Chapter 29—Angel's Deceit

The cachorritos 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… tu lost your touch when tu turned your back on everything and settled down with Miss Powderpuff.”
    “Why are tu here?” Lady asked worriedly. “Can’t tu 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 por 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 tu 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 tu somewhere before,” Buster muttered, thinking aloud. “I’ll figure tu out later. Anyways… those brats betrayed me! They’re just like you, Tramp! tu turned your back on me and quit my gang!”
    “Hey, Buster, I didn’t ever registrarse your gang,” Tramp told him exasperatedly. “Stop lying about it.”    
    “Who are tu 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, tu knew I didn’t want to be chained down to a gang,” Tramp told him firmly. He was suddenly a lot más 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 tu made yours,” Buster glared at Tramp. “You abandoned me.”
“Hey, hey…Buster... I saved your life, and helped tu learn to live on the streets. I thought you'd learn to become another helpful streetdog like me. But I saw tu bully another dog in the dogcatcher's net. tu laughed at him, taunted, and teased him. Just because he wanted amor himself. And that’s when I saw what tu had become. You’ve come a long way since when tu were in his place. And tu wonder why I wouldn’t want to registrarse with you.”
    Scamp and ángel listened intently to Tramp. “He didn’t tell us this,” ángel 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 tu haven’t changed. He was a great calle dog himself. He reminded me of you. tu both rose to become parte superior, arriba calle dogs. But tu 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 tu might say to put him down, even now. So just leave him alone!”
    Then ángel gasped. “That’s…that’s…”
    “Yeah, don’t tu 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 perros 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 tu now. You’re Peg, that low-life pound diva. Nothing like trying to división, split up Tramp and his powderpuff, is there?”
“Buster,” Peg spat at him. “I’m not there for that, tu 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 amor 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 tu 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 calle perros I could think of for parents. No wonder why tu 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 tu dare insult Angel's parents!"
Lady then added, “All of us know better than to registrarse up with you. Now, why don’t tu just stop being horrible to us?”
    Buster growled. “Enough talk! I’m going to get my revenge! Scampster, Angelcakes, Patchy, you’re perrito, cachorro chow!”
    The parents hurriedly swarmed over the cachorritos 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 tu guys,” Buster snarled at the parents. “Hand those bebés over, and no one will get hurt.”
    “No one,” Lady told Buster in disbelief. “You just dicho yourself that you’ll murder our puppies!”
    “Aw, I was just joking, powderpuff,” Buster told Lady. “Come on… hand them over, o I’ll get tu first.”
    “We’re not moving,” Pongo told Buster firmly.
    “They’re our children,” Perdita told him.
    “I thought tu 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 cachorritos 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 tu keep on resisting, I’ll just call your old friend Cruella.”
    “How do tu know about Cruella?” Pongo asked.
    Buster smiled. “I’ve been helping her out. Remember those barks that announced that those cachorritos escaped? That was me. It was so beauty-ful. Those idiot cachorritos 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. tu don’t need to be this hateful.”
Ignoring Lady, Buster declared, “So get going o I’ll fight tu all! And I can beat all of tu meek, little housedogs and turn tu all into kibble. Don’t get any ideas.”
Scamp, Angel, and Patch watched their parents defending them. Then, ángel whispered, “I guess… they really do amor us.”
“Yeah, I know,” Scamp added. “Even Tramp does.”
“I didn’t know he’d stand up for both Mom and Dad,” ángel 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, ángel 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?” ángel asked. “But why…”
    “I have an idea,” Scamp smiled, smirking.
    “Great,” Patch told them. Then, Patch hurried through the gap between Peg and Perdita. ángel 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 tu 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 por just fine, and they’ll stop Buster,” Puffball explained. “They say they’ll meet tu 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, ángel 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 por 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 tu doing, Angel?” he asked Angel, who was sitting down slyly.
    “I’m preparing for my part,” ángel 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 tu 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 tu 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?” ángel smiled to Buster deviously. “I’ve been cooped up and trapped in that prissy little home. I’ve ran away from inicial to try and registrarse 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,” ángel continued slyly. “She feels the same way. So does Francois, and Mooch, and all of your other old minions,” ángel laughed. “You can rule us all again… and have all the power tu ever dreamed of.”
    “Power… power!” Buster shouted excitedly. “Yes… junkyard perros will rule this town, and Buster would rule the junkyard dogs!”
    “Yes,” ángel told Buster craftily. “You’ll have loads of power. And… tu can make me your girl.”
“Hang on there,” Buster told ángel suspiciously. “You need to pass a test. My test for tu is to kill your meek little housedog friend Scampster,” Buster announced devilishly.
    “Oh, that will be easy,” ángel 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 tu doing?” Scamp gasped. He knew he had to act surprised.
    “Killing you, what else!” she laughed devilishly. “You’re dead meat, Scampster. tu betrayed the junkyard dogs. Now tu will have to suffer the consequences.”
    “Let him go, Angel,” Patch told ángel worriedly.
    “Angel… Angel… but… what about Peg? o 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! o you! Forget those fireflies and Tony’s… those days are over!” ángel 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,” ángel cooed slyly. “I want do to the honors.”
    “Hey, hate to break it to tu kid, but as I rule the junkyard dogs, I’m going to finish him off,” Buster told Angel.
    “Oh, then, very well, Buster,” ángel 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!” ángel declared in delight. She took her paws off Scamp as Buster fell.
    “Wahoo!” Scamp announced. “Bye Buster!”
    “I’ll get tu 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, tu were amazing!”
    “Hey, thanks,” Scamp smiled to Lady.
    “That’s my Angel,” Peg told her. “You made your daddy proud. tu 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,” ángel whispered. “I… I’m happy to see that you’ve changed...”
    Tramp smiled at Angel. “Thanks Angel… it means a lot to me that tu forgive me,” he told her.
    “Of course I do!” ángel told him brightly. “You… tu really care about my Mom after all. And I didn’t know tu 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 calle perros I knew.”
    “We’ll promise to treat tu better, all right?” Lady asked gently, embracing Scamp slightly. “We’ll try to understand you… and let tu be who tu 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 cachorritos and parents were ready for the final journey.