Whirlwind's day out

## Summary

Whirlwind escapes one morning after his owner leaves the door open on the way out cover a last-minute shift for a co-worker. He has fun running around before he notices he's completely lost. Scared and confused, can he make his way back home in one piece?

## Characters

### Main:

* Whirlwind
* Gem

### Minor:

* Serena
* Thunder
* Kaia
* Misty
* Penny
* Mrs. Forrester
* Bolt
* Mittens

## Story

"Wh..What? Are you sure there's no one else that can cover you?"

Whirlwind lifted his head from the foot of his owner's bed as he saw her stirring, phone pressed against her ear as she groggily sat up. He stared at his master as she rose from the bed, grumbling a bit as she did so.

"Okay okay...I'll be there in a little bit..."

Whirlwind hopped out of bed and wandered after her, his tiny claws clicking on the hardwood floors. Serena looked down at the young pup as he wagged his tail, thinking they were going for a walk.

"Oh sorry buddy..." Serena frowned, scooping him up into her arms and tickling his tummy. "I gotta go cover a shift for work..." Whirlwind whined and nuzzled his head against her neck. Serena smiled and put him down, pouring some food into his bowl. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Whirl....." Serena gave his ears a scratch before bolting out the door, not realizing that the lock latch caught against the frame, causing it to slowly creak back open.

Whirlwind tilted his head as he heard the creaking noise of the door. "Huh?" He murmured, swallowing a large bite of his kibble. "The door is open!" He barked to himself, trotting over to the large oak panel. He nudged his nose into the space and cracked it open even wider. To his delight, he squeezed through the gap and raced into the grass out in the front yard.

"Ohh that feels good!" He sighed in contentment, eyes shutting in relaxment before he shifted onto his belly, watching Serena's car drive away. "Oh oh! I bet I can catch up with her at work!" He smiled, taking off as fast as his small paws could take him. "Wait up Serena! Wait up!"

Whirlwind chased after the car until she was out of sight, then pouted, slowing his speed to a trot. "Man...." He grumbled, then perked his ears up. A strong scent hit his nose, and it smelled absolutely delicious. Wagging his tail, he sped up once more, speeding up to try and catch the scent that was driving himself to drool.

"Man, that smells good...!" He grinned, his stomach rumbling with anticipation to sink his teeth into the succelent meats he could smell coming from the park. The raced as fast as he could, spotting a family in the park grilling some large steaks and burgers on a grill. His eyes widened and he felt a waterfall of saliva dripping from his jowls. He shook his head and got his head focused onto the prize at paw. "Come to papa...." He smirked, advancing towards the grill.

He remembered what his Aunt Mittens had told him as he snuck over to the man working the grill. He put his paw to his leg.

"Huh?" The guy muttered, looking down at the small pup at his feet. Whirlwind tilted his head, whimpering a little bit as he made his eyes as watery as possible. The man chuckled and reached down to pet him. "Aw hey there little guy....You want some?" The man smiled and knocked off two hamburger patties and the smallest steak for him. Whirlwind yipped and dug into his meal, tail wagging in delight. The man's young daughter, probably about one and a half, toddled over to him.

"Goggie!" She cooed, reaching out to pet Whirlwind. As soon as he was done with his food, he rolled onto his back to enjoy some belly rubs from the affectionate girl. His leg kicked in delight as she found his soft spot, his tongue lolling out happily.

*"Rrhhh~! Yeah that's it!"* Whirlwind thought to himself, then pouted as the girl was lifted up by her mother.

"Aw what a cute little doggie.....But it's time to eat now sweetie." The mother brought the girl to the picnic table and Whirlwind decided he had eaten enough. He stood up and stretched, then noticed something in the corner of his eye.

*"SQUIRREL!!"* He barked and growled, zipping in a bee-line straight towards the small rodent. He perked his ears and bolted at the sound of Whirlwind's barking, ending in a chase straight through the park and deeper into the town.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Thunder perked up her ears as she heard loud knocks on the door. She watched Penny as she got up from the couch and made her way towards the doorway. The knocks came again, a little more frantic this time. Penny looked a bit curious and peered through the peep-hole. As soon as she identified the knocker, she opened the door.

"Serena? What's the matter, you look upset." Penny ushered the woman inside, letting her sit on the recliner.

"H...Have you seen Whirlwind?" Serena wrung her hands worriedly, looking at Penny nervously. "I....I think I accidentally left the door open this morning- and....and...." She sniffed, rubbing her arm. "I thought maybe he would be over here to see his family....."

Penny then started to worry as well, she knew just how Serena felt when Bolt had gone missing....And now his son? "O-Oh no....He hasn't been here.... Mom!!" She raced into the kitchen to find her mother, not noticing Thunder's ears flicking back in forth, a look of horror on her face.

"....B...Bolt!!!" She yelped, jumping off the couch and racing into the back yard, where Bolt was playing with Kaia and Misty. Bolt laughed as Misty tugged gently on his ear, then paused as he heard the distressed barks of his mate as she bolted through the doggy-door.

"Thunder? What's wrong?? Are you alright?!" He asked in worry, his girls looking at their mother as she raced over to them.

Thunder whined a loud, pitched whine as she shuffled her feet, her ears pinned back against her head. "Whirlwind's missing!"

Bolt sat up straight, Misty sliding down his back and onto her rump in the grass. "What?! What do you mean?"

Thunder growled a bit at her mate. "He's. Missing. GONE! Disappeared!!" Thunder howled anxiously, turning in circles and pacing in a panic. He could be anywhere by now! Bolt we have to find him!" She whined loudly, looking towards the white shepherd with a blaze of fear in her eyes.

"Right....Girls,stay here..." Bolt murmured to his daughters as the two adult dogs got up towards the door to the house.

"But we wanna help!" Kaia barked, standing to her paws. She helped her sister up and gave her parents a determined look.

"Yeah! We might be able to find him!" Misty responded back, sticking close to Kaia.

"No, girls, we need to do this with Penny.... I don't want you two getting lost too...." Thunder sighed softly, turning back to nuzzle her daughters. "We need you to stay here just in case he comes back into the neighborhood or to the house, alright....?"

The girls shared a pouty face for a moment, then both nodded in agreement. "Yes mama."

"Good girls...." Thunder smiled a bit, then turned back to her mate. "Alright Bolt....Let's go..."

***work in progress***