Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A silent groan escaped the cocker spaniel’s mouth as he started to opened his heavy eyelids, awoken from something he did not know. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the pitch black atmosphere of the cell he was held in.

He heard voices and sounds in the background but waited for his vision to adjust to the dark before investigating. Once his vision adjusted he looked outside the bars of his cell. The cell in front of him caged his fellow Smiling Critter, CraftyCorn. Her and him, along with a bunch of others were part of the Smiling Critters, they all had duties to play while in PlayCare but at night they would be locked up in cells until morning once they would be let out.

“Mmm..” The canine mumbled as he got to his feet, carefully making his way to the edge of the iron bars trying not to wake up anyone else. He wasn’t supposed to be awake at this time but couldn’t overcome his curiosity on who was here at this hour. He peeked out of the iron bars to see two workers, they were both in the regular Playtime Co. uniform. The tallest one, was a female who held a clipboard which looked to have tons of writing on it. Next to her was a shorter man who was unlocking the cell.

DogDay took a moment to try and remember who of his friend’s cell that was, he remembered it was CatNaps cell! The purple cat was rarely ever let out of the cell unlike the other Smiling Critters, only sometimes he’d be let out to come play with the kids and hang out with the other critters.

But why was CatNap being let out this late at night? None of the kids should be awake right now?

The large creature thumped out of the cell, the worker with the clipboard nodded at him and put a finger over her lips reminding him to be silent. CatNap didn’t seem confused, he looked like this was normal? DogDay was the one confused, why was he let out this late at night?!

The shorter worker moved behind the feline and then the trio began to walk down the hallway and quietly closed the door with a small metal clank followed by a lock.

DogDay felt nervous, what was that about? Is CatNap okey? Is he being punished? He wondered if he should ask the other about the event to find out what it was about but came to the conclusion it was probably nothing, maybe a late night checkup so he didn’t have to go out during the day? Yeah.. maybe.

After settling down, the mascot went back to bed.

———

It was about a week after the late night incident. Dogday hadn’t woken up late at night from sounds again after that night so he concluded it wasn’t anything serious and wouldn’t mention it to anyone!

It was very early in the morning, kids had just woken up and were playing in the main hub while eating breakfast.

He was happily playing with the orphans, playing games like tag and hide in seek before school started. As he was playing, he noticed his friend PickyPiggy standing alone looking.. concerned? That was unnormal, during breakfast she would usually chatter with the kids about diets and telling them secret codes to the lunch ladies to get the best meal.

“Hey! I had tons of fun playing but I need to go do something now! Hope you guys have fun at school today!” He said, excusing himself politely. The kids let out a small disappointed sigh and waved goodbye, DogDay scurried his way over to his friend.

“Hi, PickyPiggy!” He greeted, the pig mascot looked over to her friend now coming over. “Oh, DogDay! Good morning.”

“Hello! Sorry, but a few seconds ago I noticed you looking concerned.. Are you okey?” He confessed, he cared about all his friends always wanting them to fell happy.

The pig tensed in surprise before putting her hoof on the side of her neck shyly. “O-oh! It’s nothing.. It’s just..” She looked over to a group of kids, straight at one particular orphan. She had short brown hair with a mole by her mouth and pretty hazel eyes, she had no food with her despite the fact she was sat at a table with friends who were eating.

“Little Emma, she.. Haven’t being eating recently. Her health has already been deteriorating, she says.. shes been getting really bad dreams. She describes them as very realistic, she mentioned them being horrifically gross which made her lose her appetite..”

“Bad dreams..?” The dog felt sorry for the young kid. That must be hard specially how young she is. Plus she hasn’t been eating, wow..

“Mhm..” the pig crossed her arms, “She’s been going to therapy recently. Poor thing is starting to have a hard time sleeping at night..”

CraftyCorn and Bobby BearHug hung out at the therapy center a lot.. Maybe when he has the chance, he’d visit and talk to them more about it. “When did this start happening?” He asked.

The pink mascot paused, “Hmm.. I’d say like.. about a week ago? One morning she woke up and.. yeah.”

“Oh, a week ago? Interesting.” He wondered what could have caused the poor orphan to experience such bad dreams.

