Chapter 29: A Talk With Sisters

Well, another Halloween had come and passed just like that, and it was now nearing the second week of November. And if the army of trees slowly losing their orange leaves wasn't evidence of that, then I don't know what was.

I frowned as I soon came to the realisation that the time I had left with the Heeler family before the big decision was running short. Given the amount of months Andrew had given them to make a choice, it would be near Christmas when either the Heelers decided to adopt me or have me sent to a foster home.

And it was the possibility of the latter happening that filled me with dread.

Or even worse… What if I didn't fit in with any of the foster homes Canistralia had? If that were to happen… then chances are they'd send me back to Denver, and I'd never be able to see any of the friends I made here again.

Bluey and Bingo would absolutely be broken with me gone, as would her friends, especially Chloe…

…

...No. There's no way Andrew would ever allow that. He said it himself that I was Canistralia's Human Ambassador. If I was sent out of this region, then my role as an ambassador would be over.

Faith. I needed to have faith.

Just like how Hachi's grandpa has faith in me defeating Kurou.

...Korou.

…

I turned to one of the trees and gave it a swift kick, making sure not to hurt myself as I got into a stance and did the jab-leaf-grab technique I had done at Rusty's house to practice. No matter what, I was going to push myself to my limits if it meant an increased chance of victory for the upcoming fight.

I had just grabbed the last leaf when I suddenly had a feeling like something was off. Like I wasn't alone and that someone's eyes were on me.

That feeling of being watched turned out to be true when I spotted someone peeking at me from behind one of the other nearby trees, to which they immediately let out a panicked squeak upon realising I had spotted them and scrambled backwards to try and hide, only to tumble and fall flat onto their back as I approached, ready to confront them.

Until I recognised the black fur with red streaks and pair of glasses.

The same Spitz girl I had seen on Halloween night that seemed very wary of me or was probably just very shy, but why was she watching me?

Perhaps being as nice to her as possible would make it easier to get an answer, I bent down a little and offered a hand out to help her up. The Spitz stared at my hand anxiously, almost like a cautious puppy that had been abandoned on the streets until after what felt like at least a minute, she gingerly took a hold of my hand and I pulled her up.

"You alright, miss?" I asked as politely as I could to her, her eyes avoiding mine as she fiddled with her glasses a little.

"Yes…" I faintly heard her mumble, even though it was rather quiet, I could tell her voice was a little broken, like she was seriously distressed about something.

…This might be harder than I thought.

"If you're afraid of me, I understand. But I promise you I'm not gonna hurt you or anyone else-"

"I'M NOT- I-I'm not… afraid of you…" The Spitz suddenly blurted out in a flustered tone but immediately composed herself, trying to sound reassuring.

"…If you don't want to tell me what's wrong, I won't force you to." I promised, making sure my voice stayed gentle. Her face creased up some more as her lips quivered, like whatever was eating away at her was making her feel even more worse the longer I spoke with her.

And then, she hung her head down and let it out.

"...I'm sorry…"

"What?" She had apologised the first time we saw, but I thought she only did it because she felt like she had inconvenienced me with her grocery spillage. This one however sounded like she deeply regretted something she may have been involved with as she let out a sniff before snapping her head up at me, her eyes glossy.

"I'M SO SORRY FOR MY BROTHER!"

Wait, what? Her brother? What did he have to do with-

"I know Kurou is a jerk who likes to show off sometimes, but I didn't think he'd go this far! I should've done something to stop him!"

…

...Wait.

The Spitz I was talking to was Kurou's sister?! I didn't even know he had any other family besides his grandpa!

It all made sense now as to why she was so nervous around me. Her brother was the one who had challenged me to a martial arts fight, and chances are that she KNEW what Kurou would do if I told Andrew, Chilli, Bandit or even anyone besides Hachi's grandpa.

She no doubt must've thought that I would've been angry with her considering her connection with Kurou.

Honestly, I couldn't hold it against her. Even if she was unable to stop him, she wasn't guilty for anything.

The girl Spitz in question was now sniffling as she rubbed her wet eyes. Oh god, just seeing her like this actually broke me a little, especially with the fact that she was completely innocent in this situation yet she still felt like an accomplice to my predicament all because the responsible one was a sibling of hers.

I very slowly lifted an arm up and gently put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Hey… I'm not angry at you. None of this is your fault." I told her in a genuine voice, which seemed to make her sniffles stop for a moment.

"Listen. Kurou may be your brother, but I'm not going to consider you responsible for what he did. You had nothing to do with him challenging me."

