User blog:InklingBear/Life of Pets - Charles' Purpose

Story #27 - Charles' Purpose
6:00am

It's a very timid warm Saturday morning down in the great neighborhood of Royal Woods. The sun arises as the clouds start to set in the scene. Every single sibling of the Loud residence was still sound asleep as their father was awake, escorting himself to the kitchen to make a huge breakfast for the whole family. Confident, he hopes he'll once again give everyone a big surprise.

As for Cliff, Geo, and Walt on the other hand, or paw in this case, they were also still sound asleep along with the rest of the family. But, what about Charles? It turns out he had a little something going on in his pooch pen. After dusting himself off for a brief moment, he turned to the reader with a gaping yawn. He was rather happy, gazing upon the reader with a tired smile as he walked a few steps outside of his doghouse.

"Hey you," he said, wagging his tail. "I'm real excited ta see ya dis early in da mornin'. Ya wanna know why?"

Charles paused for a moment. "Yer guess is as good as mine, kid. Today's story is gonna be a little different from what we normally do dis time. Dis story here's all about me today, cause I've got a pretty interestin' story ta share with ya!"

The pup of the family lowered his haunches on the grass. "Now, all y'all out dere know dat us dogs in dis world only wants three tings in our lives: a home, a friend ta look up to, and most importantly, a family. Da story I have on my mind involves all da tings I just said ta youse."

The dog blushed softly, scratching his head. Not only was he excited, he was a bit nervous as well. It wasn't too serious, so he could manage to pull through this little endeavor.

"Gee, I had quite an adventure as a young pup," the dog uttered. "I remember it as if it were only yesterday. So, ya bettuh believe me when I say, dis experience is one heck of a ride."

A small gulp later, he shook his head. "I ain't stallin' too much, am I?" Charles asked, eliciting a nervous chuckle not long after. "Sorry 'bout dat. Anyway, It all started… when I first entered da world..."

''Several years back, in such a low populated forest near the Royal Woods campgrounds, A bulldog which happened to be the mother of Charles, was just minutes away from going into labour. Her time was already coming close, having a litter of newborn puppies. She felt her family getting ready to expand at such an alarming rate.''

"If my memory serves right, my mother was such a charmin' but generous dog, who'd never wanna take nothin' fer granted." Charles said. "She was a toughie, willin' ta pull though anythin' life had ta throw at her."

''His mother panted heavily as she barely walked next to a tree, plopping herself onto the soil below rolling onto her back. It was coming swiftly. Her stomach was in an intense amount of pain. It's almost as if she was somewhat constipated. Her whines were softly heard, gradually picking up volume after each one as it lasted for at least a full minute.''

"Until one day, she got ta be expectant. Da big day was comin' in not only fer me, but also my brothers 'n sisters too! If only I could understand da tings a pup like her could go through ta get us young pups where we are now."

''The moment of Charles' mother was just about to be breached, the pain she had to endure had her howling at the humid skies. Whether she was read or not, she just wanted that pain of hers to end and the delivery over with as quick as possible. Several minutes later, her endeavor made her pull through.  One by one, her newborn litter would finally make their official debut into the forest of Royal Woods. Six newborn puppies were brought into this world by their grateful mother. All of them, pure and white. Except for Charles, with a black spot around his eye and a circle on his back. He was... unique. It's almost as if he really stood out from the rest of the litter.''

"And there we were, finally a part of dis world." Charles said. "I actually remember da first time seein' what da rest of us siblings were seein' in our own point of view."

''That is, the dog responsible for giving birth to him. Already, Charles was part of a family, and had someone he could definitely look up to. It's almost as if Charles' mother meant everything to him. As it started to drizzle after almost an hour, Charles' mother woke up to her newborn puppies. She took the time to inspect her litter, taking note of the pups that looked just like her. Strangely, confusion filled her mind when she had her sights fixated on Charles.''

''Did she think Charles was lost with another litter of pups? Did she think Charles was really her son? Up until her gaze landed upon the black spotted pup, she was happy and satisfied with her accomplishment. Unfortunately for Charles, his mother had come to a… conclusion. She somehow believed that Charles was trying to fit in with the rest of her litter in some way. He looked nothing like the rest of the puppies that were brought into the world by her. She was left without a choice to make but to do something very drastic.''

