A drizzle fell in the morning, the smell of wet earth filling Copykat's nostrils with nostalgia. He walked back to Knitty's house with long, calm strides. He plucked flowers along the way and began to smell them as he walked. There weren't many, but they all had a strong, sweet scent.
During the afternoon, Knitty and Jorunny sat on the porch of the house, taking a better look at the sky, which was clear and the sun was almost touching the trees;
— You know… I was reading some books a while ago, and I noticed something interesting — Jorunny commented, bringing one of his fingers to his mouth and gnawing on the claw.
— Hmm? And what would that be? Something about that Dez guy? — he said, smiling, pulling the rabbit into a hug.
— Exactly him… — saying this, the yellow cat loses his smile and his somewhat happy look.
— What did you discover?
— The cube is gone, meaning the seal has broken, the bigger question is: “why did only Copykat leave, where is Dez?” — said the rabbit with a lost but serene look.
—Come to think of it… the seal is actually gone, so Dez is out there, free, light and loose—he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
Dogami joins the conversation;
— Well, guys, keeping a straight face for a long time is really tiring — he said in a weak voice, sitting on the small steps of the porch.
— Hehe, you did that to maintain your old image because of Copy, right? — Knitty said, smiling, but still looking tired.
— Exactly, I don't want him to know that I ended up getting better after a while of sealing... — commented the paper dog.
—“Over and over I keep going over the world we knew!” — Copykat appeared, singing a song, it sounded ancient and his voice was deep — “Once when you walk beside me…” — Walking, smelling flowers.
Knitty saw this and smiled, Dogami stood up with wide eyes and walked towards Jorunny, taking her by the arm and moving away a little.
“Now, Over and Over I keep going over the world we knew!
That inconceivable, unbelievable world we knew!
When we two were in love!
Now… Over and Over I keep going over the world we Knew!
Days when you used to love Me!”
The singing began, with Copykat summoning instruments like trumpets, violins, saxophones, and a piano. The purple cat quickly approached Knitty, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him into a dance on the soft late-afternoon lawn.
The other cat, the yellow one, smiled in disbelief, hearing the voice of the one he loved all those years ago once again. His eyes shone, and his smile grew wider and wider as Copykat sang.
“And every bright neon sign turned into stars…
And the sun and the moon seemed to be ours!
Each road that we took turned into gold…
But the dream was too much for you to hold.
Now, Over and Over I keep going over the world we knew!
Days when you used to love me!”
They waltzed until the moon rose. Copy made fireflies, and Dogami pulled Jorunny to dance with him. The return seemed wonderful, joyful, with music and dancing. The classical music calmed everyone's nerves, including Knitty's.
For a moment… all it took was one step… one movement, and Copykat could feel Knitty's lips, but the music stopped, the two of them embraced under the moonlight, the starry sky, and the fireflies all around. The mood was perfect for a kiss… but it didn't happen.
Inside the house, the newly returned man, despite having accepted everything that had happened in the past thirty years, still felt quite uncomfortable about the affection exchanged between the new couple. Copy even joked that he could stay with Dogami, just so he wouldn't have to keep an eye on them.
Finally he could speak…
— Catnap… Dez is with him, the reason I knew about it was Nathan, Dogday, Catnap's adopted son knows about Dez's existence but doesn't pay much attention to it.
— Catnap? Wasn't that Simon and Poe's friend? A purple cat just like you? — asked the papered canine.
— Himself… there's just one problem, he's in jail, he got over a hundred years in prison for being involved in a criminal faction…
— In jail? That place is impenetrable, thanks to Mael, the walls of that place are immune to magic and physical force! — Jorunny exclaimed.
— We have to help Dogday, his adopted son, the boy entered the world of adventurers with a girl, Hoppy, to earn big money, they need tens of millions of Arcanium to release him by paying the bail…
— What you're proposing is: we go back to doing missions, make millions, and help free Dez?" Knitty complained.
— According to Nathan, “The Fragment” lives in a kind of symbiosis with Catnap, that is, there is nothing harmful coming from Dez towards Catnap… Nathan also said that he is very peaceful… which makes me scared.
The conversation went back and forth, the foursome just ate something, and tried to sleep after that conversation, it was difficult for everyone to fall asleep, except Copykat who slept without a care.
The city was completely empty, with only cars humming, neon signs and streetlights providing the only streetlights for people to navigate. And right in the center of the Vinyl District, Catnap was locked in solitary confinement, sitting on the floor under the moonlight streaming through the prison's fence.
Cold… it was cold and damp, pain, the cat was in pain because he didn't have a bed with a mattress to sleep on, hunger… he was hungry because the food didn't seem to be very “nutritious”.
“This is the price I pay for being part of this… I deserve it… it will be a hundred years in this condition, I no longer care about time, I have lived too long and…” Catnap thought before being interrupted.
— You know, I only show up because people ask me to… trust me, I could have gotten you out of this place ages ago… — Ten appeared, like a shadow from the feline's body.
— I don't want to… leave me here — Catnap replied — the world out there doesn't want me…
— But your son wants... you adopted him, now Dogday is in the world, literally, now he's adventurous and is getting money to let you go, congratulations, you have a very valuable son...
— If you can get out of here, talk to him… tell him I don't want to leave here… and if I leave, she'll come get me…
— I can't, I don't have permission.
— Get it, you have contact with the creator, right? Talk… to him, convince him, Dogday needs to hear…
Ten just walks away, and then disappears…
Falling… into a void with a light shining at the top.
Tired look, slow heartbeat, relaxed body, empty head…
“I can’t… he won’t let me. I wish I had that freedom… I have to die first, is that a problem? I can’t…”
YOU ARE READING
Smiling Critters: Ancestra Au - Cancelled
FanfictionDogday is an orange puppy who was raised in an orphanage, with problems that were soon resolved. The story takes place in a large city called Estella, on a mega continent called Ancestra, the place is magical, so practically everyone has some magica...
