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Chapter Text

(Four years ago)

Run, that's all I and three of my fellow SEALs could do to escape the ambush that left half of our unit dead but I stayed focused as the remainder of my unit and I were running across a field while taking fire from the Taliban.

"I repeat, we are taking fire!" I shouted into my mike while we were running.

"Solid copy, dispatching a QRF to your location so hang in there, commander," the person on the other end replied while one of my fellow SEALs got hit.

He went down like a sack of bricks while Bronson radioed it in before we all ran to a bunch of fallen tree trunks and quickly took cover behind them, aiming our M4 rifles and firing back at the enemy that was using the nearby forest for cover up ahead until we eventually pushed them back to where they retreated deeper into the forest.

"Move up!" I ordered and we all moved out of cover.

We ducked under a bunch of barbed wire and pursued the enemy, entering the forest as the sun was setting until it was fully dark so I signaled Bronson and Hanson to switch on their NVGs while I lowered mine down to my eyes.

We silently moved through the forest as the green tint of the goggles helped me and the others see while Hanson fired a flare into the air to signal the QRF of our location, the three of us staying quiet to not alert any possible nearby hostiles that could be waiting to ambush us.

After a certain point, I held up a fist and we stopped before using the trees as cover and just scanned the surrounding area for any signs of the Taliban with our rifles, slowly aiming around and not seeing anything so I signaled Bronson and Hanson to move up.

We started moving through the brush and kept an eye open for any traps while listening carefully until there was the sound of movement, prompting me to signal Bronson and Hanson to move up and we started moving quickly to the sound.

I saw movement up ahead and we hurried after them while the enemy hadn't noticed us yet so I took out a frag and pulled the pin before throwing it at the Taliban, then the grenade went off and some of the enemy was sent flying while getting shredded by the shrapnel.

Most of them were dead but a few were still alive as they stumbled and groaned loudly so we moved out into the open and opened fire on them, our suppressed rifles gunning them down before we moved up cautiously, heading to the bodies.

We dead-checked the bodies by shooting them twice in the head before I noticed an opening in the ground that could lead to a possible enemy outpost, so I signaled for Hanson and Bronson to stay on my six and we slowly started to descend into the darkness.

Our NVGs helped us navigate the stairs and the dark corridor that was at the bottom before we came into an open room, then I made a face when I picked up a whiff of a disgusting smell that wasn't a corpse and I started getting the sense that something was watching us.

Bronson covered our six while Hanson and I continued to investigate this place, which seemed to be a crypt of some kind but something about it felt wrong somehow so I was about to signal Hanson and Bronson to leave until my goggles suddenly went out.

I cursed under my breath and lifted them before turning on the tac-light on my rifle, the white light now helping me see as Hanson and Bronson turned on theirs but then I noticed Hanson was looking up at the ceiling and his eyes were wide in complete horror.

I furrowed my brows and slowly raised my rifle at the ceiling tensely while going to look up at it, just before something dove down on us with a demonic roar and we fired a few shots at it before I got slashed a few times until I was thrown around and eventually sent into a wall.

I was severely injured while hearing the screams of terror from my fellow SEALs as gunfire erupted as I was dazed and in so much pain while the noises of terror from Bronson and Hanson turned into agony as the sound of flesh tearing and limbs being torn off forced me to get up and start attempting to make my way to the exit.

I was limping down the corridor as the gunfire died down and I was filled with nothing but terror and a desperation to survive whatever the fuck that thing was, then I heard the growls of the creature and that terrified me even more as it encouraged me to limp even faster.

I moved as quickly as I could in my current state while making it to the stairs when something grabbed my ankle and I was yanked to the ground so I rolled onto my back to try to fire at the monster but my rifle was smacked out of my hands.

Having no time to get it as I was dragged back down the corridor, I frantically transitioned to my Sig Sauer P226 and emptied the entire mag into the creature while it screeched in agony from the bullets striking it but then I stopped getting dragged as a loud thump occurred with the creature's grip turning limp.

I yanked my foot out of the creature's loose grip and used my rifle as a crutch to help me stand, then I started weakly limping to the exit while my breathing was growing shallower and weaker as I struggled to make it up the stairs.

It felt like years went by but I finally made it outside and limped for a few feet before my legs gave out from under me and I collapsed from losing a fair amount of blood, then I just laid on my side as I wheezed and struggled to stay conscious but there was no denying that I was dying and it terrified me.

I didn't want to die, not like this and the thought of that terrified me while I was struggling to breathe but then I saw something leave the tree line and it was hard to make out because of my vision getting blurry but they appeared to be an animal with light-colored fur and...was that multiple tails?

"Don't worry, I'll get you to safety," the animal said as he seemed to grow larger and went to pick me up, then the animal held me as I was carried through the forest and soon heard the sound of a helicopter that was coming as my vision darkened and I passed out from blood loss and shock.

(Present day)

I stirred before waking up and letting out a yawn, sitting up in my bed and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes before I got out of bed and started to do my morning exercises before going to take a shower, put deodorant on, shave, brush my hair, and brush my teeth.

I inspected myself in the mirror and saw that my brown hair looked neat while my face was clean-shaven so I left the bathroom and got dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans as I started making coffee before pouring a cup and going to open up a pack of donuts.

I drank from my cup and started eating while watching the news, seeing nothing particularly interesting as I was having breakfast when somebody knocked on the door so I muted the TV and went over to the front door and went to open it, seeing Peanut waiting on the other side.

"Hey Peanut, you need something?" I inquired as the canine eyed the pack of donuts that was nearly empty and he started grinning cheerfully.

"Hey, Mr. Caldwell, I couldn't help but notice those donuts smell good so is it okay if I have one?" Peanut asked and I chuckled.

"Sure, here you go," I said before handing Peanut one donut and the dog's tail started wagging as he took it.

"Thanks, Mr. Caldwell," Peanut said as he went to start eating the donut.

I petted him in response and he went to go back home while waving happily, which I returned with a wave of my own before I headed back inside and went to continue watching the news but my thoughts soon turned to that dream I had.

It was the same as always, a cream-colored kitsune with ruby-red eyes standing in a field with a smile while telling me that I was safe and that he longed to meet me before it ended with us holding hands and watching the scenery until I woke up, which was nothing new since I've been having them for as long as I can remember.

I didn't know if they were supposed to mean something or not but I felt drawn to him for some reason whenever I dreamt about him and longed to meet him whenever I woke up, though my parents told me once that I had an active imagination so it was probably nothing.

Still, I decided to just enjoy my day off since I wasn't needed at the precinct right now but I spent most of the morning and noon just relaxing while doing nothing in particular until somebody knocked on the door and I went over to the front door to open it, seeing Mr. and Mrs. Sandwich waiting on the other side.

"Earl, Jill, what can I do for you two?" I asked and Earl smiled.

"Hey Dennis, Jill and I are going to be out for the day so could you look after Peanut and Grape for us? We'll gladly pay you for your time," Earl requested and I smiled with a nod.

"Sure, they'll love having me over so I'll look after them for you," I replied.

"Thanks, Dennis, we'd ask for someone else in the neighborhood to look after them but everyone else is busy with their own pets so sorry if this was sudden," Jill told me sheepishly and I chuckled.

"It's no trouble, I'm glad I could help," I reassured her before I went to get my keys, phone, and wallet.

After that, I left the house and started walking to the Sandwich family home with Earl and Jill as they told me how long they'd be gone and what time they'd be back as I memorized it until we arrived at their house, which was right next door to mine as we went inside and Peanut went to greet us.

"Mom, Dad, I thought you were going to be out for the day," Peanut said before he looked surprised to see me here.

"We are, we just asked Dennis to look after you and Grape while we're gone so make sure to behave and try not to make a mess, okay?" Earl told Peanut, who perked up with a big grin until he nodded.

I had a feeling things were going to get a little crazy while I was here but I was happy to spend time with Peanut and Grape as Earl and Jill left the house, then Peanut took my hand and practically took me to his room before bringing me to his Wii.

He wanted me to play Mario Kart with him and I was happy to oblige so we spent an hour battling each other as I picked Mario and Peanut picked Yoshi, the two of us getting into it as we fought for first place and it took a few close calls but I managed to reach the finish line first, making Peanut pout.

"Aw, I lost...you just had to use that shell against me, didn't you?" Peanut muttered and I smiled in amusement.

"Sorry Peanut, but you almost beat me a few times so it's not all that bad, right?" I pointed out and Peanut perked up.

"Yeah, you're right so let's keep playing!" Peanut cheered and I chuckled at how energetic he was as we continued playing for a bit until the batteries died on our Wii remotes and Peanut decided to go wake Grape up from her nap so that she could play with us, so we headed to her room where she was sleeping in her cat bed before Peanut went to gently shake her to wake her up.

"Graape, the Wii remotes are out of batteries, Mom and Dad are out of the house, and I'm bored!" Peanut whined as the Grape let out an annoyed groan, the purple feline sitting up from her bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I have a great game you can play, it's called Let The Cat Finish A Nap For Once. Mr. Caldwell is here so can't you find something else to do with him instead of bothering me?" Grape grumbled.

"Pleeease, Grape?" Peanut begged and Grape yawned as she stretched.

"Alright, stop looking so pitiful. Set course for high adventure," Grape muttered in resignation and Peanut started beaming.

"I'll get out the paper bags with silly hats drawn on them! Mr. Caldwell, you want to play with us?" Peanut asked me and I looked thoughtful until I nodded.

"Sure, though I don't exactly have a paper bag with a hat drawn on it," I replied and Peanut grinned.

"That's okay, I'll make one for you," Peanut assured me before he walked away and later came back with three paper bags that had hats drawn on them until Grape put hers on that had a wizard hat on it while she got a stick and held it up like a wand.

"I am the, uh, Weather King, ruler of this land!" Grape announced dramatically and Peanut snickered while hiding his smile.

"Hail to the rain-ing king!" Peanut joked and I laughed at the rain pun before Grape shoved her bag over Peanut's head in response.

We continued playing while Peanut kept making rain puns and I was having a blast as I played the role of the gallant knight, openly grinning the whole time as I was enjoying myself but then Peanut and Grape had the bright idea to throw a bucket of water into the spinning fan despite my attempt to stop them, which caused a mess and the stock play continued until I called a time-out so that we could clean up the mess.

"Sorry, Mr. Caldwell...we kinda got carried away," Peanut said sheepishly as we were busy mopping up the wet floor with paper towels.

