Siblings Unite

Meeting Toby

Was going to include this chapter in the last one, but that would've been too much, so I'm going with one situation at a time here. Basil was in deep trouble!

Chapter 6: Meeting Toby

Basil cracked open a mouse door to Sherlock Holmes' house as his entryway to peek out to see if there were any humans around. Olivia cutely opened the door wider and Clover and Andrew peeked out with her. Seeing this, Basil frowned at them. He couldn't believe he'd let a headstrong woman bring an eight-year-old little girl and thirteen-year-old boy along.

"And not a word out of you," he said sternly, "Is that clear?"

Olivia, Andrew, and Clover glared at him and shushed him because people were coming, catching the man off-guard. The four shrank and closed the door and left just a crack as two shadows went their way.

"I observe that there's a good deal of German music on the program. It is introspective, and I want to introspect," Sherlock Holmes said, poking his partner in the chest with his smoke pipe.

"But Holmes, that music is so frightfully dull!" Watson objected.

"Come on," Sherlock commanded as the two exited the house and closed the door.

Basil peeked out and opened the door to see if the coast was clear. Olivia, Andrew, and Clover smiled at the marvelous things Sherlock had collected. Finding that they were alone, the five mice stepped out of their hiding place and went to find Toby.

"Toby?" Basil called, "Toby!"

Olivia tugged onto Dawson's coat. "Who is Toby?" she whispered in his ear.

"Well, my dear, Toby's uh, well he's uh...uh..." Dawson realized he didn't know who Toby was. Clover, Andrew, and Olivia looked up at Dawson curiously with wide eyes. Dawson leaned towards Basil to ask who Toby was, "I say, Basil. Who is this Toby chap?"

Basil smiled and to answer his partner's question, pounding footsteps echoed in the room. When it stopped, Basil happily answered, "Ahh, here he is now!"

Above them, the dog's tongue was hanging out. He was a basset hound with dark brown ears with dark tan innards, brown fur with a brown spot on his back, a peach mouth and belly, and a blue collar with a yellow license circle.

"Clover, Toby," Basil said.

"Nice doggy," she said as she raised her hand so that Toby could set his nose on her tiny hand. "Good boy! How about a crumpet?"

Toby nodded and Clover gave it to him.

"Andrew, Toby!" Basil told the thirteen-year-old, shoving him to Toby's nose.

"Hey, boy!" Andrew said, petting him.

Toby sniffed and licked him, making him giggle.

"Friendly, aren't you?" Andrew asked.

"Dawson, Toby!" Basil said, introducing Dawson to Toby.

Toby sniffed Basil's partner, making him laugh nervously. Despite this, Dawson tipped his hat and gently patted the dog's nose. "Charmed, I'm sure."

Toby pushed him with his nose, growling.

Basil rushed to Dawson's side. "Now Toby! Toby, stop that!" Basil pushed Toby's nose to get him away from the doctor. "Toby, cease! Desist! Ha!" He pointed a finger at him scoldingly and clapped.

Basil tsked and apologized, "Right, sorry old man." Toby sniffed something else more interesting. "Toby has the most splendid sense of smell of any hound I've trained. But he can be...deucedly frisky."

"Wait. Where's Olivia?" Clover asked worriedly.

Andrew pointed to the footrest.

Olivia hid under the footrest behind the fringes. She carefully moved them as if they were curtains and she smiled widely up at the dog. "Hello, Toby," Olivia greeted as she patted his nose. He sniffed her, making her laugh. "Silly doggy!" She reached into her coat pocket, revealing a cheese crumpet. "Would you like a crumpet?" Toby nodded and panted excitedly in answer. She gave it to him and with his tongue, it was gone.

"Yeah, now...Toby! Toby," Basil began to reach into his own coat pocket. "To the matter at hand. I want you to-" Basil paused to see in shock that Toby wasn't paying any mind to him, as he was getting a belly rub from Clover, Andrew, and Olivia. Basil whistled to catch the dog's attention. Toby looked upside down to him as Basil impatiently tapped his foot and cleared his throat.

Olivia was the first to slide down Toby into Dawson's arms and Clover came next. Last came, Andrew.

Toby rolled back over to his feet to listen to Basil.

"Good," Basil said, glad he obeyed. He put his hand in his pocket once more. "Toby, I want you to find...this fiend!" He quickly removed Fidget's cap in Toby's face, making Toby growl and narrow his eyes. That was the reaction Basil wanted. "Yes! You know his type," Basil provoked him, growling with him and raised the hat, making Toby stand. Basil got on all fours. "Grrrrr, low brows, close-set eyes, broken wing!"

Toby stopped in confusion, not understanding what Basil meant.

"Oh, he's a peg-legged bat with a broken wing," Basil said, dangling his arm just like Fidget and Toby continued to growl.

"Yes! Grrrr! Yes! That's the spirit! Got his scent?" Basil waved the hat in the air.

Toby nodded in excitement and understanding.

"Good boy, good boy! A-ha!" Basil cried excitedly and grabbed onto his leash. He was about to clip it onto Toby's collar when his expression changed to a scowl as he saw Toby facing Dawson, Olivia, Andrew, and Clover, instead of the detective.

The detective stepped into the four mice's way. "Miss and Mr. Flamchester," Basil began.

"FLAVERSHAM!" Dawson, Olivia, Andrew, and Clover yelled in exasperation.

"Whatever," Basil said, brushing off the fact that he got Olivia's, Andrew's, and Clover's last name wrong again and clipped Toby's leash onto his collar. "Your father is as good as found." He turned to Toby. "Toby..."

Hearing his name, Toby made a serious pointer position.

"Sic'em!"

Toby stomped on Basil, but thankfully Basil held onto the leash for dear life as Toby took off, sprinting. "A-ha! Yoinks! Tally-ho! Ha-ha! Ha-ha!" Basil chuckled loudly.

Dawson, Olivia, Andrew, and Clover ran after them. "Hey, Basil! Wait up!" Andrew shouted.

"How would you like to be left out, Basil?" Clover demanded of Basil.

...

Finally, Andrew, Clover, Olivia, and Dawson got a chance to ride Toby! Toby sniffed the ground tracking Fidget down. Toby howled when he got Fidget's scent and he started running towards where Fidget must've been. Andrew and Clover held onto Olivia and Basil for dear life.

"The thrill of the hunt, eh, Dawson?" Basil shouted cheerfully.

Olivia and her siblings smiled along with him because of the fun they were having.

Dawson, who was gripping onto Toby's tail replied with a nervous chuckle, "Q-quite!"

"Ooo-hoo-hoo!" Basil shouted, "Our peg-legged quarry can't be far now!"

"Hey, this is kind of fun!" Andrew mused.

"Just like the rides at the carnival," Clover said.