A Pug Tale

by Kristen Otte

  12

  Zelda vs. Jack Jack

  “Are you ready to go see Tucker and Whitney?” Nate asks.

  I run to the door with my tail wagging. I can’t wait to spend time with Tucker and Whitney again. Tucker and Whitney live with Nate’s parents. I met them for the first time a few months ago, and since then, I have been itching to return.

  I love hanging out with other dogs, and I also love Tucker and Whitney’s house. The downstairs has a long hallway for playing fetch, and the food is great. The best part is the fenced yard. I can go outside and run around without a leash.

  Nate loads up a few bags for our visit while Hannah gets Lucy and Ben settled in the back seat of the car. I hop in the back seat with them. It’s a long car ride, so I don’t try to stay awake. I curl up and fall asleep, anxious to awake at Tucker and Whitney’s house.

  When I wake up, I am in Lucy’s lap. She is sleeping, so I move to Ben’s lap and look out the window. We are surrounded by other cars, and I don’t know how much longer we will be on the road. I try to fall asleep again, but my heart is pounding with excitement. I stand on the front window and watch the cars.

  When Nate turns us off the highway, I know we are close to our destination. We wind through the neighborhood and pull into the driveway. I jump from one side of the car to the other waiting for someone to open the door.

  “Zelda, chill,” Ben says.

  “Ow,” Lucy says when I land on her lap. Lucy opens the door.

  “Lucy, no, Zelda isn’t on her leash!” Ben yells. I jump out of the car and sprint to the front door.

  Tucker and Whitney are waiting inside for me, barking like crazy.

  “Hi Zelda,” Nate’s mom says. She opens the door. I run inside, and Tucker runs out. He jumps and licks the whole family, one at a time, while I jump on Nate’s dad. He picks me up, and I lick his face.

  The rest of my family walks inside, and I run straight to the toy basket and find a ball. I bring it to Ben. Soon Whitney and Tucker join the fun.

  After an hour of playing, Tucker, Whitney, and I are spent. I rest on the couch with the crew. My eyes begin to droop, and I am almost asleep when something catches my eye.

  In the hallway, near the steps, I see a hint of black fur peeking around the corner. I get up and walk over to the steps to check it out. Nothing is there–maybe I was dreaming. I return to my spot on the couch and relax for the rest of the night.

  In the middle of the night, I hear a scratching noise in the hallway. Ben and I are in bed with the door shut. I get up and stand next to the door. The scratching is on the other side of the door, and the scent isn’t Whitney’s or Tucker’s.

  What is it?

  I jump back on the bed and walk on top of Ben to wake him. He makes a noise, but he doesn’t move. I try again, and he stirs.

  “Zelda, what do you want?” Ben mumbles. I jump off the bed and walk to the door. “No, Zelda, it’s time to sleep.” Ben rolls over, and he is asleep again. I wait by the door and listen. The scratching stopped, so I jump back on the bed.

  I spend the next morning searching the house for the source of the scratching noise. I start in the basement, inspecting every nook and cranny. I don’t find anything unusual.

  I head up the stairs and search the main floor, but I don’t expect to find anything. Nothing would hide on the main floor with all the traffic and action. I creep upstairs and turn toward the gated room. I sneak around the corner and look through the gate. Sitting on top of a desk is a skinny black cat.

  A cat! There’s a cat here! A cat! I need to catch it!

  I bash into the gate and try to knock it down. It isn’t moving. I look at the gate. Maybe I can make the jump. I back up and go for it. As I lift off, I realize this is a bad idea. I can’t make the jump. But it’s too late, and I smash into the gate and tumble to the ground. I shake off my fall and bark at the cat. The cat sits still, glaring in my direction.

  “Zelda, leave Jack Jack alone,” Nate commands from the corner of the stairs. I’m confused.

  Where was Jack Jack on my last visit? And why is he gated in a room?

  “Let’s go downstairs,” Nate says. I follow Nate.