"It's okay, just try not to cause a mess next time," I replied just as the front door opened with Earl and Jill entering the house, the latter entering the living room with a pack of batteries.

"Hey, we're back. Oh, Peanut, I got you batteries for your Nintendo like you asked, so here you go," Jill said as she handed Peanut the pack of batteries before taking in the mess on the floor.

"Sorry for the mess, they kinda got carried away," I said and Jill arched a brow.

"I can see that, though thanks for looking after them since we appreciate it," Jill told me gratefully and I nodded as Grape, Peanut, and I finished mopping up the floor and stood up to throw away the soggy paper towels in the trash.

"It's no trouble at all," I said before Earl walked in.

I was paid for looking after Peanut and Grape before petting the dog and cat, bidding them goodbye, and leaving the Sandwich family home before heading back to my place and entering my home, then I felt tired and looked at my watch to see that it was the evening so I started making dinner by heating a frozen Lasagna in the oven.

Once it was done, I went to eat my dinner at the kitchen table and thought about what the kitsune said to me in my dream as I wondered who he was since it felt a bit too real to be a dream despite trying to write it off as nothing, though I focused on finishing with my dinner and did the dishes until I went to go to bed and fell asleep after that.

Chapter Text

I sighed as water sprayed me from above as I scrubbed my head in the shower, and after rinsing off, I turned off the shower and stared at the wall as the only sound in the bathroom was the sound of water dripping.

I recalled the dream from last night, where I was in a dark place, alone, shivering, and hearing the voices of the comrades that I lost, blaming me for their deaths. As I was close to breaking down, I was surrounded by warmth as somebody held me close to their chest and whispered calming words to me, and just as I tried to look at who it was, I woke up in my bed.

"Who was that? That warmth sure felt real for a dream," I muttered while placing a hand on my chest thoughtfully.

I shake my head before stepping out of the shower, reach for my towel, and dry off until I hear somebody wailing outside which got my attention and I was confused by who could be making a racket outside in the neighborhood.

"What the?" I mumbled while I quickly put on a t-shirt and some sweats before going out to see what the problem was and then I saw Bino as the source.

"Oh, woe is me! Woe is me! Woe, woe, woe, woe, woe...it is so terrible, this fate which has befallen me! How horrible, how dreadful, how ghastly!" Bino cried out dramatically.

I just shook my head at what he was doing with a sigh before deciding to go check up on Peanut and Grape, heading next door and knocking on the front door before waiting and it didn't take long until I heard footsteps and Peanut opened the door.

"Oh, hello there, Mr. Caldwell," Peanut greeted with a huge smile appearing on his face.

"Hey Peanut, is your mom and dad home?" I asked and Peanut shook his head.

"No, they went out so it's just me and Grape right now," Peanut replied.

"Okay, mind if I come in to look after you guys until they come home?" I offered and Peanut nodded.

"Sure," Peanut said before he let me in, just as Grape left the living room and saw me.

"Hey, Mr. Caldwell," Grape greeted as I gave her a scratch on the chin and Peanut with a pat on the head, the latter wagging his tail in response.

"Hey, just thought I'd watch over you guys while Mr. and Mrs. Sandwich are out of the house," I replied and Grape smiled.

"Alright, though I'll be taking a nap for right now," Grape said and I chuckled.

"Okay then, don't let me keep you from your beauty sleep," I remarked wryly.

Grape rolled her eyes before walking away so Peanut and I headed to the living room and I took a seat on the sofa while Peanut laid down to rest his head on my leg, then I switched on the TV and we just started watching some random show.

"Woe is me!" a familiar voice shouted through the window behind us but we didn't look back as Peanut sat up.

"Oh, hey Bino. Did you want something?" Peanut inquired casually.

"Oh Peanut and Mr. Caldwell, it is terrible, for I have lost...the game!" Bino exclaimed before Peanut and I got off the sofa and went to the window until Peanut rested his arms on the open windowsill.

"What kind of game, Bino?" I asked with an arched brow and Bino quickly pointed at me and Peanut with a grin.

"Aha, now that you and Peanut know of the game, you can never un-know it, for to know of the game is to play the game, and to think of the game is to lose the game! There is never any recourse, never any escape!

It will haunt you forever! Forever, do you hear me?!" Bino ranted before walking away with a cackle and I just stared at him weirdly while Peanut was slumping his head onto his arms in exasperation.

"Is he on some kind of meds or something? What was he even talking about?" I wondered in complete bewilderment and Peanut quickly ran over to where Grape was to wake her up as she was curled up on a chair and blissfully unaware of what was going on.

"Grape! Grape, wake up!" Peanut yelled frantically while shaking Grape away.

"What the- am I wearing a sign that says 'please disturb me' or something?! I would not be surprised, actually," Grape grumbled irritably as she went to sit up, just before I walked over.

"Sorry that Peanut woke you up, but apparently he's freaking out over how Bino is making us play the game or something, not sure what," I spoke up as Grape went to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"What game? You mean...oh for the love of...the game is a dumb little social experiment that went horribly awry. You guys don't have to play it if you don't want to, it just causes excessive grief if you're afraid of some arbitrary title of loss," Grape explained and I made a face at that.

"Wasn't really planning on playing it in the first place," I muttered before Grape looked at Peanut.

"Anyway, Peanut, why do you think you have to play?" Grape asked and Peanut teared up.

"The game told me to," Peanut whimpered before Grape put a paw on his shoulder and stared at him with a deadpan look.

"I would be more sympathetic, but you interrupted my nap. So, what are you worried about? There's nothing keeping you from not playing the game if you want," Grape pointed out as she got off the chair.

"Yes, there is! I have to!" Peanut exclaimed distressfully and I scratched him behind the ears to try to soothe him.

"Peanut, you really don't have to do it if you don't want to since I can tell this is stressing you out," I reassured him and Grape nodded in agreement.

"He's right, that's all metagame. If you let the metagame enforce the rules, then the ruleset isn't closed and you can change it however you want. You know, like D&D. Let's say I make The New Game, and the purpose of the new game is so that you can win the game.

If you accept all metagame rules as enforceable, you can accept the new game, right?" Grape explained and Peanut started rubbing his arm.

"No..." Peanut trailed off hesitantly.

"Well, why not?!" Grape shouted in frustration.

"Because that's not how the game is played!" Peanut argued and Grape rested her head in her paws.

"So help me, if this is any indication of how my day is going to go..." Grape muttered in exasperation before she started marching to the front door.

"Where are you going?" I questioned.

"To rip Bino a new one for getting Peanut involved in something so stupid," Grape replied and I started following her.

"In that case, I might as well come with," I told her before we made it to the front door and headed outside.

"Alright idiots, we want to know why you got Peanut into playing the game," Grape demanded after we found Bino, Fox, and Joey.

"What?!" Fox shouted.

"Aw, man!" Joey whined.

"Man, that's not cool, just making us lose like that!" Bino yelled irritably and I was taken aback.

"Wait, you all are seriously playing right now?" I questioned in complete bafflement.

"Well, duh. What, did you and the cat think we'd cheat? If you don't play, that's the same as cheating!" Bino retorted and Grape threw her arms up.

"Cheating?! In what context?! We're not playing the game, so what?!" Grape shouted and the three dogs looked taken off guard.

"You're not?" Bino questioned with a look of surprise until Rex showed up with a scowl.

"Who said they're not playing the game?!" Rex snarled and I started pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I swear to god, I'm gonna get a migraine in a second," I muttered before Grape and I were forced to run.

We ran from the angry dogs that chased after us and I was fully exasperated by them getting worked up by something so damn stupid as we were chased around the neighborhood until we managed to climb up a tree to escape them and just sat on a couple of branches while Bino and the other dogs were shouting threats and one of them yelled something about getting a chainsaw.

"I wonder if we could live off squirrels for the rest of our lives? Like, threaten them to shell nuts for us," Grape wondered and I shrugged.

"Maybe we should just make a base before getting workers," I suggested, and Grape sighed.

"Okay, I'll give you that," Grape remarked as I looked down at the angry dogs.

"Renounce your ways, cheaters!" Bino yelled and I glared down at him.

"This is so damn stupid, we're not even cheating and we don't want to get involved in this so leave us alone!" I retorted irritably.

"Give him the chainsaw!" Bino ordered and Fox handed Rex the chainsaw, then the chainsaw started up and my eyes widened.

"Don't you dare!" I shouted before Rex started sawing through the trunk.

The tree shook before it started tipping over and Grape jumped to the nearby roof while I fell down to the grass below, tucking my legs and landing into a roll to soften my fall but then I saw Joey in the path of the falling tree and ran over before tackling him out of the way until the tree landed with a mighty crash.

"Jesus, you okay?" I asked and Joey nodded with wide eyes.

"U-Um, yeah...thanks," Joey replied nervously before we stood up and I brushed myself off, looking at the dogs with a stern look and they lowered their heads in intimidation.

"Now, what did we learn here?" I inquired firmly with crossed arms.

"Don't cut down a tree or stand underneath a falling one," the dogs replied and I nodded.

"Exactly, Joey or Grape and I could've gotten seriously hurt and I'm going to have to call someone to get this mess cleaned up, so head on home while I try to fix this," I said and the dogs left before Grape jumped down.

"I swear, those dogs are nuts," Grape grumbled while she fumed and I scratched her head.

"Hey, it's okay since nobody got hurt so we should head home," I assured her before taking out my cell phone.

I made a few calls and the city sent somebody to remove the fallen tree before driving off after I spoke to the workers, then Grape and I started walking back to the Sandwich family home and went back inside as Peanut was sitting and ready a book.

"So, did it go okay?" Peanut inquired as Grape stormed past him and I sighed.

"Don't ask, Peanut," I said just before Grape sat down and held her face in her paws, just before I heard her sniffling and trying not to cry so Peanut and I walked over to her in concern.

"Aw Grape, don't be sad. I'm okay with playing the game," Peanut reassured her gently while resting a paw on her shoulder.

"It's not you, it's them! They don't understand that forcing yourself to be a conduit of the game is like voluntarily giving up your free will! Dumbasses! In time, this will destroy them!" Grape exclaimed in frustration before I knelt in front of her.

"I know you're frustrated, so how about this? I make some food for you guys, sound good? That should make you feel better," I offered and Peanut and Grape perked up.

"That sounds really good right now, sure," Grape replied and I nodded as I stood up.

"Okay, what would guys like?" I inquired and Peanut shot his hand up.

