Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Petition To Give Forgotten Disney (Like Walk The Prank) More Love

https://www.change.org/p/give-forgotten-disney-more-love

An idea I had based on the episode with Gross Gordy’s birthday where he said he wished he had a dog. I’ve also been binging the show on Disney+ and having a blast.

I kinda hit a rough spot writing this, but watching Dog With a Blog, renewed my interest in the story!

Also this takes place after the Series finale so there’s spoilers for that.

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Animal Attacks, Parental Issues, Guns\Shooting

Chapter 1

“Hey! Look what we found!” Chance said as he, Dusty, Bailey, Herman and J.D. entered the joke shop.

“Whoa. I don’t like the sound of that.” Will said from behind the counter.

“Why not?” Chance asked, slightly confused.

“Because last time you said that, my store ended up covered in rice pudding!” Will groaned.

“Hey, we got that all cleaned up.” Dusty protested.

“No, I got it all cleaned up!” Will said. “You guys just sat there editing a prank video!”

“Hey, the grind doesn’t stop.” Herman said, getting a few eyerolls from his friends.

“I think you’ll like this a lot more, Uncle Will.” Chance said.

“Okay fine, what is it?” Will asked, giving in.

Outside there was a faint barking sound that soon got louder as a dog covered in mud bolted through the door.

Will’s eyes widened. “Hey! You can’t let a muddy dog in here!”

“Why not?” Bailey asked. “Afraid she’ll leave you like My Crazy Roommate One and Two?”

“No! She’s gonna track mud all over my store!” Will groaned. 

“Why does it matter?” Bailey asked, sitting at the counter. “You think it’ll drive away customers even more than before?”

Will gave Bailey a slight glare. “You know I let you hang out here for free right?”

“Yeah, because otherwise no one else would come here.” Bailey shot back before opening her laptop to edit the newest prank.

“You never know guys, she could drum up business!” Herman said.

“What do you mean?” Chance asked.

“I dunno.” Herman shrugged. “Maybe like a store mascot?”

“My store already has a mascot!” Will said.

“Simba the red nosed dork lion doesn’t count.” Bailey said as she edited. 

“Hey, I have the power to ground you now, young lady.” Will said. 

“Yeah, but do you have the guts to?” She smirked.

Will sighed before going over to Chance and the dog. “You need to get this dog out of here.”

The dog looked at Will with big eyes and let out a small whimper.

“Oh come, it doesn’t work when Dusty does it and it’s gonna work when a dog does!”

“She’s a good girl, Uncle Will.” Chance said, petting her on the head, before pulling his hand back, which was now covered in mud. “….Even if she is kinda dirty.”

“And I don’t want her tracking mud into my store!” Will said,  getting frustrated. 

“If we wash her off, can she be in here?” Herman asked.

“Fine…” Will sighed in defeat. “There’s a hose out back you can use.”

“Great! Come on girl!” Chance said, leading the dog back outside.

The kids went behind the joke shop and unrolled the hose attached to the wall. 

“Herman, J.D. you keep her still while we spray her down.” Chance said.

“No way! How do we know you’re not gonna spray us with the hose!” Herman said.

Chance rolled his eyes slightly. “Herman….I’m not going to spray you. I promise.”

“Fine.” Herman and J.D. both grabbed onto either side of the dog.

Dusty turned the hose on as Chance aimed it at the dog.

“There’s so many pranks we can use her for!” Chance said, excitedly. 

“Yeah, our dogs pranks are about to be through the rwoof !” J.D. laughed. “Get it? The rwoof ?”

Herman laughed. “That’s a good one!” He lifted his hand to give her a high five. However when J.D. raised her hand, the dog lunged forward playfully towards Chance and Dusty.

“Whoa!” Chance said, accidentally letting go of the hose.

It flung around, spraying water all over the place, and getting all over Herman.

“You promised you wouldn’t spray me!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Chance said as he tried to calm down the over excited dog. “You’re the one who let go of her!” He laughed as the dog started licking his face. “Stop it, stop it!”

She got mud all over Chance, and he tried desperately to wipe it off. “Okay, we really need to get you cleaned off….”

Bailey came over and held the dog down. “Good girl, now stay still.”

Dusty grabbed the hose and rinsed the dog off….and Bailey in the process. 

“Hey!” She said. 

“Sorry.” Dusty said, lowering the hose.

Bailey groaned and headed back towards the joke shop.

“Hey, where are you going?” Chance asked.

“To dry off. Good luck with Princess Filth….”

Bailey headed back into the joke shop, still soaking wet.

“Whoa, whoa! Bailey what happened!?” Will asked, worried. 

“I got more clean than the dog.” She sighed. “Do you have any towels?”

“Uh, yeah in the back, hang on a second.” Will went to the back and came back with one.“Here.”

“Thanks. ” Bailey said, drying herself off. 

“This dog already seems like she’s more trouble than she’s worth.” Will said.

“Yeah.” Bailey sighed. “But, Chance said she’d be great for pranks!”

“Yeah, pranks where you pumble someone with a dirty dog.”

“Come on Uncle Will...She’s not so bad.”

“Do you even have a place for her to stay?” Will asked.

