Chapter Text

It has been a bit, hasn't it. In just 5 days it will be a year since I started writing, maybe even longer if I count anything that I haven't uploaded, but that's not the point of this. I started writing because it seemed fun, and it is as long as I take breaks to not burn myself out. The first story I uploaded was New Beginnings, Old Memories, and a ton of you liked it, even saying that my writing is good, although I didn't believe it back then. But I do feel like my writing has improved much over one year. Which brings me to this... I didn't like NBOM towards the end. It just felt like I kept writing because you all wanted me to but the end product just didn't feel like it was good enough. That's why I stopped writing it, I just didn't like how it was going. So that's why I'm now making NBOMV2 (I know, very creative name). This first page is going to be only information that you should know before you start reading/p>

This will be written on my own time so there is no set time for uploads. If I feel that I am taking to long I might add a chapter to tell you all why its taking so long. I also need to add that unless I say that NBOMV2 is on hiatus or abandoned then you can assume that I'm working on it.

The Mini Critters will show up at some point, but it won't be soon, not until they heal. Same with the Nightmare Critters and other PPT Characters.

The employee showed up on 7/6/05, 2 days before when the HoJ happened 10 years ago. They don't move as fast through the building as in the game, they are human after all, they need breaks.

Catnap is mute (for the most part) so he doesn't speak, instead he uses ASL or just writing, but that hard to tell apart from each other with regular writing, unless you like me and think ahead. (CN)“Speaking out loud” (CN)*Speaking with ASL* (CN)[Writing to speak or show] ASL and writing are the most common to see but he will speak... it just may be a while before he does.

Sometimes whenever I read a fic about the Smiling Critters its hard to follow whos talking when multiple of them speak in a group, which is why I use a system of unicode character (Feel free to use them if you want). Catnap: U+263E ☾ Dogday: U+02600 ☀ Kickin Chicken: U+2729 ✩ Hoppy Hopscotch: U+26A1 ⚡ CraftyCorn: U+270E ✎ Bobby Bearhug: U+2661 ♡ Piggy Piggy: U+1F34E 🍎 Bubba Bubbaphant: U+1F4A1 💡 Baba Chops: U+1F480 💀 Icky Licky: U+2623 ☣
Rabe Baby: U+1FA78 🩸 Allister Gator: U+2620 ☠ Simon Smoke: U+() ⟨$⟩ Poe: U+1F329 🌩 Toullie: U+1F41F 🐟 Maggie Mako: U+1F9B7 🦷 (There isn't a 1:1 of all the pendants as Unicode or emojis, I did the best I could).

Will the heights play a big role in me writing, not really, but I'd rather have them and not use them and don't and need them. First, we have the heights of them as BBIs.

Next, their heights in the Afterlife.

The Nightmare Critters will be given heights when I get to them.

Time heals all wounds, but one thing can bring all the pain back.

Bobby Bearhug

Seven months. Bubba has been keeping track, and today marks seven months since all hell broke loose. We didn’t leave Home Sweet Home for the first two months because we had enough food to last that long, but from that point on we had to sneak out and gather food. Those five months have been alright. We all wish for whoever has to leave this time to come back safe. All of us worry from the second the door closes to the moment it opens again. Today is my turn to scavenge for food. Most of the food in the cafeteria has already been taken, but we know where more is stored, and that’s where I’m heading. Once I reach the room I open the door, carefully looking around before entering. After I’m sure no one is in here I start grabbing cans, filling both bags I brought with. With both bags filled I pick them up and stand up, opening the door to leave. Behind the door Catnap is waiting, staring with those empty eyes.

“Catnap! What are you doing here?”

He doesn’t answer, like always. I try to slowly walk past him but he blocks my way with a paw.

“Catnap, can I please get back to the others?”

He doesn’t move his paw from in front of me. Before I can react his other paw comes from behind and grabs me. I try to get out of his grasp but it’s tight enough to prevent all my movement. He raises his other paw up and puts it level with my chest. I want to ask him what he’s doing but he stabs me with a claw, stopping just before my heart. Looking up at him he still doesn’t show any emotions. He starts ever so slowly pushing his claw closer and closer to my heart. Once it pokes my heart I know that I’m good as dead. I give him one last look, trying to find any emotions, but none are on his face. As I die, I swear I see a tear fall from his eye… but that could just… be my ima..ginati..on…

Hoppy Hopscotch

That damn monster is taunting us. We stay inside for two months and eat all the food we have. Then for the next five months we scavenge for food, and nothing happens to us. It doesn’t chase us, doesn’t try to attack us. The only thing it does is watch us from a distance, making sure we don’t do something it doesn’t like. Then one day it kills Bobby. It brings the food she got but still killed her. It took her body but left her fur. It still watched us, but it doesn’t attack, just like before. Maybe if Bobby attacked then it would have a reason to kill her, but Bobby isn’t the kind of person to hurt anyone. Pushing away all the distracting thoughts I get back to scavenging. I go to the same food storage closet that Bobby died in to gather the last of the cans. With all of them loaded into the two bags I put them on and leave. Once I get into the hallways I remember I start running, not wanting to be out here for longer than I need. Reaching the door that leads to the Playcare I open it, and see Catnap. He hasn’t seen me so I try to sneak around him, but maybe I’m not the best to do something like that. Catnap spots me and starts running at me. I think quickly and ditch the bags, opting to jump onto the fountain. Once I land on the top of it I jump again and reach the lowest hanging star. I look down and see that Catnap has sat down. He’s still watching me but that doesn’t change how high I can jump. Jumping from star to star, I’m getting closer to the moon. As I’m on the final star I take a small pause, gathering all my strength and courage to make my highest jump ever. Opening my eyes I jump, putting everything into it. As I get closer to the fake moon I reach out my paw, ready to grab anything to pull myself up. But I don’t grab anything. I’m a couple inches away as gravity starts pulling me back down. As I look down I try to find anything to grab onto but all the stars are too far away. As I hit the ground every bone in my legs shatter like glass, all the muscles, tendons, and whatever else is in my legs tear and break. As I cry from the pain I don’t notice Catnap until he’s right in front of me. As he watches me cry I feel everything start to get heavy, including my eyelids.

“I’m sorry… Bobby. I… guess I… can’t reach the mo…on.”

Kickin Chicken

Two years. Bubba has been keeping track, and it’s been two years. We have been stuck in this hell for two, whole, years. Bobby is first to die, then Hoppy. Eight months between their deaths, but it still feels like only weeks ago they were still here, trying to keep up happy. Dogday would be here to help us but… Lightly hitting myself I focus on what I need to do; Find more food and bring it back. With the two bags filled with more cans I start exploring, hoping to find something else to bring back. Instead of finding more food I find Catnap staring at me. I want to run, all the nerves in my body are telling me to run, and instead of listening I put on a brave face, walking up to the cat.

“I KNOW YOU KILLED BOBBY AND HOPPY, BUT WHAT DID YOU DO WITH DOGDAY?”

He doesn’t give me an answer, just opens his mouth a bit wider. I go to ask again, louder, but his red smoke starts flowing. Listening to my nerves this time I turn around and start running as fast as possible. I weave through the hallways, taking the corners as close as possible without hitting the walls. As I round another corner I didn’t see something on the ground and trip, falling right onto my face. Before I can try to get up, Catnap catches up and puts a paw onto my back, holding me down. As I try to fight back he grabs both my wings with his paw. Fearing what he’s going to do I try to fight back more, thrashing about as much as I can, kicking and punching him with as much strength as I can muster. As he pulls the pain keeps getting worse and worse until it reaches a peak when my wings come off. The pain should be enough to make me black out but the adrenaline keeps me awake. As he lifts his paw from my back he then places it on my head.

“PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO DIE. I’LL DO ANYTHING, JUST PLEASE LET ME GO.”

I know that yelling won't help but it’s the only thing I can do. The pressure keeps getting worse and worse. As I already know what’s going to happen I close my eyes, praying to anyone above that my death can be quick and with minimum pain.

Bubba Bubbaphant

Just like with Bobby and Hoppy, some of Kickin’s fur was found with the bags. Looking through the counselors office for anything I find more canned food and put it into the bags. Before I leave the office I’m in I hear something make a sound. Getting closer to the door I put my ear to it and listen for any more sounds. After a whole minute of nothing I open the door and walk out, checking every corner before continuing. As I get closer to the exit I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. But it was premature to put my guard down. Catnap comes out of nowhere and pushes me down, pinning me to the ground. As I look up at him he opens his mouth just a bit wider.

“Catnap, I want to know why you did this when we can talk, ok?”

He doesn’t answer, just lets the red smoke flow from his mouth.

Picky Piggy

(✎)“Picky, please be careful. The others haven’t come back in so long.”

“I know, I also miss them, but I have to look for more food or else we’ll starve. Just stay here, I’ll be right back.”

Giving Crafty a final look I leave her room and head outside. I don’t want to leave Crafty alone but it's the only way for me to look for more food. Heading to the cafeteria I look through the hidden spots that I made to hide sweets. Most of them are empty but a few have some candy. Putting it all in the bag I stand up and hear something else enter the school. Grabbing a knife I listen for any sounds they might make. They move some seats as they walk, getting closer. A door opens and closes, squeaking with age. As Catnap comes around the corner I lunge at him. He side steps and my momentum carries me to the ground. He puts a paw on my back while covering my head with his other one. He pulls my mouth open and puts something into my mouth with his tail. Once it’s in he holds my mouth closed, forcing me to eat it. Once I swallow it he lets me go, stepping back before sitting down. As I try to get up I feel dizzy before vomiting, falling back to the ground. As I try again to get up it starts hurting to breathe. Falling down again I focus on trying to breathe but each breath is shorter than the last. As I look at Catnap, he doesn’t move, just watches as I slowly suffocate.

CraftyCorn

Bobby leaves for food… she doesn’t come back. Hoppy leaves for food… she doesn’t come back. Kickin leaves for food… he doesn’t come back. Bubba leaves for food… he doesn’t come back. Picky leaves for food… she doesn’t come back. The only person who might not be dead is Dogday, but it’s unlikely that that is true. He may be the leader of us, but Catnap is his weak point. Sitting by the fountain, I accept that my death will come soon. I’m no good at scavenging for food, and all the others are dead. I start crying from the memories of everyone before that happened. When I hear something make noise I look up and see Catnap. He grabs my paw and crushes it in his grip. As I scream in pain he grabs my other paw and also crushes it. Once that is done he stabs my eyes out, blinding me. While I know I should be trying to get away, what am I meant to do without my vision? I just give up, letting Catnap do whatever he wants with me. Catnap walks up to me and puts a paw onto my chest, slowly pushing his claw towards my heart.

Dogday

My dreams are always calming, a way to enjoy more time with friends even while I sleep. This one is one I’ve had before, Hoppy and Kickin are playing something, Crafty is drawing something, Picky is eating, Bobby is watching Hoppy, and Bubba is reading a book. Usually I would look down and see Catnap sleeping on me but he’s missing. Looking back up I expect to see him in front of me or sleeping in a tree, but instead I see all my friends sleeping. Trying to move I find my arms are stuck above my head, bound to the tree behind me. Seeing someone coming closer I sigh in relief but that quickly changes to holding my breath when I see Catnap coming closer, with his red smoke flowing from his mouth. He has a smile on his face, wider than possible and it looks… fake. Every step he takes an inch of red smoke covers the ground, rising closer and closer to my face. Once he’s right in front of me I see that his eyes look… blank.

(☾)“Dogday… you need to… wake up…”

Jolting awake I quickly look around, not knowing where I am. Painfully slowly, my vision comes back to me and I recognise where I am. The prisons under the Playcare, the place where all toys are taken when they misbehave, starved until they act how they are supposed to. Trying to bring my hands to my face I feel something on my wrists, holding my arms to the side. Taking a slow glance, I see leather straps on my wrists, bound to the wall, unable to break free. As I use all my strength to break free, someone steps into my cell, someone I never wanted to see again.

(☾)“Dogday… you need to stay… here. It is for… your own safety.”

His voice doesn’t sound like the one I loved, not one single bit sounded the same. Thrashing around more I try everything to hit him, even if it's just a weak kick, but nothing gets close enough to him. He takes one step closer before spitting the red smoke into my face. I feel my consciousness fail but I still fight back, up until the moment I pass out.

(Kidnapped in your sleep by the one person you loved… I don’t think anything can be worse than that, the one you love turning on you. “Small” time skip to 2.5 years later.)

Half of my friends are dead at this point. Everytime Catnap killed one of them he came back with their pendent and hung it from the ceiling. Catnap would taunt me on how easy they were to kill but I just ignore him, praying that they finally get to rest after so long. Having been in the same room for… I’m not even sure how long at this point, my only escape is sleep, and even he’s invading that place. I’ve tried to escape multiple times, but everytime he would find me, knock me out, and put me back in this cell. I can’t starve because he feeds me, by force if I am stubborn enough. If there is something after life, I hope my friends are enjoying it to the fullest.

(2.5 years, multiple escape attempts, and Dogday still can’t escape hell. Maybe something will change in the next 2.5 years.)

All of my friends are dead now. Looking up I see Bobby’s, Hoppy’s, Kickin’s, Bubba’s, Picky’s, and Crafty’s pendants hanging from the ceiling. Not wanting to be here any longer I start putting my final escape plan into action. Pulling my arms free from the straps I run out the door and take a right. Passing cell after cell doesn’t help with navigating but it doesn’t matter, I know the route I always take. Reaching the first corner I take a left, avoiding Catnap who… WAS WAITING FOR ME TO ESCAPE?! Picking up the pace I start taking more lefts and rights at random, hoping to avoid him long enough to get away, but my hopes are dashed once again when I run straight into him. As I fall the red smoke is already flowing, covering the ground as I hit it.

When I wake up I’m back in the same cell as always, pendants hanging from the ceiling, taunting me. As I try to stand I feel pain in my legs, with even my arms having gone numb. Looking down I see… MY LEGS ARE GONE!? Everything past my waist is missing with only one belt holding my insides inside of me. Blood covers the floor, more must be on the walls. Trying to move my arms I feel more straps are on them, holding me above the ground. I know this was the doing of Catnap but… something, just a small part of me, never thought he could do this. To go this far, hurt the one he said he said he loved, me. Only one thing remains true about Catnap… he shouldn’t be trusted… and I was blind to the signs.

(It seems like Catnap is tired of Dogday trying to escape, so he puts a more… permanent end, to his antics. One thing is for certain, this will permanently alter Catnap’s and Dogday’s relationship. Now, time for one last time skip, 5 years this time.)

What's the point of keeping track of time? All it does is count down the seconds till death. No one wants to die, but everyone must at some point, right? That's what I thought before I was left to hang on a wall for… has it been years? All of my friends must be having fun, being free from this place. I would join them but… Catnap won't let me die. Hearing someone coming I fake being asleep, not wanting to hear what Catnap has to say, but… the footsteps are too loud to be Catnap's. Looking up I see an employee, GrabPack on their back, walking past my cell.

“What are you doing?”

They quickly turn, pointing the orange hand at me.

“Hey, I don't want to hurt you, not like I could in this state.”

I laugh dryly. They slowly put the hand down, staying cautious but willing to listen.

“Listen, I don't know why you came back if you made it out. You must have seen how unwelcome you are. You are affecting the plan of… The Prototype.”

They give me a curious look, as if they don't know what I'm talking about.

“I may be the last of the Smiling Critters, but Catnap is still alive. He talks about The Prototype anytime he force feeds me.”

They still look curious, but now their gaze drops lower down, past my waist.

“This is what they do to heretics, punish them until they join, or die.”

They look sad, but they also understand that nothing can be done for me.

“If you had to go through him to reach me, then he knows you are here. Get moving, whoever you are.”

They move to leave but pause. They look back, making a halo gesture above their head. Once they are done, I hear more footsteps, many more, smaller, footsteps. Seeing the Mini Critters pouring out from the holes I know what's going to happen.

“RUN, DON'T LOOK BACK UNTIL YOU ARE SAFE!”

The scream I let out is the loudest sound I've made in a long time. They crawl into me, eating everything while taking me off the wall. Even when nothing is left of me, I still can't die. I'm forced to watch as my body is used as a puppet to chase after the employee. After the agony of being on the brink of death for so long, the employee finally makes a jump my body can't follow. Once they are across, they take a look back at me. As the Mini Critters leave my body, I get closer and closer to death, until they are all gone. Giving them one final smile, a genuine one, I wordlessly mouth something to them.

“Thank… you.”

I close my eyes, knowing that this time, I won't wake up.

Catnap

The Prototype was untrustworthy from the beginning, but with how no one wanted to be my friend, he was the only one I trusted. After the accident that turned me into Catnap, I finally saw why he can’t be trusted… and I got to feel how it was to have friends. But all of that was lost when he took control of me. I stopped being me… and became a puppet. I wanted to tell everyone but something stopped me from saying anything about it. I would try writing it down but I would shred up the paper before I could deliver it. I tried to act as differently as possible, hoping to get their attention but… they never asked. I don’t believe they ignored me on purpose… but it still hurt that they didn’t try to help. Entering Home Sweet Home I head towards Dogday’s room during the night, hours before hell broke loose. While I expect to see myself kill my first friend, I actually blow some red smoke onto him before picking him up. I carry him to the prison cells, restraining him to the wall.

Dogday wakes up with a jolt before quickly looking around. After a couple seconds he calms down. He must have figured out where he is. As he tries to move his arm it’s stopped by the restraints I put on him. After he takes a slow glance at what’s holding his wrists, Dogday starts using all his strength to break free of them. As he takes a short break I enter the cell just enough so he can see me.

(☾)“Dogday… you need to stay… here. It is for… your own safety.”

The look on his face after I speak hurts me. He must hate me now and he has every reason to. He starts thrashing about, trying to hit me. I take a step forward before spitting some red smoke into his face. His thrashing slows down until it stops, the soft snoring that follows hurts me. That was a sound I would listen to when I couldn’t sleep…

(So it has happened, Dogday has been kidnapped by Catnap. Now let’s see what's changed in 2.5 years.)

