Where Your Heart Leads You - A Rowlf Story

[Vic Romano]

Can't wait!

 

[Aaron]

me either!

 

[TogetherAgain]

ditto!

 

[redBoobergurl]

Ok! Writer's block over! I'm excited to share this chapter and what is to come after it! Enjoy!

Chapter Ten:

“He’ll be back,” came a voice from behind Kermit.

“I know he will,” said Kermit turning around to face Wanda. “You have a lovely voice,” he said.

“Thanks,” said Wanda. “You should know something though,” she said.

“What?” asked Kermit.

“I’m the reason Rowlf left all those years ago,” said Wanda.

Kermit’s jaw dropped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rowlf’s mom showed him pictures of his brothers. She showed him around the garage, where he used to sleep and finally, where he was born.

“Right under the radio. You were destined to be musically inclined!” said Rowlf’s mom.

“Wow! I just don’t remember this stuff. It’s really neat to see it,” said Rowlf.

“Hey Ma! We’re back!” came a voice from behind them.

“Yeah, we’re hungry!” came another voice.

“Rowlf, your brothers are home! They’ll be so glad to see you!” said Rowlf’s mom.

“I’m not so sure about that,” said Rowlf under his breath and followed his mom out of the mechanic’s office.

“Boys! I have a surprise for you!” said Rowlf’s mom, “your brother Rowlf is back!”

Rowlf came out to face three dogs that were slightly bigger than him with similar coloring. One had a black spot over one of his eyes and several on his back. Rowlf braced himself for the comments. Instead, they all came over and patted him on the back and shook his paw.

“Rowlf! We’re so glad to see you!” said one of them.

“Ma’s been so upset all these years,” said another.

“You’re famous! It’s so cool!” said the spotted one.

Rowlf breathed a sigh of relief. They didn’t hate him. They actually missed him!

“So forgive me, I just don’t remember your names,” said Rowlf.

“No problem! I’m Moe,” said Moe, one of the ones who looked like Rowlf, but was a little bigger.

“I’m Charlie,” said Charlie, who looked like Rowlf with lighter colored fur.

“And I’m Rex,” said Rex, the spotted dog.

“Well, it’s good to see you guys after all these years I guess. But I have to tell you, I was so afraid of you guys when I was a puppy. You were kind of mean to me,” said Rowlf.

“We’ve always felt bad about that. It was because of our friend Crusher. He pushed us into being that way. We never really meant it,” said Rex.

“I’ve always felt responsible for pushing you away,” said Charlie.

“I never thought Ma would forgive us,” said Moe.

“Or you,” said Rex.

“Well, I did leave because I was tired of being picked on, but I’m not mad at you guys. It’s not your fault. I would like to have a word or two with this Crusher guy. I ran into him a couple of days ago,” said Rowlf.

He started telling them all the story of how he set out to find them, ended up at Jazzmine’s and saw Crusher, then how he found his old owner.

“You’ve been through so much!” said Rowlf’s mom.

“Well, I’m just happy to see all of you again. I’d love for you to meet my friends,” said Rowlf.

“That would be wonderful, but first, let’s eat!” said Charlie.

"No problem, the place my friends are at has food!" said Rowlf.

"Then let's go!" said Rex.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you mean, you’re the reason Rowlf left? I thought he just met you?” said Kermit after staring at Wanda for a few seconds.

“Rowlf clearly doesn’t remember me, but we were friends when he was a puppy and I was a kitten,” said Wanda.

“Oh yeah, the woman he lived with mentioned that his brothers were mean to him because he was friends with cats!” said Kermit.

“It was really frowned upon, but Rowlf and I were good friends. He would play the piano and I would sing. We used to say we would go on the road together someday,” said Wanda.

“Well you are really talented,” said Kermit.

“Thanks. Anyway, Rowlf’s brothers weren’t as mean to me as this bulldog named Crusher. Crusher was horrible, he wanted to eat me! Rowlf would always defend me and Crusher and his brothers would tease him. When that woman came and took Rowlf, I was hiding and when I found out he was gone, I figured it was for the better. After he left, his brothers weren’t mean to me, but they didn’t try to protect me against Crusher either,” said Wanda.

“Wow, what did you do? How did you end up here?” asked Kermit.

“One day I was running, trying to get away from Crusher and I found my way into the kitchen here. The owner felt bad for me and said I could stay. I ended up singing accapella for him at one point and he liked it, so I started singing here all the time,” said Wanda.

“So, does Crusher still live around here?” asked Kermit.

“Yeah, I do my best to avoid him. When I saw Rowlf, I have to tell you, my heart skipped a beat. I missed him so much all these years and feel like I’m to blame for him leaving. If he hadn’t tried to protect me so much, they wouldn’t have bothered him. Now I see he’s forgotten me, so I guess it was for the best that he left,” said Wanda.

