3rd Person

“Are we really gonna see Mommy and Daddy?”

Paisley whispered excitedly. The pups were hesitant to believe any good news after everything they’d been through, but their walls were down after so much trauma, and the costume mistress had taken their worries very seriously. She promised to take them back and not to trust anyone but their parents.

“They says they’re taking us back!” Riley exclaimed, bouncing up and down where she sat. “l can’ waits, I’m gonna hug Mommy and Daddy so tightly. I’ll never ever, ever lets go.

“What if Fabian finds us first?” Parker worried aloud. “What if it’s too cloudy to see thems again?”

“Don’ be so grumpy” Ryder scolded. “lf you thinks like that, you’ll jinx us.”

“How long ‘afore we get there?” Paisley asked the costume mistress when she returned from the caravan’s kitchen unit with a jug of hot water and a few wash cloths.

“It will be a few hours.” She tells them kindly, “And I’m sure your Mommy and Daddy would prefer to have nice clean pups returned to them” She continues, waving the cloths in their direction.

“Mommy and Daddy loves us dirty or clean.” Riley informed the woman haughtily.

“Well of course they do, but you don’t want to worry them do you?” She reasons. “They’re probably already so concerned, and they’ll feel bad if they see how hard you’ve been living. I don’t have any fresh clothes for you, but we can at least get some of the dirt off you.

This reminder made the pups submit to her ministrations. They found it annoying that grown ups were always so obsessed with being clean, but they couldn’t help but see the logic in her statement. They didn’t want their Mommy and Daddy to feel bad, and if they were completely honest, they didn’t like smelling like the sewers or feeling the grime on their soft skin.

“When was the last time you ate?” The costume mistress questioned once they were recognizable as pups -rather than street urchins- once more.

“A nice llama farmer gave us food the day ‘afore yesterday.” Parker explained, “we didn’ really have anything with the orphans.”

a time” The woman surmised. “That must not have been easy, they have a bad reputation

out the story behind the little one’s adventure without asking directly. She could only guess why

just tricks and playing pretend.” Paisley murmured, her young eyes look far

close.” Ryder nods in agreement.

for

The costume mistress assured them. “There’s nothing scarier than

be taken from thems?” Parker wondered aloud, speaking thoughts he hadn’t aloud himself to voice with his siblings. As the oldest, he often considered it his job to protect the others, but now

sweet.” The costume mistress

it really isn’t fair. But sometimes bad things happen to the best people. Even innocent

told him she feared the same thing. But after everything happened with Jane and Eve, her parents had told her over and over that it wasn’t her fault, and it was always hard to believe – until she was safe in their arms and heard

was the only thing

them.” She whispers, linking hands with

too.” The costume mistress empathized. “You’ll be together again soon enough. I promise, I

Anita’s goons had promised they were safe, only to take them so far away. Thomas and Mary had been kind, but they’d only gone to the police. Sophie had promised to be their friend, only to hand them over to Fabian as his first command.

climbed out of the caravan back in Alta Montaña, they immediately began scanning the small town’s streets for signs of their parents – or even Sophie. They saw nothing at first, and the costume mistress took Ryder and Paisley’s small paws in her own. “Why don’t we try

a stop behind a clothing shop, and the costume mistress pursed her l!ps. “All these shops are closed now. Perhaps we should try checking with the hotels. Are you sure you can’t tell me your parent’s names, or maybe what they look

another, silently conferring. Eventually, Riley nodded and shared, “Mommy’s really pretty, with gold hair and

it-if their mother was even half as lovely as her pups,

as a giant and really strongs!” Paisley announced, smiling

him” The boys

The costume mistress

if anyone who looks like that has been seen

they walked from hotel to hotel, questioning receptionists and maitre d’s however, it gradually became clear that no one matching these descriptions had been about. The only travelers in the area had been a trio of three men, and a young woman in leather – all

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