A few minutes had passed by but to Max it felt like an eternity. How long was it taking Katie to clean up the broken vases? Maybe there had been a bigger mess than the Jack Russell terrier noticed. Well, that was the kind of thing that happened when a large mutt was brought into the house. Stealing a glare at Duke who was slumbering nearby, Max couldn't help but growl. This was all his fault, it just was. If it hadn't been for the mangy stray, the terrier would be sleeping inside and not out in the backyard.

Bushes rustled nearby. Jumping with fright, Max whirled around just as a white bunny rabbit hopped out. Twitching its little pink nose curiously, the rabbit rubbed its face with its fuzzy front paws. Relaxing as he realized there was nothing to fear, Max murmured, "Hey little fella, how's your day been?"

"Oh it's very good, much better than how your day and night seems to be going right now," the rabbit remarked in a snarky male tone. Max froze in his tracks, he had not been expecting an answer. The bunny rabbit, meanwhile, twitched his nose again before he continued speaking, "Lemme guess, you've been the golden child for quite some time but now you are in the doghouse cuz your 'precious' human brought home another dog." Peering over at the sleeping Duke, the rabbit added, "And a large one at that."

"How did you guess that? Have you been spying on me?" Max questioned, baring his teeth. Unfazed by the Jack Russell terrier's attempt to scare him, the rabbit scoffed, "Oh heck nah man, I've seen this kind of thing happen a hundred times before. I'm Snowball, and I'm the leader of the Flushed Pets." Raising one eyebrow, Max retorted, "Yeah, sure you are you crazy rabbit. And what are these so-called Flushed Pets?"

"The abandoned and tossed away animals of the city, waiting for their opportunity to strike humankind down in a glorious uprising and lead the world into a new era of joy!" Snowball declared, the pupils of his eyes dilating with every word he said. Turning to a visibly terrified Max with a big smile on his face, the bunny rabbit stated, "And you are very welcome to join us my fellow abandoned animal, or you can die with the human race like the other domesticated scum."

"I could never join your stupid rebellion. And besides, I'm not an abandoned animal," Max growled, annoyed by this pest. A smirk appearing on his face, Snowball sneered, "Not yet you're not. Let me know when you've changed your mind!" And with that, the rabbit left the backyard, leaving Max to his nagging thoughts.

Was it true? Was Katie really going to choose Duke over him? Was he gonna end up on the streets as... a stray? The thoughts swirled around in Max's head, yelling at him. Was he destined to become an abandoned pet? His legs trembled underneath his body, threatening to crumble at any moment, and his heart was racing. The more he thought about it, the more his anxiety led him to believe it was true. Katie was replacing him with some mutt she found.

Numbly stealing a glance over his shoulder at his- no, his old house, Max swallowed heavily before he disappeared into the bushes surrounding the backyard...

———

"Max! Maxie! Maximilian! Where are you Max?" Katie called and beckoned from the middle of the backyard. Duke was up on the back porch, eating his breakfast. Max's bowl laid nearby, untouched. And there was no sign of the Jack Russell terrier anywhere.

Scarfing down his food like there was no tomorrow, Duke heard footsteps coming up the porch steps. He looked up from his bowl just as Katie knelt down beside him. Scratching the Newfoundland mix behind the ear with a gentle hand, the young woman mumbled, "I don't understand Duke. Max has never run away from home before. I'm so worried about him." Giving the big dog a kiss on his forehead, she continued, "I'm gonna go find him. Stay here, I'll be back soon. Have a good day Duke."

Still sitting next to his bowl as Katie went back inside the house, Duke looked over at Max's untouched food. He was half tempted to eat it himself. But he didn't. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Max. Last night, Katie had come out to let the dogs in and that was when both she and Duke realized that Max was missing. It was now morning and he was still gone.

Sure, Duke knew he and Max hadn't gotten off on the right foot, not with how rude Max had been towards him. But that didn't mean he wanted the terrier gone. Now Katie was sad and Duke had an empty house to himself. Like when he was on the streets, trying to find any kind of shelter. The outside world beyond a backyard was dangerous even for a dog as big as himself. Max wouldn't last three minutes. He needed to be found as soon as possible.

And so, setting aside his personal feelings towards the terrier, Duke set off on his mission...