"Da sad part is… I don't tink my mother loved me dat much…" Charles said uneasily.

''With a glare from his mother, she walked over to him, picked up Charles by the mouth. She brought the unique puppy to a nearby cardboard box, with the words "good home" written on a side, isolating him from his siblings as if he's not even part of the family. Almost instantly, she dropped him inside and ran back to take care of her litter of five puppies. Just like that, his hopes and dreams were quickly dashed.''

"She... threw me into a box," Charles said, whining as if he's on the verge of shedding tears. "And I had no idea why she'd do dat ta me. Was it somethin' I did? Did I mean any harm? Because of her... I lost a family, and someone ta look up to after what happened."

Thirty Minutes Later

''Rejected by his mother, Charles was all alone now, his whines eliciting for minutes on end. All he could see and hear was rain pouring down all over the forest. Understandably, he was hurt, betrayed, and reduced to sadness and sorrow, all thanks to his own mother.''

"I had nothin' left in da blink of an eye." Charles said sorely. "It's like she left me dere in dat box ta suffer."

''Could anybody really blame the poor newborn though? It's not his fault that he was just a tiny bit different from his brothers and sisters. Charles didn't ask for any of this... mean-spirited abhorrence, he just wanted something every other dog had to be happy. All he could do now was look down, flop his ears, and lament.''

''The poor pup shed tears now as he gazed around the inside of the soaked box. His hurt sniffling was soft, as if he didn't want to draw any attention to himself. Fear increased in his little mind that because a portion of his fur was black, nobody would like him. Being the odd one out of the litter led to unfortunate implications to the mother. No longer being part of the pack literally broke the poor little canine.''

''Now that he felt hopeless, Charles was crying. There was not a single thing the poor abandoned animal could do from this point onward.''

"I felt like I was in a place where I didn't belong. My heart was shattered. Of all da tings that could put me in dis much pain… it just had ta be my own mother."

''If being rejected and isolated from his family wasn't bad enough, loud sounds of thunder came rolling in the Royal Woods area. Charles wasn't just sad now. He was extremely vulnerable. Scared, the pup attempted to duck and cover inside the box, as he hoped the bad weather would eventually blow over quickly.''

"Da weather got worse after a while… I was fearin' for my newborn life out dere, Hopin' I don't get struck in da rump."

Some lightning struck the ground near the forest after some time, but distanced in a way where they didn't hit the cardboard box.

"Gee, dat sure woulda been a pain in da grass." Charles narrowly chuckled.

''Things may be going the pup's way after a few claps of thunder, he just didn't know it was coming to him ever so slightly. The rain escalated to it's last drop of the day as the clouds withered out. When Charles decided to take a peep outside the box, he saw something pretty interesting in the distance. Too interesting. He found himself next to an open meadow, different sorts of flowers were on the field to lighten up the mood. This could be a nice opportunity to get anybody's mind of of things, especially for Charles.''

"Although I was still sad from what happened earlier, da least I could do was try ta move forward… on my own."

''To no surprise, the young pup had a problem. He had absolutely zero experience about the great outdoors. In the blink of an eye, literally anything could happen to the defenseless animal.''

"But what da heck was I supposed ta do?" Charles said baffledly. "I couldn't leave my only place of comfort, riskin' my first 'n only life on this world."

''Of course, the box was still in the Royal Woods forest. Despite being in low population, it didn't mean nothing bad was gonna happen to poor Charles. Still scared to try and move anywhere, he ducked back into the cardboard box.''

"I ain't never left dat box ever since I was forcefully put dere. Heck, I even called it a… home. Least dere's dat, I guess?"

''Before Charles knew it, some footsteps came within range of the forest. Knowing how inexperienced he was with the world around him, he gulped a small breath of air. Who could it be wandering around the forest?''

"Den da sounds of grass came a rustlin'," Charles said sinisterly. "Somebody was out dere, gettin' closer ta me as we speak!"

''Quivering, Charles whined, drawing more attention towards him. If only the defenseless animal wasn't so panicky, there'd be a chance that he would've been fine. Whoever was out there was in range with the box now. The pup could hear some bit of playful giggling now. Did he think there was a ghost near him? Doubts were somewhat high for the pup's case.''

