usually hangs out with a crowd that’s more into talk than action,” Toby explained.  “More into conclusions than facts, too, a lot like two other ladies whose names I won’t mention,” he added with a glance at Phoebe and Haley, who were looking very guilty.

“Then why did you always shut the door?” asked one of the gossips.

“So the rats wouldn’t escape through it.  Duh,” put in Luna.  Toby smiled, glad to see that she was finally back on his side.

Phoebe and Haley stared at the ground, but then Phoebe abruptly raised her head.  “What about the girl we saw you kiss the other day?” she demanded.

Toby groaned.  “I was hoping nobody saw that,” he murmured.  Seeing the renewed expressions of anger from the dogs, he quickly added, “I can explain that too.  See, she kissed me, but I never kissed her.  All I did was get another dog to leave her alone, and she read it the wrong way.”

One of the gossips in the crowd raised an eyebrow.  “You didn’t happen to catch her name, did you?”

Toby nodded.  “Yeah, I think her name was Violet.”

The gossip nodded.  “I thought so.  Her family moved to Nome last week, and she’s been trying to get a boyfriend ever since.”  Shrugging, she added, “Heck, I’ll bet the dog you chased off had just gotten sick of trying to make her leave him alone.”

Toby nodded.  “That sure fits with her attitude,” he agreed.  “When I managed to get out of her lip-lock and tell her I was spoken for, she just asked what my point was.”

Luna stared at the gossip in surprise.  “Why didn’t you mention this sooner?!” she asked.  “Or you, for that matter?” she added, turning to Toby.

Toby seemed embarrassed.  “Would you believe I didn’t want to get you worked up about it?”

Luna stared at him for a long moment before nodding.  “Yeah, that fits.”  She turned to the gossip.  “What about you?”

The gossip shrugged.  “When the Toby scandal came along, Violet was old news.”

Luna rolled her eyes.  “Why am I not surprised?”

 “Sorry, Toby,” murmured Haley.

“Yeah,” agreed Phoebe.  “We really made a mess of things for you and Luna.”

Toby smiled.  “Ah, no harm done.”

“On the contrary,” interjected Rex.  He glowered at the group.  “You tongue-waggers have blackened the names of not one, but two of my children all over town.”  He paused for a moment to let this sink in.  “So I want all of you young ladies to get going and tell everyone you told about this the real story.  Otherwise, I’m going to put all of you away for public slander.”

Without bothering two question how Rex would go about locking them all up, the group scattered as if someone had thrown a grenade.  “Well,” remarked Terry with satisfaction, “I guess that takes care of that.”

Luna glanced at Toby and lowered her eyes.  “I’m… I’m really sorry,” she admitted.  “I know I always said I believed you, but for a while there I thought you really were leaving me.”

Toby nuzzled her.  “Hey, there’s nothing to forgive,” he replied.  “If I’d been in your shoes, I would’ve been worried too.”

“I’m barefoot,” she pointed out.

“Rex,” Terry whispered, “I think we ought to give them a little privacy.”

Rex nodded.  “Alright,” he agreed, and he and Terry departed.  Toby thought he heard one of them make a comment about “grand-“something, but he didn’t dwell on it.

 “Next time, I’ll take your word for it no matter what anybody says.  But I still feel guilty for not believing you.”

“Well, that’s in the past now.”

Luna hung her head.  “That may be,” she admitted, “but there’s still one thing I need to tell you.”

“Well then tell me.”

“You know how we’ve been… well, trying to have puppies?”

Toby’s tail started to wag.  “Luna, are you…?”

She shook her head.  “No, and I don’t think I ever will be.”

Toby was dumbfounded.  “What?” he asked.  “Why?”

Luna fought hard not to cry.  “Well, yesterday Connie took me to the vet because I was so upset I couldn’t eat.”

Toby nodded.  “Go on.”

“The vet said that I wasn’t sick, and Connie asked if maybe I was expecting a litter.  The vet said no, because the back injury I got during the Storage Lot Incident would make that impossible.”

“So you can’t have puppies?” asked Toby.

Luna’s eyes started to leak and she leaned her head on his shoulder.  “No,” she whispered.  “The vet said it’ll never happen.”  She choked back a sob.

‘Please, no,’ thought Toby.  After everything that had happened, he couldn’t handle Luna crying twice in two days because of things he had caused.  ‘What can I say?’ he wondered.  Seizing on the first thing that came to mind, he told her, “Luna, it doesn’t matter.”

