Strays - Part 2.5
Zuma woke up to the sound of soft footsteps approaching the cardboard box, which he and Rocky had been sharing as their makeshift shelter. He lifted his head to look up, blinking the sleep away, and smiled when he saw who it was.
“Katie! You’re back!” he said happily.
“Of course!” Katie crouched down as soon as Zuma stood up to trot over to her, tail wagging furiously when she reached over to give him ear scratches. “I told you guys I’d be back to give Rocky his medicine.”
Rocky stirred awake from hearing their voices, but hadn’t moved until he heard his name. He frowned, disgruntled, and turned away from them.
The movement didn’t go unnoticed by Katie, who chuckled, amused.
“Come on, Rocky. This will help you get better.”
“But it tastes so bad,” the mutt whined quietly.
“I know, I know…” she replied apologetically. “But that’s why I brought something to help this time!”
She sat down on the ground and placed her small backpack down beside her, opening it up to dig around for something. Whatever she was looking for, it was the scent that initially caught both of the puppies’ attention.
Zuma’s ears perked up. He tilted his head to the left, watching curiously.
Rocky’s ears lifted in intrigue as well, turning his head to finally look in their direction while sniffing the air. Whatever it was, it smelled so good.
“Ah ha! Here they are!” Katie exclaimed triumphantly. She pulled out two small pup bowls — one was orange, the other was green. They appeared worn down, old, scratched from probable overuse by previous pups at some point.
She placed them down to the side, before searching around in her backpack again to find a small plastic container. She opened it up and poured its contents into both bowls.
The puppies’ eyes widened. Zuma was almost drooling at the sight. The warm smell invaded their nostrils like a truck crashing into them at full speed, almost overwhelming, reminding them that their stomachs had been mostly empty and twisting with hunger for a while now.
Sausage. It was sausage.
Both bowls were now filled with sausages chopped up in pieces. For Rocky and Zuma, who had only been eating cold leftovers taken out of garbage bins for several days… it was like a dream.
“Is… is that… for us?” Zuma couldn’t take his eyes off of the closest bowl — the orange one — but he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Rocky still appeared slightly wary.
“Yep!” Katie confirmed with a nod. “Let me just…”
She picked up a sausage piece and stuffed the pill inside of it, put it back in the green bowl, and mixed everything together. Rocky frowned, tilting his head, puzzled.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m hiding your antibiotic. I’ve seen the techs do this at my dad’s clinic,” she explained, placing the bowl a little closer to the box in hopes of encouraging him to eat. “The taste of the sausage should cover up the taste of the medicine, so you won’t even notice when you swallow it. No more bad taste for you!”
“Heh, that’s smart!” Zuma wagged his tail. “If I ever get sick, will you do that for me too?”
“Of course! But… let’s hope we won’t need to do this for either of you ever again after this week.” Katie chuckled, then looked expectantly at Rocky.
The small mutt eyed the bowl suspiciously, but despite his hesitance, still made an effort to sit up. The scent was successfully luring him, promising him relief from his constant hunger. Slowly, Rocky stood up and took a few tiny steps, legs wobbling dangerously and barely lifting his paws from the floor as he dragged himself out of the box. He moved towards the green bowl with the stuff that smelled like paradise.
“Do you need help?” Zuma offered, but Rocky subtly shook his head.
“No. I can do this.”
Katie and Zuma watched silently. Rocky seemed to be in so much pain, and combined with his weakened state making it such a huge effort to move, the two of them were afraid of disturbing his focus.
Katie suddenly moved forward like a bullet as soon as she noticed his legs start to give out due to how badly they were shaking.
Rocky felt the strength leave his body. His legs felt so heavy just a moment ago, and now… it was like they didn’t even exist at all. They gave into his weight. He squeezed his eyes shut, fully expecting the bruising impact of the ground.
But the pain never came. Something caught him, just under his chest and under his neck, supporting his head.
Confused, Rocky slowly opened his eyes to see Katie holding him up. She offered him a gentle smile, carefully lifting him until his paws were firmly on the floor once again.
“You can do this, Rocky,” she encouraged. “I’ll just keep my hand here, just in case. I won’t let you fall. But I know you can do this! Just keep going.”
Her hand was under him as promised, but she wasn’t touching him anymore. Rocky blinked, trying to figure out what her intentions were, but the warm and pleasant smell wafting through the air from the green bowl just a few steps away clouded his thoughts.
Slowly, step by step, he made it to the bowl and nearly collapsed when he sat down to start eating. His front legs didn’t have the strength to hold him up either, so he ended up laying down on his stomach to eat.
Only after Rocky had started eating did Zuma allow himself to literally advance on his bowl too, absolutely demolishing the entirety of its contents in a matter of seconds, which earned a giggle from Katie.
