Dog Days II

Bursting forth involved much ado, but it was not, from the canine point of view, about nothing. It was about aventure, in the original sense of the word. Anything could happen beyond the Long Stair. Wicked Uncle and Swain galumphed with gusto up the steps to Euphoria, ears flying and jowls flapping. The Wicked Uncle reflected later that the name Long Stair was rather more symbolic than physically accurate - the journey had taken almost no time at all, and yet the metaphorical distance covered had been very near to infinite. The gap between misery and comfort is vast indeed, he thought.

At the top of the Long Stair, our doggy heroes suddenly realized their social awkwardness. (They'd never got out much.) Abruptly, there was much abashed snuffling and sneezing. Two FDCs were hurriedly throwing a cover over a sumptious couch. Another was directing traffic, so to speak, and they were ushered into a place of magical odors. The snuffling intensified, and for a moment, the Wicked Uncle suffered the agony of indecision: to search out the source of smells, or to stretch out on the couch? The sure comfort of the couch triumphed over the mere possibility of treats, but he kept one eye open in case food should appear. Meanwhile, the Swain had found his feet again and was frolicking about. Wicked Uncle smirked to himself as the FDCs scolded his adopted nephew for overenthusiasm. Ah, the innocence of youth. Swain would never understand the meaning of guile. And speaking of guile... Uncle screwed up his face and looked reproachfully over his shoulder at the nearest FDC. Instantly, he was the subject of lavish affection. 

For his part, Swain was discovering that the Upper Realms were entrenched in limitations, boundaries, and rules. No biting, no chewing, no fighting, no spewing, no lightning quick dashes for the Fountain of Youth (which was a ceramic bowl in a room of its own) - he quickly grew tired of the list. But he found two benefits to the Upper Realms. 1) The FDCs were generous with treats, especially when plied with persistent begging techniques. 2) The FDCs prevented Wicked Uncle from murdering him for no reason, effectively allowing him to pest Wicked Uncle continuously over a period of several hours. It wasn't bliss, but it was All Right. 

Since you ask, the Cat was doing nothing but radiating disgust from a lofty perch.