Lady and the Tramp

chapter 6

At the crack of down, Cherry woke up without an alarm clock or a gentle shake in her bed, she woke up to a rooster crow. She yawned and stretched in the shack bed, washed her face, brushed her teeth and stepped outside to meet up with Lady and Tramp. They had slept outside together after their little private evening after their first spaghetti dinner together. They were on a hill-top together now. The rooster crowed once again, now waking Lady up.

"Oh, my, oh dear..." Lady sounded uneasy.

"Is something wrong, Pidge?" Tramp asked, noticing her struggling.

"It's morning."

"Yeah, so it is."

"Cherry and I should've been home hours ago."

"Why? Because you still believe in that 'ever faithful old dog Trey' routine? Oh, come on, Pidge, open up your eyes!"

"Open my eyes?"

"To a dog's life can really be, I'll show ya what I mean, come on Cherry." Tramp led the girls to look below the hill-top.

"What's going on?" Cherry asked, rubbing her eye, still a little sleepy.

"Look down there," Tramp said. "Tell me what you see."

Lady took a look down at the countryside. "Well, I see nice homes with yards and fences..."

"Exactly, life on a leash! Look again, Pidge, look, there's a great big hunk of world down there with no fence around it, where two dogs and a street urchin can find adventure, excitement, and beyond those distant hills, who knows what wonderful experiences?"

"Street urchin?" Cherry felt her stomach turn. "Now, see here, I'm not living on the streets!"

"Sure you are, someone's gotta get us food and talk to us!" Tramp exclaimed, then turned to Lady. "It's all ours for the taking, Pidge. It's all ours."

"It sounds wonderful." Lady sighed, dreamily.

"But?" Tramp knew she was still hesitant.

"But, who'd watch over the baby?" Lady asked, remembering her owners.

Tramp then sharply sighed. He now saw how much Lady and Cherry cared about their lives before they met him. He felt like he had no choice now. "You win, come on, I'll take you gals home."

The dogs and child walked away to get back to the Brown house. Tramp hummed a little tune as they kept walking to get back and patch things up. They then passed a farm, and the rambunctious mutt stepped back, hatching an idea.

"Not the change the subject, but, ever chase chickens?" Tramp asked, smirking mischievously.

"I should say not!" Lady replied, sounding offended.

"Oh, oh, then you never lived!"

"But we shouldn't."

"I know, that's what makes it fun," Tramp smirked, trying to lull Lady with him. "Aw, come on, kid. Start building some memories."

"But, w-we won't hurt the chickens...Right?" Lady sounded worried now.

"Hurt 'em? Nah! We'll just stir 'em up a bit," Tramp made the girls look to the farmyard as the chickens were in their coop, sleeping. "Just look at those fat, lazy biddies. They should've been up hours ago."

Cherry held Lady back as Tramp snuck in through the fence. Tramp stealthed across the ground and poked his head into their little coop as they continued to nap. Tramp then barked loudly, making the chickens sqawk and run out in a frenzy. Tramp laughed as he chased them all around. Lady was frightened by the chicken attack and hid behind Cherry for safety.

"Some fun, eh, kid?" Tramp laughed, having fun torturing the poor birds.

"Hey, what's going on out there!?" the farmer yelled, stepping out his house. He saw Tramp and started firing his gun at the mutt.

"What's there?" Lady panicked.

"That's the signal to get goin'," Tramp said. "Come on, whee! This is living, eh kid?"

"Is it?"

"Come on, Pidge, follow me!" Tramp went to get through the gate back to Cherry.

Cherry saw Lady try to get out. Once she did, unfortunately Lady was caught in a net and taken into the back of a truck. Tramp made it out okay and came to Cherry.

"Did you see that?" Tramp laughed. "There's a little bit of bird dog in all of us, eh Pidge? Pidge?" Tramp turned to see Lady was nowhere to be found. He then turned back to Cherry. "Have you seen Pidgeon?"

"That truck took her away!" Cherry pointed to the truck as it drove off to take Lady to the dog pound.

Tramp looked with her. "Oh, no." he moaned. Tramp then left to a direction. "Stay here, I'll be right back." he said, then dashed away.

Cherry waved weakly to him and waited a while. Cherry spent the whole day there on the streets, it was already getting dark. How Cherry survived that day, she'll never know. There then came up a car and a familiar, bitter old woman.

"Aunt Sarah!" Cherry cried.

"Don't you be crying for attention, now missy, you are coming back home before my nephew and his wife get back home!" Aunt Sarah said firmly, grabbing Cherry's arm and throwing her in the backseat with Si and Am. "Where's that cocker spaniel?"

"They took her away to the dog pound, Aunt Sarah."

"The pound!? Do you know how Jim'll react when I tell him Lady's been sent to the pound!? He'll never trust me to look after little Jim Junior ever again!"

"Lucky Junior." Cherry mumbled, inaudibly.

"Stop mumblin', you children these days, think you're so clever." Aunt Sarah started up the car and drove off away from the farm-house. "I'll have you know after Lady tried to attack my babies, she will not be allowed back in the house!"

"I told you, it wasn't her fault! Your cats are pure evil!"

"Oh, nonsense, Si and Am wouldn't harm a fly!"

Aunt Sarah drove the car to the pound. Once they got there, Aunt Sarah came out with Cherry to pick Lady up. The men allowed her too and brought Lady back out with a leash. Lady looked really sick to her stomach.

"It can't get any worse, can it?" Lady whimpered as Aunt Sarah drove back home.

"Aunt Sarah's gonna make you stay out of the house." Cherry whispered so the old bat wouldn't hear her talking to the dog. "I'm really sorry, Lady."

Lady whimpered and crawled into Cherry's lap. Cherry held the cocker spaniel close to comfort her as it was a long drive back home for both of them. Aunt Sarah stopped the car and tied Lady up to a doghouse in the backyard. Aunt Sarah was about to drag Cherry inside with her before it got too dark and stormy.

"Can't I say goodbye to Lady?" Cherry asked.

Aunt Sarah glared at her, wondering why on Earth she'd want to say goodbye to some dog. "Very well, make it quick." she then went inside as Cherry went to the yard as Lady was tied up.

"Didn't make any friends in the pound, I take it?" Cherry started the conversation.

"Cherry, it was horrible!" Lady cried. "I was so embarrassed and frightened! I met this dog named Peg, and she knows all about the Tramp! She told me about these other girls Tramp has been with like Trixie, Lulu, Fifi and Rosita Chiquita or whatever her name is! He was using me just like those other dogs! I'm nothing special!"

Cherry felt hurt. For herself and for Lady. Cherry then hugged Lady close.

"Cherry, get in here this instant!" Aunt Sarah snapped from inside the house.

"I have to go, I'm sorry to hear that. I'll see you later." Cherry petted Lady gently on the head, then went inside to get ready for bed.