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Choccie stayed by my side as we wandered around the park perimeter. As this was our first time, he might not interact with anyone else, and that was fine. Slowly, slowly.
Brett’s shout got my attention. He and the baby were walking around the fence toward us, and he was pointing to the middle of the park. I picked up Choccie, thinking a huge dog was headed our way.
But a little girl, who looked almost identical to Choccie, raced up to us.
“Cocoa.” A man, presumably her owner, was behind her, a leash dangling from his pocket.
The man paused as he took in Choccie. His scent announced him as human, but Choccie wriggled to get down, and Cocoa jumped up, resting her paws on my legs and yelped, trying to reach him.
“Sorry,” the man said as he picked up Cocoa. “She’s never done that before.”
“They could be siblings.” As both dogs were being held, they leaned toward one another and sniffed, their wagging tails slapping against us.
“Shall we put them down?” the guy asked.
I nodded, and the dogs greeted one another as though they were long lost friends.
I was curious about Cocoa and asked how old she was but discovered, like Choccie, she had been abandoned as a puppy. The vet had estimated her age, which was the same as our dog.
“Did you get her from the shelter?” They were so similar, and the way they reacted to one another suggested maybe they were siblings. But how likely was that?
“No, we found her on the street.”
When he gave the address, I turned to Brett who was on the other side of the fence. “That’s around the corner from your old place.”
“Are they brother and sister?” Cocoa’s owner asked.
“I think so.”
I introduced myself and Brett and the baby. The guy said his name was Archer and his mate would be here soon.
“Mate?” I said under my breath. He was human, but there was a hint of shifter on his clothes. But he could’ve been referring to a friend.
He leaned in close. “I’ve been around shifters long enough to scent them. And there are a lot in Snowford.”
Brett squeaked behind me, and I swirled around, thinking of Andri. But my mate was focused on a man walking toward him and pushing a stroller.
“That’s my mate and daughter,” Archer whispered. “He’s a?—”
“Unicorn,” Brett yelled a little too loudly. He clarified, when heads swiveled in his direction by saying, “My son reminds me of a little unicorn.” That wasn’t much better, but people went back to chatting and taking care of their dogs.
I hurried over to him and leaned on the fence, with Choccie reluctantly following as he was on the lead.
“This is Sirius and our daughter, Betsy.” Brett’s slack-jawed expression told me he wasn’t expecting to meet one of his kind at the dog park—or maybe anywhere.
There was a doggie café across the road, and I suggested we go there. I picked Choccie up, as he was pulling at the leash and whining, wanting to be near Cocoa.
“She’s coming with us, little boy. Don’t worry.”
We sat outside and ordered coffees and puppuccinos for the dogs.
“I didn’t know there was another unicorn in Snowford. How did I not scent you?” Brett said.
Sirius explained they’d been renting in another area of Oakheart and had only just moved to Snowford.
The dogs were curled up under the table until their puppuccinos arrived. Archer and I held the paper cups, and the dogs lapped at their treats in unison. Anyone observing them couldn’t mistake them for anything but siblings. They were adorable.
“How old is Betsy?” Brett asked as I helped him take Andri out of the carrier, as he was fussing and ready for a feed.
