Rivalry: Part 4

The Finale!

{Chapters 10-12}

Chapter 10

"Fang? Fang?" Rose continued nudging the lifeless Golden Retriever.

Afghanna fought back tears. They were all too young to go through this! How could Fang be...?

"Wake up! Please wake up!" Rose cried, the fake rose adorning her head swaying with her frame-her-head orange ears.

"This is my fault." Angel sniffed. She hung her head, sitting in between Afghanna and Skip.

"No argument here," Skip replied bitterly, shooting his most venomous glare at Angel.

"Wh--" Angel began, but a yelp from Afghanna cut her off.

"What's up?" snapped Skip.

"He--he moved!" cried Rose.

Angel looked frantically at Afghanna for confirmation. The Australian Shepherd nodded, swallowing hard, but she couldn't speak.

"He moved?" Angel pushed her way through to stand beside Rose, over Fang. "Where?"

Before Rose could reply, Fang let out a very soft whine, and his head stirred before he fell silent and still again.

"We gotta do something!" Rose yipped.

"Huh, like what?" sneered Skip, always the dark cloud. He was feeling hopeless and heartbroken. Being more unbearably gloomy and grouchy was the way he dealt with things like this.

"Uhhhm...uuhhhmm..." Afghanna squeezed her eyes shut, wracking her brain. "Uh, okay okay, I have a plan."

Skip and Rose stared at her. "You?" they asked.

"No offense, Afghanna, but you're not usually the one with the plans." Skip turned to look down at Fang's postrate body.

"Whatever. If she's got a plan, let's hear it." Angel ordered.

"Okay. Angel, you have animal-lovers for owners, right?" Afghanna asked.

Angel nodded, but she arched a brow. "Yes, but I wouldn't call them "owners" exactly..."

"Whatever. The point is, they'd help an injured mutt, wouldn't they?" Afghanna asked.

"They'd do more than help if they were given the chance!" Angel agreed.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait--help? From humans? Fang would freak." Skip shook his head, letting out low growls. "I don't like this."

"If it'll help him, let's do it!" Rose barked.

Rose turned and looked around for a moment, then spied a cardboard box, taking it in her teeth and ripping it from the pile. She dragged it over to Fang, tipping it on its side.

The other puppies stared at her.

"What're you guys standing around for? Move it!" Rose snapped.

Afghanna's eyes sprang open. Skip's lower jaw was halfway to Alaska, dropping so low. Angel blinked three times. They hadn't seen her act so sternly. There wasn't a hint of that dopey young smile from her anywhere!
 

Afghanna was the first to help, gently nudging Fang into the box.

"Careful!" Angel cried, coming up beside her.

Skip snorted. "If it weren't for you, he wouldn't be in this mess, now would he?"

"Cool it, Skip," Afghanna snapped.

"He's right, this is my fault." Angel sighed.

"Ignore him. He's just scared." Afghanna whispered into her ear.

"But he's right." Angel protested.

"Shut up and help us!" Skip snarled.

The female pups looked at each other, then down at Fang, a look passing between them knowingly. Then they nudged Fang once more, so that he was fully inside the tipped-on-its-side cardboard box.

"Arwp!" Came the yelp from Fang as the pups turned the box back to its original position, sitting on the sidewalk of the messy alley. Then he was unconscious again.

"Be careful!" Rose cried, rushing to the box and placing her front paws on its edge, not putting too much weight on it as she looked tenderly inside at the Golden Retriever pup.

"We are." Skip grunted.

"Prove it."

"Make me."

The pups began pushing the box down the alley, as quickly as possible, nudging it with their heads.

"Do it gently--he'll get hurt again!" Rose ordered frantically.

"How much more hurt could he be, meathead?" Skip growled. He grunted loudly as he pushed.

"Chill, you two." Angel snapped.

"He started it."

"Yeah, right!"

"You did!"

"Oh, cry me a river--and then build a bridge--and get over it!"

"Don't make me come over there," Afghanna warned.

The alley fell silent.

