back—yet.”

Skip blinked three times. “Oh. Uh—why?”

“Je veux rester avec vous—I want to stay with you.”

Skip was taken aback. “With me? Well, uh, that’s great and all, but you gotta get home soon.”

Ariella took one step back, a cute little smile on her muzzle, and shook her head.

Skip felt a crooked grin spread over his face. “You’re stubborn, I’ll give y’that. Okay—let’s go to the Park.”

Ariella’s ears jumped. Her gaze fixed on something just behind him.

“Wha…” Skip turned around and flinched.

“Ariella, ma fille!” the French owner of the pastry shop shrieked. “What are you doing here with this stray?” She scooped up Ariella and kicked at Skip.

“Non!” Ariella barked—but of course, her owner didn’t understand a word.

Skip yelped as the woman’s high-heel shoe caught him in the ribs. He stumbled to the ground, rolled over and over, then got up, panting, glancing at Ariella, and backed slowly up until he turned and ran down the alley. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“This is ridiculous!” Afghanna hissed to Fang. “Why can’t we just leave him alone? He doesn’t need us badgering him.”

“We ain’t badgerin’ ‘im. Just askin’ a couple of questions.” Fang whispered back, eyelids lowered, a toothy grin appearing.

“Whatever you’re gonna do, blondie, do it now—here he comes.” Huck sneered.

The gang, including Rose and Bachelor, were all in Fang’s home alley, standing there and trying to look casual as Skip entered, panting hard and looking over his shoulder frequently, as if he had been running.

“How’s picking’s, shorty?” Fang strolled up to Skip and circled him.

Skip panted. “Whatever.”

“Have a good walk?” Huck asked, twitching an ear.

Skip looked at him, as if just noticing he was there and realizing he was out of his mind. “Where’d you come from?”

“Forget big-ears,” Fang stood in front of Skip, blocking his view.

Afghanna came up beside him and whispered in Fang’s ear, “Ask him gently, if you’re gonna ask at all.”

Skip cocked his head. He hadn’t heard Afghanna, but sensed something was up. He scowled, eyebrows lowering.

“I’ll handle this, Affy,” Fang whispered back. He turned to Skip. “Got yer eye on the pastry pup, do ya?”

Rose groaned from behind. Bachelor shook his head. Huck smirked.

“Real smooth, bigshot,” Afghanna snarled to Fang, rolling her eyes. “That was so gentle you could barely tell you were even trying.”

“What?” Skip asked, jerking his head back, confused and angry.

“We hear you’ve got a new friend,” Rose came up on Fang’s other side, glancing at him before continuing. “That puppy from the pastry store?”

“Ariella?” Skip asked, and then wished he hadn’t.

Fang exchanged glances with Afghanna first, then Rose. Huck looked at Bachelor, who blinked right back at him.

“Yeah, sure, her.” Fang circled Skip again. “What’s she like, eh, Skipper?”

“She’s…well...” Skip cut his eyes from one pup to another. Then his eyebrows lowered even more, and he growled, “Look, is it any of your business?”

Afghanna elbowed Fang. “No. It’s not. You’re right.” She glared at Fang. “Come on; let’s get some lunch at Tony’s.”
 

“Not hungry.” Skip informed them coldly.

“Ah, c’mon, buddy, we were messin’ with ya.” Fang came up slightly behind Skip and nudged him with his nose.

“Step off,” Skip ordered.

“We didn’t mean for you to get upset,” Rose commented worriedly. She looked at Bachelor with nervousness in her blue eyes.

“I’m not upset,” Skip snapped.

They all stared at him.

“Good!” Fang nodded. “Then, ah, let’s eat, huh?”

Skip blew air through his mouth in a scoff, eyes pointing upward, still scowling. “Fine.”

“Alright!” Rose cheered.

“I know you’re dying to have me join you guys—” Huck began.

“I’m in the grave,” Fang sneered sarcastically, glaring at him.

“No, no,” Afghanna nudged him playfully. “When you die, we’re cremating you.”

Rose giggled. “We’ll put your ashes on the box pile.”

