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Elliot was sound asleep one night when he thought he heard a small voice calling his name. "What?" he mumbled, just in case he wasn't dreaming.

"Elliot, it's storming," Pookie said quietly. She was nearly trembling in her fear. Storms had always been scary for her. She inched closer to Elliot.

Hearing Pookie's words, Elliot yawned before opening his eyes. "C'mere," he said, making room for her on his bed. He knew about her fear and knew she wouldn't be able to sleep unless she felt safe.

The little female wasted no time in occupying the space that had been made for her. She laid down and curled up with her side touching his. A flash of lightning and a loud boom of thunder caused her to jerk in place.

Her startled reaction didn't escape Elliot's notice. He nuzzled her gently. "Everything's going to be alright, Pookie. Now, try to get some sleep. I'm right here," he said soothingly.

Pookie nodded her head head slowly. "Okay," she said quietly, agreeing to his advice to go to sleep. She laid her head down on his right front leg and closed her eyes.

A smile appeared on Elliot's face. Marlin might be who Pookie spent most of the day with. But he was still the only one that could calm her during a storm. He laid his head down next to hers and tried to fall back asleep. The trembling coming from the corgi's body began to lessen until it went away completely. Both dogs were soon asleep and stayed that way until morning.

When Elliot woke up the next morning, he could still hear rain beating against the windows. It wasn't as furious as it had been during the night, but was still a steady downpour. He opened his eyes and noticed that Pookie was gone. After yawning and stretching, he went off in search of the other puppies. The frown on Marlin's face didn't escape his notice. In response, he grinned smugly and shrugged one shoulder. He thought he saw Marlin's lip curl, but his attention was drawn to Ciesta when she started speaking.

The pitbull was standing at the window, paws pressed against the pane, looking outside almost worriedly. For Ciesta to appear worried was something completely unusual. "It's been raining an awful lot. Do you think Cooki's okay?" she asked, eyes still glued to the downpour outside.

Elliot's ears pricked up immediately. He had never really thought about where Cooki went after they said goodbye. And he certainly never thought about where she found shelter during a storm. Cooki wasn't like them. She was a stray dog, without a real home to return to every night. He walked over to join Ciesta at the window. "I'm sure she has some place she goes to stay safe," he said. He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, though, Ciesta or himself.

Ciesta turned around to look at him. It was obvious that she wasn't believing him. "Maybe we should go look for her," she said, returning her front paws to the floor and stepping back from the window.

The thought had crossed Elliot's mind as well. It hadn't rained this hard in all the time they had known Cooki for it to have occurred to him before. He didn't like thinking of his friend being in an unpleasant situation. Making a decision, he nodded his head firmly. "I'll go look for her," he declared, chest puffed out and head and tail held proudly.

"I'm coming with you," Ciesta said quickly. Although this wasn't her normal sort of adventure, she wasn't going to be left behind. It was her friend out there after all.

Marlin was torn on what to do. Part of him wanted to go help, with some of the reason being so Elliot wouldn't think him too scared or weak to go outside. But the other part wanted to stay behind and be with Pookie to make sure she was okay. With a feeling he would regret it later, he lifted his head a little higher. "I'm coming, too," he announced.

Elliot looked at the other male, his ears pricked forward in surprise. He certainly hadn't expected that. His guess was that Marlin would take this opportunity to stay behind and have more time with Pookie. Elliot's respect for the young aussie grew over his unselfish decision. He gave a single nod of his head in acceptance of the extra help. "Let's go then," he said.

Just as he was starting for the door he heard Pookie say, "Be careful." He turned around to reassure her, but found that she was addressing Marlin, not him. It was in that moment Elliot realized something. Pookie would never be more than a little sister to him, just like she no doubt saw him as a big brother. Marlin wasn't such a bad guy and he made Pookie happy. That could be enough for him.

Elliot waited for Marlin and Pookie to finish saying good bye before he spoke up. "We'll be back soon, Pookie. Try not to worry too much," he said with a playful wink.

Pookie's cheeks flushed a little as she gave a quick nod before looking at the floor. "Good luck," she said, lifting her eyes to the departing search party.

Elliot led the way down the street, followed closely by Ciesta. Marlin brought up the rear of their little group. "I think we should check by the bakery first," he suggested. Cooki loved cookies so much, it seemed like a logical place to start.

