Houespets! Home Stories

What do you call a fic that's not a fic

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D3ath_0ps
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Houespets! Home Stories

Post by D3ath_0ps »

*(Updated Just about Monthly! Last update: A Pedal For Your Thoughts - Chapter 2; August 13th*

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Welcome to Housepets! Home Stories!

This fan fiction follows a new original character, Sparks Carlson, and his experiences as he and his family move to Babylon Gardens. Over first month of his stay, things start to get interesting as memories from his past follow him back to the Gardens while something on a much larger scale starts to take form. Things seem to be changing in Babylon, and it seems that Sparks is the catalyst…

Background:
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This is a fan fiction that I created after coming up with my OC, and main protagonist, Sparks Carlson. This Fic goes back to the year King was just about to set foot in the Gardens, taking place at the start of October. The first parts of the story mainly follow Sparks and his experiences during his first month of being at the Gardens, and start to reveal more about him as the days pass by.

I first came up with the idea of creating a small backstory for my character after finalizing my one and only drawing of him near the middle of July 2014. Sparks’ name comes from an old nickname an old group of friends gave me in high school (the nickname being ‘Sparky’) because of my old dog with the same name. (They thought it would be funny... it was. x3). Before writing the fic itself, I decided to see if HP! had an actual forum that people could go on so that they could post something like what I had in mind. Sure enough I found the forums and the fan section where I took a look at the different fan fics out there and tried to see what everything was all about. Fast forward to July 21st, I created an account and posted the first part of my fic! I'm currently still writing my fic and have major plans for it after Sparks' origin is complete, so stick around! There's more epicness in store for the future!


(If you don’t want to see the Cast, go straight to the Fic right below! :D)

Books:
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Housepets! Home Stories - Sparks' Beginning (You are here!)
Housepets! Home Stories - A Pedal For Your Thoughts


Cast:
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Sparks Carlson: Male, (Dog) German Shepard/Husky Mix, 3.5 Y/O
Isaac Carlson: Male, Human, 32 Y/O
Isabelle Carlson: Female, Human, 30 Y/O
?

Tera Stevenson: Female, (Cat) Calico, 3.4 Y/O
Stanley Stevenson: Male, (Dog) Bichon Frisé, 25 Y/O
James Stevenson: Male, Human, 40 Y/O
Veronica Stevenson: Female, Human, 39 Y/O
?

Aphrodite Sarantos: Female, Human, 36 Y/O
Nyx Sarantos: Female, (Cat) Tabby, 5.3 Y/O
Hemera Sarantos: Female, (Dog) Great Pyrenees, 4.7 Y/O
Hermes Sarantos: Male, (Cat) Tabby, --
Rose Sarantos: Female, --, --

?
?

Apollo (?)
Cadmean (?)
Laelaps (?)

Angelica 'Angel' Raymond (FoxRocks': The Girl)

(More to be added later on)
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Comments (containing criticism as well) are also appreciated too! There's always room for improvement, and I really hope you guys enjoy the story!

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-Housepets! Home Stories: Sparks’ Beginning-
=Chapter 1 - Square One=


It’s no use. Nobody wants me…

A Shepsky thinks as he lays on his side, his eyes puffy from the tears he shed the previous night. I wanna go back... I want to see my mom again. He sits up on the bed he was in, his arms wrapping around his legs that were now up to his chest. A sob escapes the pup as the depressing thoughts slip back into his mind. I wanna go home… I can’t take it anymore.

He tries to recount the days spent at the shelter, his memories starting to merge together in his mind. Today’ll be… a month. No… a month and a half. The dog looks around, taking in his surroundings for another time. He lets out a sigh. Still the same. The same red walls, the same food and water bowls… the same stupid room. Better get used to it Max because this is your home now. At least… for another 10 and a half months. Then I’ll be able to--

His thought gets cut off by the sound of the lock of the metal door clanking about, a tall shadow stretching to the wall parallel to the door. “Hey Maxie.” A high pitched female blurts out, breaking the silence of the Shelter’s room.

The Shepsky sneers at the sound of his name, to him a grim reminder of his past. The human steps into the kennel, closing the door behind her. She sits on the far side of the slab that had his toys and his dog bed, a brush in hand as she looks at him with a smile. “Hey Mary.” The pup says in a meek tone, forcing a smile.

The human pets the dog on the top of his head as her smile starts to fade. “You thinking of her? Your mom?”

Max’s forced smile fades, replaced by a frown. He nods his head. She’s all I think about. It’s the only thing keeping my sane in this place.

Mary lets out a sigh. “I’m sorry that your mom’s not here with you. I’m sure that she’s thinking about you all of the time.” Max tears up lets out a couple of cries, recalls the day that he and his mom were separated. The human pulls the pup into a hug, the black paws of the Shepsky wrapping themselves around the Human.

“Why doesn’t anyone want me?” The pup cries.

The Human hugs him tighter, rocking him from side to side. “I’m sure that someone wants you. You’re a great dog Max, don’t forget that. It may seem so far out of reach, but I’m sure that a family will adopt you soon. Don’t worry.”

“But it’s been a month! If someone wanted me they would have already adopted me…” The pup breaks from his hug, sitting back on his dog bed.

“It’s takes time for a pet to get adopted Max, even a year or more sometimes.”

“Oh yeah, then what happens after a year and they still don’t have someone to take them? Huh? What happens then?”

The humans face turns dark, her motherly expression turning grim. “Max…”

“I’ve seen pets go through the door over there Mary. I don’t ever see them come back out. I… I think I know what happens at that point. You do too, don’t you?” The human sits in silence. “Please… don’t worry about me. Please. Whatever happens later on, whether it be scary or happy, I’m glad that I got to live in the times that I had. Even though I’m scared, I’m… *Sigh* I’m going to take whatever happens.”

The human sniffles a couple times, tears streaking down her cheek. “I hate this job…” She stands up from her spot, wiping her eyes before heading towards the door. She faces him again, this time letting out a couple of sobs herself. “You’ll get adopted Max, ok? Please trust me. Please…”

The pup’s eyes divert from Mary, his expression almost mimicking the human’s. I wish I could…

She opens up the door of the kennel, taking the lock out of her pocket. “I’ll get someone to fix the light in front of your door. That way you--”

“No, it’s ok. I kinda like the dark. It’s nice and cozy.”

“Are you sure?”

Max takes a second, thinking about it. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

The human locks the door to the kennel, shaking the chain-link door a few times to make sure that the door shut. “Don’t lose hope, ok?” She shakily says.

“I’ll try not to.” The Shepsky says with a blank expression. The human rushes towards the door, faster than normal, covering the majority of her face. The dog stares at the wall in front of him as his depression worsens, the sound of a door closing echoing through the shelter. I didn’t mean to make her sad... I just didn’t want to have her worry anymore. I don’t want to not know what’s coming later on, I just wanted to tell her that it’s ok. I’ve accepted it. His eyes start to close slowly, his mind starting to drift off into a slumber. I think I’m gonna take a nap… I’m so tired. The Shepsky lays down and shuts his eyes. Maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow… His eyes shut completely as his mind starts to go off into his own little world.

~~

Mary quickly shuts the door behind her, her face completely red as tears streak down her face. She then collapses to the floor of the shelter in her teary rage. “I hate this place.”

“Mary?” She looks by the desk finding her co-worker, Frank rushing towards her, kneeling down to her level. “What’s wrong? What happened? Did one of the animals hurt you?” His tone turns to a defensive rage as he stands back up. He races towards a catchpole hanging towards the door of the kennel.

“NO.” Mary shouts, her tears still falling from her face as her co-worker stops in his tracks. “I wasn’t hurt Frank. Well… physically that is…”

He takes a moment to let out sigh and comes back to her side. “Then what happened?”

“You know that one Shepsky that we got… the one who didn’t arrive with any paperwork?”

“I think… the, um… black and white one?”

“Yeah. He’s got the scar above his left eye.” Mary lets out a sniffle as she wipes her eyes.

“I recall.” Frank wraps his arm around Mary, as she comes closer to him. “But what did he say that got you so upset?”

“He knows about the back… what happens back there…”

Silence fills the room almost instantly. Mary takes a look at Frank’s expression out of the corner of her teary eyes, finding nothing but a straight face. “So… he knows what happens?”

“Yes.” Her vision starts to get cloudy again, the conversation between the dog and her sparking a flurry of emotions in her mind. “He said that he doesn’t care, he’s accepted it… the end result. It’s not fair! These pets shouldn’t have to come to accepting this kind of thing! It’s wrong! I hate knowing that countless pets come through this door to just… not come out to the world again, and then they just accept it?!

She wipes her eyes once more, trying to calm her own mind as well before she could get any more frustrated. “I hate this job. If it weren’t for the fact that I’ve tried every other job out there, I would quit right here and now… *sigh* but I need this job. There’s nothing left out there for me. I’ve tried everywhere else. The fact that I have to witness this happen all year long, it’s a tragedy… I’ve only have been working here for only 5 months and it feels like I’ve been here for years. It’s awful.

She looks up to Frank with a sniffle. “You’ve been working here for two years right?”

“Right.” He says in a low tone.

“How do you do it? How can you just sit there and watch this happen?” The two sit in the silence, the question sitting in the air as seconds pass by. Mary’s eyes look closely at Frank’s face and she notices a tear starting to form in his eye. Frank…

“I’ve tried everything to not think about the darker side of this job, to not think about the euthanization that goes on here, but you can’t. It’s impossible. The fact that our shelter has these rules, I feel that one call to PETA could get this place shut down for good. I would love for this place to shut down, to get someone in here to put all of the fallen to rest, but I know that Mark would just skate by without a problem. He’ll find a way. That… stupid son of a gun…

“He doesn’t care about the pets. He doesn’t care that he’s done so much damage. That’s why he hasn’t been here in months. I just hope that this comes back to haunt him. Someone needs to stand up and call him out on this and if I’m going to have to be the catalyst for change, then so be it. I’ll proudly stand up against him. These pets need someone to fight for them.”

The sound a car door closing could be heard from the outside of the building, two voices mumbling from the other side of the wall. “Looks like we’ve got some customers. Let’s hope that we have what they’re looking for.” He looks down at her with a smile and gives out one last hug. “Go into the bathroom and clean yourself up. Wouldn’t want them to see you like this.”

She nods her head and grabs her purse from the reception desk. I don’t want to seem like a complete mess, I’ll hurry and fix my makeup then I’ll meet the customers.

Just as Mary enters the Bathroom, the front door of the shelter rings open. Frank clears his throat. “Hello, welcome to the Belleville Animal Shelter. How can I help you?”

~~

Max’s eyes slowly open to see the ceiling of the shelter, an irritated groan escaping his muzzle. I can’t sleep. I can’t stop thinking about her… The dog rolls over to his side with his arms crossed over his stomach. Why did they have to come to the house that day? Why was mom--

His thought fades at the sound of the shelter door opening, a loud creaking sound filling the room. “As you can see Mr. and Mrs. Carlson, our facility accommodates up to 25 pets at a time offering a variety of options including cats and dogs.”

Yeah… 24 others that are a lot more adoptable than me… The dog sits up on his dog bed, his eyes to the floor as he continues to listen

“Is there any specifics you might have on a pet you might want?”

“Yes, there’s one.” The other male pipes up. “We were thinking of adopting a dog today.”

“Excellent, we’ve got plenty of choices. We’ve got about 12 dogs to choose from, so take a look around. If you see anything you like, feel free to call me over.”

“Will do… uh…”

“Frank. Call me Frank.”

“Ok,” Max looks up to see the worker from the shelter and the other man shaking hands. “Nice to meet you Frank.”

“Likewise.” The two’s hands separate, the other man looking around with the woman.

The Shepsky lets out a silent sigh. What’s the point, I already know that they’re going to pass by my cage as usual. I might as well just sit here… Max brings his knees up to his chest and places his head on top of them, staring aimlessly at the wall as his mind tries to think of anything else.

~~

Isabelle continues to walk down the aisle way, passing by cage after cage. Nothing’s catching my eye… we’ve been to three places already… The human continues to walk, passing by another pair of cages as she reaches the corner. She looks at the pet to her left, spotting another cat. Isabelle lets out a sigh. Another cat… I wish we had the option, but Auntie Lura’s allergic. She looks up at the burnt out light. Why’s it so dark over here? Her eyes travel to the other kennel beside the cat’s, seeing a dog in the corner. She stops to look at him and places her hand in a hole in the chain link wall, noticing the pup’s slumped shoulders and expression on his face.

That dog doesn’t look like he likes being here… She looks closer, trying to at least make a connection. Then her mind clicks, her hand covering her wide open mouth. He looks just like how I was when…

She stops the thought in her mind, letting it drift of silently in her head as she makes a mental note. Isabelle turns around towards the two men behind her. “Frank,” she asks, the man’s head turning towards her, “What about this one?”

The man walks over to her, taking a looks at the cage in front of her. He takes a step back. “Um…” He scratches the back of his neck. “I personally don’t know a lot about this guy. I know that he only talks to one of my co-workers here, she would know more about him than I do. Would you like me to get her for you?”

“Yes, please.”

The man nods and rushes out of the door back into the lobby. Isabelle turns to her husband, his hand now entwined in hers as he comes close. “So, you think this little guy could be the one?”

She nods. “I think so. I don’t know why, but I feel like I see a little bit of me in him. You remember when I was younger? My mother?”

“Oh yeah… your mom.” Isaac’s smile fades as he brings Isabelle into a hug.

“Mhmm. Call me crazy, but I feel the same sort of energy from this cage. Well… not energy, but emotion. You know?

“I do.” He replies, kissing her on the cheek. “We’ll be there for him if your little theory turns out to be right. Okay?”

“Okay…” She says as they both turn towards the cage

The door to the lobby creaks open once more, revealing Frank followed by another female worker. “Mr. and Mrs. Carlson, this is Mary. She’ll give you more information on our little friend here.”

The other worker clears her throat. “Nice to meet you both.”

“Could you tell us about this little guy here?” Isabelle asks.

“Sure.” She smiles, turning towards the dog. “This is Maxwell. He’s a German Shepard/Husky mix, he’s approximately 8 and a half months old, and he’s got a warm heart. He cares a lot about other people and can really brighten your day if you’re feeling down. He’s one of the best dogs I’ve ever met working here.”

Isabelle looks closer at the pup before her. “Is there anything about him we should know about? What about that scar?”

Mary scratches the back of her neck. “Well… there’s a problem.”

“What problem?”

“Max was transferred over from another shelter a while back and his information was lost in the process. We didn’t know a thing about him other than his name, breed, and approximate age. The scar’s a mystery too. Although, there is one thing that I do know from talking to him.”

“Which is?” Isaac questions.

She hesitates, looking over towards the pup’s direction as she continues. “There’s something about his biological mother from before we got him. He told me about her in one of our talks, but couldn’t get out a sentence out after the mention of her. Personally, I think he just needs to open up to someone. There’s more to this, I just know it.”

Isabelle looks at Isaac. Well, I was partly right. She then turns back towards the worker. “May I go in and see him?”

~~

Max’s ears perk up. What? He looks at the two humans with pure shock. They want to see me?

“Sure.” Mary replies, moving towards the front of the cage door.

The Shepsky’s ears lower back down along with his spirits as his mind stops himself from getting to hopeful. Calm down Max, they only want to see you, not take you home. The door of the kennel opens up as both Mary and the woman enters the space. But… it would be awesome…

“Hey Maxie.” Mary starts, kneeling down in front of him. “You mind if Mrs. Carlson talks with you for a bit?”

The dog takes a look at the human, analyzing every little detail--her curly fiery looking hair, her bundled up appearance, everything. She looks nice… I guess so. Max shakes his head. His silent answer causes the two people in front of him to switch places, the female he was looking at now in the place that Mary was, smiling.

“Hello.” She starts in a very soft tone. “I’m Isabelle. It’s very nice to meet you, Max.”

The dog looks down at the floor and averts his eyes away from the human, laying his head onto his knees.

“Max… It’s a lovely name.” The human takes a moment to pause, waiting for a response. She sighs and looks over at the man behind her, both exchanging a few glances before looking back at the Shepsky. “I heard that you and your mom were really close.”

Max’s head quickly turns back towards the human. What? How did she… He looks over towards Mary. She told her… The Shepsky looks back towards the wall, now with his eyes starting to fog up.

