The Extra Toe That Will Rule Them All

     "So what's the deal with Baylor," I said after our afternoon nap. "He kept mentioning Cubby, is that his human?”
     Schnapps was sitting on top of the back of the couch, where she could see out of the window. Precariously perched on the narrow ledge, she gave me a measured look, as though she was wondering how much she wanted to tell me. 

     "Look, whether you like it or not, I am your partner, and I'm going to have to find out about who these animals are sooner or later," I said, finding a bit of boldness I didn't know I had in me.
     "Baylor is part of de Dawg Gang," Schnapps said with a resigned sigh. "He's just a mindless minion, try as he might, he just can never complete a task."
     "Cubby is the leader of the Dawg gang, then?"
     Something caught her attention out the window and her body tensed up, but apparently the threat had passed and she relaxed. She continued to talk, but continued her watch out the window.
     "Cubby is second in command. He's a blowhard, his bark is worse dan his bite, as dey say. But he's good at intimidating everyone around him. He's de brains and Baylor is de muscle." Schnapps slid down from her post and settled on the couch cushion. “Dere leader is a toy poodle by the name of Pierre DeLaCroix. Or as he is known around de neighborhood, ‘De Sweater.’” She gave me a warning look, "But never call him dat to his face."
     "The Sweater? He doesn't sound so scary," I said with a dismissive snort.
     "Don't underestimate him. He may be small in stature, but he's de leader for a reason. Never make him mad, and never make fun of his sweaters."
     I still had a hard time believing that a teeny poodle could rule a powerful syndicate. But I had to trust Schnapps. Besides, she was a small dog, and she stood up to Baylor for crumbs sakes.
     "So is that dog on the hill, the one you were talking to earlier, is she part of the Dawg gang?"
Schnapps scratched her ear with her good back leg. "Vell, dat is where it get's complicated. Her name is Sammy. She's a ranch dog."
     I gasped. "You mean..."
     "Yes, she belongs to dat crazy old rancher behind us. So does Chuck, de horse."
     "So where does Sammy fall in the Sweater's orginization?"
     "Sammy is a double agent, she takes a passive role in the gang. She doesn't participate in any hits or scores, but she stays close to pick up intel. She lives with another ranch dog, Freckles, who is part of the gang. He's de face-man, and someone to be wary of. He is a smooth one, and vill talk de collar right off of you." 

     "Good thing I don't have one," I said.
     "Not yet, little von," Schnapps said with an approving look. "But I have no doubt if you keep preforming at dis level, you'll get your tags soon enough."
My heart swelled hearing her positive assessment. But I soon was crestfallen with the thought that my training wouldn't get any easier.
     "Now, what about the cats?" 

     "CATS," screeched Sunshine behind me. He had been so quiet all day, I forgot he was around. "What cats?" 

     "Settle down, bird brain," Schnapps growled. "Fritter is asking about de Wood Pile katzen.”
     "I don't want any cats in here, isn't it bad enough that Magic is here?” Sunshine slid off of his perch and down to the lower level in his cage. He paced back and forth. "He doesn't belong in the house!" he squawked.
     "He has just about as much right to be here as any of us," Schnapps said with a yawn. Apparently this was a conversation they had many times before. "Besides, without him, we would never have struck an agreement wit de feral katzen. And let us not forget, he has kept you safe…so far.“
     "But for what reason?" Sunshine flapped his wings in his frustration, sending a cloud of feathers, emptied seed shells and dust into the air. "I don't trust him, I never have. He just showed up in the middle of the night, looking all starved and injured. How do we know that the B.O.C. didn't do that to him and send him over. He could be a sleeper spy. He certainly sleeps enough."
     "Settle down, bird," Schnapps barked. “Dat is enough out of you."

     "I don't trust him,” the bird continued. “Have you seen the way he looks at me? He's no good, I tell you! He's just waiting to put an end to me."
Schnapps jumped off the couch and charged at the cage. "I'll put an end to you right now if you don't keep dat beak shut."
     "And what makes you think, I would want to eat a gossiping little squab like you," A satiny voice came from the shadows. 

     "Squab? You dare call me a squab," Sunshine said as he ruffled his feathers and peered into the darkness. "I am a pretty bird, you could feed off of me for weeks, if you were so lucky."

