Ok, so. This chapter is quite important, as it includes Charlie and Carface's fight, and Charlie saving Anne Marie and Oaklyn before the end of the film. I always felt like during said fight involving the two ex-partners, not enough action between them was shown. Yeah, we saw them punch each other and stuff, and Carface's thugs violently attacking Charlie, but does anyone else think there should've been more than just the couple-second scenes with their fight? Anyway, I'll shut up so you can go ahead and read. Please enjoy!
Itchy ran through the now rain-soaked streets with Anne Marie's stuffed animal still in his jaws, but only then did the dachshund realize that he really didn't know where 402 Maple Street was. Through muffled pants, Itchy climbed up onto an old sofa, putting the toy down beside him. He looked up to a balcony and barked a few times; the first sounded like a "ruff," but the other two were more high pitched.
A scraggly, messy furred terrier poked his head in between the bars, perplexed. "What's at 402 Maple Street?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Could ya just tell me where it is?" Itchy asked, panting. A few drops of rainwater fell onto his nose. "Please! Charlie's in trouble, and there's a little girl real sick!" On the other side of the street, a basset hound offered Itchy a smile. "402 Maple's over by the firehouse!" he informed him, and Itchy nodded hastily. "Thanks!" With that, he grabbed the stuffed toy and sprinted away.
Above the basset was another hound dog, but he was much bigger. "What was that all about?" he asked, but the terrier across the street started barking to alert the other two.
"Charlie's in trouble," he warned, "and a little girl may die!"
"What in tarnation?!" the bloodhound said, turning around to face the other end of his own balcony. Below him, the basset started barking and howling, and soon all three were. Another mutt poked his head out of his house and did the same; his howl and the bloodhound's matched pitch, and both echoed all around the neighborhood.
As Itchy kept running, he paused and skidded to a stop when he saw someone familiar. "Cassidy?!" The papillon looked up when she heard her name, having been walking along the sidewalk. Her eyes went big. "Itchy?" she asked, trotting over when she saw his injuries and worried expression. "Itch, what's- wh- are you ok? What's going on?"
Itchy panted hard, finally dropping the toy for a moment. "It's-it- I can't explain right now, Cassidy, but you gotta come with me, please!" Cassidy blinked, surprised. "Um, Itch, I-I haven't seen you in a while... is everything alright?"
"No!" Itchy yelped, "it's not! Charlie's in trouble, and I think Oaklyn might be too! I-... you gotta come with me!"
Cassidy lowered her ears in surprise, but nodded and sighed. "I- yeah, ok, Itchy, I'll come. What can I do?"
Itchy grabbed the toy again. "I dunno," he muttered, "just follow me!"
As the storm began to rage outside, Charlie had finally reached the old casino, and he started to look around in the dimly lit 'basement' of the ship as the waves crashed against the outer walls. He crept inside, slowly looking around. "Anne Marie?" he whispered, glancing around cautiously. "Squeaker? Snowflake?"
Then Charlie saw a black cage hanging over the water; Anne Marie was in there! But she didn't look well- she had a purple blanket with her, but she was lying on a wooden crate, in a deep, feverish sleep. "Anne Marie! Anne Marie?" Charlie whispered again, but he knew she probably wouldn't hear his calls.
Charlie leapt down as low as possible, watching her closely. "C'mon, Squeaker, wake up! I'm gonna get you outta here!" Unfortunately, Anne Marie's only reply was a few hoarse coughs, and Charlie winced in slight surprise. "You are sick, aren't ya?"
Charlie jumped over, swung himself over the cage's wall, and landed on his hind feet beside the sleeping child. His heart ached, and he carefully picked the girl up in his arms. "Just hold on, kiddo," he whispered, keeping his voice low. "I'm gonna take you back... to the wallet family!"
Charlie's ears perked up when he heard a familiar chuckling; when he looked up, his eyes widened upon spotting Carface and several thugs. Killer was there, too, but Charlie's blood ran cold when he saw Oaklyn. No!
Carface had a candy cane between his fingers, but wrapped in his other arm was Oaklyn; the Pomeranian didn't have duct tape over her mouth anymore, but she'd just came to. Her paws were tied behind her back, and when she saw Charlie, her eyes went big. "Charlie!" she cried, flinching when Carface cast her a sharp scowl. Then he looked back at his former partner.