Luna stopped in mid-sob and stared at him.  “What?” she asked.

“For me, it doesn’t matter if we never have kids.  I know you wanted them, and I was hoping it would happen too.  My parents are probably going to be a bit let down, too.  But if I can’t manage it with your help, I’m not doing it period.”

Luna sniffed and drew back.  “Are you serious?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” he assured her, nodding his head.  “I’d take you over a hundred pups any day.”

Luna wiped her eyes with a paw.  “Thanks.”

Toby smiled.  “That’s more like it.  Now, what do you say we go find Violet and take care of that little problem?”

Luna smiled, even though her heart still felt like a lead weight.  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

They found Violet near the General Store, trying to strike up a conversation with a male dog who looked like he desperately wanted to be elsewhere.  She stopped when she caught sight of Toby.  “Oh, hi!” she said cheerfully, trotting over to him.  “Having a nice day?”

“Getting better,” Toby replied.  “Violet, I want you to meet someone.  This is Luna.”

“Oh, hi Luna,” said Violet, not really acknowledging her presence.

Luna decided to give it to Violet with both barrels.  “Actually, you can call me Mrs. Toby.”

Violet blinked several times.  “Oh,” she said, sounding a lot less cheerful than before.

“She’s the one I told you about right after you kissed me,” explained Toby.  “I thought I’d introduce you, since you did ask what my point was about being spoken for.”

Violet stared down at her front paws.  “I’m really sorry, honest.  You must want to rip my throat out right now.”

Luna shook her head.  “Not really.”

Toby grinned.  “Luna’s not that type.  She likes to do her killing slower.  Usually she breaks the front legs first, then the back ones.  Not a quick snap either, she just pins the dog down and puts more and more pressure on each leg until it gives.  Then she tramples the spine a little…”

Violet swallowed hard and stepped back.  “Hey, I said I was sorry, didn’t I?”

“Relax,” said Luna, forcing a calm tone.  “I can completely understand why you find him attractive.”

Violet sighed with relief.  “Thanks,” she said.  “You’re pretty lucky.”

“Listen to her,” Toby suggested to Luna.  “She’s making a lot of sense, you know.”

Luna rolled her eyes and pretended to ignore Toby’s comment.  “You know, Vi,” she said casually, “If you’re looking for a guy to hang out with, I think I might know someone just right for you.”

Violet lifted her head a little.  “Oh?” she asked.

Toby and Luna nodded.  “He’s a purebred husky…” said Toby.

“… and he knows his way around town…” added Luna.

“…and it just so happens, he’s single,” finished Toby.

Violet smiled.  “Any chance you could set us up?” she asked eagerly.

Luna almost felt guilty as she told Violet, “No problem.  Just go down Main Street until you come to Maple.  Go to the first house on your left and ask for Pete.”

Violet ran off.  “Thanks!” she called over her shoulder.

“Hey, Violet,” called Toby, “Main Street’s the other way.”

Violet turned so sharply she almost fell on her side and ran past them in the other direction.  “Thanks again!”

Toby and Luna waited until she was out of sight, then collapsed on top of each other in hysterical laughter.  “She fell for it!” giggled Luna.

“I know!”  Toby was laughing so hard he couldn’t stand up.

When the two dogs finally stopped laughing, Luna’s face grew sober.  “Do you feel guilty?” she asked.  “I mean, we’re setting her up for a nasty surprise.”

Toby shrugged.  “I guess I feel a little guilty,” he admitted.  “But look at it this way- if Pete doesn’t teach her that guys aren’t everything, nobody will.”

Luna stared off in the direction Violet had gone.  “It’s just wrong,” she said quietly, the happiness of moments before gone as if it had been swept away by a passing breeze.  “She has a chance for something I never will, and she doesn’t even see how special it is.  She just treats it like it’s some kind of toy.”

Toby rubbed his nose against her cheek.  “I know,” he whispered, “but it doesn’t matter.  I know it would have meant a lot to you to have pups, but in the end we still have us.”

Luna pushed her neck against his.  “Yeah,” she agreed, wondering if she’d ever be able to say it enough times to convince herself it was enough.  “We’ll always have that.”

“Always,” promised Toby.

Toby, Terra, Luna, Haley, Phoebe, Pete, Rex, Terry, Violet © Dragon Tamer

Thanks to The Silver Phoenix for her collaboration on Violet’s part in the story.