"Fetch, Chat!" and with that decree, Noah threw a much abused tennis ball into the middle of the lake.
Chat promptly abandoned his excavation of an abandoned gopher hole, and galloped after the ball, bellyflopping into the water with an exuberance that threw half the water there into the afternoon sky.
Happily paddling after the ball, he finally got close enough to grab it, and headed for shore. If he did it right, he knew Noah would throw it again, and the day was too hot not to take advantage of the cool water.
Chat just *knew* Noah wanted to share that dip in the lake with him, and water danced around him like atomized perfume as he shook himself. His ears flapped comically over his eyes.
"AAAAaack! Dang dog! Ah just took a shower this mornin!" but there was enough of a grin lurking in her eyes that Chat knew she wasn't serious. Crouching down on his forelegs, his rump high in the air, he waved his tail like a battle flag. *Come play with me,* he seemed to be saying.
Rogue took him up on it. "Thought ya was supposed ta bring the ball back, ya mangy mutt! Guess Ah'm gonna have ta take it by force." It was a game they both enjoyed playing.
She feinted left, then right. Chat ducked under her outstretched hands, giving her a cocky look over his shoulder as he danced just out of reach.
"Hey Noah!" Bobby was calling her, and she turned to find him.
"Ummph!" Chat had taken advantage of her distraction to throw a quick body block to the back of her legs, sending her down for an in-depth inspection of the lawn.
Spitting grass, she sat up, and turned to see Chat giving her a doggy grin. Bobby had been making his way out to talk to her, but after seeing Chat dump her, had paused to have a riotous fit of hysterical laughter.
Unfortunately, Scott had been rounding the corner of the house, just in time to see Chat gather himself for the tackle. He opened his mouth to warn Noah, but some well concealed gremlin made him close it again, and lean against the corner with a grin.
Jean sensed Scotts unusual glee, and leaned out a window to see what was going on right as Noah made face first contact with the freshly mowed grass.
Logan had been returning from a quick game of pool down at Kelly's and seen the swan dive as well.
The entire team was almost howling with laughter at seeing Noah come up spitting mad and ready to take on Apocolypse himself.
"Bravo! Give the little lady a 9.2 for style!"
"Best wipe that grass stain off your nose, Noah. Looks a mite odd, darlin."
Bobby was bent over double, trying to catch his breath. "Oh god, I wish I'd had the camera!"
Jean was hanging out the window, helpless tears of amusement pouring down her cheeks.
Chat was doing a circular victory dance, holding his ball like the trophy it was.
Looking at his tail waving triumphantly, she shed her anger, and gave a wry grin. "Guess ya won that round, sugah!"
"All right you laughing heyenas, since it don't look lahk y'all got anything better to do, y'all just see if you can do any better with Mister Chat here."
Taking advantage of a beautiful day, a complete lack of emergencies, and a healthy dog who seemed determined to make them come play, every last one of them complied.
Chat took on all comers, and one by one, they fell beneath his four furry feet.
It was a day custom made for play, and they indulged that longing with typical overkill, romping the afternoon away.
A solitary figure watched from among the trees.