Chapter 29—Angel's Deceit

The puppies and parents gasped. Buster revealed himself from behind the trees, smiling devilishly at the puppies.
“Buster,” Tramp told him, growling. “Get away from us.”
    Buster smirked. “You don’t scare me… you lost your touch when you turned your back on everything and settled down with Miss Powderpuff.”
    “Why are you here?” Lady asked worriedly. “Can’t you just leave us alone?”
    “Oh no, Miss Powderpuff,” Buster explained with a smirk. “I need revenge. I don’t like to be sent to the pound. And not only was I sent to the pound, but by kids who are traitors!”
    “Sent to the pound?” Perdita asked.
    “That’s right,” Buster stated viciously. “Those brats betrayed me, and then got me caught in the dogcatcher’s net.”
    “Did you really?” Peg asked Angel, amazed. “You know sweetie, that’s…”
    “Who’re you?” Buster demanded.
    “None of your business,” Peg curtly responded, glaring at Buster.
    “I’ve seen you somewhere before,” Buster muttered, thinking aloud. “I’ll figure you out later. Anyways… those brats betrayed me! They’re just like you, Tramp! You turned your back on me and quit my gang!”
    “Hey, Buster, I didn’t ever join your gang,” Tramp told him exasperatedly. “Stop lying about it.”    
    “Who are you to talk?” Buster snapped. “You lie to everyone all the time. Everyone knows that.”
    “No he doesn’t,” Lady told Buster firmly. “I know him better than anyone else. He’s my husband. And he’s not a liar anymore.”
    “Buster, you knew I didn’t want to be chained down to a gang,” Tramp told him firmly. He was suddenly a lot more confident than when trying to talk to the puppies. “I had a life to live. I wanted freedom and to make my own choices.”
“Well you made yours,” Buster glared at Tramp. “You abandoned me.”
“Hey, hey…Buster... I saved your life, and helped you learn to live on the streets. I thought you'd learn to become another helpful streetdog like me. But I saw you bully another dog in the dogcatcher's net. You laughed at him, taunted, and teased him. Just because he wanted love himself. And that’s when I saw what you had become. You’ve come a long way since when you were in his place. And you wonder why I wouldn’t want to join with you.”
    Scamp and Angel listened intently to Tramp. “He didn’t tell us this,” Angel whispered.
    “So that’s why he didn’t join,” Scamp added.
    “Oh yeah, taking pity on Pinky,” Buster laughed. “But he deserved it. He was just jealous, that’s all. And he wasn’t dog enough to be with us. He wouldn’t have passed the tests. And he would’ve ruined our image.”
    Abruptly, Peg gasped. Tramp then growled to Buster, “I see you haven’t changed. He was a great street dog himself. He reminded me of you. You both rose to become top street dogs. But you became obsessed with power and glory. And he didn’t. He was good and decent. He followed my paw prints. I’m proud of Spunky, no matter what you might say to put him down, even now. So just leave him alone!”
    Then Angel gasped. “That’s…that’s…”
    “Yeah, don’t you dare insult my husband!” Peg shouted to Buster.
    Everybody gasped at that moment.
    Tramp then looked at Peg… “You mean… Spunky was your husband?” he asked in surprise.
    Peg nodded.
Lady muttered, “I thought your husband’s name was Scruffs? I learned that at the pound.”
“Sometimes, the pound dogs aren’t that great at names,” Peg told Lady.
Buster looked puzzled at Peg. Then, he grinned at her. “Oh, ho, ho!” Buster smiled in delight. “I remember you now. You’re Peg, that low-life pound diva. Nothing like trying to split up Tramp and his powderpuff, is there?”
“Buster,” Peg spat at him. “I’m not there for that, you lying filth. And I just told you. I’m already married.”
    “Ha-ha-ha, what spunk,” Buster told Peg. “And don’t lie to me. I know that old Spunky is dead. Everyone knows he is. And you’re damaged goods. Nobody would ever want you. Except...”
