Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
BASTIAN
A s she walks off to meet the two year old cat mentioned, I watch her go. Something is pulling me in and the more time I spend with her, I can’t imagine life without her.
Maybe there is something there after all, but there is only one way to find out.
I glance around before sneaking off behind one of the booths. Once I ensure I’m completely covered from view, I start to shift and allow myself to shrink. Of course, I don’t get completely shifted before I’m caught by Chris.
He comes around the corner with his wife and sees it happening. “What are you doing?”
As he walks over, I look up at him with an innocent gaze. What does it look like?
He can’t hear me, but I get my point across. “You can’t just shift like this in the middle of the adoption fair. Seriously, Bastian. Change back. Someone is going to mistake you as one of the dogs.”
And that is what I want. I want to go home with her.
I take off from my spot, leaving the clothes where they landed on the ground. Chris is hollering for me to come back, but I only have one mission on my mind.
I make it to the pen where the puppies are and move past that to where she stands. She is just leaning forward to try to grab the cat when I ram into the back of her leg with my nose. Instead of it going as planned, I had moved too quickly and accidentally rammed my nose into her leg hard enough to send her toppling over into the pen with the cat.
I grimace as I see her legs hanging over the edge, but the rest of her is gone behind the pen’s walls.
Oops.
She rolls herself over and sits up, looking back to where I stand. For a moment, we lock eyes and she tilts her head in confusion. Then I remember that I’m a brown fluffy dog, just like the one on the necklace she bought.
I quickly shift my attitude and try to act like an innocent dog, but my plans are thwarted as the woman from before comes back to get me.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t know where he came from, but I will put him in the pen with the older dogs. The poor guy must have hopped out.”
“No, it’s no problem,” she says as she stops her. “I want to take him and the cat.”
“You want both?” She asks, her expression changing to complete shock. “Are you sure? I don’t even know where this dog came from.”
“It’s okay. I want him and the cat. They are what I’m looking for.”
Slowly, she gets up and looks back at me with a grin. “You are such a sweet puppy to come running up to me. I think you and the kitty in there are just meant to be. You both fit the animals on the necklace. Let’s go home.”
The woman shakes her head, but quickly lets me go so I can sit at Chloe’s feet. Soon, she returns with a leash and collar for me, which I reluctantly let her put on me. She then heads somewhere else and returns with a carrier for the cat.
“I hate to put her in here, but I fear she may claw your interior if I don’t. She might be wild in the car.”
“That’s fine,” Chloe says with a half smile. “We’re going straight home and I’ll let her out there. Oh, I probably need to get them something for home, like soft beds and food.”
The woman only laughs and looks away. “There is a pet place up the street if you want to go there and get them some things. You can leave them here until then, or take them with you, since they allow pets.”
Chloe’s grin only grows wider. “They’re coming with me. Do you have a leash for the cat?”
“A what?” The woman asks with a blank expression.
“A collar and leash. I’m going to take the kitty to the store and wondered if that would work, since she likes to be free.”
Though the woman looks confused, she also doesn’t question it and returns with a smaller collar and leash for the cat.
Instead of shoving the cat in the carrier, like I thought they would, Chloe actually takes the time to bend down and talk to the cat in a sweet voice before putting the collar on. When she stands, the little black cat is safely nestled in her arms. “No carrier needed. She just needed someone with loving hands, I guess.”
The woman seems surprised, but gives a curt not. “Have a great day and I hope you three are happy together.”
Chloe only smiles, then takes my leash in her hand. “Come on puppy. We’re going to get supplies.”
She leads us to her car and then looks back at the adoption fair, almost as if she is searching for me in human form. There’s something sad about her expression and I never want to see her like this again.
With a heavy sigh, she opens the door and tries to get me inside. “Come on. It’s time we go get you a bed and everything else.”
I look around, only to find Chris standing off in the distance with a scowl and then my eyes drop lower. He’s holding my clothes.
We’ll laugh about this later, even though he doesn’t find it funny now.