Loving and Learning

Losing Yourself.

Deepak stood over Dante, waiting for Dante to fully wake up. What did Dante experience in his sleep and more importantly was he ok? Deepak backed up to give his brother some space as he sat up slowly, facing the other way.

"Ha ha ha ha." Deepak perked his ears up, was Dante......laughing?"

Deepak cautiously took a step forward, he was getting worried, something about the way Dante was laughing didn't seem right.

"D-Dante are you ok, how are you feeling?" Deepak nervously asked. There was a bit of a long silence before finally Dante turned his head a bit at Deepak with a large grin on his face, the same one he had when Hunter returned, Deepak gulped a bit.

"I'm great....never better, ha ha ha ha." Dante said laughing. Deepak was starting to sweat a bit and gave a small nervous smile.

"T-T-That's good Dante, you feel asleep. What did you dream about?" Deepak asked, trying to hold a straight face.

Dante's grin appear to get larger, any bigger and his jaw might break. "Oh I didn't dream, he he he, I saw a vision." He said giddily.

Deepak frowned. "A vision?" He asked, growing increasingly scared.

Dante's tail was wagging hard and his body appeared restless. "Yes a vision, the end of the world, ha ha ha ha." He looked at the door behind him, eyes twitching. "Sorry but I gotta go tell everyone." He said, running to the door. Deepak dropped his jaw, how could this happen, he thought his Guru Meow methods had worked, what went wrong. He chased after Dante.

"Dante please wait, stop!" He grabbed him by his tail. Dante stopped and turned, grin still there.

"Don't try to stop me, I must announce the future to all of Camden, they'll see how right I am!" Dante said

Deepak could feel tears beginning to form despite his efforts to try and stop them.

"I I don't understand Dante, I thought I was helping you, you were so calm a moment ago, what went wrong." Deepak said, putting both paws on the side of his head.

Dante wasn't even looking anymore, to caught up in the idea of telling everyone the "future." "Sorry bro but it doesn't look like your hippie techniques are useful." Dante said carelessly, Deepak lowered his ears.

"Guru Meow, useless." Deepak said looking down trying not to cry before suddenly Dante put both paws on Deepak's shoulders, his nose pressed against his, that huge grin still there. Fear began taking over Deepak's body, what's wrong with his brother?

"Now it's finally time for everyone to acknowledge my efforts and see how right I am! HA HA Ha Ha ha ha ha. Dante laughed. Tears began to flow out from Deepak's eyes and shaked in fear of watching Dante lose his sanity, he couldn't take it any longer.

"DANTE PLEASE STOP, PLEASE!!! Deepak yelled at the top of his lungs. Within a moment Dante stopped laughing and looked at Deepak, and after a long pause, Dante's smile faded away and his excitement died down, and looking at Deepak's hurt and horrified expression, seeing him shake uncontrollably with fear, Dante felt himself being filled with dread and regret, his brother was afraid of him, and it was his fault, what on earth has he done?

"Deepak I'm, I'm sorry I didn't mean-" Dante said trying to approach Deepak slowly, but his brother backed away, scared.

"P-P-Please no don't come close "sniff" please I need to c-calm d-d-down, I'm s-s-sorry "sniff." Deepak stuttered and cried. Dante backed away a bit, he was about to say something else but stopped by the sound of footsteps running up the hall and the door being flung open by Dolly and Dylan, seeing what the commotion was about.

"What happen, we heard screaming!" Dylan yelled. Both him and Dolly looked to see a nervous looking and speechless Dante staring back at them and and a emotionally wrecked Deepak laying on the floor.

"Deepak!" Dolly yelled, she ran towards her little brother who was still shaking fearfully and pulled him into a hug, stroking his back and rocking him. "What wrong, what happen." But Deepak was to distraught to talk at them moment. Dylan turned at Dante, giving a worried look.

"Dante what happen, why is Deepak so upset? He suppose to help you relax, but it looks like he needs it!" Dylan asked, a bit frantic.

"I I, I didn't mean it, I just.....lost myself again." Dante was struggling to explain. Dylan looked back at Deepak who was still struggling and crying and let out a sigh.

"Dante will have to talk about this later ok, right now Dolly and I have to help Deepak." Dylan turning around towards Dolly and Deepak where he rubbed his little brothers head, hoping he relax. Dante lowered his and sadly walked away out in the hall where some of his siblings had been waiting, wanting to know what happen. They all had fearful and expressions.

"Great now I've gotten everyone else scared to." Dante thought to himself awkwardly passing by them, he could feel their stares, this was already becoming one of his worst days so far. Dante made his way to the front door and put his paw on the scanner and walked out the doggie door where he was suddenly met by his father, Doug Dalmatian who was standing on the other side.

"Hey there son, whatcha up to, good day so far?" His dad said smiling. Dante looked away a bit, it wasn't often he got to have alone time with dad, maybe a talk would help.

"Oh well, things aren't goi-" But Dante couldn't even finish his sentence, as Doug open the door, a stampeded of pups came charging."

"Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad!" His siblings said all excitedly as they all piled over their father. Dante dodged away before coming back to see if he can finish what he was going to say.

"Dad, dad can we talk?" But Dante struggled to get Doug's attention, as all his siblings scrambled around him, wanting to play. Dante admitted defeat.

"I'm just going to the Cat Gig tonight ok!" Dante yelled a bit, having given up already on the idea of trying to have a personal talk with his dad.

"Ok son, don't stay out to long and be safe, maybe we'll talk later." Doug yelled back before getting dragged down again by the pups.

"Yeah I doubt that." Dante mumbled to himself and walked away alone to the canal, feeling alone and hopeless.