Bailey put on her adorable, begging face. “Well, we were kinda hoping that uh…”

“No, way.” Will said. “Your mom won’t want a gross dog living with us! She’ll ruin the place.”

“I meant at the Joke Shop.” Bailey finished. 

“What!? No! This isn’t a dog kennel, this is a place of business!”

Bailey looked around. “And yet I see no business.”

“Bailey….no…” He sighed. “Did you ask if Chance could take her?”

“No. His dad has a severe dog allergy.” Bailey said.

“Well she can’t stay here.”

“Fine.” Bailey sighed. “I guess we’ll have to find a different home for her.”

Outside there was frantic barking and yells as the dog rushed back into the joke shop, soaking wet.

“Someone get that dog!” Chance called out.

The dog stopped in the middle of the store and shook her fur rapidly, flinging drops of water everywhere.

“Hey! Hey!” Will grabbed the towel from Bailey and threw it over the dog. He leaned down to her level. “You’re gonna get everything wet.”

The dog let out a small bark before licking Will’s face.

“Stop it!” He laughed, patting the dog’s head. “Good girl, good girl.”

“See she’s a good girl, like you said!” Bailey said. “So why not let her stay at The Joke Shop?”

“You know I have a bad track record with dogs. How do I know she won’t run back to the pound?”

“Well for starters...She didn’t come from the pound, she came from the garbage cans outside your store.” Chance said.

“Besides, she really seems to like you.” Bailey added, as the dog licked Will’s cheek again.

“Okay, but this isn’t going to be permanent. Just until you can find a place for her to stay.” Will said.

“Thanks Will!” Chance said.

“Meanwhile, we should think of some pranks to do with this puppy.” Dusty said, putting his arm around her.

The dog licked Dusty’s face before sniffing around the store curiously. She found a shipment of candy and barked excitedly.

“Whoa! No girl, no!” Will said. “Stay away from the candy!”

The dog leaped into the box and rolled around.

He groaned and turned to the kids. “Get Sticky out of there before she ruins my candy!”

The kids went over and pulled her out. 

“Hey, actually that’s a good name for her.” Bailey said, “Sticky.”

Sticky shook her fur, sending lollipops flying. 

“You better find a place for her soon.” Will said, picking up the candy. “ I don’t know how long I’ll be able to clean up after her.”

“Don’t worry Uncle Will. We’ll start looking right away.” Chance promised.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

The next day at lunch, the Walk the Prank crew sat together.

“Anyone find somewhere Sticky can stay?” Chance asked.

“No.” Bailey sighed. “Mom said she doesn’t want any dogs.”

“Yeah, she said they remind her of dad.” J.D. added. “Slobbering and uncouth.” She rolled her eyes slightly at her mom’s rudeness. Having been raised by her dad most of her life, J.D. tended to be defensive when her mom brought up his shortcomings.

“I guess Uncle Will was right about that.” Bailey said.

“Uh Bailey?” Chance asked. “Why are you still calling him Uncle Will?”

Bailey furrowed her brows in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean he’s your step dad now, shouldn’t you call him...I dunno...dad?”

“Why do you care?” Bailey asked. “I mean it’s not a big deal.”

“I know.” Chance shrugged. “I just thought since he married your mom and all…”

Bailey stood up and grabbed her tray tightly. “Maybe I’m not ready to call him that yet!? Have you ever thought of that Chance!?” She groaned and headed over to an empty table.

“Okay. Wow...rude.” Chance said.

“Well I mean it kind of is your fault.” Dusty said.

“How is it my fault!?”

“You’re making her feel awkward about the whole Uncle Will being her new stepdad thing.” Dusty said.

“Yeah, it’s gonna take time for her to get used to it. I’m still getting used to it!” J.D. said.

Chance sighed. “So, you’re saying I should apologize to her?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” Dusty shrugged.

“But if you don’t want to, I can.” Herman said. “I’ll always be there as a shoulder to cry on for my precious Bailey-Boo.”

Herman started to stand up, but Chance grabbed his shoulder. “No….I think I can do it on my own…”

Chance got up and headed out of the classroom.

“Darn it.” Herman grumbled. “There goes my chance…”

“Like you had a chance.” J.D. laughed.

Like Chance suspected, Bailey was sitting under the bleachers, hugging her knees to her chest. 

“Hey, Bailey.” Chance said, sitting beside her.

“I came here to be alone, Chance.” Bailey sighed. “What do you want?

“I came here to apologize.” He said. “I didn’t realize how awkward this Uncle Will being your step dad thing was to you.”

“I need to deal with it at my own pace….” Bailey explained. 

“I’m sorry.” Chance said. “Wanna head back to lunch.”

“Sure. If you promise not to bring the step dad thing up again.” Bailey said, standing up.

As the two started their way back they noticed someone else was also under the bleachers.

“Gross Gordy? What are you doing here?” Chance asked.

“You know that new girl?” Gordy asked.

“Nasty Nora?” Chance asked.

Gordy nodded. “I tried asking her out and she just laughed at me.”

Chance frowned. “I’m sorry ... .I'm uh sure you’ll find the perfect person someday…”

Gordy sniffled. “Thanks Chance...you’re a good friend…”

“You’re welcome….” Chance said. However he thought about it.

