Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

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Daggy
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Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

Various disclaimers: the Housepets! Universe belongs to Rick Griffin, obviously.

Bosses and programs named belong to Blizzard. WoW <3.

All names used in the story, and all characters, are based on my life. All their actions, I believe, are fairly accurately portrayed. Maybe to some exaggeration, but what’s a good story without it?


Now, I know the uh…grammar and everything might suck at some points, and I’m not 100% happy with the entire thing…mostly conversations/interactions. I suck at those apparently. Especially the first one…you’ll see how clunky it is. Oh man…

If you see anything drastically wrong, go ahead and tell me. I can take it. I think. If not, I’ll just run off and cry, no big deal. :>

P.S. doing the attempts at the chat log sucked to figure out how to implement. That’s also going to be very clunky. D: I’m going to stop…writing this…disclaimer now…NOT BEFORE I SAY HOW UGLY THIS IS GOING TO LOOK OMG (after messing around not too bad)




                                                                                 =========Chapter 1: The Big Reveal=========

The large beast was nearing its demise. It was simply a matter of time. Careful manipulation would be essential.

~“Okay, slow down damage on the head and focus down this skeleton. We don’t want to have two alive during the last phase.” All of the damage dealers switched off of the head to kill the skeleton before it exploded. It was destroyed right before the beast broke free from the chains on the platform.

~“Alright, push the body below 30%. Quel, just tank the next skeleton that comes down. He should die before you do.” Quelthien, paladin tank extraordinaire, nodded before catching the next skeleton that dropped down and dragging him towards a corner of the room.

The beast was pushed below 30%. Shortly after, its master started throwing balls of shadowflame towards the raid. ~“Everyone spread out to lessen the strain on healers! Go ahead and pop heroism, we’re going for a burn.” They moved in sync, spreading out, and grew fast thanks to the courage of the shaman in the raid.

“Dag! Dinnertime! Come in here and stop playing that silly game,” my mom yelled.

“Moooooommm, you know I raid tonight! Same as every other Tuesday. I’ll be in there shortly,” I replied. She always did this, made me dinner while I was killing a boss. I sighed. Shortly after, the boss dropped dead, thanks to my group of allies.

~“Good job guys. Clean kill. Now, I’ll be back shortly, dinner time. Opacus is going to come in for me. Quickly kill Omnotron so we can clean this up tonight,” I said before clicking my hearthstone so the swap could be made. I took off my headset and placed it on the hook beside my desk, tabbed out of WoW to pause my Pandora Radio, then hopped out of my chair. I made my way towards the kitchen; I stopped by the bathroom first to do my business.

Mom started to yell for me again when I entered the kitchen. “I’m here, I’m here. Calm down,” I said as I hopped into my chair. She passed me my bowl and a spoon, and I started to dig into my kibble. It never tasted particularly good, but it did fill my stomach, and that’s all that mattered to me.

“You’re so cute when you’re flustered, Dag. If you eat up fast you can go back and join your friends,” she said while rubbing behind my ears. I closed my eyes in pleasure. That felt soooo good.

“They can wait…” I replied, slowly. She really knew how to scratch a dog. She stopped shortly after, and my head drooped for a moment before I continued eating. “You know,” I said with a full mouth, “you didn’t have to stop.”

“But then you wouldn’t have finished your dinner, and I know how much you love your ‘raiding’ or whatever it is.”

I thought that over for a moment. “I guess you’re right. Not like they need me for a while anyway, the rest of the bosses should be easy.”

I wolfed down my food after I said that, so I could hurry back and finish raiding for the evening. “Thanks mom. I love you,” I said as I scooted out of my chair and gave her a hug. She rubbed my head again. “I love you too Dag. Go finish playing with your friends, I want you to go to bed early tonight. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“Aw. But I don’t want to do anything tomorrow…” I said, pouting as I walked down the hallway.

Upon reaching my room, I hopped back into my chair and put my headphones back on. I pushed my shift key and said, ~”Alright, I’m done with dinner. What boss are you guys on?”

~”We’re on Atramedes. Just he and Nef left alive. You want in?” Psilo, one of my fellow officers, asked me.

~”No thanks. You know I can’t stand that fight. Good luck though!” I replied. That fight was just a huge annoyance that I didn’t want to deal with at all. About 8 minutes later, Atramedes went down, marking the time for me to come back in. I typed to officer chat:

[O] [Dagglet]: So, have you prepared groups yet?
[O] [Psilo]: Pretty much. Pulling you in, taking Sea out, and working on platform assignments right now
[O] [Twy]: Sounds good. Same general platforms as usual, minus the moving around of a few people?
[O] [Lishyluu]: Fine by me, let’s just hurry this up so I can go eat

~”Alright, Daggy’s coming in for Sea, and platforms are being set up right now. Be patient for a few.” Which meant they could start up some small talk while they waited, per usual.

~”So, Opacus, I heard from some female guild members that you’re a hottie. Have you posted a picture?”

~”Yeah…it’s in the real life pic thread. It’s been there for a few weeks, surprised you haven’t seen it.”

~”Oh, I don’t look often. Has Daggy posted a picture yet?”

~”No, I haven’t. Not just yet. I don’t know if you guys even want to see me…” I said, hoping to get them off the topic of my picture. I don’t want to show them I’m actually just a corgi…Not that I really cared. I’m worried they’ll take it…wrongly, that one of their officers is merely a pet.

~”Oh come on you scaredy cat, we won’t care! There’s nothing to fear!” came the voice of Angrywife, one of the shamans in the raid. I smiled, thinking of their reactions…which made me frown and ears fold over a bit, almost knocking my headphones off.

~”Honestly, I’d rather not. I’d hate if people made fun of me for it,” I replied, continuing to drive them off the subject.

~”Who thinks Daggy should post a picture? Hit 1 in raid chat!” A flood of 1’s entered the raid chat. Pretty much every raid member thought I should post a picture. There was even a flood in guild chat. Some of them were listening too!

I sighed and replied, ~”Okay…if we one shot Nef tonight, I’ll post a picture. But ONLY then! You lose the opportunity if we wipe. Sound fair?” I received a chorus of “Yes!”’s. I sighed again. They REALLY wanted to see me…

~”Fine. But let’s kill this guy. Psilo, you ready?” I asked.

~”Yessir! Platform assignments and interrupt assignments going out. Pulling in 1 minute. Prepare yourselves to see the picture of Daggy!”

Ten minutes later, Nefarian was dead. One shot. Oh no, I was not expecting this at all. My ears folded back, headphones falling off in shock. Should I really post my picture? What will they think…how will they react? I thought, slightly freaking out. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Nefarian was our worst fight, how did we one shot it? Ignoring the loot, as I had everything I needed, I tabbed out to look through pictures I had. Which should I use? One that it’s obvious who I am? Or one with a family member in it? This was horrible. Painstakingly horrid. I finally settled on a picture I had taken of myself while laying on my bed listening to music. I hope they accept me…

I picked up my headphones and put them back on, after posting the picture. Time to hope for the best. ~”Alright guys… I posted. I hope you guys aren’t freaked out. And before you ask, that really is me.”

A few minutes passed. It felt like an eternity. And then my chatbox exploded.

[O] [Lishyluu]: Daggy, what the **** is this? Is this some kind of sick joke? Is that really you?
[G] [Angrywife]: That’s you Daggy?
[O] [Dagglet]: …Yes, that’s really me.
Lishyluu has gone offline.

What. Did he just…rage log? Because of my…picture?

[G] [Roulfein]: Is one of our officers really a dog? Wtf?
[G] [Bodiggity]: I can’t believe it
[W] [Footsz]: That really you? I’m confused…


In fact, I couldn’t keep up with the chat. Not that I’d be able to in my state. Ears folded back once again, headphones on the ground, head facing my lap. This is what I feared. What I had suspected. A bunch of humans wouldn’t accept a mere pet to be amongst their elite, not in a guild of this caliber…What hurt me the most was my fellow officer rage logging. I knew he was rude a lot, but to do that…It cut the deepest. I felt alone, while I heard the voices of 26 other people trying to talk to me through Ventrilo.

Minutes past, feeling like hours. I ignored all the sound coming from my headphones, merely noise at this point, to my mind.