The worst joke of them all… knowing how long it really has been. Two and a half years since The Hour Of Joy. Two and a half years that Dogday has been in the same cell. I am force feeding him like always, making sure he can’t escape but also can’t die. Dogday isn’t trying to fight back. He looks dead already. His eyes don’t look at anything, he doesn’t try to move his arms or legs, he doesn’t do anything. Seeing him like this hurts me. He’s given up trying to escape, just accepting what is happening can’t be changed. As his friend, I want to help him but I still can’t break free from his control. I’ve tried everything to do anything, but none of it works. Mustering up all my effort I try to scream out, make any noise posible.

“I’m sorry.”

It’s barely above a whisper but it’s something that I did. Looking at Dogday for a reaction I see his ear twitch… but that’s all. I try to do the same thing again but I can’t make any more sound. Once I’m done with the force feeding I get up and leave. He didn’t react to me speaking, but his ear did twitch. That means that he did hear what I said. A small flame of hope is created, but anything can dash it with how small it is.

(Catnap… oh how I wish I didn’t love you so much. Maybe then I wouldn’t put you through so much pain before giving you your happy ending. 5 Years… you already know what’s going to happen from Dogday’s side.)

It has been a whole week since I saw Dogday. For some reason I won’t go near him, tasking the Mini Critters to feed him. Now I’m just sitting at an intersection of the hallways, waiting for something. I hear someone coming and get ready to chase after them. Dogday turns the corner and I give chase. For not being able to use his legs for anything Dogday still has his speed, outpacing me while I silently root for him to get away. After a while I take a different turn, snaking through the maze of corners. Before I can question what I’m doing I step out in front of Dogday, making him fall backwards. I already let the floor be covered in my red smoke so Dogday passes out shortly after he hits the ground. Once he’s out I wrap my tail around him and carry him back. As I think he’s going to be put back like usual I suddenly take a turn and head to an area I haven’t seen before.

Entering the room I see that it’s the same one used for our medical ‘tests.’ I set Dogday down on the table and move towards the tools scattered on the ground. Grabbing the largest knife I head back and line it up at Dogday’s waist. Using all the strength in me I try to stop myself but it doesn’t work… just like all the other times. The knife cuts through him like he’s butter. Blood pours out from him as I grab his legs and toss them away. Grabbing a random belt I tie it around his waist, pulling it hard enough so much less blood pours from him. The sight of Dogday without his legs, covered in blood… it’s so sickening that I want to vomit, but I can’t even do that. The only thing I can do is be forced to look at what happened to him. If there is something after life… then I deserve nothing worse than eternal death.

(Catnap has no fight left in him… not after what he just saw happen to the once person he loved. One final time skip of 5 years.)

Why should I even be allowed to live at this point? All my friends are dead, and the one who isn’t is being tortured by me. Someone entered the Playcare so I have been chasing them. Everytime I think that I got them, they find another way out. This goes on for a while until I lose sight of them. Going to check on Dogday I find his cell empty. Following the trail of blood I eventually find his body, motionless on the ground. I expect myself to just leave but I actually get to control my body again after so long. Walking up to Dogday I lay down and see if there are any signs that he is still alive… but there is nothing. As I stand up something inside him moves. Watching what it is I see a Mini Catnap exit his body. Grabbing it I try to choke it out but something stops me. I let it fall from my hands and watch as it runs away. Taking one last look at Dogday I feel the final piece of my heart break. I lose control again and start hunting down the employee while I… do nothing.

After finding them again I try attacking them, being stopped by the steam and having to retreat. After a couple of minutes of that I finally get in, ready to put them to sleep. They launch the green hand at me, electrocuting me, paralyzing me to the ground for a moment. As I raise my head up to release the red smoke, a spark catches it, igniting it. The fire spreads over my body and into my lungs, burning everything before I put it out. As I go to stand and attack them again, The Prototype comes from the ceiling. I move to pray to him, kneeling before him. But instead of talking, he stabs his clawed hand into my throat, exiting through the back of my head. As I die, only one thought passes through my mind… If there’s an Afterlife… I don’t deserve to… reach it.

Chapter Text

Waking up from what felt like a dream, I look around but have some trouble with how bright it is. Sitting up I feel grass against my legs and hands. As my eyes adjust to the sun as I look around and see I’m in an open field, surrounded by trees taller than I thought was possible. Standing up I have some trouble but steady myself against the only tree on this small hill. Once I have my balance again I take a longer look around for anything that could lead me to someone or something. Seeing a well used path I walk down it and enter the surrounding forest. While walking I hear a conversation coming from farther down the path. Speeding up to reach them I hope that they can tell me where I am. As I get closer I can hear their voices better… and it's my friends. If this is the Afterlife then I don’t deserve to be here, I don’t want to ruin their Afterlife because I got a second chance after killing them. I move off the path, hiding behind a tree and waiting for them to pass.

(💡)“I’m glad that Dogday is with us now, but he isn’t telling us what happened. He can’t walk, which I can only assume is because of Catnap, but he refuses to tell us anything, even yelling at me to leave if I push too much.

(✩)“Bubba, I know you want to help him, but he isn’t ready for our help, not yet.

(♡)“Kickin is right, Dogday is clearly still processing what happened. All we can do is give him time to decide if he wants to tell us what happened. If he doesn’t, then all we can do is live our new lives.”

(⚡)“But, how can we just leave him to deal with it himself?”

(♡)“... Dogday is a leader, and that’s what makes Dogday himself, but that also means that he puts our well being over his own. He doesn’t show any emotions to us that he thinks are ‘bad’ for a leader to show. The only thing we can do is wait, because he’s the most stubborn one of us.”

(⚡)“I know, I just wish there was anything we could do for him.”

(♡)“The only thing we can do is be there for him, both for now and when he opens up. We also can help him walk again. One day, our leader will be back to his regular self… maybe even…”

Dogday can’t walk… and he’s suffering by himself. He can’t walk because of me. He’s suffering because of me. All because I’m weak. I couldn't stop their deaths. I couldn’t give Dogday mercy because I loved him. I tortured him. I ruined our friendship. I ruined my chances at being forgiven. I ruined everything… all because I’m so… weak. Feeling tears running down my face I start running into the forest. I don’t know why I’m running, but I need to be anywhere but here. After running for a couple of minutes I trip on something, falling onto my face. My tears have slowed down considerably but I’m now left feeling tired… oh so tired. My eyes close by themselves, bringing me to my only escape after so long. While my dreams usually are a place I escape to, this one makes me want to escape from it instead. All of my friends are circled around me, towering over me like the trees. They don’t say anything, don’t move, don’t do anything, but stare down at me, judging me, mocking me, hating me. All I can do is curl up and hope I wake up soon.

Chapter Text

Shouldn’t They Hate Me? (Day 2)

When I wake up I feel just as exhausted as when I went to sleep. Standing up I stretch before brushing off all the stuff sticking to me. Once I’m clean enough I start walking, looking for either something to eat or someone. After a few minutes, I start smelling something. Heading in that direction I find a basket with some containers inside and a note on top. Picking up the note I read what’s written.

[Catnap, I know you are here with us in the Afterlife. Everyone might not be ready to see you, maybe not even me, but I also don’t want you to die again. I tricked Picky into making all of the food and I ate a bite of each to make sure it wasn't poisoned. I know you don’t have any reason to trust what I’m saying, but I’m asking for you to trust me, just this once. Please take the basket with you.

Bobby]

I flip the note over and see more is written on the back.

[Once you are done with all the food just leave the basket by a tree. I’ll find it and refill it.]

With nothing else written on the note I put it inside the basket and look at what is inside. Some containers have labels on them, indicating what’s inside and if it’s hot, cold, or room temperature. Sitting down I grab the first container on top and open it.

The Flying Messenger (Day 3)

As I’m looking for where Bobby put the basket I hear someone walking towards me. I quickly climb up the nearest tree, waiting for whoever it is to pass by. Kickin walks up to the tree I’m in and stops, sitting down at the base of it.

“Bobby is on Dogday duty so I’m stuck with giving Catnap this stupid basket. I know Bobby said to leave it at a tree, but I want to see Catnap, even if he still scares me. Bobby says that Catnap is here with us but everyone else says she's lying… Bobby would never lie, so now I’m stuck doing this.”

Kickin stops talking for a while, sitting below the tree I’m in. He finally gets up, leaving the basket on the ground. As Kickin leaves he spreads his wings before quickly bringing them back in. Once he’s fully gone I slowly climb down from the tree. Seeing a note on top I expect it to be Bobby’s again but this one is actually from Kickin.

[Catnap, I’m not sure why I’m writing this. Bobby told me to deliver your basket to you but this letter is from me. Bobby would always talk about you, wishing you were here with us. I wanted to hate you for what you did but I know holding a grudge won’t do anything. When we see each other again, I want to give you one of my signature hugs, alright?

Kickin]

I put the note with Bobby’s inside but also find one of his feathers on top of everything. I pick it up and gently feed the calamus into the basket’s lid. I think that’s what Bubba called this part of a feather… I hope I can keep my promise and tell him everything someday.

Healing Is A Slow Process (Day 4)

After walking for a while I find the basket. Picking it up I look inside and find the food containers, like usual, but I also see a small notebook inside. Opening it up to the first page I find that Bobby wrote something to me.

[Today’s food might taste different because I made it, but I hope you still like it. I also gave you this notebook so we can talk through it. Write down all the questions you want to ask and I’ll answer them.]

Looking in the basket I find a pencil and a sharpener for it that fell to the bottom. I take the pencil and hold it above the page, thinking about what I want to write or ask. After a few minutes I start writing, making sure it’s readable.

[Why are you helping me? I killed all of you. I deserve to be forgotten for what I did.]

Dropping the pencil into the basket I also put the notebook inside before starting to eat.

(Catnap still thinks everyone hates him for what he did… I hope he sees that’s not the case soon enough.)

I have the same dream as every night, everyone looking down at me. But something is different this time…

Chapter Text

Everyone is looking down at me, but Bobby isn’t with them, towering over me. I look around and see her, still looking at me, but now she’s her normal height. I run up to her, trying to find any comfort in her. She pulls me into a hug, letting me hide from everyone else in her fur.

“Catnap, I want to see you again. Please come to me when I call out for you.”

I pull my head back and look up at her. She moves a paw to my head and starts petting me.

“I can’t find you if you are sleeping.”

After she says that my dream starts disappearing, bringing me back to the land of the living. Looking around I see the rays of the sun peeking through the leaves. I slowly climb down, making sure I don’t slip off the tree. Once I’m on the ground I start smelling the air, trying to find where the basket was put this time. Picking up the faint scent I start following it. As I get closer I start faintly smelling rose as well. When I can finally see the basket I also find Bobby holding it, looking around. After a couple of minutes, she sits down, putting the basket into her lap. I know Bobby is patient, and she’s understanding, so why do I still fear going near her? I push down all my fear and walk towards her. She looks up once I step on a branch, cracking it under my paw. Her face lights up at seeing me, a reaction I wasn’t expecting to see. She puts the basket on the ground and stands up, practically jumping at me to give me a hug. I try to back away but she already has her arms around me, picking me up off the ground.

“CATNAP! Oh I’ve missed you since the moment I got here. I’m so happy you get to join us here, away from those people who hurt us.”

Her hug is so tight that I can’t draw a single breath. I wiggle an arm out and start tapping her back, our sign to let me go. Bobby gives one final squeeze before setting me back on the ground. I take a cautious step back before looking at Bobby. She looks exactly as she did in my dream. The only thing different about her is that her pendant is on a bracelet instead of hanging from her neck.

“Catnap, are you alright? You’re staring at me like something is wrong.”

I shake my head quickly, not wanting to scare off the only friend that is talking with me.

“Good. Well, I brought more food if you want to eat.”

She picks up the basket and hands it to me, her smile never faltering. Taking the basket I open it and take the notebook out, opening it so I can talk with her. Before I start writing, I see her answer to my previous question.

[I’m helping you because you are my friend. The others don’t want to admit it, but you are still a Smiling Critter and their friend. You also didn’t kill us, someone who looked like you killed us. Again, the others don’t want to admit it. You also don’t deserve to be forgotten. You have a part to play in our little group, you are the one who helps us sleep when we can’t. You help to calm us when something bad is happening. You help us wind down from a fun day. You help us in so many ways that we couldn’t function the same without you.]

I want to think her words are lies, trying to lull me into a false safety, but I know she would never hurt someone unless it was the only option, physically or verbally. I feel the tears coming but I can’t stop them. Bobby pulls me into a more gentle hug while soothing me. While she does that I feel a small fire start to burn, one of hope. Maybe we can all go back to how it was before…

(Catnap has gone through enough pain for now… he deserves some time to rest before more comes.)

After Bobby’s insistent requests I finally say yes so she stops asking. Following her to her bed she lays down first and holds the blanket open for me. While I feel like I don’t deserve this kindness from her, I do miss sleeping with someone. Don’t get me wrong, I prefer my naps to be alone but when I’m sleeping for longer times, I want to be with someone. Climbing into the bed with her, Bobby covers me with the blanket and waits for me to be comfortable before turning off the light.

“Goodnight Catnap. I hope you stay with us forever.”

She closes her eyes and falls asleep quickly. I follow her example and close my eyes, taking a bit longer to fall asleep.

Chapter Text

Waking up I feel refreshed but that goes away quickly when I feel that I’m under a blanket. Thrashing around I throw the blanket off and quickly stand up. As I look around to try and figure out where I am Bobby comes in.

“Catnap? What happened?”

Seeing Bobby brings the memories of yesterday back, how she talked with me for a long time, how she brought me into her house, how she let me sleep with her. Calming down, I look for the notebook and find it on the bedside table. Grabbing it I open it, flipping to the first open page before writing.

[Sorry, I didn’t realize where I was and got scared.]

I turn the notebook around and let her read what I wrote.

“It’s alright Catnap, you don’t need to apologize for anything. If you are hungry I just finished breakfast for us.”

As she leaves my stomach lets out a loud growl, loud enough that Bobby starts laughing as she leaves. Following her to the kitchen I see two plates already made and set on a table.

(I don’t think Catnap is ready for living inside just yet. He’s still ready to run if anything makes too loud a sound while sleeping.)

Once we are done eating she takes our plates and cleans them. I stay seated at the table, waiting for Bobby to say or do something.

“Cantap, I wanted to ask you two things.”

She turns around once she’s done washing off the silverware, waiting to see my answer. I give her a small nod, pulling my tail onto my lap.

“My first one is: Do you still know ASL?”

I was expecting something heavier to be the question but even I forgot that everyone learned ASL for both the kids and me. I think about the basics of ASL and they slowly come back to me.

*Yes.*

“I’m glad you do, though we may have to work on it again.”

I nod my head and return my hand to my lap.

“My other question is more… personal, so if you don’t want to answer, I won’t force you to.”

*Ok, what is it?*

“The other question is: What happened that made you work with The Prototype and kill us?”

I know I don’t remember enough ASL yet to fully answer that so I grab the notebook and write down the answer to her question.

[I didn’t want to work for him, I was forced to. Do you remember Theo, the one kid who, supposedly, was adopted during the night? I’m Theo, or at least what’s left of him. The Prototype was my friend, the only one I had, and he said I could escape if I followed his plan. During that night he helped me almost escape, but I made a mistake that almost killed me. The green hand was charged and I touched it, stopping my heart. The door to escape was already open, but The Prototype got help and saved me. That is how Catnap came to be and how I became Catnap. After that you all became my friends and I saw how The Prototype was just using me. During the surgery to turn me into Catnap, they had to get the help of The Prototype, and that’s when he slipped something into me that let him control me.]

I feel tears falling and know that I can’t relive those memories anymore today. I double check everything I wrote before handing the notebook to Bobby.

Bobby Bearhug (CN POV)

Seven months. The Prototype has told me how long his plan has been working for, and today is seven months since his plan started. For all this time, I haven’t been able to use my body. The Prototype uses me like I’m a puppet, making it look like I have been killing all these people and toys. What matters is that everyone is still safe. They probably think I’m a monster, but if that keeps them safe then I’ll go with it, not like I have much of a choice already. While I am out patrolling I hear someone moving cans around. Heading to where the sound came from I recognise it as the food storage closet. I sit down and wait for whoever is inside to leave. After a while the sound dies down and they open the door. Bobby looks and sees me sitting in front of the door, blocking most of the way out except for hugging the walls.

“Catnap! What are you doing here?”

I wish I could answer her, but I just stare, waiting to see her next move. She does try to shimmy past but I put a paw in front of her, blocking her way out.

“Catnap, can I please get back to the others?”

I don’t answer, just slowly move my other paw behind her before grabbing her. Bobby tries to get out but the hold I have on her is too tight. The paw I was blocking her with before comes up and gets level with her chest. After a moment I stab my claw into her chest, stopping just before her heart. She looks up at me and looks terrified, but she’s also looking for something from me. I don’t care how she looks and keep pushing, now hitting her heart before piercing it. She looks down at my paw before back up at me. I want to save her, but I know that she’s already as good as dead. I feel something go down my face as Bobby goes limp.

I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I bring the two bags back to Home Sweet Home. I leave them on the porch with some of Bobby’s red fur laying on the bags before heading back to the prison cells.

I watch as she reads what I wrote, emotions showing on her face like a book. When she is finished she sets the notebook on the table before pulling me into a hug.

“Catnap, if I had known about any of that I would have done everything in my power to save you.”

She hugs me tighter, as if I might disappear if she lets go. I feel some of her tears fall onto my shoulder. I return her hug, comforting her to the best of my abilities. After a minute she releases the hug, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes.

“Come on, let's do something. I know you didn’t like going through those memories again and I want to get my mind off of that, what do you say?”

I give Bobby a nod as I stand up, letting her choose what we are going to do.

Chapter Text

Movie Night (Day 7)

Bobby suggested the perfect thing for us to do today. A movie marathon. After she got everything ready she had me sit on the couch as she started the first movie of the series. After the opening is done, large letters come onto the screen saying, “Friday The 13th.”

