Bug, (Who was eating a leaf) looked scared. "Maybe I'll be warm in your fur!" he said hopefully.   Sam shook his head. "We must run away Bug!!! You will not survive! Besides, someone might squish you. Then I would never forgive myself!" Bug gulped. "Ok, lets hide till night. Then we'll go. It's been nice here." So, Sam and Bug hid in a trash can till night came.

"Psst! Sam! Wake up! Its night." Bug clung to Sam's fur as he grumbled something and then stood and shook. "Hey carful! I'm on your fur!!" Bug shouted. "Oh, sorry." Sam climbed out of the trash bag, grabbed the single toy he had brought, and then they made their way deeper into the city and away from the home they had lived in for their entire lives. 

The next day Tom Rooke (the boy that owned Sam) woke up a very unusual way. (For him at least). He was used to waking up by a bark or a lick on the face from Sam. But not today. Tom woke up to silence. Something must be wrong with Sam! He thought. Quickly he got out of bed and looked in Sam's sleeping box. He's not here! He thought franticly. He ran downstairs, not heeding the rule that Ms. Rooke had said, (never pound down the stairs). He checked in all the rooms, even looked through his older sister's bags that she was going to take to the Alaskan college, thinking that Sam might have found it softer in there than his box. Nothing. Trying to control his panic, Tom ran to his mom and Dad's room. "Mom! Sam is gone!!"

Ms. Rooke yawned. "What Dearie?"

"Sam is gone!!! I checked everywhere, even in Susan's room!! He's not here!!" Tom began to cry. "I can just imagine it now; he thought I meant him when I told him Susan's leaving for Alaska. He probably ran away."

"There, there, Dearie."

 Tom's sobs woke up Mr. Rooke, and he muttered something then said, "What's wrong, Tom?"

"Sam is gone!!!" Tom cried. "Oh, Dad, will you take me in the car to look for him? Please?"

"Sure, son. After breakfast." Mr. Rooke yawned again, then turned over. Tom ran to him. "Dad! We can eat breakfast on the way. Maybe he went to McDonalds to beg!"

Mr. Rooke groaned, then said, "Alright, but let me take a shower first."

Sam and Bug were indeed going to McDonald to beg. After an evening and a night of no dinner or breakfast, they were both hungry. "Where are we, Bug. Can you see anything from up there?" Sam asked.

Bug shook his tiny head. "No, but if I can climb up this wall, then I could."

"Ok, I'll stop and wait for you down here." Bug began to climb.

It took about thirty minutes, and Sam was forced to go into an ally to get away from all the people. As Sam waited, he began to wonder what Tom was doing at home. He wondered if he was sad, or missed him, and then Bug brought him back to the present by calling, "We must go left, then right and then right again to get to McDonalds."

Bug began the long climb down, and Sam returned to thinking about his owner, Tom.

As soon as Bug was down, they began the walk to McDonalds. On the way to McDonalds, Sam and Bug agreed that if the workers threw out a burger, Sam would eat everything except the lettuce. Then he would bring the lettuce to Bug.

"It's time to turn." Bug said.

Suddenly, a car that Sam recognized drove by.

His face pressed against the window; Tom stared out of the car. He thought he saw something, a dog, but then they drove by, and it was gone. Tom sighed. He thought about all the good times they had had together, him and Sam, and missed him terribly. Tom and Mr. Rooke drove into McDonalds by the drive through, and Tom asked if they had seen a little grey dog with a white marking on his face, but they all shook their heads. Tom begged his dad to stay in the parking lot for a little while, and Mr. Rooke said that while they ate breakfast, they could stay.  

Tom couldn't eat though. After a long stare outside, he took a bite of the McMuffin in front of him and reminded himself that it would take longer for a dog to get there then a car. After convincing himself that he began eating, still staring out the window.

Sam's ears pricked and he dashed off to follow the car. Bug managed to catch hold of his hair, and then screamed, "What are you doing?!?!" At the dog.

Sam barked back, "Catching Tom!!" Sam continued to run, and bug shouted, "HANG ON!!! I'M GOING TO FALL!!!"

Sam stopped just long enough for Bug to get a good grip, but the car was gone. Bug gripped and said, "I'm ready!"

Still, Sam took off for the spot the car had disappeared. Then they came to a crossroad, and Sam didn't know which way to go.

"Which way is McDonalds?" he sighed.

"Turn right, then straight the rest of the way."

"Ok." They continued in silence.

"I want to go back. Maybe they didn't mean a cold place. Or maybe they didn't mean that. They're probably looking for us."

"They can't see me."

"Oh yeah. Well, they're probably looking for me." Ahead, the McDonalds sign loomed up in front of them.

Tom looked out the window again. A dog!! A grey dog! Tom's heart raced. Quickly, the boy clicked the window down button then screamed, "SAMMMM!!!!!!!!"

Sam looked up. There was the car!! There was Tom, staring out at him. Then, Tom screamed his name, and he dashed into the street.

Tom saw Sam look up, then dash into the street in front of a truck. "Sam, no!!" Mr. Rooke saw the family dog dash into the street too, and before he could stop his son, Tom was halfway across the parking lot.

Tom knew that the truck driver would see him, but a dog?... He wasn't so sure about that. Then, Without a second thought, Tom threw himself into the street to save the life of his dog.

As Sam ran across the street, he heard the honk from a truck, but he didn't look away from those soft brown eyes that stared at him. Then Tom screamed, "UP!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Almost automatically, Sam jumped.

He felt the wheel nick his tail, heard Bug scream, and then landed in those small but loving arms.

Tom ran off the street, crying with joy. As soon as they were on the sidewalk, they were swept up by Mr. Rooke who ran to the car, sat all three in the back seat, and drove off. On the way home, Tom explained that just his sister was going, and they were going to stay. Sam whined and nuzzled his owner and Bug sighed with relief and almost fainted.

"I thought I was done for." He whispered in Sam's ear.

"Me too. I thought that we were going to Alaska, and I was going to have no friends and have to pull a sled."

 The two laid back, Sam with his head on Tom, and Bug making a bed out of fur. At home, the family ate a real breakfast, and, as always, Sam gave the leaves to Bug.

Tom had Sam and Bug for the rest of his life, and the Rooke family was happy once again.