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Today it was Shadow’s turn to babysit the kit kats. Spazzie was busy waiting in line for the Modern Warfare game at the game store. Katrice was busy as well, since she is with him due to wanting a anime plushie of her favorite magical girl she saw in the store. Karen was also not available as well, she was out with family to a birthday party of a relative. So Shadow was available to come down and babysit for Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps.
He pretty much was doing fine. Everything was normal. He stopped Andre from eating the chairs again. Alicia and him were playing games. Aubrey was doing her casual yoga. Everything felt good. Until Amare comes in with a look of worry and horror on his face.
“MY NICK DOLL IS GONE!” The s'more looking kit yelled out in horror as everyone looked at him.
Aubrey gets off of her yoga mat and goes to him. “Easy Amare. It will be ok.”
“OK?!” He shouts. “I LOST THE ONE IMPORTANT THING IN MY LIFE!”
“Heeeeyy. What about us?” Alicia says to try to uplift the mood of Amare, which obviously wasn’t working at all. “Ook. Looks like we gotta find it.”
“It should be somewhere in this house.” Andre states as the smore kit was starting to panic.
“If I lose that doll, it be like losing daddy! And I don’t want to be losing daddy!” Amare was in a state of panic again. He was acting worse than Andre, with Andre being the one who worries a lot.
Alicia holds her brother and pats his back gently. “Relax bro. We will find it.”
“Yeah! All of us!” Andre says with Aubrey then looking at Amare as Alicia lets go.
“Now. Where was the last place you put him?” The kit was playing detective now. The sound of jazz could be heard from out of nowhere.
“Well, I went into mommy and daddy’s bedroom, then in me and Andre’s room, and then in the backyard.” Amare says as he thought hard of where the doll could be at.
“Ok. I got outside. Andre, you look in you and Amare’s room, Aubrey can have mom and dad’s bedroom.” Alicia gave orders as she cracks her neck and being ready to find the doll.
With that said, the siblings split up to their designated area to look for as Amare sighed and went over to the couch and slumped over on it. Shadow looked over to the sad kit as Amare held a pillow close to him.
Alicia went outside in the backyard as she was starting to get her instincts into high gear. She was looking around. Trying to smell the scent of her brother on the doll. All she could smell was someone making pumpkin spice and the smell of Fall coming quickly.
“Thank goodness I am out here.” Alicia says by herself. “Andre would be eating the air if he smelled it.”
The energetic fox kit was looking around. All that was there was just some of her toys like a soccer ball, baseball with bat, even hula hoops. She kept sniffing around to find any scent of the doll. Nothing seemed to be there. Well, nothing that looks of a doll.
Alicia then rubbed her chin and started to think deep into her thoughts. What if Amare got hungry and started to dig up for grub? And as he was trying to quickly patch it up to not get in trouble, he ended up burying the Nick Doll with him.
The kit wanted to shrug off that idea. “Nooo. Amare is too good. He wouldn’t be like that.” Still she was looking at the ground. Having a grin slowly form on her face. “I mean, one spot couldn’t hurt.”
Within seconds, she started to dig. Not for grubs of course. She just wanted to dig for the fun of it. With her quick speed she started to dig pretty deep. Almost to cover her whole head in the hole. She looked around in the dirt as she pulled up a grub and wiped it off her shirt.
“Shoot. I got nothing.” She says before eating the grub and looking around at the backyard. The doll could be anywhere in the ground. She still was smirking. “I guess I got more spots to dig at!”
Aubrey was in her parents' room. It looked pretty cozy. The bed looked comfy and big but also had a calming aura to it. The kit looked around to see where Amare could be at where he would lose his doll. She quickly slide under the bed. Nothing but dust bunnies and dirt.
“Uncle Jack would flip if he sees this.” Aubrey says to herself as she gets out and wipes the dust off her black and white dress. She then walks around with her looking at every place Amare could have lost the Nick Doll. The closet was her second guess as she went into it and opened it wide. Nothing but a pile of organized clothes for Judy and Nick.
“Hmm.” Aubrey thinks to herself as inside of the closet had no sign of the doll. She snapped her fingers. “Aha! It could be in the bed!”
She quickly jumps up and climbs on top of the big fluffy bed as she looked around. The sheets were clean and looked like the bed was made. So obviously Amare wouldn’t have been here would he? She gets into the sheets as she started to quick dash and move around to see if anything related to the Nick Doll was there.