(I gotta say, Friday The 13th is a great movie to lead into the rest of the series. Even better when you watch it on a Friday The 13th and accidentally line up when the movie happens to when you watch it, June 13th.)

Boredom Brings Hilarity (Day 8)

Bobby left a few hours ago to hang out with everyone so they don’t come looking for her and find me. Having nothing to do I look around her house and search for anything to distract myself. Opening a draw in her living room I find the perfect thing, a ball of yarn.

(You already know what's going to happen :) )

Finding myself fully tangled up in the yarn I sigh as I’ve been on the ground for a while at this point. I hear the front food open then close. With that I give one last try at escaping but it only binds me up more. Bobby comes around the corner and takes one look at me before bursting into laughter. I start pouting, wanting to be free from my prison I got myself into. Bobby’s laughing slows down as she catches her breath.

“Catnap, do you need help?”

The grin on her face while she asks that makes me want to break free myself to prove I don’t need her help, but in trying to do so I just flip myself over. She starts laughing again, even harder than before. I hear her get closer and after a couple of seconds I’m freed from my yarn restraints. I quickly stand up and walk away from her, not wanting to be laughed at anymore.

“I’m sorry Catnap, but it was too funny. I promise I will make up for it, ok?”

Preparations For A Big Day (Day 9)

Me and Bobby have been watching something on the TV for a while now. Bobby sighs before sitting up, muting the TV as she looks at me.

“I know you may not want to, but you have to talk with someone else soon.”

*But who could I talk with?*

“Dogday is an obvious no. Crafty could be fine but I don’t want to make her relive those memories again. Picky still thinks you are the one who deserves to be turned into a stew if you arrive. Bubba is… Bubba, so I don’t really know what he’s thinking. Kickin doesn’t like to talk about you or hear someone talk about you. Hoppy might not want to, but I could convince her to at least listen.”

*So Hoppy or Bubba?*

“Yup. I think you should go with Hoppy but it’s your choice.”

I think over who would be better to talk with first but both of them don’t seem approachable. Bubba wouldn’t hurt me, but maybe he would this one time. Hoppy is likely to hurt me but she might listen to Bobby.

*I’ll decide tomorrow.*

A Dream, Or A Premonition (Day 10)

The same dream as before, everyone towering over me but now with another person missing. Turning I find Hoppy, looking away from me. I go to stand but something prevents me, forcing me to just look at Hoppy.

“I don’t know if I could trust you, but I’ll still listen.”

Chapter Text

Waking up from my dream I find the bed empty, just like every morning. Getting up I hear Bobby singing something from the kitchen but I don’t catch it before she stops. Sitting down at the table I wait for her to finish what she’s making.

Gently touching Bobby’s shoulder I wait for her to turn around so I can tell her my decision. She puts down her book and looks at me, waiting to see what I’m going to say.

*I want to talk with Hoppy.*

Bobby looks a bit surprised for a moment before becoming happy.

“I’m glad you chose Hoppy, but what made you pick her?”

I could tell her about the dream but… would she understand it? I decided against it for now, maybe I could tell her about my dreams at some point, but not today.

*I just have a feeling that she’s the right choice.*

“Ok, do you want to do it now or later?”

*Now.*

“Ok, let me go get her.”

Bobby gets up and leaves, heading for Hoppy’s house. I stay sitting on the couch, holding my tail to try and calm myself.

(Hoppy now has the hardest choice before her; think with her brain or her emotions and fists. Let’s hope Hoppy choses the less violent one.)

As I start to worry about what I will do when I see Hoppy the door opens. Bobby comes in first, leading Hoppy in far enough to see me. When Hoppy’s eyes land on me I freeze up, not wanting to make any move that might scare her.

“Bobby… why is he in your house?”

“Because he isn’t the one that killed us. He hasn't harmed me the whole time he’s been here, and he acts just like the Catnap we first saw. Unless that imposter suddenly became perfect at acting like Catnap, then the Catnap sitting right there is the one we met the first day he showed up at the Playcare.”

Hoppy looks sceptical at what Bobby is saying but she isn’t running at me or away from me.

“Hoppy, I’m not saying you have to forget what happened, I just want you to listen to what Catnap has to say. Can you do that for me?”

“... Fine.”

Hoppy sits down on the couch to my right with Bobby sitting next to me. I grab the notebook and start writing down what I want to say to her.

[I know this may sound like a lie, but I’m telling the absolute truth, I never wanted to hurt any of you. Before I became Catnap, I was badly hurt, almost dead. The Prototype is to blame for it, but he still helped save me. While I was being turned into Catnap, he put something inside me that let him control me at will. I tried to warn you all but he kept preventing it. The Prototype is who killed you, I was just the puppet that he used.]

Hoppy Hopscotch (CN POV)

How could anyone follow this plan?! All that his plan has done is kill so many but we’re still stuck. Didn’t he promise ‘Once they are out of our way, we can be free.’ Unless this is our freedom, he just wanted everyone dead. Leaving my thoughts I hear something make a loud sound. I turn my head and see Hoppy, and she looks over towards me. I start running at her. She drops the bags before jumping towards the fountain. Once she lands and catches her balance, Hoppy jumps to the lowest hanging star. I sit down, watching her as she jumps from star to star, getting closer and closer to the fake moon. She stops for a moment, lightly stretching before going for the jump. I root for her, hoping that she can escape. But as she gets closer I realize that she can’t make it. Her paw gets close, oh so close, but not enough for her to grab anything. She starts falling, getting faster and faster until she hits the ground. The sound of her bones shattering on impact with the ground is just as bad as her crying that comes right after. I stand up and walk in front of her, sitting down to watch her slowly die. She looks like death is about to take her but she says one final thing, almost quiet enough that I didn’t hear it.

“I’m sorry… Bobby. I… guess I… can’t reach the mo…on.”

Once her eyes close she stops crying. I do the same thing with Hoppy as with Bobby, take the food to them and leave some of her fur on it.

When Hoppy is done reading she hands the notebook back to me and looks at Bobby.

“Is he really telling the truth?”

“I don’t doubt he is, he would never lie to us.”

I nod with lots of enthusiasm, wanting to really show how much I would never want to lie to my friends. Hoppy doesn’t say anything, just looks around the room for a couple of painfully slow minutes.

“Alright, if you are telling the truth, then I’m willing to give you a second chance. If I find out that you are lying then you are going to wish you never saw us again. Do I make myself clear?”

I nod again, knowing what Hoppy could truly do if she wanted to. With that said and my response, Hoppy gets up and leaves, leaving me and Bobby to look at each other.

*Do you think that went well?*

“I think it did. All we can hope for is Hoppy understanding and realising that you really are the Catnap from before that happened.”

I look down at my lap. Bobby is right, all we can hope for now is Hoppy’s understanding.

Chapter Text

Making Plans For The Next Big Day (Day 12)

Hoppy joined me and Bobby for breakfast today but she kept glancing at me. I can tell she still doesn’t trust me… but she is willing to eat near me. She is scared of me, flinching if I move suddenly, but she doesn’t run. Hoppy is making an effort to be near me… even though she is still scared.

Hoppy left a while ago to hang out with the others, leaving me and Bobby to think of who to talk with next. Crafty could be a good option but I know that she isn’t that good with emotions, at least talking about them. Bubba is also a good option, he thinks before doing anything and is the most likely to understand what I’m saying. I also still have my promise to fulfill with him… I’ll do it soon enough. Kickin seems… conflicted on how he should feel about me… He needs more time before we should talk. Picky might be a no because she is very protective of Crafty, and Crafty must have told her what I did.

Uneasy Friendship (Day 13)

(♡)“Hoppy, I am trusting that you will keep Catnap company, right?”

“I will.”

“And you are sure you’re fine with hanging out with Catnap for this long? Just him and you?”

“... Not really. But I’ll do it for you.”

Bobby gives both of us a last look before she leaves. Hoppy looks at me and scoots a bit farther away from me. She really is doing this for Bobby, but I can tell that she does want to trust me again.

We’ve been doing our own things for a while at this point. Hoppy has been trying to do anything to just be moving, always checking where I am. I have been drawing most of the time, only stopping to use the restroom or get something to eat. Whenever Hoppy thinks I can’t see her she opens her mouth to say something but closes it right after. Clearly she wants to say something but is having a hard time opening up to say it. An idea comes to me, give her the opening to ask it if she wants.

[Hoppy, do you have something you want to say to me?]

I hold up the notebook and wait for her to see it. After a few moments she turns and reads what I wrote.

“... What happened that made you… kill us?”

[It sounds unbelievable but The Prototype, the one who I called a ‘god,’ had the power to control me. That is why I called him a god, because I was forced. It is the same reason as to why I killed you guys.]

“Are you really telling the truth?”

[Yes. I know you don’t trust me, but I don’t want to hurt my friends.]

“Your friends? Do you really think any of us actually call you a friend anymore?!”

As Hoppy raises her voice I back away, not wanting to anger her anymore. It takes a moment but she realizes what she did.

“Catnap, I.. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m still confused if I can trust you so… I’m sorry for yelling.”

[It’s ok, I understand not wanting to be friends with me.]

“No, I do want to be friends with you.. it’s just… I don’t know if I’m ready yet… Bobby will be back soon so.. I’ll leave now. See you.”

Hoppy gets up and leaves. I don’t move from where I am, I just wait for Bobby to come back.

Not Everything Is Revealed (Day 14)

Just like with Bobby and Hoppy, I have the same dream. Everyone towering over me but with one person down to their regular size. Spotting them I try to recognize who they are but they are still covered in a shadow. Before I can try to get closer to see who it is I wake up.

Chapter Text

Spelling something good I climb out of bed and go see what’s being made. As I sit down at the table I see that Hoppy is also here. I give her a wave as a yawn escapes my mouth.

Once I finish my plate Bobby takes it and starts cleaning them all off.

“Catnap, me and Hoppy have some stuff we need to do. Don’t break anything while we’re gone, ok?”

*I won’t.*

Once they leave I turn on the TV for background noise and open the notebook, continuing a drawing from yesterday.

Hearing someone knock on the door I assume that it’s Bobby and that she forgot something. I get up and open the door, expecting to see Bobby. Instead I see Picky, and she sees me. I turn and run, heading for Bobby’s room to hide from Picky until she leaves. Closing Bobby’s closet I hold my breath, pulling as much of myself as I can into the corner.

“Catnap, I know you are in here. I don’t want to hurt you, I just want to talk.”

How can I trust her? I killed her, she must be mad at what I did. There’s no way she doesnt want some kind of revenge on me. Picky slowly opens the closet I’m hiding in. When the door is open enough I dart past her and try to get away, but she grabs my tail.

“CATNAP, WAIT.”

Everything in me is telling me to run, but with her holding my tail I can’t go anywhere. Hoping to get away with less harm if I listen I stop trying to run, turning to look at Picky.

“You can see I really do have nothing. I’ll let go of your tail if you promise that we can talk, ok?”

I give her a small nod, planning to run away anyways when she lets go. Picky does as she said and lets go of my tail. While I did want to run away, the look on her face makes me stop.

“I want to ask why you did it.”

Why does everyone want to know why I did it? I head to the living room with Picky following me. Picking up the notebook I find an empty page and start writing.

[The Prototype is the reason. He had a way to control me and used that to kill all of you. I tried to fight back against his control but I was never strong enough to break free.]

Picky Piggy (CN POV)

Out of everyone’s deaths, only Bobby’s has been quick. Everyone else I have killed has had to suffer something while dying. As I head to the cafeteria I hear someone inside, opening cupboards and cabinets. Slowly entering, I don’t care that chairs are being moved, making plenty of noise to tell whoever is inside that I’m here. Reaching the door I open it as slowly as possible to make as much noise as possible. Picky lunges at me but I just side step and let her fall to the ground from her momentum. Putting a paw on her back I also open her mouth with my other paw. Using my tail I push the poisoned meat into her mouth before holding it shut. As she swallows I know that nothing can be done to help her at this point. She tries to get up but stops. She vomits before falling back to the ground. As she tries to get up again her breathing sounds more ragged. Picky falls again and focuses on only trying to breathe, but each breath is shorter than the last. She looks up at me before she passes out. I get up and start dragging her away, hearing her breaths get so short they are barely audible before they stop entirely.

She hands the notebook back to me when she’s done. As Picky goes to say something the door opens. Hearing Bobby come in I turn to look towards the door.

“I’m back Catnap and… Picky?”

“Hey… I was just talking with Catnap.”

“Uh huh… Catnap, did she do anything?”

*Nope, besides grab my tail, but that was more my fault than hers.*

“Well, why did you come over, Picky?”

“I was going to ask you to try some of my baking but… that won’t be happening anymore today.”

“Aww, I guess I’ll just have to wait for tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Anyways, I’ll see you later Catnap.”

I wave Picky off as she leaves. Bobby gives me a once over look before heading to the kitchen.

“I know I’m hungry so you must be, right Catnap?”

Chapter Text

Friendship Over Food (Day 16)

While hanging out with Bobby someone knocks on the door. Bobby gets up and opens the door, letting them in.

“Picky, what are you doing here?”

“Hey Bobby. I wanted to give Catnap these as a way to show I forgive him.”

I get up, walking up to Picky to see what she made. She holds out a container for me. I take it, opening it to see what’s inside. Inside are a few Macarons. Taking one out I carefully take a bite, wanting to trust Picky but still staying cautious. As I bite down I feel the outer shell break, letting the soft and chewy filling fill my mouth. The taste of vanilla is the only thing I can focus on, crying from how long it has been since I had something this good. Opening my eyes I swallow the Macaron, still having the lingering taste of vanilla in my mouth. Both Picky and Bobby are looking at me, waiting for an answer. I hold the container out for Bobby to take so I can sign.

*It’s perfect.*

(🍎)“Good to know.”

“Does that mean that you and Catnap are friends again?”

“Well Catnap, do you want to be friends again?”

I give her a nod while taking another macron out.

Game Night, Uno The Deal (Day 17)

Who knew a simple card game could get these kinds of reactions from friends.

(⚡)“Bobby, Catnap has 2 cards, we need to stop him.”

(🍎)“Hoppy, you have 3. You can’t make him the target when you are just as close to winning as him.”

“HEY, I haven’t won once this whole time.”

(♡)“Maybe you just need to get good~”

Hoppy gives her a glare as she plays a card. Picky plays a +2, followed by Bobby with another +2.

(♡)“Sorry Catnap, can’t let you win this time.”

*It’s alright, you just have to calm Hoppy down then.*

I play a +2, forcing Hoppy to draw 6 cards.

(⚡)“Catnap, you are testing our friendship right now.”

I just give her a smile. Hoppy plays a red 5. Picky plays a red 3. Bobby plays a blue 3. I could play my wild card but instead I take a chance and draw a card, wanting to drag the game on just a bit longer. I pull a yellow 3, playing it. While I should have to call out uno, it’s a bit hard when you can’t speak, so they let me not do it. Hoppy plays a plus +2, followed by Picky’s +2. Bobby looks at her cards, thinking over what she should do.

“I can’t believe you two would try something like that on Catnap. How rude of you~”

Bobby draws her 4 cards. I reach for the draw pile, faking that I can’t play anything. With my hand just above the pile I play the wild card. Picky takes the loss in stride. Bobby cheers for me getting another win. Hoppy looks like she’s ready to do something she would regret. She throws her cards onto the pile before jumping on me, pinning me to the ground.

“How could you give me hope before taking it away? I haven’t won once and you keep drawing all the good cards. The couple of times I get +2s they just get used on me or don’t even hit you. We are playing for fun and you are just cheating! Bobby and Picky are working with you because they always save you from +2s and +4s.”

Even though I can’t make a sound, I'm laughing harder than I have in a long while. It also helps when Hoppy’s angry speech keeps devolving into dumber and dumber reasons.

“And now you are laughing at me?! If Bobby and Picky weren't here I would fold you up, put you in a box, and ship you to anywhere but here!!”

I’m laughing even harder now, and her pinning me to the ground is making it harder to breathe. Pushing her off I try to get deeper breaths in between my laughing fit.

(♡)“Hoppy, if you want, we can play another round.”

(🍎)“Yeah, then we can switch where we are so you aren’t right next to Catnap.”

“Alright, but I’m winning this one this time!”

I Still Don’t Have A Real Title (Day 18)

“Catnap?”

I turn and look at her.

“Me, Hoppy, Picky, and Crafty haven’t done a girls night in a while, and we are planning to do one tomorrow. I want to ask now if you want to join us?”

*I wouldn’t mind joining. I get to hang out with you all and talk with Crafty.*

“Perfect, I’ll let you know before everyone comes over so you can prepare.”

Chapter Text

Bobby really doesn’t do anything without putting her all into it. She has been running around, moving this and that around, making sure that everything is how she wants it. Someone knocks on the door and Bobby makes a beeline for it.

“Hey Hoppy! You got here just in time.”

Bobby goes back to what she was doing before, now with Hoppy helping her. While Bobby is in another room I think about how I can help them.

(♡)“Catnap, don’t even think about trying to help us.”

Bobby must be able to read my mind because I didn’t stand up before she told me to not. Maybe she is a physic?

Someone knocks on the door. Bobby gets up and checks, seeing Crafty and Picky outside. She comes back and gets close to me, talking quietly so only I can hear what she says.

“Picky and Crafty are here. You made the plan so you know how it’s going to go.”

I give Bobby a nod and get up, heading to her room. I leave the door open just a crack before sitting on her bed. Opening the notebook I continue on the drawing I started the first day Bobby gave me this notebook.

“That was fun. Who wants to play Monopoly now?”

They all say yes.

“Ok, let me go get it.”

Hearing Bobby get closer I back up from the door but I’m not fast enough and get bumped by it.

“I’m so sorry Catnap, I didn’t know you behind the door.”

*It’s ok. I’m assuming it's time for me to show myself to Crafty?*

“Only if you want to.”

*I don’t have a reason to back down.*

“Ok, just follow me and everything will go well.”

