Chapter Text
The Smiling Critters lived in a very rural neighborhood, all of their houses were fairly close to one another, but had some miles of distance between them. Their friend group had always consisted of 7: DogDay, Bubba, Hoppy, Kickin, Crafty, Bobby, and Picky.
That was, until Miss Delight introduced them to a new student out of the blue one day at school. A lavender feline she called CatNap, he’d apparently moved into the neighborhood without anyone noticing.
CatNap seemed to be a bit shy, but the thing that made him stand out more than anything was the fact that he appeared to be completely mute; he seemed to hear them just fine, but only communicated through a notebook or gestures. All the critters were intrigued by him on the first day.
Crafty: What’s your favorite color?
Hoppy: Can you use your tail as a jumping rope?
Kickin: Do you like sports?
Bubba: What’s your favorite subject?
The cat was amazingly fast at writing; he wrote short answers to every question as soon as they left their lips. His favorite color was Lilac, he could use his tail as a jumping rope if he wanted to but preferred to use it to climb trees, he hadn’t really tried any sports other than climbing things (if that even counted as a sport), and he wasn’t particularly fond of any school subjects because he has trouble staying awake in class.
Bobby: Do you like sleeping a lot?
CatNap nodded with a smile and then wrote: “I could nap all day”
Hoppy: All day?? I can hardly fall asleep at night…
Kickin: And it doesn’t help that you start jumping around the entire house every time you have insomnia.
Hoppy: You’re not any better! It’s not like playing videogames at 1 am helps you sleep.
DogDay: Guys c’mon, CatNap’s going to think we’re all crazy.
Kickin: Well, he’d be right about one of us…
Hoppy: HEY!!
DogDay: Very mature, guys…
Bobby suddenly jumped up with an excited look on her face.
Bobby: I know! Let’s have a sleepover tonight! So, we can get to know CatNap better.
Hoppy immediately shifted her attention from Kickin to Bobby, her ears perking up.
Hoppy: Really?? Yes!
Kickin: Hell yeah!
DogDay: Guys, language.
Bobby started excitedly jumping up and down.
Bobby: Oh, I can make pancakes in the morning!
DogDay turned his head to look at CatNap, who had been silently watching the entire exchange, with a curious look on his face.
DogDay: What do you think, CatNap?
CatNap adopted a pensive expression, seeming to consider his answer for a while before grabbing his notebook and writing something quickly.
CatNap: What’s a sleepover?
The group fell into a surprised silence for a few seconds.
Kickin: What, are you serious?
Crafty: You’ve never been to a sleepover before?
CatNap tilted his head to the side at the question, clearly confused. DogDay mimicked the gesture, thinking for a while.
DogDay: A sleepover is when we all go to someone’s house and spend the night over there. We usually eat pizza, candy, play cards and board games…
Hoppy: And we sometimes pillow-fight!!
Kickin: More like you start beating everyone up with pillows without warning; I wouldn’t exactly call that a fight.
Bubba: That actually fits more the definition of an attack…
Picky turned to CatNap, making an attempt to redirect the conversation to the main topic.
Picky: At night we usually go to sleep in the living room in our own sleeping bags, and in the morning, we have breakfast together.
Bobby: Yeah! I make the best pancakes!
Crafty: Waffles too! And she always brings her homemade honey.
DogDay nodded while the girls talked, then turned to look at CatNap.
DogDay: How about it CatNap? We can go to my house, it’s big enough for everyone.
CatNap’s ears perked up as he nodded enthusiastically. DogDay started to wag his tail at the gesture.
DogDay: Alright! Everyone go home after school, and let’s meet at my house at 6 pm, how does that sound?
Kickin: Awesome! I’ll bring all my controllers to play.
Hoppy: If we start playing Roadway Racers, we’ll stay up all night.
Kickin: So? Tomorrow’s Saturday, and you just said you have trouble sleeping anyways, let’s just pull an all-nighter.
Bubba: Lack of sleep will fry our brains, guys.
Crafty: The last time I tried pulling an all-nighter, I fell sick the next day.
Hoppy: I doubt that’s related.
Kickin: And even if it is, getting a cold is the best, you can skip school!
DogDay: That just means extra homework for later.
Bobby: And headaches.
Picky: And nausea… I can’t eat anything when I’m sick, even though I’m hungry.
The group suddenly fell silent, turning their attention to their new purple friend, who had just stood up, holding his notebook for all to read: “You have trouble sleeping?”.
