The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 103

"Just a little farther youngsters," Pops called over his shoulder to the group of animals behind him. Bruised both inside and out, Tiberius was beginning to wonder just why he had ever come along on Gidget's little love quest to find Max in the first place. He had been hissed, growled and snarled at, almost got clawed to shreds and just been buried under a bunch of wooden planks. Though he was irritated, he still stayed. Looking around, he could tell that the rest of the gang was getting irritated too and were losing energy. Complaining about splinters in his fur, Mel was trailing behind the group. Leading the search party along a rooftop still within the construction site, Pops didn't look like he was getting tired at all.

Then the group watched in horror as he fell over the edge of the rooftop.

"I'm done with this day!" Chloe declared, her tail lashing about to show her annoyance. Norman had his paws folded together and was gazing up at the sky above as he whispered a little prayer for Pops. Sweetpea had stopped in mid flight when the elderly basset hound had fallen. Now he was on the ground beside Gidget's feet, who appeared horrified. Not seeing a thing that happened as he caught up and peeked around the corner, Mel asked, "Did I miss anything." Buddy quietly whispered into his friend's ear. Exhausted, Tiberius laid down. He could feel the frustration rising slowly inside of him. Shaking herself, Gidget warily crept over to the edge and peered over, exclaiming, "Guys, he's still alive!"

"What?!" Mel and Buddy said at the same time. In a split second, everyone gathered around to find a yellow tube. They could hear Pops inside, indicating he had fallen in. Whether on purpose or accident, no one could tell. Looking down, Buddy mumbled, "Do we have to go in there?" Without saying a word, Gidget jumped into the tube. Taking her actions as an answer, Mel and Buddy went in after her, followed by Sweetpea, Chloe and Norman. Then it was Tiberius's turn. However, the old hawk merely rolled his eyes, not wanting to go through any more death traps. Spreading his wings, he flew down.

Landing on the dusty ground within seconds, Tiberius folded his wings and smiled to himself at the peace and quiet. The others, minus Pops, were nowhere in sight. The elderly basset hound was shaking his head quietly, flashing the hawk a sympathetic look. At the same time, he could hear the screams of the other pets above him. Realizing too late where he was, Tiberius didn't have time to move out of the way when the rest of the search party came crashing down on top of him...