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Cindy's story, chapter 1

Contains: Cub, Slight Nudity (Not in Yiff) Slight watersports, and character development.

.......................

It was early afternoon in a little suburb down in Nashville. Tammy and her friends just had woken up from their fun filled sleepover the previous night. Tammy's mother, Wendy Reynolds, slowly opened the door to find the girls all still asleep on the bed. She smiled and walked up to the four girls to see that they were all cuddled together on the bed with peaceful smiles on their faces. Wendy chuckled at the sight and gently shook each girl awake.

"Girls...girls... It's time to rise and shine..." The elder vixen said in a sing song tone, "Breakfast is waiting for you ladies" She finished and one by one the girls' eyes slowly opened. Tammy and the other girls rose up and yawned and stretched.

"Morning, Mom..." Tammy said in a groggy tone and looked over to her friends who, like her, were still recovering from their sleep.

"Good morning, girls. I hope you had a wonderful night sleep." Wendy spoke to the young girls.

"Yes, Wendy; thanks to you and your story, I slept wonderfully! I'm also less fearful of the thunder now." Cindy said happily and gave the older vixen a big hug.

Wendy smiled and hugged back. "It's no problem, Child;" she said, "Sometimes, we all have our fears and problems and it takes a helping hand from someone to guide you through them." she patted the Dalmatian's head.

"Yeah, Cindy; plus yah got me n' Samantha and Tammy te back ya up no matter what happens!" Sherry chimed in. Samantha nodded in agreement but couldn't help but laugh at her pony friend when she saw how her mane looked.

"What's so funny?" Sherry said. Samantha held up a mirror.

"It's your mane Sherry, you have a bad case of bed head!" she burst into laughter which caused a good chuckle from the group. Sherry blushed and quickly tried to pat her mane down.

"Guh...it ain't nuthin' a comb can't fix." she grumbled. Wendy smiled again and said,

"Well, girls, I'll let you get dressed for breakfast; your parents will be here soon to take you home as well." And with that, Wendy stepped out, leaving the girls to get ready.

The four girls got out of bed and started to undress from their pajamas, leaving them in just their panties which ranged from cute little white ones with hearts to silky, frilly blue ones. Cindy made short work of getting into a white t-shirt with yellow and pink stripes, and a pair of pink basketball shorts. As this was summertime, she thought it wise to wear clothing that was as light in weight and color as possible. The girls soon finished up and headed down the stairs into the kitchen where a big breakfast awaited them. Cindy couldn't help looking for Tammy's father, Zero, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Sorry, girls," said Wendy, "But if you're looking for my man, Zero, he's still at the recycling plant." Wendy winked at the two girls which caused them to blush deeply. Tammy just face-palmed and sat down at the table with the other girls. They bowed their heads and said their respects, then started to eat; Omelets, biscuits, and pancakes; you name it, it was there and it was fantastic. Cindy couldn't resist taking one of everything; Wendy's cooking the night before had been so good, she wanted to enjoy as much as possible. Still, she made sure to take small portions, as she didn't want to get a stomachache. In a matter of minutes, the meal was finished.

"Thank you for another amazing meal, Wendy!" Samantha said politely

"Totally! You should be a chef or something!" Cindy chimed.

"Eh..." said Wendy, "I'd rather tend to my house and garden, young one; I find more gratification in that." She smiled and took the dirty plates away to the sink. "Oh, girls;" she added, "You may want to start packing up; your parents are on their way." She added as she washed the dishes. Cindy felt sad she had to leave her friends for the time being, but she smiled, knowing that they would always be a call away. The girls headed back to Tammy's room and she helped her friends pack and get ready for their trip home.

"Thanks again guys for staying over." said Tammy, "I had a real blast." She hugged each one of her friends. Cindy couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Sherry blush when Tammy hugged her. But then again there really was no reason to think too much of it anyway.

"It's no biggie, Tam;" said Sherry, "We always have fun when we are together." The other girls nodded in agreement.

*****

After a few long goodbyes, Cindy's father arrived on his Harley motorcycle with the side car attached to it. Cindy said her last goodbye and hopped into the sidecar.

"Hey, Kiddo!" said her father, George Vanderspot, "Did you have fun?"

"We sure did!" said Cindy while putting her helmet on, "We played all sorts of games and even learned about Mother Nature."

"Well, I'm glad you and your friends had a good time then, Sweetie." said George, "Now how about you and I go and get some breakfast? I'm starving!" he chuckled and gave the bike a kick start which brought the engine roaring to life. Cindy grinned and said,

"Dad, you're always hungry; but that does sound good. Can we go eat at that new diner that opened down Main Street?"

"Sure thing, Darling." said George, "And speaking of Main Street, we can visit your mother since it's only a few blocks away. We'll surprise her with some food as well."

