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For as long as Dogday has known Catnap, he’s always been an enigma of a guy.
Ever since he mysteriously just showed up in the valley almost 3 years ago, he’d always been the most secretive and enigmatic member of the smiling critters.
He was like a secret safe locked up in the back of the closet that nobody knew the combination to…
And Dogday just HAD to know what was inside.
So he’d tried (In vain for the first couple months) to befriend the cat, failing because he came on too strong. But once he settled down and just acted normal, the cat had given him a chance.
And when Dogday took the chance, him and the cat had become the best of friends, and had been ever since.
Catnap was the one Dogday always went to when he was feeling down, and Catnap did the same for him, at least about most things.
He knew Catnap had some secrets about his past that he wasn’t willing to share, and Dogday accepted that, because the last thing he would want to do was make his best friend uncomfortable.
But the curiosity still ate at him, even though he knew what curiosity did.
And Dogday couldn’t even fathom that horrible, horrible thought.
So normally he just played it off.
One night, Dogday was taking a walk to the highest point in Smiling valley, Sunset point, to get a good look at the beautiful full moon that was out.
As he walked up the rolling cliffside, he noticed a spot of purple on the very edge of the cliff.
Catnap was sitting there, seemingly having a staring contest with the moon.
He slowly approaches, gently placing a hand on Catnap’s shoulder.
This causes the cat to jump, squeaking.
Dogday jumps as well. “Woah, sorry!” he says, stepping back. “I didn’t mean to scare you!”
Catnap looks at him angrily. ‘Geez, don’t sneak up on me like that!’ he signs.
Dogday giggles. “Sorry…”
Catnap sighs. ‘Do you need something?’
Dogday smiles. “I couldn’t help but notice you were staring at the moon.” He says, pointing at the sky. “Any reason why?”
Catnap looks back up at the sky.
“it’s… complicated…” he says softly.
He then grips his other arm.
“Listen… there’s… something I have to…”
He whimpers. “Tell you.”
Dogday gets a little worried.
“What is it?” he asks, walking up next to Catnap.
He gently places a hand on his shoulder. “You know you can tell me anything.”
Catnap smiles a bit, looking into his eyes. “Thanks, Dogday.”
Dogday smiles back. “No problem.”
Catnap’s smile then fades. “I…”
He closes his eyes, looking down.
“I have to go away soon.”
Dogday’s eyes widened.
“W-what…?” He says, softly. “Where do you have to go?”
Catnap looks up to the moon again.
“Back home….” he says softly.
“Back to the moon.”
Dogday’s mind explodes into little pieces of sunlight.
“Wait, Catnap…” he says.
He looks up at the moon as well.
“You’re from the…”
Catnap slowly nods. “That’s right.” he says.
“I am the prince of the moon kingdom.”
Dogday stares at his hands.
“That…” He says, deep in thought.
“…That actually makes, a lot of sense, now that I think about it.”
Catnap nods, smiling a bit.
Dogday then looks at him. “But wait, if you’re from the moon, how’d you end up here on earth?”
Catnap remembers.
‘Well, as the prince of the moon, I learned a lot about what earth is like through reading about it and looking at pictures our probes had collected.’
He smiles softly.
‘I saw how wonderful it is here on earth and… I wanted so desperately to visit, so… when I turned 18…’
He sniffles a bit.
‘...My father, the moon’s god, told me I could have 3 years on earth to do whatever I wanted, but when the time was up…’ he signed sadly. ‘I’d have to come back home.’
Dogday remembers the day he met catnap.
… it was almost exactly 3 years ago.
“Oh…” he says sadly, looking at the ground.
Catnap nods. “Yes…” he says. “I’ll have to leave in a couple days…”
He gently hugs Dogday. “I’m sorry…”
Dogday hugs back, nuzzling his neck. “It’s okay Catnap… it’s not your fault…”
He then gets an idea.
“Tell you what…” he says, pulling back. “If these are your last days here…”
He gently takes Catnaps hands, making him blush a little.
“Then I promise to make your last days on earth the best days you’ve ever had.”
Catnap smiles. “Thank you, Dogday… you’re a wonderful friend.”
Dogday giggles. “I do my best.”
~Sad transition~
The next day, Dogday spent the whole day with Catnap, going to His favorite places and doing his favorite things, like walking in the park, sitting and reading his favorite books, and of course napping together in his soft bed.
Dogday tried to have fun, but all he could think about was the fact that… in a day or two, he’d never see Catnap again.
