Faint voices coaxed Buddy to slowly blink his eyes open. Quietly, the dachshund attempted to sit up. Instantly, pain flared up from his left shoulder. Stifling a cry of pain, Buddy instead tried listening to the conversation going on. However, the voices had fallen silent as an elderly black cat approached him.

"Sonya! Our guest is awake!" the cat snarled, the remnants of his left ear twitching. Scars marked his skinny body. A moment later, Sonya appeared. Passing the female pug, the cat hissed in her ear, "Remember, he's your responsibility." Sonya nodded her head solemnly before heading over to Buddy.

Nervous, Buddy tried to back up but his shoulder refused to let him move. "Relax, Jet won't hurt you," Sonya reassured him, adding, "He's actually pretty good with rearing pups." Confused, Buddy asked, "So, you were raised by a cat?" Nodding her head slowly, Sonya explained, "After I was left by my parents, Jet and his brother Theo raised me. Sadly, Theo was killed last year by an owl. But they're the ones who helped me live on the streets."

Gazing into Buddy's eyes, Sonya whispered, "And now, I guess it's my turn to teach someone the way of the streets."