HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

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

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kavviyenta
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by kavviyenta »

You're getting good at this epic fic. It was only slice-of-life/romance comedy but this time with more supernatural and drama. Keep it up!

I'm confused at the last sentence. Don't you mean she was glad Never wasn't there to hear this otherwise the crow will gossip through the neighborhood?
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Unless you like Lilo & Stitch, kinda wish to see the experiments in housepets style
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Post by valerio »

yup, that's correct.
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angelusbr
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by angelusbr »

The details in your chapters never cease to amaze me. Great Peanut and Grape moment!
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by loomCAT »

Oh thank goodness, it's here again! I was so worried!

Poor Grape always gets so embarassed. XD

Really looking forward to Peanut in the academy. This'll be awesome.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by copper »

Another wonderfully sweet update, Valerio. You never cease to entertain and amaze with your writing.

I think everyone reading that went DAWW at the same time the pack did...
My characters
Everybody has a story to tell. What's yours?
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

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4.
The Indian Settlement, Ackerman Woods

“My name’s gonna be Laika!” So spoke the female Milton wolf cub.
“That’s really a pretty name, child,” Lucretia, her mother, said, while searching the ground in search for arrow points and other native artifacts that were said to be hidden in the area that, despite its name, hadn’t seen native americans’ presence in the last 150 years or so. “But you should pick up ‘Kudrjavka’. That was her real name.” After some resistance, in the end Lucretia had tried reading some books that Miles had suggested to her. And for the first time since then, the she-wolf was truly happy to have more free time to read, instead of spending it in search of the next meal. The story of Laika was the first book she had read. After that, Lucretia had gone to gardening, cooking, housekeeping… She had gone from not knowing what a gas fireplace was to vexing the Milton ferrets for more efficient facilities. Now she was studying feng shui. From time to time, Daryl gave his brother the bad eye for corrupting his sister.
“Yeah,” the newly self-christened wolf answered. “But everyone knows her as ‘Laika’, the heroic Muttnik! She flew all around the Earth and was celebrated in Moscow and Washington! She was the first, real animal hero! Better than Rin Tin Tin or Balto!” then she stuck out her tongue at her brothers. “And Rockstar Hawk and Wildstar are dumb names!”
“Are not!” the male cubs growled.
“Children, we’re supposed to have fun, today,” Miles said, examining a stone…that was a stone. He tossed it beyond his shoulder.
“Ouch! Watch it, big oaf!” said Grape, when the small rock hit her head.
“Sorry,” he said.
Immediately, Peanut run to his girlfriend and placed a big kiss on her head. “Healing kiss for kitty,” he said, wagging happily.
Grape purred with a dreamy expression. “Miles, please, be a dear and toss another.”
One, two, and then three small grey-furred arms raised each a stone. But the wolf cubs were spoiled by a big bear’s paw, which took the stones from their claws. “Aww. Badessa!” They chorused.
“Cubs, aunt Grape was only kidding, you know,” the grizzly chided. “So, Miles? Think you will find the lost treasure, this time?”
Peanut jumped, eyes two pinpoints. “Is there actually a treasure?”
It was Miles who answered, “Oh, they say the natives left it buried somewhere before they had to leave. But of course it’s not a treasure made of gold and the such: do not forget, Peanut, that gold was of no value to the nomadic tribes. But we’re talking about tools and items of great historical importance. A museum would pay well for them. And it would be a shame to let them waste who knows where.”
“And what if there was...a curse over them?” Grape shuddered. She remembered too well her experiences with the old place of uncle Martin. You don’t want to mess with ghosts…
“Ah, nothing like that,” the wolf waved his paw in dismissal. “The tribe left because of a flash flood; that was a very bad year, weather-wise. No deaths or curses or the such.”
“How do you know all these things?” Peanut asked.
“He read our cubs A History of the Unknown Tribes by Adam Statford every night,” Lucretia said. “My poor cubs went from the tales of the mighty hunting packs to the foraging habits of humans.”
Miles blushed and placed a paw behind his head. “Aw, Lu: I only want them to learn something more about the world.”
Lucretia waved a finger at his nose. “First, do not call me ‘Lu’ again. Second, I forgive you only because we get to live in a cozy den.”
“And then, we liked all those stories!” the newly self-christened Laika barked.
“Heh,” Grape said. “In winter, Peanut uses to read me some of his books, in front of a nice crackling fire. He really puts his soul into those stories. Better than watching TV.”
The dog squirmed and giggled behind her. Compliments had these effect on him.
“Then you could come to read some goodnight stories to the cubs,” Miles said happily. “Tiger and King are so…jumpy around them, I don’t know why.”
“No thanks, big boy, but I like my mate alive and in one piece…”
While listening to that small talk, Peanut had noticed something…no, not exactly. Smelled something. Or someone…
His floppy ears went rigid, his nose quivered as he tracked the source of that unmistakable, familiar scent. “Tarot..?”
Grape turned towards the dog. “What do you mean, ‘Tarot’? Why are you—oh.” Then she saw her. “What the..?”
It was her, no doubt, the cute gold-furred Pomeranian. She was standing immobile at a distance, the wind softly ruffling her thick fur, her paws clasped against her bosom.
Peanut wagged happily. “Hey, Tarot!” he barked, then ran toward her.
Grape ran after him. “You lug! Wait a moment, don’t you find it strange that—“ but she decided to save her breath. No sense into putting bad thoughts into Peanut’s mind, after all. Not especially after last night…
And if that was to be some trick to give some more room for us, the cat thought while grinning, I’ll gladly fall for it!
Neither Peanut nor Grape saw the wolf family and Badessa look with a surprised gaze in the direction the two pets were running for.
“Mom,” Laika said, “there is no one there.”
Badessa nodded. “Let them be. The spirits have decided to speak, it is not in our place to interfere.”

Peanut was panting, by the time he reached Tarot. For some reason, she seemed never to get closer, no matter how fast he ran.
Grape too was winding, but she took care to notice that they were out of sight from the pack. And she didn’t like this at all… “Tarot, what in the tarnation!? Couldn’t you just speak in our mind like you usually do, if you don’t got a cell? Or do they melt when you touch them?”
Tarot was still in that position, smiling warmly at the couple. She opened her eyes, and they were shining with an intense emerald light. Her paw pointed to the ground at the feet of Peanut. “Dig, my dearest friend,” she said to the dog. “Dig, and take the gift we have reserved for you.” Her voice was solemn, it reverberated with the other ‘presence’ that shared the female dog’s body.
Grape had never met the so-called Dragon Spirit, as Peanut referred to it, and wasn’t exactly interested in meeting it at all. Especially after their adventure in that weird spiritworld – an experience that was leaving a memory growing dimmer by the day – Grape felt quite wary in all matters regarding the otherworld.
In other words, she wasn’t happy for this unexpected development, but she also wouldn’t spoil the moment. Peanut had started digging as if he wanted to find his misplaced rawhide bone. And it was funny to see the silly dog panting and covering his paws with fresh wet dirt while the hole grew in size and depth until…
“Whoa!” the cat said, when Peanut brought up…a necklace. An elaborate one, made of bones. Grape took it and started cleaning it with her paws and then blowing on it.
The design was simple, small bone tubes around a leather lace. But the tubes were carved with tiny, elaborate set of runes. There wasn’t a set identical to each other on all tubes.
“It would surely sell good at at that pawnshop TV show,” Grape said, while she examined the object. “Well, I guess it’s a neat gift, thank you?”
Tarot shook her head. “It is more than that, Grape. Wear it.”
Grape looked at Peanut and saw him clasping his paws and nodding eagerly. The cat sighed. “All right, but if my fur starts falling off, I’ll use yours, you meddling mutt.” She donned the necklace. “What noWOW!”
Ghosts! Ghosts had appeared all around them, countless ghosts of coyotes, and wolves, and bobcats, all dressing native gears, wearing body paintings. All of them glowing of an ethereal blue, their eyes glowing, their expressions…smiling?
“What? What?” Peanut was looking around him, but he saw nothing. “Grape! Is something wrong, why do you look soWOW!” While talking, he had reached for her, and the moment he touched her shoulder, he too saw. “Cool!”
Grape was amazed, to say the least. That dumb mutt had just encountered hords of hostile ghosts and now he found it ‘cool’ to be surrounded by this new army? The cat was about to grab that darned necklace and toss it away, when Tarot said, “No.”
“No what, Tarot? Of all things, I won’t have anything to do with your otherworldly mumbojumbo, never again! Tomorrow Peanut leaves and I’d like to spend these last moment in peace with him, not worry over the needs of some long lost ancestor! If they have a problem with that, send them to haunt the IRS, they’ll do us a favor!”
Again Tarot shook her head, and went back to smiling. “They need nothing from you, Grape, Peanut. In fact, they want to bless you.”
Grape’s eyes went blank, for a moment. “Duh?”
Tarot’s paws gently held the cat’s. “I know how you crave to give new life to this world, my friend. I know how hard must have been, for you and Peanut, to come to the decision of seeking the help of a donor, like your friends Mizar and Alcor did.
“That is why I sought for the help of these ancient beings.” Her gaze embraced the ghosts. And only then did Grape notice they were disposed in couples. Canines with felines, all males with females.
“In life,” Tarot went on, “They fought against prejudice like you are doing, they led solitary lives because their tribes had disowned them. But they couldn’t seek the help of donors, for they were truly alone, and they died without a progeny. Their love was strong, but it was also their curse. And so, their spirits were trapped here.
“What you wear, Grape, is a treasure these couples passed to each other, a lore. The runes are part of a prayer, written by each new couple, in the hope that at least one worthy couple, one day, could be blessed with a miracle.”
Grape felt her stomach churning, and she was unsure if it was fear or excitement. She almost didn’t dare to speak. Her next word came out in a barely audible whisper. “Kittens…”
Tarot nodded. “It is time. The native tribes are long gone, you and Peanut are the first mixed couple to walk this ground for a long, long time. If you’ll accept their blessing, the spirits and the dragon spirit’s magic will grant you one miracle, an only and one opportunity to make your dream come true. Are you ready for it, even knowing where this help comes from?”
Grape found herself nodding. She was listening to the words, but she still was sure this was only a wonderful dream. It wasn’t possible, but…after all, what ‘possible’ meant, when magic was involved? Right?
“I want Peanut’s son, our sons. I want to feel them grow into me, I want to give them birth. I…” Grape turned to the ghosts. “You too…you too prayed and now you…” She gulped down the knot that threatened to choke her. “Thank you.”
Tarot held her friend’s paw stronger now. Her expression turned serious. “Just remember: no one can know about the truth. People is not ready to understand, although magic is more accepted than you think. You two will have to build a lie and give it to your friends. Always.”
Grape nodded, with a mischievous expression. “For all everyone will know, the donor is…” and she gave the name to the Pomeranian.
Tarot seemed happy enough. “Wise choice.” She let go of Grape, then it was the spirits who walked to her, and one by one held her paws in a silent blessing. Each time a contact was made, a tube of the necklace shone with an eerie blue glow. When the last spirit gave her his blessing, the necklace looked as if it was on fire. But this flame was cool, soothing like a caress.
One by one, the spirits disappeared. They had done their job, they could leave in peace now that their last wish had been fulfilled.
Peanut then said to Tarot, “So…this is your goodbye too?” His ears had drooped, and he was genuinely sad. Grape could understand him: the short time spent together had been good for him, it helped him live through the hard time the cat was giving him with her indecision, when Max was her ‘boyfriend’ to mask the truth to the others.
Tarot wagged her tail. “Not as you think of it, my dearest friend.” She stroked his flank. “There is another soul, in Babylon Gardens, that needs help, and I am pretty sure I will be much occupied with him. May I ask you a favor, instead?”
Back came the smile. “Sure! Anything?”
“If you have a female, please call her Tarot.”
“Oh, he’ll do just that,” Grape said, having already taken that decision a minute ago. “Or I’ll make a scarf with his tail.”
Peanut was almost jumping on the spot. “What they will look like? Will they have ears like mine? My eyes?”
Tarot winked at him. “Now, now, you don’t want me to spoil, hm? Now I have to go. Have fun, tonight, make it so that your very souls are put in your efforts, and great will be the reward. More I cannot do. Peanut, Grape, just be happy, as the heavens meant you to. And remember that Sabrina will be wanting to organize a dinner at Heathcliff’s for when you come back, Peanut. See you.”
And, without a whisper, without a sound, Tarot was gone, leaving behind a very happy couple, and a brave new future to explore.

SEASON II
Episode 4
FIN
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valerio
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by valerio »

YESH! I'm back for good! The block has crumbled to insignificant dust and now I'm ready to be more active!
Another significant deviance from the 1.0 release, and my first attempt to write directly in English, so forgive my awful grammar, pleeeeease.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by angelusbr »

I loved this chapter. Lucretia can be quite scary sometimes. Poor Miles. XD
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by crono5 »

Finally a new chapter :D
Please keep writing ;)
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by Big Fan »

*hallelujah chorus*

Grape's tounge can be as sharp as the Master Sword, sometimes.
Last edited by Big Fan on Fri Nov 11, 2011 6:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

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HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES
SEASON II
Episode 5 – Love & Troubles
By VALERIO

