When Patches returned to the Pound that evening, Lucky immediately found him.
"Patches! Where were you?! You've been gone for hours!" he howled.
"Chill Lucky. We hung out for a while. Then On my way back, I grabbed a little take out!" Patches pulled out a McDonald's bag.
"You stole that from a human?!"
"Course not. I found it in the dumpster. Mmm… half eaten burger and fries…" Patches stuffed his nose into the bag.
"Oh! Can I have some Patches?! Please?" Niblet jumped around.
"Get your own…" Patches growled. The hair on his back rose. Niblet ran away screaming. "I'm sorry! It's just the feral instinct inside of me! I'm learning how to survive!"
"You don't need to. You have a human." Lucky said darkly.
"So? I should still know how to survive if need be. You'll all be sorry! Humans dump dogs out all the time!"
"Patches!"
"Lucky, you of all dogs would know that. I'm going to bed. Later."
Patches sat in his room. "So glad Gina's on vacation. I can have a little time away from humans…"
"Tell me about it?"
"Huh? Who's there? Show yourself!" Patches growled.
"Chill Patches." A white cat with black spots came out. "It's just me."
"Oh, sorry about that Splotches." Patches replied, realizing it was his friend.
"No problem" Splotches replied. "Lucky us. Vacation of our own!" Patches and Splotches's owners were best friends, and they had gone to the beach together.
"Hardly call it that…" Patches sighed. "Lucky's gone crazy."
"Oh, you too?" Splotches exclaimed. "Ace has been hovering over me all week!"
"So, how did your interview at M.E.O.W.S. go?"
"It was great! I passed! What about you?"
"Hey! I passed too!"
"Wow! We're really alike!"
"Just like Zap and Snap!"
"Hey!" Lucky had walked in. "What's that cat doing in here? Don't worry Patches! I'll get him out!"
Lucky charged at Splotches, but Patches stepped right n front of him snarling.
"Don't you dare Lucky…" Patches said quietly. "You attack him… I attack you."
"But he's a cat!"
"He's my friend."
"Patches…"
"This is Splotches. He's my friend."
"Alright…" Lucky sighed. "Fine." The leader of the pound walked out of Patches's room without another word.