Page 98 of Wrestling with Daddy

Ash was there, too, although Nathan didn’t know if he’d participate. A part of him hoped not, but he wouldn’t be caught saying that out loud. For obvious reasons.

Nathan forced himself to take a deep breath. He remembered Ken’s words—it would be Zeus up onstage, not Nathan.

Besides, he thought he’d come up with something good.

He just needed to get into the right headspace before they announced his name.

Easy peasy.

Or not so easy.

The stage was… intimidating, the hall large and luxurious-looking with all the silvery details and ornate pillars. Thankfully his muzzle covered the way he swallowed his tongue as he crawled to the front of the stage. As Ash read the description Nathan had given him, he went to grab the big thunderbolt plushie Daddy had bought him. He shook it around, chewing on it more forcefully than he’d originally intended.

It helped soothe his nerves.

Flashes of cameras threatened to blind him, but Nathan refused to let that stop him. Focused on the reward that may come, he spat the plushie away, stomping and drawing back on his haunches, wagging his tail before he was barking at it. He knew Daddy always laughed when he got upset with a plushie and started barking and lunging at it.

Daddy!

Daddy had to be watching, didn’t he?

The lights made it hard to focus, but Nathan managed. He was a totally capable good puppy. One who could go off script and get off the stage to get to Daddy and get all the scritches.

He heard someone laugh, tease about whether or not that was allowed in the contest. It wasn’t Ash’s voice, which he thought was weird, but he didn’t care.

Daddy was giving him scritches. A few others too, after asking his Daddy. He couldn’t stop wiggling, flopping around so he was on his back, belly exposed with his legs in the air.

He stayed down there while other pets got on the stage. This was the best day ever. He could be getting attention like this all day for the rest of his life and be the happiest.

Actually, he may have to think about that. Later.

“All right, everyone, gather up!” Ash spoke a bit too loudly into the microphone.

“Hey, pup.” Ken maneuvered him to sit up right. “Pay attention.”

Nathan scowled.

He’d been having so much fun on the floor.

Daddies were no fun.

“Our judges have deliberated, and we have this year’s winner of Best in Show.” There was the usual pause to build up tension, drumrolls, and so on. To be fair, Nathan couldn’t quite care. He’d come into this wanting to win, but what he’d gotten was much better. He’d hadfun. “And the winner is… Pup Zeus!”

What?

Nathan’s head tilted to the side, then he was sitting even more upright.

Huh.

Perhaps he did care about it after all.

He just needed to keep the waterworks at bay while he crawled to the stage to get his trophy. Without thinking, Nathan rose to his hind legs and snatched it off Ash’s hands. He might’ve accidentally bitten his hand, too, but it was a light bite.

And an accident.

People found it funny, so he didn’t care. Instead, he ran back to Daddy.

He had to show him his trophy!