For the last few weeks, Rose had thought about what Dodger said along with Rita. She thought about Kaiden and wondered if there was a possibility that he was alive somewhere.
He maybe not be as tough as Rose, because they were born from a street dog. Rita certainly learned her street dog skills from her two friends, being fathered by a street dog.
She told Dodger that she needed some time to think things over. All she did was walk down the busy streets until she found herself in Central Park.
For a while, the shepherd mix tried catching butterflies, but she found herself getting bored of that.
The weather was getting colder since November was coming to an end. Rose hated the cold.
She was glad that it wasn't going to rain, and she couldn't stand the ran either. It only reminded her of when her mother left her and Kaiden.
When hunger struck, she tried finding some food from a family that was distracted, snatching an entire ham before dashing towards a wooded area of the Central Park so she wouldn't be spotted.
She started to eat, thinking about what Dodger said.
However, she heard the sound of paws coming her direction.
She looked upwards and recognized the dog that came her direction.
"Hey there, kid. Remember me?" he scowled. Rose's hazel eyes widened, her jaw dropped a bit, and her ears were dropped a bit.
It was the pitbull that she tore to pieces. She saw all the scars that he had on him. She even saw his missing ear.
"Oh, so you do remember me. That look on your pathetic face says it all," he laughed.
"What do you want? Do you want another beating?" Rose said, finding her courage.
"Not this time, kid. Besides, I'm here to give you a beating. I'll your ear off like you did mine," he growled, lowering his head.
He started to walk forward towards the pup, who was backing up.
"Get back if you know what's good for you!" she barked, her voice shaking a bit.
"Oooh, you're not so tough now, are ya?" the pitbull laughed as he lunged at her.
He pinned her down below him. "Hey! You there! Take your paws off of that pup!"
Both Rose and the pitbull look over and see a German Shepherd with a black face mask and a large black spot on his shoulders, going down his back, covering his shoulders, and had a tuft of light brown on his chest.
"You leave her alone or I'll mess you up worse than you already look," the other dog said, growling at him.
The pitbull grimaced and gritted his teeth, closing his eyes. "This isn't over, mutt," he growled, getting off of Rose and taking off in a gallop out of the wooded area.
Rose rolled over on her chest, front paws out in front of her.
The german shepherd approached her. "You okay, kid?" he asked.
Rose stared at him, butterflies rose in her stomach. He didn't seem aggressive; Frankly, he looked relaxed. Rose couldn't pinpoint it.
The dog kept his distance so he wouldn't make her uncomfortable. One thing Rose noticed was the blue collar around his neck with a silver dog tag dangling from it.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I could've handled him. I have before," she said, standing up to her paws. She shook her fur.
"Really? Were you the one who made him look like that?" the dog asked.
"Yeah, that was me," Rose replied. The german shepherd smiled in a proud way. "Nice going, kid. Name's Jerald, what's yours?" Jerald asked.
"Rose," Rose greeted, still staring at him.
"You come here a lot, Rose?" Jerald asked, tilted his head. "Yeah, usually I like going to the Brooklyn Bridge to think. But nobody finds me here, which is okay with me," Rose replied, shaking her fur, "I take it you come here a lot too. You didn't just come here on a whim,"
Jerald raised his pointed ears and chuckled. "Yeah, this is where I would meet up with someone I know. She was a beautiful border collie. Her name was Celeste," Jerald said, sitting down.
Rose could read his expression. It was a deep sadness.
Rose looked away with a melancholy frown, dropping her ears.
Jerald looked up at her again; He could see that Rose looked like Celeste. "Say, you look like her. You're her daughter, right?" Jerald asked before realizing, "My daughter... I'm glad to have met you,"
Rose's tail wagged, beaming with excitement. She bounded from side to side, tongue hanging out of her jaws, eyes wide.
She never thought she would actually meet her father. "Dad! Dad!" she barked happily.
Jerald put his head on her neck as if to hug her.
When they pulled apart, Jerald suggested they go for a walk.
"Won't your owners be looking for you?" Rose asked as she walked beside her father.
"They know I'm independent. I always know not to stray too far. So tell me, do you have any siblings or was it just you?" Jerald asked, wanting to know more about her since she was a newborn.
"Yeah, I have a brother, Kaiden. We got seperated when we were a few weeks old, I haven't seen him since," Rose said.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," he said sympathetically, "None of that is your fault. You're still a pup. You can't just look out after anyone but yourself. Your mother should've taught you that. Had I known you and Kaiden were here, I would've taught you that too. What happened to your mother, if you don't mind me asking?"
