FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The unexpected life of a puppy.

Chapter 2 - A new home.

It wasn't very late even though the sun was setting. Winter is a very dark and cold season after all, and as the light slowly disappeared from the vast sky Cess couldn't help but to yawn despite her untameable excitement of going to a new home away from all the other kids and caretakers. The small girl was securely strapped into her carseat, allowing her to properly see out the window over the dashboard and out the window on her right. Not that it mattered though, as she was far too busy either looking at her new mother with curiousity or talking to her big cuddly polar bear she'd been allowed to have in her lap during the car ride home.

As the orphanage where Cess had been living was a few miles outside the city the ride home took almost half an hour, and during that time neither of the two in the car said much to each other. Lana was a bit unsure what to say or ask the child and was scared she'd be a bit too overbearing given their short time knowing each other. She was, however, enjoy listening to her new daughter talking to the big plushie as if it was a real person and hearing her excitement just brought a big and content smile to the woman as she focused on keeping both of them on the road. She'd heard that Cess' parents had died in a car accident just before the puppy was admitted to the orphanage, but even though Lana looked for signs of Cess being scared in the car she couldn't find any. Obviously it wasn't a good idea to assume anything, but she still came to the conclusion that the young girl had luckily not been in the car at the time of the unfortunate accident. Perhaps, or at least Lana hoped that, Cess hadn't been told how her parents died in which case the woman wouldn't say anything and accidentally scare the girl out of any future car rides.

Eventually Lana exited the freeway and drove in towards a neighbourhood filled with two-story buildings, all composed of three apartments in a row on each floor. The upper floors reached their apartment through a staircase from the outside. They pulled in to a big parking lot filled with cars as it was past working hours and most people had already gotten home. Lana parked the car in an outer spot, leaving Cess' side completely free of cars and obstacles. That spot was the closest spot to their apartment and the woman considered herself lucky to have gotten it, both for her own laziness' sake, and also for the sake of Cess who was as small as she was. As she turned the ignition off and the rumbling came to an inevitable stop, Lana leaned back in her seat for a moment and just ran her hand through long red hair and let out an exasperated sigh. The most nervewrecking part was over after all, and she now had Cess with her back home and just needed to get her settled in.

''Ready to see your new room, sweetie?'' Lana asked her daughter and turned to her with the biggest smile she could muster. She didn't really need an answer though, as the puppy's body language was far enough to show just how excited she was with her bouncing and struggled to get out of her belt.

''Uhu, uhu!'' Cess said, struggling to find the button to get herself free.

''Calm down, calm down!'' Lana told her and giggled as she reached out to give Cess a gentle pat on her head. ''I'll help you with that, just let me go around the car alright?'' and without making sure Cess understood the woman got out of the car and walk all the way around before opening the passenger side door to unbuckle her daughter. As she was leaning into the passenger side, the clicking of heels came from the direction of further down the parking lot soon followed by a shrill and loud female voice.

''Lana, oh Laaana!'' it said. Lana perked her ears and got Cess unbuckled before standing up too fast, hitting her head on the car ceiling. She gritted her teeth and pulled herself out of the car while rubbing her head trying her best not to curse out loud in front of her daughter. She looked up over the car and saw her neighbour approach them.

''Oh, hi Shauna. Just came home from work?'' she asked the girl who approached.

As the girl, a mouse in her early twenties with the biggest round glasses in the history of ever, came up towards the car Cess started panicing. She hadn't even gotten settled into her new home and gotten to know her new mommy yet, and still there was someone she didn't know at all talking just outside the car. So instead of getting out of her carseat, she instead curled up and tried her best to remain hidden.

''Yeah, been a long day. Went in around three this mornin', so the bed is really callin' for me,'' the mouse said and walked up so she stood just a few feet away from Lana and the passengerside door. ''But I saw you pull into the parking lot as I parked my car so I figured I'd wait, y'know, I wanted to meet the little one after you told me about her! She's in the car?''

Both Lana and the Shauna girl looked towards Cess, who was desperatedly trying to hide behind her big bear, and then they both giggled at how shy she was. Lana reached in and took a hold of Cess to lift her out and despite a little stubborn squirming the puppy was soon out and on the ground in between the older girls.

''Cess, don't be shy. This is Shauna, she lives in the apartment under us,'' Lana said in hopes of easing Cess' discomfort.

It didn't work that well however, and Cess quickly hurried in behind Lana and clung to her while peeking out from around her waist. She still didn't say anything. Instead Shauna raises a hand and with a big smile on her face started waving at the puppy.

''Hi there Cess, I'm Shauna! You don't have to be so shy, I don't bite or anything I promise!'' Shauna kept her eyes on the small girl, hoping for a response of some form. But as it was clear Cess wasn't gonna say anything, Lana reached her hand back and petted the girl behind her ear.