“Yeah.. do you know of anything happening a week ago?”

“No I don—“ DogDay paused mid sentence before continuing, “No. I don’t.” He was just being silly, CatNap and this kid had no correlation.

The school bell rang out, all the kids groaned and complained as their playtime came to the end and now following a boring school day. “Oh! That’s the bell, I’ll be going now. Bye, PickyPiggy!

The other returned the dog’s farewell with a wave and made her way to her post for that day.

———

A cloth was pressed against a white board, whipping off a days worth of anatomy writing. The students chatted in the background, school was about to go out for the day and many friends were talking about what they should do after leaving the schoolhouse.

For DogDay, he was planning to stop by the classroom Bubba Bubbaphant was volunteering in to hang out a bit. The two usually stayed after hours despite the teacher’s saying they were fine to go.

A sigh escaped the women sat near DogDay, she was a teacher at the schoolhouse. Her name was Miss Delight, she was a wildly fan favorite of the kids for being a peaceful and sweet natured teacher.

“Are you alright, Miss?” The Spaniel asked kindly.

“Oh it’s alright, dear! It’s just, Chloe over there has fallen asleep..Again.”

He followed her vision to a orphan student, sleeping in the back corner. “Has she not gotten enough sleep?” He said in curiosity.

“Mm, recently she was diagnosed with a pretty bad insomnia. Can never sleep at night.. My sisters told me she has fallen asleep in their classes too.”

“I’ve noticed her spacing out and never focusing..”

“Yes. Her grades are falling. Could you be a dear and wake her up? The bell is about to ring.” The curly blonde hair woman asked sweetly.

He nodded, “Sure! Before making his way over to the back of the class, waving to a few kids as they noticed him. He crouched in front of the desk not to seem intimidating, he was indeed taller than the kids.

After lightly tapping on the girl’s shoulder, she lifted her head from the nest her arms had created. “Ooh-!” She yelped as she recognized the mascot in front of her. “I’m sorry! I fell asleep..! I- was really sleepy..”

The dog let out a comforting chuckle, “It’s okey! We all get sleepy too. But hey, I was told you haven’t been sleeping much. Is everything okey?”

The girl let out a tiny whimper, “At night.. I try! I really try to sleep, but I can’t! I end up lying there all night!! I feel tired but can’t.. can’t fall asleep!” The child complained, frustrated and disappointed she was unable to sleep like everyone else.

“Hey, it’s okey! Here, how about once class ends I walk you up to Home Sweet Home and have them let you sleep? They’ll let you try to nap if I ask them. Promise.” He offered politely, kid’s weren’t allowed in the sleeping quarters after school until dusk but he was certain he could get the staff to make an exception for her.

“Really? S-Sure!” She accepted shyly, with a new found confidence to try and sleep to make the dog mascot proud!

“Mhm! Just have to wait for—“ The school bell rang, cutting him off his sentence. “If you would look at that! Perfect timing, let’s head off!” He offered his paw to the kid. She swiftly picked up her backpack and took the paw to pull herself up.

The two left the classroom and entered the busy hallway, kids were running and pushing to get out of the schoolhouse.

“BEGONE 7 HOURS OF HELLLLLLL!” A kid screamed, his voice fading as he ran out the school.

“Stop running!” A familiar voice rang out, DogDay turned around to see his friend Bubba Bubbaphant who he was supposed to hang out with that evening.

“Oh! Bubba, sorry I’m walking Chloe to Home Sweet Home really quickly but I’ll come back here right after!” He quickly apologized, informing the other Smiling Critter of the change of plans.

“No worries, DogDay! Hello to you too Chloe!” The elephant greeted with a huge smile.

Chloe shyly waved back, “I’m going to be in room 105 when you get back by the way!” Directed to the other critter.

“Alright! See you later!” The two said goodbye and left the school house which was mostly empty by that point.

It was a quiet walk back to the Home Sweet Home, the mascot asked the little girl about what she’s been learning in her classes and if anything is troubling her.. Other than the sleeping problems.