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

Fang opened his eyes. He was in a small room on top of a metal table. Obviously in some sort of building. He sniffed the air. It was stale and hot, and the room smelled putrid. He sneezed. An ache went through his body, starting with his left front leg, moving up his thigh and spreading from back to tail tip and then up to his nose. Scratches stung by his long, golden ears, and his fur was rumpled--more than usual--with dirt and dust. His left front paw felt wet and tingly, like it was asleep.

He sat up--and then collapsed back down again, letting out a yelp of pain. He looked down. His left front ankle was wrapped in a white, paper-like substance, but it felt itchy and rock-like from the inside. Fang staggered to his feet again, ignoring the pain.

He shook his head, ears flapping.

Tingle-ta-ling.

Fang froze. The fur around his neck suddenly felt misplaced.

His eyes traveled slowly downward. His muzzle. His chin. The place where his neck began angling downward, positioning his sore head...

His eyes fell on something he only dreamt of in nightmares.

No. "Ho no," he cried out loud. "No, no, no no no no no. No! Oh no."

A collar.

A bright scarlet collar dangled in a perfect fit around his neck.

"Holy kibble!" Fang shouted. He barked. He whined. He tried using his front paws as he bent down, trying to push the collar off of his neck.

A door opened. Fang tensed.

"Fang?" a voice called from the floor. Fang looked down.

"Angel?" he panted. "Wh--what's goin' on?"

"You're safe now, don't panic." Angel smiled up at him. "Your friends are outside. They didn't feel comfortable coming in."

"Where am I? How--how'd I get 'ere?"

Angel sat down. "You're at the vet's. It's like a hospital for dogs. We brought you here, me and your street friends."

"How?"

"We used a box."

Fang again looked around. "How'd you get in 'ere?"

"There's a doggie door. Look, you should rest. Stop asking so many questions." She chuckled.

Fang leaned down. "What's--this?" He held up his left front paw, still wrapped up.

Angel laughed. "It's a cast. It'll heal your leg."

"Heal? What's wrong with it?"

"It's broken, Fang. Those mangy mutts could've killed you. Why'd you come back to save me?" Angel's smile fell.

Fang circled around, flopping down. "No reason. I owed ya one."

"I--I've been a real jerk to you, Fang, and I'm so sorry. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me."

"Hey, it's cool." Fang shrugged, not smiling.

Ting-tingle.

The liscense on that stupid collar was jingling as he moved. It reminded him of the last question he wanted to ask. He was already exhausted.

"What's the big idea with this?" he snarled, showing his famous fangs. He lifted his head, standing with his injured paw lifted off the table so as not to inflict pain, and presented the collar with a growl.

"Your new collar." Angel smiled hopefully. "You'll need it, where you're going.

"Yeah? An' jus' where d'ya think I'm goin', huh?"

"To your new home."

Fang's blood ran cold. "What?"

"With us. Me." Angel looked down, still talking to him. "I was hoping that would make up for my being so rude."

"This?" Fang spluttered. "This is the worst thing you coulda possibly done t'me! Get this stupid thing off right now!"

The door swung open. Angel's mouth dropped open and so did Fang's, and they simultaneously swung their heads to the left to look at the next visitor.

"How's that leg treatin' you, sport?" The Tramp bounded in, Lady right behind him.

"Are you okay?" Lady cooed gently.

Fang curled his lip. "I'm far from okay! I ain't staying here another second!" He crouched at the edge of the metal table.

"Fang, no!" Angel screeched. "You'll--"

Fang stumbled off the edge. "Yipe!" came his cry of agony. Lightning-bolt pain shot up his paw.

"--get hurt." Angel finished lamely. "Fang, are you okay?"

"Hey, don't I look okay?" Fang grunted, giving his head a savage shake, trying to loosen the collar.

"Woah, woah, hey, calm down there." Tramp stood over Fang, leaning toward him.

"What's your problem?" Fang snarled. "Back off!"

Tramp arched a brow. "Maybe I can help."

"Yeah? C'n y'get this stupid thing offa me?"

Tramp snorted good-naturedly. "Actually, I--"

The door opened. Jim Dear walked in, Scamp and the triplet Cocker Spaniel sisters, Danielle, Collette, and Annette