"Aww, Dad;" said Cindy, "You're so sweet. I'm sure mom would love some food and a visit." With that being said, George shifted the bike into gear and set off. As they rolled down the country roads, Cindy watched as the sights went by, the rising sun painting everything a beautiful bright shade. She began to think about her family and how much she loved them. Sure her parents worked a whole lot, but they never let that get between each other. Her father loved her mother and vise versa; and they always seemed to make time for her and each other too. This made her smile; she admired their commitment and hoped that one day, she herself could accomplish what her parents had done.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the new diner. George parked the bike outside the front and got up to help Cindy out of the side car.

"This place looks nice." he commented. A smell caught the attention of his nose and smiled. "Judging from the wonderful smells, I can already tell that the food will be delicious" He finished and opened the door for Cindy. A kind wolfess greeted them as they entered

"Hello and welcome to Blackwolfs Diner!" she said, "I'm Claria and I'll be taking care of you two today." She spoke in a sweet and friendly voice and led to them to a nice little booth for two. "May I start with your drinks?"

"May I please have a coffee with cream and sugar?" George asked, once he had hung up his leathers. Cindy looked at the drink items and quickly found her favorite.

"I'll take the orange juice, please." she said.

"Sure thing, folks;" said Claria, "I'll have those out to you in a few minutes. In the meantime, our specials are located on the back of the menu and I'll be right back to take your orders" She smiled and walked off.

"So sweetie," said George, "What do you have a taste for? I'm thinking about the sausage and eggs." He said; grinning while looking at all the delicious foods. Cindy laughed; her father had a bottomless pit for a stomach witch never seemed to be filled.

"I'm leaning towards the cheddar omelet with a side of bacon." she replied. No sooner had they decided, the waitress came back with the drinks.

"So, folks, have you all decided?" she asked, politely.

"Yes, Ma'am;" said George, "I would like the sausage and egg combo and the little lady here would like the cheddar omelet with a side of bacon. OH! And can I add a breakfast sandwich for takeout, please?" Claria nodded and wrote down the order on her note pad.

"Alrighty; that will be out in a short while." She said and took the menus from the table. Cindy smiled and looked around the diner. It was small compared to big restaurants, but there was plenty of natural light thanks to the large windows. What made it really stand out was the fact that it was decorated with pictures of buildings and cities from around the world. One that caught her eye in particular was the nightscape of Tokyo. George took notice and smiled.

"Pretty, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yep," said Cindy, "It's very bright; Kinda like Las Vegas."

"Indeed it is, Cindy;" said George, "It's also a very busy city. Always on the move; from businesses to the night life, Tokyo can be a wild city."

"How do you know all this?" Cindy asked, her ears perked up from being intrigued.

"Well, Cindy," said George with a sly smile, "I was there once. It was amazing; the lights, thoroughly modern cars, very interesting people, and extravagant and delicious food."

"OH WOW!" exclaimed Cindy, "When did you go? Did Mom go with you? What was it like?" She was all excited now; fighting to keep herself from bouncing in her seat.

"Well..." said George as he held back a laugh, "In fact, it was just the other day! They did a special documentary on Tokyo on the Discovery Channel." Hearing this, Cindy just face palmed.

"DAAAD!!" she groaned, "That's not funny!" She couldn't help giggling a little bit, though. "How can you even watch those boring documentaries?" she asked. George was now laughing hard.

"Well, when you become and old dog like me, you tend to find stuff like that interesting, especially late night when... when you can't sleep." He stuttered a bit on that last part. Cindy's smile faded a bit when hearing about her father's sleep problem.

"Still having trouble sleeping at night?"

"Y-yeah..." he said, "I guess it's just the insomnia or something. No need to worry, dear." Cindy believed him; She would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night from hearing the T.V. downstairs being on and would sneak down to see her father just sitting on the couch looking sad or just plain miserable. She just figured that it was from a lack of sleep. "Maybe I should see a doctor or a specialist sometime." George said. He figured that would ease his daughter's mind. Sure enough, it brought a smile to Cindy's face. A few seconds later, Claria arrived with two plates, carrying their breakfast.

"Here you all go," she said, "Hot and fresh out the kitchen. But please be mindful; the plates and food are very hot." She set the dishes of food down on the table.

"Thank you so much ma'am" Cindy chimed

"Why you're very welcome, my dear." said Claria, "Just howl if you need anything else." She gave a small wink and walked off. Cindy looked at the food with delight. The smells and presentation was perfect. She was about to say something, but her father beat her to it.

"You gonna eat it or marry it?" He laughed as he took a big fork full of food into his own mouth. Cindy half blushed.

"M-maybe! It does have all the right looks." she replied and started to eat as well. This comment made George raise an eyebrow.

