The television, ever active in Sonnie Wu's apartment, was tuned to a pro wrestling show. As shirtless men body slammed each other onto the mat to the music of an overly excited commentator, the Beast was relaxing on her sofa. Her feet were up on the coffee table, and a bowl of popcorn was settled on her lap.

"C'mon! Pay attention ref! That was totally a three count!" Sonnie yelled and chucked a handful of popcorn at the television screen. They inevitably fell to the floor, where her dog, Fugly, rushed over to vacuum up the exploded kernels. Once he had eaten them all, and checked to be sure he missed nothing, the so-ugly-he-was-cute dog padded over to Sonnie and looked up at her expectantly. Fugly's tongue lolled from his mouth as he panted in anticipation.

The monkey girl looked down at her dog and smiled, "What's up, Fug? You want something?"

The pooch woofed.

"What's that? I can't understand you," she smirked, holding a piece of popcorn teasingly between her fingers. The dog's eyes followed it with laser-like focus.

"Woof woof? Talk to me, Fido! Awooo!" Sonnie laughed as she imitated dog noises. As she did so, she could feel the Wyrd reverberate around her as her Contract with canines was called upon. The clause took effect, allowing communication between herself and Fugly.

"Fugly want popcorn!" the dog said. Well, he still barked and growled, but Sonnie empathically understood his meaning.

The Beast laughed more, enjoying the ability to chat with her beloved pet, "You do? Hm, okay!" She dropped another handful of popcorn onto the carpet. Fugly immediately set to work. In seconds, the offered treats were gone.

"Yum! Yum! More! Mother give Fugly more!" he begged, rising up on his hind legs to rest his front paws on Sonnie's the couch cushion she sat upon. His corkscrew tail wagged at hyper-sonic speeds.

"No, you've had enough. I don't want you to get a belly ache," she answered, resting a hand on the canine's head and scritching behind his ears.

Fugly whined and his tail stopped, but after a moment, it started up again. "Belly rubs?" he offered.

"I don't want my belly rubbed," she snickered, eyes only partially on the TV screen.

The dog looked confused. "Belly rubs?" he asked again.

"Oh, okay..." Sonnie set her popcorn bowl aside and reached down to pick up Fugly.

"Yay! Belly rubs!" He excitedly wiggled in her grasp as she lifted him up and settled him on her lap.

Then something on TV caught her attention. A wrestler was jumping off the top turnbuckle and flipped through the air to land on his opponent outside the ring. The audience, and Sonnie, exploded into cheers. "That was crazy! I think that guy might be dead..."

She looked down to give her dog the requested belly rubs, only to find Fugly had left her lap in order to bury his face in the popcorn bowl.

"Hey! You sneaky little shit!" Sonnie laughed as she picked up the homely dog, pulling him away from the now much less full bowl. Fugly had a piece of popcorn stuck to his face that he desperately tried to catch with his tongue.

"Belly rubs now?" He repeated his original request, once the errant kernel was devoured.

"I spoil you, don't I?" Sonnie sighed as she administered said rubs to the mutt's stomach.

Fugly growled in pleasure, "Yes! Fugly good boy! Fugly love Mother!"

Sonnie smiled and blinked back potential tears. "Love you, too, Fug." Separated as she was from her blood relations, the young Changeling took some solace in the small sense of family she had here.

It was enough. It had to be.