Chapter Two, Past is Home

The Doberman rolled his eyes at her, and Lois Nottès pouted. She stood back up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with an exhausted hand, "I don't know why grandmother liked you so much, you barely talk and you're down to earth boring."

Boring? Alpha huffed, she hasn't seen anything yet.

The woman began feeling her pockets and hair kept falling in her face. She repeatedly kept tucking them behind each ear until finally she turned her attention back to him; having been patient as ever. He raised a brow at her.

"I had a leash, but I guess I forgot it at home." Lois shrugged, "No matter, we better get going or the movers will beat us back home. Come on," she gestured for him to follow.

Alpha's ears twitched. The woman didn't even take the time to bid farewell to her deceased grandmother; in fact, she didn't look depressed at all. Something was up, and he was going to find out. He watched as the young woman gave her sobbing mother a hug and went ahead towards an awaiting taxi. The door was opened for him, and he climbed in with Lois following.

She buckled herself in and made the Doberman sit on her lap where she carried him.

"Where to, ma' am?" The taxi driver adjusted the rearview mirror. Lois replied with Judy's old address and they were off.

The taxi ride hadn't been as relaxing as it used to be when Judy was still around and cooking, but that's just the life of once someone close was gone.

He strolled behind Lois as she entered the already open house. Alpha noticed that there were empty boxes lying in the hallway and had poured out onto the porch. This was Judy's house and all had been changed, furniture and the picture frames the old woman had kept when she was still alive; the old Victorian house had more colour now but it wasn't the same as he had first stepped into it two weeks ago.

"I guess the movers got here before us, and they did a good job of messing up grandma's house." Lois sighed and frowned at a displaced piano, "I told them not to move this thing! Gosh, why…"

Alpha climbed the stairs as Lois adjusted Judy's old piano. Upstairs wasn't a disaster unlike down below, and the rooms had been changed around except for the bathroom. What used to be Judy's study room was replaced with a music room that he found uninteresting. The attic was the only positive part of the upstairs that he found well replaced. It was a bedroom now, but the furniture still needed to be placed correctly.

Alpha drew back his ears and he stared at the single window across from him; the sunlight was shining through and he could remember the time Judy had shown him something special...

He climbed the stairs to the attic, following after old Judy who carried a tweeting bird. The bird had been a Chickadee, and it had fallen from its nest when he and his owner had been out gardening. He discovered it in a bush after hearing its cries and he quickly called Judy over.

Vittora gestured for her best friend to come over, and turned her attention back at the window. Alpha hurried over and hopped onto the window seat, "Where is the bird? Did it fly away?"

Sadly his voice was still squeaky as ever; if only Muntz, or some sort of technician would fix his constantly breaking collar. But that didn't matter right now; the bird was more interesting at the moment. He sniffed at the window ledge and peaked down to the bushes below to see if the flyer had fallen again, but instead his attention was brought to a small house hanging outside the window.

"It can house three birds," Judy smiled, "I made it for the Chickadees." She explained.

"But the hole is too miniscule for the bird to fit through." He stated, staring up at the house. Judy chuckled hoarsely, "Yes, but Chickadees are small, you see Alpha, before I adopted you, my very first friend was Jane. She has a family now; the tiny Chickadee that you saved is her child."

Judy gave the Doberman a gentle pat, "Good boy, good dog."

"Alpha?"

He gasped, "Judy!" he turned towards the staircase, and then frowned, "No wait… that's not Judy."

Lois' head emerged, and then her whole body as she made her way up, "Hey, you found my room. What were you doing up here, anyway? I thought I heard a mouse…" she added, scratching her head and looking at a corner as if a mouse was there.

Alpha remained quiet and disappointed.

"Hey, didn't grandma have a bird house here somewhere?" Lois questioned, more to herself, "I better go—"

"NO!" Alpha blurted, and ran over to the brunette as she made her way to the window, "Don't take it down! I-it's special, especially for Judy's bird friends."

Lois paused, strands of hair falling in her face again, and she burst out laughing; stumbling and holding her sides. Alpha had been discovered and he was not amused; he rolled his eyes at the girl's reaction towards his… dreadful voice. He growled silently, "It's not funny."

"Oh ho!" Lois snorted, "You were the mouse…" she continued to laugh.

It took a few moments for the young woman to calm down, and when she did, she straightened up and breathed, "I wasn't going to take it down, silly. I was just going to clean it."

"Go ahead."