Post by Aria on May 30, 2007 7:27:47 GMT -5
((Wow. This one was way longer than I expected it to be. x.x Ah well. I hope you all enjoy. And, just to warn you, it's called character building. >:3 Hope this fic is at least entertaining, in some way, perhaps not in the way most of you are expecting.))
Aria vs. Tac
Round 4
Aaaaaah, revenge. She never really looked into it before, but it was really quite fun. It just took so much darn energy; no wonder she avoided it before. Having that absolutely obnoxious Jewel-puppy paint Tac’s shed those disturbingly bright and cheery colors was brilliant.
Never mind the fact that she had to actually pretend that she and he were together, a romantic couple and all that. Ugh. How she managed to keep the bile from rising in her throat from the very thought of having to get close to someone else, let alone Tic-tac, was still a mystery to her. But, the fact of the matter was that she had tricked Jewel and that Tac had a brand new coat of paint on his Tool Shed.
As well as a new pink fur-coat as well.
She had simply grinned at him when the pups had all gathered around him to laugh, though not a giggle left her lips. Just that satisfied, smug little expression on her muzzle, giving him a stern look before walking away with a bit of a spring in her step. Oh yeah, she got him that time. But how long would it last, exactly? He was smart, definitely smarter than her when it came to science and math; all that junk. But she was stronger, heavier; she could take him on in a fight if he didn’t have any stupid gadgets hiding.
It was getting to the point to where she was beginning to become quite jumpy.
Then, there was the fact that Jewel thought it upon herself to ask about every single detail about Aria and Tac’s ‘love life’, not realizing that there was absolutely nothing between them. Her plan had backfired somewhat, but still; it was all worth it just to see him completely pink, next to his eyesore of a shed. She pictured that perfect act of revenge every time Jewel decided to pay her a visit, drowning out the nonsense that spewed from the valley-pups lips. Things such as ‘like’ ‘whatever’. Ugh. She wanted to smack the female with a thesaurus.
And that’s where she was. Currently stuck atop a haystack, lying on her stomach with Jewel sitting next to her, looking down at the puppies that littered the barn area. Some were inside watching that horrible television, while the others were playing around, doing random things. She saw a familiar foursome of creatures make their ways across the way, three puppies and a chicken; bah, who cared. They were just addition to the sea of spots that made up the Dearly farm.
“And then, I like totally went like, to the back of the barn to meet him! And guess what? You’ll never, like, guess what!”
Aria gave a faint sigh, eyes closing. “He met you there?”
There was an audible and over-dramatic gasp, “Like, oh my god! You totally guessed it! You must have MSG, or like, something!” Jewel giggled, batting at the pup’s shoulder.
The pudgy puppy slowly opened her eyes, ears flattening. “I think you mean E.S.P.” And from the completely blank look on Jewel’s face, she figured an explanation was in order. Bah, she wasn’t anyone’s tutor, let the girl look stupid. Grumbling and sitting up, she leaned back to brush off the hay that stuck to her faintly. There was plenty that somehow clung to her stomach, and she leaned backwards onto one paw with a light ‘oof’ to wipe them off.
“Hm. I can totally help you with that… um… ‘problem’.”
Aria looked up from her stomach instantly, her eyes a lot colder than they had been while talking to the shallow-as-a-puddle female. “What problem?”
Jewel seemed startled by the look in the other’s eyes, and was slowly beginning to regret even opening her maw. “Well, y’know. Like, um, that total… well, like, I have this great diet & exercise plan…” She suddenly perked up, “I mean, it’s totally cool of Tac to like you for how your body is, and junk. But wouldn’t it be great if you could totally surprise him with a great figure? Like mine!” She practically squealed, tilting her head up in what could be seen as a dignified pose for a puppy.
The more Jewel spoke, the smaller Aria’s eyes would become; narrowing them to the point of them being mismatched slits. “…” Oh, if she didn’t get away from the femme, she was going to absolutely MAUL her. Her paw struck out before she could think, shoving Jewel off of the rather tall haystack and watching her tumble to the ground. Quickly a circle formed around the injured pup, though it wasn’t enough distance to actually hurt her.
Pity.