"Oh, I'll have a grilled cheese sandwich!" Peanut requested excitedly and I looked at Grape.

"What about you, Grape?" I asked and Grape looked thoughtful until she smiled.

"Fish fillets for me, please," Grape replied and I nodded.

"Okay, coming right up," I said before making my way to the kitchen, all the while smiling and shaking my head.

Chapter Text

(3rd POV)

It was in the middle of the night, and it had been about a few hours since Dennis had fallen asleep. Currently, the human was lying on his side facing his bedroom window and was asleep with a small smile on his face. He was so asleep that he didn't notice or hear the cream-colored kitsune with ruby-red eyes and nine tails appearing in his room. The kitsune smiled happily before flying over to the sleeping human, curling around him and sighing in contentment.

"I finally found you...my mate," Kitsune murmured.

It's been a few years since he saved Dennis from that incident, and he never saw him again after that, but he never stopped thinking about him. The dreams he had of him since the human was born caught his curiosity, and he wanted to learn more about him.

He watched him from afar in human form as Dennis lived a relatively normal life growing up as the mortal had a happy childhood before he became what mortals called a soldier, and Kitsune kept feeling a pull that had drawn him to the human and he felt frantic when Dennis lost the people who fought alongside him and was in danger of dying himself, a panic-filled terror the demi-god had never experienced before.

He knew that he shouldn't have interfered in mortals' affairs by saving Dennis' life, but it was as if he was acting on instinct instead of logic. Considering that he was far older than any mortal on Earth and had never experienced such fear and terror before, it left him confused and unsure of how to process it.

He didn't understand what it all meant and for the first time in his immortal life, he felt lost so he swallowed his pride and went to consult with Bahamut for advice on how to handle the matter since the head Celestial usually knew how to point him and his fellow Celestials in the right direction.

When he explained the situation and the pull he felt for Dennis while asking for advice, Bahamut didn't seem surprised and showed an almost knowing smile as he had merely replied that certain events are in motion and that Kitsune would know the answers once the time was right.

That only added to his confusion and he tried to get answers but the massive dragon wouldn't clarify what he meant by that, which frustrated the kitsune Celestial more than anything and it reminded him how his superior always knew how to get under his skin.

He couldn't tell Spirit Dragon and her brother about this since he would never hear the end of it for all of eternity, not to mention they only cared about attempting to outmatch each other in the Cosmic Game and Cerberus was far too busy with doing her duties of supervising the dead to either have their good selves sent to Heaven and evil selves sent to Pandemonium.

So, the only thing he could do was wait and see what happened next while attempting to try to find Dennis as the dreams continued for the past few years, some of them pleasant and some of them bad but he was always there as he comforted the human mortal in the latter case until he started feeling strangely whenever he saw him in the dreams.

He tried to figure out what it could mean before coming to one conclusion, Dennis was his soul mate and he was falling for the mortal. Of course, love was a foreign concept to him personally despite watching over the mortals and sometimes messing with them to simply amuse himself but he never held any ill will against them and was fond of them while his personal policy ensured that the Cosmic Game didn't cause them any harm.

Some Celestials might see that as him being soft on the mortals but Kitsune wasn't known as one of the more powerful demi-gods for no reason since he could be quite petty and terrifying if he were to get truly angry, and it was pretty rare for him to lose his temper since he usually gets revenge through harmless trickery and pranks if he was ever wronged in some way and that usually gave his fellow Celestials a headache to deal with.

Regardless, after a few years of searching, he finally found his mate and was so happy right now as he just laid there with Dennis and merely enjoyed being close to him as the night passed by until the sun started rising for a bit and Dennis stirred a little in his sleep, indicating that he was beginning to wake up so Kitsune turned himself invisible with his magic(k) to make sure that he's not discovered.

(Dennis Caldwell's POV)

I let out a quiet sigh as I began waking up and slowly opened my eyes, feeling almost strange but it wasn't the bad type of strange as I felt so contentful and happy right now while I yawned and started stretching, sitting up and rubbing my eyes but then I paused with a saw a dip on the other end of the bed next to me.

"What the hell? Did I leave an imprint in the bed in my sleep?" I muttered in complete confusion.

In the end, I just shrugged it off and got out of bed to do my morning routine while taking a shower and getting dressed, making breakfast for myself, and watching the news for a bit until I decided to take a walk so I left the house just as Peanut came marching out of the Sandwich home with an annoyed expression.

"Morning, Peanut," I greeted and the canine looked at me before jogging over.

"Morning, could you have a look at this, Mr. Caldwell? It's a drawing I made and Grape thinks I'm weird for creating it, so I want to know what others think about it," Peanut requested as he showed me a piece of paper so I took it and examined the drawing, seeing what appeared to be a cat based on the tail and I hummed curiously.

"Nice drawing, though why would Grape think you're weird for making it?" I wondered as I handed back the drawing and Peanut threw his paws up in exasperation.

"I don't know, there's nothing wrong with it but she seems to think otherwise so I wanted to show it to the other pets to prove that there's nothing wrong with it," Peanut explained and I started looking thoughtful as I stroked my chin.

"Want me to come with you? It might help to have a second opinion," I offered and Peanut perked up with a smile.

"Would you? Thank you, Mr. Caldwell," Peanut replied.

I nodded in response before we started walking together in the neighborhood and went to find other pets to show the drawing to, then we soon found Bino, Fox, and Rex before Peanut went to show them the drawing and Bino went to look at it while Fox and Rex examined it as well, then Bino shook his head with a grimace.

"Sorry Peanut, we're going to have to revoke your Good Ol' Dogs' Club membership," Bino said with a slight look of disgust and I just stared at him in bewilderment.

"It's just a drawing, so what is the big deal about it?" I questioned with a baffled look and Bino sent me a deadpan expression.

"You're not a dog so you wouldn't understand, Mr. Caldwell," Bino replied dryly.

"Clearly, I don't," I muttered just as Bino went to return his attention to Peanut again.

"Anyway, Peanut, it's in our bylaws: no cat lovers. Also, it's really weird," Bino stated and Peanut stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm not a cat lover, I just happen to like...certain features of theirs," Peanut said hesitantly, causing Bino to look at Rex and Fox.

"Rex, what do you think?" Bino inquired and Rex crossed his arms.

"Sounds like a cat lover to me," Rex replied.

"Fox?" Bino questioned and Fox rested his paws on his hips.

"Total felinophile," Fox said and Bino made a face at that.

"I'm going to pretend I know what that means," Bino remarked and I looked at him, Fox, and Rex like they had two heads.

"Are you three serious right now? You think that just because he drew a cat, it means that he's attracted to them? Just because somebody draws something with certain features, it doesn't mean that they are attractive to them," I pointed out but Bino waved it off and looked at Peanut.

"So, Peanut, you'll need to turn in your card, if we had cards. Actually, just don't show up at the clubhouse anymore," Bino said and Peanut snatched back his drawing with an irritated expression.

"But it's just a tail! You wouldn't have complained if it was a whole cat!" Peanut argued and Bino glared at him.

"I'm pretty sure that would only aggravate the point, especially since we know you're a cat lover, cat lover!" Bino retorted and I started pinching the bridge of my nose in exasperation.

"I'm regretting this less and less," Peanut muttered and I sighed in exasperation.

"You know what? You three are hopeless," I said before Bino, Fox, and Rex walked away until they were gone and Joey shyly approached.

"Peanut? C-Can I have a look at your picture?" Joey requested while blushing and Peanut looked at him in surprise.

"Joey? You're a cat lover? Well, I guess, but all this controversy is making me feel weird about it," Peanut said before handing the drawing over to the other dog, and Joey examined it before smiling.

"She looks beautiful, Peanut! This is great!" Joey complimented and that surprised me and Peanut until the latter grinned happily as his tail started wagging.

"Really? It's nice to actually have another compliment on-" Peanut started to say but was cut off.

"I want to wear her skin," Joey said before handing the drawing back to Peanut, who looked horrified and I was completely disturbed by what I just heard.

"Okay, Joey, please do not say something like that in front of me and Peanut again, okay? I am a police officer and I can have you arrested for making threats of bodily harm," I stated while looking unsettled.

"What was that? What was that?! Do you even listen to the words coming out of your mouth?!" Peanut yelled in disbelief and Joey rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you two, don't be like Bino and the others; it's just a fantasy," Joey told us and I grimaced.

"An extremely disturbing one! Seriously, Joey, what the hell prompted you to say that out loud?!" I exclaimed uncomfortably as Peanut and I followed Joey to his doghouse.

"Well, come on, Peanut's a cat lover too so hadn't he ever, you know, wanted to be a cat?" Joey wondered and Peanut widened his eyes in realization while I also figured out what Joey originally meant.

"Oh, you meant like...roleplaying. Right, sorry, we thought you meant something else entirely..." Peanut trailed off in embarrassment while I also felt stupid for mistaking his words as a threat of skinning a cat.

"Yeah, roleplaying! Speaking of, I have something to show you two," Joey told us before going to show us what he had, then a short time passed by until Peanut and I walked back to the Sandwich family home in complete silence while Peanut struggled to process what Joey showed us until I entered the house with him and he put the drawing in the garbage disposal before we approached Grape who was laying on the sofa.

"Hi, Mr. Caldwell," Grape greeted and I waved in response.

"Grape, you know that neighbor cat that shows up from time to time with a spot over his left eye? Well, this is going to surprise you," Peanut said and started explaining.

"And then he talked about a mouse named Squeak and he said that they were in love and going to 'move in together'! We're pets, we can't even do that!" Peanut cried distressfully while Grape and I patted his back.

"Peanut, Peanut, it's alright. Okay, so Joey is strange. That's the kind of reputation that pets that look outside their species get. It's just a tail or some whiskers now, but the next thing you know, you wake up in a puddle of your own vomit from anise overdose screaming "I am one of the ferals" at the top of your lungs, but I might have overreacted.

It's not that your picture was bad," Grape reassured Peanut, rubbing the back of her head and blushing sheepishly.

"Well, I figured that. I mean, Joey seemed to like it...a lot," Peanut muttered while still resting his face in his paws.

"Well, I don't think it's right to leave any bad blood between us, so I'll give it a second chance. Where is it, anyway?" Grape wondered.

"The garbage disposal," I replied, and Grape looked at Peanut.

"That was a little drastic," Grape said with an arched brow.

"But everyone hates me for it and now it makes me feel strange," Peanut groaned in dismay before I rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Peanut, nobody hates you so it's okay," I said and Grape nodded in agreement.

