"Wrong again, Tenderfoot."

Dipstick ducked out of Vitani's reach, laughing all the while. "Awwwww, what's the matter? Are you embarrassed? Are you embarrassed cuz you got a CRUSH on SCAMP?!" He spoke in a taunting manner, dancing in place. "Tani's all maaaaaaad cuz she got a crush on Scaaaamp!!!" He laughed. "An' Scamp's got a crush on 'Tani too, I can seeee it!! Can you see it Mooch? They wuv each other!!"
He made a kissy face. "Why don't you give each other a big, sloppy kiss!! MMMMMMmmuahhh!!"

Scamp's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he opened his mouth to protest, but with Mooch's hold still on his collar, it just came out as a choked gurgle. Unable to make Mooch let go, Scamp slipped out of the collar - leaving Mooch still holding it - and snarled at Dipstick.
"You don't know what you're talking about." he yapped angrily. "It's Angel I love, not some overgrown cat!"
His gaze settled on 'Tani again. "Isn't it?" he asked in a much softer voice laced with doubt.

(OOC: Sorry, 'Tani, but Scamp hasn't seen sense quite yet )

Vitani's eyes widened at Scamp's harsh words, her anger was instantly replaced with hurt. She had thought Scamp liked her enough not to insult her to her face. Her sapphire eyes were still wide in shock and it took Vitani a few minutes to form anything sinilar to a responce.

"Yeah because an 'overgrown cat' isn't worth much is it." she snapped back.

Scamp realised his mistake instantly. "Wait, I didn't mean...!" he struggled for words. "I mean, you.... I, well..." What was he even trying to say? The pup wasn't entirely sure.
"That isn't what I meant!" he finally retorted. "You are worth a lot... As a friend, I mean!" he added, in case Dipstick took it the wrong way again. "It's just bad for my reputation as a cat-hater if anyone thinks I'm in love with one.
"Not that I hate YOU." he quickly added. "I mean normal cats."
That hadn't come out right, either. "I don't mean that you're NOT normal," he struggled to cover himself. "I meant house cats. They're the ones I hate." He grimaced. Wow, I REALLY made a mess of that.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Vitani replied sarcastically "if I'd known being friends with me would have hurt your reputation so much I wouldn't have bothered! Congrads Scamp! You've just lost more than Angel today!"

With that Vitani turned and stormed away, but not before giving Dipstick a look which clearly meant she wished him a slow and painful death. The hurt welled in her chest but Vitani chose to ignore it and focus on the anger instead, anger was easier to deal with.

"Ah, no, 'Tani... I...!" But it was too late. Scamp buried his head between his paws and groaned loudly. He'd made a mess of things. Again. He looked from Mooch - who would undoubtedly snap at him again - to the direction 'Tani had gone in, and then back again. What should he do?
With one final glace at Mooch, Scamp took off after 'Tani. Seemed he spent a lot of his time recently tracking her down to appologise. "'Tani!" he called, nose to the ground, following her scent the way Uncle Trusty had shown him. He hadn't meant that the way it had sounded, and he had to tell her that. "'Tani... wait..."

Vitani continue walking, not caring where she was going, she just wanted to put as much distance between her and Scamp. She had done everything for him! She'd listened to him, comforted him, been there for him and this was how he thanked her? By throwing their friendship back in her face because an idiotic dog suspected they might have feelings for each other!

Then again, she did admit she felt something...different with him. With Mooch it was close friendship...but with Scamp it was more intense and it hurt more that the words came from him. If it were Mooch she may have forgiven him more easily...but Scamp...it was different. But if that was the real Scamp, then she wasn't sure she wanted to be friends with him anymore.

"...'Tani... please, I didn't mean it..." Scamp continued to call out his appologies as he picked up speed, hoping to catch up with 'Tani. He half wondered why he was so desperate to make sure she didn't think badly of him, but he didn't dwell on it. He just knew that he didn't want to lose her as a friend. "'Tani, wait!" he called again, hoping that she could hear him.

Vitani heard Scamp's calls, and as if it were instinct, she stopped dead. Hurt rose once more. Scamp's words were playing themselves over and over in her head like a broken record. She put on her best look of indifference, she wouldn't let Scamp see the hurt, he'd only suspect that she did have feelings for him. After Angel she wasn't sure that telling him how she felt would help.

Finally! She'd stopped!
As he ran up beside her, and caught his breath, Scamp suddenly realised that he wasn't sure what to say.
"Look, 'Tani..." he began uncomfortably, before trailing off. "I... didn't mean that the way it sounded." he sighed. "I guess I'm just not thinking straight, after Angel..." Again, he left the sentence unfinished. When he was around 'Tani, his problems with Angel somehow seemed... less important. Even now.
"I want you as a friend, 'Tani." he finished, shufling his paws and both looking and sounding very awkward.

Vitani listened to Scamp's attempts at an apology and at first didn't say anything. Her eyes remained fixed in front of her and then slowly she turned to look at him.

"You want to be my friend?" she asked "But when someone thinks that we may have feelings for each other, suddenly I'm nothing to you? Friends don't do that Scamp...you can't do that with me, because the last people I thought loved me, turns out they were manipulating me. I don't want to have to go through that again."

Okay, that stung. Scamp's ears would have drooped had they not already been at their lowest position after he'd realised that Angel couldn't be his. As it was, he still managed to look utterly miserable.
"I never said that." he muttered in a low voice, his eyes fixed on his own paws. He just didn't know what to think anymore. He wanted Angel.
Something inside Scamp snapped as his problems with Angel, Mooch's inability to understand, and now 'Tani picking him out on every little thing he said wrong overwhelemed him. "Maybe YOU should try keeping your friendships together when the love of your life's just ditched you for a dalmatian!" he snapped, sounding angrier than he actually felt. "You'd make some mistakes, say some things you didn't mean. That's what I'm going through now. Just cut me some slack, okay?"

"I'm trying to help you out Scamp!" Vitani roared back, her temper getting the better of her "I've done everything I can think of to help you get past this! We all can't do it for you! You have to work with us! You need to do something other than sit around and mope! Move on with your life Scamp! There's more important things in life!"

Vitani's sapphire eyes blazed, she didn't want to be harsh with Scamp but if it meant it would help then she would yell at him. She finally calmed somewhat but she didn't back down. Scamp needed some sense beaten into him and he needed it now.

Scamp took a couple of involuntary steps backwards, surprised by the forcefulness of 'Tani's roar. For a long moment, he was silent, as Vitani's words sunk in. As much as it hurt to admit that there were more important things in life than him and Angel being together, he knew that 'Tani spoke the truth. He... he had to move on, no matter how much it hurt. He owed that much to 'Tani, at least... and to Angel as well. She'd hate to see him like this.
"You're right." he said eventually, his voice little more than a whisper. "I've got to..." his voice wavered. "...got to put Angel in the past." He took a deep breath. "Stick with me, 'Tani," he added, his voice an awkward mumble. "I can't get through this without you." He finally looked up at her again... and their eyes met. He felt his gaze riveted to those sapphire orbs, and for what felt like eternity - but couldn't have been more than a few moments - , he couldn't look away. His mouth moved silently, but no words came out.
He finally tore his gaze away, feeling his cheeks burning. What had come over him?
Whatever it was, he kinda... almost liked it?

Vitani was surprised at Scamp's words, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Just a moment ago Scamp was reluctant to let Angel go and now he was moving forward. She couldn't help but smile. He was going to get through this.

"I'm not leaving you Scamp...I promise." Vitani said taking a few steps towards him.