Chapter Text
DogDay knew it was the end for him. The moment the mini-Critters were crawling towards him in droves, he knew. After ten long years of living in Hell, otherwise known as Playtime Co, et al, he was finally going to be set free.
He would have preferred a less painful way to go, he as well as all the other experiments had suffered enough already. And he would have preferred having autonomy when he finally died. Instead, he got his insides being eaten and replaced with the mini-Critters themselves. They took over his arms as they forced him to charge after “Poppy’s Angel,” the ex-employee returned after so long. He would have preferred not going after them, he had no qualms with the returning employee of Playtime Co. He at least realized, back then and now, that not all the employees were dangerous. It was not an ultimatum of “all of us vs all of them” but a matter of “those who hurt and those who don’t know”.
He would have preferred not feeling the mini-Critters finishing him off after their failure to capture the ex-employee. He felt their teeth on him as they finished the job CatNap had started, tearing pieces of him one-by-one until finally, finally, he felt his final breath escape him, and his pupils shut within the pit of blackness that the Bigger Bodies Smiling Critters called for eyes.
Finally, it was over. And he prayed to God that he would never have to go through Hell ever again.
There was an unusually strange way that the universe often works in. Déjà vu tends to feel too real, though no one can explain it. Karma always seems to find a way back to you, but no one can prove it exists. Irony has this method in which it gives you things you never asked for, but never the thing you want.
And DogDay could not explain why his eyes opened again.
His breath shuddered as he blinked in the blinding sun. And it was indeed a true sun. Not the fake artificial lights they used in Playcare to simulate day/night cycle. It was a true sun, blinding him the longer he stared at it. He took a calming breath in and turned onto his side, looking at his hands, his breath shuddering again.
His hands were like that of his Bigger Body form, four fingers, fur, though this looked more realistic, minus the distinct color of his red, orange, and yellow coloring. He moved again, using his hands to prop himself up while he knelt on his knees…
DogDay blinked again. Wait.
He turned his head downward and looked down his torso, tears nearly coming to his eyes as he noticed, that yes, indeed, his legs were back again. Again, with his feet like he had them before, four distinct paw toes with black nails completing them. He felt his arms and legs shaking due to the large influx of emotions. On one hand, he was happy to be alive, and he’s got his legs back to boot which is nice, but on the other hand, DogDay was more than comfortable to never open his eyes again. He was tired of pain and suffering, and so far, that’s all his life has ever mostly been. A second chance at life, while still stuck as DogDay, did not sound like a life he wanted.
Until…
“It’s DogDay!” A familiar voice echoed out to him. DogDay lifted his head and nearly collapsed.
It was the Smiling Critters! All six of them running up to him with big smiles on their faces. “DogDay! You’re here!” Hoppy yelled, jumping up and down excitedly as Bubba helped DogDay up onto his feet.
“It sure took you long enough to get here!” Kickin’ chuckled before getting elbowed by Hoppy. “Ow! What?”
“We’re happy to see you, DogDay!” Bubba said, stepping in front of DogDay’s line of sight to Kickin’.
“Uh, yeah…” DogDay sounded, finally looking around his surroundings.
It was, effectively, Playcare. Down to the exact positioning of the buildings, with a park in the center instead of the God-awful statue of the Critters, complete with benches to sit on and a small pond. Surrounding all of them, in the distance, were tall mountain peaks, encapsulating them in a valley, the back of Home Sweet Home lining up with the foothills of one such tall peak of the mountain range. In the distance, DogDay could see eight separate houses, like the ones in the cartoons, spread out haphazardly before the hill they were on dipped down into a lower valley. Down in said lower valley, appeared to be a train station, with a clock tower in the center and the tracks going to and from the side of the mountains via tunnels.
Trees lined the edges of the mountain range, and DogDay could just faintly make out a river running though the lower valley into a lake before the hills on the other side rise again to the mountains surrounding them all.
“What… is this place?” DogDay asked, his eyes wandering over his friends.
