Author: doc and Maddie
Subject: Nothing Stays the Same: A Dog's Perspective -- July HBX Challenge

Nothing Stays the Same: A Dog’s Perspective by doc and Maddie

AN: This is my answer to the July HBX Fanfic Challenge.

This snippet occurs approximately one year after the final chapter of my story ‘A Nickel Trumps a Dime of Fate.’ For those who haven’t read the previous story, Harm and Mac are married and in private practice together as child advocacy lawyers in San Diego. They have three children, Ben, Conner and Ellie…ages 7, 4 and 2-1/2 years.

‘Starring’ prominently in this particular fanfic is Molly, the ever-indulgent, faithful four-legged, furry confidante and friend. My co-author thought it would be interesting to write a piece of fiction from the family dog’s perspective. She claims the dogs are actually the ‘REAL STARS’ in all of our stories. The people you ask…well, she insists they’re just the window dressing that makes characters like Molly and Maggie look good. By the way, my co-author is my 4-legged furry child, Maddie (aka Madeline Elizabeth, Miss Thing, Shoo, or BoozerBee-BoozerBoo). She’s actually the author of this particular story. I’m merely the scribe that translated dog-speak to people-speak and typed the text into the computer. Maddie claimed her nails kept getting in the way of the keys. I had to promise to give her first author billing…(pssst…so whatever you do, don’t tell her I changed it back). That said…I hope you enjoy a day in the life of the family dog, or rather a day in the life of the Rabb Family as seen by the family dog, Molly. Alright all ready…geez, Maddie says to get on with the story; she claims I talk too much.


Special thanks to Mom my faithful finder and keeper of all things related to spelling and grammar.


Disclaimer: I don’t own JAG or any of the characters. I just take them out and play with them on occasion before replacing them safe and sound back on the shelf.

***


07:15
Saturday
20 October 2012
The Rabb House
La Jolla, California

The sun had just begun to rise on the crisp October morn. The light seeped through the windows, dancing across the floor and casting shadows on the wall. Molly sighed from her perch in front of the family room fireplace. She usually loved Saturday mornings. Weekends meant her people were home from school and work. She’d hoped to romp through the leaves with her Boy #1 and Boy #2, and if she were really lucky, her Sir might take her for a run through the big waves in the giant water bowl a block away. Sometimes her Ma’am made a special breakfast treat, yummy cakes covered in a sticky gooey liquid. She licked her chomps at the memory of the sweet treat that invariably ended up on the kitchen floor compliments of her Little Miss…Ellie they called her. Molly just thought of her as HER Girl…her special friend. She and Little Miss went on adventures, played and ran through the house, chased balls and at nighttime they cuddled in bed and drifted off to dreamland together. Even in her dreams, she and Little Miss played and romped through fields of grass…that is until last night. Last night the unspeakable had happened…she’d been banished from Little Miss’s room in favor of the new intruder.

She looked up as a noise caught her attention. Ma’am walked gracefully into the room and stopped to stretch her arms overhead with a yawn. Walking over to the dog, she leaned down and scratched behind the soft furry ears, “Morning old girl, need to go outside?”

Molly rose slowly from the cold tile and stretched her front paws out to full length. Sleeping on the hard floor did nothing for her aging joints. Slowing ambling toward the back door, she grumbled in a low musical growl.

Ma’am chuckled and ruffled her fingers through the dark brown fur, “What was that, girl?”

Molly sighed and trotted out to the backyard to take care of business. Sniffing through the grass, she grumbled about her sore hindquarters and lack of appropriate bedding materials. It was hard to adjust to sleeping on a hard floor after you’d learned to spread out on blankets and fluff. Finishing her morning patrol of the yard, she returned to the door and uttered a short bark of command.

Sir met her demands and opened the barricade with a cheerful voice, “Hey Molly, morning to you too? Are you hungry, girl?”

She dutifully followed him into the kitchen and waited patiently while he filled her water bowl. Taking a long drink of the cool liquid, she sniffed at the dry kibble he dumped in her dish. Looking up at the hulking figure, she snorted into the air voicing her displeasure with the monotonous feast. She was holding out for Little Miss’s sweet treats. Her nose caught scent of the wonderful aroma of sizzling bacon. Fried pork, now we’re talking, nothing went better with sweet gooey cakes than fried dead pig. She trotted toward the stove with a spring of delight in her gait.

