Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (OC Insert)

Chapter 9

(Val's POV)

"Birthday wish rules? What's that mean?" Perrito asks.

The four of us are currently running down a blue road surrounded by blue roses. Some roses are small, and some are larger. We must be getting closer to the Pocket Full of Posies.

"It means I am not telling you my wish," Puss responds.

"He doesn't want to tell us, because it's something stupid. Like conditioner for that thing on his face," Kitty says, referring to his beard.

Puss starts scratching at it but stops to hide his discomfort with it. "It's distinguished," he says in his defense.

"Val? What is your wish?" Kitty asks.

I'm silent for a few seconds before answering. "My wish is personal. That's all I'm saying."

Putting the spotlight on someone else, Perrito asks, "What about you, Kitty? What are you gonna wish for?"

Puss and I glance at Kitty with interest.

"Can't tell you. Birthday wish rules or whatever," she says as an excuse.

Puss laughs at that. "Ha! I bet your wish is something stupid like-" Before Puss can finish, a giant rose pops up from the ground and pushes him in the stomach. He falls back and lays on the floor gasping for air.

I immediately stop in my tracks after seeing that happen. And it was a good thing I did.

Kitty laughs as she runs past Puss. "You're such a-" Another rose pops up from beneath her and launches her into the air. She screeches before landing back on the ground on all fours.

We all look ahead and see more roses grow on the road, blocking us from going any further. The roses bend down to our level as if they are staring at us.

Perrito approaches a few in awe. "This must be the Pocket Full of Posies."

"Be careful, Perrito," I say cautiously, kneeling right next to him and inspecting the roses as well.

Puss tries to get around one of the roses. But that turns out unsuccessful as it keeps pushing him back. The only thing Puss resorts to is using his stick sword to whack it.

Kitty, on the other hand, pulls out her sword and starts chopping a few from the stem. But they just continue to grow with every slash.

I look at Perrito and see him tilt his head as he stares at the blue rose in front of him, to which the rose does the same. Perrito steps forward and sniffs the flower.

In response, the flower squeals lightly and ushers Perrito to continue forward with its petals.

"Aw, thank you," Perrito says.

Before I can follow him, the rose gets in my face. This startles me and I back away a bit. "Uh, Perrito, do I have to do the same thing?"

Perrito turns around and nods. "Yeah. Just think of this as a therapeutic calming exercise."

I sigh before leaning forward and sniffing the rose. The scent was actually pretty nice. The rose squeals like before and moves out of the way. "I can't believe that worked," I mutter, now following Perrito through the forest of flowers.

In the background, Puss and Kitty are screaming from all the rose attacks. They are eventually held in the air together by multiple roses.

"We don't have time for this," Kitty complains, trying to break free.

"Perro, I thought your path was supposed to be easy," Puss calls out.

Perrito approaches another rose and sniffs the petals before sitting on its leaf. "You know, I think all you have to do is stop and smell the roses." As he says this, the rose lifts him up toward the two cats.

"Seriously?" Kitty asks before groaning.

They both take a sniff but nothing happens.

"This is stupid," Puss says.

"All I smell is bull-" Kitty doesn't get a chance to finish because Perrito puts his paw to her mouth and shushes her. She goes to bite at his paw, and he pulls it away.

"Watch," Perrito says before sniffing the roses around them.

Doing so causes the roses to squeal and let go of Puss and Kitty. They fall to the ground and stand back up.

Perrito is lowered down right beside me peacefully. "Don't rush through it. Take your time and really appreciate what's right in front of you."

He motions for me to sniff the next rose. I don't question it and sniff the flower, which moves out of the way.

We slowly make our way through the rose forest, with Perrito taking the lead and smelling the roses that were in the way.

"Ugh. His path is so corny," Kitty says with disgust.

"And cheesy," Puss adds.

"And different," I say afterward.

"And lame," Kitty says.

"And weird, like him," Puss says.

I stifle a laugh as we continue our stride.

"Yeah. Why are you so ridiculous, dog?" Kitty asks. "What's your story?"

Perrito slows his walk to look at us. "My story? Oh. It's actually a very funny story." He laughs to himself before telling us more about his past. "Back when I was a pup, me and my littermates lived with a family. A family full of pranksters who like to play hide-and-seek, and I was always it. Pick on the little guy, am I right?"

This story sounds pretty normal so far. He must have had a good family if he is always this happy.

Perrito sniffs a few more flowers before continuing. "They tried putting me in a packing crate, a dumpster. No matter how hard they tried, I'd always find them."

I lift an eyebrow in confusion. This version of hide-and-seek doesn't sound like the one I'm used to.

"So, one day, they get creative and they put me in a sock with a rock in it. And then throw me in a river." Perrito laughs at how "funny" his story is and falls to the ground.

I stop in my tracks and stare at him in surprise. Like, how can he be so casual about this?

Perrito sits up, wiping away a tear from laughing so much. "I gnawed a hole in the sock, and I swam to the surface. Never found them or my littermates. So I guess I'm still it."

I sigh quietly. "How are you not seeing it, Perrito?"

Perrito doesn't seem to have heard my question and says, "Well, joke's on them. That sock they put me in, I grew into it." He pulls on his sweater to show us what he means. "So, I got a great story and a free sweater out of it. Win-win."

Kitty shakes her head. "Dude, you didn't win. You of all people should have a wish."

I nod, agreeing with that statement completely.

"I already have a comfy sweater and three best friends," Perrito says, walking up to a group of roses. "I got everything I could wish for. No magic required."

"You're too pure for this world," I say to him.

Perrito motions for us to sniff the flowers with him. The three of us glance at each other before stepping up to them.

Bending forward, we all sniff the roses, and they clear a path for us.

I guess there is more to Perrito than I thought. He sees the good in everything around him, not the other way around.