     Magic emerged from out of the dark corner and jumped up on the hearth. He pressed his face against the cage and glared at Sunshine. "Shall we find out," he said and raised his paw, his claws extended.
Sunshine cowered in the furthest corner of his cage, peeping unintelligible words.
     "That's enough out of you two," the MaMA said from behind us. All of the racket must have interrupted whatever she was doing in the kitchen. "Magic, get down from there! Leave the bird alone." 

     Magic retracted his claws and pulled away. "Fine," he said as he jumped down from the hearth. "He's probably stringy."
     The MaMA returned to the kitchen.
     Magic turned his attention to me. His glowing green eyes sparkled in the fire light. "So you want to know about the Wood Pile, huh?" 

     I sat up straight and looked at him straight in the eyes, not wanting to let him know how intimidating he actually was.
     "Yes, I want to know all that you have on the Wood Pile Kitties," I demanded. 

Magic kept staring at me, a slight smirk on his face revealed his pearl white fangs. "Okay little dog, I'll tell you."
     Schnapps gave me a wary look, but then seemed to be resigned to my curiosity. I did have to learn sometime, better have it come right out of the cat's mouth. 

     "Lay it on me," I sat in front of the fire and gave him my full attention.
     "Where shall I start, hmm?" He moved closer to where I was, and laid down on the hearth. His body stretched almost the whole length as the end of his tail flipped up and down as he thought. I waited patiently as he gathered his mental notes, or perhaps he was fabricating lies to feed me, I couldn't tell. His face was a blank slate, giving not a hint of emotion, except perhaps contempt. 

     "Why don't we start at the top," I suggested. "The B.O.C.?" 

     "Ha," Magic exclaimed. "The less you know about him, the better. But let's start out with the proprietresses if The Wood Pile itself, huh?"
     "Yes, I met Meowjolina today," I said. 

     "Ah, Meowjolina, she's a beauty," Magic said with an amorous sigh. 

     "She's a shameless crumpet," Schnapps grumbled under her breath.
Magic glared at her, but must have known he wouldn't scare her, and quickly turned his attention back to me. 

     "The Wood Pile has been an institution in Cedar Village for a long time, before I arrived, even before old sauerkraut over there."
     Schnapps gave a dismissive snort and retreated back to the couch. 

     "How many generations does it go back," I asked. 

     "Who knows," Magic rolled his eyes. “Currently this family of patched tabby-tories have control of the operations. Their Matriarch is Mrs. Meowbinson. She has two daughters that help run the place, the lovely Meowjolina, and her feisty sister, Meow Ferral. They are a very distinctive group." 

     "What do you mean by distinctive? Is that the same as the dastinkter," I asked.
Magic quickly cast a questioning glance at Schnapps, then refocused on me. "No, I mean you can tell who is in line to take over the Wood Pile. Only a female in the family can run the club, and only one who has the special marking." 

     I thought about Meowjolina and her patchwork of colors. "What's the special marking?"
     "The next in line has an extra toe on their front right paw. Only a few of the Meowbinson line have the extra toe, thus they will inherit the Wood Pile club and all the responsibilities that go with it." Magic stood and arched his back to stretch. He got down from the hearth and jumped up onto the near by window sill, then looked out the frosty glass into the darkness. "The system was going well, until..." his voice trailed off as he stared off into the distance. 

     "Until what," I asked, and moved under the window where he sat. "Until old Mrs. Meowbinson had a pair of twins, both with the extra toe."
     "Meowjolina and Meow Ferral both have the marking,” I exclaimed. 

     "Yes, so there is a constant debate about who will take over when the old lady decides to step down," Magic said. He turned his head to look at me. Backlit by the outside light coming through the window, I could only see his silhouette, and the glowing of the fire reflected in his eyes. I shivered at the sight, but couldn't tell if it was him or the fact that I was away from warmth of the fire. 

     "Does that cause fighting between the sisters?” I remembered the other day when I thought Number One was after my position, and the heated jealousy I felt. How I wanted to do everything in my power to prevent her from reaching the MaMA before me. 

     "Does it ever," Magic said. "Unfortunately for Meowjolina, her sister had kittens before she could, and one of them, Stella, has the extra toe." 

