Lyon was stunned when he saw the same adult that checked up on him on the day of his parents' funeral. He wasn't sure if this was a joke, dream, or both. He slowly approaches towards the table where Rad was siting.

"It's you, from the funeral," he said.

"Good to see you again, mate," said Rad.

"So, you were the one that is wanting to adopt me," Lyon inquired with a suspicious face.

"Well, he's just here to visit today. You probably know adoption does take a while," added Dana. "But he is willing to get to know you first. That is the whole point of today's meet. You two get to interact with each other and learn about each other."

Lyon was suspicious yet again of Rad's intentions. He tugs Dana's arm for a private conversation. "Is there a cache in all this," he whispered in Dana's ears.

"What? No, of course not. This kind gentleman is willing to hear you out. I thought we were over this plenty of times. If you don't give this a try, how will you know it won't work out," Dana whispered back.

"But I'm worried he won't like me. Remember the first two adults? They didn't want me because of my breed. They didn't want a wolf dog mix."

"Lyon, one's dog type does not mean you won't get adopted. You are unique just as you are regardless if you are mostly wolf mix. I promise you this will surely work out."

Lyon was tentative; no doubt the past few times he was rejected by other adults simply because of his half wolf and husky genes. He was utterly shattered when he heard those words from them, stating they did not want a wolf beast child.

"I know what those parents said to you before but forget about them. They have no idea how wonderful you are. You are smart, creative, thoughtful, and one of a kind. I'm sure Mr. Heeler will gladly accept you as you are, but only you can decide whether to hear him out," advised Dana.

Lyon glanced at Rad for a moment. The adult heeler's smile meant to Lyon that he wasn't lying about getting to know him. Although he was still suspicious of Rad's intentions, he decided to play along.

"Okay, I'll hear him out. Get to know him better", he conceded.

"That's the spirt," praised Dana. She stood in front of the table between both Rad and Lyon as the two sat each other face to face. Rad was glad Lyon decided to do this; he was able to get the opportunity to learn more about Marc and Audrey's child.

"Since Dana has agreed that we should get to know each other, I thought we could play a game called twenty questions," said Rad.

"What's that," asked Lyon.

"Well, all you need to do is ask a question about myself, and I answer it to you. It's simple."

"Ah, I see." Lyon seems to understand the logic behind this game.

"In return, I ask questions about yourself, and you answer back to me. This is a fun way to get to know each other." Rad took out a fifty-cent coin to do heads and tails. "Which do you prefer, heads or tails?"

"Tails," added Lyon. Rad flips the coin and traps it on his dorsal side of the paw. "Heads. Looks like I go first," said Rad. "Alright, first question. How old are you?"

"I'm six, and a half at the moment."

"Second question. What do you do for fun?"

"I usually like to read my books. I love playing in the monkey bars, draw, homework, play cricket when my dad used to be around, and learn my French."

"Ah, I did recalled Marc being proficient in that language. How good are you with French?"

"I know some. Not near my father's speaking, but it's enough. I can show you what I say."

Rad was eager to hear Lyon's French speaking skills. He was glad that the kid knew a second language since it is very useful to know at least one other language.

"Okay, I think it goes like this: Bonjour, bonne après-midi, je suis ravi de vous rencontrer, je m'appelle Lyon, comment ça va? I said good morning, I'm pleased to meet you, my name is Lyon, and how are you," said Lyon.

"Wow, that was great," praised Rad. "Those were just introductory phrases. I'm still teaching myself more about the language. Dad taught me those when I was four," said Lyon rubbing his neck.

Dana was impressed that Lyon was slowly opening to Rad. She quietly observes the two with a smile on her face. Rad asked more questions about Lyon's life, his favorite foods, books, places he ever wanted to visit, and favorite subjects in school. Rad was starting to get a good impression on the young dog.

"Okay, now that I know a lot of things about you, it's your turn to ask me questions about myself," said Rad.

