Doctor Dave shut the door to the hospital room behind him quietly. He wished he could stay longer, but he had to continue making his rounds. He would most certainly check back in later as soon as he had the chance though.
After being wracked with worry for days over the missing eleven year old, Dave was shocked to have him returned so abruptly out of the blue. An ambulance brought him in late one night, completely unconscious, after some sort of calamity down at the subway station.
Thankfully the boy wasn't injured, but he had once again reverted back to acting like a dog upon waking. By this point Dave had concluded that cases of extreme trauma were one of the things that triggered the behavior.
Poor kid. While Dave was relived to have him back, this unfortunately had them all back at square one again, with none of the staff being able to snap him out of it.
If only Delilah were still here, Dave thought to himself forlornly.
The man sighed, turning a corner, only to find his former canine partner standing at the end of the hall, seemingly waiting for him. She looked up at him with lowered ears, and if Dave didn't know any better, he could swear there was an apologetic look in her large brown eyes.
Between her front legs sat the same tiny white puppy she had brought in ages ago. Said pup greeted him with a friendly yip and a wag of her tail.
"Delilah!" Dave exclaimed, darting towards her. He dropped to one knee to give the nursing dog a head scratch. "It's good to see you, old girl!"
Her worldly looking eyes appeared grateful to see him too, and to be back in her beloved hospital. She leaned her head into his hand with an affectionate nuzzle.
Even without words, Dave immediately knew where Delilah wanted to go. Part of him was a bit apprehensive, given how the last time she had basically abducted a patient. She was probably just being protective, Dave concluded to himself. Which he honestly couldn't blame her for, given how ghastly the woman who claimed to be Hunter's guardian the other day was.
After a moment's thought, the man led Delilah back down the hall to Hunter's new room, deciding that it would be fine so long as he safe guarded the door this time around. He took hold of the knob and carefully turned it open.
Unsurprisingly, the boy wasn't on the bed. The trio heard a growl coming from the corner, and turned to find the young de Vil having a tense battle with one of the guest couch's seat cushions.
The child sunk his teeth into the pillow and began thrashing it around wildly until the stitching came loose, releasing a shower of white feathers. The little dog boy jumped about in the flurry of fluffy feathers excitedly, proud of his work. Delilah let out an exasperated sigh, thinking briefly about the poor night custodian, while Dorothy merely giggled.
Thankfully the mother dog had thought to bring along their strongest weapon. She gently nudged her youngest towards the boy with her snout, and the puppy was more than happy to scamper away with a chipper little sprint. She waddled right up to her silly human friend, and the boy in turn lowered his head to be eye to eye with her.
The two exchanged a bevy of friendly barks, with Hunter giving the little puppy a curious sniff. Dorothy used this opportunity to give his face a lick when the human was close enough, catching the boy off guard. He stumbled backwards, his barking instantly morphing into a surprised giggle over how much her wet tongue tickled his cheek.
He blinked his eyes several times, bringing them into focus. The fog in them cleared, and he finally came back to reality.
Sitting upright, he rubbed his eyes, then smiled down at the pup if as seeing an old beloved friend. "…little one."
That was all the coaxing Dorothy needed. She instantly leapt into his arms and began drenching him with an onslaught of even more dog kisses, reducing the boy to a giggling, happy mess. He hugged her tightly in his arms like a security blanket.
Still standing at the door, Delilah and Doctor Dave sighed quietly with relief.
The next few days saw several more visits from the Dalmatian clan.
Dizzy and Dee Dee were naturally some of the first to want to see their human friend again. As soon as they entered the room they jumped onto the hospital bed and burrowed their way underneath Hunter's blanket, with each reemerging shortly after on either side of him. The boy chuckled softly at this, then nestled himself down alongside them.
"We really, REALLY missed you!"
"Heh. …I missed you too."
