He found it around the corner of a house, just darting between piles of rubbish, searching for food. Thats where he stumbled upon a tiny grey kitten. The little thing was crawling across the pavement, crying desperately. A big, dirty, scrawny ginger dogor rather
Or rather, it was hard to tell if he was ginger or grey. A thick layer of dust coated him, masking his true colour. He hesitated, and the kitten
The kitten squeaked at the sight of him and crawled closer. The dog growled, but the kitten wasnt afraid.
*What the devil?* the dog thought. *Just what I needed. Hey, hey! Your mumll be back any minute. Stay away from me.*
He tried nudging the persistent little creature away with his paw, but it paid no mind. It pressed against his big, grubby leg, clinging with tiny claws, and fell silent.
*Fine,* the dog thought. *Ill wait till his mum comes back, then Ill be off.*
The kitten settled in and dozed off, content and peaceful. The big, colour-indeterminate dog lay down too and began to wait.
He waited a very long timeor rather, he never did see the mother cat return.
Day turned to evening, and still she never came. Night fell, and the dog understood. There was no point waiting any longer. Something terrible must have happened to her.
The kitten woke and nuzzled the dogs belly, hungry.
*Another problem,* the dog thought. *What now? I cant just leave him here to starve, can I?*
Alright.
Hed take the kitten to the bins behind the restaurant. They threw out all sorts of tasty things there, and there was a hole in the side of the big dumpster where he usually crawled in to scavenge.
*Ill feed him, then leave him there. I cant be carting him around forever.*
Gripping the kitten by the scruff in his teeth, the dog stood and walked. It wasnt far. He left the kitten in the bushes to keep it from wandering off while he rummaged through the waste.
The dog twitched nervously, ears pricked for the kittens anxious squeaks. The little grey thing was looking for him, calling for its mum.
*Ugh. Blast it,* the dog muttered to himself. *What mum?*
He found a few discarded yogurt pots, half-eaten. Returning, he lapped up the sweet, sticky mess but didnt swallowinstead, he smeared it over the kittens face, and the little thing licked it off, purring.
*There. Sorted.*
The dog was pleased.
*Thatll do for a meal.*
Then the kitten clambered onto his warm side, dug its claws into his dirty fur, and fell asleep.
*Fine,* the dog thought. *Ill wait till morning. Feed him one more time, then then Ill go.*
In the night, the kitten woke crying, and the dog licked it quiet. Only near dawn did it finally sleep. When the dog woke, he met the kittens tiny grey eyes. It booped his wet nose and mewed.
*Mama.*
And suddenly, the dog understoodhe wasnt going anywhere. He wouldnt leave the little thing behind.
So it went.
He found softer scraps, even chewed food for his kitten, and the kitten
The kitten ate, then curled against him. It hugged its dog mother, played with her tail, slept on her. And somehow, the dog felt good. At peace.
Like hed found a home. A family.
They ate together, slept together. The rest of the time, the dog played with the kitten, making it run and jump.
*Might as well teach the little one how to survive.*
By summer, the kitten had grown. The dog
The dog had grown thinner. Then autumn came, and with it, endless rain. Finding warm, dry spots became harder, and sometimes
Sometimes the dog wrapped his paws around his kitten, shielding it from the cold and wet. He shivered, but licked the little one clean. Keeping it warm and fed mattered most.
The dog caught a cold, coughing and sneezing, eyes and nose running. The kitten watched, anxious.
*Mama, mama. Whats wrong? Are you sick?*
*No, nothing serious, sweetheart,* the dog answered. *Dont worry about me. Just curl up close. Ill keep you warm.*
But between the tears in his eyes and the fever in his bones, he didnt notice
It was raining, and worse, the dumpster had nothing left. They had to move to another.
As always, he carried the kitten by the scruff in his teeth.
Water rushed down the pavement and road, and from the skyfrom the weeping autumn skythe rain fell endlessly. It battered his head and back, but he only thought one thing
*My little one mustnt get his paws wet and catch a chill.*
He wanted to dash across the road fast, so
So he didnt see the car rounding the bend.
Thank God it was slowthe windshield wipers struggled against the downpour.
The impact wasnt hard, but enough to knock the dog onto the pavement.
The driver stopped, stepped out, and approached. The dog lay on his side, left hind leg tucked under, injured.
*Let me see,* the driver said, but the dog
The dog clutched something to his chest and snarled.
*Dont be afraid,* the man said softly. *Im a doctor. Let me look at your wound.*
The rain hammered harder.
The doctor winced as water ran down his neck, but the dog only squeezed his bundle tighter, eyes shut.
*Whatve you got there?* the doctor murmured, peekingthen gasped.
Beneath the dogs paws, two feline eyes stared back.
*Ah. That explains it. Come on.*
He shrugged off his coat, spread it on the wet pavement, and carefully lifted the dog onto it. Then he settled them both in the back seat and drove off.
At his old friendsa vetsthere was no one else around.
*Rain,* the vet said. *Whatve you brought me?*
Without a word, the doctor carried the dog into the exam room, laying him on the tablestill cradling the kitten.
*Interesting,* the vet said. *Did you hit him?*
*I did,* the doctor admitted.
The vet took the kitten from the dogs paws and handed it to the doctor.
*Sit over there and stay out of the way.*
His hands were already prepping a needle and tools.
The kitten squirmed, desperate to reach its mother.
*Mama! Mama!* it cried. *Im here! Dont be scared! Im coming!*
*Hush, hush,* the doctor soothed. *Your friends in good hands. Hell be alright.*
He held the kitten close, and it just watched, wide-eyed, as the vet worked on its dog mother.
Exhausted, cold, and hungry, it fell asleep in the doctors arms.
Hours later, the vet told the doctor he could take the dog homebut it needed injections, and a check-up in a few days.
*Actually,* the vet said, *Ill drop by tonight after work. Check on your patient, and well share a drink.*
Days later, the vet saw this:
The big ginger dog was awake, the doctor hand-feeding him treats. The dog couldnt stand yet, but beside him
Sat a lanky, thin grey kitten, watching the feeding with worried eyes.
*Hes anxious for his friend,* the doctor said.
But the vetwho knew animals well, who kept dogs and cats of his ownjust crouched beside the dog.
*Youve got it wrong,* he said. *Hes not worried for his friend. Hes worried for his mother.*
*What nonsense,* the doctor said.
But the vet stroked the kitten and winked.
*Dont fret. Your mama will be fine.*
The kitten purred, bumping his hand with its head.
*Want me to take them once hes healed?* the vet asked as they sat down. *Ill keep them.*
*Perfect,* the doctor agreed.
*To a swift recovery,* the vet said, raising his glass. *Andwhatll you name them?*
The doctor thought a moment.
*You know what? The dogMama. The kittenSonny. Hows that?*
The vet smiled and lifted his glass.
*To Mama and Sonny.*
They talked late into the night, laughing, eating, drinking. And Sonny
He climbed onto Mama, hugged his mothers bandaged leg, and dozed off.
The dog gazed at him, wondering
How had he ever lived without this kitten? How?