''Sweetie, you really ought to say hi when someone is greeting you. Otherwise you're rude and that's not good. Come on... At least say hi and introduce yourself,'' Lana told her and kept reassuringly scratch her behind her big floppy ear. Finally she got a reaction out of her, as Cess began stuttering nervously.

''H-h-hi... U-uhm... I'm Cess...'' she told the rodent, before turning silent again and hiding her face behind her big bear that she'd been clutching in her arms the entire time.

Shauna grinned and nodded. ''Gosh, aren't you a precious little one, huh?'' she asked, but Cess didn't move the bear out of her face so the mouse simply raised her head and looked to Lana. ''I'm sure you two will get along just fine, Lana. Even though you're the most punk girl I know and she seems so innocent and cute...''

Lana looked at Shauna with a raised eyebrow. ''Well she _is_five, you know. She'll see that punk and rock are totally bitching once she get older, don't you worry!'' she said and chuckled, making the mouse giggle too.

''I should get going though and let you two get inside and settled. Nice seeing you Lana,'' she stopped briefly and looked down at Cess who had finally moved the bear out of her face. Shauna gave her a tiny wave. ''I'll see you too, sweetie! Be good to your new mommy now,'' she teased the girl and began walking away. ''Bye!''

''Bye Shauna,'' Lana said before turning to Cess and crouched down so they were leveled. ''You don't have to be so shy around Shauna, honey. She's really sweet and I'm sure she'll let you see her pony collection if you ask her nicely,'' she told her daughter and kissed her on the forehead before standing up to shut the passenger door and open the door to the backseat.

Cess was wagging her tail, looking at the back of Shauna who was almost out of sight by then. It wasn't until she heard the slam of the backseat door closing that she finally looked back at Lana. ''She has a pony collection!? I like ponies!'' she said, sounding more excited than she had since they left the orphanage.

With the suitcase in one hand, Lana took Cess' hand with her other and began walking in the same direction Shauna had. She squeezed the tiny hand affectionately in her own and looked down at the excited puppy with a big smile on her face. ''You like ponies, huh? Which one is your favorite? Mine's Fluttershy.''

The look on Cess' face at that very moment was priceless. The small puppy didn't even know how to react hearing that her new mommy liked ponies just like she did herself. It took her a few seconds to process the information and her surprised expression soon turned into a really bright smile. ''My favorite is Rainbow Dash!'' she said with glee. ''She's really cool and can fly reaaaally fast and she is the best!'' Cess let go of Lana's hand and spread her arms and ran ahead and in a cirle as if she was flying, then she stopped, hugged her big bear close to her body and laughed wholeheartedly.

Lana couldn't help but to laugh with her and ran over to her and scooped her up, then held her closer to herself using her free arm. ''Are you my little Rainbow Dash? I bet you are!'' she said with a big smile, making Cess nod frantically. Lana raised her other hand with the suitcase and pointed at a building. ''There's where we live, you and me. That's your new home, honey,'' she explained and sighed a happy sigh at those words. Of course the puppy was happy to be out of the orphanage, but Lana was just as happy to no longer be alone.

By then the sun had almost set completely and the sky was almost pitch black with the exception of a tiny bit of red at the very horizon and the blue light from the new moon. As they reached their buildings the streetlamps around them all came on at once and illuminated the staircase they had to climb up to their front door. At least the tired, albeit excited, puppy didn't have to climb the stairs herself as Lana was still carrying her although once they reached the door Lana put Cess down next to her.

''Okay, listen to me now,'' Lana said and dug through her pocket for the keys and put the right one into the lock. ''I know you're excited and you're going to get to discover as much as you want,'' she continued and twisted the key until she heard the familiar click in the door. ''...but when you get inside you take off your shoes and jacket before you go anywhere, okay?''

The puppy was bouncing excitedly on the spot, her tail flailing back and forth so fast that her butt was swinging along with it. She huffed exasperatedly at already being met with rules, but she'd always been forced to remove shoes and jacket when going inside so it wasn't particularly new to her. Cess nodded to show she understood, which made Lana nod and open in turn. Despite her excitement, the puppy stepped inside rather calmly although her tail kept hitting the door frame and jackets hanging inside the door over and over.

The entrance wasn't very big. Roughly the size of a larger cubicle with just enough space for a shoeshelf and coathangers. Perhaps three or four adults could fit inside at once but that'd make it hard for anyone to get their clothes off. Luckily Cess was just a puppy, and on top of that rather small for her age, so they could both fit just fine. Lana took a step inside onto the doormat and locked the door behind her while Cess more or less fell down onto her rump so she could get her shoes off which was a struggle because they'd been tied a bit too hard. The puppy diligently kept at it, until Lana finally crouched down on her knees and gently patted the girls head.

''Here, let mommy do that for you sweetie,'' she said with a big smile on her face and helped her loosen those shoelaces and take the shoes off. Cess proceeded to just throw her jacked off onto the floor for Lana to pick up along with the shoes as the puppy ran into apartment. Lana was about to stop the smaller dog, but interrupted herself and figured she could do the rules later on once the puppy was settled in and happy.