Doug, followed by Dylan and Dolly, entered the room shortly after. The relief on the duo's faces was palpable when they finally saw for themselves that the human was all right. Though Hunter was quite horrified upon seeing Dolly, as he quickly noticed that she was limping. Her left front paw was bandaged, and it didn't take long to figure out why.
"Chill dude, I'm ok," Dolly assured the kid as she climbed up onto his bed. It took her a bit of effort, with Doug having to help prop her up, but she eventually managed.
Hunter was still utterly guilt-ridden and unable to look away from her injured paw. "I'm so sorry."
"Psssh. Could'a been a LOT worse," she shrugged, grinning rather proudly. "Plus now I get to brag to people that I actually cheated death. How cool is that?"
Dylan, as well as their parents, didn't look nearly as stoked about it as she did, with Dylan briefly turning a shade or two paler at the mere mention of their terrifying ordeal. He'd have nightmares about it for years to come, that was certain. Poor Dante had been left in even worse shape. It took the family nearly an hour just to peel the frozen, petrified dark pup off what was left of the broken bike's left handle bar. ...which reminded Dylan, he really owed Roxy an apology gift basket.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Hunter fretted.
"Totally," Dolly said with a confident wink. "Aside from being grounded for the rest of our lives, we're good."
Doug shook his head. "You're lucky we didn't ground you even longer. You kids better not do anything like that ever again! …nearly gave your old man a heart attack."
The family broke out into a light hearted laugh at that. Soon they were all settled down together on the comfortable mattress, lazily taking in the sunlight cracking through the window blinds.
Delilah rested her head down on Hunter's side, sighing contently as she watched him and the twins continue to snuggle. After coming so close to losing them again, it was such an enormous relief to have them all safe and sound. Both her precious pups AND Hunter. A sentiment Doug and their two eldest pups now shared as well.
Strange how just a few short weeks ago none of them wanted anything to do with the boy, whereas now they saw him as pretty much yet another stray to take in. Honestly, after hearing the details of what happened that frightful night, as far as Delilah and Doug were concerned, the boy was one of their own now.
A few more peaceful moments passed until a chilling thought suddenly struck Hunter. He turned to Delilah with a look of unease. "Wait! Mrs. Dalmatian… w-what happened to my great auntie? Is she still going to—?"
Delilah gently shushed him, already knowing what he was going to ask. "No, she isn't going to take you away anymore. Don't you worry."
But the fear didn't leave Hunter's face. "…she's not?"
"No. She's never going to bother any of us ever again."
Hunter stared for a moment, a bit confused, until the realization hit him. "You mean she's…?"
Delilah gave a gentle nod.
His eyes grew wide and he went silent.
He couldn't believe it. With how long she had managed to extend her life, he was honestly convinced that his great aunt might very well outlive everyone on the planet. That she was an immortal demon, above trivial things like the "average" human lifespan, and likely to still be walking the earth long after everyone else was long gone.
But no. She had been as human as anyone else, and was finally dead.
Actually dead.
Despite how wicked she was, he still shed a tear for the wretched old woman. He mourned the relationship he had desperately wanted with his only living relative that was always denied to him, and he shuddered over the revelation that her mad obsession had eventually destroyed her. It terrified him to think that he almost followed her down that very same path.
Dizzy and Dee Dee gave a little whine as they cuddled up closer, both giving him comforting licks when they noticed he had begun to tremble. Dylan and Dolly, though both confused by his reaction given who it was that died, looked on with equal concern.
Delilah inched closer to place a paw on his shoulder. "Are you all right, sweets?"
The affectionate nickname caught him off guard. It was the first time anyone had ever called him something so nice. "Y-yeah, I.. I'm ok," he breathed, wiping away one last wayward tear. "I just… can't believe it."
He took another breath to collect himself, then turned his gaze back to the kindly dog mother. "…that means your family is safe now."
Delilah smiled. "Yes. It does."
It felt good to say.
