The rescue (of Chickaletta, of course) had been fairly short and simple, and didn't take too long for Ryder and the pups to help out. From what Rubble could see, the others were coming back just as he and Diamond made it to the lookout.

"Ryder, Ryder!" Rubble shouted out, capturing the attention of the ten year old, along with Skye, Marshall, and Chase.

"Hey Rubble, who's this?" He asked as soon as they got close. Diamond couldn't help but shuffle behind Rubble, staring at the group with wary eyes.

"This my new friend, Diamond! She's a stray, and I wanted her to meet you guys. Come on, say hi, there's no need to be nervous." Rubble said, glancing at the pup behind him. Ryder couldn't help but smile, bending low as he stared at her.

"Hi Diamond." He said, and Diamond couldn't help but scuttle behind Rubble even further, ducking her head. "It's okay, we won't hurt you." At this, Diamond hesitated, before glancing back at Ryder and the other three pups.

"Hi." She said, stepping away from Rubble, but still kept her head down low.

"So, you're a stray, huh?" Ryder asked and she nodded.

"I told her that maybe you'll adopt her, Ryder. She could live with us, so she doesn't live on the beach anymore." Rubble said, looking at Ryder with hopeful eyes. Ryder scratched his chin, a frown appearing.

"You live on the beach?" He asked, looking at the Rottweiler pup. Diamond nodded.

"For the time being, yes." She said.

"Hmm," Ryder's frown deepen. "I'm sorry, but I don't have enough room for you."

Rubble whimpered.

"B-but, she could live inside the lookout! There's plenty of room in there!" Rubble exclaimed, begging. Ryder shook his head.

"You know she can't, Rubble, but that doesn't mean I'll let her live on the streets." He said, confusing the pups. Diamond couldn't help but scoff, rolling her eyes as anger and hurt came over here.

"If you're thinking about contacting my owner, forget it. He's probably dead." She snarled, but Ryder shook his head.

"That's not what I meant at all, actually. I know of a person who would gladly take you in, as she cares for all animals. The only thing I hope you don't mind is cats." He said, smiling as the others perked up.

"You mean, Katie, Ryder?" Rubble asked, wagging his tail. When Ryder nodded, Rubble couldn't help but howl out in excitement, looking over at Diamond, who looked both surprised and confused at the same time. "That's great news, Diamond! Katie doesn't live that far from us, so I, I mean, we can visit you at anytime if we're not too busy." He said, blushing.

Rubble's little slip-up didn't go unnoticed by the others, and Ryder couldn't help but smile as Chase chuckled, even when his mate nudged him with his elbow.

Diamond blinked.

"Who is Katie? Where does she live?" She asked.

"Katie's a good friend of ours, and Ryder's girlfriend," Ryder blushed. "She owns a grooming shop for pets that doubles as a house for her and her cats, Cali and Scar."

"Are you good with sharing a house with other pets, Diamond?" Ryder asked, looking very serious at the moment. The last thing he would want is for Diamond, or any of the pets to feel uncomfortable about sharing a space with another animal. Then again, Ryder mused wryly, Cali wasn't the sharing type to begin with. He doubted a dog living with them would effect her behavior too much.

"Y-yeah. Before I had became a stray, my owner had another pet, a cat, named Sabertooth(1). She and I didn't always get along, but we didn't kill each other." Diamond said.

"If you don't mind me asking, but did Sabertooth have anything to do with the wild?" Marshall asked. Diamond tilted her head as she thought about it.

"I know she was part Serval, if that counts for anything." She said.

"Huh. An actual wildcat, who knew?" Marshall joked, causing the others to laugh a little. Diamond was the only one not laughing as she titled her head, confused on what she said that made everyone laugh.

"Well, we can go and visit Katie and ask her if she was willing to adopt you. I think she'll agree to that." Ryder said, smiling as the pups cheered.

"YAY!" Rubble shouted, hugging Diamond as tightly as he could, making the Rottie blush. Marshall and Chase eyed each other with knowing smirks as Skye giggled and cooed over them. Seeing this, Diamond blushed even more.

"Stop. You're embarrassing me." She whined, and they laughed again.


"I think that's a great idea, Ryder. I always wanted a dog, anyway." Katie said, giving Diamond a rub on her head. The Rottweiler couldn't help but shiver as pleasure rolled down her spine, edging her head out even more towards Katie's hand. The others couldn't help but smile - with an exception of Cali, who was too busy glaring at Diamond even when her mate, Scar, rubbed his head against her, meowing for attention.

"Thanks Kate, I knew you wouldn't let me down." Ryder said, giving her a small kiss on her cheek, causing her to blush. The others snickered as Rubble looked over at Diamond.

"I hope you'll enjoy your new home, Diamond. Just remember we're just a block away from you, so at anytime you feel like you want to visit, just you know, call me. Or walk over, it doesn't matter." Rubble said, blushing when he heard Marshall muttered 'Call me?'. Diamond hummed, eyes closing in pleasure before eyeing the bulldog on the ground.

"I will keep that in mind, thanks Rubble. For everything." She said. Rubble beamed at the praise, and before long, the others were out the door, chatting to themselves. Once gone, Katie turned to her three remaining pets.

"I'm sure Ryder already told you, but Cali isn't the sharing type of pet," She mused, smiling as Cali meowed in protest. "But she won't do anything to you because she knows better. So any rivalry that may or may not be going on won't really last. Besides, ever since I'd adopted Scar, Cali's been pretty much spending most of her time with him."

Scar, a black cat with green eyes, looked up at being mentioned before meowing softly and went back to grooming his mate.

"You adopted Scar too?" Diamond asked. Katie nodded.

"I hate for when animals don't have a home, and I'm sure Ryder feels the same way. That's why he sent you to me. Even if he didn't have enough room, he'll make sure you were adopted. The same way he adopted Rubble, and Jake adopted Everest." She said. "All three of them were strays, just like you."

Diamond couldn't help but feel her heart swell, tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked. Diamond shook her head.

"N-nothing, it's just," Diamond trembled. "You are so kind. You, this Jake guy, Ryder, and Rubble...You don't know me, but you want to adopt me. How? Why?"

"How? How can I adopt you? Because I can," Katie answered, rubbing her head as Diamond continued to cry. "Why I want to adopt you? Because I want to. I love all animals, so when I see one that needs a home, I wouldn't hesitate. That's what being a good person do." Diamond continued to cry harder. Katie continued to soothed her until her tears came to a stop and she was whimpering. "Come on, let's get you a bath."

Diamond didn't protest as Katie picked her up and headed towards the back where the tubs were.


A/n: 1. So looking it up on Google, it's either spelt Sabretooth (I think in X-men) or Sabertooth which, I believe, is the cat. I'm not sure. Google is fucking with me.