Chapter Text
It was another day in the afterlife, spent mostly with the other critters in the place they came to know as the Smiling Valley. Today consisted of sunny skies, no dark clouds in sight and fairly mild winds. Overall it was perfect conditions for an outside activity, which they’ve come to do every week for the past few years in the afterlife whenever the weather permitted it.
This time, Picky insisted on hosting a picnic for everyone to try out her new recipes and naturally no-one declined. Who in their right mind would pass up on a culinary expert’s cuisine? Even the most introverted characters of their group found their hunger winning over their lower social batteries.
So they all embarked on a trip to the woodlands, and most of the morning was spent trying to find the perfect picnic spot and to his frustration, the insufferable cat’s location was chosen.
How HE won was beyond him and it irritated the grouchy canine to no end.
His own idea had been a picturesque view of the crystal blue riverside, with luscious plush grass that cushioned your paws just right. The best feature though was the wispy willow trees, cascading beautifully over the pool of water in their full glory. It was an area that was the very definition of tranquillity, a destination he often frequented on his occasional hikes and it also became a special soothing place for him to reflect and unwind sometimes...When the past got too much.
Despite this, he had been willing to show it off to his friends. He knew everyone would have loved it there as much as he did.
As far as he was concerned, it had been flawless, far better than Catnap's idea which consisted of some large field section of the forest (what was the point of going through the woods to a zone without trees?) surrounded by an array of colourful plant life.
Catnap probably just didn't want to go anywhere near water because he was a cat, (coward) but to his dismay, Bubba also made a good point that Hoppy and Kickin would likely start a water fight and that would have sidetracked their little feast and invoke Picky’s wrath...
To put it simply, no-one wanted that. So he begrudgingly conceded, but made an effort to make his discontentment known to all.
After helping set up the picnic blanket, plates, cups and cutlery, Dogday sat cross legged between Picky and much to his annoyance, Catnap, who shamelessly slotted himself beside him, as he always did at every social gathering these days.
For the past year now, Dogday stopped fighting Catnap (at least, with his fists, a milestone achievement in his eyes) because he was trying to be more considerate of his friends. The feud with Catnap impacted everyone, some of them started to forgive Catnap when he was frolicking around, acting all defenceless and pitiful and trying to 'make amends' while the other half, including himself, felt betrayed that their friends would turn their backs on them for their shared past life tormentor and executioner.
The tension that ensued nearly divided them all permanently, and he couldn’t stand to let that happen. He had been reunited with everyone after going through hell, to say the least, for a full decade. He couldn’t picture his life without them for a second time and he wasn't going to allow Catnap to win by separating them all over again.
So that was why he stopped getting physical with the feline, there wasn't any other factor at play here. He wasn't going soft. Nope. He just had to learn to swallow down his deeply rooted resentment (for the most part) to keep the group intact.
Even when the other half of his friends gradually began to forgive that cunning cat or at least accept his presence, he still didn't intervene or resort to cornering Catnap to put him in his place. Instead he observed warily, watching for any warnings of the feline turning on them.
But Catnap somehow misinterpreted this ‘change’ as an opportunity to ALWAYS be glued to him. His behaviour became…Weird. Catnap no longer seemed overly anxious around him. He even started looping his tail around his foot like some…some clingy parasite! This was all just a front though. Of course it was. He probably got a kick out of this and wanted to provoke him. But he wouldn’t let him get the better of him. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. He wouldn't give that rotten cat the satisfaction of a reaction.
However it didn't help that his stomach always knotted around the feline and his heart pounded without fail whenever they were in close proximity together. He became hyper attuned to his presence, aware of Catnap's every movement. Even the faintest smell of lavender alerted him. His cheeks also set aflame whenever his personal space was invaded when the purple critter initiated touch, but that involuntarily reaction was clearly from outrage at the feline's lack of respect for his boundaries and the physical sensations he experienced were obviously his instincts preparing him for a fight or whatever Catnap had planned against him.
There was no other explanation for it. He definitely wasn’t afraid or felt anything strange around the annoying shorter critter and he refused to look into it any further. Case closed.