You’re a good friend.

He looked over at Bailey, tears still prickling her eyes….because of him. Then he looked over at Gross Gordy.

Sure he’d gone to his birthday party, but he was the only one invited...and the guilt would’ve eaten him alive if he didn’t. And now, he was leaving him under the bleachers….alone….to cope with his problems.

He was starting to actually question if he was a good friend.

“Hey uh Bailey…” Chance said. “....Do you think maybe I can sit with Gross Gordy for a bit while you go back to the lunchroom?”

Bailey looked surprised. “Wow, Chance...that’s….so unlike you…”

Chance furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?

Bailey shrugged. “I mean...You? Caring about Gross Gordy?”

“You know how when people sit under the bleachers when they’re sad? And then their friend always comes to comfort them?”

“Yeah.” Bailey said. “That’s basically what I was doing.”

Chance bit his lip and glanced back over at Gordy. “...I have a feeling that won’t happen for Gross Gordy…”

“Do you want me to join you?” Bailey asked.

“No, it’s okay. You can go back to lunch.” Chance said.

Bailey nodded and headed back to the lunchroom, while Chance sat beside Gordy. 

“Thanks Chance.” Gordy said. “No one’s ever joined me under the bleachers before.”

This made the pain kind of worse. 

He would’ve been all alone if he hadn’t stayed...Alone like usual.

Bailey went back to the lunchroom and sat down.

“Where’s Chance?” Dusty asked. 

“Are you still mad at him?” J.D. asked.

“No.” Bailey said. “He decided to stay there.”

“So he’s sulking under there now?” Dusty asked, getting up. “Guess I have to be the friend to go comfort him then.”

“No, he’s the one doing the comforting.” Bailey explained.

“For who?” Dusty asked.

“Gross Gordy.”

“What!?” Everyone asked in surprise.

Bailey nodded. 

“That’s so unlike him.” Herman said. “How do we know this is the real Chance and he wasn’t kidnapped and replaced by an alien clone?”

Everyone looked at Herman a little weird before moving on with the conversation.

“Anyway…” Bailey said. “He apologized to me about being weird about the whole Uncle Will thing.”

“That’s good.” J.D. said. “I don’t know how you didn’t just punch him.”

“Trust me, I wanted to.” Bailey laughed slightly. “I mean sure Uncle Will is like a dad to me...but I’m not sure I can call him that…” Yet….

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

After school, the Walk The Prank crew went back to the joke shop. Behind the counter, Will looked fed up and exhausted.

“Hey Will, you okay?” Chance asked.

“No, I’m not.” He groaned. “It’s that dog!”

“What did she do?” Chance asked. 

“She got into my supply of Super Sticky String.” Will said. 

As if on cue, Sticky came out, her fur completely covered in the goo.

“She can’t stay here anymore.” Will groaned. “I’m trying to run a business here, and I can’t have her running around like this!”

“But, we don’t have anywhere else to take her!” Herman pointed out.

“Why don’t we put up some signs?” J.D. suggested. “Maybe someone will wanna adopt her.”

“That’s a good idea.” Chance said. “Uncle Will, can we use your printer?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Will said. “Anything to get this dog out of here faster…”

Sticky went over to Will and got on her hind legs and licked his cheek.

Will laughed and pet her head gently, getting the Super Sticky String all over his hand. “Stop it girl, stop!” 

Sticky pulled back and went back over to the other kids.

“You should probably get her cleaned off first.” Will said. 

“Right.” Chance nodded.

The kids went out back with Sticky and got the hose ready again.

“Chance!” A voice called out.

Chance looked over and saw Gordy running into the alleyway, holding his backpack. “Chance, you forgot your backpack!”

Sticky barked excitedly and ran over to Gordy, pinning him to the ground and licking his face.

“Hey, who’s this?” Gordy laughed, sitting up.

“This is Sticky.” Chance said. “We found her outside the joke shop.”

“She’s so cute!” Gordy laughed.

“Even if her fur’s all...gross?” Bailey asked.

Gordy shrugged. “She seems fine to me.”

Bailey was about to say something, but stopped herself. Yeah I guess I can see why…

“We were gonna use her for pranks, but none of us can take care of her.”  Chance explained. “So we’re trying to find her a home. Do you know anyone who wants a dog?”

Gordy shrugged again. “No, sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Chance said. “We’re gonna make some flyers to put up.”

Gordy started petting Sticky again. “She seems like a pretty nice dog.”

“Yeah she’s really friendly!” Herman chimed in. “But she’s uh….kinda messy…”

“Really? I didn’t notice.” Gordy said, leaving no doubt in his voice that he was being serious.

“So uh, do you want to help hose her down?” Chance asked.

“No thanks.” Gordy said, standing back up. “I don’t do too well around water…”

He handed Chance his backpack and turned to leave. “See ya at school?”

“Yeah, see ya.” Chance said with a small wave before Gordy headed off.

Chance held his backpack in his hands, a grimace of disgust forming on his face. “It’s wet…”

The Walk the Prank Crew gathered around the computer in the back of Will’s Joke Shop. It was an older computer, but it was hooked up to a printer.