"He's right, and if you say that you're not a cat lover, then I'll believe you. So, I don't hate you for it, and if everyone else takes it the wrong way, then I guess it's their problem but like how you all made fun of the new dog named Tiger?

In time, they'll come to accept it, crippling emotional problems aside. After all, when I hang out with the guys, I don't have to hide my femininity," Grape said with a reassuring smile before walking away and Peanut snapped his head up with wide eyes.

"You're a girl?!" Peanut exclaimed in shock as he quickly stood up and I looked at him in confusion as we followed Grape.

"She's always been a girl, so how could you not know that? You and Grape are naked all the time," I pointed out while Grape looked at Peanut in disbelief.

"Regardless, it's impolite to ask and she doesn't even act female! She plays video games with you and me, she and I talk candidly about all kinds of stuff, and she made me play Juliet when we were doing Shakespeare!" Peanut exclaimed and Grape did not look amused.

"That doesn't mean I have to be male; I thought we were dropping our preconceived ideas," Grape said with narrowed eyes and Peanut had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Sorry, but you have to admit that you're something of a tomboy," Peanut replied.

"Peanut, I think the word you're looking for is tomcat," I corrected him.

"That would mean Grape's a boy," Peanut said and Grape groaned.

"I know what he said! Look, it doesn't even matter that I'm female because I'm still Grape, and to pull a neat little parallel, it doesn't matter if you like cats but not in that way, you're still Peanut. What matters is that you don't care what the guys think about it because you, Mr. Caldwell, and I know you're not really a cat lover.

Now come on, stop frying your brain over it and let's make ourselves some root beer floats, put this crazy 'cat lover' nonsense behind us," Grape stated and I sighed.

"While you two do that, I'm gonna head out so I'll see you two later," I said before going to leave the house.

I exited the house and went to do my usual workout routine at the gym after getting into my car and driving to the city, and most of the day went by without anything interesting happening afterward as I eventually came back home and just spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Once it was the evening, I had dinner and went to bed soon after taking a shower, walking into my bedroom and stripping down to my boxers before lying down in bed and staring up at the ceiling until I looked at the other side of my bed again but the dip was gone, though I didn't think too much of it as I closed my eyes and went to fall asleep.

Chapter Text

Music played through my earbuds while I continued jogging through the neighborhood. It was a nice day out, so I did my usual daily exercise today while I was dressed in sweatpants, sneakers, and a t-shirt.

While I was jogging, I eventually stopped and went to take a swig from my water bottle, taking a break to catch my breath as I removed my earbuds, but then there was a rumbling noise, and I stood up in confusion.

"What the?" I muttered, just before I felt the ground trembling a bit.

I started hoping that it wasn't an earthquake as I looked around, though I heard the rumbling sound getting closer, and I tensed up before looking behind me, then I saw a stampede of many dogs approaching, and my eyes widened.

I yelped before jumping out of the way, and I just stared in bewilderment as the dogs rushed past me while looking excited, if their grins and wagging tails told me anything, just before Grape exited the Sandwich home looking just as confused as the dogs kept running down the street.

"What is going on, Mr. Caldwell?" Grape questioned in bewilderment.

"I have no clue...maybe we should see what's got all the dogs so excited," I replied, looking baffled.

Grape nodded before the two of us walked together to see what had the dogs so excited, and Grape and I were just beyond confused during our walk before we showed up to see what appeared to be a welcome home party that was set up for somebody.

"Whoa, hey, what's going on here? It's like you're setting up a rambunctorium. You know, like a place to be rambunctious?" Grape inquired as we looked at Fox, who turned to glance at us.

"Fido's gonna be back from the academy any minute now!" Fox exclaimed excitedly while he was holding a welcome home sign, just before I perked up.

"Oh, Fido's coming home? Nice, I haven't seen him since he left," I said with a smile, but only Grape looked confused.

"Bino's brother? So, what are you guys doing? Hiding all your ill-gotten bones?" Grape inquired while looking around, and Fox quickly shook his head while showing her his wagging tail.

"What? No, can't you see everyone wagging their tails?" Fox pointed out, and Grape rested her paws on her hips.

"Well, I know you guys talked about him in glowing terms, but was he really that special?" Grape asked, causing Fox to grin.

"Special? He's the top dog! All the dogs want to be him, except the lady dogs...they have 'other intentions'," Fox said, making me look at Sasha, who was holding a sign that said 'I want your poppies' on it.

"I guess that explains why Sasha has a sign that says 'I want your poppies' on it, which is kinda confusing at first," I pointed out, and Fox went to facepalm before looking at Sasha in annoyance.

"Puppies, Sasha! Puppies is spelled with a 'u'! No, the second letter!" Fox yelled as Sasha tried to fix the mistake she had made with the sign she was holding.

"Anyway, I'm going to go see how everyone else is doing," I said before separating from Fox and Grape, seeing Bino approaching Sasha while he looked unhappy.

"Hey, Bino, could you help us out here? I don't think we have enough paper ribbons up yet," Sasha requested while putting up more ribbons.

"Uh, hello, weren't we doing a thing? That's important?" Bino questioned with a look of annoyance, causing Sasha to look at him as if he were an idiot.

"This is important! This is Fido we're talking about," Sasha stated, and Bino started looking a little hurt.

"What about me, huh? I've been trying to get our act together for weeks now, and everyone blows me off at the mere mention of my brother returning! It's like I'm not even here!" Bino complained, and I felt a little bad for him while Sasha went to pull him into a hug.

"Aw, don't be silly, Bino. Nobody thinks you're worthless," Sasha told him before Bino started smiling.

"Thanks, I'm glad somebody still appreciates-" Bino said, and he was cut off as Sasha went to show him her sign.

"You know your brother better than anyone! Do you think he'd go for-" Sasha said, only to be interrupted by a frustrated Bino.

"That's not what I meant!" Bino snapped, getting ready to go tear everyone a new one.

"Bino, what are you doing? These dogs, that cat, and Mr. Caldwell are all here to see your brother. Don't ruin this for them," Sasha begged while I approached.

"Bino, I know you feel like everyone is ignoring you, but why don't you endure it until the party is over? Yelling at everyone isn't exactly appropriate," I pointed out, making Bino huff.

"Sorry, guys, someone has to put them in their place. Me, I have to put them in their place," Bino growled before Sasha held out a cup with some kind of liquid inside.

"Oh, Bino...at least drink something before you start off on another angry rant," Sasha offered, and Bino perked up.

"Well, thank you, Sasha. That's very sweet of you," Bino said as he went to drink from the cup, but then I picked up a familiar smell coming from the liquid, and my eyes widened.

"Bino, don't drink that!" I gasped before hurrying over to snatch the cup out of Bino's paw.

"Hey, what's the big idea, Mr. Caldwell?!" Bino protested as I went to sniff the drink, confirming that it was alcohol before I looked at Sasha in disbelief.

"This is alcohol, Sasha. Where did you get this?" I questioned, and Sasha shrugged.

"It was in this bottle from my dad's dresser. I think it was imported from France?" Sasha replied, and I grimaced.

"Okay, looks like I'm visiting your dad later to get him to lock up any alcohol to make sure you don't get your paws on it again," I stated before going to dump the cup in a nearby bush, just before Bino stormed over to a crowd of dogs and cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Everyone, listen up! That means you, and you! Grape, what are you even doing here?" Bino questioned in confusion.

"I like the taste of dog biscuits, so sue me," Grape countered before Bino shook his head and went back to glaring at the other dogs.

"I seriously can't believe you guys can get this worked up over Fido! Besides co-founding the club, pushing pet rights, fighting ferals, winning the last three annual pet park games, warded off nearly a dozen burglars, and teaching several of your pups to read and write, what's he ever done for you?!

What is the point of this anyway, throwing a welcome home party?! You guys sit up and beg for every dog that returns from the academy?! This is just a blatant political maneuver! He's expecting this welcome!" Bino shouted in exasperation, just as I saw Fido showing up behind him.

"Whoa now, you guys having a party in the middle of the street? What's the occasion?" Fido inquired, making Bino facepalm.

Suddenly, dogs started swarming poor Fido, who started looking alarmed and was trying to reason with everybody as they were all talking at once, though Grape didn't join in and just stared in bemusement, and I started heading over while Fido started looking like he was about to lose his composure.

"Whoa, whoa, guys, guys!" I shouted as I pushed through the crowd and let out a sharp, loud whistle to quiet everyone down, just before everyone looked at me.

"Everyone, I know we're all happy and excited that Fido is back home from the academy, but I'm sure he's tired and needs some rest after the long trip, so let's give him some space," I reasoned, causing Fido to send me a look of gratitude.

"Thanks, Mr. Caldwell," Fido told me, and I nodded.

"No problem, why don't you go home and get some rest since I imagine that you're exhausted right now," I suggested, just before Fido went to leave and I went to head over to Grape, who was eating dog biscuits while Bino was standing next to her and looking pissed.

"Look at him, sucking up all the glory! He's like some kind of glory-sponge, a glorified glory-sponge!" Bino snarled.

"Bino, I think you're kinda putting this all out of proportion," I said as I stared at him weirdly.

"Don't you see?! He's trying to win you over by playing up the humility angle! Don't buy it, it's just another trick of his! Oh yes, he's planned this from the start! You'll see, you'll all see! You all think I'm crazy!

Well, I'm not crazy, I'm the only sane one here!" Bino ranted while looking almost unstable, just before Grape picked up a frying pan and knocked him out with a swing to the back of the canine's head.

"Why'd they bring a frying pan out here?" Grape wondered while I gawked at her in horror.

"Grape, what the hell did you just do?!" I exclaimed in shock.

"What? Somebody had to shut him up," Grape said before I started twitching.

"There are ways of doing that that don't resort to nearly cracking his head open with a frying pan!" I yelled, just before I called Fox and Rex over as I went to pick up Bino, carrying him back to where I lived so that I could apply first aid.

After getting Bino back to my home, I put him on my bed and went into the bathroom to get the first aid kit before bringing it back to the bedroom, opening it up, and getting out the disinfectant and bandages.

I checked the back of Bino's head carefully and grimaced at the sight of a large lump beginning to form, though he wasn't bleeding so that was a good sign as I went ahead and disinfected the wound before carefully wrapping the bandages around his head until I stepped back to go put away the first aid kit.

