(In the city)
As we make our way to the city, I learned the names of the rest of the dogs in Riley's gang. Delilah with the white female dog and the Jack Russell puppy was named Arrow, which suited him actually.
We travel through Market Street, seeing that not many humans were out and about. "Should we stop by that steak restaurant?" I suggested. "Nah, Ed wouldn't be too stoked to see us," Riley said.
"Maybe we can go to China Town. That human should be stocked," Arrow said, trotting beside me as I walked at a steady pace. I looked down at the puppy, seeing how he looked much like Sammie, making me realize just how much I missed my pups back in New York.
They'd be asking where their mother is and nobody in the gang could tell them where I was, which hurt me like you wouldn't believe. Last thing I want is for them to think that they're own mother abandoned them.
"You alright there, Rose?" Delilah asked, noticing the sad look on my face. My ears perk up when she spoke to me. "Huh? I'm fine. It's just- Arrow looks like my daughter," I tell her, looking from her to Arrow.
"Wait, you're a mother?" Delilah asked in surprise, her floppy ears perking forward. "Yeah. I got five pups," I answered. "Really? That's really tight, girl," Riley said, looking back at me. It surprised me that he thought me being a mother to five puppies was cool.
It looked like he didn't like puppies, but that answer proved me wrong. We make it to China town, the whole place smelled like sea food. I honestly don't prefer sea food, but if it fills our bellies, then I don't have an issue with it.
There was traffic on the road, meaning that we couldn't get through. Luckily, I knew just how to get across the street in traffic like this. "Watch this," I said, leaping on top of the nearest car next to me.
"Whoa, what is she doing?!" Stokey said in shock. I turn around and looked down at them with a smirk, "When you grow up in New York City, you learn a thing or two,"
"You're crazy, you know?" Sledge said, shocked by what I just did. I touch it with my paw pad for a moment, thinking about how I got it. I don't even know if they liked being around humans like I have; or even if any one of them have lived with one before. Would they hate me if I told them how?
"Well... my mate and I, when we were a little bit older than Arrow, were on a walk. We heard some scuffling from an alley way. When we went to see, we saw our human getting attacked by two younger ones. We defended him and got our bandana's from their necks. Our human said that they suited us. Had this ever since," I explained, remembering just how I got my bandana.
"Human? I thought you were a street dog," Riley asked, his flopped ears perked up. "I am. But it's a homeless man," I correct. "She lives in a barge, Riley," Sledge added.
"Huh. Alright then. So you're a pet then," Riley said, his voice bitter. He stands up and walks out of the room, his tail dropped all the way. "Did I say something wrong?" I asked, completely puzzled.
"He despises humans," Delilah said. "Huh? Why?" I asked, looking at the white female dog. "How come? Not all of them are bad. What did humans do to him to make him hate them so much?" I wondered. Sure, I've ran into humans that hated me. But, any other time, the humans weren't all that bad. I've lived with Fagin since I was eight weeks old. I'm 5 years old, an adult dog.
"He was abandoned when he was a puppy. The parents of a human kid got him for one christmas. He had a bow tied to his collar. But the kid didn't like Riley so they had to get rid of him. So he found other abandoned dogs and made them a home to protect them from all humans," Delilah explained.
"Oh... wow. I didn't expect that. I don't blame him for wanting to keep you guys safe. That's what my mate and I are doing with our gang. Being in New York City is a fun city to live in, but it's also dangerous. And now that we have ten puppies, five are mine and the other five belong to another member of our gang, it's hard keeping track of them," I explain, feeling sad when I brought up my puppies and Rita and Ryan's puppies.
"You're doing pretty good. You oughta get back to your family as fast as you can," Delilah said, laying down next to me. "Yeah, I guess. You think he'll take me to the bridge still now that he knows I have a human?" I asked in concern. "Don't worry. He'll still do it," Delilah answered with a grin. I smiled back and rested my head between my forelegs.
I felt sleepy when I did so. It had been a long day for me. Tomorrow, I start my journey back to New York City. My home. I went to sleep and dreamed of home.