~”EVERYONE SHUT UP. Daggy, are you alright? DAGGY!” Psilo yelled. That startled me out of my reverie. I picked my headphones back up and replied, ~”Yeah…I guess. Do you guys need more proof or something?” I asked, sniffling as I did. It’s hard for me to cover my crying. I’m an emotional dog whose world just came crashing down around him.

~”If you want to provide it, sure. Not like the raid will continue, not after that bombshell,” He replied.

~”Al…alright. I’ll *sniff* start up my stream and set it to my webcam. Give me *sniff* just a moment.” At that, I let my headphones drop around my neck, and started up my webcam and livestream. I proceeded to link it in my Ventrilo comment.

~”There. Check my Vent comment. There you’ll get to see me as I am.” I said quietly, still getting over the shock. I made sure the stream wasn’t broadcasting the sounds of my headphones, and then slumped backwards. As people logged on, I heard a bunch of “Awww…”s come from the raiders, as they saw how I looked.

Ears bent backwards, head facing the floor, eyes and muzzle wet with tears, because I was still crying. They could hear the sniffles as I tried to stop, but couldn’t. I felt dejected and lonely, despite a bunch of people watching me, in that moment. It wasn’t until I heard a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time that I perked up slightly.

~”Daggy? Can you hear me? It’s Prias,” she said. I looked up and smiled, somewhat in shock once again.

“P…Prias? I haven’t heard you in so long…since you left…” I said, knowing she could hear me via the webcam microphone.

~”I know. I’m sorry about that, by the way. Not your fault one bit, even though I slightly blamed it on you.”

“I know…What’re you doing here anyway,” I asked, curious as to why she’d come back into our Vent server after leaving in a brash manner.

~”I heard you finally posted your picture, and I still have you on real ID. When you didn’t respond at all, I had to come in Vent to check.”

“Oh,” was all I replied. I wasn’t sure why she was the only one talking.

~”Anyway, Psilo moved us both to a separate channel, to see if I could break you out of your slump. You look so sad…what happened,” she asked.

“Lishy…*sniff* he rage logged out when he saw the picture. And I was getting so many whispers…I was overwhelmed. I knew I shouldn’t have shown my picture…” I replied, still feeling quite dejected. How could he just…rage log like that, over something so small as me being a dog…I was still confused.

~”Well…Lishy has had bad experiences with pets. I’m talking with him on Skype. He was just furious that you were promoted before him, without anyone knowing what you were beforehand. Don’t worry, he’ll get over it.”

“I hope so…*sniff* this is so depressing.”

~”Well…if it makes you feel any better, you’re absolutely adorable, even when you look so sad. I wish you’d be happy,” she said. That made me both perk up and blush.

As I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment, I replied, “Why…thank you…*sniff* that means a lot. I’m going to move us back down now, I guess…”

Since Ventrilo was still open, I dragged us both down to the raid channel. Upon entering, I was greeted with a vast amount of cheering. Every mic was lit up. I blushed even harder. “You guys…” I said quietly.

~”Daggy, you ARE absolutely adorable. I don’t care what Lishy says, I’m glad I’ve got you as an officer,” Holagato, the resident female raider, said. As if I couldn’t blush any harder…

~”Hola, stop it! You’re embarrassing him even more. Now, Daggy, are you ready to come back? Or are you going to continue to be sad for yourself,” Psilo asked me. I thought about it.

“I guess I’m ready to go *sniff*. Thanks guys, this means a lot to me. Before I forget, should I turn off my voice changer?”

I received a resounding “YES!!!” from everyone. ~”We were really tired of your monotone voice anyway. How’d you manage that,” Footsz, a retribution paladin friend, asked.

“I programmed it myself. I needed it to take any tone and make it one, on top of making my voice slightly deeper. I am a pretty smart puppy when I try.”

~”Well that’s obvious, you fooled all of us! Welcome back Daggy, and it’s good to hear the real you,” replied my guild leader, Pwnytailz. I froze. He was watching too!?

“Uh…thanks. Now let me turn off my livestream so we can get started, eh? Ehehehe…” I laughed cautiously. I wasn’t sure how HE’D react to this news.

~”Go for it. And good luck guys! I’m going to head out, logged onto Vent when I saw all the commotion in guild chat. Daggy, you look worried. Don’t be, nothing will happen to you because of this. Before I go, actually, how old are you? In human years.”

“I am…” I paused to count on my fingers, which received some laughs from Ventrilo. “I’m 7, just turned it actually. I kind of lied about my birthday before…and actual age, in human years, ehehe…”

~”That’s perfectly fine. It’s been great to have you, regardless of species difference. Have fun,” he replied before logging out. I sighed in relief. That had gone over a fair bit better than I had expected! Well, discounting one person…My ears started to fold back again. No! I won’t think about him, it’s raid time.

Picking up my headphones and putting them off, I turned off the livestream and said, ~”Alright team, it’s raid time! Let’s go.”




(Author's Note: Oh my goodness I can't believe I'm actually posting this. I feel so worked up over it, but...I'm glad it's going through now. No reason to stop now.

Special Thanks going out to My Life. You are a fantastic thing which inspires all of my writing. And a Special Thanks to River Flows Through You Radio. Gentle piano music playing helped keep me calm, rather than freak out.

HOLY CRAP I WRITE A LOT D:)

Please let me know if I should add more spacing. I'm completely fine with adding more. It kind of looks cramped to me, personally.
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kurowolfe
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by kurowolfe »

Wow, Dag's connected to the net in a lot of ways!
Love the intro, Daggy, and it was sweet for all the other guild members to accept Dag as he is.

The spacing's fine, there's no need to change it. :)

Edit: Daggy, about the radio that you're listening, is it an online radio site? Can I have the link, too? =3
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KizerZin
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by KizerZin »

lots is better then nothing... I Don't see anything wrong here to attack you with so I'll approve it...
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Daggy
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

kurowolfe wrote:Wow, Dag's connected to the net in a lot of ways!
Love the intro, Daggy, and it was sweet for all the other guild members to accept Dag as he is.

The spacing's fine, there's no need to change it. :)

Edit: Daggy, about the radio that you're listening, is it an online radio site? Can I have the link, too? =3
Mkay. It just seems a bit rough to me, but I'm super critical of my work.

Pandora.com is the website. It's pretty much my favorite thing in the world ^.^

oh, one other thing. I plan to update this Sundays/Thursdays (Day before and then day after my raid week). I just didn't have the courage to post it yesterday.
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EvanAierkan
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by EvanAierkan »

It would be cool if my cat could also play wow. She totally could farm me money and level my alts or even take care of the boring bosses on farm status. Then I'd put her on vent and she'd be all like "meow meow meow".
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Obbl
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Obbl »

Awwwwww! That was so great! :D
You're writing is good, and you're dialog is even better. The interactions are pretty good actually (always room for improvement, but I thought they were smooth and very personable ;) )
You're formatting was great. It didn't distract, but it got its point across.
Loved the personalities and the emotions. So I'm hooked :lol:
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Daggy
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

:O That makes me so happy. Now I'm going to be distracted from raid due to freaking out.

And now I want to post the next chapter. But I must wait! Maybe.
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Kondog
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Kondog »

awesome job Daggy I am thrilled that you have finally decided to write a Fanfic!
what an great intro seriously and it's extremely unique
You're formatting was great


I absolutely agree your formatting was Great! - you'd be surprised how many people get the format wrong on the first update :lol: (I know I did) and I didn't stumble into any major grammar errors ( but I am deftly not the guy to ask about grammar hahah) really really good job I can't wait to see what your next update looks like
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Karl
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Karl »

Ah, MMO players. No matter the game, they are all the same xD
This reminds me my old days when I was new in clan xD

Interesting style of text and dialogues. You've put a lot of effort into it :)
Daggy wrote:Oh my goodness I can't believe I'm actually posting this. I feel so worked up over it, but...I'm glad it's going through now. No reason to stop now.
Congratulations on breaking first ices. And as you can see from comments, it weren't that bad eh? ;)
I'm a bookworm!
Daggy
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

I suppose it couldn't have gone better. I did put an almost absurd amount of effort, because the scene portrayed in that first chapter is a repeating...I guess fantasy. I've always wondered...

Anyway, I was going to post the second chapter today, edited and lengthened (Not happy with how short it is) but I had to help prepare my guild for more Firelands bosses, so I was unable to.