  Later in the evening, I sneak away from the family and creep up the stairs. I peer into the gated room, but I see no sign of Jack Jack. I slip into our bedroom and look. Nothing. I walk down the hall, and I catch a faint glimpse of a new smell that has to be Jack Jack. My nose guides me to the opposite side of the house to Nate’s parents’ bedroom.

  I see a hint of black peeking around the corner of the bed. Stealth isn’t a strength of pugs, but I try my best to move quietly. As I inch closer, I know it is Jack Jack. He is distracted by something on the ground. His paw is swatting at a feather. He is playing with the feather, and he has no idea of my approach. I know sneaking up on a cat is a bad idea, but I have to try.

  I am a foot or so away when I feel the urge.

  I can’t hold it in!

  The huge sneeze showers Jack Jack with snot and alerts him to my presence. He turns to face me and his fur puffs up.

  How do cats do that?

  Jack Jack hisses at me.

  I have experienced enough cat altercations to know what’s coming next. It is the swat. I turn and sprint down the stairs before Jack Jack has the opportunity. I jump on the couch between Tucker and Whitney, hoping they will protect me.

  I wait, but Jack Jack doesn’t come down the stairs. I know he is waiting for me to return, so I won’t go upstairs alone.

  I manage to avoid Jack Jack for the rest of the visit, and the next day we return home. I hope he forgets about the sneezing incident. Otherwise, I need to learn some cat defense skills before I visit Tucker and Whitney again.

  13

  Zelda vs. Gannondorf

  Since Hannah, Nate, Ben, and Lucy adopted me, I have experienced many adventures, protected my family, and learned how to become a well-behaved pug. I conquered the leaf pile, Vacuum, a snowman, and Squeaks the squirrel.

  My most terrifying adventure was a tapeworm named Gannondorf. Gannondorf arrived suddenly and quietly one day, causing me terrible pain for several days. Usually, I protect my family, but this time, they saved me.

  This story of Gannondorf started on a day like any other. I woke up, went for my morning walk, played for a bit, and took my mid-morning nap while the family went away for the day. I woke up that evening to the door opening.

  “Hi Zelda, do you need to go out?” Nate asked.

  The rest of the family walked through the door. When I started moving to meet Nate at the front door, my stomach seared with pain. The pain was terrible, but I needed to go out, so I fought through the pain and went outside with Nate. I quickly did my business and returned inside to lie next to Lucy on the couch. I tried to jump onto the couch, but I was too weak. I missed the couch and toppled backward to the floor.

  “Do you need some help?” Lucy asked. I looked at her with my sad pug eyes. She picked me up and set me in her lap. I curled up next to her and fell asleep.

  I woke up to the sunlight seeping through the curtains. My body was in serious pain. I realized I was in Lucy’s bedroom, but I didn’t remember moving to the bedroom the previous night. I let out a moan of frustration.

  “Morning Zelda,” Lucy said. She started to massage my body, but I moved out of her reach.

  “Zelda, do you want to go out?” Lucy whispered. I didn’t move. “Okay, guess not,” she said. I was drained. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

  Lucy was out of bed when I opened my eyes again. I couldn’t hold it any longer, so I walked to the front door and sat. I hoped going outside would make me feel better.

  “Okay, let’s go out,” Hannah said from the kitchen. She put on her shoes and coat. We went to the backyard and returned inside. I settled in my dog bed and tried to get comfortable. Every way I turned, my stomach throbbed with pain. I didn’t know what to do, and my body shook with terror.

  “Why are you shaking Zelda?” Hannah aske
d. She walked over and pet me. Her soft touch calmed my tremors. I allowed my eyes to close.

  I woke up with no sense of how much time had passed. I didn’t feel any better. Hannah sat in the chair across from me in the living room. I curled up next to her. The movement caused the pain to worsen, and my tremors returned.

  “Zelda, what’s wrong?” Hannah asked. I looked at her and tried to show her my pain with my sad, listless eyes.

  The next time I woke up Nate, Ben, and Lucy were home. Nate greeted me with a friendly hello and pet. I started shaking again. I couldn’t stop myself.

  “I think we should take her to the vet,” he said to Hannah.