“Now let's make some posters!” Chance said.

“Move over.” Bailey said, nudging Chance off the chair.

“Ow! What was that for!?”

“I’m gonna work on the posters, duh.” Bailey said.

“Why you?” Chance asked.

“Because I’m the one getting an A in art class?” She said, “And in my computer design class?”

“Well, who do you think made all the awesome props for our pranks?”

Herman raised his hand. “Me? When I wasn’t a part of Walk The Prank and you used me as  your pack mule.”

Chance sighed. “Fine. Bailey, Herman, you guys work on the poster.”

“What are we gonna do?” Dusty asked.

“Go take some pictures of Sticky.” Bailey said, tossing him a camera. “We’ll scan them in and put them on the poster.”

“Why can’t we just use our phones and email them to you?” Herman asked.

Bailey looked at the computer in slight disgust. “I’m not trusting this virus machine with my email login…”

“Pfff! I used this machine for years in my store!” Will protested. “It’s perfectly safe!”

A pop up flashed and the screen and Will grabbed the mouse excitedly. “Oooo I’m the one thousandth visitor! I just need to click on this ad to claim my prize!”

The Walk The Prank squad spent the rest of the afternoon putting up posters about Sticky all over town, hoping someone would claim her. (Or more so, Will was hoping someone could claim her for the sake of his shop)

“There, that’s probably enough.” Chance said, looking down at his phone. “And we have just enough time to do the prank we planned too!”

“Great.” Bailey said, putting the remaining fliers in her bag. “We can hang these extra ones around school, tomorrow.”

The group headed back to the joke shop and sat down, before they started going over the prank.

Hearing the kids were back, Sticky ran over and barked in excitement. 

“Hey girl!” Chance said, patting her on the head slightly. When he pulled his hand back, a sticky substance lingered on his hand, reminding him how she got her name. He awkwardly rubbed his hand on his jeans and looked back at Bailey’s laptop screen.

“I’ve got the prank all planned out.” Bailey said, showing them all the document on the screen. The prank involved Dusty, J.D, Bailey, a babysitter, and Will pretending to be their dad, like usual. 

“Looks good to me.” Dusty said.

“All right.” Chance said. “Let's do this!”

Chapter Text

The prank wasn’t anything too different than ones they’d done before. It was your typical “Freak out the babysitter” kind of prank. 

Outside an actor they’d hired (With some help funds wise from Will as usual) was waiting in a bear suit, ready to break into the house when she least expected it.

A young, eager, brunette came in, looking excited. 

Will opened the door and shook the woman’s hand. “Hello.”

“Hello!” The woman greeted, taking a tight grip on his wrist, and shaking his hand excitedly.

“You must be the babysitter.” Will said. “I’m Will.”

“I’m Michelle!” She greeted, still shaking his hand.

“Why don’t you come in and meet the kids?” Will asked.

“Of course!” She said, entering the house. 

The gang usually used Bailey’s house for pranks and this was no exception. Will led her into the hallway and headed to the kitchen, but accidentally ended up in the living room.

“Oh oops...wrong room.” Will laughed awkwardly.

Michelle giggled a little. “You don’t know your own house?”

“No, no I do…it’s just…” Will sighed.

Michelle frowned and gently put her hand on his shoulder. “Just what?”

“I’m a new step dad.” He said awkwardly. “And I’m not used to it yet...so I’m kind of...out of it…”

As he talked to Michelle, he didn’t notice Bailey come in, looking for him. She stopped just outside the kitchen and kept listening. 

“Oh.” Michelle said, her voice gentle. “It’s okay….that’s a big change and it’ll probably take a while to get used to it.”

Will sighed a bit. “I’m more worried about how my new daughters feel about it.”

Bailey felt her stomach churn a bit. She knew she shouldn’t feel guilty for her feelings, but hearing Will’s anxiety made her feel bad.

Anxiously she made her way into the room and cleared her throat. 

Will looked over and smiled when he saw Bailey. “Oh, here’s one of the kids now.”

He went over and put his hand on her shoulder. “This is Bailey. Bailey, this is Michelle, your babysitter.”

“Hi nice to meet you!” Michelle said. “I’m so excited to babysit!”

Bailey put her hand out to shake, but instead Michelle pulled her into a hug. “We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“Yeah...I think we will.” Bailey giggled, returning the hug. If you like bears that is…

They all headed to the living room. “This is my other daughter J.D., and my nephew Dusty.”

“So nice to meet you!” Michelle said. She pulled Dusty into a tight hug first. “I’m Michelle!”

“Nice to meet you, Michelle.” Dusty said awkwardly, returning the hug. “I’m uh...not much of a hugger though.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Michelle pulled back and hugged J.D. next. “Aren’t you adorable!”

“Yeah I know.” J.D. teased.

“Oh, I like your accent!” Michelle said. “Are you from the south?”

“Yeah.” J.D. said. “I lived with my dad down there after my parents got divorced.”

“And I stayed with my mom.” Bailey said. She looked at J.D and smiled a bit. “But I’m glad to have her here again.”

Michelle let go of J.D. and looked at everyone. “You’re all such a cute family!”

“Yeah...we sure are…” Bailey said, glancing back at Will.