They eventually ended up in front of the sleeping quarter. No kids really were playing around the parameter as they weren’t allowed in yet, it was a tall bright blue, two storied house which was bigger on the inside than it looked outside.

Both of them ascended the small flight of stairs up to the front porch, DogDay gave a quick reassuring pat on the girl’s shoulder before pushing the door open and entering the house. “Hello?” He called out, hoping the staff were present.

“Oh is that.. Dogday! What can I do for you?” Came a very heavy Scottish accent of one of the staff members, she walked into view.

Her face immediately changed once she noticed the kid holding DogDay’s paw. “Chloe?” She asked with concern.

“Hello, Mrs Clark! I brought Chloe here with me. I was hoping you could a make an exception this once and give her a chance to nap? She told me she hasn’t been sleeping much recently.”

It looked like a bucket full of concern got dumped onto the her face, “Oh- Yes, of course. I don’t see an issue! Hey, Sandi?” She called to a another worker upstairs, “Chloe’s here, shes going to have a quick nap!”

“Let’s head up there!” The dog said cheerfully, he was hoping the kid could manage some shut eye even if it was for a bit.

“Wait! DogDay, could you stay down here real quick?” Miss Clark asked politely seeming like she wanted to tell him something without Chloe.

Chloe let out a confused and scared sound. DogDay gave a slight reassuring push on the shoulder of the kid, “It’ll be alright! Try to get some sleep!””

She scrambled upstairs, towards the sleeping quarters. Once outside of hearing distance, Miss Clark started. “She told you about her sleeping problems?”

“Oh, yes she did. She’s been sleeping in class I hear and hasn’t been sleeping well here too..?”

“That is true. I was wondering if you knew if she was going through any.. Stress, Depression, or Health problems? We here aren’t told much about the orphans health.”

“Not that I know of, in school I could maybe see her being stressed by perhaps work? She’s been having trouble focusing and doing her class work. If you want, I can go ask Bobby BearHug or CraftyCorn if they know anything? They both work down in the counseling area.”

“Yes! That would be great, thank you hun.” She put her hands together against her long red skirt and smiled.

“I’ll try getting back to you with answers tomorrow!” After that, he left the Home Sweet Home building. He stepped onto the fresh grass, kids giggling and laughing with excitement in the background, it was time to head back over to the Schoolhouse. He could perhaps ask Bubba if he had noticed anything.

“Hey, DogDay!!” The giggling voices of kids came up to him, “Can you play with us?”

“I’m sorry but I’m actually heading over to hang out with Bubba Bubbaphant! We can during lunch time though!” He apologized, he had already left Bubba for long enough.

“That’s okey! See you!”

The group of kids ran off, DogDay watched their excited expressions. He wondered what was happening with Chloe and Emma.. All the orphans here were perfectly fine, enjoying their lives while they both were having problems with.. Oh. Sleep. That’s, kinda interesting. Both kids had problems coming from sleeping problems..

The mascot leaped up the tiny step of the schoolhouse and entered the building he had left a few minutes ago. All the kids had left except the ones who stayed back for whatever reason.

Room 105 I think Bubba said.. He didn’t wanna accidentally walk in the wrong room.

He pushed the door open and was greeted by cold air. This room was always extra cold, he had no idea why. “DogDay! Welcome back!” His friend called from across the room.

Giggling in response, “Yep! Where is Miss Delight (another sister)?” He asked, it was just them both in the room.

“She went to grab some papers from the supply room but should be back shortly! I told her already that you would be coming by.”

DogDay found himself sorting papers while Bubba helped to grade the students tests.

“I have a question, DogDay.” The blue mascot spoke up.

The dog hummed in response, wondering what the question was. “Why were you taking Chloe to the Home Sweet Home? Kids aren’t allowed in there at this hour.”

“Oh! I thought you would know, she’s been having a hard time sleeping and fell asleep during classes today.”

“No, I knew about the sleeping problems already. Sorry, I probably should have assumed.”

“It’s fine, I was actually planning to ask.. do you know if shes having any kind of stress here or being bullied?”

“Bullied or stress? Hm.. I don’t think so, I’ve also noticed her zoning out in class.”

“Mhm.” He mumbled as he went back to sorting through papers.