“I’m sure he’d remember if you told him,” said Kermit.

“It’s just not easy for cats and dogs to be friends,” said Wanda, “or even more than that,” she added softly.

“Now wait a minute! Different animals can be friends with each other! Look around!” said Kermit.

Wanda looked around the room and saw Fozzie talking with Sam the Eagle and Robin talking to Miss Piggy.

“And as for being ‘more than friends’ as you put it, well we’ve got Gonzo who’s an alien dating a chicken named Camilla over there,” said Kermit.

“I guess you’re right,” said Wanda.

“And well, I’m kind of knowledgeable on that topic,” said Kermit as he waved at Miss Piggy who blew him a kiss.

“Well, even so, he doesn’t remember me so it doesn’t matter,” said Wanda.

“I think you should tell him how you feel,” said Kermit.

All of a sudden the doors opened and Rowlf and his family poured into the restaurant.

“Hey guys! I want you to meet my family!” said Rowlf.

Everyone came running over.

“Just think about what I said,” said Kermit getting up from the table. Wanda nodded her head.

Rowlf was making introductions and everyone was shaking hands when a loud, growling voice came from behind, “ I thought I told you to stay away from here!”

Rowlf turned around to the doors and came face to face with Crusher.

 

[TogetherAgain]

<sharp intake of breath> <eyes wide> <slight shudder> Crusher.

Woooooooooooooow! Oh, poor Wanda, blaming herself for so long. But Rowlf's brothers seem kinda cool, I mean they felt bad about what they did, and... yeah, I like them. But... oh, poor Wanda! She... I mean... and... ohhhhhhh... But yay for Kermit trying to cheer her up. Of course it sort of helps that she's in the wrong sort of company to complain about different animals not being friends or... more than friends... aw....! And in comes Rowlf, and he's happy! YAY! And everybody's happy- except maybe Wanda- and boom, here's Crusher. Oooh. Can't wait for the next chapter.

 

[redBoobergurl]

This chapter has alot of things going on in it and I'm feeling the need to drag the story out a little further, so it doesn't wrap up quite yet! Look for the cameo!

Chapter Eleven:

“Crusher, it’s time for me to face you. I know who you are now,” said Rowlf.

“I knew you’d remember me you sissy cat lover,” said Crusher.

“Is that the best you can do?” asked Rowlf. With his friends and family surrounding him, he now had the strength of ten dogs instead of just one. Nothing would make him back down from Crusher.

“Ooh, he can talk back,” snarled Crusher.

“Crusher, what is your problem? Seriously?” asked Rowlf.

“I don’t like dogs that hang around cats!” said Crusher.

“Well, that’s just too bad, because cats are not that bad to be around. They’re nice. They’re pretty,” said Rowlf and smiled at Wanda.

“You disgust me,” said Crusher and took a step forward.

“You disgust me too Crusher. You’re cruel. You’re the reason I had to leave all those years ago, but you know what? I’m not afraid of you anymore. I should’ve learned to stand up to you a long time ago. You should never be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. A good friend taught me that,” said Rowlf glancing over at Kermit. Kermit nodded his head in support.

“Well that’s too bad. You should be afraid of me, shouldn’t he boys?” Crusher said looking over to Rowlf’s brothers.

The three of them moved away from him and stepped closer to Rowlf.

“What? You’re going to be like him?” said Crusher.

“Crusher, we shouldn’t have let you control us all these years,” said Charlie.

“Yeah, our brother ran away because of you and because of how you made us treat him. We’ve had to live with that all these years,” said Rex.

“Crusher, Rowlf is part of our family,” said Moe.

“Crusher, I think you should go now,” came a voice from behind everyone else. Rowlf’s mom had moved away from the chaos and now came and stood next to Rowlf. “You’ve done enough damage for our family. You go far away from here and you leave that poor cat alone,” she said.

“Ooh, looks like the family who talks smart together stays together,” said Crusher.

“I mean it Crusher. I was nice to you when you were a puppy because you had no mama, but now it’s time for me to take care of my own kids. Go away,” said Rowlf’s mom growling.

Suddenly Crusher lashed out at her.

“Mom!” said Rowlf as his brothers lunged after Crusher.

“I’m all right Rowlf, he’s not worth it,” said Rowlf’s mom. As Rowlf’s brothers fought with Crusher, Animal began to get excited.

“BAD DOGGIE! BAD DOGGIE!” he exclaimed.

“Uh-oh, he’s done it now,” said Floyd as Animal joined in on the dogfight.

