that!  I did everything I could to help my children!  You abandoned us!”

            “How can I even be sure they’re mine?”

            “Because you knew they were!  Star, one of our daughters has come back to us!  And look at this pup behind me!”

            Star looked at the grey pup.

            “Is this some sick joke you’re playing?”  He said, jumping from the car seat and growling in Scamp’s face.

            Scamp whimpered and back away, trying to explain otherwise.

            “Star, stop!”  Angela barked, coming in between the two.  “Look, I don’t care what you did to me and I’m sorry I couldn’t protect our pups the way I could have, but we really need your help now.  Star, this is our daughter, I know it.”

            “And how is that?  Tell me that, what magic allows you to just know?”  He growled.

            “She knows the lullaby.”

            Star’s eyes almost teared up.  She knew her old mate, despite how much she didn’t want to.  He knew she was telling the truth, knew that meant their was hope that their other children were alive, too.  He knew his daughter was in trouble and her mother, who had avoided him and pretended he didn’t exist until now, had ran away from her home just to find him and save this pup.

            But it wasn’t in his nature to take responsibility.  He was a street dog, he wasn’t supposed to take care of anyone but himself.

            So he did what he usually did, and ran away.

            “It’s none of my business,” he said, and turned his back of them, avoiding Angela’s eyes.

            She almost burst out in tears, heart-broken all over again and angry.  Her hate allowed her to suck up her sorrow.

            “You won’t help us?  Star, she’s our daughter!”

            He ignored her and hoped back onto the car seat.

            Angela would have looked at him in disbelief, but instead she felt stupid for wasting time asking this dog for help.  She should have known better.

            “Come on, Scamp, let’s go,” she said angrily, and lead the little dog out of the junkyard.

            Scamp and Angela ran back to the park.

            “When did you find out, about my dad?”  Scamp asked.

            “I didn’t.  I already knew.”  

            “As you can see, Angel, I’ve been a little busy since you guys left me in the junkyard,” Buster said.

            “I thought you would have skipped town,” Angel challenged.

            “For awhile, I did, and I’ve been sportin’ a new gang, one that hates house pets as much as I do.  I’m going to take back what’s rightfully mine.  We’re going back to the junkyard!”

            “Well, good luck with that, a new pack’s staying,” she said, though she felt dumb saying it, for at least half the dogs from the junkyard where standing here, on Buster’s side.

            “Most of those dogs are mine, baby, good try, though.”

            She wanted to ask about the brown dog, but if he wasn’t here, then she’d be bringing attention to him which would surely land him in trouble, so she kept quiet.

            “The only dog we have to worry about is Star, and we’ll get rid of him easy.”

            Angel gasped.

            “And what does all this have to do with me?”

            “I want you to join us, baby.  I heard yous was traveling through the streets again and I thought, why not ask her?  Come on, Angel, you remember the streets don’t you?  My boys say you when you came to the junkyard, to look on your face when you touched the ground again.  Don’t you miss being wild and free?”

            Angel waited a second more than she wanted.  Of course she didn’t want to return to leave her home, especially if it meant running with Buster again.  But she admitted there were some days when she wanted to return, at least run around the neighborhood sometimes.  Just for old time’s sake…

            But not like this.

            “Never!”  She hissed.

            The dogs surrounding her growled, angered by her rejection.  Buster seemed to have no intention of stopping them.  She growled back at them, not one to give up easily.

            Her tiny growl was joined with a much deeper one.  She looked up and wagged her tail, seeing Angela snarling at the gang.  Scamp soon came behind her, obviously tired.  Angel ran under Angela.

            “Angela!  Baby!”  Buster exclaimed happily.  “I haven’t seen your pretty mug in ages!  What’s a house-pet like you doing helping these two delinquents out?”

            “Angel, there’s something you have to know,” Scamp said, as the two slowly started to back away from the pack, as they paid attention to Angela.

            “Stay away from her!”  She warned, challenging Buster.

            “She’s none of your concern, Angie, she used to be with me.”

            “She is my concern; she’s my daughter!”  She spat, lunging at Buster and tackling the other dogs that ran to defend him.

            “Um, that about sums it up,” Scamp said.

            “Run!”  Angel yelled.

            The pups made their get-away.  Angela was glad to see her daughter and her friend escaping.  If she did nothing else her pups, she could at least see to that the one she finally met survived.

            The dogs backed away from Angela, to make way for Buster.  He opened his huge jaws, with huge teeth to match. 

            “You’ve been the cause of a lotta trouble, Angie, I’m gettin’ tired of it,” he growled and moved in to end her.

            “Better me than my daughter,” she hissed.

            Angela closed her eyes, tired from the fight and feeling too weak to fight anymore.  She waited for the end, satisfied for having met Angel.

            “This is no time to be sitting down, sweetheart,” a voice said, comical but still filled with anxiety and hurried.

            Angela found herself being pulled up by her fur, gentle teeth tugging her up.  Before she could recuperate her mind, she found herself being hurried away from the dogs, away from Buster at an alarming speed.

            It wasn’t until they were out of the park that Star let her go.  She was able to stand on her own, but it took her a few deep