Richard-

After being out all day, I was a little surprised to see the house the way I left it. Hobbling to the kitchen with my arms full, I soon found out why nothing had been messed with. Sam lay on the kitchen floor, sprawled out on his belly, snoring up a storm. It was pretty cute, until I realized Coda wasn't with him.

Oh crap. Mega crap.

Setting the bags down as quietly as possible, I ran outside and helped Jess finish unloading the car while telling her to keep quiet when she got inside. She listened without further explanation and we headed back into the house once I locked up the car. Instead of putting any of the stuff we got away, I motioned for her to follow me and look for Coda. There was no way the kid could have gotten out so he must have just wandered off.

Has to be in the house.

Just as I was thinking that and turning into the hallway I heard a fumbling thump come from my bedroom. I remember leaving the door cracked open. Turning, I strode towards the door, pausing when a tiny nose poked out from the darkness within and sniffed.

"There you are, you mischievous little pup." 

His head popped into view, curiosity warring with hesitation in his eyes. I gave him a small smile and squatted down, offering my hand for a quick sniff.

"Your momma's gonna be upset if you're not there when he wakes up. I bet you're hungry though, right? Is that why you went off on your own? To find some yummy stuff?" 

He seemed to be deliberating that, though I knew he had no idea what I was saying. After a few moments he gave me a determined squeaky bark.

"Oh, I see. So this puppy is brave enough to stand up to a big scary bear?"

His left ear ticked, then he padded a few steps closer, bum wiggling since his tail was covered by the diaper. It looked funny, and judging from the smell, he was definitely going to be needing a bath soon.

I thank god everyday that I'm a bear and we have tiny tails.

I would have probably gone crazy if I had to have given my daughter a bath everytime she pooped in her diaper as a bear cub. I wonder if they have diapers for dogs. Probably.

Coda took another few steps closer and bopped my knee with a paw before darting back into my room. Instead of following after him, I pushed myself up and went to the kitchen. I really wanted to pet Sam and get him up, but my instincts were telling me that was a bad idea and would likely end up with me being bitten. Shame. I'm sure he would love a good pet, at least once he's able to relax a little more. Until then though...

"Sammy? Hey."

His whiskers twitched, along with one back leg, but besides those two movements, nothing.

"Sam. Wake up, buddy. I've gotta wash your little poopy puppy."

That had his ears slowly lifting, followed by his head. His eyes were still closed, but I could tell that he was trying to wake up.

"If you'd like, you can go back to sleep. I just wanted to ask permission to give your boy a bath. He made a mess of himself with that diaper on after changing back to his dog form."

That information took a minute to process as he got to his feet and gave a good shake. A few pieces of fur swished into the air, but I ignored them since I would be sweeping later anyways. Figuring he'd want to know where his boy went, I lead him to my room. Coda came barreling out to jump at his mom... and the scent in his diaper quickly followed. Sam's face scrunched up in distaste, likely having caught the terrible smell as well.

"I'll wash him and you can watch, okay?"

Sam looked up at me, licking his lips nervously. I gave him a reassuring smile as my daughter came over to pat the puppy's head. "I finished put away things daddy."

"Thank you, Jess." I said, then waited as silence overtook the hall. I had a feeling they were talking amongst each other, and my assumption was proven right when she scooped the puppy up and began toting it towards the bathroom.

"Daddy! Sam say wash Coda." She called as she nudged open the door and walked over to deposit the puppy in the tub. I glanced down at Sam, but he was already following after her, so I just did the same. As I got the water started I had my daughter run to the kitchen and fetch a garbage bag and spare diaper so that by the time I had Coda's dirty diaper off, I had somewhere to put it that could be mostly sealed. It was a good idea. The puppy had some serious skill when it came to stinking up a diaper. 

"Tie it and toss it in the trash for me please, Jess."

She nodded, her nose wrinkled in as she ran out of the room. The pup still had a good amount of feces caked into its fur so I didn't wait to begin washing it with the connector piece I had for the showerhead. It was a pull-down hose with a gentle sprayer on the end. Perfect for washing squirming children in their animal forms. Coda was definitely no exception. He evidently disliked the idea of a bath and struggled to get free every chance he got. After nearly fifteen minutes I'd managed to get about half of him clean, but Sam seemed to run out of patience because soon he was in the tub, holding his pup by the scruff.