1.
Babylon Gardens. Dawn.

Daylight broke with delicate beams into the room of two certain pets. The window was ajar, carrying the sweet scent of brine, though it did little, if nothing against the warmth of the room, the scents of the two lovers tightly embraced to each other in their common bed.
In theory, Grape Jelly Sandwich should be sound asleep.
She had a vague recollection of the previous day. The excitement, the walk back home, something she might have said to her parents.
She and Peanut hadn’t eaten, of that Grape was sure. They hadn’t wasted a minute. They were both tired, but they had wanted that last night together for themselves.
With the blessing of the spirits.
The purple cat wasn’t really sure she had had that weird conversation with Tarot, yesterday. Although everything that had to do with Tarot was weird.
But it was also true that ghosts existed. That mythological creatures existed. That magic existed.
And, perhaps, after that last night, a miracle had been done.
Grape kept clinging to Peanut, caressing his naked neck, looking at his peaceful expression as he snored slightly, drinking in his sweet scent.
Peanut, father of their litter! Only that thought sent shivers of joy into Grape’s very soul. A few weeks, and she would know. And if Tarot had, for some reason, played a prank on her, Grape would make a new coat for Mom’s next birthday, and she would go in search of a donor…
Speaking of which, she better start playing as if everything was true, despite what her natural law-inducted fears screamed.
No, Tarot would never play such a cruel joke. Perhaps on me, not on sweet Peanut!
The cat wanted so badly nip his big, floppy ear. How could someone be so…virile, yet so puppy-ish? He made her feel safe and protective at the same time.
How could he cope at the Academy?
Grape sighed quietly, as that thought acted like a cold shower on her happiness.
If that went well, she should wait till Christmas to see him again. Six long months.
At least, she wouldn’t be alone. She had Mom and Dad, Uncle Martin’s family, Sabrina… Hmm, she must still meet her to exchange scandalous pillow talk! Grape went back to smiling at that thoug—
A delicate knock at the door. “May I in?” asked Miss Sandwich’s voice.
Grape was about to answer, when Peanut jumped up as if he had just been electrocuted awake! “THE BUS! THE ACADEMY! GOTTA GO! WHERE IS MY COLLAR!?!”
Grape had almost to wrestle him down. “Peanut, for the sake of—relax! It’s 6am, the bus will be here at 7:30! Oh, and good morning, by the way.”
The dog finally came to his senses. “Oh. Yes. Morning, Mom. Morning Jellybelly.” And on that, he kissed her his best good morning kiss.
Grape simply melted. Another fond memory to keep, another thing she’d miss for six months…
“Aw, Grape, why are you crying now?”
The cat was crying, but also smiling, as she stroked Peanut’s cheek. She kissed his nosetip. “I’ll miss you, Nutty. That’s why I’m crying. And I’m smiling because today you go away to become a better dog. And because you’ll be dad…when you’ll be back,” she quickly added.
Jill Sandwich entered the room and knelt down beside her children, to hug them and give them a kiss on their head fur. “I’m so proud of both of you. And Grape, I’m sure you’ll find a nice donor.”
‘Living a lie’, Tarot had said. That was the burden in exchange of her progeny: and after all, she couldn’t go and say ‘Hey, Mom, you know the news? I’m gonna have my litter from Peanut thanks to some magic, but don’t worry, it's absolutely normal!’ “Yup. I only must tell him he’s the lucky one now… And, Mom, please! I want to be alone with him, ok?”
Jill raised her hands defensively. “Hey, girl, we’re on the same side. Relax, this is your show and no one will chaperon you or your beau during the talk. But…can I know who is it? Come on, a Mom has a right to know how scandalous can her girl go!”
Peanut chuckled, holding tight his muzzle. Grape blushed madly. “Mo-omm… You’re wasting my Peanut-time, go fix us some breakfast, please!”
Jill went up, then bowed like a perfect butler. “Will do, mistress Grape.”
When the woman was out and the door closed, Peanut and Grape hugged again, giggling. She nuzzled against his neck. “Hmm, so buffy. Why don’t you wear tags like Miles? So I could carry you by the scruff.”
Peanut squirmed under the sweet assault. “Heh, it’s an idea…or, what about the harness? Wouldn’t I be more macho with one?”
Grape imagined him with a harness, leading a team of sled dogs in the furious storm, walking bravely, bent against the blizzard, his blue eyes shining like stars in the falling snow… “You know? I think I’ll ask Uncle Martin to organize a race for the winter after this.”
“Why not this?”
Grape patted his belly. “Because I’ll be busy to feed our children, you silly dog. And you’ll be busy watching over me like a good daddy.”
It was Panut’s turn to blush madly. He caressed the cat’s belly, tenderly. “They’ll have your eyes.”
“Nah, they’ll have yours.”
“Ok, they’ll have your tail, though. A nice, long, fluffy tail.”
“Deal.” They hi-fived. Then, Grape said, “Peanut, take care of yourself while you’re at the Academy, ok? Don’t overdo just to prove something.”
Peanut nodded eagerly. “Promise. Don’t worry, Jellybelly. And don’t you worry too, kids,” he said, patting her belly.
Grape giggled. “Silly.” She bent backward to grab a brush. “Now let’s fix your fur, or at the Academy they’ll think you’ve been raised by strays.” She couldn’t even say ‘raised by the wolves’, since Miles and Lucretia were actually doing a great job with their cubs and to become a civilized family…
And until he was gone, she would’ve thought only happy thoughts! That’s an order, sister!
---
Very, very less happy were the thoughts of a certain griffin, in a different plane of existence…
The blue-feathered creature was literally fuming from his ears, the black steams spanning like galaxies, his eyes gleaming like the tormended core of the Milky Way while he distractedly nibbled at the ice core of a superterrestrial planet.
‘Hate’ was not enough to describe his feelings!
“Ahh, what’s up Doc?” asked the not less immense creature known as Spirit Dragon. She had spent the last hour whistling innocently, knowing how much it grated on the griffin’s nerves. “Don’t you like losing at your own game?”
Pete wished he could be a dragon and incinerate her! Instead, he pointed an accusing taloned finger at the emerald dragon. “I may have circumvented Joel’s will when I turned him into a dog, but at least I made it! I made him see the errors of his ways. He wants to stay a dog now! He’s happy with his choice!”
The A.U.-long tail of the dragon lashed in annoyance. And you didn’t tell him you’re no longer his master, for that. And you didn’t tell him what are the consequences of his choice. That you own the human part of his soul.”
Pete made a dismissive gesture. “Tss, for what serves him! The mortal discarded it by his own words. As long as I do not him harm, no harm done. That soul is mine to keep, now.”
The dragon’s rumble could have destroyed planets like a supernova shockwave. “Well, things have not changed. I warned Peanut and Grape about the consequences of their choice, so the magical intervention is valid. Plus, I didn’t turn Grape’s litter, I just conceded a miracle. I am owned one per game.”
“She’s right, Pete,” the third figure at that game said: the titanic Great Kitsune, in all his glorious nine-tailed presence. “Dragon has done everything by the rule. And you should have told King he’s free to go. And since you haven’t done it, thus repeating the same ‘mistake’ you did of turning him before he gave consent, I’ll leave Dragon the initiative.”
Pete frowned in curiosity. “What do you mean, GK?”
“She’ll take care of rearranging King’s location her own way, without you to interfere in any way, direct or indirect.”
Pete, who had started drinking a soda, spit a nebula-wide spray. “Are you kidding!? You know what will happen if I’m not there to protect him! What about the ‘intrinsic benevolence’ rule!?”
Kitsune shook his head. “That is for fate to decide. But mortals have their existence to live by their own choices, not ours, or the game is void.”
“Why, Pete,” Dragon said. “All of a sudden, you’re worried for your avatar?”
“I’m worried to see you win, draggie,” he spat.
Was he worried? Possible? He found it so…childish, that superior beings like them should get attached to such inferior beings.
Yet, he had felt something like…pride, when his avatar had genuinely developed a bond with the very dog he had tried to kidnap back when he was a human.
Was Pete worried?
How…quaint!
---
The bell rang when the two pets had finished their breakfast. Despite Jill’s warning to take it easy, Peanut and Grape had stuffed themselves in the less time possible. They were conscious of each second that was left together. They spent it recapping their life from when Peanut felt the first stabbing crush for his housemate, the funny moments, the sad ones, the adventure and even his near-death experience. Everything was part of a long path that brought to this moment, and was worth remembering.
“I’ll get it!” Peanut barked before anyone could move.
“Dear, remember it will be up to you to do that when he’s gone,” Jill chided her husband. Earl groaned –though he hated the idea of working animals in this hi-tech century, Peanut could be so…useful for these small but distracting chores. And what with his wife pregnant, in due time she’d be controlling him with a remote from her room!
“Hey, Bino!” Came the dog’s voice from the entrance. “What are you doing here?”
Grape dashed so fast for the door, she seemed to teleport there.
“Bino! What a pleasant surprise,” she said from behind Peanut’s back, grinning as if she had just seen a juicy canary. “I thought you were at the center of a big party by now.”
Bino was one of several Babylon dogs going to the Academy, today. The Sandwiches’ house was the last stop before leaving the Gardens. At Grape’s words, he smudged. “Thank you, I already had my big party yesterday, while you were away. It was a great thing, and it was very funny, especially thank to your absence. Thank you for not being there, by the way.
“I came here to make sure this—Peanut,” he corrected himself at the dangerous light showing in Grape’s eyes “was up and ready. And I see he still must put on his uniform.”
Peanut slapped his brow. “You’re right, sorry! Gonna put it on right now! Just a moment.” And he disappeared inside.
Grape studied Bino’s figure. “New collar, uniform all tidy… Say, you really look snazzy.”
Bino adjusted his blue K-9 jacket. “Thank you. I took care of it all these years, knowing I’d go back to the Academy one day. Heh, Babylon’s gonna have a new hero, soon.”
“I’m so happy for you, Bino, and I wish you luck. Honest.”
“Hmph, thanks. I guess. Cat.”
Grape’s smile took a predatory nuance. “Just make sure Peanut doesn’t come home with even a scratch, or your Dad will have trouble washing the blood from your pretty uniform and collar.”
Bino gulped. He hadn’t forgotten the more explicit threat she had done in his own club, after knocking down Boris and Yeltsin. “He’ll be safe. My word.” He seriously wondered if the courses at the Academy could teach him how to survive the Grape of Wrath…
“But speaking of other things, who’s gonna be the Club Chairman, during your leave? Knowing you, I’d expect a mini-Bino, but I am pretty sure not even a mad scientist would be so made to make one.”
“Har-dy-har. You’re such a riot. No, I’ll leave that honor to Fox.”
Grape raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “That sounds weird, coming from you. I’d think that you’d cut your tail, instead, now that him and King are best buddies –if not to spite King, I mean.”
Bino showed his fangs in a half-snarl. “I couldn’t leave the seat to Fido, to that…cat lover! He’d dishonor our reputation! Joey? He’d waste time converting them to D&D. Kevin got muscle, but not enough time for the club activities.”
“What about Rex? He was your #1 goon if I remember well.”
Bino blushed, looking away from her. “His name means King,” he whispered.
“What?”
“I said that his name means ‘King’!”
Grape started to enjoy this. “And you don’t want someone named King to run your fief.”
Bino didn’t say a word, but glared much like Pete had glared to Dragon.
Grape patted his shoulder. “Idiot but coherent, I appreciate that.”
Peanut came back. Now he was wearing his own brand new jacket, the one Fido had given him while he was hospitalized, and was carrying his baggage in his left paw. “Now I’m ready!” The powerful honk from the bus sounded a moment later.
“Time to go, cat lover,” Bino said, walking toward the vehicle.
Peanut stepped outside, followed by Grape.
So this was it, she told herself. This was the moment she let go a good dog, and then wait to see him come back improved, stronger.
She fought the urge to grab his collar and drag him back home, telling in the harshest terms how stupid an idea that was! She didn’t want a stronger mate, she wanted him by her side now, day by day, every precious moment!
Yet Grape walked with Peanut until they reached the bus. Bino put his baggage in the van. Peanut did the same. The luggage van door closed with a hiss.
Bino got aboard first. Peanut walked toward the steps…then turned and hugged Grape! For one moment, they just looked like Rossella and Brett in the Gone with the Wind movie poster…then he kissed her. The longest, sweetest kiss he had ever given her. And she replied with equal intensity, clawing into his fur. All the hopes, all the passion, all the promises were mutely condensed in that gesture, while the dogs and the one only cat stood by the windows, looking astonished at the show. The driver was smiling as if he wanted to go all ‘D’awwww!!’
Bino facepawlmed, wanting to rip his face off –that was THE reason he had organized the party while those two were away, he couldn’t have stood the others laughing at that very, very embarrassing moment, spoling his departure!
At last, Peanut and Grape let go of each other. From now on, for six months they would not be a couple. But they would never be really apart…
“Sic ‘em, boy!” Grape said, punching his arm.
Peanut got aboard. The door hissed closed, and the vehicle started. Only when it reached the curve, did Grape notice a big banner from her neighbor’s house –uncle Martin’s house. It read PER ASPERA AD ASTRA. SEE YOU ON CHRISTMAS, PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH!
On the garden, the buff figures of Antares and Aldebaran Foster, together with the white-furred Mizar and Alcor, waved small flags at the bus.
Grape sighed. “Welcome to the future, girl. It better not suck.”
Last edited by valerio on Mon Aug 05, 2013 1:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by angelusbr »

You describe Peanut and Grape's relationship awsomely (does this word even exist?)!
By the way, you are going to spoil us with so many fast updates.
Shameless advertisement of my fanfics: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/880961/Angelus-alvus
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by valerio »

angelusbr wrote:You describe Peanut and Grape's relationship awsomely (does this word even exist?)!
By the way, you are going to spoil us with so many fast updates.
heh, have lots of time to make up for! :mrgreen:
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by kavviyenta »

Magnificent this fic continued to be. :D

This deserve a TV trope page. But if it would spoil too much, then it's okay not to.
http://valito.deviantart.com/ my deviant gallery, nope there's no housepets in it

Unless you like Lilo & Stitch, kinda wish to see the experiments in housepets style
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by valerio »

2.
Babylon Gardens. 10 minutes after Peanut left for the Academy.

“What’s she doing?” whispered a voice from behind Foster house’s picket fence.
A big black dog head peeked out to see. “Still there, doing that Haichiko thing,” whispered Antares. “Creepy.”

Grape was standing there, at the bus stop, immobile, her gaze lost in the direction of Babylon Garden’s entrance.
She knew she had to be patient, now. Six months till Christmas, in time to see him come back, so he could see her giving birth to their litter.
And still, she expected him to run back screaming her name, sorry for even considering the idea of going to the Academy.
She knew it was unrealistic, but if she waited, if she wished strong enough, perhaps—
“Grape.”
The cat jumped and turned. “Oh. Sabrina,” she said with an atonal voice.
The black cat put a paw over her shoulder. “Please, come inside. Now you need your friends, not to stay all alone.”
Grape nodded weakly. “You know, I promised myself to be strong, not to let this thing to get me down… But now I feel as if someone carved a hole in my chest and ripped off my soul.”
They entered the house. Jill and Earl bent down and hugged their daughter tight. Strangely, Grape felt as if she was…tired, empty. She knew the tears were there, but they refused to come out. She mumbled a ‘thank you’ to her parents, before Sabrina led her to the living room. Earl and Jill went to the kitchen, to fix some tea and to leave the cats talk in peace.

