The Fox and The Puppies - Early Access (Patreon)

       “Faster! She’s gaining on us!” Kyu the white dog-boy shouted leading his two friends. “Why won’t she give up?” Panted Ju, doing his best to keep up. After emerging from the bushes Lu collapsed on his hands and knees, barely able to stand up as his legs shivered from exhaustion. “I can’t walk anymore... why won’t she just leave us alone?” he whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes, as Ju ran over to him pulling him back on his feet. “It can’t be much further now, come on, we just need to get out of the forest! She won’t follow us any further than that!”

        Three dog boys on the run together for months since they escaped their orphanage, Kyu, Ju, and Lu relied only on each other while surviving on their own. Stealing and causing mischief to get by, they deeply depended on each other and practically brothers. Led by the white dog boy Kyu, his wits and priorities made him the sharpest one in their group. Eyes cute but sharp, reflecting his personality, with short fur that was snow white and very soft. Ju was the most sensible and responsible of their group. Sporting dark fur and husky-like eyes, he was the smartest and most sensible among them always putting his friends before himself. Never talking about his past or upbringing, only mentioning that he doesn’t want to talk about it. Lu was the runt of their group, innocent and very sweet, but helpless and afraid. Abused quite badly before being put into the orphanage, he was very timid as a result. Due to years of neglect he suffered in his early life, he had no claws or any developed jaw muscles to defend himself as his brothers did. Fur was brown and a bit fluffy, but he had a talent for hiding in plain sight.

        Pursued by a strange woman for the past day, she was a powerful fox rumored to be a witch. They heard stories that anyone who entered her forest would be snatched up and eaten alive like Hansel and Gretel. After stealing some apples from her, they thought they would be safe. But the woman has pursued them relentlessly, and made a point of not losing her trail on the three brothers. What’s worse, they haven’t even been able to escape her forest, it was as if they were going in circles. Weary and exhausted, they grew anxious and panicked. Ju bent down holding his hands behind his back for Lu. “Quickly, get on! I’ll carry you the rest of the way!” he commanded, scanning for their pursuer. Lu was so tired he couldn’t stop panting. “I’ll only slow you down...” he said in defeat. “Just go ahead, maybe she’ll be satisfied if she justas me to eat.” Ju grabbed Lu’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “Don’t you even joke about that!” he growled, bearing his teeth at Lu. “If you’re not moving we’re not moving either!”

        Lu shook his head, as his friend's strict growl had scared some sense into him. But just as they were about to get their footing, Kyu’s ears stood up as he noticed something peculiar. “Wait...” he said holding his hand up towards his friends signaling them to stop. For a few brief moments they all remained silent, realizing that they could no longer hear the sound of rustling leaves behind them. “I don’t hear anything behind us now, I think we lost her.” Kyu stated, sighing as he relaxed his shoulders. Ju slumped down, placing his hands on his knees, his face awash with an anxious expression. Lu sat down on the ground to look at the clear sky while he caught his breath. “I don't think I can take much more of this…” Lu panted. "I agree.” Ju replied. “If we don't escape this forest soon we'll die of exhaustion before that woman even catches us.” The dark furred dog boy was normally so composed, but for the first time since they had known him, Ju looked somewhat frightened. Taking in large deep breath Kyu puffed out of his furry chest I looked at his friends with the confidence smile. “Hey! We've had difficulties with a lot of adults in our life, and this woman definitely won't be the last. But come on!  She'll never catch us as long as we stick together!” he boasted.

        “There he goes again…” Ju thought to himself taking a deep sigh. Lu however immediately got back on his feet, putting on a reassuring smile. “You're right! We've already come so far, it's only a matter of time before we get out of this forest! I bet that witch has already lost track of us.” he said enthusiastically holding his arms up to his chest. Kyu and Ju looked at him surprised, he assumed they were impressed with his unusual enthusiasm, but Lu quickly realized they were looking at something behind him. Kyu and Ju were speechless, as they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Approaching Lu from behind was appeared to be a large pink heart-shaped bubble. And before the brown-furred boy could turn around, the squishy membrane pressed against his back as he sank into the soft surface. With a sudden mellowing pop, Lu found himself trapped in the heart bubble as everything took on a pink tint. The flustered dog frantically looked around, swiveling his head side to side trying to process what had just happened. The shape of the bubble allowed him to stand upright, as he immediately pressed his paws against his surroundings.