After that, I had to wait for Bino to wake up as Fox and Rex stayed with me the entire time, then a short amount of time went by until Bino let out a quiet groan, and he stirred, waking up with a pained grimace.

"Hey, good to see you're awake, Bino," I greeted while Bino grimaced.

"Ugh...did you guys see who hit me?" Bino questioned.

"It was Grape, but don't get mad at her. I was five seconds from grabbing the frying pan myself," Fox stated.

"I had a brick ready," Rex added until I sent him and Fox a stern look.

"Guys, head trauma is no joke. Bino's lucky he doesn't have brain damage right now," I lectured firmly, making Rex and Fox flatten their ears a little.

"It's okay, Mr. Caldwell. You know, guys, between wandering through the inky star-studded blackness of brain trauma and the sound of Mr. Caldwell's voice as I came to, I realized something. If you guys care enough to smack me over the head when I go crazy, that's the kind of loyalty I really want," Bino told Fox and Rex, making them smile a little.

"That's awfully big of you, Bino," Fox replied.

"I'm a dog of the people; I should be here for them, not antagonizing them," Bino said, just before Grape and Peanut entered the bedroom.

"And at our next stop, Bino with a concussion!" Grape announced while Peanut held up a camera to take pictures of Bino.

"What are those guys doing in here?!" Bino groaned in exasperation.

"Alright, everyone, let's give Bino time to recover," I said before ushering everyone out of the room and out of the house.

Once I was done with that, I called Bino's owner, Jeff, to explain the situation and let him know he would be recovering at my house for a bit. I later checked on Bino before I heard someone knocking on my door and walked over to it.

When I opened the door, I saw a man with slightly tan skin and spiky platinum blond hair as he wore sunglasses, a red shirt, a checkered purple jacket, brown pants, a yin-yang symbol necklace, and red converse sneakers.

"Yes? Can I help you?" I inquired, and the stranger smirked as he held up a hand in greeting while his other hand was in his pocket and he had a casual posture filled with confidence.

"Hey, you're Dennis Caldwell, right? Good to meet you, my name is Kenneth, and I just moved in down the street," Kenneth told me, and I perked up.

"Oh, you moved into the Henderson place down the street? I was wondering when somebody was going to buy that property, since it's been empty for a few months," I replied, going to shake the man's hand, and I didn't know why, but something about him put me at ease, and I found myself relaxing around him.

"Yeah, no kidding. I wanted to meet you since I've been introducing myself to everyone in the neighborhood and thought I should meet you, considering I heard things about you from them," Kenneth remarked, and I chuckled.

"All good things, I hope," I joked, and Kenneth laughed before flashing me a smile.

"I like you, something tells me we're going to be good friends, Mr. Caldwell," Kenneth said, and I nodded.

"Same here, hope to see you around more," I replied until Kenneth turned to walk away, the man whistling a tune as I shut the door.

"Huh, nice guy," I muttered before going to get dinner ready, and I went to watch TV after that.

Chapter Text

I grunted as I continued hitting the punching bag, getting my daily workout in at the gym as my muscles burned and I was sweating, stepping back once I was done before taking a swig from my water bottle, calling it quits for today.

I started heading to the male locker room to get a quick shower and change into a spare change of clothes before heading out of the building, making my way to my car as I thought about doing something relaxing once I was home.

After reaching my car in the parking lot, I got in and started it up before pulling out of the parking lot and driving back home, as I let out a tired sigh, looking forward to relaxing for the rest of the day unless the station needed me to come in.

Regardless, I eventually arrived at Babylon Gardens and drove back home before parking in the driveway, shutting off the car, and getting out as I took out my dufflebag full of dirty gym clothes and shampoo, body wash, and a dirty towel.

I locked the car and headed to my house, stepping inside after unlocking the door, before putting my dirty clothes and towel in the washing machine until I started it up for a full cycle after inserting the detergent into the machine.

Once that was done, I went to take a seat on the sofa and start watching TV, changing channels, but there wasn't anything interesting to watch, so I shut off the TV and figured a walk around the neighborhood might do me some good.

With that in mind, I got off the couch and went to leave the house after grabbing my keys, phone, and wallet, exiting my home before locking the front door as I went to start taking a walk, only to see the Sandwich family leave their home while Grape and Peanut were holding onto their own leashes.

"Hey guys, you heading out?" I greeted them after walking over to them.

"Hey, Dennis. We were going to head to the zoo," Earl said while Jill, Peanut, and Grape waved at me.

"Huh, mind if I come with? I just came home from the gym, so being at the zoo would be a perfect time to relax," I requested, and Earl and Jill looked thoughtful.

"Sure, we wouldn't mind," Jill said before I smiled.

"Great, though what about the leash ordinance? I think I heard something about a loophole," I wondered before Earl nodded.

"Yeah, the zoo doesn't support the ordinance, so they'll look the other way as long as pets hold onto their own leashes," Earl explained before I looked at Grape and Peanut, the former looking a little reluctant while the latter was beaming.

"I still wish we didn't have to use these dumb leashes," Grape grumbled in annoyance, so I patted her head with a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry, Grape. I don't exactly agree with it either, but there's not much we can do about it at the end of the day," I said before Grape sighed.

"I know, doesn't mean I still don't find it dumb," Grape stated as I noticed Kenneth approaching us.

"Hey, everyone. You all heading somewhere?" Kenneth asked curiously before I waved at him.

"Hey, Kenneth. We were going to head to the zoo today," I said before Kenneth perked up.

"Ooh, mind if I come with? I've been working hard these past few days, so it would be nice to unwind for a bit," Kenneth said before I shrugged and looked at Earl and Jill.

"What do you two think?" I inquired.

"Sure, we don't mind," Earl replied before Kenneth grinned.

"Nice, it would be awesome to spend time with a couple of my neighbors," Kenneth said cheerfully.

I shook my head with an amused smile since I have no idea where he gets all that energy from, and I don't really know much about him other than that he works in administration for some contracting firm outside the city and has to deal with two squabbling siblings sometimes.

It's funny, now that I think about it, he doesn't really reveal much of his personal life during the past several weeks he's been living in Babylon Gardens, and he always wears those sunglasses of his, so I wonder what his life was like before he moved here.

Regardless, Earl and Jill headed to their car with Grape and Peanut while Kenneth and I headed to mine, all of us getting into our vehicles and starting them up before backing out of the driveways and starting to head into the city.

"This is going to be so much fun," Kenneth stated with a smirk.

"Depends on a person's perspective, Ken," I replied while Kenneth chuckled.

I focused on driving after that as I followed Earl's car, going through the downtown district and making our way past the business district until we soon passed by the city park, and it didn't take long for us to arrive at the city zoo.

Once we found a couple of parking spaces and got out, we paid to get in and started walking while Kenneth and Peanut were looking around with smiles before we made our way to the big cat exhibit first, just before we came to a stop in front of one exhibit as Earl and Jill went to look at another one of the large felines and Kenneth and I stayed to keep an eye on Peanut and Grape.

"Why do we always have to visit the cat house first?" Peanut wondered while he was looking around.

"Because the wolf pen is on the other side of the place, so hush, and you basically cover your eyes in here. It's not like you know anything about big cats," Grape said dryly while sending Peanut a deadpan look.

"Then I will educate myself!" Peanut declared before sticking his tongue out at her, just before he walked over to the Bengal tiger exhibit.

"The Bengal tiger is found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Burma. Its habitat varies widely, including grasslands and various kinds of forests. In the wild, males often range from 200 to 230 unknowable units, with females reaching approximately 140," Peanut said as he read the info, just before the tiger inside the exhibit looked down at him unamusingly while having his arms crossed.

"You know, it is very annoying that people read those things out loud when I'm standing right here," the tiger grumbled before Peanut nodded, looking down at the info again.

"Hey, Shardul, did you know that every year-" Peanut said before he was cut off.

"Yes, I know that," Shardul said in annoyance while Grape facepalmed.

"Never a dull moment with those two, is it?" Kenneth whispered to me, and I chuckled.

"Oh, you have no idea," I replied quietly before we continued to look around in the cat house.

After a little bit, we all left the cat house and started exploring the zoo more while Kenneth and I chatted for a bit, and he was surprisingly easy to talk to as he laughed at what I said about a stupid situation Ralph got himself into while we had been on patrol, just before we stopped at the otter exhibit.

"Hey, Tarmac, Gambit!" Peanut greeted cheerfully, and the two otters perked up with smiles.

"Hey, Peanut!" the river otters said loudly.

"How are my favorite river otters?" Peanut asked.

"Couldn't be better! In fact, they just brought in a female last week," Tarmac replied, just as a female otter showed up and started yelling in Japanese before walking away.

"Though we think she's supposed to be in the other pen," Gambit said awkwardly.

Once Peanut was done talking to them, we continued exploring the zoo while passing by a few exhibits before coming across the kangaroo exhibit, and two male kangaroos with dark and light fur colors came over to the railing with large smiles.

"G'day, mates!" the lighter kangaroo greeted cheerfully.

"What're grouse blokes like you doing in Oz? Coupla clicks outta your way, innit?" the darker kangaroo asked, resting his arms on the railing.

"You blokes seem like fair dinkum, so we're stoked havin' you all here, roight!" the lighter kangaroo stated.

"Maybe later this arvo, we could have a grog and throw a few shrimp on the barbie. If you're lookin' for a rage, you should have been here last night. This place was going off till we were all grinnin' like shot foxes!" the darker kangaroo said with a grin, though Grape didn't look impressed.

"Guys, it's okay! We're regulars," Grape said, then the kangaroos let out sighs of pure relief before the darker kangaroo rested his head on his arms.

"Thank goodness, every single word feels like throwing up!" the darker kangaroo groaned.

"Shrimp on the barbie? We're herbivores!" the lighter kangaroo complained while looking annoyed.

Kenneth looked like he wanted to chuckle, but I gently elbowed him to stop him from being rude. He immediately stopped with a sheepish smile as we continued exploring, before soon coming across the wolf exhibit, and I could see a few wolves sleeping as they lay next to each other.

"And we're at the wolf pen!" Grape said loudly.

"Yay!" Peanut cheered, making the wolves flinch before one growled.

"Argh, keep it down! We've been entertaining all morning!" the male wolf snapped, then there was an extended silence for a little bit.

"I can wait," Peanut said.

"It's like my life, but from the outside," Grape added before the wolf let out an irritated growl, just before I shushed Grape and Peanut.

