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He couldn't remember how it happened, or anything before it. Strong paws, a yelp, and the gleam of something sharp. Then Snorpy stood face to face with his worst fear. Well, at least something similar to it.
He was in a room. A room with no details. It's not that they weren't there, but rather nothing that Snorpy could process. Not that it mattered anyway. It wasn't what had caught his attention anyway. He would remember nothing about this room.
Instead, his attention was brought to the center, where a tall grumpus stood. He didn't have any remarkable details besides his dark fur and some kind of mask. At least that's what Snorpy assumed it was. But it wasn't the grumpus that Snorpy was staring at. It was what he held in his paws. A terribly sharp weapon of some kind, pressed up to the throat of his sibling, Floofty.
Snorpy stumbled back from shock at the sight before him. With his back pressed up against the wall, all he was left to do was stare in horror.
The grumpus had a strong grip. The arm that didn't have a weapon was wrapped around Floofty in a way that made it impossible to move. Floofty looked up at the grumpus in a way that bordered confusion and incredulity. It was different than the pure terror any other grumpus might feel, but it was hard to tell how they truly felt. Floofty could be terrified for all Snorpy knew.
But of course he didn't know how they felt. He knew how he felt however. That same crushing hopelessness, and the adrenaline to do something. Snorpy felt like he already knew the feeling from somewhere.
A voice spoke. Snorpy snapped his attention to the other grumpus.
"I bet you thought you were ahead of us. That you knew all our secrets" a deep, gravely voice spoke. "Well smart guy, did you plan for this?"
To be perfectly honest, no, Snorpy wasn't planned for this outcome specifically. He always knew the Grumpinati would do something eventually, but he didn't expect for them to go after Floofty of all grumpuses. To think that Snorpy assumed they worked for them. Boy was he ever wrong.
Floofty tried to say something. Snorpy wasn't sure what though, because when they opened their mouth and got a few syllables out the weapon was visibly pressed further into their throat, causing them to hiss through their teeth. Snorpy's heart stopped.
It felt like no matter what he did Snorpy was unable to speak. His breath had quickened to the point of hyperventilating, his paws had started to shake, and his throat felt dry and clogged. He tried to utter anything, but it felt like only stutters could escape. Every second that passed made Snorpy frantic. Even if Floofty was... Themself, he would never wish for them to be caught up in all this. Especially if it involved harm coming to them.
"W-wait!" Snorpy finally spoke. He hoped his nerves weren't as obvious as he felt they were. "Don't!"
The grumpus stopped. Even from under a mask Snorpy could feel his piercing glare. Perhaps that was the wrong thing to say.
Floofty winced, their expression turning into one of pain. It hurt Snorpy to see.
"Stay out of our business." The grumpus said curtly before plunging the weapon straight into Floofty's shoulder.
Screams filled Snorpy's head, and he couldn't tell which ones were Floofty's and which were his own.
Are they going to kill them? They're going to kill them. Please for the love of god don't die Floofty!
These desperate thoughts and many others blended and melted together, swirling into one emotion. They overtook everything else going on inside his head.
"No! Stop!" Was the last thing he remembered saying, jolting awake. Snorpy sat up, unable to register anything around him. Such as the room. Eventually when the details were noticable, they were warm and cozy ones. For the longest time Snorpy hadn't even realized he had awoken. He couldn't remember the exact point when it happened. The thoughts continued to mix in his head, and the fear still lingered.
Snorpy was still breathing quite quickly. He rested a paw on his chest, hoping to steady his nerves.
"Snorp-dawg?" A drowsy voice uttered quietly. "Are you okay?"
Snorpy took a deep breath. "I'm fine Chandlo. Just a bad dream, go back to sleep."
"'mk, I'm here if you need me" his words started to slur at the end.
Even just the sound of Chandlo's voice was enough to calm Snorpy down, even if he probably didn't realize what he was saying. Snorpy was no stranger to nightmares, and Chandlo knew that, which is why his genuine concern had eventually changed to quiet check ins every time he awoke screaming. Snorpy smiled remembering those days, but it subsided quite fast when he remembered his dream. Yes, Snorpy had a lot of nightmares, even ones with a similar set up. But this one was different. All of Snorpy's bad dreams from before usually included either Chandlo or himself in danger, often from his knowledge about the Grumpinati. It used to terrify Snorpy, but he was able to convince himself that Chandlo was there and alright since they slept in the same room. It wasn't the same with his sibling.
Snorpy paused, thinking for a moment. Why Floofty of all grumpuses? He'd never worried about them before. He didn't even censor out their name on his interview like his and Chandlo's. Of course, back then he was still convinced Floofty worked for the Grumpinati. But even after his focus was more on other things.
It's not like Snorpy ever stopped caring, but perhaps after the incident on Snaktooth and the amends he made with Floofty his subconscious started to realize what he would've lost. Or perhaps it was some sort or sign. Not that Snorpy believed in that superstitious nonsense. Still... It was worth a thought.
Snorpy laid back down on his bed, taking another few deep breaths in an attempt to sleep. But he knew rest wasn't coming any time soon. Something still kept itching at the back of his mind until he couldn't take it anymore. Sighing, Snorpy reached over and pulled something out of a drawer on a night stand.
It was a device used to track grumpuses. Snorpy had made it to keep for the grumpuses he wanted to keep an eye on, which ranged from those he cared about to those he was suspicious of. Snorpy had modified it after getting back from Snaktooth so that every grumpus had a different colored dot. After about a minute of his tired mind trying to read it, Snorpy realized his troubles and reached for his glasses. There, now he could see what he was looking for. A purple dot blinking in the corner of the screen. Floofty was still in their house on the other side of town.
Snorpy knew Floofty would disapprove heavily of him tracking them. But at the moment he was grateful of his suspicions all those months ago. He felt more at ease.
Snorpy fell back against his pillow, exhaustion pulling at his eyelids to make them heavy and droopy. These worries could be sorted out in the morning, but at that moment he just wanted more, hopefully nightmare-less, sleep.
He just had to hope he wouldn't have anymore dreams like that one.