Much growling, howling and scratching followed until a voice said, “STOP IT! Violence isn’t going to solve anything! It’s my fault! It’s all my fault!”

The dogs stopped fighting and turned to see Wanda trembling.

“If I hadn’t been friends with Rowlf when we were little, none of this would matter now! So I’ll make it easy for everyone! I’ll just leave!” she exclaimed and ran out the door.

Rowlf stood there frozen in his spot. Now he remembered where he had heard that singing voice before. He used to play for her years ago. She was the cat he was friends with.

Kermit finally decided to step in and try and restore some order. “All right Crusher, you’ve really done a lot of damage here. Can’t you be the bigger person, er, dog and just back off?”

“Never!” he exclaimed.

Suddenly the doors came open and a police officer stepped in.

“I understand there’s been quite a ruckus down here tonight. Someone want to tell me what’s going on?” said the Officer.

“That dog bit my mama and he’s rabid!” exclaimed Moe.

“I didn’t bite her! I just scratched her a little! You liar!” exclaimed Crusher.

“And he tried to kill the cat that sings here!” said Robin.

“I would never hurt a cat! It was that beast over there that caused all the trouble!” said Crusher pointing at Animal who was now calmly restrained again by Floyd.

“That guy? That’s the famous drummer Animal! He wouldn’t lash out like that!” said the Officer.

“What!?” exclaimed Crusher.

“Come on buddy, you’re coming with me to the pound, let’s go,” said the Officer as he slipped a leash around Crusher’s neck.

“Sorry for all the trouble folks! My name’s Officer Chapman. I’m a big fan of you Muppets. Never expected to see you all out here!” said Officer Chapman.

“It’s no problem, we’ve been in situations worse than this,” said Kermit. They shook hands and then Officer Chapman lead Crusher away.

Kermit turned to Rowlf and said "We need to go find Wanda! Let's go".

Rowlf stayed frozen in his spot. “This whole time she knew who I was and didn’t say anything. Why didn’t she say something when I first came here? Would’ve saved me so much trouble,” questioned Rowlf.

“Rowlf, let’s go find her so we can ask her. Believe me, you need to talk to her,” said Kermit.

“What? Oh, ok,” said Rowlf finally breaking out of his trance.

“All right, Fozzie, Gonzo and I will go with Rowlf, everyone else stay here in case she comes back,” said Kermit.

“Do you think she could’ve gotten far?” asked Fozzie.

“I hope not,” said Rowlf suddenly anxious to talk with her.

“We’ll go too, we know the neighborhood,” said Rex as the other two brothers came forward. Rowlf looked at them gratefully.

“All right, let’s go find her!” exclaimed Kermit.

They ran out the door into the night that was suddenly very dark, cold and rainy.

 

[TogetherAgain]

Wow! I love this chapter, I just love it! I mean, there's all this dramatic serious stuff that I love, and then there's, "That guy? That's the famous drummer Animal! He wouldn't lash out like that!" Which just about had me on the floor laughing. Oh that reminds me, love the cameo!
Now then. Come on, Rowlf, go get Wanda! The poor thing.....

More! Please!

 

[froggiegirl18]

keep going!! The story is amazing!! Don't leave us hanging for long! But we will wait because life can be busy at times. So don't just write something down for us to read, continue to write with your heart it shows in the previous chapters. I really like the story and I look forward to the next chapter.

 

[redBoobergurl]

keep going!! The story is amazing!! Don't leave us hanging for long! But we will wait because life can be busy at times. So don't just write something down for us to read, continue to write with your heart it shows in the previous chapters. I really like the story and I look forward to the next chapter.

Wow! Thanks! I actually should have some more of this coming in the next day or two!

 

[redBoobergurl]

So this is not the end yet. I just felt the need to drag it out a little longer and once again apologize for not posting sooner. The end is coming soon and it will be happy, but there was some stuff that needed to get worked out in this chapter. I can't wait to post commentary on this story! Anyway, enjoy. Final chapter should be up tomorrow, but I never make promises.

Chapter Twelve:

Rowlf’s brothers went one direction while Kermit, Rowlf, Fozzie and Gonzo went back towards the alley.

Fozzie and Gonzo went a little behind Kermit and Rowlf to give them a chance to talk a little bit.

“Rowlf, you really had no idea who she was?” asked Kermit.

“No and I still don’t understand why she didn’t just tell me the first time I was here. It would’ve saved so much trouble,” said Rowlf.

“But, you wouldn’t have gotten to see Margaret again or meet her granddaughter,” said Kermit.

“That’s true,” said Rowlf.

“So Rowlf, do you think you and Wanda will get married?” asked Fozzie stepping up closer to Rowlf and Kermit.

“What are you talking about?” said Rowlf.