"Looks eh?" he asked. He put down his utensils and looked at Cindy with a more serious look. "You know," he said, "Looks are not everything you should look for in something."

"Oh?" asked Cindy.

"Indeed!" he smiled "For example, take this food in front of us" he pointed at his plate. "It may have all the right looks but does it have soul?"

"Soul?" Cindy cocked her head, "Like our food has some kind of soul living inside it?"

"Eh...n-no" George cracked a smile at her cute guess. "Soul as in what's inside; or for this matter, what does it taste like." He said while taking another bite. "Yes this food does indeed look good. But do the looks match the taste?" Cindy was still very confused.

"Yes it is very tasty." she said.

"Ah you see; it has soul." said George, "Our food could look ugly, but at the same time, taste amazing." He smiled

"But what does it have to do with marriage?" Cindy asked, more confused than ever as she looked at her food.

"Aw my little pup;" said George, "You are adorable and I hope you know that." He took a swig of his coffee, then continued, "Here, let me explain in a different way. Say you find yourself a boy you like."

"Daaaad!" Cindy moaned as her ears flattened and she blushed hard.

"Aww, Cindy, listen to your pops now." he chuckled, "Say you find yourself a boy who looks nice, dresses nice, and is captain of... whatever sports team you're interested in, and you think he is the bees knees. Now the question becomes, does he have soul? Is he nice? Kind? Gentle and sweet?" at this point Cindy was putting the pieces together. George continued. "You see, Cindy, looks are not always everything. The supposed 'Mr. Perfect' could be mean and sour on the inside."

"So...you're saying I should find an ugly guy?" She asked, worried. George half-laughed at this question.

"No, no, no..." he reassured "Let me finish. Now say you see a different person who looks kind of quirky looking; maybe out of shape or even a book worm. Sure he may not have what the other guy had, but what 'Mr. Quirky' has is soul. He is the nicest, kindest, caring type that would go the distance for you to make you happy." He paused for a bit, "Now of course I'm not saying that good looking and soul can't exist in the same person. But what I'm trying to say is that looks are not everything and that you shouldn't judge a book by the cover." He smiled. Cindy finally pieced it together.

"I get it." she said, "I... never really thought of things like that." She replied, taking his advice to heart. "You know... They don't really teach these on T.V..."

"I'm glad you understand; and you are absolutely right, Cindy. That's why you should be very careful when watching the television and what you see on shows. There are lots of bad messages being broadcasted in this day and age....especially music." To lighten the mood a bit, Cindy joked,

"Well with your outdated music tastes, it's no wonder you don't like new music." This brought a giggle the older Dalmatian.

"Well... ok, not ALL new music is bad... but some of the other stuff is very... questionable." He replied and finished his food. Cindy had just finished her omelet and bacon herself, right as the waitress came with the check and the takeout order.

"I do hope you found everything satisfactory today." she said.

"Wonderful." said George, "I'd say this was one of the best breakfast places I've been to! Please give my compliments to the chef." George added as he paid and left a nice tip.

"I'll most certainly will!" said Claria, "He loves to hear feedback." She smiled and walked away one final time.

"Well Cindy," said George as he got up and put his leathers back on, "Let's get this food to your mother; she's probably starving." Cindy nodded and followed suite, still thinking about what he had said. Once they had left, the wolfess waitress stood next to the kitchen window.

"You know... the world sure does need more people like him." She said to the cook in the back.

"Hun, were ya eavesdroppin' again?" a gruff voice responded.

"Sorry; I couldn't help it!" she smiled A rather large male gray wolf came into view by the window.

"To be honest, Hun... I heard everythin too." he spoke with a thick western accent, "That there is father of the year material. His advice kinda reminds me of how we met. Heck, to this day, many years later, I'm still amazed that someone as wonderful as you can be in love with a big old wolf like me." he chuckled.

"Well, ya know what they say, Babe;" said Claria, "You can't judge a book by the cover... and you, my handsome wolf, have a wonderful soul and look good to me; So who gives a flyin' spatula on what people have to say?" She smiled and gave him a kiss on the nose.

*****

It was only a four block drive from the diner to the fire station, so the takeout order would still be nice and hot for Cindy's mother. Cindy's mind was lingering on what her father had said to her at the diner, trying to make sense of it all. She was soon snapped out her thoughts, however, as they arrived at Fire Station 495 to a rather unpleasant sight. There in the motor pool next to the station sat the station's pumper engine; Number 49, also known as CINDY. She was covered from cab to running plates in sooty black smudges. As Cindy stared in shock at the pumper engine, her mother, Captain Dilly Vanderspot, walked out to greet them with a big hug.

"George! Cindy!" she exclaimed, "What a pleasant surprise!" She wagged her tail in happiness as she brought Cindy into a hug. Cindy also wagged with glee as her mother embraced her. "What brings you two here this morning?" Dilly asked. George was the first to speak.