“Woah, slow down!” She patted the Labrador’s back. “You could choke if you eat so fast! The food isn’t going anywhere!”
“S- sorry!” he apologized with an embarrassed grin. “It’s just… it’s just…”
“I know.” She scratched behind his ear. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll bring you guys some more of this in the morning. Maybe some other snacks too.”
Zuma was thrilled to hear that, and turned to look at Rocky, hoping to share his happiness. Rocky was eating slowly, but his ears were turned towards them, indicating that he was clearly paying close attention. Zuma’s own attention was pulled back to Katie when she patted him again.
“I’ll bring you guys some snacks and treats after he’s done with his medicine too,” she reassured. “My dad really won’t let me take you guys home with me… but I can keep visiting you guys. I won’t leave you alone. Promise.”
“Does he know you’re doing this…?” Rocky questioned, eyes shifting away and keeping his face buried in the bowl.
She shrugged. “He knows I’m bringing your meds.”
“And after that?”
“I’ll just be careful.”
“He’ll be mad at you.” Rocky finally lifted his face to look up at her, his brow furrowing in concern. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“I won’t get in trouble,” the girl insisted. “Who’s gonna tell him? No one else knows about you guys.”
Zuma and Rocky exchanged a glance.
They didn’t have anyone else. They only had each other. And here was Katie, promising them food, company, scratches, smiles. They needed this.
“Alright.” Rocky sighed in resignation. He was exhausted. He had almost finished eating his sausage and desperately wanted to go back to the box.
“Oh wait! There’s one more thing!” Katie rifled through her bag once more and pulled out a blue towel. She rushed over to line the surface of the box with it before Rocky could lie back down. “Now you won’t need to rest on a hard surface.”
Rocky walked cautiously back inside. Zuma followed him in once the gray pup had settled down, excitedly wagging his tail and cuddling up next to him.
“This is so fluffy! And soft!” Zuma exclaimed with an appreciative grin, nuzzling up between Rocky and the towel. “Thanks, dude!”
“No problem!” The girl nodded with a smile. “Rocky, keep resting, okay? Bye, guys! I’ll be back in the morning!”
Rocky nodded and watched as she skipped away again, just like the previous day… only this time, he wasn’t feeling… whatever that sick feeling was that he had felt yesterday — when her father had called him a mutt and refused to allow her to take them home. When he outright said that Rocky could be aggressive. Hearing someone say it like that… it hurt. A lot. He really didn’t like that.
But this time, Rocky didn’t feel anything at all.
Thankfully, that meant none of those unpleasant sick feelings either.
“I knew she would help you.” Zuma smiled, eyes still on Katie as she turned a corner and disappeared out of the alley. He turned to look at Rocky. He seemed relieved. “Katie helped me before… you know. Before I got on the streets. I just knew she would help you too.”
**********
Katie came back the next day, just like she promised. This time, she brought some pieces of chicken to help Rocky take his meds.
Rocky liked the taste. He liked it a lot. It was definitely better than the small amount he could scrape off bones that he would find in the dumpster.
**********
On the third day, Katie brought them what Zuma immediately decided was the best and tastiest snack to ever exist — peanut butter. Rocky was already up and walking around by the time Katie arrived, which made her beam brightly. She also removed a few of the bandages, explaining that he should only need two of them now. His deepest wounds still needed some protection.
**********
On the fourth day, Katie was a little late. She managed to make it soon enough, huffing from the effort of running.
“I was looking for something for you guys,” she excused herself while she pulled out a strangely shaped orange object. It was a curious thing. Neither puppy had ever seen anything like it before.
“This is for you, Zuma!” She handed the object to him, placing it on the ground for him to inspect.
“What is this?” Zuma inquired curiously.
“It's a chew toy,” she explained. “You can chew on it. It feels good… or so I’ve been told. Go ahead! Try it!”
Zuma caught it in his mouth and lightly bit it. His eyes widened and he grinned, biting again more enthusiastically. Katie giggled as the puppy quite literally lit up, wagging his tail excitedly, all while chewing on his new toy.
“What a weird shape!” he commented once he finally let go of it. He couldn’t stop smiling.
“It's called an anchor! It's an object that they keep on boats. It’s made of heavy metal, so it sinks to the bottom of the sea and holds the boat in place. That way, the ocean won't take them away!”
“Oh, that's cool!” Zuma chewed on it a little more. “I’ve never seen the ocean, only on TV. Do you think I'll see it someday?”
“Maybe! Who knows? And speaking of water…” Katie smiled while she went through the contents in her bag, this time pulling out a red towel.
“Another towel?” Zuma tilted his head curiously.