"Now, isn't this just the sweetest thing?" Carface mocked, shoving Oaklyn into Killer after the schnoodle waved and said, "hi, Charlie." Oaklyn struggled, growling, but Killer yanked her away so she couldn't see Charlie anymore. "Oh, I know, boss, it reminds me of when Lassie rescues-" Killer started, grinning. "Shut up." Then Carface's expression hardened, and he stared down at Charlie.
"I'll kill 'er, Charlie," he snarled, flexing his sharp claws. Behind him, Oaklyn tensed.
"I'll do it... it'd only take a second..."
Charlie, feeling a mixture of anger and fear for their sakes, gently put Anne Marie back down. He looked back up immediately and bared his teeth, glaring at them all. Carface chuckled. "Take 'em, boys."
On Carface's command, the thugs one by one leapt down, barking and snarling, and Charlie swung himself over the edge of the cage again to stand and wait for them to come, balling his fists. If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you're gonna get!
Killer pressed Oaklyn against a metal post, trying to tie her around the chest with a rope. Oaklyn wiggled around, baring her teeth at him. "You'll see what happens when I get loose!" she snarled, blue eyes shining with anger. "You'll be sorry!" Killer actually looked a little sorry, but he still chuckled anyway, shrugging. "Eh, nah. Mr. Carface-" He was cut off by Oaklyn biting down hard on his paw.
"Ow!!" he yelled, yanking it back. Oaklyn growled warningly, eyes flashing. Killer walked away, pouting, and Oaklyn resorted to struggling more; but then she stopped when she realized it was no use.
Below her, Charlie watched the first dog jump down, which was a chubby brown furred one with a reddish shirt on. The next one followed suit, and Charlie tensed his muscles. As the red shirted one jumped at him, Charlie turned to the side and swung his fist hard into his face, and the thug stumbled to the side, yelping. Then the next one jumped onto him before he could react; only growing angrier, Charlie kicked his back foot into the dog's belly, sending him flying backward again. Charlie instantly leapt to his feet, sucking in air through his teeth.
Meanwhile, though, hearing the commotion outside, Harold, wearing a robe, slowly peeked out the front door, only to quickly slam it shut, shocked. Kate yawned, fixing her hair a bit. "What is it, dear?" she asked sleepily. "Dogs!" Harold replied, looking back outside with an obviously shocked expression.
Many, many dogs were indeed on their front step; Itchy yapped loudly, but the others crowded behind him were just as loud. Even Cassidy was barking, as Itchy had quickly tried to explain everything that had happened to her.
"Where did they all come from?!" Harold wondered, but Itchy slipped past him and jumped inside, wheezing tiredly. He struggled to his paws after tripping on the rug, but he leapt onto the stair and dropped Anne Marie's toy at Kate's feet. "Harold! Harold, do something!" she said, startled.
Charlie, at the same time, was struggling against a blackish-furred mongrel. The dog was pinning him down, and Charlie saw the long, deep plunge down he'd take if he fell over the edge. Blood boiling, he grunted and raised his fist, smacking it into the dog's muzzle. He let go of Charlie long enough for the shepherd to get up, grinning. Take that, sucker!
Then a burst of pain in his jaw made Charlie halt. "Agh!" Stunned, he fell backward, and found it very difficult to gather his wits for a moment; his face throbbed, but then Charlie felt something grabbing his arms and legs. He twisted around, growling and straining, but he found it was useless. The next thing Charlie knew, he felt cold metal against his back, and his arms were being held behind him. "Rrrrrgh!"
Furious, Charlie snapped at the air, and in his struggle, he kicked one of the dogs in the face. As soon as he rose, Charlie watched him grab his back foot, and open his jaws wide. Then he saw him bite down with an awful chomp.
Pain hit Charlie like a lightning bolt, and he gasped; then he let out a painful howl, which Oaklyn heard while trying to escape again. She froze; then tears sprang into her eyes. They're gonna kill him!!
"CHARLIE!!" she screamed, terrified. Something made her feel braver than she'd felt in a long time then. Determined, Oaklyn struggled harder than she thought possible, and she bent her head to tear at the rope restraining her. They loosened a lot, but Oaklyn couldn't keep biting them anymore; the pain in her mouth was suddenly too much. She tasted blood and knew that she'd probably bitten her tongue.
Something began stirring outside when it heard Charlie's howl; it's back was visible from under the water as the rain pounded down, but other than that, nothing else was visible. Charlie himself, though, was wrapped around his belly with ropes against a green, chipped anchor, and his paws were tied behind his back. Carface's chuckles from the dock below made Charlie's neck fur bristle; he began to fight against the ropes, growling and kicking his hind legs. "Rrrrrgh- umph!" he grunted, looking down as the anchor reached Carface and Killer.