"Well, Cindy and myself decided to bring you some breakfast." He said as he held out the bag of food to her.

"Oh my bells and alarms; you two are saviors!" said Dilly as she took the bag, "I didn't get to eat yet because we went out on a call last night and golly was it a doozy."

"A call!" Cindy spoke up, "Was it dangerous? Is everyone ok?"

"And does it also involve what happen to CINDY?" asked George as he had just noticed what a filthy state the truck was in. Dilly smiled to reassure the both of them.

"No, no; everything is ok;" she said, "It's a funny story actually. See, we got a call to assist the recycling plant to do a controlled burn of all the excess waste that couldn't be recycled. We took_CINDY_out to make sure the fire didn't get out of hand, and everything was going well. I even got to talk to Tammy's father, Zero for a bit. But it turned out that there was a mix up in the burn pile. Some recycled oil drums got mixed in so as soon as the flames hit those things, the white smoke turned into a thick black plume and of course the wind picked up and blew it all over CINDY. George and Cindy blew a quick sigh of relief knowing that everything was ok and no one had been hurt.

"Well that's certainly a relief." said Cindy, "Too bad for _CINDY_though... It's going to take a lot of scrubbing to clean her up."

"Maybe not as much as you think, my dear." said Dilly, with a smile, "We'll just use the water cannon from Engine Number 95 to pressure wash her. Soon she'll as be good as new." She then noticed the time on the building's front clock. "Goodness!" she said, "I should eat and get back to work! I'll see you two tomorrow at shift change." She gave both her husband and her daughter a hug and kiss.

"Sure thing, Dill;" said George, "Please be careful and have a good rest of your shift." He said his goodbye along with Cindy as they headed back to the motorcycle and started heading towards home. On the way back, Cindy started to think of her parents again; and how they had managed to find the time to be a family. George and Dilly worked opposite week long shifts so that at least one of them could be with her at all times. Sometimes every now and then, they would both take some time off to spend time together as a family. Those times were what Cindy treasured the most.

*****

A few minutes later, George's Harley was motoring down the highway; cruising along with the afternoon traffic. Cindy was reading the electronic billboard, which was warning people of the extreme heat index and the drought that was to strike in the coming week. Lately, both her parents had been quite busy due to the nasty effects of such weather. Brush fires where the most common fires around this time of year, but there were a few house and car fires that would pop up as they did most of the year. It wasn't long before George and Cindy turned off the highway, and found their way onto Marigold Lane, where they turned into the driveway of house number six; home sweet home. The house itself wasn't anything special, just a decent sized two story home with a large backyard and some small trees growing alongside the driveway.

"Great to be home;" said George as he drove the Harley into the garage and shut off the engine. Cindy got out of the sidecar and stretched herself out.

"It does feel nice to be back" She replied, "So what do you have planned?"

"Well, to be frank, I'm going to get a few chores done before your mother comes home tomorrow." said George, "The grass needs cutting, and after that, I'll go and do the grocery shopping....exciting isn't it?" Cindy yawned in response.

"Gee, Dad;" said Cindy, "If that's exciting for grownups, then I never want to grow up." She chuckled and then thought for a second. "Do you think I can stay home while you go out?" She asked, hopefully, "I'll be super careful and responsible! pleeeeeease? Grocery shopping is so boring." George pondered for a bit. She was only ten and was still a bit young to be doing a lot of things by herself. Plus, she could be a bit rambunctious at times. But Cindy was growing and had made a lot of progress in keeping her explosive energy in check. Seeing her now and how mature she was made up his mind. He smiled and said,

"Fine; but there will be rules, okay? One; keep all the doors locked at all times. Two; no using the oven or stove. And three; no parties or boys over."

"Daaaaad!" Cindy moaned as she blushed and let out a small laugh, "I promise I will abide by the rules." She hugged him, "Thank you." George laughed and hugged back.

"Good girl;" he said with a smile, "And you're welcome. Just remember that there is more to being a grownup than chores." He smiled and headed back out to get the mowing machine. "OH! And one more rule!" He barked from the garage, "Don't tell your mother that I let you stay home alone! I'll be in the dog house if she found out!"

"Sure thing!" she shouted back. Indeed he was right; Dilly was by no means an over protective parent, but she sure would have a fit if she knew that her daughter was left home alone. Cindy closed the garage door behind her father, and soon a huge grin appeared on her face. "YES!" she hissed and did a little celebration dance, 'I know exactly what I'm going to do when Dad leaves!' she thought to herself and went upstairs to get ready for her plan.

About an hour or so later, George finished cutting the grass. "Ah... nothing like the smell of fresh cut grass to bring the mood up." He said out loud and admired his work. Satisfied, he put away the mowing machine and went inside to let Cindy know that he was leaving. Cindy wasn't doing much at the moment, just watching a TV show about how things were made.

