Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Catnap approached the weary dog, having listened, and felt like it was already enough, to hear his once friend downtalk and downright blaspheme 1006. That wasn't about to be ignored. So he cornered Dogday, hissing a wordless threat at the heretic’s fury-laced words; believing it was clearly exceedingly idiotic to even THINK about slandering one’s savior, hero, god.

What did Dogday even think that ranting about The Prototype was going to even do? Did he think it would make Catnap change his mind? By his wholesome begging? Hah! No.

The feline dragged himself forward, letting the air fall into a chill, watching his former friend fall into silence as the atmosphere dropped.

Did he finally realize his first and final mistake? Catnap narrowed his eyes, the circular white ovals becoming pinpricks as small as flint. Catnap was going to make him regret his words. His slander, his blaspheme. He was going to make the dog wish he'd never come into his territory; blabbering absolutely nonsensical vilification about 1006. The original.

The purple cat gave a chitter, which quickly turned into a snarl as he gave up all his slow movements, swiftly pouncing and pinning his prey to the ground. Digging his claws into Dogday’s neck, would Catnap unsheathe them more.. watching as black blood began to pool where his claws made indents into the orange fur.

“What did I tell you about watching your tone and your words, old friend..? Didn't I say they were going to get you into trouble one day?”

His voice, raspy and gravelly, echoed throughout the dark shadows of Playcare; the only other sounds were the pattering heartbeat and ragged breathing of Dogday’s. He was scared.

As he should be.

Catnap took this as an opportunity, he let his chest rumble with a purr, hoping to disarm the dog for the meantime until he finally got his bearings.. He, Catnap, on the other hand, would wait for the right moment. The perfect moment. To strike. To finally be rid of the leader of the sinful heretics that plagued the entirety of Playcare and beyond.

This was surely to please The Claw. Would it not? By removing the enemies.. Surely.

Dogday was still berating him, he could hear the vile in each set of words in the usually sunny and cheery canine’s voice. But he was done listening, since the beginning. Since the dog decided it was time to get off his haunches and come visit his old buddy. Since Dogday ever took the claim of being in control of the group after The Hour of Joy.

“Catnap— Please, listen to me! The Prototype isn’t somebody you should trust! He’s lying to you!”

Ah.. and he was waiting for those treacherous words. It was too bad. His former friend wasn’t willing to listen.. so he was to face the repercussions. And so, the cat reeled his paw back, pads stretching and the claws heightening in their cubbyholes; and let his paw strike down, slicing clear at one of Dogday’s legs, he repeatedly did so until both of them were no longer attached to the dog's torso.

Dogday’s wretched howls of pain were background music to Catnap’s ears, as he then sliced a jagged cut, with precision, into the meaty part where the legs’ base was. Now that that was done… He was to hang the dog.. to make sure he didn't get lose. But first..

“Do you regret? Are you willing to actually open your ears and heed the words of Him? Or are you willing to be stubborn and ignore the call?”

Like a fool.. a senseless scrap of worthlessness.

Catnap would utter, staring deeply at the dog as he writhed wordlessly— still screaming, grunting in pain and agony, awaiting an answer. It had better be something along the line that would be pleasing.

“N—Never! I'd rather stay here and die then have to lose my mind and will to beg, to grovel– at the likes of that monster.” Came the pained, vitrol filled, snarl from the legless dog, his pupils already damaged from their scuffle before. Gone and torn out..

Oh Dogday, always stubborn and keeping to his beliefs.. No matter how stupid they were. Catnap huffed, wordlessly turning on his tail and went to grab chains and a few belts.

He'd return a moment later, dragging Dogday, ignoring the groans of pain as he neglected being gentle, letting the dog scrape his intestines and whatever else(heretic blood, the inky substance staining the holy ground) was leaking from inside the legless torso of his, to the prison cells and tossed him in, ignoring the sharp bark that echoed after it. Catnap heaved the heretic up with a paw, and tied the chain bindings around his wrists, sharply wrapping them at the end without a hint of care. He chose a particular spot, there were drain pipes on each side..

It was time to give an offer, and so, he prompted.

“If you change your mind.. you know how to find me.”

And he left. Stalking away with a flick of his tail, pawpads finally silenced after he turned the corner and exited the dark, lonesome prison.

.🧶.

Chapter Text

There goes another heretic, ridded of and away from ruining the fragile plans The Prototype had in store for Playtime Co.

Catnap stuck to the shadows, hopping over a large dent in the ground and made his way to the caverns, holding a group of mangled, bloodied toys in his maw, his direction en route to the shrine. To make a deposit, an offering to his beloved God. To show his devotion to his savior, the only one who actually saved his life.