"Guys, why don't we be quiet and let them sleep, okay? They're no doubt very exhausted from entertaining people all morning, so let's let them be, okay?" I whispered to try to keep it down.

Grape and Peanut nodded before we just watched the wolves in silence for a bit, then we moved on, and soon came across the dolphins as they swam around in their tank while only saying 'fish', so I smiled since dolphins were one of my favorites when I was a kid.

"Hey, Grape, if the dolphins are underwater, how come I can hear them?" Peanut wondered curiously.

"That's because dolphins communicate through telepathy," Grape replied, and Peanut looked down at the dolphins with wide eyes.

"Wow!" Peanut gasped in awe.

"Yeah, amazing, except that doesn't translate to intelligence. Come on, let's go somewhere else," Grape said before we all started to walk away, then Peanut's ears perked before he quickly went back to the tank and looked in with confusion.

"Peanut, you coming?" I questioned, causing the dog to shrug before he hurried over to catch up to us.

"Say, did you want to go to the ape house?" Peanut asked us while looking through a map of the zoo, and Grape scoffed.

"Absolutely not, it's the worst-smelling place imaginable, and they're always doing the same thing! I don't even get that part of the movie, like we're supposed to believe that apes and humans share a common ancestor.

What do they even have in common?" Grape ranted before Peanut looked uncertain.

"The...the ears, maybe?" Peanut questioned hesitantly.

"They can't fool me, humans don't have thumbs on their feet...I think," Grape grumbled before I chuckled.

"That's what evolution does, turn a common species into something completely different," I remarked wryly before Grape sighed.

"I guess, still sounds ridiculous, though," Grape said.

We continued walking for a bit and went to see a few more exhibits before making our way to the aviary, soon arriving there, but the zoo keeper stopped us from going in and told us that we weren't allowed in there right now.

"I can read the sign; why can't we go in?" Grape asked in disbelief.

"Administration ordered it, miss. The birds were threatening to unionize," the zoo keeper explained before I sent Grape a sympathetic look.

"Sorry, Grape, guess we're going to have to skip this one," I said before Grape let out a groan, only we walked away in the end, and soon came across the fox exhibit.

"Hey Silverbolt, how have things been?" Peanut asked, and the fox on the other side of the fence looked peeved.

"Terrible, the new guy just will not let up!" Silverbolt complained as he gestured at the new fox, who was wandering around and stirring up trouble.

"Hold on, my TV's been getting snowy," the fox said while moving the ears of an annoyed arctic fox, then he grabbed the tail of another fox.

"Here, hold this," the fox said to another one while the owner of the tail looked irritated, and then the fox headed over to a computer that had a coffee machine.

"I'm trying to figure out which port is for the Java plug-in," the fox said, making one facepalm while I did a double-take.

"What, what? How on Earth did he get his hands on a computer and a coffee machine?" I questioned in bewilderment.

"You're asking me? I don't know how he got them, and I don't want to know either," Silverbolt grumbled.

After that, once Kenneth saw the new fox, he had a strange reaction where he sharply inhaled before clearing his throat, making the fox look at him, and a spark of recognition appeared in his eyes as he grinned, opening his mouth to say something.

However, a pointed look from Kenneth shut him up, and I arched a brow since that was strange, almost as if they knew each other, but that couldn't be right, so I just shrugged it off as we walked away to head to the reptile house.

"Ooh, the reptile house," Grape said with a look of interest.

"Only marginally above the insects in level of interest," Peanut said, which a snake took offense to.

"Hey, I heard that, bub!" the snake retorted before Peanut sent it a smirk while Grape went to look at one of the lizards.

"Well, what are you going to do? You're tiny, stuck behind glass, and don't even have any thumbs," Peanut mocked while I winced since this wasn't going to end well.

"You underestimate my cunning," the snake warned, then Peanut went to press his finger on the glass.

"I underestimate your face, so if you're so smart, prove it," Peanut taunted before I gently grabbed his arm and pulled him away while sending an embarrassed smile at the snake.

"Peanut, maybe not provoke the snake, okay? You'd be surprised how clever they can be," I suggested as Grape came back, then we soon left the reptile house, and some time went by until it was time to go home, as Earl and Jill came to find us.

"Alright, everyone. It's getting late, so we'd better get on home," Earl stated, much to the disappointment of Peanut and Grape.

"Aww, but da-ad!" Peanut and Grape whined.

"You heard him, it's starting to get dark, and the zoo will be closing soon," I said before Peanut pouted.

"We've barely seen all our friends, and we just kind of rushed through the jungle house, and what about all the bovids?" Peanut groaned in dismay.

"Or the bears, I didn't even get to say hi!" Grape complained before Earl went to ruffle Peanut's head fur playfully.

"Then you're going to have to partition your time better," Earl remarked wryly.

"But we barely had any time to do what we did do!" Peanut whimpered, and Earl arched a brow.

"Like the multi-species Scrabble tournament?" Earl questioned until Grape frowned.

"Hey, it's very hard to get three dozen zookeepers to look the other way with our meager allowance," Grape grumbled until I chuckled.

"Come on, we should go before we're kicked out," I stated.

With that said, we all headed to the entrance and made our way to the parking lot, getting in our cars before driving home until we made our way back to Babylon Gardens, stopping in our driveways and getting out of the cars as I wished the Sandwich family good night, just before Kenneth started stretching his arms.

"Well, that was fun. So, interested in doing other things together tomorrow?" Kenneth asked before I looked thoughtful.

"You know, I think I'd like that," I replied before Kenneth grinned.

"Sweet, I'll see you tomorrow, then," Kenneth said cheerfully before showing me finger guns and walking away while whistling.

I don't know why, but Kenneth was easy to get along with and also easy to talk to, so he's certainly a good friend to have as I walked back into my house with a smile on my face and got ready for dinner, finishing up my meal afterward before going to bed and having nice dreams once I was asleep.

Chapter Text

"Jesus Christ, why the hell does it have to snow so damn much in this state?" I grumbled, busy shoveling snow out of my driveway to clear it while I was wearing thick snow pants, a heavy winter jacket, a sweater, snow boots, thick gloves, a scarf, and a beanie with winter ear muffs.

I sighed since this was the one thing I didn't like snow, having it pile up in your driveway, and it nearly taking an hour to clear up while standing in the freezing cold, guess it's true what they say when things are different when you're an adult because kid me loved the snow while growing up.

Regardless, I managed to clear the driveway and went to get the bags of ice melt salt that were resting next to the front door, tearing open the bags before pouring the salt onto the driveway while spreading it around to make sure the driveway doesn't get icy, just before Grape and Peanut left their house while wearing scarfs.

"Hey, Mr. Caldwell! How are you doing?" Peanut greeted me with a wave before I waved back with a smile.

"Hey guys, just clearing the driveway, so how about you two? You gonna play in the snow or something?" I asked while stabbing the shovel into the snow so that I could rest my arms on it, just before Grape rolled her eyes.

"Not really, Peanut wanted to show me something in the woods, not sure what," Grape told me before I looked thoughtful.

"Huh, want me to come with? It might be safer, just in case," I offered before Peanut grinned.

"Sure, that would be great," Peanut replied until Grape shrugged.

"Might as well, since it's nice to hang out with you," Grape added before I smiled.

"Cool, I'll go get my gun," I said before Peanut looked taken aback.

"Um, is a gun really necessary?" Peanut asked before I nodded.

"Yes, there are wild animals still out in the woods that haven't gone into hibernation yet, so I want to make sure you two are safe, and I also want to make sure to be armed to keep myself safe," I explained logically.

"When you put it like that...we can't really argue with you there," Grape agreed until I nodded.

"Okay, I'll be right back," I said while picking up the shovel.

I grabbed the empty ice melt bags and tucked them under one arm while holding the shovel with my other hand, tossing the bags into the trash bin while putting the shovel away in my garage before going to unlock my gun safe to take out a pump-action shotgun with forest camo paint on it.

Taking out a box of shells, I went to load the shotgun before racking the pump and slinging it over my shoulder, putting away the box of shells and shutting the gun safe before locking it back up, just as I went outside to meet back up with Peanut and Grape.

"Alright, I'm ready to go. So, where is this thing you wanted to show Grape, Peanut?" I asked, and Peanut gestured for me and Grape to follow him.

"This way, you won't believe it," Peanut replied with a grin of excitement.

I looked at Grape in bemusement while she rolled her eyes, but we started following Peanut into the forest while snowflakes were still coming down heavily, just as I got out my shotgun once we were in the forest, and I kept my eyes open for any wild animals.

"So, are you gonna tell us what you found?" Grape asked Peanut, who looked at her.

"You and Mr. Caldwell are just gonna have to see it for yourselves because you won't believe me if I told you guys," Peanut replied, and I arched a brow.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound cryptic at all," I muttered sarcastically.

As we continued trudging through the snow, I found myself feeling glad that I was wearing heavy layers and thermal underwear, or I would've started suffering from hyperthermia and possibly frostbite, as the snow crunched under our footsteps and we went in different directions and squeezed through a hole where etchings were on the wall as Peanut translated them by reading them outloud.

Pretty soon, we found ourselves in a grove of some kind, then I started feeling taken aback when it suddenly stopped snowing and the freezing temperature became gradually warmer, which was completely unexpected as the grove was free of any snow.

"Is it just me, or did it become unseasonably warm the moment we stepped into this grove? Because it was, like, snowing hard ten seconds ago," Grape wondered while I was looking around in complete bewilderment.

"Yeah, that's...strange," I agreed while wondering what the hell is going on.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what that is all about. Come on, the thing is this way," Peanut told us, and we kept following him while looking around.

"Well, this is pretty nice. I don't think I've seen this grove before, so I could come down here for some really awesome naps," Grape said with a smile, just before I saw something that made me stop and do a double-take.

"Um, Grape?" I spoke up, and she looked at me, then I pointed at a waterfall that was cascading into a pond.

"Wait, a waterfall? Cascading into a serene pond?" Grape questioned in bewilderment.

"You're seeing that too, right? I'm not hallucinating it?" I asked before Grape shook her head.

"No, I'm seeing it, too," Grape replied.

"What is going on here? It's like the weather turned wonky or something, so this shouldn't be possible," I said with a baffled look.

"Uh, Peanut, what's the deal with this..." Grape trailed off as we turned to look at him, and my eyes bugged out when I saw a large gryphon that has the upper body of an eagle and the lower half of a lion, its size much bigger than ours as its upper body is covered in blue feathers, while its beak, claws, and eyes are bright yellow.

