HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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HousepetZ: Imaginarium
Chapter 2: Take A Journey Into Imagination



Zenyako was surprised, “M-Marko?” he quickly stammered, “Why do you want to find him?” Ever the prepared dog, Tarot explained what she heard earlier today, regarding an amulet that once belonged to Dragon and that she wants to find it for herself. Knowing about the amulet himself, Zenyako was impressed that Tarot knew about it as well. But that wasn’t what was bugging the kitsune. “Sounds great and all, but I feel like you’re leaving out some valuable info from me,” he said, scratching his chin fluff. He had a feeling there was another reason why Tarot was so interested in the amulet and it probably wasn’t just for having a new fashion item. But Tarot, to his surprise, just shook her head. Zenyako wasn’t buying it. “Come on. There has to be some reason why you’re suddenly so interested in her amulet.”
“Nope...just want to find it for Dragon, that’s all.” Tarot answered. She was purposely leaving out a couple important pieces of info from him, like that Dragon doesn’t want to find it and her real reason for looking for it, but she knew he would talk her out of it or, worse, use it for his own gain. So the little he knew, the better, she thought as Zenyako shook his head and sighed. “You’re stubborn, you know that?” He said bluntly before changing his mood, “Well, as long as you mean well, I guess I can help you look for Marko.” Tarot jumped and squeed very quickly before calming herself down with a few deep breaths as she collected herself. Cute, Zenyako thought as he asked her, once her sugar high was over, “Where do we start looking?”
“Well, first things first,” Tarot answered as they headed out of the woods, “I need to make a stop in my room and get something.” The kitsune nodded before shifting into a familiar mask and diving into Tarot’s bag, “Just playing it safe. Don’t need anyone getting suspicious of us working together again.” Although Tarot laughed it off, Zenyako couldn’t help but have a twinge of fear in his body. Something about this whole adventure Tarot and he were embarking on just didn’t feel right. He knew she was definitely holding something back from him but exactly what it was? That was the million dollar question of the day yet it was one he felt he wouldn’t receive a proper answer for. So, for the time being, all he could do is just play along and help Tarot in her quest and go from there.

Slowly opening the door, Tarot peaked in and looked around for a bit. Then, quietly shutting the door, she slowly walked to her room, just in the off-chance that Dragon and/or Zodd were home. Once the coast was cleared, Zenyako popped out of her bag like a Pokémon and sat down on her bed, admiring her room as Tarot scrounged around for a few items. “You got a nice room here,” he said, his eyes taking notice of her perfectly kept books, “Did Dragon get you these?” Though occupied, Tarot just offered a small shrug, “Yeah, she did. I’ve always been fascinated by magic(k) and Celestials on a whole and she helped me along.” Zenyako nodded as he stood up, walking over to her desk and looking at the other things in her collection. “You have any other hobbies? Like, I dunno, do you play games?” He inquired as he looked at the picture of Dragon’s amulet that she drew, chuckling ever so slightly as it was a pretty decent rendition of it.
“Nope. My friends tried to get me to join them in game nights but I much rather read my books on subjects I like.” Tarot replied, her tone revealing she was being serious, which surprised Zenyako. He was never under the impression that she kept to herself as, when they were conjoined, he could tell from her heart she did want to protect her friends. So why she said she preferred the company of her magic(k) books on a Friday night rather than hanging out with her friends puzzled him to no end. A puzzle that would have to be solved at a later date as Tarot soon hopped up with her magic(k) book in paw, placing it into her bag. “Ready to go?” she asked Zenyako, who was still holding the drawing. The kitsune nodded as he turned back into his mask form and went back into her bag, the drawing casually drifting the floor as Tarot left her room and house behind and ventured out back into the woods.

As the evening sun began to set behind Babylon Gardens, Dragon and Zodd were just now arriving back to their home. They had just closed up their store for the night and had planned on spending the remainder of the evening relaxing in-front of the TV and chilling with some more Switch gaming.
“I’m gonna go see if Tarot’s home. You get the Xbox setup a while,” Dragon said, Zodd nodding and doing just that as Dragon headed to Tarot’s room. She knocked a few times on the door, “Tarot? Are you there?” There was no answer. She tried again and, yet again, no answer. Not unlike Tarot to be this quiet, she thought as she opened the door slowly as so not to startle her. To her surprise, the room was empty of any life, though the messy covers on the bed were a bit of a surprise, seeing that Tarot was always so neat. “Probably out with her friends,” Dragon mumbled as she turned to leave before stopping to pick up the piece of paper that was on the floor. “Heh, looks like my amulet,” she chuckled as placed it on the desk before leaving the room. However, she turned back around and grabbed the picture and looked at it again. The image didn’t just look like her amulet, to her surprise, it was her amulet. She wondered how she even knew about it as she returned to the living room, where Zodd was waiting with the controller in hand. “Say, honey?” She asked, “Did Tarot ever ask you about my old amulet?” Zodd thought for a bit while he took a swig of Coke Vanilla, “Don’t think she ever did. Why?” Dragon handed Zodd the picture she found as she sat down on the couch next to him, popping open her own soda, “Found that in her room,” she said as Zodd looked at the amulet drawing, “It’s a pretty good recreation of it. Though why she drew it is beyond me.”
“Search me,” Zodd replied, placing the picture onto the coffee table, as a thought then came to him, “You know, she was in the store when we were discussing it. Perhaps it got her attention and she did some looking into it? You know how she is with anything regarding us and magic(k).” Dragon chuckled, “That’s true. You say ‘magic(k)’ and she’s on it faster than Popeye with spinach!” A hearty laugh was shared between the two as Dragon kicked back and relaxed as Zodd played Skyrim. As Dragon watched Zodd’s character traverse the land and head towards the town of Markarth, she couldn’t help but think more about the picture of the amulet, in particular why Tarot drew it. She had never had much interest in such items before and she only recently just heard of her amulet. So why was this bugging her? Surely, there had to be more to this story than what was on the surface. For whatever reason, she couldn’t get this thought out of her head, causing her to fidget on the couch just a little and bumping Zodd with her foot. “You OK there?” Zodd asked.
“Yeah, I’m just...I can’t stop thinking about that drawing, you know?” she replied.
“Maybe Tarot’s interested in it?”
“Probably but why now? Why when she could’ve asked me before?” Dragon sighed as she took a bigger swig of her drink then she had before. Zodd shook his head, “Honey, you’re just over-reacting, which is understandable. The last U&U game almost destroyed families and lives and I know no one wants another U&U game to happen.” He looked down at the picture then, “Who knows, maybe this is an older drawing that she forgot about.” Dragon sighed then smiled, “You’re probably right. I’m probably just over-reacting. Heh, at least I know I’d make a good mother then, huh?” Both she and Zodd laughed as they returned to Skyrim. “Besides,” Zodd added as his character entered Markarth, “If, for whatever reason, she decides to try to find it? She wouldn’t be able to use its powers anyway, seeing as she’s not an Avatar anymore.” Dragon at first nodded but her face soon changed to a worried look once more before forming to that of a shock, “Oh...my...dog…I just realized why Tarot isn’t here; She’s gone to look for the amulet.” Zodd looked over once more, “What makes you think that?”
“Know how you said she isn’t my Avatar anymore?”
“Yeah?”
“I think she has it in her brain that she wants to be a hero because life, supposedly, has been taking her chances away at every point, ranging from that last U&U game to what happened all those years ago back in Pete’s old temple.”
“So...you’re saying she wants to find your amulet and be a hero?” Zodd asked with a raised brow as Dragon reached for her phone, replying as she did, “I think so and if that’s the case? Then she can not find that amulet.” She then dialed a number on her phone as Zodd sat there, listening to Dragon as she chatted with someone on the other end. “Who’d you call?” he then asked as Dragon hung up.
“My dad, Thunderbird. I told him what’s happening and admitted that neither you or I can go after her as that would cause a whole mess of problems…”
“Yeah that’s something we don’t need, especially after the day she um...yeah..”
“Don’t remind me,” Dragon sighed, remembering the day Tarot cursed at her for keeping the truth about her brother from her, even though Dragon didn’t know about him either, “Anyway, I asked him if he knows of anyone who could stop her and he said he knew the right dog for the job and will see that Tarot’s stopped.” Zodd nodded and sighed, “I hope so. I do feel bad for Tarot, honestly. But she really just needs to accept the fact that not everyone can be a hero.” Dragon agreed as they went back, again, to Skyrim, “I just hope whoever dad gets can convince her of that.” A thought then entered into Dragon’s mind briefly. One that she didn’t want to exist but knew would if Tarot succeeded.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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HousepetZ: Imaginarium
Chapter 3: I Am The Journey, I Am The Destination…