Tomorrow, though, chapter will be up! ^.^
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Coatl_Ruu »

I know next to nothing about World of Warcraft, but this was still very entertaining!
Daggy wrote:Now, I know the uh…grammar and everything might suck at some points
Actually, the grammar was pretty near perfect. Trust me, I'm a grammar Nazi. =P
Daggy wrote:Please let me know if I should add more spacing.
As long as it's not all in one block, you're good. The way you've got it it is pretty easy to read.
Daggy wrote:Tomorrow, though, chapter will be up! ^.^
I look forward to it. :3
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Blue Braixen »

Ooh, I can't wait for tomorrow then!
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Daggy
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

Oh this little thing has made me very happy. I thank you all for the comments, they mean a lot to me. ^.^

Enjoy!






                                                                                                                                      ========= Chapter 2: The Preparations=========



The group rounded the corner of the hill, almost to their destination after weeks of travel. From where they stood, the view was spectacular, if a little disparaging.

Directly in front of them, far in the distance, was a huge mount. The bottom wasn’t in view, yet the edges stretched almost from both sides of the horizon, steadily decreasing in width until it disappeared into the clouds. The sky was stained dark reds and oranges, with tinges of black, from the fire and brimstone of the surrounding areas. Directly beside the group was a chasm with, seemingly, no bottom. The edges were jagged, as though torn away by some ancient creature.

Across that chasm was their true destination. A place even more laced with blackened clouds than the sky above, it looked like desolation itself. Nothing was clearly visible, not even any possible buildings or mountains. The clouds formed almost an impenetrable fog, imperceptible even through magic. Nothing could pierce them.

Directly ahead of them was a formation of rocks, oddly arranged, beside a thin stone bridge that miraculously crossed the chasm. The group regarded it all with caution.


“So this is where the Twilight’s Hammer has hidden their master,” a tall male elf asked.

“We believe so. They must not be expecting anyone, or that bridge would be out. It’s definitely held up with some sort of ancient, evil magic. The matrices are all wrong…” the female human mage of the group trailed off. “Something seems extremely off here. Approach with caution, please,” she added.

A white cat with large fangs and a long mane seemingly appeared out of nowhere. In a cloud of smoke, it was replaced by a wolf-like creature. “That much is obvious. Approaching with anything less than the most caution would be the death of us all, regardless of what we’ve faced in the past,” he said. The group nodded, and then regarded the bridge again.

As they looked at it again, they gaped as it fell out in front of their eyes. “That’s not good,” the elf said.

Right after, a massive creature’s head popped out of the chasm, roaring loudly at the group. It seemed to be yelling...”Dag. Dag! Wake up Dag!”



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I awoke with a start, glancing around quickly, and then sighed in relief. Just a dream, cool. I was not exactly expecting to sleep as well as I did, especially after last night’s antics.

“DAG! Are you up yet,” my mom yelled to me from the living room.

“Yes! I just woke up,” I yelled back.

“Good. I was just coming to wake you up. We’ve got a big day today, little man. There’s also something I’ve got to tell you,” she said as she entered my room.

That didn’t sound particularly good. “What are we doing today? And what do you have to tell me? It sounds bad…” I trailed off, not liking the way it sounded.

“Oh, it’s nothing bad, silly. I just wanted to tell you that…well; I know how much you dislike being alone here while I’m working or at Bob’s house. We were talking after you went to bed last night, and decided that we were going to move in with him soon. Bob and I have been together for 3 years, so this seems reasonable. But, only if you’re OK with it. I don’t want to uproot you if you’re going to be unhappy.”

Hmm. That actually…sounded like fun. “I’ll be fine, mom. Where does he live? Anywhere pet friendly? Or at least near some?”

“Of course! He lives in Babylon Gardens, with his two cats. It’s a pet friendly neighborhood, one of the first I believe. He loves it there, and so do his cats.”

“Oh, good. I shouldn’t be bored then! Sounds good to me. On that note…what are we doing today?”

“Getting supplies to pack up the apartment, of course! We’ll need some big plastic tubs to put everything in, and labels for them. So, the plan for today is giving you a bath, then showering myself, and finally heading out to get what we need to pack.”

I perked up at the sound of a bath. “A bath?! Yay,” I yelled. I didn’t get enough baths.

My mom chuckled. “I thought you’d say that. Hop out of bed and let’s go. I want to be quick so we can get everything started tonight.”

“Alright,” I said as I got out of bed. “BATH TIME,” I yelled, running down the hall to the bathroom.

“Calm down Dag! You have plenty of time,” my mom said, chuckling. She entered the bathroom with me and gave me my bath. It was enjoyable. She scrubbed really well behind my ears, making me smile. Best thing in the world…I was enjoying myself too much to pay attention to much else.

“Alright, you’re all clean. Let me get you a towel,” she said, starting to drain the water.

“Aw. My bath is over already? It always goes too fast…” I said, pouting.

“We’ve been in here for 10 minutes. You must not be paying attention! Come on, out of the tub. I need to dry you off,” she said, holding a towel up. I jumped out and into her arms. She laughed and started rubbing all over with the towel, drying me.

Once dry, I headed to my room while my mom started up her shower. I figured she’d be done in about thirty minutes, so I had some time to check some stuff before we left. I went into my room, turned on my computer, and hopped up into the chair. Time to check the website! Automatic log in, double click Firefox…bam. Homepage just happens to be the website.

Upon logging in, I noticed something…amusing. Fifteen new guild applications! Wow… I thought. Clicking one, I briefly checked through it. Random warrior, bad gear/gemming/spec…scrolling down more, I noticed something. In response to the question about who one knows in the guild: I don’t know him personally, but I saw Daggy on the livestream last night and I thought it was really cool that a pet was raiding with you guys!

Oh, wow…more than the guild saw the livestream?! Are the rest of these apps for me? Briefly skimming through the rest of the applications…they were, mostly. A few were legit, but most were just saying how shocked they were from the livestream. How did they find the livestream?! I only linked it to guild members…unless one of them linked it elsewhere. I chuckled. That was most likely the case. I’ll let others deal with those. Glancing at the top of the website, I saw I had a new PM. Who could it possibly be…?

It was from Lishyluu. Hmph. I opened it, curiosity encouraging me. It read:

Dear Daggy,

I’m sorry I rage logged last night. As Prias told you…my experience with pets wasn’t great when I was younger. I’ve hated them ever since. But you didn’t deserve that. You’re a good guy, I guess. Or, good dog, whichever you prefer. It’ll take me getting used to thinking of you as not just another random guy, but as…a pet…but I’m going to try.
P.s. you’re still a p****, regardless of you being a dog or not. Don’t expect me to be any nicer than usual.


Oh Lishy…you’re silly, I thought to myself, as I replied with:

That’s fine Lishy. As long as you don’t rage log again, we’ll get along like we used to. You being rude and me just taking it in stride. ^.^

”DAG, YOU READY,” my mom yelled to me, breaking me out of my focus.

“ALMOST MOM,” I yelled back, sending the message. Time sure flew fast…

My mom entered the room and said, “Tell your friends you’ll be back in a week and let’s go! I’ve got a small present for you.” I perked up at that.

“Oh? What is it,” I asked as I posted my alert of absence on my guild’s forums.

“A collar and tag, because they’re required in Babylon Gardens. The tag is something I know you’ll like…but it’s out in the living room.”

“Alright, I’m coming! I told them it might take a bit longer than a week. Hopefully not though,” I replied, jumping down from the chair.

I walked into the living room to see a sort of deep orange colored collar. “Nice, my favorite color! Where’s the tag,” I asked as I picked up the collar. While I haven’t worn one often, I still knew how to put it on, and did so.

“It’s right here.” She handed me what looked like a small pair of…headphones!

“Oh, that’s perfect! Thanks, mom,” I exclaimed as my stub of a tail wagged. I absolutely loved music!

“I knew you’d think so. Go ahead and clip it on while I grab your leash. I know you don’t like it but you have to wear it, if only for the little bit that we’re out.”

I nodded. “That’s fine. I’m sure I’ll survive somehow,” I said, smiling. I clipped on the tag and stood at the door. She opened the door and I ran out to the car, waiting for it to be unlocked. It’d been so long since I went anywhere. I was excited!