"Okay then. First question, why don't you have a wife," asked Lyon.

"Whoa. How do you know I don't," asked Rad all surprised.

"Do you have a wife?"

"Well, no,"

"Why not?"

Dana didn't seem too pleased how the conversation was going. "Ah, okay Lyon that's enough of that question," she said while trying to change the topic to spare Rad from embarrassment. Rad's face was slightly red.

"Okay, how did you first meet my dad again?"

"We were good mates' way back, remember? We've known each other since high school. I've only met him when we started out in the oil rig biz."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I do have two younger brothers. I'm the oldest."

"How old are you?"

"Lyon," scolded Dana. "It's rude to ask an adult their age."

"Sorry," he said.

"Why don't we ask more respectful questions this time. You know, manners," hinted Dana. Lyon nods and decided to play it easy with more thoughtful questions.

"Do your brothers have kids," he inquired.

"As a matter of fact, they do. Both have two girls. One of them is about your age."

"Oh, wow. Next question, where do you live?"

"I live in a house. Not too far from here. Since I relocated to a different job site, I'm able to be at home now. I used to work overseas."

"What do you do for fun?"

"I usually like to watch cricket, work out at the gym, spend time with my brothers and their families, cycling in my bike, and go surfing as well."

"Why is your hair like that?"

"Almond milk shampoo."

Lyon asks more questions about Rad's life: where he grew up, his work life, his favorite meals, more questions about his brothers and their kids, and his parents. Once the game was up, Lyon seems to feel a bit more confident that he learned so much from Rad, and at the same time was pleased that Rad listened to Lyon's background.

"You seem like a great kid, Lyon. I can tell we may get along just fine," stated Rad.

"Yeah, you seem fine too Mr. Heeler. You don't seem to be like the last few adults I met," said Lyon, with a soft smile.

"Oh yeah," asked Rad. He was curious what Lyon meant about the past adults. But Dana did wanted to change the subject from that. "Lyon, perhaps you want to show Rad that book of yours" she earnestly said.

"Alright, let me go grab it. I left it in my room," he said rushing to the second floor. While he left momentarily, Rad was wanting to ask Dana about what he said. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did he meant 'like the last adults'," asked Rad with a troubled face. Dana frowned, and sighed hoping she didn't have to tell Rad about his bad experience the last couple came to see Lyon.

"You see, there were a few times married couples came to see Lyon. However, when they learned of his origin that he's a half-breed wolf, they want nothing to do with a beast child. I suspect that may have been the reason Lyon took it too hard. When I saw that happened, I can't help but feel heartbroken for the kid. As you can tell, he was sullen before meeting you," explained Dana.

Rad was shocked and enraged at the same time. To hear that word, it is no wonder why it has changed Lyon's perception that he was unlovable. How could no one like one kid simply because he has wild dog genes in him. "Unbelievable," he added. "I've seen him before like that on the day of the funeral. He said he has nobody left in his life."

"Yeah, I'd imagine it be the same," said Dana. "You are the first one that is accepting towards him. I appreciate that there are still good adults like yourself still out there."

"I don't care where he comes from originally. Marc and Audrey have a great kid; it doesn't matter if he's mixed wolf, or not," said Rad firmly. "If those couples have a problem with that, that's their lost."

Lyon came back with his mother's book. "I know I have more, but this one is special to me. My mother gave it to me." He showed Rad his Grimm's Fairy Tale book. "Wow, that's a neat book," said Rad amazed.

"When I read it, it sometimes reminds me of her reading it to me before bed. After she died, I pretty much taught myself how to read it. I'm still practicing."

"Well, aren't you a clever one." Lyon rubbed his neck and blushed a bit; he never received a compliment for quite a while. It seems both adult and child seem to feel comfortable speaking to each other. As time went by, the sun set shined at the windows. Realizing late it has gotten, Lyon barely knew what the time currently was.