Listening to Bobby I follow her once she grabs Monopoly from her desk. It’s a good plan, but I don’t know if it will truly work. If I said no, she could still return to them with the game and nothing would look out of the ordinary. Bobby goes back to the living room, clearing her throat so they look at her. Hoppy and Picky didn’t know this was going to happen but since they already knew I was here, it was a possibility that I showed up, only Crafty is surprised to see me. She gets up and walks up to me, looking over me. Her gaze lingers on my face before she pulls me into a hug.

“Welcome back, Catnap.”

My brain shuts down with this reaction being so different from what I expected to happen. Before I can return the hug Crafty steps back.

“I want to talk with you later, but for now, come join us.”

Crafty has always been on the smarter side, seeing things from multiple sides before making opinions… I guess that comes with being an artist. I do join them, sitting on the ground to play Monopoly with them… as a friend.

Once everyone is asleep I see Crafty get up and head to Bobby’s kitchen. Remembering that she wanted to talk, I follow her.

“Catnap, I want you to tell me how I died.”

*Really? Why?*

“It can’t prove if you killed me by choice or force, but I’ll know which one it is.”

I go back and grab my notebook. Flipping through the pages I find the one with Crafty’s death and my apology.

Crafty Corn (CN POV)

Why did The Prototype think anyone would follow him? Anyone who thought his plan was smart deserved to die. He just lied… got most of the toys on his side… then killed everyone. I hear someone crying in the Playcare and find Crafty. I quickly grab her paw and crush it in my grip. Dropping that one I grab her other paw and also crush it. Once that is done I line my claws up and stab her eyes out. While I thought she might try to get away, she just lays down, accepting her death. I step forward and place a claw on her chest, pushing ever so slowly towards her heart. Once I hit it she stops moving. With Crafty death… only one other Smiling Critter is left.

“Well then, you really are the Catnap I knew. Welcome home.”

She gives me another hug. This time I reciprocate it. When she lets go a small smile is on her face.

“Come on, I know how much you like your sleep.”

In my dream I see someone sitting on the ground with two other people blocking the way to them. The other two are closer to normal size with the one on the ground being a regular height. Straining my hearing, I learn that the person on the ground is crying.

Chapter Text

Scribbling The Stars (Day 20)

I never thought the stars would look so pretty. I always thought there would be some in the sky but this many?

“Catnap?”

*What?*

“You were staring at the stars and looked lost in thought. It’s ok if you want to keep doing that, but just make sure you don’t drip paint onto the ground.”

*Right.*

Getting back to painting I finish my stroke. Washing off the brush I dip it into the white and start making all the stars I see.

The (Im)Perfect Canvas (Day 21)

Why did I agree to this again? Crafty said she wanted to try something on me. I would have said no but Bobby convinced me to ‘at least give her a chance.’ Now I am being used as a living mannequin for dresses and makeup.

(♡)“Catnap, why do you look so mad?”

I give her a deadpan look while answering her question.

*I’m not, what are you talking about?*

“Catnap, I know you didn’t want to do this, but you look beautiful.”

A small blush covers my face as I look away from her. Crafty takes the current dress off and hands me a suit.

“This is the final thing I want you to try on.”

I take it and head to the other room, changing into it. Giving myself a quick look over I find that I really do like the suit. Walking out to Bobby and Crafty then give me one look before the compliments start pouring in.

(Catnap was dressed in the Purple Aurora jacket but I can still see him looking amazing in the Purple Aurora vest and Icy Aurora vest and jacket.)

Back To The Beginning (Day 22)

(♡)“Come on Catnap, it's not that long of a walk.”

Bobby keeps trying to get me to follow her somewhere but it's outside.

*Alright, I’ll go.*

“Finally. I know you won’t be mad once you see where we are going.”

With my agreement she jumps for joy before dragging me along. Once we are outside she starts walking towards the forest. Looking around I see a path that looks to be well used winding into the forest. It's been weeks but this path is how I found the others, before running from them. Once we reach the end I see the same thing I saw when I first arrived. The tree at the top of the small hill with nothing else around it. Looking closer at the tree I see that Hoppy, Crafty, and Picky are already sitting at the base of the tree. Walking up the small hill I see that it's a small picnic.

(⚡)Catnap, what took you so long?”

(✎)“Hey Catnap.”

(🍎)“Catnap, I made you more Vanilla Macarons.”

*Hey, Hoppy, Crafty, Picky.*

(♡)“Well, there's no reason to keep standing, sit down and start eating.”

Listening to Bobby I sit down next to Crafty and Hoppy. I take a macaron and bite into it, feeling its texture and flavor fill my mouth like before. As everyone starts talking I look up at the sky and watch the clouds pass.

Intruder Alert (Day 23)

Something makes a sound, waking me up. Looking to my right I see Bobby is still sleeping. Carefully getting out of bed I go down the hallways to see what made that sound. Reaching the end of the hallway I see someone looking through Bobby’s entertainment stand. They turn around and shine their flashlight into my face, blinding me from seeing who is in Bobby’s house…

Chapter Text

They don’t do anything for a moment before running at me. As they jump at me I crouch down. They fly over my head, hitting the wall behind me at full force. Turning to look at them I see that Kickin is still breathing but has stopped moving. Bobby comes out of her room after hearing the sound of Kickin’s head hitting the wall.

“Catnap, what happened.”

*I-I I heard a noise so I got up and I found Kickin looking through your entertainment stand. I wasn’t going to go near him but he suddenly turned around and shined his flashlight on me. Then he ran at me and jumped. I ducked down and he hit the wall. I promise that I didn’t do anything to him.*

While explaining what happened I kept getting faster and faster. As I reach the end I feel tears coming, fearing what Bobby might do if she doesn’t believe me.

“Catnap, you don’t have to worry. I trust what you said is the truth. Now wipe those tears away and help me put Kickin on the couch.”

I do as she says, wiping my tears away before helping Bobby to move Kickin. Once he’s laying on the couch Bobby goes into the kitchen making breakfast for us.

As Kickin starts stirring I poke Bobby, getting her attention. She puts her book down and looks at Kickin. He opens his eyes and slowly looks around before landing on me. He sits up quickly but falls back down, holding his head. After a few seconds Kickin opens his eyes again. I want to check on him but with his reaction right now I know getting close to him will just make it worse. Bobby gets up and checks on him, making sure that he isn’t injured enough to need Bubby immediately.

“Kickin, can you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yeah, but why is Catnap in your house?”

“Catnap is here because he’s not the monster that killed us. I would explain Catnap’s story but I think it would be better to hear it from him.”

Bobby carefully sits Kickin up, making sure he doesn’t become dizzy again. When he’s sitting on his own Bobby sits next to me again. Slowly grabbing the notebook I start writing, making sure that Kickin can always see what I’m doing.

[I’m not asking for forgiveness for what has happened. I want to be your friend again, even if I have to constantly work for it. I didn’t try to hurt you or anything, I just ducked down and you went over my head. I made sure that while you were knocked out that you were fine. I know you don’t trust me, but please, give me a second chance.]

Kickin Chicken (CN POV)

Two years. One year since I killed Hoppy. One year and eight months since I killed Bobby. Two years and three months since Dogday-

“I KNOW YOU KILLED BOBBY AND HOPPY, BUT WHAT DID YOU DO WITH DOGDAY?”

Kickin… I would never say you deserve to die but sometimes… you don’t think before you do something. I don’t give him an answer, just open my mouth wider. The red smoke flows out before Kickin can say anything else. He turns around and books it, running faster than I thought he could. I still give chase, following him close enough to grab him if I want to but still letting him run. He turns corner after corner, running in loops without realizing. After one corner I hear him hit the ground. I come around the corner and pin him to the ground with one paw. As he starts fighting back I use my other paw to grab onto his wings and start pulling. The sounds of his joints being pulled far past what they were ever meant to go is nothing compared to the sound of his bones breaking and skin ripping as his wings come off. His scream joins Hoppy’s to never be forgotten as he also starts crying. I move my paw up to his head and he screams out his final words.

“PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO DIE. I’LL DO ANYTHING, JUST PLEASE LET ME GO.”

It hurts to hear him so desperate but I don’t care what he says. As I start pushing on his head he gives up fighting to get away, accepting his fate. Once enough force is being put on his head, his skull cracks.

Once he is done reading he sets the notebook down. He tries to stand up but still has trouble with his balance, almost falling. Bobby quickly catches him, putting his arm around her neck.

“I want to think, alone.”

“Ok, but first, I’m taking you to Bubba. You need to be checked for if anything serious happened that I can’t see.”

Bobby waves to me as she leaves with Kickin. Once the door is closed I grab the notebook, continuing my promise to Bubba. Soon enough, I’ll talk with him, and then Dogday will be the last person I need to talk with.

Chapter Text

I’m not one to enjoy being in the sun for long periods of time, but today is perfect. Bobby brought me to the tree on the hill at my request so I could enjoy the partially cloudy day. The others showed up intermittently. Crafty wanted to test out her new camera so me and Bobby posed together. Picky came by at lunchtime with a basket. Hoppy came by to see where Bobby was and talked with her for a couple of minutes. Only I saw Kickin show up, but he stayed by the edge of the forest, watching me. After Kickin left, I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun. I didn’t fall asleep but got close enough to not feel time passes. As my spot lost the sun I opened an eye, seeing the dark clouds now covering the sky. As I sit up a raindrop hits my nose, making me jump slightly. Moving under the tree more I watch the rainstorm slowly move in.

“I’ll go get my umbrella, just wait here Catnap.”

It’s not like I particularly want to get wet so I do as she said and wait. She gives me a few pets before running down the hill towards the path. Once I can no longer see her I close my eyes, trying to enjoy the sound of the rain. The drops fall from leaf to leaf, the perfect sound to hear when trying to sleep, but all I can hear is the sound of blood dripping from walls. The memories of what I did come back, unwelcome and loud. The cries and screams of people being killed, employees, visitors, the children. Why was I so weak? Why couldn’t I have stopped it? Why? Why!? WH-

“Catnap, are you ready to head back?”

Opening my eyes I find Bobby standing in front of me. Feeling the fresh tears on my cheeks I try to wipe them away, hoping they blend in with the rain. Standing up I walk under Bobby’s umbrella, waiting for her to lead the way back.

“If you want, I can carry you so you don’t get any mud on your feet.”

*Ok.*

She crouches down a bit, letting me climb onto her back. Once I’m comfortably on her back I wrap my tail around myself and her, making sure I won’t fall off. Bobby starts walking back home. As she walks I bury those memories again, never wanting to relive what I did.

Chapter Text

I’ve had this feeling before, like something is about to happen, but I don’t know when or what. Pushing it to the back of my brain for now someone knocks on the door. Bobby gets up and opens it.

“Good morning Kickin and.. Bubba?”

As the feeling comes back full force I finally know what it was for. I think of how to get away from them without being seen but the only way to Bobby’s room is down the hallway, and to get there I have to pass by the door, long enough that even at a full sprint I would still be seen. Before I can think of any more escape plans Bobby sits next to me with Kickin and Bubba across from me. Bobby starts petting me, which helps to calm me, but it’s not enough with how Bubba is looking at me.

(💡)“This was Kickin’s idea. I’m only here because he asked me.”

I grab the notebook, writing down everything Bubba would ask for.

Bubba Bubbaphant (CN POV)

During the few hours of sleep I get when I am resting, my dreams are now nightmares. Being forced to relive killing my friends again and again. As I search through the counselors office I find signs that someone is in here. Moving quietly I head for the exit and wait for whoever it is that’s in here. I find out that it’s Bubba when I pounce on him, forcing him to the ground. Bubba looks up at me but he doesn’t look scared. He looks like he already knew that his death was coming.

“Catnap, I want to know why you did this when we can talk, ok?”

I will Bubba, if I can talk with you again, I want to tell you everything. I let the red smoke flow from my mouth, suffocating him slowly. He falls asleep due to its effects but each breath comes shorter and shorter, until he stops entirely.

[I promised I would tell you everything when I could, and this is me fulfilling the promise. I didn’t want to work for him, I was forced to. Do you remember Theo, the one kid who, supposedly, was adopted during the night? I’m Theo, or at least what’s left of him. The Prototype was my friend, the only one I had, and he said I could escape if I followed his plan. During that night he helped me almost escape, but I made a mistake that almost killed me. The green hand was charged and I touched it, stopping my heart. The door to escape was already open, but The Prototype got help and saved me. That is how Catnap came to be and how I became Catnap. After that you all became my friends and I saw how The Prototype was just using me. During the surgery to turn me into Catnap, they had to get the help of The Prototype, and that’s when he slipped something into me that let him control me. I wanted to tell you all before it happened, but he would always stop me. I tried everything to let you know that something was wrong, but I couldn’t tell you all in time. If you don’t believe what I have said, I understand.]

Handing Bubba the notebook he started reading, still showing no emotions. His blank face is scary because I truly can’t tell what he’s thinking.

“If you are really telling the truth, then I was correct.”

As he sets the notebook down a smile shows up on his face, making him look like the Bubba I know.

“You changed so much in such a short time it didn’t seem right. I wanted to help, but I thought it was better to wait for you to ask for it first. I forgive you, if that is what you are looking for. I also want to do a comprehensive exam on you, making sure that nothing is wrong, health wise. I know you won’t like the tests, but I’m only doing them for your own good. You can bring Bobby with you if it will help you.”

I’m glad to be friends with Bubba again, even if I am dreading the exam he wants to do.

*I’ll do the exam, and thank you for giving me another chance.*

“It’s no problem, it felt weird to not have you around, making sure we got the rest we needed. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to prepare some stuff for the tests. Bobby, make sure Catnap doesn’t eat anything after 6PM.”

Bobby gives Bubba a nod as he leaves.

(✩)“Catnap… I’m glad to have you back. It didn’t feel right without you napping somewhere nearby.”

Chapter Text

Bad Memories (Day 27)

Entering Bubba’s house with Bobby he leads us to a room with all kinds of equipment laid out. The memories of what those scientists did come back, making me get as close as I can to Bobby.

(💡)“I know you don’t like this room because it's bringing all the memories back, right?”

I give him a small nod, almost small enough to not see.

“I promise that everything I need to do I will tell you before I start. If you don’t want to do something you just have to tell me and I will stop.”

I give him a small nod as he takes a clipboard off the table.

“Ok, first I will start with questions.”

(It looks like Catnap will get his check-up that he should have gotten the first day he arrived. Wait, I haven’t done this in a while, must not want to write about all that boring medical stuff.)

“Ok, that is the last test. I’m sorry for having done all this but I want to make sure you will live a good life here. Bobby, you can take Catnap back now. I will look at everything and give my news tomorrow.”

Good News… Almost All Good (Day 28)

Bubba sits down across from Me and Bobby.

“Everything that I tested for came back clear. I only have three things to tell you. One, Catnap, you are on the chubbier side. There is nothing wrong with your weight, just make sure you don’t put on too much. Two, your vocal cords don’t have any damage to them, so you should be able to speak. Three, and worst of them all, something is at the base of your throat. I think it is the device that lets you release the red smoke. Before you panic, I don’t think it works. You haven’t released any red smoke up to this point, and I highly doubt you will be able to randomly. If it does somehow happen, then come to me immediately.”

*Ok, thank you for doing this for me.*

“Of course, I’m always happy and ready to help.”

Laziest Day (Day 29)

Bobby told me what we were going to do tomorrow. She also promised that today I get to choose what we get to do. My choice, to no one's surprise, was to cuddle with Bobby and sleep most of the day. Hoppy came over at some point, giving us food at Bobby’s request. She was trying to hold back a laugh but I could still hear it. After we are done eating I get closer to Bobby, falling asleep again.

Chapter Text

Once Kickin shows up and sits down Bobby gets up and starts talking.

“Thank you all for coming here. Today is the day we plan for Catnap to talk with Dogday. We all know how Dogday steers a conversation away from Catnap, won’t talk about Catnap, or will yell at us to leave if we bring him up. We need to come up with the perfect plan so that Catnap has the best odds of talking with Dogday without him yelling at Catnap to leave.”

(⚡) “Well, we know that Dogday loves our gifts. Catnap could give him one.”

(✩) “Yeah, you could give him something that he could use everyday.”

(✎) “You can also give him a drawing, I know he loves mine when I make them.”

(💡) “If you put an apology in it somewhere then you can also ask for forgiveness while showing your emotions on another medium.”

(🍎) “I know that food would also help so you can bake him something.”

They keep talking for a couple of minutes throwing more ideas around. When the conversation starts stalling I get up and start writing on the white board the ideas have been put on by Bobby.

[All of your ideas are good but they would work if they were coming from you. So, my idea is to take your ideas and change them to work for me. Picky, I want to bake peanut butter cookies for Dogday tomorrow. Kickin and Hoppy, I will give him a gift of lavender tea. Crafty and Bubba, I will make something with undeniable proof that I’m not the monster he thinks I am.]

When I’m done writing I sit back down and let them read what I wrote. They all agree that it could work.

(♡)“Ok, now that we have a plan for tomorrow we can all go back to our houses.”

Going back to Bobby’s home I make some lavender tea and change a few things until I find the right recipe that I think, no, I know Dogday will love. With the recipe just right I make some tea bags for easier use. With that done I put it in a bag as I grab my notebook. Writing down some answers to Dogday’s questions he might ask I get those done before flipping to another blank page. I draw all of us together, happy. I put my message at the bottom, making sure that it is as sincere as possible. Closing my notebook I head to Bobby’s bed and fall asleep quickly, wanting as much sleep before tomorrow comes.

Chapter Text

Once the cookies are done Picky takes them out and puts them in a container. Picking up the container, tea bag, and notebook as I leave. I give Picky a nod of thanks with my hands being full. Bobby leads me to Dogday’s home, knocking on his door. As I hear him moving around in there I hide a bit more behind Bobby, peeking my head out to still see the door. When he opens the door I see the walker he’s using.

“Hey Bobby.”

He looked so happy until he saw me, his smile disappearing instantly.

“Hey Dogday, can we come in?”

He doesn’t answer her, just steps to the side to let us in. When we sit down he sits across from us, not taking his eyes off of me.