“Are you sure Marko is this way?” Tarot asked Zenyako while they walked along the stream. Rays of sun peeked through the trees, illuminating the road ahead and the glistening water as Tarot and Zenyako continued on their little quest. Zenyako smirked at Tarot’s question as he took a quick break to splash the cool water from the stream onto his face, “We’ll be there soon. All good things come to those who are patient.”
“Yeah? Well, we’ve been on this same path for who knows how long now and, frankly, I’m getting a bit annoyed that we haven’t even found any sign, let alone any hint, of this Marko!” Tarot grumbled as she sat down on a nearby rock, dipping her feet into the stream, “Where does he live anyway?”
“A place called the Imaginarium,” Zenyako explained, “It’s a place where everyone's dreams, big or small, are made.”
“And this Marko fellow, I take it, works there?”
“More like he owns the place.” Zenyako replied as he took a drink from his water bottle, “And since we’re asking questions: I know you want to find the amulet but why do you want to talk to Marko?” Tarot leaned back on the rock a bit and looked ahead to the woods and shrugged, “I just overheard that he may know where the amulet is, that’s all.” Again, it seemed Tarot was both avoiding and answering his questions rather vaguely. Deep down, he knew she was hiding the truth from him and he was determined to get her to spill it, so to speak. Sure, he could either force her or go all Super Powerful Celestial Cosmic Power(™) on her but he was trying to make a new name for himself. Basically, going all Super Sayan would probably not be a good idea. He was quickly pulled from his thoughts as Tarot leaped from the rock and asked if he was ready to continue on, Zenyako nodding and continued leading the way, still keeping all his thoughts about Tarot’s supposed real reasoning for finding the amulet in a small pocket of his mind. “Say uh how are Dragon and Zodd doing?” he asked, hoping to change the topics to something lighter. Tarot shrugged, “They’re fine, I guess. Why?” Zenyako replied that there was no reason but just mere curiosity as he hasn’t seen them in a while. He took note of her slight attitude change when he mentioned Dragon by name. In fact, every time she mentioned her, he couldn’t help but notice a slight change in her mood. Like there was some animosity between the two as of late. Seeing as he was one not to bring bad blood of any type, he decided to not press the matter any further and, instead, focus on the road ahead. “It’s still a bit of a ways to go but we should be there soon,” he said, passing by a bike trail, “Though I will warn you not to set your hopes too high.” Tarot raised an eyebrow, “How come?”
“Just trust me on this, OK?” He said, “Don’t….” He suddenly stopped talking and stood still and quiet. Tarot, after bumping into his leg, wondered what was going on and went to ask but the kitsune wrapped one of his tails around her mouth, shushing her as he did. His head moved slowly left to right and back again as his eyes slowly scanned the area. He couldn’t explain but he felt another presence there. One that had been following them for a spell. Slowly unwrapping his tail, he looked back at Tarot and said softly, “Don’t ask me why but I think we should pick up the pace a bit.” Not one to be questioning a Celestial, though she hated not being able to, she begrudgingly agreed and followed posthaste. As they did, a bush on the other side of the stream rustled rather briefly as a deer strolled out to enjoy a cool drink. If one was to think this is what Zenyako was thinking was following them, then they’d be incorrect in that thinking. For farther back a ways, a figure in black leather was sitting crouched by the stream, her black fur gently dancing in the breeze. From high above, an eagle circled the area before flying down and landing on the figure’s outstretched arm.
“Did they find it yet?” the eagle asked the figure who shook her head, “Not yet. Overheard Zenyako saying they should be there soon.”
“How about Tarot? Any updates with her?” Again, the figure shook her head as the eagle nodded, “Well, keep following them and let me know of any changes or updates, Daisy.” It said before flying off, leaving the figure as she watched the bird fly away before returning to the task at hand. When she was a young pup, she and her original owner were driving home from having spent the day together when the car went out of control and crashed violently. She was thrown from the crash and onto the road, severely damaging her body inside and out to the point of near death. Death was almost her fate when a savoir came to her. As she laid on the road, she heard the roar of a motorcycle, followed by the clinking of metal spurs, followed by a touch she could only describe as gentle yet warm. Warm like fire as she was lifted up by the being. Lifted up to see the face or rather the flaming skull of her savior. But, for some reason, she knew she could trust this person. She knew there was no malice or hatred in them but, rather, a force of good. She looked weakly at the wreckage of her owner’s car and slowly began to weep as she saw the lifeless body of her owner. “There was nothing I could do, little one,” the being told her in a deep yet gentle voice, “Your owner was marked for death by the beings that dance to nightmares. I hunt and slay those who dance such a macabre, including the one who killed your owner.” He then placed his skeletal burning hand on her and, suddenly, she felt her body healing itself. “You are strong, little one. Strong with an even stronger heart. Stronger than anyone in this world.” A blue flame then emanated from his hand and entered rather gently into her body or, rather, her soul. “Do not be alarmed by its presence. Consider this a gift from my kind. When the time has come and when the moon has opened its eye once again, listen for the song of the white wolves. For once they howl twice, embrace the fire for which dances within your soul.” At first, being as young as she was, Daisy had no idea what the being was talking about. Until that fateful night arrived. When the full moon rose and she heard the song of the mystical white wolves, she knew then what the being was talking about. From that day on, she was now a Nightmare Hunter. But today? She wasn’t hunting Nightmares or demons from the Netherworld. This time? She was watching. Watching Tarot and the Celestial Zenyako as they traveled to the mythical place known as The Imaginarium.

The stream they were following soon merged into the massively beautiful lake surrounded by more trees and a few extra paths. The lake was beautifully crystal clear as the sun danced on the surface of the water. Zenyako found the place to be almost paradise in its simplicity, so too did Tarot but she also was confused. Did Zenyako lie to her and he didn’t actually know where Marko was or did they have to go swimming and head underwater? “So?” Tarot asked, breaking the silence, “Where is he?” Zenyako looked down at the little dog, who was looking up at him with a dual-raised eyebrow look and was waiting for a response, and gave her a small chuckle followed by a gentle pat on her head, “He’s here,” he replied as he looked back out at the lake, “He’s just not here.” Going from one look to a look that was all a matter of confusement, wondering if he truly was just messing with her. He’s here but not here? What kind of gibberish was that, she thought quietly as she watched Zenyako approach the edge of the lake. While first thinking he was going to go swimming, thus making her earlier thought of where it could be true, she watched as he lifted his paw up and, for some reason, held it in one area. She began to speak when she was quickly silenced by a surprising sight. From seemingly out of nowhere, a door-like shape opened up in front of Zenyako. “Thought you wanted to see Marko,” he said, turning back to a currently shocked Tarot, “You coming?” Though still shocked, she shook her and, with a nod, followed Zenyako through the ‘door’ to somewhere. Daisy, who was watching from closeby, quickly rushed in and entered behind them, still making sure she was staying out of their sight, just as the door was closing up. With nary a sound, the door closed, leaving only the sounds of nature and no evidence of its existence.

“Welcome...to the Imaginarium.” Zenyako said to an awestruck Tarot. She could hardly believe what she was seeing before her. Towering crystal-like structures painted the almost-alien landscape before them. It was otherworldly but, yet, there was a method to everything here. Like it could exist in her reality in some way.
“Oh...my...dog…” she said in pure awe, walking up to one of the structures and placing a paw against it. The crystal was warm to the touch but it was soothing. Like a warm bath on a cold winter’s day. Within the crystal itself, to her amazement, flew many glowing orbs of many colors. They flew gently and peacefully within, almost like a ballerina. She found herself taken in by their beauty and watched them dance around inside as Zenyako walked up to join her. “Beautiful little things aren’t they?” Tarot was soon startled by a voice as she turned from the crystal to see a rather interesting sight walking down a floating set of stairs; a white lion unlike anything Tarot had ever seen. Their blue dress coat with a rose colored lining gently flapped behind them as they rested their paws on their vest of many shades. Their flowing white hair draped ever so slightly over their shoulders as their bearded face hid a gentle smile. With small glasses settled on their nose and a large top hat resting on their head, their presence was that not of fear but that of love and care. This rang true with their voice, a rather big and gentle tone, as they approached the crystal where Tarot and Zenyako were standing. “Those are Dream Wisps,” they said, “They contain dreams for the children of the world and are fueled by their imagination, ho ho!” Although Zenyako knew who the jolly ole man was, Tarot was confused, “I’m sorry but...who are you?” The well-dressed white lion giggled, “Oh, my goodness me, I do apologize. My name is Marko. I am the Dream Master and this?” He lifted his paws to the land before him as it seemingly came to life, “This is the Imaginarium!


