Chivalry Isn't Dead | A Clawtie Fanfiction

• Peace and Change •

The gleeful days of Barkingburg returned without a hinch. The Princess had to publicize the sad news of the crime of their beloved Duke. It showed them that no matter the face nor what they do, anyone could still have a rotten heart. The other knights and citizens involved in the ordeal were sent to prison cells within Barkingburg, leaving the investigators unsure, for the majority of them stated that they were blackmailed into joining and were asked to sign contracts like it was an initiation.

Those problems were left to the professionals. The Princess was glad to have escaped the clutches of death, and so she allowed everyone to take it easy on themselves. Paperwork was the last thing she wanted to do.

Behind the castle, there was news that shocked the terrier to her core.

"You're going to be a royal knight?"

Claw scratched the back of his head, wearing an awkward grin. "It'll be bestowed tomorrow. Chase was a symbol of hope yet his methods were unappreciated. It bore trust issues to the citizens and the princess herself when the news came out. They still love him the same, they just don't want to have him doing something like that again. They say it was financially challenging."

Sweetie's confusion formed into a sad, rather irritated face with tense eyebrows. Claw feared he said something wrong or offensive. He tried to apologize but was cut short.

"I'm sure it was my owner's advisors. They always say to focus on herself before her people. She is not that kind of person."

"I can see that she has a lovely attitude." Claw's attempt to support was weak, although Sweetie was in a world of her own when she laid down on the wooden floor of the small pup-house under the tree. The same home Claw built for her. There was now also a bench on the back, shaded when the afternoon came and made to stare into the fine sunset.

A presence made itself known before the two. Claw averted his eyes, unable to accept the truth after everything the shepherd had done. Even if he could, Chase still hurt Sweetie. It may have well been a plan, though, he cannot approve hitting a female.

"Nice to see you're up and about, halfwit."

To their surprise, Chase's shoulders tensed, his eyes asking for confirmation if it was an insult or a joke. Sweetie shook her head.

Claw walked up to the shepherd, observing him. He was clean of injuries, excluding the bite mark in his shoulder that Sweetie found no guilt in. Probably a bruise or two under his fur but nothing major. Claw himself had small, distinguishable bumps on his face and arms all from his recklessness, and Sweetie had a bandage around her wrist and upper body, below her forearms.

"Hey." The call grabbed Chase's attention, and then came flying a fist that snapped the shepherd's head to the side. He held the struck area with a paw. "That's for Sweetie… and this!" Chase positioned his arms in front of him, which Claw found humorous, especially after the beating he received from him. However, his intentions were different, gently wrapping his arms around his neck as he came close, leaving the brown pup unable to process what was happening. After a moment, he returned the embrace. "This is for everything you've helped me with. Maybe being friends wouldn't be an impossibility after all."

The two broke their hug from the giggle Sweetie tried to hide, only to burst out laughing with a snorting end.

"What's so funny?" Claw said.

"Imagine if someone witnessed this. They'll probably write a book about you two or something." Sweetie wiped the tear from her eyes, clearing her throat upon receiving daggers from the doberman, asking her to read the room. "And as for you, Chase. I greatly appreciate your judgement to intervene and bring the deceitful Duke to light. Sloppy but you did the job. I am impressed."

There goes Sweetie's attitude once more. The nonchalant, anything-that-comes-in-mind behaviour, although Claw kind of missed that about her. Now that he's free from all accusations and his banishment was expunged, he wanted to share a meal with the terrier. However, he completely believed that, despite his sacrifices and words prior, Sweetie sees him as a friend. Oh, how the harsh world kicks in even when great deeds are done. A cruel fate, indeed. He was mentally prepared to face a villain that wanted to slay the highest yet he feared sharing his feelings to the one he loved.

"I apologize you had to see me like that." Chase recalled his moment of weakness after their trickster plan succeeded. "I'm not really a crybaby."

"Nor am I caring pup," Sweetie replied with an exhale, sounding like she was disappointed. "I'm supposed to be the one that causes trouble."

Claw followed. "Hey, I was a coward until all of what happened recently occurred. We all had a sudden change. Perhaps it's a good thing. By the way, Chase. I may have forgiven you for the most part but I need an explanation. Why did you hurt Sweetie? You held her by the back of her head, slapped her, even tossed her."

The shepherd tried to shrink himself, lowering his head. "It wasn't part of my plan."

"Then why do it?"

The pup pointed at the terrier to blame, who retaliated, "Hey! Don't bring me into this, I'm the victim of abuse."

"Abuse?" Chase shouted. "You literally whispered to me to slap you as hard as I could. I held the back of your head without force yet you kept asking if that's all my strength as you tugged away, and you bit me! I did say to break out of my hold but I didn't expect you to dig your teeth into my shoulder. I wanted to actually stick that taser to your side if I just couldn't endure you anymore."

The ultimate revelation was a nasty miscommunication between two parties. Claw was torn about if he should argue against Chase now, considering he was forced to play the role of the merciless. In all honesty, that role was what turned him quite meek recently.

Claw turned to Sweetie. "Why did you even ask him to slap you?"

The white pup stood up, stretching her legs and her back before releasing a yawn. "You needed a drive. Also, I didn't think he would hit that hard. I was wrong." She whispered her last sentence.

"Wha—" Claw was just bewildered on how Sweetie's brain works. She was smart, probably a genius, and yet she does the most foolish things. "Chase is the closest definition to a superpup, I'm surprised he even bleeds!"

"Oh quit your idolizing." The princess pooch just bobbled her head, mocking. She passed between the two pups, heading back to the castle, in which the males followed, waiting for a reply that came after a wait. "I can easily beat you both in my sleep."

The two released a sigh from a careless response, a bit tired from all of Sweetie's shenanigans. She alone was equivalent to the whole trouble of kindergartners in school, with three teachers watching.

Sweetie twirled around to face her friends, stopping them in their tracks and giving them a warm, honest smile. "You two did everything you could to ensure my and the princess's safety. I guess chivalry isn't dead after all."

Claw turned his head to Chase, who did the same to him, only to grow gleeful smiles. They were sure that everything was going to be alright from then on out.