A Sense of Belonging - An Oliver & Company Fic

Chapter 1 - Don't Trust Street Dogs

The lights of Central Park glew in the cloudy evening light. It was about time that the rain started. For many, it was relaxing. For pets.. Not so much. Especially considering the stray dog population. All over the city, strays who were fortunate to find shelter simply stood ground where they were. Many were delayed in being able to find a sustainable place to hunker down for the night. Many just simply didn't mind the rain.

For Diana, she minded it. The rain started out as a drizzle while the Spaniel walked around the pathways that made up the park. Usually, rain would make her feel good. This time, it brought on a negative onslaught of emotions that made her want to get out of the rainy weather. She didn't want to be out in it right now. She wanted a comfortable and safe shelter. By the time she reached the North Meadow area of the park, the rain had become a downpour, and very few humans walked in her way. For some reason, she thought it was good that they weren't around. To her, it felt odd she'd think like that. She didn't let it bother her though, and simply threw it aside. Because, according to her, "It isn't needed right now."

Shelter was, of course, hard to find in the park, considering there was barely anything to hide under. Bridges may or may not be an option. Trees are out of the question - they don't give good protection anyways. Buildings could be an option.. Depending on whether or not she'd be shooed away if anybody came by. Much of North Meadow was grassy, so Diana knew she'd have to continue to search anyways. "Bother.. Things like this would be avoided if I had a.. A.." She stopped herself from saying home. She didn't have one to return to anymore. She continued trotting along the wet pathways of the park and kept searching.

Diana was soaking wet and cold by the time she was past the reservoir and reached the Winterdale Arch. "Y'know.." She had to be honest to herself. Even humans can agree with her on one thing: this weather was not suitable to walk in, nor be in. "I suppose I'll stay here until the rain calms down." She sighed. "I may fall ill under these conditions." She would walk over to the walls of the arch and lay down, huddling close for comfort. As she drifted off, she began to recall her final conversation with Peter. "Pete.. If anything were to happen, will you be there to keep me safe?" She had asked, referring to an incident in which he shielded her from Glen's angry wrath. "I promise, Dia. I'm not letting anything close to ya." He had said in response to her. They also shared one final hug before she had run off.

"I'm sorry, Peter..."

- -

A couple hours had gone by without any disturbance. Diana had gotten a much needed nap. And it seemed faith and luck were on her side for once, for as she drowsily awoke from her sleepy stupor, she could see that the rainy weather had calmed down. Instead of a downpour, it had degraded to a drizzle; barely any rain at all. She smiled in contentment. "There we are.. Calm weather conditions. Just what I had hoped for." She could now continue her journey. And that was what she did exactly, beginning her trek along the winding paths that the park had. Some humans were out by then, enjoying the drizzly weather and calm atmosphere of the park, but none seemed to pay attention to her.. Which was good. She had barely anybody to talk to, as the park was devoid of any dogs.. Which meant she talked to herself, mainly about her life up until Glen changed.

The park was devoid of anything more than trees and few places for a dog to rest, so she had to take her searching back into the areas of Manhattan. Heading southeast, she ended up in the district of Upper East Side. Everything looked rather unfamiliar, dingy.. Dangerous. "It's alright, Diana, just breathe." She told herself. "Everything will be okay, just.. Find shelter, worry about the next steps of surviving out in the open tomorrow. Yeah, everything is just-"

The Spaniel's self-assurance was cut off by a bark from behind her. It sounded gruff. She quickly turned around to see the shadows of two dogs. A Rottweiler and a Golden Retriever. Diana stood her ground as she stared at them. The Rottweiler was the first to speak.. Like the bark, his voice was also gruff, meaning it must've been him. "Hello there. What is a fine lady like you doing out here in the rain?" The Retriever smiled.. Oddly. "Yeah. Is everything alright?" The Spaniel nodded."Y-yes. In fact, I-I was just heading.. Home! Home, yes, I was heading back to see my owner. I was just coming out to have some fresh air." She explained. The two dogs looked at each other. The Rottweiler asked, "Robert, have you seen this dog before?" The Retriever shook his head in response, saying, "Don't know, Brad. She doesn't smell familiar to any dog I've seen around the Upper East Side." The female in front of them responded fearfully, gasping softly and beginning to back away. Brad saw this. "Hey, don't try backing away. It won't work, darling. Might as well stay here and enjoy our company."

"No, I won't!" Diana barked and began running. The dogs behind her shouted and gave chase, barking as they went after her. No matter how fast she ran, she couldn't escape them. They were equally as fast as her, and catching up. Turns were her one opportunity to slow them down, as the men were uneducated in turning a corner while running. In her panic-driven state, Diana made fumbles and short-lived relief, with all of it culminating in one big mistake... She turned down a dead end alley. Upon her realisation, she attempted to go back, but was cornered by her chasers. Brad smiled. "Gotcha now, mutt." He said as they closed in on her. Diana backed away, making an attempt to growl and scare them off. But only low whimpers and pleas to not hurt her came out of her mouth. "Oh, we aren't going to hurt you-" Robert began, but before he could continue, a bark and growl could be heard. Diana had her eyes shut, so she didn't see who it was. But whoever it was.. He was her guardian angel. "Back off from her." The voice demanded. "Or what?!" Asked Brad. Another growl caused them to back off, and eventually leave her alone.

Once all was quiet, Diana opened her eyes. The dogs weren't there anymore, and she wasn't cornered. She smiled, thankful, and turned to where the voice came from. "Thank you, I would have been-" She gasped softly in shock. Whoever was up on that fence was now gone, like a leaf in the wind. "I.. Oh.." And then it struck her. She was alone again, without someone there to keep her safe. This made her feel uncertain, but taking a breath, she smiled. "Thank you." She said before she walked out of the alley and continued searching for a place to sleep. By now the rain had nearly stopped, and made her feel less uncomfy outside. She was pleased to see this. At least she didn't have to go cold again.It still took some minutes of searching, but the Spaniel found a suitable place for shelter for the night: an apartment, abandoned but still open to whoever pleased to enter. She trotted up to the entrance, an open window, and climbed inside. "Finally, a place I can sleep." She said to herself as she looked around the place. "Food will be a worry for tomorrow. For now, it's bedtime." Diana would walk back downstairs to the living room and fixed herself a spot on the floor for her to rest in. As she drifted off for the night, she recalled another memory. A more.. Happier one at that. 

"Diana, are you sure you wanna do this?" Peter's voice asked, the origin of his question coming from the time she had dared him to a race. "Of course I am! Let's see who's the fastest!" Spoiler alert, Peter was the fastest. Diana was out of breath and very thirsty by the end of it, but her friend still gave her motivation to build her strength. "Maybe someday, you'll be fast like me!" He had said with a smile.

His smile. Diana would always remember it. And Peter would always remember hers.