"So you see, Charlie," Carface teased, "this story has a happy endin'!" Charlie glared silently, and Carface smiled mockingly.
"I keep the girl an' Snowflake to make a fortune, and you-" He shoved the candy cane against Charlie's muzzle, and then the smashed it into his mouth the second time. "You get to go to Heaven!"
Charlie made a sound like he was choking, and his eyes went so big they could've popped out of his skull. Panicked, Charlie coughed a few times and then used the candy cane to fish his watch out of the water, and Carface chuckled lowly again. "You don't wanna go to Heaven, Charlie?"
Oaklyn, after much aggressive wiggling, finally broke the ropes. Stumbling as they snapped loose, she shook herself off, fearful. She glanced down, kind of expecting to see Charlie's dead body laying limp on the metal below; when she didn't, she paused, a little confused. Then she saw Charlie, but he was up to his shoulders in water, and Carface was sitting in front of him with Killer and the rest of the thugs.
"Oh- oh no- CHARLIE!" she yelled, not thinking about what she was doing. A few of the thugs' heads snapped up, but Charlie and Carface hadn't heard her. Oaklyn took a few steps back, preparing to run wherever she could, but a loud THUMP knocked her off her paws. Who burst through the wall at that moment? King Gator! He was the one to hear Charlie's pained howl, and now he was here to 'help' his distressed friend.
"ABANDON SHIP!" one dog screamed. "LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!"
Carface was terribly surprised, but Oaklyn and Charlie were even more shocked. Well, especially Oaklyn. "What-?"
King Gator swam outside and back in, but not before singing in delight, kicking up enormous waves.
"Ohhhhhhhhh- together!! Hahaha!"
Charlie's whole body was on high alert; his hind legs kicked underwater, but soon the water reached his cheeks. Turning his head upward, Charlie held the candy cane in his mouth as high up as he could, keeping the watch from touching the water.
"Charlie!" he heard Oaklyn yelp, and he saw her getting snatched by another thug, who tried to hold her in place while she struggled fiercely. Frightened, Charlie was about to call back to her, trying to let her know he was alright and she soon would be too, but then his head went underwater.
No, please!! It can't end like this! Charlie thought, baring the candy cane between his teeth in a panic. Oh, no, Anne Marie- Oaklyn- it can't end this way!
King Gator raced through the water, and above him Carface and Killer were standing on a metal 'bridge,' and, amazed, both dogs stared in shock as the alligator disappeared underneath the waves.
Charlie startled when he spotted the gator racing toward him, mouth open wide. NOT YOU TOO!!
However, King Gator wasn't looking to devour Charlie after all; he clamped down on the ropes restraining him and snapped them, and Charlie felt the tightness around his belly vanish. He quickly swam upward until resurfacing. Oh god! He gulped air into his lungs once more, but he turned his head; King Gator was leaving through the giant hole he'd created. A sprout of hope made Charlie feel lighter, and he jumped up onto the dock, grinning up at Carface triumphantly.
Oaklyn, despite being restrained by a shocked thug, watched Charlie rise to his paws and smirk at Carface, and relief flooded through her entire body. Carface, though, was far from relieved. He was absolutely, positively enraged.
Gasping, he began to shout in his fury, making even his eyes bulge. "Gah! AHHH! AHHHHHH!!!!!"
Itchy's crowd of dogs had left Harold and Kate's; now they were headed for the shore by the casino ship. Two large dogs leapt over a fence with one quick jump, barking, but Itchy squeezed himself through the hole as they landed. A few very big dogs with leashes on kept barking as well, straining against their humans' grips. Even Flo and the puppies were coming to the rescue, and though he stumbled, the bulldog puppy quickly jumped back up and followed his mother and siblings.
Itchy raced alongside Cassidy on the sidewalk. A few people looked outside at the noise, but were met with a cluster of sprinting canines. Itchy scrambled up onto a gray cannon. "Come on!!!" he yelled out, beckoning everyone with a wave of his paw. Then he jumped. "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
A few dogs ran up the cannon and jumped down, running along. Itchy ducked inside, but when he peeked out, the Chihuahua gambler, with Squad Car, leapt onto his head. "Oof!"
Cassidy waited for Itchy to land before joining him again in running along. "I hope we're not too late!" she panted. Itchy winced.
"Me too."
