A/N: Haven't seen any sign of that bug with chapters showing as unavailable lately, so I guess it might've gotten fixed hopefully. Regardless, if anything is unavailable it should be up on my Wattpad at "TeeWhyEggNog2006". I really like posting on this site so I'm glad my stories have been up again so far without that pesky bug getting in the way of things. Back to the story.
While the sound of arguing continued next door, Clarissa poked her head over the fence. She then smiled endearingly when she saw Fergus backing towards her. "Oh, Fergus, darling. Would you be interested in joining me and the girls in having a cup of tea? I promise it'll be far more peaceful than the ruff-raff taking their anger out on you," said Clarissa in a sweet tone of voice.
Fergus turned around to see the Corgi staring at him with a soft smile. It instilled a sense of comfort in him to see at least someone who wasn't losing their head around here. Fergus smiled, gold tooth sparkling in the sunlight, and replied, "not really a tea drinker, but I'll be more than happy if you have strawberry milk." Clarissa fought the urge to cringe at a request of such commoner food being served at her tea party, but if it meant luring Fergus in, then she'd oblige.
"Of course, all the strawberry milk you can ask for," said Clarissa maintaining that sweet voice.
"Strawberry milk here I come! Gimme, gimme, gimme," said Fergus giddily as he climbed up the fence and fell over into Clarissa's yard. "Uff!" He grunted when he took a hard landing to the ground.
Clarissa chuckled, though in a light-hearted manner rather than mocking. "Watch your step, my dear. Now, I'll have Hugo go fetch you that strawberry milk. You just go take a seat good looking, and we'll discuss more personal matters," said Clarissa in an upbeat tone of voice. Fergus took a seat at the table as Arabella and Prunella both smiled at him with hooded eyes.
"Boy, you won't believe the day I've had. First I get told I live in a dump, and now everyone's tearing each other's fur out over me. Talk about a doozie," said Fergus making small talk. Arabella and Punella both nodded their heads sympathetically, though the reality was they could care less about his personal issues.
Less than three minutes later, Hugo approached the table holding a silver plate with a pitcher of strawberry milk and a glass cup. Clarissa walked by his side and came over to sit back down in her spot, intending to finish her tea and start pulling the strings of Fergus' mind. Hugo set down Fergus' glass and topped it off with ice cold strawberry milk, even placing in a striped straw as a courtesy. Fergus licked his lips, ready to take a big refreshing gulp.
As Fergus grabbed his glass of milk and took a big gulp straight from the glass, completely ignoring the straw, Clarissa smiled at him with her paws beneath her chin. "Fergus, did I ever tell you that you have such dashing fur?" Clarissa asked. Though saying that made her nauseous, since Fergus' fur was greasy and filled with split-ends.
For a moment, Fergus stopped drinking and considered. "Umm, nope, I don't think you ever have," he replied casually. Clarissa, Arabella, and Prunella all then laughed in unison. "What? Did I say something funny?" He scratched his head.
"Oh gosh, Blake. . . is that you?" Prunella asked wide-eyed before eyeing the fox top-to-bottom. "It is! Blake, I don't know what's happened to you, but you're our long lost friend," she lied wanting to strip away Fergus' identity.
Then, Clarissa dropped her cup of tea and leaned up against the table dramatically gobsmacked. "It is! Blake, I knew there was something about you the moment I saw you hanging around the ruff-raff. You were a rich and famous fox who had starred in many films, and you never had any regard for commoners," explained Clarissa.
This was stunning news to the young fox, he'd never thought that he was someone of such importance much less wealthy. But, he couldn't say he was disappointed either. It was like winning the lottery on the rainiest day. "Wowee, I'm a star. . . Do I live in a big fancy mansion with twelve butlers and five swimming pools?" Fergus asked curiously feeling overcome with joy.
Clarissa nodded her head. "Mhm, but it's all the way in Switzerland, so you'll have to stay with us for now," she replied simply.
And then, wanting to sell the deal, Arabella gifted Fergus a small black box. "Open it, Blake. It's a gift from all of us," said Arabella in an airy voice that sent shivers up Fergus' spine. Fergus took the box and opened it, his eyes lighting up when he saw what was inside.