“Well uh...I’ll be back in a couple hours…” Will said, heading towards the door. “I just have some errands to do.”

He opened the front door and looked back at the kids. “Bye.”

Michelle turned back to Dusty, Bailey, and J.D. “So are you ready for a fun time!?”

“Yeah.” Dusty said, heading over to a table with a few board games on it. “Why don’t you choose what we play?”

“Okay! I love board games!” Michelle said, going over to look at the options. “How about Clue ?”

“Yeah! I get Miss Scarlett” Dusty said excitedly, grabbing at the box.

“I’m Mrs White.” J.D. said, joining them at the table.

“ I’ll be Dr Orcid!” Michelle said, grabbing the purple piece. “She’s my favorite!”

“And I’ll be Miss Peacock.” Bailey said, going over.

While they started playing the game, Herman hit play on the bear sounds CD. 

“Why do you even have a bear sounds CD?” Herman had asked as J.D. handed him the disk.

“Hey, there were a lot of bears where me and dad lived.” J.D. said. “Now I can’t sleep without the sounds of bears growling.”

When Herman started the disk, Sticky started barking widely.

“No, no.” Herman said. “Calm down girl, calm down! It’s not a real bear, it’s just a CD. See?”

He pressed stop and Sticky tilted her head in confusion.

“See? It’s just sounds.” Herman said, patting her gently on the head.

Sticky seemed to be calm now and laid down. Herman pressed play again, starting the sounds.

Inside, Michelle was startled by the sound. “What was that!?”

“Oh, there’s been bears around here, lately.” Dusty explained. “Pretty scary…”

“Sounds scary…” Michelle shivered.

“Yeah...it is…” Dusty said, pretending to be frightened. 

“How long have they been out there?” Michelle asked.

“A few weeks.” Dusty said.

"A few weeks?" She frowned. "Can't you call animal control or something?"

"I think we'd have to call the forest rangers or something." Dusty said. 

J.D. laughed a little. "I'm sorry, I'm just imagining an animal control person coming out with a net, trying to catch a bear."

Dusty and Bailey laughed a bit.

"Yeah, I guess that sounds a bit silly." Michelle giggled. Once she composed herself again she asked, "Have you actually seen the bear before "

"No." Dusty said.

Bailey shook her head too.

"I have." J.D. said.

Dusty and Bailey both looked at her. They really hadn't planned an answer and weren't even sure what J.D. would say.

Michelle seemed interested. "Oh! What kind of bear was it?"

JD shrugged a bit. "A brown bear? Maybe a grizzly?

"What were they up to?" 

"They knocked down the recycling bin " J.D. laughed 

"Wow, she's really good at lying." Dusty whispered to Bailey.

"Yeah, it's good for pranks….not so much when mom asks who broke her fancy glasses." Bailey whispered back.

"I guess the bear doesn't care about the environment." J.D. said, shaking her head.

Outside, Will was watching them through a window.

"Uncle Will, are you okay?" Chance asked.

"Huh?" He looked over at Chance. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just checking on the kids…."

"Are you still worried about Bailey and JD?" Chance asked.

"A little." Will said, biting his lip slightly.

Sticky sensed his anxiety and got up. She nuzzled against his leg and let out a small sympathetic whimper.

Will leaned down and gave her some head scratches. "Thanks, girl."

She barked and gave him a face full of licks.

Will relaxed a bit and went back over to Chance and Herman, with Sticky by his side.

The actor was finishing putting on the bear suit as Chance queued up the sounds again.

Inside, Michelle jumped a bit at the sound.

"Bear's back." Dusty groaned.

On her mark, Bailey stood up and stomped her foot. "That's it! I've had it with this bear!" Then she stormed over to the door. "I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!"

Michelle's eyes widened as she rushed over to the door, grabbing Bailey's arm. "No, no…. that's...that's not a good idea!"

"I'm tired of this bear!" She said, jerking back. "I'm gonna stop this!" Bailey grabbed the door handle and started opening the door.

"We salute your sacrifice." Dusty said as he and J.D. gave her a small salute.

Michelle's eyes widened as Bailey went outside.

A bear was digging through a suburban trash can when he heard the roaring of another bear. Interested, he knocked the can over and went to investigate. 

There in the front yard a few houses away was what looked like another bear. He made his way over to the group outside the house.

“Uh…..Guys….” Will said, his eyes widening. “Guys! There’s a bear!”

Chance laughed a bit. “Yeah, yeah good one Uncle Will….”

Will panicked and grabbed Herman and Chance, quickly pushing them behind a bush, holding them close and protectively. 

“Uncle Will, what’s going on?” Herman asked.

“I told you, there’s a bear…” He said, trying to keep his voice low.

“Wait….Like a real bear?” Chance asked.

“Yes, a real bear!” Will said, holding them tighter. “Now stay quiet….” 

Herman clung to him, shaking heavily.

Will pulled him as close as he could and gently stroked his back, trying desperately to calm him down. 

Just outside the bush, they could hear the bear passing by. Then the front door creaked open as Bailey went outside.

Will froze. No...no…. He shot up from the bush. “Bailey!”

The bear snarled as he trudged over to Bailey.