The one who truly mattered in this rundown, human abandoned cemetery-like facility.

Catnap let his pinpricks glance around his surroundings, eyeing the mini critters as they scoured the area below, chattering amongst themselves about something he didn’t necessarily care about so he moved on. The next slope heaved upward, allowing the feline to advance from ground floor to the higher areas, which were nearby to the upper entrance that led to the rocky Caverns. A good thing that he chose this route too, he managed to spot a few new forged homes where more confident toys made their purchase— that could be an issue if they decided to get out of hand and wreck the shrine, if they ever managed the courage. But Catnap wouldn’t let them get that far, even if it meant devouring a couple of ‘innocent’ beings.

Anything for the Prototype. Anything to outright show his loyalty . Unwavering and true . Loyalty that wasn’t tainted by falsities and absolute lies . Like the disgraces he was once bunched up with, the Smiling Critters . If anyone asked him, he wasn’t affiliated with them. Not anymore. Never. Never again. He couldn’t bear to slip up, not here. Not now. 

Catnap hissed silently, raising a paw and let his claws unravel from their homes, scraping them against the jagged wall; his claws making indents in the material, not as much as they’d easily do to flesh or a regular wallpaper, but just enough to show the damage. He couldn’t afford to waste anymore time, so he picked up his pace, readjusting his grip on the sacrifices in his maw as he moved onward, leaping from stalagmite to stalagmite until he reached the cave. 

The shrine. It was a wonderful sighting, to one who created it of course— Catnap hoped 1006 approved of his dedication– dedication s , all that he’s done for his savior , hero , god . 

With a rumbling purr, the feline dropped his catches down, lowering his front into a respectful, meek and submissive bow; nudging the mangled creatures forward before rising slowly to his full height, grabbing the toys with a maw and connecting them to the other dead, slightly rotting corpses of the other offerings he’d place on the recreation of his hero . 

It was almost done.. Just a few more add-ons and the shrine would be complete. 

(There was no problem with bringing extra offerings, but the shrine was yet to be proper.)

Catnap huffed, fixing one of the grimey corpses of the.. Critters , with a claw, righting where it was stabbed in for purchase, poking the black oval orb with finality as he turned away. 

He wished the disgust ripening in his head and heart was real , as real as flesh and blood was.

.🧶.

His tail flicking with some sort of mixed feelings along the lines of bitterness, and uncertainty, did Catnap finally make his way back to the main area of Playcare, his ears twitching as a faux gust of wind swept through the area; he was certain that it had been a few years since The Event. Given the look and scents of the Orphanage, his estimation was correct. Nobody working here has ever been back in a decade.. At least, not alive and fixing things up. 

(The last ones were killed and eaten. Preservation left some toys and a few of the Bigger Bodies to stash some away. Smart, they were to do so. No one likes to go hungry. )

Currently, with a small incline of his head, he could hear The Prototype speaking to him..

There was a… visitor, from above? That Catnap was to kill .

(Someone both Huggy Wuggy- 1170 and Mommy LongLegs- 1222 failed to get rid of.. They failed.)

As so now he had to finish the job; and he would, whatever it took. 

He wouldn’t let Him down. No matter what. He’d skin the little infiltrator with his claws, quite easily.. but, it’d be fun to stalk them, like true prey for a bit. Would it not? He wouldn’t lose his prey, he’d simply play a game of Cat and Mouse. 

A game that involved spilled blood, a frightened little vermin and a cunning feline. 

It almost sounded perfect .

And exquisitely perfect it would be to receive praise, rare praise from his god after capturing and ridding Him of such an ignorance that dared to destroy his plannings. The Plan.  

A setup larger than the most precarious spider web hanging around a trapped fly. Catnap thought it was brilliant; the idea. He, despite being a loyal devotee, wasn’t told the full details, but he didn’t mind, all he knew was that The Prototype was going to save them all. And those beneath him, his followers, should be grateful for whatever they received. 

And so, Catnap was beyond grateful; having been in The Experiment’s graces long before.

This, of course, gave him more of a reason to be motivated in pleasing his hero. He hardly had to be persuaded, just a simple request and it was to be fulfilled.

At beck and call. 

Catnap silently wondered, as he continued on his patrol of the main area of the Orphanage, eyelights flickering around each and every corner; what did this intruder look like? Another one of those ‘specialists’? He assumed. What was so different with this one?