Picky: Oh no, not all of us, just Hoppy and Kickin.
Bubba: Though we do suffer during sleepovers because they’ll keep us awake.
Hoppy: Hey, it’s not our fault we’re more active!
Bubba: More like insomniacs
The cat then wrote something else, to show the bunny and bird.
CatNap: Have you tried sedative tea?
Kickin: Sedative tea? What’s that?
CatNap: It’s a kind of tea that can make you really sleepy.
Hoppy: Really? You could make someone sleepy with just tea?
Bubba: Actually yeah, there are several herbs that can cause your whole body to relax when you eat them or drink an infusion made with them.
CatNap nodded quite enthusiastically.
CatNap: I know how to make infusions that make you sleepy just by smelling them.
Kickin: That sounds like potion making.
Hoppy: What’re you, a child? Magic doesn’t exist.
Kickin: I didn’t say magic, I said potions. Maybe CatNap is an alchemist.
Bubba: I really doubt CatNap can turn lead into gold, guys…
•••
Hoppy and Kickin were both kneeling on the ground in DogDay’s living room several hours later, rummaging through a box that Kickin had brought over from his house with his videogame console, controllers and games for them to play. Kickin was not an organized person at all, evidenced by how messily and carelessly he had stuffed everything in the box; the bird was now in the middle of struggling to differentiate between all the different cables mixed together in a tight entangled ball.
Hoppy: How are you so good at detangling Christmas lights but can’t handle a bunch of cables??
Kickin: Hey, it’s not the same, these cables are wider than normal fairy lights.
Hoppy: Yeah, that means it should be easier.
Kickin: You give it a try, if you think it’s that easy.
Hoppy: Haha! Nope! It’s your console.
Kickin smirked, crossing his arms.
Kickin: Oh, you’re just trying to delay your inevitable defeat in Roadway Racers.
DogDay then emerged from his bedroom, balancing a bunch of brightly colored pillows in his arms. He carefully kicked the door closed behind him with his leg and walked towards the couch, dumping the load he was carrying next to the blankets he had brought just a moment ago; he then turned to look around the room. Bubba was busy moving the coffee table, ignoring his friends’ playful bickering, to make space for everyone to sit together once all the critters arrived. DogDay frowned.
DogDay: Where did Bobby go?
Hoppy: She said she had to run back to her house quickly to get the rest of the pastries she made.
DogDay chuckled.
DogDay: I hope she didn’t go overboard with the sweets…
Kickin: Why? Her pastries are the best.
DogDay: I won’t deny that, but remember the stomach ache you and Bubba got the last time we ate too many? Even Picky was feeling a bit sick the day after…
Hoppy: The stomach ache is worth it; besides, it’s going to be 8 of us this time, I don’t think we’ll eat that much.
At the mention of their new member, DogDay smiled and started wagging his tail.
DogDay: Right! I hope he likes pastries. He seemed pretty unusual.
Kickin: Yeah, I was wondering: how come he doesn’t talk even though he can hear us perfectly? That’s a bit weird.
Bubba: Not only deaf people are mute. I’ve read once that some are born with defective vocal cords, so it hurts them to use their voice, or they simply can’t make any sound no matter how hard they try.
Hoppy: Ohh, you think that’s the case with CatNap?
Bubba shrugged as finished pushing the table against the wall.
Bubba: I don’t know, it’s not the only possible reason, it could be a lot of things, I’ve only ever read about deafness and similar medical issues, couldn’t understand all of it though. The only way to know for sure is asking him.
????: Asking who?
The four friends jumped at the sudden interruption. Bobby and Crafty were both at the door, each with their arms full. Bobby had a stack of white boxes, the ones she always used to package her homemade pastries to share, and Crafty carried a few large bags filled with several art supplies. Bobby was peeking her head over her big load with a curious smile.
Bobby: What’re you all chatting about?
Hoppy completely ignored the bear’s question and jumped to her feet excitedly.
Hoppy: Oh great! The muffins are here!
The green rabbit rushed towards Bobby, quickly taking half of the boxes from her friend’s arms and running to the kitchen.
DogDay: Hoppy, don’t eat anything until everyone is here, Picky will kill you.
The dog heard an exasperated sigh coming from the kitchen as he made his way towards the two new arrivals to help carry some of the things they had brought.