Never again did she and Doug ever have to worry about their puppies. Her children could once again roam the streets without fear. They, as well as all future generations, were finally free. It was like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.
Hunter on the other hand looked at her solemnly. "I'm sorry for all the awful things my aunt and I put you through."
Delilah, still smiling warmly, merely gave him another gentle shush. "It's in the past now."
The rest of the family took this as a cue to huddle around him, wrapping the bewildered human up in a cozy, loving hug. Doug rested his chin atop Hunter's mop of messy blonde hair, while Dolly and Dylan rested theirs on his shoulders. Dizzy and Dee Dee stretched their little necks up in order for their cheeks to rub against his face.
It was by far the most affection he had received in his life. The kid could barely keep it together, overwhelmed by it all. Soon his eyes were welling up yet again with another onslaught of tears.
This seemed far too good to be true. Yet somehow, it was. The warmth of their fur on his skin was real. As was their kindness. For once in Hunter's life, it almost felt like he had an honest to goodness family. The kind he had secretly wished for as far back as he could remember. ...and it terrified him.
He'd had the rug pulled out from underneath his feet so many times by now. He couldn't take it happening again. Once more and it would surely destroy him.
Later, when the time for visiting hours came to close, the parents herded up the reluctant pups and lead them out, though not before they all shouted out eager promises to visit again soon. The twins in particular had to be carried out of the room by the scruff of their necks, whining and squirming all the way.
However, just before Delilah's tail vanished from sight, she heard Hunter call out to her. She curiously poked her head back into the hospital room, wondering if something was wrong. The boy very timidly asked if he could tell her something in private, so she placed Dizzy down and told Doug to carry on without her. She would catch up.
Once the others were gone, she gently closed the door behind her with a bump from her behind. "What is it, sweets?" she asked, trotting back over to the boy's bedside.
Hearing the pet name made his heart flutter again. His affection starved brain had no idea how to process it. Part of him wanted nothing more than to embrace it, and let himself get caught up in the fantasy of having an actual family (even if they were dogs), but he fought against it. He was just too scared to wind up hurt again.
His hands fidgeted in his lap. Delilah tilted her head to the side in order to try to read his expression, but he kept his gaze turned downwards.
"Um.. listen. I appreciate how nice you lot have been. I get that it's because you felt bad for me, but," he paused, biting his bottom lip. "You don't have to anymore. It's cool."
A confused frown slowly spread across Delilah's face, but he continued.
"…from now on, my family will never bother yours ever again. After all this, I'll never come near you guys. I swear."
Delilah sat there stunned, taken back by how adamant he sounded. "Darling… what makes you think any of us want that?"
"Why wouldn't you? We de Vils are nothing but monsters."
The dog stood up on her hind legs in order to prop herself up against the bed. Hunter felt her paw place itself onto his trembling hands, but he kept on avoiding her gaze.
"You're not a monster," she told him, voice firm. "You've proven that."
Several times, in fact. She had honestly lost count just how many times at this point, yet the child still insisted on torturing himself. He pulled his hands away from her gentle touch, withdrawing further into himself as he brought his knees up to his chest and curled himself into a tight ball.
"... you don't have to keep being nice to me."
Delilah scoffed at that, reaffirming the same thing she had told him weeks earlier. "I haven't done anything because I felt I 'had' to. I did it because I wanted to."
When Hunter still refused to look up at her, she pressed her face against his and gave him a reassuring nuzzle. "—and I still do. You're a good boy, and I love you."
The boy stiffened, completely blindsided by those words.
That simple phrase he had never been told, yet longed to hear his whole life, said so plainly, just like that. He inhaled sharply, grasping at his hospital gown tightly with shaking fists. If a simple pet name had been enough to fluster him, this completely broke him. He turned to the Dalmatian with a look of utter disbelief, too afraid to believe what he'd just heard. "…w-what..?" He stammered, unable to keep his voice from cracking.