     "So Meowjolina is off the hook."
     "That would be the case, except Meowjolina is driven. She wants the club, whereas Meow Ferral couldn’t even interested in the day to day operations. But since Meowjolina wants it, Ferral will make sure she won't get it. And since Ferral's daughter has the extra toe, the thought is that Ferral will inherit the club, then Stella."
     "Wow, I feel bad for Meowjolina," I said. I wondered if Number One was sad because of my prime assignment, if she really wanted it or that she just didn't want me to get it.
     "You should feel bad for Stella,” Magic said as he leapt from the ledge and padded past me. “I’d better be off.” He went to the door and sat in front of it, as though he could will it open with his glare alone.
     "Do you want to go out, kitty?" MaMA called out from the kitchen.
     "NOW," Magic said with an annoyed tone.
     "Okay, hold on to your nip," the MaMA said. She opened the door and his ears flattened back against the cold rush of air.
     "Well," she said, still holding open the door.
Magic slipped out into the dark night for his shift.
     I went back down to my blanket and laid down so I could process all the information Magic had given me. I imagined that Stella was feeling the pressure of the legacy put on her little shoulders and her extra toe. That's a lot for a little kitty.
     "Vat is on your mind, little von," Schnapps asked from her spot on the couch. The firelight cast dark shadows on her face, making her look older, somehow, more tired and worn.
     "It's a lot to ask from your child, isn’t it,” I said. "Two sisters at war for the top spot, and Stella is in the middle of it."
     "Don't feel too bad for that katzen, you have yet to meet the young Stella."
     "What are Stella and her litter mates like?"
     Schnapps raised her head, as though she could find the right words floating above her.
     "Stella knows her place, and I think she relishes in de fact dat she is second in line to run de Pile. She has three brothers, Mac, Horatio, and Bublé. Mac is like Stella, and thinks of himself as her protector. Those two are always side by side, prancing around like they already own the place. Bublé is the youngest, the artist. He thinks himself de next great songwriter. He's often found wandering around, humming a tune. He often performs his songs in de club. Horatio is a lot like you, I guess."
     "How's that?"
     "He's ambitious, but independent. Full of energy and very bright."
     "Sounds like we would get along," I said.
     Schnapps furrowed her brow and scowled. "Stay away from those katzen," she said and jumped down from the couch and clipped out of the room.
     I couldn't understand why Schnapps disliked cats so much. Sure Magic was a bit stand-offish, and somewhat cruel, and a whole lot scary. But, Meowjolina didn't seem that bad. I thought our relationship with the Kitty faction would be better if we were on friendly terms. You never knew when you could use an ally across enemy lines, or at least that is what Drill Sargent always said. 

De Others

     I woke in the middle of the night, and as I like before, I was disoriented and unclear of my surroundings. The MaMA had requisitioned a bed for me, a squishy one with dark brown fake fur and a small divot in the center. It was almost like sleeping in the pile back at PUP camp. Almost. It lacked the warmth of my brethren, the undulating movement of their breathing, and the occasional wafting reminder of what we had eaten that day. 

     Anxious, I began to fret and whine.
     "Oh, Fritter," I heard a groan from the larger bed beside mine. "Do you need to go out?"
     I hadn't thought of it before, but I could use the facilities.
     I whimpered some more and the MaMA got out of bed and got dressed. She picked me up and placed me inside of her coat. From in there, I took in her scent once again. She was deliciously warm smelling. Spice, wood, and floral all at once. I had been getting to know her and her scent all night. She was nice, for a human, though I really didn't know what to expect, having such little interaction with humans before today.
     She had presented to me a basket of toys. Balls, chewy rubber bones, but my favorite had to be the furry ones that go squeak. Schnapps had watched us play with passive interest, and periodically snoozed on the couch.
     I was placed on the ground outside and was shocked at how cold it was. Schnapps was suddenly by my side, looking off into the distance, and sniffing the air.
     “Dey are out dere," she said. "And dey are watching."
     "Who,” I asked.
     “De others. Dey are keeping an eye on you."
     "C'mon, Fritter," MaMA complained as she shivered and jumped up and down in place. "I want to go back to bed."
     "Better take care of business, little von."
     I wasn't sure I wanted to go, now that there were things watching me. But my bladder out ruled my concerns of being exposed. Soon I was back in my bed, mashing down the fluff to make things more comfortable.
     Schnapps' words took hold in my imagination, every time I shut my eyes, I became suddenly aware of pairs of eyes watching me. Their shadowy figures loomed over my bed. I'd wake, readjust my bed and position, and try again to no avail. I must have been making a racket, because soon the MaMA stood over me.
     "Are you having troubles, little brown dog?"
     She picked me up and brought me to her giant bed. It was much nicer than mine, with room to spread out. Plus it had the MaMA's nice scent.
     "This is just for tonight," she said with a stern voice.
     I curled up behind her crooked knee and sighed, reveling in the warmth and comfort. Well, we'll see about that. 

