Chapter 8: King Butch reprimands Sasha

As they got home, they introduced Oliver and showed every merdog a dinglehopper, a snarfblat, and a gold cup, and explained how they are used. All the merdogs loved Oliver and had fun playing with the instruments. Sasha really liked collecting land dog stuff because it's so odd to her.

Back at the palace of King Butch and Queen Ivy, Sasha put her trinkets in her storage room with the other artifacts she has found with Bess, then they took Oliver to meet King Butch and Queen Ivy in the throne room sitting on their thrones. "Sasha, where have you been?" Queen Ivy asked Sasha, "Your father is not happy with you. Do you know you missed the concert this evening? You have all the merdogs in merdog lagoon looking for you." Sasha said, "Mom, I'm sorry I missed it, I just forgot. Bess and I went to the sunken shipwreck, looking for cool stuff, and the shark tried to gets us, and we found Oliver stuck in the fishnet. We just lost track at time. I'm sorry mom." Then Ivy said, "Let me get your father. He'll be relieved that your safe." Ivy went to get Butch, but Bess said, "Wait! Would Oliver stay with us?" Ivy stopped as she turn her head to Oliver who's with Bess and Sasha and said, "We will disgust that when I return with your father."

A few minutes later, King Butch and Queen Ivy returned to the throne room with Sebastian. King Butch swam quickly over to Sasha and gave her a big hug and said, "Sasha I'm glad you're home safe. You have had the whole kingdom worried about you and your safety." Georgette entered the throne room to check on how Sasha was doing, but in the shock she gasped as she sees Oliver the mercat.

"A mercat? What is the meaning of this Sasha?" Sasha says, "Relax Georgette. This mercat is Oliver. He wanted to stay with us in our palace." Bess added, "Yeah. He's a nice kitty." Georgette admitted and said with a sassy wit, "Ooooh, you girls found a kitty. You just wait until Rita, Perdy, Lady, Sylvie, and Dixie sees him and how adorable he is." Oliver knew that he was lucky to have Sasha and Bess by their side. Georgette swam little closer to Oliver and said, "You know what? Sasha's lucky to have you alright, but when you enjoyed staying in our palace with her and Bess, she will take you on a ride on a larger clamshell carriage and so-- and if you ever enjoy my everyday breakfast bowl eating while I'm in the bedroom with Sasha and my sisters, the doors covered in seaweed comes knocked down-- IT'S MINE!!"

"ENOUGH!" King Butch silenced Georgette as he began to speak and stated, "Georgette, that is not your concern. Oliver's just a little mer-kitten orphan who wanted to stay with us." Then Rita entered the throne as she swam to Sasha, Bess, Oliver, and Georgette saying, "I heard enough noises about, but what's got into--" Then Rita looked at Oliver behind Sasha's green mertail. Sasha said to Rita, "Rita, this is Oliver. He's a mercat. A shark chased him to the fishnet on the sunken ship. Bess and I saved him. We were going to help him return to his parents, but the sharks ate them. He needs a home. And dad and mom have agreed to let him live with us in the palace." "Yeah, he was an orphan," Bess added. Georgette knew that Sasha and Bess were there on their adventures.

Rita said to Oliver, "Relax kid. You're part of the family now. Just stay away from Georgette's food dish and you'll be fine." Then she winked at him with a smile. King Butch states loudly, "Oliver, we are sorry to hear about your parents, and like Rita said, you are now considered part of our family. Sasha, it is your responsibility to make sure Oliver understands the rules of the palace and also to find him sleeping arrangements. Now, your mother tells me you missed the concert do to being at the sunken ship. Please explain why!"

Sasha replied, "Well daddy,  it started when me and Bess decided to look for treasure at the sunken ship." Then Sasha became very animated and spoke with a whisper-like voice while moving her arms in the animated fashion, "So here we were in the middle of the sunken ship, finding dinglehoppers, snarfblats, and a gold cup when a dark shadow swam passed us. We looked up to see the tail of the huge white shark. Bess and I quickly hid inside the captain's cabin in his credenza. The shark soon passed, and me and Bess decided to come home. As we were leaving, we heard Oliver fusing while he was stuck in the fishnet. We released him and take him home."

King Butch stopped Sasha and pointed to Diggs the gray mertailed German Shepherd merdog captain of the merdog guard wearing gold cuffs and said, "Diggs, get the merdog guard and the dolphins to make sure all the sharks are escorted out of the merdog lagoon and keep them away from us. If they won't, you will have the authority to exterminate them." Then he turned to Sasha and said, "So did you come straight after you rescued Oliver?"

Sasha looked at Bess and Oliver and said, "Why yes father. Where else I'm gone?" Then King Butch says, "We'll that funny you would ask, I have a visitor today that told me that she watched you, Bess, and Oliver swim to the surface where you spoke with the seagull. Is this true Sasha?" Sasha said, "But father..." Butch sighed and said, "Oh Sasha. How many times have I told you not to go to the surface. You know you can't be seen by anymore barbarians from the surface as much as you couldn't been kidnapped by... By one of those aardwolf pirates. Or worse... A land dog would put you in one his aquariums for everyone to see!" "But daddy, the surface is so interesting." Sasha said with a plea, "The land dogs are nice like us merdogs." King Butch shouted, "ENOUGH of this land nonsense! For now on, I will never let go near to those land creatures again! Is that clear!" Then Sasha had tears in her eyes sobbing, "Yes daddy." And she swam back to her room as Bess, Oliver, and Rita followed. Georgette smiled with a grin as Sasha, Bess, and Oliver slowly swam out of the throne room with their heads down.