Tainted

A/N: When I think of "Delicious Decadence," I don't typically think of dog food, but to Pal, all dog food must be delicious if he's going to eat it. So, we have a food story centered around Pal. Enjoy.

Pal hadn't eaten in days. He'd survived on scraps scrounged out of the garbage, both at the Read house and the neighboring houses. Complaints poured in from the garbage men and their customers, and now Mr. and Mrs. Read were giving Arthur a stern talk about his disobedient dog.

"Mom, I don't know what's wrong with him. I feed him, but he won't eat. I tried giving him a can of the flavor he really seems to like, but he just won't eat it," Arthur sighed. "Maybe he's sick. We should take him to the vet to make sure."

"Arthur we're talking to you because this isn't the first time he's disrupted our entire street," Mr. Read replied sternly, referencing "The Barking Incident," when Nemo refused to leave the Read family backyard, causing Pal to bark endlessly for two hours while a neighbor three doors down tried to host a memorial for her dead sister. Arthur apologized personally, and it hadn't happened again, but Pal still wasn't very liked because of it.

"I think we need to check to make sure he's okay, Arthur, but if the vet doesn't find anything wrong with him and his bad behavior continues, we'll have to find him a new home," Mrs. Read said.

"But Mom…," Arthur groaned. His parents wouldn't have his excuses, and once the vet appointment was made, he was sent to his room to sulk. His parents remained in the kitchen, sipping coffee and trying to decide what to do about the outrageous Pal.

"He's a good dog otherwise, but I can't have him digging in my trash," Mrs. Read said, sipping her coffee.

"I agree. What if he goes after my catering food before a big event? I could lose my job, then Arthur would have to get rid of the dog to save us money," Mr. Read sighed. "I wish there was another way, but-"

"Maybe you should cook for him. It's probably cheaper than the canned food, and it would be better for him too. I could look up a simple recipe online for you, and we could try it tonight. We need to get him to eat something. If he eats what you cook, then we'll know there's nothing wrong with him, then we wouldn't have to pay for the vet visit."

"Well, that ship just sailed," Mr. Read groaned. "I'll do it, but just this once. Go get a recipe for me, and I'll get the ingredients when I get DW from Emily's house."

With the plan decided, the pieces were put into motion. When Mr. Read returned home with DW, he immediately went into the kitchen and prepared Pal's meal. Arthur came into the kitchen around four o'clock, then he fed Pal his first serving.

Pal ate the delectable food in mere seconds, and Arthur gave him a second plate. Pal ate that plate too, but his father wouldn't let him have a third plate. He'd found out the Pal liked the people food, but Pal still wasn't out of the woods yet. He couldn't tear up the trash or bark anymore, and Arthur knew that too.

Pal knew that as well. He understood some of what the humans were saying, and he watched them carefully as they went about their daily business. He knew he might have to leave if his behavior didn't improve, but he couldn't help it that the dog food had a tainted scent to it. At least they were cooking for him now, which was a treat that even the rich dogs in Muffy's neighborhood didn't get very often, and he planned to be on his best behavior to keep the food coming.

But a week later, despite his good behavior, Mr. Read was done with this whole "cook for the dog" fiasco. He demanded it be stopped, so once again, Pal was served the dog food. Arthur watched as he sniffed the food, then Pal pushed away the bowl with his paw, something he'd never done before.

"Dad, I think something's wrong with the food," Arthur said.

"Well I can't help that, Arthur!" he exclaimed, his voice harsh and angry. Pal shrank into himself, looking up to the irritated human. "Don't give me that look, Pal. I'm doing everything I can for you, but I can't keep cooking you meals. You eat what you're given or you go hungry."

"But Dad, what if it's the food itself and not him? What if there's something wrong with that brand or something? Wasn't there a recall on the news?" Arthur asked. Mr. Ratburn had taught them about product recalls earlier in the year when someone brought in a story for Current Events Day.

"Well, I could check," Mr. Read muttered. He didn't want the food to be tainted because he'd already paid for it, but he didn't want to feed Pal food he shouldn't eat too. He was torn, so he went to his wife and asked her to look it up online.

"Oh my god, Arthur's right!" she gasped. "Throw it out, all of it!"

Arthur and DW helped clean out the cabinet, and after gathering their rain gear, the Read family headed out into the spring showers to pick up a new brand for Pal to eat. Their old brand wasn't even on the shelf, and they quickly found a new brand that was a similar price.

When they got home, Pal was fed the can while the house watched. He sniffed the food first, then began eating it as quickly as he ate the home-cooked food. The family cheered, happy that their beloved puppy was eating again. Arthur was the happiest of all because that meant his pal Pal would be staying. When Pal was finished, they played with Pal's favorite tennis ball in the den, a ritual Arthur vowed to keep for years and years to come.

Theme 026: Pushed Away

To complete the themes yourself, I have the list posted on my profile. The list is for any type of fan fiction (one-shot, drabble, etc.) and any fandom. Challenge yourself in other ways to make it more fun, and enjoy!