“Calm down! I didn’t expect you to be so happy to go somewhere,” she said to me.

“It gets boring just sitting inside. Even wearing a leash is better than being bored. So, where are we headed?”

“Just over to the Wal-Mart nearby. It should have everything we need.” I nodded. She started up the car and pulled out of the driveway.



--------------------------------------



We returned home after a few hours, with enough tubs and labels to handle everything we had in that apartment. Also grabbed some quick meals, in case we got too busy packing during the week.

Overall, the week passed fairly quickly. The packing was tough at times (I apparently have a lot of toys I forgot about, ever since I got my computer!), but we managed. Mom still had to take breaks to do her work, but during that time I just napped on the small bed she put in there.

I had the hardest time putting away my computer. It was the thing that helped to deal with my loneliness, so it was hard to pack it up for most of the week. My mom gave me the courage to do it though, reminding me of how I’ll meet new friends in the coming weeks.

I could barely wait any longer when we were finally finished with packing. After renting a moving van, we were off to Babylon Gardens!







(Author's Note:This update is sponsored by Tool Radio. I haven't listened to them enough in recent times. Totally inspiring.

That dream sequence is...an experiment of mine. Putting an image that randomly entered my mind into text form. I'm not 100% happy with it, but it's the best I've got!

Also, had to lengthen it from what it was previously. Far too short for me, if I kept it at that length I'd have to combine chapters 2 and 3. Don't want!

PS. Forgot Italics and Underline and I almost had to skip them until I got a chance to update. Barely finished. Might still change some. Stop writing and leave.)
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Blue Braixen »

Hehe, this is so cute. This is a welcome continuation to the story, Dag.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by kurowolfe »

Thanks for the update, Daggy!
It's the first thing that I've read waking up in the morning, and I say it's a good way to start my day :D
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

Glad I could do that for you =)

I think I'll be aiming for mostly cute, other than some super story moments that will require a somewhat serious tone. It's actually quite fun to write in that manner. Though, maybe I should have used another name for my dog-self, hehe.

Updating tomorrow (Saturday) most likely around noon EST. Definitely need to work on this a bit more.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Kondog »

Hehe, this is so cute. This is a welcome continuation to the story, Dag.

indeed it really is, I am really starting to dig this Fic - good job Daggy keep up the great work
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

I forgot how awesome I think this is, hahaha. I love it. Still can't believe I'm actually posting this thing. On with the show!

Quick reminder (Not sure if I said this before): Italics are thoughts, Italics in quotations are yelled from a distance (person is not in view). A dream sequence will always be italics other than dialogue. Should cover everything.






                                                                            ========= Chapter 3: Moving in=========



The husky stretched and yawned as he entered his room, exhausted by the day’s events. He helped his friend King watch some wolf cubs, which turned into an adventure just trying to stay alive. The two of them somehow made it through, though, combining forces to conquer the young ones.

All in all, today was a good day, he thought. I’ll just check the website before… “FOX! I know you have your guild thing to do tomorrow night, but I want you in bed early tonight. A new dog should be moving in tomorrow and I want you to take him to the Good Ol’ Dogs Club. Alright,” Bill, Fox’s dad, yelled. He was a good dad, Fox was happy he was always there for him.

“Alright, Dad. I’m just going to check some things online before heading to bed,” he yelled back. He walked over to the desk in the corner of the room and turned on the monitor. Guild website then bed. Good plan. He logged into the website and started to click around. A lot of apps open right now…wow. What did they do…?

He had quite a few new PMs, so he clicked his PM Inbox. One said “Make sure you look at the Real Life Pics thread. Interesting developments!” Right as he was going to click that thread, he stopped. A thread by his friend Daggy had caught his eye. He was moving. I wonder where to… Fox thought as he clicked the thread.

His mouth dropped as he started to read the thread. Daggy was moving HERE, to Babylon Gardens?! Is this real… Fox asked himself, as he quickly switched over to the Real Life Pics thread. Scrolling through a bunch of nonsense of Daggy being called cute, he eventually found the post Daggy made. He was a corgi. A gray corgi. What. How…could we have possibly become friends, as possibly the only pets in this guild…? Fox thought to himself as he logged off. Is he the dog I have to show around tomorrow? Oh my… he thought as he lay down in his bed.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting, indeed.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I could barely contain my excitement throughout the car drive. I wasn’t going to be lonely anymore! I was almost bouncing out of my car seat as we drove through the gates to Babylon Gardens. “WE’RE HERE YAY,” I yelled, my stub of a tail going a mile a minute. I felt like a puppy again. This was fantastic!

“Dag, calm down you silly goose. We’re not there yet,” my mom said to me, laughing.

“You know I can’t do that! This is my first time being around other pets! I can’t help but be excited,” I told her. I sat quietly for the rest of the ride, though. After about 5 minutes of driving through streets, we arrived at our destination. A house, in a corner of the neighborhood, not too far from everything but not in the center. Perfect for me.

“Come, Dag. Let’s go meet some of your new family,” my mom said. I unbuckled myself from my seat and, somehow containing my enthusiasm, walked out of the car. Today was going to be a good day; I could feel it in my bones and ears.

As we reached the door, I grew a bit apprehensive. “Mom, what if they don’t like me,” I asked.

“Don’t be silly. They’re going to love you,” she said as she knocked on the door. The door slowly opened, and out stepped a tall man wearing a hat. Somewhat average height and build and sporting a beard, he smiled at us and said, “Hello there! We’ve been waiting for you two all day. Come on in, let me introduce myself.”

He went back in and we followed. I was still a bit worried, mostly about his two cats, but his cheerful attitude was helping me loosen up some. His living room was quite large. Directly beside us, in front of the big frontal window, was a couch. Across from it was a huge TV, with all of the current consoles beneath it, and a collection of games to the right of it. On the wall farthest from us was another couch, flanked on both sides by night stands that had decorative lamps on them.

“This room is…AMAZING,” I yelled as I ran and jumped onto the couch in front of the window. My mom and the man laughed and sat down beside me. I couldn’t contain my excitement, practically jumping up and down on the couch.

“Dag, calm down. You don’t want to mess up your new dad’s furniture, do you,” my mom asked me.

That got me to stop. “Oh…right,” I said as I sat down. I looked over at the man. “You’re my new dad, right?”

“Yes I am. Nice to meet you Dag, my name is Robert. You can call me Bob or Dad if you want.” He put forth his hand and I shook it. “Now then, let me get my girls in here. They’ve been excited to meet you. CALI, LOLA, COME IN HERE,” he yelled across the house, startling me.

“Coming Dad, we just had to clean up Cali’s mess she made,” one of them yelled back. A few minutes later, a pure black cat and a calico cat walked into the room.

“Oh, they’re here. Fantastic,” the black one said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“Lola, be nice. He’s your brother now, and she’s your mom. There’s no need to be rude,” he said to her, then turned to us. “The black beauty there is Lola. She can be a bit bitter, but she’s a good girl. The small calico is Cali. Original name, I know, but I didn’t name her. Lola, Cali, this is Dag and his mom. They’re living with us now, as we already talked about.”

“…OHMYGOSHHE’SSOCUTE”, the calico yelled as she pounced on me. “HE’S SO SMALL AND GRAY AND DO YOU SEE HIS EARS THEY’RE SO BIG!”

“Aaaaahhh, what are you doing,” I exclaimed in fright, frantically trying to escape the cat’s grasp.

“Oh, I’m sorry, where are my manners,” she said as she got off of me. “My name is Cali! Nice to meet you, Dag. I’m glad to have you in our home.” She held out her paw and I shook it.

“Hi. My name is Lola,” the black cat said, before turning and leaving.

“Sorry about her, she’s just…not used to the idea of having more people in the house. It’s always just been the three of us,” Bob said.

“It’s ok; I remember how it was when I first came over. Now, Dag, let’s go start moving stuff in.”

“Alright, Mom!”

---------------------------------------- A few hours later -----------------------------------------

“Mom, when did we get so much stuff? I’m exhausted,” I said, lying on the ground panting.

“When we moved out, silly. You always find more stuff when you clean a place up.”

“I guess…hey, what’s that,” I asked, pointing down the road. Something was walking on the sidewalk.

“That looks like a dog. He might have heard you were moving in. Go on, talk to him. Have some fun.”