“Nah, he’s too good for that,” Skip chimed in, an evil grin on his face, still lowering his eyebrows so he looked teasingly angry, “His ashes are goin’ in Tony’s dumpster.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Fang cut in. “I think I deserve better!” He closed his eyes, placed a front paw on his chest, and said in a fake British accent, “My ashes belong with the great Street Dogs of old—”
 

“Yeah,” Huck snorted. “Underneath the Kennel.”

Fang’s eyes popped open. “You wanna go, big-ears?” He bunched his muscles.

“As I was saying,” Huck interrupted him. Fang straightened. “Castro’s got this big break-out for the dogs at the Pound, so I can’t come with you.”

“That’s breakin’ my heart,” Fang smirked. “I’ll think of you when I got spaghetti sauce all over my mug.”

“This is making me hungry,” Rose cut in. “Let’s go, Fang,” she nudged him with her nose.

He acted as if he barely felt it. “I’ll handle this, princess,” he informed her. “Let’s go, gang.”

Afghanna rolled her eyes at Huck as they passed him, heading out.

Huck lowered his eyelids and shrugged, winking at her as he turned and hopped up a few crates onto the roof, disappearing over the edge in true Street Dog fashion.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“So there I was,” Fang swept his right front foreleg across his gang’s vision line as they sat around an overturned barrel with four plates of Tony’s finest spaghetti. Bachelor had gone home; it was getting late. Fang continued, “Outnumbered. The dogcatchers were everywhere. Had me cornered. So what did I do?”

“Do tell,” Afghanna muttered, swallowing a meatball.

Fang continued the story, Rose listening intently as if she hadn’t heard this one a million times.

Afghanna tuned the Golden Retriever pup out, and glanced at Skip, who had hardly eaten anything.

“You okay, pal?” Affy asked him. She nudged a pile of her own noodles toward him. “Don’t tell me you’re still not hungry. It’s dark out—you haven’t touched your—”

“I’m fine, okay?” Skip hissed. “I’m just not hungry.”

“…Raced ‘em through an alley…” Fang was saying. Rose’s tail wagged.

Afghanna rolled her eyes and looked back at Skip, whispering in courtesy of Fang’s story-telling, “All I’m saying is that you’re acting weird today.”

“Am not,” Skip protested, lowering his voice. “Chill—I’m just…tired.”

“Yeah. Right.” Afghanna scoffed, looking away and lowering her eyelids.

“Skip! Skip! Il vous—je l'ai cherché partout pour vous! I have been looking everywhere for you!”
 

Skip stiffened and squeezed his eyes shut, groaning inwardly. Not here.

Ariella came trotting into the alley, moonlight hitting her fur in such a way that it made her very-blue eyes sparkle like sapphires.

Fang and Afghanna turned, eyelids half-lowered, and looked right at Skip.

Skip opened one eye and looked back at them. He opened both eyes sheepishly.

Rose blinked, completely confused.

“Heya, dollface, welcome t’the party,” Fang winked at Ariella.

The fur on Skip’s neck rose, and he growled lowly.

Ariella stopped in front of them. “I am interrupting?” she asked, cocking her head.

“No,” Rose answered sweetly. “Fang was telling us a new story. Join us!”

Skip winced.

Afghanna elbowed him and muttered in his ear, “Her definition of ‘new’ must be different than ours.”

Skip didn’t even nod.

Ariella sat down right next to Skip and turned to smile at him. “I have finally gotten away from my owner—my human. She is, how you say, overprotective, n'est-ce pas?”

“You guys met before?” Fang arched a brow and grinned wolfishly at Skip.

Afghanna glared at Fang. He didn’t get it.

“Oui. Skip is my ami très proche.” Ariella gave Skip another gorgeous smile.

Skip tried to look the other way, cheeks burning.

Rose titled her head at Ariella. “Huh?”

“Define,” Fang ordered dismissively to Ariella.

“He is my very close friend,” Ariella was happy to translate.

Skip gave a soft groan, half-hoping Ariella wouldn’t take it the wrong way. Something about her being here, acting like this was okay in front of the gang, made his paws tingle with embarrassment.

“And your names are…?” Ariella nodded to the gang.

“I’m Afghanna.”