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To say Amanda was having fun was an understatement; the joy this game brought the neighborhood kids was fully reflected in her every step as she returned the ball to them. One child, a young boy with black hair and a jacket tied around his waist, grabbed the ball and swung it from side to side. The other children watched and laughed as Amanda playfully gnashed her teeth, “attempting” to grab the ball away from him. Her tail never ceased its wagging as the children continued this game of “keep away” with her being the attacker. When one of them had gotten tired, she sat beside the kid and licked her face gently, panting and looking back at the other children. One by one they followed, sitting beside Amanda and running their small hands through her dark fur. She leaned into their touch without hesitation, enjoying the attention she was receiving in her canine form. The streets of Megapolis were always bustling, however she enjoyed this part of the city for its rather peaceful nature. The streets were usually only crowded with the neighbors and their pets, occasional cars and delivery services, and the garbage truck that came every week. Amanda’s tail swished contently as she entertained the kids, hearing them chat amongst themselves and tell gossip from school. She listened in on it, unbeknownst to them, finding the quarrels the youngsters got themselves into fairly amusing.
‘Children truly are pure souls,’ she thought to herself. ‘Full of potential and hope, I hope their lights never falter.’ Her eyes closed momentarily as she laid down, extending her front paws before her and flexing her toes. A yawn escaped her mouth when she put her head down, basking in the touch of the young boy that was still petting her behind her ears. A good five minutes of rest later, a small delivery cart made its way down the road and stopped a few houses down from the group. One of the children excitedly got up from their spot on the sidewalk, running over to their door as their mother answered the delivery. The other children followed suit, to which Amanda decided to tag along behind them. The delivery boy was holding a white plastic bag with the logo Amanda recognized as ‘Pigsy’s Noodles’. The smell hit her nose almost immediately, and it took everything in her not to shove her muzzle into the bag the boy was holding.
“H-hey kiddos!” he chuckled, walking past the group as they greeted him. The bandanna tied around his head and a monkey king inspired jacket hung upon his person, Amanda recognizing him from previous parts of the city. The boy, who she learned was named MK, handed the noodle delivery to the woman and thanked her charismatically. When she handed over the change, Amanda barked happily at the interaction, panting and approaching the two curiously. “Awwe! Look at the pubby!” MK cooed, immediately crouching down and scratching her face adoringly. Amanda barked softly and licked MK’s face, earning a series of chuckles and playful pats. The children had since gone their separate ways, the mother smiling at the interaction before MK perked up. “Is this your dog? He’s such a sweetheart!” he smiled, the woman shaking her head in return.
“Nope, not our dog. I don’t think she belongs to anyone in this neighborhood, actually,” she said. MK let out a surprised “huh” before opening his mouth again. The woman saw his confusion and answered, “I don’t believe she’s a stray, she seems to be in very good shape. However if she is she plays well with the kids and is a very sweet dog. So we have no problem leaving food for her or letting her roam around the neighborhood. She seems to just go about wherever she pleases,” she shrugged again, Amanda too lost in the pleasure of MK scratching her belly to care about the conversation. MK hummed and smiled at her before waving goodbye and standing up. Amanda followed him back to the noodle cart, watching him start it up again and place his foot on the brake pedal. She whined to get his attention, which worked like a charm as he instantly asked:
“What's wrong girl? Are you hungry?” He looked at the insulated bag labeled with the company logo cautiously. “I haven’t got any food, that was the last order for today. And I think you'd get sick from eating noodles,” he chuckled at the last bit, scratching his neck and smiling. Amanda barked, hopping in the cart beside MK and sitting down, looking at him with her tongue lolling out happily and tail wagging. “Wh-hey? What are you doing?” he asked, startled by her sudden movement. The surprise turned into amusement as he laughed and thought for a minute. “Okay…so I lied earlier. I have two more deliveries to make, is that what you wanna hear? That I still have food?” he said in a fake annoyed tone while looking at the dog, arms crossed. Amanda simply shoved her muzzle into the boy's lap, licking his hands when he reached down to pet her. “Maybe you want to come with me!” he seemed to realize, to which her ears perked up and she looked directly at him. “So that's it? You want to ride with the delivery boys?” he smiled, letting his foot off the brake pedal and beginning to move the small vehicle. Amanda let out another two happy barks, staying inside the cart as the ground whizzed past them both. “Then welcome aboard, delivery dog!” MK excitedly chimed, scratching her head again as he shifted his focus to the road.
