It was morning by the time Fagin managed to drag his canine companions out the door; all were exhausted after a largely sleepless night. All that was, except for Tito, whose boundless energy had kept everyone up in the first place. As everyone piled in to the back of Fagin's tricycle, Francis hesitated. He'd appreciated the scruffy fellow's kindness in providing a small bite to eat and a roof over his head for the night, but, surely, he could not stay. A dog of his breeding, his upbringing, had no place here, in this company. What would he be finding himself entwined into should he stay any longer? Was there any way back to something- anything, more than this? He couldn't become just another mangy, smelly street dog, rifling through trash and stealing just to get by, he was so much more than that. But even as he glanced around, searching the unfamiliar landscape for any sign of a way out, Francis knew that the choice was between becoming a lowlife amongst apparently trustworthy folk, or doing so on his own.
"Coming, Francis?" Dodger called out, wedged between Einstein and Rita with Tito perched atop his head.
The bulldog breathed deeply, and then scrambled -with a fair degree of difficulty as he was quite a portly chap- into the trolley to join the others. What choice did he have? Riding in the back of the tricycle was an uncomfortable business, and being squashed in with the four other dogs didn't help matters. The sights that whizzed past as Fagin erratically moved through the city were alien to Francis, and did little to ease his anxiety. When they finally lurched to a stop, it was with great relief that he found his paws on the still pavement. In contrast, Tito had a whale of a time as they careened through the traffic, very nearly falling out of the trolley on several occasions. He was bright-eyed and raring to get exploring with his new friends.
Dodger looked around at his companions, excited by the prospect of showing Tito and Francis the ropes. All the same, he wasn't quite sure how best to manage the larger group. The newcomers naturally took the lead of Rita and Einstein and looked to him for instruction. "Okay, guys, how 'bout we split up to cover more ground? Rita, you can take Francis out. Make sure he gets a bite to eat."
"Right, Dodge." Rita was apprehensive, having had a rough start with Francis the day before. If Francis' expression was anything to go by, he was not about to jump for joy at the prospect either. She had a sneaking suspicion that Dodger wanted her to give the snobbish fellow his initiation so he himself could concentrate on the more enjoyable task of keeping the feisty pup amused.
Taking care of the newcomer turned out to be just as much of a chore as Rita had anticipated. Francis gained self-confidence quickly once he knew he was no longer outnumbered, and was loathe to take direction from a dog who was scarcely more than a child, and a street urchin at that. He made his strong opinions known about everything- he would not be consuming anything that had come from the trash, nor would he in any way act an accessory to thievery, nor would he follow along at a faster pace than a sulky waddle. He had not the slightest inclination to join Rita in taking shortcuts over the tops of vehicles; though she imagined that he'd lack the fitness to do so without causing himself any injury anyway. It was quite the handicap to have Francis in tow, yet Rita was reluctant to leave him alone while he so obviously lacked the street smarts to keep himself out of trouble. He showed no caution towards any human at all, happily approaching anyone and everyone in hope of being 'rescued' from her. It was almost like puppysitting, and she had to constantly aware of what he was doing lest he stumble into danger.
Rita knocked over a trashcan, and moved aside. "All right, Francis, you don't have to eat anything, but can you at least have a look through, see if you can find anything at all that might be worth anything to Fagin. If you don't want to eat out the garbage or steal, you're gonna need to pay for your keep somehow."
Francis eyed the rubbish that had spilled onto the cement. The smell was nauseating. "There could be anything in there," he said, disgusted.
"That's kinda the point- you never know when you'll get lucky. Fagin's giving you a roof over your head, and whatever food he can manage; the least you could do is make an effort to help him out." It was like talking to a brick wall… a stubborn, over-indulged brick wall. She walked a little way away and stuck her head in a second can. "I'll take this one, and you carry on over there."
The smell of rotting food, used diapers and goodness knows what else kept Francis at bay, and he miserably looked at the mountain of rubbish. If the scrawny pup thought she could pull him, Francis, down to her level, than she would be sorely mistaken. How on earth had it come to this?
A deep but muffled bark distracted Rita from her search, though the sound was not aggressive. She looked around to see Scout coming up the alley, a newly caught rat in his mouth.
Scout briefly put down his prize to call out to her. "Hi Rita, fancy bumping into you! You and your friend want a bite to eat?"