“My mom and I were close too. She was the best. She used to talk with me all of the time when I was feeling bad, she’d help me with talking to boys, she also helped me fend for myself when she wasn’t around.” She stops, her eyes staring off into space as her smile fades. “When I was a teen, we went out to get some groceries for the week. We were going to make mom’s beef stew. While we were out, we were turning left into an intersection when some guy decided to keep barreling down the street. He hit our car with such speed it knocked me out. When I woke up again, I was in the hospital with my leg broken and my mom nowhere to be seen. *Chuckle* They told me I was out for an entire day, that I was lucky to be alive.

“My mom wasn’t so lucky. When they brought her to the hospital she was hanging onto life by a thread. She told one of the doctors to tell me that she loved me and to stay strong. That was the last that I ever heard anything from my mom. From that point on my Aunt Maryanne took care of me until I turned 18.” She scoots over closer to Max, her hand now on his knee. “I know how it feels to be alone Max. I get it. But… you don’t have to be alone.”

The Shepsky’s head looks back at the human. “Really?” he says shakily in a low tone.

“Of course, sweetie. We’re all here for you.”

Max’s depressive thoughts cease, his emotions taking its place. She’s so nice… she knows exactly how I feel. She’s so much like mom… is… is this fate? Should I go with them? His tears start to fall down his fur, his body now attempting to stand up as his knees start to shake. I’m not spending another day in here. This is my new start. I won’t let this chance slip away. He stumbles over towards the human his arms extending out towards her as he cracks a smile, for the first time in months, feeling joyful.

Isabelle smiles back at the pup, picking him up and pulling him into a hug. “There you go! See, look at that smile. I knew you could spark up a smile.” She chuckles, holding him tighter in her arms, the Shepsky’s tail wagging wildly behind him as his tears of joy still fall down from his fur. The dog feels the human turn a little looking up to see her face the group behind her. “Iyse?”

“Yes Isabelle?”

“I think I’ve made my decision.”

The dog’s mouth drops. Did… did she just say?... He stares into the human’s eyes, his mind still attempting to process her words. She continues to smile back, petting the back of his head as a smile of his own starts to take form. She did! At that moment, the sadness and depression that filled his mind was now replaced with pure delight as his arms wrap tightly around Isabelle again.

The human lets out a few more giggles as she pats his back softly. “Mrs. Carlson?” The male worker calls as her body turns back towards the group of three. “Would you like to come back to the office to finalize Max’s adoption today?”

“Yes, please.” She breaks away from the Shepsky’s hug and ruffles up his head fur. “Come on Max, let’s take you home.” She picks him up and into her arms, carrying him out of the kennel and towards the hall.

His arm goes around her neck, his head facing Mary as he rounds the doorway. Their eyes lock on to each other as Isabelle continues to head towards the exit. She’s crying… Max’s smile fades. Why is she crying? Is it because of me? He lowers his head, the floor continuing to pass him by as both Isabelle and him move through a doorway.

“If you could please wait in the office over there, I’ll grab Max’s paperwork and we’ll get him home.” The male worker says, pointing to an open doorway.

“Sure.” Isaac agrees.

Both Isaac and Isabelle move with Max over to two chairs situated in front of a dark wooden desk and sit down, Max sitting comfortably on the woman’s lap. The dog looks around the room, staring at the paintings and certificates hanging on the walls. Why does this room look a lot better than my room?

The door behind the Shepsky starts to creek, his head quickly moving over to the source of the sound. He finds nothing but the worker with a smile as he enters the room, closing the door behind him. “Alright,” he says making his way over to the leather chair behind the desk. “So, let’s begin. With the adoption of a pet here at BAS, the adpotie is given the chance to change the name of the chosen pet he or she has chosen today. With that being said, would you like to change Max’s name today?”

Change my name? The question sits with the pup, replaying it in his mind. He looks at Isaac and then up at Isabelle. It would be a new change… a new start… but do I want to leave behind my own name? He rubs his chin, thinking about the possibility of changing his name.

“Well? What do you think Isabelle?” Isaac asks.

“Hmm...” She starts, looking at the Shepsky. She then smiles. “I think that we should let Max decide. It’s his choice after all.”

“True.”

“So what do you think Max? Would you like to change your name?”

The pup looks away, still considering the option. I don’t wanna think about the past anymore… It’s like my own name is the reminder of the things I had to see and do before… He looks outside the window behind the worker, observing the buildings outside covered in snow. What’s done is done now. I can’t go back even if I tried. I might as well accept it. It’s a new start, so let’s start fresh. A new beginning. Max nods his head in agreement.

“Excellent, now that we’re all in agreement, have you considered what you’re going to name him?”

Isaac and Isabelle look at each other, the silence filling the room. Isaac is the first to speak up. “Um… we didn’t really have anything planned… could you give us--”

“Sparks.”

“What was that Mrs. Carlson?” The worker questions.

“Sparks,” she repeats, “I think it’s the perfect name.” She looks down at the pup sitting on her lap. “What do you think sweetie?”

Sparks… I wonder how she came up with that. He replays his new name over and over again in his mind, finding a nice ring to it. “I like it.” He pipes up, a smile clearly shown on his face.

“Very well. From now on you will now be known as Sparks Carlson. A cool name if I do say so myself.” The worker scribbles on a piece of paper and looks back up. “Now that his name is finalized, it’ll take a few weeks for his new pet identification card to arrive in your mailbox. Just provide us your mailing address on… ” He rustles the small stack of paper on the desk and attaches one of the sheets to a clipboard, handing it to Isaac. “… this form, and you should see it then. If you could also sign where it’s marked and provide the payment listed above, you’ll be good to go.” He smiles.

“Isaac sweetie, I’m gonna run to the bathroom really quick, could you take care of the form for me hon?”

“Sure thing Isabelle.”

She picks up Sparks and moves out of the chair, setting him back down in her place. “I’ll be right back sweetie.” She rustles the pup’s fur and heads out of the room, closing the door behind her.

The room once again fills with the sound of a pen jotting down information as both Isaac and the worker sit in silence. Not very the talky person… Sparks then remembers something, looking around the room. Wait, where’s Mary? Wasn’t she behind us? The Shepsky lets out a sigh. I guess she’s just waiting in the other room.

The pup dangles his legs over the chair, swinging them back and forth. Well… it’s probably gonna be a bit before they’re done… might as well make the most of it. The room suddenly fills with a lullaby, the hums of the Shepsky filling the room. His foot moves with the slow beat of the tune as his eyes look back outside. I can’t wait to get out of here… The tune comes to an end and his foot ceases swinging in the air. He looks around to see two sets of eyes looking directly at him. Sparks’ breathing starts to get heavy and his head lowers. Why is everyone staring at me? Did I do something wrong…

Suddenly, the door to the office creaks back open to reveal Isabelle walking back into the room. “Hey Isabelle.” Isaac greets.

“Welcome back Mrs. Carlson.”

“I just finished up the form. All it needs is your signature and we’ll be all set.”

“Great!” Isabelle picks up Sparks and sits back down in the chair, putting him on her lap.

Isaac hands her the clipboard. “Hey Isabelle, you should’ve heard Sparks. He was singing this really nice song, almost like Pachelbel’s ‘Canon’, but I think a bit different… I don’t think I’ve heard it before.”

“Really?” Isabelle smiles, looking down at Sparks. “Looks like we’ve got a little ‘Music-Man’ on our hands.”

Both Isabelle and Isaac chuckle loudly, the man on the other side of the table joining in silently. What’s so funny? Was it me? The Shepsky remains confused as Isabelle hands over the clipboard back to the male worker.

Frank examines the paper on the board. “Alright, that should be it! Sparks is now officially the newest member of your family Mr. and Mrs. Carlson.” He extends his arm over to Isaac and shake hands, doing the same with Isabelle. He then looks at Sparks. “I hope that you’ll live a great life with your new family Sparks.” He extends his arm out to the pup. “We’re gonna miss you.”

Sparks stares at the worker for a second. He’ll… miss me? He lets out a smile, his mind still thinking about the man’s words as his paw connects with Frank’s. “I’ll miss you too.” Sparks utters, tying not to be rude.

The four stand up and move out of the office, Isabelle reaching into her black and brown purse. “Sparks?” She asks the pup, both stopping in front of the lobby’s desk.

“Yeah Isabelle?”

She chuckles a bit, pulling out a red collar and leash. “It’s ok Sparks. You can call me mom if you want.” The Shepsky starts to shake, the sight of the leash making him cringe. “Are you ok hon?” She looks at the leash and back at him. Her eyes grow wide. “Do… do you not like leashes?”

The nervous pup nods his head. It’s what my old… ‘owners’ used to use--

Isabelle stuffs the leash away and kneels down to Sparks’ level. “It’s ok Sparks. I won’t put a leash on you if you don’t want to.” She attaches something to his neck, a ‘click’ coming from behind him. “You’ll have to wear a make shift collar until we find one more suiting to you. Is that ok sweetie?” Sparks nods his head. “Good. You want me to hold you?”

“Yes please.”

With a slow motion, the Shepsky is picked up and cradled in Isabelle’s arms. She’s so kind. She’s almost just like her… He looks up at her, a newfound smile growing on his muzzle. Sparks lets out a sigh and relaxes into the humans arms. This is a new start. I know that I’m gonna love every bit of it, starting with her. His eyes start to close as he lets out a yawn. I love you… mom…

~~

“Aww…” Isabelle whispers, noticing the sleeping pup in her arms. She nudges Isaac. “Look hon, he’s asleep.”

A smile grows on her face as an ‘aww’ escapes from her husband, his hand resting on her shoulder. “Looks like he’s taken a liking to us.”

“It looks like it.” Frank utters happily in a low tone. “You know, you’re our first actual adoption in quite some time. I… think it’s been almost a month or two since our last adoption. I can’t even exactly remember myself.”

“Really?” Isabelle looks around. That’s odd… usually there’s a manager to this place… “Is there anyone like an owner or a manager present?”

The male worker lets out a sigh, scratching the back of his neck. “Unfortunately, the owner hasn’t been here in a while. I’ve even taken it upon myself to take care of everything around here for the time being. I’ve tried calling him, but he never picks up. We’re going to lose our business and our shelter at this rate if we keep going like this.”

“Well…” Isaac starts, “Why don’t you try and take the business yourselves? If your owner/manager is neglecting the business, can’t you just take it off of his hands?”

“I’m trying, but the business is so slow and money is so tight, I can’t even get the funds to even buy the darn property. Even my second job can’t support it. Pretty soon I won’t be able to keep the place running anymore. I can’t imagine what will happen to the other pets here…”

Isaac reaches into his trench coat’s inner pocket, pulling out a pen and a leather check book. He clicks on his pen. “How much?”

The male worker stands in shock with his eyes wide. “W-what… what are you--”

“How much will it take to save the shelter?”

The worker stutters a bit, trying to speak. “A-around 5 grand… but you don’t have--”

Isaac rips the check from his checkbook and hands it too Frank. “I want to. This shelter looks like it needs help. I’d hate to see anything happen to it or its pets. Not to mention that both of you have so much determination to keep this place going, I admire that. I trust both of you that you’ll bring this shelter to the top, so keep on going.” Isaac shakes the worker’s hand. “I’ll keep in touch with you guys to see how you’re doing, so keep pushing. I hope we’ll see you again.”

Both Isaac and Isabelle walk towards the front doors of the shelter, the pup nestled into the arms of Isabelle. The door opens for her, Isaac making sure that both the pup and his wife both make it through. “Mrs. Carlson…” A high pitched voice calls out.

Isabelle looks back at the two workers behind her. “Yes Mary?”

“Could…. Could you take good care of him?” she says, sporting a weak but genuine smile.

The woman holding the Shepsky smiles back at her. “Of course we will. Take care.”

Both Carlson’s walk out of the building, the cold air making Isabelle shiver. “I h-hate the c-cold.” She says in a low voice, making sure not to wake the body in her arms. She looks over at Isaac, now behind her, taking a picture of the building. Isabelle smiles. “You’re going to post that to our feed, aren’t you?”

“Well, how else will our 3.5+ million followers get here? Besides, this place could use a little attention” He takes a picture of her and the pup and taps away at his phone. Within a few seconds, he releases a sigh and slips the device back into one of the pockets in his trench coat. “Let’s get back home. Wouldn’t want to freeze to death, would we?”

“No we would not.” She chuckles.

~~

Mary looks down at the floor, the reality of Sparks’ adoption hitting her. He’s gone… He got adopted… That’s that. She starts to tear up. Great, now I’m the one crying now, huh Sparks? Mary lets out a couple silent laughs, a weak smile forming on her face. I guess I won’t be the one to take you home after all…

“Mary?” Frank calls out. “Are you ok?”

She franticly wipes away the tears from her face and turns towards her co-worker with a smile. “I’m fine Frank, thanks for asking.”

“Are you really ok Mary?” She looks away as her head tilts towards the floor. Frank comes over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder causing her to blush wildly. “I know that you wanted to adopt him. I‘ve seen that look before.” He pulls her into a hug. Her face starts to burn as she wraps her arms around him. “Don’t worry. He’s in a good home now. He couldn’t be happier. They’ll keep in touch too, so it won’t be the last time you’ll be able to see him. I’m sure that they’ll come back.”

They break away from their hug, Mary looking up at Frank. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

She spaces out, staring at her co-worker blankly as she think about the pup one last time. She lets out a sigh. “Okay.” She smiles.

Suddenly, a car door could be heard closing outside of the shelter, both Frank’s and Mary’s head quickly honing in on the sound. Frank lets out a chuckle. “Looks like we’ve got some more customers. You mind taking this one? I’ve gotta move some stuff around first.”

She crosses her arms. “Fine. But you owe me.”

“Well in that case, how about some dinner?”

Mary lets out a couple of laughs. “I’ll think about it… but you’re paying.”

“Of course.” He smiles.

He sits down back behind the desk and the front door opens with a ‘ding’. “Welcome to the Belleville Animal Shelter. How can we help you today?” Mary announces happily with a smile.

--

Sparks’ eyes start to open back up, his surroundings now transformed into the interior of a car. He looks around the inside of the vehicle, his seat belt preventing him from moving around. The Shepsky puts his paw on the car seat, pubbing it against the leather. The seats are… warm… so cool… He looks outside the window to spot a strange sight. “Woah!” He blurts out, causing Isaac and Isabelle to catch him staring out the window at the high-rise buildings. “Look at the view! I’ve never seen these kinds of houses before!”

Isabelle giggles and smiles. “Those are skyscrapers sweetie. Welcome to New York City, hon.”

“Wow…” He whispers, admiring the tall buildings across the cityscape. He spots one of the tallest buildings.

“You see that one?” She points. “That’s the Empire State Building. One of the tallest building in the city.”

“Yeah,” Isaac adds, “And if I do recall it’s the very spot where I asked Isabelle a very big question.”

Isabelle lets out a couple of giggles. “That you did hon.”

Sparks tilts his head in confusion. A special question? He thinks about what the question might be, but inevitably shakes it off and continues to admire the skyline. This is so cool!

The buildings were soon right up in front of them as they entered the city’s heart. Throughout the day, they drove through the streets of the city, as both Isabelle and Isaac show Sparks around the cool places. The family drove through Times Square and past the Empire State Building, leaving Sparks in awe of all the sights. Pretty soon the sky turned orange and the sun was nowhere in sight. “Looks like it’s about time to head home. Sorry that we took so long showing you around the City.” She scratches the back of her head, letting out a few giggles

Sparks smiles at Isabelle as Isaac turns the steering wheel, making the car turn and stop in front a building. “It’s ok Is… I mean mom.”

Sparks takes peek out of the window to see a man in a black and red outfit walking up to the car. “Welcome back Mr. and Mrs. Carlson. Enjoy your trip?”

“Indeed we did Barry.” Isaac and Isabelle almost simultaneously exit the vehicle, leaving the Shepsky confused.

Why did they leave? Isaac opens Sparks’ door and bends down to his level, undoing the safety belt from around him.

“Come on Sparks, let’s get you home.” He smiles.

Sparks steps slowly out of the car, Isabelle moving in front of him with her purse. “Hey hon, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to put the leash on you now.” Sparks immediately tenses up, his body taking a step back. Isabelle frowns. “I’m sorry sweetie… the rules say that you’ve got to…” Isabelle starts to bring her arms near Spark’s collar, but stop, just nearing the metal loop that connects the leash to the collar. “Actually, would you like to put it on yourself? That way you can hold it yourself.”

Sparks looks at her with a confused look. Put it on… myself?