Rose dropped her ears for a moment. "She was kicked out of her house after her owners found out she got pregnant by another dog, which was you. She told me and Kaiden this. But... she left us. I haven't seen her since," Rose replied, shaking her head a bit.
Jerald sighed and dropped his head a bit. He decided to change the subject.
"You said you had friends, yeah? You sure they aren't missing you?" Jerald asked.
"They know to give me my independence. I can trust them. Have you been like that?" Rose said.
Jerald smiled down at his daughter. "Yeah, I have. If someone really trusts someone, they can forgive them. Stick with them, you hear? You seem to be doing well for yourself and them," Jerald said.
Rose walked alongside her father. A part of her was hoping they would find Kaiden while they were on their walk.
As they walked, Jerald noticed that Rose was a bit thin and he remembered when he was like this at her age.
He remembered being a street dog at her age, but he didn't have anyone to look out for him like she does with her gang.
He even saw the small scar on her shoulder. "What happened to your leg there?" he asked.
"Yeah, had an incident with a dog in the junkyard with Einie and Dodger. Rita wasn't with us at the time," Rose answered.
"They are your friends?" he asked. "Yeah, they are," she replied.
Jerald's pointed ears dropped a bit, feeling sympathy for her. "I'm sorry for that. Do you have a place to sleep?" he asked.
"Yeah, we do. It's not the best place, but its comfortable," Rose replied.
"I see. I was just like you at your age. Always finding a comfortable place when it was cold out here," Jerald mused.
Rose looked up at him and her eyes became big. "You were a street dog?" she asked. "Yes, I was. I was your age when my master had found me," Jerald replied, "There isn't a time where I don't miss it. Then again, I don't mind being a pet,"
They kept going until they were out of Central Park. Jerald wasn't worried about his owner wondering where he was.
His owner would be going back to their house on town, knowing his beloved dog would return to him. He's able to handle himself.
Rose's spirit had been lifted by just being with her father. Every second was amazing. Dodger and the others would be wondering where she would be soon.
She was getting to know who he exactly was. Usually, he didn't talk with other dogs let alone hang around with them. But he was happy to spend time with his daughter. He was thrilled to have her by his side. Just like him, she'd have a bright future as a street dog.
Soon enough, they had reached a bad part of the city, which Rose had never gone down. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't feeling nervous.
Jerald slept in an alleyway while Rose tried to find some food for them. Thankfully, she used her skills she learnt from Dodger to get her and Jerald something to eat. It always excited her.
However, she did grab the attention of some other street dogs who were also looking for food. She found a turkey leg that had meat on it. She grabbed it with her teeth and started to stroll back over to her father.
She then heard growling from behind her, making her stop in her tracks. "You better hand that over, girlie," the dog barked, danger lurking in his voice.
Rose tensed up and slowly looked over her shoulder. This stranger looked menacing and she instantly tried finding herself trapped in that spot.
Rose put the turkey leg down in front of him. The mongrel smirked satisfyingly. "Good girl," he said as he picked it up.
Rose cowered down, ears dropped and tail tucked between her hind legs. Most times, Rose could take on any street dog like she did with that pitbull, but this stranger was much bigger, about the size of Einstein.
Jerald then came up from behind Rose. "Going somewhere, buddy?" the German Shepherd growled, not afraid of this stranger.
The stranger saw the German Shepherd standing over Rose, growling at him.
Jerald's hackles were raised all the way and he saw red. He would protect his pup with everything he had.
For a moment, the black dog seemed to underestimate Jerald because he was a pet. However, he didn't know that Jerald had been a street dog at one point in his life and was an expert fighter.
The mongrel wasn't ready to give up his prize. He growled and dropped the turkey leg, baring his fangs at him.
Jerald lunged at the other dog, having his jaws on the strangers' neck. He had knocked down the stranger. His bite was firm.
While Jerald and the stranger were fighting, Rose had taken back the turkey leg. She held her food in her jaws while she watched her father fighting off the stranger.
The stranger was wrong to underestimate the former street dog. He managed to chase off the stranger before going back to his daughter.
Before meeting her, he didn't have any idea she was this vulnerable. He knew that she could defend herself; he saw the scars that she had given that pitbull.
"Are you alright, Rose?" he asked, licking her between her ears. She set her food down. "Yeah, I'm okay, Dad. He scared me..." Rose admitted, feeling embarrassed.