When they had sat up on the couch, Sabrina said, while holding Grape’s paw, “I know the feeling better than you think, that’s why I’m here. When Fido had to leave for the Academy, we were deeply in love, much like you and Peanut. I thought I’d never see him again, I’d start fantasying that he’d be immediately recruited for some big city job and that he’d never come back to the Gardens—“
“You’re not helping, you know that?” the other cat said with a threatening expression.
Sabrina smiled. “I am trying to make you understand, Grape. Take it from one who’s passed through it: it may be seem hard to cope as it is, but if you give in to depression, it will hurt you much worse.”
Grape kept giving Sabrina a hard look. “Anything better than more chocolate poetry? Because they won’t help the…fright I’m feeling whenever I think of my room, upstairs, that room that I am gonna find empty, with Peanut’s scent fading day by day. That room where I’m gonna sleep alone. Or will some made up phrase help me sleep at all? You know, I liked being annoyed by his ‘Graaape!’ at the most unforeseeable moment. It meant he needed me, or that he wanted me to play with him…” as she spoke, the tears had come, an unstoppable flow. Her voice was shaking. Biting her lower lip, Grape said, “Oh, Sabrina. I want my mutt back. What can I do!?” and she collapsed against the black cat’s chest, shaking, wetting Sabrina’s fur, trying to curl up into a ball as small as possible.
It was true: no hypothesis, no plan, nothing could have prepared her to fill such a void! She felt alone like when her first family had abandoned her. She prided herself of being independent, strong, but she wasn’t ready to be without her beloved dog.
Without the father of her litter…
Grape’s sobs quieted, as her paw ruffled the fur of her belly. Please, let it be true…
“It’s true,” Sabrina whispered in her ear, softly, gently. Grape felt comforted, finding a sister in that cat, in her presence. “Tarot told you?” she whispered back. Of course, she had, right?”
Sabrina nodded, then kissed her head, behind her ears. “So? Are you just going to curl up here, or will you keep your promise to Peanut?”
Grape nodded weakly, unfurling. She tried to dry up her face, wet her paw with her tongue and worked on her muzzle. Sabrina held her a Tish, You! Grape thanked and honked loudly. “So, what’s the next step? A couple of slaps for being extremely rude to you?”
Sabrina stroked her shoulders. “Silly, you weren’t rude at all.”
“I was. You and Fido can’t have your own litter. I…” she remembered her parents, who were surely listening.
“I couldn’t, even with a donor,” Sabrina said, letting the meaning of that sentence sink in.
Grape’s eyes went pinpoint. “Oh,” she answered, after a long, embarrassed silence. Her ears drooped down, much like Peanut when he felt that way. “I’m so sorry, Sab.”
Sabrina shrugged. “Think nothing of it. In life, good things and bad things will always happen. Make the best of both.” She kissed Grape’s head fur.
“Heh, you make it seem so easy.”
“It is, if you learn that you are in control of your life. And you are strong enough to stay in control.”
“Thank you. Honest, I… Sabrina, if you needed me for anything, just call me, promise?”
“Promise.” The black cat got down the couch and pulled her friend’s paws. “Now come with me. This must be a day of celebration for your new life, not one of sadness.”
Grape let herself brought to the door. How funny, she had barely exchanged a word with Sabrina, except for when they had happened to talk about Max. Before that, she was only that cat with a beautiful voice that sang at the annual Ball Yarn…
Which reminded her to contact the ‘donor’! Yes, she had so much to do, and she was sure she wouldn’t be allowed to stay alone. And she was happy for that, the Grape that used to close herself in a shell was gone and must never return!
Sabrina opened the door.
“SURPRISE!!” The soundwave almost knocked her down!
Grape was amazed, to say the least.
The whole neighborhood seemed to have converged in the time she had just spent home! There were banners, balloons, and a scandalous amount of gifts, all neatly wrapped.
“Duh…” Grape tried to say.
“Thank Joey for all of this,” said Fido, walking to her. “He started organizing it the moment you were out of the Gardens for your trip. And for once, Uncle Martin didn’t pay for a single thing.”
“You collected your own money for this..?” Grape was uncredolous.
“You mean so much for so many of us,” said an Alaskan malamute, taking her paws. “And to me as well.”
“Thank you, Lucky.”
He winked mischievously. “Now that my rival for your heart is away, I can finally woo you properly--*erk!*” He almost bent in two, when a russet tabby nudged him in the ribs. Hard.
“You are going to be the lady of my heart,” said Felix. “Don’t forget I was your first cat friend, and we shared the same garbage long before you started going snobbish ad went to Heathcliff’s.”
Then another, familiar black cat unceremoniously pushed Felix away. “Nevermind these blasts from the past, ma belle,” said Maxwell, flashing his patented grin. “I was your first boyfriend, I deserve the chance of my life. Say yes, and I will turn these six months in pure hea*gak!*
He was pulled by the collar by a black-and-white furred female, who looked like a tiger ready to maim. “Maxwell Costner! You are my boyfriend and you are stopping this nonsense right now. I can’t believe you still got the guts to run after such a lowclass! No offense, Grape.”
“None taken, Selene,” the lavender cat answered, still dazed by that flux of attentions.
Still being dragged by the collar, Max shouted, “Forgive her! I am sure she wants my kittens.” Selene dragged him even harder.
Antares and Aldebaran grabbed grape and lifted her up over their head. “Little sister now gets her party. Hop!”
“What are you two doOOO!!” she was tossed toward the crowd of pets. For a moment, her heart was filled with pure terror…before a sea of paws broke her fall and started moving her around as if she was being dragged in a river. She was simply ecstatic! In that moment, although Peanut was still quite present in her thoughts, her worries had become pale shadows that couldn’t spoil this moment of pure joy. They had come for her, to soothe her heart, and from now on she was intended to make the best of such a friendship!

The party lasted throughout the day. Grape had received enough presents to last her until her Christmas after this.
“Like it?” asked Zachary, fidgeting with his fingers, ears low as if fearing she could eat him if the present didn’t meet her tastes.
“A yarn ball made of leaves and roots.” Grape sniffed it. “Well, it does smell good, and it is original.” She kissed the rabbit’s cheek. “Thank you, Zach. You’re a darling.”
The rabbit blushed. “Heh, to be honest, my ‘followers’ made it...but the idea came from me!” He added quickly.
“Relax, it’s the thought that matters.” She went to put that last gift in the pile that had accumulated near the door. Well, she was going to be too busy to find a place for all that stuff to think of something else…
She took Sasha’s and Bino’s gift: a big box of chocolates, sure ailment for the sad moments. Grape had marveled at the idea that Bino could make such a gift with his own money…that is, until the lavender cat had read the note on the gift. One a day will take the pain away. Soon our boys will be back and we’ll go to celebrate to Uncle Martini. Bino has promised to come too, or I’ll bite his tail off. Love, Sasha. XXX. P.S. – Meet you tomorrow for some girl talk, if you’re reading this note today?
Grape smiled. True, She and Sasha were the first two couples that had married in a church. Sasha, too, would need a sympathetic shoulder.
Grape decided she’d preserve the chocolates until Peanut came back, then they would both enjoy them together, in front of the fire…
Last edited by valerio on Fri Jun 29, 2012 3:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by valerio »

kavviyenta wrote:Magnificent this fic continued to be. :D

This deserve a TV trope page. But if it would spoil too much, then it's okay not to.
I'd be very, very, very honored for a TV trope dedicated to this ficcie. :D :D :D
Just avoid any reference to release 1.0, since this is the official one, and keep the tropes updated as this fic progresses, and I'm good! :D
(PS and let us not forge to quote the ficcies that started it all: Sinder's Star-crossed & Auld Lang Syne and Two Twig's Symphony in Periwinkle.)
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by EvanAierkan »

Been really busy lately
Come check out this thread after a while
See three new updates
My face when I read them
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by valerio »

3.
Sandwich House, Babylon Gardens, Afternoon.

“Joey?”
“GAK! No, Squeak, I wasn’t stealing your cheese… Oh, hi, Grape.” Fido’s and Bino’s youngest brother, who a moment before was sitting by the tree, stretched, arched his back and let out a wide yawn.
Grape chuckled at the sight. At Joey’s puzzled gaze, she said, “You know? You look cute when you do that.”
Joey’s eyes went pinpoint. He found it hard to think. “Gheuh?”
The lavender cat sat next to him. She was blushing a little. “You know, the most awkward thing for me was not accepting Peanut’s love for me. It was understanding that I’m a dog-lover. Or, rather, I still go crazy for the big cats, and Max is a handsome guy, and Alcor too… But I also find that some dogs have this special cute side about them. Dogs like you.”
If an angel had spoken to Joey, he couldn’t have been happier than now. “Aw, and you too look so pretty, Grape. I always thought that you and Peanut were made for each other.”
Grape nodded. She could understand why, of all canines in the neighborhood, Peanut had broken is vow of secrecy with Joey. “I’m sorry for waking you up, but I was looking for you all day, and couldn’t find you –not to mention that I was quite busy being idolatrized, heh. Say, why didn’t you show up?” her arm embraced the still ongoing party. The atmosphere was merry and serene…if you didn’t count a pile of dogs and cats who had united their efforts to try to pin down Aldebaran to the ground. The big Foster dog was easily doing squats despite the weight. Money was flowing to and fro King’s paws, who was busy playing the bookmaker.
“This party is simply great, your best effort that I know of, and it’s silly that you should estrange yourself right now.”
Joey put a paw beside his ears. “You really think so?”
“Of course. It takes a lot of social skills to throw a good party. I can’t imagine why you’re so awkward.”
“Hmph, perhaps because I’m the very weird cat-loving dog who wears a handmade catsuit, has a mouse as best friend and runs and anime and D&D club with the nerdiest dogs?”
Grape seemed to think over that, tongue sticking out. “Uhm, nothing wrong with the cat loving stuff…the suit might be a problem, not the mouse since Fido officialized the fad. Yes, I can see why the anime and the D&D stuff might pose a problem.”
Joey went serious, hissing through his teeth, “Don’t make fun of me!”
Grape put her paws against his shoulders, shortcircuiting his brain again. “I am not making fun of you! You are a sweet dog with his hobbies. You love cats? Heck, you founded your own mixed species club! So, why are you still acting as if you were guilty of something?”
Joey sagged against the tree with a theatrical sigh. “I am not popular.”
“Uh?”
Joey’s gaze went to the green leaves rustling in the slow wind. “I…I am not popular. When I try to make a pass to a lady cat, she will tell me, ‘oh, you’re Fido’s and Bino’s brother! How nice to meet you!’ And so I pass the time trying to stay out of their shadows and the talks go to how awesome are my brothers. Fido for being top cop, Bino for being a true leader.” That sad sigh again. “And I’m just the weird pup.”
Looking at him, listening to him, Grape felt again that feeling of…caring she thought she had felt for Peanut only. Instinctively, her arm went around Joey’s shoulder and then she dragged him to her. “Hey, sshh, you’re not the weird pup.”
Joey was still rigid, as if he feared she’d claw at him in a moment. “You’re sweet, Grapey, but—“
“No ‘but’, boy. You. Are. Not. Weird. And if you keep thinking that, then you’re not weirder than my Peanut. The poor dear was just like you, while I was busy ignoring him or even worse, during that stupid ‘fake date’ phase. He thought that there was something wrong with him, for being in love with a cat, for making enemies in the dog community… Joey, do you think I am popular?”
“Uh?” His daze lasted only a moment. “Uh, yes, of course you’re popular. When I started asking who would come to the party for you, they almost fought for the privilege.”
Grape chuckled. She knew Joey was almost incapable of lies, that was another good side of him. Ruffling his head fur, she said, “Well, then, as the most popular cat in the neighborhood, I promise you I will get you a date with a nice, pretty lady cat.”
Now Joey went BSOD. He wanted to say ‘Say that again?’, instead all that escaped from his clenched throat was “Hhhhh…” like a zombie.
“Ah, stop that. You heard me, pup: you’re cute and you deserve a real girlfriend. Consider it the first payment for this great party. I badly needed to distract myself from my worries, and you came to the rescue like a knight in shining armor. How could I let you down now?”
Joey bit his lower lip. His eyes were glistening. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Grape’s tail swished. “No, thank you. And tell me, I guess you never went for more than a friendly peck, with a cat, right?”
Joey blushed madly. “Err, yes.” There had been a kiss, a real one, from that cat in Selene’s neighborhood, but that lady had just wanted to teach him how it worked, there was no true love in it…
And he couldn’t be sure if he had died and gone to heaven, when the cat he had fantasized mostly about pressed her mouth against his! His heart stopped beating for almost a minute. He felt an intimacy he had always dreamt of, read in the romances, while his arm went around her shoulders to do his best to return it, afraid of breaking the moment as if it were some delicate porcelain…
He didn’t even realize Grape had broken the kiss, at a certain point, and that everyone in the party was staring at them. But Joey didn’t care. If he had been awarded for this party, he could die happy now.
“This is how you will want to kiss, when the right moment comes, Joey. Be bold, be yourself, and you’ll find your kindred soul.”
“Y-you will help me? Really?”
Grape nodded. “Trust me. You deserve it. And now…” she got up, then helped him stand up. “It’s time you learnt to dance with a lady. It’s another important step when you’ll be dating. Maxie helped me out of my shell by teaching me how to dance, you knew that?”
Joey nodded while she guided him at the center of the scene. She nodded to Sabrina, and the black cat in turn whispered something in the ears of Fiddler and Keys, who had been playing for most of the time. The two cats nodded, then keyboard and violin, mixed with Sabrina’s delicate voice, started a perfect execution of Nanne Gronwall’s Anglavakt

Jag har ett hem dit jag alltid längtar
Jag har ett hus där min kärlek väntar
Se på mig, se på mig
Du måste lova att du aldrig ångrar dig
(I have a home where I always yearn
I have a house where my love waits
Look at me, look at me
You must promise that you never change your mind)
Över land över hav
Skall vi färdas du och jag
Det vi lovat och sagt
Blev min änglavakt
Jag vill leva och bo
På vår framtid vill jag tro
Sorger bort vi lagt
Min änglavakt
(Over land over sea
Shall we travel, you and I
What we promised and said
Became my guardian angel
I want to live and work
Our future, I believe
Sorrows away, we put
My guardian angel)…


Joey danced following the tune with ease, his head leaning on Grape’s chest, his expression one of true happiness.
Be my Guardian Angel, Peanut, as I’ll be yours, never away from each other. In helping Joey, she was sure she would have her mate’s approval. After all, Peanut himself would never back away from helping someone, that would make him a great cop.
And the idea of him and Fido patrolling the streets made her feel so proud! When he was back, she’d organize a double date with Sabrina and Fido, yes!

One after the other, not without some awkwardness, same species and mixed couples had joined the dance.
No one had noticed a crumpled piece of paper that had been tossed to the ground.
The wind opened it. The handwriting read, Please, meet me at the Pizza Palace, tonight at 10. It is really important. Make it count. Grape.
The white-furred paw grabbed it.
King read the note, wondering who was intended it for. He sniffed it cautiously. No perfumes, only cat smell.
“Hoping it was for you?” Fox asked his friend. “My, I hadn’t imagined this new side of you.” The husky nudged the corgi, grinning widely.
King tore the paper to pieces. “Give it a rest! I’m still trying to understand that if it’s body chemistry or the ‘one and true love’ when I think of females.”
Fox shrugged then drank his soda with a straw. “Well, you surely are not trying to invite any. And they all are looking at you with much interest.”
King sighed. “I told you, it’s only that I’d like to give in to feelings, and – sorry to bring it up – you know I spent a lifetime as a human. It really feels weird.”
Fox rubbed his shoulder blades. “And now you’re a dog. Just forget that time, King. I forgave you, we’re friends, but you really need to go on.”
King sipped his water. He didn’t want to risk getting drunk again, or next thing he’d do would be dating a cat for real—
“May I have the honor?” said a female voice.
“Uh?” The corgi found himself staring at the golden eyes of that dragon-haunted Pomeranian. “Uh, hello Tarot.”
Tarot took his paw, gently. “Care for a dance with a lady?”
King blushed. “Err, I really am—“ but before he could say one other word, he was ‘distractedly’ nudged into Tarot’s arm by a whistling Fox.
“I thought you didn’t date hu—“ King tried to say. Tarot pecked his nose.
“I date dogs, and you are one. And very cute, too. Consider it my official welcome into your new life, King. You have chosen wisely, you deserve better than solitude. And I am going to help you out of your shell.”
King thought about Joey and Grape. He made a face. “As long as you don’t kiss me, it’s fine, lady.”
Tarot leaned her head against King’s shoulder. “A gentledog will do.” And she led him into the crowd.
---
The Pizza Palace, 10pm

