Naughty Elf: Twinkle (Santa’s Naughty Elf Mates)

5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

“This is fun.” Monty Bear and I were driving into town to pick up all our online orders. Again. This was the second trip of this nature and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“You’re only happy because you get gifts.” He winked at me then returned his gaze to the road ahead. If I didn’t know better, and I likely didn’t, I’d think he was flirting with me which was fun too. Most everything was fun with Monty involved. He made all the sad thoughts go away.

“You’re like a little excitable pup, Twinkle.”

Blink-blink.

“Can we get a puppy?” I’d never had a pet before and the thought of a prospective puppy was exciting. I literally bounced as much as the seatbelt would allow. Stupid seatbelt.

“Probably not a bad idea though he or she may not like my bear. I’d heard instances of it not working out, mixing species, but my brothers have had dogs without issue.”

“Can we look? Is there a pet place in town? How do you get one? Ohhhh!”

Monty laughed. “Okay, down boy. Pet stores and local breeders are how most get theirs though I’d prefer to rescue a lost soul from a shelter. Let’s get our errands run then we can stop there on the way home. Can you make it that long?”

Lost soul, just like me . “Yes, please and thank you.”

“Morning Monty, morning, Twinkle,” Mr. Benjamin at the post office greeted us. “Have a few packages for you.”

“Morning, Ben. Yes, getting Twinkle all set up.” For as grouchy as Monty bear was, he was nice to Mr. Benjamin. And to me, actually .

“Monty, how much did we order?” Mr. Benjamin came around the corner with a big mail cart packed full of packages. “Are all of those ours?”

Mr. Benjamin laughed. “They’re got your name and address on them. Well, Monty’s but I’m sure they’re for you.”

“I may’ve gone a bit overboard.” Monty shrugged.

Monty bear was so silly. Who knew what all those boxes held. It was like Christmas for Twinkle. Now I am excited for the giant unboxing ceremony.

“Fizzle sticks.”

“What’s wrong, Twinkle?” My near curse words as Monty finished loading the truck startled him. “Did we forget something?”

“Where will we put the puppy?”

Mr. Benjamin glanced at Monty, then into the truck and back to me. “Did we trap a pup beneath the boxes?”

Monty shook his head. “No, Ben. I promised Twinkle we’d go to the shelter and look at pups on the way home.”

“Good Lord, Twinkle. You nearly gave this old man a heart attack.”

“Sorry, Mr. Benjamin.” Not sure what I did exactly, but that felt like the appropriate response .

“Thanks for your help, Ben.” Monty shut the gate on the truck. “Hop in, Twinkle. We have a couple more stops.”

I wanted to scream, kick, and throw a fit about all the stops, but I wanted a puppy more, so I kept the bad behavior in check. First time for everything. Huh, maybe with the new year came a new Twinkle.

“I see you stewing over there, Twinkle. Be good.”

That’s twice he’d said that now and I wondered if he considered me to be the new puppy.

We passed by what I thought was our next stop. “Don’t we have to go to that big food store place?”

Monty laughed. “The grocery store and we do but I figured if we didn’t get this stop out of the way you might snap.”

We drove to the edge of town and parked in front of a barn. A few other cars were there, and I saw some horses behind a fence. “Horses Monty, look! Can we pet them?” They weren’t as big as Santa’s reindeer, but they were way bigger than me.

“Come on.” Monty hopped out and I followed him over to the horses.

“They’re so pretty. We should’ve brought carrots.” I petted the long nose on the brown and white spotted one. “Such a pretty pony. ”

“Actually, they prefer apples.” Some guy said as he walked up, Monty growled beside me, and I wondered what that was for.

“Clint.”

“Monty. Who’s this?”

Monty wrapped an arm around my waist and tucked me into his side. “My mate, Twinkle.”

“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, Twinkle.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond or even if I should given how stiff Monty became with this guy near. The smile Monty had when we walked up was gone, replaced by the growly Monty I first met.

“What brings you out this way, Monty?”

Monty growled again and was about to sputter a few curse words.