Aria growled to herself and slid down the other side of the haystack, storming away angrily. She was getting worse as the days progressed. First socking Melody in the snout, then getting into it with that psycho Tic-Tac and getting into a childish war with him… now she was shoving puppies off of haystacks! Oh no, she wasn’t adjusting well to the farm environment at all, it would seem.
Meanwhile, Tac was in his shed, his fur back to normal. And why shouldn’t it be? He was a genius after all, it was no large task to combine a few chemicals and remove the paint from his fur. And all before that accursed Nanny noticed and bathed him, luckily enough.
Ah, yes. Lucky. No, that particular pup would have to wait. He had larger fish to fry; or rather, a particular pudgy puppy. Aria. Oooh, how dare she! He was Tic-Tac, and every single entity on that farm was to fear him!
Dipstick wasn’t included, of course. No, no, he would be the sole survivor for whatever dastardly thing he had planned next. That plan he had for tainting the water was brilliant (as all his plans were). But it seemed Aria had realized that he needed it for something, and absolutely refused to let him use it. And if she wasn’t using it, she was hiding it somewhere.
”Blasted thorn in my paw! Oh…I will get her back, of course I will. She’ll naught have the last laugh for long!” He said, clearly agitated, slamming his fist onto one of his tables and causing the test tubes to jingle about faintly.
Beginning to think, he turned and walked over to a chart, placing a paw to his chin and rubbing it as he contemplated his next course of action. For what she did, Aria deserved death, not some petty prank. It had taken him a hell of a long time to recollect his notes and papers.
His shed was STILL a darn eyesore; he just didn’t have enough time to find a solution to cleanse it. Not when she was sitting somewhere, smug and feeling oh-so good about what she had done to him.
Probably singing a stupid song of some sort.
And there it was. Like a light bulb shining brightly for the first time, or a piece of a puzzle suddenly connecting into place, he had it. Why not cause her downfall with the very thing she loved the most? Music. Her singing, to be precise. Oh, he was good, he was brilliant…
Well of course he was. He was Tic-Tac, after all.
A soft chuckle soon transformed into a loud cackle, before his shed filled with maniacal laughter, cut off suddenly by a knock. Eyes narrowing, he glanced to the dog door. “Who goes there?”
”Mmn.. don’t tell me. I know this one.”
Tac rolled his eyes to the ceiling, giving a faint sigh. That one sentence was hint enough, “Enter, Dipstick.” Though the exasperation fell away when the pup entered slowly, glancing this way and that before spotting his friend.
”Hey-a Tac. What’cha upto?” Dipstick sat near the other, completely dark tail wagging faintly as he gave that simple, almost constant smile to his bestest bud. “I thought I heard ya, um, laughing.”
The ingenious pup brushed a paw back through his short head-fur, “Nothing, nothing. Now, what can I do for you, exactly?” He towered his paws together, arching a brow and giving the faintest of smirks towards the other.
”Um… oh yeah! I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go swimmin’ with me. It’s kinda hot out, and I thought you might wanna come..?” His tail wagged even harder, beaming and waiting for the answer.
Now Tac had a dilemma. On one paw, he hardly denied his only friend any request, on the other, he was inspired by the muse that was science and vengeance combined! He had to get to work on Aria’s doom as soon as possible, while the hatred was still fresh in his mind, as well as the idea.
“I’m sorry, Dipstick. But I’m rather busy, caught up in some very time-consuming work you see.” As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around the less-than-bright puppy’s shoulder, slowly leading him out of his shed, “But I will make a mental note to make it up to you soon, dear friend. Now, why don’t you go run along and perhaps if my… work, doesn’t take to long, I might be inclined to join you later on.”
All of his talking was making Dipstick’s head hurt. But, there were key words in all that babble. ‘I’m sorry’ which usually meant something bad. ‘Go run along… join you.’. Hm. Guess Tac couldn’t come after all. “Duuuum… ‘kay, Tac.” And he walked out of the doggy door, hearing it fasten and lock.
Walking slowly, his perpetual good mood didn’t seem to falter, though his mind seemed to be working in it’s odd, scatter-brained way. Mooch didn’t like getting wet, he had too much fur that didn’t exactly smell like roses when damp. Wizzer… well, he’d pee in the Hiccup Hole, and that wasn’t fun for anyone. Tac was too busy with scienc-y stuff, and couldn’t come. He had to go it alone. Oh well!
