-Four days later, Earth, Camden Town, Dalmatian Home, Lena-
Meeting my cousin Hunter in person was interesting, meeting his only friends in the world… even more so considering there was magic in the air as the door was opened by a dog with a star on his red collar.
“Hey there Dylan, this is my cousin I told you about and she was wondering if you’d be interested in meeting some friends of Pom.” The dog tilted his head at Hunter and then looked at me.
“Well there better be no funny business around here, we’ve already had to house thieves a few days ago and while they didn’t steal anything…” This dog looked upset. “By friends do you mean Smolder and Ocellus are here?”
“Thieves, did something happen while I was busy Dylan?” Hunter looked worried and Dylan rolled his eyes, sighed and rubbed at his forehead with his left paw.
“Yeah, one of Pom’s friends Shanty dropped on by looking for Pom with a gang of friendly thieves known as the Cooper Gang. In fact, you missed them leaving the other day.” This Dylan looked to me. “Hello, my name is Dylan Dalmatian, one of your cousin’s best friends and my life has gone strange since the discovery of magic existing… not that us being intelligent Dalmatians didn’t hint at that possibility already apparently. Oh and people can understand us within a certain distance of the house now, but only if they won’t intend us harm after hearing us speak. Aunt Marlow set this up and magic is weird.”
“Eee, so adorable!” Webby carefully crouched down in front of Dylan. “Can I pet you?”
“Wait… what do you mean Shanty was here and that she was hanging out with thieves? Sounds about right though knowing our optimistic gluttonous goat… can we come in? I’m Smolder and this blanket bug is Ocellus.” Smolder walked up to the door carrying Ocellus wrapped up in a blanket over her shoulder. “If you’ve met Shanty and if you’ve met Pom, given she has a Dalmatian with her, then can you tell us… wow… there are a lot of you here.”
There were a lot of Dalmatian’s milling about behind Dylan and quite a few of them seemed interested in us.
“Yeah, we get that a lot. Come on in, you might as well stay a day or two. Shanty will come back here to find out if we heard anything about you or Pom eventually, she’s headed out with that gang of thieves to deal with some guy named Panda King in China.” Dylan said tiredly, he turned to Webby. “Go ahead, pick me up and hug me like I you want to do, I’m also open to gentle petting too. Nothing rough please, I need this break from my chaotic family.”
Webby did so and hugged Dylan to her chest, but she did it carefully and Dylan relaxed into her grip as she walked inside.
“Did someone say hug?!” A Dalmatian puppy stated, soon several more started chanting ‘hug’ too while poking out from all over the place.
I quickly backed away, Webby just smiled as she was soon dogpiled by a large number of puppies and she was giggling happily as they nuzzled against her affectionately.
“Marlow… don’t all the dogs in your family currently have names that start with D Dylan?” Hunter asked and a chicken walked into sight and stared at me.
I stared right back at her.
“A De Spell.” She stated flatly while crossing her wings.
“I prefer Sabrewing.” The chicken was giving me some weird vibes as she looked me up and down.
“Good, one of the ones who isn’t power mad or letting magic go to their heads, the De Spell curse doesn’t affect you in the slightest. Your friendship and shadow magic is welcome.” She nodded and then turned to Hunter. “You’re definitely a De Ville, Dylan told me you’d be by today… since you were even capable of getting this close to the doorway you are one of the rare nice ones. I suggest you be highly paranoid about being around any other De Ville’s you meet.”
“Your aunt Marlow is a chicken?” Hunter asked curiously, Dylan nodded. “Oh and trust me, I intend to never be alone in the same room as another De Ville ever again!”
“Yep, me and your great aunt Cruella have a history… a decidedly bad one. Spot Irma Chicken, AKA detective Pullet Marlow. Aunt Marlow to the Dalmatians here, I dabble in the arcane and because of Cruella’s last attempt at killing me fifty or more years back… I’m almost immortal.” Spot then looked at the others with us. “I’m an old friend of the family back when she was still actively hunting their ancestors… say, is that a dragon?”
“Yeah, don’t mind or acknowledge us at all.” Huey stated as he, Dewey and Louie came in, Violet was currently at Camden Town’s library. “We’re used to all the weird stuff that happens at this point.”
“Well we’re not used to magic here. It seems inevitable with the puppies asking Spot about it, that we will have to be soon enough. Spot says she’s willing to teach them some magic, provided they are willing to go through Bark Brigade training. I can agree with the lesson plan she set out at the very least.” Dylan yanked himself free from the pile of puppies on top of Webby. Webby was in a cuteness nirvana at the moment judging by the way her pupils were dilated. “We’re used to trouble though and our number one trouble maker is currently running somewhere around Africa with Pom. Things are… still fairly chaotic around here even without her.”