They all looked like their monstrous forms, except better. For instance, Bobby, who remained on her fours like CatNap, was now standing on just her legs, her pawed hands and feet not looking nearly as gruesome as before but looking just realistic enough to be like a bear’s paws. Both Picky and Bubba had lost their scary, long tusks, and Kickin’ and Hoppy looked more like their cartoon forms with Kickin’s legs looking less realistic as compared to his monstrous form and Hoppy didn’t have her sharp teeth. And Crafty, though while keeping her hooves and slightly curved legs from her monstrous form, also stood on just her legs and not all fours like before, her horn also shorter than it was before. And more importantly, their mouths were more realistic, no longer just black, ever-smiling pits, but there were lips, and teeth, and they could shut! And Kickin’ was still frowning from the elbow to the side he received.
However, it looks like their eyes were still wide and black, just like in the cartoons, the pupils still white. And around all their necks, their pendants, tied with black string. DogDay absently reached for his own sun shaped pendant while Bubba spoke.
“I’m not sure, exactly. I came here right after CatNap killed me. And soon, those who died, also came here. And everyone I’ve spoken to; all remember our lives before.”
“I think this is our second chance at life!” Bobby added. “Perhaps the Gods took pity on us and gave us all the chance to live again.”
“If that’s so, then why not as we were… before?” DogDay muttered, looking around once more.
“Tsk, that’s what I wanted to know!” Kickin’ scoffed. “Do you think I like being a chicken? Hell, no!”
“S-still…” Crafty shyly spoke up. “I’m actually kinda thankful, ya know? It seems like here, we don’t have that haze that was fogging our minds up before… we’re not… damaged here…”
DogDay had to agree, though he said nothing aloud. While his mind was still catching up to what was happening, he did feel his mind clear. All the torture, the negativity, the experimentations… it was like it never happened. Nothing in his mind was bringing him down and for the first time in over ten years, he felt light and nearly at peace. He could adapt to this new world and new life; he was sure of it but was apprehensive about what it all meant.
“Miss Delight arrived here too, not too long ago.” Picky said, jabbing a finger towards the schoolhouse. “The rest of the other teachers refuse to let her into the schoolhouse, though.”
DogDay, finally taking a good look towards the schoolhouse, saw Miss Delight indeed locked outside the front doors of the school, shoulders slumped forward with her back turned towards them. Something compelled him to walk towards her, and behind him, his friends followed suit. “Miss Delight!” DogDay called out to her as he approached the school, still taking some time to take in the sights.
Upon hearing his voice, she whipped around, nearly scaring the shit out of DogDay. Though her face was not ruined like before, those judgmental eyes still showed hints of her mental unrest as they immediately began scanning the dog Critter up and down. “Well!” She exclaimed, abandoning her attempts to get into the schoolhouse and slowly approaching DogDay, stopping after just a few meters. “I am surprised to see you here, DogDay… I would have thought CatNap would never have killed you. I was sure he would have kept you alive until the very end! Guess I was wrong…”
DogDay flinched at her words, his jaw clenching before he spoke. “He didn’t kill me… or at least… not directly.”
“Explain.”
He was about to shoot her down, meaning to say that she deserved no explanation from him. But he felt the stares of his friends and looked at them all, seeing their curiosity, and for some, hatred in their eyes. There were some members of their group with an utter hatred and disgust when it came to CatNap, Bubba was the one who probably hated him the most, followed by Hoppy. And within reason too.
DogDay sighed. “It was the mini-Critters. They made their move but I’m not sure if it was because they did it on their own, or because CatNap ordered them to.”
“Obviously CatNap must have ordered them!” Bubba scoffed. “They never made moves without their glorious leader telling them what to do!”
“I agree!” Hoppy nodded. “The minis on his side looked up to him and revered him like a prophet to their False God. They wouldn’t have just attacked because they wanted to.”
“Hmm…” Miss Delight hummed. A finger coming up to rest on her chin. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. But then again, CatNap, and by extension the Prototype, works in mysterious ways. It could be that he finally found a purpose for you DogDay… in the end.”