Ma’am looked down with a smile, “You want some bacon, Molly?” The dog licked her lips to stop the trail of drool that was pooling on the floor. Ma’am tossed her a strip of the crispy breakfast meat. Molly inhaled down the tasty treat in two bites and released a series of barking requests for more. Ma’am shook her head, “No more girl, you gotta wait like everyone else.”

Molly dropped to the floor at Ma’am’s feet to sulk and wait for any stray crumbs to hit the floor. The creaking sound of an opening cabinet door caught her attention. Craning her neck toward the noise, Molly saw Sir pull a canister of white powder from one of the upper cupboards. Curiosity peaked, she followed his movements as he pulled items from the fridge. She stood up and wandered over to his side. When he reached to the back of the cupboard to pull out the chocolate chips, she danced for joy at his feet. She knew she wasn’t supposed to eat chocolate, but a few chips couldn’t hurt and Sir’s speckled gooey cakes where the best of breakfast sweets. She was so busy salivating over the thought of her future meal that she almost stepped on Ma’am’s approaching feet. She watched Ma’am reach for the bag of chips and steal them away.

“Harm, I thought you were going to make blueberry pancakes today.”

Molly barked her displeasure, who wanted blue fruit when you could have chocolate!

“But Mac, you know chocolate chip is Ellie’s favorite.”

Ma’am sighed, “Of course chocolate is her favorite, but she needs to learn to eat fruit, too. You’re spoiling her, Harm. What ever happened to my health-food-nut of a sailor? I swear, your daughter has you wrapped around her little finger!”

Sir huffed under his breath, “She’s not the only one.”

When Ma’am turned away from the counter with the chips in hand, Sir made a lunge to grab them back…and the chase was on. Molly watched as her two big people circled back and forth around the island. Sir lunged right and Ma’am ran left. Sir circled back and Ma’am ran forward. Sir faked left and Ma’am miscalculated running right into his arms. Falling into his embrace with a sigh, Molly rethought Ma’am’s last maneuver, maybe it wasn’t so unplanned after all. The dog watched as Sir bent down to feast on Ma’am’s neck. Molly cocked her head to the side and watched with disbelief. How come they were always telling her not to bite, but Sir chomped with groans of pleasure on Ma’am’s neck all the time. Tipping her head in the opposite direction, she issued a short yelp of warning. Her big people chose to ignore her in favor of other more pleasurable tasks. Molly issued a further warning when Sir’s mouth slid over her Ma’am’s. Now, that she just didn’t get, people sure seemed to enjoy sharing slobber. Dogs greeted each other with barks of welcome, a sniff to the face among other places, a paw to the chest, a rub of fur…but the whole sharing of slobber and spit she just didn’t understand. Funny thing was, Sir and Ma’am must have enjoyed that form of rough housing because their mouths were always on each other’s. Molly shook her head in disgust and wiggled her body between their legs. It was time for breakfast after all; enough with the spit sharing, it was time to get back to work.

Sir laughed at the dog’s antics and patted her head. Retrieving the bag of chocolate chips from the counter, he returned to his task of making gooey breakfast cakes. Ma’am whispered something about checking on the kids, in a nearly breathless voice, all the while fanning her hand across her noticeably glowing red face.

Molly sat patiently at Sir’s side and waited for him to give her a dollop of the tasty dough. Staring up into his face, she remembered that first Christmas night he showed up at Ma’am’s house. Ma’am had seemed frightened and skittish at the time, like a small animal of prey afraid to face her predator. Molly had been prepared to attack in protection if necessary, but Ma’am commanded her to retreat to the porch. Never taking her eyes off the intruder, Molly watched as the people circled each other and talked. Next thing she knew, Ma’am was flinging herself at the tall beast of a man with shared shouts of triumph and tears all around. Just as Molly had been prepared to intervene, Ma’am and Sir began to laugh and dance about in the moonlight as if overtaken by a sudden bout of rabies or the mange…then the mouthing and slobber sharing had started. She figured it had something to do with the whole Christmas Santa Dog thing. Maybe dancing rawhides and gingerbread treats had a different effect on people than dogs. When they finally separated and bounded into the house with Molly on their heels, Ma’am seemed the happiest she’d ever seen. Molly decided than and there that Sir was good for Ma’am…and Ma’am was good for Sir. She accepted both of the big people into her pack and welcomed them into her den.