Hoppy: Fine…
DogDay: Bobby, if you were planning on bringing so much stuff, you should’ve told us so we could help carry it from your house.
Bobby: But it’s not that much, I actually wanted to make some cinnamon rolls too, but I didn’t have time…
Crafty: Even if we were all starving, I don’t think we could finish everything you made…
Bobby: Don’t be silly! We have an extra guest this time, we can’t take any chances. What if CatNap turns out to be like Picky?
????: What about me?
Picky stepped into the house carrying what appeared to be a lot of Tupperware wrapped in fabric.
Kickin: Picky, knock first! I had enough of a scare with the other two.
Picky: Sorry, I kinda had my hands full.
The piglet gestured to the packages in her arms.
Picky: I brought some mozzarella sticks, dumplings, and mashed potato balls.
Crafty looked at the Picky’s load with a worried frown.
Crafty: I don’t think we can eat that much, even between all of us.
DogDay came out of the kitchen with Hoppy behind him after dropping off all the desserts Bobby had brought over and went to help with Picky’s things.
DogDay: Well, then let’s just make it an all-weekend sleepover, we definitely have enough food for two days.
Kickin: Hey guys, that’s all great, but can someone help me untangle these cables?
Hoppy looked over at the bird and laughed.
Hoppy: How are you still struggling with those? You stuffed them into that box yourself and now can’t get them out? Hahaha!
Kickin stood up, grabbed one of the pillows that had been piled up on the couch and threw it at the cackling rabbit. Hoppy only seemed even more amused by this, quickly grabbing the pillow that had collided with her face and adopting a defensive stand.
Hoppy: Hell yeah! Battle time!
A smirk crossed Kickin’s face as he grabbed more pillows and started throwing them at his friend with surprisingly good aim. Hoppy was good at dodging though, she started grabbing every pillow that landed close to her to throw it right back at the chicken, laughing the whole time.
Crafty, Bubba and Bobby had meanwhile retreated to the kitchen to avoid getting caught in their friends’ soft projectile war. DogDay and Picky were busy trying to fit all the food inside the spaniel’s small fridge.
DogDay: They’re at it again?
Bubba: Wouldn’t be a sleepover without those two making a mess of the living room over a petty argument.
Picky opened one of the boxes Bobby had brought and started munching on a blueberry muffin she took from inside.
Picky: At least their fights are fun to watch. It’s like an action movie. Oh, let’s make popcorn!
DogDay: Picky, we have enough food to feed an army already…
Bobby: And you shouldn’t fill up on muffins yet, you’re not going to want to eat dinner later…
Picky: You keep underestimating me, my friend.
The five critters listened to the sound of Hoppy and Kickin still throwing around pillows and slight banter to each other in the next room.
Crafty: We should probably stop them before they tear down DogDay’s living room…
The dog chuckled.
DogDay: I don’t mind it, at least they’re having fun I guess, as long as they don’t hurt each other…
Just then, the war noises coming from the living room abruptly stopped, both Hoppy and Kickin let out an audible gasp.
Hoppy: Oh my god, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you!
Kickin: Holy crap, sorry!
The five friends exchanged a worried look before rushing out of the kitchen and into the living room, where they saw their two friends next to the entrance door, huddled in front of a familiar lilac cat, whose head was covered with a blanket that seemed to have just collided with him, must certainly as a result of accidental crossfire in Hoppy and Kickin’s pillow fight.
DogDay: CatNap?
Crafty: Oh my, are you ok?
Everyone rushed over towards the entrance. CatNap’s shoulders seemed to be shaking; a purple paw grabbed at the sheet covering his head and pulled it off to reveal the cat silently giggling underneath; he seemed to find the situation quite amusing. Bubba looked over at Hoppy and Kickin.
Bubba: You two are going to hurt someone one of these days.
Hoppy: We’re really sorry, we hadn’t seen you.
Kickin: You’re not hurt, are you?
CatNap, still with an amused smile, rolled the blanket with his arms and shook his head dismissively as a response.
Kickin: Well, that was quite a greeting we gave you, sorry.
DogDay took the blanket CatNap’s paws and turned to all his friends with a smile.
DogDay: Well, that’s all of us here now, we can start doing something fun.
Hoppy: Let’s play Monopoly!!
DogDay: After seeing so many pillows and blankets flying through my living room today, I don’t think that’s a good idea.
Bubba: Yeah, you and Kickin should only be allowed to play Monopoly when DogDay decides to demolish the house.