“So, I wante-”

“Catnap, why are you here?”

The venom from his voice is something I have never heard. Putting my gifts down on his table I pull out my notebook and flip to the answer I already wrote.

[I am here because I want to talk. I know I did many bad things, and nothing I can do will atone for everything I did, but I want to be friends again, even if it takes a year.]

“And why do you think giving me these… gifts will make me magically forgive you? You hung me on a wall for years, tore off my legs when I fought back, and did nothing to stop those mini monsters from eating my insides.”

[I didn’t let them eat you on purpose, I was chasing after Poppy’s angel and they ignored my order to never touch you.]

“Really? That is all you have to say? I can’t believe everyone forgives you if that's all you can say to me.”

Dogday stands up and gets close, real close, to me. As we are inches apart he grabs my pendant, not letting me lean back even if I wanted to.

“You know what I’m seeing? I’m seeing the monster that killed me, sitting on my couch, asking for forgiveness for something that is unforgivable. You lied to everyone, didn’t you? Made a oh, so, sad story about what ‘happened,’ but I’m not going to fall for it like they all did. You kidnapped me when the Hour of Joy happened and trapped me in a cell for years. After one escape attempt you ripped off my legs, then you put me back in that same cell. You force fed me for even more years, not letting me die, all because of your ‘God’ and his ‘plan.’ How well did it work out for you? You are here with us so clearly it failed.”

He pulls me closer, leaning down, getting close enough to feel each breath on my ear.

“Did you really think it would be so easy to trick me again? I thought we were friends, I thought you were friends with the others, but clearly that was all just a part of the plan, right?”

He puts a hand on my chest and pulls on my pendant, snapping the string it was resting on.

“You don’t deserve to have this, to call yourself a Smiling Critter, and you definitely don’t deserve to act all innocent after everything you did.”

It’s taking all my strength to hold back the tears that are threatening to spill over.

“What’s wrong, has it finally dawned on you that everyone is just friends with you again because they fear death if they aren’t? Maybe if you weren’t a lying, backstabbing, MANIPULATING, WORTHLESS MONSTER WE ALL COULD BE HAPPY, BUT YOU JUST HAD TO FOLLOW A STUPID GOD WITH A STUPID PLAN LIKE IT WAS YOUR ONLY CHOICE. I don’t know what I ever saw in you to call you a friend, but clearly it was just another red flag. Hopefully when you die again we can all have our happily ever after, without, you.”

Every word hurts. Each one hits something I did. And with them coming from Dogday, it's one hundred times worse. Getting up I run past him, out of his house, and towards the forest. Looking around I see everyone come out from around my house.

“What!? Did you think I would forgive him if he asked nicely and gave me some gifts? Clearly you did because you all helped him plan this.”

Going back inside I slam the door before sliding down it, crying. Why am I crying? That monster killed all of us, and I gave him exactly what he deserved, so why am I crying? After a few minutes my tears stop coming, letting me finally see again. Getting up I look at his crescent moon pendant and the stuff he brought. Setting the pendant down I open the notebook, looking through everything he wrote and drew. All of it is to the others, with the drawings being simple doodles. One drawing catches my attention, having more effort put into it. It’s a drawing of all of us, holding hands. Everyone has a smile but the message at the bottom catches my attention the most.

[I’m sorry I couldn’t stop that from happening, I hope we can start over here.]

Flipping to the very back I find the simplest drawing. It’s just me and Catnap holding hands, smiling. It’s surrounded by “I’m sorry” hundreds of times. Closing the notebook I try to rationalise why I hate Catnap but trying to put that monster onto the Catnap I just yelled at… it doesn’t work. Putting the tea into a cupboard I open the container and find my favorite cookies inside. I eat them, feeling more tears coming as I reminisce about how good of friends we were before everything happened. Once they are all finished off I head to my bedroom, putting Catnap’s notebook and his pendant into a box, sliding it under my bed. Laying down I hope that I won’t have a nightmare.

Chapter Text

Hey everyone, it's been awhile since I talked with you like this. Anyways, this "chapter" is to tell you all that NBOMV2 will be on a small hiatus while I go back through the story and fix anything that I missed or didn't add. This will be changed to say all the changes I made once I get back to writing the story.

I thank every one of you for your comments, kudos, and love, for this story I'm making. I'm striving to make this as good as I can and your support helps more than you can imagine. Anyways, once you are reading this then I'm already working on fixing what I missed. Please wait, I promise that it will be worth it.

Chapter Text

I am oh so happy to say that the rewrite of NBOMV2 is finally done. It took me a long time because I did the deaths and the story, along with the lore, and you can see how it started piling up quickly. Well no more! Below is what changed (even though its not descriptive at all). If you are reading this after July 3rd, 2025, then you can skip this. All comments before this time may become inaccurate as they no longer line up with the original story. Don't worry, the original isn't gone forever, I still have it. Anyways, thank you for sticking around this long while I did this.

Changes To Writing

Day 1: Changed text leading up to conversation. Bubba, Kickin, Bobby, and Hoppy conversation changed. Changed Catnap reflection and dream.
Day 2-4: Day 2: Full writing change. Day 3: Full writing change. Day 4: Full writing change.
Day 5: Full writing change.
Day 6: Full writing change.
Day 7-10: Day 7: Movie changed. Day 8: Slight changes to wording. Day 9: Full writing change. Day 10: Full writing change but it’s only two lines long.
Day 11: Full writing change.
Day 12-14: Day 12: Full writing change. Day 13: Full writing change. Day 14: Full writing change. (Ok, I think I’m seeing a pattern at this point 6/27/25)
Day 15: Full writing change.
Day 16-18: Day 16: Full writing change. Day 17: Uno is a very serious game. Day 18: Full writing change.
Day 19: Writing of the full change (I really don’t know what to put here. Every chapter at this point is its own new story. 6/30/25).
Day 20-23: Day 20: Full writing change but it’s 5 lines long. Day 21: Full writing change (Side note; I would love to have that suit and tie). Day 22: It’s a miracle, nothing was changed. Day 23: I am glad to have changed the title for this day. Also slight change to wording but it's just one paragraph long.
Day 24: Full writing change.
Day 25: Full writing change.
Day 26: Full writing change.
Day 27-29: Day 27: Start the party, this day is unchanged. Day 28: Changed the wording, main point still the same. Day 29: One whole paragraph long and it still got changed.
Day 30: No change, what has this world come to?
Day 31: Nothing much changes :)

Changes To Lore

The Afterlife and the Real World having connected times is now removed. It was a cool idea but it hindered when everyone’s deaths could happen. The times of their deaths also changed but it won’t play much of a role. Really, nothing much changed, I just rewrote the story so it flowed better and had less plot holes (I hope).

Chapter Text

I can’t stop running. If I stop, they can catch up. If they catch me, then I’m dead. I don’t want to die, so I have to keep running. That has been running through my head the entire time I have been running. All my muscles hurt, but even a small break gives them time to catch me, so I push through the pain and keep running. Only once the sun has fully set do I slow down. Leaning against a tree each breath takes effort to take, but it slowly gets easier. When I can breathe without focusing on it I climb the tree I was leaning on, getting high enough that none of them should try climbing it to reach me. Finally resting again the tears come back, flowing silently. I close my eyes, hoping to escape the memories of today, even just for a couple hours.

(I don’t think just one paragraph is enough for my returning chapter, so you all are in luck. Not only will you get to see what Catnap went through, but also what Dogday went through. To clarify, Catnap has been running nonstop from the moment Dogday yelled at him to when he finally went to sleep. Now, we go back to when Dogday just woke up.)

Waking up from my first nightmare less night I feel well rested but… also like I’m missing something. Getting up I make myself some breakfast before starting my in house physical therapy. Once that is done I move to my couch, sitting down and… thinking. If Catnap is the same monster as before, why can’t I see it? He was scared when I was screaming at him. He went out of his way to make gifts for me. He stayed near Bobby because he was nervous about talking with me. I tried to put that monster on him, and all that has done is put a rift between us.

“I’m so stupid. Why didn’t I see the signs that he wasn’t the monster? Why did I choose my anger over reason?! Why did I push my crush away!? Why, why… why…”

Chapter Text

How am I going to survive out here? I don’t know what is safe to eat and what isn’t. I don’t know how to find clean water. I only survived those first few days because of Bobby’s help, but now she must hate me and won’t want anything to do with me. All the work I put in to be friends with the others again, gone. Why did I think I deserve a second chance? I killed them, how could they forgive me? I tortured Dogday for ten years! How could he forgive me for that? My thoughts keep getting darker and darker before they all leave when I start falling. Looking down I see ground coming up, fast. Closing my eyes I accept one truth, if I die, they won’t miss me.

But I don’t hit the ground? Feeling the wind go from hitting my front to my side I slowly open my eyes. I expect to see the ground, or maybe the sky if I landed on my back, but instead I see red and white scales. Slowly the adrenaline wears off, letting me feel someone holding me in their arms. After a few moments they land on the ground, setting me down. I step back from them and get a look at who just saved me. They are a red dragon with yellow horns and a money pendant.

“Sup. You would have been dead if I wasn’t flying through at the right time. Name’s Simon Smoke, I’m the leader of the Nightmare Critters. Maybe if you open your eyes you could avoid falling to your death next time.”

When he’s done talking he just flies off again, leaving me alone. I turn around and walk back into the forest. While it was nice of him to save me, even when I don’t think I’m worth saving, he didn’t have to throw in that last part. He’s definitely a jerk, that much must be true.

Chapter Text

Feeling both thirsty and hungry I wander around, hoping to find anything. Smelling the air I get the faint scent of the basket. Following it I keep reminding myself to make sure no one is watching it, waiting to attack me. After checking everywhere around the basket and finding no one, I approach it, checking if anything looks wrong with the basket. Kickin’s feather is still woven into it, but now even more cover the top and other things have been added. Next to his feathers is a heart, which must have been drawn by Bobby. Turning it around I find that one side is covered in a painting with everyone, including me, clearly done by Crafty. Opening it I find a new notebook inside with the first page filled with everyone having written something in it. Bobby says she already misses me. Kickin’s says a similar thing. Hoppy’s says that she didn’t have enough time to beat me in a game. Crafty’s says that she wants to paint more with me. Picky’s tells me to stay safe out here while eating well. Bubba’s is longer than the others.

[If I had known Dogday would do that then I would have stopped him, but it can’t be taken back now. I put a tracker into the basket. I am the only one who can see it and I won’t use it to find you. It is purely to help with getting the basket back when you are done with it for the day. Inside is also a watch that can help with finding the basket. I will only tell them where the basket is after it hasn't moved for fifteen minutes.]

Finding the watch he was talking about I put it on my wrist, checking it out. It’s a deep purple like my fur, blending in nicely. It also doesn’t pinch me or pull any fur. Bubba must have put a lot of effort into making this just for me. Getting back to looking I find a hacky sack, must be from Hoppy. The last thing I find must be from Picky because it’s a picnic blanket. Laying the blanket out I start taking out what’s inside the basket. Before I bite into anything I hesitate. After everything they gave me it’s a dumb thought, but I’m still worried that the food is poisoned.

Chapter Text

The watch that Bubba gave me really is helpful. It has many features on it, with the greatest one right now being the tracker in the basket. I take the basket with me, climbing up a tree before opening it.

(Listen, I ain’t about to write about Catnap eating. Let my boy eat in peace.)

Putting all the containers back in I see something at the bottom. Pulling it out I find that it’s an envelope. Carefully cutting it open with my claw I pull the letter out, looking for anything that can tell me who wrote this. Unfolding it I get my answer quickly, in big writing.

[Dogday]

Everything that he said still hurts me to remember, so it takes all my strength to not rip the letter up right here, right now. Once I’m not thinking of ripping it up I read what else he wrote.

[If you want to rip this up, I understand. I did mean what I said, but I didn’t mean it towards you. When I was yelling at you, I only saw that thing that hurt me. Only once you ran away crying did I see who I truly yelled at. I was mad at the thing that killed my friends, and I put that on you. I’m not asking you to forgive me for what I did or said. I’m only asking for the chance to right my wrongs. I don’t have a reason for you to trust me, but I’m asking you to give me one more chance.]

I don’t have a reason to trust him, not after everything he said to me, but… I also can’t not give him his second chance. When I see you again Dogday, I will forgive you, for everything you have said, have done, have thought.

Chapter Text

Heading for the basket like usual I hear someone calling out for me. Getting closer I find Kickin holding the basket, looking around for me.

“Catnap, I know you can hear me. I just want to talk.”

I know what follows someone saying they want to talk. I know exactly what will happen if I “talk” with him. But… why do I feel like I can trust him? If I truly need to run then I can be faster than him. So…

“Catnap, please, I don’t have anything, I just want to talk.”

Slowly getting closer I stay behind him, making sure that he isn’t hiding anything from my view. Once I see that he has nothing I step on a branch, snapping it to get his attention. Kickin turns, looking around for a moment before his eyes land on me. He tries to get closer to me but I back up, keeping a good distance between us. Kickin understands what I’m saying without needing to say anything.

“Catnap, I’m glad you are alright out here. I just wanted to talk, that is all. I knew you were going to look for the basket so.. I used this as an opportunity to see you.”

He really doesn’t have any malicious intentions with me, which should be the exact opposite after what Dogday said.

“All of us heard what Dogday said to you and.. it wasn’t right for him to say it. After you ran he told all of us to head home before he went back in himself. Everyone else left but I lingered for just a moment and… I heard him crying. I don’t think he meant what he said to you. Well, he did but… Look, what he said was towards The Prototype because he was controlling you, and he was still under the impression that you are the one who killed all of us and him. After that day we have seen him moving around his house but he hasn’t left once, and he won’t answer the door to us.”

Does Dogday not really hate me? Did he really think I did all that by choice? Would he even want to see me after everything he said to me?

“Well, I did what I wanted. I can leave now if you want me to.”

I shake my head, walking up to him. He holds out the basket for me, letting me reach in and grab the notebook.

[Please stay with me for a bit.]

“Ok, do you mind if I have some of what Picky made for you?”

[No.]

“As in you don’t mind me having some or you don’t want to have some.”

[What do you think?]

“Oh, ok. I hope it all tastes good.”

I give him a deadpan look, leaving him more confused.

[You can eat with me, I’m fine with it. Do I need to spell everything out for you?]

“OH, umm, you don’t need to spell everything out.”

I give him a small smirk as I take the basket from him, sitting against a tree. He sits next to me with his hands on his lap. I put the basket between both of us, taking out a container as I read what Bobby has wrote back to me.

Chapter Text

Pen Pals (Day 37)

Climbing up the tree I find a good spot before pulling the basket up to myself. Pulling the notebook out I start reading what Bobby has said.

[Good morning! All of us are doing good, just missing you. Dogday is going outside again but he still won’t talk with us. Kickin is asking if he can see you again. Hoppy is still waiting for your rematch. Everyone else just wishes you were with us. Do enjoy what Picky made for you.]

Finishing off one container I grab another, turning the page to my questions from yesterday.

[When you come back my house is open all the time.]

[Everyone has said that Dogday is looking better but he still won’t talk with us. We think it’s because he’s waiting for you but that’s only a guess.]

[None of us hate you. What Dogday said was wrong but we can’t take it back for him. When you talk with him, don’t let everything he says go to your heart.]

Bird Watching (Day 38)

“Are you ready to see me soar through the sky?”

I give Kickin a nod, showing as much enthusiasm as I can without speaking.

“Alright, hope you can keep up with my speed.”

With that he stretches his wings, bringing them in on himself before flinging them back. With that done he jumps off the edge, spreading his wings to catch the wind. When they do catch he starts flapping, gaining speed before flying straight up. He flies around, doing a few tricks to show off. After a couple more minutes of him flying around he comes in for a landing, slowing down while he touches the ground. As he comes closer to a full stop he trips on something and hits the ground, face first. I get up, running to him to check how hurt he is. I carefully roll him over, making sure to not trap his wings under him. Once he’s face up he looks at me, giving me a smirk.

“How was that?”

I lightly punch his arm before getting up to get my notebook.

[That was amazing, except for the landing. Are you hurt anywhere?]

“I’m fine, just a bit dazed from hitting my head.”

[You better not be lying to me.]

“I would never.”

Holding my hand out he grabs it, letting me pull him to his feet. Once he can stand on his own again I step back, remembering something he said to me.

[I remember you telling me that you would give me one of your signature hugs when you get the chance. Were you just saying that or are you going to give me one?]

“Oh yeah, I did say that. Well, if you want, can I give you one right now?”

I give him a nod. He walks up to me, pulling me into a hug. Once his arms are around me, Kickin brings his wings around me as a second hug. It’s very comforting to be this close to someone, even more to feel them protecting me from all sides. The hug breaks sooner than I would like but I don’t say anything.

“So, how was it getting one of my signature hugs after all this time?”

[Amazing, just like your skill at flying.]

He laughs at what I said. I follow with my silent laugh.

The Modern World At Your Fingertips (Day 39)

Messing with the watch that Bubba gave me I find an app on it that is very helpful. It shows where I am and has two markers on it, one in the center between their seven houses and another that is currently on me. Tapping on the one by their houses it starts guiding me towards them, choosing the path with less obstacles. I follow it for a while, getting close enough to see their houses again but stopping just before the trees end. I go back into the forest, still close enough to see the houses but not enough that they can see me.

I Wish You Were Here With Me (Day 40)

After being stuck in that hell for so long, getting to see and feel the Sun’s warmth was amazing, but seeing the Moon and Stars is even better. With tonight being a clear night I can see everything, every little star, sparkling in the black sky. The Moon moves across the sky, casting its soft glow onto everything below. Stars stick together forming small groups that might have meaning behind them, but right now, I’m more enamored by the brightest star in the sky. I hear sounds all around me, from the chirping of some animal to the leaves quietly rustling in the wind. The picnic blanket is softer than I thought it would be, especially with it wrapped around me, keeping the warmth in on this cold night. The stars are wonderful to look at but… I wish I could be doing it with someone. Someday soon.. I’ll ask him to watch the stars with me.