To Be Continued…
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Really like the chapter you put up! Looking forward to more of the story!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Amazee Dayzee wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 12:06 am Really like the chapter you put up! Looking forward to more of the story!
Thank you! Next story is another HousepetZ Tail but after that the Amulet story picks up again :)

Fun Fact: Marko, The Dream Master, is inspired by the classic Disney character DreamFinder.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by trekkie »

I like Daisy’s backstory, she also appears to be allies with an eagle. Looking forward to the Tail, and the continuation of Tarot’s saga.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by SeanWolf »

(Another HOUSEPETZ TAIL for everyone! Remember, these are just quick, smaller stories to tide you over until the next part of the main story :) )

HousepetZ Tail
Who Embraced Mungo's Heart?


When a rumor of someone dating someone starts up, one would typically find the rumor in school or college settings as it would usually involve teenagers. That wasn’t the case on this day. For within the walls of the Babylon Garden’s Police Force, both the police and fellow K9’s, alongside their daily work, were busy discussing amongst themselves the biggest case of the day. Ever since the previous week, the officers started to notice that fellow officer Mungo was acting a bit different than usual. A rumor soon started to fly that Mungo had started dating again and was now in a serious relationship. But that begged the question: Who was the lucky girl?

It was early in the morning when Bino arrived at HQ, having decided to walk as it was a beautiful day out. Heading over to the locker room, passing by other officers and saying a cheerful ‘good morning’, he spotted Terrance sitting on one of the benches with his phone out, checking the latest weather report. “Good morning, Terrance!” he said as he opened his locker. Terrance looked up, “Oh, good morning, Bino! You seem well today!”
“Oh I am! I tell you, last night was one of the best sleeps I had in a while!” he replied, “That cool breeze through the window combined with the sounds of nature? It was like I was on a mini-vacation.” Terrance smiled as he pocketed his phone, heading over to his locker to grab his vest. “Say, did you hear the latest rumor?” Bino looked over from his locker puzzled, “What rumor?”
“Apparently, Mungo’s dating again.” Terrance answered, zipping up his vest. Bino was a bit surprised, though a bit confused as well, “This isn’t another Fox thing, right?” Now it was Terrance’s turn to be confused as he never heard of the ‘Fox Thing’ Bino was talking about, asking him what he meant. “I could be misremembering as it’s been years but, back when Fox was alive and Mungo was still a newbie? There was a rumor flying around town that he had a thing for Fox and was planning…”
“Oh that rumor!” Terrance sighed while closing his locker, “Look, it was true that Mungo and Fox worked together on alot of cases and that they really got along with each other. The truth is - we even talked with those two on separate occasions when the rumor started to gain steam - they were just good friends and Fox was merely helping him to control his strength and learn to not be overly excited. Heck, before his death? He was the one who helped Mungo and Elena, when she used to live here, get together and start dating.” After hearing the truth of that matter, Bino simply nodded and grabbed his vest from the locker. As he put it on, however, he began to chuckle to himself, getting Terrance’s attention, “What’s so funny?”
“Oh nothing,” he replied, “Just that? Well, there’s a webcomic Fido reads and the whole thing between Fox and Mungo? It reminded me of what’s been going on between the two characters in that comic as well.” Terrance tilted his head at first then laughed, “Yeah. Gotta love the internet and shippers, eh? Say uh what’s the comic’s name, anyway? I might’ve heard of it.” Bino thought for a bit, “Ah I think it was TownDinos.” Thinking for a bit, Terrance then shook his head, realizing he confused that comic with one he’s been reading. With that aside, both of them left the locker room and headed to the conference room for whatever jobs Ralph had planned for them, passing by Mungo as they did who looked very happy once again. “Told ya,” Terrance whispered to Bino, who whispered back, “If he is dating, I’m curious to see who the lucky girl is.”

As the day went on and the town continued to be quiet, Ralph sat in his office and continued to catch up on some paperwork. It wasn’t anything he liked doing but it had to be done, whether he liked it or not. Hate how Hot Fuzz made this look more fun than it actually is, thought Ralph before he placed the pencil back down on his desk and stretched his arms out, “Ah, I could use a break.” Grabbing his wallet, he left his office, making sure to let the others know and to let Weston know he was in charge for the time being, and headed for the nearby McD’s. Sure, it wasn’t what one would call ‘healthy’ or the ‘best choice’. But, sometimes? Fast food beats anything. Thankfully, on this day, the place wasn’t busy (and there weren't any crazy kids inside today), so he was able to quickly get his lunch and find a nice table to sit at to enjoy his meal. But as he enjoyed his burger, he couldn’t help but notice a familiar looking shape at a nearby booth. Well, I’ll be, he thought as he walked over and tapped the dog on the shoulder, “Mungo? What are you doing here?”
“Oh, hey, Ralph!” Mungo replied, “It’s our lunch break so I’m treating us to some McD’s!” Ralph tilted his head, “Us?” he asked, “Who’s us?” Mungo smiled and pointed behind Ralph, who turned around to see a rather surprising sight; a German Shepherd with muscles like Mungo. A German Shepherd that Ralph recognized. “Kelly?” he said turning back to Mungo, “You and Kelly are dating?” Mungo smiled, “We met in the gym some weeks back and we actually hit it off instantly. We’re taking it one day at a time, of course.”
“Of course, of course,” Ralph said before asking the obvious, “When...were you gonna tell the folks back at HQ?”
“Soon,” he replied as Kelly returned with their food, “Right now, we just want to keep it between us two for now, if you don’t mind. When the time is right, we’ll confirm that rumor.” Ralph nodded and wished both him and Kelly a happy lunch before returning to his meal. As he continued to eat, he occasionally glanced over and watched Mungo’s and Kelly’s interactions with each other. It was equal parts heartwarming and silly with how adorable the two were seemingly made for each other, what with how they both are and such. Reminds me of my days as a young pup, Ralph thought with a smile, sipping his soda.



The Amulet Story continues next in...
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Can't wait for the next story to pick up! I am looking most forward to that!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Amazee Dayzee wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 5:32 pm Can't wait for the next story to pick up! I am looking most forward to that!
Oh trust me. The Amulet Story hasn't even begun to pick up ;)
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Trust me, I too look forward to what is going to happen.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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HousepetZ: Dark Chest Of Wonders
Chapter 1: Open The Chest Once More…



I know you have many questions, little Tarot, and I will be all too happy to answer them for you! But first, you two must share a cup of tea and enjoy some light refreshments with me!” The Dream Master Marko guided them to a rather lovely hand-crafted table, with chairs out of a fairy tale and cushions that felt like one was sitting on a cloud as Tarot found out. With a clap of his paws, a tray filled with light refreshments and canapés, along with a kettle of the finest aromatic tea, arrived, carried by a rather curious sight; a tiny purple dragon made of two tiny wings, big yellow eyes, horns of a steer, and the body of a lizard and a nose of a crocodile, plus a dash of childish delight. “This is Figment,” Marko said as the tiny dragon poured their tea, “I created him from the ideas and sparks of imagination collected from all the dreams that come to this home.

“He is rather cute, Marko,” Zenyako replied, nodding at the small dragon as he asked if he wanted a lemon for his tea, “How long have you had him?”

Oh, I say for as long as the sun danced in the sky,” Marko replied cheerfully. Figment nodded in agreement, adding that he helps out wherever he can along with sometimes personally interacting with young ones in their dreams, acting like a guide to them, as he flew over to Tarot and asked if she wanted a slice of lemon, which Tarot accepted, along with one of the canapés. Unlike others she had whenever she was at a gathering, the canapés and tea here were unlike anything she had ever tasted, tasting like pure heaven itself. O bliss, bliss and heaven, she thought as the taste of the tea raced through her body, oh this is gorgeousness and gorgeosity like nothing on Earth. Her reaction to the tea wasn’t lost on Marko, who simply asked her, “Lovely tea, is it not?

"This? This is some of the best tea I ever had!” replied Tarot as she looked over from her bliss.

