The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 89

"Did you see that?! The little freak of nature landed on his feet!" Tiberius exclaimed, watching as Ozone ran as far away as he could from the apartment building. The people walking along the sidewalk had to move out of the way or be knocked over as the hairless feline ran by. At last, the frightened sphynx cat took a sharp right, disappearing out of sight. Still astonished by what he had seen, Tiberius turned to face the Pomeranian. However, she wasn't there. Looking around, the old red tailed hawk saw her fluffy tail disappearing over the edge of the rooftop as she climbed down the fire escape. Quickly following her, the hawk asked, "Hey, where are you going?"

"You heard the cat's words as clear as I did. Max has been taken to the sewers," the fluffy white Pomeranian answered Tiberius's question. She never once stopped in her tracks or looked over her shoulder at the old red tailed hawk following her down the steep steps of the fire escape. Hopping down the steps one at a time, Tiberius commented, "And you're gonna go by yourself?"

"Looks like it. No one here is gonna help me," the Pomeranian replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. Her tail and head drooped slightly. Recognizing the appearance of a lonely animal, Tiberius opened his wings and flew ahead of her, landing in front of the small dog. That managed to stop her in her tracks as she bumped into him. She slowly raised her gaze to meet his eyes. Gazing down at her, the hawk murmured, "I'm helping you, aren't I?"

"You'll actually help me?"

"Why wouldn't I? What, you thought I was gonna ditch you or something?"

"Well, you did take awhile getting back..."

"I'm helping you and that's that."

"Not too long ago, you tried to eat me. What changed?"

"I don't know, maybe a little dog sparked what little hope was left in me I guess."

"So, you'll actually help me find Max?!"

"Of course. We're more than the sum of our parts if we work together."

"Sum of our parts?"

"With my tracking skills and your... uh... determined spirit, we'll find Max in no time," Tiberius explained, pausing for a moment in his explanantion. Seeing the happy look on the Pomeranian's face made the hawk feel a little better about himself as she barked, "Okay. But I think we're gonna need more paws on deck. Is it alright if I gather a team?"

"As long as I get something to eat, I'm starving," Tiberius replied. A flash of worry briefly shone in the Pomeranian's eyes before she responded, "Okay. Just go to that apartment in ten minutes." She pointed to the one she was talking about. Letting her pass by him so she could continue her descent down the fire escape, Tiberius was about to fly off to find something to eat when the fluffy white Pomeranian spoke kindly to him, "Thanks Tiberius." Smiling quietly, the hawk replied, "You're welcome..." He stopped, not knowing her name.

Realizing why he had stopped midsentence, the Pomeranian called over her shoulder, "I'm Gidget."