"Hey, Cindy!" called George, "I'm heading out now! Please remember to lock the door!"

"I will, Dad!" She smiled and gave him a goodbye wave, "Oh can you get some apple juice, please?"

"Sure thing, Kiddo!" He waved back and grabbed his keys and helmet and then stepped out the door, closing it behind him. He waited for a second until he heard a distinct click from the door, signaling that Cindy had locked it. "That's my girl." he quietly said and got on the bike, kicked it into life, and drove off towards the store. Cindy, meanwhile, watched her father's Harley turn the corner at the end of the street and vanish up the road.

"Yes!" she said, "Time for Operation: Jet Wash!" She off shut the TV and went upstairs to her parents' bathroom. Now, she had her own, which was a convenient three second walk from her bedroom, but her parents' bathroom had something that hers didn't; and that was a massage tub with a separate walk-in shower. She rarely ever got the chance to sneak in and have a nice relaxing jet massage bath. But knowing her father, he would take about two hours to shop and her mother wouldn't be back until tomorrow. "This is going to be awesome." said Cindy as she started the water running. She got her towel and change of pajamas ready along with her trusty fur drier and comb. "Everything is set!" she said, "Just need to let the water rise a bit more."

Within minutes, the water was high enough. She shut the water taps off and stuck her hand in for a temperature test. "Perfect...!" she said, "And now the moment I've been waiting for!" Wasting no time, she started to undress. Shirt first, then shorts, then her training bra and panties; just leaving her in her naked glory. Cindy gave a soft sigh; she enjoyed being nude every now and then. The feeling was quite liberating, and she often wondered what it would feel like to be naked outside and feel the sun and wind on her bare fur. She sighed in a defeated manner, knowing that that particular dream wouldn't happen for quite a while. Shaking those thoughts, she turned towards the full sized mirror and looked at her reflection. She was happy about her body; thin yet toned due to all the years on the school's swim team; and certain other areas of her body were starting to shape up as well. Knowing the clock was running, she slowly stepped in the tub. "Oooooh yeeeeesss..." she moaned, feeling the nice hot water envelop her body until she was seated neck deep. Smiling, she reached for the controls for the water jets and clicked the mild setting. Soon the tub quietly started its massage cycle. A pleasurable sigh came from her as the jets pulsed against her body, soothing her muscles and melting all her stress away.

While relaxing, Cindy began to go into deep thought, thinking about what her dad told her about at the diner.

"Soul...." was the single word that escaped her lips. She had never even thought about it; nor had the thought of boyfriends crossed her mind much. Sure she found some of the guys at school and the pool cute or handsome, but she really never thought about anything serious. But now, thinking about what her dad said made everything.... interesting, to say the least. 'So, looks are not everything. Look for soul, but, looks and soul can exist together.' She tried to make sense of everything, but only sunk into the water a bit in defeat. "I get it, but, I don't." she groaned out loud, 'Mom and dad are happy and they love each other. Plus they both look good... as far as grownups go.' she thought again. Using her parents as examples made things a bit more clear about what her father said. She then started to grin, thinking of how nice it would be to have a special someone to make her happy and be there for her and vise versa. No sooner had she finished her thought, the jets shut off as the timer beeped, signaling that the massage was done. "Over so soon?" she asked before looking at the clock on the wall. "Oh my!" she yelped, "It's been an hour already! That must have been some deep thinking." Cindy stood up and reached to pull the water plug. Once that was done, she got out of the tub and stretched. Feeling rejuvenated and very relaxed, she started drying off with the towel. While doing so, however, a familiar urge hit her bladder. She finished patting herself down and then started to go for the toilet, but then stopped. A grin appeared on her face as an idea emerged in her head. She turned around and looked at the tub which was about half full, still draining. 'Why waste the water?' she thought 'It's all going to the same place so.....' she giggled and went back to the tub and positioned herself so she was sat on the edge, and her spotted rear was aimed at the water. After taking a moment to make sure she was safely positioned, Cindy raised her tail and relaxed her bladder. She gave a satisfied sigh as she heard the sound of her urine stream splashing into the water below her. She had a naughtier smile on her face as she did her business. "I'm glad Mom and Dad will never find out about this." she said to herself and finished up by giving her rear a few wiggles so that any remaining drops were shaken out. She got up and gave herself a wipe from the towel, just in case. What was left of the water was now a dull shade of yellow, and soon disappeared down the drain, leaving no evidence of what had just happened. Cindy then headed to the sink where her fur drier was and began to detail her hair and fur. Being the breed of canine she was, she luckily did not have long fur so drying took very little time; the rest of which could be spent on brushing and grooming. Once she was happy with all of that, she changed into her pajamas; a white tank top and light blue pajama pants. By now it was almost about the time she had estimated her father would be back, so she cleaned up any evidence that she was even in her parents' bathroom and the proceeded downstairs to watch TV until her dad came home.

