The golden retriever couldn't breathe. His vision swirled in the dark of the hallway, body aching, his footsteps silent as the night, but heavy nonetheless.

His heart raced, pounding in his chest like a hammer.

Faster…

Faster…

Faster…until…

It stopped. Balthazar fell to the floor with a thud. His hand reached back. There was only one thing in his heart and mind and lips. Breathlessly, he whispered: "Por…sha…"

Everything went dark after that.

It seemed like an eternity before the dog woke up. He looked around, rubbing the sleep from his green eyes. He was in his bed in the pool house. Ugh…his head was pounding. "What happened?" he asked himself.

"Ya took quite a tumble is what happened," spoke the gruff, kindly voice of a familiar lion rockstar as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You alright, lad? Penny for your thoughts?"

"…I ruined everything," Balthazar sighed, putting his face in his hands. "Porsha hates me. I ran out with my tail between my legs, and now she hates me."

Clay wanted to reassure him, but once Balthazar gave him the full picture of what had happened, his ears flattened. Two things were quite clear: Porsha and Balthazar were both scared. And they were in love.

Clay spoke with an understanding that could only come from someone who had been truly in love. Placing a hand on the young dog's shoulder, he replied, "Lad, you didn't ruin everythin'. You both are young. Porsha simply asked you a question, and you got scared. That's natural, right? It was a pretty big question."

Balthazar nodded wearily. "Y-Yeah, I guess. But…"

"But what?"

"I didn't get to tell her that I love her. And who knows if I'll ever get that chance, let alone with someone as perfect as Porsha?"

There was change in Balthazar. He seemed angry. A rare sight, considering how soft-spoken he seemed to be. But it wasn't aimed at the wolf girl at all. He was angry at himself. Clay tensed, his chest tightening.

"Now, Balthazar—"

"No!" Balthazar barked, baring his teeth at the old lion. His tone held undercurrents of self-hatred, hot tears streaming down his muzzle. "You'll never understand! You'll never…understand how stupid I was. That's it, isn't it? I'm just stupid. Just a stupid runaway with nothing but stupid cupcakes and stupid dreams. Who was stupid enough to believe someone like me could be with someone like her. But she's…"

"But he's…" Porsha, meanwhile, was in her bed, talking to Nana through whimpers and sobs.

"He's so sweet…He's…"

"…a goddess. An angel. What could I give her?"

"…I'd be too much for him…"

"…We could never match…"

"…I could only ever…"

"I could never…"

"…give him what he wants…"

"…give her what she needs…"

"I never should've…"

"…run away. I'm a coward."

"…a little loser..."

"I broke her heart, I…"

"…made him go away."

"Just like my dad did to my mom."

"…Just like my mommy…"

"…I'm just as bad…"

"The spitting image…

"…as my father, the cur."

"…of Jimmy Crystal."

A silence followed. Each mentor took different approaches in helping the two canines: Clay emphatically told Balthazar the story of him and Ruby—their meeting at one of his earliest concerts, Ruby eloping with him to escape an arranged marriage by her crappy, wealthy family, and their marriage. Which was happy, of course. "But she got sick," Clay said, voice growing faint and fragile. "Very sick. And her family refused to help. Because they were still bitter."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Calloway," Balathzar said, giving the lion a compassionate look after he finished.

Clay smirked a bit. "Don't be," the rockstar put a hand on the young golden's shoulder. "Ruby and I took a chance on something that was good. And now you've got that chance, Balthazar. Will you?"

The lion looked at him with kind, fatherly eyes. With a story like that, how could he say no?

It was scary, but Balthazar was willing to follow in Clay's footsteps. He nodded and sprang out of bed, tail wagging, chest puffed up, ready to take his own chance. "Thank you, Mr. Calloway."

"Call me Clay," the lion chuckled before Balthazar could exit.

The golden retriever sprinted back into the manor, almost running into Hobbs as he raced up the staircase. He heard a faint sound. Sobbing.