Inside the box was a black collar encrusted with rubies that was adorned by gold trimming made from genuine gold thread. To any commoner, it was a gaudy piece of jewelry, but to the upper class it was a symbol of status and exclusivity. Fergus took the flashy collar out and fastened it around his neck. The three posh girls made sounds of approval and admiration. "I love it, though I can't help but feel something's not right. Thanks for treating me so well," said Fergus solemnly. He twisted and angled his head to see how he looked with it on.
"Isn't that the ghastly collar you were meaning to make a return on?" Prunella whisper-asked Arabella.
Arabella gave Prunella a sly smile. "It was. But, it's found a new purpose," she replied. In Fergus' mind, he felt more comfortable, more at ease around these fair girls. They were a far-cry from the untamed group of crazies who had claimed to be his so-called "friends". Not even they had the courtesy to give him his very own collar. These three dogs, Clarissa, Prunella, and Arabella treated him with respect and didn't scare him into fainting. It made more sense to him. Like a missing piece of the puzzle that finally fell into place.
Clarissa then hopped off her chair and came around to Fergus, grabbing him by the paw. "Before we get you settled in, you'll need a good bathing to wash off that icky grease. I have some mineral-infused shampoo that works wonders on weary coats," said Clarissa leading him towards her big house. Meanwhile over the fence, no one even noticed Fergus' departure as they continued to argue.
In the large bathroom of Clarissa's, Fergus sat in a porcelain tub full of hot steamy water and piles of bubbles. The bathroom was large enough that the designers had gave it a walk-in closet just to fill the space. The shampoo Clarissa filled the tub with was of an expensive brand imported from Austria that smelled of wild berries and apricot. Secretly, Fergus wanted to eat it because of how fruity it smelled. Fergus scrubbed his back with a large wooden brush as Clarissa and Arabella both stood outside the tub and massaged shampoo into his ratty fur. There was so much grease and gunk build-up stuck in his fur that it turned the water greenish-brown. "Oooo, look at the water. . . All that was on me," murmured Fergus with wonderful fascination.
Stifling a laugh, Clarissa responded, "indeed it was. That's one of the many reasons why you can't associate with commoners, much less ruff-raff." She then grabbed a shower extension off the wall above the tub and rinsed the shampoo out of Fergus' fur. "Alright, all done. Let's get you dried up," said Clarissa with a casual smile. "Prunella, towel please."
Prunella grabbed a towel out of the walk-in closet and padded over to the two of them. Before Prunella could hand Fergus the towel, Fergus stepped out of the tub and shook himself off — spraying water all over Clarissa, Arabella, and Prunella. The three girls squealed as their pristine coats were drenched. They all glowered at Fergus who looked at them sheepishly. He let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "Oops, didn't mean to spray ya' there," said Fergus in an awkward tone. Prunella just threw the towel at Fergus, which ended up draped over his face.
"Never mind that, dear Blake. A gentledog always towels off after a nice soak, never shakes," explained Clarissa in an understanding tone of voice, though still keeping her tone firm.
Fergus gave Clarissa and the girls finger guns and winked. "Gotcha."
"Also, no uncouth gestures," added on Arabella with an impassive expression. Fergus grinned nervously and hid his paws behind his back.
"Sorry."
Hugo had fallen asleep on the living room recliner playing solitaire on his tablet. Being ever opportunistic, Clarissa took this chance to snag the tablet for some online shopping. She needn't worry about payments because not only was she disgustingly rich, but it'd all be charged to Hugo's credit card. "Gather around girls, and Blake, we've got some fashion shopping to do," said Clarissa laying on the carpet with the tablet in front of her.
Everyone gathered around the tablet as Clarissa swiped through the inventory of some posh designer clothes website. Fergus' eyebrows knitted in guilt that his new friends felt the need to bend over backwards for him. "Uhh, you didn't have to do this for me. I'm fine with the way I look already," started Fergus not wanting to be a burden. "I mean, hey, look at this fur. It's a heck of a lot sparklier than it was before," he continued holding out an arm that glittered from the mineral shampoo.
"Oh, nonsense," dismissed Clarissa with a wave. "It's perfectly alright, dearie, you need a wardrobe that will distinguish you from the common wealth." She picked out a sassy red fur coat and added it to the cart.