        “What is this? Why won’t it pop!?” Lu whimpered, desperately pawing and rubbing at the membrane of his prison, but due to his lack of claws he couldn’t even put a dent on it. All he could do was stretch at the strange pink membrane, it felt like he was surrounded by some kind of soft plastic. Kyu and Ju just stood by, baffled by what had just transpired as Lu continued to fruitlessly paw at his prison. “Guys! I can’t get out!” he pleaded in a panic. The two dog boys quickly shook off their shock and walked over to him. “Don't worry! We'll get you out!” Kyu said, both bearing their claws. But then Lu began beating his hands on the walls of his bubble in a sudden outburst of panic. “Wait! Behind you!” he shouted. Before they could turn around, they both felt something soft pressing against their backs. Two more heart-shaped bubbles had crept up from behind them and began enveloping the two dog-boys. The soft permeable membranes warping and contorting around their bodies, squishing them from all sides as they sank into the squishy folds. It didn't feel unpleasant, on the contrary, it felt like they were getting a comfy full-body hug. But they didn't even have time to react as the bubbles had caught them completely off guard. Before they even knew what happened, they both popped inside the bubbles with a soft Floop!

        Realizing what had just happened, they immediately began pushing at their elastic surroundings. “What are these things! Where did they come from?” Kyu barked frantically fumbling inside his prison. Strangely not even their claws could penetrate the surface, only stretching at work to accommodate their struggles. But then he noticed that his friends were acting strange. As their bubbles began to glow faintly. “Guys I feel weird...” Lu sniffed, his eyes tearing and body shivering. Ju began to hyperventilate frantically and clumsily clawing at his bubble. While Lu had always been pretty timid, he had never seen Ju acting so hysterical. All of a sudden, Kyu felt his body throb from head to toe, causing him to lose focus for a brief moment. It felt strange, it came and went faster than one of his frequent panic attacks. “Please, let me out...” Ju cried, curled up into a fetal position as he stared up at the sky. The black-furred dog boy seemed to calm down a bit, but now he seemed almost exhausted and overwhelmed.

        “Come on guys! We have to get out of these things.” He shouted, hoping to bring his friends back to their senses. “Oh, you needn’t worry. These bubbles can most certainly be popped, but only by me." A soft gentle voice said from beyond the foliage. When Kyu looked to see who it was he saw a tall feminine figure emerging from the bushes. It was a fox woman with light brown fur wearing a beautiful purple dress with a long skirt and short sleeves. She had large beautiful eyes, big but gentle-looking paws with four digits. Lastly, a fluffy white mane around on her neck which puffed out of the collar of her dress, resting upon her chest as if it was a part of her outfit. Her fluffy mane looked very soft and well cared for, making Kyu wonder if she had a fluffy white underbelly As well. But she also had a long fluffy tail that held what looked like a curled up wooden staff behind her. Quickly realizing it was the witch, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

        Up till now, Kyu had only seen glimpses of her as they were focused on running away, but seeing her up close was almost breathtaking. Another throbbing sensation flowed through Kyu's body upon seeing her, it felt like his heart just skipped a beat. Though he remained alert keeping his guard up. “You boys comfy?” she asked with a friendly smile. Puffing out his chest, Kyu placed his hands on the membrane of his prison. “Just let us go! All we did was take a few apples!” he said with a stern look on his face “Y-Yeah! You have plenty…” Lu followed up, his knees subtly shaking underneath him. "Oh, it’s not about the food... I just wanted to talk, but you kept running away from me.” she said approaching them. Her steps were subtle and elegant, placing one foot in front of the other. "Anyway, what do you think of my magic? I designed and crafted these bubbles just for you. ♥️” she said gently placing her hand on Ju’s prison. But then she was shocked to see how frightened the dark-furred boy was, he was whimpering under his breath, his eyes closed tightly as he curled up into a ball. “It's too small… please…” he shuddered. The fox then looked over to Lu, who began tearing up. “Don’t hurt us… ” his voice breaking in fear. “Oh my…” she said sounding surprised. 