Right around 30 minutes later, there was a click from the front hall and the sound of the door opening.

"Sweetie! I'm home!" called George, "And I brought home some dinner too." he announced and started to put away the items he bought from the market Cindy's ears perked up from hearing the word 'dinner'. She didn't even notice that she was hungry until the thought hit her. She headed into the kitchen to greet her father.

"Welcome home, Dad;" she said, "What did you get?" she asked as she helped him put away some of the smaller things.

"I got some Chinese food for us." said George as he set two cartons down on the counter, "I figured since your mother hates it, we can enjoy it today." He cracked a smile as he put the last item away. "So what did you do while I was gone?" he asked. Cindy had already worked out what she was going to say if her dad asked her that question.

"I took a bath and watched TV." she said, "Nothing special." She figured that would be the perfect thing to say since it was technically not a lie.

"That's nice;" said George, "Sometimes there's not much worth doing unless it's nice and relaxing." He paused for a moment, then asked, "So, table or TV?"

"TV of course!" laughed Cindy, "Thanks, Dad; you're the best!" she grabbed her carton, containing her moo goo gai pan, her favorite Chinese meal, and led her father to the living room. The rest of the evening was uneventful. Cindy and her father ate their dinner on the sofa as they watched two episodes of Dancing with the Cars. After that, both of them went to brush their teeth and turn in for the night.

*****

Cindy always fell asleep quickly; once her head was on the pillow, the rest was history. While sleeping though, she dreamed that she was spending time with Sherry at her farm; and they were listening to a story being told by none other than Coconut; the Phillips family's rooster. It was a story about how he had fought off a gang of vegetable eating fish and saved the farm from losing its crop. Just as Coconut demonstrated a karate move by kicking over an old metal barrel, she woke up from a loud crash. Several low rumbles could be heard outside that followed the big crash; It was raining again. Cindy rubbed her eyes and sat up. 'I guess I know why mom doesn't like Chinese food..." she thought to herself, 'I'll totally have to tell Sherry about this one.' she giggled, 'Talking roosters and vegetable eating fish!' She shook her head, and realized that her throat was actually quite dry already. 'I need some water to help get back to sleep...' she continued to mentally talk to herself as she got out of bed and headed down the hallway. Part way there, her canine ears picked up an odd noise; very faint, but still noticeable. At first she couldn't quite sift it out, but as she moved a bit closer, it started to sound like... 'Crying...?' she thought, confused as to why there would be crying. 'Dad must be watching TV.' she guessed and followed the sound more to the source. Passing the stairs, she listened, but she only heard the sound of the crying; no other dialogue or noises. 'No...not the TV...' she thought to herself, 'But if it's not the TV, then that means... oh no!' she began to worry and panic a little as she started toward her parents' bedroom door. She gave the door a few quick knocks but received no reply. "Dad?!?" she called, but still got nothing. "I'm coming in!" she announced and opened the door; only to see that no one was in the room. "Huh?" she said as she looked around the empty room and the confusion only multiplied when she looked into the bathroom to see that it was empty too.

At this time, Cindy stood still and concentrated. Tapping in to her keep sense of hearing she was able to pinpoint the source of the sound which led her to the closet. She slowly opened the door to yet again be welcomed by the sight of nothing.

'I must be still dreaming...' she thought, 'I have to be.' Just as she was about to leave and go back to bed, she saw a sliver of light from a crack in the closet wall. Being the curious and adventurous pup she was, she investigated the light, and discovered that there was a small hatch in the side of the wall. Unable to resist this mystery, she opened the hatch to discover a small hideaway; just large enough to hide a person. And the person who was in there was her father; who was sitting in a crouched position and crying.

"Dad!?" she said, quietly, which caused George to jump.

"C...Cindy!!" he gasped, while wiping his eyes, trying to cover up the fact that he had been crying, "H...how...? How did you find me here?" She didn't say anything for a few moments. She was busy looking around the small room. In the dimly lit room she saw what appeared to be a small shrine like podium with pictures of what looked like firefighters.

"I woke up from a dream, and I was going to get some water, but I heard crying so I decided to investigate." Cindy admitted, "Thus I found you."

"That hearing of ours is a great thing and a darn curse." George managed to chuckle through a sniff. Cindy smiled a bit at that, but quickly went back to the subject.

"Why are you here? What is all this? And...why are you crying?' She asked her bombardment of questions. George took a deep breath.

"Cindy..." he started, "This room... is my little shrine. A shrine to my fallen comrades; to all the firemen and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty." Cindy felt her heart sink.

