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CatNap hastily walked down the footpath to DogDay’s House.
Neither they or any of the other Smiling Critters had seen their sunny leader at all today, worrying the group sick. As his best friend, they thought they should check up on him. It wasn’t normally like DogDay to stay cooped up in his home, especially by himself. CatNap knew for a fact that he hated being alone with a passion–
He hated it almost as much as he hated the mailman, so it had to be serious.
Realistically, DogDay was probably tired from yesterday’s activities and decided to sleep in. It happened to everyone, but they still couldn’t help the feeling of uneasiness settling in their chest.
CatNap arrived at the doorstep, knocking in the special code the two had come up with.
A few minutes passed, and no one came to answer the door. Their ears twitched and raised as they tried to listen for noise, or any signs of life within DogDay’s home; They were greeted with nothing but silence.
Now they were really starting to worry.
Luckily for them, DogDay always kept a spare key under his doormat, in case his friends needed it. They quickly bent down to lift up the mat and grab the key, inserting it into the lock. With a small twist to the right, they heard a faint ‘click’ as the door unlocked. They opened the door, cringing as the worn hinges creaked loudly.
Their feet met the hardwood floor as they creeped inside DogDay’s home. The living room was uncharacteristically dark, all the curtains were closed and all the lights were off, with the exception of a few lit candles. Hesitantly, CatNap shut the door behind them. Any and all outside commotion came to a halt, and the soft buzz of white noise replaced it. Now they just needed to find DogDay.
Their ears twitched again, picking up a faint, nearly inaudible noise; Now that they were inside, they could hear small whimpers and groans of pain coming from the cocker spaniel’s room.
Their heart began to beat out of their chest as they paced down the hall to DogDay’s room.
The somali cat couldn’t stop themself from thinking the worst– DogDay was hurt, DogDay was sick, DogDay was in danger, DogDay was dying.
CatNap stood in front of the bedroom door, tail flicking with anxiety as they turned the doorknob. The door opened, and they spotted DogDay laying on his bed, curled up, hugging his teddy bear with a near-death grip. He looked pale in the face, and his eyes were shut as he tried to breathe evenly. His trembling legs were elevated with pillows, and he was wearing his compression garments. On his bedside table was a glass of water, a bottle of tylenol, as well as a now-melted ice pack.
CatNap immediately knew what was wrong, and they sighed in disappointment.
Everyone knew that DogDay had problems with his legs. Avoiding the specifics, he’d told The Critters that he sustained an injury in an accident when he was a puppy, and he needed the support of leg braces. Of course, that never stopped him from being fun and playful, always full of energy– But sometimes, there would be days where he just couldn’t move, the pain in his legs and joints flaring up. It didn’t happen often, and usually, he’d let his friends know of his whereabouts.
DogDay, being the ever-independent leader he was, always insisted he could take care of himself.
But CatNap knew better.
He just hated being a burden. He didn’t want his friends to bother with having to take care of him, so he often had the tendency to isolate himself when he was struggling. Underneath that sunny, strong, and determined exterior lived an anxious, insecure, and stubborn puppy. DogDay had promised CatNap that he’d try being better, that he would reach out to them if he needed help; Clearly, that promise still needed some work.
They approached DogDay and sat on the edge of his bed, barely sinking into the soft mattress. They used their tail to wrap around the cocker spaniel’s tail, something the two did for comfort.
The sudden contact alerted him of their presence, and he opened one eye to peer nervously at CatNap. “Oh, h-hi CatNap,” he stammered, his voice threatening to crack. He looked like he was trying his hardest to stay present. “What… What are y-you doing here..?”
They gave him a knowing look, lips pursed in a pout. They signed, ‘You know why I’m here.’
DogDay sighed and nodded, his features contorted with shame. “Yeah… I know… I-I’m sorry, ‘Nap, I promise that I wanted to tell you this time…” he trailed off, wincing and gritting his teeth as his left leg jerked involuntarily.
“But.. I just… I f-felt bad…” he sounded so sad, and so guilty.
It made their heart ache.
“T-Today, th’ pain wus really, really bad… And… And everyone had p— plans…” He fidgeted with the stitches on the teddy bear clutched tightly in his paws, his voice becoming smaller. He didn’t dare to look CatNap in the eyes. “I… I didn’ wanna bother you…” CatNap scooted closer to him, unwrapping their tail from around his, using it to tilt his head until he was looking at them.