Oh, I am glad you’re enjoying it, ho ho!” Marko beamed whilst sipping his cup, “Alas, I’m to believe that your visit isn’t just for a cup of afternoon tea, no?” Remembering why she wanted to look for Marko in the first place, Tarot cleared her throat ever so gently and replied, “Well, I was kind of hoping you’d help me find something that belonged to a friend of mine named Dragon?” Marko clasped his paws together in joy, “Oh, Dragon! Oh, she’s a lovely lass. Always ready to help out with the dreams of many and having the best imagination I’ve seen.

“Wait, she helped you?” Tarot asked, puzzled by what he said.

Oh, yes!” Marko replied, “Even as a youngling, she was always coming by my place to lend a paw and learn what dreams people can have, even helping make a few for some of them! In fact?” He motioned at Figment who brought over one of the Dream Wisps and handed it gently to Tarot, motioning her to look inside it. Though she was puzzled, she looked into the wisp. When she did, a small smile formed on her face. “That was one of the many dreams she made for you while you were growing up, Tarot. One we both knew was right for you.” Tarot was speechless as she handed the wisp back to Figment, who returned it to its place in the Imaginarium. She was starting to wonder if she was wrong in her thinking of Dragon. The fact that she made a dream for her, one that she remembered having and enjoying? She began to question if her current disliking of Dragon should even continue. Those thoughts would have to wait as Marko asked her why she asked him about Dragon.

“Hm? Oh uh…” She stammered at first as she cleared her mind, “Uh, I was at her store a few days ago and she and her boyfriend, Zodd, were chatting with each other and I overheard them mentioning something about Dragon having an Amulet of sorts and that you knew where it was?” Marko thought for a spell, sipping his tea and enjoying a small biscuit. Tarot began to wonder if he didn’t actually know and that Dragon knew she was listening and faked it, though that wouldn’t explain the picture she saw in the book.

Oh, yes, I know what you’re talking about!” Marko suddenly replied, Tarot silently breathing a sigh of relief, “The Amuleta Dorințelor!

“The Amul...what?” Marko chuckled, “The Amuleta Dorințelor or The Amulet Of Wishes. Whoever holds it can have all their wishes come true! But not a spoken wish, oh no! You may say left but your heart will desire right! The Amulet then grants your wish based on what your heart wants.” Zenyako was intrigued, “So do typical rules apply? Like you can’t wish for true love or something?"

Correctamundo!" Figment replied, acting out each rule in a playful manner, "No wishing for true love, no raising the dead, no wishing for peace…” Zenyako quickly raised a paw, “Hold up, no wishing for peace? That’s a bit of an odd-one.” Figment shrugged, “Not really. Peace to one person may not be what peace to another person is, hence the rule.Understandable, Zenyako thought before asking a very obvious question, which was if the amulet had a set amount of wishes. To his and Tarot’s surprise, Marko shook his head, “Nope!”

“No? So...unlimited wishes?”

Yep yep yep!” Marko exclaimed, “But! There is one small catch. The amulet only works...if you’re an Avatar of Dragon.” Zenyako chuckled, “A Protection spell? Clever.”

“Excuse me but the Amuleta Dorințelor, I think I said that right? Do you know where it is?” Tarot interjected. Marko chuckled, then placed his paw in the air like he was gripping something and began twirling his fingers, much to Tarot’s confusion. To her surprise, she watched as Marko seemingly opened the air in front of him like it was a safe. Reaching in, he mumbled a bit before shouting ‘Ah ha!’ and pulling out what he was looking for and handed it to Figment who, in turn, brought it over to Tarot to look at.

“It’s...it’s…” Tarot stammered as Marko nodded, “The amulet! I keep it here for safe-keepings.” Having only seen the amulet in her book, Tarot was amazed by the sheer beauty and splendor of the Amuleta Dorințelor. It was as big and round as a CD and as thick as five. The bright green paint accented by hints of yellow made the amulet look almost beautifully ancient. The necklace holding the amulet was just as beautifully crafted as the amulet itself, with a rich Corinthian leather feel. The design brought a smile to her face as it looked almost like Dragon, yet if she was a self-insert character in a fan-fic as the design was clearly meant to look like something out of a 80’s metal album cover. Still, as she held it in her paw, she couldn’t deny that the amulet was beautiful, almost mesmerizing in its looks.

“Would it be OK if I could try it on?” She asked. Marko smiled, “I don’t see why not!” He directed her to a nearby crystal so she could admire it on her, which she did. Walking over to the crystal and placing the amulet on her body, she couldn’t help but be amazed at how well the amulet looked on her. Like it was made for her alone. Feeling a bit cheeky, she went ahead and did some poses with it, much to the amusement of Marko and company, all of whom chuckled as she posed. Zenyako then looked back over at Marko, “Say, how come Dragon gave you the amulet? Tarot told me she had lost it.” Marko glanced at him with a raised bushy brow, “Lost it? Oh heavens no! She gave it to me during her final game with Kitsune and Pete. She didn’t want to be tempted to have her Avatar use it, so she gave it to me for safe-keeping. Her ‘losing it’ was probably just a silly story she concocted, she was always good at that!

“I see...” Zenyako nodded as he looked back over at Tarot, who was eyeing the amulet some more. He scratched the bottom of his chin ever so slightly. He was starting to think that perhaps Tarot wasn’t telling the full truth about this little excursion and that she had another reason for wanting the amulet. Looking back over at Marko and Figment, who was refilling his cup, he opened his mouth as if to ask another question when, surprising the trio, another voice echoed through the Imaginarium, one that Tarot recognized almost instantly: “TAROT! STOP!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by trekkie »

“Who can it be, now?”

Great job, as usual, Sean, I am enjoying Tarot’s story very much.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

This story is just so good to read! Hope that we will get more of it soon!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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HousepetZ: Dark Chest Of Wonders
Chapter 2: Fly To A Dream




The three looked behind where Figment was floating when they heard the scream. Standing by one of the many crystals, cladded in black leather, was none other than Daisy. Although Marko and Figment were delighted to have another visitor, Zenyako was surprised. “Daisy?!” He gasped, “What are you doing here?! And how’d you find this place?!” Tarot’s eyes narrowed as Daisy explained that she had been following them ever since they left Babylon Gardens and that she was “Instructed to stop Tarot from using the Amulet.”

“Stop me? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Tarot asked, acting all innocent as she cupped the amulet in her paw. Daisy, however, wasn’t buying her act, “Oh, come off it! We all know the reason why you wanted to find that necklace!” Tarot tilted her head and asked “And whatever reason would that be, Daisy?”

“Yeah, what reason would that be?” Zenyako asked as well as he too was lost to what Daisy was referring to. Rolling her eyes, Daisy began to explain very simply, “From what I’ve been told, Tarot here believes that the amulet she has now? That is her key to becoming the hero that she’s been promised to be on countless occasions but was denied many times over.” At first, this wasn’t much of an explanation and came off as more of a theory. However, as Zenyako thought back, he had suspected there was more to Tarot’s story then she was letting on. Looking over at Tarot, with a saddened look, he asked her as plainly as he could, “Is this true?” Tarot lowered her head in a matter that made it look like she was about to cry. Yet no tears came but a small whimper was heard as that was all she could muster. She looked up at Zenyako and, to his disappointment, slowly nodded. Zenyako closed his eyes, lowered his head, and sighed. “Tarot,” he said, “Not everyone is suited to be a hero. Some folks are just more suited to live a simple life. I mean, I get your frustration but that’s all in the past. Don’t let what happened in the past affect you now. Yes, you were denied what you wanted in Pete’s temple. Yes, you had trouble when you got sent back in time - Dragon told me about that - but tell me. Did you ever stop and think that, maybe, being the hero you thought you wanted to be...isn’t what you really want?” Tarot lowered her head once more, still holding the amulet close to her chest, replying to Zenyako, “But everyone else in Babylon Gardens…”

“Don’t compare yourself to others, Tarot.” Daisy interjected as she stood next to Figment, “You are not them. You are you. So what if Bino went to the Netherworld to rescue Duchess? So what if Zach journeyed to Asgard? You still did some amazing things as well!” This was true but, sadly, this meant nothing to Tarot, who looked back up at Zenyako and suddenly snapped, “And what do you care anyway?! You’re a Celestial! You’re like all the others!’ Zenyako sighed with a bit of anger on the side, “Yes, I am a Celestial but I’m not like the others! I didn’t know what was going on with you until now! Even if I did, I wouldn’t get involved because…”

“Because you don’t want me to be happy!” She growled, “None of your kind want me to be happy! You took my family from me! You took my chances at being a hero from me! You took my boyfriend away!” The anger of a hundred flames began to burn within Zenyako. He too was getting close to snapping back at Tarot. How dare she accuse him of such lies and slander, he thought silently as Daisy responded back, now standing next to him, “Tarot, listen to me. This hatred you’re harboring and selfish need to be a hero is eating you alive and you need to calm down right now.” Tarot, however, was having none of it. “No!” she shouted, gripping the amulet, which was now beginning to glow, tighter, “All my life, I had every shot of happiness and more taking away from me by those I once called my friends and...and...Celestials,” the later she said with a hiss as she slowly began moving towards the entrance she and Zenyako came in from.