"Alright, Lyon I believe it is time to wrap things up here," suggested Dana.

"So soon? There's more I wanted to talk about," complained the wolf dog pup.

"I know mate, but Mr. Heeler needs to head back now. It's late, but I promise he'll visit again soon."

"Fine," he sighed.

"Don't worry, Lyon. We'll have more to talk about the next time I visit," added Rad. He nodded back at the adult, and went back to his room. Both Dana, and Rad went back to the lobby to discuss more about the process.

"He's such a good kid, isn't he," asked Dana.

"I agree. Marc and Audrey raised a great young boy," said Rad with a grin. "Wish we had more time to talk."

"And you will. With a few more visits, I'm sure you will become a family. Of course, this means you'll need to proceed with more background checks, home visits, some classes on parenting, and so on. It will take some time, but I think you can manage it. You seem to have already done your homework on this."

"I understand. When can I come in for the next visit," asked Rad.

"I can set you up for your next visit the following weeks. Until then, we will keep you updated on what you need to do to finish the process. Sound good?"

"Absolutely, I can't wait to get started," said Rad excitedly.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Heeler. We hope to see you then," said Dana warmly.

Rad went out to the door passing through the front entrance, and went straight out of the automatic gate door. As he got on his vehicle, he heard his phone vibrating. He saw his message notifications, and it was a group chat of Bandit and Stripe.

Bandit: So, how did it go?

Rad: Honestly, it turned out perfect than I expected. The kid's great. It took a while, but he seems to have warmed up a bit.

Stripe: That's great!

Bandit: Good to know your on good terms with the boy. What else do you need to do?

Rad: Well, I will see him again in the next few weeks. After that, I do have to go with the legal procedures of adoption so it will take a while until the court decides to let me take him in. I just hope things go smoothly.

Bandit: It will. I know so. Just be patient and attentive to Lyon. It'll be worth it.

Rad smiled at his messages; he appreciates his brothers checking up on his day with Lyon. With more time and effort, he hopes things will turn out great.

Meanwhile, Lyon walked back in the hallways to his room. Although he was still shy around Rad, he seems to feel a bit more open when they chatted the afternoon away despite the awkward questions regarding about his martial status and age. Clutching his book to his chest, he felt yet again a strange feeling inside him.

As he was about to go to his door, he tripped and fell down to the floor. He felt something that stopped his feet and looked up. Unsurprisingly, it was Philip who did it on purpose. "Watch where you're going klutz," he snorted. Lyon showed an annoyed expression and stood up from the fall. "Sorry, it won't happen again."

"Just where are you going, Laurent," asked Philip in a condescending attitude. "To my room. Not that it concerns you," Lyon muttered, grabbing his book.

"Just heard you met with another adult today. Did this one reject you too?"

"Um, no. We kind of chatted for hours. I was learning more about him, and he did the same too. Not that it is your business."

"What was that," Philip said clenching his fists. Lyon looked away, not paying attention to the agitated St Bernard. "Hey, I'm talking to you dummy!" Lyon still didn't paid attention to the bully kid. He didn't want to instigate any conflict. Just as he was about to head straight to his room, Phillip was not done yet with his snarky comments. "It's no wonder why you won't get adopted. Because you're a freak. No wonder why your parents died."

Something inside Lyon snapped. He heard those words clear as a bell. His expression changed from indifferent to enraged. With his paws clenched as well, he turned around to Phillip, and pushed him.

"Oh, now you want to fight," taunted Phillip. Phillip punched Lyon in the face with force. He tackled the young wolf dog to the ground, and both boys were at it with each other.

"Don't you dare speak of my parents," shouted Lyon. "Why? Because it'll make you cry," laughed Phillip as he was holding Lyon down to the ground with his weight. A lot of the kids circled around the two boys. One of the children rushed downstairs to get some help. "There's a fight upstairs! We need help," she hollered.

