CatNap: The Smiling Cat

Chapter 6: DogDay

Theo opened his eyes and saw the sun. He felt the breeze and heard the birds. He smelled the flowers and tasted the honey. He touched the grass and felt the warmth.

He was awake.

He was free.

He was happy.

He looked around and saw a field of poppy flowers, red and bright. He saw a yellow dog running, fast and playful. He saw a smile on the dog's face, big and genuine.

It looked very similar to the purple cat he saw before.

He was curious.

He got up and followed the dog. He wanted to play with him, to pet him, to be his friend. He ran across the field, into the woods, towards the dog.

He was excited.

He chased the dog for a long time, but he could not catch him. The dog was too fast, too agile, too distracted. He dodged the trees, the rocks, the bushes. He barked, wagged, and laughed.

He was fun.

Theo did not give up. He enjoyed the game, the challenge, the thrill. He laughed, cheered, and shouted.

He was happy.

But then, something changed.

Theo saw the dog turn a corner, and when he followed it, he saw the dog was lying down.

The dog was no longer barking, wagging, and teasing. He stopped laughing, running, and playing. He stopped moving, breathing, and living.

He was dead.

Theo reached the dog and saw his body. He saw that it was torn in half, bloody and gruesome. He saw that it was mutilated, ripped and shredded. He saw that it was killed, murdered and butchered.

He saw the horror.

He felt a surge of shock, of fear, of grief. He knelt down to hug the dog's lifeless body.

When he first saw the dog, he thought he could have a best friend again.

He looked up and saw the killer looming above him. He saw the same purple cat from before, with stained blood around his iconic frozen – in – glee smile.

He felt a surge of fear.

"You hurt him..." Theo said through a mixture of sadness and fear, "Why did you hurt him...?"

CatNap says nothing, staring at Theo with an unchanged expression.

Theo stands up, trembling.

"Why did you hurt him?" Asked Theo, now more confident than before.

Theo looks up to see not CatNap, but himself standing there instead.

Theo is in shock, "Wh-what are y-"

"Why did YOU hurt him?" Asks CatNap.

"I..."

Theo opened his eyes and saw the light. He felt his mangled body lying on the cold operation bench and heard the buzzing from the lights above him ringing in his ear. He felt the new soft fur that blanketed his skin, and how it was wet and damp with his blood. He felt the bandages and stitches that connected his new limbs to his body.

He was awake.