“Here, I’ll show you how you do it. You know the little loop on your collar?” The Shepsky nods. “What you’re going to do is push down on this little metal thing which makes the release go down. Once you do that you move the loop on the collar through the opening you just made on the leash.” Sparks does what Isabelle says with hesitation and reluctantly completes the task with no problem. “There you go sweetie! Now all you’ve got to do is hold that leash until we get home and you get to take it off.” She says with a smile.

Sparks shakily holds the leash. It’s ok… I’m in control… I’m in control now…

“Aww…” A male voice sounds. “I didn’t know you and Isabelle have a puppy! *Gasp* He looks so adorable! His eyes are as blue as the sky!”

“Actually Barry, we just adopted him today.” Isaac looks down at Sparks, the pup’s cheeks still red at the comment. “Barry, meet Sparks. Sparks, say hello to Barry.”

“H-hi…” The Shepsky utters in a nervous tone.

“Hiya Sparks.” His body moves to the dog’s level, a hand moving in front of the two. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

Sparks’ paw shakes the human’s hand, his nerves still on high alert. He seems nice…

“So Barry,” Isabelle starts while Barry stands back up. “How’s Riccardo? I’ve heard that there’s some really great news that you wanted to tell me?”

The man blushes madly, his hand moving towards Isabelle’s, revealing a diamond ring. “He… proposed to me!” His voice cracks at his excitement, Isabelle letting out a squeal.

“Well did you say yes?” Isaac says in a sarcastic tone, both Isabelle and Barry shooting a glare at him. “What?... Geez… tough crowd.” He smirks.

“Oh my gosh, that’s awesome Bair!” She pulls him in for a hug, both the giggles of the man and woman meshing together. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks…”

“So when’s the wedding?” Isaac asks.

“Well… we’re thinking that we’ll have it somewhere in Hawaii.”

“Aww! So romantic!” Isabelle sighs lovingly.

“I know! Rick treats me so well… this is definitely the best thing he’s done for us so far.”

“You two deserve it and I hope it’s everything you two imagine it to be.” Isabelle closes her purse, grabbing Isaac’s hand. “Sorry to cut our conversation short, but we have to get Sparks settled in. We’ll talk later, ok?”

“Sure thing.” Isaac throws his set of keys to Barry, the man catching them with a clang, getting into car seat. “I’ll talk to you later Isabelle!”

“Talk to you later you goof!” The family starts to walk along the sidewalk as the car door slams shut.

“Mom? Sparks asks. “Who was that?”

Isabelle smiles. “An old childhood friend. We’ve been friends since we were about 12 years old. It’s about time that He and Rick get married.”

The Shepsky stays silent, the group coming up to a tall building with a black canopy at the front. Marry? What’s that?

“We’re here.” Isaac announces as they reach the front of the building.

“Woah…” Sparks whispers, a giggle being heard behind him. “What’s this? Is this a door?” He asks, pointing to the cylindrical space in front of him.

“Yep! Wanna try it?”

“Um…” He says shakily.

“Come on, I’ll go first.” Isabelle moves into the opening between the two glass panes, pushing on the metal bar moving the revolving door forward.

“Wow!” Sparks says with excitement as he walks towards the door. “I wanna try!”

Isaac lets out a few chuckles. “You know what to do?”

“Mhmm!” Just push the door this way and it’ll move! With all his strength, he pushes the pane forward. The Shepksy lets out a few giggles. This is so much fun! Sparks continues to move the door, the parallel opening to the large lobby continuing to move past him. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Isabelle near the front of the opening, a bright flash appearing before him. He disregards the bright light and continues to move around the circle, eventually reaching the now giggly Isaac. His father moves into the space next to him, moving with the revolving door.

Sparks’ ears twitch, hearing Isaac’s words from in back of him. “No more Sparks, we’ve got to show you your new home.”

The Shepsky lets out a groan. “Do I have to?”

“Unfortunately yes for now.” Isabelle says, the opening now in front of the dog.

Sparks exits the revolving door with a sigh. Maybe I’ll come back to it tomorrow. Isabelle offers her hand to the dog with a smile. The Shepsky smiles back and takes his newfound mother’s hand, his mind and being feeling safe with her. Isaac brings himself beside Isabelle as the group continues to move forward. The Shepsky looks around at the large lavish interior of the lobby, the dark wooden floors popping with the black marble walls show the reflection of the three. The dog looks in front of him, seeing a pair of glass doors. Where are we going?

Isaac holds the door for both Isabelle and Sparks, the group now in a narrower hallway. Isabelle pushes a button on the wall, the button lighting up the arrow imprinted on the plastic. The arrow’s pointed up…

“Hey Sparks,” Isaac asks, “Have you ever been in an elevator before?” The black and white dog shakes his head. “Well, this thing lets us go all the way up to the top of our building really fast.”

“Oh…” The Shepsky lets out, his questions stagnating into nothing.

The doors in front of the group suddenly slide open revealing a box like opening before them. The group enters the elevator, Isabelle still holding the dog’s paw in her hand. Sparks looks around at the walls of the elevator, the popped out dark wooden panels on the wall matching the floor. Looks nice… Isabelle pushes the button with the number nine imprinted on it, the button lighting up a bright shade of white as the doors of the elevator close.

Suddenly the elevator moves up, throwing the balance of the Shepsky off temporarily. Sparks holds onto Isabelle’s hand with both of his paws, then back to only one paw after he realizes he’s fine. “Woah!” He says instinctively.

Isaac and Isabelle chuckle together. “You like the elevator?” Isaac asks.

“Mhmm!”

“Weird feeling, isn’t it?”

“Yep.” Sparks looks at the control panel to his left near the door. His curiosity turns to the white plate above the buttons. The Shepsky tilts his head. What’s that? His mind tries to make out the black scribbles on the plate, but is unable to make out anything. He lets out a sigh I wish I knew how to read… With a sudden motion, the elevator stops moving, a *ding* coming from the elevator.

The doors open to reveal another hallway, this time more compact. Isaac and Isabelle lead the way with Sparks in the middle, looking further down the hallway. That’s a long hallway… Both Sparks’ parents stop at the door beside them, Sparks looking at the silver plate on the front of the wooden door. Sparks tries to analyze the text in front of him, but fails as he shakes it off. The door opens up with a twist of Isabelle’s wrist, revealing the large room before the group. The Shepsky’s mouth drops and leaves Isabelle’s hand. Wow…

The room before the dog was bigger than he had ever thought of, the elegancy of the room taking him by surprise. The leash that was wrapped around his paw hits the ground with a *thud* Sparks first strolls into the living space with his leash dragging behind, the large space accompanied by a pristine fuzzy white carpet and black lounge sofa to match. In front of the couch is a TV and a coffee table, both fitting the color pattern of the place. Against the wall near a set of stairs were two doors, the left open to reveal a bathroom, and the other open to find an office. Next to the stairs and just beside the door to the office was a tall china cabinet filled to the brim with music. Wow… that’s a lot of CD’s…

He sits down on the sofa with a slight hesitation, the memories of his past resurfacing causing him stop mid-motion. He shakes it off and continues to observe his surroundings, taking in his new home. He looks towards the kitchen next to another hallway and the bathroom, the white cabinets and the black countertop keeping with the theme throughout the loft. At the island of the kitchen, three stools sit under the overhang. In the corner behind him is the dining table, more circular in shape. It’s really nice here… and… hehe, this place matches my fur too!

Sparks flops over the back of the couch, his vision now upside down as both Isaac and Isabelle chuckle at him. “So sweetie, do you like your new home Sparks?” Isabelle asks.

The dog shakes his head up and down as his silent answer gives the answer. Isaac scratches under the Shepsky’s neck causing the dog to relax further into the back of the couch. “This place is so cool!”

“I bet it is.” Isaac adds.

“Hey Iyse?” Isabelle starts, “Could you start dinner? I’ll be right down in just a second.”

“Sure hon.” Isaac agrees, giving her a peck on the cheek.

Isabelle looks at Sparks, his head still hanging backwards over the edge of the couch. She smiles. “Come on Sparks, I’ve got something to show you. I think you’ll like it.”

“Sure.” He answers quickly coming to her side around the couch.

Isabelle’s face stays bright, her hand rustling the pups head fur. She takes the red leash off of the Shepsky’s collar, throwing the red length of material lazily onto the couch. “Come with me.” Isabelle moves in front of Sparks, walking in between the sofa and the stairway.

I wonder what Isa-- *Sigh* mom has to show me? The two move around the dividing wall between the glass staircase and the living room. Isabelle moves around the divider, Sparks joining her as they both move up the stairs. They make it up to the top of the stairs, Isabelle rounding the corner into the hallway as Sparks slows down to the edge of the glass half wall at the top of the stairs. Woah… even from here it looks cool!

“Come here Sparks.” Isabelle chuckles. Sparks lets out a sigh and moves away from the glass pane and to Isabelle now standing in front of a door to the right. “Sweetie,” She starts as she opens the door revealing the room on the other side.

The Shepsky’s eyes grow wide as he enters the space, his paw covering his maw trying to hold back his emotions. “Is… is this m-my room?” Isabelle nods her head as her smile continues to stay on her face, her eyes becoming watery as Sparks continues to look around. His eyes travel to the full bed before him, the soft sleep haven looking ginormous to the pup. He notices the end tables beside the bed, on top of both hold a lamp. Sparks then looks behind him at the front wall where a desk occupies the space between the bed and the wall. “I… I…” Sparks tries to speak as his paw leaves his face, but his words get caught in his sudden burst of emotion. He lets out a breath and the Shepsky faces Isabelle with tears of joy running down his face. “I love it.”

The pup runs over to Isabelle, giving her a huge hug as he unintentionally slams into her, knocking her back a step. She moves down to his level and hugs him back. The pup lets out a few more cheerful cries before breaking away from the hug, facing his new mother as he wipes his eyes. “This is the best thing ever… thank you so much… Mom.” He smiles.

Isabelle wipes away a tear from Sparks’ fur and looks into his eyes, a sniffle now coming from both of them filling the air. “You’re very welcome sweetie. Welcome to the family. I can’t wait for you to start learning your way around here. I know that you’re going to love it.” She kisses the top of the pup’s head, rustling his fur before standing back up. “Make yourself at home Sparks. If you need help with anything, let us know. We’ll be in the kitchen brewing up some beef stew.”

“Sure.” Sparks says with a smile, another sniffle sounding from his muzzle.

Isabelle leaves the room and leaves Sparks alone, his mind unsure of what to do. I guess I’m home now. It’s great here. I couldn’t have asked for anything greater. Sparks looks up to the ceiling, imagining his mom beside him. I’m sorry that you’re not here with me today mom. Maybe we’ll see each other again someday.

Suddenly, Isabelle pops her head into the door way to his room once more, her hand on the groove for the door. “Oh and Sparks, be sure to use the bathroom and not our walls or floors, ok?” She says with a hint of jokiness in her voice.

“Moooomm!” Sparks whines as his cheeks start to burn. Yep… definitely home.

TO BE CONTINUED… ITS ONLY THE BEGINNING…
Last edited by D3ath_0ps on Thu Aug 13, 2015 4:30 pm, edited 76 times in total.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by Saturn381 »

Great job D3ath_0ps. Can't wait for more.

Welcome to the forums by the way. :)
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Thanks Saturn! :D
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by Obbl »

Hey, this is looking good. Sparks is a real sweety. :D
Do you mind critique, or were you just looking to get this out?
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

I wanted to post what I had so far so I could get the first part, or the origin of Sparks, finished so I could come up with ideas for the next story. Maybe a little bit of critique as well. :P
Last edited by D3ath_0ps on Tue Jul 22, 2014 11:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

A good thing to note is that I changed the age of Sparks by one year. I just found out about the amount of years compared to humans and dogs is about 3.5 years on average (In the Housepets! universe) so Sparks is now about 10 years old in dog years!
Last edited by D3ath_0ps on Mon Jul 28, 2014 12:35 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

A little update to my progress of the story:

- Part 2 Story Notes COMPLETE! FINALLY.
- Title Made for Pt. 2
- Part 2's Story is complete! (3:08 AM, 7/24/14)

To-do:

- Rewrite Part One. I know it could be a lot better.
- Finalize what characters fit where, when will they be introduced, and small/improtant details. (Part 2 yes, 1 no.)
- Edit, Re-Edit, Revise Final Draft (Starting Now for Part two! :D)
- Post Final Copy of Pt. 2

Thinking Fuel So Far (Pt. 2):

- Two bags of Popcorn
- Four Cans of Root beer and a Bottle of Pepsi
- 0 Cups of Coffee
- Five Bottles of Water

Final amounts to be posted at the bottom of the second part.

Contemplating re-writing Part One. I feel that it could be better and deserves to be written better. What do you guys think?
Last edited by D3ath_0ps on Fri Jul 25, 2014 9:30 am, edited 14 times in total.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by Obbl »

D3ath_0ps wrote:Maybe a little bit of critique as well. :P
Muahahaha!!! You're doom is at hand! :twisted:

*Ahem*

I just wanted to note that it can really throw a reader around when you keep switching tenses. Try to narrate the story either in the past tense or present tense, else it gets a little whiplashy. ;)
I shall now eagerly await the next installment :D
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Obbl wrote:
D3ath_0ps wrote:Maybe a little bit of critique as well. :P
Muahahaha!!! You're doom is at hand! :twisted:

*Ahem*

I just wanted to note that it can really throw a reader around when you keep switching tenses. Try to narrate the story either in the past tense or present tense, else it gets a little whiplashy. ;)
I shall now eagerly await the next installment :D
Yeah, I tend to have a little bit of trouble with that. XP I'll take another look at it and correct some things (Edit: Fixed! I hope...). If there is anything else I should note, please by all means tell me. I aim to improve all the time! Thanks!
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Housepets! Home Story: Sparks - The “Good” Ol’ Dogs Club

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-Housepets! Home Stories - Sparks’ Beginning-
=Chapter 2 - The Move=


The eyes of the Shepsky open as he lays down in his bed. His toes wiggle about as his legs stretch from inside the safety of the bed sheets, as a deep inhale and exhale escapes his muzzle. Ugh... I don’t wanna get up. So… lazy… The body of the dog sits up and brings his paw up to his face, rubbing his eyes to try and wake up. A sigh escapes him as his shoulders slump forward. What time is it? Sparks looks lazily over to his left, trying to tell the time on the alarm clock sitting on the top of his end table. The dog’s eyes grow wide, rubbing his eyes one last time before taking another quick glance at the device. 10:37?! “What happened to my alarm? I was supposed to get up at eight!” He says to himself.

Sparks leaps out of bed, almost losing his balance as he plants both of his feet on the floor.I wonder why it didn’t go off… did I forget to set it? The dog shakes his head, weighing out that option. No… I remember that I set I yesterday. He turns towards the door of his room and places his paw on the knob. His paw rests there for a minute, his mind preventing him from leaving the room. Why do I feel like I’m missing something…

The Shepsky looks around his room, trying to spot what might be missing. “Wait a second…” Sparks realizes, his paw now resting on the surface of his neck. He lets out a couple chuckles. “My collar! I totally forgot!”

Sparks walks over to the end table on the other side of his bed, his collar resting at the top undone. Hehe… wouldn’t wanna walk out of here completely naked, would I? He grabs the collar and walks towards the mirror hanging on the wall. “Hmm…” He utters, a thought forming in his mind as he wraps the collar around his neck. “We’re already naked, besides going out and walking the streets, the whole thought ‘I’ll feel naked’ is completely meaningless.” The Shepsky lets out another round of chuckles. “It’s quite funny really...” Sparks smiles at his refection as his collar makes a high pitched *clunk*

His paws move away from the black and white cloth like material around his neck, the dark colored musical insignia dangling in the front of the collar. Sparks stares at the musical sign, his paw eventually grabbing it, making it twirl around between his fingers. I remember when I got my collar… ‘Staff paper themed cloth collar with a Bass Clef to match.’ My first Birthday present... That was such a great year. He lets out a sigh. I’m so happy I was found that day… With mom and dad, I’ve never been happier. His eyes shut, a smile forming on his face. Whoever is watching over me… thank you so much…

The Shepsky lets out another sigh and walks towards the door. With the twist of his paw, the door slowly opens to the hallway. Sparks steps forward as the smell of food fills the air. Mmmm…. I know that smell… Sparks steps towards the glass half wall, surrounding the edge of the second floor of the loft. He looks down to see the kitchen occupied by both Isaac and Isabelle, prepping some food while a kettle of beef stew simmers on the stove. The dog clears his throat. “Is that beef stew I smell?” He announces down to his parents, their heads looking up to him.