        Wrapping her left arm underneath Ju’s bubble, it burst with the soft pop as landed into her embrace. He became motionless, resting his head against her shoulder and practically cradled by her left arm. Seeing his friend suddenly passed out in the arms of their captor, Lu pressed his back against his bubble, feeling helpless and unable to escape as the fox woman approached him. “Hey what are you doing? Let them go...” Kyu attempting to shout but began feeling strange. There was a strange throbbing sensation in his chest the second he saw the woman holding Ju in her arms, on top of that started feeling weaker. Granted he was exhausted after being in the forest for so long, but his fatigue felt emotional, unable to even raise his voice.

        Now completely frozen like a deer in headlights, Lu just stared at the witch as if his life was flashing before his eyes. Using her tail, the fox woman poked the bubble with the end of her staff, popping it as Lu fell to the ground on his rump. Kyu expected him to run as fast as he could and never look back. But to his surprise, Lu just sat there looking unusually calm. No longer shivering, the brown-furred dog boy just stared at her, his eyes tearing up with a mesmerized look on his face. “Don’t be scared, I won’t hurt you.” the fox said reaching her arm out to him with a warm smile. “Come here.” she cooed. With that, Lu slowly stood up and walked over to her. “Lu... what are you doing?” Kyu asked with a weak voice. Baffled, he watched his friend stumble into the foxes welcoming embrace, picking him up with her right arm. It was like Lu was entranced, he looked like he was half asleep. 

        Now cradled in the witches' arm, she nuzzled him up to her shoulder as he rested his head next to her fluffy mane. Looking calm and relaxed, Lu closed his eyes as he slowly nodded off into a quiet sleep. Kyu’s heart sank as he felt another throbbing sensation through his body. Both his friends were now captured, and all he could do was watch as his chest grew heavy with grief. With both of the dog boys fast asleep in her arms, the witch turned around heading back into the deep dark forest.“H-hey...” Kyu whimpered, placing his hands against the walls of his bubble. The witch looked back at him, staring into his widened puppy-dog eyes with a smile.“Don’t worry, I’ll be back for you as soon as I bring these boys home.” she winked before disappearing into the dark bushes. Kyu slumped back against his bubble, his chest aching as he was left all alone in his heart-shaped prison. It was just like the orphanage, watching his friends being taken away one-by-one, as he was left all alone. Now here he was, once again isolated as all his memories from the orphanage came flooding back. For months, adults would come and go adopting other kids, and he would wait patiently for someone to take him in, but he would never be chosen. The boy had only found companionship in Ju and Lu, who had both also lost all hope in being adopted. After escaping they relied only on each other, stealing, scavenging, and looking out for another like family. But now, they were also gone, snatched away in the comfy arms of the fox witch.

        But the way she held them, it looked so gentle and soothing. Despite how big her arms were, she had a gentle demeanor about her, just thinking about it made him feel somewhat fuzzy inside. But then another throbbing sensation struck his body, increasing the weight of his heavy heart... reminding him that he was all alone. “Why didn’t she take me with them?” he thought to himself. Staring up at the sky, he reran the memory of his friends been taking away again and again as if on loop, tears running down his cheeks. This went on for minutes, Kyu didn’t understand why the witch had chased them, or even why she had trapped them and took them away, all he could think about was how he was left behind. “Maybe... she didn’t want me either...” he whimpered.

        “Oh don’t say that...” the fox said in her soft voice. Kyu opened his eyes in surprise, as he saw her walking out from the dark bushes, his heart skipping a beat as she approached him. The foxes large fluffy tail elegantly swayed side to side while holding her staff, her fluffy mane standing out among her alluring features. But what calmed him most, was her large gleaming eyes which looked right at him accompanied by a friendly welcoming smile. It was like her mere presence calmed him, all of his worries and thoughts just washed away as he lost himself in her gaze. But suddenly, his heart throbbed once again. “Ahh!” he whimpered with a hint of pain in his voice. If felt like one of his panic attacks but slightly stronger then the last. “What... what is this thing doing to me?” he gasped. “Oh your bubble?” she giggled innocently. “Don't worry it's harmless, all it does is free your emotions. I thought it would calm you down." Standing in front of his bubble, the woman kneeled down to look at him, tilting her head curiously. “So how do you feel?” Kyu didn’t answer, his breathing grew heavy, and his eyes closed as he grasped at his throbbing chest, and began feeling dizzy. “I can’t think straight… what’s happening?” he whimpered weakly slumped to the bottom of his bubble. A concerned look appeared on the fox's face, as her smile slowly faded. “Oh dear…” 