I thought he would want to take him out of the room and just clean him himself, but when he jerked his head slightly, I realized he was just holding the troublesome puppy so that I could finish washing it without wasting more time.

"Thanks, I'll make it quick." I said as I did just that. Since he couldn't go anywhere, it only took another five minutes to scrub Coda clean, then rinse him off. When I was all done Jess was there to hug him in a big soft towel, finally letting me take a rest. I folded my arms over the edge of the tub and lay my forehead atop them. I thought washing my daughter when she was a cub was hard, but Coda was seriously way worse.

I still need to be sure Jess got everything put away and then start dinner since we were out for so long.

The idea of more work would normally make me frustrated, but for some reason I didn't mind taking care of my new family members. I was just getting up to turn off the water when I felt a fuzzy muzzle nudge the hand I was using to hold the showerhead piece.

"Hm?"

Looking up slightly, I watched with wide eyes as Sam glanced around nervously, then nudged my hand.

"You...want a bath, Sam?"

He did look like he hadn't had one in months since his fur was incredibly matted and coated in mud and dirt. I guess it made sense that he'd want to get clean, but trusting me to touch him was a pretty big step. When he yipped quietly I figured that he was saying yes, and very carefully began running the water over his coat. Dirty had evidently been an understatement though. It was absolutely filthy! Dirt poured down the drain in streams and I knew right away that it would be clogging.

Oh well. I have stuff to fix it under the sink anyways.

Once I got his coat thoroughly soaked I realized that this was going to take more than just a shampooing or conditioning. "Hang on a second," I said as I got up and grabbed a brush I often used on Jess when she was being difficult and needed a bath. She'd always stay in her bear form and try to make a fuss. I didn't blame her though, we both had our bad days.

Not wanting to dwell on the past, I shook the memories from my head and knelt back down. After working a good half bottle of shampoo into his fur I washed it, then used the same amount of conditioner. It helped, a little.

He was extremely tolerant as I worked my way through piece after piece of his fur. When about ten minutes had past I grabbed a small pair of scissors and began cutting what was impossible to brush through. It would leave him with a slightly odd hair cut, especially if he turned into his human form anytime soon, but oh well. He would be far more comfortable at least. That became very clear as I worked my way around his thin body. 

Beneath all the fluffy fur I could easily feel his ribs and hip bones, making my stomach churn in discomfort. Of course I knew he would be skinny after likely living on the streets, but his previously matted fur had hidden it really well. "You're eating double again tonight," I mumbled as I worked out the last mat on his right side. He just grunted in response, making me doubt that he had a problem with my declaration. He turned once I was finally done with that side and gave me the rest to work on. It took a lot of effort to keep myself going steadily but each time I got out a particularly large mat Sam would sigh in relief and twice he even tilted his head back and licked my hand. It wasn't a huge gesture for most, but I knew it took a lot for Sam to do it, and I appreciated it.

"I'm glad you're enjoying the bath. Your fur is really nice once it's clean. I'm glad I'm not having to cut much of it." I said as I continued working. The last few pieces came out after I added some extra conditioner and then I rinsed him really well to be sure no soap was left behind.

"There. I think you're finally good, and quite honestly, gorgeous."

I meant it. He really was a beautiful dog. How anyone could have abandoned him was beyond my comprehension. Not wanting to dwell on that negative point, I got down a big towel I left on top of the toilet and opened it for him. He hopped out of the tub and nuzzled into it, resting his chin on my shoulder as I did my best to dry his soft fur. It was going well and I nearly had all of him down to a manageable damp, when two sets of thumping paws brought our attention to the door. My daughter ran past in the living room, quickly followed by Coda, tail wagging. I thought them playing together was great...Sam, not so much. 

He was out of the bathroom in a blur, snarling loudly with worry and upset. I didn't want to stress him further but he was stressing me plenty as he darted after my daughter, teeth bared and hackles raised! Without much of a choice, I got myself up and ran into the other room, cutting in front of Sam as he leaped from the sofa, catching him in mid-air with a giant black paw. I easily pinned him to the floor, roaring loud enough to send vibrations through the house.

He froze. Which was to be expected and wanted.

What wasn't expected, though curiosity did indeed want it to happen, was him suddenly shifting beneath my sharp claws as my bear loomed over his now-naked, shivering body.