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That time of the year had rolled around again; it was Darko’s birthday.
Last year his siblings threw a party for him. Although a day late, it had been an unexpected but welcomed surprise. This year was just another day. Poko wished him a happy birthday first thing in the morning and then went on and did their own things, leaving Darko to his own devices. For an hour or two, he stayed in bed, mumbling to his plushies mostly.
This got boring quickly. So, Darko sought to do his favorite thing and go exploring outside. The Dawkins siblings lived in a secluded area surrounded by a small forest. They were allowed outside however they were prohibited from leaving the premises which also meant they could not wander too far into the forest just in case they got lost.
Grabbing his beloved Foxy plushie, Darko got out of bed and climbed out of his gift box, exiting into the FNAF prize corner decorated room it was situated in. No one seemed to be around as the half-puppet ventured through the mostly silent house. The strums of an electric guitar elsewhere in the house briefly caught his attention before he rolled his eyes and stepped out the back door.
Outside, the warm air hit his face, gaining a smile from him. Darko giddily dashed into the forest, going along a mental path he had memorized until he stopped at a river down a small hill. This was his favorite spot and it was still in the premises, meaning he could freely come here whenever he pleased. The half-puppet came here a lot, typically when his home would get too noisy and he’d sneak away out the back, usually resulting in him coming home past his curfew and getting a scolding.
Rarely would there be any disturbances in the forest, just him and the wildlife most of the time. Animals were one of his favorite things, surprisingly. The Dawkins siblings didn’t have any pets, it was rare that they’d spend time with any of their dad’s dogs… It was rare that they’d spend any time with their dad, actually. Nonetheless though, Darko had vague memories of these times, primarily of the pugs his dad took care of long ago. He loved them and he could only believe they loved him too. In the past he considered asking Poko if they could adopt a pet, but in reality he knew it wouldn’t work out with their… complicated living situation.
So, the many creatures out here in the forest would have to do.
The birds were always out, chirping their conversations that Darko often wished he understood. Rabbits would sometimes hop in the distance away from the half-puppet as he sat atop the hill and he’d giggle while watching them as he thought about Dawktrap and the glitch’s obsession with rabbits. There was the occasional fox that would trot by too, reminding Darko of his past; of his victim…
Animals out here rarely noticed him, an observation he was fairly used to.
Not today though.
Darko squinted his eyes as a gray, small yet kind of stocky, creature approached him. He was cautious as he watched this raccoon move closer to him. Although rabies was practically unheard of where he lived, there was still an ounce of concern for he had never seen a raccoon out during the day, let alone had one come near him.
The fuzzy animal climbed into his lap and nuzzled up against his lower torso. That was unusual. Darko looked down at the creature, seeing that it was a youngin. Somewhat hesitantly, he gently ran his hand along its back. Darko frowned, the raccoon was quite cold…
“Sorry… I’m not warm either.” he mumbled, stroking the fur.
Of course, he got no answer.
“What are you doing out during the day? Keeping me company on my birthday?” he chuckled. “What if I named you… Jeremy!” He smiled, lifting Jeremy into his arms along with his Foxy plushie as he stood up from the ground and began to walk back the way he came. The young raccoon relaxed in his arms, strangely trusting the half-puppet.
Back home, Darko brought Jeremy into the prize corner, placing the raccoon onto the shiny red counter. He made a quick trip in and out of his gift box to retrieve a spare blanket from beneath his bunk bed and carefully wrapped Jeremy in it, making sure the raccoon was warm and cozy. Darko smiled and pulled a stool toward the counter, taking a seat. He knew he couldn’t keep Jeremy but if he could have some company on his birthday that’d be nice. And it seemed like the raccoon paid no mind to the attention.
The half-puppet rested his head on the counter, petting the top of Jeremy’s head.
Inevitably though, Darko closed his eyes and fell asleep…
From somewhere in the house, a scream erupted, startling Darko awake. His cold hand rested next to a discarded blanket on the counter. What time was it!? He hadn’t even put his head down for a minute! At least, he thought he didn’t… His eyes widened as he saw that Jeremy was nowhere in sight, his mind began racing as he scrambled to stand up, nearly collapsing as his knees buckled beneath him… He stumbled toward the open doorway.
“WHY THE HELL IS THERE A RACOON INDOORS?” a voice echoed down the hall.
“ Jeremy! Get back here!” Darko shouted, tripping over his feet as he dashed down the hall toward the source of commotion.
He turned the corner to see Poko cornered by the small raccoon.
“Darko!? Why the hell is there a raccoon in the house!?” Poko stared at their younger brother from across the room.
“His name is Jeremy, he was cold for god sake…” Darko muttered, walking up to Jeremy and picking him up off the floor.
“You don’t bring wild animals into the house! There’s just so many reasons why you don’t! What were you thinking!?”
“It’s my birthday, Po, I was lonely. He came up to me first!”
“Put him outside. Now. ” Poko pointed at the door, their expression stern.
The younger half-puppet gulped, he hated when his older brother shouted. It just… wasn’t right coming from Poko. They were always so calm and caring that when they got mad it was unsettling. To make matters worse, Glamko and Showko now stood in the hall, the two drama-seeking siblings watching with amusement.
Solemnly, Darko took the walk of shame toward the door. He placed a small kiss on the top of Jeremy’s head before whispering a few words to the raccoon. The shutter sound of a camera echoed from behind him, making him snarl as he opened the door and carried Jeremy outside, Poko following close behind.
After sending the raccoon back into the forest, Poko and Darko entered the house again with the younger half-puppet silently storming off to his room and Poko being quick to follow behind. Now that they had calmed down, they felt guilty scolding their younger brother like that and wanted to apologize. Darko knew his older brother was following him but he didn’t care, he shut the lid to the gift box and almost fell off the ladder as he descended down.
Getting into his bunk, there was a growl from deep in his throat as he tightly shut his eyes. Darko didn’t wanna cry. He shouldn’t cry over a raccoon. His siblings just turned him into a softie over the years… that was all. Poko had definitely entered the box by now as Darko heard the ladder jostle. He hugged his Foxy plushie with a crushing grip and opened his eyes when Poko sat on the edge of his bed.
“I’m sorry, lad, I shouldn’t have gotten mad and especially not on your birthday. I just wanted to make sure everyone was safe. I kinda thought you preferred being alone regardless of what day it was.” the older half-puppet said.
Darko glared at them as he clenched his jaw, he didn’t feel like talking. However, Poko’s calming aura was not one which he could resist and he sat up. They put their arm around him and he rested his head on their shoulder.
“I have a gift for you, and Nightko baked you a cake, surprised you couldn’t smell it. Sorry we didn’t spend time together… like I said, I thought you preferred to be alone. But there’s that if you wanna go back up later. You’re shaking so maybe not right now…”
Darko nodded his head. Cake and a gift… that sounded nice. However, he had to calm down first. He hadn’t even realized he was shaking in the first place until Poko mentioned it. For now, he would just let them hold him until he was calm enough to go back up. This was such an embarrassing birthday, he got upset over a raccoon… He almost didn’t wanna go back up and show his face again.
What would he ever do without Poko to calm him though?