Kickin: Then let’s play on my console, I brought lots of multiplayer games.
Hoppy: Sure, let’s play, as soon as our favorite chicken can figure out the cables.
DogDay: Guys, don’t start again…
Kickin gave a defeated sigh and walked over to the box containing the massive tangle that had started his and Hoppy’s pillow war. Hoppy went around the room picking up the things they’d knocked over during their confrontation while Bobby and DogDay went over to the kitchen to start bringing some snacks, and the rest of the group went to sit on the couch or the floor.
CatNap, meanwhile, stared at Kickin fussing over the ball of entangled cables he was still struggling to handle. The cat silently walked over to the chicken and started moving his hands in a curious way. Kickin looked at CatNap for a moment, confused, before his eyes suddenly widened
Kickin: Oh, you’re saying you can separate them??
CatNap smiled and nodded. Kickin was more than happy to hand him over the tangled mess of cables that had been the source of his frustration for the better part of the last 30 minutes.
Hoppy: How did you know what he was trying to say?
Kickin shrugged.
Kickin: Lucky guess, I think. Is that why you were moving your hands like that, CatNap?
The cat nodded quickly again with a smile, he put the ball he was holding under his right arm to retrieve a notebook from a bag he had hanging from his shoulder and quickly wrote something to show the group.
CatNap: Sorry, sometimes I slip up and use sign language instead of writing out of habit.
Crafty: Sign language?
Bubba: Yeah, it’s a way to communicate using only hand gestures, it’s pretty interesting, it’s not just translating words with your hands, it’s like an entirely different language.
DogDay came out of the kitchen carrying a tray filled with all the dishes Picky had brought.
DogDay: Really? That’s so cool! Can you understand it, Bubba?
Bubba: Not really, I only memorized some basic gestures while reading about it. For example, I don’t know exactly what CatNap just said to Kickin, but I think I recognized the gesture for “help” mixed in there.
CatNap nodded enthusiastically and proceeded to repeat the gesture Bubba mentioned with his hands.
Kickin: That’s so neat! It’s like being bilanguage!
Bubba: It’s “bilingual”.
Kickin: Well, you get me.
Crafty: And how do you learn that?
Bubba: You can memorize the gestures I guess, but I imagine it’s not that simple, like I said, it’s like learning another language.
DogDay: We could ask Miss Delight this Monday. She must know some sign language to be able to understand CatNap.
The dog turned to look at the feline.
DogDay: Hey CatNap, can Miss Delight understand you when you use sign language? Do you think she could teach us?
CatNap gave him a seemingly confused look before writing something on his notebook.
CatNap: You want to learn?
DogDay: Yes, of course!
Crafty: Yeah, it looks so fun!
Bubba: The prospect of learning a second language is very tempting.
Bobby: I could tell everyone I love them with my hands!
Kickin: Don’t you already do that every day with your surprise hugs…?
DogDay: Besides, learning it means we could understand you better, right CatNap? Of course we’d want to learn it!
CatNap seemed to freeze at that for some reason, his expression one of surprise. After a moment, the cat gave a shy, warm smile.
CatNap: I can teach you a bit if you want.
Kickin: Hell yeah!
DogDay: Kickin, language.
Kickin rolled his eyes and walked closer to CatNap.
Kickin: Hey, can you teach me how to swear in sign language?
DogDay: Kickin!
The whole group burst out laughing, even CatNap, though his laughter was silent. The cat looked over at Kickin and nodded subtly between giggles, and the bird’s eyes lit up with joy at the prospect.
Sign language, as it turned out, was quite fun to use. CatNap showed them the most basic signs, a lot of which Bubba found familiar: different ways of greeting, saying goodbye, apologies, please, thank you, and asking for help. But the feline actually spent most of the time just showing them how to sign any random words or phrases the Critters asked; he spelled each of their names several times, showed them how to sign the name of about every food he could think of (at Picky’s request), and signed “I love you” at Bobby’s insistence.
By the end of the hour, they all ended up sitting in a circle spelling the random words CatNap just showed them.
Bobby: Oh! Oh! How can I ask someone for a hug?
CatNap thought for a moment and slowly made a sequence of gestures so the bear could see it. Bobby immediately turned to Hoppy, who was sitting next to her and repeated the gestures enthusiastically. The rabbit laughed and gave Bobby a quick hug. Bobby then turned to the other side and repeated the gestures to DogDay.