"Thanks hon, it's good to see you." Rita happily abandoned her search, and the failed attempt at getting some work out of Francis. She looked back around to see the bulldog had backed away, fearful; and called out reassuringly, "Don't worry about him, he's a friend of mine."
Francis knew that he'd never be able to move fast enough to escape should the stranger attack, so nervously took Rita at her word. He looked on in horror at the limp creature that the shepherd was gathering back into his jaws. "Is that… a rat?"
"Dinner, Francis. Probably not what you're used to, but it'll keep ya goin' for a while. At least it ain't trash!" Rita was unperturbed by the look on Francis' face and happily sunk her teeth into the unfortunate rodent's leg. "I'll pull you off a bit."
"You needn't, I will not be putting any part of a filthy sewer rat in my mouth."
"You wanna go hungry, buddy?" Scout asked, bewildered by the bulldog's response. "This is good stuff, keep you going for a whole day."
"Frankie, you gotta eat something. You don't know when you'll get your next meal." Rita dropped a piece of meat at his feet with an encouraging glance. This dog was like no one she'd encountered before, and she couldn't help but wonder how he'd ever manage to get by.
The bulldog turned his snubby nose up once more, annoyed the use of his unwanted nickname. "I appreciate your attempt at hospitality, but I simply cannot eat that."
Sensing that there was no point in pushing the issue further, Rita just carried on tucking in with her boyfriend. At least the meal wouldn't be going to waste. "Thanks for this, Scout. You know you didn't have to," she said, licking her lips as she finished.
Thoroughly fed, the pair gave one another a quick clean-up, licking the mess from each other's faces. Scout was a little disappointed that he had found Rita with a dependent companion in tow, it would by no means help his chances of getting her alone.
"So once I take Francis home this afternoon, you want to hang out for a while? Things are pretty crazy at home right now, and if I'm going to give myself a break from it all, I'd rather it was with you." Rita spoke quietly, and with a flirtatious smile.
Scout wagged his tail happily, "You can count me in."
Still queasy at the sight of the dismembered rat, Francis had the feeling that he was intruding. Whatever these young ruffians wished to get up to, there was no real reason for him to be there getting in the way. "Please don't feel the need work around me; I should be leaving anyway. Send my regards to your companions for allowing me to stay the night, but I don't belong here. I'm not a street dog, and I need to get out of this nightmare." He turned to leave, with not the remotest idea of a way forward… but surely anything would be better.
Surprised as she was, Rita was still quick enough that it took no trouble at all to block the bulldog's path. She could not honestly say that she particularly liked the guy, but was by no means about to let him do anything stupid on her watch. "Wait, wait- you've got no business going off on your own. You'd last all of five minutes."
"And what would it be to you? I will be out of your fur, and you can carry on your merry way, thieving and otherwise being a dark blot on the landscape of society." He couldn't be dealing with this, he needed to get away else be corrupted.
"Apparently even a 'dark blot on the landscape of society' has a conscience." Rita growled, having had just about enough of the bulldog's insults. Surely, he realised that she was trying to help? "I'm not sayin' you'll be in for an easy ride if you stick with us, but it's a walk in the park compared to going it alone. You've got nowhere else to go, Francis! Fagin must have seen something in you or he wouldn't have brought you home- you got lucky, don't just throw it away."
"So that is my fate, to spend the rest of my life living on garbage, becoming a criminal? I never did anything to deserve this!"
In spite of his rudeness, Rita felt pity for Francis. He clearly couldn't cope with the situation in which he'd found himself. "Most of us didn't either," she shook her head, "But you've got to make the most of what you have." She watched him as he struggled to keep a hold of himself. "Just try and stick it out a little while longer, you might find it's not so bad as you think. I guess you're family now, and that means we've got your back."
Francis gave in; he'd just have to face the frightening new world that had been thrust upon him. "If you insist, I will stay for the time being. Actually, if it isn't too much bother, do you mind taking me back to the barge? I feel I need to lie down."
"Sure," Rita offered him a kind smile, hopeful that the pompous dog might be mellowing a little. She turned to Scout, "You don't mind do you? I won't be too long."
The shepherd shook his head. "Don't worry about it, go sort your buddy out. I'll see ya soon." He gave her a lick on the cheek, turned down the alley and carried on his way.