And then, Buster got a devilish smirk. "You could become my girl."
    “Never Buster," Peg told him flatly. "And my Spunky was wonderful, and I still love him, even if he is dead,” Peg told Buster flatly.
“So,” Buster growled at Peg. “Why are you…”
    Then, Buster looked at Peg and Angel, and just smiled. “Ha ha ha, I should’ve known… your suave, sassy natures, that puffy tail, that blonde fluffy coat, and those big blue eyes…ooh, those eyes give it away! I should’ve known you were related.”
    Peg nodded proudly, staring at Buster intently. “That’s right, Buster,” Peg told him viciously. “She’s my little angel.”
    “It’s so obvious now,” Buster laughed to Angel. “You wound up with the lamest excuses for street dogs I could think of for parents. No wonder why you weren’t cut out to be a junkyard dog.”
    Angel was about to respond, but she held back. She began to form an idea. Scamp then shouted, "Don't you dare insult Angel's parents!"
Lady then added, “All of us know better than to join up with you. Now, why don’t you just stop being horrible to us?”
    Buster growled. “Enough talk! I’m going to get my revenge! Scampster, Angelcakes, Patchy, you’re puppy chow!”
    The parents hurriedly swarmed over the puppies as Buster circled in, trying to break through the ranks. Perdita, Pongo, Lady, Tramp, and Peg all growled at Buster fiercely as Buster circled them.
    “Hey, I’m not after you guys,” Buster snarled at the parents. “Hand those babies over, and no one will get hurt.”
    “No one,” Lady told Buster in disbelief. “You just said yourself that you’ll murder our puppies!”
    “Aw, I was just joking, powderpuff,” Buster told Lady. “Come on… hand them over, or I’ll get you first.”
    “We’re not moving,” Pongo told Buster firmly.
    “They’re our children,” Perdita told him.
    “I thought you had ninety-eight others,” Buster told Perdita. “Just give me Patchy, and no one will be hurt.”
    “Never,” Pongo told him.
    “You better leave us alone,” Tramp warned Buster.
    “Or we’ll fight you,” Peg told Buster.
    The seven puppies stood in the middle of all the parents, carefully huddled in between them. The parents continued to growl at Buster threateningly. Buster then announced, “Hey, if you keep on resisting, I’ll just call your old friend Cruella.”
    “How do you know about Cruella?” Pongo asked.
    Buster smiled. “I’ve been helping her out. Remember those barks that announced that those puppies escaped? That was me. It was so beauty-ful. Those idiot puppies fell for it! They thought it was Tramp!”
    “Don’t insult our children!” Perdita told Buster.
    “Yeah, stop it, Buster,” Lady added. “Just leave them alone. You don’t need to be this hateful.”
Ignoring Lady, Buster declared, “So get going or I’ll fight you all! And I can beat all of you meek, little housedogs and turn you all into kibble. Don’t get any ideas.”
Scamp, Angel, and Patch watched their parents defending them. Then, Angel whispered, “I guess… they really do love us.”
“Yeah, I know,” Scamp added. “Even Tramp does.”
“I didn’t know he’d stand up for both Mom and Dad,” Angel whispered, smiling.
Patch then whispered, “I think we’re hurting all our Moms and Dads… we’re letting them fight Buster for us.”
    “What should we do, though?” Penny asked.
     “We have to distract him from all of our moms and dads,” Scamp answered breathlessly.
    “But how?” Danielle asked curiously.
    Then, Angel smiled. “We’ll lure him away ourselves,” she told them.
    Penny gasped. “That’s so dangerous!”
    “Scamp, Angel, and I can do it,” Patch told Penny. “He’s after us specifically because we walked out on him. And he wouldn’t dare fight the Tramp… I don’t think. So let’s lure him out.”
    “Where should we meet you?” Puffball asked as the parents continued to growl threateningly at Buster, who was circling to find an opening to attack the kids.
    “At the railroad, how about,” Scamp suggested.
    “The railroad?” Angel asked. “But why…”
    “I have an idea,” Scamp smiled, smirking.