Humming happily, he walked and even bounded a few feet towards the body of water that everyone knew about. When he arrived, he was surprised to see another puppy there, blinking as something tried to click in his mind. She looked familiar… then again, all the puppies did. This was a pup that had forgotten his own name, it was no surprise that he was ‘forgetful’.
Aria grumbled and glared at the water, lifting a paw to press into her cheek, before letting it go. Giving a soft sigh, she lowered her ears once more, having cooled off from the earlier incident and stupid Jewel’s words. Pausing when she heard someone approach, she glanced up and was surprised to see Dipstick. Huh. If he were there, then Tac might not be far behind. She was on edge then, and decided to see what the puppy was doing there, exactly. “Yo.”
Dipstick blinked rapidly, before bounding over and tilting his head, “Hi.” His tail wagged happily enough, and he had that vacant look in his eyes while looking her over. “Bye.” He’d say suddenly, before splashing into the water, giggling to himself and doggy-paddling about. He seemed to be cooling off, as well as enjoying himself.
Giving a small sigh of relief, she stood up slowly and moved over to the edge of the swamp-entrance, simply flopping there and watching Dipstick absentmindedly. He was an idiot, but completely and utterly harmless. Then again, he also meant quite a bit to Tac, and she could use that; if she were some sort of heartless witch. Instead, she relaxed and gave a faint yawn, eyes slowly closing. Maybe she’d nap… No! That’s what had happened last time! She had napped and Tac had gotten her. Then again, she had taken a drink from her bowl, which was where he had slipped the formula. So, napping wouldn’t be completely foolish. Settling down once more, she closed her eyes and began to snooze.
~
She didn’t know how long she had been out, perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes, but she was startled awake by the sound of whimpering. Mismatched eyes glancing around, she soon noticed Dipstick with his hind paw in his other paws, sniffling and clearly trying not to cry. Ears perking, she rolled over onto her back to get a better look at a different angle.
With the way he was rocking, it was easy to see the shard of something shiny in his pad. Ow, that had to hurt. And still, he was being a trooper, his overbite horribly noticeable with the way he was biting down on his lower lip, panicking and in pain. “Owww…” He sniffled, and shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes, “Owwy Owwww.”
Aria shrugged to herself. His fault for walking around the edge of the pond without being careful. Rolling back onto her paws, she gave a shake and scratched her ears, glancing over at him as he began to whimper even louder. In his panic, he had tried to take it out himself and only succeeded in driving it a bit deeper. There was trickling from the wound, and she growled softly to herself. Why her?
”Stop it.” She suddenly snapped at him, “You’re making it worse.”
Dipstick looked up at her suddenly with wide eyes, “Wh-Wha-Wh…But it Huuuuuurts!” He howled quietly, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.
Aria growled once more, “Look. It ain’t nothin’ big. Just… I don’t know, stay still.” Bending down to inspect his wound, she realized it was an odd shaped stone that was imbedded into his footpaw. Ow. Probably broken in half by something and sticking up at the wrong angle; the perfect angle to impale flesh it would seem. It may have hurt then, but it wasn’t going to be a picnic getting it out.
”Okay, you. Uhh… think…of… butterflies! Yeah!” Gah, she was horrible at this; and gave a sigh. “You know, pretty, orange and black butterflies… they flutter around, and aren’t they fun to chase, Dipstick?” She crooned to him, settling near his footpaw and grasping the shard that took up a bit of her paw.
”Y-Yeah. They’re pr-pretty fun… But M-Mooch says it’s stupid and girly and-Owy!” He yelped, as the rock was suddenly yanked from his footpaw. “That hurt! I-…Oh.” Blinking his big eyes at her, watery from shed and unshed tears, he stared at the rock. “That’s biiiig.”
Aria gave a sigh, and chucked the stone deep into the pond; no one would probably get hurt if it was way down at the bottom like that. Turning back to him, she inspected his footpaw for smaller shards, licking her paw and dragging it over his pad. “There. Like I said. Ain’t nothin’ but a thang.” She stood up after that, and gave his head a quick and too-hard pat.
