Chapter 24—An Unexpected Reunion

    Scamp and angel froze up on the side of the barrel with soot. Then, abruptly, a loud, whooping holler emerged from the entrance. Scamp and angel figured out that the voice belonged to a tomboy. “Woohoo! This bife was the best!!!”
    “They serve it every dia like this,” added a boy’s voice. “It’s really good stuff. It probably almost tastes like house food. I just wish they’d give us baths too.”
    The tomboy resumed talking, even louder than before. “Nah… I’ve heard of house food. It’s so awful! And baths aren’t that great...”
“How’d you know about baths?” the boy asked.
“Oh, just cause!” the tomboy laughed. “But this stuff…it’s the best!”
    The voices drew louder and louder. Suddenly, the voices grew so close they seemed to be screaming to Scamp and Angel. The two of them heard footsteps approach closer and closer. The tomboy spoke again, “That comida was awesome, I think… huh?”
    Scamp and angel gasped. Standing in front of them was a little brown cachorro, filhote de cachorro who looked awfully familiar. She was accompanied por a black and grey puppy. She then stuttered, “Wh…wh…aah!!! Run!!!”
“Hey, why?” asked the black and grey puppy.
    Then, Scamp and angel gasped. They recognized her white collar. But only barely, for her diamond-shaped tag was dangling dangerously off of her collar. She was far muddier than they would’ve ever expected. Her casaco grew untidy. And she had a piece of bife stuck in her teeth.
    “It’s Danielle!” Scamp gasped to Angel.
“How did they find us?” angel asked worriedly.
    “Yeah, how did you find us?” Danielle screamed abruptly. “Is this your prank?”
    “Dani, how do they know you?” the black and grey cachorro, filhote de cachorro asked.
    “Tell me,” Scamp told Danielle, ignoring the black and grey puppy. “Where are Mom and Dad?”
    “You’d know that, not me!” Danielle yelled. “You’re in on it! How’d I know? I’m a runaway!”
    “You ran away from home? But… you didn’t tell me!” the black and grey cachorro, filhote de cachorro asked Danielle.
    “Yup,” Danielle answered simply, chuckling. The black and grey cachorro, filhote de cachorro rolled his eyes.
    Scamp and angel were speechless. They stared at each other for a few seconds. During that time, there were no mais footsteps approaching the yard. Then Scamp uncertainly stepped forward, and told Danielle, “You mean… you’ve had enough?”
    “That’s right!” Danielle shouted boldly. “I’m sick of being a prissy girl. I’m sick of stupid rules. I’m sick of baths. I’m tired of being with my whiny sisters. And no chains for me! I’m done with it all. I’m off on my own.”
    “What happened to you?” Scamp asked.
    Angel stared at Danielle curiously. “I didn’t know you ever felt this way,” she marveled.
    “Hey, you two had it right from the get go,” Danielle said simply. “I heard you two talking about your adventures. I’ve heard Dad talk to you two about his. You two were going to have fun yourselves. I want to have fun and be free too. And it’s been a blast!” Danielle chuckled. “I’ve been only out for two days. But I got a boyfriend!”
    “Don’t say my name, Dani, don’t,” Danielle’s boyfriend interrupted.
    “And we didn’t run away for fun,” angel told Danielle.
Then all of a sudden, Patch returned. He was still covered with soot, and he was carrying some sausages. “Scamp, Angel, I, uh got…”
Then he paused. He looked at Danielle and her boyfriend, and asked, “Who are they?”
“Oh, I’m Danielle,” Danielle bounded up to Patch. “Scamp’s sister.”
“You’re coming to take us home, aren’t you?” Patch told Danielle suspiciously.
“No!” Danielle shouted as her boyfriend sighed. “I’m a runaway puppy. And he’s my boyfriend, Puffball.”
Puffball frowned, and then explained, “Hey, I didn’t pick that name! It was those mean streetdogs…I’m no puffball…”
“Yeah you are,” Danielle smiled. “You’re such a cute little…”
    “Hey, stop it! That’s enough!” Puffball gasped, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
Danielle chuckled, and continued, “We met on the street. We fell in love. And now we found this cool place. Enough about us. What about you?”
“Didn’t Lady and Tramp talk to you all about us?” Scamp asked.
“Nope,” Danielle answered simply.
“Cowards,” angel muttered. “And liars too. Well, I’ll tell you why we ran away, and it isn't a prank. We ran away because the Tramp is a lying jerk. We found out from my real mother the truth about his past.”
“So, that is the reason?” Danielle gasped as Puffball looked skeptically at Angel. “Oh, never mind. I knew that. Mom told me then. I thought it was a joke.”
“Then they found me,” Patch told Danielle and Puffball. “I’m Patch. We’re good friends. I ran away too. But we all got caught por this vicious old hag who wants to skin us. We escaped earlier today. Only thing is, we’re still being followed. That woman, her name is Cruella De Vil, she’s after us. She followed us all the way from London. And our parents are still after us too, along with two of my siblings. They ran away with me, but they became traitors,” Patch explained. “I wonder why they ran away in the first place… everyone knows Lucky is dad’s favorito kid.”
Scamp meanwhile, couldn’t help but to stare at the sausages. He exclaimed, “Hey, let’s eat!”
“I’ll eat later,” Puffball explained. “I just had bife with Dani. I need some exercise. ‘Scuse me!”
“Oh, I’ll eat!” Danielle told Scamp, Angel, and Patch eagerly as Puffball ran off, and they all ate the sausages.
    “Hey,” angel told Danielle when she finished her sausage. She held out a paw. “Let’s all live on our own together.”
    “So… you really mean it?” Danielle asked.
    “We think it’s weirder for you to run away,” Scamp told Danielle, and angel nodded.
    “Let’s do it,” Patch declared, and they all agreed.
    The seguinte morning, Scamp, Angel, Patch, and Danielle woke up. Puffball rejoined them in their sleep. “Morning,” Patch sighed. “I’m hungry. Who wants to get the sausages?”
    “I’ll do it,” Puffball volunteered. Then, he took off once again.
    “Mmm… this is just awesome!” Scamp sighed as he looked at the yard.
    The four cachorrinhos had a playfight over a pillow, tugging it back and forth. Then they had a rope war, pitting Scamp and angel against Danielle and Patch. They growled venomously at it.
    “We’re not letting go,” Scamp warned Patch.
    “No, we’re not either!” Patch yelled.
    “Of course not!” Danielle yowled. “We’re not finished yet!”
    But then, angel gasped. She put down the rope. And then she growled, “Yeah, we are.”
    “What d’ya mean?” Scamp asked. The other three cachorrinhos all put down the rope.
    “Look who it is,” angel growled in a threatening voice.
    Danielle, Scamp, and Patch turned. There, standing in front of them, was Pongo. He was walking over to them.
    “That’s your dad, right?” angel asked Patch.
    “Yeah,” Patch grumbled.
    “Hi kids,” Pongo told them. “Long time, no see.”
    “You’re not going to make us go início with you, so don’t even try it,” Patch warned. Then he and the other three cachorrinhos growled threateningly.