“I breathe fire, fly and can drink molten rock, so I’m quite sure I’m a dragon Spot.” Smolder received light snuggle from Ocellus in her coma state, the ladybug pony was getting more active by the day.
Can’t wait to talk to actually talk to Ocellus personally, Smolder was a tough girl and also had her cute side. Kind of like the Webby of her world, makes me wonder what Ocellus was like.
“No fire in our house please, it would be hard to explain to our dad why he has to come back home with work to help put one out.” It seemed like Dylan was a mood.
“Yeah, that would lead to the end of the world, ours specifically! We’d lose the house… puppies being impounded and horrible, horrible things happening to our family. Eighty percent death rate… including Dolly for some reason even if she isn’t here… yet she doesn’t die violently, she just lays down and stops moving… strange. We also lose mom so…” Was that a Goth Dalmatian passing through the room? My interest was now piqued! “So yeah, as Dolly would say, chill Dyl. Also don’t enrage the dragon, please? It really doesn’t end well for anyone here at all.”
“I’m not going to poke the dragon Dante, I hope that no one in our family is nearly that stupid either!” Dylan raised his voice mildly and the puppies all whined as they began crawled off of Webby. “Dimtri One, Dimtri Two and Dimitri Three, this means you especially are not to antagonize our guests!”
“Hey there, names Lena, what are some bands you listen to dark doggo?” I walked up to Dante and he tilted his head up at me.
“I’m Dante, I’m partial to the Featherweights and Twisted Sisters, plus a few other gloom and punk bands that you might have never heard of.” He stated plainly. “I certainly can appreciate niche.”
“Try me.” By the end of our discussion he was my favorite dog in this house, plus Dante had an appreciation for the macabre and didn’t mind that I’m made of shadow.
It would take me several more days before I tell Hunter about the whole ‘living shadow’ thing, but I wanted to make this cousin thing work.
-Africa, Jungle, Dolly-
“Ahhhh… oof!” I have long since learned from Pom that when Rafiki said that with our hearts and spirits that we will never fall in the heart song thing, Rafiki meant that we would be better about looking before we leapt straight into problems together. I think I absolutely prefer the ‘we’re invincible when working together’ meaning more right now. “This isn’t good, this isn’t good… really need to save Pom…”
The Pom perishing thing was still on my mind and it might even be related to me not being around her, which would make sense considering her current situation of being caged by those two guys.
It was all my fault that she even got captured in the first place and how I ended up falling off a cliff onto this tree branch.
“Hero Hunter Quint will not simply let you escape unscathed Caper Canine!” Yeah, don’t like you one bit Quint, nor did I like his partner in crime Norman either.
A shot rang out from above and the branch I was clinging to broke and a massive swarm of birds took to the air around me slowing my fall slightly as I fell past them trying to grab onto something.
“Wooahhh, nghh!” In my wild flailing, I managed to hook my right paw on vine and all the muscles in my right leg protested as all my weight was place on it. I quickly reached up with my left paw and brought myself up to snap the vine with my teeth.
A shot rang out and the bark of the tree shredded near me as I swung away and I saw a chunk of wood flash through the vine above me.
I was once again falling and screaming until I fell into a hollow log and went sliding through it on my skateboard to end up skidding across the surface of some water where I was finally stopped by slamming painfully into a tree trunk.
“Today… is just not my day.” Crawling over the roots, I took refuge in a hollow in the tree that I spotted.
“You may continue to hide, but if you keep doing so the hero Leap Lamb might meet an untimely fate!” Well at least Quint couldn’t quickly follow me down the cliff I jumped off of and was safe for the time being. “I’ve lost her Norman, but she won’t be getting far without her owner!”
Hey I resented the idea that anyone owned me! I was a free dog, in as much as having bound myself magically to Pom incidentally being the only exception, I could break that at any time I wanted to!
Speaking of, Pom wasn’t currently awake, but at least I always knew where she was and that she was alive.
I really didn’t like the name Caper Canine, even if I do like dancing. Why couldn’t they have made my sidekick name cooler like Power Pup, Popping Pooch or something more like Hop Hound, Hip Hound or Hip Hop Hound?
I’d even take Disaster Dog at this rate, because I currently feel like one with my tail currently between my legs and was covered in mud.
“Ah Kibbles…” I wonder if using Dawkins saying would actually help me in this situation. “What am I going to do?!”
“Houba!” I heard a voice shout and I looked around, but couldn’t see anyone. I stayed where I was looking around. “Excuse me, but did that Quint guy just say Norman?”
“Uh, yeah… he’s one of the guys that captured my friend.” I stayed where I was, eyes scanning the surrounding jungle and the disturbing quiet in it.
“Hey, would you like some help with that?” Did this guy really need to ask?
