The Newest Gang Member

Days after Francis and Tito's arrival to the barge, the bulldog relaxed more. There was no reason to fear these new faces, despite his nervous facade around these allegedly dangerous dogs.

Tito had liked them from the very start, to which Francis had quickly grown attached to. Tito saw that Dodger was a lot of fun to be around. Rose was more like the motherly type but fun also.

They were always up for a game of tumbling and were happy to show off their daring the summer they spent on the streets. Rose was just as mischievous as Dodger was, which Tito idolized. It was a part of the fun. Tito also learned that Rose hated her sleep being disrupted, so he would receive a bite on his bottom from her if he did wake her up.

Rita was a lot of fun too if they caught her in the right mood. The tiny dog knew what lines not to cross with the two she-dogs.

That morning, Dodger and Rose gathered everyone together and they went back to the city so they could continue to work with Francis. As opposed to doing something together or even on their own, there was a virtue to making a great street dog out of Francis, which is something that can't be done overnight.

"Alright, Francis, time for your lesson about street savoir-faire. You'll be learning from the very best," Dodger announced with a smug smile.

Rita barely wagged her tail eagerly. Rose perked her ears up and she also wagged her tail as she raised it half way.

They were hoping to finally get somewhere with Francis. The bulldog wasn't too fond of the idea because it was way out of his comfort zone.

"It's not the place of a tatterdemalion stripling to boss me around. Well, sorry to burst your bubble but if you believe that you're gonna bring me down to your level, you're very much mistaken," Francis said, a frown on his face.

"Come on, Frankie! You're gonna have to make an effort if you want to get by," Rita said, sounding agitated. "My name is Francis, you impudent pup!" he arrogantly shouted.

Rose got between them with her tail raised. "Alright, cool it, you two! Now Francis, unless you want to eat tonight, then you can't keep up with this prestigious act of yours," Rose scolded him.

"Yeah, Frankie, man! Just give it a chance!" Tito yipped. Einstein grinned at the cynical bulldog. "It won't be as bad as you think. Dodger and Rose will show you the ropes," he told him.

Dodger scratched his ear normally. "You think you should run this gang?" he asked. "All I'm saying is that this gang needs a more mature adult. Do I need to repeat myself?" Francis said.

"Well, who am I to say? We're just tatterdemalion striplings. Guess we could use a little guidance," Dodger said with a shrug. He noted the dismayed expressions on the she-dogs' faces.

Francis, however, narrowed his eyes at the terrier. He was starting to wonder if Dodger was up to something, but he preferred to not be on his own.

But Rose could see that the bulldog was having a hard time on their next move. "Um… maybe you could go find food and try to find some without pulling from the garbage. That would be fantastic," Francis said.

Rita was still perplexed and looked at Dodger and Rose. She was still trying to figure out what game they were playing.

"Alright, fine. But I'm not going to stick around by some know-it-all who is actually clueless," she said, making eye contact with Francis before turning away. She disappeared into the traffic, hoping to get some work done.

"I'm gonna… go find Einie and Fagin," Rose told Dodger, her ears dropped. "Okay, catch you later, Rose," Dodger replied, giving her a friendly nuzzle. Rose trotted away and out of sight of the two dogs.

"You oughta be watch your tone around them. Rose was born on the street so we taught Rita how to survive out here. They've seen things you have not. So… where is it you want to start? You didn't specify where you wanted me to go or what you're looking for," Dodger said, noticing how flustered Francis was becoming.

Francis knew that he wouldn't be a great leader to the small group unlike Rose, who had broken up the fight between him and Rita earlier. Einstein had found a basketball that was flattened.

During the time in Manhattan, Francis had gotten off of his high horse, accepting defeat at this point. If he wanted to eat, then he had no other option.

*X*

After some irksome hours of trying to find food, they made their way back to the barge. Dodger had given Francis a half-eaten burger, which he gratefully took.

