"You know, I could've warned him to stay away from her, but I'm just scared of that guy. His dad practically owns half the city."

Izzy and Param sat together on the stairs. Izzy happily lapped up milk from his bowl while Param talked about his school problems. They had a special friendship. Izzy, a stray dog, had shown up at Param's place two years ago, and since then, they'd become best pals.

Param was in 7th grade. His parents worked late, so he spent a lot of time alone at home. Izzy kept him company when he got back from school.

Izzy used to wander the streets and get into fights with other dogs, but he always came back to Param after school. Even though people tried to catch stray dogs, Param didn't want them to catch Izzy.

One day, Izzy didn't show up. It felt strange because he always waited for Param. Days went by, and Izzy still didn't come back. Param got really worried, but his parents didn't seem to care much.

Param couldn't stand seeing his best friend missing. He decided to do something about it.

He skipped school and went to the place where they catch stray dogs. It was a busy place, and nobody wanted to help him.

Param felt nervous as he walked into the big building of the Municipal Corporation. It was full of rooms, messy desks with lots of papers, and people rushing around. He went to different desks, trying to talk to someone, but everyone seemed too busy to listen to a young boy like him.

Feeling lost and unsure what to do, Param started losing hope. But then, a tired-looking but kind man noticed him standing alone.

"Why are you here, kid?" the man asked, not sounding mean, despite sounding serious.

"I want to know if they found any stray dogs in my area and where they took them," Param said, sounding worried.

The man thought for a moment and said, "I can help, but it'll cost you 500 rupees."

Param's heart sank. He didn't have that much money. But he really cared about Izzy, his dog, so he took a chance. That night, while his dad was busy, Param quietly took some money from his dad's wallet.

The next day, Param went back to the building and nervously gave the crumpled notes to the man. The man took the money and went away among all the desks and busy people.

After what felt like a very long time, the man came back and signaled Param to come over. "Most of the dogs have been taken away, but there's a small chance your dog might still be at the vet hospital," he told Param, giving him a little hope.

Param felt determined and rushed to the vet hospital. It was noisy with lots of dogs barking. He checked every cage, quietly calling Izzy's name.

Finally, he found Izzy looking sad in a corner cage. Param was so relieved. He quietly opened the cage and hugged Izzy tightly. He felt so happy and grateful. He whispered comforting words to Izzy and took him out of the noisy place, heading back home with Izzy by his side, feeling thankful and full of love.