If she focused enough, she could still see it all.
The parking lot, filled with cats of every breed and mixed blood, a rainbow of scarves…and Joey standing out with his funny cat suit. The food table, the dances, and Sabrina on the pizza shop’s hut, together with Fiddler and Keys, singing her favorite song, Scarborough Place.
And Max, handsome rogue Maxwell, with his aquamarine eyes, wishing for her kiss, leading her into her first clumsy steps of dancing, to make her feel better, to get to her heart.
When her heart belonged to Peanut.
But she owed Max big time, hadn’t it been for him, she wouldn’t have thought of opening the first crack to her feelings.
In a way, she hated, she really, really hated to do this to him, heaven knew Maxie was a victim of the circumstances, part of a stupid game she had played at the expenses both of him and Peanut…
Grape sighed, and the illusions around her vanished like so many tendrils of fog.
That was the past, and she had to cope with the present. She had taken a joy and a responsibility. She just hoped everything would work out.
Or she’d just fight for her right to a family. She wouldn’t give her litter over to a prejudice!
“Now were we supposed to talk or to fight?”
Grape’s ferocious expression evaporated. “Uh? What? Oh, sorry. I was…thinking. Actually, I’m so happy you came.”
Alcor sat down next to the lavender cat. His white fur shone like a piece of Moon itself. Grape felt a knot in her throat –she must admit that if she had met this tomboy before Max, it would’ve been way too easier to play ‘fake date’ with him.
Luckily, Alcor was a true doglover and with a happy and stable relationship himself. “Thinking about maiming? I know that expression.”
Grape shrugged. “Heh. Well, I… I wanted to ask you a favor, you know. At first, I had considered asking you to be the donor for my kittens, then something else occurred and now I can have them with Peanut but I need someone to play pretend to be the donor whenever the argument will come up so will you help me lying through my teeth?”
Then came a long, long awkward silence. Alcor was looking at her as if she had a bit gone nuts. Grape kept looking at him with the most embarrassed grin ever.
Then she facepawlmed. “Didn’t come out as I wanted to, eh?”
Slowly, Alcor shook his head. “You and Peanut can..?”
“Magic. Ghost help.”
“Oh. I mean, not the spooky kind of ghosts who haunted my place, right?”
“No. the good guys.”
“Oh.”
“Well?”
“You wanted me to be the donor?”
Grape nodded shyly. “Yes.”
“Well, wow. Thank you…I guess.”
This time, it was Grape who look incredulously at him. “You ‘guess’? Why, you snotty—“ and she punched his arm.
“Ow!” Alcor massaged the offended muscle. “I mean, you’re the prettiest kitty in the ‘hood. I’m honored that you would choose me. I am…just amazed.”
Grape sat straight up, assuming a very smexy pose, tonguetip sticking out. “You think so, pretty boy?”
Alcor felt an imminent nosebleed. “Uh-uh. And, well, if you want me to pretend I’m the daddy, I’m ball.”
“Really!?” Grape almost fainted with relief. She thought this could be much harder than she had thought.
Alcor nodded. “Hey, I guess we got enough doses of supernatural thingumajic to accept them when they happen. And you and Peanut have been blessed with a true miracle. And you know what? You deserve it.”
Grape took the white cat’s paws in hers. “You too would deserve one, what with all you suffered in your lives.”
The male just rubbed his muzzle against hers, purring. “Mizar and I got our miracle when we met in that horrid pound. We got another miracle when Dad adopted us. And the third miracle is the life given her by Ralph. You and Peanut fought to be together, risked your lives when those monsters attacked your family… You two now enjoy your putins, kippies, or whatever they will be. Dad will be just glad to hang banners around the town to build the best cover-up ever.”
“You’re gonna tell him?” Grape felt like whining.
Alcor nodded. “Yes. Dad’s got the means to help us. I think he’ll fake the DNA tests with his own hands if necessary. And, if you can take the word of a lying not-father for good, I think you can safely tell to your parents too. They won’t think you a monster.”
Grape nodded, but she wasn’t sure she could deal with that. Not now, at least. “I’ll think about it. But promise me, not a word will come to them, unless I want to.”
“Deal. But you must promise me a lot of mushy stuff.”
Grape looked puzzled. “I remembered you like doggies.”
“Yup, but we must play it good. So, your place or mine?”
Grape rolled her eyes. “Yours. I won’t let you dirty, dirty kitty to desecrate mine and Peanut’s room.”
Alcor stood up, then offered his paw. His golden eyes shone of an eerie intensity. Grape’s stomach churned at the sight, Mizar was one lucky dog!
The lavender cat sighed, while grabbing his paw.
“I will be your perfect gentlecat,” he said. “Especially since you’re gonna sleep with my lady as well. We won’t let you spend one night alone.”
“Thank you. No pressure, eh? Oh, and don’t ask for a kiss, or I’ll start charging.”
The male laughed loudly. “Dear, I am still very fond of my hide! Mizar can be a real killer when it comes to jealousy.”
The couple walked on, chatting, the tension eased. Who knows, Grape thought, perhaps things could go well, after all.
Peanut, be safe. I will be happy only when you’re back to me…

SEASON II
Episode 5
Chapter 3
FIN
Last edited by valerio on Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by angelusbr »

I didn't expect that from Tarot. And I loved that scene.
Great job.
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Daggy
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by Daggy »

Continuing to amaze me. So good. Came expecting one, got four. Hee hee.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by valerio »

HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES
SEASON II
Episode 6 – Welcome to The Academy…more or less
By VALERIO

1.
Just outside Babylon Gardens, a few minutes after the bus for The Academy had left.

Peanut got aboard. The door hissed closed.
And he was alone. This time, for real: there wasn’t a barrier of social manners to separate him from the lavender cat who bravely smiled to him from the bus stop. There wasn’t hope to see her again before Christmas, six months from now.
He had entered a new world, one in which he had actually to rely on his own strength. It had seemed so easy, when the decision had been taken, an eternity ago.
Because he wanted to better protect his family.
Peanut went to an empty seat and sat down, not daring to look through the window, or he would surely crash it and run back home.
This was supposed to be a day in which to feel proud. Instead, Peanut felt like he had been…gutted. He was fighting hard to keep the tears down as he waved one last time toward his home.
He had never been separated from his parents. He wished he could speak to Tarot with his mind.
But he was a grown dog now, he had to be strong, he had to—
“I can’t effin believe it!” the voice made him jump. He turned, to meet the golden eyes and the lean, glossy, well-toned body of a Weimaraner. “I knew they existed, but to see a real cat-lover!”
“Yeah,” said from his seat a black Alsatian. He held a toothpicker in his glistening fangs. He talked with a Spanish accent. “What kind of species are you, chico? You sure you were born from a dog?”
“Yap yap yap!” said a minipinscher with a tone that matched the Milton ferrets’, while his words came out like so many machinegun bullets. “Man if you kissed a lady doggie that way you would be the father of half the litters of the Gardens. Lucky us we don’t have to worry for the competition eh?” He nudged his seat neighbor, a muscled husky female who looked like she could have Kevin as midnight snack.
“What’s your problem, boy?” she said with a growling voice. “You raised by cats?”
“And you taint our name as well,” said the last of the group, a female Brazilian shorthair with a police badge as tag. “Cats have better tastes than that. Weirdo.”
The Weimaraner clapped his paws, wagging happily. “Folks, let’s give our friend a worthy welcome! On my mark, one, two, three…” the whole bus seemed to explode in the following “MEEEOOOOWWWW!!”
Peanut wanted to tell them to stop, wanted to tell them that Grape was worth fighting for, that their love had been blessed by the otherworld, they’d have puppies together... But he didn’t even want to get in a trouble, fighting on his trip for the Academy. His instructor would’ve thought he was a bad dog if he did, and he couldn’t even cry, didn’t want to appear weak—
“Alright, that’s enough of you mutts!” Apparently, everyone had forgotten the last member of the group: Bino. The dog’s emerald eyes were staring at the pack with the fury he reserved when he wanted to discipline his listeners during the most troubled meetings. He was THE leader of the Gardens’ dogs and was proving it now. Pointing at Peanut, he said, “Now shut up and listen well, I am not gonna repeat it! This dog is Peanut Butter Sandwich, the guy who attacked one of the monster ferals that terrorized the whole Babylon Gardens. He put his life at risk to protect his family and he’s a darned hero! He’s coming to The Academy to become a cop in all respect, and respect you will give him, if you are worth the fur you wear! Got it!?
It actually worked. The bunch of strangers now looked at Peanut with very different eyes, someone opening his mouth, just to shut it, not finding the words.
It was the Weimaraner that eventually left his seat and walked to Peanut, yet keeping a proud demeanor. “Is it true? Are you the Peanut the news talked about?”
Peanut had watched those news, or rather, the recording, while recovering from the injuries and the 10-days coma that they had caused. He still wasn’t used at the idea of being a hero. Especially that someone remembered him yet.
At the other dog’s question, he turned his bone-shaped tag, revealing name, address and phone.
The Weimaraner gulped, trying to hide his tail. Then he extended his paw to shake. “Ah, name’s Sigmund Follett, but you can call me Siggy! Ah, may I take my horrid manners back, pal? I mean, you’re an effing hero and…Ok, I’m a stupid. We all are, are we, folks?” he turned to his companions.
The Alsatian’s eyes were shining with that same admiration light. “One with your steel guts, gringo, can have a harem of kitties if he wants to. My name’s Hannibal. Welcome to the gang.”
The small dog nodded frantically. “We’re all from Terrace High big dog forgive our manners I am Tobee!”
The Husky came to Peanut and slapped him hard on the back, almost smashing him against the front seat. “I am Athena, descendant of the glorious Togo. And any male who can face death like you did has my respect. Bravo!”
Peanut, who was still shaking Sigmund’s paw, couldn’t believe how fast the tide had turned…
“You’re still a weirdo,” said the cat, contemplating her claw, “But I must admit it, it takes courage to show that you care for your mate that much. My boyfriend surely never kissed me like that. Oh, and I am Clementia.”
Sigmund turned again to the others. “OK, folks, try to welcome our hero friend Peanut for real. One, two, three…”
When they let out a proud howl, the driver decided he needed to buy a pair of earplugs.
While the group of five was chatting excitedly, pointing at Peanut from time to time, he grinned at Bino, who now sat beside him. “Thank you so much, Bino, I really owe you!” He was excited like a puppy, now.
Bino shrugged, then patted his shoulder. “Like the lady cat said, you are still a weirdo, but you’re the pride of my Club as well. And no one mocks the members of the Good Ol’ Dogs Club. Not to mention I get to make a good impression with Grape when they’ll chat. He would’ve gladly enjoyed the humiliation of that stupid mutt, but Bino remembered well what waited for him if Peanut was hurt –and that must include the psychological wounds…
---
Locke’s County.

The ‘Quadrilateral’.
Thus is called the area comprised by its most important centers, the biggest being The City. The second, Babylon Gardens, is the well-known pet-friendly community, an ever-growing success, thanks to the efforts of the foundation created by the zillionaire Henry Milton. Terrace High, the second, most recent pet-friendly community, created by the not less filthy rich Adam Reimund Gottschalk.
And, in the fourth corner, the Hunters Academy. Also known as ‘The Academy’. The forge of Man’s best friends in the defense of the law! Any dog could enter The Academy. Few of them succeeded in becoming the State’s top cops. A dog that succeeded at the Academy could easily be well placed in military, private security and state security –but these were the specialization courses. All applicants were first of all trained in basic defense and fighting techniques. Success meant a fully qualified guard dog. Criminals, beware!
The gate to The Academy was marked by a massive wrought iron gate. Two rampant German Shepherds faced each other, bared black fangs, each one holding a banner that read
CORPUS DURUM, FORTES ANIMAE, NON AUCTOR

Hard body, brave soul, no compromise, Bino Read, his eyes glowing with excitement.
“You may be scrawny, little guy,” said Athena, “but you surely know what’s good for you. Think you’re up to the challenge’”
Bino flashed a triumphant grin. “Those grade are already mine. Say, if you think I’m scrawny, what do you think of her?” he pointed at the cat. “I mean, tss, how many such furballs are even allowed on this sacred ground?”
“My Dad’s a retired cop,” Clementia said, without moving, not even bothering to look at that creature. “My Mom was, too. KIA. But she took down the baddies with her. I decided to carryon family traditions. What your Dad do?”
KIA, Killed In Action. That made that human a veritable hero among humans. Bino felt…inadequate, all of a sudden. But he couldn’t even show he was ashamed of his family, a true leader such as he wasn’t—
The bus stopped, turning everyone’s attention to their immediate future, much to Bino’s gratitude.
The door hissed open a moment later. A man wearing the trainers’ black uniform and beret came in. He was all business and with a square jaw that could have dueled with Bill’s. His arms crossed behind his back, he said, “Welcome to paradise, mutts! I’m Sergeant John Cedar Coffin and I will be your human referee for the duration of your basic training! You are now going to assemble at Training Hall 3. You have 10 minutes to find it, or you’re expelled. On grounds of indiscipline, you shall be expelled. On grounds of anything I or your pack leader will think of, you shall be expelled!”
Peanut thought Bill was a tough guy. Now he was positively scared! Bino was in heaven: Grape couldn’t blame him if the mutt wasn’t up to the standards of this school…
The man took a pad and pen clipped to his belt and called the recruits’ names. At the last name, he grinned like a wolf. “Bino, eh? So you’re a dog who likes your challenge, not afraid to be tossed out a second time.”
Bino wanted to melt like wax and disappear beneath the bus’ wheels. Although the others didn’t chuckle for fear of a reprimand, he could hear their laughter building up.
Only Peanut looked as if he wanted to console him. And that was even worse. He could stand derision from the others, but not the sympathy of that catlover!
The man stepped aside to allow the pets to pass. “Now go! Remember, ten minutes or this will be your shortest vacation ever!”
“Follow me!” Bino barked, sprinting like Usain Bolt.

Five minutes later, seven panting pets had reached the training hall. Much like the other buildings erected for that purpose, this one was a gray square block with a row of windows for each side. The Academy wasn’t supposed to look like a pretty place, it was functional. The recruits were here to forget the homey feelings and become tougher combat dogs.
Inside, the place was just like a gym, complete with its own pool. It was divided in open sectors, each dedicated to a body discipline.
When the group entered, they found the place empty. Not a soul. A desert would’ve been noisier.
“Sure this is the place?” Peanut asked. Bino just pointed the big 3 painted on the door.
Peanut muttered his apologies, then started sniffing the air. It was very clean, the only odors were theirs. Peanut was impressed, not even Uncle Martin had so much room for their exercises—
“Line up, grunts!” the six dogs and one cat obeyed as if they had been lashed. They did their best to obey that powerful imposing voice, looking upward like they had seen it in the many documentaries, chests outward, almost nor breathing, ears up and tails up. They were recruits and proud to be!
“Congratulations, grunts! You just came here, and already you dishonored your uniform!”
With their eyes pointing to the ceiling, they hadn’t taken in the full appearance of their Sergeant Instructor, the ‘pack leader’. But now, both Peanut and Bino couldn’t help noticing a funny thing about this veteran.
He looked exactly like Peanut, just older. Even more so, when he stopped in front of Peanut, who was the last in line. When their eyes met, blue against blue, it was like looking at the reflection of a distorting mirror, a mirror that distorted time. Bino found it creepy, the idea that the timid mutt could grow into that powerful dog…
Image
“You a cat-lover, son?” asked the Sergeant, sniffing suspiciously at the recruit.
And Peanut found himself again wishing he had a robot twin to answer for him. “I, I…”
“Answer my, by heck’s sake! Is that such a difficult question, considering that you stink like you washed yourself in hairballs!? Are you a cat lover!?”
Bino wished he had brought Peanut here much earlier! He wished for a camcorder.
Peanut surprised even himself when he barked back, with a passion that would’ve put a wolf to shame, “SIR, YES SIR! I AM A CAT LOVER AND PROUD TO BE! I HAVE A WONDERFUL MATE I’D DIE FOR, AND I WILL TEAR APART WHOEVER TRIES TO HARM HER! SIR!”
And the world just stopped. The echo of that revelation and challenge sounded throughout The Academy, stopping everyone on their tracks.

In the middle of a road, somewhere in another city, a lineup of cars and bikes listened carefully, amazed.
“Weren’t we supposed to be in another show?” asked a guy on a bike to no one else in particular.
“At least we get paid,” answered the car driver.