“Good morning sweetie!” Isabelle smiles.

“Heya Sparks.” Isaac replies.

The dog moves away from the glass half walls and steps down the stairs to the ground floor of the loft. He walks over to the stools next to the island of the kitchen. “So what’s with the feast? Is someone coming over?” He asks, pulling a stool out from the island.

“Yep,” Isabelle answers, Sparks now sitting quietly at the island. “You remember Ms. Auburn, right?”

“Of course!” She was there for the last showcase for mom and dad…

“Well, she and her cat Res are coming over to visit for a while. Isaac, Malory and I will probably go out on the terrace to talk, so why don’t you and Res find something to do for when he gets here?”

“Hmm…” Sparks thinks. “We could play some Mario Kart! Or even some Super Smash Bros!”

“Make sure you don’t fall of the stage.” Isaac chuckles.

Isabelle and Sparks both shoot him a glare, the man smiling as he looks back down continuing cutting up vegetables. Isabelle looks at the Shepsky. “That sounds great hon. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

Sparks smiles at Isabelle. “Thanks.” He leaps down from the stool and pushes it back into the island. “I’m gonna go and clean my room. I may even show him some music too if he’s willing.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Isaac agrees.

Sparks smiles and walks up the stairs and back into his room, tempted to clean the entirety of his room.

~~

Isabelle watches as Sparks goes up the stairs and hears his footsteps travel thought the loft. She lets out a sigh. “Hey Isaac?” She hesitantly asks.

“Yes Isabelle?” He replies, putting the ingredients in front of him into a bowl.

“Do you think we should actually move?” She leans against the counter top as her arms cross. Her eyes close as she lets out a sigh. “I mean, Sparks loves it here. I just don’t think that this is a good idea…”

Suddenly, she feels something touch both of her arms. She opens her eyes to see Isaac uncrossing her arms, his hands moving into hers. “I think it’s a great idea. This will be great for Sparks. Besides Tyler’s dog, he really doesn’t have anyone to talk to. We just need to find the right neighborhood. I know there’s something out there. We just aren’t looking hard enough.” His had comes up to her the side of her face, moving an out of place strand of hair back behind her ear. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve been wanting this for a long time now, so why not?” He kisses her forehead, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of red.

“Ok… Thanks hon.”

“No problem my flame princess.”

Isabelle’s cheeks start to burn, feeling her face start to turn red. Why does he have to call me that? Stupid hair… Isaac and Isabelle’s lips softly collide as both of them move closer together. Oh yeah… because he’s adorable. The romantic moment ceases as the kiss ends, Isabelle looks at Isaac with a smirk. “You had to make that joke.”

“What? I had to for ‘the girl on fi--’”

Isabelle puts her hand on his mouth, muffling the final word. She giggles, “Oh, stop…” She gives him another peck on the lips and turns back towards the kettle to her left. “Now come on, we’ve got a meal to cook and we’ve got about 10 minutes before they’re supposed to get here.”

Okay…” He sarcastically whines, turning around to the vegetables and lettuce before him.

My husband is such a goof sometimes… but… I love him nonetheless. She smiles. Till death do us part.

~~

Sparks lets out a sigh, a smile prominently showing on his muzzle. “All clean.” He looks around his room one last time as his arms cross together. “Yep. Nothing out of place.” He walks over to the laptop on his desk, pulling out the leather chair that sit under the desk. Might as well check out prices for Magic: the Gathering. Wouldn’t wanna miss a chance to trade, would I?

The Shepsky opens up his computer as he sits down in his chair. The screen lights up in a bright black and white hue, Sparks’ fingers tapping away at the keyboard in front of him. His paw loudly taps on the enter key, the background changing to an anime style image. Sword Art Online… I love that show… His mind instinctively boots up the internet browser on his home screen as his mind delves deeper into the anime. Hmm… What if pets or humans got trapped in a game like that? What would happen? I wonder how the public would react to it…

He sits in his chair, his back hunched as his mind stares of into space. What if I were trapped in a game like that? What would I do? He sits there, his mind caught in this fantasy as he tries to put himself in the world of Sword Art Online. I guess… I guess I would try and survive; to live my life to the fullest while in the game. I wouldn’t want to be angry or resentful while in there… Maybe even some pets would be locked in there too, that way I don’t have to be so alone. Sparks lets out a sigh, shaking the thought away from his mind. Let’s get back to Magic.

“Sparks!” A voice yells from the main room. They must be here. “Coming mom!” Sparks bolts out of his chair and quickly exits the room, heading towards the main living area. As quickly as he was called, he was now sitting on the sofa in the main room panting as a smile stretches from ear to ear. “I really… *pant* need to work on my running. I’m already out of breath.”

“Well, you could always use the work out equipment that we have in the back.” Isaac smirks.

“Dad, you and I both know that I’m too lazy for that.” Sparks chuckles.

His father shrugs. “Eh, it was worth a shot.”

Isabelle lets out a chuckle and moves towards the couch. “Is your room all clean sweetie?” Sparks nods his head as she sits down on the back of the sofa, ruffling the Shepsky’s head fur. “Good.” She smiles at him, the dog smiling back.

The room then suddenly bursts into loud knocks at the door, all three of the Carlson’s heads looking over in the general direction. “Looks like our visitors are here.” Isaac says as he moves over towards the door.

With a quick motion the door opens to reveal two beings standing in the hallway, one a human and one a tabby. Sparks looks at the cat in the hallway. What’s that in his paws? The cat stares at the ground awkwardly with a black and white bag dangling at the middle of his body.

“Hiya Mal!” Isabelle happily announces, the two in the hallway moving into the loft.

“Hey Iz!” Both Isabelle and Ms. Auburn give each other a hug. “How’ve you been? I heard that we missed a nice party while we were gone.”

“Indeed you did! You guys should have been there! The whole family was there, even some friends.”

“Well, we did promise that we would stop by to visit.” Malory lets out a chuckle, “Better late than never!” She turns to the cat behind her. “Res, would you do the honors?”

The Tabby walks past Ms. Auburn and stops in front of Sparks, his eyes still traced on the bag. Res clears his throat. “H-happy third birthday Sparks.” He smiles offering the gift that was in his paws.

Sparks looks at the tabby with a smile. “Thank you so much Res.” He takes the gift and sets it down on the ground, then wraps his arms around the Tabby giving him a hug. He feels the cat tense up for a quick second, but smiles the cat relaxes as his arms wrap around the Shepsky.

“No problem Sparks.”

The two break from their hug, Res looking away as a slight rosy hue forms on his cheeks. Sparks’ face grows a smile. He’s so nervous… what’s there to be nervous about?

“Well Sparks?” Isabelle utters to Sparks, “What’s in the bag?”

The Shepsky looks intriguingly at the bag. I wonder what he got for my birthday? The dog brings the bag over to the coffee table while the three humans continue to converse with each other, Res following slowly behind. Both of the pets sit down on the couch as Sparks removes some of the tissue paper from the bag. The Shepsky lets out a barely audible squee, recognizing the now uncovered box within the bag. This… this is… “The Kone XTD! This is exactly the mouse that I wanted! I can’t believe that you got it!” The dog instinctively reaches over and pulls the Tabby into a bear hug, Res now tense as ever. “Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”

“Spaaaaarrks!!” Res whines, attempting to push the dogs arms away.

The trio behind the two on the couch laugh and giggle away, staring at them with joyful eyes. Looks like they’re getting a kick outta us. Well… me actually. He lets go of the tabby, almost his entire face turning red as his eyes stare at the floor. Sparks lets out a sigh and stares at the flustered cat before him.

“Hey guys,” Isaac calls out, both Sparks and Res looking at the man. “Why don’t you head upstairs? You gotta set up your new gift, right Sparks?”

“Yup!” He looks towards the tabby next to him. “Come on Res! I’ve got some new music to show you too!” Sparks lightly grabs Res’ arm, pulling him towards the stairs.

~~

Isabelle watches as both hers and Malory’s pets traverse up the stairs and into the hallway. She smiles. Looks like they’re off doing their own thing. Her body turns towards the two others standing before her. “Isaac, could you grab the salad? I’ll take Malory out to the terrace.”

“Sure thing.” Isaac happily replies as he heads toward the kitchen.

Isabelle looks at her friend, “Come on Mal, let’s go.” She gives Isabelle a nod and they both head outside to the terrace. “So what’s been going on with you Mal? I heard that you had a book signing spree over Christmas.”

“Yep. We went to about five different places, all of them were lovely. Res and I had a great time traveling, he even got some of the next book done while we were out. I think he even made a friend or two during the trip.”

The two sit down at a round table, the wind blowing softly onto the terrace. “That’s wonderful Mal! I’m glad that Res enjoyed it too.”

Isaac walks out of the main room and outside with a large bowl of salad around his arm. He places the bowl down on the table and sits down on one of the two empty chairs. “So, how’ve you been Malory? Good I presume?”

She nods. “I’ve been good. We just got back from another book signing so Res and I are pretty exhausted.”

“That’s great!” Isaac smiles, scooping a bit of salad into a smaller bowl placed neatly in front of him.

“But enough about me, what have you guys been up to? Anything interesting happen while I was gone?”

Isabelle and Isaac both glance at each other, Isabelle’s hands clasping together on the table. “Well… there was one thing that we were thinking about over the past month…” Isabelle starts.

“Well? What is it? I didn’t come down here to wait!” She smiles, Isabelle doing the same letting out a chuckle.

Good ol’ Mal… always breaking the tension… Isaac’s hands rest onto hers. She looks at him and he nods at her. Isabelle’s eyes then travel to Mal once more. “Isaac and I were thinking about moving out of the city and into a house.” Isabelle lets out a sigh. “We love the city, it’s just that… I’ve always wanted to move to a neighborhood, to get our own house… to actually mingle with everyone around us. It’s something that I’ve… well… something that we’ve wanted for a while now and I feel like it’s the right time.”

“That’s great to hear Iz!” She gleams. “I’m glad that you are taking this step. Owning a house can be a real pain with all of the maintenance and all, but I know that you two will manage just fine.”

“Yeah… but here’s the thing; we’ve looked everywhere. We’ve looked at some of the houses around Long Island, but they just don’t appeal to us. The main issue is that with Sparks, we wanted to find a neighborhood that will mesh perfectly with him.” Isabelle puts on a straight face, her smile fading as the memories of house hunting begin to resurface. “That’s why we invited you here. We were wondering if you know of any place that could appeal to us in any way.”

“Hmm…” Malory thinks, her hand now on her chin. “I actually do remember one place that I visited for a book singing not too long ago. I think it was around Christmas that I actually visited a place called Babylon Gardens.”

“Babylon Gardens… is it a pet friendly place?”

“Yep! It’s a really nice place full of people and pets alike.

“It sounds great!” Isaac smiles, looking at Isabelle. “Don’t you agree?”

Isabelle’s face shows a less optimistic expression. “Well... what about the drive? How long would it take to get there?”

Malory stares at her with a confused look. “You don’t want to take a plane?”

“She’s got a slight fear of flying Mal.” Isabelle nods in agreement.

“Oh yeah… that’s right… Sorry Iz.” Malory lets out a sigh. “Well, from what I remember… think the drive from here is about 6-7 hours at best. I of course opted for the plane ride.”

Isaac’s eyes grow wide from the answer. “Wow. That’s a lot of driving.” Isaac says in astonishment, crossing his arms.

“Indeed. It’ll be a long drive from here. I wound suggest first trying to buy a house there first, maybe get it already furnished if you can, that way you don’t have to lug everything from here.”

“That’s a great idea. All we have to do is finish up the piece that we’re working on and that’ll be the one that helps us potentially get this house.”

“Oh,” Malory utters, her hand coming to her chest as she clears her throat. “You’re working on another piece?”

“Yep.” Isaac answers, “The piece is one that spans about 2 years, going from the day that Sparks arrived in our care and another that we are going to take around tomorrow. It’s been in the works since he’s got here and we’ve always wanted to finish it, so why not now?”

“Good point.” Mal lets out a chuckle, “Maybe it’ll become another piece for the gallery, huh? That’ll make two photos of Sparks that have made it big. Speaking of which, what did your guy’s last piece range? 1.2 Mill?”

Isabelle hesitates, nodding her head slowly up and down. She then sports a frown and looks down at the empty bowl in front of her. I hate talking about money around her… she always wants to know about how much money we make… “The last one was one of the highest offers that we’ve ever gotten for one of our works. We couldn’t even believe it ourselves.”

“It must have been a great feeling.”

“It was. We even had a party at our place to celebrate. I think you were gone at the time… looks like I forgot to tell you, didn’t I?” She smirks and giggles at her friend.

Malory crosses her arms and smiles back at her. “Yeah, you did.”

The group lets out a collective laugh as it echoes around the space. The laugh then slowly ceases, Isabelle letting out a sigh. “I missed this,” Mal starts again, “Hanging out together, seeing you again, it brings me back to our college days, you know?”

“Yep. We used to hang out all the time if I recall, and with a decent group of people too.”

“Yeah… those were great times.” The whole group delves into the past, recalling all of the funny and memorable times from their college days, Isabelle continuing to think about the thought of moving to Babylon. Maybe it won’t be so bad… maybe Sparks will even love it.

~~

Sparks taps away at his laptop, pulling up a playlist of his own design. I think he’ll like this one… he likes electronic music right? The Shepsky clicks on the play button on his screen, starting the playlist with the start of his favorite album. He looks over to Res sitting down patiently on his bed. The dog notices the tabby’s foot bob back and forth to the music. Yep, he does! The Shepsky smiles and leaves his computer, hopping gently onto his bed as he lays against the pillows leaning against the back board. Sparks looks over at Res, the cats eyes growing wide as he looks away, a rosy hue showing on his face. The dog grins. “You know, you seem more and more blushy every time I see you.”

The cat smiles awkwardly back. “Well… you seem to get taller every time I see you.

The Shepsky giggles, waddling up next to Res. “You know, I think you’re right. And I’m only gonna get taller.” He smirks, the tabby crossing his arms. Sparks sighs, “So how’ve you been? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you! I heard that you and Ms. Auburn went out signing books again?”

Res nods his head. “Y-yeah… we went to about five different places. They were all fun. I even got a little work done on the next book.”

“Sounds like a fun time!” The dog smiles.

“It really was. Babylon was actually a really calming place, even in the mall there. I got a lot more done than I thought I would.”

Sparks tilts his head. “Babylon?”

“Sorry, I meant Babylon Gardens. It was one of the places we went to. As I said before it’s a really nice place, filled with pets of all kinds. I think I even saw a couple of rabbits while I was there.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… I wish that I could move there, it seems so peaceful, but, alas. My work comes first and mom wants the book to hit the shelves within the next three months.”

“Three months is a lot of time, isn’t it?”

“When you’re writing a fiction work around 350-400 pages?”

Sparks sits in silence and scratches the back on his neck, “My bad, kept thinking about my own writing. Totally forgot about the rest of what comes with book writing.”

Res smiles and looks at the Shepsky, as his eyes dilate. “It’s fine Sparks.” The dog takes notice as he flashes a smile. “It’s definitely way bigger than the 20 pages you usually write.”

“You got that right.” The dog replies. The two share a moment of silence as the music from the computer ceases, the playlist continuing quickly as it moves to the next song seamlessly.

“So…” Sparks says finally, “Have you been playing any new games recently?”

“Not really.” The feline replies, hesitating a bit. “I’ve been so swamped with writing I really haven’t had time to play anything really. When I do play to take a break, I just play a bit of Pokémon and that’s it.”

The Shepsky smiles. “Oh yeah! You play the older ones right?”

Res nods. “I usually play Ruby version, but I’ve been getting into the newer ones recently. Did you know that their coming out with a 3-D version of it? It’s supposed to be really cool.”

Sparks smiles and squees, “Oooh! I can’t wait to see what they come out with! Now you’ve got me excited.”

“Yeah…” Res smiles, his eyes glancing over at the Shepsky. He looks back at the feline with a smile and watches as his friend starts to tense up. Suddenly, his catch something off about the feline, a sigh escaping him as his smile starts to slowly fade I know what you’re thinking Res. Your eyes gave it away… Sparks’ eyes travel to the computer as his mind processes his friend’s actions. His hands clasp together and lets out a sigh. “Hey Res?” He asks, the felines expression, sporting an eager smile, the dog sighing as he slowly smiles back. “Can you tell me more about Babylon Gardens?” The cat’s shoulders suddenly but discretely slump as his expression turns into a faint smile, his pupils returning to their normal size. “That place sounds really nice.”