The sound of thundering paws roused Molly from her ancient reminiscing. Boy #1 and Boy #2 rounded the door and slid into the kitchen in sock covered feet. Stopping just short of the counter, Boy #1 stole three strips of bacon from the heaping plate. Molly’s gaze of intent never wavered from the flavorful strip as it flew through the air and into her waiting mouth.

Sir shouted from behind the pair, “Ben, you know better than that. Now both of you go sit down, the pancakes are almost done.” As her Boys ran toward the table, Sir barked again, “Ben, grab the orange juice off the counter and take it to the table. Conner, could you please set the napkins and silverware in place.”

Her Boys obeyed the commands and settled into their appointed chairs. Ma’am entered the room with Little Miss perched on her hip. Her Girl rubbed a fisted hand into her eyes as she pouted her displeasure at being roused from bed. Ma’am ran her fingers through the little girl’s hair, brushing it away from her face.

“Hey Ellie Bean, don’tcha want pancakes? Daddy’s making you chocolate chip?”

Little Miss nodded her head ‘yes’, protruding lower lip still firmly in place. When Sir reached for the little girl, she buried her face in Ma’am’s neck.

“It’s OK, Harm. I think she has a bit of a fever from her cold.”

Sir leaned in to place his lips against Little Miss’s skin and nodded in agreement. “Oh poor baby, is Daddy’s sweet pea not feeling good?” Little Miss launched herself into his arms at the sound of the sympathetic voice. “There, there, Daddy’s got you Ellie Bean. Do you think you can eat a few bites of chocolate chip pancakes?”

Little Miss nodded her head into his neck and pointed toward her chair never uttering a word. With a quick kiss to her cheek, Little Miss was gently settled at the table to await the promised cakes.

As Molly followed her Girl to the table, the new intruder entered the room. The dog growled in a low voice, issuing a warning to stay away from her people. The scruffy ball of fur danced forward like she owned the place, completely ignoring Molly’s admonition to halt.

When Molly advanced to issue further words of caution, she was stopped in her tracks by Ma’am. “Molly, no, no! Leave the kitty alone!”

The interloper sprang toward the table, weaving her small body around Molly’s legs. The dog opened her mouth to nip at the annoying creature’s ear when Boy #1 caught her mid bite, “Molly NO!”

Molly huffed in frustration and instead threw out her front paw, striking the fluff ball on her backside and sending her sprawling across the kitchen floor.

Ma’am jumped up from her chair and pointed toward the family room, “Molly, bad dog…go lay down.” Despite the dog’s sad expression of disbelief, Ma’am didn’t relent and Molly was forced to abandon her dreams of breakfast sweets, banished to the cruel hard floor of the family room.

As Molly dropped to the tile in front of the fireplace, her family’s laughing voices filled the air as their daily activities were planned out over breakfast sweets and fried pig. Life just wasn’t fair. They were her people after all. Just who did that annoying bundle of fur think she was? The tall older person had dropped off the offender yesterday. Gummy Trish, as they call her, said the new interloper was a present for Little Miss. Gummy called the annoying beast ‘Suzy-Q’…Suzy for short. Molly thought a more fitting title for the exasperating feline was the ‘Spawn of Satan.’ The unwanted trespasser had pranced through the room like she was in charge. She completely disrespected the established chain of command and perched herself in Little Miss’s lap. For the rest of the day, it was as if Molly didn’t exist. And as if, to add insult to injury, Little Miss had taken the Demon Seed to bed with her instead of her ever-faithful companion, Molly.

The dog glanced back toward the jovial table of people and sulked further into the floor. She never imagined there would be a time she would hate it here. Sighing in despair, she buried her head in her paws…nothing stays the same, I guess. She remembered a childish song that Boy #1 was singing the other day. ‘Nobody loves me. Everybody hates me. I think I’ll eat some worms.’ Wait a minute…worms? I hate worms. No way I’m eating those slimy crawly things. Let’s see, what looks like a worm? Pasta, pasta looks like worms…especially spaghetti. And meatballs, those look like rocks. That’s it, ‘Nobody likes me. Everybody hates me. I think I’ll eat some scetti and meatballs.’ Well, it didn’t sound quite the same, but it would have to do.

Molly looked up when a quick movement caught her eye. The Demon Seed was moving again. The kitten pranced into the family room like a parade horse, high-stepping for the crowd. Molly glared at the pompous beast, daring her to come closer.