“U...Uncle Will?” Bailey squeaked out.

Sticky jolted to attention and watched as the bear loomed over Bailey. She let out a deep growl and leapt to her feet, before pouncing at the bear, and sinking her teeth in.

The bear let out a pained roar and started to thrash around.

Panicked, and forgetting basic bear safety, Bailey bolted towards the door, where the babysitter, J.D. , and Dusty stood in horror.

The bear let out another roar and slammed his paw against Bailey, throwing her to the ground.

Bailey screamed as the bear stood over her, baring his teeth, and placing his foot directly on her chest.

Sticky let out a loud bark and bit his leg again. 

The bear growled and turned his attention to Sticky. He swiped his claws across her chest, causing her to fall to the ground.

As Sticky laid there, bleeding in the grass, she saw the bear make his way back over to Bailey. 

In the background, the bear roaring sound was still going strong. Forcing herself up onto her shaky legs, Sticky stumbled over to the radio. She pressed her nose against one of the buttons, changing the CD to the next track.

A loud honk blasted out of the radio, startling the bear. He backed away from Bailey and ran down the road.

“Bailey!” Uncle Will rushed out of the bush and kneeled beside her. He turned to Michelle “Call 911”

“Right!” She pulled out her cellphone and started dialing. 

“Uncle Will…” Bailey coughed, harshly. 

Will gently stroked her hair and cheek. “Shh...Shh...it’s okay...It’s okay.”

“Bailey!” Chance yelled, as he, Dusty,  J.D.,, and Herman rushed over.

Bailey coughed again and let out a groan.

Tears rushed down J.D.’s cheek as she grabbed her sister’s hand. “Bailey…”

“J.D…” Bailey breathed out. 

More than anything, J.D. just wanted to fling herself on Bailey, to hug her close and never let go, but she knew she couldn’t.

She turned to Dusty and clung to him, crying heavily. 

“You’re gonna be okay.” Will breathed out harshly as he teared up. “I promise you’re gonna be okay…”

Bailey’s eyes started to gloss over as she let out a low groan in reply.

Sticky panted heavily as she limped off, blood dripping down her fur. She looked for a place to lay down and tend to her wounds.

Nearby was a small alleyway that she slunk into. Staggering over to two trash cans, she laid down and started licking her injured leg. 

Exhausted from fighting off the bear, her eyes started to flutter shut and she fell asleep.

Chapter Text

A mother dog laid in an alleyway, nursing her newborn puppies as rain poured down and thunder roared in the sky.

She quickly pulled her puppies closer, trying in vain to keep them dry.

The pups whimpered, cuddling closer to her. One of the pups was pushed away from her mother by her siblings, struggling to stay warm. They were unable to hear or see the storm, but the cold rain on their fur was uncomfortable enough.

A loud bang rang throughout the alleyway. The mother dog thought it was just thunder at first and wrapped her tail around the puppies.

However,  a shadowy figure loomed at the entrance of the alley. A fox made his way over, snarling, teeth bared.

The mother dog growled, standing over her puppies protectively. 

The fox made the first move, lunging towards her. The dog bit into his neck, trying to intimidate him enough to back off, however he just shook the rain and blood off his fur before going at her again.

He managed to get a good grip on her neck and dug his claws into her back.

The mother dog let out a yelp of pain as she tried to shake him off, the safety of her newborn children was the only thing on her mind.

He scratched her muzzle and she bit into his chest, and managed to pin him down, snarling in his face.

The fox let out a small whimper, pushing himself as close to the ground as he could, as if he could sink out of her grasp.

More figures appeared in the distance,startling the dog enough to let the fox go.

A group of six foxes made their way over to her. The mother dog let out a deep growl as she stood in front of the group of whimpering puppies.

Along with the other fox they circled around her. She was on alert, waiting for one of them to make the first move.

One of the larger foxes leapt first. Quickly, the mother dog swatted her claws towards him, leaving a scratch on his snout.

Once she had him off, his mate quickly took his place, sinking her teeth into her neck.

With a few rough shakes of her head, the mother dog got her off. 

While the two mates tended to each other's wounds, the five other foxes were still on high alert.

Out of breath, the mother dog wasn't sure if she could keep them off much longer. They all took their turns pouncing at her, exhausting her more.

She looked at her puppies, thinking of an escape route. She tried to grab all four puppies by their scruff, but could only grab three.

The mother dog looked at the fourth puppy, shivering on the ground.

Using her back paw, she quickly pushed her daughter behind the trash can and bolted, hoping the shadows would cover her, and the rain would mask her scent, until she could return to get her.

The foxes watched as she ran off with seemingly all of her pups in tow. The two mates finished grooming each other's wounds and followed the others out of the alleyway.

Lightning flashed across the sky and the cold wind whipped against the puppy's fur. 

She shivered and let out a small whimper as she curled closer to the ground, raindrops hitting the lid of the trashcan rhythmically. 

A raccoon watched around the corner, waiting for the foxes to leave.

Once they had cleared out, she scurried over to the trash cans and climbed up it. The raccoon grabbed the trash can lid in her paw and threw it to the ground.

As she dug through the trash, she heard the soft whimpers from behind the trashcan and paused. When she heard the whimpering again, the raccoon crawled down the side of the can and went behind it.