Dipstick blinked and brought his footpaw up to inspect it, before beaming. “It only hurts kinda. Like, kinda a little, but not a lot. Ummm…thanks. Um, I…Um...”
The pudgy pup gave a roll of her eyes, “Aria.”
”No, wait, don’t tell me. Don’t tell me.” He had one eye closed in concentration.
”It’s Aria. That’s my name.”
He pouted, pausing for what seemed like forever. “…can I have another hint?”
How the heck Tac even put up with this guy was a mystery; and not one Aria really wanted to solve. “Look, just take that foot to the fat pet, Nanny. Or get Pongo n’ his mate to check it out. So it doesn’t get infected. But stay away from the pond for now. Got it?” She bristled, making sure to get her point across.
Though her threat fell on unknowing ears and Dipstick beamed, “Ho-kay!” He suddenly reached over and gave her a hug, squishing her tightly, despite her struggling and growling. “Thanks again, Maria!”
”Aria!”
”Uuuh, I said that, right?”
Shoving him away, she brushed herself off and straightened up her fur. “Just don’t tell anyone I helped ya, okay? I got me a rep. to worry about.” She snorted, doubting that he’d even remember the encounter the next day. Turning around, she began to set on her merry way, pausing to look over her shoulder. “..Well? You gonna get that foot cleaned up or what?”
Dipstick had been staring up at the sun, seeing who would blink first. He did, quite a few times, remembering her instructions. “Oh! Right! Okay…” He stood up, nursing his throbbing foot and making an awkward trip to the Dearly household.
Giving a huff, Aria turned and began to head towards the chow tower. There were bound to be some scraps of kibble she could nibble on, considering she had slept through breakfast earlier. Unknown to Aria, however, there had been a certain pair of icy blue eyes that had witnessed almost the entire encounter.
Tac narrowed his eyes and sat up from the tall grass. She helped Dipstick? Without even knowing he was there? And even when she knew full on that the under-educated pup would be an easy way to get under his own fur and skin? Curious.
Certainly, curious.
A soft and somewhat agitated growl left his throat. He had come to check up on his friend, and when spotting Aria thought more about doing her in. But after that incident? He’d need to think. And without letting Dipstick know of his presence, he headed back to his shed, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed.
Very curious indeed.
Aria: 2
Tac: 1
(Time out? Hmm.)
The End.
Aria vs. Tac
Round 4
Aaaaaah, revenge. She never really looked into it before, but it was really quite fun. It just took so much darn energy; no wonder she avoided it before. Having that absolutely obnoxious Jewel-puppy paint Tac’s shed those disturbingly bright and cheery colors was brilliant.
Never mind the fact that she had to actually pretend that she and he were together, a romantic couple and all that. Ugh. How she managed to keep the bile from rising in her throat from the very thought of having to get close to someone else, let alone Tic-tac, was still a mystery to her. But, the fact of the matter was that she had tricked Jewel and that Tac had a brand new coat of paint on his Tool Shed.
As well as a new pink fur-coat as well.
She had simply grinned at him when the pups had all gathered around him to laugh, though not a giggle left her lips. Just that satisfied, smug little expression on her muzzle, giving him a stern look before walking away with a bit of a spring in her step. Oh yeah, she got him that time. But how long would it last, exactly? He was smart, definitely smarter than her when it came to science and math; all that junk. But she was stronger, heavier; she could take him on in a fight if he didn’t have any stupid gadgets hiding.
It was getting to the point to where she was beginning to become quite jumpy.
Then, there was the fact that Jewel thought it upon herself to ask about every single detail about Aria and Tac’s ‘love life’, not realizing that there was absolutely nothing between them. Her plan had backfired somewhat, but still; it was all worth it just to see him completely pink, next to his eyesore of a shed. She pictured that perfect act of revenge every time Jewel decided to pay her a visit, drowning out the nonsense that spewed from the valley-pups lips. Things such as ‘like’ ‘whatever’. Ugh. She wanted to smack the female with a thesaurus.
And that’s where she was. Currently stuck atop a haystack, lying on her stomach with Jewel sitting next to her, looking down at the puppies that littered the barn area. Some were inside watching that horrible television, while the others were playing around, doing random things. She saw a familiar foursome of creatures make their ways across the way, three puppies and a chicken; bah, who cared. They were just addition to the sea of spots that made up the Dearly farm.