Bino was sure he had just gone deaf. The others looked at Peanut as if he was meat ready for the mincer.
The Sergeant Instructor looked, instead…pleased. He actually nodded. “A brave soul, no compromise. Now let’s see if your body can become as hard, boy.” He stepped back, paws clasped behind his back. Two men entered the room: one was Mr. Coffin, the other an afroamerican woman whose dark skin could match with Hannibal’s fur.
“Now, grunts. For those of you who think will survive this course, I am Sergeant Budweiser! You may call me ‘Bud’. Try call me ‘Buddy’ and the next thing you know, you’ll find your butt out of this Academy and your shadow still here. Am I clear on that?”
“Sir! Yes, Bud, Sir!”
Budweiser nodded again. “Good, because I ain’t nobody’s friend. I’m here to teach you respect for the rank, combat techniques and hate for the baddies!
“You were raised with all the mushy stuff, the ‘good boy’ and all that frivolous family nonsense! Well, the world outside is not a nice place! Humans can be mean, and they love to be mean with pets! They will see you with your nice uniform, they will think you weaklings who love to play the grownups! Well, gentlefurs, you are gonna prove ‘em wrong! You are gonna be meanier than them. Or you gonna get out of this place. If you fail, it won’t be your fault, not everybody is supposed to be a real dog. Like them!” he snapped his fingers. The woman unfurled a poster she was holding behind her back.
The poster depicted Fido, Kevin and Ralph, holding immense guns, wearing green military jackets, their expression pure tough business, and an enormous caption reading, JOIN THE ACADEMY TODAY! BE A DOG!
Bino felt his heart sink: he was doomed to stay at his brother’s shadow whatever he did to get out of it!
The woman furled the poster. Budweiser said, “But if you leave this place of your own will, you will prove you’re just chewtoys, old shoes! You’ll go back to the comfort of your cozy homes and watch the world living around you, because who leaves by his own will shall never be allowed back! Am I clear on that!?
“Sir! Yes, Bud, Sir!”
“Good! At least you know how to listen, for a moment I believed you got out of the bed and fell into those uniform by accident. Now, let’s see again…”
By now, Bino was definitely sure the looks were a coincidence. Heck, that dog radiated confidence, power, masculinity! Pure alpha. Bino wished he had such attitude, he’d rule the neighborhood with a snap of his fingers—
“And what exactly are you?” the voice of Bud shook him out of those considerations. For a terrifying moment, Bino was sure he was speaking to him. He was sure he’d throw up on the boss’ muzzle…
But Budweiser was speaking to the minipinscher. The small dog answered proudly, “Sir! Tobee Gallant ready to do his duty! Sir!”
Bud huffed. “Nevermind the ‘Sir’ thing, makes you sound like robots. I want to read your body language when you speak to me. And, son, I did not ask you your name. I asked you, what are you?”
“I am a minipinscher, Bud!”
“Wrong!” Bud barked, ruffling the smaller dog’s head fur and stretching his skin. “You are a parody of dog! Not even the Volkssturm would enlist you, unless they planned to make their enemies laugh themselves to death! You couldn’t even pass the -1 attack level, and that’s fighting against a newborn kitten!”
Tobee wasn’t fazed. “I enlisted to get assigned to the tech crimes division Bud!”
“And you are also supposed to fight your way to safety, should it be necessary! Know what I mean? YOU!” He pointed Peanut, then Sergeant Coffin. “See the human? Attack!”
Peanut heard it, but he wasn’t sure about what to do. “Err…attack him?”
Budweiser facepawlmed. “Laika’s ghost, what did I do to deserve them?” he whispered, then, “Yes, son. You are now going to bare your mighty fangs, flex your muscles and try to get a piece of Sarge Coffin! If you have problems, think of him as a baddie! Remember what I just told you all?”
Peanut nodded, but he just couldn’t bring himself to attack a human! It went against everything he had been taught!
Budweiser sighed, then motioned to the human. Coffin walked to the dog, much like the Terminator approaching Sarah Connors. Peanut just waved to the man and said, shyly, “Hi..?”
The other dogs cringed, and only Bino almost rubbed his paws in sheer joy, when there came the sound of the blow, followed by a loud yowlp.
Peanut was now holding his now bleeding nose, whimpering pitifully.
Bud wasn’t impressed. “When I say that baddies can be mean, grunts, that is the least you get from them. If I showed what they can do to a dog when given the occasion, then you’d be throwing up your lunch of the last year! Now, mutt, you think bad human, you attack bad human! Now sic!
This time, Peanut needn’t to be prompted again. He was sad, he was angry, he missed his home and friends, and wanted to leave this place and with shining colors!
Bino was genuinely impressed, seeing the transformation from whimpering dog to attack hound! He had never, ever seen Peanut going that mad against anyone.
Peanut roared as he jumped with wide jaws against the human.
They all saw closing his bite against the stuffed sleeve…
…and the saw him hanging by the stuffed sleeve, whimpering in puzzlement, while Coffin kept him hanging like some doll.
Budweiser motioned again. Coffin shook his arm and Peanut landed on his butt. “See? It’s only a question of focus, pup. Now, walking leftover,” he said to Tobee, “ready to—“ He didn’t finish the sentence. Tobee jumped at the human, with a roar to match a tyrannosaurus!
After that, it was a flurry of maim and pain. Coffin got the pity of all the dogs while he screamed, “NO! PLEASE! HELP ME! KEEP HIM OFF, KEEP HIM OFF! NOT *MY* BUTT, AHHHHH THE SCALP!!!” 1 minute of raw, untainted, terrifying violence, punctuated by the dog’s velociraptor-like snarls.
When it was over, Tobee was sitting proudly on his haunches, in a snowfall of Kevlar and stuffing, still holding in his jaws what was left of the beret. Coffin was ready to be buried.
“I iz a tiggy Daddy always says it can I has a cookie nao?”
Budweiser tossed him a chocolate treat, making sure to stay at a safe distance. “Class dismissed. Go to the cafeteria, explore the place, know each other, don’t kill anyone. See you at 02:00, sharp.”
This was going to be an interesting semester…
Last edited by valerio on Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Daggy
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by Daggy »

Oh that little Tobee...made me giggle so hard.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by angelusbr »

I still hope Bino will be hit by a truck or something. XD
Great job.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by Tiggy »

OH THAT LITTLE ME *shot*

No I was just chatting with daggy and he randomly giggled at Tobee and I was like "Oh what did I do now" and now im gone bye!
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by Karl »

angelusbr wrote:I still hope Bino will be hit by a truck or something. XD
I hope not.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by musclecar326 »

Awesome updates man!! :D Tobee was very funny when he attacked. Hope peanut and Bino can survive and make it through the academy.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by valerio »

2.
Hunter’s Academy, Locke’s County

“Does it still hurt?”
Peanut shook his head, slowly. “No, thank you.”
The first stop after the first ‘lesson’ from Budweiser had been the infirmary, where the physician had explained he saw a lot of cases like that with the new recruits. The old sergeant had a habit to make his points clear and painful, so that everybody understood that The Academy was no playground.
“But still, it’s a harsh thing to do to the new dogs,” Clementia said.
The group was walking in the big center for the training of police, guard and military dogs. As a matter of fact, Clementia was the only feline in the whole Academy.
“Afraid to get hurt, cat?” Bino asked, grinning.
Clementia hissed. “And how much did it hurt, to get you to run away like a puppy with your tail well tucked?”
Bino’s good humor over Peanut’s misadventures was replaced by the familiar anger. “A dog will be always ten times better than—“ but was interrupted when Athena dragged him by the collar. The buff female husky did the same with the Brazilian shorthair.
“Children, now behave. We’re supposed to be a team, not to skin each other. And Bino, frankly I expected a better behavior from you: you are a natural leader, and leaders should know better.”
Bino’s chest swelled with pride. It was true he was married with Sasha, and he had done it because he really wanted some stability in his life… But this big gal was like a dream incarnate, simply perfect, so strong, so confident! “You really think I’m a natural leader?”
Athena nodded. “The way you put us all in check, on the bus, showed a lot. No male had ever done that with me. With some more training, I’m sure you’ll end up having your own team.”
Only for those words, Bino was ready to run to the military school right now.
Peanut said, “Tobee, how come you get all this…energy, for such a small dog?” Before they saw him tear a human trainer apart, they wouldn’t have imagined the minipinscher capable of such a feat.
Tobee shrugged. “Oh I don’t know Daddy said it’s a genetic condition the same condition that allows me to eat regular chocolate that tastes great and drink coffee without harm I have a lot lot lot of energy and my brainz are always think think think that is why I want to join the crimtech unit I am a wizard with a kboard!” Apparently, he also had an unlimited pulmonary volume.
Peanut scratched his head. “Err, sure. And you, Hannibal?” That guy didn’t speak much and he always looked tense, ready to pounce. His eyes revealed to Peanut something dark, something he had seen only in that monster dog that almost killed him…
While gyrating the toothpick in his fangs, Hannibal said, “Not much to say. I was raised by a gang that owned a Pet Fight Club. They wanted a champion, I was their champion, until Dad and an army of cops rescued me. Dad brought me back to civilization, but in the end I wanted to do my part to fight against crime. I already know how to fight, I want the criminals to suffer like they made me to.” And with that, he didn’t say else. It was so far the longest talk he had had with the others.
“Meh,” said Sigmund. “I joined because it’s family tradition. At least one newborn of our breeding farm is supposed to become a cop and keep high the honor, blah blah blah. I only know that I will get decent food and the best girls once I will be officialized.”
“You’re doing it for the girls?” Athena asked. “You know, you never said that in your application form. You sound that like crazy otter, Errol.”
Sigmund winked. “His idea, baby. And you? Wasting your time here instead of dating the best hunks from the breeding farms.” To Peanut and Bino, he said, “Did you know it? She claims to be direct descendant of Togo.”
“Who?” both of them asked.
Athena facepawlmed. “Togo! The great racer of the Nome run to get the medicines for those children! He…”
“Oh!” Bino interrupted her. Like all educated dogs, he knew that story. “You mean Steele, but he did barely cover half the distance, the rest was done by Balt*eurk*” He had used to yank other dogs by the collar so many times, without caring for the effect it had on their necks. He discovered now, very painfully, how did it feel, when Athena effortlessly pulled him to herself as if he was a doll.
The husky’s muzzle was contracted in a very dragonlike snarl. “Name that glory sponge mutt once again and I’ll make sure that whatever surprised Budweiser has in store for us, I’ll make you suffer tenfold. Got it?”
Bino nodded, much like Zachary to Tiger when the dog was having a bad fur day.
Athena let go of him. “They desecrated my ancestor’s name because a stupid human emperor had the same name. And he didn’t cover ‘barely half’ of the run, he almost completed it, but since it had been that…no-breed to reach Nome, everyone started celebrating him as the true hero! Togo’s owners knew better, though, and made sure he had many pups, whose lineage I belong to. You know how much I am worth?” she asked, leaning to Peanut, flashing a seductive grin.
Peanut didn’t dare to speak, afraid of being turned into a milkshake if he got it wrong, so he simply shook his head.
“One hundred thousand Euros, that’s my price, and the same goes for my pups. And not one of us was raised in pampers, part of our value is being able to stand the toughest challenges a dog worth its name can stand. That’s why I’m here. If I play it well, my pups will go to the front.”
“Oh,” Peanut simply said.
Athena raised an eyebrow. “’Oh’? What does it mean? Am I not good enough? You think your pathetic kitty girlfriend could do better!?”
That made Peanut’s blood boil. Athena was startled to see him snarl at a hair’s breadth from her nose. “Grape’s tough, and you will stop insulting her! She too attacked that dog that almost got me, and she clawed her eye off! If you don’t have anything nice to say about her, then shut up!”
They stood like that for a couple of minutes, staring at each other, blue eyes against blue, dog versus dragon. Bino was ready to collect money for the bets… When Athena burst into a laughter! She then slapped Peanut’s back. “You really love her, pup! I like it. Weird or not, a male must fight for his mate with bravery and honor!” She leaned an elbow over the other dog’s shoulder and winked at him. “You and I will be best friends, Peanut Butter. That’s an order.”
Clementia gave ‘awesome nod’. “Boy, you better believe that. So far, we are her the only friends she ever had, and we’re seeing each other for two years. You two just met and already she respects you so much. A real charmer.”
Peanut blushed, deciding that squirming wouldn’t do to his newfound image. “Err, thank you Athena, really…”
“Call me Thena, pup. Now, why did you say ‘Oh’, before?”
“Well…” Peanut looked toward Hannibal. His expression had turned sad all of a sudden. “Hearing your story, Thena, I remembered those three monster dogs. They were cruel, assassins, they enjoyed inflicting pain, they almost kill a human I really like… But in the end they were like that because they had been bred to be that way. They never had a choice, they grew without a family, knowing that if they got caught they’d die…” Peanut felt tears coming to his eyes, he gulped them down. “I am glad they’re gone, but I really wish they had had a chance. Like you, Hannibal.” This time, a pale smile came to his lips. He put a paw to the Alsatian’s shoulder. “You can prove that there is always hope.”
Bino rolled his eyes. “Cornyy!” he had the time to say, before Athena yanked at his collar again –harder.
Hannibal didn’t smile, but he returned Peanut’s gesture. “You are a noble soul, hombre. Your girlfriend is lucky to have you at her side. Just don’t think you can appeal to the bad guys’ soft side with this attitude; Bud’s right, you wouldn’t survive.”
Peanut nodded. “I promised Grape I’ll be a good cop, to defend my family and our-her kittens.”
“And pray tell,” Clementia said, “Who is the donor?”
Peanut felt like he was dishonoring his bond with Grape keeping up the lie, but they had made the most solemn of promises, and this time he wouldn’t be so stupid as to tell the truth. It wasn’t his feelings in play, this time, like when he had to keep his relationship with her a secret. This time, it was their litter’s future, their whole family. His family. This was his biggest responsibility!
Peanut rummaged in his collar and took out a picture of Alcor. “Him. He’s a very good friend, I trust him and he will give Grape a very nice litter.”
Clementia, who usually held a perfect poker face and wasn’t generous on words, went BSOD at the sight of the white-furred, golden eyed male. She grabbed the picture, examining it very carefully. She was drooling. “Ommabalomma! Is this guy for real? I mean, he should be playing Prince Sabatho in the next Prideland movie. Man-o-man, you should lock up your girlfriend in a cellar, with such a snowflake around, *purr*! Can *I* have his kittens?”
The other pets were almost scared by that reaction from the usually cool cat –and it was true, no cat at Terrace matched such beauty.
“Err, well, I don’t think he’d do such a favor for anyone else…” Peanut tried. She dismissed him with a sharp gesture.
“Let me be the judge, boy. I’m gonna move to Babylon once this course is over.”
“I mean, he has a girlfriend already…”
“Nothing I can’t take care of. Who would be the kitty?”
Peanut took another picture, but this time he held it at a distance, for fear Clementia would tear it into pieces. “Her. Her name’s Mizar.”
The cat looked, at first distractedly, then realized that Mizar was not a cat. Her ears fell down, her whiskers drooped, her whole body sagged. She looked like a cleaning mop. Her lips trembled. “Why?” she whispered, before handing the picture back to Peanut. “I should’ve guessed, since he’s your friend, weirdo!” She spat. “Monster. Like giving a fata morgana to a thirsty man.”
Peanut took the picture. Sigmud took Mizar’s picture. “Let’s see what kind of doggie dates a kitty who can make Clem drool…WHAMMOLA!!!” his tail straightened up like a radio antenna. He was drooling ignominiously. “Your girlfriend should lock you up in a cellar, PBS boy! I mean, this is top candy, guys!” he showed the picture to Hannibal and Tobee.
The minipinscher, who was eating another cookie, strangled himself on a mouthful, had to beat his chest like a jackhammer. Hannibal started wagging crazy. “I want to be the coffee for her milky fur!” He looked incredulously at Peanut. “They are together? Like you and Grape?”
Peanut put Mizar’s picture into his collar. “Yup. They met at the old shelter, before Uncle Martin demolished it and built the Lucky Charm Grove. They were in nearby cages, and they ended up falling in love. They never left each other. And now Mizar too is waiting pups, thanks to a donor. It’s Ralph, the German Shepherd in the poster.” Peanut wagged.
Athena whistled. “Quite a match! Lucky girl… And you and Grape?”
“Hm?”
“How did you meet? How did you became a couple?” She couldn’t believe she was asking, it was so…unnatural. And yet, that sweet dog made the thought seem less scandalous. He was really in love with his cat, that couldn’t be denied.
Peanut wagged harder, as the group walked toward the mess hall. “Oh, well, there was this trip at Uncle Reuben’s farm, and there, one night, she came to the barn roof where I was standing…”
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3.
The Academy’s mess hall