He couldn't get mad at her. He understood how she felt. "It's okay, sweetheart. That dog was much bigger than you. There are dogs out there that won't hesitate to tear you apart in a second," Jerald tells her.
Rose dropped her head and dropped her ears. "I know, Dad. I understand what's out there," she said.
"I know you do. You're smart; I can see that much. Defending yourself makes you a tougher street dog, it doesn't make you weak," Jerald said in his parental tone.
Rose opened her eyes to look at her father and smiled. "Thanks, Dad," she said.
Jerald smiled back and nuzzled her. "No problem, kiddo. Now, eat your prize then we can head on back," he replied.
Rose did so and when she was done, they started to head back to Central Park in silence.
Neither had a thing to say. Of course, Jerald was happy to spend time with his daughter, but it felt odd to be around another dog for this long.
Rose was only five months old, still a puppy. Being three years old, he never had time to play like a puppy should.
A smile crept on his muzzle, feeling the urge to play with his daughter. It wasn't often that he had anybody to play with throughout his years.
He dropped down to a playbow position, wagging his tail.
"C'mon, kiddo. Let's have some fun, shall we?" he invited, looking up at her with bright hazel eyes.
He bounded from left to right. Rose smiled and started to wag her tail, pawing at him playfully. "Think you can catch me?" he said, starting to run.
"Hey, wait for me!" Rose giggled, galloping after her father. She was getting the chance to be a puppy.
She felt free and alive. The cold wind brushed through her fur. When they weren't racing, they playfully pounced at one another.
Rose had dashed around the corner of an alleyway, hoping to give her father a good scare.
However, something grabbed her attention. The scent of blood.
She turned around and started to sniff the ground for the scent. When she did find it, she froze in her place.
There was a dog sprawled out on the concrete, decomposing. He was dead. There was dried blood where an open neck wound was.
"Rose, what's the matter?" Jerald asked as he followed after her.
Jerald saw what Rose was looking at. The scent was horrid.
All Rose could do was stare at the deceased dog in shock. For a moment, she believed that she didn't have a care in the world.
However, seeing this brought her back to reality. She wondered if Kaiden was like this. Starved, frozen, or both.
The dog's eyes were white and cold, sending a chill down Rose's spine.
"Poor fellow. He didn't deserve this," Jerald sighed.
He then pulled Rose away from the corpse and they continued back down the sidewalk.
"Don't worry, Rose. Everything will be alright," Jerald assured him.
"B-But..." Rose started. Jerald turned around half way to face her.
"Quiet now. I understand seeing that frightened you. However, you have got your friends and me to protect you. You'll make it through this winter, and you'll survive when you're up against other dogs. That's a promise," he assured her.
Rose felt more assured by her father's words. However, she felt bothered by it a bit.
The two dogs made their way back to Central Park.
It was night by the time they got back. Rose knew that Dodger and the others would be wondering where she was.
Rose thought of her brother, wondering if he had suffered the same fate as that dog she saw earlier.
If he did, then she would hope that his death was painless.
Jerald could sense that his daughter was upset and he couldn't blame her for feeling like that.
The two dogs found a nice place to look up at the night sky. Jerald had asked Rose about her friends.
"Well, Dodger is a real one, alright. He's always making a show of himself. He's expressive towards me and Rita. He taught me how to car surf and I've gotten pretty good at it. Einstein is fun too. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Rita, she's become my best friend. We found her tied up by her apartment building. Her family abandoned her and we took her into our gang," Rose explained to him.
"I'm glad you took her in. You got great friends," Jerald said with a proud smile, laying down on the rock with his forepaws dangling over the edge. Rose sat down next to him.
"Dad?" Rose said. "Yeah?" he said, looking up at the sky. "How do you know when it's the next year?" she asked him.
"Oh, believe me. We can hear it. Humans can be very loud with these things. My human is for sure. Doesn't take much for them to get excited about something," Jerald said.
"Maybe Dodger will watch it too," Rose asked, looking upwards with a smile.
Jerald wasn't used to having such company with him for a long period of time. Sure, he enjoyed her company but he knew she would have to go back to her friends.
Just as expected, the humans were going crazy because 1985 was now here. There was a roaring cheering from the distance.
"There it is. Happy New Year, kiddo," Jerald said. "Right back at you, Dad," Rose replied.
Afterwhile, Rose had to go home. She hoped she would see her father again sometime. She had an amazing time with him.
She had to get through the large crowd of people who were celebrating the New Year in Times Square.
When she made it through, she didn't realize that someone was following her.