"Don't forget the sunglasses, he can't take a stroll downtown without them," said Prunella pointing to a pair of designers in the recommended section on-screen.
"A must have," said Clarissa simply. She made a few swipes and viewed the sunglasses. Fergus' breath caught in his throat and he had to do a double-take when he saw the price tag. 378 pounds for some sunglasses! Wow, what was the world coming to? They had a plum purple frame with dark tinted lenses. Its upper frame corners were horned to give them a pompous flare. It even came complete with dot-sized diamonds embedded into it, with three on both sides of the arms and one on both horns. Despite the price tag being enough to give a wallet a heart attack, Fergus did actually find the glasses growing on him. Their style was quite distinct.
"Give our comely gent' a necklace to compliment it all. A nice silver would be fitting," said Arabella resting her head in her paws as she laid next to Fergus. She traced a finger along the border of Fergus' ear causing it to twitch instinctively. Fergus glanced at Arabella with an unreadable expression before shifting his gaze back to the tablet.
Clarissa tapped the tablet screen and brought up a pricey silver necklace. It was a necklace made up of linked bars with a gold swan dangling from the bottom of it. "Cha-ching!" Clarissa said as she added the necklace to the cart. She then proceeded to the checkout and put it all on Hugo's card. Not that Hugo would notice with how rich he is or that it would even make a scratch in his bank account.
"Alright, it says it'll be here within an hour." Clarissa then whispered the next part to Fergus, "exclusive hourly shipping. One of the perks of living the high class life."
This was a real culture shock to Fergus, he'd heard of one day shipping but never hourly. It made him curious as to what more pleasures the rich life had in store for him. After all, it sure beat living in that canal that those dalmatians and rodents were trying to stick him in. "Huh, I think I can get used to this. You're telling me you can buy stuff on the internet, and it just. . . comes to you the next hour?"
Clarissa smiled with pride, then gave a firm nod. "Mhm. And it only gets better from here. There's still plenty of time to lounge away, let's take a spa trip."
Down at the spa, Clarissa and the girls were being treated to a manicure as they laid on fancy plush pillows. Over on the grooming table, Fergus was getting his matts combed and snipped out. The poor fox had a great deal of matting from years of going without seeing the groomers. Little did he know, his old self would be turning in their grave if they saw him getting the powderpuff treatment.
His once dirt-riddled, matted fur was now a glossy reddish-orange that was well-brushed and more pristine than fine china. The groomer finished up brushing the fur on top of Fergus' head and picked him up to take him to get a manicure. When Fergus held up his paws, the manicurist visibly recoiled at the sight of the fox's roughened claws. The manicurist, a fine young woman, clicked her tongue. "Such neglect for such basic care. . . Not to worry, I'll have those nails looking spiffy with our luxe treatment," said the manicurist in a classy tone of voice. The manicurist took Fergus' paws and set them in a bowl of warm water infused with vitamin oils.
"Ah, shucks, I don't know how they got like this. I must have really let myself go," said Fergus feeling embarrassed, now starting to believe that he really was a famous fox. "Have you seen any of my movies?" He asked curiously, hoping to get some recognition around here. But, the manicurist didn't respond — not that she was trying to be rude, but because she literally couldn't understand him. After a short soak, the manicurist took his right paw out of the water and got to filing them down with a nail file.
After a rejuvenating day at the spa, Fergus along with his friends Clarissa, Prunella, and Arabella sauntered back to Clarissa's upscale house. The clothes and accessories had finally arrived and the girls had told Fergus to try them on. Fergus got dressed inside the bedroom's walk-in closet with the door closed. After several minutes of anticipation, the wardrobe door finally opened to reveal a dapper young fox in posh attire.
No longer was he a product of living on the streets, but a powderpuff with standards. Fergus wore a cherry red fur coat that fit him perfectly, not a single edge dragging along the filthy ground. He wore a pair of plum purple designer sunglasses with a horned frame and tinted lenses — accented by three dot-sized diamonds on both arms and a single diamond at the front of each horn. Around the fox's neck was a bar-linked silver necklace with a golden swan made from genuine gold.
"Now there's a dashing gentlefox, well-trimmed and ready for the high life," said Clarissa impressed.
