The Runaway Adventures ll: Snowbound in Park Avenue

Chapter 9: Dinner Troubles

While the puppies were making sure XL didn't get up to too much mischief, the parents were hard at work in the kitchen. Lady and Tramp were still taking care of Annette, who was lying on the ground, still under great distress due to her bleeding paw. Gently, Lady stroked her back, sang softly to her, told her stories, and offered kind, comforting words, while Tramp threw in a few jokes and tried his hardest to make her laugh, all the while reassuring her that her injuries would heal. Nearby, Perdita was inspecting the tiles, making sure that all the shards of glass were safely in the dustbins and off the floor, and she asked Pongo to help her inspect the kitchen to make sure no more hazards were around. Lady had just finished telling Annette a story she had learned from her mother when Annette's stomach rumbled loudly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Annette said, sighing.

Lady looked at Annette, her eyes softening affectionately. "If anyone should apologize, it should be me. I should've realized that you must be getting hungry. After all, it must be getting near dinner time."

"Yeah, you're right Pidge," Tramp said eagerly. "I'm getting kinda hungry myself. Here... I'll get the food out."

Through the candles lit in the kitchen, Tramp could barely make out the cupboard where he knew the dog food was stored. Unfortunately, it was high up, and the only way for a dog to reach it would to get on top of the table. What's more, everyone knew that the table wasn't especially sturdy, especially for a heavier dog like Tramp, yet they knew he had to get the food for he had a long reach and was well-practiced at getting around obstacles.

"You'll be careful, right Tramp?" Lady asked worriedly.

"Promise Pidge," Tramp assured her, trying to sound as confident as he could. Pongo and Perdita then walked over, standing on the ground and placing their front paws on top of either side of the table.

"We'll hold the table in place so it doesn't slip," Pongo told Tramp. Tramp nodded understandingly. He knew it was important to be accurate in where he jumped, for if he slipped, he could easily knock over the table, break it, and potentially hurt Pongo and Perdita, as well as Lady and Annette, who remained underneath, and himself. Seriously, Tramp looked at the table. He had never jumped on the table before, for as a part of his education as a housedog, Jim Dear and Darling made it clear to him that it wasn't good behavior. However, his streetdog side was still alive and raring to go within him, and he was determined to make that great bound forward.

Taking a few steps back, Tramp sprang forward and lunged at the table. Though he slipped on the tablecloth a little bit, causing quite a lot of it to drape off the table, Pongo and Perdita held onto the tablecloth edges determinedly, and Tramp remained comfortably on the table. He then reached over and pawed open the cabinet door, to which he saw the dog food lying amidst other bags and boxes. Keeping his legs as still as possible so as not to move the table, Tramp brought out his neck as far as it would go and reached out for the bag of kibbles. Every time he tried to tried to clench his teeth around the bag though, kept on biting at nothing. Frustratedly, Tramp sighed. Getting the food out of the cupboard was proving to be harder than he would have ever thought.

"Come on Tramp," Lady told him encouragingly. "I know you can do it!"

Hearing his wife's encouraging words convinced Tramp to try again. With concentration and attention to all of his body parts, he stood on the very tips of his paws and stretched his neck out so far that it ached. Knowing that he could not position himself any better than this, Tramp pushed his head into the cupboard. Clenching his teeth and missing several times, Tramp finally felt the soft foil of the bag in the corner of his mouth. Breathing a sigh of relief, as he brought his head back, Tramp suddenly felt the weight of the bag overpowering the strength of the grip. With a last great heave, Tramp pulled his head out of the cupboard before letting the bag of food drop onto the floor. Breathing a big sigh of relief, Tramp jumped off the table and smiled at Lady, Annette, Pongo, and Perdita.