Tarot, my child,” Marko said in the tone of a worried father, “I don’t know what’s been going on outside with you. But this is my home and in my home you do follow rules. So, please, I beg of you with tears in my eyes; Take the amulet off and give it back to me. Please.” But Tarot wasn’t listening, still slowly inching towards the entrance as the other four slowly followed her, each one begging her to drop the amulet. Each voice was nothing more than an annoyance to her. As they continued to try to stop Tarot, Daisy soon noticed that the amulet was now glowing brighter than before. Turning to Marko, she asked him in a low whisper, “Is that amulet supposed to be glowing?” Slightly confused, Marko looked at Daisy, then at the amulet, which was indeed glowing. “Oh no,” he said quietly before suddenly yelling “TAROT! TAKE THAT AMULET OFF NOW!” Zenyako, Daisy, and Figment looked in shock at the suddenly yelling Marko, who went from being a jolly fellow to that of a mad yet scared one. They then looked back at Tarot and the amulet, which was now glowing brighter than ever. “Tarot, please!” he yelled again, “Listen to me! Do NOT make a wish! Take the amulet off right now!” Tarot, confused at first, looked down and was surprised to see how bright the amulet was. It was almost haunting in its appearance. Haunting yet inviting.

“Tarot, listen to Marko,” Zenyako pleaded, “I don’t know what’s going on with that amulet but do as he said, please.” In any normal circumstance, one would typically take the weird, glowing necklace off and probably just kick it towards the person who told them to take it off. Others may yank it off their neck and throw it to who knows where. Some may even throw it to the ground, hoping to shatter it. But this isn’t that type of story, sadly, as Tarot looked up at the four who she once called friends. She held the amulet close to her chest, right over her heart, the glow becoming even brighter than it was before. To their horror, she then grinned and looked them all dead in their eyes and said the two things they didn’t want to hear. Two words that brought fear to their hearts. She looked at them and simply said, “Too late.” A mere second after she spoke, a bright flash then engulfed the Imaginarium. When it subsided, the door to the Imaginarium was open and Tarot, to their horror, was gone. Daisy looked at everyone, “What happened?” she asked panting, “What did she do?” Zenyako shook his head as Marko helped Figment stop seeing spots. Tarot did make a wish, that much they knew, but what wish did she make was the question on their minds.


The morning sun began to rise on another beautiful day in Babylon Gardens, its rays peeking through the curtains into a somewhat of a messy bedroom as the alarm clock beeped rather loudly. The occupant of the room smacked the clock off, slowly appearing from out of under the covers. “Nngh,” they grumbled rubbing their face, “Man, it feels like I need to shave my…hand.” The occupant gasped in shock. Their hands had somehow become furry. Not only that but their entire body was now covered in fur. He leaped out of bed and ran to the bathroom mirror and could only scream at the sight. Somehow? The occupant, a teenage boy named Marion, was now a squirrel.


The Amulet Story will continue next time in….
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Wow that was really quick and unexpected of you to post so soon! Glad you are picking the pace up!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Amazee Dayzee wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 3:17 am Wow that was really quick and unexpected of you to post so soon! Glad you are picking the pace up!
Well this part of the story, admittedly, I could've just lumped in with the previous 'Imaginarium' part as it was a pretty short two chapters, but I truthfully didn't think of that until after I posted them heh (Side Note: The Marion part was the only piece of this story that gave me the most issues, namely how to go about writing it). Still, glad you're enjoying it!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Oh I totally am and can't wait for more! My only issue was wondering why Marion realized he was a squirrel now and not already a squirrel until I realized that this story started before Marion was transformed and you are only now just including him.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Amazee Dayzee wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 5:46 pm Oh I totally am and can't wait for more! My only issue was wondering why Marion realized he was a squirrel now and not already a squirrel until I realized that this story started before Marion was transformed and you are only now just including him.
Yep. I never actually planned on including Marion, seeing as HousepetZ takes place after an alternate ending to Temple Crashers 2, but I finally felt it was time to include him (and his inclusion is a hint towards the name of the final part of the Amulet Arc ;) )
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by SeanWolf »

(Bit of a shorter HousepetZ Tail but, hehe, this was more of a last minute one as the original idea didn't pan out)

HousepetZ Tail
Where’s The Ending?


Res stared at the many words on his computer screen, arms folded across his chest as his mind tried to come up with the answer to his question. With seven books of the Pridelands series under his belt, a three movie series, and a successful RPG game series, Res felt it was time to try something new and work in a new universe. At first, this was a hard task as nothing he thought of seemed good. But then, one day, as he was relaxing on his porch and watching the rain fall gently, an idea hit him. When he began work on the seventh Pridelands book, End Of The Pridelands, he said one day to his owner that he’d love to do a sequel series to the books and have it set in an old-west dieselpunk setting with a new cast of characters. Though they both thought it to be a silly idea, Res later began to think that, perhaps, it wasn’t so silly. There’s been many fan-arts of his books and some have included the various derivatives of the cyberpunk genre so there was a market for the ‘punk’ aspect. So, as he was finishing up the final book, he began jotting down notes and ideas for a book he was tentatively calling ‘Pridelands Evolution’ - he couldn’t think of a good project name - while also chatting with his owner and seeing how they can take this new series into a quote ‘new era’. Granted, the book, for that matter all his stories, were put on hold when the zombie apocalypse happened but, once that was over, he went back to Canada and finished the final Pridelands novel, releasing it to critical acclaim. After a month break from writing, he then decided it was time to work on Pridelands Evolution and began typing up the first book, officially called ‘The New Era Of Pridelands’. For a few months afterwards, he worked long and hard on the book, researching the dieselpunk genre to make sure he’s being accurate and making sure the story still fit within the Pridelands universe. Which returns us to the beginning of this story and where he is now. The final chapter of the book sat on his computer screen uncompleted and untouched for close to twenty minutes. Much to his annoyance, he had encountered something that many writers have dealt with for years: He couldn’t think of a proper ending.

“Dang it!” thought Res as he stared at the uncompleted story, “I’m usually really good at coming up with endings! Why can’t I come up with one now?!” A few choice words peeped out from his mouth while he pushed himself away from the computer with a puff. “I need something to drink,” he thought as he headed to the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of tea from the fridge, he stepped out onto the patio and sat down. It was mid-afternoon in his neck of the woods. The temperature was nice and comfortable and a nice gentle breeze floated through the air like a graceful dancer. With a deep breath to soak in the beauty, Res sat down on the deck chair, kicked his paws up, and relaxed for a spell, all the while trying to think of a proper ending. Yet for every possible ending he thought of, none of them stuck on the board, so to speak. He grumbled as he took a sip from his tea bottle, watching a flock of seagulls fly past as a family of four walked by his home, the father waving a friendly ‘hello’ at Res who waved back. Still, friendly interaction aside, the fact he couldn’t think of anything was bugging him something fierce. Every ending he thought of either came off as disappointing or too sequel-baity, the later he was trying to avoid as he wanted to be sure this first book was a success and that there was demand for a sequel in the first place. He continued to sit on the deck chair, drinking away as the afternoon breeze whooshed by his fur before standing up and heading back in and towards his computer. Placing both paws onto the keyboard, he attempted to type up one version of an ending, just for goofs. He got halfway before scrapping it as it came off as too fairy tale ending. Another ending he tried came off as too depressing. A third was too silly and a fourth was too bland. Swearing ever so slightly under his breath - nothing too major, just one of the more common swears - he glanced over at his shelf of books he wrote. All seven entries of the original Pridelands had perfect endings that perfectly wrapped everything up. Plus, he had zero problems coming up with an ending to them so why was this proving so difficult? It was as if his brain had decided to take a vacation all of a sudden and left him high and dry. With another grumble, he pushed himself away from the computer once again and, this time, headed for the couch. He’d figured he would watch something on a streaming service until his brain finally decides on an ending. However, like with most streaming services, there was nothing on he wanted to watch at that time. None of the movies sounded good and all of the old cartoons he liked, he just wasn’t in the mood for. He also didn’t feel like doing a movie roulette and grabbing some random movie to watch that was either going to be really good, really stupid, or really bad. With nothing else popping out, he clicked on the first show he saw, which in this case was an episode of the “classic” cartoon Road Rovers, and watched it for a bit. While the show was enjoyable, he could tell it didn’t age very well. There was a good idea there, he thought to himself, but this show screams for a reboot. When the episode was over, he still didn’t have an ending, so he turned on a show he knew was lightyears better than the previous one. A little show called Ducktales, the reboot of the original series from back in the day. Turning on the first episode - he had planned on binging the series sometime when he got the chance - he was nodding along to the theme and enjoying the antics of the characters and action of the episode, to the point where he forgot about coming up with an ending. But then, the ending of the episode came on. They say inspiration can come from anywhere and, for Res, this rang true. He watched as the character Dewey discovered a painting in the attic that had his uncle and dad on there, along with his long lost mother. Suddenly, inspiration hit Res like lightning, “Wait...I GOT IT!” he screamed, literally leaping from the couch and running to his computer, “I KNOW HOW TO END THIS BOOK!” He paws, as fast as greased lightning, typed out the final few paragraphs of ‘The New Era Of Pridelands’, including the new ending that he knew would make readers jaws drop. Thank you, Ducktales, Res grinned as he typed away, the second episode of the show playing in the background. They say inspiration can come from the most unlikely of places. For Res, inspiration was only a TV episode away.