Charlie finally reached Carface on the metal bridge, landing on all fours after leaping over the railing. Snarling ferociously, Charlie took a few slow, warning steps toward the pitbull. Killer jumped out of the way, and Charlie, bristling with fury, stared into Carface's eyes.
Nobody- and I mean nobody- is gonna put Squeaker and Snowflake in danger ever again... not as long as I'm here.
"You filthy rat!" Charlie spat, lunging at Carface with a furious shout. Carface did the same and grabbed at Charlie's shoulders, but Charlie quickly forced him to the ground. Pinning him on his back, Charlie stared at Carface, eyes blazing.
"You're a disgusting, silly waste of space!!" he hissed, too angry to think about anything else at the moment. Carface, just as angry, snapped at Charlie's face, managing to land a painful bite on the shepherd's snout. "Oh, like you're much better!" he snapped, chomping down with those powerful pitbull jaws.
"Agh!" Charlie cried, jumping backward in pain. He shook his head from side to side, already feeling blood drip down the sides of his muzzle. In the time it took Charlie to recover, Carface leapt at his side with a mighty roar of fury. It didn't quite throw Charlie over the edge of the bridge, but it did knock him off his feet. "Ah!"
Charlie twisted his lower body around and shoved his back feet into Carface's belly, sending him tumbling off clumsily. Charlie jumped up onto his back legs and bared his teeth, but Carface got up and lunged at him once again. Charlie was fast enough to grab hold of his vest, and with a growl, he swung him around. Carface slid down the side, but Charlie wasted no time in leaping down and tackling him.
Carface clutched Charlie's shoulders hard and shook him from side to side to make him let go, but Charlie clung to his vest regardless. Then Carface's back foot kicked Charlie hard in the belly, knocking the breath out of him. "Oh!" he grunted, losing his grip a little. That allowed Carface to throw Charlie off of him, and the taller dog crashed into the side railing. Charlie watched Carface get up instantly and lunge at him, roaring loudly, but Charlie managed to swing his fist into Carface's broad head, stunning him.
Charlie quickly grabbed onto Carface's vest again, hauling himself to his feet. He held the heavier dog off the ground with one arm, and Carface gasped in surprise. Charlie leaned backward just a bit, winding up his fist. With all the strength he could muster for the moment, he swung it back over into his snout and knocked Carface to the ground, letting go so he fell. Charlie, though, was somewhat struggling; he was panting heavily, out of breath, and he knew his back foot and muzzle were both bleeding by the sting and wet feeling on both. His heart was also pounding so hard it made him feel a bit dizzy.
Oaklyn didn't know what to do. She stayed frozen in place, watching Charlie and Carface fight. What could she do, anyway? She looked at Anne Marie's cage for a split second as something crashed into the ship; King Gator, of course. But this time it untethered the ship from the walkway outside; the cage gave way, and fell into the water. Anne Marie sat up a little as her crate floated on the water. Oaklyn got to her feet, whipping her head around to see if Charlie had seen.
Charlie looked over to where Anne Marie's cage had been, regaining his balance.
"Anne Marie!" he yelled, jumping onto Carface's head, and then again to run up the broken metal ramp. Oaklyn jumped; then she gasped and started running along the side where she'd been tied, barking. "Charlie!" she called, and Charlie skidded to a stop for a moment on the kind of unstable platform close to the barrels of oil.
"Snowflake!" he gasped, running over to her. "Oaklyn! Are you ok?!" he asked frantically, glancing all over her. He quickly sniffed at her fur for the scent of blood, but the other dog pulled away, nodding hastily. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! But Anne Marie might not be!"
Charlie jumped over Oaklyn and ran off, but another thump almost knocked him both of them over again. However, this time, the thump caused one of the barrels to topple over, and Charlie barely saw it land on a machine, which promptly burst into flames. It made a huge, fiery ring around the little girl. Oaklyn stayed where she was, frozen in shock.
Charlie reached the edge of the metal walkway above, and he stared in horror at the tall flames. "Anne Marie!" The girl didn't respond. She only made a little noise, but didn't stir. Oaklyn looked down at the child too, but she didn't expect to step on a puddle and lose her balance. Gasping, she tried to regain her footing, but she slipped, and the next thing she knew, she was falling waaaay down, until finally landing in the deep water before she could scream. Her senses blurred, and for a bit she just floated under the surface of the water, numb. But Charlie's heart nearly stopped.
"Oaklyn!"
Terrified for both of them, Charlie grabbed the water and hung it on a protruding metal wire, and then he crouched, preparing to jump down.