  “Me too,” Hannah said. “I’ll call now.” She walked into the other room and returned a few minutes later. “We have a four o’clock appointment.”

  “Great. We better get moving!” Nate replied. We loaded up into Nate’s car, and I felt a glimmer of hope. I loved car rides and maybe we were going somewhere to make me feel better.

  When we stopped, I hurried to get out of the car. I sprinted towards the door, and then I stopped dead in my tracks. I recognized the building. The last time I was here I left in pain with six fewer teeth. I was not going inside again. Nothing good happened here.

  “Let’s go, Zelda,” Nate said. I stood frozen to the sidewalk. “C’mon, the vet is going to help you feel better.” I didn’t want to believe him, but I didn’t have any other choice. I followed them inside.

  When I walked inside, the variety of animal smells overwhelmed me, and for a minute, I forgot why I was there. I let my nose guide me around the room until Nate led me down a hallway into a room with a woman in a white coat. They talked with each other, but I didn’t recognize many of the words.

  “It’s okay, Zelda,” said Nate. Nate handed the white coat woman a bag.

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes with a diagnosis,” the white coat woman said. Nate picked me up from the counter and placed me in his lap. I wanted this nightmare to be over. I lay down and closed my eyes until I heard the door open.

  “Zelda has a tapeworm. I am writing a prescription to cure her. She will be back to normal in a day or two,” the white coat said.

  “Thanks so much,” Nate replied. The white coat said goodbye and left.

  “Did you hear that Z? You are going to be fine.” Nate said. I hoped Nate was right. We returned to the rest of the family in the big room.

  “What’s wrong?” Ben asked anxiously.

  “Zelda has a tapeworm. She will take medicine and be back to normal in a couple of days,” Nate said.

  “Oh good,” Hannah replied.

  “We should call the tapeworm Gannondorf,” Ben said.

  “What? Why?” Hannah asked.

  “Because Gannondorf was the villain in the Zelda video games,” he replied.

  “Oh yeah, I remember now.” Hannah turned to me, “Don’t worry Zelda, we will help you vanquish the evil tapeworm Gannondorf.”

  I didn’t recognize some of the words Hannah said to me, but I think I understood the message. My family had a plan to save me from Gannondorf, and then I would be back to my normal walking, playing, and sneezing pug-self.

  At home, Nate called me to the kitchen. When I walked into the kitchen, I smelled something delicious.

  Peanut butter!

  I love peanut butter. Maybe that’s what will make me feel better!

  Nate knelt next to me with peanut butter covering his finger. He signaled for me to eat it, and I didn’t hesitate. The peanut butter was delicious. I was in heaven. But I noticed something small in the peanut butter. It was hard and tasted bad. I stopped licking the peanut butter.

  “C’mon Zelda, you need to eat it, it will make you better,” Nate said. He slopped more peanut butter on his finger and called me over. I stared at him.

  Is this part of the plan to save me from Gannondorf?

  I took a deep breath and forced the gross food down my throat. I swallowed, drank some water, and reclaimed my spot on the couch.

  I slept through the night and woke up with the sun in the morning. I stood on the bed and waited for the pain to return. No pain! I walked to the other side of the bed and stood on Lucy to wake her. I felt discomfort, but nothing like the past few days. I sneezed and licked Lucy’s face.

  “Good morning,” she said. I walked to Ben’s bedroom and jumped on him. He grumbled at first, but then he pet me.

  “Do you want to go for a walk?” Ben asked. I ran to the front door.

  “It’s good to see Zelda prevailed over Gannondorf the tapeworm,” Hannah said with a grin on her face. I waited by the door with squirrels on my mind.

  Gannondorf taught me an important lesson about my family. As a pug, I knew my responsibility was to protect my family, but it’s a great feeling knowing my family watches over and cares for me too.

  I hope you enjoyed reading The Adventures of Zelda: A Pug Tale. Zelda’s adventures continue in book two of the series: The Adventures of Zelda: The Second Saga. If you leave an honest review of this book, I’ll send you the next book in the series for free. When your review is live, send me an email with the title of your review ( kristen@kristenotte.com ), and I’ll send you the free ebook.