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Fox was walking down the sidewalk on his way to the new dog’s house. Apprehensive due to the fact they were actually friends in an online world, he tried not to worry too much. Just introduce yourself and take him to the meeting. Don’t reveal yourself just yet. Good plan. He wondered to himself why he had to be the one to greet the new dog.

Stopping in front of the house, he waved and called out, “Hello there! You guys are the new neighbors right?”







(Authors Note: Sponsored by Owl City Radio! I love cheerful, carefree, light songs. They're so fun.

Anyway, I thought I would have to lengthen this but...I couldn't find anywhere to lengthen, and it didn't end up needing it. Thank goodness. Oh, and chekov's gun. The next chapter was incredibly fun for me to write, so I'm gonna get it up in another few days! I need to write the chapter after that still, though. It's going to be great too. ^.^

Oh, almost forgot. What color do you guys think Fox is, exactly? I was leaning more towards white but he does look kind of gray. D:)
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by kurowolfe »

Wait, Fox is a gamer too, and is in the guild? That just blew my mind away.
I wonder how's Dag's (I wanna call him Daggy, but that's your name, so...) relationships with Fox and the two cats going to be. :P

About Fox's coat colour, I always thought of it as a mixture between white and grey, like ash or something.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

Yeah. I wanted to put my bestest friend in, but wasn't sure how. I certainly didn't want to make a new character, and Fox seemed more the type that'd possibly do something like that. He reads plenty of books, why can't he also pretend to be human for a guild? :P Was thinking about taking it out, but in the end it'll work out.

I was thinking that was his color, something like it at least. Dag's will be a bit darker, I suppose. Oh, and I should have named Dag something else...hehehe. Oh well.

Last thing I forgot to mention in that last AN. From here on out it'll primarily be 3rd person, since it's now more than just me.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Big Fan »

So, is King's screenname Lishyluu, or would that be too obvious?
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

Of course not! Lishy is based on the real Lishy, who is one of the worst people I've had the pleasure to meet.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Blue Braixen »

So now both of Fox's friends' names end in "g", huh? *giggles* This is so interesting.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

Apparently. It makes conversations quite...fun. I need to get to writing or I'll run out of stuff to post on schedule! D: Biggest procrastinator in the world.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Kondog »

another great update! Great job Daggy! you really have a knack for writing convincing character dialogue.
Biggest procrastinator in the world.

haha not even close! I have you beat there buddy!
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

Kondog wrote:another great update! Great job Daggy! you really have a knack for writing convincing character dialogue.


Do I? I always felt I was horrible at it D: I guess all of my imagining of conversations I would never have with people worked into my favor after all!

Good to know then. Because it seems most of it ends up being conversation based, hehe.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

Double post oh noes.

I'm a schmuck for long chapters. Here's my longest. It's also the start of me using primarily 3rd person (not sure if I mention that).

I guess this means I do need to start typing up chapter 5.







                                                                                         ========= Chapter 4: Meeting New People (Dogs) =========

“Yeah, we just finished moving in just a little bit ago. It’s a nice neighborhood,” Dag’s mom said, nudging Dag. “Dag, don’t be rude. Say hi.”

“Hello…” Dag said quietly, shyness creeping in. The first pet I’ve seen that I’m not living with…

Dag’s mom chuckled. “This little guy is Dag. He’s a bit shy. My name is Gigi.”

“Hi Dag, Gigi, my name is Fox. I was asked to come by on behalf of the Good Ol’ Dogs Club, to extend an invitation to tonight’s meeting. We heard you were moving in. Most of the neighborhood dogs attend, so if you want to meet new friends, this is your best chance!”

“I guess I’ll go. I do want to meet more pets. Is it OK if I go, mom?”

“Of course, dear. Just don’t be out too late,” Gigi said. Dag jumped up in excitement.

“We should head out now. I lost track of time earlier and if we don’t leave now we might be late,” Fox said, as he turned around.

“Alright, I’m coming,” replied Dag. Dag caught up with Fox and they started walking down the way Fox had come from. “Bye mom, I’ll be back later!”

“So, Dag, how do you like the neighborhood," Fox asked, turning to Dag.

“It’s good. A lot better than where I used to live.”

“Oh? Where was that,” Fox asked, curious.

“My mom and I lived in a…pet unfriendly apartment complex. I technically wasn’t allowed to be there at all, but my mom was good friends with the owner of the property, so he let me stay.”

“Oh. So you haven’t been around many pets, right?”

“That’s correct. You’re the first dog I’ve met. My new dad has two cats, though. They’re nice. I’m excited for this meeting. What do you guys do during the meetings?”

Fox paused for a moment, pondering his answer. Dag stopped beside him. “Well…we start out by talking about some stuff. Eventually everyone gets bored, so we all go and play. While they aren’t exactly the best meetings, they’re still fun to go to.” He continued walking, Dag following beside him.

“Oh. So it’s nothing particularly special, just a gathering place for all of the dogs,” Dag asked.

“I guess you could say that. They also sometimes organize events for the neighborhood. The Easter egg hunt last year was quite…crazy, to say the least.”

“That sounds fun! How much further, do you know?”

“Well, we’re actually here now.” Fox stopped in front of a large garage. “We use our leader’s garage to hold the meetings. He insisted on it.” Fox opened the door and beckoned Dag inside.

Dag wasn’t prepared for how many dogs were there. Every chair in the large garage was filled; there must have been at least forty. Dag’s ears started to bend back, showing how uncomfortable he was with the situation. At the far end of the room was a stage, with a podium in the center. A dog with a green collar with a tag that had the letter B on it was standing behind it.

“Fox! You were almost late. I will forgive you this time, but try to be on time next time. Who’s that with you,” the dog at the podium asked.

“I’m sorry Bino, I lost track of time. This is Dag. He’s new to the neighborhood.”

“Well thanks for bringing him. Please take a seat and we’ll get the meeting started,” Bino said.

Fox pulled Dag over to a seat in the back of the room. Motioning to the further seat, Fox waited for Dag to sit down before sitting down himself. Then, the meeting started. Most of the talking was about silly things, such as “zoning” and whether or not cats should be allowed to walk around with leashes.

Eventually they got to the topic of toilet water. Dag was thoroughly confused. “Hey Fox,” Dag whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Why is toilet water such a big deal? It’s not like its any good.”

“What? Who said that? Toilet water is the best water. Whoever said that, I demand you stand up,” Bino yelled.

Dag was nervous. He’d never seen a dog mad. He stood, cautiously, and raised his hand. “It was, uh, me.”

“Oh, the new dog. Typical, trying to change how the neighborhood works. Toilet water is the only acceptable drink in this club. Why would it not be a big deal,” Bino asked, in a demanding tone.

Dag pulled on his collar some, slowly growing hot with embarrassment. “I didn’t know, I’m sorry. I’ve just never drank toilet water.”

Bino just stared at Dag, incredulous. All of the other dogs did too. That made Dag even more nervous, ears folding backwards even more than they were. “So, you would try to force your heathen ways upon the rest of the nice dogs in this room,” Bino said.

“What?! I never said that, I…”

“You didn’t say it, but you meant it! I can hear it in your tone and see it in your face.”

“But, I’m not trying—“Dag started, but Bino interrupted him.

“Don’t you lie! You may be new, but that doesn’t mean you automatically gain power in the Good Ol’ Dogs Club,” Bino exclaimed, a mad gleam in his eyes.

Dag broke down in tears. This was too much; he wasn’t ready for something like this. He ran out of the garage, head in his paws, and going full speed into the neighborhood.

He ran and ran, never reaching a sidewalk, instead heading further and further towards the middle of the neighborhood. He ran for what felt like hours, crying his eyes out. Why did he attack me so quickly, what did I do wrong? He thought to himself. Why didn’t Fox try to defend me? He brought me to that place! His tears of sadness slowly morphed into tears of anger, towards Fox and Bino. Right as he was going to curse them both, he tripped over a branch and fell face first on the ground. This started a new bout of tears.

“This is hopeless…I should have never left my house,” Dag said through his tears.

“Trust me; leaving the house is a good thing. What’s got you so worked up, dog?” Dag perked up at hearing a new voice. Looking around, he saw a white and tan corgi sitting at the base of a tree.