They trudged through the rain, trying to keep out of it as much as possible by walking under trees. The trees were pretty far apart, though. Once they were in the center of town, they started walking beneath the shop overhangs.

The bakery was located toward the middle of the shops. A quick search of the alley and behind the building turned up no clue to their friend's whereabouts. She just wasn't there.

Drenched and weighed down by his wet fur, Elliot gave himself a quick shake. "I was so sure she'd be here," he muttered, looking around. This was where he and Ciesta had first met Cooki, that day Ciesta was convinced there were mermaids living in the fountain. Determined not to give up, Elliot looked at his companions. "Any ideas?" he asked them.

"What about the woods where we play at all the time?" Ciesta suggested. Because her coat was short, she didn't have extra weight from soaked fur. But she had less warmth against the cold rain. As a result, she was shivering slightly, although she tried to control it.

Marlin shook his head at the suggestion. "I don't think she'll go back there alone. Not after what happened with her and Wish." It wasn't because Cooki was scared of the prankster Puck. But she didn't trust him and wanted to keep her distance.

"Marlin's right," Elliot said, his head low in an attempt to keep the rain out of his eyes. "We could try the park by the school," he said. The park had a bunch of fun toys that they could hide in, which also meant a puppy could find shelter there from the rain.

After agreeing that was a good place, the trio set off once more. This time, they started calling out Cooki's name as they walked. They were just about to cross a small bridge when Elliot thought he heard something. "Guys, hush for a minute," he said. Ears erect, he listened carefully. The rain was finally starting to slow down and looked like it would stop at any time.

There it was again! A little sneeze coming from somewhere close by. "Cooki?" Elliot tried, walking down the bank to look under the bridge. His tail started to wag at what he found.

Cooki was tucked under the bridge, trying to shelter herself as best as she could. She was completely drenched and shivering. Her head lifted and her ears came forward when she heard Elliot's voice. "Elliot! Cie! What are you guys doing out here?" she asked, her teeth chattering.

Ciesta, who had bounded after Elliot as soon as he said her friend's name, was at Cooki's side in a matter of seconds. "We came looking for you. We were worried," she said.

Cooki's eyes brightened. She looked at Elliot. "You were?" she asked. No one had ever been worried about her before. A place in her heart felt warm in that moment.

Elliot nodded his affirmation. "I think the rain has stopped now. Why don't you come back with us? We can warm you up with some blankets," he invited.

A smile broke out on Cooki's face. "I could use a mountain of blankets right now," she said.

Laughing, all three of them reappeared from beneath the bridge. Marlin was still waiting on the road for them. "I'm glad we found you, Cooki," he said, a smile on his face.

"Me too," Cookie replied. She gave a small shake of her coat, sending water droplets flying out in all directions. Elliot and Ciesta followed suit.

On the way back to their house, Ciesta and Cooki jumped in every single mud puddle they could find. Elliot found it hard to be annoyed with him. Now that they didn't have sheets of rain constantly soaking through their coats, they were all in much better moods.  

Pookie must have been waiting at the window watching for them, because she came out on the front porch as soon as they approached the house. "You found her!" she said excitedly, stump tail wagging.

Elliot came to a stop and turned to face Cooki. He looked her directly in the eyes, claiming her complete attention. "Cooki, I think you should stay here, with us. You won't have to hide under bridges when it rains and you could have as many cookies as you want," he encouraged, trying to make the idea as appealing as possible.

"I don't know..." Cooki hesitated. She had never lived in a house before. She didn't even know what the rules were. And what if she got yelled at all the time? Would her friends hate her? Would she have to run away and find new friends?

"Come on!" Ciesta said, bouncing around her friend. "It'll be so much fun. Please? Please!" she pleaded, rolling onto her back and pawing at Cooki playfully.

Unable to resist such an imploring gesture, Cooki smiled, having reached her decision. "Okay," she said, looking from Ciesta to Elliot. "I will."

"Yes!" Ciesta exclaimed, jumping up quickly before running circles around Cooki.

"Look," Pookie said in her quiet voice. All eyes turned to her. She was pointing towards the sky. "It's a rainbow," she said. There in the sky was a near perfect rainbow.

Elliot walked over to Cooki and nudged her. "I think that's a good sign. Now, how about we go inside and dry off now?" he suggested.

With the others agreeing, everyone went inside. Hours later, now clean, dry, and warm, Cooki sat beside the window, looking out. She finally had a real home, surrounded by friends who loved and cared for her. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever felt happier.