Fetch, Felix!

Chapter Four

I did tell him to do his business while we were outside. Why he thought it was okay to do it inside as well is beyond my brain power.

I sat on the floor, spraying floor cleaner and wiping up the mess with paper towels, while he sat outside shamefully staring at the ground.

My parents were ecstatic when I told them about the mess he made.

"Wow! Our boy gets the full pet experience, honey!"

I glared and went to my room.

He could sleep outside tonight, for all I cared.

I returned to my essay, typing madly in hopes I'd finish it tonight so I wouldn't have to deal with it tomorrow.

I was starting on my conclusion when the door to my room slowly creaked open, causing me to look up. The nuisance shuffled in, looking anywhere but at me, hence making himself look less threatening.

I chuckled in amusement.

"Accidents happen," I reassure, relieving him of any guilt. I can see him visibly relax, and he trots over to my bed, sitting down beside it.

"Okay, let's figure this out," I say, closing my laptop and looking over at him with my full attention. "I've thought about it, and- oh, you're wearing your new collar. Looks good." I compliment, smiling. He looks away for a split second, then returns his gaze. "Anyway, the best way for us to communicate is with yes or no questions. That way, you can shake your head or nod it to answer them."

His eyes brighten, filling me with hope. If he's satisfied with the idea, it could work.

"First off, I need to know your name so I don't keep referring to you as 'the dog'." I paused, wondering how I'd get that out of him. His name could be anything. "Wait! We can play hangman!"

He looks at me, confused.

"Work with me, okay?" I sigh. "Tap your paw on the ground however many times to tell me how many letters are in your name."

He catches on quickly, raising his paw up and looking at me. "Okay, go."

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

"Good, five. Now the hard part. Is there an A in your name?"

He shakes his head.

We go through this until I get 5 different letters. E, f, i, l, x.

"Huh, Felix." I implore, glancing at the dog I now had a name for. "Well, Felix, let's talk."

He sits up straighter, all his attention on me.

Thirty minutes later, we're both frustrated and the only thing I've learned is that he is a human and he doesn't like eating dog food.

"I'm bad at twenty questions to begin with!" I yelled back, making him bark louder.

"That's it, I'm going to sleep," I murmured, ripping my jeans off and scurrying under the covers. He grumbled in protest, and soon I felt a lump hop onto my bed.

"Oh no you don't," I said, throwing back the covers and preparing to wrestle him off the bed. Suddenly, a blinding light filled the room, making me slap my hands over my eyes and crouch back into my bed.

"Oh yes, I do." rumbled a deep voice from the foot of my bed.

My hands fell away and I blinked my eyes open, revealing 'The Tiger' in all his glory.

"Well why didn't you do that earlier?" I complained, throwing my hands up. He scowled, crossing his arms over his very bare chest.

"I didn't know I could do that." He retorted.