  If you loved this book, then you will want to read Batpeach, the spinoff series to The Adventures of Zelda. Batpeach is free to those on my email list. Click here to join my email list to receive your free book and keep up to date on my latest books, contests, and giveaways. I love getting to know my fans! Thanks for your support. Happy Reading!

  A Sneak Preview

  The Adventures of Zelda:

  The Second Saga

  I can’t believe a year has passed since my family adopted me. The past year was filled with every sort of adventure. I conquered Vacuum, the leaf pile, and the skate park. I became friends with Tucker, Whitney, and Squeaks; I survived attacks from Jack Jack, the Snowman, and Gannondorf. Although the excitement has waned in the past few weeks, I know another adventure will cross my path soon.

  My new adventure arrived a week ago with the appearance of boxes. Boxes usually live in the basement, but for the past week, they have multiplied into every room of the house. I have no idea what is inside the boxes. Most of them are closed, and I am too short to see in them, even when standing on my hind legs. The worst part is they are taking up most of the floor. My pug sprints are contained to a small circle around the coffee table in the living room. Pug sprints are not supposed to be contained to small spaces.

  After a week of the boxes piling up, they begin to disappear almost as quickly and quietly as they appeared. Nate and Hannah have been carrying the boxes to the car. Hannah and Nate return later, but not the boxes.

  Where are the boxes going? I hope I don’t end up in one of them!

  The boxes are a mystery, and I know I am the right pug to solve it. With only a few boxes remaining in the living room, I have a limited amount of time. I need a quick, decisive plan. One of the remaining boxes is open and next to the couch. I hop onto the couch and look inside the box. I don’t see anything sharp or spiky, so I back up, get a running start, and jump into the box. I land on a hard, slippery surface and slide into the other side. I gather myself and use my paw to shut one flap of the box. I lie underneath it to conceal myself.

  I start to fall asleep in the box when I hear Nate coming my way. My heart starts beating faster as I think about where Nate might take the box and me. My nerves get the best of me, and the hiccups start.

  Nate is going to find my hiding spot!

  But Nate never picks up my box. I hear him turn around and walk in the opposite direction. I breathe a sigh of relief, my heartbeat slows, and my hiccups dissipate. When I hear footsteps a second time, I am as silent and motionless as a stone. Nate picks up the box. But the box is crooked. I slide in the opposite direction, crashing into the other side.

  “Zelda, what are you doing in here?” he asks. I bark, trying to signal my intention to go with him. He puts the box down, lifts
me up, and puts me on the ground.

  “It’s not time for you to go yet,” he says. “But soon, Z. Hang in there.” Nate lifts the box and carries it outside. I am so frustrated and disappointed that I lie right where Nate put me. I close my eyes and fall asleep.

  I wake up to movement and voices.

  “We need to lock Zelda up so she doesn’t get trampled,” Hannah says.

  “She’s not going to like that,” Ben says.

  “I know, but it needs to happen. Why don’t you put her in the crate for the next few hours?” Hannah replies. Before I realize what is happening, Ben is carrying me. He puts me in the crate in the corner of the room. I bark a few times, but I know it’s pointless; I heard Hannah’s words.

  I watch the action from inside the crate. It’s chaos. Everything is in motion—the couch, chairs, people, and boxes. I have never seen anything like it. I can’t see where anything is going, but I assume it is out the door.

  I lose track of time, entranced by the scene in front of me. When Ben finally lets me out of the crate, the living room has transformed. There is nothing left in it except my crate, food bowl, and water dish. I don’t even have any toys.

  What is going on?

  “Zelda, we will be back for you in a few hours,” Ben says. He walks over and pets me before leaving out the front door. I walk to the window and see Ben walk into a big white and orange truck. I explore the other rooms of the house and find the same scene. Every room is empty—no beds, chairs, or bookcases. I return to the living room and look out the window, hoping Lucy and Ben will be outside waiting for me. They aren’t.

  I walk toward my crate to lie down, and then I notice the closet door is open a crack. I paw the door completely open; Vacuum is staring back at me. I immediately bark twice at her.