The Silent Paw and The Gentle Bark

🐾 Chapter 40: A Nightmare Too Real

WARNING ⚠ THIS AND THE NEXT TWO CHAPTERS MAYBE BE A BIT DISTURBING BIT OF BLOOD AND GORE I THINK SORRY I WROTE THIS AT 4 IN THE MORNING HAVE FUN :33

Catnap had never been one to fear the dark.

But this—this was different.

His dream had started normal enough. He was back in his home, curled up on the couch, Dogday’s warm presence beside him. They had been talking, teasing each other like always, when suddenly—

The air shifted.

The warmth vanished.

The room around him darkened, the walls stretching unnaturally, twisting into something wrong. The soft glow of his lamp flickered out, replaced by a sickly red light that seeped through the cracks in the walls.

And then—

A scream.

Dogday’s scream.

Catnap spun around, his heart hammering, but Dogday was gone.

The couch was empty, the warmth of his body already fading.

"Dogday?!" Catnap called out, his voice echoing in the endless void.

Then, from the shadows, something moved.

Metal scraped against the ground. A grotesque, twisted hand—a mass of wires, claws, and exposed metal—dragged itself forward, followed by an elongated, mangled form.

The Prototype.

Catnap’s breath hitched as the monstrous figure emerged from the darkness, its hollow, mechanical eye sockets glowing red. But what made his blood run cold wasn’t the sight of the creature itself.

It was what it held.

Dogday.

Or at least… what was left of him.

His golden fur was torn, patches of it missing where deep, jagged gashes had been ripped into his body. His limbs hung limply, his usually bright, mischievous eyes dull and lifeless.

The Prototype gripped him tightly in its metal claws, holding him up like a broken toy.

"Let him go!" Catnap snarled, lunging forward—

But the moment he moved, chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles, yanking him down.

He hit the cold ground hard, struggling, but the chains wouldn’t budge.

The Prototype let out a distorted, mechanical laugh. "*Pathetic.**"

Catnap’s ears flattened as Dogday’s head weakly turned toward him. His mouth moved, his voice barely above a whisper—

"C-Catnap…"

"I’m right here!" Catnap’s voice cracked, thrashing against the chains. "Just hold on! I’ll get you out of this, I promise!"

Dogday’s ears drooped. His body twitched. His mouth moved again—

But this time, no sound came out.

Then—

CRUNCH.

The Prototype’s claws closed around him, and Dogday’s body went limp.

The world shattered.

Catnap gasped as he bolted upright in bed, his breath coming in ragged, desperate gulps. His fur was damp with sweat, his claws digging into the blankets.

He wasn’t in the nightmare anymore.

He was in his room.

Safe.

Alive.

And so was—

"Catnap?"

A sleepy voice made him turn so fast it nearly gave him whiplash.

Dogday sat beside him, rubbing his eyes, his ears twitching as he blinked in confusion. He was fine. No blood, no wounds—just the same golden retriever who had crashed at his place the night before.

"What’s wrong?" Dogday mumbled, voice laced with exhaustion.

Catnap couldn’t speak. He couldn’t think.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Dogday, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Dogday froze for a second, startled. "Uh—whoa, hey, what’s—"

"Shut up," Catnap muttered, burying his face in Dogday’s fur. "Just… shut up for a second."

Dogday blinked, processing the situation. His tail thumped against the bed as he hesitated—then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around Catnap in return.

"Okay," he said softly, rubbing slow circles into Catnap’s back. "I’m here."

The words were enough to make Catnap’s breathing slow, his grip loosening just slightly.

It was just a nightmare.

Dogday was still here.

And Catnap would never let anything take him away.