It should be easy to get rid of a human . The tiny beings were practically harmless against the Bigger Bodies— and Catnap wasn’t going to let a tiny organism wreck the plans . Never. He’d be a fool to play with his food without following the main course of the task. To Catch. To Kill.

To exterminate the vile being who decided to set foot into the sanctified grounds, attempting to slaughter the god who kept eyes on such a holy land.

(Or once holy? Perhaps. .)

If he was to fail.. then he’d..— have to sacrifice himself to his god as an act of mercy.

(And Catnap did not want to fail or upset 1006 in such a way. He’d do his best. Not least.

And then, maybe.. just maybe he’d have some freedom—some time to himself for once..

(As if that was going to ever happen; which was most likely never. Unless he died. But Theodore Catnap did not want to experience another painful situation like that. So that thought process and option was off the table.. Hopefully.) 

For now, he was to wait and keep watch— to listen for each and every noise that gave a hint to whether the visitor had officially arrived yet. That was when Catnap would truly be on the watch. Looking through every shadow, hiding in every shadow. Waiting to hunt his prey.

He lived for the hunt; it seemed to give energy into his very being. It was exhilarating to stalk his prey; to hear the thumping, adrenaline filled pulses as they ran, the scent of fear almost palpable in the air— he could almost taste it once. The scent always made his blood rush . 

And he was eager to taste such a delicacy once more.

Chapter Text

Catnap’s tail swished silently as he peered through the darkness before him, freely letting his red gas— poppy gas, which was full of strong opium substances, into the air. It floated around, permeating through the still air and clustered through small spaces and ventilation openings around the entirety of Home Sweet Home. 

He had already felt accustomed to roaming through the place— despite the multiple property–destroying gouges of claw marks left in some particular rooms and on pictures. 

He could still faintly remember being pricked and prodded with their tools. It hurt. Badly. The Hour of Joy was one of the best events to have occurred. Catnap was sure of it. 

The Prototype’s idea was a miracle ; the massacre was a gift , the food: a blessing . 

By all means, it was meant to happen.

Catnap shook his head, giving the rest of his body a thorough shake before he continued padding around the interior of the once cozy building; eyeing the second floor with a vacant expression plastered on his ever smiling face— his voids for sclera glinted with slightly dull white ovals– tiny black pinpricks darted around the room, trying to search. For what, he didn’t know. Perhaps empty hope. 

The feline huffed, raising a paw and rubbing at his eyes— a dry liquid seemed to leak from the pits of his pair of voids, rolling down his face as he was caught reminiscing. A weakness ..— one that could and would not be tolerated.. by his god. Never.

He wouldn’t dare show such a concept again.

Catnap dragged his gaze away from the railings, padding back through the hallways and out the main door that led back to the Orphanage. His footfalls stilled once he reached the stairs; he suddenly wished he could force breathing to echo from his maw, but with an organ-system that was the basic copy of a gas machine, he couldn’t . The only breathing he could manage was his breathing out the crimson smoke— which was, in any case,  utilized to disarm and send the target into a deep resting sleep after a bout of hilarity and dizziness; which led to fatigue.

Once again, caught in his thoughts, Catnap was mesmerized with dismay— only beginning to move down the stairs after a sharp prick of pain began to stab at his mind. An order. He was taking too long, getting trapped in his mindspace— the deepest part where the memories lied. The sensations that were brought to him each time he stalled were not pleasant, so he continued moving on with his patrol. Watching. Scenting. Searching.

Catnap trudged down the stairs, paws managing– of course, to minimize the amount of steps he needed to take to get to the ground floor; that little codebreaker should be arriving— or have arrived already. By train.. The train used to take the children deeper into the factory. To take them to learn.. to be trained for the jobs they needed to do.. if they passed. 

He would head over the area nearby; perhaps that’ll be where the little rat makes their appearance, he will catch them— faux sending them on their way. Down the shute. To the garbage disposal! That’d be a laugh, figured the cat, with a forced purr of laughter. 

(Since he had, for reasons not mentioned, been down in the dumps before, he knew there was some sort of exit. First, a game of stalking and then chasing. And next, if the vermin finally begins to start solving the puzzle pieces, he’d step in, before it was all too late— and exterminate the prey. That was all there was to it. The finishing of the interloper.)

This would be fun.

.🧶.

The purple feline stretched out his gangly limbs, his ribs jutting out from his spine as he rose back up from his half–standing position; it was a wonder how his anatomy never failed him. Starving and probably dehydrated as ever, Catnap still managed to function whilst on the end of the line— it was a surprise indeed. Many would think he was a living corpse. That suited him just fine; sometimes pretending to be asleep or unconscious helped with hunting— the prey that managed to be fooled would be swiped and pinned by unsheathed claws before they could escape once the penny dropped. It was intriguing to take part in. 