Kermit gave Fozzie a look. Maybe he had overheard Kermit and Wanda talking earlier.

“So you can have baby dats and cuppys! Wocka wocka!” said Fozzie.

Kermit breathed a sigh of relief. He was just making a joke.

“Not your best joke Foz,” said Kermit.

“I know I was just trying to lighten the mood,” said Fozzie.

“Where could Wanda be? I really hope she didn’t get far,” said Rowlf.

Rowlf, Kermit and Fozzie stopped and turned to Gonzo just waiting for his bizarre response as to where he thought Wanda could be.

“What? I’m out of weird scenarios guys. This has been a long adventure,” said Gonzo.

The four friends stopped for a moment by the garage where Rowlf had grown up.

“This was my home when I was a puppy,” said Rowlf.

“It’s not too bad, much better than the storage facility I lived in for awhile,” said Gonzo.

“Gonzo? Where didn’t you live?” asked Fozzie.

“Well..” started Gonzo.

“Guys, not now!” said Kermit.

“Geeze Kermit, lighten up,” said Gonzo.

“Is something wrong?” asked Fozzie.

“No, I just think we need to find Wanda, and then get back so we can go home,” said Kermit.

“Um Rowlf?” asked Fozzie noticing that Rowlf had been very quiet.

“Yeah?” asked Rowlf.

“Are you coming home with us or staying here with your family?” asked Fozzie.

Kermit looked at Fozzie in horror. He had just asked the one question Kermit was afraid to ask.

“I don’t know yet,” said Rowlf after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

“Really?” asked Fozzie.

“Well, it’s just, I finally feel like a whole complete dog inside. There’s been a hole in my heart for so many years and it’s filled now,” said Rowlf.

“I know how you feel,” said Gonzo quietly.

“And I have to work things out with Wanda, if we ever find her. It was a long journey for me to get here guys. I’m not sure if I should just walk away and leave it again,” said Rowlf.

It was quiet enough you could hear a pin drop until Kermit finally spoke up. Loudly.

“What about us Rowlf? Why aren’t we good enough for you? Did you ever think of us as more than just someone you worked with? I thought we were your family too! I guess I was wrong!” exclaimed Kermit.

“Kermit, calm down,” said Fozzie.

“NO! I will not calm down! Rowlf has been one of my very best friends since the old days! There are more things that connect us that you might think! I’ve always thought of him as a brother. Obviously he doesn’t feel the same way!” screamed Kermit.

It had been bothering him this whole time. He understood Rowlf’s situation, but he just didn’t understand why his friends couldn’t also be his family. He tried so hard along the way, but now it was all coming out in anger.

Fozzie and Gonzo stood motionless waiting for Rowlf to respond.

“Kermit,” began Rowlf very calmly.

“WHAT?” yelled Kermit.

“Tell me how you would feel if you didn’t know anything about your family. You didn’t know you had a brother or a sister. You never knew Robin or Maggie or Jimmy? Huh Kermit? What if you had run away because of horrible misunderstandings when you were a tadpole and then went back and rediscovered your family who had worried about you for years? What would you do Kermit?” said Rowlf nearly growling by the end.

Kermit got quiet. Tears started to well up in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry Rowlf. You’re right. I don’t know what I would do. I just…don’t want to lose you either,” said Kermit.

“I know Kermit. Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out,” said Rowlf beginning to sniffle.

“Gosh, I can’t stand it when other people cry,” sobbed Fozzie.

“Oh you big babies,” mumbled Gonzo, but he too began to tear up. The four friends embraced one another in a group hug.

“We’ll work something out,” said Kermit.

“Hey Rowlf!” called a voice from down the alley. It was Rowlf’s brother Moe.

“Yeah?” called Rowlf.

“We found Wanda! She’s waiting for you at the restaurant,” called Moe.

“All right, I’ll be right there!” yelled back Rowlf.

“Go on Rowlf, take care of this,” said Kermit.

“Ok,” said Rowlf, “Oh and Kermit?” he continued.

“Yeah?” asked Kermit.

“You are every bit my brother as the dogs I shared a womb with,” said Rowlf.

“Thanks,” said Kermit.

The four friends quickly walked back to the restaurant where it was getting ready to shut down for the evening. Wanda was sitting up in the front with Miss Piggy. Other various Muppets were beginning to fall asleep in their chairs.

“Hey, I think we’ll have the gang board the bus, they can get some sleep there,” said Kermit.

“All right,” said Rowlf.

“We won’t leave yet,” said Kermit.

“I’ll come let you know what’s up in a bit,” said Rowlf. Then slowly he made his way toward his old friend while his family sat towards the back of the restaurant and his other family boarded the Electric Mayhem bus to get out of the way.