“And then, I like totally went like, to the back of the barn to meet him! And guess what? You’ll never, like, guess what!”
Aria gave a faint sigh, eyes closing. “He met you there?”
There was an audible and over-dramatic gasp, “Like, oh my god! You totally guessed it! You must have MSG, or like, something!” Jewel giggled, batting at the pup’s shoulder.
The pudgy puppy slowly opened her eyes, ears flattening. “I think you mean E.S.P.” And from the completely blank look on Jewel’s face, she figured an explanation was in order. Bah, she wasn’t anyone’s tutor, let the girl look stupid. Grumbling and sitting up, she leaned back to brush off the hay that stuck to her faintly. There was plenty that somehow clung to her stomach, and she leaned backwards onto one paw with a light ‘oof’ to wipe them off.
“Hm. I can totally help you with that… um… ‘problem’.”
Aria looked up from her stomach instantly, her eyes a lot colder than they had been while talking to the shallow-as-a-puddle female. “What problem?”
Jewel seemed startled by the look in the other’s eyes, and was slowly beginning to regret even opening her maw. “Well, y’know. Like, um, that total… well, like, I have this great diet & exercise plan…” She suddenly perked up, “I mean, it’s totally cool of Tac to like you for how your body is, and junk. But wouldn’t it be great if you could totally surprise him with a great figure? Like mine!” She practically squealed, tilting her head up in what could be seen as a dignified pose for a puppy.
The more Jewel spoke, the smaller Aria’s eyes would become; narrowing them to the point of them being mismatched slits. “…” Oh, if she didn’t get away from the femme, she was going to absolutely MAUL her. Her paw struck out before she could think, shoving Jewel off of the rather tall haystack and watching her tumble to the ground. Quickly a circle formed around the injured pup, though it wasn’t enough distance to actually hurt her.
Pity.
Aria growled to herself and slid down the other side of the haystack, storming away angrily. She was getting worse as the days progressed. First socking Melody in the snout, then getting into it with that psycho Tic-Tac and getting into a childish war with him… now she was shoving puppies off of haystacks! Oh no, she wasn’t adjusting well to the farm environment at all, it would seem.
Meanwhile, Tac was in his shed, his fur back to normal. And why shouldn’t it be? He was a genius after all, it was no large task to combine a few chemicals and remove the paint from his fur. And all before that accursed Nanny noticed and bathed him, luckily enough.
Ah, yes. Lucky. No, that particular pup would have to wait. He had larger fish to fry; or rather, a particular pudgy puppy. Aria. Oooh, how dare she! He was Tic-Tac, and every single entity on that farm was to fear him!
Dipstick wasn’t included, of course. No, no, he would be the sole survivor for whatever dastardly thing he had planned next. That plan he had for tainting the water was brilliant (as all his plans were). But it seemed Aria had realized that he needed it for something, and absolutely refused to let him use it. And if she wasn’t using it, she was hiding it somewhere.
”Blasted thorn in my paw! Oh…I will get her back, of course I will. She’ll naught have the last laugh for long!” He said, clearly agitated, slamming his fist onto one of his tables and causing the test tubes to jingle about faintly.
Beginning to think, he turned and walked over to a chart, placing a paw to his chin and rubbing it as he contemplated his next course of action. For what she did, Aria deserved death, not some petty prank. It had taken him a hell of a long time to recollect his notes and papers.
His shed was STILL a darn eyesore; he just didn’t have enough time to find a solution to cleanse it. Not when she was sitting somewhere, smug and feeling oh-so good about what she had done to him.
Probably singing a stupid song of some sort.
And there it was. Like a light bulb shining brightly for the first time, or a piece of a puzzle suddenly connecting into place, he had it. Why not cause her downfall with the very thing she loved the most? Music. Her singing, to be precise. Oh, he was good, he was brilliant…
Well of course he was. He was Tic-Tac, after all.
A soft chuckle soon transformed into a loud cackle, before his shed filled with maniacal laughter, cut off suddenly by a knock. Eyes narrowing, he glanced to the dog door. “Who goes there?”
”Mmn.. don’t tell me. I know this one.”