DogDay growled softly. He had never really liked Miss Delight. Out of the eight sisters, she was always notably the most antagonistic, and later, more psychotic. She was neither on CatNap’s side, but also one of his servants. Pushing back on him, while also following his orders so easily. She wasn’t trustworthy, but even so, her words stung.
“Ah, ignore her, DogDay!” Hoppy said, taking DogDay’s arm. “Let’s show you around!”
DogDay allowed her to pull his arm as the seven of them walked throughout the “town” as they called it. And though they called it the town, and not Playcare, there was nothing much more than just the main buildings of Playcare and their homes—no restaurants or stores (besides the Toy Store, which Bobby explained was relatively empty) or even a library. The addition of the train station was odd, but the orphans at Playtime Co took the train often to go to the Game Station so even that is not surprising.
They walked to one of the streets of the “neighborhood” as the other Critters called it. DogDay noting that the houses, while all relatively close to each other, matched the style of their characters. Kickin’s house had a skateboard park in the yard, Hoppy had a trampoline as well as a small valley she had to jump over to get to her main house, Bobby had a heart shaped pond with a pergola in front of her home, Crafty had a flower field around her home, Bubba’s was perfectly manicured and landscaped, while Picky’s had a mini vegetable and fruit farm in back of her home, complete with a mini apple orchard filled with bright red apples.
Then they passed by CatNap’s home. It looked like a cat tree, complete with scratching post pillars that one could climb and scratch, the door at its base. DogDay paused, noticing boards shutting the door shut, as well as the windows up above. “I boarded it shut not long after I got here.” Bubba explained, noticing DogDay lagging and looking at the home. “I mean, no one is going to go in there anyway so what was the point of leaving it open?”
“Yeah… makes sense.” DogDay spoke softly.
“But don’t worry! I, as well as the others, maintained your house!” Bubba said excitedly, leading the group just down the way and across Picky’s home (her farm coming up to the edge of the hill before it dropped down), DogDay’s house coming up to the tree line at the edge of the mountains.
“You’ve taken a while to get here,” Crafty began, “so I had to retouch up some of the paint on the outside, but the inside is quite clean!”
“We weren’t so sure if and when you might join us, so we kept it tidy for you!” Bobby added, smiling broadly at DogDay as he approached the front door.
Opening it, it revealed the inside of his new home. It looked just like the cartoon, with a couch on the right side under a set of windows, a rug in the middle, and the kitchen to the back through an open arch. DogDay also noticed another door on the left wall, to which he walked over and opened it, revealing a bedroom and another door that he assumed was a bathroom.
“Gee, guys, thanks! It really is quite clean and nice!” DogDay exclaimed, still unsure of how to feel, but at least feeling better knowing he had a place of his own, and a comfortable bed (a human bed) in the bedroom.
“Of course! Anything for our leader!” Bobby giggled, her short bear tail flicking side to side with happiness.
“Leader… right.” DogDay whispered to himself. He never felt like much of a leader. When Playtime Co selected him to become DogDay, he, of course, didn’t know what was happening, but then after, he was confused as to why he was DogDay.
He had never been a particularly brave individual. Sure, he was one of the older kids there, so he was more mature than others, but he was also a loner at the orphanage. He didn’t have any skill in leadership or making decisions. He thought that Bubba would have made a better leader for he was the oldest out of the Critters as well as one of the smartest. In fact, honestly, if he was being truly honest… his dearest friend from back then would have probably been the best option…
But still. No one deserved to become monsters. Not even poor Theodore…
“So… DogDay?” Crafty spoke up. “This place is nice in which a lot of the food just comes back the next day! Like magic! Your fridge should be stocked up too, in the kitchen.”
Picky joyfully squealed. “It’s so great! To never think about running out of food is amazing! Oh, oh! And tomorrow, we were planning to go pick apples in my orchard to make some pies and juice! You can join us tomorrow, too!”
“For some apple picking?” DogDay asked, turning to face his friends.
“Yeah, why not?” Hoppy asked, giving a small shrug. “We gotta do things around here to keep us entertained!”
“And the apples just grow back the next day!” Picky nearly yelled, obviously excited for the constant renewable food.