He couldn't take being made to hope, only to have it be just another cruel lie. Yet Delilah, with her compassionate smile never wavering, simply said it again.
"I love you."
And with that, the boy crumbled. He threw his arms around her neck and sobbed, shoulders shaking and chest heaving. His pitiful wails filled the room, and Delilah had to steady herself so as not to fall backwards. But once the brief shock passed, she leaned into the hug and let him cry, patting his back tenderly with a paw.
She very softly shushed him, cradling him the way only a loving mother could.
Unsurprisingly, the late Cruella left nothing to her grandnephew in her will.
Before she passed, she had had Hunter legally booted out of the family entirely, scrubbing all records of him ever being part of the de Vil lineage at all. She had been more than happy to discard him, leaving him as nothing but a homeless, penniless orphan. The streets could have him as far as she had been concerned. It was her one last act of cruelty before departing from this earth for good.
The doctors broke the news to him as delicately as they could, but it didn't really come as a surprise to him. After all, she had always threatened to do so after failing her so many times. In the end, his family name, which had caused him nothing but misery, gave him one last preverbal kick to the head before tossing him to the curb. He didn't expect anything less.
Oh well.
Truthfully, it felt a little good to officially no longer be a de Vil.
With that unpleasant business out of the way, there was nothing left for him to do but mentally prepare himself for the scary, uncertain world of foster care. There was no doubt in his mind that no one would ever want to adopt him. Especially once they found out about his disturbing dog quirk and dwindling sanity. The best he could hope for was being swapped around several different homes until he eventually outgrew the system.
It would be lonely life, but now that he finally knew what it felt like to be loved, he hoped that would be enough to get him through the hard times that were no doubt in store for him.
Delilah and Doug continued to bring a new handful of puppies to the hospital everyday, temporarily turning Hunter's room into a puppy haven during visiting hours. The boy was exceedingly grateful to them for it. Their visits helped keep his morale up, if only slightly.
It was always a struggle to get the pups to leave the boy's side once it was time to go. There was always begging and pleading to either spend the night or take him with them. It was difficult on Hunter as well, but he would put on a brave face, waving them off with a weak smile, all while holding back the overwhelming urge to ask them to them to stay.
"Can't he come home with us?" Dee Dee asked her mother one evening during the reluctant walk back home.
"I'm afraid not, love."
"Aw…" the little pup whined. "Why not?"
Doug stepped up beside his tiny daughter, casting her a sympathetic look. "Because he's not a pup like you are, honeys."
"Then where will he go? Is he gonna live in the hospital forever?" a different curious puppy asked.
"Well… no. Not forever," Doug started, careful to choose his words wisely so as not to upset them. "Eventually he'll go somewhere else."
"Where?" "Yeah, where?" "Will we still be able to visit him?"
Their father's brow furrowed as he was bombarded with more and more staggering questions. "Uh, well, um… you see. Young humans go to this place called a foster home when they don't have a family."
Several puppies stopped walking, looking stricken by this news.
"A foster home?" Dizzy gasped, her eyes growing large. "Oh no, we can't let him go there!"
"The Dimitris said it's like the pound for humans!" Dee Dee added. "Is that true?!"
A symphony of whimpers and cries broke out before Doug could even respond.
"Now, now, everyone. Just settle down," came their mother's voice, cutting in to rescue her poor struggling husband. "That isn't true at all. Don't you believe such nonsense." She made a mental note to herself to have to have a stern talk with the Dimitris when they got home.
Though as much as she tried to sound levelheaded in front of her pups, deep down Delilah secretly felt just as anguished as they did about parting ways with the human for good. Just the thought of that little boy being thrust into the often cruel and unpredictable foster care system made her want to race back to the hospital in a protective frenzy.
But there was nothing they could do.