Rita and Francis headed home, taking the easiest route she knew. Being unused to being on his feet all day, Francis had become tired quickly, and found himself very grateful that Rita hadn't pushed her idea to get home more swiftly by jumping around on top of moving vehicles. Lost in his thoughts, he said very little.
"So Francis, if you don't mind me askin'; what happened? How did you end up on your own out here?" Rita asked over her shoulder.
The bulldog paused to catch his breath and then spoke. "I had a wonderful home; I lived with a professor of the arts- oh, the things I experienced! My master was a fine fellow, and through him I experienced the wonder of theatre, the splendour of famous works of art. You will not understand it, living in the gutter as you do, but it truly was something to behold." As he went back in his mind to his old life, Francis spoke with a passion and a joy that had been absent since finding himself so far from him. "Sadly, the dear fellow was old. His family took him away, but they had no interest in caring for me. They drove me into the city, and when I stepped out, they closed the door behind me and left." His voice cracked as the painful memory came back to him.
"I'm sorry, you must be hurting bad right now." Rita nudged her head against his, a gesture of friendly support.
"Thank you for your condolences." Francis sighed, starting to trust the young hound, but still slightly wary of her. "And yourself? I gathered from your response to Tito last night that you were not born a street dog."
Rita nodded solemnly, "My humans couldn't find anyone who wanted me, so they went away and left me behind. I was young enough that it wasn't too hard to adjust, but the rejection isn't easy to take. I was lucky though, I had Dodger looking out for me. Fagin took me in, and now I wouldn't want anything else."
They walked on, the atmosphere between the two of them rather warmer than it had been that morning. Whether the newcomers would become permanent additions to her motley family, Rita was unsure, but in the short-term, she was certain that they could at least help them out.
Upon reaching the barge, it became obvious to the pair by the barking coming from within that they were not the first to head in for the day. Rita came down the stairs and eyed Dodger, Einstein and Tito who were in the middle of a rumble. "Watch it!" She snapped as the lumbering Great Dane barrelled right into her. She looked behind to see Francis looking on, unsure. "Dodge! Dodger!"
The mutt pulled himself away from the tangle and paws and teeth, swiftly transforming his snarl into a suave smile. "What's the matter, babe?"
"I'm goin' back out, I left Scout waiting. Just make sure you keep an eye on Francis, will you? He's way outta his depth."
"Absotively," Dodger turned back to Tito who had taken the opportunity to start gnawing on his foot. "You two kids have fun- and don't stay out too late." He smirked at Rita.
"Later, Dodge." She rolled her eyes, well used to Dodger's teasing.
The pleasant late afternoon breeze played gently with Rita's fur as she trotted out to meet her beau, a refreshing feeling. A part of her felt guilty for leaving the others to it, especially if Dodger had been bothered to stick around rather than stay out late harassing girls, but it would only be for a few hours.
"Rita!" Scout called from across the docks, his bushy tail wagging. He'd always frequented these parts, and found it convenient that the object of his affections lived nearby.
"Hiya handsome, you miss me?" Rita bounded over to him, feeling suddenly playful after a day of Francis-sitting. She ran and nipped at Scout's tail, and laughed as he returned the gesture. The pair frolicked around the docks until the sun sank below the horizon, and then Rita followed as Scout led her to his present abode.
The shepherd crept over to a pile of old crates, and jumped up to a large one on its side, perched on top of another. Above the line of sight of most dogs, he could stay there largely unnoticed. He looked down to Rita, beckoning her to join him.
"I can't stay long, baby. The others will be waiting." Rita effortlessly jumped up to join Scout, and allowed him to draw her nearer. She licked his face affectionately, and exhaled contentedly as he lay his paw over her side.
"So things have been a bit full on with your new friends, hey?"
"I'm not even sure if it's going to be a long term arrangement. Fagin brought them home last night- Francis and the little one, and it didn't exactly go smoothly. It's not that I don't like the guys or anything, though I may have butted heads with them a little, it's just a really big change." Rita snuggled against the shepherd, enjoying the contact despite his dusty fur.
"Well, if you need some time out, I'm more than happy to help you take a break." Scout leaned his head down to kiss Rita, who had squirmed onto her back.
"In that case, I may be able to stay a little longer." Rita smiled up at him, and settled in for a very welcome romantic evening.