"Oh dear..." she spoke, quietly, "I remember that a few years ago we went to the funerals of Captain Kevin Matthews; and... Cadet Cree Shepherd." She spoke quietly, noticing the pictures of the firefighters in question.

"Yes indeed;" said George, "Poor Cree; she was fresh out of the academy, but she had no fear. No hesitation to risk her life to protect others. But it's not just them." He faced his daughter and said, "Before you were born... There were more that didn't make it. Countless brave men and women who were willing to risk their lives so that others could be safe;" He started to choke up again, "I can't go into all their stories, but... I come here to pay my respects; and to wonder why..." Cindy scooted up to her father and leaned on him with a small hug.

"Wonder why?" she asked, quietly.

"To wonder why I'm still alive!" he barked, raising his voice a bit, "I feel like I should have been the one to go...! Not them!" Hearing what he said kind of scared Cindy, but more so, it worried her.

"So...you feel guilty?" she asked, "Like... guilty that you're still living?"

"Yes... I do..." said George, hanging his head, "I mean, I know I should feel lucky to be alive; lucky that every day I come home to you and Dilly, But... I feel that I should have..."

"Dad!" Cindy interrupted, "What do you think those firemen would think if they heard you talking like that?" George found he had no answer for that question. "I love you, Daddy..." said Cindy, "We love you. It's like you and Mom always tell me; risking your lives for the safety of others is what being a firefighter is about. Those firefighters went into danger with courage and honor. They wouldn't want you to trade your life for theirs. They would want you and all others to keep their memories and continue to help others." She was speaking in an emotional state now, with tears starting to form in her eyes. "Daddy... I don't want you to give yourself up for nothing..." she sniffed, "I want you to fight on through this hardship. Remember what you and Mom always tell me when I have bad days? If things were like a wildfire, fight it bit by bit until you extinguish it at the source." She squeezed him tighter as she started to cry. This intervention and seeing his daughter cry shook George to the core.

'How could I have been so blind and selfish?' he thought to himself, 'She is absolutely right. She needs me... Dilly needs me... and the people I have sworn to protect need me.' He took a deep breath and said, "Cindy... I'm...so sorry. You are right. I need to honor my oath to the people I swore to protect; and that includes you and Dilly. I apologize for being selfish but, you've helped me see things in a different light now. I need to fulfill the promise I made when I became a firefighter; for those who stood with me before, and those who stand with me today." Hearing this made Cindy look up and smile brightly through her teary eyes. The kind of smile that could make even the saddest person feel good.

"Thank you, Dad..." she said.

"I should be thanking you for finding me here;" said George, "You have lifted a weight off of me and I now realize that I cannot dwell on what has already been." He gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I want you to know that you are the best daughter a father could ever ask for." He continued, just as Cindy gave a big yawn. "You're right..." he chuckled, "All this has gotten me pretty tired as well. Thanks to you, I think I can sleep a little better now. Cindy smiled and started to climb out of the closet.

"Well, let's go back to sleep." she said, "You have a pretty big day tomorrow and you need to be in tip top shape for work."

"Very true indeed." said George as they both got out of the hideaway. Once back in the bedroom, Cindy gave her father one final hug.

"Good night, Dad." she said with a smile.

"Good night, Sweetie." he replied and hugged her back. With that being said, Cindy headed back down the hall to her bedroom. Getting back into bed was like laying on a cloud after being crammed in the closed. She sighed in comfort and also in happiness. She was glad that her father was feeling better now; and, hopefully, he may actually sleep better too. After what she had just been through, it didn't take long for her to fall back asleep.

*****

The next morning came all too soon, and Cindy would have slept until ten if George hadn't come in to wake her up.

"Cindy..." he said as he gently rubbed her arm, "It's time to get up." He smiled as he gently stirred the pup awake.

"Daaaad..." Cindy groaned, "I can sleep late; It's summer vacation!"

"I know, Kiddo;" said George, "But we need to head to the fire station so your mother and I can swap shifts." Hearing this, Cindy sat up, stretched, and yawned before smiling at her father.

"Morning, Dad..." she said, "Did you sleep well?"

"I most certainly did;" said George, "I probably hadn't slept like that in a long while; and I have you to thank for that."

"It wasn't just me;" said Cindy if she got out of bed, "You did your part too."

"I know;" said George, "But without you... I would have still been in that closet; brooding over things I couldn't change, and having those sleepless nights." He patted her on the head. "But today is a new day;" he continued, "And while it may take some time, I promise that it's a fresh start for me." With that, he headed out of Cindy's room. "Why don't you start getting ready?" he said, "We'll need to be out of here in half an hour if we're going to be there on time." Cindy nodded and waited for him to shut the door. She started to remove her pajamas and quickly traded them for a pair of blue lace panties, a simple pair of athletic shorts, and green t-shirt along with tennis shoes. Making sure things were squared away; she headed down stairs to meet her father for a quick bite to eat. After that, she said,

"Well, I'm ready if you are, Dad."