“Uh yeah, I would. The guys got a gun and several other things, like a strange gas that knocked out my friend before they caged her!” I still couldn’t see where this guy was, they were moving around pretty fast with how their voice was coming from everywhere. “It was my fault that it even happened.”
“If you tell me the story of what happened, then the guardians of the jungle just might help you out…” The guardians of the jungle? Did this guy know them? “Mostly because that Norman guy is involved.”
“Uh… who are you?” I wasn’t exactly trusting of my surroundings at the moment. “You’re not a tiger, panther or a hyena right?”
“Nope, but you don’t look too dangerous, so I might as well introduce myself!” Something swiftly came from above and stopped right in front of me with a big grin. “Houba! It’s how I talk and greet others.”
“Gah!” My skateboard smacked loudly against the tree and dug into my back, I was currently looking at the figure hanging from the tree on a vine… no… that wasn’t a vine.
That was a tail, a really, really long one. Was there such a thing as a fifty foot tail?
“Sorry for spooking you there doggy, the names Mars. You’ll probably meet my lovely Mia soon.” This creature, Mars, had dog like ears, a really freakishly long tail and yellow fur with black spots. “Aren’t you domesticated types usually found in the cities though? You are fairly far from home.”
“Hey, I’m not here by choice I’ll have you know… and I’m not domesticated!” I’ve never heard or seen such a weird creature, like a cross between a dog, a monkey and the colors like a cheetah. Weirdest looking animal I have ever met. “Also what are you?!”
“One of the guardians of this jungle. My people are more native to another place, but my mate and I are here to protect the surrounding jungles from anyone who would seek to destroy them.” Mars stated with an oddly cheerful disposition. “Now make with the story, it sounds like we don’t have much time if Norman is up to something again. After what I did to him the last time he tried invading our home, you’d think he would get the idea to stay far away from us.”
Something large landed behind Mars and I pointed at it with horror in my eyes, it was a large and fat looking gorilla wearing a pink shirt.
“Oh hey Maurice, I’m talking to someone who’s having problems with Norman.” Mars’s tail coil up behind him as he said this and turned back to me. “Don’t worry about Maurice, he’s harmless… also a bit brainless, but I like him as a member of the Terrific Tail Team! Sure, I know he doesn’t have a tail, but I don’t let that bother me. Now story me!”
“Okay, my name is Dolly and it started earlier this morning…” I was quickly interrupted.
“Houbi?” A second yellow furred dog monkey thing dropped down from the trees.
“Someone that needs our help Mia.” Mars answered, the female version of mars with a flower on her ear tilted her head at me. The only noticeable difference was a more feminine appearance, a different amount of fur in different places and a shorter tail which was not saying much as it still looked fifty feet long. “This is Norman trouble, we were about to hear a story about it.”
Mia immediately looked angry and then turned to me, she made a gesture towards me as if she wanted me to hurry.
-An hour or two earlier that morning-
“So we are a bit lost, me and my friend Pom. We were heading in a direction we were told by a guy named Rafiki.
You know him? Because of course you do!
Anyway, Pom and I were heading this way because Rafiki told us to and… oh… I guess you’re the ones he wanted us to seek help from.
Anyway, the first sign of trouble is when Pom stopped me from stepping into a trap.”
“Does Rafiki have to be weird like that? Can’t he just tell us outright what he actually means and…?” Before I could continue talking, Pom thrust her right hoof in front of me while looking at the ground. “What is it?”
Pom didn’t say anything, but her eyes darted about in paranoia, she took up a nearby a stick and poked the ground in front of me. A trap of numerous layers of metal teeth sprung up from the dirt and snapped together in front of me, positively pulping a portion of what was once a rather lovely looking stick.
That trap would have torn my leg up, if it didn’t just amputate it entirely had I stepped on it.
Pom quickly pulled me back a few steps as a series of darts struck the area around the trap and quickly leaked fluids that melted or browned everything it touched.
“Dolly… that trap wasn’t meant to capture.” Pom’s eyes continued to dart about wildly and I shivered in fright at the thought of what could have happened to me. “Follow behind me and be quiet, I doubt animals would have access to things that might put down a rhino.”
We ran into several more traps like that, but some of them were in odd places. Said odd places tended to be up in trees and set up as if targeting for someone to swinging through them… but there weren’t nearly that many vines around and they weren’t around said vines.
There was one thing in common with all these traps, they were either excessively debilitating or downright immediately lethal.
It wasn’t too long before we snuck up on a campsite to see a pair of bulky crow bipeds armed with guns, with a caged baby elephant wailing for help.
“Come on, we got to…” I was lifted from the ground by Pom’s left hoof wrapping around my waist before I could launch forward.