I put my hand on his chest to stop him. “We’re getting a puppy.”

“Awe isn’t that nice. Look at Monty all domesticated and shit.”

Oh, I didn’t like this guy at all, picking on my Monty Bear.

“Come on, Monty, let’s go.” I didn’t know where this puppy place was, but it was time to leave .

I took his hand and tugged him toward the truck, but he stopped at the walkway that led to the big red and white barn. “Let’s go inside.”

I shrugged and followed him. Besides, he still had ahold of my hand.

As soon as Monty opened the door I was in heaven. The air was filled with happy barks, puppies on leashes with humans leading them. I jumped and squealed, the puppies turned toward me, and I ran to each one to pet them.

“Twinkle, you need to approach strange dogs slowly, so they don’t see you as a threat.” Monty warned, but I was too far gone to have my own leash tugged. “And also ask permission of their handler first.”

“Sorry Monty, but they like me.” The silly brown and white one licked my face, and I giggled. “He’s so happy.”

“He is actually a she and her name is Jazzy, and we just adopted her.” The lady holding her leash said.

“She’s so beautiful. Jazzy will make you so happy, I just know it. You’re such a sweet girl, Jazzy.” I kissed her nose and moved along to another pup while Monty talked to the lady at the desk. “I hope there are more for us.”

“Sadly, there are but it’s been a good day. I’m Marla, the manager here at Kodiak Rescue. ”

“Marla it’s wonderful to meet you, I’m Twinkle, Monty’s mate.” That was the first time I said it, and it was just as fun to say as it was to hear that word from Monty.

Marla smiled at me. “Follow me, Twinkle and we’ll show you around.”

“Kitties!” There was a big wall of glass and behind it was like a thousand cats climbing all over their climby things. “Look at all the kitties, Monty.”

“Yes,” Marla smiled. “That is our cat condo room. Every cat in that room is looking for their forever home too.”

“Monty, kitties need a home too.” I was sad for the kitties even though they appeared to be having fun.

“Let’s start with a pup first, okay?”

“’Kay.”

We followed Marla back through a heavy metal door and past a big tub. “This is one of three bathing areas we have for the animals.”

As soon as we walked through the second door, the barking hit me full on and I froze.

“Everything okay, Twinkle?” Monty stopped beside me. Concern marred his handsome face.

“That’s a lot of dogs. Big dogs, small dogs, medium dogs. That’s a lot of dogs. And they all need homes?” I was so sad for them. How awful it must be to not have a warm bed of your own.

“Yes, Twinkle,” Marla replied. “They are all hoping to find their forever homes.”

“Monty?” I was on the verge of tears, I felt so bad for them.

“We can only take one, Twinkle. I’m sorry.” Monty’s hand rubbed soothing circles along my back and while I was still sad, it was nice when he touched me.

Cage by cage we walked, letting the dogs who met me at each gate sniff my hand like Monty and Marla showed me. It tickled when they licked my hand, and I petted their heads to thank them for their kisses. Monty stayed back. He didn’t want his bear scent to upset them though some still growled at him.

“Do you see any you want to meet?” Marla asked me. “We have a meet and greet area where you can interact with them.”

“I can?” I nearly danced at the thought. “What about this one?” I pointed to a pretty girl. The name on the paper outside the cage read Tina. “Tina.”

“She’s a sweet girl. Tina is an Australian Shepherd mix. They’re herding dogs.” Marla slid a leash around Tina’s neck. “Follow me.”

Monty and I followed her to a nearby office, once inside, she shut the door and removed Tina’s leash. “There are some toys in that basket if you want to play with her. ”

I grabbed a ball and tossed it. Tina barked and chased after it. “Look Monty, she got the ball!”

“Yes, she’s good at fetching but not so much with returning it to you.” Monty smiled fondly at us. “But I bet she’s a fast learner.”

Tina and I went back and forth like this for I don’t know how long. It was gonna take a while to get her used to bringing it back to me like Monty said but training will be fun.

“Treats as rewards while training will go over well,” Marla told us.