"Alrighty then;" said George, "Let's get moving." The two of them headed into the garage, and Cindy opened the garage as George got on the motorcycle. He gave the engine a kick start and waited for Cindy to buckle in before driving down the driveway and out to the main drag. The usual morning rush hour grind was the only eventful thing on their journey, but even that couldn't dampen their moods this morning. In only twenty-five minutes, they arrived at the station in good order. Dilly was already packing her 1999 Jeep Cherokee with her personal items as they pulled in and parked next to her car. George was the first out as he walked up and gave his wife a kiss on the lips.

"Oh my! Aren't we in a good mood?" Dilly remarked with a smile.

"Let's just say I had a wonderful night's sleep." said George as he started to get his things ready for his shift. Cindy smiled, knowing his statement was true, and walked over to her father to say her goodbye.

"Bye, Daddy;" she said, "Please be careful out there."

"I, will, Kiddo;" said Battalion Chief George Vanderspot, "I promise." He gave his daughter a hug. "Now you and your mother have a good time this week." He said as he patted her on the back.

"We sure will!" said Cindy as she nodded and got into her mother's car. Dilly gave her husband a kiss goodbye and explained a few things before she got into the driver's seat and drove off, heading for home; she needed to unpack her things before any fun things could be done. Driving home was just as exciting as the ride over; traffic in and traffic out and not much else.

"Sweetie?" Dilly spoke to Cindy, "When we get home, I'm going to take a nap for a while before we do anything; ok?"

"Ok, Mom;" said Cindy, "I guess it must have been a very rough day yesterday, huh?"

"You guess right;" said Dilly, "We did a lot of cleaning and organizing yesterday; most of it on CINDY. Plus, it didn't help that Sergeant Stanford had to leave and go to the hospital, His wife went into labor around four in the afternoon. It was kinda annoying, having to do his duties on top of our own, but we were all happy for him." she smiled.

"Aw... that's nice." said Cindy. After thinking about that for a moment, she got a little curious and said,

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, Dear?" Dilly answered.

"When did you and Dad decide to have me?" Dilly's ears flattened and her face dead panned as she was completely taken off guard on that question.

'Oh shoot...! Think, Dilly, think!' She thought as she mentally scrambled to find a way to tell Cindy how she came to be.

*****

The real story was that at the time, she and George were not even a couple. Dilly Reid had graduated the fire academy at age 22, and was assigned to Station 495. Seeing as she was fresh out of the academy, the chief set her up with a personal mentor; that mentor being George Vanderspot, who was no more than a captain at the time. Right from the moment she saw him, Dilly had a hunch that there was something unique about George that set him apart from all the other guys she had known in her life. George quickly took her under his wing and she was quick to learn the ropes. She had even assisted him in rescuing trapped victims when a fire broke out at a convenience store next to a gas station. They eventually grew on each other; and soon after that, they were near inseparable. A year or so later, while they were cleaning out the supply shed at the back of the station, they had gotten a bit frisky and turned the shed into their personal love shack. A few weeks later, Dilly discovered that she was pregnant. Yes, the pregnancy was a surprise, but when she told George, she was amazed that instead of asking her to abort her pregnancy, he asked her to marry him. Dilly was so happy to have found someone who was so loving and loyal, that she accepted, and two months later, the two of them became Mr. and Mrs. Vanderspot. Seven months after that, their puppy was born; a little girl pup who they decided to name Cindy.

*****

Snapping back to the present, Dilly simply came up with an honest, but very vague answer.

"Well, Cindy," she said, "When I was younger, I often thought about what it would be like to be a parent. But, I never thought that I would have such an amazing daughter like you." She finished, not wanting to tell her that she was a love child. But, to be honest, Cindy didn't really need to know that, because it didn't make any difference about how she felt about her daughter. Dilly loved her daughter with all of her heart, and felt like the happiest mother on earth to have such a wonderful child. George felt the same as well; there were times he couldn't stop bragging about how proud he was of his daughter's athletic prowess.

"Thanks, Mom;" said Cindy. She could tell that there was something that her mother wasn't telling her, but she knew that now was not the right time to persist. She decided that she was satisfied by the answer she had received and nodded in return. Yet again, her mind started to wander back to what her father had said in the diner. This didn't last long, however, as she was still tired from the lack of sleep from the night before. 'I wonder what being in a relationship feels like...' she thought to herself as she nodded off and went to sleep in the car. Dilly just smiled; perhaps they would both be in need of a nap when they got home; but after that, they had a full week of mother/daughter fun to look forward to.

To Be Continued.....