The kitten stopped a few feet away and tossed her head in a superior manner. She reminded Molly of the person who was in that photo Ma’am found last week buried in a box in the attic…something about a ‘Video Princess.’ All Molly knew was that Sir stammered on about not knowing how it got there, and Ma’am almost fell over laughing with glee about the blinding glare coming off the ridiculously polished lips of the ‘hideous vixen.’

The rambunctious varmint moved a little closer. Smirking at the dog, Suzy smugly crowed, ‘They’re my people now. Cute rules old…cat’s are in…dog’s are out.’ Dancing around in circles on her hindquarters, she batted the air with her front paws, imitating high-5’s. ‘Cat’s rule…dog’s drool…cat’s rule…dog’s drool,’ was repeated in an irritating refrain.

Molly glanced at the kitchen table full of oblivious people and sighed in resignation, ‘Tell me about it.’ She watched the cat circle a yellow plush toy lying on the floor. Just as the mangy creature prepared to pounce, Molly reached out and corralled the toy with her paw. Pulling the yellow duck into her grasp, she heaved a sigh of relief. No one else was allowed to touch her Quack-Quack, except her people. She’d be darned if she was going to share her favorite toy with that ‘pompous as’…ah, ‘six’ of a cat. Lovingly licking Quack-Quack’s fur, she gently squeezed the toy and relaxed to the happy tune. “Quack-quack-quack-quack-quack…quack-quack-quack-quack-quack.”

The remainder of the day was equally depressing. Little Miss was irritable and cross. She kept tugging on her ears and whining. Sir and Ma’am finally decided to take her to the doctor. Molly pondered whether people doctors did hideous things like animal doctors. She never understood the need to shove glass sticks ‘where the sun don’t shine.’ Nor did she appreciate having sharp instruments impaled into her sensitive skin. She hoped Little Miss faired better in her visit at the people clinic. While Little Miss and her big people were gone, Gummy came to visit with her Boys. Molly glared at Gummy from a distance. She’d always liked the older woman before the dreaded apocalypse of yesterday, but she wasn’t sure she could forgive that major transgression now. Keeping a watchful eye on the safety of her small charges, she commiserated in anguish with Quack-Quack.

By mid afternoon, she knew her plans for a fun-filled Saturday were gone. She glanced toward the family room windows and watched the droplets of water trail down the glass in a meandering pace. The sky was dark and gray. So much for romping through the newly fallen leaves with her Boys. The run through the waves with Sir had to also be postponed.

Boy #1 and Boy #2 had spent the day in the house chasing after the Demon Seed. The only bright moment in an otherwise dismal abyss of a day was when Boy #1 one appeared with the intruder held high in the air on display. Her Boys had dressed the ball of fur in some of Little Miss’s doll clothes. Molly sniggered to herself at the vision of the kitten wearing a brightly colored floral dress and straw-hat compliments of Mitsy Bear. Molly grinned with satisfaction; at least, she’d never been subjected to something so humiliating.

She lifted a paw to fluff the ribbons of her Halloween collar. She remembered the day Ma’am had bought her the gift. Ma’am had taken her and Little Miss on a shopping excursion to a specialty doggie boutique. When she closed her eyes, she could still remember the wonderful scent of spices and carob emanating from the display case full of treats. Ma’am had spied the holiday collar on display mixed in with various squeak toys, balls and singing stuffed ghosts and bats. She’d proudly placed the collar around Molly’s neck, fluffing the orange and black iridescent ribbons into place. Little Miss pointed to the plastic decals of goblins and pumpkins affixed to the strands. At first, Molly had pawed at the choking restraint bound around her neck. But when Ma’am had gushed about how beautiful she looked and how the colors complimented her fur, she danced on her backside with pride. Then Little Miss called her a ‘Pitty Doggie’ and she was sold. She wore her mane of ribbons and pumpkins with pride. The final icing on the proverbial cake that day had been the box of special Halloween treats they’d taken home. She scrunched her eyes with glee, her vary favorite treat had been an iced gingerbread delicacy. She licked her lips at the memory…it was sweet and spicy and crunchy. But the best part wasn’t the taste, no the best part was the shape of the special treat. Her lips turned up in a devilish grin. The cookie had been in the shape of a large black cat. The grin grew impossibly wider, barring large white teeth. Her first very satisfied bite of the feline confection had been to tear off the head. Her eyes flickered toward the Spawn of Satan and she wondered with delight if the trespasser would taste as sweet. Suzy took note of the large dog’s glare and insightfully took her leave to sites unseen.