I'm comin', I promise!
Then Charlie heard Carface's 'battle cry.'
"AHHHHHHHHHGGGH!!!"
A crushing weight landed on Charlie's back; the pain was awful! Charlie gasped in shock before letting out an agonized wail. "Ahhhh!"
In his struggle, Charlie whipped his front paw up to scratch at Carface, but he realized that he'd knocked his watch into the water.
Straining against the awful pressure squishing him, Charlie looked down fearfully. Oaklyn was struggling to swim over to the raft Anne Marie was on, and his watch had landed on a tiny piece of wooden debris. Carface threw his head back, screaming with an inconsolable rage. "RAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
Oaklyn pulled herself onto the raft, unable to breathe for a second. "Gah!" she gasped, gulping air. She flopped down beside Anne Marie, suddenly wiped out.
Carface bit down as hard as possible on Charlie's shoulder, bringing blood to the surface of his fur. "Ah!" Charlie whispered, but he was much too focused on the two below him.
Then King Gator slammed into the ship for the last time, making Charlie and Carface both fly into the air. Carface gasped and grabbed onto Charlie's waist, terrified. Charlie grabbed onto the edge, but Carface's weight dragged him down; he struggled to hold on. "Rrrrrgh!!" he growled, squeezing his eyes shut. Carface looked down at the flames, scared to death, but he finally lost his grip on Charlie and fell waaaaaaay down, shouting.
He landed upright in the water, and blinked dazedly a few times. King Gator spotted him, smiling widely. "Mmmm! Delicious!" he said, voice distorted by the water. Carface screamed, petrified, but then he tried to swim away. It was the fastest he'd moved in... probably forever. King Gator gave chase, but there wasn't much Carface could do. The inevitable had finally caught up to him.
Charlie stood up, pressed his back against the wall, and sucked a breath in through his teeth. I've gotta save 'em...
Charlie finally pushed off with his paws from the wall and jumped out as far as he could, and he landed in the water after taking a big breath in. He landed in the middle of the second fiery ring, but he quickly swam up when he saw the familiar blue band of his watch. Charlie threw his head up and coughed, snatching the watch in his paw. Oaklyn glanced over at him, slightly recovered. "Charlie!" she said, standing up. Then when the floating crate tilted, she grabbed hold of the side so she wouldn't fall. Charlie, while relieved that Oaklyn was alright, froze when Anne Marie tumbled off the crate. Oaklyn gasped.
"Anne Marie!!" Charlie yelped, swimming over. He put the watch on top of it, and Oaklyn watched him dive underwater, looking very frightened.
Oh... oh gosh.
Charlie swam downward as fast as he could, and when he saw Anne Marie's limp form floating there, he wrapped his arm around the girl and started to swim up. You're goin' home, Squeaker!
Oaklyn heard a cracking above her, and looked up to see a flaming piece of wood falling down and headed right for her. Gasping, she flinched back, but she heard it land beside her, and then something else land in the water.
The watch!
Charlie was just about to the surface, but then he saw something slowly floating downward; Charlie froze for a second in horror, eyes huge. He whipped his arm around and snatched the watch, but immediately realized that doing so would let Anne Marie sink.
No.
Charlie grabbed the girl again, looking at the watch as it sank. Endlessly frustrated and desperate, the last of the air Charlie had in his lungs exited his nose, and he made one last attempt at grabbing it, but... he missed. "Urgh!"
Squeaker... Snowflake...
Charlie looked at Anne Marie. The girl was expressionless but mostly asleep. He shut his eyes, wincing. He knew what had to be done.
Charlie swam up.
The watch reached the bottom, but the impact of landing made it click open.
Charlie gasped for air when they reached the surface, as did Anne Marie. Oaklyn grabbed Anne Marie's dress and helped Charlie place her on the crate, panting.
Charlie struggled for air, scooping the child's legs onto the crate. Then he paused and looked at Oaklyn, who was shocked by the look in his eyes. "Charlie...?"
"Keep her safe for me, Snowflake," Charlie whispered, offering her a soft smile. His chest felt tight, and his heart ached terribly. Oaklyn stared at him, wide-eyed, but she began to tremble. "Ch-Charlie, what're- what're you talking about?" she demanded, looking into his eyes.
Anne Marie coughed, and Charlie looked at her; then he stared into Oaklyn's tearful blue eyes. She knew how important Anne Marie had become to Charlie, too. How much Charlie cared about the child.