     I had the best sleep I've ever had. I don't know how I ended up sprawled across the MaMA's face, but that's where I woke up. I like to think it was some kind of inner protective instinct, that I automatically shifted during the night and gravitated to higher ground to better secure the perimeter. 

     "Mmmph, Friffer. Your buff is on my fafe," MaMA mumbled. She carefully relieved me from my vantage point, and took me outside.
     The sun shone over the icy winter-scape, and the snow sparkled and glittered in its light. I was set down on an icy patch, and I sniffed for a good place to relieve myself. I was then reminded of Schnapps warning from the night before. I, too, had the distinct feeling that I was being watched. 

     I scanned the horizon, yet saw no one, except Schnapps, who was trotting towards me with her usual efficient clip. However, her back leg seemed to be out of step with the rest of her feet. A slight limp I hadn't noticed before. 

     "Good morning, Schnapps," I greeted her. "Did you sleep well?"
     "As vell as can be expected," she said with a grumble. "Are you ready for your training?"
     "Yes," I said, but was interrupted by my loud stomach.
     "First, ve vill haf de breakfast, yes," she said. I followed her and the MaMA back inside. I was airlifted up the stairs, and set down in the kitchen, while MaMA fixed our food.
     "May I ask you a personal question?" If I was to be partnered with Schnapps, I thought it only best to know everything about her.
     "You may speak freely," she said with a bow of her head.
     "What breed of dog are you? I haven't known a lot of other breeds except for my parents and some of the neighbor dogs. One of our neighbors was a German Shepard. He spoke with the same accent as you do, but you look nothing like him."
     "You are very keen," she said giving me a look of approval. "I am a Schnauzer, a proud, German race, bred for hunting."
     I know hunting breeds. Beagles were bred for hunting foxes, and surely that German Shepard I knew hunted bigger animals. But I had a hard time believing that Schnapps, a dog no bigger than myself, could be a good hunter. And I'm not even full grown. 

     "Excuse me, Schnapps. But aren't you a bit small to be a hunter?" 

     "What good is de size, ven de rabbit goes down de hole? It takes more than size to be a hunter, you haf to be quick, you haf to be smart," she barked. "And I vill haf you know, I once took down a mighty deer once."
     "Oh," I said, impressed with her resume. "What's a deer?"
     "You vill find out," she assured me.
     I wanted to ask her more, but breakfast was served. MaMA placed before us bowls of chopped meat, rice, vegetables and gravy. Never in my life had I been treated to such delicacies.
I dove in, smacking and relishing every mouthful. After I swallowed one bite, I immediately craved another, and another. 

     Soon all the food in the dish was gone. So I did what any respectable Puggle might do, and licked every drop of gravy clean. The bowl tried to escape my attempts, and I ended up chasing it across the floor. 

     Enough of this. I put my foot down in the middle of the bowl and licked around it. That prevented the constant movement, and allowed me to properly clean the dish. After the inside was all licked out, I flipped the dish with my nose and inspected the other side. After I was done, I sat and eyed Schnapps' bowl. Either she wasn't as hungry as I was, or she was terrible at cleaning up. She stood over her bowl staring at me in disbelief. Gravy dripped off of her wiry, grey whiskers.
     "Are you going to finish your gravy," I asked.
     Schnapps gaped at me.
     “Vat?"
     "Wow," MaMA said. "I'm going to have to watch what I feed you. Don't want you to get chubby."
     I thought of Number One and her big behind. She was always the first one to the chow line, and her weight showed it. I would also have to be mindful about how much I ate. However, that gravy was to die for, and I wanted nothing more than to lick the drippings off of Schnapps' beard.
     "Quit looking at me like I'm your next meal," she growled then lowered her head to lick her bowl.
     "Good Morning, Good Morning," a high-pitched voice chirped. 