Kickin: Oh great, another round of hugs. Hey CatNap, about those swear words…
DogDay: Ok guys, how about we let CatNap rest his hands for a while? We’ve been making him sign for an hour already.
CatNap smiled and made two simple gestures “I’m fine”. But the cat’s movements looked less energetic, making it evident that his arms were getting a bit tired.
DogDay: C’mon, we can keep at it tomorrow, at least now we can understand when you say simple things.
Hoppy: Yeah! Let’s play something!
Kickin: Alright, I’ll boot the… Oh wait, the cables…
Before the chicken could sigh at the reminder of the tangled ball of cables that had been left abandoned inside its box, CatNap quickly stood up, walked towards the box, picked up the tangle and, with a few swift moves, pulled one of the cables free. Everyone stared at him in shock.
Kickin: HOW?!
Hoppy: HAHAHAHAHA, Oh my god! You were on that forever!
CatNap took only a few more seconds to completely untangle and separate all 12 cables and handed them over to a flabbergasted Kickin.
Kickin: How the fu-
DogDay: Kickin…
Kickin: How?? I couldn’t even loosen it up!
CatNap took his notebook from the ground.
CatNap: I knit a lot, so I have experience with tangles.
At this, Crafty’s ears perked up.
Crafty: You know how to knit?
CatNap nodded. The unicorn suddenly looked absolutely delighted.
Crafty: Oh, could you help me with my projects?? I’ve been trying to knit a blanket for ages but I just can’t get it right…
The cat nodded enthusiastically again, and wrote something in response.
CatNap: I can teach you how to crochet, it’s easier.
Crafty was practically skipping from one foot to the other. Bobby smiled amused and leaned over to DogDay.
Bobby: I hadn’t seen Crafty this excited since we gifted her that huge canvas stand for her birthday.
DogDay nodded, watching them with a smile.
DogDay: CatNap is really interesting, huh?
The bear then stood up.
Bobby: Hey CatNap, could you teach me too? I want to make Christmas sweaters.
CatNap nodded again, smiling.
Kickin: Alright guys, all set up, what do you want to play?
Hoppy: Roadway Racers!!
Bobby: The Sims!
Bubba: Can you run Kahoot in there?
DogDay: We can play more than just one game guys, calm down.
Kickin started pulling all the games he’d brought out of the box.
Kickin: Roadway Racers can take 6 players at a time, so we can take turns.
Bubba: Yeah, I’ll wait for the next turn, anyone want to play chess with me in the meantime?
CatNap raised his hand at the offering and Bubba smiled.
Bubba: Great, I’ll go get the board.
Even though the group planned to play several games until it was time for bed. They ended up quitting after just three races, opting for playing cards on the ground and chatting while they passed the tray of food around them.
Hoppy: UNO!!
Kickin: Aw, c’mon man…
The chicken had already accumulated about ten cards in his deck.
DogDay: You’re complaining? Look at this.
The dog spread all 25 of his cards face down on the floor in front of him. Bubba had been the first to win, and was now quietly watching them play while reading a book.
Bubba: I told you, sitting next to Hoppy is a guaranteed defeat, she accumulates +4 cards like crazy.
Picky: Guys, anyone wants more dumplings?
Crafty: If I eat anymore, I’m going to be sick…
Kickin: I still have space, pass them over.
Picky stuffed two dumplings in her mouth and passed the tray over to Kickin. DogDay glanced at the tray and reached over to grab a mozzarella stick, then frowned.
DogDay: CatNap, don’t you want something? You haven’t eaten anything yet.
CatNap looked up at him from the stack of cards he was holding. Then glanced at the tray they were passing around with a slightly confused expression. The dog tilted his head at the cat’s apparent confusion.
DogDay: Have you never tried any of these before?
The dog guessed right, as CatNap looked up at him again and shook his head with an awkward smile.
Picky: You’re kidding! You’ve never tried any of these? Not even mozzarella sticks?
CatNap shook his head again, this time slightly amused.
Kickin: Dude! How did you live?
Hoppy: They're a staple of our sleepovers.
Picky: Come on, you have to try these!
The piglet held out the tray towards CatNap who, after looking at it for a moment, finally took one of the round, fluffy-looking dumplings, and took a small bite. Immediately the cat’s ears perked up, and his eyes almost glimmered as he started chewing fast with a delighted expression on his face.
Kickin: Hahahaha!
Bobby: Aww!