There laid the puppy, cold and wet. The raccoon made her way over and examined her curiously. She sniffed the puppy, getting another small whine in response.

The raccoon hesitantly picked up the puppy in her jaws and left the alley.

In another alleyway a group of raccoons were gathered together, sharing their garbage bin finds with each other.

She placed the puppy down in front of the other raccoons. Curiously the others looked at her and then the puppy.

A mother raccoon who was nursing her kits went over. She sniffed the pup and groomed her slightly. 

Gently the mother raccoon grabbed the puppy and brought her over to her two babies of her own, gently placing her between them.

The puppy nursed alongside the raccoon's daughter and son.

The raccoon groomed the three of them as the rain died down. A dull rainbow creeped it's way through the clouds and brought a hint of color to the gray sky.

The newborn puppy snuggled closer to the raccoon, a feeling of warmth throughout her body.

At least that's what she was told later on.

Chapter Text

Over time the puppy's eyes opened and she was stumbling on her paws. When she was more stable on her legs she'd play with the other two raccoons she had nursed beside...her sister and brother. They spent most of the time in the small alleyway, chasing each other around.

Brother Raccoon had more of an affinity for climbing trash cans and knocking them down. This wasn't a problem for the puppy as she and Sister Raccoon loved to play in the trash. Their brother would run from can to can, knocking them down while they frolicked through it.

The three of them would spend countless hours playing together in the tight alleyway.

 However sometimes the puppy would be curious and stuck her nose outside of the alleyway to see the world beyond. One time she stepped her paw outside the alley and was met by a fierce chattering of Mother Raccoon. Startled, the puppy stumbled back, landing on her rump. The raccoon grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and dragged her back into the dark alley 

She whimpered and looked at her mother, sadly. Her mother only let out a protective chatter and groomed her fur.

Around that time the other raccoons returned with their finds from various trash cans around town. Once everything was piled together they started their feast. Excitedly, the puppy ran over and joined in. She usually ate more than the raccoons, but the leader raccoon didn't seem to mind.

Leader Raccoon was an older,graying raccoon with a kind, gentle heart. Even though the puppy ate two rations worth of food, she never opposed to it 

However her son wasn't so accepting. If she ate what he thought was more than her fair share, he snapped at her. His mother didn't like this and usually let out a snarl of her own when he was aggressive towards the pup.

When meal time was done, she returned to playing with her brother and sister.

These were the best days of her life 

As time passed, the puppy had grown into a young adult….It was only then she noticed how different she was compared to the rest of her family.

For one, she was much bigger than all of them. Second, her fur was a lot brighter than theirs. Third…Now she needed a lot more food than them. Way more food.

There was only so much the raccoons could gather in a day, and a large portion was going towards her. Sure she could easily push down the cans herself, but there were a limited amount of trash cans in the area, and even then they had to separate the actual food from the garbage. 

That night the raccoons ventured to a neighborhood they hadn't been too before, desperate to find new trash cans. Just outside a house stood a can, ripe for the taking.

They all hid behind a bush, making sure the coast was clear before they moved any closer. The lights inside the house turned off, and the raccoons scurried over.

The dog leaned down low and crawled along with the group. The leader raccoon climbed onto the porch to instruct the others. She pointed her snout towards the trash can and let out a low growling sound. 

Knowing what to do, the dog rushed over to the can and pushed it down, spilling out a heap of trash. The raccoons went over and looked for anything edible in the mess. Inside, the lights turned on, stopping the raccoons in their tracks. 

The dog tucked her tail between her legs and took a step back.

“I think it’s back!” A voice inside called out.

“Don’t worry, it won’t come back again when I’m done with it!” Some else said, followed by a loud clicking noise. 

As the door swung open, the raccoons scattered, while the dog froze in fear. In the doorway was the silhouette of a man, holding a shotgun firmly in his hand.

“Get out of here you dang coyote!” He yelled before firing off a shot. “Get!”

The dog managed to snap out of trance and ran after the rest of her family. He shot again, this time hitting her in the leg. She let out a loud yelp as she tumbled to the ground.

Hearing her whines, the leader raccoon stopped and looked back. Seeing her laying there, injured, she rushed over. She let out a whimper as the leader raccoon looked her over, seeing a bullet lodged in her thigh.

The raccoon chattered, getting the attention of the others, who rushed over. They helped her stand up, although she was shaky on her paws.

From the distance, the leader raccoon’s son was staring at them, his eyes glowing in the darkness. 

“Is that coyote still out there!?” 

“It better not be!” 

The door swung open and the raccoons bolted. All except the leader. She kept trying to help her up. 

The sound of a gun clicking echoed through the night, startling the dog again. The Leader either ignored the sound or didn’t hear it, the dog wasn’t sure which.

“Hey!” The man’s voice boomed. “I said get out of here, coyote!”

The dog tried in vain to stagger up when she heard a gunshot. He didn’t hit her….but he didn’t miss….

The Leader raccoon let out a screech of pain as she fell to the ground.  With adrenaline rushing through her , she forced herself up, grabbed The Leader in her mouth, and ran towards the other raccoons. 