Eventually the day started to come to an end after all the kids got their dinner and played for a bit. The workers gathered up the Smiling Critters, herding them through the Playhouse back to the hallway of cells.

DogDay stopped in front of a particular purple cat’s cell. He sat on the ground, back against the wall tracing the cracks on the wall with his claw. “Hi CatNap!”

The cat turned his head to face the new voice after being alone for the whole day. “Sorry they didn’t let you out today, wish they were more keen on letting you play with the kids..”

The feline mascot simply nodded, “It..s.. Fine.” In a light voice, he recently got his voice box a bit broken and now it sounded weird.

“Hey, actually I have a questi-“ he paused, “Actually! never mind. Doesn’t matter.” CatNap didn’t like questions that much and didn’t look in the mood to answer one.

“Goodnight CatNap!” He quickly said out after realizing his time was almost up as his cell door was being opened, the other replied quietly, “You— ToO.”

The dog smiled back before turning and heading towards his cell, hoping the workers would decide to let the cat out to play with the kids the next day.

Chapter Text

…..

“…Yeah! And he said he was planning to confess to her!” A voice rang with excitement.

The soft voice of a unicorn mascot spoke up, “Awh! Really? That’s so cute!”

“Mhm! I think she likes him back too!” The loud speaker was Bobby BearHug.

“During classes I’ve seen the two take peaks at each other.” Another voice sprang, this time it was Bubba Bubbaphant.

DogDay opened his eyes lightly, hoards of light filled his vision, he blinked his eyes a few times to adjust to the bright light of the room.

CraftCorn was about to speak up before noticing the critter in the cell just in front of her wake up, “Morning, DogDay! Sorry, did we wake you up..?” She asked shyly.

While mid yawning, he replied “No worries! It’s alright, what are you guys talking about?”

“About two kids who like each other~!” Bobby replied, swooning. “The kid, Roman is planning on telling her!” She fell back dramatically on the hard tile of her cell with a thump.

Eventually a few workers came in with breakfast for the Smiling Critters, they carefully went down the hallway handing each tiny plates. DogDay accepted his breakfast with a thank you, he looked down at the small late in his hands. It held portions of meat, some looked a bit raw but it was fine as the Smiling Critters were made to be able to digest raw food.

Everyone started into their breakfast, filling the room quiet with soft sounds of chewing and eating.

“They barely give us anything!!” PickyPiggy complained.

“Hey, it’s better than nothing!” DogDay replied softly, when the Critters first arrived they barely received anything until the staff was sure they could be trusted.

They continued to eat in peace, staff eventually came back to collect plates. It was the same routine every morning, soon they (usually with the exception of
CatNap) would be let out to play with the kids during breakfast and after, head to their assigned duties.

Workers came around, unlocking the cell doors with their loud metal keys. DogDay shut his eyes, he was always last to be unlocked as he was at the very back, he listened to the doors opening and foot steps, hoping to hear his friend, CatNap’s door be opened.

A worker approached CatNap’s cell, he looked at the mascot inside nervously. They turned around to look at the other member and gestured to the lock.

“…No.” Responded the other

DogDay’s heart sunk as he heard the foot steps move away from the cell. They continued to let out the other critters, he heard someone approaching his cell and opened his eyes. For a moment, he thought the worker in front of him was just a random staff member but now that he had a better view, he recognized them as the short male worker that had let CatNap out of his cell late at night.

His mouth hang open as the door slightly slammed open, with an iron clank even forgetting to thank the worker as he stepped out.

“You okey?” A soft female voice asked beside him, “Hm? Oh.” CraftyCorn stood next to him, concern spread on her face.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Just, tired. You know?” Wasn’t bad of an excuse plus not entirely a lie. The hard cell tiles were uncomfortable to sleep on.

“Ugh, same. These cells are so crappy!” A new voice joined, the loud voice belonged to another Smiling Critter, KickinChicken.

DogDay chuckled a bit, “Haha, wish they gave us mattresses or something.”

The other nodded, “Exactly, they expect us to work with kids with sore backs and bad sleep?! Who do they think they are!” The mascot protested.