“Good to know, we’ll stock up for sure.”

Monty and Marla talked about boring stuff while Tina and I played tug of war with a rope toy that was in the basket. This was so much fun. For the first time I had a real friend.

“I want Tina, Monty. What do you think?” Please say yes. Please say yes.

“Well, let me see if she’ll come to me, or if she backs away and growls.” Until this point, Monty had kept his distance, talking with Marla while Tina and I played.

Slowly, he came toward her. When he neared, he dropped onto one knee and held his hand out for her to sniff. Tina stilled and turned her head from side to side, it was the cutest thing ever. Then she got up and trotted right over to him and licked his hand.

“Are you sure it’s Tina you want Twinkle?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” I clapped and jumped up and down.

“Ms. Marla, I think Tina will do just fine.”

“Yay! Do we get to take her home now?”

Tina sat and Marla scratched between her ears. “We’ve got some paperwork to do, and you need to get food and a few other things before you can take her home. We have a pet supply store that’s in the building next door where you can get all of that.”

“Alright, Twinkle, while I fill out the paperwork, why don’t you go next door and start shopping for our new girl. I’ll meet you over there.”

Our new girl. Those simple words filled me with joy like no other.

“Okay.” I bent down and gave Tina one last pet, and she licked my face and I was back to giggling. “I’ll be right back, sweet girl. I’m gonna go find all kinds of fun new stuff for you.”

Monty moaned. “There goes my credit card.”

Marla laughed. “It’ll be more than worth it with the way Twinkles face lit up.”

“I think you found him the perfect pup.”

“Yes, I believe we did. ”

“Twinkle, if you go out the front door and turn right, you’ll see a big sign that says, Kodiak Pet Store. Monty and I will meet you over there. I think you’ll find everything you need to get your girl started and Sarah can help you find her food, just give her this piece of paper.” Marla handed me a page with Tina’s information on it. “And she’ll know exactly what you need.”

“Perfect,” I stood on tippy toes and kissed Monty’s cheek.

“Thank you, Marla.” On that note, I skipped out the door and down the hall.

“Whoa,” I said, as I stepped outside and spotted the store. “This place is ginormous.”

A woman greeted me as I stepped inside. “Welcome. I’m Sarah how can I help?” My eyes were wide, taking it all in.

“I’m getting a puppy. Marla said to give you this paper and you’d be able to help me get everything my new girl Tina needs.”

Sarah smiled and took the paper from me. You’d have thought I ate all the candy canes in Santa’s bag with as excited as I was.

“That’s correct, let’s get to work. While I pull out the food and treats that are healthy for her, why don’t you find a pretty new collar and leash and then we can use the machine over there to make her tags.” She pointed to something that looked like a video game. “Maybe pick out a couple of toys for her. Do you know if you’re going to kennel train?”

“Oh, I don’t think we’ll need to because I’ll be home with her all the time. She’ll probably go everywhere with me.” I couldn’t wait to put on her cute little winter coat and go for walks and make puppy snow angels.

“Okay, no worries,” Sarah said.

“Can puppies have cookies?”

“Only specific dog approved ones. There are some over with the snacks, even a mix and match area where you can pick out different ones.”

“Yay!”

After I filled a bag with lots of pretty cookies, I wandered from shelf to shelf. There were so many cute things to buy. Another guy who worked here brought me a basket to put the pile I was struggling with carrying into. I picked Tina the cutest pink collar with rainbows on it and a matching leash. There were so many great toys to choose from, even I wanted to play with them. I guess I kind of would be when I played with Tina. There, we could share. Problem solved.

The squeaky hamburger was an instant favorite. I squeaked it as I walked around, kind of turned it into a beat I danced to .

“I should have known you’d find the noisiest toy in the place.” Monty’s voice startled me but did nothing to wipe the smile off my face.

I glanced behind him. “Where’s Tina?”

“She’s with Marla. They had to give her a couple shots. Good news is she’s already been spayed, so we don’t have to worry about that. They’re cleaning her up and getting her ready to go for you. As soon as we buy what she needs we’ll load her up and hit the grocery store on the way home.” Monty took the basket, but I held onto the hamburger.

