Chapter 11

Ferb dropped down onto the floor of the two-story apartment. Martha and David had followed in and closed the door before Ferb could turn around.

The home was a cozy well-furnished area, and looked like it would belong to any normal couple. Ferb could see the kitchen through one door, the couch and television down the hall in front of him, and some steps leading upwards to where he assumed the bedrooms were.

"Do you like it, sweetie?" Martha asked. Then, realizing what she had said, she turned to David. "What do you think we should name him?"

"I have a name," Ferb piped up. "In fact, I have two. One of them is used so seldom it's not worth mentioning. The other is Ferb. I don't need a third."

"I can see what the shelter meant," David commented. "He really is a talker."

Then he addressed Ferb jokingly, "Well don't be doing that at night, buddy. Or we'll both be in trouble."

"We don't need to decide on a name just yet," Martha concluded, getting down on her knees beside Ferb on the wood floor. She was holding a red fabric collar with a little metal buckle. "We can just use old extra tags for now."

"Wait no, I'm not wearing that," Ferb denied, backing away. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any intention of staying here longer than today."

"Now now, don't complain," Martha said. She had wrapped one arm around him in a gentle restraint. "We don't want people to think you're a stray?"

"That's already happened once before," Ferb mentioned. "But these tags need Phineas' number on them. That's where I belong."

Ferb tumbled out of her grasp when she released him, and felt the strange sensation of the thing on his neck. He would've rather had his translator. But, when shaking it did nothing, Ferb resolved to leave it be.

He made his way into the back rooms, looking for an open window… or any way out, for that matter. The couple followed him as he poked around in each room.

"He's investigating," Martha cooed. "He likes it here."

Ferb grumbled as he continued his searching. He didn't not like it here, but he already had a home. He was supposed to be back at his own house, with Phineas and Candace and his parents. He wasn't even supposed to be a dog.

When his search both upstairs and down proved to be unfruitful, Ferb decided that his best shot would be to wait it out for now. He could sneak out the front door the next time it opened.

True, the phone number on his collar would prove problematic if someone spotted him, but any escape towards returning to Phineas would be an escape in the right direction. And if Ferb didn't get out before Monday, this Martha and David would be in for quite an unexpected surprise.

Phineas knocked lightly on his sister's bedroom door, poking his head in as he pushed on it. He spoke softly, not wanting to wake her up if she was still sleeping. "Hey, Candace? Can I ask you a favor?"

The bright Saturday morning sun rolled in through the window, as Phineas spotted Candace sitting on her bed reading a magazine. She looked up in response.

"What, Phine-?" she started. But Candace stopped her retort when she saw the look on her brother's face. She set her magazine on the bedspread beside her. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, I was at the park with Ferb and he went to go get a frisbee," Phineas started as he came in. "And that was on Thursday and now I can't find him anywhere…!"

"Wait, you mean 'Ferb' that dog?" Candace clarified. Phineas nodded at her.

"Mmhmm. I got Isabella and Baljeet and Buford and almost everyone else out looking for him, but we haven't found anything," Phineas told her sadly. "I haven't seen him in almost two days and I'm really getting worried about him."

"You're getting all worked up about a silly dog?" Candace reacted to Phineas' words. She asked, "I thought you were looking for his owner anyway? Maybe he went back to his home."

"I… don't understand what you mean, Candace," Phineas replied with uncertainty. "Ferb doesn't have an owner, he lives here with us. He's your brother, too."

"Ferb… is the dog?" Candace gasped at him slowly, then quickly. "Mom told me it was a dog that you named 'Ferb'!"

Candace looked to the corner of the ceiling in contemplation. "Well THAT would explain why I haven't seen him lately. When Mom asked me where he was, I just told her that he was out doing some crazy thing with you. We both thought it was all a big random coincidence that we hadn't ran across him. When did he get turned into a dog?"

"On Tuesday," Phineas answered.

Candace breathed, and then a thought struck her that had not been present when Phineas first explained it to her. She put the facts together and asked, "So Ferb… our brother… has seriously been lost for two days?"

Phineas stuttered and nodded again. "I-I can't find him anywhere, Candace! So, I was wondering if you could do me a favor…."

His sister repositioned to look at him. "Anything, Phineas. I want to see him back, too."

Phineas gave her a little smile and continued with his request. "I thought about checking the Danville Animal Shelter. But when I called them, they wouldn't tell me anything unless I had somebody over eighteen with me."

"Of course I'll drive over there with you, Phineas," Candace agreed, standing up. "Come on and I'll get the keys."

After a short ten-minute drive, Candace stopped the car and Phineas stepped out. She followed him in as they entered the doorways of the local shelter. A girl was sitting behind the desk, filing paperwork.

"Hi..." Phineas started, approaching. "I'm looking for a..."dog"."

"Okay," she answered softly, pulling up the papers and aligning them. "What was the name on his collar?"

"Oh um, he didn't have one," Phineas replied, putting his hands on the counter.

The girl looked at him with befuddlement. "Your dog didn't have a name?"

"No, no I meant he didn't have a collar," Phineas corrected unenthusiastically. "He wouldn't like wearing those."

"... Did he have any other form of identification?" she requested. "There's no way to keep record if he was ever here if he had no type of ID. Do you at least have a picture of him?"

Phineas frowned and looked at the tile under his feet. "No... I should've thought of that...! I mean, we can't even make flyers, Candace!"

"We'll find him, Phinny," Candace assured him. She turned to the clerk. "Can we at least go in the back and see if he's there?"

"Sure," the girl replied, getting up to show them into the back kennel.

All the dogs immediately started barking when they saw new faces, but Phineas ignored them all; he was looking for just one.

He looked into each cage. He found a white dog, a black spotted one, even a few brown ones. But he recognized none of them, and none of them recognized him.

Finishing his slow walk, Phineas turned around at the end of the line. "...He's not here."

"I can't be of much help, then," the girl mentioned. "But pets don't last forever... There are plenty of other dogs here, who you can look at when and if you're ready."

"What!" Candace exclaimed, clutching Phineas and wrapping her arms protectively around him. "That's a horrible thing to say!"

"He's not my dog, okay?" Phineas shouted from under his sister. "He's my brother and he can never be replaced!"

Candace let him go as he trudged out of the room. She gave a disappointed glare behind her, before following him.

"I'll find him before Monday," Phineas was saying. "I just have to."