“Umm.. Kickin, weren’t.. you the reason we had our mattresses.. removed..?” Spoke up shyly from the short unicorn critter.

The chicken scoffed, “I remember no such thing! The workers have no idea on how to be fun!” He objected.

“Mhmmmm..” the canine hummed, amused. “And we got our pillows removed because you tried to create a pillow fight.”

The chicken snapped his head quickly, looking straight at the dog. “Hey! Admit that was fun! They rarely let us hang out!”

A small chuckle came out, “Well.. That is true.” The unicorn replied sweetly.

Suddenly DogDay remembered something he had meant to do, “Oh! Crafty, you think later today I could stop by the counselors office?”

“Hm? Oh, sure! Bobby might.. not be there, ..but I will!” She answered, “Perfect! Though, why won’t Bobby be there?”

“She’s going to help out in the Playhouse I think.” DogDay nodded and said bye to his friend as she walked off. KickinChicken came up close to DogDay, “Why do you need to visit the Counselors Office?” He whispered, feeling it was some sort of secret reason.

He hesitated for a second before replying, “One.. One of the staff members wanted me to check up on a kid.

“Oh! Which kid?”

“Chloe. She’s seven, short, blonde hair. Apparently she has started having insomnia.”

“I know her! She use to be so energetic at the Playhouse before, but now I always see her sitting in the back trying not to fall asleep..”

“Does she have any friends?”

“She does, during playtime they would always ask if she wanted to play but she would simply reply that she was tired.”

The mascot nodded, “Yeah, shes falling asleep during classes. I’m going to try finding out if there is a reason she started having insomnia.”

“Well, man! Wish you luck!” He playfully saluted before walking off with the other Critters who were already walking down the hallway. He lingered for a second before jogging over to the only closed cell, “Morning, CatNap!” He called, the other mascot shifted from his sitting position, “Morning.” Replied dully.

“I’m.. I’m sorry they didn’t let you out today, hopefully soon they’ll let you out! Even for a bit..” He offered a small smile, “It’s fine. The Prototype will save us.”

The dog’s eyes drooped, the Prototype was something CatNap had been talking about ever since they met.

..two years ago..

“Hey, you! Hii! My name is DogDay, If I remember correctly your name is CatNap, right?” The dog had ran up to the new member, quickly introducing himself.

The cat was zooned out staring at a group of kids before turning to face the new mascot who had disturbed him.

DogDays tail wagged, excited to meet a new friend but to his surprise the other one didn’t share the same energy. He stood there looking down at the canine with no hint of emotion in his eyes, he simply nodded.

Not wanting the conversation to end abruptly, DogDay tried to continue it. “Glad to meet you! I hope we can be friends!!” He cheered with optimism.

“How could we be happy here?”

He had finally heard the voice of his new friend, it was tiny youthful voice that maybe was a few years younger than his.

“Wha..what do you mean?” The canine asked, surprised by the statement.

The cat looked at him strangely, “Do you not remember what happened in your past life?” said in a matter of factly voice.

“Not.. not really? I just remember my last life being really painful.” The Cocker Spaniel answered.

A few quiet seconds went by again.

“It doesn’t matter, the Prototype will save us.”

“The Prototype..?”

..present..

“DogDay! C’mon!” A voice called out from the end of the hallway. The mascot swiftly looked up, “Yes! Be right there, Bubba!”

“I have to go, bye CatNap!” He said hastily before jogging down the hallway, followed by the clank of a iron door.

CatNap sat in now silence, which he would continue to do until the day ended and his "friends" came back.

He sighed, with tired eyes as he dropped his head back into his arms, pulling his purple furry legs up against him.

….

DogDay sighed after the long, excruciating day. He loved his job, it was always fun hanging out with the kids but sometimes it got tiring.

Bubba Bubbaphant had asked if he wanted to hang out after school hours but he turned the offer down. DogDay already had plans to do afterwards, he was heading to the Counselors Office

At a light pace, he followed the path from the School to the Counselors building. He listened to the giggles of kids running around, happy that the school day had ended.