He watched with a scowl when Bobby took her place next to Catnap and wrapped her arms around the feline with a tender smile. “Oh what a lovely place this is Catnap! The flowers are in full bloom this season, thank you so much for showing us!”
Ugh. He bit down on his tongue. She was definitely doing this on purpose to rub in the fact they didn't choose his spot.
She was also the first one to ‘forgive’ Catnap, sticking to his side like an overbearing (pun not intended) motherly figure and she partially assisted in aiding the feline to mend his ties with the others as a mediator of sorts, but she won't succeed with him.
He narrowed his eyes at them. Catnap could trick the kind-hearted bear and the rest of the critters, but he would protect them if the cat made the slightest slip up. He may have been the youngest of the group and not always taken seriously, but he wasn’t a naive runt anymore and he wasn't their leader for nothing.
The purple cat appeared bashful from the attention, but returned the gentle hug with his near permanent grin widening. “That’s why I thought of this area. I'm glad you like it.” He turned his head to the side, and met the grumpy canines eyes, who tensed when he was caught staring at them.
Catnap kept his big eyed gaze focused on him, his already mellow voice softening further in tone as he smiled sheepishly. “I hope everyone else likes it too…”
Dogday broke eye contact first, crossing his arms and looking away with an irritated huff. What, did he want some more praise for being oh so perfect? Was this idiot fishing for compliments from him of all critters?
Did the ridiculous feline want him to admit that the sun’s rays from his stupid spot felt blissful and warm on his fur or how the gentle breeze carried a lovely, delicate and soothing floral aroma in the air from the flowers surrounding them? And yet despite this, the pollen wasn’t too intense for those with sensitive noses such as himself? It wasn’t like this spot was chosen specifically just for him or anything. So what was his deal? To rub it in?
Well, he won’t give him what he wants.
It didn’t stop other critters however.
“Hell yeah! This place is sweet!” Kickin declared with a thumbs up to Catnap. “Good job dude!”
Oh brother.
He rolled his eyes. That chicken was too easy.
Thankfully he didn’t have to endure that for very long.
“Okay y’all, I made plenty so eat your fill! Or else!~” Picky giggled and began to set out her latest recipes onto different platters along with a generous selection of beverages and dips.
As she went along, Dogday watched her unpack the goods in horror and disbelief, as did everyone else when Picky’s basket seemed to be never ending. She took out a large variety of sandwiches, wraps, salads, fruit bowls and desserts to the point the quantity of food overflowed and took up the majority of the blanket space.
“What are y'all waiting for? There's enough for everyone~”
She wasn’t kidding. There was enough to feed an army.
Honestly he shouldn’t have underestimated her, she had always been uh, a gracious host, but he didn’t know where to begin. He may have been starving after skipping out on breakfast, but this was far too overwhelming and they were all very spoiled with choice. Even his keen sense of smell couldn’t narrow things down when everything smelled so delicious.
For once, making a decision actually sounded like an intense olympic sport and this was coming from a critter that enjoyed working out and was supposed to be proficient in leadership.
He was disrupted from his internal monologuing, when a plate was presented in front of him and the tantalising scent immediately assaulted his nostrils and overpowered all the other scents in the air. He glanced down at the dish and noted it was a mild Mexican melt of sorts, with the right amount of cheese and toasted perfectly, which only served to make him more ravenous than he already was. He had to swallow to stop himself from drooling, unaware that his tail started to wag behind him.
Dogday looked up to whoever was offering him the irresistible meal, about to thank them, mostly under the assumption it was the chef herself, until he finally caught sight of who it was and felt his eye twitch.
It was none other than the damn cat, smiling at him in a way that made his throat go dry.
Catnap waited patiently, his tail wrapping around his own waist as he continued to smile politely with the plate still extended towards him. “I thought you would like this especially. I helped Picky make the fajita melts and we made sure they were mild, which is perfect for your taste buds since you're not as fond of spice. I hope you enjoy it.”
His heart skipped a beat.
How did the feline know he had an aversion to spice?
He never told him. Did Picky tell him? Or was it just an educated guess?