“So you are the president of that GOD Club?” Tobee asked to Bino. There was sincere admiration in his voice. “That’s cool I am the President of a tech&comm club but there aren’t so many pets because there are few interested in technology stuff so I added the communication thing and our subscriptions skyrocketed because C.interesting banana are cheap and I learnt a lot of things about Babylon Gardens.” He took a pause to stuff his mouth with dog food. He chewed slowly, a habit his parents had taught him, to avoid he’d start talking while eating, thus spraying dog food everywhere.
Bino’s chest swelled with pride. “I am, and I can say that under my guidance there is never a moment of bore! I personally organize all outdoors activities and have provided for the indoor games.” That was not a vain boost, it was the plain truth: Bino was not only a natural leader, but also an organizer. While his brother Fido had a strong sense of duty and would do his best to follow his nature, Bino was a commander, he lived to see things running into schemes. An attitude that reflected, of all dogs, in his weird brother Joey. Joey, devoted anime fan, cat lover, but also a great organizer when it came to role playing games. His creepy friends really loved to have him as GM…
“Bino?”
He didn’t even notice Peanut was calling him, or the paw waving in front of his eyes, lost in a dreamy expression.
“Bino!”
“What? Who? Where? Oh, what do you want, w-Peanut?”
The other dog was chuckling. “You were daydreaming. Was a happy one? Thinking of home or of Sasha?”
“Sasha,” he answered, feeling guilty for it –not because he didn’t love her, but because he wouldn’t admit to Peanut that he badly missed his brothers.
“Ohh, cute girlfriend?” Sigmund asked, wagging.
This time, it was Bino who produced a picture. “Look and suffer, playboy.” The picture depicted the female German Shepherd, in all her white-and-brown fluffy glory, laying without her collar on a pile of heart-shaped pillows. And, while there was a…toughness in Mizar’s look, the muscles of a street-born dog, Sasha was the picture of innocence. Looking at her wanted to make you hug her.
Sigmund and the other males whistled. “Wow, really lucky dog!” The Weimaraner said. “Look at her eyes, they’re like candies.”
“She got a smile that could bring street packs to kill for,” Hannibal added, having seen the mix of sangre caliente and femininity in action. “Did she tame you already, pup?”
Bino blushed, knowing the others already knew the answer. She was the only one to whom he had ever removed his collar for. “We married, is that enough for you?”
Tobee had finished his mouthfuls and was looking at the picture now. “Yes yes yes I read it on the news on the Net and spoke with several pets on the CB they were very excited by this marriage thing now someone is speaking of doing it in Terrace High too and did you know folks that Peanut and Grape were the very first couple to get married?”
Five pairs of eyes stared at the small dog. “You knew?” Clementia said. “And when where you going to tell us, by grace!?”
Tobee shrugged. “Oh I forgot you know I’m always busy here think think think.” He tapped his head
Athena looked at Peanut with renewed interest. “So you declared your love in front of God? That’s really sweet, dear, although I find it sweeter how you two came to be together.”
“You’re only jealous, querida,” Hannibal said. “Because your idea of ‘romance’ is give birth to the next best in show. You should relax and enjoy life.”
The husky growled. “Watch your mouth, shark. Or we’ll see if those teeth of yours are strong as you claim.”
“Are your teeth strong?” Peanut asked.
When the Alsatian flashed his grin, the light reflected on them…as if they were metallic… “Pure chrome steel and ceramic, pup. My former owners inserted them when I was of age for the arena.”
Peanut looked horrified by what could be considered only a monstrous torture. Hannibal smiled ferociously. “Don’t. I am actually glad he did it. I was very happy to use them on him when I got the chance. Heh, I guess the Feds put him under protection from me.”
Peanut decided not to dig deeper into that statement. Bino sipped from his drink, then said, “What about Terrace High? I mean, it was finished a few months ago, we of Babylon don’t know a lot about it. How’s the life there?”
“Meaning..?” asked Sigmund
“Oh, like, a pet-friendly condominium sounds…weird. Doesn’t it feel cramped? Everyone living in a building?”
“Actually, it’s much better than you think,” Clementia said. “The apartment are big like one of your houses, and each story of the building measures two stories of a regular city place. We got all top hi tech facilities, it’s like living in a spaceship. The first ten levels are a big mall. The sports center got its separated building, and then there is Victoria Park. It’s large enough to allow us and the humans to have our outdoor fun without stomping on each other’s feet.”
“Pet clubs? Aside from the one mentioned by Tiggy?”
“Tobee and yes we got lot of clubs there is the sport club the reading club the astronomy did you know there is a small astronomical laboratory in the park and a zoo and three lakes and a greenhouse with all sort of plants it’s like a jungle.”
At the mention of ‘astronomical laboratory’, Peanut’s eyes widened. “I love the sky! I mean, I spent many nights studying the stars, and I didn’t miss an episode of ‘Universe’.” He blushed at a certain memory, when he and Grape had spent their first night together, as boyfriends, examining the constellations with him explaining why they were named that way, pointing at the single stars…
“Good memories?” Athena asked.
“Hm-mm. Thena, guys, don’t you have someone at home waiting for you?” He noticed they hadn’t spoken at all of their personal relationships.
Sigmund grinned. He fished a block note from his collar. The telephone agenda was filled with names and numbers. “I would share some number with you, but they’re all dogs, sorry. I guess they miss me.”
“Lucky me I am not in that list,” Athena said. “As for me, I have no boyfriend. No time for that.”
Hannibal shrugged. “Still must find the right girl. I want a female with sangre caliente running in her veins, a chica who can live every day as if it was her last.”
“Good luck with that,” Clementia said. “You should get feral. As for me, I got my eyes on a couple of tabbies, but they are not used to a tough kitty, I like my toys tame.”
Peanut chuckled. “You and Grape would like each other.”
“Is that your way to make a pass on me, pup?”
He frowned, ignoring the warning in her voice. “No. Grape’s my mate.” He said it as if that was the universal answer for every question about his fidelity.
“I have my club to run and when I become a cop I won’t have much time for other activities and love is so boring.”
“Say, Bino,” Sigmund said, “how’s your mate? I mean, is Sasha sweet as she seems?”
Bino thought over it. “We-ell, it’s not really easy. She’s so…innocent. She just can’t hold a grudge against someone. She didn’t even hold it against her dad when he mistreated her, and eventually abandoned her.”
Sigmund ‘tsk’ed in reproach. Hannibal snarled horribly. “I wish I had that lowlife between my teeth.”
“Give me anything about him pal his IP address his old email anything electronic and I will clear his account and make sure he get penniless night to day like this!” Tobee snapped his fingers.
“Such a sweet creature. What happened, after that?”
Bino smiled confidently. “I happened. I was there at her side, night and day, to console her, to make sure she’d be fine. We shared the same doghouse at the shelter until my brother adopted her, at my insistence.” He then showed a sorrowful expression. “I tried with my Dad, but money was tight,” And for how he had omitted about the way he had treated her during their relationship, and that her staying at the shelter lasted exactly one night and one day (and he hoped Peanut would never mention that Christmas episode), his sorrow for not having Sasha at his place was genuine. He had felt a true stab of panic at the idea of losing his dear dizzyhead. Asking her to marry him had come natural… Bino sighed. “Now Dad has a good job at the new shelter, hopefully one day he’ll have enough money to adopt her too.”
“I knew you had a sweet side about you,” Athena said, squeezing his shoulders.
Peanut winked at Bino. He wouldn’t tell anything to break the image the other dog was building.
“Uhm, and is there anything to do at all in our free time, here?” Peanut asked. He missed his videogames too...
Six pairs of puzzled eyes stared at him. “Free time?” asked Bino. “Peanut, have you studied the brochure I gave you, did you?”
“Err… No?” Peanut couldn’t exactly say that he had spent his free time with Grape any minute possible. And he surely didn’t want to into the details of the last two days.
Bino chuckled. “When we’re not busy with physical training, we’ll be submerged by books. The only ‘relax’ we’re allowed is S&M -sleep & meals. Sunday is free, and we can use the computers and the video and the games at the media center.”
Peanut almost breathed with relief. It meant he could chat with Grape, after all. Today was Monday, but Sunday didn’t feel so far, now. He’d be up and online first thing in the morning…
“You sound excited, pup,” Hannibal said. “If you like it so much, here, how did you get expelled for indiscipline?”
Bino blushed. “Smelled like mailman.”
And this time, a dead silence fell in the mess hall, every single ear pointed toward their table.
“I said that my uniform smelled like mailman, all right!?” Bino barked furiously.
“And you kept chewing it?” Sigmund chuckled, before nudging the other dog. “Aw, our fearless leader has it against mailmen.”
Peanut didn’t help when he said, “Once, when I thanked the mailman for the mail, Bino called me ‘traitor’.”
Bino fumed, but had to restrain himself, least he wanted the Grape of Wrath unleashed.
“C’mon, any other dirty secret, boss?” Clementia said.
“Hey, what’s with the interest all of a sudden?”
“Well, you know, Peanut’s secret is out, and that’s a pretty big one. And he didn’t get expelled: c’mon, you must have done something really naughty beside chewing your uniform. And you don’t look like the kind of dog who’d disobey his trainer.” She showed her teeth in a hungry grin. “Sooo… Wanna be a good boy and tell us now, or must we ask Tobee to search.”
Bino stared at the minipinscher. “You wouldn’t!”
Tobee thought it over. “Oh it shouldn’t be difficult at all once I get online I can pretty hack into the archive of disciplinary records and—“
“I will tell you! All right, you win, I’ll tell you…but you’ll do me a favor in return, hacker-boy.”
“A mystery I like mysteries and it will keep me busy busy busy I’m your man chief we’ll sort the details later now let the world know the naked truth.”
Bino was sorely tempted to make up a story, but he was also sure that that nosyparker would check. And, considering what he could learn thanks to him, it was worth this small humiliation…
But not out loud. From a pocket in his jacket Bino took out a pen and a block. He wrote his shame in capital letters, before passing it to his classmates.
Sigmund whistled. “Oboy, talk about territoriality.”
Athena shook her head. “More ‘lack of self-control’, I’d say.” Clementia chuckled.
Hannibal sniffed at the air. “I thought I smelled someone familiar, here.”
“Seriously man how much you can drink in one day?”
Just remember the reward, just remember the reward… Bino’s face was completely red now. “Well, now that you had your fun, gimme here!” he snatched the paper from Tobee’s paws, crumpled it and ate it. “And try not to hide, Sunday. We have to talk.”
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Also, please check the AWESOME art by EvanAierkan in chapter 1 :D
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I'm loving it.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

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What, no mention of the slow-motion pillow fight with the farmer's daughters? :P
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didn't want to cause a mass nosebleed :mrgreen:
glad to you have you among my readers, Kitch! :D
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4.
Run Track 1, The Academy

“I hope for you that you had your fun, visiting this wonderful spa,” Budweiser said.
The group was standing in line in the open. Coffin and the afroamerican woman were as usual behind him. The man’s hands were bandaged, and he kept throwing terrified glances at Tobee.
The pack leader walked to and fro, in his proudest stance, tail raised and rigid, ears erected, paws clasped behind his back. “Probably, you’re asking yourselves why is it a dog ordering you around instead of these superior humans. You know why? Because, first thing first, you must learn how to work as a pack, with a higher-ranking dog leading you. Then if you’ll still want to join the police or any other specialized security force, you’ll be assigned a human trainer who will also become your companion in mission. For now, humans will teach you in studies. And you better listen to them, because if you fail in learning you better go work for the Eskimos or some Midwest farmer leading cows and poultry!
“Now the real fun begins. You will be free to curse your immortal souls off your bodies, but try doing it when your session is finished, otherwise it will be only a waste of your breath and of those happy thought you should think against the scum of humankind and feralkind.
“From now on and for the next six months your butt is mine. Every other time, you’ll wish run to the nearest vet for the shots of the next ten years. I’ll do my best to make your stronger or…” He motioned to the humans. They took the shovels that were laying at their feet. They tossed one to each dog. Tobee grabbed it but also went down with a ‘homph!’
The recruits looked at the shovels with curiosity. One could see the ‘?’ flashing over their heads.
Budweiser was grinning like a wolf. “Should you ever feel really tired, you can dig your beds and lay there for eternity.”
Bino had the distinct impression that the ‘uncompromising standards’ of the Academy had been slightly increased since last time he was here.
He was no longer sure at all that coming back had been a good idea.
“Now, grunts, put those shovels across your shoulders!” And Budweiser showed them how to do, picking the last one and placing it like a water-carrier, his arms resting on the wooden handle. He turned towards the track. “Now let’s make ten rounds of the field to loosen up. Straight back. Pay attention: if you start pressing the handle against your neck, you’ll have problems sleeping tonight. Now, hup! hup! And no singing! When we run after a baddie, we don’t do it singing dirty songs!”
“Ten rounds, should be a milkrun,” Sigmund said, and so did Athena. Both of them were literally made to run for long distances. Bino had run that track many times, he shouldn’t be worried, but the shovel was a novelty, and he had a bad feeling for novelties.
Peanut and Tobee went happily at their task. Clementia and Hannibal just looked ahead grimly; this was training, not some picnic run with the family.