The two remaining deliveries had gotten MK five star reviews from both customers, exclaiming how adorable the new ‘delivery dog’ was and how the duo was a treat to see. Amanda, proud of her new responsibility, helped carry the bags of food up to the apartments and just sat looking pretty while MK took payments, or allowed her to be pet by the customer before heading back to the cart. The boy had also taken a liking to his new delivery friend, and when he stopped outside of Pigsy’s Noodles that evening, he was met with a very impressed and confused Pigsy.
“Oi, MK! I’m liking the five star reviews I got ‘ere, but what's this about a ‘delivery dog?’ You givin’ a stray free food or somethin’?” his banter was cut short as MK and Amanda hopped out of the vehicle, his eyes going straight to Amanda. Her well-kept condition and seemingly obedient behavior startled him, as he turned to his employee angrily. “Did you steal someone's DOG , MK?”
“WHAT? No!” The boy quickly interjected. Before he could explain himself further, a young girl with black hair tied back into small buns opened the door.
“What are you all yelling about?-” she let out a dramatic gasp at the sight of Amanda. “Oh, em, gee, hello there cutie!” she exclaimed, pushing past an annoyed Pigsy and diving into petting the canine. She ran her fingers through her soft fur, earning face kisses as a thanks and having a very happy puppy in her arms. “Who is this angel?” she asked in a baby voice. MK chuckled at her antics.
“Yeah, so…I asked if she was a stray and nobody really knew. It seems she just kinda roams around and does whatever. But! She helped me with deliveries and was very, very clean and polite!” he smiled at her, resulting in a happy bark from Amanda. Pigsy sighed, accepting his kids new pet mentally as he knew what MK was going to ask next. And as if he could tell his fortune, MK and his friend asked:
“Can we keep her?”
“Are you gonna keep her?”
“Oh for the love of-” Pigsy grunted, and looked down at the dog, scanning her for any signs of disease or injury. Amanda recognized this behavior and stood up from her comfortable position beside the girl, walking up to the man slowly. She sat down and licked her nose, placing a paw on his leg and panting to make it look as though she was smiling. Pigsy took note of the five star reviews he held in his right hand, the phone screen displaying happy customers and happier sales. He hesitantly reached his hand out to pet the dog, and she nuzzled him gently. If not for his rough exterior, he would have melted at her adorable nature immediately, but he held himself together as he put his hands up in surrender. “Fine. But you are responsible for cleanin’ up after her ya hear? I don’t want fur or dog poop anywhere in the building. If you can’t handle that then she won’t be stayin’ ere’.” MK’s eyes lit up with hope and joy as he practically tackled Amanda into his arms, who happily accepted the affection and returned it tenfold by wiggling around in his arms and licking his face.
“Wohoo! New delivery dog for Pigsy’s Noodles, ah-” the girl, Mei, had whipped her phone out for a livestream and paused mid-sentence. “Uhh, MK what's her name?” she asked, looking at him expectantly. MK’s face was blank as he looked back at his new canine companion.
“Uhh,” he hummed, looking at her. Amanda simply licked his nose, earning a giggle and a spit take from the boy. “Alright you little licker!” he laughed. “Lulu is your name,” he smiled, Amanda’s tail wagging at her new title. Mei smiled and looked back to her live audience.
“Lulu the delivery dog! Isn’t she a cutie?” she cooed, an ensemble of dog and heart emojis following suit in her chat. Amanda, now Lulu, celebrated with the two as the shop closed up, Pigsy being pleasantly surprised to see MK’s dog dragging the trash out to the back. So much so that he asked MK where she learned all of her behaviors, to which he just shrugged and hummed an I-don’t-know. That night, by MK’s bedside, Amanda smiled to herself, curling up comfortably with her new family. MK fell asleep with his arm extended to pet her, to which she gently placed under the covers using her mouth. Her eyelids drooped tiredly despite not needing much sleep, and eventually she found herself passing out beside MK.
Amanda had been given many names throughout her lifetime, lived in various places as a pet, a stray, a farm animal, even living in a zoo at one point. The first name she was ever given by the kind old man she came across was Amanda. She had kept that name as her own, and the others that came after she accepted with love and pride.
However this name, Lulu, she felt was going to be her favorite.
To be continued