The cat sighs and hesitantly agrees, telling him about the other experiences he had at The Gardens through his book signing, his expression almost stone like as he progresses through his tales. Sparks’ smile fades as his face practically mimics his friend’s expression. Sorry bud… not yet…

- FIVE MONTHS LATER -

Sparks walks groggily out into the hallway, his eyes still attempting to shut with each slow step forward. Man, I need a cup of coffee. Or maybe even some tea… either way I need something to wake me up. The Shepsky reaches the glass half wall in front of him and peers out towards the kitchen. His eyes spot his mom and dad, their personal laptop resting on top of the kitchen island. Isaac stands before the device as he sips a cup of freshly made coffee. The man looks up towards the balcony.

“Good morning Sparks!” He smiles at the dog raising his cup of coffee.

“Morning Dad.” The Shepsky replies, waving at both his parents.

Sparks stumbles slowly down the stairs, his ears catching the sound of his father’s voice now behind him. “We’ve got some exciting news for you bud.”

“What news?” Sparks asks as a yawn escapes his muzzle. “Is it about the house?”

“Yep,” Isabelle gleams, turning around to face the dog giving him a warm cup of coffee, “Just a few minutes ago we were able to finalize the deal with the now old owners of the house. Furnished and everything. We got the house!”

Sparks’ face lights up with joy, his feeling of drowsiness seeming to dissipate almost immediately as he squeals with excitement. Isabelle and Isaac share a laugh together. “That’s great to hear mom!”

“Isn’t it?” She smiles, “I’m glad that we finished that little two and a half year project, it really helped out.”

The Shepsky sighs, looking around the loft. A plethora of old memories begin to play out in his mind, his stomach knotting up as his smile fades. “I’m gonna miss this place when we leave. My life pretty much started here.”

“Well, with the deal that we arranged with the building manager when we first bought the place, we get to keep the loft up until the point where we want to sell the place off.”

Sparks’ mind starts to calm itself as the nostalgic memories begin to fade back into his mind. “That’s good to hear. So we can come back here whenever we want?”

Isaac nods his head. “Of course. We’re not leaving this place behind, this loft is one of the best places that we’ve ever lived in. We wouldn’t want to give it up.”

“Yup.” The Shepsky agrees. He breathes a sigh of relief, sitting down next to Isabelle as he moves the warm cup slowly into his paw. A thought crosses his mind, thinking further ahead. “So wait,” the Shepsky ponders, “Is someone going to be taking care of this place while we’re gone?”

His father smiles at him. “We will Indeed. We figured that with You, Isabelle, and myself away from the house, we figured that we’d might want to have someone watching the house for us so that things stay in order.”

“Who’d you get?”

“Remember my mom and dad, Elizabeth and Charles, right Sparks?”

The dog nods and takes a sip of his coffee. His muzzle grows a smile, “I do. They were so nice…”

“Well, they’re going to be the ones watching the place. They’re the only folks I know that are close enough to do the job, so that’s good. Plus I doubt they’ll trash the place knowing them, you know, ‘clean freaks’ and all.”

Isabelle reaches over and smacks Isaac with her purse, an audible *thwack* echoing through the kitchen. “Rude.” She points to him.

Isaac rubs the area afflicted area of his arm. He snickers, “Ow… That hurt!”

“Well, I think you had it coming.” Isabelle says in an exaggerated tone, her arms crossed as she turns away from her husband.

Sparks lets out a giggle, another forced breath leaving the Shepsky as his eyes glance around the space. He then gazes towards his parents, his paws now gripping the coffee mug in his hands by the handle. “I’m gonna go back and work on some stuff in my room.” The dog jumps off of the bar stool and scoots it back into the island, his free paw waving at Isaac and Isabelle.

Isaac and Isabelle both smile and wave back then go back to talking quietly with one another, then conversation sparking a few laughs as stokes from a key board could be heard from the upper floor. The Shepsky’s smile fades as he enters his room, the door shutting gently behind him. He slides against his door slowly to the floor, setting his coffee down on the carpet. I never thought that we would be leaving so soon… I’m surprised… Sparks lets out a sigh and stares over at his computer. What about Emerald… what will she think?

He closes his eyes, imagining his friend finding out about the news as she cries and lashes out in anger towards him. How do I explain it to her? The question sits in his mind and firmaments, lost as he tries to find an answer. “I’ll just have to tell her straight up…” He moves to his computer, the screen lighting up as his cursor moves and hovers over a sky blue icon. The dog clicks his mouse, the chat window popping up on his screen. “I wonder how she’ll take it…” Sparks’ fingers begin to type away at his keyboard.

Sparks_Calrson: Hey Emerald. You online?

The Shepsky sits and waits patiently for a response. After a second, the screen flashes a message onto the screen.

TheGreenFlash: hiya sparks! whats up?
Sparks reads the message and places his paws at the keys. His body starts to shake uncontrollably as his next message starts to form.

Sparks_Carlson: Nothing really. .-.
Sparks_Carlson: You got a minute? I need to talk to you…

The Shepsky crosses his arms tightly across his chest a sudden chill running down his spine.

TheGreenFlash: are you okay? you seem a bit sad :(

Sparks_Carlson: sigh Not really. I could be better.

TheGreenFlash: aww whats up?

Sparks just blankly stares at the message, trying to think of how to respond. How do I even tell her... He releases a sigh. I don't think there's any way to just move around it, I have to tell her straight up. His paws hesitantly move to the keyboard. Here goes nothing...

Sparks_Carlson: Mom and dad said that we're moving out of the city...

The dog flumps back against the chair, his arms over his eyes as he waits for the notification sound to pop up again. It's done... she's probably in shock right now... The notification sound plays through the computer's speakers, Sparks' eyes quickly checking the screen.

TheGreenFlash: what...

He quickly types his response, Emerald typing out another message.

Sparks_Carlson: Yeah... .~.

TheGreenFlash: so your just leaving then
TheGreenFlash: no say?

Sparks_Carlson: Not really. :/

TheGreenFlash: well there goes another friend. typical.

Sparks stares at the message in agony. I knew that she would be upset...

Sparks_Calrson: Emerald...
Sparks_Carlson: I'm sorry...
Sparks_Carlson: Mom and dad have wanted this for a while and they finally got the house... I can't really stop them either

TheGreenFlash: well I hope that you'll be happy in your new place i guess
TheGreenFlash: :/

Five minutes quickly pass by the chat, Sparks' head laying down on his desk in a depressive slump. Sparks waits patiently for another notification from his friend, finding himself waiting until the late night as a small snore escapes him.

--

Sparks’ glance travels around his room once more before his approaching departure. I’ve got my laptop and my equipment. Everything’s packed and in the van... looks like it’s the last time I’ll see this room for a while. The Shepsky lets out a sigh. “I’m gonna have to make new friends now.” He speaks in a gloomy tone. “I wonder if Emerald will even talk to me now… maybe I’ll be able to talk to her through Skype or something…”

The dog’s ears suddenly pick up the sound of food steps behind him. He turns around to see Isabelle walking slowly towards him, his face quickly growing a smile to avoid the insecurity of answering why. “You almost ready Sparks?” She asks as she puts her hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah. I’m good to go mom.”

“Good,” she replies with a smile, she leaving the room as the black and white furred dog. Follows close behind. “Cause we’ve got about a seven hour drive to Babylon.”

“Is that why we woke up at the crack of dawn?”

“Yep.”

“Well, five in the morning isn’t the best time for me to wake up, just saying.” Sparks sarcastically lets out, a yawn escaping his muzzle with a few light chuckles to follow.

Isabelle laughs back as they head down the stairs. “You two ready to go?” Isaac yawns.

“Yep. Sparks ready to go too.”

“Good, cause I’m almost falling asleep over here.” He smirks.
Isabelle flashes a half smile and shakes her head. “Well in that case lets head out! Come on, lets go to the car. We’re burning daylight!”

“Right.” She turns to Sparks. “Come on hon. It’s time to head out.”

“Okay.” He smiles insecurely. The family walk through the front door of the loft, Sparks looking back towards the loft behind him, glancing at everything. ?This is the point of no return…? The Shepsky lets out another sigh. He holds the bass clef tag in his paw, recalling some of the pleasant memories of the times he spent in the loft.

“Sparks?” Isabelle asks suddenly, Sparks quickly looking her direction as his paw drops to his side. “You coming?”

Sparks looks slowly over toward the loft. “Yeah.” He utters, a tight feeling in his stomach starting to form, letting the door shut behind him. He follows his mother and father closely to the elevators of the building. Why does it seem like the longest walk ever… The dog asks himself as he turns into the gap where the elevators were located, his question remaining unanswered. Isaac presses the down button on the wall, hailing an elevator to arrive to pick the family up. The Shepsky looks back from where they just came while silence fills the room.

“So, Sparks,” Isabelle asks, Sparks’ head moving slowly towards his mother, “Aren’t you excited? We get to go somewhere new, somewhere even me and Isaac haven’t even been to yet! Isn’t it great?”

The dog flashes a grin as he tries his best to keep up his happy appearance. “I guess you could say that.” He answers honestly. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

Isabelle give him a puzzled look as she crouches down next to him. “Are you okay hon? Is something wrong?”

Sparks looks away from Isabelle and closes his eyes. He slowly breathes in and out as he tries to calm his mind. “I’m fine it’s just…” He looks over towards the hallway where the loft is his eyes locked onto the plaque that had contained the loft number. “I’m gonna miss this place. It’s my first actual home, remember? It means a lot to me. Plus with Emerald probably heartbroken that I’m leaving… me being one of her closest friends… I just feel kinda lost. I know nobody at Babylon and I don’t even know where to start. It’s just… sad almost.”

Isabelle hugs the Shepsky tight as his arms slowly wrap around the human. “It’s okay Sparks, it’s normal to feel this way. Trust me.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm. How do you think I felt when Isaac and I left our homes to finally live together? We had to leave our family and friends to start our own lives in the city. At first we were terrified--“

“Well,” Isaac butts in, “She was the scared one.”

Isabelle shoots him a glare as Sparks smiles. She looks back at him, “It’ll be fine sweetie. I’m sure that Emerald doesn’t hate your guts for leaving. In fact, since you both have Skype you really won’t be leaving each other’s sides at all really, right? You two will still be in contact so don’t worry about that, okay?”

“Okay…” He agrees apprehensively, the fear and anxiousness about the move still lingering in his mind.

“You’ll be fine Sparks. It just takes time.” Isaac adds. The dog nods, a high pitched sound emanating from inside the metal doors in front of them. The family enters the elevator and with the quick press of the button, the small space quickly moves down to the ground floor.

Pretty soon they were at the front of the building, various people waving Isaac and Isabelle off as they near the front doors. One by one the Carlson’s move thought the rotisserie door while Sparks keeps his head forward. The desire to look back at the building festers in the dogs mind while the family continues to move down the sidewalk towards their parked silver van, its fender barely sticking out into the street before it. Isaac walks over to Barry, the keys falling into the hands of Sparks’ father. Both Isabelle and the Shepsky stand in back of him.

“Will that be it Isaac?” The valet asks.

“That’s all Bair. Thanks again.”

“No problem.” Barry replies with a smile as the two shake then hug..

Isaac turns to Isabelle and Sparks. “The van should be open for you two, you should hop in.”

“Sure.” She answers. “Come on Sparks. Let’s go.”

Sparks looks to the valet, a forced but somewhat genuine smile plastered on his muzzle. I’m gonna miss him. His wedding was awesome.

Barry notices the Shepsky and waves his hand. “See ya Sparks! I hope that you and your family visit soon.” He gleams.

“See ya Barry.” The dog utters in an almost monotone voice, his smile starting to relax into a straight face. He gets into the van and buckles the seatbelt on his car seat. Isabelle closes the door beside him and gets into the passenger side of the van, the click of her seatbelt filling the air. Sparks looks outside towards Isaac and Barry, still talking with each other. His body relaxes into the car seat as he leans on the arm rest with his elbow, getting into a comfortable position. Sparks' eyes start to close as he takes one final look around him. Good-bye New York. The door of the driver side of the car opens and closes quickly, the car shifting out of park and onto the road starting the Carlson's long trek. The Shepsky's eyes completely close and his mind falls into a relaxing slumber.

--

"I'll play 'Bloodsoaked Champion' and I'll pass the turn." The black and white dog smiles, his opponent moving his cards the right way on the table, drawing a card. Sparks looks carfully at what his opponent does, not wanting to miss a single play. Okay... If I win this I'll be able to go to the Grand Prix. No pressure. The dog looks away for a second to see all of the people around the large space. Looks like Wizards of the Coast has another successful GPQ under their belt. He looks back at the opponent, his board suddenly filled with cards, a now unwinnable battle starting to end.

"Sparks?" A scratchy female voice suddenly calls out from behind making him jump.

The Shepsky looks slowly behind him, but finds frightening sight. What the... where did everyone go? Sparks looks everywhere only to find absolutely no one. Everyone in the large convention center was gone. He looks back towards his opponent only to find that the other half of the room had a similar fate, everyone else suddenly vanished. Sparks stands up in a fright his eyes frantically glancing over everything in sight. What's going on?!

"Sparks?" The voice repeats.

The Shepsky slowly looks all around him frantically checking every little spot. "Who are you? What do you want!!" Something then clicks in the dog’s brain. Wait a minute... why does this voice seem so.. familiar...

"Sparks?"

He looks behind him to find the convention centers doors opened, a figure standing in the doorway. His eyes try to hone in on the dark silhouette standing before him, but are unable to get a good look at it. The only thing that Sparks could make out were the pointed ears and the tail.

"Do you remember me?"

Sparks' mind pauses. What? Remember? I can't even see her! How would I be able to tell? With a firm response the dog finalizes his answer. "No."

The room and the figure then disappear as Isabelle chuckles in front of him, trees and buildings passing the van by. "Well if you don't want food, then I guess the rest stop isn't an option I suppose." She jokes.

The Shepsky rubs his eyes and sits up in his car seat. Was that Isabelle calling my name? He groggily looks at the man and woman in front of him then out towards the outside and discards the sudden thought. He then sees the car divert onto a separate road as a rumble starts in his stomach. I must've been hungrier than I thought. I guess a little food wouldn't hurt.

"So," Isabelle starts, "How was your nap? You've been out for three hours you know."

Sparks begins to talk, but gets stuck at his dream not knowing how to explain it. "It was... okay. I had the weirdest dream and I have no idea what to think of it."

"Well do you know what it was about?" Isaac questions.

"Not really." The dog answers honestly.

The family sits in silence, Sparks' sights suddenly blocked as the car parks into the parking space. "Well I hope you figure it out soon sweetie." Isabelle smiles, unfastening her seat belt. "Come on, let's get something to eat."

"Sure." Sparks responds, the family piling out of the vehicle.

Maybe I'll understand it soon enough... who was I supposed to remember? The dog asks himself, all three moving inside the building.

After a fast meal and a bit of time to stretch their legs, the Carlsons start to walk back to their van. While walking, Sparks spots a gift store next to them. "Oooh! Mom, can I go into the store?" He asks excitedly.

Both Isabelle and Isaac stop in front of him and smile. "Sure. Meet us in the van when you’re done. Ok?"

"Sure! I'll be right back." The Shepsky runs towards the shoppe, his speed slowing down as he enters the store. His eyes look around to see the different snacks, shirts, and accessories that stocked the store. The only people that were in the store were the cashier and a family of four, laughing and giggling as they enjoyed their time. Sparks walks to the accessories that the store had and was overwhelmed with the different choices. Key chains... rings... necklaces... wow they've got so much here! He then spots a turntable with different bracelets dangling from the arms of the rotisserie display. He moves it around slowly, looking at all of the different options available. "Ooh... theses look cool." He says to himself, picking out two bracelets, one a black leather with a stone engraved with a peace sign tied with blue and black rope and the other a thin leather with a similar small rope wrapped around the middle.

I think I'll get these. Sparks sets both of the accessories on the bottom of the turning display, and reaches into the inside of his collar. He pulls out a small wallet and looks inside. Sparks looks up at the prices on the tags. He smiles, "I've got enough! Plus some!" The Shepsky walks over to the counter finding an old woman standing behind it smiling at him.

"Did you find everything that you were looking for dear?" She says with a smile.

"Yep! Two bracelets." He grins, placing both objects on the counter.

