Chapter Four

Once the plan was put into action Surly organized a team of animals from the park to go and carry out their plan to rescue Noah from the orphanage. He told Andie to stay behind and decorate the old mill so that it would be ready for their new human member of the park family.

Armed with a few items in their crayon backpacks, Buddy and Surly led the animals all the way to the doors of the orphanage and began to formulate a plan on how to get inside, however they were surprised when Buddy realized that someone left a window open, open wide enough for the team to simply walk right into the building like they were practically invited inside.

Surly wondered if Noah had something to do with this when he and the others jumped inside and began to look around for Noah. They looked around in the dead of night before they heard a bell ringing. They jumped for a while before realizing it was just the grandfather clock chiming eleven o'clock at night.

Then they got another surprise, on the top of the stars was a white blanket with something big hiding underneath it and by it's side was a brown backpack and a light blue suitcase next to it. Curiously Surly went towards the blanket at the top of the stairs first fallowed by everyone else. He went under the blanket and found Noah hiding underneath it, crying his eyes out and sniffling as he wiped tears from his face and his red eyes, which got redder the more he cried.

"Noah, are you okay?" Surly asked

"N-No... AJ just died and... I... I'm so sad... I'm all alone now." Noah said.

Ouch. Surly didn't think the dog would die the moment they left, but now he felt bad for Noah for losing the only family he had. He looked at the boy and said "Uh, Kiddo, why are you all packed?"

"AJ said to run away before any nasty human got to me... but I don't know where to run." Noah said.

Surly grinned "Well it's your lucky day because I know the perfect place for you to live, it's a nice old mill in Liberty Park and Andie's getting the place ready for you even as I speak."

Noah smiled as he sniffled and said "Oh Surly, do you think that the park will like me?"

"Trust me, they'll be glad to have you around kiddo." Surly said "You already won over Andie, the park leader, and if you can get on her good side so easily, then you won't have any trouble with the rest of us."

Noah sniffled and said "Will I be loved there?"

"Naturally, you'll have a nice place to live, a good roof over your head, as much company as you want, all the nuts you want to eat-"

"No, no nuts." Noah said.

"Why not?" Surly asked

"I have food allergies." Noah said with a frown "I can't eat anything that has nuts in it. If anything nut related gets into my tummy I'll get very sick."

Nut allergies? Oh swell. Surly frowned as he rubbed his head and sighed "Okay, well that's okay, there are other places to find food for you. Hopefully enough to fill that big human stomach of yours."

At that Noah's plump stomach began to rumble and gurgle loudly as he rubbed it and Surly jumped back a little when he heard the boy's stomach growl "Are you hungry right now?"

"Actually I ate dinner and desert before you guys came here." Noah said before he rubbed his rumbling tummy with a groan "But I don't think that meatloaf and berry pie are sitting so well in my tummy."

"Well, walk it off kid and you'll be fine." Surly said.

"Okay." Noah said before he let out a burp and said "Sorry."

Noah removed the blanket and Surly turned to find his friend... and gasped in horror when he saw them cornered by two nasty big dogs! The first one was a Siberian husky with a golden collar around her neck with the silver tag reading 'Melissa' on it and the second one was a Bernese mountain dog with a magenta collar around his neck with a black tag reading 'Riley' on it.

"Oh no, who are those guys?!" Surly exclaimed.

"Melissa and Riley, our new guard dogs." Noah explained "The owner Mrs. Clark got them shortly after you left."

"That would have been great to know before we came here wouldn't it?!" The squirrel asked the boy.

"I wish we had a dog whistle." Noah said "We could really use one right now."

Surly smiled and hit the side of his head. Of course! He remembered bringing the dog whistle with him in his backpack. He quickly whipped out the dog whistle and blew into it as hard as he could. Immediately the dogs winced back in pain at the whistle and the animals managed to make it back through the window, all but Buddy, who misplaced his footing and fell, landing with a hard thud on the floor.

Surly kept blowing as he motioned for the boy to come with him and together they passed the dogs, climbed out of the window and Noah scooped up Buddy before gently placing him inside his pocket and running outside with his friends, but not before he placed his suitcase, blanket and backpack into his purple painted wagon, which he had left outside earlier that day, and soon he was on his way to his new home in Liberty Park.

Surly climbed into Noah's pocket and sat next to his friend as he said "Are you alright Buddy? Nothing broken?"

Buddy shook his head with a smile. He wasn't hurt, however he did have a bruise on his arm thanks to the fall. Surly checked it and sighed "Whew, it doesn't look bad. Just walk it off and I'll be okay."

Buddy nodded before he closed his eyes and went to sleep. Surly just sighed and smiled at his friend before he climbed out of the pocket and onto Noah's shoulder as he said "Don't worry kid, by the time we're done with you you'll be a true park animal through and through, gathering food for the winter and all kinds of things."

"You mean like I can have all the Apple Pie and Ice Cream I want?" Noah asked.

"Exactly..." Surly said before he asked "What's Apple Pie and Ice Cream?"