She placed her in front of the group of raccoons. The Leader Raccoon tried to get onto her paws, but she fell back down.

The raccoons rushed over to her, worried. Their leader looked up, her eyes glossy, as she tried to lift her head. However when she tried, her head instantly went limp, and hit the pavement. 

Panicked, the raccoons tried to get her up, but to no avail. She laid there on the ground…still…

Her son rushed over, gripping her face in his paws, whimpering loudly. His mother laid still in his arms as he tried in vain to wake her up. Nothing.

Snarling he ran over to the other group of raccoons, heading straight for the dog. He swiped his claws against her leg, causing her to tumble down.  

The other raccoons quickly gathered around her, trying to guard her. However he let out another growl to let them know that now he was in charge.

Anxious, they backed away, and let him approach her, baring his teeth and letting out a deep snarl.  He was about to strike her again when two raccoons intercepted. 

Although her vision was blurred, she could make out from their markings, they were her brother and sister. They stood in front of her, letting out small growls of their own. 

He challenged them again, the other raccoons still by his side. 

It was clear the raccoons weren't going to move from their sister's side.

One of the raccoons let out a low chatter, getting their attention. Their mother.

The dog let out a small whimper as she looked at her, standing anxiously with the rest of the raccoons.

The mother raccoon hesitated for a moment before trying to run over to the three of them. Before she could get over to them, the Leader's son blocked her, letting out an even deeper growl.

She backed up, nervously, eyes still on her children. 

The Leader's son backed up, followed closely by the others, before running off into the night. 

Their mother paused one more time and looked back again, her eyes glowing yellow through the dark night. Then she turned back around and scurried after the others.

A new era had begun under the leadership of the old Leader's son. An era they wouldn't be a part of.

Chapter Text

Although it took some effort, the raccoons managed to help the dog stagger up to her paws.

Limping forward, the two helped her, as they looked for a place to stay. 

The dog let out a small whimper, the bullet wound burning. 

Up ahead was an empty alleyway that looked promising.

Once they made it over, the dog plopped down on her side, breathing heavily.

Brother Raccoon gripped her muzzle in his paws and started grooming her, gently. At the same time, Sister Raccoon crawled on her back, and examined her wound.

She sniffed it and was overwhelmed with a metallic smell, (Well, that's what The Dog assumed was the problem), making her jerk back slightly.

Sister Raccoon never treated a bullet wound before….or any other wound for that matter. She'd only had minor injuries, and even then Mother Raccoon would tend to them.

She exhaled and gripped the bullet in her teeth, and tried to pull it out.

The dog howled in pain as her sister got the bullet out, spitting it out to the side. Then she tended to the wound, trying to clean it up as much as she could.

The taste of the blood was a lot worse than the scent apparently, as Sister Raccoon had to pull back several times and clean her mouth out in a nearby puddle. 

The Dog could swear she also heard her heaving slightly, possibly on the verge of vomiting. 

She wrapped her paws around her raccoon sister and pulled her close to her chest, licking the top of her head.

The raccoon let out a small, almost purring like sound in response. Now burning in the wound hadn't fully subsided but it didn't feel like fire piercing her skin anymore. Even though she was injured, that really mattered was that the three of them were together.

They all snuggled together, sharing their warmth against the cold, harsh, night. The dog closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The dog opened her eyes as the sun beat down, high in the sky. Last night had taken a lot out of her and her siblings. Enough that they’d already slept half the day.

The dog yawned and staggered up to paws, seeing if she could stand.

The wound was still tender, causing her to let out a pained growl as she took another step forward. She was glad she was able to walk, even if it was painful.

Suddenly her stomach growled harshly. Last night she and her siblings weren’t able to eat anything from the trash cans.

She looked over at her brother and sister, sniffing the air for any sign of food. Managing to stagger around a bit, she joined them in their search.

Putting her nose to the ground, she sniffed, trying to catch a scent of anything they could have for lunch. She jolted back when her nose touched something cold and wet. 

Taking a closer look she saw it was a puddle, and got excited. Channeling her inner puppy, she leapt into the puddle and splashed around.  She rolled around, panting happily as her fur got soaked in muddy water. 

When she got out she shook her fur dry….Well as much as she could, her fur was still matted with mud. 

Her siblings caught a scent in the air, and scurried towards the source of the smell.

Quickly she followed after them, as they approached an old fence.

The two raccoons made their way through a hole in the bottom.

The dog was close behind, trying to follow them. She'd been able to follow the raccoons fairly easily every other time before, why would this time be any different? 

She leaned down and tried to push her way through the fence. Although she managed to get her head through, she got stuck after that.

Whimpering, she clawed at the ground, trying to get free. 

The raccoons paused and turned back towards their sister.

They each grabbed an ear and started to pull. When she let out a low howl of pain, they decided to change their approach, pushing on her face instead.

They didn't manage to get her unstuck, but they did get some rather unusual faces from her. 

The raccoons leaned against the fence, breathing heavily from trying to free her. 

Suddenly the sound of footsteps made them leap up to their paws. Looking around anxiously, they decided to bolt.

The Dog barked, trying to get them to come back. Attempting to pull back again, she whined.

"Hey girl, are you okay?"