Never see his adorable face, or beautiful eyes, or his bright smile…
Or hear his sweet voice… or his wonderful laugh…
Or feel his soft fur, or smell his lovely lavender scent…
He wished he’d told him how he’d truly felt sooner.
There was really no point in telling him now…
They spent the rest of the day together, before going to Catnap’s house to have one big going away party for him with the rest of the critters(who he had told he was moving but didn’t tell about his whole being-a-moon-prince thing).
At the party, everyone gave Catnap a going-away present.
Bubba gave him a first-edition copy of his favorite book, Bobby had made him a pretty necklace out of moon pearls, Crafty had painted a picture of the two of them together, Kickin repainted one of his old skateboards to be space-themed for him, Picky had made him some fish biscuits, and Hoppy had made him an award that said “World’s best sleepy kitty”.
And Catnap appreciated all of them.
At the end of the party, they all had one last big group hug together, and said their goodbyes one by one, before it was just him and Dogday.
The two decided to end their friendship in the very spot it began, going to where they had first met.
Where Catnap had landed when he came to earth.
They stood in the forest clearing together, hugging each other softly.
Neither knew what to say.
“I… I’m sorry I have to leave…” Catnap whispers into Dogday’s ear.
Dogday nuzzles him softly. “It’s not your fault…”
Catnap started to cry, burying his face in Dogday’s chest.
“No… it is my fault… all my fault…”
He whispers through his tears.
Dogday pets his chest softly.
Catnap cries into Dogday’s chest, whispering,
“I could have prevented this if I wasn’t such a coward…”
Dogday pulls back, his eyes going wide. “What…?” he says. “What do you mean…?”
Catnap wipes his eyes, looking into Dogday’s
“My father made a condition that… I could stay on earth.”
Dogday’s jaw dropped.
Catnap turns away, crying. “But… it’s… it’s impossible…”
Dogday steps a bit closer. “B-but why…?”
Catnap sniffles. “He said I could only stay on earth if… if…”
He looks at Dogday.
“If I got Married. Or at least Engaged…”
Dogday’s mind shatters again.
Catnap sighs. “He said if I found someone on earth that loved me enough to marry me, then I could stay, but…”
He starts to cry again. “I’m still unwed, and it’d be impossible to find someone by midnight.”
Dogday was still shocked.
Catnap wipes his tears. “I-I’m sorry…” he says. “I-I was always too afraid to fall in love…”
He sighs sadly. “I always thought whoever I fell for would reject me…”
Dogday looks down, sadly. “I see…”
Then suddenly, he gets a galaxy-brain idea.
“W-wait catnap!” he says, grabbing his hand.
Catnap looks at him, his eyes still wet with tears.
Dogday smiles nervously.
“I know I don’t have a beach and fireworks, or a corny video compilation, or even a ring, but…”
He gets down on one knee, still holding Catnap’s hand.
“Will you marry ME?”
Catnap was stunned, turning red.
Dogday smiles softly. “I-I know this is really sudden, and you probably don’t want to, but…” he says, still nervous.
“You said you could only stay if someone loved you enough to marry you, well guess what?”
He tears up as well. “I DO!”
Dogday cries. “I have for months now, but I didn’t wanna tell you how I felt cause I was too afraid…”
He sniffles. “But Catnap, I love you! I love you so much!”
He looks deeply into Catnap’s eyes.
“So please, Stay with me!” he says. “Even if you don’t love me back, please, marry me so you can stay with us! Because we love you! We all do! Everyone does!”
And then he uses the ultimate weapon, giving him the puppy-eyes.
“But I love you more than anything!”
Catnap was still speechless.
Dogday was still on his knee, holding his hand and awaiting his answer.
Then finally, finally, catnap smiled, nodding as he cried.
“Yes… Yes!”
He said, falling to his knees as well.
“If It means I can stay on earth and be with you and the others forever, then YES, Dogday, of course I'll marry you!”
Dogday cries, laughs, hugging him. “Oh thank you, thank you!” he says. “I promise I'll get you a ring as soon as possible.”
He nuzzles his neck. “Any size and color you want, I don’t care how much it costs.”
Catnap kisses his cheek. “Oh Dogday, I don’t need a ring.” He says. “All I need is your love.”
Dogday smiles happily, his eyes sparkling. “Well I’ll certainly give you every last inch of that.”
Catnap smiles, purring happily. “I love you Dogday.”
Dogday hugs him even tighter. “And I love you, Catnap, my moon prince.”