Fergus admired his own reflection in the mirror; staring back at him was a complete stranger who he really wanted to be. But it was him who stood in that mirror, him who was one of the elites. A crack of a smile worked its way onto his face as he posed to see how well the silky fur coat hugged his curves. "I look. . . gorgeous. . . " Fergus murmured in awe.
"Our dear prince, comely as ever," commented Prunella with approval. Secretly, she was starting to have a crush on the fox after seeing his new appearance.
"Truly well distinguished from a dirt-dwelling dalmatian." Arabella coughed and quickly corrected herself, "err, commoner."
Fergus stepped out of the wardrobe and strutted over to the group with a newfound confidence. Gone was the insecurity of not knowing where he fit in, and in its place was a subtle sense of pride that he had found his clique. "These are sooo comfy, thanks girls. Now my fur won't get cold on a windy day," said Fergus in a soft voice lacking the street drawl it once had.
"My pleasure. Though, before you can socialize again with the proper crowd, you'll need to learn civilized etiquette. I have just the books that can help," explained Clarissa leading the group out of the bedroom.
In the library of the house, Fergus sat in a red silk chair while Clarissa browsed the shelves for the section on how to be a rich snob. There was a vast selection of books that spanned across the shelves all around the room, even reaching far above to the tall ceiling. He had never seen so many books before. "That Hugo guy must really love to read," thought Fergus to himself.
"Ahh, there we are. Fancy Etiquette 101. . . and to go with it, some Richly Cultured," said Clarissa tossing two books that landed at Fergus' feet. "Ooo, We Are Not The Same, that's an oldie but a goodie." She threw another book on top of the other two. Prunella and Arabella had some picks of their own regarding rich living and brang them to the stack. Pretty soon, the stack was tall enough to reach Fergus' knees as he sat on the chair.
Fergus picked the first book off the stack, entitled, "Socializing with Your Fellow Billionaire and Lessers" and opened it to start reading. He found that the book had a continuous theme of gloating about your property and wealthy, along with the need to be pampered by "lessers". It came off as off-putting to Fergus since that didn't sound very nice to treat someone that way. Then again, it was flattering to have someone pamper him and tend to his every need. Fergus nodded, taking in this new way of acting. "Hmm, so we are like kings and queens while they are our servants. Pretty archaic, but if the book says it," muttered Fergus to himself trailing off as he flipped to the next page.
"You're a fast learner, soon you'll be on your way to being just. . . like. . . us," said Arabella happily with a shadow of something darker in her voice.
After Fergus finished with that book, he set it aside and Clarissa handed him another. "More reading, please," she sang.
Prunella snickered and looked at Clarissa with a devious smile. "This is simply delicious, I can't wait to see the look on those ruffians' faces when they see what we've done to their beloved friend," she said quietly.
"I feel the same. An act of betrayal all in the name of remembering," snorted Clarissa.
There was anything but peace and quiet inside the Dalmatian house. Dylan, Dolly, Sid, Big Fee, and Dawkins had finally noticed that Fergus was missing! But that only threw fuel on the flames of their argument and they took it inside. Now it wasn't who was messing with Fergus' mind, but who wasn't keeping an eye on Fergus. Ah yes, the vicious blame game rages on.
"He's your leader, why weren't you watching him, huh?" Dolly accused Sid angrily, staring him down with her face inches away from him.
"We were in this altogether! I thought all you's could help us out, but turns out I was wrong," retorted Sid with an air of sarcasm.
"I thought squirrels were supposed to have 360 vision," replied Dolly in her defense.
Sid facepalmed. "That's goats you dunce," he said matter-of-factly. Out of all the things she could have come up with, that's what she went with. Dalmatians were a whole 'nother breed.
The tumultuous arguing inside the house was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Ding-dong. Everyone looked in the direction of the front door. "Fergus must've decided to come back," said Big Fee. Immediately, the whole group rushed over to the front door to see who it was. As they understood it, Fergus might've ran off feeling scared, but came crawling back to them after realizing he had no place else to go.
Dylan pressed his paw to the paw scanner beside the door, automatically opening the door. His stomach dropped when he saw who was standing there. Clarissa. His brows furrowed and he asked in a less than friendly voice, "whatt're you doing here, Clarissa?" Then he crossed his arms.