Chapter Text

I definitely shouldn’t go stargazing every night. Waking up I feel drained from how little sleep I got, but eating something should help that. Unwrapping myself from the blanket I stretch, preparing to climb down the tree and look for the basket. I stop when I see Kickin at the other end of the branch I’m on, seeming to have dozed off in the time it took for me to wake up. Carefully moving my tail around him I poke him gently, staying ready to catch him if he falls. Kickin’s eyes slowly open as he looks around and stretches. When he sees me he jumps back slightly, almost falling off the branch but I catch him. Once he’s holding on to the branch again I slowly unwrap my tail from him.

*Sorry.*

“What are you apologizing for?”

*Scaring you into almost falling.*

“I could have used my wings to save myself. Anyways, can I talk with you like last time?”

*Yes.*

“Awsome. Here’s the basket by the way.”

*Thank you.*

I take the basket from his hands and put it in my tail before climbing down the tree. Once I’m on the ground I spread out the blanket for both of us as I open the basket. Kickin knows how this goes since he’s shown up consistently everyday so he grabs a container and waits for me to be finished reading what Bobby has written back.

(Listen, I don’t want to write about them eating, and I bet you don’t want to read about them eating.)

With the last container finished off I put it back in the basket.

“Catnap, can I ask you a question?”

*Yes?*

“Can you come back? All of us miss you and are worried about how you are doing. Well, not that worried with me telling them about our talks, but they want to see that you are ok.”

I do, I really do want to go back to them and talk with them, but.. what Dogday has said still hurts, even after he apologized for it.

“Hey, if you are worried that Dogday might try to hurt you, just know that all of us are on your side.”

*I’ll think about it.*

“Aww, but everyone really wants to see you.”

*I know. Just give me a few days.*

“Alright.”

Kickin looks bummed that I declined his offer to return right now but he knows that I will think about it. Even he should know that I’m going to say yes, I’m just stalling.

Chapter Text

This Cat Naps a Lot (Day 42)

Napping on a high branch is the best way to spend a day. In between naps I’ve seen the others going about their days. First it was Hoppy heading over to Bobby’s house. Picky went around and gave everyone food. Bubba sat under the tree reading a book. Kickin and Hoppy played some games. Even Dogday went outside but... he didn’t stay outside long. Now I see what Bobby was talking about. It would take more effort to keep him inside than outside usually, but something is clearly bothering him. I guess I can talk about that with him when I go back.

Thick Skull (Day 43)

I find it funny how much Kickin shows off. I understand why he does it, only he can fly, but he puts a ton of effort into showing off. Sometimes, I wonder if he puts up his cool guy persona to hide something? Just like five days ago, today he is showing off his flying skills. He’s playing it very risky by flying so close to the trees, dodging seconds before he hits them. But, even though he is very good at flying, he still gets distracted easily. Watching him crash into a tree I rush over, trying to catch him before he hits the ground. I don’t get to him fast enough and he makes impact with the ground. Carefully looking him over I check if anything broke when he hit the tree or fell. Nothing looks or feels broken, which calms me down enough to remember that feature Bubba put on the watch. Looking through the menus I find it, a way to call Bubba about an emergency. Pressing it I watch it until it changes to say that Bubba is on his way. After a few minutes I can hear Bubba running towards us. Looking up when he reaches me and Kickin I see that he has a medical bag on his back.

“Catnap, what happened?”

*Kickin was showing off his flying skills again. He was flying too close to the trees but dodged them last second every time. Then he got distracted and hit one head first. I tried to catch him before he hit the ground but I wasn’t fast enough. I checked him over and nothing looked or felt broken.*

“Hey, what are we talking about?”

Kickin looks at me and Bubba.

“Catnap just told me that you flew into a tree and hit the ground. I’m here to check on you and make sure you are fine.”

“Dude, I feel just fine. Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be back up on my feet.”

“Uh huh.”

Bubba ignores Kickin’s protests and starts checking him. Once Bubba is done he starts putting his tools away in his bag.

“From what I can see, you have a minor concussion. I am putting you on bed rest for the rest of today. Depending on how you look tomorrow, I might extend it by one day.”

“Aww, but I haven’t shown off my best trick to Catnap yet.”

“You can do it later when you are back at full health.”

Bubba ignores Kickin’s protests again and picks him up, carrying him away.

A Mistake Finally Corrected (Day 44)

Expecting to find Kickin at the basket I am surprised when instead I see Bubba. Approaching him he gives me a wave before going back to the book he is reading.

(Listen, I didn’t know how to start this chapter.)

Finishing off all the food in the basket I look over at Bubba, peeking at what he’s reading. Contrary to what I expected, it's quite a simple book. As if he felt me looking at the book he puts it down and turn to face me.

“Kickin wanted to ask you something, but because I put him on bedrest he asked me to do it instead. As per what he said, ‘Can you ask Catnap if he has made up his mind yet?’”

I laugh at Bubba’s Kickin impersonation but give it a bit more thought. Coming to a conclusion I give him a nod.

*I will come back.*

A small smile grows on Bubba’s face.

“Well then, Kickin thought you would say yes so he also gave me this to give you.”

Bubba holds out a key, which must be for Kickin’s house. I take it and put it in the basket.

“I also wanted to ask, how has the watch been?”

*Very helpful.*

“Good. If you have any feedback, please do share it as yours is a prototype.”

*I will.*

(Writers block be damned, I WILL get this done.)

Finally coming back to the group of houses I quickly make my way to Kickin's, using the key he gave me to get inside. Once I've closed the door and locked it do I let the breath I was holding out. For first impressions, his house is very clean and tidy. For how Kickin acts I expected his house to be more messy, but this might be the second most tidy house, only second because Bubba takes first.

“Whoever has entered my abode must announce their name or face my wrath!”

Kickin, we all love you for your jokes and tricks, but you really don't have to do them all the time. Walking down the hallway I find his room and push the door open, waiting for him to see me. His mock anger is quickly replaced with a large grin when he sees me.

“CATNAP! So you did take my offer. Well, welcome to my home, I would give you a tour but Bubba put me on bedrest for the rest of today.”

That is to be expected when you fly head first into a tree and hit the ground afterwards. I give him a nod but hesitate to ask my question, bringing my tail into my hands to play with it.

“Let me guess? You are nervous to ask where you can sleep for the night?”

A small nod.

“Well, you can sleep in my bed. I know how you are with sleeping alone.”

With that decided he moves over to make room for me. I slowly crawl into bed with him, trying to take up as little room as I can.

Back Into The Flow (Day 45)

Nothing compares to sleeping in a nice bed. Maybe with someone I love… Opening my eyes I find that I am alone in Kickin's bed. Sitting up I hear Kickin talking with someone, but I can't hear who he's talking with. Petting up I make my way down the hallway and into his living room and find Bobby. Before I could even try to dodge it Bobby pulls me into one of her bone crushing hugs.

“I’VE MISSED YOU SOOOOO MUCH!”

Feeling that my bones may actually be crushed from her hug I tap out. She gives one last squeeze before setting me down. I wobble around before I brace against the wall.

“I'm sorry for what Dogday said, it was uncalled for and down right hurtful. I waited to make sure you were alright before I went over and gave him a piece of my mind about what he said. Then I would drag him to you so he can apologize for what he said. Only the might I think of forgiving him for what he said. And if that doesn't work then-”

I cover her mouth, bringing her plan / rant to an end.

*No, I don't want you doing any of that. He needs to apologize, but it can't be forced out of him.*

“Fine, but he's still getting a piece of my mind afterwards.”

So it seems that they don't know about his letter. I'll keep that to myself, after all, I know exactly what I need to do tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Only a few things can make me wake up early, and this just so happens to be one of them. Carefully getting out of Kickin’s bed I grab my notebook and write down a quick note before ripping the page out and leaving it on his nightstand.

[Sorry that I left you alone this morning. I need some time alone so I will be gone for a while.]

Leaving his house I see the faintest traces of the sun’s rays hitting the clouds. Making my way over to Dogday’s house I try his door and find it unlocked. Letting myself in I close the door and lock it, not wanting anyone to interrupt our talk. Hearing nothing, I start to worry about Dogday and how he's doing. Walking into his living room I notice the pictures and paintings covering the walls. Most of them are of the whole group or Dogday posing with someone else. On the fireplace is a few more photos but one in the center is empty. Picking up the frame I expect that the photo is just turned around but it’s truly empty. Putting it back I go to continue exploring his house but a sound coming from a room stops me in my place. Slowly moving towards the room where the sound came from I hear more. Putting my ear to the door I listen for any more sounds. A barely audible whine is all I can hear, and that's enough for me to keep pushing forward. Opening the door slowly I peek in, seeing Dogday twitching on his bed. Pushing the door the rest of the way open I make my way over to his bed. Slowly crawling onto his bed I pull him into myself gently. Once he’s fully in my grasp I start petting him, wrapping my tail around his leg. A small silent chuckle leaves me as I think about how this is usually the other way around. As his twitching and whimpering dies down he relaxes a lot, enough that his tail starts slowly wagging. After a couple of minutes of me petting him he starts to wake up. Even though I would love to hold him as he wakes up, I’m not sure how this will go. Unwrapping myself from him I scoot to the edge of the bed, staying as far away from him as I can. Dogday sits up and stretches, a big yawn escaping from him as he opens his eyes. He looks around for a moment before landing on me and freezing. You could mistake him for a statue with how still he became, but I’m no better as I don’t want to scare him. With neither of us moving we are locked in the most intense staring contest that has no end. After the silence has dragged on for so long it is becoming unbearable and uncomfortable. I slowly bring my hands up to sign and start our talk.

*Good morning, how was your sleep?*

“Good… and yours?”

*Alright.*

And then it’s right back to the silence. Feeling that nothing is going to happen at this point I slowly make my way off his bed and out of the room. Sitting on his couch I wait for Dogday to approach me to continue our conversation when he is ready. Listening to what Dogday is doing in the other room I peek over the couch to watch him. He's moving around his kitchen, filling a tea pot with water and setting it on the stove. He opens some cupboards and pulls out a box before setting it on the counter and going for another cupboard. He comes back with two cups and sets them down, putting a tea bag into each. When the water starts boiling he takes the kettle off and pours the water in. He picks up the cups and brings them over to the table, setting one closer to me while he sits on the other end of the couch.

“I’m sorry for what I said to you.”

It’s so quiet I almost miss it, but with all my attention being on him I pick it up clearly.

*I accept your apology.*

And just like that we go back to the silence. Both of us have things we need to say, but we are afraid of saying them.

*How have you been since arriving here?*

Maybe some small talk will help us get to the bigger things we need to talk about.

“I’ve been… alright. How about you?”

*Doing good, talking with the others.*

And the silence comes right back. Picking up my cup I take a small sip, giving it a taste test before drinking it. It’s good but a little dull.

“How has everyone been?”

*All of them are doing well. Kickin ran into a tree three days ago but he should be good now.*

“That sounds like something he would do.”

And the oppressive silence is back again. At this point, I don’t think we are going to get anywhere without just going to the hard topic now. Preparing myself for this I take a deep breath before bringing my hands up to sign.

“*I need to explain myself.”*

Both of us stop and wait, wanting the other to go first.

“*You can go first.”*

Again, both of us stop. Wanting to hear him first I grab the cup and hold it, preventing me from ‘speaking.’ He gets the message I was sending him and takes a deep breath, exhaling with a sigh.

“You got my letter right?”

I nod to him.

“Then you already know a part of what I want to say. I said all that towards the monster that killed me and my friends, that tortured me for years. If I had known that you weren't that monster then I wouldn’t have said what I did. All I can do now is apologize again for what I said. With the years that I was stuck in that cell, hanging from the wall, I did lots of thinking. I vowed to kill you when I saw you next. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight when I made that vow, because now I want to protect you, just like before. I know you must hate me, but I just want one chance to make things right–to start over without having to worry about someone watching and controlling us. I want to…”

His tears came too strong to let him finish, sobs shaking his whole body. Setting my cup down I pull him into a hug, stroking his head and rubbing his back. His cries grew louder, soaking into my fur, but I cared only about him. Wanting to put a kiss onto him I lean down to be level with his face, inching closer and closer. With almost no room left I stop myself, hating myself for almost using his vulnerability to get what I want. Instead, I think back to what always helped him before. Gently licking his tears from his cheeks. A shaky giggle escapes him, giving me the motivation to keep going. Once his one eye is clear I move to the other, keeping the same gentleness until his sobbing has quieted into lighter crying.

Easing back I test if he wants me to let go. He gives a small protest, tugging faintly but not using his strength to hold me there. Taking my cup I sip from it, ordering the words I wanted to say. By the time I set it down, Dogday was calm again. Only my damp chest and two faint streaks on his face showed how hard he’s been crying.

*I need to apologize too. I tried to stop everyone’s deaths, but I couldn’t. With you, I could prevent your death–but if I knew what the alternative was then I would have killed you while you slept.

I never wanted any of that to happen, but I couldn't stop it. I regret not telling any of you, or showing more signs that something was wrong, but nothing can be done now. And that is the worst part. I don’t know why you are giving me another chance after what I did… after what I did to everyone. I… I just… I don’t kn-*

The tears came much sooner than I expected. If there was one word for it, it was bawling. I curled into myself, sobs ripping through me hard enough to steal my breath. Beneath it all was fear–fear that Dogday would hate me, shove me away, strike me, anything to escape the truth I just dropped on him. But instead of him doing anything I thought of him doing, he pulled me into his lap, careful to make me comfortable. He whispered into my ear, stroked down my tail, traced small circles on my back. He didn’t try to pry my arms away, he just held me and waited. My sobbing slowed, little by little.

When I could move again, I clung to him with all my strength, desperate not to let go. He shifted slightly, but only to hold me better. His whispers kept going steady, his hands still moving soothingly. My breathing became deeper, deep enough to try speaking. I open my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I keep trying to use all the strength left in me to will the words out.

With my tears down to a trickle, I pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. He looked down at me with nothing but care and reassurance, unknowingly helping in what I was trying to accomplish. I summon all my strength, my will, everything I could spare into one last try.

“I’m so sorry.”

Dogday’s eyes widened, almost as surprised as I was that I’d managed to speak, even if it was just barely above a whisper–then the coughs came. They were violent, stealing all my breath with each one. He held me closer, bringing my arms above my head and pulling my paw to rest on his chest. The coughing eased, leaving me raw but breathing. Relief softened his face as I breathed easier. He pulled me back in, hugging me tight– not to trap, not to restrain, but to anchor me.

“I’m so glad you can talk, but please don’t scare me like that again.”

*I won’t.*

I should be partying about how I can talk again, but a thought came back to me. What about the red smoke? If I can regain the ability to talk again, then why would I also not regain the ability to use the smoke.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, but I know from the look on your face that you are thinking. What is it about?”

*It’s the red smoke. I still have the device to produce it, but it isn’t working right now. Bubba doesn’t know why, but he said to tell him if it did start working again at some point.*

“So why not get it removed?”

*It’s too close to my vocal cords and I didn’t want to lose the ability to speak entirely, even when I still couldn’t.*

“Oh. Well, we’ll figure something out if that smoke comes back.”

And with that being said, a silence falls over us again, but it doesn’t feel oppressive or constricting. It’s more welcoming and gentle. As I settle into Dogday more I use my tail to bring my cup to my hands. With my cup being finished off I set it on the table, now fully settling into Dogday. He puts an arm over me as he finishes his tea, setting the cup next to mine. Dogday suddenly stiffens up. He picks me up and sets me on the couch, getting up and heading to his bedroom. As I listen to what he’s doing I hear boxes being moved around before he comes out with something I never thought I would see again.

“Here’s your notebook back… I looked through it and saw the drawings you made.”

*I’m not mad at you.*

With that a bit of his spark comes back. While his mood is brought back, I also notice that he’s holding something behind his back.

*What else do you have?*

He moves from one foot to the other, not really making a move to show me what he’s hiding.

*Dogday, can you please show me what you are holding behind your back?*

With me directly confronting him, in a gentle way, he pulls his hands from behind his back. Sitting in his palm is something I forgot he took, my moon pendant.

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything to fix it with, but I can at least give it back.”

I reach out and pick it up, seeing the broken string still on the small loop at the top. Bringing it to my heart I squeeze it, happy to have it back.

“I also want to say…”

*Say what?*

“Maybe ask would be the better term…”

*Ok, what do you want to ask?*

“Will you come back and become a Smiling Critter again?”

His eyes show how much he wants me to say yes, and he also looks moments away from begging me. I definitely don’t want to make him beg, so I give him my answer, but maybe in the way he wasn’t expecting. Getting up from the couch I pull him into a hug, signing onto his back what he wants to hear.

*I w-i-l-l.*

There isn’t a word for how happy he looked once I said that, jumping in place, tail going fast enough to be a blur. Before he could tackle me into another hug someone knocks at the door, making both of us freeze. Dogday uses the peephole to see who was wanting his attention. With a sigh he unlocks the door and opens it, letting the voice of Bobby reach me.

“Morning Dogday! How are you doing?”

“I’m doing amazing! And you?”

“Wonderful, except for one thing. Have you happened to see.. Catnap?”

He turns away in thought, but actually looks at me. I give him a shrug, not really caring if Bobby learns that I’m here.

“I actually have!”

“Really! Then can you tell me where you saw him?”

“Yeah, he’s on my couch right now.”

A blur of red runs past Dogday, almost knocking him down, and gets right in my face. She starts checking over me, clearly worried that Dogday must have hurt me in some way. Pushing her hands away lightly I wait for her to back up so I can sign.

“Why are you here?”

*I am here because I wanted to talk with Dogday.*

“Did he do anything to you?”

*Besides make tea and hold me while I cried, nope. Unless you count talking as him doing something to me?*

“... What?”

Dogday finally comes over, sitting down next to me and pulling me closer to himself.

“Yeah, we talked for a while, and cried for just as much time.”

“Not to sound mean but… don’t you still hate Catnap?”

“Why should I? We just talked about why we are sorry and what made us act like we did.”

“So… do you guys no longer hate each other?"