"Porsha, wait!" Balthazar exclaimed, bursting in. He took a moment to catch his breath, heart racing, slumping over. "Need to…talk…about…last night…" he panted.

Porsha sat up, stunned, dropping a tissue she'd been using. There were several tissues, all strewn about like some sad confetti. Nana gave the dog a small, but fiery glare that said: 'Measure your words very, very carefully'. The black sheep had heard about the incident only from Porsha. Balthazar gulped, but managed to regain his composure.

"Porsha, I—" Nana snapped her fan shut abruptly, signaling the young dog to spit it out. He and the wolf were both startled. Only for a moment, though.

Gently, the canine approached the beside, took the hand of the wolf girl, whose eyes glittered with freshly shed tears. It was enough to make the male canine cry, as well. "Porsha, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I-I was just—I wasn't—No one's ever—You have to understand that…I'm sorry, I just don't have the words."

Porsha turned her gaze downward to the floor. All three weighed down by their own chains. For what seemed like an eternity, nobody spoke.

Until a small sob from Porsha broke the silence. Nana, with quiet, furious finality, she pointed to the door with her fan and ordered him to leave.

The two canines locked eyes again. Only this time, the look they shared was one of defeat. Balthazar trudged out, lingered in the doorway. He held onto the door frame with one hand. The golden retriever didn't want to let it go.

He didn't want to let her go.

Nana barked at the dog to leave again. A fire lit inside of Balthazar, and he turned back and told the old sheep, eyes narrowed, "I'm not done!"

Nana was shocked, as was Porsha, whose whole body shook—with fear or joy, she couldn't tell. Not as her heart began to beat, pulsating in her ears: boom, boom, boom, boom!

Then, Balthazar placed a shaky hand in hers, got down on one knee, and said through streaming tears, "I'm not the best. I'm not the brightest. I'm not perfect. I-I can't give you much. All I can give you is my heart." He spoke like a knight would to a noble maiden, his words honoring her, as clear and cool as a running river, and as sweet as honey. "I have nothing I want, except for you. A-And your love. I swear, with every fiber of my being, I'll do anything for you. Even if it means laying down my life. Because I love you, Porsha Crystal. I have…since the first time we saw each other."

The black sheep let out a soft gasp, fan covering her face, save for her eyes. Never in her life had she seen someone so young show such tenderness. It was then she knew that Balthazar had truly come to care for her. Nana watched in suspense, hoping that Porsha would say yes. A stray tear streamed down her face, but she didn't bother to wipe it away, like she usually would have.

The wolf girl wasn't sure how to react. She just sat, silent, hazel eyes wide as she looked down at the golden retriever. Stunned couldn't even begin to describe the torrent of emotions she was feeling.

She heard a voice, one too far away for her to pinpoint but, at the same time, it seemed oddly familiar to the female wolf. It said: 'It's here…What you need is right here.' There was the sensation of a hand on her shoulder, a warm tenderness that the wolf scarcely remembered, but felt in her whole heart.

And Porsha knew. It was Melody. It was her mom.

"What I need," the young wolf echoed, smiling warmly, cupping the cheek of her fellow canine with a soft hand and letting him gently rise, "is right here. It's you."

Balthazar shook. Porsha couldn't help but find his nerves cute. Endearing, even. She pressed her lips gently upon his. The golden retriever was utterly flabbergasted. Then, his tail started to wag and he was on cloud nine. She pulled away, their gazes meeting.

"I love you, Bally." The golden blushed and he replied, "I love you too, Porsha. You're the most amazing girl I've ever met."

Porsha should've felt happy, should've felt secure. Everything was great. But, still, with the trail of her father on the horizon, it was hard to feel happy. This was her first boyfriend. What would the troupe think? What if Buster didn't like him? And what if, eventually, Balthazar would grow to hate her?

Would he leave?