By late afternoon, the cold damp weather had persisted to leave the house with a cool nip in the air. Molly wished for a warm roaring fire at her back. She rolled to the side and exhaled a deep breath. She was worried about her Little Miss. Almost as if conjured up by thought, Sir and Ma’am entered the house from the garage. Ma’am carried a bundle of grocery sacks, while Sir held a whimpering Little Miss close to his chest. Molly could just make out his whisper, “It’s OK Ellie Bean…Daddy’s got you.” Sir’s big hands rubbed gentle circles on her back, “I’m sorry we woke you from your nap, baby. Do you want to go lay down in your bed.”

Little Miss whimpered some more and exclaimed with a pout, “No, Daddee!” Rubbing her cheek against his neck, she whined, “Daddee howd Ewie…rock in chwair.”

Sir threw Ma’am an apologetic look. Ma’am smiled in sympathy, “It’s OK, Harm. You go rock her and I’ll get dinner going.”

The Boys ran through the kitchen in search of their folks, “Hey Mama, I didn’t think you’d ever come home.”

Ma’am gave Boy #1 a hug and lifted Boy #2 into her arms with a grunt. “Conner, you’re getting to big for Mama to pick-up. Didn’t you guys have fun with Gummy?”

Gummy rounded the corner and sagged against the door with an exhausted groan, “They ran me ragged. I think they missed being able to play outside.” She glanced around the room, “And I’m afraid we lost the kitten. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere, but I haven’t seen in an hour or so.”

Boy #1 giggled, “We dressed her up in Mitsy Bear’s clothes.”

Boy #2 wiggled out of Ma’am’s arms and onto the floor, “Yeah, it was funny. She was trying to push the hat off her head.”

Ma’am shook her head, “Boys, you have to be careful with her…she’s just a little kitty. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

More like Demon Seed Molly grumbled. I’m not sure you can actually hurt the Spawn of Satan. At that moment, Suzy peeked her head into the room and purred in a delicate voice. Oh sure, play up the poor vulnerable kitty role, Molly quipped back. Suzy slowly walked toward Ma’am and wound her body round her leg. Ma’am reached down to pick up the beast and ran her fingers through the soft fur, whispering words of comfort to the kitten. Suzy threw her head to the side and flashed a triumphant grin at Molly. The dog looked away with disgust and concentrated on her sick Little Miss.

Ma’am glanced toward Gummy, the instigator responsible for this mess. “Trish, would you like to stay for dinner? We can call Frank to come over too?”

Gummy shook her head and gathered her things, “No, I think I’m ready for a quiet evening at home. I love my grandkids, but they’ve worn me out.”

Ma’am leaned in to give the traitor a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered, “I hear you about that. Thanks for helping out, Mom.”

For the next hour, Molly never removed her gaze from Little Miss. Her Girl whimpered and wiggled in Sir’s arms. Molly just knew if she could lay down with her Miss that she could make things better. The spicy smells of chili and corn bread filled the air. Molly loved Ma’am’s corn bread, but she wasn’t hungry tonight. Little Miss didn’t feel well and that was more important.

After a subdued and quiet dinner, Ma’am settled the kids into bed, while Sir built a roaring fire. Molly stretched out to relax by the heat. She’s wanted to sleep with her Girl, but Suzy had taken the spot once again.

Once the fire was stoked and blazing, Sir took note of the somber dog. “Molly, old girl…you feeling left out? You’ve been awfully quiet today.” He ran his fingers down her back, “You didn’t even want any of Mac’s corn bread…that’s not like you.”

Molly wiggled and arched and rolled out of reach. She didn’t want any ‘mercy’ petting or back rubs. She closed her eyes and prepared to sleep.

Ma’am sauntered back into the room with a tired gait. “Well, they’re all out for now. I expect we’ll be up with Ellie a few times tonight.”

“Did you remember to give her the antibiotic?”

She dropped beside him on the floor and stretched out at his side. “Yes Harm, the antibiotic and some Tylenol. I also gave her a warm bath with some lavender bubble bath. I think the fragrance helped to soothe her to sleep.”

Sir rolled onto his side and stroked a finger down her cheek, “Busy day, we never got a chance to sit and rest.” He smiled that special smile that Molly knew Sir saved just for Ma’am. “Hi…I missed you.”

She smiled back with that grin that Molly knew made Sir melt and promise the world…or at least the moon….