Tac rolled his eyes to the ceiling, giving a faint sigh. That one sentence was hint enough, “Enter, Dipstick.” Though the exasperation fell away when the pup entered slowly, glancing this way and that before spotting his friend.
”Hey-a Tac. What’cha upto?” Dipstick sat near the other, completely dark tail wagging faintly as he gave that simple, almost constant smile to his bestest bud. “I thought I heard ya, um, laughing.”
The ingenious pup brushed a paw back through his short head-fur, “Nothing, nothing. Now, what can I do for you, exactly?” He towered his paws together, arching a brow and giving the faintest of smirks towards the other.
”Um… oh yeah! I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go swimmin’ with me. It’s kinda hot out, and I thought you might wanna come..?” His tail wagged even harder, beaming and waiting for the answer.
Now Tac had a dilemma. On one paw, he hardly denied his only friend any request, on the other, he was inspired by the muse that was science and vengeance combined! He had to get to work on Aria’s doom as soon as possible, while the hatred was still fresh in his mind, as well as the idea.
“I’m sorry, Dipstick. But I’m rather busy, caught up in some very time-consuming work you see.” As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around the less-than-bright puppy’s shoulder, slowly leading him out of his shed, “But I will make a mental note to make it up to you soon, dear friend. Now, why don’t you go run along and perhaps if my… work, doesn’t take to long, I might be inclined to join you later on.”
All of his talking was making Dipstick’s head hurt. But, there were key words in all that babble. ‘I’m sorry’ which usually meant something bad. ‘Go run along… join you.’. Hm. Guess Tac couldn’t come after all. “Duuuum… ‘kay, Tac.” And he walked out of the doggy door, hearing it fasten and lock.
Walking slowly, his perpetual good mood didn’t seem to falter, though his mind seemed to be working in it’s odd, scatter-brained way. Mooch didn’t like getting wet, he had too much fur that didn’t exactly smell like roses when damp. Wizzer… well, he’d pee in the Hiccup Hole, and that wasn’t fun for anyone. Tac was too busy with scienc-y stuff, and couldn’t come. He had to go it alone. Oh well!
Humming happily, he walked and even bounded a few feet towards the body of water that everyone knew about. When he arrived, he was surprised to see another puppy there, blinking as something tried to click in his mind. She looked familiar… then again, all the puppies did. This was a pup that had forgotten his own name, it was no surprise that he was ‘forgetful’.
Aria grumbled and glared at the water, lifting a paw to press into her cheek, before letting it go. Giving a soft sigh, she lowered her ears once more, having cooled off from the earlier incident and stupid Jewel’s words. Pausing when she heard someone approach, she glanced up and was surprised to see Dipstick. Huh. If he were there, then Tac might not be far behind. She was on edge then, and decided to see what the puppy was doing there, exactly. “Yo.”
Dipstick blinked rapidly, before bounding over and tilting his head, “Hi.” His tail wagged happily enough, and he had that vacant look in his eyes while looking her over. “Bye.” He’d say suddenly, before splashing into the water, giggling to himself and doggy-paddling about. He seemed to be cooling off, as well as enjoying himself.
Giving a small sigh of relief, she stood up slowly and moved over to the edge of the swamp-entrance, simply flopping there and watching Dipstick absentmindedly. He was an idiot, but completely and utterly harmless. Then again, he also meant quite a bit to Tac, and she could use that; if she were some sort of heartless witch. Instead, she relaxed and gave a faint yawn, eyes slowly closing. Maybe she’d nap… No! That’s what had happened last time! She had napped and Tac had gotten her. Then again, she had taken a drink from her bowl, which was where he had slipped the formula. So, napping wouldn’t be completely foolish. Settling down once more, she closed her eyes and began to snooze.
~
She didn’t know how long she had been out, perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes, but she was startled awake by the sound of whimpering. Mismatched eyes glancing around, she soon noticed Dipstick with his hind paw in his other paws, sniffling and clearly trying not to cry. Ears perking, she rolled over onto her back to get a better look at a different angle.
With the way he was rocking, it was easy to see the shard of something shiny in his pad. Ow, that had to hurt. And still, he was being a trooper, his overbite horribly noticeable with the way he was biting down on his lower lip, panicking and in pain. “Owww…” He sniffled, and shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes, “Owwy Owwww.”