"And dat someone just happened ta be da one dat had a passion fer animals like me."

''Peeking into the box, a young toddler by the name of Lana made an interesting discovery. She gasped the very second she landed her gaze upon the poor thing left all alone. As the pup did the same the second he looked at her pure face, his whines came to a complete halt, and so did his shaking.''

''"Puppy!" she said, just before picking the animal up outside the box. She playfully giggled, pulling the puppy towards her face as he resumed looking at her in confusion. He sniffed at her to try and remember her more before he happily passed his little tongue onto her cheek.''

"Her name was Lana, she was a sweet kid who'd love ta play in her own lil' world of nature along with other animals."

''Lana set the white puppy down on the ground. No longer afraid, he ran about in tiny circles as he barked loudly without a care. Looking like it could be fun, Lana got down on her fours and trotted in circles barking just like the sweet little puppy. At only two years of age, the pup was extremely exuberant to find a good friend like her.''

"She liked havin' fun da way I had fun, willin' ta do anythin' just ta make me a happy lil' pup," Charles sniffled. "'Tis a beautiful moment, one I was able ta cherish for years. A friend dat I could look up to. Somethin' I've been wantin' ta get back for hours. All dat was left fer me... was a family."

''"Puppy funny," Lana blurted. Resting for a bit, Lana and the pup's stomachs growled.''

"Oh yeah, and somethin' ta eat too!" Charles chuckled sheepishly.

''The third eldest of the siblings, Luna, currently aged eleven, ran towards Lana before she picked her up from the ground. Sighing in relief, she said "Thanks goodness I found you, dude. You can't go running off like that without someone there to-"''

''Pausing in the middle of her sentence, she noticed the puppy looking directly at her. Shocked at the proximity of his cuteness, she asked "Hey uh… who's your little friend?"''

''Lana shrugged with a smile. She hadn't had a single clue on what name to call him or anything. Given an idea, Luna made a simple suggestion. Confident, she picked up the sweet little animal. "I think we should discuss this with the rest of the siblings back at the campgrounds." she said to herself. "Maybe we could even keep him… or her?"''

''Curiosity sparked in her head as she said those words. Resisting to gyrate the puppy, she instead kept walking back out of the forest. "I'll just check later."''

Her final decision made the puppy open his eyes wide, but not before shaking his head for a small brief moment.

"Dis was my chance, kids," Charles said. "Am I finally gonna have a family again? Well who's tellin' da story here? I'll answer dat question right now!"

''Finally in reach with the rest of the Loud family, the puppy jumped out of Luna's hands as he ran towards the table to have some barbeque for lunch. Without anybody batting an eye, he hid under the tablecloth, out of everyone's sight.''

''"Hey Luna," Lincoln said as the other siblings arrive at the table. "We've been waiting for you-"''

''"For literally half an hour." Lori interrupted, sitting down before everyone else shortly followed.''

''"Sorry dudes," Luna said, placing Lana next to her clean twin. "Lana sure can be a little troublemaker when it comes to mingling."''

''"Well we wouldn't have to wait to chow down, if Dad had kept a better eye on her." Lynn said.''

''"I was cooking the wieners!" Lynn Sr. retorted. "You don't know how hard it is having to be the father of all you kids."''

''"C'mon honey, it's not that bad," Rita said. "Let's all just appreciate that we're all gonna have a nice barbeque this weekend and maybe even use this opportunity to bond."''

''Lucy, rubbing her crystal ball, had a feeling about what was going to take place not long after. "I was thinking the same thing, but now… I'm sensing that something small will bring this family closer together..."''

''Everyone at the table was puzzled. They shared an awkward glance before returning to Lucy. "I… sure hope so, Luce." Lincoln responded.''

''"I'll believe it when I see it." Lynn said. "I just wanna eat!"''

''"Calm down, my little sports girl," Lynn said, passing out the hot dogs. "Bon appetit!"''

''As everyone enjoyed their food, the puppy's stomach started growling again. What if that attracted attention? He had to satisfy his hunger in some way or else, he would get caught.''