It was good to see that Dodger wasn't boasting anymore. The hostility from Rose and Rita had gone down a bit too; Their demeanors were friendly despite the last few hours, which was arduous.

Francis had learned that whether they were young or not, they couldn't be underestimated. He had to tolerate their unruly behavior.

(The Barge)

The bulldog sat outside, basking in the late evening sun. He had come to terms with finding a way out. However, he wasn't willing to fully accept this situation just yet.

From down below, he would hear the frequent bark, showing that they were in high spirits. Hearing this put a dent on Francis' cynicism on this situation he found himself in. His eyes were downcast at the water below, staring at his own reflection.

Inside the barge, Einstein was playing tug o' war with Rose with the basketball that he had found before. Since Einstein was bigger than Rose by comparison, he was winning the game.

Dodger and Rita were watching this go down from the comfort of Fagin's chair. Tito was jumping up and down, cheering Rose on. They watched as Einstein deliberately loosened his grip on the flattened ball, letting the shepherd/collie mix win.

Rose stood with confidence, holding her prize in her jaws. "Ish mine now!" she said with a fast tail wag.

"Not if I can help it," Dodger laughed, jumping down from the armchair. Rose dropped down to a play bow, daring him to take the ball from her. "You wan' it? Come and ge' it!" Rose laughed, bolting up the barge stairs.

The other four charged after her, seeing Francis sitting there like a lump on a log. Rose trotted over to him and dropped the ball in front of him.

"C'mon, Francis! You can't sit out here alone all day?" she asked with a laugh. "Yeah, are you in?" Dodger added, hoping to get the bulldog to join in the fun.

All Francis did was glance down at the ball before he glanced over at the two dogs. It was obvious that he wasn't used to playing with other dogs. His last master was too invested into his own life to engage in such levity.

The other three were tussling around with one another, barking at one another. Francis was undeterred however he did push the ball a bit with his paw.

Rose and Dodger played tug o' war with the flattened ball, using what strength they had in the game. They were trying their hardest to gain Francis's friendship, but that proved to be a harder task than they believed.

Rita, Tito, and Einstein were in a combat of their own. Francis stayed away from the wild game they played.

However, they were too caught up in playful banter to hear Fagin's scooter approaching the barge. Francis stood up and carefully approached the scruffy man. He wasn't ready to accept Fagin as his master yet.

"Atta boy, Francis," Fagin said with a cheery smile, giving the bulldog a few pats on the head. "Keeping away from the fray, huh? Don't worry, they won't bite ya, buddy," Fagin assured.

Rose saw Fagin out of the corner of her eye and brought the flattened ball over to him with a prance in her step. She jumped up to greet him, followed by Rita, Dodger, Tito, and Einstein, jumping on top of him.

Fagin chuckled and took the ball from Rose, who still wagged her tail strenuously. She felt excitement throughout her entire body.

"Come on, you guys! Let's see what you got," he said, laughing as his canine friends licked his face. He had to push the dogs off so he could throw them the toy.

He got up from the boat deck and held the ball over his head. "Go and get it!" he said, throwing it over their heads and they instantly went after it. Francis hesitated for a moment, then he also raced after it, unable to hold himself back.

He had to admit, this was actually fun. Einstein was the one to pick up the ball, then he trotted over to Francis, who now wagged his corkscrew tail. He then grabbed it, now locked in a game of tug o' war with the great dane.

Both Dodger and Rose threw themselves at the bulldog playfully. They were happy to see that Francis was finally loosening up and having fun for the first time since he came to them.

It's gonna take time for Francis to become a street dog, but at least he was starting to feel more at home. Dodger and Rose saw him and Tito as their family now. The six laughed as they played together until the sun had gone down.

Francis couldn't remember the last time he ever felt relaxed, and oddly… happy. "So, Francis, looks like you got over your prestigious act," Rita said with a grin, wagging her tail. Maybe Dodger and Rose had finally got through to him after all.

Francis considered them as friends now. He was looking forward to what the future days would bring for the family of six.