The mascot stopped in front of a tall white building, with tall stairs ascending up to a small brown door. Two huggy statues looked down at him, striking a proud pose. He climbed up the tall flight of stairs and ducked under the short door, he remembered KickinChicken once complaining about how, “un-considerate” the builders were for not making the doors bigger.

He was greeted with calm yellow wall paper, paintings of Playtime Co. mascots filled the walls, he followed the tiny hallway to a sign saying “Office.”

Once ducking under another door, he entered a small receptionist desk. The loud quick typing a keyboard stopped, “Hello, DayDay! What can I help you with?”

“I’m looking for CraftyCorn, is she around?”

“Yes! Go on.” The receptionist got up from her seat, she entered a small battery into a panel and the door next to the mascot opened. DogDay never understood the need for so much security in PlayCare, so many doors had to be opened by buttons and batteries.

He thanked the women and continued to the next room, it lead to a long hallway. He hadn’t been here in a while, things looked a nit different. The building was lively of adults and kids, he peaked through the glass of each door trying to spot his friend.

He caught a glance of bright blue hair, behind a door of an office. He lightly knocked before entering, “EEP! O-Oh! Hi, DogDay!” She blushed wildly, “You needed something..right?”

DogDay stepped into the office, shutting the door behind him. “Yeah, I’m here to find out what’s happening with a certain kid. She recently was diagnosed with Insomnia.”

The mascot got up from her seat, closing the cabinet she was just looking in, “Oh… you may need to check in with medical for that but..” she paused, “We may have some stuff written down!”

DogDay nodded, unsure on where to go next with this. “We can try going to Stella’s office, she may have some information on the kid.

They both exited the small door and continued down the hallway, “Oh yes, which kid are you trying to find more about?”

“Ahh.. Sorry, I probably should have said that first. Her name is Chloe.”

“Chloe….Hm.. Sorry I don’t have anything on the top of my head..” She replied softly.

“It’s okey, hopefully Stella has some information on her!” He added on, with hope.

As the two walked, they both caught each other up together on recent events and stories. It felt nice hanging out with the other Smiling Critters now and then.

“Here we are!” CraftyCorn knocked on the door softly but still loud enough to hear. “Stella?” She called out.

“Come in!” Spoke a women in a unique Dutch accent, after being allowed in the two mascots ducked under the door.

The women swiftly moved around the room, seeming like she was looking for something. “Oh! CraftyCorn and DogDay, what a surprise! Didn’t expect you two to stop by! What can i help you with?” The women asked in a cheerful voice but still seemed a bit nervous.

“We.. we needed to ask you a question but um.. are you okey, Miss Stella?” The Cocker Spaniel asked.

Stella tensed, eyes widened. “O-oh!” She stumbled, “I’m fine!! I’m awaiting for a couple who is looking to adopt.. You know.. Always stressful to make sure a child is given to the right family!! Don’t you worry your fuzzy little heads about me!” The Dutch women reassured.

The two mascots still continued to look at her concerned, “Anyway! What can I do for you?”

“Ah! Yes!” He clasped his paws together.

“Recently I found out about a kid, Chloe’s condition. From what I was told, she has just been diagnosed with Insomnia and while I walked her to Home Sweet Home to take a nap.. one of the staff, Mrs Clark. She asked.. Well I offered I could find out if there was a reason for Chloe’s insomnia since it was recent.” He said, hoping Stella took the subtle hint.

“Chloe? Hm, seven right? I think I remember looking at her profile recently. Give me a second~!” She hummed as she turned around to opened a cabinet full of thin yellow files.

“Chloe…Chloe…Chloo- Oh, here we go!” She pinched the top of a file and pulled it out of the cabinet. It was handed over to the two mascots.

“The third page should hold information about her Medical Record—“

A knock on the office door interrupted the talking women, “Stella Greyber! They are in the lobby!” A voice called out as the door opened, Stella’s eyes widened.

She nervously chuckled, “Sorry! I have an appointment to get to, you two can take the file with and return it later!” She waved the mascots farewell as they left the office.

Craftycorn stepped out the door first before DogDay, who closed the door behind her. They stepped away from the door leaving room for the couple.

“Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Hartmann! Come on in! Please, have a seat!” A muffled yet cheerful Dutch voice could be heard through the walls.

DogDay opened the file in front of him, the first page held a picture of Chloe with the basic information, Date of Birth, Birth Parents, Age, etc.

CraftyCorn flipped the page to the third page. She hummed before placing her finger down on the Medical Records.

“Insomnia: Chronic.” She paused, “High levels of Stress and Shifts in her levels of Cytokines.” The Critter read out in a low voice. “Doesn’t.. That one cause hallucinations or is that just Fatal?” DogDay asked.

“No no, they both do.” She replied nervously.

“Are there any notes?” The dog asked, CraftyCorn turned the page back to the second page. “Oh..”

“What?” He asked before looking down at the paper, he tensed. “T- Testing? Wha..” The other lightly shrugged at the unfinished question.

“Could.. whatever that be.. be the reason?”

“I mean.. we can ask Stella? She m-may know!” She spoke up with hope, Yeah! Of course Stella would know! She always knew!

He was about to nod before a loud screaming voice shattered the peaceful sound of the office. In an instant, the Critters turned around to where the voice came from.

They stared at the office door they just left out of. The angered screams continued, “You’re in charge of all this, how could you not know?!”

“And why are we only finding out about this now?!”

The muffled yelling continued, until suddenly security ran through the hallway and barged into Stella’s office.

The two mascots stood in confusion, they watched in stock as the men ran into the office. A ruckus could be heard, created from opposition.

The couple was forced through the small white door, being held tightly trying to escape their grasp. “Demons! Demons I tell you! This place is evil!” The women yelled, “This place was created by the Devil himself!” She continued to scream in a high pitched voice, she was clearly spooked.

As they were being dragged out, the man suddenly turned around and punched his captor. It turned into a bloody fight, papers flew everywhere, staff members backed away to the walls, items and chairs fell on top of the quarrel which had taken it to the ground.

After coming to the realization of what was happening, DogDay immediately ran over. He jumped into the fight and started pulling away the two, the guard got up and backed away. DogDay held the other who had started the dispute in a firm grasp.

DogDay wasn’t made with unique abilities like Hoppy Hopscotch or CatNap. He wasn’t built with strength but still held a bigger advantage to humans due to his huge size.

The man in his grasp bit down hard on the mascots arm, he shivered in pain still holding onto Mr. Hartmann as best as he could. The small human in his arms kept squirming in an attempt to get out.

“DogDay!!” Called CraftyCorn in fear, Stella was standing next to her, her hands were against her mouth in shock.

Hartmann took that second of distraction to turn around and twist the mascot’s paw. Plastic and bone broke with a painful sound, DogDay bit back a yelp as he quickly banged the mans head against a desk, instantly knocking him out but not hard enough to cause injuries.

Fresh blood ran down his arm as he panted, CraftyCorn quickly ran to his side. She put her hoof on his shoulder, “A-Are you okey?! Here, lets get you to the infirmary!” She nervously stuttered non stop.

DogDay kept pleading that he was okey, his paw hurt like hell and the blood running down his paw stained his fur.

As the two started to leave the office, the canine looked behind him. Straight at the women who held the position of Head of Playcare. She stood in a state of shock, she looked back at him apologetically and kept that contact until a wall had became between them.

..30 minutes later..

DogDay sat on a white infirmary bed, with his injured paw extended as a nurse bandaged it up. CraftyCorn pulled up a chair next to him, “I finished talking to the doctor.. he said you should recover in a few weeks..”

He nodded, and pulled his paw back after the nurse finished bandaging. “How do you feel?” She asked.

“Not bad, my paw stings but my arm is just numb..” He replied with a small smile, “Did you find out if Mr. Hartmann is okey? I worried I knocked him out too hard..”

“Oh! Don’t worry, he’s fine! I think the Hartmann’s have already been escorted out of PlayCare.

He nodded before chuckling, “That’s good.”

The two chattered for a while, they were both excused from their afternoon duties however soon dusk came and CraftyCorn had to leave.

The canine thumped back on the medical bed, hey.. at least he will be sleeping on something comfortable tonight?

He chucked to himself as he closed his eyes.