But now it was time to prove it.
"Bring her back to Harold and Kate's. She'll be safe there. I..." Charlie's body twitched; he knew of the abuse the watch was taking below the surface, and that there wasn't much time. "I-I might not... be able to come with you," he said, flattening his ears as dread filled his body and the pain in his chest grew.
"Charlie?!" Oaklyn cried, tears running down her face. "No! Charlie! No, please! D-don't leave me alone! Please..." She sniffled, but Charlie, unable to bear the pain, quickly gathered all the strength he had left and pushed as hard as he could on the crate. "Rrrgh!" He sent it through the large hole King Gator had made. "Charlie!" Oaklyn whispered.
"You can make it!" Charlie shouted. "You can make it, kid!"
Oaklyn slowly closed her eyes and laid down beside the child. She opened them to look at her, fighting back a sob. She put her small paw on Anne Marie's leg. "You're gonna go home," she whispered.
"It's gonna be ok..."
Charlie felt his muscles tighten, wincing in pain. He dove down under the surface of the water again, swimming down with whatever might he had left.
The watch continued to tick, but the gears inside were filling with water.
Charlie stared down at it, not slowing or stopping.
Tick...Tick...Tick.
Oaklyn glanced at the night sky absently.
Tick...Tick...Tick.
Charlie shut his eyes tight and bared his teeth. Almost- there-
Then it stopped. Black bubbles began to flow out. Charlie's outstretched paw slowly halted. He felt his heart slow and his body shutting down, but then there was nothing.
His eyes slowly relaxed, half-opened, and Charlie went limp. His vision went dark. Air bubbles escaped the corners of his mouth. His body began to float upward as the bubbles surrounded him.
The flames slowly went out, leaving the ship dark and smoky.
It was over.
Sirens wailed, and the sea began to calm. The crowd of dogs (and a couple people) stayed on the shore, but Itchy, Cassidy, and Flo ran up to the water.
Itchy stared at the sinking ship, but he knew what had happened to his old friend.
"Charlie..."
Itchy hung his head, closing his eyes. Cassidy and Flo stayed put, but Cassidy looked at Itchy, grief-stricken, and Flo merely turned silently to shepherd her puppies back home.
"Mama, where's Uncle Charlie?" the little pink female asked. "Is he ok?"
"He's not here anymore, sweetie," Flo whispered, leading them away.
"Where did he go?"
"He went home to Heaven, little one. His time here... is over."
Killer's form came into view at that moment, pushing the crate Anne Marie and Oaklyn were on to shore. The child looked even more sick in the ambulance light. She gave a few coughs, and Killer stepped back to let Itchy and Flo finish the job. Oaklyn stepped off into the shallow water, hanging her head silently, and Cassidy came up to her.
"Oaklyn... I'm sorry."
The Pomeranian sat down, hollow and expressionless. She stared absently at the ripples forming around her paws. Cassidy gently nudged her friend's ear with her nose.
"Oaklyn?"
The white-furred dog didn't reply; she only stared down, blinking but not really seeing. Cassidy nudged her to her feet. "Come on, Oaklyn... let's get you home."
Then Oaklyn spoke. "No. I'm going with Itchy. I-I've gotta make sure Anne Marie gets home. Charlie... w-would've wanted that. He told me to t-take care of her..." She stopped, voice rising a bit as she finished. Her eyes flooded with tears, and she shut them, turning her head away.
Cassidy looked a bit surprised, but then she blinked and nodded, tears in her eyes. "O-ok. Come with me." The papillon led Oaklyn over to Itchy as Anne Marie was loaded into the ambulance, along with Harold and Kate. Cassidy sighed shakily and pressed her muzzle against Itchy's shoulder, but the dachshund didn't move. Tears flowed silently down his cheeks.
Oaklyn lifted her head and walked over to the ambulance as a paramedic hopped inside. She put her forepaws on the bumper, looking over her shoulder.
"Come on, Itchy. It's time to go."
Ow. My heart hurts... anyway, I wanted to add a lot of emotion to this chapter, as it's by far the most important one. I realized that throughout the whole thing I haven't really touched on how Oaklyn feels about Anne Marie, but if it isn't clear, she does care by now. She's realized how much Charlie cares for the girl. I should've added those things sooner, but... hey, now you know. And Cassidy makes an appearance! Yay! There'll be another chapter after this, and that's the last one. I'll be back pretty soon, guys, I promise! Until then, let me know what you thought of this chapter!
-BoT