Stay tuned for HousepetZ: Wishmaster - The Next part of ‘The Amulet’ Arc
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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(SURPRISE! We're starting early!)


HousepetZ: Wishmaster
Chapter I: One Day Human, Next Day Animal




Marion panicked, almost slipping into the toilet but luckily catching himself before he did. Just yesterday, he was a teenage boy, working his way through high school. Now, out of the seemingly blue, he wakes up to see he’s a squirrel! How the heck does this happen, he thought in a panic as he ran back to his room and leaping onto his bed in a surprisingly impressive maneuver. “OK, OK, don’t panic,” he told himself through a lie, “Everything’s fine! I’m just dreaming, that’s all! Just a typical nightmare from something I did last night!” That theory was quickly thrown out the window when his pinch actually hurt, something that doesn’t happen in dreams at all, and yelping from the pinch. Another thought sprang to his head that, perhaps, the rest of the world changed as well? Much to his dismay, when he turned his room’s TV on, the only “news” being reported was the usual stuff. “Normality as usual,” he mumbled grumpily, shutting the TV off and tossing the remote onto his bed. His mind soon began racing with theory after theory as to why he was now a squirrel. Did he kill a squirrel by accident and this was punishment for it? Was this a ‘Shaggy Dog’ scenario or a ‘Incredible Mr. Limpet’ situation? Was he bitten, at one point, by a were-squirrel? From the crazy to the possible, Marion was going through every reason he could think of for his current predicament and almost began to go crazy when, as if to snap him out of it, his phone rang. Though awkward for him as his hands were now tiny, he did his best to bring his phone over from his dresser, almost smacking himself in the face with it. The caller I.D said ‘Lois’, much to his relief - he didn’t want to show his mom what he had become. But then, another thought crept into his mind; What would Lois think? Would she laugh? Scream? Faint? Wonder if he got a new phone filter? Throwing caution into the wind and closing his eyes, he tapped his phone, “Lois,” he started to say, hoping to word everything correctly but Lois quickly interrupted, “You too, huh?” Confused at first, Marion peaked open his eyes before they became as wide as he could muster them. What should’ve been a video image showing his girlfriend was, instead, showing a bobcat, wearing the same red bandana she was always wearing.

“L-Lois?!” He stammered, “Wh-what happened?”
“You tell me,” she said, “I was getting some breakfast one minute then, out of nowhere...I’m a bobcat!” Marion could honestly not believe what was going on, though he also couldn’t believe his girlfriend got a better animal then he did. “Did you hear anything on the news about this? When I watched it briefly, I didn’t see any reports.” Lois shook her head, “Nope. You think we’re the only ones?”
“Possible but that begs the question: Why us in particular?” replied Marion as he leaned back on his pillow, almost sinking into it which gave Lois a bit of a giggle. “Oh god,” he said in an almost panicky state, “I just thought of something: What’s Mom going to say?!” Of all fears that came to him, this was one he never even considered. What was his Mom going to say or, for that matter, do? Would she faint? Would she throw him out the window? Would she, hopefully, think he’s cute enough to keep? As he continued to panic, Lois tried to calm him down, “Hey! Hey! HEY! Look at me!” she said, Marion turning his head, “We’re in this together, OK? No matter what happens, I’m here for you. If you want, I can stay on the line until your mother gets home and you can show her I changed too. If push does come to shove...you can hang out with me at my house. Deal?” Though wondering how her folks would deal with their daughter being a bobcat, her words did bring some sense of peace to his little squirrel body. “Besides,” she added with a smile, “You do look a bit cuter now.” Marion chuckled, “So do you, though I am jealous you’re now taller than me.” They both laughed, something they both desperately needed today. But the laughter soon subsided as, from outside his door, Marion heard an all-too familiar voice calling to him, “Honey? I need you to come to the kitchen.” Marion looked at his phone, “Well...she’s home.” Lois assured him once more that everything will be fine and that she is there for him. Taking a deep breath, Marion hopped off his bed and slowly headed to the kitchen, stopping just far enough away so his mom wouldn’t see him but still was able to hear him. He cleared his throat, “That you, Mom?”
“Yes.”
“You’re home early.”
“Yeah...we had a...issue at work...:” Issue? What was she talking about, he thought as Lois motioned to him to stop dawdling. “Well...?” he said, clearing his throat once again as he walked into the kitchen, “There might be a problem here….” However, he stopped in his tracks and both he and Lois couldn’t believe what they were looking at. Standing by the counter and wearing an equally worried expression was a wolf. A wolf that was wearing the exact same clothing Marion’s mother wore when she left for work this morning. Marion was shocked, “M-mom?!” The wolf nodded, “Don’t know what happened. One minute I’m doing work and the next…”
“You changed,” Lois said over the phone’s speakers, “Same thing happened to me as well.” His mom leaned down and picked her squirrel son and his phone up and placed them on the counter, “Anyone else in your family changed?”
“I don’t think so,” Lois replied, “Marion said there was nothing on the news about the transformations so, at first, we thought it was just us two. But that doesn’t seem to be the case now, is it?”
“No, it isn’t,” Marion’s Mom, Julia, answered, “There were a few co-workers who changed as well and I passed by a few more on my way home but...it seemed there were more humans than animals.” Noticing the worried look on her son’s face, Julia gently placed her paw on his shoulder as best as she could and patted it gently while Lois sighed from the news, “What do you think would have caused this?” Julia shook her head as she didn’t know how to answer that with even the slightest amount of logic.


Meanwhile, outside of Babylon Gardens, through the woods, and through a suspiciously opened door, four beings stood, each one having witnessed a rather shocking turn of events. There was Daisy, the Nightmare Hunter. Zenyako, a Celestial and brother of Kitsune. Marko, the Dream Master and owner of The Imaginarium. And then there was Figment, Marko’s little helper. Earlier, Zenyako had arrived with a pomeranian named Tarot, unaware of her true intentions until it was too late. Once she was handed the amulet, it was like something in her changed almost instantly. Despite everyone begging her and pleading for her not to do anything, Tarot had used the amulet and made her wish. What that wish was, however, no one knew, not even Marko.
“OK, let’s think here,” Daisy said as she sat on the ground, “What wish could Tarot make that would help her be happy, I guess?” She looked at the others, each one just as confused as her, “Anyone? Anyone at all?” Marko was the first to answer, shrugging as he did, “Maybe she wished to go back in time?
“Unlikely,” Zenyako answered, shaking his head as he did, “Chronos would’ve caught her almost instantly.” He then thought for a bit, “Maybe she wished for another chance at being the hero and was whisked away to be said here?” A logical answer, Daisy thought, but that would mean Tarot could’ve been anywhere in the world. As she thought, Figment handed her another cup of tea, one to soothe her nerves. “If you don’t mind, going off subject for a bit, but I’ve been wondering: Why are you so interested in Tarot?” Daisy looked at the flying dragon then at the other two, “I was asked by Thunderbird, Dragon’s dad, to stop her,” she answered after taking a sip from the tea cup, “Dragon had noticed Tarot was missing and, at first, she passed it off until she was thinking about a drawing she saw in her room and, long story short, she called her dad and asked if he could have someone go after Tarot and stop her from using it, if she found it.”
Which is where you enter the story, I take it?” Marko asked. Daisy chuckled, “Pretty much but I kind of failed in stopping her, didn’t I?” Marko nodded as Figment gave her a small pat on the shoulder. “No good letting a failure affect you,” Figment said, “So you weren't able to stop Tarot. You can still...stop her now? Y-yeah we don’t know where she is but who knows?” Daisy looked up at Figment, “You’re...not much for pep talks, are you?” she asked, chuckling. Figment blushed, “I still have a lot to learn.” The three chuckled at Figment’s little quip, not knowing they were going to have another visitor. From outside the Imaginarium, an eagle came flying in and landed a few feet away from them, morphing back into their Celestial form.
“Thunderbird?” asked a startled Daisy, “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see if you managed to prevent Tarot from doing anything,” he replied, looking around at the four, “Judging by your faces, I guess you didn’t.” Daisy shook his head as Thunderbird sighed, “Well, hopefully we can find her and stop her from doing anything else.”
“Did you manage to see any changes out there?” Zenyako inquired.
“Not really,” he replied, “But I was admittedly too high up in the air to really notice anything, other than the bright flash coming from here...” his voice trailed off as his attention turned to outside the Imaginarium. He walked over to the entrance and stuck his head out. Nothing. It was quiet. Too quiet.