“Wow, you look rough. What happened?”

Dag sniffled some and wipes his eyes with his arms. He also rubbed his muzzle a little bit, to try and get the wetness from the tears to not be so obvious. It didn’t really help and he flopped down on the ground again, saying “I got yelled at by Bino. I don’t know why.”

Dag heard a slight growl from the dog. “That dog…doesn’t he ever realize he hurts others with what he says,” he asked no one in particular. “Oh, sorry. My name is King. You must be new to the neighborhood.”

“Yeah, I am. My name is Dag,” Dag said, sitting up some. “Why weren’t you at the meeting? Fox said most of the neighborhood dogs go.”

“Well…I don’t particularly like Bino. He doesn’t like me. Since he’s the head of the club…it’s not in my best interest to show up,” King said, peering towards the dog sitting in front of him. He really looks pitiful right now…I should be nice. That’s what Fox would do. “So, how has your stay been so far? Other than the Bino incident, of course.”

“It’s been good. I like my new dad and his two cats, and the dog that took me to the meeting, Fox, was nice too. I was hoping to talk to him more but then…” he trailed off, thinking back to what had happened.

“Hey, don’t think too much about Bino. He’s just a little maniacal jerk who likes to control everything. Here, come lean against this tree. It’s better than just sitting there, looking pathetic.” Dag whined a bit, making King laugh. Dag got up and walked over to the tree, reaching his hand down towards the other dog.

“Well, King, I’m glad I met you when I did. Otherwise, I’d still be sitting in a ball, crying my eyes out.” King smiled and shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you, too. Now sit, we can talk some.” Dag smiled back at him and leaned against the tree as he slowly sat down. This isn’t what I was expecting, but still nice, he thought.




------------------Meanwhile, back at the garage--------------------



Fox gaped at the door Dag just ran out of. He heard Bino chuckle, then say, “You see? That’s what happens when you try to take over my club.” That snapped Fox out of his reverie.

“BINO WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU,” he yelled at the top of his lungs. Bino just stopped and stared at the husky, then went pale. Fox’s face was contorted in rage. His hands, no, his entire body was shaking, in the same rage. “WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THAT TO EVERY NEW DOG!? WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU? WHY CAN’T YOU JUST BE NICE AND WAIT TO SEE IF THEY’RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO TAKE OVER,” Fox said as he stalked his way down the aisle towards Bino. Bino was visibly scared now, knees knocking together and ears down against his head.

“Fox…? Calm down, ok,” Bino said.

“I will NOT calm down. That was the LAST straw. I’ve had it with you. I’ve had it with how much of a jerk you are. We’re done. You’re not worthy of my friendship. I don’t know why we were even friends to begin with,” Fox said as he reached the stage.

“You’re willing to throw away our friendship over some new dog,” Bino asked, eyes still wide with fear.

“Our “friendship” was nothing more than you ordering me around and me listening for who knows why. I’m out,” Fox said, anger starting to leave him. He turned around and headed towards the door.

“Well good! Don’t come back. Good riddance,” Bino said, gathering some courage. Fox stopped and slowly turned around, making Bino shrink down again.

“Don’t think I won’t clobber you, for old time’s sake.” At that, he left the garage to try and find Dag. He couldn’t have run too far…I hope he’s ok.



--------------------------------



Fox looked around, in search for a clue as to where Dag ran off to. He quickly found one, some brush was stomped through. Getting closer, he could see a clear path where Dag had run through, obviously distraught. Fox’s anger started to grow again, but he squelched it. No need to be angry. Focus on finding him he thought. He followed the path through the neighborhood, seemingly leading nowhere in particular.

After a few minutes, he started to recognize some of the shrubbery around him. Nearing the park. Did he manage to find somewhere to hide in there? That question was answered when he came into a clearing that just happened to contain his favorite tree, which he sat under with King often while reading. Under it happened to be King, with Dag sitting alongside him, talking. “Hey, Dag, I’ve been looking around for you,” Fox called out, running up to the two corgis.

“Oh, hey Fox. I’m surprised you managed to find me…” Dag started.

“You ran haphazardly through the area. I just followed the wreckage,” Fox beamed happily at Dag. “Hey King, thanks for being here for him. He had a rough time at the meeting. I’m sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t know he would snap at you like that.”

“Yeah, yeah. Mister Nice Dog always has to cater to the new dogs in the neighborhood,” mocked King. Fox grinned. “Dag told me about what happened. Bino is such a moron,” King started to growl.

“I know. I’m done with him, other than dealing with him at meetings.”

“Don’t give up a friendship over me, please. That just makes me feel uncomfortable,” Dag said to Fox.

“No worries. We weren’t really friends, I just followed him around for…some reason. The more time I spent talking with King and Peanut, the more I realized how little we did together, other than make fun of people…” Fox glanced downwards.

“Well, I’m glad you did that. Bino was just a jerk. Also glad you showed up when you did. When Dag stumbled through those bushes and collapsed in front of me, he looked so pathetic I had to help him.”

“Hey, I did not look pathetic,” Dag yelled, a bit hurt.

“You were curled in a ball, crying in the dirt. That’s at least a little bit pathetic.”

Dag paused, thinking it over. “I guess you’re right…but you helped pull me out of it. Thanks again for that.”

King rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. “No problem, ehehe. I can be nice on occasion. Just don’t expect it often.”

Fox sat down on the other side of King and looked up at the sky. “It’s gonna be dark soon,” he said to no one in particular. King and Dag also looked up. The sun was finally setting, the sky painted with dark reds and oranges, with dark blue clouds skirting around. The moon could be seen, just barely, floating in the distance.

“This is beautiful…I’ve never seen an actual sunset before, fully,” Dag said quietly.

“Really? Why not,” King asked.

“I’ve lived in an apartment complex all of my life. They didn’t particularly like pets, so the best I could do was look out of my window. Because we were in the city, buildings always blocked the view of the horizon. I couldn’t see the good parts of the sky…” Dag trailed off and looked down at the ground.

An alarm started ringing, the sound coming from Dag’s collar. “Oh no, oh no. I’ve got to go, I’m sorry guys. I’m uh, late for dinner, and my mom likes to have it at a specific time,” Dag said in a panicked voice.

“It’s OK Dag, calm down! I’ll lead you out of here and point you towards your home, since I assume you don’t know the way there from here. Sorry to leave so soon, King, but it was nice while it lasted. See you later,” Fox said.

“No problem, I wanted to enjoy the sunset alone anyway. Have fun you two,” King replied, smiling. Fox grinned back.

“Come along now Dag, I don’t want you to be too late.”



---------------------------------------------------------------------



Once they were back to the sidewalks, Fox pointed Dag towards where his house should be.

“Thanks a lot, for everything, Fox. While today didn’t go exactly the way I thought it would…I had fun and did meet new dogs,” a smiling Dag said.

“No problem. If I didn’t go out of my way to greet the new dogs and make them feel at home…dogs like King would still be cooped up in their rooms, disliking everything,” Fox replied. “Anyway, I hope your mom isn’t too mad at you for being late.”

“She won’t be. She can’t stay mad at me,” Dag said, grinning. Fox laughed, and waved as he walked away. “Take care, Fox!”

“You too, Dag,” Fox yelled back. “I’ll see you in raid…” he said to himself, quietly, still waving as he watched Dag walk towards his house. He then headed in the opposite direction, towards his own house. That went well. I didn’t even reveal myself…he thought to himself, walking down the sunset lit sidewalk.











(Author's Note: Sponsored by River Flows In You Radio! I wrote this chapter (or at least finished the second half) while listening to it. And then decided to post my story, which has been quite the...awesome experience. Glad I did.

This chapter is my favorite so far. One of my next two chapters will overcome that, though. I think I teared up re-reading it, haha. My poor corgi-self is such a pushover, but things will change for the better soon!

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Oh, and if you read, at least pop in and tell me how awesome you thought it was :P)

<3

*whine* I want to make them longer but I don't know how. D: *whine*
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Blue Braixen »

And of course, both Corgis meet. I so saw that coming. XP
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by KizerZin »

HA HA Haaaa! finally things are starting to get interesting, let the "good" times roll~
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by copper »

Good stuff, Daggy. Very realistic dialogue and such. I am liking it a lot.