"Boy was I hungry under dat table," Charles said. "It's almost like a free buffet under dere."

''Lana grabbed onto a few potato chips on her plate as a few were knocked down onto the grass. Quickly taking notice, the hungry pup walked to them and put his mouth to work. Chip after chip he devoured into his belly had the young animal lick his chops almost every time.''

"Anyting dat touched da ground around me was fair game."

''As Lynn reached out to get the ketchup from the center of the table, she mistakenly knocked over Lincoln's glass of water. Understandably, he had to call her out on it.''

''"Lynn, what the heck?!" he spat, while the puppy drank up the small spillage as it dripped from the cloth.''

''"We do not reach for the condiments off the table, young lady." Rita added.''

''Feeling something in his little body, the puppy let out a tiny belch. Thankfully it wasn't audible enough to catch anyone's attention.''

"Dat took care a dat hunger problem." Charles chuckled. "I'm surprised nobody batted an eye underneath da table. But dere was one more ting I had a taste fer."

''A piece of a hot dog fell right in plain sight of the little pup. His face was beaming with glory, it looked good enough to eat, what animal wouldn't want to eat that?''

"It smelled of perfection… I just had ta eat it up!" Charles said. "It called out ta me, with its warm, meaty goodness..."

''With that said, the curious pup walked to the piece of hot dog and munched on it. While he was lost in his own little world, the family were in a rather bickering moment. Sans the parental figures of the family, every one was covered in food, almost as if a food fight had occurred. Lola was crying in Lori's arms as if she witnessed a terrible scene go down in history.''

''"Why can't you guys be more careful around a stupid table?" Lori spat.''

''"My hair's a bloody mess!" Leni screamed before bursting into tears just like Lola.''

''"This is so bogus, dudes!" Luna added, fuming.''

''"Thanks to Lynn, it looks like I peed!" Lincoln spat. "Where's the napkins?"''

''"If Luan weren't hogging all the condiments just to make her corny jokes, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Lynn retorted.''

''"Sorry, everyone knows my jokes are a must-ard in this family!" Luan laughed. She came to a halt the second everyone scared a scowl towards her. If she could take what she said back from that point, she would.''

''The parents were understandably cross towards her immature kids. All they wanted was a nice time at the campgrounds, but one little fight had to leave it all in ruins. "I'm very disappointed in you kids." Lynn Sr. spat. "I think it's pretty obvious that we can't even go out to some place nice and have a family cookout! Arguably, this isn't as bad as the one time we went to that aquarium diner." Sighing, the father had to come down to a blunt decision. "I'm sorry, but since you kids can't behave yourselves-"''

''The puppy noticed a bit of ketchup on Leni's feet. Curious to know what that stuff tasted like, he walked over to her and licked it clean off. What he didn't see coming was that she lifted her legs and freaked out.''

Uh oh.

''"Aah! Snake!" Leni screamed at the top of her lungs, flailing her arms around. Her sudden reaction got everybody else to do the same thing, looking around for the… snake.''

''"Where?!" Lincoln said audibly before Luna lifted the tablecloth. She jumped a bit after realizing it was the puppy hiding under there the entire ordeal. A tiny bark later, he ran to her arms. She picked him up and presented him to everyone at the table.''

''"Relax everyone," Luna said. "It's just a sweet puppy!"''

The siblings at the table landed their sights on the animal, admiring his appearance thanks to that proximity he had on him.

"Everyone was lookin' at me, like da sweet lil' angel I was. Not even a huge family like dis one could turn me away."

"Aww…" The siblings went.

''Luna petted him on the head. "I know, he's a cute little fella isn't he?"''

''"You're not kidding." Lynn said, as Lana giggled.''

''"That poor thing must've gotten lost." Rita assured.''

''"Can I hold him? ...or her?" Lincoln asked.''

''"I call dibs after Lincoln!" Lynn added while Luna passed the pup over to Lincoln.''

''"You know, I think that little animal would literally make a great addition to the family!" Lori suggested.''

''In agreement, the kids chattered amongst themselves wholeheartedly. But Dad on the other hand, he had doubts.''

