BLUE WALKED DOWN the familiar old alley, a large rat in her jaws. She was still limping badly, but the rat hadn’t had a chance.
Blue turned toward her old den, watching Destiny licking her sleek fur, and Max scratching behind his ears. They jumped in surprise when she sat down in front of them, dropping the rat.
Max wrinkled his nose and spat, “How do you eat this stuff?”
Blue turned around, acting insulted, and put her paw on his chest.
“If you were an alley dog, you would understand.”
“Well, luckily,” he said, “I’m not alley dog. I’m a city dog.” Duncan then revealed he had a hot dog, which he then laid next to Destiny.
“Here you go,” he said proudly, but then his stomach rumbled, and he looked longingly at the dead rat.
It had been a month since the Great Battle, as SAD referred to it. Blue still felt sore. One of her paws ended up being broken, and it was still tender.
“Look, I shouldn’t even be hunting for you, lazy bones!”
Max twitched his floppy ears. “Okay Fuzzy Wuzzy!” he said with a laugh. “Blue! Blue!”
She quickly turned and saw her mom, Diamond, running toward her. They nuzzled, her mom still breathless. Blue smelled the scent of coffee on her mom’s fur, and patiently waited for her to catch her breath.
“I have a present for you,” her mom said, slyly. “For you, Blue,” and then playfully, pulling on Max’s and Destiny’s ears, “and you, and you!”
She carried a sack around her neck. She dipped her head, and the sack dropped. Leftover gluten-free sandwiches with bacon and eggs spilled out for everyone. Diamond then signaled to Blue. “Keep digging,” she said, with a laugh. Blue, sticking her head fully into the sack, could not contain her own joy.
“Potatoes!” Blue yipped, unable to control herself. Immediately, she started rolling them and tossing them in the air. Destiny and Diamond joined in.
Max rolled his eyes. “Blue, you are such an alley dog.”
He didn’t have a chance to say more as the three other dogs leaped on him playfully, forcing him to roll on his belly.
As the dogs tumbled and tossed their toys, they were too busy to notice the handful of humans chatting around a television that had been rolled out on the sidewalk. The humans’ voices tuned out the popular local channel, but Blue could not ignore the sound of the anchorman discussing the “ongoing reports of dogs attacking humans,” before warning viewers that some might find “this footage disturbing.”
The humans briefly stopped. “This is the good part,” one muttered. On the screen, a powerful Husky barked at troops among the rubble of Robo’s mountain enclave.
The anchorman said ominously, “Stay tuned to our special report tomorrow: Family pet or lethal killer?” He turned brightly to his co-anchor. “Now, Kristen, why don’t you tell us more about Atlanta’s Krispy Kreme charity giveaway this weekend. Viewers, do nut miss it.”
Kristen and the weatherman started to fake chuckle. “You are so funny, Brad,” she said, tossing her blonde hair.
Meanwhile, Max turned to Blue. “Okay,” he finally said. “How exactly do you eat these potatoes?”
Blue and Diamond laughed.
“You don’t eat them, silly,” said Blue, pushing him gently. “You play with them. Like the good alley dog you should be.”
Max sprang forward, tossing one in the air and catching it. He did it again, and again. He stopped when he saw his entire adoptive family was watching him in amusement.
“That’s, um, surprisingly fun,” he said, noticing Blue’s and Diamond’s amused expressions. He turned away, his eyes narrowed. “I’m not apologizing.”
Blue looked at him, Destiny, Duncan, and Diamond. She was at peace. To Blue, everything seemed perfect.
But perfection never lasts.