Lyon felt Philip's overwhelming strength on him. He was fighting with all his might and started hitting him with both paws. He has never felt this much anger before. Many of the children were rooting for both boys. Lyon felt both anger and tears streaming from his eyes. Phillip simply laughed it off as he kept receiving blows from him. As they both kept up with this battle, two adults tried their best to break up the fight. Lyon was grabbed by Dana, and Philip was grabbed by a female lassie collie. "Stop it! Stop it this instance," said Dana holding Lyon back.

Lyon couldn't stop. He hyperventilated so much that he was out of breath. It was hard for him to speak. Tears kept streaming from his eyes.

"He attacked me first. He's crazy," pleaded Phillip.

"That's not true! He said something so awful to me," shouted Lyon.

"Alright, that's enough both of you," warned the collie. "We'll discuss this in Ms. Stewart's office."

Both boys were taken to Amelia's office. The rest of the children were quiet as they starred both adults taking the boys downstairs. Both were siting right in front of Amelia while the other two adults were besides her.

"I see we had a bit of a conflict here," said Amelia sternly. She looked at both boys with her paws together to her chin. Lyon had a few bruises from Philip, but Philip also received quite the hit.

"It was Lyon. He's the one who started it," said Philip pointing his paw at him.

"No, it wasn't. He tripped me, and I was ignoring him until he said something awful to me," demanded Lyon.

"What did he say," said Dana with a crossed look.

"He said I was a freak, and it was no wonder my parents died."

"You are such a liar, Laurent," said Phillip.

"No, you are," growled Lyon.

"That's enough, both of you," said Amelia. "We do not tolerate this type of behavior, both verbally and physically. You both need to learn how to get along with each other. You must set a better example for the little ones here as you can tell."

Both dogs glared at each other. This was the first time Lyon got into a fight with a kid much bigger, and stronger than him. Dana couldn't believe what Philip just said to him, but it was no excuse for Lyon to resolve the conflict with his fists. "Amelia, I think I'll have a chat with Lyon in his room. I promise I will set him straight from this wrongdoing. But you must know Philip had some fault in this too. He should not have said that to him," pleaded Dana.

"Very well, I know both boys both lost it, and should be given a fair punishment tomorrow for this ill-mannered behavior," said Amelia. Lyon simply crossed his arms looking down. Dana took him by the paw, and they went back to his room. Lyon got quite the looks from each kid. Some of them whispered behind his back.

As they were in his room, Dana sat down to have a proper discussion with the boy. "You know what you did is bad. Very bad indeed," said Dana.

Lyon didn't say a word back. He didn't want to admit he was at fault. "What makes you think violence will solve this conflict. You're better than that Lyon."

Again, the young pup didn't say a word. He closed his eyes, not wanting to say anything that will upset Dana. It was bad enough that he lost his parents, but to hear someone say his parents were better off dead was a whole new level.

"I know what Phillip said was awful, but was hurting him the right choice?"

"He got what he deserved," muttered the wolf dog.

"No, he didn't. Both of you were at fault for this."

"Why are you siding with him," asked Lyon angrily.

"No one is taking sides, Lyon. I'm simply stating you shouldn't have gotten upset with him. I understand what he said was not very nice, but still-"

"I don't care. He still shouldn't have said that about my parents." Lyon grumbled and flipped on the side on his bed not looking at Dana.

"Okay, well I hope you have a good think about this tonight young man. And tomorrow I hope you realize what you did was wrong too," said Dana. "I'm not trying to be mean. I want to help you become a nice boy." She looked at the wolf dog kid with sad eyes. "Good night," he said quietly.

"Night," she said back.

Lyon closed his eyes letting out a tear stream through his face. He despised Phillip so much ever since he arrived to the foster home. He would imagine how angry he got when lashed out at the St Bernard bully. Though, he did wished things didn't had to turn out like this. He slowly closes his eyes, and imagines the day he spent talking to Rad. That was the only good thing he got out of his day.