Aubrey crawled around in the sheets. Even crawling under the pillow to be sure. She groans loudly as she lays her head on the pillow. She was pretty smart and she knew Amare wouldn’t be so nosy. Maybe trying to find a new outfit for the Nick Doll. He always wanted to dress it up.
“Its gotta be out here somewhere.” She yawned softly after saying that. The bed was too soft. Too comfortable. It was like a spell was affecting her. She yawned again and stretched. “Maybe a five minute nap could get me thinking.” And with that, she ended up closing her eyes and feeling limp. She was snoring instantly.
Andre went into him and Amare’s room with him searching around. It was clean and somewhat organized. Nothing like in his sister’s room. With Alicia being messy and more throwing her clothes around, old and new, with Aubrey being lazy to care and mainly sleeping on the bed.
“Ok. Now to find the doll.” He says to himself as he walked around. First he lays on his stomach on the floor and looks under his Amare’s bed. He found nothing. Then he looked under his bed. “Nope. Noth-OH MY GOSH!” He shouts with joy as he reaches his arm and pulls out an unopened pack of peanut butter crackers. “I love these!”
He opens the pack and starts to eat one of the crackers. He stands there while looking around as he goes into the closet next. He opens it wide with only him and Amare’s toys being shown. With a box of the clothing for the Nick Doll. Even on the hangers were clothings that matched Nick’s style. Amare really loved his dad.
“Hmm.” He swallows the cracker and eats another. Just then, his tail wagged from having an idea. “I KNOW!” He grabs the sheet of Amare’s bed and flings it off as his idea was that maybe Amare lost it in the bed sheets. He does tend to sleep with it most of the time. He looks to not see it. Even flipping the pillows out of the way. Nothing there either.
“Ah dang it! Uggghh. Where could it be?” He went to grab a cracker to ease his frustration and to tame his hunger. Yet his crackers were all gone. “AWWW!” He says and lets out a sigh. “Time to get my back up” He walks over to his bed as he lifts the sheets to reveal a bunch of junk food. He pulls out a chocolate bar and starts to eat it. “Maybe then, I will know where it is.”
Amare was holding his pillow tightly. Him losing his precious Nick Doll was really hurting him badly. Shadow could see it all over his face. Shadow scooted closer and patted the kits shoulder.
“Don’t worry. It is still in this house.” The silver fox says to the fox kit as Shadow could only get a sigh as a response.
“I just don’t want to lose it. It's more important to me than my own life.” Amare meant it all too.
Shadow got Amare to sit up straight and he let him hold on to the pillow. “That doll means a lot to you huh?”
Amare nodded. “It is pretty much like my dad. I always have it by my side since I do care for him. It means a lot to me.”
Shadow felt a soft smile on his face. He wrapped his arm around the kit as Amare went on. “I just...I just..”
“Let it all out buddy. I am all ears.” Shadow tells the kit as Amare held his pillow tighter.
“I feel like if I lose the doll, I would lose my daddy.” Amare says as he laid his chin on the cushion like pillow. He wasn’t going to cry. He just felt worried. Heartbroken too.
“Oh..” Shadow says as he felt sorry for the poor kit. He hugged him gently to comfort him. “You know, I understand it completely.”
“I just don’t want to seem like a weirdo, having to carry it around most of the time.” Amare says as he kept going. “But I feel calm and happy with the doll by my side. Makes me feel like daddy is there and watching me. Protecting me”
“I feel ya kid.” Shadow begins to tell him. “You see, I have this cool watch my father gave me. I always wore it because in a way, it was like he was really there. Guiding me and looking at me, even when he was at work.”
Amare looked up to the silver fox as the hugging stopped. “Well I feel happy with it. So that way when daddy goes to work, and I miss him so much, I go and hold on to my doll. Even play with it. Like we dress up in matching outfits, watch videos or tv, anything I do with my doll that I do with my daddy.”
Shadow pretty much understood with Amare as he patted his shoulder. “So basically, everything you do with the doll is the same stuff you and your dad do together?”
Amare nodded. “Mhm. I always love spending time with him. So the doll is pretty much the only thing to remember him by when he goes to work.”
“Well Amare, I promise you that we will find the doll for you. So you can be happy and play with your Nick Doll all the time you want.” Shadow made a promise to him as he looked at Amare.
The s'more kit started to smile softly. His grip on the pillow weakened as he let it fall on the floor and gave a hug to the silver fox. Shadow jumped for half a second but quickly and gently hugged the fox kit back.