The woman takes the bracelets and scans both of them and takes a look herself. "Fine choices for you. They even match your eyes."

Sparks' cheeks start to burn, a chuckle escaping him. "Thanks!"

"That'll be Five dollars, dear." Sparks in a quick motion hands her a five dollar bill from his wallet sticking it back into his collar. The cash register opens and the transaction completes, the register closing shut. "Have a great day." She smiles.

"Thanks! You too."

Sparks waves and quickly exits the building and back into the Carlson van. He fastens himself into his car seat and closes the door, a smile now sticking to his face. The dog looks down at his wrist and admires his new purchase, both bracelets now worn prominently on top of his fur.

"So did you find anything you like Sparks?" Isabelle asks as the car stats to move forward.

"Mhmm! I got a couple bracelets!"

"Oooh! Let me see!" She says with excitement, looking back at him. She looks down at his wrist spotting the two accessories. "I like them a lot hon! Nice picks." She grins.

"Thanks mom." Sparks giggles.

The Carlsons move back onto the highway, getting closer to their destination. "Only a couple more hours to go now. We're making excellent time." Isaac announces to Isabell and Sparks.

The black and white Shepsky continues to look outside, watching the sights pass by one by one as the van drives quickly toward the Gardens. Maybe it won't be that bad after all.. He thinks to himself, his eyes slowly fluttering once more. Sparks lets out a yawn. "It's going to be a loooong drive."

--

"Hey Sparks?" Isabelle calls out from the front seat. Sparks' eyes open to see his environment changed, the trees less dense and the highway gone, in its place a street. "We're almost there sweetie." The family sits in silence as the Shepsky's anxiety grows. "Hey look, there's a sign right here... 'Babylon Gardens' Yep. We're here!"

Sparks looks towards the sign out of his window and beyond to see the plethora of houses in the neighborhood. As the Carlson’s drive through the streets, Isaac and Isabelle begin to hold their own conversation as the dog continues to observe and watch the environment around them. His eyes then spot a couple of canines strolling about on the sidewalk. Something however catches his eye as he continued to look at the pets before him. Wait... no leashes? The van drives off down another stretch of road, the pets now out of view. Suddenly, the car slows down and pulls into a driveway, parking at the front of a garage.

Isaac turns his head to Sparks. "We're here!" He cheers.

Almost simultaneously, both Isabelle and Isaac exit the van and heads towards the back. They open the trunk and starts to unload the vehicle. Sparks unfastens his seatbelt and opens the door to see the sun blinding him. He steps out and stretches, his eyes shutting to avoid the sun's rays. My legs are killing me... The Shepsky walks towards the already open trunk and grabs his belongings, then moves towards the front door.

Suddenly, Isabelle stops at the front door preventing Sparks from entering. "Sorry hon, There's some stuff that we need to talk about with the old owners, so we'll take care of the unpacking for now. You go out and have some fun, ok?"

Isabelle takes the box from Sparks and waves goodbye leaving Sparks on the front porch of the house. The dog lets out a sigh and looks behind him. "But... I don't know anyone here..." He whispers to himself. Sparks walks slowly away from the house towards the street and onto the sidewalk, his arms crossed as his eyes are cast downward. "Why did they need to talk with the last owners? Did something happen?" More and more questions fill the Shepsky's brain as he continues down the street. He looks upward for a second, noticing another dog of in the distance. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Sparks uncrosses his arms and trains his eyes to something off in the distance.

His body tenses up as they both cross paths, the grey hound waving at him. Sparks waves back with a smile continuing to try and seem like he was happy. Sparks looks ahead of him and lets out a silent sigh. That was close... His eyes look behind him to see the dog suddenly stop. As soon as he starts to see the grey Husky turn, Sparks' body faces the direction he was before.

"Hey! Wait up!" A voice says behind him. Sparks' body stops and turns around again, seeing the dog walking towards him. "I haven't seen you around here before. Did you just move in?" The first thing that Sparks notices is the shear height comparison to him and the husky. The dog wore a yellow bandana and a brown collar around his neck and his fur was a light grey. The Shepsky says nothing and nods his head to answer his question. The grey hound smiles. "Well I'm glad that we've got another dog among us at the Gardens." The husky extends his paw. "I'm Fox. What's your name?"

Sparks clears his throat. "I'm Sparks..." he says quietly.

“Huh? I didn’t catch that, could you say it again? Don’t worry, I don’t bite.”

The Shepsky clears his throat. “Sparks.” He repeats.

“Nice to meet you Sparks! Since you’re the new guy, I’ll let you sniff first.” Fox insisted as he stuck his hind quarters near Sparks.

"Um... s-sure..." Out of respect, Sparks sniffs Fox and lets him do the same.

They both walk side by side down the sidewalk, a car passing by them as the black and white dog stares off forward. "So Sparks," the Husky starts, "How do you like the Gardens so far? Does it look ok to you?"

"Yeah... I like it so far." He says quietly.

Fox stares at him for a second, the Shepsky looking away nervously. Why is he looking at me like that...

"Hold on..." Fox says, his hand going into his collar. "How about a game of catch?" He pulls out a foldable Frisbee, the cloth like toy unfolding with a *fump*. "We could go to the park, so we wouldn't be far from where you live now. It’s only a block away!"

Sparks looks at him and thinks about it. "I... I don't know..."

"Aw come on! I know that you'd enjoy it! Just trust me on this one."

The Shepsky looks at him then quickly adverts his eyes. He seems friendly enough... I guess some fun couldn't hurt. His eyes make contact with the grey Husky's and finalizes his answer. "Sure."

"Great! Come on, first one there's a rotten egg!" Fox says, bolting down the street.

The Shepsky's eyes grow wide, startled, but eventually smiles as he runs after him towards the park.

--

The two collapse under a tall tree, both of the dogs breathing heavily with their tongues dangling from their mouths. A soft wind blows through the park, rustling the leaves on the trees above and around them. Sparks lets out a peaceful sigh, but comes out as a grunt with his heavy panting. "I... really need to exercise more often."

The Husky next to him lets out a few short chuckles as he moves towards the trunk of the tree, his back leaning against it. The other dog remains still, his body still against the cool grass. "See Sparks, I told you you'd love it." Fox snickers.

"Well you were definitely right on that."

Sparks stares up towards the trees, focusing in on the leaves and the sky before him. "So Sparks," Fox starts, the black and white dog's eyes now trained on the Husky, "Now that you've gotten acquainted with a little bit of the area, why don't I take you somewhere else? Maybe tomorrow?"

Somewhere else? "Where would you take me to?"

"Just a clubhouse for the other dogs in the neighborhood. It's really fun and cool, so I thought you might like it."

A shudder runs through the dog’s body thinking about the amount of dogs that would be there. Others... "I... I don't know Fox..."

The dog lets out a sigh. "Ok, level with me bud. Do you go out often? You know, like to places with a lot of other people?" The Shepsky shakes his head. "Do... you not like to be in huge crowds of people?" Sparks' cheeks start to burn, nodding his head slowly. The two sit in silence, the black and white dog's heart starting to race. The silence stops as Fox continues, "So... how about this: what if I just take you inside just for a little bit? That way you don't have to feel like you have to stay forever and that you have someone to hang out with for the time that you and I are there. I'll even introduce some of my friends to you too! I bet they'd like to see a new face at the club. Does that sound alright for you Sparks?"

The Shepsky looks away and His eyes close. I don't want to make him disappointed... I don't wanna upset him either... "Okay... I'll go..." He utters insecurely.

"Awesome," He gleams, "Thanks Sparks, I promise that I'll look after you at the clubhouse. Don't worry."

"No problem..."

The cheerful look on Fox's face suddenly turns neutral and looks at him and lets out a light breath. He looks in another direction. "Um..." He say's, his eyes growing wide, "Let's head home. I'm sure your mom and dad are wondering where you are right now, right?"

A look of confusion fills Sparks' face as he stares at Fox, his anxiety starting to fade Why does he seem rushed? "Uh... sure... let’s head home."

Both of the dogs stand up and start to head out as another small gust of wind blows through the air. Out of curiosity, the Shepsky looks behind him, seeing two other dogs on the further end of the park, a brown colored as well as a grey colored dog, staring in their direction. The brown colored dog looked as if he was frustrated even at a distance. Who are those guys? Sparks looks up at Fox, his face keen on keeping forward. Fox even seems a little tense too... I can see it... He looks behind once more to see the two dogs starting to head out themselves. Was that who Fox was staring at?

Sparks stays quiet in hopes of not making Fox upset or angry, not knowing how he would react. The two dogs head back down the street and arrive at Sparks' new home as they both step onto the porch. "And... here we are!" Fox smiles, "Home sweet home."

The Shepsky turns towards Fox. "Hey... I just wanted to say thank you for today... I didn't really know anyone here and I was really scared... I just didn't know where to start you know?"

"I get it." The Husky hugs Sparks, the black and white dog smiling and huging his new friend back. "No problem Sparks." The two release from their hug and Sparks starts to step into his house as Fox steps off of the porch. "Oh!" The Husky remembers, Sparks stopping in place. "The clubhouse thing is tomorrow at about five. Just giving you a heads up."

"Cool... I can't wait to go." He grins.

"I'm glad. I'll see you later!" Fox waves.

Sparks waves back, "See ya." He watches as his friend quickly walks back towards the park. Mom did say to meet new pets... I guess this is what she meant... And I guess I do have to do it for her... so maybe this is a sign or something. Looks like she and fate have faith in me or something like that, I guess...

~~

Fox grunts in frustration as he heads back towards the park. "Of all the days that I don't see Bino, he shows up when I'm showing the most insecure pet I've ever seen around the Gardens. The last thing that I want is to see someone like Sparks tormented. He would blame me..." Fox breathes in and out slowly, calming his nerves. "He'll be fine. As long as Bino backs off, he should be fine. I hope..."


TO BE CONTINUED
Last edited by D3ath_0ps on Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:11 am, edited 8 times in total.
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Re: Housepets! Home Story: Sparks - The “Good” Ol’ Dogs Club

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Updates! Woo!

Things Completed:

-Part 2

Things To Do:

-Reconstruct the Story for Part One
-Restart Part One
-Edit, Revise, and Reread Part One
-Repost Part One (Just Replace it or Create a New Post. Prob just Replace.)
-Start and Complete the Story Notes for Part 3
-Start Part 3
-Edit, Revise, and Reread Part 3
-Post Part 3
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Re: Housepets! Home Story: Sparks - The “Good” Ol’ Dogs Club

Post by Saturn381 »

Another great update. It's nice that Fox is there to help Sparks. :)
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Great to hear Saturn! I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying the story so far. Yeah, Fox is great friend. :)
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

EDIT : PART THREE COMPLETE!

Could someone delete this post? There's no option for me... XP
Last edited by D3ath_0ps on Sat Aug 02, 2014 5:09 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Working on some art for the new girl. I'm still having trouble drawing cats! >:I
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by Miles the Wolf »

Wow, Great job. I was wondering, for the Halloween party, if I could make a suggestion. Ok, so during the Halloween party, Bino becomes jealous of Sparky's talent and decides to sabotage the DJ booth. Then Fox finds out what happened and beats the living crap out of Bino. You can handle all of the details. You don't have to use my ideas or anything, I just wanted to give you one more option. :)
I'm thinking of starting a Fan Fiction, should I do it? Send me a PM with some ideas and names of characters!
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Miles the Wolf wrote:Wow, Great job. I was wondering, for the Halloween party, if I could make a suggestion. Ok, so during the Halloween party, Bino becomes jealous of Sparky's talent and decides to sabotage the DJ booth. Then Fox finds out what happened and beats the living crap out of Bino. You can handle all of the details. You don't have to use my ideas or anything, I just wanted to give you one more option. :)
Oooo! I like this idea. I have almost the whole story planned out with a situation with Bino and Sparks at the party, but this is just perfect. I'm definatly going to consider this idea. Thanks for your feedback too! It's always appreciated! :D
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Hello guys and gals! Welcome to the third installment of the Sparks' Beginning!

I just want to say thanks for taking the time and reading my little fanfic that I conjured up. I really appreciate it! :D

Now, the fic. Enjoy!

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


-Housepets! Home Stories: Sparks' Beginning-
=Chapter 3 - Clubs, Hopes, and Dreams=


The Shepsky walks down the street quickly, the new sights passing him by as his body shudders. Why am I shaking so much... The sound of a *snap* resonates from below, Sparks' eyes quickly staring down to see Fox's foot lift up revealing a stick.

Fox pats him softly on the arm, pointing to a house next to them. "Right over there is my house. After a couple more houses we'll be right at the club house." The grey Husky puts a paw on Sparks' shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll be ok. Maybe after we could play a little bit of catch afterwards" The dog flashes a smile at him. Although his insecurity spikes, his mind starts to ease.

The two reach a wooden structure, commotion from the interior escaping outside. That sounds like a lot of pets... With a sudden stop at the front of the door he faces Fox.

"Ready?" He asks.

Sparks nods his head and the door opens to reveal a crowd of dogs before him. The dog’s eyes grow wide as he walks into the space, noticing a couple of canines looking at the two of them. What should I do? Fox grabs his shoulder and smiles, walking in front of him. Following suit, the Shepsky follows his friend.

They both pass through the crowd and make it to the back wall where several small groups utilize the corner space. The Husky turns towards him, the black and white canine almost running into him. "So Sparks," he starts, "What do you think? You like the club so far?"

Looking behind him, the young dog scans the crowd again his anxiety once again growing as the fur stands on his neck. "It's... okay..." he utters quietly. He hears his friend release a sigh, Sparks' face now a shade grimmer. I'm probably making this a huge deal... I don't think he's having a great time either... His head turns back towards Fox, his paw on his muzzle.

With a snap, he grins at the Shepsky. "Tell you what, let me introduce you to a friend of mine. He's really cool."

"Sure."

They both head towards the side wall to the stage, navigating through the excess parts of the crowd who most finally sat down in the center of the room. The grey dog finally stops before a group of nearly double his height. "Fido," Fox calls out, a brown colored dog turning towards him and Sparks. "I'd like you to meet Sparks, he's the new dog on Penn Street."

Fido looks at the Shepsky. "So you’re the new pet that moved in? Well, in that case," the Mutt gleams, extending his paw to the young dog. "I'm Fido. It's nice to meet you Sparks. I'm the founder of the 'Good Ol' Dogs Club', or GODC for short. I'm always glad to see another dog get in the club."

"N-nice to meet you too." A shy response chatters out of the Shepsky. Wow he looks buff...

"Fido's also a part of the K-9 unit when he's not running things here in the club."

"That's right! I'm here to help out the community any way I can." Fido gazes at the crowd. "Looks like it's about time for me to get up there." His eyes shoot over to Sparks, a grin shown prominently on his muzzle. "I'll see you around Sparks."

The Mutt hastily walks towards the stage and up towards the podium. With a sudden turn, Fox looks over near the door. His eyes and face show a hint of fear as his eyes hone in on something. What is he looking at? The Shepsky attempts to look over in the direction his friend to see exactly what he is looking at, but is quickly stopped by Fox as he turns towards him.

"Hey Sparks," he questions, "Are you hungry?"

"A bit."

"Why don't you get some treats from the snack table?" A paw points him into the direction of the food, a table shown in front of the two. "I have to go for a second, but I'll be right back. I'll meet you at the table."

Before Sparks could say anything further, the grey Husky leaves in a hurry. The dog lets out a sigh as his body shivers. I guess I'll get some food. He moves towards the snacks, weaving through the groups of dogs before reaching the bowls of different treats.

"Good Evening Everyone!" A booming voice announces from behind, causing Sparks to turn to tune in on the speaker. "I'm glad that you all could make it to the meeting tonight. We've got some things to cover so, without further ado, let’s begin!"

Sparks turns around to the table, his mind tuning out from the crowd focusing on the snacks. I guess one wouldn't hurt... In a quick motion, the Shepsky's paw reaches in for a treat, but a purple colored paw beats him to it, his arm retracting back to his side. He glances over to see the treat move toward a purple furred pet, the sound of a snap emanating from her muzzle. Wait... is that a cat? He stares at her confused, wondering if her presence was known amongst the other dogs in the room.

The cat lets out a sigh. "Look, if you're gonna say something say it, don't just stare at me." Her annoyed expression shooting down Sparks' confidence.

His eyes grow wide and then look away, his body tensing up. "S-sorry... I didn't mean to stare... I've just never seen a cat eat a dog treat before..."