He sniffled as he met their gaze again, his eyes shiny with unshed tears.
‘DogDay,’ they signed, ‘I want you to bother me. I want to know what’s wrong. I want to be there for you and help you, because I love you.’ They gently grabbed one of his paws, squeezing it reassuringly. “You do know that, right?” they whispered, their voice as soft and as sweet as their signature lavender scent. They knew how much he loved their voice, so they only really used it around him. It was his special privilege. DogDay’s tail began to wag, loudly thumping against the bed. He nodded, “Mhm, I know, Kitty...” He said quietly.
It didn’t go unnoticed to them that at some point during their conversation, his voice had gone up a pitch, and he had begun to speak and act childishly. His headspace must be slipping.
Good, because that meant he felt safe.
“Good boy,” they whispered, patting his hand. “Do you want me to stay with you, Sunshine?” They already knew the answer, but they wanted to ask him just in case. “Yes, please...” He mumbled as he nodded his head again, his eyelids droopy. He wordlessly gestured for them to lay in the space beside him, and they obliged. CatNap began to pet his head, earning a small rumble of satisfaction. The cocker spaniel closed his eyes once more, and began to suck his thumb.
They noticed this, and made a ‘tsk, tsk, tsk’ sound with their tongue. “No, Puppy, don’t do that. Sucking your thumb is bad for your teeth, remember?” The somali cat gently reminded him while holding his paw.
He opened his eyes, and his cheeks turned pink with embarrassment as he took the digit out of his mouth. He nodded, “Sorry, Kitty… I forgot…” he whispered, fidgeting with the stitches on his teddy bear again. “It’s okay, Puppy,” they reassured him, “Where’s your pacifier? You can use that instead.” Instead of receiving a verbal response, DogDay whined and ducked his face into his teddy bear, his eyes welling up with more tears.
They sighed and petted him behind his ears, trying to console the poor puppy. “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay. We all forget things sometimes, right? It’s okay. I’m going to ask you again— Where’s your pacifier? Can you point to where it is?”
He nodded, hiccuping, as he pointed at the small dresser on CatNap’s side of the bed.
Using their tail, they opened the drawer and pulled out a red, space-themed pacifier. They passed the small object to DogDay, who in turn immediately put it in his mouth. His eyelids began to droop again as he suckled on the pacifier sleepily, and his posture became relaxed.
He moved to snuggle up against them, nudging his face into their fluffy chest and resting his ear against their heart.
They smiled at the action and pulled him in closer for an embrace, mindfully and meticulously moving his legs. Once he was situated comfortably in their arms, they began to rub his back. DogDay sighed in relief, and he finally looked to be at peace. His tail began to wag again and he curled up in a fetal-esque position, becoming essentially a furry orange ball in their lap. Giggling, they began to purr in joy— They loved their puppy so much.
“Are you comfortable, Sunshine?” CatNap softly asked him through purrs, resting their chin on the top of his head. The cocker spaniel nodded, yawning and rubbing his eye with his free hand. They also knew that the sound of their purring made him sleepy, so they used it to their advantage. “Do you want to take a nap?” They began to pet his head in long, gentle strokes. DogDay shook his head in protest, making an agitated chuff as his brows furrowed.
“Noooo, I wanna stay ‘wake wif Kitty…” he whined despite his obvious inability to keep his eyes open.
“No?” The somali cat cooed at him, kissing his forehead. He shook his head again, yawning, his pacifier falling out of his mouth. “Are you sure you’re not sleepy, pup? You’re yawning an awful lot, and you can’t even keep your eyes open…” They pointed out to him as they continued to pet him, wrapping their tail around his once again. They carefully put the pacifier back into his mouth and grabbed his comfort blankie, covering the two of them. They knew that at this rate he wouldn’t be able to stay awake for much longer, no matter how much he tried to argue he wasn’t tired.
“Nuh uh… ‘M not… sleepy…” He mumbled, the combination of all the comforts at once taking its toll. His eyes closed, and his breathing began to even out. As expected, he quickly fell asleep.
Catnap smiled, glad that their puppy was getting his well needed and well deserved rest.
“Goodnight, Sunshine. Sleep well…”
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