He would’ve wondered, only for a moment, if he could change his current tactic, but he doubted The Prototype would appreciate one of his followers biding their time in such a way.. and he was one of them all right; and did not want to add disgrace to such a title.

Catnap shook his head, his long tail flicking— swishing, as he began to stalk forward; his eyelights hollowed as they darted around the area. He should go survey that area, who’d know when they arrived— and plus, he’d need to go make sure it wasn’t now .. but at the same time, it’d be great to get a jumpstart on his plans. He could very much go through with his first idea. The garbage chute route. That’d disorient the prey a little bit, and then Catnap could continue on with planning and working  in the background. 

The purple feline would give a satisfied rumbling purr at this thought process; one would have to be smart for this all to play out, and Catnap was just as intelligent. 

Chapter Text

It was quite easy to find the interloper, all Catnap had to do was sniff around a bit until he came across the abundant stench of burning materials, fire itself and smoke— it seemed the guest didn’t acquire adequate driving skills.. for they failed to even reach their correct destination.

Not that Catnap particularly cared about that or the intruder’s current condition. 

Before he knew it, the feline already began stalking towards the stranger, stopping to stare at the burning vehicle before hauling the little pest away from the tracks; his wide maw somehow clutching the body of the human–a possible ex-employee of Playtime Co. He had a feeling they were—why else would some random person come down here? That was the only reason.

Catnap padded out from the tunnel, heading upwards and upwards until he came across a room, making a small, sharp turn before he hauled the human into the room— the metal topping that opened up to the trash compactor was in his sight. Bingo!

The purple critter reached over with a long arm, his claws finding hold of the handle after a small fumble and he began to tug open the door, padding closer to the chute opening before letting the ex-employee’s body slide down the grimey trough. He hoped that was enough. (Perhaps not, considering that human had managed to deceive both Huggy and Mommy..) 

If disposing wasn’t enough to cow the foreigner, then Catnap was to go after other motives; his favorite motive of them all. The Hunt . And best of all, this was his territory. He knew it well, each and every shadow had been thoroughly checked by him— he lived in the shadows. Thrived in them.

Catnap backed away from the chute after shutting it tightly with a shove of his paw, turning his tail and dipping out of the room, slipping into a nearby ventilation shaft. (He knew that the little being had already escaped the grinder by now, despite his defiance against it..)

Catnap growled, finally reaching his destination and crawling out of the vents, his paw-pads touching the flooring with a clink. He wondered where the little gremlin was now.. But he didn’t have time to dwell on that much longer, already moving through the facilities of the building, delving into the potent batch of Red Smoke that already pervaded the entirety of the right side of the gas production zone and there on. He knew most of the ways here anyway.

Sooner or later, he’d have that mouse in his clutches and a prize to bring to his God’s shrine; what a pleasant idea that was that swarmed through the feline’s head as he made his way through the back section of the entirety of Playcare; making sure things were aright..

For the unwanted guest to begin their fateful quest in the place they should’ve never trespassed upon.

 It would be really fun to do a little stalking, though.

────────────

.🧶.

────────────

Personally, Catnap didn’t necessarily think the little human wasn’t bright— he came to such a conclusion as thought to himself, his eyes watching as the ex-employee skirted around Playcare, slight wonder in their gaze at the once beautiful place.. that had dried specks of blood in the grass.. and everywhere.. There was nowhere in the facility that didn’t have stains.

The feline continued to watch the human pad around before he slunk off of the rooftop as he saw them heading for Home Sweet Home; landing silently on the ground, just as they unlocked and opened the doors– walking inside not a moment later.  

(Maybe he’d pay them a small visit.)

After a second of waiting, Catnap slowly began to head after them, crouching in order to fit through the small two-way doors (one of the designs he disliked the most; he could hardly fit through them—once he had gotten stuck). Patience and silence was needed in order for this to go well, which was why, after a heartbeat, Catnap easily sank into the shadows, shadowing his unsuspecting prey throughout the vicinity of the building he usually watched over.

It wasn’t much of a wonder how quickly they skirted throughout the maze, he figured after eyeing the short human as they walked around, idly listening to the radios; he wondered what they thought about his scratched messages that were carved into the wooden floorboards.

Weren’t you supposed to listen to warnings? 

Catnap thought it was logical to do so, maybe the ex-employee didn’t but he’d wish to push them in that same direction, and he knew just how to do it. Fear and startling. 