Aria shrugged to herself. His fault for walking around the edge of the pond without being careful. Rolling back onto her paws, she gave a shake and scratched her ears, glancing over at him as he began to whimper even louder. In his panic, he had tried to take it out himself and only succeeded in driving it a bit deeper. There was trickling from the wound, and she growled softly to herself. Why her?
”Stop it.” She suddenly snapped at him, “You’re making it worse.”
Dipstick looked up at her suddenly with wide eyes, “Wh-Wha-Wh…But it Huuuuuurts!” He howled quietly, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.
Aria growled once more, “Look. It ain’t nothin’ big. Just… I don’t know, stay still.” Bending down to inspect his wound, she realized it was an odd shaped stone that was imbedded into his footpaw. Ow. Probably broken in half by something and sticking up at the wrong angle; the perfect angle to impale flesh it would seem. It may have hurt then, but it wasn’t going to be a picnic getting it out.
”Okay, you. Uhh… think…of… butterflies! Yeah!” Gah, she was horrible at this; and gave a sigh. “You know, pretty, orange and black butterflies… they flutter around, and aren’t they fun to chase, Dipstick?” She crooned to him, settling near his footpaw and grasping the shard that took up a bit of her paw.
”Y-Yeah. They’re pr-pretty fun… But M-Mooch says it’s stupid and girly and-Owy!” He yelped, as the rock was suddenly yanked from his footpaw. “That hurt! I-…Oh.” Blinking his big eyes at her, watery from shed and unshed tears, he stared at the rock. “That’s biiiig.”
Aria gave a sigh, and chucked the stone deep into the pond; no one would probably get hurt if it was way down at the bottom like that. Turning back to him, she inspected his footpaw for smaller shards, licking her paw and dragging it over his pad. “There. Like I said. Ain’t nothin’ but a thang.” She stood up after that, and gave his head a quick and too-hard pat.
Dipstick blinked and brought his footpaw up to inspect it, before beaming. “It only hurts kinda. Like, kinda a little, but not a lot. Ummm…thanks. Um, I…Um...”
The pudgy pup gave a roll of her eyes, “Aria.”
”No, wait, don’t tell me. Don’t tell me.” He had one eye closed in concentration.
”It’s Aria. That’s my name.”
He pouted, pausing for what seemed like forever. “…can I have another hint?”
How the heck Tac even put up with this guy was a mystery; and not one Aria really wanted to solve. “Look, just take that foot to the fat pet, Nanny. Or get Pongo n’ his mate to check it out. So it doesn’t get infected. But stay away from the pond for now. Got it?” She bristled, making sure to get her point across.
Though her threat fell on unknowing ears and Dipstick beamed, “Ho-kay!” He suddenly reached over and gave her a hug, squishing her tightly, despite her struggling and growling. “Thanks again, Maria!”
”Aria!”
”Uuuh, I said that, right?”
Shoving him away, she brushed herself off and straightened up her fur. “Just don’t tell anyone I helped ya, okay? I got me a rep. to worry about.” She snorted, doubting that he’d even remember the encounter the next day. Turning around, she began to set on her merry way, pausing to look over her shoulder. “..Well? You gonna get that foot cleaned up or what?”
Dipstick had been staring up at the sun, seeing who would blink first. He did, quite a few times, remembering her instructions. “Oh! Right! Okay…” He stood up, nursing his throbbing foot and making an awkward trip to the Dearly household.
Giving a huff, Aria turned and began to head towards the chow tower. There were bound to be some scraps of kibble she could nibble on, considering she had slept through breakfast earlier. Unknown to Aria, however, there had been a certain pair of icy blue eyes that had witnessed almost the entire encounter.
Tac narrowed his eyes and sat up from the tall grass. She helped Dipstick? Without even knowing he was there? And even when she knew full on that the under-educated pup would be an easy way to get under his own fur and skin? Curious.
Certainly, curious.
A soft and somewhat agitated growl left his throat. He had come to check up on his friend, and when spotting Aria thought more about doing her in. But after that incident? He’d need to think. And without letting Dipstick know of his presence, he headed back to his shed, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed.
Very curious indeed.
Aria: 2
Tac: 1
(Time out? Hmm.)
The End.