Regardless, this attentiveness was…
Why did it make his chest feel all…jittery?
He mentally slapped himself. He had to get a grip.
The dog critter snarled, noting with pride at the way the feline's ears drooped and he laughed, giving the feline a mean smirk. “Listen. Just because you picked out food for me doesn’t mean I am obligated to take it-”
He was interrupted by a loud growl coming from the pits of his stomach and quickly tried to cover it. His face burned from embarrassment. This was beyond devastating. His body chose the worst time to betray him, and to further humiliate him, Catnap noticed.
The purple critter stared in silence for a moment, but it didn't last. He raised a brow and his smile quirked in amusement, fake sighing as he started to pull away. “Oh well, you’re right I suppose…I’ll just give this to Kickin, I'm sure he'll be all over it-”
Dogday jerked to attention, enraged at the idea of Kickin of all critters getting the heavenly looking meal instead of him, so much so that he reacted before his brain could catch up with him. He snatched the dish from the feline’s paws and once he realised what he did, he turned his head to the side, hiding his face so he didn't have to see the infuriating cat’s reaction and not because he was blushing. He mumbled begrudgingly. “Tch, I’ll try it. I was just making a point…”
“Mhm. Of course.” Catnap didn’t buy it one bit. But he left Dogday alone and went back to sitting, helping himself to the selection of foods in contentment and listening to the other’s conversations.
The canine glared at the feline’s back, waiting for the sting of shame to simmer down before he could bring himself to even try the mouth watering fajita melt now perched on his lap, but when his stomach continued to protest, he gave in and took a hesitant bite.
And he was…really pissed off. It was just as good, no, BETTER than it smelled and easily became the best damn fajita he ever had in his entire life (lives?) and Catnap was the one who helped MAKE it. He ignored the stinging of his eyes. He wasn’t going to cry or anything. But it was really insulting that the feline was kicking him when he was already down.
Later on, when the food was cleared (and Picky was given a pat on the back for her tremendous efforts…and Catnap too) the critters all broke off into groups to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.
The majority of them stayed at the picnic spot, settling into some of their respective hobbies. The elephant critter took out a large book of complicated looking puzzles to work on. Crafty brought along her art book and started sketching the scenery around them and the pig critter had brought along her trusty knife (which still made all of them cringe, but she proved to everyone that she was mostly harmless) and took out a block of wood to whittle on. Bobby and Catnap seemed to be talking amongst themselves; he didn’t stick around long enough to find out what about though.
His own group consisted of himself, Hoppy and Kickin. The green bunny had insisted she wanted to exercise (when didn’t she?) and Kickin claimed he wanted to join so he could burn off some calories because he was watching his figure, which got an eye roll from literally everyone else.
And Dogday decided to join them because he needed to get away from that damn feline as soon as possible.
The moment he finished that unfairly delectable fajita and then shoved his pride aside to help himself to another, (he told himself Picky was the one who mainly made them) it was like he unknowingly sealed his fate. Catnap started to practically beam at him throughout the entire picnic, so much so, it made him nauseous each time he felt his eyes on him. It also made him want to…preen himself? He found he was unconsciously smoothing down his ears, his fur, even his tail after every glance in his direction… He put these behaviours down as a normal reaction to being so intensely watched but he hated how fidgety it made him feel.
But seriously. Why did Catnap keep staring at him like that? Was he thinking he was ‘earning’ Dogday’s forgiveness and trust with a ‘tasty treat’ of all things? As if he was just a typical dumb mutt or something?! He wasn't that simple minded for Angel’s sake!!
So he needed to blow off some steam and naturally, he proposed a good ol’ game of dodgeball to the other two and he was not left disappointed. Out of all the critters in the valley, they proved to be the most challenging opponents on the field in terms of sport.
Hoppy was quick on her feet and enthusiastically engrossed in any activity she partook in as the most energetic critter.
Kickin, though he lacked in speed and skill in comparison to the bunny, had great reflexes and managed to evade the ball despite complaining about rustling his feathers that he supposedly spent hours on, (yet he still played anyway) and Dogday. Well.
He had the advantage of a good throwing arm and he was downright competitive enough to keep up with the other two and it proved to be an interesting game.