"I'm gonna call him Pete!" Peanut declared while the gryphon was looking down at us with an amused smile.

"I already told you, my name is-" Pete tried to say, only to be cut off.

"I can't pronounce it," Peanut admitted before Pete shrugged.

"Oh, well, okay then," Pete said while I was stammering.

"What the fu...how...am I seeing this right now?" I questioned in disbelief, and Grape slowly nodded with wide eyes.

"This isn't even possible, gryphons don't exist!" Grape shouted in shock before Pete moved his head forward until he lightly tapped his beak against me and Grape.

"There's a simple explanation; how did you get here?" Pete inquired, and I was too stupefied to even raise my shotgun as my mind struggled to process what I was seeing.

"Well, Peanut took the three of us down the old path and past the riverbed until we were clear in Brigham County, and we took a left turn at an old oak tree with gnarled branches and a shack with a crazy old man who only spoke in limericks.

Then, we passed under a rock outcropping that was shaped like a fist until we found a hole that was barely big enough for the three of us to squeeze through, wherein were etchings on the wall as though it were an old tomb, which Peanut translated and read aloud, and...um...you know, up until now, I thought he was just pulling my leash about that," Grape explained.

"I took Akkadian by correspondence, I thought you knew," Peanut replied while I managed to regain my composure.

"Um, wow, I...I never thought I would meet an actual gryphon. This is...I have so many questions right now," I admitted while my inner child was just freaking out at the sight of an actual mythological creature before me, just before I tentatively went to touch Pete's large beak and let out a breathless gasp from how real he was.

"Me too, like how do you fly if you're so large or without tail feathers? Do dragons exist? Or chimeras? Or unicorns? Do you eat like birds or like lions, and if like birds, where do you get that much seed or insects?

And if like lions, how do you tear meat without any teeth? Are there other kinds of gryphons, like with tiger backsides, or with bald eagle frontsides, or is it all only generic birds and big cats? Are all mythical animals completely enormous?" Grape questioned, not giving the poor gryphon a chance to respond.

"One at a time! What do you wish to ask first?" Pete questioned.

"Can we ride you?" Grape asked before Pete chuckled.

"Of course, climb on," Pete replied before Grape and Peanut cheered, moving around him to carefully climb up to the gryphon's back.

"Come on, Mr. Caldwell!" Peanut called out, and I recoiled.

"H-Hold on, are you and Grape sure this is a good idea?! I'm not sure this is even safe!" I exclaimed in alarm.

"It's okay, I don't think he wants to hurt us, or he would've done it by now," Grape reassured me.

"I'm still not sure this is a good idea," I stated warily as Pete chuckled.

"I assure you, you have nothing to be afraid of," Pete said, and I bit my lip while feeling conflicted as Peanut and Grape stared at me in anticipation until I let out a groan.

"Fine, just please don't drop us or do any crazy stunts, okay?" I suggested, slinging my shotgun.

After that, I looked at Pete warily while grimacing before reluctantly moving around to his side, carefully climbing up before sitting between Peanut and Grape, before I gulped at how I was doing this without a parachute or even a safety harness.

I let out a gasp when I saw Pete spread out his massive wings, and yelped when he flapped them to start ascending into the air before taking off into the sky, making me press myself against the gryphon's back while holding onto him tightly.

After a while, everything was calm, but the air was blowing into me as I slowly raised my head and carefully sat up, then I was rendered breathless when I saw the clouds and the sky, and I gasped softly while looking around in astonishment.

"See? It's not so bad, Mr. Caldwell," Peanut told me while I was taking in the view.

"I suppose you're right, though it still makes me a little nervous that we're doing this without parachutes or safety harnesses," I stated before Pete chuckled.

"You'll be safe, I promise," Pete reassured me, so I just continued to admire the view.

We flew for a while as I started getting more and more comfortable about being in the air, just before Peanut and Grape raised their arms and started cheering while I let out a slight, giddy laugh at how much fun this had become.

I guess it wasn't so bad in the end, though I still needed to be careful so that I didn't go falling off the gryphon while making sure that Grape and Peanut didn't do the same, and I let out a sigh of content while Grape and Peanut were grinning.

"This is amazing, Pete! I wish this would never end!" Grape admitted joyfully before Pete glanced back at her with a smirk of amusement.

"Unfortunately, Grape, we all have to wake up sometime," Pete said, and that confused me.

Suddenly, I found myself waking up in bed in my room and letting out a startled yelp as I quickly sat up, looking around quickly before I slowly relaxed, and I let out a disappointed sigh that it was just a dream.

"Dammit, just a dream," I muttered as I saw that it was dark outside my bedroom window.

I sighed again and went to lie back down, then something poked me in the side, and I shot back up with a pained yelp, reaching over at the offending object while wondering what the hell poked me until I pulled out a large blue feather from under my blanket.

"Um, what?" I said dumbly.

There was no way that dream actually happened, right? Now that I think about it, I don't remember coming back home or doing anything else like putting away my shotgun, having dinner, or stripping down to my boxers and going to bed.

"Did that actually happen?" I muttered, then I started feeling unnerved while staring at the blue feather before I put it on the table next to my bed.

"Christ, I must be losing it," I mumbled before lying back down and trying to get back to sleep, having a feeling that what happened might not have been a dream.

Chapter Text

"Thanks for helping me out with this, Kenneth. Clearing the driveway of all this snow on my own can be a real pain sometimes," I told Kenneth thankfully, while we were busy clearing my driveway.

"No problem, I'm glad to help," Kenneth replied with a smile.

I had started to shovel the driveway again once I saw that it needed to be cleared, and Kenneth had shown up in heavy layers with his sunglasses finally removed for once as he offered to help, and I was surprised by his irises being red.

I asked about it, and he told me that he was wearing colored contacts, which he thought looked cool on him, and I had to agree since it made him look unique, which made Kenneth look flattered by my compliment as he made a joke about it.

However, as we had been clearing my driveway, I noticed that he seemed distracted and lost in thought about something, almost as if something was bothering him. It was unusual since Kenneth normally looked cheerful and acted playful, so for him to be bothered by something had me concerned as well.

I asked if he was okay and pointed out that he looked bothered by something, but Kenneth brushed it off and said that it was just personal issues concerning one of his co-workers who got on his nerves about something he wouldn't elaborate on.

I didn't press any further since it didn't sound like it was something he was open to discussing, so we continued clearing the driveway with our shovels until we were done, and now I was letting out a sigh as I saw Bino and Fox nearby while the former was wearing a santa hat that almost covered his eyes while Fox was wearing a santa coat, holding a santa hat.

"Hey, Fox, Bino! Merry Christmas, you guys!" I called out with a wave, just before Bino and Fox waved back at me and Kenneth.

"Merry Christmas, guys!" Bino said cheerfully.

"Bino, we were just passing around the Good Ol' Dogs' secret Santa hat, but since you sleep till noon, we're down to the last one," Fox said before Bino went to reach into the Santa hat.

"That's perfectly fine! We're all buds, right? It's not like I wouldn't buy a present for every one of my best friends if I could!" Bino declared, and Fox looked hesitant.

"Yeah, about that..." Fox trailed off with a grimace, just before Bino pulled out a small piece of paper, and whatever was on it made him freeze with bugged-out eyes.

"Fido said that Peanut is back in the club, hope you don't mind," Fox continued before walking away, and Bino did not look happy as he crumpled up the paper with clenched teeth as one of the neighborhood cats, Maxwell, approached Bino.

"Hey Bino, whatcha do-oing?" Maxwell asked playfully, and Bino scoffed.

"Leave me alone, Max. It's official club business," Bino said irritably while Kenneth and I went to put away the shovels in the garage, walking over to meet up with Bino and Maxwell.

"So, there's nothing bugging you about the way Fido is running the thing?" Maxwell inquired with a grin before Bino started to let out a growl.

"Fido is not running it! Okay, yeah, we're co-founders, but that doesn't mean that he has to overstep my authority on the matter! What am I going to get a cat lover for Christmas, anyway? Maybe I should get him some dumb cat things!

A carnip mouse? Ooh, or maybe a pompom on a spring! Maybe I just need to bring him a dead rotting fish and pretend like he's supposed to enjoy the somehow, or I could really go all-out and give him a stupid-looking collar with a bell on it!" Bino ranted until he looked at Maxwell, who stared at him dryly.

"No offense," Bino added while I sighed.

"Bino, maybe you should look past how you feel about Peanut liking cats during this holiday and just get him something nice that he'll really appreciate, like maybe a sketchbook or something," I said before Bino looked at me as if I were an idiot.

"A sketchbook? Seriously?" Bino questioned dryly.

"Yeah, I hear Peanut's starting to show interest in drawing, so why not give him that? It might make him happy," I replied before Bino huffed.

"I'm not going to act all buddy-buddy with a cat lover, so no thanks," Bino refused before walking away, mumbling about what he should get that would best humiliate his rival.

"Well, I tried," I said in exasperation while rolling my eyes at how stubborn Bino was.

"Hey, on the plus side, it could be something for him to consider once he's all out of options," Kenneth remarked wryly, and I chuckled.

"True, let's go check on Peanut and Grape," I said before we started walking to the Sandwich home, seeing Peanut and Grape sitting on the front porch while drinking hot beverages.

"Hey, you two," I greeted before Peanut and Grape waved at me and Kenneth.

"Hey guys, wanna sit with us?" Peanut offered before I smiled.

"Sure, we don't mind," I said before Kenneth and I sat next to the canine and feline.

"Sorry, we don't have any hot cocoa for you guys," Grape told us before Kenneth waved it off.

"It's fine, don't worry," Kenneth assured her before we all sat for a while until Peanut started speaking, and the conversation started concerning Santa Claus.

"I don't get it, if Santa loves all the children in the world, why do rich kids get better presents than poor kids?" Peanut wondered.

"Because Santa is a gift-giver, not an enabler," Grape replied, making Peanut look at her with a puzzled look.

"Huh?" Peanut questioned in confusion.

"What do you think would happen if a poor child received a PlayStation 3? Would that benefit the child if the family couldn't make their rent? It's not up to Santa to pay their rent for them; he's just trying to bring a bit of material happiness," Grape explained while I arched a brow at her reasoning.

"Then why bring the rich kids presents at all?" Peanut asked curiously before Grape took a sip from her hot drink.