        Using her tail, the fox woman gently tapped the top of his bubble with her staff, causing it to burst with a soft pop. Suddenly free from his prison, he plopped on the soft ground beneath him landing on his rump. No longer disoriented, the throbbing pain in Kyu’s chest had completely disappeared. Feeling completely different, it was like nothing had happened at all. But then, Kyu could suddenly feel tears began pouring from his eyes. “H-Huh?” confused, he places paws on his face feeling the tears roll down his cheeks. Kyu didn't understand why he was crying, but he couldn't stop himself. When he suddenly felt a tightening sensation in his chest, it became hard to breathe, he couldn't speak and began choking up. Before he knew it, Kyu was wailing uncontrollably. Tears streaming down his face, his nose dripping like a loose faucet, it felt like something had just broken inside him. Placing his paws over his eyes, he tried to stop the tears but it felt like placing his finger over a broken faucet. No matter how hard he tried to hold back, he just kept wailing. 

        Kyu didn't understand was happening to him, covering his face with his arms as if shamed by his vulnerable state. The boy had never cried for as long as he could remember, up till now whenever he felt sad or things got hard, he would just tough it out. Now he couldn't think, could barely breathe while choking on his own tears, couldn't speak, constant sobbing overpowered his voice, couldn’t even stand up, he had no energy left. He was just so tired, tired of running, tired of surviving, tired of hiding. It felt like his entire life was hitting him at once, and all he could do was sob uncontrollably. “Poor thing… come here.” the fox woman whispered, picking him up by the shoulders. Kyu didn’t resist or fuss, he was just so tired that he didn’t even care. Gently lifting him into her arms, the fox woman rested his head on her left shoulder. “There, There…” she cooed patting his back. Though still crying uncontrollably, Kyu found it easier to breathe, her soft voice and gentle hug calming him down. The boy's chest feeling lighter, replaced with a warm fuzzy sensation that he had never felt before. With the fox's fluffy mane cushioning his chest, and her large soft arms gently wrap around him, he felt strangely secure and safe. Without realizing it, the boy wrapped his arms around her, as if accepting her comforting embrace. The fox woman continued to cradle him in her arms, swaying back and forth hoping to settle him down a little. Unfortunately, no matter how much she comforted him, he just couldn't stop sobbing. Eventually, his throat grew sore, and the last thing he could remember was choking on his tears before crying himself to sleep.

        Later Kyu woke up to the comforting scent of flowery candles, feeling warm and cozy. “Mh…mmm.” he whimpered. Like the exhausted puppy he was, Kyu then let out a satisfying high-pitched yawn, impulsively nuzzling the soft surface next to him. "Oh? You're awake." a warm voice said happily. Recognizing the voice, he opened his eyes to find himself cradled in the fox woman’s left arm. Holding a book in her right hand, she sat in a wooden rocking chair surrounded by warm candles as she looked down at him with her alluring smile. Kyu gasped in shock, but before he could crawl away the fox woman took him in another hug, squeezing him against her soft fluffy mane. “Shhhh shhh shhh… It’s ok, I won’t hurt you.” she cooed. Kyu immediately settled down, comforted by the expanse of warm fluff that buried his face. Taking a deep breath, he was met with the calming scent of fresh lavender. The fox's chest was like a massive pillow, supporting and enveloping his head in its warmth, making him feel safe and secure. Accepting her embrace, he nuzzled himself further into her fur and putting a smile on the fox's face. “How do you feel?” she asked. Kyu looked back up at the fox woman, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of her large gleaming eyes. Making eye contact with her was like seeing stars in the night sky, it left him nearly breathless. "I… what happened?” he asked nervously. "You cried yourself to sleep. You were sobbing so much I thought you were going to suffocate.” she said stroking the back of his head. Kyu blushed as she petted him, and was gently nuzzled back into her fluffy mane. "Poor thing… you must've had so much pain bottled up. I wouldn't have used those bubbles on you if I had known.”

