Chapter Text
"My my, what beautiful cats!" said the judge loudly. Thankfully, Runt didn't hear the word 'cat' or else all the tables would be flipped over and all hell would break loose. Rita waited quietly under the table, waiting for a chance for her to pop out and present herself. "All of the cats today were just lovely! Unfortunately there could only be one winner. Let's go over the top three, shall we?" The judge pointed to a cat with puffy orange fur, a long silky tail, and sparking blue eyes. "Ms. Poppy, the orange cat.", the judge introduced. The cat seemingly waved to the crowd. "Mr. Tux, our beloved tuxedo cat.", the judged continued. Unlike most 'tuxedo' cats, he had a makeshift bowtie and cufflinks on his body that was actually his fur. He winked at the cats and held his head high. "And last but most certainly not least, Snuffy!", the judged gestured at the last cat. 'Snuffy' winced at their name for a moment, but flaunted their beautiful spotty coat all the same. "And our winner is-"
"Hey, what's that stray doing there?"
The judge turned around to see a small, gray cat sitting on an empty table that was reserved for the winner cat. Rita's heart was beating a mile a minute as her eyes frantically darted from person to person, and cat to cat. Even worse, she could hear their comments. "Is that a stray? What-How on earth did that come in?", one cat commented. "I thought we had tighter security.", the other replied. "What an odd looking cat, is that gray fur or dirt?", one cat sneered. "And I think that's my collar!", one yelled angrily, fur sticking up. The judge looked around for a moment, messing with his mustache, "Does this...thing belong to anyone?" "Ouch", Rita thought to herself. "Can you be anymore condescending?" As the people mumbled at this interruption, the judge sighed, "Oh well, must of came inside by accident, let us get this stray back outside where it belongs."
Rita couldn’t believe it, not one human is even considering her. The judge reached out with his arms outstretched towards her as she stepped back. "Psst, Rita!", a voice whispered to her. She looked behind the judge to see Runt underneath the table with his goofy grin. "Sing Rita, sing!" She gulped, not sure how much that will do. She cleared her throat and sang.
I've never been the favorite cat
I've never been the first pick
I've never been the one
To make the other cats tick
I've always been the loner
Roaming the streets I've called my own
I've always been the one
To call a empty alley a home
I've never been the pretty one
I've always been the lonely one
Wishin' on a star
Prayin' for a miracle
That someone could look at me
And think I could be something not typical
Something
Better than what you see
Now to all the cats there in that contest plus one big mutt, she had the most beautiful voice ever heard. The cats whistled and cheered when she finished, wanting another song. However to humans, it just sounds like meowing. Don't get it wrong, it's a beautiful meow, the mind you wouldn’t mind hearing longer than most, but still meowing. The judge uncovered his ears, "Great, it yowls, and its upsetting the other cats too. Listen to them whine!" He was not under the impression that they were in fact praising her. He grabbed her by the scruff on her back, red with anger. "This dirty, loud, intruding cat is out of here." He shook her once to prove a point, "I'm throwing her back into the street to starve, where she belongs-". What happens next was too quick to process to Rita. Runt ran from under the table and bit the thigh of the judge, snarling and growling. The judge yelped and threw Rita in the air. Thankfully, she was a cat so she stopped in midair to land gently on her feet. "Cartoon physics, always there when you need them.", she joked. The judge tried to fend off Runt, which the mutt responded to a tighter bite. "It's a mad dog!", one of the humans screamed, grabbing her cat and booking for the exit. People started to run out the building, which prompted Runt to let go. Rita ran to him, "Let's go Runt before they call animal control, if it's not too late already."
They escaped outside and hid in, yep, an alleyway. They watched in a corner as people and cats fled the building.
Rita sighed as she looked away, walking further into the alleyway. Runt turned to her, "What's wrong Rita?" The gray cat stopped walking, her back towards the sunset. "I knew nobody would pick me.", she said softly as her ears lowered. "I...I really wanted to be seen, Runt. I thought maybe, just maybe, one person would think...I'd be good enough." Runt simply watched her, his ears lowering slightly. "I'm sorry Rita, it's all my fault. I bit that angry mustache man too hard. Definitely." Rita chuckled softy, "No, no he deserved that one." She looked back at Runt, her tail wrapped around her as she does when she's upset. "I guess it's silly, but I really thought I would've been adored by a human. To be praised and loved like those other animals were." Runt stared back before walking towards her, sitting close. "But why do you want that?" Runt tilted his head, looking down at Rita. She shrugged as she sat down, "Why not? Don't you?" Runt looked up for a moment, thinking. Rita took this opportunity of silence to look behind her, seeing the people holding their cats close, making sure they were ok. Rita look ahead of her, staring at the grey wall, filled with graffiti and trash. This is what she was destined to be, a boring, dirty, stray. She sighed as she closed her eyes.
"Y'know, I don't need that.", Runt interrupted her thoughts, finally answering her question. Rita jumped slightly as she was snapped from her depressing thoughts. "I um...what?" Runt smiled wide, "I don't need all that, yep definitely don't need that." Rita stared up at Runt, as he sits there, proud of his answer. She raises one eyebrow, "Ok, why?" Runt looked back at her, wagging his tail. "B'cause, I got you! You're my favorite dog, and you're always nice to me, definitely a nice doggy. You always say, I'm a good dog, and you are too!" Rita blinked in response, a small smile on her face. He continues, getting more excited, "And those other doggies? They looked weird, definitely. They didn't look nice at all, and they sure didn't sound pretty either." Rita giggled a bit, "So what are you saying exactly? You're a bit all over the place." Runt shook his head, "No I'm not, I'm sitting right here." She sighed, "What I mean is, what are you trying to say?" Runt smiled again, his tail wagging a bit faster, "You're my favorite...uh...everything! You make me happy, and I love ya! Like how those humans like their doggies." He stands up, and faces Rita.
"You're better than anyone could've wanted."
Rita smiles at him, as she stands up too. She gently tugs on his ear playfully, "And you're my favorite too." Runt giggled before standing up straight. "Oh boy! I almost forgot!" He shoots out the alley, leaving Rita confused. After a couple of moments, he comes back, something in-between his teeth. He plops down in front of Rita, holding out the thing for her. She takes it, looking it over. It's the old collar Runt tried to give her earlier. But with all the ruckus, some lettering fell off, spelling 'LOVED'. She bites the corner of her lip, trying not to burst into tears. She hold up and put it on, making sure the letters are facing the front. "How do I look?", she asks softly, her voice crackling slightly. "Like the prettiest doggy in the whole world." Runt nods once, in affirmation to his answer. She chuckles as she climbs on his back. "Now, let's get out of here. I hear that Italian restaurant throws out their leftovers at this time." Runt practically jumps for joy, "Oh boy oh boy! Pizza!" He races down the street, with Rita holding on his ears. She smiles as he run, placing one hand on her collar gently. No matter what happens, no matter what enemies they face, they'll always be together. Loved.