Loving and Learning

Keeping Secrets

Dolly was picking up toys that the pups left behind from playtime and now they were outside. It had been about ten minutes since Dante left the house, but she was nowhere near done.

"Dante, Dante?!"

Dolly heard Deepak in the foyer calling out for Dante. He walked into the living room and was accompanied by DJ.

"Yo Dolly have you seen Dante?" DJ asked.

"He's out right now." Dolly said.

Deepak and DJ looked a bit worried and Dolly noticed.

"Oh ok then." Deepak said.

Both the pups turned around to go back outside. Dolly suspected they knew.

"Hey hold on you two I need to ask you both something, do you both know of a pup that Dante has been hanging with?" Dolly asked.

Both DJ and Deepak stopped suddenly, dead in their tracks and turned at her looking stunned.

"W-what do y-you mean?" Deepak stuttered.

"Y-yeah what are you talking about." DJ said, giving a nervous grin.

"Yup they definitely know." Dolly thought to herself.

"I'm just wanna know the name of this pup, that's all." She said.

"We, we don't know anything about this girl." Deepak said quickly.

Dolly smiled smugly.

"I never mentioned the pup was a girl, so why did you?" Dolly asked.

DJ and Deepak were now sweating.

"Lucky guess, heh heh." Deepak laughed nervously.

Dolly squinted at him, time to pull the big guns out.

"Come on Deepak, I don't think it's the way of Guru Miaow to lie." Dolly said slyly.

A sudden feeling of shame hit Deepak as she spoke those words, he always followed the ways of Guru Miaow with strong devotion and he remembered the cat neighbor Constantin preach how lying was greatly discouraged and that followers were to be pure of any evil, for it was the way of cats.

Tears formed, the thought that he was disappointing the great Guru struck him hard and fell to the floor crying.

"Ok I admit it, we do know about this girl! Guru Miaow forgive me! "Sniff." Deepak cried loudly.

"Deepak no!" DJ begged.

"I'm sorry I have to, I can't sin against Guru Miaow, how then can I be his follower and achieve cathood, bringing peace and wisdom to all!" Deepak argued.

DJ smacked his paw on his forehead with frustration at his brother's statement.

"So I was right, you two knew, well look it's fine cause Dante already knows that I know." Dolly explained.

"He does!" DJ and Deepak said in unison.

"Yeah and I want to keep it a secret as well, I think it's safe to say that mom and dad's methods aren't working even though they mean well." Dolly said.

Deepak was unhappy hearing that.

"But.......but that means have to keep lying. Deepak stated, looking ready to cry again.

Dolly placed both paws on his shoulders.

"Listen bro, all you need to do is not say or do anything that would indicate you know about her, we'll all talk to Dante later when he gets back, but I think I'm getting the feeling about how to help him now and I think you two probably know to." Dolly said.

Deepak relaxed a little but he was still unsure.

"I'm just afraid to get him in trouble, what if we make it worse?" Deepak questioned.

Dolly hugged him.

"It will be ok, I have a feeling that we're on the right track." Dolly reassured.

Deepak smiled slightly and hugged her back, DJ joined into the hug as well, he looked reassured himself.

"Dolly can you get the pooper scooper out, the backyard is getting gross!" Dylan cried out from the other room.

"Well that's a mood killer." Dolly said.

She released her brothers and opened the closet to grab a scooper.

"Well see you two later." Dolly said.

After she left, DJ looked down at Deepak who looked uncertain.

"Hey what's wrong now." DJ asked.

"Well I do believe Dolly is right about keeping Elvira a secret, but I'm worried over what will happen if Dante sees her again after what happen yesterday." Deepak explained.

"Oh.....right." DJ said remembering. He pulled Deepak into another hug. "Well we're just gonna have to wait and let it play out and trust Dolly on this, we don't have much other options, it be difficult for Dante to find someone else who would put up with his buzz kill attitude."

"Yeah your right." Deepak said.

Meanwhile around Camden, Dante was out seeking for Portia, hoping she would give any information about where Elvira.

"Alright Portia where are you?" He said to himself.

He wandered all over, seeking any places she might be. He walked past some shops and came across the pet spa and looked through the window.

There he saw Portia along with Spencer inside on a massage table. He opened the door and stepped inside.

"Time to see if you know anything."