        After letting himself get comfortable in her hug, he looked up at her. “What... did you do to my friends?” Kyu asked nervously with a concerned expression. “Oh.” the woman giggled, putting her book down. Pointing to her left, Kyu turned his head around to see both Ju and Lu asleep in a comfy looking queen size bed. Ju was curled up laying on his left with his paws balled up to his face, and Lu was laying on his back with both of his arms to his sides. “You boys must be exhausted, you've been out like this for the past two hours.” she said petting the back of his head. Realizing he was in no danger, the boy finally felt at ease with a light feeling in his chest. “What’s your name?” she asked. “My name is Kyu…” he answered, feeling strangely trustful towards the woman. “What a cute name.” she giggled. “If I may ask, why were you boys running from me?" the woman asked. Kyu was unable to look her in the eye, as he blushed ear to ear. “We... thought you were going to eat us.” he replied. The fox woman was silent for a few seconds, before she let out a cute chuckle, though she tried to hold it in as do not embarrass the boy.

        Kyu reburied himself into her mane to hide his blushing face. “Funny you should say that, it's just a silly rumor... but It's intentional." she said. “Us witches made up the rumor of eating trespassers as a way to keep angry religious mobs away from our forests. So I was surprised when three young boys entered my territory just to steal a few apples. I was worried, so I followed you.” The boy said nothing keeping his face completely buried in her mane. His silence worried her, and she once again placed her paw on the back of his head. "Do you boys have any place to go?” the woman asked. Kyu couldn’t muster a response, feeling embarrassed to answer as his chest grew heavy again. Lifting his head up, she looked him in the eyes his face still blushing. “Come here.” she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against his. Kyu felt a bit embarrassed by her kind treatment, as no one had ever shown him this much affection. “You're orphans aren’t you?” she asked reopening her eyes. Biting his lip, Kyu began tearing up. “Please… don’t send us back...” he pleaded. 

        The fox woman gently placed her paws on his cheeks. “What's wrong? Tell me.” she said. "Looking into her large gleaming eyes, with her gentle paws warming up his cheeks, Kyu couldn't refuse her. After stuttering for a couple of moments, he finally mustered his response. “I-I used to live in an orphanage, for as long as I can remember. They said that I would be adopted one day by people I could call mom and dad but it never happened…” he said, tears still in his eyes. "I waited so long for someone to adopt me, instead I just watched my friends being adopted as they all left.” The fox woman’s large eyes drooped a bit, as a subtle frown appeared on his face. The woman wanted to massage his cheeks to calm him, but he suddenly turned his head towards the bed where his friends slept, prompting her to remove her paws. “My friends didn't get adopted either, eventually they were the only ones I got to know, even though they showed up later than I did.” The fox woman noticed a change in his expression as he watched over his friends, still teary-eyed but almost stoic. “So you weren't alone, because you had each other.” the woman said smiling at him. "We were alone together…” he replied somberly, pausing for a moment to wipe the tears from his face. "We knew no one was going to want us, so we ran away first chance we got.” 

 Everything Kyu said broke the fox woman's heart. The idea of children growing so lonely that they would just give up hope and live on their own made her chest ache. Some weird part of the fox woman hoped that Kyu was making it all up for sympathy, but she sensed his honesty from the very sound of his little heartbeat. Kyu looked back down, practically bowing his head at her. "I'm sorry that we stole your apples, but please let us go. You don't have to tell anyone you when you saw us.” he begged. “No.” she said. Kyu looked up at her shocked. The woman also appeared disquieted, her large eyes unable to hide her sympathetic frown. “I can’t just let you go, knowing that you have nowhere to live.” she said sounding upset. "Children your age shouldn't have to be homeless, and you shouldn't just give up on wanting to be loved.” Kyu bit his lip in distress, his memories of the orphanage coming back to him again. "I did want to be loved, but I won’t go back." he protested. “I spent so long in that place for a family that never came, I ran away because I was tired of not being wanted.” There was a moment of silence as Kyu could no longer hold his tears back.

 “No one ever wanted me… Don’t send me back...” Kyu said, nearly choking on his own words as he was close to sobbing. "I wanted someone… to pick me up and take me away but-" Before he could finish, the woman curled her tail around his back, and placed her paw on his left cheek. “Well, here I am." she said with another smile. “Look, I not going to make you go back to an orphanage, but I can’t just let you boys go out on your own. So, how would you three like to stay with me?” she asked touching her nose against his. Kyu's face went pink as he became visually flustered. “Wha-I-um…” he stuttered as his cheeks warmed up against her paws. “I'll take care of you, feed you, protect you, I will make sure not a day goes by that you feel unloved.” she assured him. In but a mere few moments, the heavy ache in Kyu’s chest disappeared, her sweet motherly demeanor giving him butterflies in his stomach. “I… but… we… I'd be such a burden.” he said nervously stumbling on his own words. The fox woman pulled him closer, stroking the back of his head with her giant paw. “Not at all. ❤️ You see, most witches like myself live in solitude because of our forests, so I wouldn't mind having some cute puppies to keep me company.” she giggled booping his nose. "P-Puppies?” he asked. Normally he would've found something like this insulting, but coming from her made him happy.