I felt like my words didn't work for a moment, but then she wiped her eyes once more and looked at me, but not with sadness, more so with concern.

"B-Be careful… He's very strong and has never lost a single tournament. He's dangerous in the field and… I don't think I'd be able to stomach the sight of him brutalising a nice human like yourself." She warned me, I nodded in response to let her know I'd take her warning to heart before deciding to introduce myself.

"My name's Nathan. What about you?" The Spitz blushed slightly upon being asked that question before adjusting her ponytail fur a little.

"A...Ayumi."

Such a pretty name. It just made it more unfortunate that she had a problematic sibling, I hope Kurou at least in a way cares for her.

"Well, for your sake, Ayumi, I'll do my best to make it out of that fight with as less bruises as possible." I firmly told her, putting up a determined fist to emphasise that I'd keep going no matter what.

That actually got Ayumi to smile a little before she bowed and took her leave.

Is it just me… or was she actually kind of cute?

"I see someone just found their future wife." An older feminine voice spoke up nearby with a chuckle, making me jolt a little before turning to find the source.

An adult red heeler… or at least I think she was a red heeler was standing by, facing me with a friendly grin on her muzzle. If it weren't for the whiskers on the sides of her head, the one creamed colored ear or the one reverse-patterned leg, I would've mistaken her for an adult version of Bingo.

"W-What—H-How long were you-?!" I quickly stammered out in embarrassed panic, praying to god that Ayumi hadn't heard that comment just as she was leaving, making the adult dog laugh.

"Hahaha, only joking, Nathan!" She waved a hand to reassure me whilst walking over to me as I registered what she just said.

"How do you know my…?"

"My nieces, Bluey and Bingo told me a lot about you on Faceytalk. I almost thought they were having me on when they said they had a "human" staying with them!" The dog who claimed she was the girls' aunt explained whilst looking me over.

That was when I remembered… my talk with Chilli before the funeral of my biological parents.

The talk about how she had a sister whom they both had a falling out with because of the latter's fertility issues.

And the bright orange and cream colors on this dog's fur, they were a perfect match with Chilli's.

"…Your Chilli's sister, aren't you?" I asked, a little stunned that I had finally gotten to meet her in person.

"Did she tell you about me?" She asked, her eyebrows raised in slight surprise.

"Yeah. And…" My face fell a little as I looked at her stomach. If life hadn't given her that curse of infertility, there would be a bump to signal a soon-to-come child.

"I'm really sorry about your… problem. I may not be a parent, but I know it's been really hard for you for so many years." The dog frowned sadly as she looked down at her baby-less belly before looking back up at me, trying to smile.

"It's alright… It does hurt, but it's out of my hands."

"Have you thought about adopting one?" I asked as the dog shook her head.

"It doesn't feel the same. It was tempting, yes, but I want to raise one from the day they were born." I nodded in understanding before asking again.

"I can understand why it must've been so frustrating when Chilli managed to have two kids. It must've been like life was deliberately spitting in your face and laughing at you." The dog's face fell again as she nodded in response, but didn't say anything, like she was having troubling thoughts.

That was when I decided to be direct with her.

"Are you still angry with her?"

"What… N-No, I…" The dog tried to answer before sighing, perhaps unable to answer.

"From what she told me, it seems like she isn't angry with you anymore. I think… she misses you."

The very second I said that, I was quick to notice a small tear well up in one of her eyes.

"I-I miss her too…" She quietly sobbed out, wiping her eye. It was clear at this point that any bad blood between her and Chilli had long expired, there was just the matter of them reconciling face to face now.

"Then talk to her. See her face to face." I encouraged, only for her to backstep a little.

"No… I can't… I just don't feel ready yet. I'll try calling her, but I just don't think I'm ready to see her just yet." She said very hesitantly.

I could only nod at this. If she needed time to recuperate and plan ahead for when she and Chilli do meet and have the talk, then I was going to give her all the time she needed.

That was when she checked her phone and her eyebrows raised a little.

"I have to go, but thanks for talking to me. I needed that."

"Not a problem, miss…" I paused on the "miss", as I still didn't know her name.

"Oh, Brandy! Sorry I didn't tell you earlier." Brandy said as we exchanged a handshake. "And good luck with whatever it is you're training for!" She then called out to me as she was taking her leave.

"Thanks, Brandy, and good luck with yours!" I returned the gesture with a smile, watching her leave the area before turning to the tree once more… and giving it another kick.

I will make myself stronger, not just for Ayumi, but for all of Canistralia.

No matter how tired I get, I'll keep standing and I'll keep practicing, for every waking moment.