“Isn’t that kind of strange? How the food just comes back?” DogDay questioned, his head tilting to one side and an ear rising in inquiry.
Bubba gave a shrug. “I thought it was strange too, but I haven’t been able to study it properly to make any solid opinion on it. All I know, is that it beats being forced to eat, well, people to survive.”
Not that Bubba would know. He was killed by CatNap very early on after the Hour of Joy, hence his distaste for the cat Critter. Picky cleared her throat and shot a sideways glance to Crafty who scratched at her arm with her hoof awkwardly. From the beginning, Crafty and Picky were on CatNap’s side. They had no issue eating the bodies of the ex-employees. It was for survival. Not that they really needed it. It seemed no matter how much they starved; the Bigger Bodies wouldn’t die so easily. Eating just became a habit to maintain some “normalcy” after things went to Hell.
DogDay shuddered at the thought. He ate, begrudgingly, until he decided he wouldn’t do it anymore. Years of starvation afterwords, and even having his legs sawed off, and he was still alive. It took being eaten alive himself to finally die. “Do you think… CatNap will come here…?” He asked to no one in particular, in fact, he didn’t even realize he said it aloud until Hoppy answered him.
“I doubt it! He’s the biggest monster of them all! For him to die there would take so much effort! I truly don’t think anyone could accomplish it!”
“And besides,” Bubba added, “even if he did die, there’s no way he would come here. He wouldn’t deserve it.”
Picky and Crafty shot a look towards each other that went unnoticed while DogDay’s stomach churned. Sure, CatNap was evil, but to not deserve this afterlife? This second chance at life without being shrouded by the Prototype’s will? He couldn’t believe that CatNap—that Theodore—didn’t deserve it.
“But let’s not talk about CatNap!” Kickin’ said suddenly, changing the subject. “We should celebrate you joining us DogDay! Let’s have a feast!”
Picky, upon hearing ‘feast’ perked up. “That’s a great idea Kickin’! DogDay, let’s use your kitchen and make lots of yummy food, okay?”
DogDay looked around at his friends once more and smiled. “Sure! Let’s do it!” He agreed, the seven Critters heading back into the kitchen to begin working on a feast fit for the beloved leader of the Smiling Critters.
CatNap knew it was the end for him. The moment the ex-employee shocked him, and his own red smoke caught him on fire, he knew. He had become too weak, and his God, the Prototype, would not have use of him anymore.
So, when the Prototype came down from on high and offered his Salvation from the pain, CatNap took it. He was afraid to die. He had thought that the Prototype would offer him Salvation one day, that he might be able to be freed from this Hell they created together and just live as he should have. But at the same time, he was glad to sacrifice his life to the God he had chosen and to be of use to him after he was gone—to be combined with his greatness and to be with him forever more.
He thought he would feel like that forever. That perhaps in a following life, if one were to follow, he would remember this feeling and take great joy and pride in it. Relish in the feeling to know that he was needed and useful and… perhaps, even loved. He truly believed that.
Until CatNap opened his eyes again.
He looked up at the night sky—a true night sky with a full moon and twinkling stars. He breathed in fresh air into his lungs which no longer pained him when he breathed. He swallowed his saliva, and relished in the fact that it didn’t hurt to swallow, that his vocal cords were seemingly no longer charred from his first fateful encounter to electricity due to the Grab Pack he was too small to use.
CatNap felt alive again. For the first time in fifteen years… He. Was. Alive.
Tears sprung from the purple Critter’s eyes as this rush of emotion flooded him. But they were not tears of joy. They were of pain, regret and guilt for all that he had done. His mind clear, and his heart not tainted, he saw all the horrors he did for what they were—horrific. And he did them so willingly, so heartfelt to beings he once called friends. He was blinded by a faith that had no right to even exist in the first place.
He was in a cult. And he led part of that cult and brought more down with him. His mind, which had been stuck as that of a child’s, was now an adult’s and was reflecting on so much that he nearly couldn’t breathe; his heart labored and beating erratically.
And now, here he was, in this unknown world, granted a second life he felt he didn’t deserve.