As much as they wanted to, there was no way a family of dogs would be allowed to adopt a human. Other humans would find the very idea laughable, much to her frustration. It simply wasn't fair. They could provide him with a wonderful home, a proper education and decent human meals (once they learned how to cook them) if they were given the chance. If only there were some way to—
Delilah suddenly stopped in her tracks, causing the rest of the family to stare back at her curiously. "Uh, honey?" Doug questioned, his left ear beginning to rise upwards in befuddlement. "What's wrong?"
Slowly, a hesitant yet hopeful look began to spread across her face. "Doug ...I think perhaps I may have thought of something."
Hunter was up bright and early the day of his departure. Right at the very crack of dawn, in fact. He stood dressed and ready in front of his room window, watching the morning traffic go by with dull eyes. He couldn't sleep a wink last night, so he figured he'd might as well just get up and wait for the inevitable.
Soon he heard the door to the room click open, revealing a tired yet jubilant looking Doctor Dave carrying what looked like an heavy stack of papers underneath his arm. The man was a bit startled to see Hunter already up, and waltzed right over to the boy to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Ah, early to rise, I see?" Dave cheerfully greeted. Hunter had no reaction whatsoever.
The doctor coughed weakly, brushing off the awkwardness and bounced right back into his chipper tone. "Yes, well… I have some wonderful news! You won't be going to foster care after all, my boy."
The listless, apathetic look on Hunter's face instantly vanished, giving way to one of absolute shock. "What?"
Dave let out a hearty laugh at the boy's sudden change of demeanor. "I was rather surprised myself," he said with a smile as he skimmed through the thick stack of papers in his hands. "—but the paperwork's all here. According to this, you've been officially adopted, and your new guardian is very eager to meet you."
Hunter stood there with his jaw hanging open, utterly stupefied.
What?
When?
WHO?!
The kid's poor brain practically short circuited right then and there, overwhelmed with an endless slew of bewildered questions.
This had to be a joke. The boy was so gobsmacked, he barely even registered that Dave was leading him out of the room and down the hall, prattling on about how delighted he was for the young boy. Hunter's legs seemed to walk on their own as he simply went through the motions, hearing the doctor's voice as distant white noise as his mind desperately tried to make sense of it all.
"..I… I don't understand," he said at last, voice quiet and dazed sounding.
It was only then that Dave realized just how much he had unintentionally sucker-punched the boy. Perhaps being so blunt wasn't such a good idea. The man gave a sheepish chuckle, then knelt down in order to be eye to eye with Hunter. He started again from the beginning, explaining things nice and slowly this time.
Apparently, a person named Dodie Smith was the mysterious person who had adopted him. They had sent an urgent request into the hospital a few days prior, asking for Hunter personally. They had been quite insistent on taking him in, which was pretty baffling given Hunter had never once heard of this person before in his life.
Dave let him see the paperwork for himself, which Hunter started analyzing fiercely, wracking his brain trying to figure out just who the heck this Dodie Smith was.
Was it family friend of the de Vils? Did the de Vils even have friends?
He scoured through all the walls of text, eyeing the heaps upon heaps of convoluted technical jargon with exasperated confusion. There was a short description of this Dodie person, who according to these papers was apparently a children's book author. Also included was a small, rather blurry black and white photograph of an old woman, which Hunter squinted hard at. She didn't look at all familiar to him. Just who in the world was she?
Noticing how distressed the boy was, the doctor gave his shoulder a gentle pat. "Chin up, son. She looks like a lovely person. And from what I've been told, she lives right here in this city. Just a few blocks away, in a very cozy old house."
Though he was sad to see Hunter go, he was relieved to know that the little boy everyone had grown so attached to there at the children's ward was going to a good home. Admittedly, he didn't know who this Dodie Smith was either, but he figured they couldn't possibly be worse than the last person who tried to take the child away.
"We're certainly going to miss you around here, Hunter," the man said rather wistfully. "But we're all tremendously happy for you. Should you ever need anything in the future, these doors are always open to you."