Shadow then heard noises as his ear flickered.The same for Amare as they stop hugging and looked over to see the back door was opening. It was Alicia and she was covered in dirt. Head to toe.
“Uhhh...why are you covered in dirt?” Shadow questioned as Alicia was eating a grub.
“Well I looked around the backyard, dug a couple of holes, then refilled them.” Alicia said as she finished chewing. She then looked around and shouted for the others. “HEY GUYS! YOU FOUND AMARE’S DOLL YET?!”
Quickly in a matter of a few seconds, Aubrey and Andre come over to the living room. Aubrey had a somewhat messy hair and Andre was covered in food stains.
“I looked in mom and dad's room. Found nothing.” Aubrey says as she yawned and stretched. “How was your luck Andre?”
“I looked everywhere. Even in the drawers mid eating. Still no sign of it.” Andre took a bite of a cheese puff.
Amare gets up and goes over to his siblings. “Thank you guys. I’m sorry if I seemed mean and grumpy. And worrisome.”
They all brushed it aside. “Don’t sweat it bro.” Alicia says. “I know that the doll is here somewhere. We can keep searching for it all day if we have to!”
Amare could only help but smile at them. “Thanks. I love you all.” He goes to hug them but due to the Andre and Alicia having to look like messy so he just slightly chuckled and said he would wait until they both were clean.
Shadow gets up as well. “I’ll join in. I got nothing to do anyway.” He joked with them as he goes into the kitchen to both get a drink but also to get a chance to look around.
Aubrey then looked over to Amare. “Hey. Why were you outside by the way?” She questioned as Amare didn’t seem like he would go outside unless him and her were doing yoga or him and Nick were playing outside with his siblings being out as well.
Amare shrugged his shoulder. “Well, I was playing with my Nick Doll. Until I got hungry and wanted to get some grub. So I dug a hole to find one.”
Alicia calls it out as she was right all along. So she holds her victory dance as she letted her brother continue. “So daddy found me after I covered the hole and took me in as he had a surprise. I went in and got into me and Andre’s and have to change my clothes because of the dirt on them. Then daddy and mommy gave me this new outfit for my doll and I was just dancing and feeling happy and-”
“Wait.” Said Shadow as he comes back hearing the story and having a drink of water. “When did this happen?”
Amare looks back at him. “Like before you came in. I was in mommy and daddys room when you came in the door.”
Andre then shared his side of the story. “Yeah! I saw it and he went to go see you after I told him you were here. Also he went to get his papers and crayons to draw.”
Shadow put the water down and somewhat, he had smile growing quick. “Guys. I know where the doll is I think.”
Amare gasped. “LET'S GO THEN!” He had his tail wagging so much as Shadow started to go down the hallway and heading to the laundry room. He looked over to the washing and dryer as he opens up the dryer to reveal inside of it was in fact the Nick Doll. Amare was very thrilled.
“Here it is Amare!” Shadow tells him as Amare grabs and holds the doll tightly and ever so happily.
“Wait wait wait!” Alicia was trying to figure it out. “How in the heck did you know that?”
Aubrey started to step in, having to have figured it out as well. “When Amare was digging in the dirt, he must have gotten the doll dirty. So mom must have washed it by paw with some wet cloth, then threw it in the dryer to dry off.”
“Yeah! Besides, if she was to have thrown it in the washer, it would be wet and not washed. Especially if she had to leave for work.” Shadow states with Alicia starting to understand it all.
“YES! WE DID IT GUYS!” Andre said as he was going to give Amare a hug but hesitated due to having some chocolate on him. “Ehh...I’ll take a shower then.”
“No I want the shower!” Alicia yells as they two start to feud out in the hallway with Aubrey going to them to help them solve their problems.
Amare looks over to Shadow with a big happy smile beaming on his face. “Thank you Shadow. Both for finding my doll but also trying to cheer me up. The talk really helped.”
“Hey, everyone has precious beloved thing that they want to love and cherish.” He said to the s’more kit as he playfully messed with his hair.
Shadow went down the hallway to try to help with Aubrey. All the while Amare was still holding his Nick Doll and still smiling wide. His tail kept wagging so much as he was ready to take care and to hang out with his doll. That way, he would know just what to do with his dad when he comes home.
The Smore son wasn’t sad anymore. He was very happy to have his doll back. His beloved Nick Doll.