''"We're not keeping that beast you kids just found." Lynn Sr. said, elicting a gasp from his nine children. "Because for one, you kids aren't going to learn to get along with each other and spend most of your time fighting over who gets to play with it!"''

"Oh yeah, I forgot dat not everyone was into dawgs like myself."

''Lana was sniveling now. She couldn't bear the sight of seeing her father make her part ways with a new friend she just found. The siblings try their best to get Dad to change his mind and reconsider. It's just a small animal, how much damage could it even cause? It's not like the puppy crossed paths with the family to tear them apart. Surely the kids think their father can find it his heart to keep the little pupper.''

''"C'mon, Dad!" Luan said.''

''"We'll take good care of it," Lori said. "We'll even have an oath on it."''

''"How could you say no to that face?" Lincoln added, holding the puppy to his dad's face. Not even given a chance to react, the pup licked his nose before he softly pushed him away.''

"I'm sorry kids, I know how much you love that animal, but I'm the father figure in this family and my mind's made up."

''Not wanting to complain or argue, the siblings bowed their heads in disappointment. Lana on the other hand was bawling her eyes out not long after her father's decision. Her crying was loud and clear to the point her siblings plugged their ears up.''

''Lori turned to her father. "You see what you've done?" she spat.''

''"Crying's… not… gonna change… my decision, kids!" Lynn Sr. reassured.''

''"Think about what you're doing, Pops!" Leni said. "You really want this moment on your conscience? It'll be hard to live with-"''

"What I said is final!"

''Dad really meant it. Although he really didn't want to do this to them, he had to be stern, and decided they needed to learn their lesson. "Everybody get in the van. It's time to go back home. And leave. The dog. Here."''

"I couldn't believe dis was happenin'!" Charles said uneasily, his voice gradually breaking after each word. "Dere goes another shot at tryin' to have a family again. Nobody ever told me dat life would be such a cruel game ta play with. Oh da humanity!"

''After Lincoln left the poor pup unattended, everyone went back into the van with sad expressions all around. The engine started and Vanzilla was off. Poor little poor little pup was left alone again. Tears were streaming down his face as he whined, just learning that he'll never find a good friend like her again, plus a family. Today was a sad day for the defenseless animal.''

…

"Not today, kids." Charles said sternly. "Dis day was da day I vowed to have somethin' nice fer once!"

''Little Charles had to be strong. He needed faith at a time like this. From the events of what the pup had to endure through his very short lifespan, he wasn't going to lose his first friend and a real family to be a part of. He was already hurt once in the past and he'd be darned if it ever happened to him again.''

"Dere was no way a meanie like him was gonna take away what I just wanted in my life. Not only dat, I learned somethin' dat day from what my mother never shared wit' me. And dat is… loyalty!"

''With a little glare painted on his face, he had to follow them. It may be hard for him to do, but he just had to try. Catching a whiff of the van from earlier today, he ran, tracking down the motorized vehicle wherever it went.''

''It may have lasted for at least a good quarter hour, but Charles definitely knew it would be all worth it in the end. From crossing intersections, causing an accident or two, heck, even animal control attempted to catch up with him halfway to the house. There was not a single chance that Charles was gonna give up just like that. He could still smell the van from about a mile away. The determined animal was still well on their trail. All he could do was keep on running until he found his friend once again.''

"I've never felt so determined ta find dat kid again." Charles chuckled. "I never thought I'd get dat far, knowin' how small I was at da time."

''Charles kept on sprinting until he was at the Loud's residence shortly after. He found the vehicle he saw earlier parked in the driveway, which meant he found his only friend once again. Charles was so happy, he never thought he could pull off something this majestic… at such a young age as well. He stopped on the sidewalk to see everybody getting out of the vehicle before running towards them at high speed.''

''Lana was helped out of the van by Lincoln. To nobody's surprise, the child was still running the waterworks. They were surprised that she was able to stop her noisy crying though on the way back.''

"I was able to find the family again! Ain't dat a hoot? I can tell ya ain't surprised cause I'm a dog but anyway..."

''"Alright everyone, into the living room." Lynn Sr. commanded. "I've got a few words to discuss with you all."''