(Perhaps that was why he looked like this ..)

The feline shook out his thin (jagged with his jutting bones) pelt— stopping before he gave himself a headache and slunk forward, almost missing the employee as they veered into a smaller room. Catnap peeked from the other side of the door, eerily staring at them as his ears picked up a voice that came from the once ringing telephone. Someone else.

(That meant that they did have inside help after all. How fun.. but unfair.. )    

His eyes narrowed before the human spun around, staring at him for a millisecond before he darted off away and into the shadows– only then did Catnap let his footfalls fall into silence as he snuck back out of the maze-like and windy hallways. Don’t get distracted.

Getting distracted wouldn’t help him if he was to rid of this vermin before he failed .

(Failing was not on the table, Catnap wouldn’t allow it.. Nor would 1006 .)

The feline would rather skin himself alive than let his god be disappointed in him.

And that was the bitter truth. He was devoted with every fiber of his body.

To kill, maim, slaughter— anything for The Prototype. This was the true quality of a follower; and Catnap was the exact prime example, willing to impress.

Unafraid of the consequences he'd receive for following the only worthy one. 

And plus , loyalty was one of the best qualities of all; it needn’t involve punishment.

Chapter Text

Catnap was back to watching from the roof of another one of the buildings, peering quite earnestly—his pupils ripe with a murderous glint– at the former worker. 

Why would you they even come back to this place a decade after the slaughter? Hm?  

That was a question most of the current inhabitants wished to know, Catnap included.

He simply didn’t understand.. but that wasn’t the issue on the table. Getting rid of them was. And that he would do very shortly, after getting the plan back together before that rat tore into the written calligraphy with scissors and timed precision. However you’d put it.

It really didn’t matter, whether they managed to get past this obstacle– Catnap would kill them. And he wouldn’t waste an opportunity like that. 

The feline flicked his tail, digging his claws into the material of the roofing; the ex- staffer seemed to be collecting the power from the buildings to supply it to the main source. He had to admit, that was somewhat smart. (Catnap could unplug them, if he felt like it.) 

Would it kill him to be curious about the employee’s true motives?  (Maybe.) After all, there was that notorious statement, but it had an add-on.. Satisfaction brought it back .

Catnap huffed, shaking out his pelt and slunk down from his perch, sighting them head into the school— surely Miss. Delight remembered what he told her? He hoped so.. or else he’d have to give her a piece of his mind for disobeying the principles . If that did however happen.. Catnap would also make a point of taking her stupid mace (the mutilated twine-pencil thing was called Bart if he remembered..) from her as well, it’d serve freaky smiley-face well.

His tail twitched with a twinge of annoyance, she had better not fail.

He’d grit his teeth, his permanent smiling visage looking grim in the dim lighting of the sanctuary’s enclosure and false sunlight; this place used to be great. (Hint: This is untrue.) Despite each and every public accusation that dampened Playtime Co’s popularity. 

Catnap sighed, slinking forward in the opposite direction of the school; the Gas Production Zone, near the cable car lining setup and stairway.

He had work to do.

────────────

. 🧶 .

He would trod into the Production Center, ears flicking around as he gathered his surroundings and until he was satisfied with the confirmed emptiness of the room. 

No heartbeats nearby, no breathing, no fresh scents.

No interruptions from annoying pests.

Catnap glanced around once more before padding back to the tanks and staring intently at the copious swirling crimson inside the tubes. The almost endless supply of Poppy Gas.

He would raise a paw, tapping the indent of his pad into the button which divided the power, and diverted it to the left . He was going right. (And so would the guest .) 

Catnap watched eagerly as the crimson gas transferred from one tube to the other, and he lowered back to all four before slinking off to the right side of the factory. 

It was game time and blood would be shed by the end of it, the feline reasoned with himself as he ducked beneath the slim doorway the hall provided.  

Catnap’s claws itched as he walked around inside the building, letting his poppy smoke flow freely from his maw, the red swirling around and floating in the dry, still air. He wondered if Delight had already taken care of the troublesome intruder before they caused more trouble—messed up His plans, caused a breakthrough, whatnot.

  It’d be a miracle to not have to dirty his paws anymore, although the promise of fun it would bring to play a game of Cat and Mouse like the last time.

The Hour of Joy.  

(If he saw them again, he’d know it had been too soon.)

      He could merely only imagine what the finishing product of his Hero’s plans were.

He could still remember their screams.

Each and every one.

(It never failed to entertain him whenever he was bored, music to his ears.)