The next room was the living room. It was the biggest room in the entire apartment, almost square shaped with connections to each of the other rooms. The first thing Cess could see when she came inside was the couch, just big enough to fit roughly three people, at the far wall. Opposite the couch, just to the right as she came inside, was a 47" TV. On each side of the TV stood two tall bookshelves, although neither of them held many books. Most of the shelves were filled with movies or games of some kind, while one of the shelves was stocked with various plushies that Lana had gathered over the year. Smaller ones, most of them pony related so Cess let out a tiny, but happy, shriek at the sight of them.

To the left of the TV and the following shelf was the bathroom door and just to the left of that was the corner. On the next wall two doors could be found, the one to the right lead to the master bedroom, also known as Lana's room, and the one to the left was the smaller bedroom which Cess would inhabit henceforth. On the following wall, along which the couch was standing, wasn't much aside from the actual couch. However, on the right side of the couch was the entrance to the kitchen, a doorless doorframe. In front of the couch was a coffee table, one of those simple wooden ones from Ikea, and next to that was a cheaper, yet sufficient, barcalounger.

Cess got stuck on the shelves with the plushies and, while holding onto her bear still, picked out each and everyone of the smaller plushies to look at and rub against her own furry cheek. Lana came into the living room not too long after, having put both their jackets on a coathanger each and generally just made sure everything was in order by the front door. She smiled as she saw her daughter so gleefully appreciate the collection of plushies even though it wasn't very big.

''Do you like plushies, sweetie?'' she asked and walked on over to kneel by her side. Lana gently placed her hand on top of Cess' head and had her fingers ever so lightly scratch behind those big, floppy puppy ears.

Cess nodded happily, wagging her tail still. She took yet another one of the pony plushies and rubbed it against her cheek happily. ''I used to have many plushies,'' she said, showing just a tiny hint of sorrow in her big eyes but she didn't let it take over. Lana couldn't help but to think that she was such a strong little girl and reached over to give her a big, tight hug.

''Don't you want to see your room?'' she asked the girl in a soft and soothing tone. Lana pointed in the direction of Cess' new room and gently took the small plushie out of those tiny hands and placed it back onto the shelf before giving her daughter a light nudge.

Excitedly Cess rushed towards her room and almost tripped over her big polar bear but somehow managed to stay balanced. She opened the door and pushed it open, then stood there flabbergasted. The first thing she was met with was a giant wave of pink and purple. Almost everything in the room was exclusively pink or purple, including walls, ceiling and bedframe. In the corner right in front of her stood a childsized bed with purple bedsheets, and as one looked closer the forms and shapes of various ponies became clear and evident. Along the further wall by center was a TV; not as big as the one in the living room, but far bigger than a five year old would ever need. To the immediate left of the television stood a pink desk, with a purple chair. Next wall had a big window and along the wall opposite the television stood a big bean bag chair and a treasure chest presumably filled with toys. And directly to the left of the door, or right of the bean bag chair, stood an Ikea closet painted pink, with enough room for any clothes a child her age would have.

Of course Cess freaked out. That was just too much for a girl who'd been without anything for so long. Tears began building up in her big puppeyes and the inevitable sobs followed shortly. She hugged her bear really tight and buried her face into its fur as she finally descended into crying, which prompted Lana to once again kneel by her side and wrap her arms tightly around her.

''What is it sweetie? Is something wrong?'' she asked, worried. Lana was more than a little nervous of how she'd handle being a mother and the thought of having failed so early on filled her mind and almost overwhelmed her, causing tears to appear in her eyes too. Gladly she was a bit more composed than her daughter, who simply shook her head and buried her face into Lana's shoulder instead.

''N-n-no.....'' she said and sniffled. Cess didn't say another word and just cried out into Lana, who as gently as possible kept her arms tightly secured around the tiny creature.

''Are you happy? Is that why you're crying, babygirl?'' Lana asked and patted her back a few times. Cess nodded and loosened her own grip around her mother. The woman smiled and reached up to wipe the few stray tears she'd wept herself, then let go of Cess and stood up. ''Do you wanna explore your treasure chest while I make food? I'm making Mac n'cheese, do you like that?'' she asked her.

Cess beamed up brightly and nodded, her tail going into lightspeed. ''I love Mac n'cheese! Is my favorite!'' she so happily told Lana, before she disappeared into her new room to explore whatever toys she now had. Meanwhile Lana left her daughter to explore and with a smile went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

A successful homecoming. Hopefully she'd be able to keep up as a mother and make her daughter as happy as she deserved to be. Only time could tell. At least she could happily prepare her dinner and enjoy the loud laughter and giggles that came from Cess' room. First time accomplished, now only a lifetime of fun ahead.

End of chapter 2.