“Hate is a strong word, but the answer is no.”

*We were angry and scared of each other, hate isn’t what either of us held.*

“So are you two just going to… act like nothing happened?”

“No, that wouldn’t be healthy. We are going to talk more and figure out our boundaries. What happened happened, and nothing can change that, so all we can do is move on and grow.”

“Wait, are you telling me that you two are going to be friends right after what you just told each other?”

“Not right after, we still have some talking to do.”

“Catnap?”

*Both of us did things, through action and inaction, that have hurt us and each other. We definitely need to talk, but I bet that we can be friends again.*

Dogday gives a little squeeze when I finish signing, one of agreement.

“Ok, well… I’m going to tell the others. You two enjoy your talk.”

“We will.”

I give a thumbs up. Bobby leaves shortly after, giving us one last look before closing the door. Snuggling more into Dogday he chuckles at me.

“So, are you ready to talk about our boundaries?”

*In a few minutes. I want to enjoy being with you a bit longer. Think of it as a way to recover our emotions after what we just went through.*

He just laughs at me, letting his arms lay over my stomach while he closes his eyes.

(Catnap and Dogday still have much to talk about for their future, but they deserve a little selfish indulgence after what they just went through.)

After some minutes passed do I relent on snuggling into him. Shifting out of his grip I move to the other side of the couch, preparing myself for our talk. Before I can start a sign he stands up and takes our cups, rinsing them out before coming back with two more, now with water. He sets them down before sitting down, turning to me and waiting.

*So… what boundaries do you want to set?*

“I need to know that if I tell you to stop, to anything, that you will stop immediately.”

*I swear I will.*

“I also need you to be truthful. I don’t want you lying to me, or hiding anything from me.”

*You have my word that only the truth will come from me.*

“Next, I’m ok with you touching me, or being near me, but I don’t want you restraining me ever again.”

*I will never restrain you, even as a joke, unless you are absolutely sure about letting me.*

“Finally, if I believe that you are being controlled again, or that you are going to harm me, I will protect myself or leave, no questions asked.”

*I will do everything in my power to tell you, and I will hold no ill will to you if you must defend yourself.*

“Do you have anything you want to ask about our boundaries?”

I want to ask about our relationship, as more than friends, but he didn’t talk about it, so I won’t bring it up.

*No, I don’t have any questions. And I am 100% willing to accept them.*

“We’re not what we were before, not yet. But we can try again as friends… and that’s something I thought I wasn’t going to get a chance at.”

I’m glad that we can be friends again, even if a small part of me wishes we were more, but that can wait. I’d rather become friends with Dogday again, rebuild our trust, before asking if we can go farther. Although, there is one thing I want to do right now.

*Can I hug you?*

“Of course!”

He opens his arms and lets me crawl onto him, pulling me closer to himself.

“Thank you for not fighting me on any of that.”

It's barely above a whisper, but I heard it clearly. I pull my arms away from him, making enough space to sign back.

*I want to be friends again. I would do anything just to get another chance, so I am fine with any boundaries you need to set.*

“I also want to be friends again… but it’s going to take a while.”

*I don’t care how long it takes, just so long as I can be your friend again.*

And maybe something more, but I leave that unsaid. After hugging for a minute more Dogday lets go. I take the message and crawl back to my spot on the couch. Before I could sign that I’m hungry my stomach growls loudly.

“I take it you are hungry?”

I shyly nod my head, hiding behind my hands. He lightly laughs at my reaction while getting up and heading to the kitchen.

“Is there anything in particular you want?”

*No, anything is fine.*

“Ok, scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast coming right up! Just don’t tell Picky about us eating the bacon.”

I laugh at him, and some sound does come out, but it's very faint. I should tell Bubba that I can speak again, but that's for tomorrow. For right now, I want to stay here with Dogday. Settling into the couch I see that Dogday does have a TV, placed above his fireplace. How did I not see this when I looked at all the photos??? Most likely never getting an answer to that I look for the remote. Finding and grabbing it I turn on the TV, looking through the channels until I find something good enough to watch. News, sports, random movie, old shows, more news, even more news. How many news channels does one person need? Finding a nature documentary I stop on it, getting maybe just a bit too into watching the birds. What brings me out of it is Dogday holding a plate in front of me before setting it on the table.

*Sorry, I got… distracted.*

“What are you apologizing for? I actually thought it was cute, the way your ears flick occasionally, your tail twitching behind you, your eyes dilating to be mostly black.”

Everything he says is more embarrassing than the last. Hiding behind my hands I turn away, hearing him laugh at me. Wanting to do anything to ignore him I grab my plate and start eating. I should have known better than to eat quickly, as I started choking. Both of my hands fly to my throat as I struggle to get a breath. Trying to cough to get the food out doesn’t work, leaving me with even less air. Feeling pure panic settling in I don’t feel Dogday come up behind me until his arms are around me. The rational part of my brain knows that he's trying to help, but the fear is controlling me and I’m trying to fight out of his grasp. His hold is firm, making sure I can’t move. He makes a fist and places it on my abdomen, just above my navel. Then he thrusts up into me, over and over. By the sixth one the food comes out, letting me cough and try to get a breath. He still holds me, loosening his grip considerably but leaving his arms wrapped around me. As my breathing evens out I raise my hands up to sign, both of them shaking from the adrenaline and residual fear.

*I’m sorry.*

“Catnap, you don’t have to apologize. I know you didn’t mean to choke, and my teasing mustn't have helped, right?”

I slowly nod my head.

“It’s ok. I will tone it back a lot, and stop whenever we are eating. Is that alright?”

Another slow nod.

“Can you turn around and look at me?”

I can’t. I can’t look at him after that stunt. I shake my head. Dogday lets a sigh out.

“I’m not mad at you, I just want to make sure you are fine.”

He gently twists at my abdomen, trying to get me to turn around.

*Can we just eat?*

“... Alright.”

He picks up his plate and sets it on my lap. I watch him grab a forkful of eggs and bring it up, but stops at my mouth. I know what he's trying to do but I’m still embarrassed from the teasing.

“Catnap, can you please open your mouth?”

I know that if I turn around he would be giving me puppy eyes. And they work because I imagine it. Opening my mouth he slowly puts the fork in, holding it still as I bite down. Once the fork is clear he pulls it back and fills it with more. Instead of moving to my mouth he feeds himself with it. This repeats until his plate is cleaned off. Feeling bad about breaking one off his plates and making a mess I get up and look for his cleaning supplies in the kitchen.

“Down the hallway, second door on the right.”

Following his instructions I open the door and find what I was looking for. Taking the mop, bucket, broom, and dust pan I head back to the living room and start cleaning. Once all my food is cleaned up and thrown away I get the mop wet and wash over the spot. After it's sufficiently wet I wring the mop out in the bucket before soaking up as much of the water as I can. Now that it's dryer than before I empty the bucket in his sink, being careful to not spill or splash anything around. Putting everything back I also find that his cleaning closet is also a storage closet, and I can see seven sleeping bags inside. A twinge of sadness hits me when I don’t see one for me, but I push it away. Maybe I can ask him about that at some point. Heading back to the couch I sit down next to him, snuggling into the side of him slowly.

*So, what else are we going to do?*

“I’m not sure, but I’m fine doing anything.”

*Then let's sit here for a while.*

“At your request, sir lazy.”

I punch his arm lightly. He just laughs at me, putting the same arm around me and pulling me closer.

(They are so gay. I don’t even know if there are enough words to describe how gay they are. Besides that, they seem to be making good progress in becoming friends again.)

Someone knocks on the door, interrupting our chilling. Dogday gets up and opens the door.

“Hey Bubba, what brings you around?”

“Hello Dogday, may I come in?”

“Of course, make yourself comfortable.”

Bubba comes in and sees me on the couch. He shoots a questioning look at me.

*Later.*

He accepts that and continues on with what he was doing before.

“How have you been today Dogday, any pain or difficulty walking?”

“I’ve been doing good. The nightmares are becoming infrequent and less intense, but they still interrupt my sleep. No pain today and walking is second nature.”

“All good to hear. I still want you to do the exercises I gave you for one more week, then we can see from there. Anything else you need to tell me?”

“Yes, but it’s about Catnap. He was able to speak to me but started coughing hard right after.”

Bubba turns to me, confusion being the only emotion on his face. I give him a small nod, confirming that what Dogday said is true.

“Catnap, can you come with me so I can run more tests on you?”

Before I can sign, shake my head, or do anything to say no Dogday cuts me off.

“Can I come with him? I know how much he hates anything medical related.”

“Yes, if that is what it takes then you can come with.”

Dogday’s tail wags faster as he gets closer to me, offering a hand to help me get up. Taking it and standing up Bubba leads the way back to his house.

(1: I am not smart enough to write about anything medical. 2: You didn’t come here for anything medical, you came here for gay critters.)

With Dogday comforting me I don’t notice Bubba coming back until he's right in front of us. Whatever he is holding, which must be the results from my tests, is leaving him confused.

“Catnap.. nothing changed from the first test and this one. Your vocal cords look exactly the same and nothing else has changed around that area. I trust that you and Dogday are telling the truth, but could you please talk again, just so I can hear it?”

Dogday shifts his grip on me, getting ready for the coughing fit that will happen. I do what I did before, putting all my effort into speaking before trying.

“I don’t know.”

Just like before, the coughing comes instantly. Dogday does his best to help but it still takes a while before I am breathing steadily again.

“Honestly, I have no idea how you are able to speak now and not before. Besides that, I am suggesting that you try speaking everyday, a few times a day to rebuild the strength behind your voice. The coughing should go away after enough time but I do have something to help for right now.”

Bubba leaves for a moment and the sounds of stuff being moved can be heard. After a minute he comes back with something in his hand, handing it to me.

“This is an inhaler. You remember how to use one, right?”

I give him a nod.

“Good. Use it anytime the coughing gets too bad to handle. That goes for you too Dogday, if he starts coughing too much then you also should use it.”

“I will, without a moment of hesitation.”

“Ok. And with that done, you can leave now. Have a good day.”

“You too!”

*You as well.*

With that, me and Dogday stand up and leave Bubba’s house.

“What do you want to do now?”

Looking at the sky I see not a cloud in sight, and the perfect idea forms.

*Let’s go to the tree, the one we appeared under.*

“Sure, maybe the others will be there.”

(They walk hand in hand through the forest. I’m already giving you my longest chapter, I can choose to skip some things.)

The walk through the forest takes a bit, but I notice more things. Like the difference between some trees, or how the vegetation is varied depending what trees grow near. But our walk comes to an end as the single tree comes into view, along with Kickin and Hoppy. They are so into their game that we walk up behind Kickin without him noticing. Dogday goes to clear his throat but I stop him, already having a plan of what to do. Slowly bringing my tail up to his leg I wrap it around, making him jump and scream. Hoppy laughs at him, I silently laugh at him, and Dogday can’t stop a small laugh from escaping. Kickin looks pissed when he turns around to me. Before I could dodge his revenge he puts an arm around my neck before pushing his fist into my head, twisting it back and forth. My silent laughing gets hard enough that a quiet sound can be heard as I push at his arm around my neck, playfully trying to get away.

“Catnap, you are so lucky that Hoppy and Dogday are here or you would be getting something much worse!”

When he is done speaking, realization dawns on him at who was with me.

“Wait, Dogday? What are you doing with Catnap?”

(⚡)“I was going to ask the same thing before Catnap scared you.”

(☀)“Me and Catnap had a long talk and decided to start over.”

(⚡&✩)“Ok.”

(✩)“So, you two wanna join us for our next game?”

(☀)“Sure, what is it?”

(⚡)“Tag. Same rules as always.”

(☀)“Oh, you two better hope you are fast enough to escape me. Are you going to join Catnap?”

*No thanks.*

(☀)“Alright. You better cheer me on while watching.”

*There is no one else I would want to cheer on.*

Hoppy and Kickin make loud sighs, looking as sad as possible.

*Hey, if Dogday wasn’t here then I would be cheering for both of you. Or if it was a cooperative game, all three of you would hear my cheers.*

(⚡)“Alright. Hope you two don’t mind losing quickly.”

(✩)“As if you are fast enough to catch me.”

(☀)“Guys, keep the trash talking for during the game, because you are going to need it when I get you.”

They all walk away while I head for the tree on the hill. Sitting down and leaning on the tree I see them playing rock paper scissors for whos it first. Kickin throws his hands up, clearly being the one who's it for the first round. It starts off as expected, 5 seconds before the “it” starts hunting. With them running into the forest it’s harder to see what's going on but their voices carry well, letting me hear every scream and shout as the games go on. After the fourth game comes to an end Dogday comes up to me.

“Can you join us for one last game?”

I stand up and stretch, giving him a nod while going down the hill towards them.

(⚡)“This is our last match, so I want to switch it up.”

(✩)“What do you have in mind?”

Hoppy starts thinking but I already have the perfect idea.

*Infection tag. If you are tagged by whoever is it, you join them in the hunt.*

(⚡)“That works with me. Rock paper scissors for whos it?”

All of us nod. Kickin turns to Hoppy while I turn to Dogday. I go paper and Dogday went rock, I win. Hoppy did paper and Kickin did scissors, Kickin wins. Dogday turns to Hoppy and I to Kickin. I do rock and Kickin does scissors, I win. Hoppy does paper and Dogday does scissors, Dogday wins. Kickin turns to Dogday and I to Hoppy. Kickin throws rock and so does Dogday. They go again, this time Kickin going paper and Dogday goes rock, Kickin wins. I throw paper and Hoppy throws rock, I win. Hoppy lost all the matches and is chosen at it.

(☀)“Do any of us have something to time this match?”

*I do. How long do we want this match to be?*

(✩)“Ten minutes?”

Hoppy and Dogday nod. I use my watch to start the timer, setting it for ten minutes and fifteen seconds.

*Ten seconds to prepare yourselves, five for the headstarts, then it’s game on.*

Starting the timer we all do some stretches, making sure this last match will be the best one. Five seconds come, and we start running. Five seconds pass and we enter the forest, the real match begins.

(From the outside, this is just a simple game. From the perspective of all four of them, this is the most intense battle ever, and all of them have one simple goal; Be the last one standing.)

Hoppy, insanely fast, can’t turn quickly at full speed. Kickin, plans ahead, already zagging between trees. Dogday, insane speed when needed. Me, I’m agile and flexible, perfect to dodge last second if needed.

Our feet crush anything on the ground. Shafts of light peirce through, lighting the way. All of us split, taking our own paths.

Hoppy chases me, bad choice. Keep the straight line. Wait for the perfect moment. She gets closer, just a foot away. Grab a low hanging branch and take a left. She flies past, cursing under her breath. Slow my pace, keep my ears open.

I see Dogday. He’s got Hoppy on his tail. He surges forward, taking a quick right. She flies past again, another curse heard. Dogday comes up to me.

“I forgot just how fast Hoppy can be.”

*Yeah, no way any of us are faster than her.*

Hearing a scream we both turn to look. Kickin is now being chased. He keeps his wings tucked in. He shoots one out, catching the wind and turning quickly. Another curse, loud enough anyone would hear it. Kickin jogs over to us.

“You guys saw that, right?”

“Of course we did, that was an amazing dodge!”

*We shouldn’t stay here, she’ll be coming back soon.*

They both nod before running off. With our break over I get back to running. I see Hoppy running parallel to me. She speeds up to get ahead. Not today. I slow my run, waiting to see her. As I thought she burst through between two trees. It would have gotten me if I didn’t slow down.

“JUST YOU WAIT CATNAP, YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER!”

And just like that she's off again. Dogday screams. Looking over I see him just barely dodge Hoppy. Another curse. It’s funny to hear her get angry but that just fuels her speed more.

Kickin tries to feign a dodge but Hoppy took that risk to ignore it. He gets tackled to the ground. Hoppy makes sure he's not hurt before getting up and running away. You had a great run Kickin, now I get to dodge you as well.

“We have to look out for both Hoppy and Kickin now?”

I startled a bit at Dogday being right next to me. How did he get here so quietly?

*Yeah, but I know that we have this in the bag.*

He just laughs as he runs off, putting distance between us and them. I take his lead, running away opposite from him. Kickin goes after me. A creek comes into view. Feeling a burn starting I put in just a touch more effort. I leap over the creek, hitting the ground and rolling before continuing. Kickin doesn’t go for the jump, leaving him to watch me run away from him.

Hoppy comes out of nowhere. I break just enough to dodge her hand. Picking up speed again I see her to my right. Kickin comes in on my left. Their plan is good, just not good enough. An opportunity shows itself with the trees ahead. As they close in I hit the ground, sliding under some roots. Catching the ground I launch myself up, getting back to speed.

Dogday has Hoppy and Kickin on his sides. They are trying to funnel him into a pinch. Just as they are about to reach him he uses a burst, escaping once more. After that he starts panting, slowing his run down to the edge of a jog. Passing him I take their attention to give him a break.

That doesn’t work as only Kickin goes for me. Hoppy tags Dogday. Just me left. Five minutes left in the match. I’ve only got about three full on bursts left after all this running. This is where the fun begins.

Kickin tries first. He puts more speed into himself. Bad idea. Short hop over a root. He comes to a stop, not brave enough to jump it. Not even a second of rest before Dogday comes after me.

“You know.. we may be friends.. but I won’t go easy on you!”

As if I would want you to. He uses a burst but nothing looks good to help me. Dipping into my reserve I also use a burst. I keep ahead of him long enough that he slows down. Two bursts left.

Hoppy comes out of nowhere. A quick burst to dodge her. One and a half left. Kickin tries a surprise jump, but it doesn't go far enough. With them all behind me I duck behind a tree. They all turn to try and follow me but I circle around the tree. A small breather, but I know it won’t last. Dogday wises up first and turns around. Back to running.

The creek comes up again. I jump over it. Dogday follows flawlessly. Kickin stops last second. Hoppy slams into the water. I slow down just enough to make sure she's alright. Back to running.

Dogday is gaining on me slowly. A ray of light hits the ground. A gap between two trees! Jumping towards it I thread through the trees. Landing with a roll I get back to speed.