Dave then pulled the boy in for a hug, and Hunter's worrying temporarily subsided for a brief moment as he thought back on all of the doctor's kindness. He felt a small lump begin to form in his throat, hit by that all too familiar feeling of loneliness upon having to bid farewell to yet another one of the only souls who had ever nice to him.
Why did goodbyes have to hurt so much, he wondered. He weakly hugged back, answering the man in a very small yet grateful sounding voice.
"…thank you."
With nothing to pack but the one outfit he had on during his initial stay at the hospital, Hunter was sent on his way via taxi to wherever his new caregiver lived. He sat there in the backseat of the cab, anxiously twiddling his hands in his lap as the buildings whooshed past him through the window. He had no idea what to expect. The farther the car drove, the more frightened he found himself becoming.
What if this Dodie person decided they didn't like him? What if they changed their mind and sent him back?
Or worse yet… what if something set off his dog side while living there?
He gulped, feeling as though he were going to be sick. He had to take a few shaky breaths to calm himself, though honestly it was barely much help. His stomach still felt like it was doing backflips. He hugged himself, trying to will his body to stop its infernal shaking, as he took a nervous glance out the window. It was only when he peered out at the passing buildings and really looked at them that he suddenly realized something.
These streets looked familiar.
His mouth fell agape when the cab finally came to a stop, dropping him off in front of an old victorian house he knew all too well.
101 Dalmatian Street.
He staggered out of the cab in a daze, staring blankly at the large group of dogs already waiting there on the front porch for him. Their eyes lit up as soon as they saw him, and every puppy's tail began to wag at full speed.
The vehicle took off, leaving a puff of smoke behind, causing Hunter to break out into a coughing fit. "… w-wha.. ack.. what's going on?" he wheezed, feeling more lost than ever.
Delilah stepped forward, offering him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, sweets. You must be terribly confused."
"Uh, YEAH. What is happening right now?!"
There were a few giggles from the porch. Even Delilah and Doug couldn't help but smirk a bit, making Hunter's face turn red in embarrassment. Why were they laughing at him? Was this a giant joke after all? "What am I doing here? Who the heck is Dodie Smith!?" he shouted, hurt and feeling as though he were about to finally lose it.
Delilah raised a paw, gently urging him to settle down. "It's all right, darling, it's all right. ...Dodie Smith was simply the name of my owner as a pup," she said calmly.
The boy blinked slowly, not sure in the slightest what that even meant.
The matriarch chuckled at this, sharing a knowing glance with her husband before continuing on. "Well we couldn't very well use our own names, could we? A family of dogs adopting a human is unheard of, after all."
Hunter's heart seemed to stop for a moment, his eyes somehow growing even wider. "Wait… you're adopting me?"
If it were possible, the tail wagging on the porch grew even faster as the pups' excitement levels reached their maximum peak. Delilah, meanwhile, gave him a sincere nod, her smile warm and loving as ever. "Yes, sweets. We had to resort to a bit of trickery in order to do this, but it was worth it if it means we get to keep you. That is, if you'll have us."
The human was at a complete loss for words.
Doug stepped forward this time, joining his wife at her side while carrying a small box in his mouth. He presented it to the child, who took it with trembling hands. Very slowly, he opened it, and the sight of the gift made his knees give out beneath him.
There, sitting on a small cushion, sparkling in the light of the morning sun, sat an engraved dog tag on a silver chain. For the first time, Hunter was greeted by his brand new name, and it was better than anything he could have ever asked for.
~HUNTER DALMATIAN~
"Rather than a collar, we opted to make your tag into a bracelet," Doug explained as he and Delilah moved in closer to make sure he was all right. "We hope you like it."
'Like it' was an understatement.
The boy hugged the box to his chest, a stream of happy tears already flowing down his cheeks. He didn't think it was possible to ever be this happy. The rest of the Dalmatian brood wasted no more time and rushed in, enveloping the boy in a gigantic family hug.