“No Dolly, and quiet, we need to think this through.” Pom stated while staring at the elephant with a frown. “They aren’t doing anything to the baby aside from poking them Dolly, have some patience.”
“They are obviously bad guys Pom! I mean look at them.” I pointed a paw at them joking and laughing as that poor baby cowered in the cage.
“Yes, I’m aware that what they are doing isn’t good, but I’m saying that we shouldn’t just rush in there.” Pom this was a time for action, not slow methodical thought! “I think that’s exactly what they are expecting something to do given all the lethal traps around here. We should at least try to sneak closer to hear what they are saying. Also they have weapons Dolly, so some caution is advised.”
Okay, I get you, wait until we were close enough to rescue the baby elephant before making our move.
We had to get past some trip wire and a few more of those lethal leg traps. I was somewhat glad that Pom slowed me down, but once we were close enough there couldn’t possibly be many more traps close to their camp!
The camp was in a wide open space, we could see a jungle a fair distance away and there weren’t many trees to approach he campsite from. So we carefully made our way along the ground.
“So do you think the elephants will actually come?” One of the crows asked the other.
“I Pachyderm Poacher Quint know they will!” Quint was a guy I would soon learn to hate, but he wasn’t wrong as we could hear the sounds of elephants trumpeting in the distance.
“The guardians of Africa are not going to be able to ignore this.” The other one said with a grin.
“You and those guardians Norman, I haven’t seen a single sighting of the strange creatures you keep talking about.” Quint poked the baby elephant with a stick again making it whine loudly.
“They’ll come, this is something they wouldn’t ignore.” Norman looked like the kind of guy who was excited to finally kill and stuff a head on a wall. “I’ll head out and watch for them, make sure the elephant stays in the cage… those guardians are crafty creatures.”
We were currently close enough that we were behind one of their tents. Now that one was leaving, the other guy started relaxing, but he wasn’t watching the cage all too much.
After a minute, it was clear he wasn’t paying any attention to it at all, I decided to make my move.
“Dolly… wait… come back.” I didn’t listen to Pom’s frantic whispering as I quickly slunk forward towards the cage with the crying elephant, that poor kid needed help and I was the dog to do it.
Okay, let’s see. Not a key kind of cage, but the locking mechanism seems simple enough. If I can get my claws under the hinge here... no pulled it upwards and with a tug, the door fell away and almost on top of me.
Hearing the clattering, the elephant stopped crying and immediately bolted as soon as it saw an opening in the cage.
“See Pom, nothing to…” Before I knew it, Pom had grabbed me and was tossing me away from the cage as something moved within it.
A massive cloud of strange dust, smoke or gas erupted around where the cage was, I could see Pom coughing violently.
There was something familiar about that stuff that I just couldn't quite exactly put my paw on why.
“Dolly… run…” Once Pom flopped over onto her side, she stopped moving, but she was alive. That was a useful part of our bond that I was never going to forget.
“Why what have we here? It seems we have caught the lost Leap Lamb and Caper Canine trying to foil our felonious deeds…” The crow said while pointing a finger to sky. “So I… Hero Hunter Quint, am going to have a good day today!”
“Didn’t you just recently say that your name was Pachyderm Poacher Quint?!” I barked out at him in an angry tone.
He leveled his gun at me and I stopped barking at him angrily.
“I have no idea what you just barked, but my gun can beat your skateboard and capering skills!” Rolling to the side as Quint pulled the trigger it created a hole in the dirt next to me. Yeah I had to go while he was reloading, like now! “You will not be so evasive forever Caper Canine!”
Another blast struck the ground behind me making me yelp, I quickly swung my skateboard beneath me and started pushing to get away faster.
“I’ll come back for you Pom, I promise!” After a certain distance I hit grass and had to flip my board back onto my back and started running into the nearby jungle.
-Present-
“That guy can run pretty fast with a gun, he also has pretty decent aim.” I wrapped my paws around myself, I thought Cruella was bad… but she never came after us with guns.
Cruella just used a lot of well paid goons that took us all alive, she wanted to kill us personally one at a time. Though she did use some kind of knockout gas on my parents… wait… that gas that knocked Pom out… it was the same stuff that Cruella used on my parents! If I were to hazard a guess, I’d think her company actually produces that stuff.
“So you were actually the one that freed the little guy. Okay, come on out!” Mars and Mia moved to the side showing the baby elephant that trundled out from behind a tree. It trumpeted at Mars and smiled at me, before Mars started pushing him away. “Now go on back to your family little guy, we’ll take care of Norman and Quint.”
“Houbi bi-bi-bi!” Mia pointed at me.
“She said, show us the way.” Mars didn’t have to tell me twice.
I turned and started to make my way back towards where I felt Pom was.