The good news was, he definitely felt much better afterwards. He didn’t even mind losing to Hoppy.
The bad news however was they all returned to the picnic area battered by the end of it, each of them (mostly himself and Hoppy, Kickin was just being dramatic) were covered in multiple cuts and scrapes from getting a tad carried away.
As usual at any function, the most intelligent critter, Bubba, anticipated their reckless nature and prepared a first aid kit in advance. The canine protested after the other two were treated, he had received far worse than mere scratches, both in this life and the last, but a persistent Bubba was almost worse than a nagging Bobby.
So he found himself covered in plasters with smiley faces and hearts. Great.
It wasn’t like they were grown adults in their thirties or anything.
He gave Bubba a half-hearted glare and he could have sworn he saw a twinkle of amusement from behind those thick frames.
But now focusing on the present, Dogday noticed that Bobby and Catnap were completely missing from the group. He bit his lip and scrutinised their surroundings, but he didn’t have to look for long, because the smell of lavender and roses alerted him to their returning presence.
“We’re back…with gifts!” Bobby excitedly announced, bringing a bundle of what appeared to be flower crowns with the feline in tow behind her. He noticed they both wore matching crowns, as if they were best friends and did his best not to growl.
The bear ran up and placed a yellow and white crown over the green bunny first, who blinked at the sudden weight on her head, but she quickly recovered and grinned. “Aha, so that’s what you both were up to? That's so lame!” Bobby put her hands on her hips and pouted as Hoppy snorted. “I’m just messing with you, promise. Thanks Bobby.”
He didn’t actually remember when those two made up, they were arguably more aggressive in the feud than Dogday and Catnap were, but they became closer after the air was semi cleared. He did know that Hoppy was still one of the more wary of Catnap at the very least, hence the feline staying out of their conversation.
The bear critter shook her head and sighed at Hoppy’s antics, but went back to grinning sweetly seconds later. “Well, I made yours with mostly yellow gardenias and white roses! Catnap told me about the history of the language of flowers and that they all have different meanings behind them!”
Hoppy reached up to feel the crown, raising her brows inquisitively at the knowledge. “Huh, really? So…What do yellow gardenias and white roses mean then?”
Bobby exchanged a knowing look with Catnap before winking mischievously at the bunny. “I’m afraid that’s a secret between me and Catnap.”
”What?!” Hoppy flared and jumped to her feet. ”Hey, come on!! Tell me!!”
Bobby only giggled and sing-songed. “No-pe!~”
After a small spat between the two women, Bobby eventually handed out a flower crown to everyone, and much to Hoppy’s annoyance, she and Catnap explained the meaning of the plants used for their crowns. Dogday remained quiet through it all, his mouth twitching and curling upwards a tad at Hoppy’s torment, but other than that, he wasn’t really able to pay much attention.
The purple critter in between talking with everyone, kept stealing glances his way in an oddly timid manner that made him look suspicious. That or he was finally having a belated reality check.
Was he finally catching on that his little stunt from earlier wasn't going to move him? That whatever plan he had plotted against him wasn’t going to work? Was he aware that whatever nonsense he was up to over the course of a year wasn’t going to change anything between them?
That Dogday knew better?
He rested a paw over the bandages of his waist when his stomach churned. He was almost used to the occasional phantom pains by now, but they still served as a reminder that he would never fall victim to Catnap ever again.
He was swept away from his brooding when an ominous shadow loomed over him. It made him jolt back to the present, he couldn't stop his eyes from darting up anxiously though he masked his expression as best as he could.
Dogday managed to stop a shiver running up his spine, but he couldn’t suppress the exasperated groan that left his maw when he realised who it was. At this point, who ELSE would it be? The literal bane of his existence. The one and thankfully only, Catnap. Perfect timing after a flashback.
Not.
His irritation leaked into his gruff voice. “What do you want?”
It was just them, as the others were engrossed in their conversations. Here, the feline stood before him with his hands behind his back and tail swaying behind him in a nervous manner. Dogday tilted his head and squinted at him, though he was not in the mood to talk, he couldn’t help but find himself kind of curious about what was getting the cat’s tail in a twist.