Run track 1 ran along the inner perimeter of The Academy. 10 rounds made 20 Kms!
At the 5th round, everyone thought they were holding a hot iron bar against their bones. Clementia felt like throwing up the lunch. Tobee was chuckling maniacally.
At round 6, Sigmund started hallucinating. He was sure there was on old, repugnant crone sitting on his back, dressed like a cowboy and whipping him forward. Sigmund neighed.
At round 8, Budweiser asked, “Tired already, grunts?”
Bino wasn’t sure if he was dead, but he sure thought he had enough energies to decapitate that sadistic demon with his shovel. Of course, if he still had paws to do that. He had lost them somewhere, he was sure, he only needed to do another run and he’d find them.
At round nine, the iron bar had melted into their flesh, and their arms had turned into so many pieces of wood. Their backs were jingling clinking like a mass of broken glass.
At round ten, Budweiser said, with sincere admiration, “Look at Peanut, grunts. He’s smiling through it, like a good dog should do!”
Peanut was showing an ecstatic expression, his eyes lost in his personal paradise, where he was running on soft clouds of cotton candy, and Grape was sitting on his shoulder, purring peacefully—
“Stop!” said the voice of their tormentor. The illusion dissolved and Peanut felt as if liquid fire had just been poured into his veins! He just made this weird “Ick!” before collapsing in the heap of his classmates. Tobee kept moving as if still walking, his joints making srange mechanical sounds. Bino was on his knees, he believed he was Robespierre and was addressing an inexistent crowd waiting for the head of the Queen.
Bud gave his shovel back to Coffin. “Tss, and you think this was hard? Ten minutes, then ready or not you go to the gym. On your feet or dragged around, I don’t care.” He nodded to Hannibal, who was standing still there, shovel on his shoulders, proud, his eyes lost toward the horizon. “Very good, son. Keep up the good job.” He patted the dog’s chest.
The black dog didn’t make a sound. He just fell down on his side, rigid like a statue. He crumbled to pieces a moment later.
Bud addressed the woman. “Sergeant Mahoney, get some Bostik to fix him up.”
The woman nodded. To the dogs still conscious enough to look at her with puzzlement, she said, “I am Irish. Any problems?”
---
The Training Hall 3

They wanted to die, right there on the spot. Standing sharply like the day (or it had been a few hours ago? They didn’t really remember) was pure torture. But they would NEVER admit defeat in front of his face.
“I see the hate in your eyes, good. Hate means fight, hate means you won’t give up until the baddies or down and secured.” Bud looked satisfied. He clasped his paw. “You completed all ten rounds, I must admit I didn’t expect that from grunts on their first day. Keep up the standards, and maybe we can become friends.
“And to prove you that I can reward talent and physical prowess, your next exercise will be obedience to a simple command: Stay.”
For some reason, that didn’t put the seven trainees at ease.
Again Bud flashed his shark grin. “Stay where you are, as long as possible. You won’t know for how long. Just know that if I won’t tell you to stop, I’ll punish the whole pack for disobeying a direct order. First to fall, no matter who, no matter for what reason, the whole pack gets a nice punishment. And, believe me, I can be creative. GOT IT!?
“GOT IT, BUD, YES!”
The dog grunted, nodded and walked toward the door. Just before stepping out, he said, “Oh, and you’re free to do some pillow talk if you can’t keep your traps shut. I feel really generous, today.”
The door slammed shut.
“I am going to collapse and get a good rest,” Bino said, unmoving. “Let’s organize the turns.”
“You forget one thing, dog,” Clementia said back.
“And what would that be, cat?”
Her eyes pointed down, the she wrinkled her nose. “He’ll smell our bodies. I am not ready to be sent back home in a doggie bag.”
Bino mentally facepawlmed and cursed something that would have peeled a wall. “Catlover, tell me that demon is not a relative of yours or I’ll make sure you’ll suffer when we’re back to the Gardens.” If Peanut told Grape of that threat, Bino would get a nice set of scratches behind his beck, but it was worth it.
Peanut shook his eyes no, too scared to move his head. “No! Never saw him, cross my heart. I never met my father when I was a pup. And mommy was always so sad when I asked her about him…” His ears drooped, but it consoled him that he had never been to a shelter, he had been lucky in that regard.
“Aw, poor guy,” Athena said. “My mother raised my litter without much love, taught us to behave and to be the best in what they asked to. Last I saw her, she told me to keep high the pride of Togo’s name. She also told me that having a non-husky boyfriend would be the greatest shame for the family.”
Hannibal said, “I was born in a bar at Caracas, where mother’s owner kept her between a fight and the other. I don’t remember much of her, save the crisscross of scars on her belly when she gave me milk. And the scent of blood on her body whenever she came back from a fight. Heh, I was so scared out of my fur whenever I smelled that stuff, but she would look at me and lick me all over and say that one day I would’ve made her proud. At first, I thought she wanted me to be a great, invincible fighter like her, that is why, after I was sold to a Mexican, I fought hard to become number 1, but when I was given a second chance by dad, I understood what she really meant.”
There followed a long silence. Peanut looked like he wanted to cry his heart out.
Clementia said, “I can’t believe it.”
“What?” Hannibal didn’t of course stop looking at the opposite wall, standing straight as ordered despite his back trying to tell him this was a bad idea.
“You never opened this much with us, and we’re neighbors. Now comes this pup with a great confusion about love and you…you…” She hissed a curse, then decided to focus on the stabs from her vertebrae.
“Sorry,” said Peanut. He really hated when he was cause for a discussion.
“Don’t. You know what I like about you, hombre? You could stay at home and enjoy your life, enjoy the sight of your mate’s growing belly. Instead you come here to make sure you’ll be a good fighter for her sake and your family. You don’t have traditions or memories to count for. You are here because you believe in being a better dog.”
“In other words, Peanut,” Clementia said, “He’s offering you his friendship. Believe me, take it as a heavens-sent, and when you come to visit us at Terrace, no bully will dare get near your shadow as you’ll introduce your girlfriend and her-your kittens.”
“You’ll come visit us, right?” Sigmund asked. “Peanut? Bino?”
“Count on it,” Bino answered with a smirk. “And I’ll bring Sasha to make you suffer.”
Tobee: sin⁡α±sin⁡β=2sin⁡〖1/2 (α±β)〗 cos⁡〖1/2 (α∓β)〗 (x+a)^n=∑_(k=0)^n▒〖(n¦k) x^k a^(n-k) 〗 (-b±√(b^2-4ac))/2a
Peanut wagged happily. “Of course! I never been at your community, and from what you told, it must be really awesome! Do you have many friends there?”
Sigmund said, “Well, enough not get bored. Hey, did you know there is this tenant who owns one of them south american parrots and, listen well, a python!”
Peanut almost broke his posture. “Really? And here I thought that the Milton wolves were the most exotic pets in our neighborhood! Is this python a friend of yours? Is it big enough to crush a sheep? And the parrot can talk a zillion language like Freddy of Doc & Smith?
Bino felt embarrassed for Peanut. What a…puppy attitude! This school wasn’t supposed to be about small talk! And yet, everyone was chuckling as if they heard a funny joke.
“Depends on what you consider ‘friendly’,” Clementia said. “Ol’ Macajuel is a sadistic son of a charming yourg woman. He doesn’t feed, he tortures. And if you asked him for any favor, watch for your soul before going to sleep.”
Tobee snapped out of the math-trance he had been using to soothe his physical pains. “As for Piper he’s even worse than Mac he loves to play pranks with that tongue his Dad got him a CB and from time to time he’ll spread false rumors and nasty gossips but once this friend of ours a big big big boy named Samson told him to stop or he’d crush his wings bone by bone and man it does take a lot to make Samson mad because he loves to chat on the CB.”
“And yes,” Clementia added. “He talks a zillion languages.”
Bino was happy he was keeping a straight face.
He saw…potential in this feathered being.

The door opened, and in came Budweiser and his humans colleagues, “Well well well, looks like you are forging your allegiances already, grunts. How’s your backs?”
Only then, did the pets notice two things: they barely felt the stiff in their muscles, and that the sunlight through the windows had been replaced by halogens. Had they really spent all the day chatting amiably?
Bud put a paw over Peanut’s shoulder. “You have the rare gift to make people open their hearts. Talking makes you know each other, makes you a pack, and a good pack is a winning bet in my book. Very well, grunts: now you get to your cots and try get some decent sleep: wake up at 5:30, breakfast at 6, then school. Lunch at 1pm then you better be here at 2 sharp, or else!” He walked to the door. Before stepping out, he said, “Oh, and at ease.”
A sound of crumpling bodies followed that command, followed by a collective sawing of logs.

SEASON II
Episode 6
FIN
Last edited by valerio on Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

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I could never run one KMm, much less 20. Poor guys. But dogs like to run.
Awsome chapter.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

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HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES
Season II
Episode 7 – The Honor of the Thieves
By VALERIO

House Masterson, Milton (&Danko), Babylon Gardens

The bottle’s cork popped with a merry sound. Immediately the frothy liquid was poured into three glasses. “Janet, my dear, you can’t absolutely miss this Franciacorta Brut. Come on!”
Janet Masterson: former cop, P.I., ‘guardian angel’.
Sergeant Ivan Danko Masterson: Doberman, trusty companion of many adventures and bestest friend of Janet. Tough doggie.
Thomas and Celia Milton, failed inheritors of the immense riches of their uncle Henry Milton. Crooks. Happy
Janet took a glass, looking at it as if it contained vitriol. “For one month, you’ve been acting like two dopes high on catnip. What are you conspiring, you two?”
Thomas, the one who, in the presence of Ivan, used to wish to curl up in a ball and hide in a dark corner, was beaming. He clinked his glass against the detective’s who had been charged and paid with the task of keeping eyes and ears on the two brothers. “My dear, aren’t we allowed to celebrate the end of our fruitful collaboration with Martin Foster? I mean, we played the good boys, helped his adoptive newphews and fattened up his family’s account tenfold. All legal. What is ever there to worry about, hm?”
Only that you may start WWIII, you weasels, she thought. Before becoming pro tempore employees of Martin to make up for part of their sins, Thomas and Celia had ‘managed’ the old shelter, or rather the monstrous lager, with the complicity of a pet mafia organization.
Every time Janet thought of that place, and that the Miltons were doing money with it, she felt a strong urge to get her gun and dispatch brother and sister…
But Martin had been adamant: Thomas and Celia Milton were crooks, but they also were smart. They knew how to make money, bending the system so as to stay within the borders of the law AND do things that would make a heartless Wall Street broker proud.
As a result, the fund Martin had created for his own pets and for the Sandwiches pets was now a hefty offshore bank account, in case something happened to him, or to Jill and Earl. As a karma bonus, the Milton brothers had exposed the scam that Grape’s former parents had set up to kidnap Grape and blackmail Martin into paying the two vermin for a new life.
Martin had decided they deserved a chance, with one condition: they tried to mess up with any resident of Babylon Gardens or worse, with Martins most treasured enterprise, the Lucky Charm Grove for the Abandoned and the Ferals, and there would be heck to pay and beyond.
As a final act of trust, Martin had given some money to Thomas and Celia. Enough to buy a decent house and start a honest job.
Janet was sure they would’ve spent it all in trinkets within 24 hours.
Which suited her: she wanted an excuse to shoot at them if they tried again to show themselves around Babylon.
---
House Welshman

“Say it again?” To be honest, it wasn’t easy to surprise King. Before being magically transformed into a Corgi, he was a human with a hate toward pets, and then, as a dog, he had made friend with the dog he had tried to kidnap. Then he had been involved in a sort of ‘hoy war’ between ghosts, then had been turned back to human, and finally had chosen once and for all to be dog, by his own will, to embrace his second chance, the happiness he had been denied as human.
He had thought he was happy when Joel Zechariah Robinson had gone for good.
He thought he was in heaven now. He just couldn’t believe his big doggie ears.
“Stop smiling like that, inferior being,” an anthropomorphic, human-sized griffin said as he sat on his favorite couch. “You heard me the first time. You are still my avatar, but with your decision you gained your own freedom. I am no longer your owner.”
It was the three of them in the living room: Pete, King and Tarot. At the griffin’s words, the Pomeranian sipped her tea. When she spoke, she showed her green dragon eyes. “Well spoken, Pete.”
King was way too happy to scowl at the blue-feathered creature. “In this case, I’ll forget you duped me when I accepted your ownership. Still friends, chief?” He extended his paw.
Pete looked at it as if he wanted to incinerate it. “Just stay out of trouble, you ungrateful mutt. You should accept my ownership, at least because if it hadn’t been for me you would still be rotting in a cell and without a friend.”
King measured his words, with these monsters one could never be too cautious. “You gave me a choice, and in the end I made the right one. But you surely didn’t make my life easy in between, birdbrain.”
Pete’s real, booming voice made the glass and walls tremble. “It’s part of the game! If I could’ve marionetted you around at my leisure, I would’ve done it!”
“Now, boys!” The dragon snapped, through Tarot’s mouth. “That part of King’s life is over, and the game goes on. Now, please, let’s try to act as civilized beings.”
Pete turned back to full human shape. A batch of papers appeared in his hand. “You are free as you deserve to be. Enjoy your new life. And feel free to come back to me whenever you want.” The papers disappeared in a puff of smoke, and so did King’s collar.
“Just watch out for animal control. They are not fond of ferals running amok.”
“That wasn’t necessary, Pete,” Tarot said, her eyes back to their normal color.
Pete Welshman shrugged. “It wasn’t. but it adds spice. Now, King, you better find yourself a nice owner, or your next home will be the Lucky Charm Grove.”
---
House Foster

