Delilah once told me that a relationship whether it be love, friendship, or family, is like standing in wet cement. The longer you stay, the harder it is to leave, and you can never go without leaving your footprints behind. I didn't understand at first, but I guess it made sense after Brian and Sutter turned 18. They spent the last few years studying to work in the medical field. When the time came, they asked mom and dad if they could join a training team. Unfortunately, the nearest training session was aboard a ship and would last about four years, meaning we wouldn't be able to communicate or see them until they were done. Mom declined at first but Dad convinced her to let them go. She thought she would be okay with it but two weeks after they left, she slowly started losing control over her emotions and was rushed to the vet.

Ever since then, things have started to change. Since Brian, Sutter, and Mom weren't around, both Todd and my dad started working on average thirteen hours a day at the food bank to fill in for them. The only time I got to see them was when I offered to help or if I stayed awake until they came home. However, Dad only allowed me to stay at the food bank for no longer than three hours because I'm still a pup. After those three hours passed, Delilah would come and take me over to see my mom. From there, I went over to her apartment and stayed with her and Skye until Todd and Dad finished for the day. Life continued this way for another two weeks, then the nightmare began…

It was a Thursday night at Delilah's place. I chose to stay awake until Todd and Dad came to take me home, and when they arrived, they looked restless. I asked them if everything was all right and Todd told me that he'll explain everything tomorrow night over a barbeque with my father, Delilah, and Skye. I was concerned about his tone, but I decided to save my questions until the barbeque. When we got back home, I had a hard time falling asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about what they wanted to talk about. I also wondered if Brain and Sutter were okay and when my mom would be released from the vet. Would she continue working at the food bank? The longer I thought about these the heavier my eyelids grew, and eventually, I went to sleep. Later that night, I heard little popping noises coming from outside of my room. I chose to not investigate where it was coming from and went back to sleep. Suddenly, the smell of something burning started to fill my room, and eventually, a loud crash followed as I quickly stood up. I tried calling out for someone, but when I stuck my head through my dog door, I realized our house was on fire, and the roof was now blocking my only exit.

Immediately, I stuck my head back into the room before the fire could reach me, and tried pushing myself against a window hoping that I could bust through, but the more I tried, the weaker I felt. Within moments, my body slowly started to give out as I laid on my side coughing for air. My vision started to go blurry as the fire slowly started entering my room. I heard my Dad calling my name along with the sound of debris being pushed back. I tried to reply, but nothing came out. Thankfully, he was able to reach me in time, but I noticed the cuts and burns around his body before he placed me on his back. He tried his best to carry me out of the house until suddenly, a flash of light came from behind us. I didn't know where I was or what happened but one thing was certain, my father was no longer carrying me. Slowly, everything went dark. I could hear the sound of emergency vehicles coming a few blocks away. I started picking up Delilah's scent before she came in and took me out of the building. She was silent, but I could hear a small sob coming from her. I also began picking up Skye and a different pup's scent before I completely passed out.

I ended up waking up on a small table in an animal clinic with a few bandages around my front paws and back. I noticed Skye sitting across the room and Delilah outside the room talking to a veterinarian. I couldn't hear exactly what it was they were saying, but after Skye noticed I was awake, she rushed over and asked if I was okay. Confusion still ran through my head as I stood up. I had been asleep for the past three days. But I could still remember Dad rescuing me. I looked around the room and asked Skye about him, but she slowly lowered her head without a response. I sat still as fear piled up with my emotions. That's when she told me that neither he nor Todd made it out of the fire…