"Corporate sponsorship. Santa might be a nice guy, but he's still a full-blown capitalist. Why do you think he lives at the North Pole? Taxes," Grape stated, which amused me since she and Peanut have no idea about the actual truth about Santa Claus.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's it," I remarked while trying not to snicker at the thought of how disappointed Grape and Peanut would be if they were to find out that Santa wasn't real and was actually the parents of kids leaving presents under Christmas trees.

"So, I heard that Fido let you back into the club," Grape said, and Peanut perked up.

"Yes, he did! It was awfully nice of him to do that," Peanut said with a smile, causing Grape to look at him skeptically.

"But isn't the reason Fido let you back in that...you know?" Grape asked, just as Peanut took a sip from his drink.

"Huh? Oh! Oh, no, no, no, Fido's a swell guy. He would have let me back in, even if he wasn't a...yeah. Besides, he told me to take Bino's name for our secret Santa thing, and he figured that if he and I could accept each other in an exchange of dog brotherhood, we could overlook the conflict we had in the past," Peanut explained.

"Huh, that sounds nice of him," Kenneth said while Grape finished her drink.

"Well, I'm gonna take a walk around the neighborhood," Grape said before she went inside the house to take care of the cup, then she came back outside and went to walk down the sidewalk before Peanut started following her after he finished his drink and took care of the cup, prompting me and Kenneth to catch up with them.

"Yarn ball, New Year's Eve. Tell your friends," Maxwell said after we came across him during our walk, the male cat handing out flyers to the other felines in the neighborhood as Grape took one of the flyers.

"Er, I don't really know any cats," Grape admitted with a look of uncertainty, much to Maxwell's surprise.

"Wha- seriously? You're like the coolest cat I know," Maxwell said while looking taken aback.

"Well, I know you, I know of Marvin, and I know far too much about Sabrina...and that's it," Grape said while counting with her fingers.

"Then this is your chance! Have a nice time, do a little dancing/caterwauling, meet a nice girl cat..." Maxwell suggested with a smirk, only Grape was not amused by how she was mistaken as a male cat again.

"Uh, I am a girl," Grape said in annoyance, just before Maxwell froze with wide eyes.

"Seriously?" Maxwell squeaked.

"Thank you, Max," Grape said irritably.

"Y-You need a date?" Maxwell stuttered before Grape rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Goodbye, Max," Grape replied while I gently rubbed my eyes.

"Seriously, am I the only one who does notice that Grape is a girl cat?" I grumbled before Kenneth and I followed after Peanut and Grape, just as we started passing by the house Rex lives in.

"There's Rex's house, so what do you think he does for the holidays?" Peanut wondered.

"Strange small animals? Why, what do you think?" Grape questioned.

"The same, really," Peanut replied before Kenneth and I shared a look.

"I doubt it's that extreme," I stated before Kenneth nodded.

"Yeah, let's not jump to conclusions, you two," Kenneth agreed while we kept walking, just before we came across Fox.

"Hey, Peanut, could you make sure my secret Santa gift gets to the club?" Fox requested as he handed Peanut a present.

"Well, sure, but why aren't you gonna be there?" Peanut inquired curiously.

"My dad finally decided to go out to Kansas for Christmas, and he's taking me along," Fox explained before Peanut smiled.

"Doesn't your dad ride a motorcycle? That's so awesome!" Peanut said excitedly, only Fox didn't look so enthusiastic.

"It's not all that great; I have to ride in the bucket seat," Fox said with a grimace.

"What's so bad about that?" Peanut asked in confusion, just as Bill came over with a large bucket.

"Come on, boy! Into the bucket!" Bill encouraged, making Fox facepalm while I waved at Bill.

"Hey Bill, merry Christmas," I greeted before Bill waved back with one hand.

"Merry Christmas, Dennis," Bill told me before Fox reluctantly got into the bucket seat, and Bill headed to his motorcycle to get on it before starting it up.

After he drove away, we continued walking around the neighborhood before it was time for us to head to the Christmas party the dogs set up, then gifts were being passed around while I made sure to have my gift ready for Peanut, as Bino walked over to him.

"Okay, Peanut. Apparently, your name came up-" Bino said and was cut off.

"Bino, me first, me first! I have to give you your present first!" Peanut exclaimed in excitement before handing Bino his gift, which almost looked person-shaped.

"What the...I should have known! Fido set it up so that you would..." Bino trailed off after tearing off the wrapping to reveal a piñata that looked like a mailman.

"Give me a mailman piñata...this is the best present ever," Bino gasped softly while tearing up a little, the canine looking touched by what Peanut gave him.

"It's filled with four different kinds of tripe!" Peanut said, making me cringe.

"Peanut, I don't know what to say..." Bino trailed off before Peanut arched a brow.

"You could say, 'Hey, Peanut, here's your present!'," Peanut said.

"What?" Bino questioned dumbly before looking down at his present for Peanut.

"Your present! Is that one for me?" Peanut asked, and Bino froze while Peanut started looking adorably cute to express his excitement and anticipation.

"Oh, whoops! Look at that, I grabbed the wrong present! Be right back, guys!" Bino exclaimed in a panic before running away.

"Merry Christmas, Bino!" Peanut called out while I was amused by Bino trying to save face, just as Fido came over.

"You realize he's just going to grab a bag of treats out of his pantry, right?" Fido pointed out.

"Who cares? Seeing that was my present," Peanut replied before I cleared my throat.

"So, Peanut, here's my present for you, and I think you'll like this one," I said as I handed him his gift, then Peanut eagerly tore open the wrapping before gasping when he saw a sketchbook with a few pencils.

"A sketchbook with pencils?! I love it, thank you!" Peanut squealed before hugging my leg.

"Merry Christmas, Peanut," I said with a warm smile as I patted Peanut's head.

For a while, I chatted with the other canines and Kenneth before it was time for me to head home, just before Kenneth and I walked back to my house and stopped in front of the front door while I yawned a little.

"Well, I'm gonna head inside, so I'll see you tomorrow," I said, but was taken aback when I saw Kenneth looking a little bashful.

"Um, about that...you want me to spend Christmas with you? You don't mind, right?" Kenneth asked sheepishly, and I was surprised to hear that before I chuckled.

"Sure, I don't mind," I said, and Kenneth perked up with an eager grin.

"Great, this is gonna be fun!" Kenneth stated excitedly.

I was amused by how eager he was as I went to unlock the front door before we stepped in, stomping our boots on the doormat to clear the snow off the soles before taking them off and placing them next to the door while removing our heavy jackets, gloves, and hats before I started rubbing my hands to warm them up.

"Well, welcome to my home. Anything you want to do while I get dinner started?" I inquired, and Kenneth looked thoughtful.

"Hmm, mind if I have a look around? I won't break anything, pinkie promise," Kenneth joked before I smirked.

"Sure, I don't mind," I replied before Kenneth smiled.

As Kenneth went off to explore my home, I went to get dinner ready for the two of us as the time passed by before I set up the table by placing the plates, forks, knives, and cups on it, before Kenneth came back with a familiar large blue feather.

"Hey, um, I found this in your room, so where did you find it?" Kenneth inquired, and I didn't know if it was me or not, but there was a slightly cautious and concerned tone in his voice.

"That? It's a funny story, really. You're gonna think it's weird, but I had a weird dream where Peanut, Grape, and I found a blue gryphon in the woods who talked, and Peanut named him Pete because his actual name was too complicated for him to pronounce.

He let us ride him in the air, and it was actually kinda fun until I woke up, then I found that thing under my blanket after it started stabbing me in the side," I explained, then I was taken aback when Kenneth had a strange reaction where his face turned blank.

"Really? You...don't say," Kenneth said, and I could barely make out a tension in his voice while his body language turned slightly tense.

"You probably think I'm crazy, don't you?" I questioned before Kenneth shook his head.

"No, I don't think you're crazy. Like you said, it was just a dream, and that's probably because you found the feather in the forest one day and took it back with you, and you must've been so tired that you went to bed with it and forgot about it.

Still, it's a pretty cool feather, so maybe you should keep it for good luck or something," Kenneth told me with a smile, though something about it seemed fake, and I didn't know what had him on edge all of a sudden.

"You know, maybe I will. Anyway, dinner is just about done, so let's eat," I said before I went to get dinner out of the oven.

For a while after that, we ate dinner and chatted about different topics, but Kenneth still seemed distracted about something, despite keeping up with the conversation. It's strange, he only started acting like this after he found the blue feather, and I explained my dream to him.

Did I just embarrass myself with my neighbor by making myself seem crazy? Shit, I really hope I didn't just scare him away since he was fun to spend time with these past couple of months, though it didn't take long for us to finish with our dinner, and I went to do the dishes until we headed to the front door.

"So, I had fun this evening," Kenneth told me before I nodded.

"Yeah, want to do it again next time?" I offered before Kenneth smirked.

"Why, Mr. Caldwell. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were asking me on a date," Kenneth joked, and my eyes widened before a blush appeared on my face.

"U-Um, no, that's not what I-" I sputtered before Kenneth laughed.

"Easy, I'm just joking, and I don't mind if you like men or not," Kenneth reassured me, and I looked at him in surprise.

"You...don't mind that?" I asked before Kenneth shrugged.

"I like both guys and girls, so that's something we have in common, and it shouldn't matter who you love as long as it's real," Kenneth replied, and I was taken off guard by how he boldly revealed that he's bisexual without caring who might hear him.

"Uh, wow...I can't exactly argue with that," I said, and Kenneth snickered at the look on my face.

"Anyway, if you were to ask me on a date, I would be honored to accept," Kenneth stated with a smirk, sending me a wink before I blushed again.

"Good to know," I mumbled before Kenneth went to put his heavy layers back on.

"Anyway, I wouldn't mind doing this again, so I'll see you soon," Kenneth told me before he went to leave the house and sent me a two-fingered salute, shutting the door behind him.

Once he was gone, I felt a little strange as my heart was racing a little and my face felt red while Kenneth's smile and wink were stuck in my mind, so...was I beginning to fall for him? I'm not gonna lie, he was attractive, he had a gorgeous smile, and he had a fun personality that I enjoyed.

Shit, when was the last time I was ever in a relationship? Not for a while, and even then, things didn't work out since it didn't feel like we were connecting, so we had broken things off between us because it was for the best.

For Kenneth, there was actually a connection there, and I think things would work out between us if we were to become a couple, though I filed it away for now as I went to watch TV and later head to bed, getting some sleep and dreaming about the kitsune again as I felt nothing but content.