Well, this should be interesting. Fox really gets along with corgis, huh? :lol:
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by kurowolfe »

Sweet, another update! ;)
Oh Bino, you do that to almost all the new dogs in the club, even in fanfics XD
A bit sad for Dag though, his horizon was just opening up, and he's already been hit hard...

I really hope King, Dag and Fox will be a strong threesome. They're already on a great start!

... Huh, now I wait. :P
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

copper wrote:Good stuff, Daggy. Very realistic dialogue and such. I am liking it a lot.
And all this time, I thought my dialogue as my worst part, when it's apparently the best. Hehe.
kurowolfe wrote:Sweet, another update! ;)
Oh Bino, you do that to almost all the new dogs in the club, even in fanfics XD
A bit sad for Dag though, his horizon was just opening up, and he's already been hit hard...
Gotta learn life somehow, when you've only lived on the internet and in an apartment all your life!
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

I'm a liar. I'm going to just continue putting it off, even though I really want to write the chapter. >.>

I blame reading through entire RP threads and trying to plan strategies for new Raid bosses. I'll TRY to get something up later tonight, possibly. Might end up being in the early A.M., EST. Promise!

Maybe!

P.S. Got a plan to prevent myself from browsing the internet while I write. Pandora Radio on an iPod! Yeeee, should work. I hope D:
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Coatl_Ruu »

Daggy wrote:P.S. Got a plan to prevent myself from browsing the internet while I write. Pandora Radio on an iPod! Yeeee, should work. I hope D:
I have the exact same problem. Usually I just end up yanking out the router. =P
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Obbl »

Do not despair. Obbl knows your plight. As long as you keep in mind where the story leads, it will be written. ;)
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by copper »

No problem, I am a patient man, and this forum has incredibly patient people on it. Just go at your own pace. I hope you write one soon, though. I am enjoying this fic immensely! :D
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

It's me that really wants to write it! I really want to get it done, my mind is just like...no. lol.

It's all planned out and EVERYTHING! Even thinking about it excites me.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Kondog »

t's me that really wants to write it! I really want to get it done, my mind is just like...no. lol.


Haha no worries I know how you feel! maybe it's the weather who knows. as long as your having fun and not pulling out your hair ( like some people.) where patient group and I can can't wait to see where you take this story
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by Daggy »

I DID IT GUYS!

So, this chapter is completely devoted to my dear, dear cats. I love them so much. We rescued them from my Grandma's old, condemned house. One was nearly dead. The other was healthier. We rescued them at two different times, which I tried to play off age-wise. Cali being two in the story, Lola being four, when they're really like...wow I don't even remember their ages. D:

I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

P.S. This is now my longest chapter yet! heee heeeeeee ^.^






                                                                                                 ========= Chapter 5: Nightmares =========
 



                                     *A few days later*




Dag walked up to his door, stopping right in front. He considered knocking, but decided against it and just went in. As he walked through the living room, he heard a noise. *Psst* “Uh, hello,” he asked, looking around the room.

“Down here, Dag,” a voice said from…under the couch. Dag got on his paws and knees and looked under.

“Oh, Lola; what are you doing down there?”

“Hiding; I’d suggest you get to your room before she finds you.”

“Uh…who? Cali,” Dag asked, perplexed.

“Yes,” Lola hissed. “She’s in a playful mood, and sometimes her play hurts. So run, now! Before it’s too late,” Lola continued, emphasizing ‘run’.

Dag just nodded and smiled. “I’m sure I can handle a little cat like her. Don’t you worry one bit about me.”

“Your funeral,” Lola scoffed, before retreating further under the couch. Dag stood up and stretched, before turning to go to his room. He took one step…

Before being on the receiving end of a running tackle. “YAY IT’S THE NEW DOOOOGGGGGG! HOW ARE YOU DAG,” Cali practically screamed into Dag’s ears, making him cringe.

“I’m fine, perfectly fine. Well, now I’m not, you just broke my ears.”

“But they’re so big and cute, I couldn’t possibly break them!” That made Dag blush. The only girl that’d ever call him cute was his mom.

“Ehehehe…so they are. But can you let me up,” he asked nervously.

“Of course; I’m sorry I tackled you, I’m looking for Lola. She promised she’d play with me!”

Dag glanced towards the couch, smiling. “I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. If you’ll excuse me, I have some things to set up in my room before…something starts. Good luck finding Lola, Miss Cali.”

That made Cali blush. “I’ve never been called Miss before…” she trailed off, before beaming at Dag. “Thanks,” she exclaimed, before scampering off through the kitchen, in search of her older sister. Dag just stood there, smiling.

“You’re good with children. Are you sure you’ve never been around them before,” a voice beneath the couch asked.

“I just…know what to say I guess,” Dag replied, shrugging, before heading off to his room to set up his computer and router.

It was almost raid time!





----------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Dag found himself asleep a few hours later, raid almost completely forgotten. He was busy in the lands of dreams; as were a few others in the household.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



A thick, inky blackness filled his vision. He couldn’t see anything, not even his muzzle right in front of his eyes. Confusion set in.

“Hello? Is…is anyone there,” he asked, weakly, voice shaky. This didn’t seem good at all.

“You mangy mutts, always wandering around these apartments…this is the only way to get rid of you,” a deep, angry voice said all around him. Dag started to shake in fear.

“What’s going on? What’s happening,” he asked, trying to reason with the voice.

“I’m cleaning up the trash is all,” the voice replied, a laughter filling the words. A deep, evil laughter.

A rustling could be heard. Faint at first, but slowly gaining power before it was obvious what it was.

“NO I DON’T WANT TO BE THROWN AWAY, MOM HELP,” Dag screamed, hysterically. He was frantically trying to move away from the sound, but it just grew louder and closer.

“She can’t help you this time. I’ve got you,” the voice replied. One could almost hear the grin on his face.

Dag continued to flail around, trying to get away while screaming “NO NO NO NO”, but to no avail. It continued getting closer, until---

*BANG BANG BANG*



--------------------------------------------------------------------



Dag jerked out of his sleep, breathing heavily. He put his hand on his chest, feeling how fast his heart was beating. He sighed, trying to calm down. I absolutely hate that nightmare…he thought.

*BANG BANG BANG*

“Who could possibly be at my door this late…” Dag wondered aloud as he walked to the door. Opening it, he found Lola standing there, clutching a pillow, tears filling her eyes.

“Lola, what’s the matter,” Dag asked, concern filling his voice.

“I…I had a bad dream. I usually go to Dad’s room, but Mom is in there now and I didn’t want to disturb them…” she trailed off.

“So you came to me, the new dog?” Dag looked over Lola again. She looked absolutely dreadful. Tears stained her muzzle, going down her chin and into her chest fur. “Your dream must have been awful, to have you crying that hard…Come in, sit on my bed. Tell me what happened,” he said, motioning her inside. He shut the door behind her, and then hopped up onto his bed, patting beside him for her to do the same.

She climbed up beside him and sat there for a few minutes, staring off into space, still crying weakly. Dag understood she needed time.

After ten minutes, she finally turned to Dag to look him in the eyes. Her blue-green, staring into his deep brown. She then smiled before turning away.

“My nightmare was…a recurring one. One that appears whenever a new person enters my life that I could care about. The basis of the nightmare is a certain fear of mine.”

Dag nodded, motioning for her to continue. She started to get ready, but broke down into tears again.
“Was it really that bad,” Dag asked, patting her on the back.

“Yes…the nightmare is horrible. It goes like this: I’m standing in a room, and about twenty feet away from me, directly ahead of me, is everyone I love or care about. Right now, that’s Cali, Dad, Mom, and now, you.”

“In this particular nightmare…You turned around and walked away first, without a word. Your mom followed you. Dad went after. Finally…Cali left. I was all alone. A voice was telling me how…how none of you would return; that I was alone, for real this time. How I would never have anyone in my life again.”

She stopped to cry fresh tears. Dag felt bad, but let her finish this part of the story.

“I woke up soon after, the feeling of…abandonment still fresh inside me. It’s the thing I fear most,” she said, crying her way through the sentence. Dag knew that pain. It had been a long time, but it felt like almost yesterday.

“Would you…like to tell me how you got this fear,” Dag asked, hopeful she would comply.