“Um so I…” Catnap trailed off meekly. What was going on with him?
“Just spit it out already.”
“...”
His answer came shortly when the cat critter produced a flower crown that was hidden behind him.
“...Huh?” Was all he could manage in response.
In his stunned state, he found himself analysing it. For starters, it was different from the others. It was more bold and admittedly, very clearly well put together and made with care. The yellows, whites and purples complimented the crown beautifully, and the way the stems were intricately weaved together looked as though the most creative of their group-Crafty-had pieced it together herself. He recognised some of the plants that were used too, but the centrepiece flowers were the ones that caught his attention the most.
They were…sunflowers.
His hackles raised.
That had to have been a coincidence.
The fluttery feeling in his chest was back with a vengeance.
“I got so engrossed in making yours, that Bobby ended up making most of the other crowns.” The feline fiddled with it for a moment, before leaning down to Dogday, moving slowly to see if the canine would push him away.
To their shared surprise, Dogday didn’t do anything.
Catnap spoke up again, to fill the silence between them, keeping the crown hovering over the canine’s head to give him more time to react. “I used sunflowers because I remember how much you liked them.” What he didn't mention was how much he wanted to see Dogday wearing them...and smiling, but that would take time. He was more than aware, but this was a start.
“I also used yellow gardenias, wild daisies, sprigs of lavender and lilacs. The purples contrast best with the yellows...” The purple critter finally lowered the crown to nestle on Dogday’s head, once the flower crown was fitted, Catnap took a moment to admire his work, clasping his paws together gleefully with a radiant smile. “Oh wow, I knew sunflowers would suit you!”
Dogday lowered his head and felt something inside of him shatter.
Catnap noticed the change in his mood immediately and his smile became strained. “Dogday?” He hesitantly rested a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Dogday swatted the feline’s smaller hand away, before he rushed to his feet in urgency. “Stay away from me!” He barked at the cat, but it came out not as strongly as he had intended, his voice choked full of emotion.
The purple critter backed away with his paws raised and stammered. “I-I will, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, I didn’t hurt you, did I? It wasn't intentional-”
“It wasn't intentional? Haha…” A malicious, though pained smirk graced the canine’s face as he laughed darkly, making Catnap’s ears flatten against his skull. He clenched his fists and advanced towards a now retreating feline. “You’re telling ME this wasn’t INTENTIONAL?!”
Catnap stuttered, his frame starting to tremble as he grasped his tail in fear. “I-I was just-”
Dogday wasn’t having it and prodded a finger into Catnap’s chest aggressively, making the purple critter wince. “You were just what?! Pretending you give a damn about me?!”
Catnap's eyes widened. “What?? But I do-”
”Cut it OUT already! Haven't you done enough?!”
Dogday snapping venomously at the startled cat caught the attention of the entire group.
Bobby was quick to run over and get between them. “Dogday, what is the matter with you?!” She bundled Catnap close to shield him from the furious canine. Following shortly was Kickin, who put a hand on Dogday’s shoulder firmly.
Dogday watched the yellow critter tilt his sunglasses enough to look him square in the eyes, his tone uncharacteristically calm. “Come on Boss…This doesn’t need to be a big thing. Can you just quit it?”
The dog critter seethed, his paws beginning to shake. Not a big thing? Quit it? Him? HIM?! How was he the one that was the problem here?! Catnap has been provoking him everyday incessantly for a YEAR and HE was the one who had to QUIT it?!
Was this Catnap’s plan all along? To make him lose it and set his friends against him?
After a heated glaring contest with the taller critter, Dogday’s shoulders lowered and he averted his gaze to the ground when his vision was becoming blurry.
He managed to choke out. “Don’t you dare tell me how I should and shouldn’t react. You haven’t got a clue. None of you do.”
This startled the chicken to withdraw his hand, furrowing his brows. “Hey boss-”
“I need to go.” Was all he muttered before he turned his back on them all, storming down the forest path that led back to the Smiling Valley, not caring to look back at the concerned glances the critters all shared with one another.