Clarissa put a paw to her forehead and feigned concern. "Oh, I've overheard your troubles with looking after your ill fox friend while lounging under the shade. I just came over to say I wanted to help you find him," she said in a worried tone of voice.
No one trusted the usually haughty corgi, especially when she was suddenly playing nice with them out of the blue. "Oi, give us one good reason why we should trust the likes of you," piped up Big Fee in a curt tone of voice.
But Clarissa's smile only widened slightly at this. "No need to be rude, my dear. I'd hate to see one lose a good friend of theirs. So, I decided that I would lend a paw for a change," she explained in a voice sweeter than honey.
Having heard enough, Dolly stepped forward aggressively with a deep frown. "Forget it, Clarissa. We've got it on our own, so you can just buzz off!" She snapped harshly. Even if Clarissa was being sincere, Dolly wanted nothing to do with that fat rich snob who ridiculed them for being dalmatians around the clock.
"Well, darling, I can't simply just buzz off. Not after I haven't introduced you to someone I wanted you to meet," said Clarissa in a jubilant tone of voice. This threw the dalmatians and canal crew through a loop, but they had a very bad feeling about this. "Oh, Blake!" Clarissa called out to her side. With a smug smirk, Clarissa stepped aside finally breaking the goody-two-shoes facade.
There was a collective gasp as Dylan and Dolly's jaws dropped — Dawkins' eyebrows fell off — and Big Fee and Sid recoiled in horror as they cringed. Blake was standing in the doorway, wearing a red fur coat, silver linked necklace, and plum purple designer sunglasses — a dapper fox. It didn't take long for the group to realize just who this fox was, and he sure wasn't some obscure movie star either. "Fergus?" They all exclaimed in incredulity.
"Yo, what's with the frou-frou get-up?" Big Fee asked tilting her head. "Going down to the club or what?"
Infatuated with the fox, Clarissa, Prunella, and Arabella all showed up at his sides gazing at him with adoration. No longer was he the captain of the canal crew, but the powderpuffs' prince charming. "Fergus? Fergus who?" Blake grimaced and recoiled as if he were slapped. He shook his head, ruffling his shoulders, and regained his composure. Blake then invited himself in, shoving a gaping Dylan aside. "Pardon me, ruff-raff," said Blake in passing in a snooty tone of voice.
When he saw Sid and Big Fee, his nose crinkled in disgust. "Ugh, who let the pests in? You're lucky I don't call the exterminator about this ghastly infestation," sneered Fergus brushing past Sid and Big Fee.
"Pest? Ghastly? What in blazes did you do to our friend?" Sid cried out in outrage at Clarissa, waving his paws around.
Clarissa, Prunella, and Arabella laughed in response before walking right into the Dalmatians' house uninvited. "Why nothing, we only showed him to be civilized and a respectable gent'," replied Clarissa innocently.
Dawkins choked on his breath appalled. "That is a violation, you can't use him as some dress-up doll for your own gain," said Dawkins with disgust.
"Toodles, we must catch the evening fashion show on channel 27," said Clarissa as she and two friends took after Fergus.
"That's so like them to take advantage of someone if it benefits them. They'd close down an entire beach if it meant they'd have it all to themselves for a day," said Dylan frowning.
"It's so messed up, and I don't think they're ever gonna let Fergus around us now that he's a powderpuff," said Dolly forlorny. She looked to the ground, feeling that she were in part somehow responsible for Fergus turning out this way. "If I hadn't dunked my skateboard, maybe Fergus would still have a mind," she thought to herself, hating herself. "Maybe he wouldn't have been abducted by Clarissa and those snobs."
Sid sat down and rested his head in his paws with a sigh. "Well, I guess this is the end of the canal crew. . . The canal will never be the same without Fergus or his wittiness," he said feeling a deep sadness that he'd never felt before since he left his old home in the orchard.
From the living room, Fergus could he heard shouting making demands while clapping. "Artisanal crisps! Where are my artisanal crisps?"
"Your majesty better watch it before I tear that gaudy coat off and dunk it in the trash can," remarked Dolly with a stern look of disapproval.
A/N: There's chapter 4 for you guys. Stay tuned to see if Dalmatians and friends can bring Fergus back to his old ways! New installment coming soon.