''A sniffle from Lana later, the pup charged at the child, but not before letting out two barks. Surprised to see the animal again, Lana let out a huge gasp before getting glomped by the happy pup. He snuggled her face as she giggled profusely. A happy howl later and shedding tearful joy, he once again licked her face. The siblings were surprised, confused, and impressed all in one by the small, courageous animal.''

"Everyone was happy to see me again, it just goes ta show ya dat true loyalty can go a long way."

''"No way!" Lincoln uttered.''

''"But… how?!" Luna added.''

''"That is one, determined animal." Lori complimented.''

''Dad had his mouth slightly agape from what he just witnessed. He was impressed just as much as his children along with his wife.''

''"That is so sweet of him to cheer up our little precious daughter!" Rita said.''

''"At least she's not sad anymore." Lynn said before Dad walked over to pick the pup off of Lana.''

"Alright kids-"

''Before he could spit out another word, animal control from the Green Mile Pet Sanctuary arrived at the house. A dogcatcher named Corinne, stepped out of the vehicle and opened up the trunk, with intent to take the puppy away, if the father is okay with it.''

''"I'll take that little troublemaker you found off your hands." she said to Lynn Sr.''

''Noticing that Charles' real mother was locked away inside the van along with her puppies, he was somewhat conflicted with what he really wanted. He had to choose between his real mother or a human family. Given that she rejected him at birth, he obviously had second thoughts. At least he had someone loyal and caring rather than a heartless monster to look up to. But the final decision belonged to the father of the family. Whatever he decided goes.''

''He thought long and hard about it. Not helping that all eyes were on him, almost like it was peer pressure.''

"C'mon man, don't make me go wit' dat mean ol' dog catcha... and my bad, bad mother..." he growled.

''"Please Dad," Lincoln said. "We promise we'll take good care of him…"''

''A brief moment later, he sighed heavily. He needed to do it for his siblings, especially Lana. "Alright, I've made a decision..." he said. The siblings leaned in like an act of suspense. "...Let's keep him!"''

''Shocked with the decision, the kids cheered loudly. Corrine on the other hand, respected the man's decision."You're a good father figure, sir." she complimented, giving the man a complimentary leash and tag for future use.''

''"I know." he chuckled, petting the pup on the head.''

''"I told you guys, something small would bring this family closer together." Lucy reminded with a smile.''

''"You weren't kidding after all, Luce." Lynn said before everyone laughed together, Animal control now leaving the scene. The pup hopped out of Lynn Sr.'s hands and glomped Lana once more. Happy, he licked her again as she playfully giggled on the pavement with every sibling surrounding them, showering them with their love and affection.''

"And dere ya go, kiddos." Charles said as if he were cherishing another beautiful moment. "Dat day, it finally happened. I got all da tings a dog like me could ever ask for: a home, a friend, and most importantly... a true family."

"Wow, dat was some story wasn't it, kid?" Charles asked before pausing a brief moment. "I done told ya it was gonna be one heck of a ride!"

Rubbing his head, his face turned a shade of pink for a brief moment. "Gee, ya don't know how lucky I am ta get me exactly where I am today. I am so grateful for everythin' dis family's ever done fer me, and I love dem ta pieces fer it. If only I could see my backstabbin' mother today, I woulda had several words with her. But, to be truthful wit' ya, I'd never thought I'd see karma bite her right in da arse."

A moment of silence took place before the dog broke the silence. "Oh, how did I ever get the name 'Charles'?" he said. "...Let's just say dat someone's been watchin' too many basketball games."

Charles chuckled sheepishly as he walked to the back porch as Lynn Sr. waited to bring him his share of the breakfast he prepared. "Dat must be breakfast!" he said, licking his chops. "Boy, I'm starvin'!"

Two barks later after reaching to the doggy door, the father opened the door and set a plate of leftover bacon he had left in the kitchen in front of the happy dog before he closed the door. Just the sight of it had his tail wagging and raucously panting. He spat "Yum!" before digging in immediately after. A couple munches and a gulp later, he licked his chops for the grease.

"I love my family." Charles uttered before Lana poked her head through the doggy door, licked his cheek and hugged him as if he was a soft teddy bear. His love was so strong for her that he couldn't resist doing the same thing back to her. Nothing could ever tear those two apart. They were best friends until the end.

~End~