Chivalry Isn't Dead | A Clawtie Fanfiction

• Second Chance •

It's been three cold moons ever since Sweetie and Claw last talked. The terrier never left the castle, often just sleeping on her small bed by the throne and reading books in their library as per usual. The repetitive occurrences were starting to get mundane, and in the last few days, she hadn't had enough hours of sleep, partially due to the stalker called regret that forced her up when she wanted to rest.

That morning, she had a paw on the side of her head, looking out the open window as she sat on the sill. The day was windy, boring. The princess had no time for her pup, even when Sweetie personally asked her if they could play with a ball. Just a few throws would do, yet the tan human declined, stating that there was a party she was invited to and must attend that morning. Of course, she left her pooch by herself, allowing loneliness to be her friend.

"I guess I'll head out for today. Maybe I can bring another book while I'm at it."

The pup looked down from her seat, a small, open crate hugging the wall containing some books which Sweetie planned to read before but decided to procrastinate instead. She hopped down and chose one, lifting it up and turning the front cover towards her.

"Feel No Evil, huh? A horror genre, never read one before. Oh well, better late than never."

Heading over to a small drawer, she pulled out a small bag which she wore around her neck and under her forearm, resting on her chest in which she placed the small book in. She also went into the trouble to grab Busby, commanding it to follow her as they headed outside. Without consent, of course, but no one really cared where she would go. There weren't any places she'd try to rest in except the castle and under the tree behind it.

As she was heading over to the specified nature in their royal backyard, she couldn't help but replay what she told Claw.

Maybe I went too far. It's true he doesn't have anyone to be friends with, much like me, but he's just so frustrating at times.

She sighed, knowing well she was close to her destination, until she heard a faint voice and an almost inaudible sentence.

"Work you feeble claw! Just a few more hammering and we'll be done. Please, do your job."

The image was seen under the same tree Sweetie rested under at times, and upon closer and careful inspection, although she kind of already knew because of the red behemoth with wings behind the frustrated pup, Claw was working on something she couldn't quite picture.

"What're you doing here?"

Claw jumped back in fright, his hammer flying up only to land back down in the grass, barely missing the Dobermann.

"You scared me there, princess. What're you doing here, I thought you're going to the party with your owner?"

Sweetie deadpanned, "Must you stalk on everything that's happening in the castle?" She pinched her front paws in front of her, leaving a small gap. "I am this close to telling on you."

"No, no, no, please—"

"And no puppy eyes," Sweetie sharply cuts in. "I practically invented it and from much observation, it only works when I do them."

"Fine." Claw retreated from his plan, turning to his claw to pick up the hammer that fell.

Sweetie raised a brow, needing not to verbalize for Claw to figure out what she wanted to ask.

"I felt bad about tricking you before and I wanted to make up for it somehow," he said. "Me and Sparks talked about it and we decided to do… well, this."

Claw retracted his metal claw back into his pup-pack before turning to behind him, the female pup's lips shaping into a small O.

Under the tree was, impressively enough, a house for a pup made out of fine wood with a pathway of the same material in front of the entrance, big enough to be a place to lay around on. The size of the structure, however, wasn't as claustrophobic as one would think, for it was big enough to fit two large, adult dogs without discomfort, and the roof was made out of clean tar paper. There was even a window that can easily be closed by pulling a  thin layer of wood onto it, connected to the side.

"A craftspup, you are." Sweetie glided a paw on the side of the entrance, getting a feel for the fresh materials that Claw somehow got his paws on. "It is simple yet reliable from the looks of it."

The wooden floorboards were covered with a soft, grass-like carpet, and there were even a pair of pillows inside.

"I tried my best," Claw replied, swinging an arm across his chest. "Again, I apologize for what happened before. It really wasn't intentional of me to offend you, I genuinely thought I was doing good."

Sweetie kept on observing the pup-house, even when her ears and senses were listening intently to the apology.

"Not that I regret what I've done—" Sweetie awkwardly turned to the male—"but maybe I treated you a little too cruelly. I probably shouldn't have left you alone for this long."

"I already forgot about it, princess. No hard feelings here, right, Sparks?"

The dragon bellowed, unable to speak in an understandable language but both pups knew he agreed.

The three laid around the tree for a few minutes, catching up with one another despite the few days of absent togetherness. Sparks apparently saw Claw as his rightful master, and though it was an impossibility before, Claw changed. Not a drastic difference in personality yet he had a more caring side now. The reptile admires that about him.

Currently, they were listening to Sweetie as she read the book she brought, shoulders tense and breathings turning heavy.

"Her boots trudged against the thick snow, another force that was trying to stop her from getting away. The blizzard wasn't of any help either, it only dulled her broken mind of what was real or not." Sweetie read with a trembling vocal and a tight grip on the novel's hard cover, almost marking it with her claws, her eyes bulging out in anxiousness. It's as if she was living the life inside the constructed bunch of words, and she pushed on.

"Even when her senses were hindered by the cold, she could swear she could feel the murderous breath breezing on her freezing nape, and turning around wasn't an option, for she could already hear the dark chuckle of the man following her in the dead of night while the wind whispers to her. She couldn't remember his face, she needed that to find help from the authorities. However, one thing she would never forget was the horror on her best friend's face before his blood oozed into a puddle on the floorboards, body sprawled out like a starfish when a small knife lowered through his chest, cutting down like butter to gut him without a hint of mercy before it was pulled out and jammed back his chest repeatedly, leaving dribbles of red scattered on the floor, and the girl was next in line after the shriek that escaped her."

Sweetie stopped reading, turning to the two males behind her, who hugged one another as they shook in place. Ironically, they had the audacity to say they weren't afraid of anything—it was Claw really. Sparks was just caught up in the horrifying tale because of his existence there.

"Maybe it's best we stop here. Don't want to have nightmares tonight, do we?"

"Aw, but it was getting so good!" Claw complained, but in his eyes, he seems to be thankful that the story ended in a short note just for him. "Anyway, the story was great. You're also a pretty good reader."

Sweetie stood up from her seat, brushing her legs with her paws. "Whatever. I'm heading back."

"Back to where?" Claw asked.

"Back to the castle, you doof."

Claw could be heard audibly whining, Sweetie's sight far into the corner of her eyes to watch the action. She still couldn't believe this individual was proclaimed a knight once. He is rather courteous but that's one good out of the dozen bad.

"What do you suggest we do? And don't say you're battling Sparks again."

The Dobermann stared at Sweetie for a moment before turning to Sparks and then back again to the female, a lightbulb lighting in his head.

"Have you ever seen the world from a dragon's-eye view before?"