     "What was that," I asked.
     "Oh, dat is just Sunshine," Schnapps said nodding to the other room. "He's just Admin. Go ahead and say hello."
     I tore myself away from the gravy worshiping and went into the next room. I didn't get to fully inspect it last night, so I was happy to be able to gather more intel and explore the Home base more.
The wall between the kitchen and the next room was made of red brick. On this side, it had a fireplace and a low hearth. On the hearth sat a cage. On the highest perch in the cage sat a grey bird with a yellow head and bright orange cheeks.
     "Good Morning, good morning," he peeped.
     "Hello," I said. "My name is Fritter."
     "I know, you are the new partner for Schnapps, and you are a little brown dog, and you like to eat, and you like the squeaky toys, and..." The bird talked a mile a minute. I wondered how he breathed.
     "And your name is Sunshine? That's a lovely name," I said, desperate to get a word in.
     "Yes! Yes, my name is Sunshine. I'm a pretty bird. I take care of all the assignments, paperwork, gossip, communications, requisitions. I'm a pretty bird."
     Oh, my. This bird was cuckoo.
     "Did you say gossip,” I asked him.
     Sunshine ceased his chittering and gave me a sideways look. 

     "Did I?"
     "Yes," I said. "It was between paperwork and communications." Sunshine grabbed the side of the cage with his beak and slid down to the bottom of the cage. He moved to the corner and peeked over the edge.
     "Psst...come closer," he whispered.
I stood on my hind legs so that I could get closer to the cage. I lowered my ear to where his beak was.
     "I know everything about everyone around here," Sunshine said in a hushed tone. "If you need intel on what's really going down, you know who to ask."
     "Yeah?"
     "You want the dirt on anyone, just say the word," he squatted down in his cage, casting paranoid glances around the room. "Like how your partner got her limp?"
     "You can tell me?"
     "Yeah, come...closer."
     I leaned in as he instructed.
     "Just like that, closer, closer," Sunshine urged.
     I pressed my ear against the bars, I couldn't get any closer if I wanted to, unless I got in there with him. Suddenly, a piercing pain took hold of me, or in this case, a bird beak and my ear. I yelped and yanked my ear away from the cage. Sunshine's head rammed against the bars and he let go of my ear.
     A volley of cackling laughter came from above us. I looked up and saw the black cat from the night before, rolling on a second set of stairs above the fireplace.

     "What are you laughing at? That hurt," I said then cast an accusing glare at the double crossing bird. "And what was that, Sunshine? Are you mental or something?"
     "I'm a pretty bird," he said as he climbed back up to his high perch.
     "Ha, ha." The cat continued to laugh. "You stupid dog."
     My face pinched and all my wrinkles furrowed. No one had ever called me stupid before, and I didn't like it. I decided to take the higher road and ignore his insult.
     "I'm sorry, I never got to introduce myself last night. My name is..."
     "I know who you are." The black cat arched his back then pulled his body forward into a long stretch before taking slow measured steps down the stairs. "I just don't know what you are." 

     "I'm a Puggle," I said, puffing out my chest in proud Puggle fashion.
     "What's a Puggle?"
      I cleared my voice to recite our motto. "A Puggle is loyal and brave..."
     The cat stared at me with his nose down and his ears back. "All I know is that you are short on snout and big on ears. And what is up with that silly tail. Why does it curl like that?" 

I looked back at my tail. Never in my lifetime did I think it silly. I always found it expressive. It would curl tight if I was anxious, almost a perfect curve of curiosity, and straighten out flat when I was relaxed. I turned back to the cat, who was licking his paws, then rubbed his face.
     "Well, you have a pointy face," I said.
     "Ooo, is that the best you can do," he mocked.
     Schnapps came around the corner, "Vat is going on here?"
     "I see you have a new little partner to train, eh Schnapps," the cat padded past Schnapps, running his tail around her snout. She snarled at his taunting.
     "Let's hope she lasts longer than your previous protege."
     Schnapps snapped at the cat’s tail, but he was too quick and sauntered out of the room, laughing under his breath.
     "What's his deal," I asked coming up to Schnapps' side.
     “Dat is Magic," she said. "His heart is as dark as his fur is black. Don’t vaste your time talking wit him.”
     "I've never had experience with a cat before, are they all like him?"
     "Let me give you a vord of advice, young von. Dere is no such thing as a good cat." Schnapps turned and headed to the door. "Are you ready for your first day?"
     "Yes," I said, cheered by the thought of adventure.