 Before he could follow up, Kyu was interrupted by a long high-pitched yawn escaped his mouth. The boy had only slept for a couple of hours and was still completely exhausted. Rubbing his eyes impulsively, he attempted to shake off his sleepiness, but he simply couldn't ignore his own fatigue any longer. “You can go back to sleep if you'd like, you can give me your answer when you’re ready.” with a gentle whisper she eased him back onto her fluffy chest. Once again comforted by her pillowy fur, she draped her fluffy tail behind him like a blanket, making sure he was completely enveloped in her loving warmth. Kyu’s nervous breathing slowed, his heart and mind now at ease with the kind fox hugging him. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here when you wake up. And your friends will be safe while you sleep.” she cooed. The young stray had never felt this way before, the boy who had longed his whole life for maternal love, now couldn't find the words to describe it. It felt like he was encompassed in her kindness, sheltered and safe from the unforgiving world in which he and his friends had barely survived. For the first time in Kyu's life, he could truly relax and finally sleep... Rocking her chair back and forth, the fox woman began petting the back of his head as she watched over him, making it difficult for the boy to keep his eyes open. 

 Knowing he only had seconds before falling asleep, he tilted his head up from her fluffy mane look her in the eyes. "Thank you so much miss…” he said in a sincere voice. "You can call me Rena sweetie.” she whispered softly. "Rena…” were the last words he spoke before entering a deep well deserved sleep. Seeing the boy in a truly peaceful slumber put a happy smile on her face. For the first time since he saw him, the puppy looked calm and soothed, not a single tear in his eye. “I could never have kids of my own, that's the price of becoming a witch…” she said with the heavy sigh. Looking back over at the other sleeping children, she was unable to stop tears of joy from running down her furry cheeks. “Thank you for coming into my life…” she sniffed.

A couple of months later…

        Rena was heading out the door but was stopped by her dog boys who latched onto her like a bunch of anchors. Ju was holding her tail like a teddy bear, burying his face into its fluff. Lu was pulling on the skirt of her long purple dress, hoping to keep her from walking any further. And Kyu was holding her giant paw, looking at her with his adorable puppy eyes. "Boy’s, you do this every week…" Rena sighed. “The babysitter will be here in five minutes so settle down.” she said adjusting her purple witches hat with her one free paw as the boys continued pulling her. "We don't need a babysitter! We were strays once, we can take care of ourselves!" Kyu huffed practically latched onto her right arm. Rena grabbed Kyu held him up in front of her from underneath his arms.

        “There's no way I'm leaving you alone unintended, not after what happened last time with my potions.” she said looking him in the eye. “We were just a little thirsty... and it looked tasty…” he said with his big puppy dog eyes. “Dogs…” she thought to itself. "Please just take us with you, we’ll be good.” Ju pleaded still hugging her tail. "Only witches are allowed in the guild, and certainly not kids.” she explained setting Kyu down onto the floor. "But we don't like the babysitter! She's scary and has nine tails!” whined Lu who was now practically locked onto her leg. “Maybe if you boys hadn't scared the other babysitters away, I wouldn't be asking my old master for help.” she said puffing out her cheeks. Kyu then grabbed on to her skirt, his eyes lighting up with an idea. “Why don't you hide us in your dress? Then they won’t see us" Rena’s cheeks went red with embarrassment, she obviously wouldn't let them do that. “NO! Ohhhh… You boys are so needy…” she sighed.

        The dog boys were a bit more troublesome than she originally anticipated, being former strays and all. But despite being the handful sometimes, they brought her so much happiness, that she couldn't imagine life without them. 

©ToastManMcFace   

        (Fun fact, rescue dogs will often bark at you when you leave your house, due to separation anxiety. This is because they may be frightened that they may never see you again.)