But here he was, and here he would need to establish himself. He could not just stay on the ground and cry forever. If he wanted to repent, he would first have to figure out where he even was.
He sat up, wiping the tears from his eyes with his paws (which he quickly took note that they were indeed paws). He looked around and noticed that he was upon a hill, a low valley before him complete with a river, a lake, and in the distance, a train station and a town.
And even more distant than that, eight houses that looked just like the homes of the Smiling Critters in the cartoons.
CatNap felt his heart drop. If he was here, did that mean those who died before him were also here? He wasn’t so sure what to expect when it came to this new world, but somehow, having to face the others from Playcare again was not at the top of that list. He stood then, using the added height to look beyond the houses to notice more details of the town, as much as he could see in the dark. It was pitch black upon the hill and across the valley, only a few lights on in the town and a couple lights coming from the Smiling Critters homes.
CatNap took a deep breath in. He would not go towards the distance tonight. He was not about to sneak into the night, not with who he was (is). He was curious, as all cats are, but he was not stupid. There would not be many who truly loved him here. If it was only those who died, then most who died were the Prototype’s (and his) enemies.
The cat Critter took one more look around. He would need a place to hide and rest in safety. He did not know how true to life the wildness of this world would be. He spotted a big broad tree just down the hill a bit, meters away from the edge of the lake. He would go there and test the water to see if it was fresh water (it was) and took his fill of it. The water wet and cooled his throat and again he was amazed by the lack of pain there. It made his heart heavy. He knew now he was in a cult, he knew he shouldn’t feel despondent towards losing his place in said cult, but he still felt a bit torn. One side wanted nothing more than to just pull himself away from the Prototype’s teachings, while the other still felt a piece missing of himself.
He would not try to linger on those thoughts.
Instead, he climbed the tree with ease, and settled into one of the taller, but relatively clear branches, his back leaning against the trunk of the tree. And as it happened, he was facing the town, his eyes locked on the flickering lights in the distance. He took this chance to look down at himself, noticing that he looked more like his cartoon counterpart than his monstrous form at Playcare. He was tall, by the looks of it, with four toed paws with black nails at their ends. The crescent moon pendant hung from around his neck with a black cord, but no zipper down his torso. No stitches at his arms and legs and joints. No, for all intents and purposes, he was like a human again, just appearing as CatNap.
This, at least, gave him some relief. At least, he thought, he was not a monster appearing as a monster. At least he could convince himself his appearance now matches what he could be, and not what he once was. He’ll create that division in his mind, and he shall strive for redemption and forgiveness.
Or at least… he hoped he could.
When DogDay awoke at dawn the next day, he was once again surprised that he was there. He thought that death was infallible, an end all be all of who you ever were and are. But here he was, alive again and in a world that was not below a toy factory hiding terrible secrets.
After the impromptu dinner party last night, DogDay was mentally exhausted. His mind was reeling with too many thoughts, with what ifs and whys and hows. He barely ate any of the food, but Picky made sure not to waste anything as she inevitably ate all his leftovers. When he finally collapsed into his bed, he found it difficult to fall asleep, the endless thoughts still plaguing him awake. He wasn’t so sure when he fell asleep, but what he did know, was last night was the most comfortable he’s slept in years. Of course, that was to be expected; being hung up in a prison cell beneath the Playhouse does not exactly make for comfortable sleeping arrangements. And his bed in this world was so soft and plush, and the sheets were warm, and the air was not stagnant and stale.
DogDay slowly rose out of bed, hesitant about leaving the wonderful bed and starting his first full day in this new afterlife. He was glad to be doing something with his friends that morning, but perhaps he should have turned them down and gave the day to himself. But it was too late to back out now, and they had seemed to be excited to see him and to spend time with him. He couldn’t have turned them down then. He padded over to the bathroom, where everything was set up for him, a toothbrush in a rinse cup with a tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, and a towel hanging on a hook next to the sink, and a bathtub with shower on the other side of the toilet, which was next to the sink. A mirrored medicine cabinet hung above the sink, but all that was in it was a brush for his fur. It was a simple set up, reminded him of how the bathrooms in some of the private rooms in Home Sweet Home were set up.