Sir leaned in closer and whispered, “To the moon and back.”

“Forever and always,” was replied as Ma’am took his lips.

Molly cracked open one eye and sighed. They were at it again. Sir rolled his big body over the top of Ma’am. Ma’am groaned in response to the slobber-sharing kiss. Sir dipped to bite her neck. There was a time when all the groans and grunts had worried Molly; she thought someone was being hurt. But she’d quickly learned that the noises were groans and grunts of pleasure, much the same way she barked when Sir threw her Frisbee in the park, or Ma’am gave her a good belly rub, or Boy #1 tossed her a piece of grilled meat. No, Ma’am and Sir weren’t hurting or in pain.

She rolled her eyes at the pair. She just didn’t understand their never-ending appetite…the drive to mate. Ma’am had had her ‘fixed’ as a puppy, so the whole drive to produce a litter just wasn’t there. She’s talked with some of her dog friends in the park and understood that ‘natural’ dogs mated once or twice a year. The thing was…Ma’am and Sir…well, they mated all the time. She shook her head and snorted; they already had three litters…just how many did they need! Another groan emanated from the pair and Molly watched Ma’am run her leg down the back of Sir’s. She remembered watching a TV special on that channel that’s just about animals. Some animals rubbed their legs together to attract mates, but Ma’am and Sir were clearly already mated and attracted…what was the point! When Sir’s shirt flew across the room, Molly stood to move her location to the front hall. Even if she couldn’t sleep with Little Miss, she could still keep an ear out for cries of distress.

Sir and Ma’am followed a few seconds later, clearly headed to their den. They stopped to check on each of their litters, pausing in Little Miss’s room. Molly heard her whimper from just outside the door. Sir walked over and sat on the bed. Taking the little girl into his arms he asked, “What’s the matter, Ellie Bean?”

“She gone,” was the tearful response.

“Who’s gone…your kitty?”

“No!” the voice grew louder. “I wan my Mowwy.”

Before Sir could call her name, Molly was at her Girl’s bedside, snout nuzzling her little leg. Sir smiled at the dog and patted the bed. Molly leaped with joy and settled onto her side.

Little Miss crawled out of Sir’s grasp and lunged for the dog. Climbing onto Molly’s chest, Little Miss threw her arms around the dog and snuggled her face into the fur at Molly’s neck. A whispered, “I wuv you, Mowwy,” softly filled the air. One little hand went to her face, thumb in her mouth and fingers curled over the top of her nose. The other small hand buried itself in the dog’s fur, as fingers wiggled through short hair, rubbing in a soothing cadence in time with the whispered ‘gully-gully’ of her tongue thrusts suckling over the thumb.

Within minutes, the room was once again quiet and still. Sir pulled Ma’am to his side and shared a soft kiss. Whispered ‘I love you’s’ filled the air as the pair of lovers crept away from the silence entwined in one another’s embrace. The door was closed to just a crack and Molly relaxed in peace, always on guard, but back where she belonged.

Just as she closed her eyes to sleep, Molly heard a soft meowing whimper at the door. A crack of thunder echoed overhead, as a streak of lightening momentarily brightened the room. Little Miss remained quiet and restful in slumbered repose. Molly sighed in relief that the inclement weather didn’t threaten her Miss’s sleep. A moment later, a soft whimper once again filled the stillness of the room. Molly glanced toward the door and saw the intruder peeking through the crack and shivering in the cool night air.

The now subdued and frightened kitten meowed into the silence.

Molly glared back, ‘You left her all alone. She trusted you…and you just left.’

Suzy slowly sulked toward the bed, her previous bravado and haute stance now abandoned in the darkness of the stormy night. She heard the Girl whimper once more in her sleep. Molly placed a paw over Little Miss’s back and gently licked a kiss over the warm forehead in comfort. The Girl settled back to sleep; the only sound heard over the rain was the rhythmic sucking of her thumb.

The kitten besought the comfort of the large old dog, eyeing her with small sad eyes. Molly huffed her response to come aboard. When the small furry ball wandered toward Little Miss, Molly held up a paw in caution. The kitten settled in at Molly’s back and purred in contentment…thanks Ma’am, sorry about yesterday and today.

Molly gave her a quick lick to the face. Maybe Suzy-Q wasn’t the Spawn of Satan after all. The creature just needed to learn her place. Molly felt the kitten nuzzle a little closer and whispered back, ‘I’m glad you’re here.’


The End for Now.