“Coming, coming.” Martin knew it couldn’t be someone from the shelter ringing his bell. Animals, and that included ferals, were always welcome, and the Grove would have contacted him by phone in case of emergency. “Be right with you, whoever you are.”
The man opened the door, and was greeted by the weirdest sight: Thomas and Celia Milton, Janet with Ivan, and in the front row a perfect stranger who looked as if he could be exposed as mannequin in a fashion store. He flashed a wide smile, wide and fake like a 3-dollar coin as he held out a greeting card.
A puzzled Martin examined the card that read in bold characters, TEDDY CARTER – CARTER, REAGAN & HOOVER – ATTORNEYS AT LAW. Then he moved his eyes to the Cadillac parked near the walkway.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Foster,” the mannequin said. “Teddy Carter. I may be the Devil for you, if you want.”
“Should I shake hands or exorcize you, Mr. Carter?”
“You could let us in, for a start.”
“Freely and of my own free will, I suppose.”
“You suppose well.”
Martin knew the Miltons had waited for the right moment, knowing the pets weren’t home now. Not even a lawyer was cold-blooded enough to be calm with Antares and Aldebaran nearby.
Martin closed the door behind his guests. “I’d offer you a drink, Mr. Carter, but I fear I got only Holy Water.”
“I get that a lot.” The man sat down where indicated.
Martin asked. “So, I guess you got two new clients?”
Carter nodded. He opened the briefcase laying on his thighs. “Correct. Now, about my clients’ position.” He recapped the relationship between Martin and the Miltons very accurately. “Anything to add?”
“No.”
The lawyer showed a hard copy of a bank letter, in which Martin would make a 10 million dollar transaction in favor of the Miltons. “My clients think this is a reasonable fee for their services.”
Martin raised an eyebrow. “Their ‘services’ are an extrajudicial agreement for the crimes they committed during their mismanagement of the old shelter. There was enough evidence to send them in jail for a long time.”
Carter nodded. “The agreement was about multiplying your pets’ funds, right?”
“Correct.”
“Great! This means that whatever other activity out of that agreement is not to be considered as ‘personal favor’, right?”
“Correct.” Martin didn’t need to give the Miltons his best evil eye –Danko was already providing to that, though the dog was smart enough not to growl or raise his hackles.
Carter handed the paper to Martin. “I so like a reasonable man, Mr. Foster: the amount will cover the Miltons’ fees for exposing the scam at the expenses yours and of the Sandwich family. Considering my clients may have easily saved you double that amount, and that they will not sue you over the various mistreatments they were imposed…”
Because we’d go to trial and I could use that money to send you down the tube, and you want to make this easy and hush-hush! Martin thought
“…you can see this is a very good transaction.”
Martin took the letter and signed it.
Teddy Carter put the paper away, closed his briefcase and stood up. “Our business is done, Mr. Foster. It was a real pleasure, believe me. If you will be needing to contact my clients, you can find them at this address.” A new card seemed to appear as if by magic in his hand. He handed it out.
Martin’s eyes almost popped out of their orbits at the sight of the MILTON SUBSIDIARIES INC. – NEW YORK CITY, with the Miltons’ names as CEOs, contact numbers and e-mail. Martin then looked at brother and sister as if they had just subverted every known physical law.
“Teddy, dear,” Celia cooed, “can you go wait for us in our car and leave us with the nice Mr. Foster here for a minute? Please? Be right with you.”
The attorney threw Martin an admonishing glance, before leaving the house. When the door was closed, Martin smirked. “I imagine this is the golden moment in which you boast about how great you did in duping me, right?”
“What a language, Uncle Martin,” Celia went on with that merry hag tone. “Thomas here got you richer by ten million dollars. You should congratulate with him, instead of biting the hand that will feed your puppies.”
Martin gave them death with his eyes, but he could do nothing and say nothing. The cameras he had placed all around fr security would become evidence against him if he opened his mouth now. Thomas and Celia knew it and were enjoying that moment like a tasteful morsel.
“Your hospitality lacked somehow, but otherwise you were very generous,” Celia went on. “We will remember it, should we decide to come back.” Of course, that was the last of her and her brother’s thoughts.
“New York?”
“The Big Apple,” she nodded, while Captain Caption said, We know better than challenging you on your turf, you [censored]. You stay out of our business, we’ll stay out of yours, or someone gets hurt, be it the last thing we’ll do!
Martin held out his hand, sporting the familiar diplomatic smile. “So long, then. Thank you for providing to my boys’ happiness and good luck with your new business. Choke on ‘em, vermin!
The Miltons shook in turn. “Why, thank you dear. Remember to invest in our firm, when you can.” We’ll take those accursed ferrets to the cleaners, then we’ll buy out your pathetic excuse of a shelter, then you and your flea-ridden pests shall live in a dorm. Just for the fun of it!
The Miltons walked to the door. Danko had never found so…appetizing a human set of butts. Just one bite…
“Oh, by the way,” Celia feigned to remember at the last moment, her hand on the doorknob. “Those adorable ferrets. You know, Dolores and Carmen…” She clucked her tongue as if she was really so sorry. “I fear no pets are allowed in the apartment where we’re moving. But I’m sure you will find them an adequate home for them in no time, they are such polite and sophisticated creatures.” Those sordid tubular rats are still alive and well, you fanatic, so don’t try to say a word!
Martin nodded. “Of course, I will be more than happy to take care of them, it’s my job after all. Thank you for telling me.” I will have such a restriction order issued against you, you both will never even grab anything depicting an animal! Witch!
Martin waited to hear the car running away, before saying, “I knew they were good, but this…”
Janet looked as if she wanted to grow a tail and tuck it between her legs. “I’m sorry, Martin, I didn’t know—“
He interrupted her with a dismissive gesture. “At ease, my friend. It’s my fault for allowing full access to the Net to solve that scam. They knew what to do, they had a precise plan in motion, they only needed the right occasion. The Milton Industries were their target not me. I should’ve warned the ferrets instead of caring only about me.” Martin sat down, frowning. “I don’t get it: to become CEO you must own at least 51% of the stock, and that means a ton of money since the M.I. are well above the floating line in this crisis. In the short time he had, Thomas couldn’t collect the money and the contacts for such a massive buyout. And even if the ferrets are not high finance geniuses, it’s their foundation that manages their money. They couldn’t simply allow anyone to buy so quickly so many stocks, unless…” Then a bulb lit up in his mind.
Without saying another word, Martin ran to his study. There he turned off the screensaver and started googling. A moment later, all three of them were reading on the screen the result of the search.
---
The garden of House Arbelt

Tiger wasn’t a stupid dog.
Eventually, even he had learnt that it was unwise to go everyday in the kitchen, looking for munchies. Of course, he was allowed his afternoon snack. Dad always left a packet of biscuits for him on the counter.
Alas, the pitbull’s idea of snack went from a family package of biscuit to a pizza. Or two. Or three. Jerry Arbelt had to put a lock at the fridge, much to Marvin’s and Zachary’s chagrin, for now they had to ask Dad to open the lock whenever they needed their snack.
Anyway, the problem had been solved when Tiger had learnt to pick that lock. What use sealing the fridge, at that point?
Then Tiger’s eating problems had worsened, when he had understood he’d never been Celestia’s girlfriend. He had a mega-crush on Daryl’s daughter, and she was such a tease! But he wasn’t wolf stuff, he had no chances.
That had led him toward more snacks. Jerry ended up financing Tiger’s saturated fats.
At that point, a decision had been taken: no more snacks. Good meals, but no. more. snacks. Or Tiger would never see a dime.
Tiger had made a solemn vow not to eat in a disorderly fashion anymore. And he had kept his promise, much to Jerry’s satisfaction.
Tiger didn’t eat junk food at home. He had dug up his own pirate treasure lair in the garden’s thick bushes, and there he put, everyday, something to calm down his nerves. He had set a rigorous timetable, so he wouldn’t cause suspicions, and once a day he’d take his fill of instant happiness.
So he hadn’t to worry as he dug out his chest of treasure –a thick FedEx cardboard box lined with plastic. Marvin was doing his cat things somewhere at the park, and Zach was telling tales to those weird ferals who kept adoring him.
The ritual wanted Tiger to open and sniff deeply at the scent of sweets and salted snacks. This time, he’d go for the peanuts. He took the packet, weighing it. “Sorry, lads, but this time it’s your tu—“ His words, together with his thoughts, were cut off by an object that stroke his head.
Tiger fell down, and a moment later, someone dragged the box with the food away…
Last edited by valerio on Fri Jan 13, 2012 4:13 am, edited 2 times in total.
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kavviyenta
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by kavviyenta »

Yikes, so that's what the title indicate.

For the previous chapter, it's sad to see Togo not given enough credit so much that he was replaced by a lookalike who act like a bully in Balto's story.

I was thinking Nevermore would follow Peanut to make sure Bino kept his promise but apparently there was no need, heh.
http://valito.deviantart.com/ my deviant gallery, nope there's no housepets in it

Unless you like Lilo & Stitch, kinda wish to see the experiments in housepets style
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by valerio »

2.
Haichicko Care Center, Babylon Gardens

The umpteenth ‘get-well’ card fell to the ground.
“Did anybody care to send something decent?”
The room smelled like a garden. A lot of flowers decorated it, but the angry pitbull couldn’t be less interested in them. He could eat a rubber bone, and his sheets had started looking tasty…
“Tiger, dear,” Marvin said, trying to calm him down, “apart from the fact that you’re not supposed to eat anything since you’re still convalescent, aren’t you happy that so many dogs from the club wish you well? I mean, when you broke your paw chasing Bino, they didn’t even care to give you a call. You’ve never been this popular.”
Tiger’s arm encompassed the forest of flowers. “If I were popular, there would be candy boxes, rawhide bones, pemmican, something edible. Instead I get these…these beacons for insects!” He sneezed, hard, then honked using a sheet. “And someone brought roses. I’m allergic to roses!” He buried his face on the cat’s shoulder. “Oh, Marvin! My poor, poor treasure. If I think it’s going to end into some traitor’s gullet…”
Marvin spent the following hour trying to console the poor dog –even if he had disobeyed Dad and lied about his ‘no more snacks’ promise, he had been punished hard enough when his treasure had been stolen and he had been hospitalized.
“How’s the rest of the food, at home?” Tiger asked, after calming a bit.
Marvin patted his back. “Relax, champ: Zach is keeping guard on it.”
“You too want me dead. Brute.”
---
Arbelt house

“C’mon, you dastardly fiends! Ah don’t fear ya, the glutton stops here!” Once Zachary had threatened whoever in the house could be listening, he adjusted the military helmet on his head, replaced the baseball bat on his shoulder and started walking to and fro at the kitchen’s entrance. He took the walkie-talkie hanging at his waist and whispered, “Captain Carrot to Carrot Bandit. Over. Any sign of hostilities?”

The rustling of leaves announced a raccoon head peeking out and looking down at the garden beneath. “Carrot Bandit to Captain Carrot, no sign of hostile presence. The public forces are at work. Roger and over.”

The ‘public forces’ being the K-9 patrol, jackets, glasses and all.
The case wasn’t a high-profile one per se. It was something the GOD Club could have investigated by its own…
There were two problems, though: one, this was also a case of assault and battery. Tiger’s ‘treasure’ had been stolen in a violent way, and whoever the culprit was had to be brought before justice before he or she harmed someone else. Second, this theft came after a line of other burglaries. Minor thefts –food, drugs, occasionally trash, even an umbrella. It appeared a feral was the responsible, since cash had been left untouched in at least two cases. The homeowners hadn’t protested much, they all were insured and when you lived in a pet-friendly community nearby a forest, minor troubles were part of this lifestyle. But now that one of their pets had been endangered, the humans had decided it was time to do some serious investigations.
Zach had sworn that his followers were with him at the moment of the aggression. Of course, that didn’t account for all the ferals living outside Babylon Gardens, but at least the most recurring visitors could be excluded. No one in the local K-9 corps felt like doubting of the word of the rabbit, who put himself on the line to help the kits of the raccoons killed by those monster dogs…
There was another problem
All the tracks and scents were clearly identifiable, this time, a thing that had not happened so far. Fido’s nose still quivered at the memory of ammonia used to cover the culprit’s tracks. The hound turned to his pack mates, Kevin and Sergeant Ralph. “Ah, guys, do you scent that too?”
Both Doberman and German Shepherd nodded. Kevin scratched his head. “Doesn’t make sense. I mean…”
Fido shook his head. “Sasha…”
---
Lindberg House

“King? What are you doing out here? And why are you without your collar?”
The attack at Tiger had unleashed a new wave of psychosis among the pet owners. Although not there being an emergency like during the monster dogs crisis, Dads and Moms had found a common ground forbidding their sons and daughters to leave when they weren’t at home.
A collarless dog was an invitation for animal control and a sure ticket to the Grove –not that it could be worse than the street, quite the contrary, but King didn’t belong to a shelter. He had his own place, although under the thumb of that weird being…
“Pete tossed me out. I am homeless and ownerless,” King answered from the branch he was sitting on, in front of Fox’s window. “Now may I in or do I have to fall and break a leg first?”
Fox opened the window. Lucky grabbed the corgi and put him in.
“Thanks,” King said to the malamute. He brushed his paws. “Lucky me, I know how to climb. Now, what’s the matter? Everyone just disappeared. I expected the air raid sirens to howl one moment or the other.”
Fox recapped the situation. “This was supposed to be Dad’s day off, and instead he had to run to the central.” The husky was upset. He loved physical activities with Officer Bill, and it had been even the more fun since Lucky had joined the family.
The husky hugged King. “But here I am, crying all over myself, when you’re all alone now. I’m so sorry.”
King blushed, returning the hug. “Heh, thanks… So, I guess it’s not the right time to ask you if you got some room to spare in your cellar?”
Fox and Lucky exchanged a glance. Then the malamute said, “You don’t need to. Let’s do it this way: Fox will try to convince Dad to accept you as a guest until you find a new home. In the meantime, you’ll be sleeping here with little brother here.” He slapped Fox’s back.
King looked with hope in his eyes at Fox, who was also busy massaging his offended area. “Sure. If Lucky is okay with that, and if you’re okay—ack!”
King jumped at his friend, squeezing him with a surprising strength. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” He was almost sobbing.
Fox petted him, rubbing his muzzle against the corgi’s cheek. “Hey, what’s the big deal, little fella? Did you actually fear I would turn my back on you?”
King relaxed in his friend’s arms. “Heh, I guess I’ve gotten used to be kicked in the teeth. Sorry for doubting you, big fella.”
Fox chuckled. “I guess you’re traveling light, hm?”
King touched his bare neck. “You can say it… Ah, Fox, really, I don’t want to get you into trouble. Not for the bedding thing, but because of your Dad. Now that I’m illegal, he could easily decide to get me to the shelter.”
“Would that be a bad thing?” Lucky asked, wagging. “Man, Uncle Martin knows how to treat his guests. I mean, worst case, you get royal treatment. And you would stay in touch with Fox. There’s good internet connection, at the Grove.”
“King, relax,” Fox said. “You’ll see, Dad won’t object having you as guest. And if he tries to get you to the shelter, I’ll go there with you. Promise.”
King’s eyes went pinpoint. “Uh..?”
“Silly. This is what friends are for, and I already told you you’re my bestest in the whole world. If Dad wanted to get rid of you, he’ll have to get rid of me as well.” He held out his punch.
King returned the gesture. He knew he could trust Fox, but this… When did someone talk to him like that?
Together to the end. In all this time, King had always felt a shadow of doubt in this friendship. A nagging sensation that, given the opportunity, the dog would abandon him to himself…
Instead, now Fox was ready to challenge his own Dad to stay at his friend’s side. King felt horrible for ever thinking he had wanted to get back to humanity. “Thank you.”
Lucky got up, “I’ll go fix you something to eat, then I’ll carry my bed down. And don’t worry, King-boy: I spent years sleeping in far worse places, including the old shelter.”
King shivered in disgust. “Man, I do not envy you. I’ve been there while accompanying Ma-Uncle Martin since he got possession of the place. And here I thought Baden-Baden was bad.”
Lucky got out the room. Fox stood up and went to the library. “By the way, I finally found that W.D. Gagliani book you were looking for.”
King rubbed his paws in anticipation. “Yay! Fox, you have not read an adventure book without reading the adventures of Frank Lupo. A real kicktail wuffie!”
Fox picked up the book Wolf’s Trap. “I don’t know; I find it a bit too violent for my tastes.”
King feigned some jab at the air, tongue sticking out. “Hah! What could be wrong when the baddies get kicked around in a nice slugfest?”
Fox handed him the book. “You know, sometimes you match too well Bino.”
King made a face, as if he had just sniffed something really unpleasant. “Some friend you are!”
“It’s true. I’m starting to think that you two have something in common, that’s why you hate each other so much… But seriously, can I ask you a question?”
King lifted his gaze from the pages. “Hm-m?”
“When Bino comes back, promise you will have a heart-to-heart with him.”
King raised an eyebrow. “Uh?”
Fox sighed. “You two should stop waging war every time you meet. I’m tired of trying to play the moderator, or beating him up.”
King rolled his eyes. “Well, he has it on me because of my name! What did I do to get a catnip bomb? Or to be welcomed with tar and feathers? Pete chuckled all along while he cleaned me. In most embarrassing places, I should add!”
Fox raised his paws defensively. “Ok, ok, he certainly didn’t make it easy for you. I’ll talk with him, prepare the ground, arrange a meeting on neutral ground. Furthermore, when he’ll back from the Academy he’ll be in a better mood. He’ll agree. And you will hold your tongue. Promise?”
King groaned. “Do I have a choice?”
“I am not being light on this.”
King’s head shagged. “All right, I capitulate. You set the stage, I’ll behave.” He looked toward the door. “Now, where is that hulk with the sandwich—“
The answer was a loud crash coming from the kitchen!
Both dogs literally sprinted down! They covered the distance to the kitchen room in time to see Lucky sitting on the pavement, his fur stained by spilled food, and a broken plate near his legs. He was massaging his stomach. “Doberman. Ran out,” he groaned.
King and Fox made it just in time to see…no one. The door was open, but no one was in sight.
Last edited by valerio on Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by Macsen »

Ahh, with Peanut and Bino out, we have a mystery on our hands.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by Daggy »

Setting the stage for some fantastic things, I see.
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Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Post by angelusbr »

I cvouldn't help but "d'awww" at Fox and King scene.
I love your writting.
Shameless advertisement of my fanfics: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/880961/Angelus-alvus
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