Picky: Hahaha! I told you!
DogDay smiled, looking at the feline’s expression of pure bliss as he took another bite while the rest of the group kept laughing.
DogDay: Pretty good, right? Picky is the best cook among us.
Picky: And Bobby is the best baker! Speaking of which, can we bring out those muffins?
Bubba: You’re still hungry?
Crafty: Yeah, I don’t think I can eat anything else; I’ll have to wait several hours before I can try to fall asleep. I hope I don’t get nauseous.
At this, CatNap quickly wrote something in his notebook: “I can make you some tea to help with digestion if you want”.
Crafty: Oh really? Does that make you less full?
CatNap quickly wrote something again: “It makes you digest faster, so you wouldn’t feel too full for long”.
Hoppy: Is that the same as the tea you mentioned at school? The one that could help me sleep?
CatNap: No, that one is made with a different herb.
DogDay: Oh, what’s the difference?
CatNap: I use linden or chamomile together with lavender or jasmine to make the sedative ones. It can also help with digestion, but for that I’d rather use Mint or Boldo, those are more effective.
Kickin: Wow, you sure write fast dude.
CatNap chuckled silently.
Hoppy: I had never heard of those herbs.
Kickin: What, seriously? Not even mint or lavender? You love mints.
Hoppy: I meant the ones with a weird name. The Boldo thing, and… linen? or something like that.
Bubba: Linden.
Hoppy: Yeah, that one.
Crafty: I’d like to try one of those, how do you make them?
Hoppy: Oh, let’s go get herbs outside!
Bubba: It’s 10 pm…
CatNap laughed silently again as he wrote: “I have the herbs in my bag, I just have to boil water to mate it”.
Hoppy: Oh yeah, that sounds more convenient.
Picky: You have the herbs? Can I see them?
CatNap nodded and put his notebook down to go get his bag, he ruffled inside for a moment and took a wooden box from inside. He then went back over to where the group was sitting and opened the box, revealing a number of small white pouches inside, each of which were tied up with a small bow.
Bobby: These look so cute!
Bubba: You have a different herb inside each pouch?
CatNap picked up his notebook again.
CatNap: I collect herbs I recognize in the forest, I use some for tea, and others for potpourri.
DogDay: Potpourri? What’s that?
Picky: Sounds like “pot” and “curry”! Mm, I could go for some curry right now.
Kickin: If you’re still hungry, eat the rest of the mozzarella sticks.
CatNap wrote a short explanation in his notebook: “Potpourri is kind of like a perfume made with herbs and flowers”.
Bobby: Aww, I love flowers! How many potpourris do you have?
CatNap proceeded to select a few specific pouches and handed them to Bobby, who started bringing them close to her nose one by one.
Bobby: Wow, this smells like Jasmine! And this one smells like roses! Oh hey, look Hoppy, I think this is mint!
The rabbit took the pouch her friend passed her and sniffed it.
Hoppy: Oh yeah, this smells just like my favorite candy!
Kickin: Really? Let me try.
Crafty: Oh, let me smell the Jasmine one!
Bobby: Look, this one smells like oranges!
Picky: Ohh, let me see!
DogDay: Do you make all of these yourself, CatNap?
CatNap nodded enthusiastically at the question and wrote something: “It’s quite fun to do”.
Bobby: They smell great! I don’t think I’ve ever smelled a better perfume!
CatNap’s ears perked up at this, and quickly wrote something to show everyone: “You can keep the one you like if you want”.
Bobby: What?? Are you serious??
The cat nodded, and wrote something else: “They’re easy to make, I can always do more”. Bobby jumped up excitedly and swiped the cat up in a sudden hug.
Bobby: You’re so sweet!
CatNap froze at the sudden contact, his tail stiffening behind him and his face frozen in a startled expression.
Kickin: Oh no.
Picky: Pffft.
Hoppy: Hahaha! Bobby, let the poor cat down!
Bobby obeyed, but only to jump towards Hoppy and Crafty and crush both girls in another strong hug.
Hoppy: Oh, come on!
Bubba: Here we go…
DogDay laughed and turned to look at CatNap, who still seemed a bit disoriented.
DogDay: Sorry CatNap, Bobby starts hugging everyone in sight when she gets too excited. Are you okay?
The cat looked over at him and smiled, before starting to laugh silently. DogDay smiled warmly at him. Bobby was right, their new mysterious friend was very sweet.