Just like that, 101 became 102.
…
…
…
A year later saw the pups all gathered up in the front lobby of the house, tails twitching eagerly as they waited for their eldest brothers to come back from another day of school. Just the sheer anticipation at this time of afternoon drove them up a wall. Their eyes were all locked on the door, practically willing it to burst open with their minds.
Oftentimes the littlest ones would whine to their parents, asking why Hunter even had to go to school at all instead of staying home and playing with them, to which their father always sternly told them that it was the law. All humans had to go to school.
At long last they heard footsteps coming up the front steps, and within seconds the door flew open, revealing Hunter in his school uniform, with Dylan at his side proudly wearing his therapy dog vest.
The pups pounced on them immediately, knocking Hunter clear off his feet, his silver bracelet jingling lightly on his wrist. The boy collapsed into loud giddy laughter as his little siblings jumped over themselves to lick his face. "Ahaha— g-guys, no! Stop!"
One would think that after the hundredth time they wouldn't still be so excited to see him. Yet there they were, still as thrilled as ever.
The noise caught Dolly's attention, and she raced in from the living room grinning from ear to ear. "Dude, finally! It's about time you nerds got back!" She trotted over to Dylan, shooting him a smug grin. "So what dumb sciencey thing did you learn about today, Einstein?"
Dylan, not picking up on his sister's sarcasm at all, immediately broke out into an ecstatic ramble about the structure of atoms, going into intense detail as he described electrons, protons and neutrons. Dolly, as always, simply rolled her eyes. Though she teased, thinking this whole book learning thing seemed pretty lame, she was at least glad that Dylan was enjoying himself so much.
Without a doubt, becoming a therapy dog was the best decision Dylan had ever made. Not only because he got to help Hunter, but because it meant that a giant treasure trove of knowledge had opened up to him. It was enough to make his dorky little heart sing. More often than not, he would be more engrossed in Hunter's classes than the human was. Especially third period. It was science!
As for Hunter, he found himself absolutely loving his new life as well. Sure, public school could be tricky at times, what with having to keep it a secret from his teachers that his parents were literal dogs, getting scolded regularly by the principal for having little black paw prints on his white uniform top everyday, and hearing the other kids often complain that he smelled of kibble.
Yet Hunter still wouldn't have traded it for the world. He'd gone from being all alone in the world— used, neglected, forgotten and never once told 'I love you'— to being sincerely told every single day by 101 different family members. Truly, he couldn't be happier.
Was all the trauma and mental damage he had experienced during the first half of his life magically washed away? Certainly not. He still had the occasional dog episode, and a night terror here and there of his former great auntie's haunting face or of the cold metal crate.
But with the help of his new family, he found he was gradually getting a little bit better each day.
The young human picked himself up off the floor and raced to the kitchen as several barking puppies followed excitedly at his heels. He was ready to get his chores and homework out of the way quickly so he could play with them. Perhaps they would have a tug of war in the yard, or put on another fashion show with the D's? Maybe have a bounce on the trampoline or a race around the block? Whatever they decided, it was sure to be awesome.
Then once bedtime rolled around, he would once again climb into his comfy futon surrounded by several dozen cuddly puppies, hug little Dorothy in his arms like a warm teddy bear, and drift off to sleep as the sun set on another wonderful day of being a Dalmatian.
In his dreams that night, he was visited by the vision of a strangely familiar brown kitten.
With its soul finally at peace, it nuzzled sweetly against his face and let out a soft purr before disappearing into a bright, dazzling light.
The End
Author's note: Thank you so much for reading. I apologize for how slow my updates were. Turns out writing is really hard. What's ironic is that this story was meant to simply be a oneshot, yet it just kept growing. This was one hectic, unpredictable ride.
But despite that, I still had a blast. Here's hoping you all enjoy the holidays and have a wonderful new year.