“You told me Rocky doesn’t like getting wet,” Katie turned to Rocky to hand the towel over to him. “So you can use one towel to keep you off the hard floor, and the other one can dry you off in case you get wet for whatever reason.”
Rocky grabbed the towel with his teeth, carefully, and dragged it inside the box. He tucked it in the corner where he liked to sleep.
“I… uh…” He shuffled his paws on the floor, then looked up at her with a small smile. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome.” Katie continued to smile, giving him a gentle ear scratch.
**********
On the fifth day, Katie brought sausages again. Zuma cried dramatically (just for the show) for more peanut butter. Rocky pretended like he didn’t care, but Katie caught the way his eyes were literally shining and how his tail wagged slightly at the mention of the snack. She laughed and promised she’d bring more the next day.
**********
On the sixth day, much to Zuma's (and not so secretly Rocky's) delight, Katie brought more peanut butter.
And, for the first time, Katie saw a real, genuine smile on Rocky’s face. His tail wagged. His ears were up, even the injured one. He didn't seem wary, uneasy, or afraid anymore, and now that she saw a glimpse of his actual self, she couldn't be happier.
Because this meant that he was recovering well, and she was just so happy that she had been able to help him with his healing process.
Rocky was so busy enjoying the peanut butter with Zuma that he didn't notice the way Katie smiled at him.
**********
On the seventh day, Katie brought something different.
The puppies were already awake when she arrived. At this point, they were used to waiting for her arrival, and as usual, Zuma was the first to catch her scent even before she turned the corner. He stepped out of the box to anxiously wait for her. Rocky yawned and stretched, but waited inside the box.
“Katie!” Zuma greeted as soon as he saw her. “What did you bring today? It smells different!”
“You got a sharp nose!” Katie joked as she put her backpack on the ground. It seemed heavier than usual, which caught Rocky's attention. “Bring your bowls here, boys!”
Both puppies did as requested and Katie opened her bag to reveal another bag. This one was half filled with something they had only ever seen in pet shops.
“Are these… cookies?” Rocky tried to guess, tilting his head curiously as she poured some into their bowls.
“Close enough,” the girl mixed the last antibiotic pill inside the green bowl. “These smaller ones are called kibble, and it’s actual dog food. This version is for puppies. It has everything you need to grow strong and healthy! And these bigger ones are pup treats! I'll leave the bag here so you can eat more tomorrow morning.”
Rocky glanced up, frowning slightly. “You're not coming tomorrow…?”
Zuma's eyes widened in alarm. “But you promised!”
“I know!” she quickly reassured. “I can't come tomorrow because I'm going to visit my uncle. We’re going to spend the weekend there. So I'll leave some food with you guys for the next two days, alright? I promise I’ll be back Monday morning to see how you're doing.”
Rocky tilted his head. His concerned frown had turned into one of confusion. “Uh… What's an uncle…?”
“It's what we call a parent's sibling. In this case, it's my mom’s older brother,” Katie explained. She found it weird - and sad - that he didn't know one of the simplest terms for relatives, but chose not to comment on that.
“Oh. Is he nice like you?”
“No one's as nice as Katie!” Zuma responded, already trying out his new food. “She brings the best food and gifts ever.”
“I'm just doing what a good friend does.” She patted Zuma's back, earning a very enthusiastic wagging tail for it.
**********
Later, that night, Rocky was cuddled up with Zuma in an attempt to sleep, but something was keeping him awake. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Katie said earlier.
‘Just doing what a good friend does’...
What did that mean? Did she consider them her friends? She barely knew them. She hadn’t spent that much time with them — only about a half an hour every morning for the last week.
How could she already think of them as friends? Rocky didn't really understand that. Wasn't this supposed to only happen after someone knew the other longer?
“Dude… you're still awake.” Zuma half opened his eyes to look at him. “Is something hurting…?”
“N- no. I'm fine.”
It wasn't a lie. He didn't feel any pain.
Zuma looked at him funny. Rocky averted his gaze for a moment, but could still feel his honey green eyes fixated on him. He was about to ask Zuma why he was staring, but Zuma yawned and cuddled up again, closing his eyes.
“She said she'll be back in two days. Go to sleep,” he mumbled drowsily.
How did he know he was thinking about her?
Rocky stared at him for a moment, before realizing that Zuma had fallen back asleep. His breathing evened out, barely audible snores sounding softly with each inhale.
With a sigh, Rocky cuddled up, closing his eyes as well. The next morning would feel weird without Katie visiting them, though he still couldn't figure out exactly why. She was done bringing him his medication, and yet, she promised that she would keep coming back for them. She kept bringing them things like snacks, toys, towels… She didn't need to do any of that.
She said it was what friends do.
Was she becoming their friend…?