Some miles away from the Imaginarium yet a few outside Babylon Gardens, Cerberus was sitting on her couch in her house, enjoying a bottle of soda and an episode of the classic TV show ‘I Love Lucy’, namely the famous ‘Lucy Does A Commercial’ one. “She never fails to make me laugh,” The left head said as Lucy tried her best to sell Vitameatavegamin.
“I don’t blame ya!” The Right Head replied, “They don’t make comedians like her anymore!” The three heads laughed hard at Lucy’s antics before the Center head suddenly paused the episode. “Something wrong?” The Right Head asked. The Center Head shushed her, “I could be hearing things but I swear something is hitting our window.” The Left Head turned around, “Like Anubis?” Indeed, outside her window, a surprisingly frantic Anubis was tapping her window, but gentle enough as to not break it. “What is it?” Cerberus said as she opened it up, “Why couldn’t you use the door?”
“Sorry,” he said, apologizing rather quickly, “But we got a problem.”
“What?”
“OK, this may sound crazy, but I was just in town and had stopped at that gas station for a drink. When I got in, the clerk was a human guy. But as I was paying for my drink? He turned into a bear.” Cerberus tilted their heads, “A...bear?”
“Not only that? I swear when I walked outside, I saw more people poofing into animals. Not all humans, mind you, just a random spattering of them.”
“You think it’s the coin?” Anubis shook his head, “Thor recovered the coins and they are safe in Asgard right now, the only exception being the one Joey has. No, this is something else and that’s why I came to you.”
“Oh?”
“I’m a bit rusty when it comes to this type of thing, so I need you to do me a solid: Can you place a Displacement Quarantine around the entirety of Babylon Gardens, woods and all?”
“Bit drastic, don’t you think?” Cerberus inquired. Anubis nodded, agreeing it was but he just had a feeling that something was up and both she and him were going to get to the bottom of it but, for now? The Displacement Quarantine was their best hope, at the very least, containing the issue to one area.


“Something wrong?” Daisy asked as Thunderbird turned back around. He didn’t answer at first but soon his face turned to panic, “We need to get back to Babylon Gardens. Now!” Daisy was taken aback as she leaped from the ground, “Why? What’s going on?” she asked as she ran outside, Zenyako and Marko following from behind. Morphing back into an eagle, Thunderbird looked back at Daisy, “I don’t know but something just happened and we need to get back now! I’ll see you in Babylon Gardens!” With a mighty flap, Thunderbird flapped his wings and took off for the little town. Daisy, meanwhile, looked to the sky and whistled loudly, much to Zenyako’s confusion. That confusion soon evaporated as, from the woods, a motorcycle like nothing he had ever seen before came roaring towards Daisy, stopping alongside her as she hopped on. “You coming?” she asked a dumbfounded Zenyako who, shaking the awe from his face, nodded and turned himself back into a kitsune mask, hooking himself onto Daisy’s chain whip. As she revved the bike’s engine, she looked back over her shoulder at Marko and Figment, “We’ll get that amulet back. I promise.” Marko smiled, though his beard covered it up, and watched as Daisy raced off, a trail of a harmless blue flame followed behind her. The area was quiet as both Marko and Figment watched Daisy disappear in the woods, the only sounds being the ones coming from within the Imaginarium. From behind Marko, a tall figure in black softly walked up behind the Dream Master and stood there patiently.
I trust that Daisy and Thunderbird know what they’re doing,” Marko said to the figure as he turned around, “Still, I want you to go and see Dragon and inform her of what’s going on.” The tall, slender figure slowly nodded his head and left the Imaginarium, Marko closing the door once they stepped out. He turned to the fluttering Figment who asked, “What now?”
Now?” He said with a smile, “Now we have tea, continue making dreams for everyone...and wait for the Amulet to return.” Figment smiled and flew off to brew another kettle as Marko walked over to a nearby Dream Crystal and pulled out a random Dream Wisp to take to his workshop so he could find the perfect dream for it.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

These arcs continue to get better than the last ones! Keep it up!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Amazee Dayzee wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 12:32 am These arcs continue to get better than the last ones! Keep it up!
Thank you! Bit of trivia: The 'Shaggy Dog' scenario I was referring to? That was a reference to the original Disney movie starring Fred Macmurray (Great movie).
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I heard of the movie but I only know of the Tim Allen one so I had to go look it up. Had no idea the movie was originally made in the 1950s.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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The Tim Allen version's poster looks terrifying.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I saw it at one point and just looked it up again. It didn't really seem that bad to me.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Harry Johnathan wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 3:19 pm The Tim Allen version's poster looks terrifying.
Amazee Dayzee wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 10:52 pm I saw it at one point and just looked it up again. It didn't really seem that bad to me.
Honestly, the original with Fred Macmurray is the one I recommend the most (I heard the sequel, The Shaggy D.A, is good but only reason I heard of it is because the dog straight up punches a dude), along with Fred's other film 'The Absent Minded Professor' (the film that Flubber was a remake of).
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I remember Flubber from my childhood and I loved that movie. Can't believe Robin Williams committed suicide. Also in the movie I was sad when Weebo died.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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HousepetZ: Wishmaster
Chapter II: Panic! But Not At The Disco



The roar of the bike echoed through the woods, the cool breeze racing against Daisy’s body as she raced back to Babylon Gardens, passing by the old Opener Cult zone, now a popular campground run by Cerberus. “Hold tight!” she shouted at Zenyako as she whipped her bike around to a halt, like something out of an anime but cooler, stopping just close enough to a stop sign.
“Who taught you to drive?!” Zenyako-Mask sputtered, “Bo Duke?!” Daisy simply grinned as she hopped off, the bike vanishing to parts known only to her. She looked around the area for a bit. Nothing too out of the ordinary, she thought as she made her way down the sidewalk, passing by a family relaxing outside in the nice weather. Zenyako-Mask couldn’t help but to make a comment about them, remarking, “They seem happy. That normal here?” Daisy chuckled at his little quip, “Yes, it’s normal,” she replied as she gave a friendly wave to the husband. As they continued down the road, Daisy kept her eye out for anything that seemed out of place. Something spooked Thunderbird back at the Imaginarium and she had hoped to have seen it by now but, so far, she hadn’t had much luck. Maybe it was more of a supernatural thing, she thought while walking by a man working on his car in the driveway, though she found it odd they were wearing a tail to work. She then stopped in her tracks, right next to the mailbox. Tail? Humans don’t have tails. She turned back and did a second look at the man, just to see if she had imagined it. Nope, she didn’t. In fact, when the man stood up, she was surprised to see it wasn’t a man but a golden retriever wearing some rather dirty clothing. “There we go,” the dog said somewhat aloud while wiping grease off his paws, “Never had issues getting a belt on before.” They soon turned around and spotted, very quickly, someone watching them from their mailbox, “Daisy! What are you doing here today?”
“Uh...just walking,” Daisy stammered. To her surprise, the dog spoke with the voice of a friend of hers, a Mr. Roy DeSoto.
“It is a nice day for one,” Roy replied, pointing at her outfit, “Though aren’t you a bit warm in that leather get-up?” Daisy, not wanting to reveal her identity as a Nightmare Hunter, shook her head, telling him she felt fine. Roy just laughed, “Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. I gotta get back to finishing up my truck here. Dang belt broke this morning and I want to get it fixed before I run some errands.” Daisy nodded, still perplexed at what she was seeing.
“Say um...don’t take this as me being weird but...do you feel different?” Mr. DeSoto looked at Daisy, “Other than being a bit greasy and needing a shower? No. Why?”
“No reason, just looking after your health, that’s all! See ya!” She replied rather quickly before scurrying off, leaving Roy standing there looking a bit confused before returning to his truck. Daisy hated hiding the real reason she asked him but, from what she saw, it didn’t even look like he knew he even became a dog in the first place!