“I…I guess. Don’t expect me not to cry though,” she replied, flatly. Dag couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

“By all means, take your time. Do the story justice. I’m just here to help.”

Lola nodded, before starting her story.



--------------------------------------------------------------------



Cali and I were sitting on the old, scratchy couch, watching Mom talk to some other cat. We trusted him; he always led Mom to food. During their talk, they kept glancing towards us.

“Lola, what’s taking them so long? They never talk for this long,” Cali asked her sister.

“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s a hard to find place,” I replied, not liking the length of the conversation. Finally, it ended and Mom walked over to us.

“How are my two girls today,” she asked, a weary smile on her face. I smiled back at her.

“We’re fine, Mom. What were you two talking about,” I asked, motioning towards the cat leaving the old, abandoned house.

“Oh, you know, a place where there’s a lot of food. But, it’s hard to get to, so he had to give me precise directions.” Mom looked at us both, and then gathered us in a hug.

“I love you two so much, but I have to go now. I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise,” she said, still embracing us. We hugged her back.

“We know Mom. Be back as soon as you can be,” Cali exclaimed. A tear was brought to Mom’s eye.

“You two be good now…alright,” she said, sniffling some. That concerned me. She then turned and left the house, closing the door behind her.

For the next few days, Cali and I played some, but mostly sat at the window, watching for Mom to come back. After a week, I knew she wouldn’t be back, but I had to keep the hope alive for Cali at least.

“Lola, when will Mom be back? Do you think she got caught by the animal catchers? What if she got hurt?” All of these questions Cali asked me every day. I didn’t have an answer I wanted to tell her.

After a week and five days, we had to go find food or we’d starve. I tried to make Cali stay home, but she wouldn’t allow it.

“I’m not letting you go and get caught or something. What if that’s why Mom isn’t home yet?” I couldn’t argue with that.

Most of what we found I gave to Cali. She was still a kitten, barely one year old. I ate enough to try to sustain me, but it was never enough.

When a month had passed, the two of us heard loud noises from outside of the house. Cali helped me look out of the window, to see large…yellow things with destructive looking devices on them.

“Lola…what are those? Why are they here? They look dangerous…” Cali asked quickly, fear in her voice. I was also afraid. I’d seen those machines before.

“They’re used to…tear down houses. We’ve got to go…” I tried to get up, but my muscles were too weak.

“Cali, help me to the door. I want to at least be outside of the house before they tear it down,” I said to her. She nodded and helped me out the best she could. After a few minutes, we coordinated enough to help me stumble to the door. I turned the knob and threw it open, collapsing on the porch.



--------------------------------------------



Robert was looking over all of his machines and workers, making sure everything was going fine, when the door to the house burst open and two very skinny and rough looking cats stumbled out, one of them collapsing.

He picked up his megaphone and yelled, “EVERYONE STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING RIGHT NOW!” They all paused and looked at him, perplexed.

One of his supervisors walked up to him and asked, “Robert, what is the meaning of this? We’ve got a schedule to attend to.”

“I know, Frank, but two cats just stumbled out of that house. I’m going to go get them.”

“But they’re just strays, who cares! We’ve got a job to do.”

Robert glared at him, causing Frank to flinch back. “I am going to save them, and you all will continue afterwards. I will not accept no for an answer.” He went up to the house porch and kneeled down in front of the two cats.

“Hey, you two, are you alright? Do you need any help getting anywhere,” Robert asked, concern filling his words.

“No, we’re just fine. Just move along and destroy our home,” the black, collapsed cat said.

“I can’t do that. My girlfriend would never forgive me if I abandoned two cute little cats such as you. So come on,” he said as he lifted the two up. The black one tried to fight it, but was too weak. The calico just sat there, stunned almost.

As Robert walked back towards his car, he called for Frank. Frank got to the car right as Robert finished buckling the two in.

“Frank, I’m taking these two to the vet to get them checked out, then taking them to my house. You’re in charge for the rest of the day.”

“You know, Robert, you’ll probably be fired for this,” Frank started.

“I would sooner quit than abandon the lives of others.” Frank nodded.

“Alright then,” he replied, before turning to everyone else. “Get back to work, we’ve got a schedule to hold to that’s now behind because he had to rescue some cats. Let’s move it,” he yelled into a megaphone.

“You’d do well in my position, Frank,” Robert said before driving off.


----------------------------------------------------------------------


“Dad…he rescued us from that place. I didn’t trust him at first, but what did I know. I was practically dead. It took almost three months for me to be able to walk on my own. After the first month, he asked us if we wanted to be his pets. We agreed, naturally. Once I was able to move on my own, we moved here. I’ve avoided making any friends…” she trailed off.

“So…your mom abandoned you,” Dag asked, verifying what he’d heard. Lola nodded.

“Ever since then, you get this dream where everyone abandons you. So you try not to make friends.” Another nod.

“Well…stop worrying about it. The only way anyone here would abandon you is if we were all dead. Since we’re nowhere close to being dead, you have nothing to fear about.”

“YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE DAG! TO BE ABANDONED, TO KNOW SOMEONE LEFT YOU BEHIND TO SAVE THEMSELVES,” Lola yelled through her tears. Dag was taken aback, and looked down.

Quietly, he said, “Yes, I do…” Lola stopped for a moment.

“What do you mean,” she asked, shocked.

“How would a puppy arrive in a non-pet friendly apartment complex? How would it somehow end up in the hands of the only person in the entire complex who was both a lover of animals and friends with the superintendent? Think for a moment,” he replied, pausing.

He continued after a moment. “I only remember three things about my early puppyhood. One: waking up inside a cardboard box that had a blanket on the bottom. Two: A man picking me up from wherever I was wandering. Three: Waking up in a large, soft bed, in a room I didn’t know.”

“I was young and naïve then. I just assumed the man had taken me to that place. I found out, a few years later, the real story. The man that picked me up…was going to throw me away.”

Lola just stared at Dag, mouth agape. “Throw away…? You mean…”

“Yes. My mom stopped him from throwing me into a trash bag, and then into a dumpster. I thought, for the longest time, I was given to my mom. To find out she rescued me from certain death…I loved her even more than I possibly could. I would do anything for her. That’s a reason I never complained about living in a pet unfriendly apartment complex. While it would be nice to have friends, my mom not having to deal with the pressures of moving was more worth it to me.” Dag paused, trying not to cry as he remembered his past.

“I also had a nightmare tonight. Of being thrown away. It’s horrible, remembering things like that, but…you can never give up hope. You can’t believe the dreams, or nightmares. They’re just that, a nightmare, a figment of your fears.”

He turned to face Lola, who was just looking down. “Lola, look at me.” She glanced up at him, and could see the determination in his eyes. “I’m your big brother now. This may just be instinct, or maybe I read it on the internet somewhere, but…I’ll always protect you. That’s what big brothers do. I will never abandon you, not until I die. I will always be here for you, no matter what.”

Lola started to tear up again. She almost jumped on top of Dag, in a large hug. “Thanks, Dag. I’m glad I came to your room tonight…” she trailed off, yawning.

“Do you mind if I sleep here tonight? So you can protect me?” Dag chuckled, but nodded.

“Of course you can. My bed is big,” he said as he lay back down where he was before. Lola, surprisingly, snuggled up against him, her back against his chest. He felt a low rumble, but as it grew stronger, he could hear a noise. Purring. She must have fallen asleep instantly… he though as he stroked her head.

This must be the first time in a long time she’s felt comfortable enough to purr…it’s so strong. He thought as he drifted off to sleep, wrapping his arms around her.

Good night, little sister.





(Author's Note: My longest update so far, and the most enjoyable to write. This has been playing out in my mind for the past few weeks, ever since I woke up to see my cat, Lola, curled up beside my head. I just couldn't leave this out, after that.

Without these cats, this story wouldn't be possible, nor would a lot of things in my life. I would be much worse off if they weren't around to keep me from being destructively bored, hehe.

Transitions in this one are pretty awful, but I couldn't figure out any other way to do them other than splitting chapters or something. Sorry about it : /

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

P.S. Writting in 1.5 hours, to the tune of some Piano music. Can't have lyrics distracting me!)
Last edited by Daggy on Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Housepets! Fanfic: Getting to Know Yourself

Post by KizerZin »

Agh! too much Happy... the sad parts are wonderful~
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