DogDay absentmindedly brushed his teeth as he thought about those rooms. He was not so lucky to get one of those rooms. Too old and entered too late into the Playcare.
But Theodore Grambell had his own private room.
A lot of the other kids were jealous. Questioning why one of the newest residents got a room to himself. He was six when he entered, not the youngest admitted, but apparently special enough from the get-go to get his own room.
And maybe that’s what caused all their problems later. He was too special. He was given special treatment. He attracted the attention of the Prototype, who brought him under his control and took over the boy that DogDay had called his best friend, despite their age difference.
DogDay, when he was still “Adam,” would usually sneak into Theodore’s room at night, and the two would whisper and play, telling stories fantastical and sometimes scary, and even on occasion, falling asleep together on that tiny metal frame bed. Adam would get in trouble being out of his assigned cot, but Theodore would just get a light scolding and perhaps a few finger wags. Sometimes Adam would get a bit peeved at that special treatment. A bit jealous of how much Theodore would seemingly get away with things. But then, one day, he overheard one of the councilors talking about his young friend and his life before he entered Playcare, and suddenly, Adam no longer got upset about the treatment Theodore was getting.
He had been through enough.
It was a shame that darkness wouldn’t leave him alone.
DogDay spit into the sink and put a bit of water into the rinse cup, swishing the water and spitting out any leftover toothpaste before putting the brush and the toothpaste back in. He grabbed the brush from within the cabinet and brushed out his ears and head quickly before putting it back and heading to the kitchen.
Curious, he opened the fridge to see, that yes indeed, the food the Smiling Critters had grabbed last night was replenished. He tilted his head to the side, amazed at the literal magic of this place, before grabbing the milk. He thought he saw some cereal in the pantry and considering he didn’t eat much last night; it was best to have some breakfast before heading across the way to Picky’s house.
After eating and cleaning the dishes (Playcare instilled in them to always pick up after yourselves… immediately), DogDay left his house taking only a few steps outside when CatNap’s house grabbed his attention. They were neighbors. If CatNap were here, of course. It boggled his mind. Once, a long time ago, perhaps this would have made DogDay (Adam) happy, but now… it made him uncomfortable.
And since the rest of the Smiling Critters didn’t even bother to maintain CatNap’s home, it looked frightening; dark and tattered with broken wooden slats on the house and torn fabric (since it was essentially a cat tree it had that carpet-like material around it, save for the wooden house on top of the tower). DogDay tried not to linger on it, but the fact of the matter was that seeing the cat Critter’s house like that also made him feel… sad. Sad that his once beloved friend was treated like this, discarded and not even given an ounce of sympathy.
But then again… with all he did, did he really deserve any of that?
DogDay would like to believe that CatNap could have changed at any moment. But that seemed highly unlikely. If he were perhaps still Theodore, then maybe.
But Theodore was corrupted long before he became CatNap.
“DogDay!” A happy yell came from across the street. DogDay’s head snapped towards the sound, seeing Picky waving from the front door of her house. “I was about to go get you! Come on!”
DogDay smiled and walked over, Picky ushering him in, going on and on about breakfast and the day’s activities but DogDay had already eaten, and he didn’t want to eat more. So, the two waited for the others to arrive, which didn’t take long and once they had all arrived, Picky handed them all a basket and lead the charge to her backyard where on one side was a farm with rows of manicured crops and on the other, a cluster of nicely arranged apple trees. The group got to picking immediately, Hoppy and Kickin’ turning it into a competition on who could get more apples the fastest. Crafty, while she did pick a few apples, stopped soon after and began drawing in her notebook she brought with her, laughing as she tried to paint the apple-picking competition between Hoppy and Kickin’. Picky, while it was her own orchard, started eating the apples she picked instead of putting them in her basket while Bobby, Bubba and DogDay stayed on track, the trio working together to fill up their baskets.
“It’s such a nice day to pick apples!” Bobby exclaimed, smiling broadly as DogDay picked an apple from a tree and handed it to her to put in her basket.
“Yeah.” DogDay agreed, reaching for another apple. “And it’s nice to have something to think of other than, well, everything else.”