Kickin stands in the way I’m running. I’m not falling for it. Pushing myself to the limit I run straight at him. I feign a right turn. He jumps at it, leaving the path wide open to run past.

Hoppy comes up from behind. She looks pissed. Glancing at the time left I see two minutes. Feeling the sludginess building I use my final trick. Using my tail as a hook I grab onto a high up branch. My momentum carries me up in an ark. I land on the branch gracefully, finally getting a real break.

All of them stand under the tree I’m in.

(⚡)“NO FAIR, THATS CHEATING!”

*We never said anything about NOT using our specialties.*

(☀)“He does have a point.”

(⚡)“Even so, HOW ARE WE MEANT TO GET HIM NOW?!”

(✩)“You didn’t forget that I can fly, right?”

Both of them say “Ohh” in unison. This break has helped me immensely, giving my muscles some time to loosen up. Checking my watch I see that one minute and forty five seconds are left in the match.

Kickin flys up to me, giving a smug grin. Sorry Kickin, anything is fair. Jumping from my branch it flings back up. He’s stunned for a moment as I swing away.

All my effort goes into my escape. Swinging from branch to branch I land on the ground. Taking off I hear Hoppy gaining on me. Kickin flys past, barely missing me. Hoppy comes in behind. I throw my tail around a tree. She slows down to follow my new path. I just pull my tail back. I can feel the anger coming from her.

Dogday charges me head on. I throw my tail up to a branch. Pulling myself up I fly over him, hitting the ground running.

(☀)“YOU CAN’T GET AWAY FOREVER!”

That’s what you think. Hoppy comes in from behind with Kickin flying above her. Some roots are exposed. Sliding under them I evade Hoppy. Kickin goes in for a dive. I launch my tail around a tree, continuing my slide around it.

A small beep comes from my watch. I steal a glance. Thirty seconds left. This is the last push to win. All three of them run at me. All from different sides. Using my final burst I charge at Hoppy. She looks surprised and I capitalize on it. Swinging over her head I land, almost stumbling. Continuing my run I hear Dogday getting closer. I wrap my tail around a branch. Swinging up I see Kickin flying right at me. Letting go I let the ark end sooner. Catching on another branch I swing away, staying out of their reach. As I touch down the loud beeping from my watch denotes the end of the game.

I collapse onto the ground, finding my legs and tail very, very sore. My breathing is still too quick from the adrenalin. The others come up to me.

(☀)“Catnap? Are you alright?”

I nod to him.

(✩)“Are you out of breath?”

Another nod.

(⚡)“Do I need to kick your ass for cheating?”

I shake my head, holding back the silent laugh. Once my breathing is deep enough to stand up Dogday helps me, supporting some of my weight.

*I am fine, just very tired now. And if you didn’t want me doing that then you should have said something before we started.*

Hoppy starts grumbling but I put that to a stop quickly. Wrapping my tail around her waist I hold her off the ground.

“Put me down!”

*Not until you say that I won legit, and that you take the loss as a way to improve.*

“... Fine… You won fair and square, and I lost the same way. I will use this as an opportunity to improve myself.”

I give her a smile as I set her down. My tail all but stops working after that. All the muscles in it are screaming to not do anything more. I listen and pick up my tail, wrapping it around my neck like a scarf. Our feet crush the needles on the ground. Shafts of light peirce through, lighting the way. All of us stay together, taking the same path.

(⚡)“I know I’m hungry, how about you guys?”

(✩)“I am starving.”

(☀)“I need something to eat.”

*I also need something to eat. No promises I don’t pass out while eating though.*

They just laugh at my comment as we make our way back. Sitting down under the tree in between everyone's homes Hoppy leaves to get something for us to eat. She comes back from Pickys, basket in hand with amazing smells coming from it. She sets it down and we dig in, replacing our spent energy with food to become energy. As I suspected, I felt my eye lids getting heavier the longer I stayed still. Eventually I pass out, exhaustion taking me away.

(I had a lot of fun writing that whole section.)

After some time has passed I wake up, still feeling a bit sore after all that running.

“Welcome back to the land of the living… or would we be considered dead?”

I just yawn, not having the brain power to consider what we are after just waking up. Maybe Bubba would know. Stretching out I realized that I moved to Dogday’s lap while sleeping. Hoppy and Kickin must have left while I was sleeping because I can’t see them anywhere around us. That's when I spot Crafty leaving her house, a bag slung across her side. She walks up to us, waving.

“Hi guys. What are you doing together?”

“We finished eating after our game with Hoppy and Kickin, and Catnap just woke up from his nap.”

“Oh, that sounds fun. Who won?”

*I did.*

“Really? I never expected our sleepy kitty to be faster than Hoppy.”

“Not even I know where he got that speed, but he dodged all of us for two minutes.”

“Catnap, are you hiding something from us? Something about how much energy you really have?”

*No, I used all 110% of my energy in that one game.*

“Ok, well, want me to take your photo?”

“Sure!”

Dogday gets up before helping me up. Once I’m standing my muscles ache in protest but I power through it. Dogday holds me in a loose hug, resting his head on mine. I put my hands on top of where his rest, giving a nice smile. Crafty takes multiple photos, messing with some dials between each one. When she finds the best photo she shows it to us. It looks perfect, with Dogday’s colors complimenting amazingly with mine.

*Could you print that for me?*

“Sure, I’ll go do that right now.”

*WAIT!*

She cocks an eyebrow at me.

*You don’t have to print it right now. It can be done later.*

*Do you have an ulterior motive behind the photo?*

*I… I won’t say.*

She just laughs at me, making a small blush form.

“Alright. I’ll see you two later, right?”

“Yeah. Picky is still hosting dinner tonight, right?”

“Yup.”

“Ok, see you there.”

Crafty walks away, heading into the forest.

*Dogday?*

“Yes?”

*Why didn’t I know about Picky hosting dinner?*

“Well, you never asked. You also had no idea, but she likes to host dinner once in a while. It’s a way for all of us to be together and for her to show off her cooking.”

That makes sense. I just wonder how it’s going to be.

(This is the last time skip. Strap in because it's going to be long.)

Standing in front of Picky's door I feel a bit nervous. I have talked with almost everyone today, but now I’m going to be in the same room as everyone.

“Catnap, are you nervous?”

He must be a mind reader because he somehow, always, knows what is plaguing me. I give him a small nod.

“Don’t worry. All of us are friends so no one will try to hurt you. If you get overwhelmed then I will make sure you can get to a quiet place to calm down, alright?”

*Ok..*

Not all of my nervousness goes away, but it does help to know that Dogday is with me. He reaches out and knocks on the door. The conversation quiets down as someone opens the door. Bobby sees us and hugs Dogday first. Knowing what is coming and still being slightly sore I back away.

“I’m so glad both of you could make it!”

“Well, we wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Come on, no need to stay outside when the company is inside.”

She leads us inside to a large table with eight chairs around it. Each side has two chairs. Bubba and Kickin have one side. Hoppy and Bobby, when she sits down, have another side. The third side has Crafty and what must be Picky’s chair. And the final side has two empty chairs, clearly for us. I sit down with Dogday being to my right and Bobby to my left. On the table is a large platter and a ceramic dish. The platter has little peppers with fillings. The dish has small meatballs with little picks sticking out of them. Taking one I pop it into my mouth. The slight firm outside gives way to the tender, juicy interior. The sauce clings to the surface, bringing a slight zesty tang to go with it. Only one word can describe the perfect combination of flavors and texture; umami. Remembering that our friends are here I bring my attention back to what's around me. A conversation is currently going on but I’m tuning back in during the middle.

(💡)”-ren’t exaggerating how the game of tag really went?”

(✩)“Really, you don’t trust me to tell you the truth?”

(💡)“I do trust you to tell the truth, but I know that you will bend the truth.”

(☀)“What are we questioning about that game?”

(💡)“Kickin is saying that Catnap used his tail to swing between trees, and that Catnap is much faster than we all thought.”

(☀)“Sorry Bubba, but he is telling the whole truth.”

(⚡)“That’s what I’ve been telling him but he won’t listen to me.”

(☀)“No offence, but you barely tell the truth in the first place.”

Hoppy starts pouting, being comforted by Bobby.

(☀)“But yes, Kickin and Hoppy are telling the truth, Catnap really did that.”

*I really did all of what they are saying. Unless they are saying that I learned how to fly.*

I get all of them to laugh at my comment. A small smile works its way onto my face.

The conversation continues but I tune it out. Not to be mean and ignore them, but because I’m more preoccupied with admiring how… happy and carefree Dogday looks…… Why should I deserve to be here with them? I killed them and they got a second chance. I died and got the same chance, but why? They deserved so much better than what I gave them. I.. I… I-

A hand squeezes mine, pulling me from my mind and back to the present. Dogday is looking at me with worry.

“Is everything alright? You started lightly crying while looking at me.”

I should be embarrassed that he caught me staring but I’m just confused at the caring look he’s giving me. He cares about me. He’s willing to start our friendship over. Wiping the tears away I push those thoughts and memories away.

*I’m fine. Unwanted memories came back.*

“If you want to talk about it I’m here.”

*... Maybe later.*

He gives me a smile before turning back to the conversation, leaving his hand on mine. After a couple more minutes a timer goes off.

(🍎)“Alright everyone, all the food is done. Form a line, grab a plate, and load it up!”

Getting up with Dogday we stand in the line, looking at all the food that Picky made.

(☀)“I sometimes wonder if Picky will ever get tired of cooking.”

I doubt it. I highly doubt she would ever get tired of cooking. Everything is laid out perfectly like an art exhibit. Nothing takes up too much space, everything is kept at the right temperature. Her talent for cooking is what she's known for, but she's just as good at presenting food. As my turn to grab food comes up I look at what our main dishes are. A taco bar and pasta bar. Grabbing two soft shells I load them up with fish. She even put little signs on what everything is. Is there anything she didn’t think of? Now that I know, I have tilapia as the base, covered in shredded cabbage, pico de hallo, and zesty lime creme sauce. A small sprinkle of cilantro is added on top to finish that off. Moving onto the sides I see garlic bread and grilled vegetables. A mix of zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and cherry tomatoes. A healthy amount finds its way onto my plate. Finally is the drinks section. Some water with lemon, lime, orange, and fresh mint leaves floating at the top. What takes my attention is a tea station with many herbal options. All of them sound good but the peppermint one is what I get a glass off.

Sitting down with Dogday I see that his plate is also loaded. Getting back to my plate I take a taco and bite into it. The soft shell tears away with the delicate, flakiness of the tilapia contrasting perfectly with the crispy crunch of the cabbage. Add in the pico de gallo with the crunch of diced tomatoes, onions, and cilantro, with the zesty lime crème sauce providing a smooth and creamy layer to balance everything out. The subtle smoky flavor of the tilapia with the cool freshness of the cabbage, the acidity and spice of the pico de gallo, and the lime crème sauce tying it all together with a zesty kick and creamy finish. I think I’m in heaven with just this one bite. I NEED to learn from Picky how to cook like she does if I could eat like this every night.

Picking up my fork I stab some zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and cherry tomatoes before bringing it to my mouth. The zucchini has a slight crisp at the edges with a mild, earthy taste; the bell peppers are juicy and sweet but still have a satisfying crunch, being candy-like; the onions are buttery, adding their rich and savory depth to everything; and the cherry tomatoes burst when bitten, releasing their sweet, tangy juices, adding a slight acidity to top it all off. Everything together is wonderful, being highlighted by the smoky char from the grill. Washing that down with the tea the soothing warmth cleans the lingering flavors. The peppermint brings in a coolness, invigorating yet soothing, and its sweetness harmonizes beautifully with the earthiness of the herbs. It’s the perfect palate cleanser and refreshment.

(I don’t really know what else to add here sooo… small skip for Catnap to finish off his plate.)

Once nothing is left on my plate I sit back, feeling very full from what I just ate. Looking around I see that only me, Dogday, Kickin, and Hoppy are done eating. It makes sense that after what we did left us needing anything to eat. Dogday’s hand slowly moves its way towards mine, as if any sudden movement would end his plan. I bite and put my hand in his, feeling his thumb slowly move across my knuckles. It’s nice to be like this, enjoying the company, holding hands, seeing the four tiered tower of cupcakes be set on the table… wait. Sitting up I see that Picky did, in fact, put a four tier tower of cupcakes onto the table. Each level has different cupcakes but one particular level takes my attention from its little sign. Vanilla with lavender frosting and sprinkles. I try to reach out and grab one but it’s just slightly too far away. Dogday notices and helps, reaching for the one I tried to grab.

“Is this the one you want?”

I nod and hold out a hand, expecting for him to hand it over. Instead he takes the paper cup and peels it back before holding it close to my mouth.

“Open up~”

I know that a blush is growing on my face, I can feel the warmth spread over my cheeks. The tips of my ears warm just slightly and I know that it's going to get worse the longer I stall for. Opening my mouth I look away, unable to face Dogday and the grin he has as he slowly puts the cupcake into my mouth. I bite down and he takes the extra away, biting into it himself. The texture can only be described as biting into a cloud with the frosting being creamy and smooth with its own slight fluffiness. The vanilla is a warm sweetness that isn't overwhelming and the lavender frosting adds a floral, aromatic essence. The combination is perfect and the sprinkles add a playful crunch and touch of sweetness. Out of everything I have had up to this point, this is the best. But that might come from who fed it to me. He grabs another one and offers the same thing. I accept it again, this time with less embarrassment. Everyone has moved onto the cupcakes as well, leaving the room in a comfortable quiet.

(💡)“Thank you for dinner, Picky. It was perfect as always.”

(🍎)“It’s my pleasure to do this once in a while.”

Bubba gets up and makes his way to the door, taking his leave.

(♡)“You have to show me your recipes sometime.”

(🍎)“Are you trying to replace me?”

(♡)“No, I would never dream to, I just want to learn how you make those vegetables so I can make them myself.”

(🍎)“Alright, I can show you sometime.”

Now Bobby gets up to leave.

(✩)“After that game we had this is exactly what I needed.”

(⚡)“Me too, I don’t think I could eat another bite without exploding.”

(🍎)“Hey, if you explode in my house you better figure out how to clean it up.”

Hoppy and Kickin laugh as they both leave, talking about something.

(✎)“Thank you again for making all this for us.”

(🍎)“Ah, it's no trouble. I love having you guys over and I love cooking. This is the best way to do both things I love.”

Crafty gives a shy smile as she leaves. With just me, Dogday, and Picky left she gets up to start cleaning up. Me and Dogday follow her, helping with whatever she needs.

“You guys really didn’t need to help me.”

“It’s the least we could do, especially after that meal you just gave us.”

She just laughs and tells us what needs to be done and where it’s put. Once that is done we give our compliments before leaving. Back at Dogday’s house I remember the one thing I wanted to do.

“I’m going to take a quick shower.”

And that is the perfect opportunity to do it. When the shower starts I go to the fireplace and pick up the empty frame. Heading to Crafty’s house I knock quickly, not wanting to get back after Dogday finishes his shower.

“Catnap, what do you need?”

It’s not easy to sign with just one hand so I give her the frame before signing.

*I want that photo you took of us put into that frame.*

“Ok, give me a moment and I can do that. You can come inside by the way.”

I do step inside but stay by the door, not knowing how long a shower Dogday will take. As she said, only a few moments later she comes back with the frame, now holding the photo of Dogday resting his head on mine and hugging me.

*Thank you very much.*

I turn and leave, getting back to Dogday’s home. Stepping in I hear the shower still going, letting a sigh out. I set the photo on the fireplace mantle, making sure it’s back right where I got it from. With that done I sit down on the couch, turning on the TV and looking for something to watch.

The shower turns off a couple of minutes later and Dogday comes out, sitting on the couch with me. After an hour Dogday is yawning a lot, having trouble keeping his eyes open. I turn the TV off, sitting up and helping Dogday up.

*Come on, you need some sleep.*

“… Yeah.”

He heads to his room and lays down but I stay back, not wanting to assume that I can lay with him. Dogday looks at me, questioning on his face.

“You can sleep with me. I know how you are about sleeping with someone.”

I lay down next to him, getting comfortable and closing my eyes, ready to sleep.

“Goodnight, Catnap.”

*G-o-o-d-n-i-g-h-t.*

His breathing gets deeper and deeper before I hear light snores coming from him. I follow his example and enter the land of dreams quickly.

Looking around my dream I find it empty of anything. The sound of someone crying makes me turn, and I find Dogday. He’s alone and crying. Moving slowly I get within arms reach before Dogday lashes out, almost cutting my arm. His face is covered in tears but the lashing out doesn’t seem focused on me, just a reaction. Moving even slower I sit beside him, gently pulling him to lay on my lap. When he is fully lying down the dam breaks and he has a full breakdown, hyperventilating crying. Slowly stroking his ears I think of the one thing that helped him, but I’m not sure I can do it. Trying anyway I open my mouth, letting the memory guide me on what to do, and the words come from me like second nature.

”There’s a brilliant golden cradle

That sways in the blush of day;

I have seen it in the morning air

Where sparrows dance and play,

With soft pink clouds for draperies

And pillows of dewy light,

And a dear little bed for the sun‐baby’s head,

So tender and so bright.

There are gentle waking blossoms around it,

That wait for their bath of dew

In the pastel hues that night’s cool veil

Has softly bid adieu;

There are good little cheerful beams,

That long to be caressed and kissed,

And laid to rest in the meadow’s breast,

Under golden folds of mist.

But the sun‐baby first must slumber,

For he is our resplendent king;

So, hand in hand, the blooms do stand,

And lullabies soft they sing.

And the brilliant golden cradle

Is rocked by breezes light and free,

With beams that gleam from realms above,

Where the sun‐baby sleeps in peace.”

His crying has stopped by this point and he's lightly holding onto me. Smiling down at him I move myself to lay with him, holding him close. Now knowing that I can speak in this dream I say what I wanted to but never got the chance to before our deaths.

“I love you, Dogday. I will protect you from anything that wants to harm you.”