“Are we allowed to take her into the big food store?” I didn’t know what the rules were and causing any more trouble wasn’t high on my list of wants any longer. Lesson learned and all that.

“Well,” Sarah said as she walked up, “in some towns it’s frowned upon but lucky for us the folks in Kodiak are lenient and animal lovers.” She winked at Monty. “They just ask that you not take them into the restaurant kitchens. On the outside patio they have water dishes for the dogs and treats as well.”

“That is so cool. I love Tina already, and I don’t ever want to be away from her. Now she can go everywhere Monty and I go.” I’d quickly warmed up to my new life, but this really sealed the deal for me. Not that I had a choice, but it was nice to be happy just the same .

Monty smiled at me. “That’s the plan, Twinkle. Occasionally we might go somewhere that she can’t but that’ll be rare. I always wanted the kind of dog that I could take on job sites with me and if you go, it’ll be a family affair.”

Family.

Twinkle the lonely elf had a family of his own.

Finally.

I couldn’t wait for everything Monty mentioned to happen. I was excited for our new life though I wasn’t sure where I fit in. Yet. Maybe he had special jobs lined up for me. I was a great helper and a fast learner. Even though I pretty much always made everybody mad. But so far this this life wasn’t as lonely as my old one and I had no desire to cook up trouble to get attention. I only hoped it stayed that way.

No more naughty Twinkle.

Sarah rang everything up and Monty slid a card through that little machine on the counter. I’d learned much in the time I’d been here but still had a long way to go. I supposed if I needed to know how something worked that Monty would explain it to me.

“Here Twinkle, take the leash and collar so you can put it on Tina. I made the tag with all our information and attached it already. Let’s put the bags in the truck and go get our girl. ”

“Yay!”

When we walked back inside the big building were the animals were, Tina was waiting for us by the front desk with Marla. As soon as she saw me her little nub of a tail bobbed up and down. She was just as excited to see me as I was to see her.

“Did Sarah get you guys taken care of?” Marla asked.

“Yes.” Monty bent to pet Tina. “Sarah took very good care of my credit card.”

“She was wonderful. We got so many new things for our girl. I just know that Tina will be happy with us. Look, we got a new collar and a leash. Aren’t they cute?” I held them up and the tag jingled.

“They are very cute and perfect for her. Let me show you the proper way to fit a collar.” Marla put it around Tina’s neck, and I watched as she measured which hole to put the silver thingy in and latched it in place. “See how I can fit a finger underneath this collar?” I nodded. “That’s what you want. You want it so it’s not too tight, so she can still breathe and move around but not so loose that it slides off over her head and she gets away.”

“Oh, that would be very bad, and I’d be very sad.” Just the thought caused my eyes to tear.

“Yes, we all would be. It’s not safe for animals to run around loose. They can get hurt, or worse. ”

I didn’t want to think about what Marla said. I knew it was true, but it was just too heartbreaking for me. I’d only just met Tina, and I was already in love with her. I couldn’t imagine how the volunteers at the shelter would feel after being with the animals as much as they had. Bonds were formed whether you tried to distance your heart or not.

“Alright, I think you guys are ready to go.” Marla handed me Tina’s leash. “Monty, you have all the paperwork. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call. She’s had all her shots, and I put the card for the local veterinarian who also volunteers here so you can set up her follow up appointment. I’ll transfer a copy of her records to him as well for you.”

“Thank you for everything Marla.” Monty and I shook Marla’s hand. “Alright, Tina, are you ready to see your new home?” She barked right on queue. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Tina rode on my lap all the way to the big food store, licking my face every once in a while like she was making sure I was still there. After Monty parked, we hopped out and followed him inside. She sniffed everything within reach along the way. I guess it was just as new to her as it was to me. Hurriedly, we gathered all the groceries off Monty’s list and by the time we loaded those in the truck it was filled to the brim. But we were stocked up and ready to show our girl her new home.