    “Great,” Patch told them. Then, Patch hurried through the gap between Peg and Perdita. Angel and Scamp followed, running out.
    “Children, come back!” Perdita cried.
    Buster stopped. He smirked devilishly, and then stated, “Beauty-ful.”
    And he instantly followed Scamp, Angel, and Patch down the path.
    “Oh no!” Lady gasped. “They’ve… run away again.”
    “Sorry Pidge,” Tramp told her. “I…shouldn’t have done that stuff. They’ll never forgive me.”
    “It’s not that,” Puffball explained to Lady and Tramp. “Scamp, Angel, and Patch want to save you guys from Buster.”
    The parents gasped.
“You mean… they really forgive us?” Lady asked excitedly.
Puffball nodded. “Except if they’re trying to trick us again.”
“I hope they’ll turn out all right,” Perdita moaned in worry.
    “They think they’ll get by just fine, and they’ll stop Buster,” Puffball explained. “They say they’ll meet you at the railroad tracks.”
    Tramp smirked. “You know, I think they might be able to pull this off. Remember we promised not to be overprotective. Let’s give them the chance to prove themselves. Follow me.”
    “Let’s hide,” Pongo suggested. “We can protect them in case of emergency, and hide from Cruella.”
    “Keep close, children,” Perdita told Penny and Lucky. “Cruella’s still after you.”
    Meanwhile, down the railroad tracks, Scamp, Angel, and Patch stood. “So what’s your plan?” Patch asked.
    “Remember how I got my paw stuck in the boards?” Scamp asked Angel.
    Then, Angel smiled. “Of course,” she smiled. “Patch… these boards are insecure. We’ve got to trick Buster into forgetting that.”
    “Let’s try to weaken up the boards,” Scamp suggested, and he and Patch walked on many boards, pressing hard on each of them. Fortunately, some of them cracked.
    “We’ll be able to get by on these,” Patch told Scamp. “But probably not him… he’s too big!”
    “Yeah, I know,” Scamp smiled. “It’s a big drop. Maybe we’ll lose him.” Then, Scamp and Patch walked up to Angel. “It looks perfect to us.”
    “Let’s pretend to be scared of him,” Patch suggested.
    “Yeah,” Scamp agreed. “What are you doing, Angel?” he asked Angel, who was sitting down slyly.
    “I’m preparing for my part,” Angel smirked. “I’ve been thinking it over for a while… I’m going to have some fun with him.”
    Scamp and Patch looked bewildered at Angel. But then, at last, Buster arrived. He smiled. “Aha! There you guys are. And no parents to protect you!”
    “Oh no! Run!” Scamp gasped. He and Patch hurried across the railroad tracks. A couple of pieces of wood cracked with the sound of their crossing.
    “Haha, scaredy puppies,” Buster mocked. Then he saw Angel, who was just sitting there, pretending to ignore Buster. “Hey, Angelcakes. How come you’re not scared?”
    Angel then smirked to Buster. “I was just… pretending to be with them,” she smiled. “But why would I want to be a meek, little housedog? I decided that I want to be your girl after all. I just didn’t understand how charming and attractive you were.”
    “Yeah, she expects to fool me,” Buster laughed. “Hey kid, hate to break it to ya, but it ain’t going to work.”
    “What isn’t going to work?” Angel smiled to Buster deviously. “I’ve been cooped up and trapped in that prissy little home. I’ve ran away from home to try and join up with you. I just haven’t had the chance. And I’m longing for the old days,” she smiled.
    “Yeah!” Buster announced excitedly. He continued, “The old days!”
    “I’ve talked to Ruby about it, too,” Angel continued slyly. “She feels the same way. So does Francois, and Mooch, and all of your other old minions,” Angel laughed. “You can rule us all again… and have all the power you ever dreamed of.”
    “Power… power!” Buster shouted excitedly. “Yes… junkyard dogs will rule this town, and Buster would rule the junkyard dogs!”