"Well I like them, sue me." The cat stares back at the Shepsky, his eyes still adverted from the pet before him.

Well, I’ve already made her mad… might as well just introduce myself. "Sorry... I got on the wrong foot here. I'm Sparks.

She looks at him closely, the dog looking back at her confused. "You... you're new around here, aren't you?" The purple tabby asks. Sparks nods his head. "That explains it. My bad, didn't realize it straight away." Her paw extends towards him. "I'm Grape. Nice to meet you Sparks."

The dog looks over towards the stage, watching as Fido walks around on stage energizing the crowd. I wonder if she'd mind if I asked her why she's here... "So Grape, why are you here? Are you a member of the club or something?" Sparks facepaws, That was a stupid question...

The feline giggles. "If I were a member of the GODC, dogs would riot in the streets. Well, mainly Bino... but still. I'm just here with my 'brother' Peanut. He's an actual a dog compared to me. I'm just here for the free food."

She takes another treat and noms down, Sparks following suit. I guess that makes sense.

"Hey listen, I don't know if you know this, but talking to a cat around here is kinda... taboo, per se. Aren't you afraid?"

Sparks hesitates and shakes his head. "Not really, I used to talk to cats all the time at my old place so why wouldn't I? It seems a bit rude really shutting someone out only because they aren't the same species."

Grape stands before Sparks, baffled at his response. "Wow... I'm... just wow. I didn't think a single dog in here could be that kind, as well as smart. How old are you?"

"About 3 and a half."

"Wow. Smart, and young. We need more of you around here. Er... the smarts I mean,"

The Shepsky smiles. "Thanks."

"Hey, listen, I gotta go, wouldn't want anyone to suspect that you're a cat-lover or anything like that, right? Nice meeting you, Sparks."

"Same, Grape."

The cat walks off towards the other side of the room and disappears into the crowd of people. Sparks lets out a sigh. That went better than I thought it would. His eyes look towards the stage and away from the table. It seems that being called a cat-lover is not something to be proud of around here. I guess I should be more careful.

"Alright," Fido announces, the Shepsky tuning back in, "Onto other business; mainly the Halloween party. So the party is almost a month away and we’re looking for dogs that may have any Halloween related music that they could play at the party. If you do have some music that could be played, please speak with me at the end of the meeting.”

Sparks' eyes grow wide. "I wonder..." he thinks aloud. "Maybe I could DJ at the party... that could be fun. Plus mom would be happier that I'm getting to know more pets around here... let's give it a shot. I'll talk to him after the meeting."

As the meeting comes to an end, a majority of the dogs leave and some stay behind. Sparks tries to make his way over to Fido, who got off at the front of the stage. He pushes through the crowd, occasionally accidently bumping into people before finding Fido right in front of him. He makes his way over to him, waiting for conversations to end before he interjects his voice. Finally, as people leave, Fido then turns Sparks’ way; although, he could feel that someone besides Fido was watching him.

“Hey Sparks, what’s up?”

“Hi Fido!” Sparks began. “I was wondering, are you looking for people to help with music at the Halloween party?

The Mutt smiles. “We could use a few more paws on the party, sure! Do you have anything to play at the party?”

“Sort of. I was actually wondering if I could manage the music at the party. I could use other’s music and add some of my own in to liven up the party. I even have everything to make this happen too. What do you think?” Fido puts his paw up to his chin, the eagerness growing for a response rose. He definitely looks interested.
The brown colored dog smiles. “Sure why not! But before anything’s official, I need to see what you’ll do first. You mind if I just get a preview?”

The Shepsky breathes a sigh of relief. “N-not at all! If you come to my house, I can show you what I could do at the party.”

“Great! Can’t wait to see.” Fido looks somewhere of in the distance behind Sparks. “I have to run. I’ll see you tomorrow Sparks!”

“See ya!”

Awesome! Sparks thought, now I just have to get a quick little preview made for Fido then I’ll be all--

A tap on his shoulder cuts the dog’s thought off a bit short as his body tenses up, the unexpected touch causing him to jump. He turns around to see a small group of three standing behind him. “So I hear that you wanna run the music at the party?” The brown colored dog asked.
"Yep," Sparks responds hesitantly, showing an abundance of excitement. He looks more like the serious type, better play it honest. "I feel that I could introduce myself to the neighborhood if I get the chance. Plus I get to show what I can do!"

"That’s nice." Bino starts to circle around him slowly, his arms clasped behind his back. The only thing the Shepsky could think of was a shark circling around him. "I think I should introduce myself." He announces, stopping in front of Sparks. "The names Bino, the co-founder of the club. Say, what's your name again? I think I may have heard it among the conversation."

The black and white dog could start to feel his heart racing as a few heads turn his and Bino's direction. Why do I have a bad feeling about this.. "My name's Sparks. It's nice to meet you Bino." He utters with a smile.

"Sparks? He asks. "Hmm... don't you mean Sparkles? As in a cat's name?" The Shepsky watches as he sees the brown dog's posse snickers, a few of the dogs among the crowd joining in. "This cat-lover probably can't even sing let alone DJ! I mean he could sound like this:" Bino tries to 'imitate' Sparks by blurting out brash notes into the space, the crowds laughter growing as his eyes look at the canines before him. His legs start to shake as Bino continues to mock him. The eyes of the black and white dog start to tear up from the torment. "Aww, what’s the matter Sparkles? Can't take the heat?" Bino forcefully grabs Sparks by the collar, chuckling evilly in his face. "Then get out of the kitchen."

"Hey Bino!" A familiar voice calls out, separating the two. Suddenly, a grey paw swipes at the mutts muzzle knocking him to the side.

"Fox?"

"Come on Sparks, I think it's about time we get you home."

With a gentle grab of his arm, both Fox and Sparks head out towards the exit, the sound of his friend's name being shouted out echoing through the clubhouse and the exterior. Fox lets go of the Shepsky's arm and lets out a sigh. Sparks looks up at Fox's face, only finding a frustrated expression. He must be really upset... He looks forwards, both he and his friend now walking slowly back to the Carlson house. Why would Bino do that? I didn't even do anything wrong and he just... went off. What did I even do? The black paw of the young dog wipes away the tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Sparks... I didn't know that Bino would even do that to you. I told you that nothing would happen, looks like I failed... I'm sorry."

"It's ok Fox." He sniffles, "You didn't know. You couldn't have known that he would have done that. No one could have. But," He pauses, stepping in front of Fox, "is it true that he's the co-founder of the club?"

"Yes. He is. That's why I needed to get you out of there as soon as I could. If anyone else overheard that little conversation--especially the heads of the club-- I fear that they could remove you and not let you return. I wouldn't want that to be your first few times at the club. That would be so upsetting."

"I get it Fox." Sparks hugs the Husky, his friend hugging him back. "Thanks for looking out for me tonight."

"No problem Sparks. I've got your back."

"I think I can head back from here. It's only a few houses away."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Fox lets out a sigh. "Alright, if you say so bud. Hey," He starts to ask, "how about we play some catch Sunday? I don't have anything going on then, plus I feel like you could use the company."

Sparks smiles, "Sure. I would like that a lot Fox, thanks."

"No problem." His friend replies. "I'll catch you later!"

"See you." He replies, both waving goodbye. Sparks turns down the street towards his house. Maybe tomorrow won't be so bad. Now that I think about it I gotta prep for the audition before I go to bed tomorrow. The Shepsky walks down the sidewalk towards his home.

~~

Fox lets out another sigh, his paw rubbing the other as the pain from the soft punch still stinging. "Wow that hurt. I didn't think that he would go that far, even with a new dog, but today he crossed the line. That was unacceptable." The Husky looks upward at the dark blue sky. "Why am I his friend anyway? All he does is bully other dogs every day." He looks in front of him, spotting a group of three move out of the clubhouse. "Bino." Fox scurries towards his house, wasting no time to quickly enter and shut the door in front of him. "I'll try and talk to him tomorrow. I need him to cool down first before either one of us do something drastic again."

The grey dog removes his collar and bandanna, releasing a yawn. "I guess it’s time for bed. So tired." Fox moves down the hall and into his room, the dog bed against the wall calling his name.

--

A sliding glass door opens while a human steps out onto the darkly lit back porch holding a pup, scared and frightened, in hand. The pup made no noise, not a sound as he’s carried towards the porch's stairs. He weakly throws the defenseless five month old pup into the grassy space.

“NOW THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE DONE, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!” The human yells, the pup weakly attempting to get up from his position on the ground.

The glass door then slams shut and a *click* was heard after. As he gets up, he feels a sharp sense of pain in his hip, holding it with one of his paws as he winces. He staggers to his feet and then feels a stinging sensation coming from above his eye. The Shepsky investigates by softly touching the area with his paw, but when he brings it back down to his face, he saw that he has some of the blood on the fur of his paw.

Yep. I got cut... He gloomily thinks to himself. Let’s just get to my favorite spot... maybe I'll have good dreams... Trying to get to the corner of the fence to sleep, he notices a hole in the chain link. He stops and looks at the fence. Suddenly, thoughts of escape flood to his mind. I could get away. I could go and no one would care.

Contemplating his daring plan of action, the pup looks back at the house. But what about mom? He questions himself. He knows that his biological mom was in that house still, probably being punished for his behavior as well. He takes a moment to collect his thoughts. Then came to a conclusion, It’s what she would want. She would want me to get out of this nightmare. He takes a moment to breathe and finally says out loud with his head hanging low, “I’m sorry mom. I can't take it anymore...”

He slips though the fence and makes his way to the other side. He looks back once more at the place he called “home” and turns away, heading for the forest next to the fence.

Slowly walking deeper into the forest, the young dog steps further and further away from “home” while his paw covers his right hip. He couldn’t help but smile at his situation. Sure I'm hurt, but at least I'm out of there. It feels… great. No more hurt... no more sadness... Suddenly, a figure appears in front of the now startled pup.

“GAH!” He screams as he collapses near a tree. The pup analyzes his foe. It was a black, white, and orange calico, looking no older than him, staring him down with its claws drawn. Suddenly, the pup then senses his life flashing before his eyes as the feline creeps closer to him. Shaking, he then puts his head in his arms. “Mom,” he whispers, “I’m sorry.”

As he waits for the moment of his demise, he then feels something soft touch him on his arm. Confused, the young dog pulls his head up as is greeted by a paw on his arm and calming young female voice. “Hey? You lost little dog?”

The pup was stunned. “Er... No! I was... just... walking.” He replies with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

“Sure," the Calico giggles. "Let’s get you up.” The cat helps pull the pup up from his position as he winces in pain clutching his hip once more. “Are you ok? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” He responds.

He then looks at the calico as she begins to speak again, “If you say so... I guess... Hey, I haven’t seen you around here before… So you must be new. I’m Tera! What’s your name little doggie?” She replies with her hand extended toward him.

He thinks about his situation for a split-second. Should I trust her? After a moment of thought, he responds with nervousness shaking her hand with his free paw, “Maxwell…”

“Hiya Max!” Tera pauses, looking at his green collar, “So, what are you doin’ out here in the first place?”

“I was… just walking through…” He lies.

“Oh come on. I can see your collar. How’d you get hurt? Do you have an owner?”

Max’s eye twitches. Family? He looks back at the house, still visible in the moonlight. Why would they even hit me like that? IN THE FACE?! AND THROW ME LIKE I’M NOTHING?!

He looks away, fuming as he tries to control his breathing. Tera looks in the same direction spotting the house. “Are you…” she began, as she questions his actions, “Are you running away?” The pup nods his head. "What happened that made you want to run away?" Max looks down as his ears drop. "Did they..." she begins with a hint of surprise, "Did they hit you?" He keeps his head down as he slowly nods his head once more. “Are they the reason for this?!” She points at the cut on his white patch of fur above his eye. “And this?!” Tear then pointing to the paw covering his hip. He nods again, with his eyes starting to get watery as he slides back down, sitting against the tree. "How could they do that?" She whispers, calming herself back down.

The cat looks at him, baffled while Max starts to cry in his arms. She then comes down beside him, comforting the hurt, defenseless pup. She puts her paws around the now quietly sobbing Maxwell and begins to comfort him, gently petting his head fur.

“Sh…, sh... It’s ok.” She calmly says as she holds him tighter

He puts his head back against the tree, tears flowing onto his black and white fur. “Why do they hate me so much? Do they even love me?” He asks while his whole body begins to shake.

The Shepsky continues to sob, the feline continuing to comfort him. Why is she helping me? Out of all the pets she could fund, she finds me? His brain ponders as his sobs begin to dissipate. Then again, she is kind of like mom. She’s kind, and her fur is so soft.

He then starts to feel himself drift in and out of sleep as his head nestles into the cat's fur. Tera’s voice calmly whispers, “I’ll stay with you tonight. Then if you want to return to your home, I can help take you back. Deal?”

“Deal…” he says as he finally drifts off.

--

Sparks wakes up as his body jerks upward. Tera… how could I forget... He thinks as stretches on his bed and begins to rub his eyes. Sparks looks over to his right towards his alarm clock that read 3:21 AM. He hops off groggily, heads out of his room, and move towards the kitchen for a late night snack.

He opens the cupboard near the refrigerator and begins to scan his options. After looking at the whole contents of the whole cabinet, his eyes gravitate toward the kibble at the bottom of the stash of food before him. He then grabs the bag with his bowl from the counter and heads toward the dining room table. Sparks pours some of the dry food into his bowl, causing a loud metal *cling* for every piece hitting the bowl. Once the metal bowl is filled halfway, he puts the bag back into the cupboard and goes back over to the bowl sitting at one of the seats on the table in front of him. He takes his seat and begins snacking.

Why did I dream of Tera… He contemplates as he munches on his food. That was sooo long ago. One of the greatest moments of my life though. My first…

His thought was cut off as the lights turns on, blinding Sparks as the person enters into the room. It was Isaac, peering into the kitchen, curious of something. “Oh, hey Sparks.” Isaac greets.

Sparks waved back as he chews the kibble in his mouth.

“Can’t sleep?” Sparks nods. “Dream?” He asks as the dog nods again. “Was it a good one?”

The Shepsky gulps down his food, ready to reply. “Yeah... it was dream about someone that I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Isaac looks at Sparks with confusion as Sparks finishes his food. “Who was it?”

“A girl. Her name is Tera.” He answers with a smile on his face as he walks over to the counter placing the bowl there.

Isaac smirks, then sighs. “A girl, eh? Must have been a good dream then. Well, I just wanted to know what the noise was. I’m going back to bed, and you should probably do the same. Don’t you have that thing with… what’s his name… Fido, tomorrow?

Sparks nods. “I might DJ at the Halloween party. It’s going to be so much fun!”

“Great! If you need any help, just get me and I’ll be right there. You’ll have the best costume there, no doubt. Good night Sparks.” Says Isaac, leaving the room with a simple wave goodbye.

“Good night Dad.” Sparks responds.

Sparks sighs and stares off into space. Why would she appear in my dreams… could she be the silhouette from the ride here? He keeps repeating to himself. After a minute, he shakes himself out of his trance and moves towards the stairs. The Shepsky turns out the lights in the kitchen. Maybe all I need is some more rest. I can think about this in the morning. He reaches his room with a satisfied tummy and goes back to his bed to continue sleeping.

--

After being sent outside near midnight, Max goes through the hole in the fence once again, hoping to find his new friend waiting in the woods. He quickly walks towards the meeting spot, dodging all of the loose braches on the ground, just waiting for paws to catch. He makes his way towards the tree and looks around, searching all of the braches as well as the other trees around him. “Tera?” He calls out. Waiting for a response, he looks around once more. After about thirty seconds, he calls out again. “Tera?”

He again waits for a response. Where is she?

Suddenly, he hears a chilling whisper in his ear. “BOO!”

“GAH!” Maxwell jumps. “We really need a bell for you! This is the fifth time!”

“Aw, you’re no fun Maxie!” She sticks her tongue out as she drops down from the branch above. "So," She begins, "How have your owners been since they... you know..."

"They've just been the same. They act like nothing happened and that I'm invisible."

"That must be awful..."

"Yeah..." His head drops and frowns. The silence was almost unbearable. Max's mind enters the outer realms of space and back again, now hoping that either one of them breaks the silence. Say something... anything. Please.

Just as he was thinking this, Tera's eyes go wide and her head turns toward the dog. “Hey, I just remembered, I wanna show you something. Follow me!”

