"Who are you?"

Gidget stared at the animal as he came out of the sewer, shaking himself off so all the dust and mud came off of him.

"I am Ricky, fluff ball."

"Ricky? You mean the Ricky that that rabbit has a memorial to?"

Ricky smiled, shaking his webbed feet. "That's me. Snowball's main man... er... animal, I guess."

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Gidget asked, her head tilting to side, totally lost. An animal can't just magically come to life, can it?

Ricky frowned, then by grabbing her by her bow, pulled Gidget close to him so they were eye to eye. "Look at me, fluff ball. Do I look like I'm dead to you?"

Gidget gulped and whimpered softly. "N-No..."

"Good," Ricky stated, smirking as he let go of the white Pomeranian, letting her have a chance for the pain she now felt on her head to pass. For an animal with feathers and wings, he sure could hold a grip on someone.

"So," Ricky started, catching Gidget's attention. "You're obviously a domestic, so why are you out here in an alley?"

"Oh," Gidget replied, crossing her front paws over each other. "I recently just went through a heartbreak, so I figured I'd run away. That is the best answer to that problem, isn't it?"

"Well," Ricky put his left wing under his beak, acting like he was thinking. After a minute, he looked back at Gidget. "Of course it is! You did the right thing, fluff ball."

"I did?"

"Oh, yes you did!"

"Um... Okay then..."

Ricky nodded. "You don't need romance in your life one bit, fluff ball, trust me. Who needs or wants to be kissed, or loved, or cared for, or someone to snuggle into when you're cold, or knowing that you found your perfect soulmate? Am I right?"

"Heh," Gidget responded, her face dropping as she looked down and Max came into her mind. She had all of those things when she was with Max. All of it. But now? She had nothing. Just herself, and that was it. Was romance worth having all of that? Was Max worth it?

If you had asked her an hour ago, she would have said no, but now? She wasn't so sure anymore. Of course she missed Max as a friend, she had lost that relationship with him too. Having him completely out of her life was killing her, if she was being honest with herself, but she wasn't. She was in denial with herself. Maybe she was going through what humans call is grief. She was pretty sad about the breakup, and maybe she wasn't as confident as before now that she was free. Was free even that great when you're all alone? Probably not.

"Fluff ball?"

Gidget blinked as she stared back at Ricky. "Huh?"

He just shook his head. "Do you still love this dog?"

Yes. "No."

"You sure?"

"Maybe?"

Ricky sighed, but then something hatched in his head, and looking at the white Pomeranian, he smirked.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ricky just shrugged. "Well, since you said you aren't in a relationship, that means that no one will come rescue you,"

"And?"

"That means that when I kidnap you, you won't be able to escape."

"Wait, what?"

And just like that, with a noise out of his mouth, suddenly Gidget was surrounded by dozens of other forgotten pets.

"Now, here's what you're going to do," Ricky stated as a dog hooked Gidget up to a metal collar and chain. "You are going to work for me, and in exchange..."

Gidget gulped, fearing what he was going to say.

"...I won't kill you."