    “Yes,” Angel told Buster craftily. “You’ll have loads of power. And… you can make me your girl.”
“Hang on there,” Buster told Angel suspiciously. “You need to pass a test. My test for you is to kill your meek little housedog friend Scampster,” Buster announced devilishly.
    “Oh, that will be easy,” Angel purred.
    Scamp and Patch, waiting at the other end of the railroad tracks, shivered nervously.
    “She won’t do it, would she?” Patch asked, slightly nervous.
    “Hey, it’s part of the act,” Scamp told Patch confidently. “Or… I hope.”
    Angel then rushed down the track. With fury, she tackled Scamp, and pinned him to the ground.
    “Angel, what are you doing?” Scamp gasped. He knew he had to act surprised.
    “Killing you, what else!” she laughed devilishly. “You’re dead meat, Scampster. You betrayed the junkyard dogs. Now you will have to suffer the consequences.”
    “Let him go, Angel,” Patch told Angel worriedly.
    “Angel… Angel… but… what about Peg? Or Mom and Dad… and hey, what about us? Aren’t we friends? And I thought… you’re my girlfriend!” Scamp asked, sounding increasingly worried.
    “I don’t care about any of those sniveling parents! Or you! Forget those fireflies and Tony’s… those days are over!” Angel growled to Scamp and pressed hard onto him. “And don’t ask for pity. Scamp’s trouble is Scamp’s trouble, just like Angel’s trouble is Angel’s trouble!”
    “Get off him!” Patch shouted to Angel, agitated.
“Beautyful,” Buster purred as he walked to the edge of the railroad track. “That’s it, Baby. Now let me finish the job.”
    “Oh don’t,” Angel cooed slyly. “I want do to the honors.”
    “Hey, hate to break it to you kid, but as I rule the junkyard dogs, I’m going to finish him off,” Buster told Angel.
    “Oh, then, very well, Buster,” Angel told him craftily as Buster began to run across the bridge.
    But then, there was a crack. A railroad board fell out from under Buster.
    “Ugh… what’s this!” Buster yelled as he fell down into the river, furious.
    “Ha ha, fooled ya!” Angel declared in delight. She took her paws off Scamp as Buster fell.
    “Wahoo!” Scamp announced. “Bye Buster!”
    “I’ll get you for this!” Buster proclaimed in outrage. “You’ve not seen the last of me yet!”
    “Slick move!” Scamp shouted as Buster floated down, screaming threats from a distance.
    Then a rustling came from the bushes. Behind him, the five parents emerged.
    “Patch, Scamp, Angel,” Lady cooed to them. “Why, you were amazing!”
    “Hey, thanks,” Scamp smiled to Lady.
    “That’s my Angel,” Peg told her. “You made your daddy proud. You put on a wonderful show.”
    Scamp sighed, and looked at his parents. He smiled slightly as he told them, “Thanks for finding us.”
    “Yeah,” Patch sighed. “I’m sorry for running off...”
    “Oh, it’s all right,” Perdita told them forgivingly.
    “Tramp,” Angel whispered. “I… I’m happy to see that you’ve changed...”
    Tramp smiled at Angel. “Thanks Angel… it means a lot to me that you forgive me,” he told her.
    “Of course I do!” Angel told him brightly. “You… you really care about my Mom after all. And I didn’t know you stood up for my dad, either!”
    “I didn’t know he was your dad,” Tramp stated proudly. “But… your father was one of the greatest street dogs I knew.”
    “We’ll promise to treat you better, all right?” Lady asked gently, embracing Scamp slightly. “We’ll try to understand you… and let you be who you really are.” Scamp nodded.
    Lucky then asked, “Does anyone know where we are?”
    “Hey, we’re not too far from the other bridge,” Tramp announced.
    “Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Peg told the others. She looked inexplicably back for some reason.
    “The other junkyard’s not very far back,” Tramp told Scamp and Angel.
    “We’ve just got to get there to get your collars back,” Perdita told them.
    The puppies and parents were ready for the final journey.