The confused dog asks no questions, but follows the feline anyway. Max looks at Tera walking at his pace on the ground, making sure every so often that he was right behind her. They walk past tree after tree through the woods, passing by a couple of feral animals along the way. After a couple minutes of walking, a large field could be seen through the trees. “We’re almost there.” She says.

Max follow’s her through the trees as they reach the field. “This is awesome!” the pup happily said. He was in awe at how vast the field was. Tera then takes Max’s hand as he looks down at his paw, blushing and smiling.

“Come on!” She impatiently commands.

They then travel to the center of the colossal field. Max, however, was still wondering what more that Tera could show him. Suddenly, she stops and says to the dog, “Ok we’re here.” She then holds his arm as she starts to get giddy with excitement. “Look up.”

They both look up to see an array of shooting stars filling the night sky, hundreds of bright lights dotting the darkness. Max was in awe at the sight. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped at the magical spectacle before him. The cat and dog then take a quick moment to lay down on the grass of the field to take in the view of whole sky above them. After a moment of ‘wows’ and sighs, Tera breaks the silence between them. “Isn’t it pretty?”

“Yeah.” He responds.

“Max?”

“Yeah Tera?”

She then gets closer to him, cuddling and holding his body. “Do you like me?”

The dogs face turns a bright red and responds, “I do. A lot actually.”

“Good. Can you make a promise?”

“Sure.”

“No matter where we go or end up, can this never change?”

Max gets confused at the question. Where would I end up? “S-sure. If you don’t mind me asking, why the sad question? Isn’t this supposed to be a happy moment?”

“Well… yes, but what I mean is…” she pauses and sighs, “I’ve seen this happen before, remember? You know that my old owners left me to fend for myself. They were so mean and couldn’t stand to have me. Your situation with your owners; I’m scared that you’ll go away, never to be seen again.” She pauses again, starting to cry, “I just… don’t want to lose this moment. I couldn’t even imagine nights without you.”

“Hey, it’s ok, I’m still here.” He says calmly as he rests his head against hers, now buried in Max’s chest, “No matter what, nothing will happen to us.”

Tera brings her head up. “Promise?”

“Promise.” He assures the saddened calico.

They both look deeply into each other’s eyes, almost in a trance. They were both feeling the same. As the world started to fade from their minds, their heads start to gravitate towards each other. Nothing but the thoughts of the two of them crossed their minds. This was their moment. They bring their heads closer and closer to each other. Just as they are about to connect, the dream quickly fades.

--

Sparks once again jolts out of his sleep and begins to think about the dream. He looks around his room, remembering that moment with the calico, looking at the night sky together. The thoughts of Tera alone bring Sparks to tears as he begins to cry uncontrollably, pulling up his knees to his chest. I’m sorry Tera. He thinks to himself, beginning to sob. I guess I wasn’t able to keep our promise...

Suddenly, his alarm sounds as the clock strikes eight o’clock in the morning and Sparks jumps. In his depression, he suddenly becomes hostile, reaching for the alarm clock. He then throws the device across his room, hitting the floor and breaking off one of the speakers

It took Sparks about ten minutes for his crying to dissipate into just muffled puffs of air. He begins to calm down as he wipes the tears away from his face and starts to try and control his breathing. Alright. He sighs. Let’s get breakfast. Maybe that’ll take my mind off of things. He sniffs the air, getting a little hint of what was on the menu today. Mom sure does know how to cook a mean egg.

He grabs his collar from the end table and heads toward the kitchen. As he enters, Isabelle is by the stove while Isaac sits at the table with his laptop, sipping a fresh cup of coffee. “Good morning sweetie!” Isabelle greeted.

“Good morning.” Said the groggy, gloomy Sparks, heading for the coffee maker.

“So, Sparks,” Isaac asks, “You sleep well?”

“I guess.”

Sparks fills his coffee mug with water and pours it into the back of the machine. Gonna need something strong today. He selects the miniature pack of coffee grounds and puts it into the single cup brewer.

His father then spoke up as Sparks starts the brewing process. “Going for the coffee first, Eh? That’s not a good sign. Did you get enough sleep after your snack?”

Sparks sighs, “No, I got some sleep. It’s just that… I had another dream last night. About Tera.”

“Tera?” asks Isabelle, confused, “Who’s that? Someone in the neighborhood?”

“No. She’s someone from long ago, from when I was with my old ‘owners.’”

“Was she a friend?” Isabelle says while she comes over to the table with the frying pan with eggs inside, placing them on the plate in front of the groggy dog.

“Yeah. A great one…” He blushes slightly.

Spark’s mom and dad exchange a look at each other, giving each other a grin. Then they look back at Sparks.

“She…” he begins shakily, “We used to talk to each other every night, in the woods right behind my old home. We talked about all sorts of stuff, like what it must be like with a real family, our hopes and dreams, you name it. The last night I was with her, she showed me the night sky. There were shooting stars everywhere! It was wonderful and magical…” He pauses suddenly. Just as he starts, to speak again, he clenches his fists. “We then… *sigh* we made a promise that day. A promise that I believe that I failed to keep. Now she’s gone. I just… can’t believe that I forgot.” He looks down gloomily at the eggs on his plate. “I just hope that she hasn’t.”

“I’m sure that she hasn’t sweetie. Now eat up. Wouldn’t want your eggs to get cold, right?”

“Yeah…”

Sparks digs in and starts eating, still thinking about the feline. The thought of leaving her was eating away at him. I miss Tera. *sighs* But, I have stuff to do today. I won't accomplish anything today moping. After breakfast, its game time. Let’s show Fido what I can do!

Sparks quickly ate his breakfast, thanks Isabelle for the meal, and takes his coffee to his little studio to start making his list of songs to play for the audition. He searches the internet for good Halloween songs and decides what he’s going to play from there. Alright… I could start with ‘Thriller, move into the Ghostbusters theme, then to ‘Monster’ by Imagine Dragons, next ‘Tombstones’ by Wolfgun, after, ‘Monster Mash’, then end with the two song album ‘Dark Arts’ by Wolfgun. Seems alright… Let’s put it together.

Sparks downloads all the songs and loads up his DJ program on his computer, beginning the mixing process.

-

About five hours later, Sparks was at his computer with his head laying on his desk, burnt out from the extensive work, not to mention the crash from his coffee. “It’s done.” He whispers. Suddenly, a knock was heard at the front door. “I’LL GET IT!” Sparks screams. He rushes down the stairs to the door and sees a familiar face as he opens it. “Fido!” He greets noticing something move on his head fur, “Come on in!”

“So Sparks,” he starts as he walks into the house, “Are you ready to give me a little taste of what you can do?”

“Yep. Just finished a little bit ago! Follow me.” Sparks leads as the both go up the stairs and into the studio. Fido stops at the sight of the studio.

“Wow. Nice room.”

“Thanks. Wanna take a seat?” Sparks asks pulling up a chair for his guest.

“Sure.”

Unexpectedly, a voice could be heard from behind Sparks as he sets up his speakers and control panel. “*yawn* Hey, where are we? Why are the walls covered in cheese? Who’s this?”

Sparks turns around to find a mouse, sitting on the top of Fido’s head. “Oh, hello! You’re in my miniature recording studio, friend. The walls have foam covering them so it makes the room sound proof. My name is Sparks. What’s yours?” He says with a smile.

“Spo. And don't ask about the name!” The mouse replied.

“Nice to meet you Spo.” Sparks says as they shake hand and finger. “You’re just in time to hear my audition for the Halloween party. Wanna listen?”

“As long as you don't blow out my eardrums, Eh, why not.”

Sparks finishes setting up his speakers and his program and starts to turn toward the two sitting behind him. “That… should… do it. Alright, ready!”

“Go ahead!” Fido says with excitement.

Sparks takes a moment to inhale and exhale, then he begins his mix. The mix starts out as planned, using Thriller for the first song. Using the DJ console in front of him, he adjusts some of the sliders and knobs to adjust volumes of the song and lets it play. He looks at his computer screen in front of him to analyze the track. Near the end of the song, he sets up the transition to the next song. Just with a simple few motions, he was onto the next song, ‘Monster.’ This repeated for all of the songs in his playlist, eventually reaching the end of his little mix with the song, ‘Ghosts.’ Everything went off without a hitch.

Sparks breathes a sigh of relief and turns toward Fido, waiting for a response.

“Sparks,” he begins, “That was amazing!"

"Yeah, you didn't kill my ears, so I guess it was fine." Fido crosses his arms and growls at Spo. "What? I said it was good!"

Fido continues. "You can definitely play the music at the party. You’ll have to set up the equipment though for the stage as well as find a power source, like a generator, to run whatever you need.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Well, I must be off. Gotta go to the station; have to be there by three. Cya later Sparks!”

“Bye Fido! And thanks!” He waves goodbye.

“No problem.”

Sparks dances uncontrollably, excited and feeling better than ever before. After his burst of excitement, he went down the stairs to tell his mom and dad about the great news. “Mom!” he calls out.

Isabelle turns towards the Shepsky. “Yes? What is it?” Isabelle asks.

“I did it! I’m going to DJ at the party!”

“That’s wonderful! Congratulations sweetie!" The two exchange a hug, Sparks' tail wagging back and forth wildly. "Oh," she continues, "I have some news too! Turns out were getting new neighbors soon. I’ve heard that they have a dog and a cat in their family. They should be here in about two days. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“That’s pretty cool!”

First, the DJ spot now new neighbors? This week couldn’t possibly get any better! Sparks walks towards the stairs, going back up to his room. "Hmm..." He wonders, "I wonder who’s moving into the neighborhood…?"

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: This Chapter mainly consists of the old version, with a few edits to coincide with the new Ch 1 and 2. From here on out, the rest of the info remains the same and I have no plans on making those chapters better. I think that these new additions shed a great new light for the rest of the story and I hope you love what you’ve read so far. Onto Chapter 10 and forward. :P
Last edited by D3ath_0ps on Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:13 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

PART FOUR IS NOW OUT ON THE NEXT PAGE!

THE PREVIEW IS NOW GONE! :D
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

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I require MORE
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

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Deske wrote:I require MORE
More you say? Well your in luck! Look above! :D
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by Deske »

That was adorable. I still require more, but my appetite had been sated for now.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Deske wrote:That was adorable. I still require more, but my appetite had been sated for now.
lol, Will do Deske. Glad you enjoyed the DAAWWWness. XP
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Hey guys, gals, and the guests visiting the forums!

Here's a little update regarding the story of Sparks.

Part 4 is being made as you read this message and am happy to report that this part will be over double the size of the biggest part I have on here, which is Part 2 at 15-17000 characters. This new part currently is sitting at 40000+ characters and climbing. I wan't lying when I said that this was going to be a long part. Also, did you read the heading of the Preview? I suggest taking a look at it again to get a little spoiler for the part. :P

This part has been really fun to write and I'm so happy on how much progress I've been making with the story. I just can't wait till I get done with writing and editing to share the continuation of the now MINUSCULE preview I posted. (I'm really excited if you can't tell. XP)

Hopefully you've enjoyed the story so far! I'll see you back here for the last part concerning the origin of Sparks! ^W^/

- D3ath_0ps (Sparks)
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

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I LOVE this story! I'm also writing a fanfic with a character called Angel, a siberian husky who is a hothead when it comes to the "Bino Bullies"I thought of that just now!May I have Sparks mentioned in my fanfic? Angel moved to Babylon Gardens yesterday,as this is written so they're both kinda the "new dogs!"

Keep up the good work!color]
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

FoxRocks wrote:I LOVE this story! I'm also writing a fanfic with a character called Angel, a siberian husky who is a hothead when it comes to the "Bino Bullies"I thought of that just now!May I have Sparks mentioned in my fanfic? Angel moved to Babylon Gardens yesterday,as this is written so they're both kinda the "new dogs!"

Keep up the good work!color]



I wouldn't mind you adding Sparks or even Tera (If you want) in your fic! Although, I do recomend waiting until the release of the final part! Just so it doesn't mess with your story if I add info in after you finish writing your story that completely messes with your plot line. Also, I did start to look at the beginning of your fic as well! I've been really busy with school and writing, I haven't gotten the chance to see it yet completely. When I get the chance, I'll defiantly look at your fic further! Thanks for reading! :D
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

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Thank you, I'm still fixing up my writing skills. The HP! fanfics are my test subjects! :twisted:! I have to write later at night, and deal with school things, so I really have an hour or two every few nights. Angel hasn't gone to the Good ol' Dogs meeting yet, but I think mine takes place earlier, because it's the middle of summer for them currently.

After I figure out how, i'll post fan art of it.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Alright. My story takes place near the end of September to October 30th, The day of the Halloween Party. So there's a decent gap between where your story takes place and mine does, so it works! :D
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

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hmmm...We may have to figure out what happens after that, mine prolly ends in January when *SPOILER SPOILER*. I think about how different Angel and Sparks are. Sparks started out shy, Angel was more outgoing, and HATES BINO's GROUP because *SPOILER*. So far, she's fine with Fox though.

Interesting how both characters saw diferent sides of fox, with Angel seeing him with Bino's group. (I think that counts as the bad side). THAT wouldn't lead to some argument between them at all...Angel also has some involvement in the fanfic 18 minutes which I am also working on, the one Angel is tied to is based on one of my relatives.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by Miles the Wolf »

Well now I've laughed, I've cried, I've been very excited... what's next?
Also, I thought I saw somewhere that this was supposed to be a trilogy. No, okay then. *applause*
I'm thinking of starting a Fan Fiction, should I do it? Send me a PM with some ideas and names of characters!
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D3ath_0ps
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Miles the Wolf wrote:Well now I've laughed, I've cried, I've been very excited... what's next?
Also, I thought I saw somewhere that this was supposed to be a trilogy. No, okay then. *applause*
Just wait and see my friend! Sparks' (origin) story is not done yet!
Na. I decided that there was still more story to tell to the point of the party, so now it's more like a quad..ril...ogy... New words! XP
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by FoxRocks »

YAY!
I did think about having Angel in the music buisness when I was forging her in my mind, she was either going to be a simple singer or guitarist. Now i'm not so sure about it since it might give off the impression of being a bit too similar to this. I don't anyone thinking that I copied you or vice versa. I should prolly just PM you from now on instead of filling up your comments section. ;)

Good luck with the fanfic, I enjoy it very much! :D
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

So. My computer decided to get rid of at least twelve hours of work from my story, no way to get it back. Basically all of the awesome stuff that I have written is now gone. Time to start again I guess. I feel so done, but I guess it gives me the chance to try again. IT WAS SO GOOD THOUGH. :cry:

Sorry if I'm rambling. I'm going to take a small break then restart. I'll see if I can actually get the work back, but it seems unlikely. Wish me luck guys, because today has been the worst day ever. Not only that, it keeps getting worse by the second. :cry:
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by Obbl »

Computers can be so cruel :(
Hang in there! You're doing a great job :D
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by FoxRocks »

Did you say in a different topic that the story would stretch out longer than before, or did I read it incorrectly? Yay or Nay?

Yay! :D
Nay. :(
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

Short Answer:
YAY :D

Long Answer:
I believe that I did say that the story would continue beyond the origin story with little snip-its here and there, but yeah, it will defiantly continue after the origin is complete. The fourth and final part in the origin that concerns the development of our main character Sparks part will predictably (NOT SURE YET ON LENGTH) be stretched out and go more into depth than before because what's tied in currently to whats happening right now. I predict as well that I may in fact go over the 60000 character limit with this next part.

Another thing to note for the story is that I've taken the liberty in creating a todo list for the final part and when I got everything together in one big list, I saw that I'm not even (I probably am) 25% through and I'm already at 30000 characters including the preview and prewritten parts that I had before the data loss, although the other bits can be a bit shorter than I realize (probably). I even have to add some other artistic elements to tie the whole part together as well like singing, drawing, and of course story telling. I wasn't lying when I said that this part will be big. This will FOR SURE end the origin, but not Sparks all together. I gots plans for him and his little cat friend. :P
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Deske
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by Deske »

Good lord man, upload it in parts. Cliffhangers everywhere.
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by FoxRocks »

When will we see the update? :mrgreen:
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by D3ath_0ps »

The update will roll out soon(ish), I have to deal with college stuff first before I can move forward with the story. Once that's done, I'll be working on finishing the part. :D

No ETA on when it will be out though, unfortunately. :(
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Re: Houespets! Home Story: Sparks’ Beginning

Post by killerbee102494 »

i just finished reading and i thought that it was good. Fix the pacing and the grammer and it would be perfect.
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