“Ah, you’ll get used to it soon.” Bubba assured, holding his and DogDay’s empty basket as they decided to fill up their baskets one at a time. “It took me quite some time to adapt. I always had some other question or hypothesis. It was quite tiring.”
DogDay chuckled at that, handing Bobby another apple. “I can agree with that. That’s how I feel now. Barely slept last night. Was thinking too much.”
Bobby took DogDay’s apple and gently placed it in her already almost full basket. “It’s a shame CatNap isn’t here then. He could have helped you sleep.”
The two males paused, glancing at her. DogDay looked astonished that she said that, remembering how she so adamantly was against the red smoke CatNap used when they were back at Playcare. Bubba at the other hand grumbled. “It’s good he isn’t here. There’s nothing good about that smoke.”
Bobby looked at the other two, her eyes quickly jutting down towards the apples in her hands. “Well… yeah, it wasn’t used for good and all, but… it did help us sleep sometimes… before…”
DogDay looked away, focusing back on his task wordlessly while Bubba continued to argue with Bobby. “I hated it from the start! The nightmares I got from it were too much! And for some reason, I always had nightmares! He was targeting me from the start!” Bubba groaned, taking the apples from DogDay now.
“Well… no offense Bubba, but you did start it by purposely trying to isolate him.” Bobby challenged. Though she was not in support of CatNap, she at least had the ability to look at things from both sides, an attribute to her character.
“He was working for them! Every night he would come in, gas the kids, and then watch as they came in the middle of the night and took them from their beds!”
“Yes, but I’m sure he was forced.”
“He sure looked like he was willing.”
“I highly doubt the Prototype approved either.”
“Blah!” Bubba sounded, rolling his eyes in disgust. “Geez! Why’d you have to bring him up? It’s bad enough we’re talking about CatNap.”
“I’m just saying! They did bad things but at least…” Bobby paused then, her words in her head being silenced before she could speak to them. She shook her head then, glancing at DogDay as he took the basket from her, indicating silently that it was time to switch jobs, something the trio had decided they’d do every time a basket was full. The trio began walking to another tree, one that stood on the outer edge before the hill drops down. Bubba placed his empty basket down before going to grab the apples himself. “What do you think DogDay?” Bobby asked.
“What do you mean what does he think?” Bubba asked, stopping before even grabbing his first apple as he turned at the waist to look at the bear. “He must hate him too! He had to deal the longest with him and God knows how much torment he had to suffer!”
“Yeah, I get that, but they were friends before! Best friends!” Bobby argued back, smiling faintly at DogDay as she asked him again. “Surely you must have still cared for him for a while. And if he were to come here—“Bubba groaned again. “—how would you react? Would you try to be friends again?”
DogDay, still holding the basket of full apples, blinked slowly, looking up through the leaves of the apple tree to see the rays of sun shining through them. “I used to think,” he began, “that he and I would be best friends forever. That we would always stand side by side and always be true to one another.” DogDay’s eyes squinted into the shimmering light. “But that was never going to happen. CatNap… CatNap was once good, but good things never stay.” DogDay sighed heavily, tearing his eyes from the sun as he looked for a spot on the ground to place the basket down. “I really find it hard to believe that he wouldn’t be a monster. He… he’s not someone who is good.” Even though I hoped for so long…
DogDay’s eyes stung with threatening tears, the dog Critter, without much thought, released one hand from the basket to wipe at his face, the basket quickly emptying most of the collected fruit onto the floor, the apples rolling down the side of the hill. “Oh, shit.” DogDay cursed, setting his basket down as he looked down the hill, watching the apples roll all the way down.
Down to a pair of purple feet.
DogDay’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes landed on the familiar being before them, just down the hill. He may not be in his large, monstrous form, but there was no denying it. His eyes blinked in disbelief as he watched the being at the bottom of the hill crouch down, a clawed hand gently wrapping around an apple that had landed squarely between his feet.
CatNap observed the fruit for a beat, before those eyes snapped up quickly, meeting DogDay’s eyes directly in a cold stare.