Fleece curses and slams the door in an instant, causing Dandy to jolt awake. Upon realizing that none of the puppies managed to get inside, Fleece breathes a sigh of relief... that is until he sees one of the puppies stick its head through the small doggy door. Before Fleece has time to react, the snarling puppy slips inside, followed closely by another. Lunging faster than he thought he could, especially in his injured state, Fleece reaches out a hoof and slams it down on the doggy door, trapping the remaining two pups outside. The two that had already managed to slip in quickly sink their teeth into the Prime Minister's woolen body, not quite reaching the skin underneath, but gripping like a vice nonetheless. Fleece flips the lock on the doggy door, and turns his attention to the two puppies, Puck and Tushie, ripping into his freshly cleaned coat.
"What's going on!?" Dandy exclaims, stepping forward to help the Prime Minister. Fleece responds hurriedly, being tugged every which way by his once-loyal canine companions.
"I-It's my puppies! They've been put under Hunter mind control! I-I think I can handle these two, but there are two more, probably heading for the other dog door at the back! Stop them!" Dandy still looks as though he wants to help the Prime Minister deal with the two puppies currently ripping into him, but he accepts the order and makes a dash for the back entrance. Fleece calls out after him.
"And don't hurt them! Maybe there's still a way for us to fix thi- OOF!" Puck headbutts Fleece hard, sending him sliding across the polished wooden floor. Tushie is dragged along with him, still biting into his wool. Fleece is able to grip the smaller dog around her head, and with one sharp pull, tears her off (along with a chunk of his coat). In a panic, Fleece tosses the puppy across the room. She rebounds harmlessly off the couch where Dandy was sleeping mere moments ago.
Puck, not wasting any time, makes a leap for Fleece's neck, but Fleece manages to catch him out of the air, inches from his face. With both forelegs occupied, Fleece tucks into a roll across the floor, spinning Puck around and around. Tushie hops off the couch and tries to bite at Fleece's ankles, but not wanting to get kicked by his wildly swinging hooves, she hangs back.
It isn't long before Puck has been dizzied enough for Fleece to push him off and get back on his hooves again. Tushie nips one of Fleece's back legs, but it isn't enough to throw him off balance, and he quickly shakes her off. He makes a run for his study, weaving around the couch and the table, knocking down a few chairs to slow the puppie's down. He manages to reach his office, and turns around to shut the door behind him. He isn't quick enough, as Puck manages to slip inside just as the door closes, leaving Fleece cornered in the tiny room. Tushie, trapped outside, starts to desperately claw at the door.
Fleece begins to back away from Puck slowly - the growling pup taking a few cautious steps towards his former master, trying to calculate what his next move will be. Suddenly, Fleece places his bleeding back leg down on something small and soft. It lets out a loud
SQUEEEEAK! Fleece glances down... he has stepped on a rubber dog ball. The familiar squeak causes Puck to stop growling, just for a moment, before the Hunter mind control kicks back in and he turns hostile once again. An idea begins to form in Fleece's head. Puck always was the playful one...
"Hey boy..." he says, reaching slowly down. "You wanna play? Huh? You wanna play fetch?" Despite the puppy's continued growling, Fleece notices the tiniest hint of a wag in his tail. Fleece picks up the rubber ball and gives it a few squeaks. Puck's ears perk up, and his growling becomes much quieter. Fleece takes a quick moment to glance around the room and... perfect! With an expert toss, supported by many years of fetch practice, Fleece arcs the ball through the air and sinks it directly into the center of an open cardboard box on the other side of the office. Puck, unable to contain his playful nature any longer, leaps in after it.
Fleece quickly gathers the heaviest books he can, closes the box, and places the pile on top of it. Puck, realizing that he has been trapped, begins barking and snarling harder than ever. But it's no use; the small pup can't manage to get a grip on the inside of the smooth cardboard. Fleece breathes another sigh of relief, then turns his attention to the second puppy, who is still scratching at the office door. Fleece considers his options.
"Hmm. I was able to trick Puck by using his playfulness against him... so what do I know about Tushie? She's small... she's quiet... she likes to sleep..." Another idea springs into the Prime Minister's head. He carefully approaches the door and presses an ear against it. Then he clears his throat and, ever so softly, begins to sing the first song that comes to his head...
♪ "...Hey pup. How are you? You look like an angel...
I haven't seen you... since I fell asleep...
We should calm down, pup...
Dandy is waiting..." ♫
Fleece could hear his words having an affect on the small dog. She stopped scratching the door for a moment and just listened, still growling under her breath.
♪ "Look at us, standing here...
Dreaming, pretending...
I made a promise... and I took a vow...
We wrote a story...
And Ziege changed the ending...
Tushie, just look at us now..." ♫
Fleece never considered himself the best singer in the world, but he was clearly good enough, as the puppy had gone completely silent and slumped against the door. Cautiously, Fleece creaked it open. As he suspected, Tushie had been lulled to sleep by the familiar voice. Still singing, Fleece retreated back into his office, trailing blood from his injured ankle, and grabbed another box. Then he gently set it down over the pup and placed a few more books on top.
♪ "Hold on, facts are facts...
Just relax, lay low...
All right, the panic recedes...
...Nobody needs to know..." ♫