As she continued down the road, she began to notice some more individuals similar to Roy, in that they were animals with clothing on doing their normal everyday human things. Sure, there were still plenty of humans around, but the animal population seemed bigger than usual, if not equal to the human count. Equally as perplexing to her was that everyone was going on about their daily routines as if nothing had happened. Were those who transformed simply blinded by the fact they were no longer human? Were those who stayed human now blinded to the transformed populous? Could this also be what got Thunderbird all worried? For that matter, where is Thunderbird? He said he would meet her here, so where is he? So many questions with no answers danced around madly in Daisy’s head. Even the Celestial Zenyako didn’t have an answer for this problem but, rather, had even more questions himself. The park was no different, as they both saw a mixture of humans, animals, and pets roaming around and enjoying the fresh air while seemingly blind to the new additions. Plopping herself down on a nearby bench, Daisy ran her paws over her face in exasperation. “I don’t get this at all,” she groaned while Zenyako reformed next to her, wearing a tucked in tank-shirt covered by a short sleeve button shirt and dark blue jeans overlapping some worker boots, “How are people not seeing that there are now more animals now...wearing clothing?” Zenyako shrugged his shoulders, glancing over at a group of kids playing as he did, as Daisy continued, “Like, if I was a human and, all of a sudden, I wake up one day to see I became a critter? I’m pretty sure I’d be freaking out!” Burying her head in her paws, Daisy huffed as Zenyako continued to watch the kids in the park for a bit. Though he was listening to her, he too was preoccupied with trying to figure out what exactly was going on. While many theories came to mind, none were sticking as they came off more like wild guesses than actual theories. However, one theory that came to his mind managed to stick a bit longer. A theory neither he or, to the best of his knowledge, Daisy didn’t even consider. It was a longshot but it was something to try to go on, he thought as he directed his attention back to Daisy, who still had her face buried deep in her paws. “I got one theory,” he said, clearing his throat as Daisy looked up at him, “You suppose this was Tarot’s wish?” Daisy opened her mouth to speak but no words came out, instead quickly snapping shut and thinking on what Zenyako said. If what Zenyako said was true and this was what Tarot wished for, then all they would have to do is to find Tarot and reverse the wish. However, that theory soon opened up the doors to even more questions, like why would Tarot wish for this when she wanted to be the hero? If she wanted to be a hero, Daisy thought, why wouldn’t she wish for a chance to be one instead of turning the population furry? Something wasn’t adding up in this equation. Daisy lifted her head from her paws, “It’s possible, but it still doesn’t tell us what Tarot’s game plan is. For all we know, this could be the work of a second player.”
“Like that Sasha I’ve heard many speak of?”
“No, I don’t think Sasha would’ve done this. Too simple and not evil enough for her.” Zenyako nodded, leaning back with a stretch as he did, when a thought entered his mind once more. “You know,” he looked over at Daisy, “When I was helping Tarot, she had to stop in her room for something and I took notice of a drawing she had. We could head over to Dragon’s house and look through her room? Maybe we might find something?” It was a long shot, Daisy thought, but she was willing to check. So, with Zenyako back as a mask on her chain, Daisy hopped off from the bench and headed to Dragon’s home, hoping that at least Dragon was home.

“Daisy! What a welcomed surprise! Do come in!” Thankfully that was the case as Dragon had decided to stay home from the store today and get some small housework done, “I wasn’t really expecting company today so excuse the mess here.” Daisy thanked her as Zenyako reappeared, much to Dragon’s surprise, “What are you doing here on Earth?”
“Long story,” Zenyako replied, shaking Dragon’s hand, “Right now? All that matters is that I’m helping Daisy here and we would like to check out Tarot’s room...”
“Tarot? Have you found her?” Dragon suddenly sounded worried when Zenyako mentioned Tarot. Daisy replied, much to Dragon’s disappointment, that they did but she vanished again. “How about the amulet? Any luck?” Daisy shook her head again and sighed, “It was found however...she now has it.” Dragon, hearing the news, sat slowly down on the couch and sighed, “She didn’t use it, did she?”
“That’s the trouble; we don’t know if she did or not.” Zenyako said while looking over Dragon’s movies, “The amulet was glowing a weird color, followed by a bright flash and then? She was gone.” he added while pulling out one of her movies to look at, “We know the amulet is a wish amulet and it only accepts wishes from the heart but, again, there’s the rub; we just don’t know what wish, if any, she made.”
“Which is why we’re here, Dragon,” Daisy added, “We’d like to look through her room to possibly and hopefully find anything that can help us figure out what exactly Tarot wished for because…” Dragon tilted her head, “Because what?”
“Because and this might sound kind of silly...but it seems that most of the humans here have become....furry.” Dragon was confused. She didn’t hear anything about this on the news nor did she see anything out of the normal, save for one tiger jogging around in jogging shorts, but she knew that was Shardul as Keene had hired him as a bodyguard sometime ago. “Are you sure about this?” Dragon asked Daisy, who nodded, “I’m sure of it. Roy DeSoto, a friend of mine who’s a human? He’s now a golden retriever. We even passed by more people turned animals on our way here, though oddly enough? It seemed like they didn’t even though they were animals.”
“So, life as usual.” Dragon said with a hint of a smirk. Daisy laughed, “Yeah, I guess. But seriously, it’s weird if you ask me, hence why we want to check out her room on the off-chance that there’s more to her ‘hero quest’ than meets the eye, so to speak.” As she too wanted Tarot to be safe and stop thinking of herself, Dragon led the two to Tarot’s room, looking exactly as it did when Zenyako first came with the pomeranian. “Feel free to look around everywhere,” Dragon said, leaning up against the doorway, “I doubt she’ll even come home at all but, if she did, I can easily clean this place up to where she wouldn’t even suspect a thing.” Daisy smiled then went right to Tarot’s desk, looking through everything and everywhere for any sort of clue or hint to Tarot’s plan. Zenyako, meanwhile, focused on her books and whatever was under her bed, which was surprisingly empty as Dragon commented that Tarot never kept anything under her bed before excusing herself to finish up some cleaning she had planned. The desk was very neat and organized, which made Daisy’s search a bit easier but not by much. Most of the papers were old notes on the Universes & Unrealities game and notes on how to take out a zombie from back in the day, featuring some rather interesting depictions of said zombies with one looking straight out of MediEvil. On the desk itself, there was a crude drawing of Dragon’s amulet that Tarot appeared to have drawn from either memory or seeing it somewhere but, otherwise, it was just that and nothing more. In fact, there was seemingly nothing in the room that could explain why Tarot was so interested in getting the amulet and, for that matter, her plans for it.
Meanwhile across town, Marion, his mother, and Lois - who had run over to his house after hanging up - were all sitting in the kitchen, Marion sitting on the counter due to his size, each one sporting a rather worried look. Just yesterday, they were humans. Today? They were animals though, unlike the rest of the population, they seemed to be the only ones who knew they had changed.
“What are we gonna do?” Marion asked, “I can’t go to school looking like this! I mean, who’s gonna believe that this squirrel is Marion?!”
“I don’t know, honey,” his mother, a wolf, said, “But getting all upset is not the way to go about this. We need to take this one step at a time.” Lois nodded, “Your mother’s right, Marion. It’s no use crying over something we probably had no control over. If it’s any consultation, I saw others like us on my way over and they seem unaware that they’re different. So, maybe we might be lucky and they won’t care that we changed?” Though it did cheer him up a bit, it did little to raise his spirits as he leaned his head on Lois’ bobcat’s shoulders, remarking at the fluffiness of them.
“I’m inclined to agree with Lois, honey,” Julia said while making some coffee for them, “When I was leaving work in a rush, no one else noticed I was a wolf. Not even my boss when I told him I need to leave for a...family emergency.” Lois and Marion lightly smiled at Julia’s little lie. “Still,” she added, bringing the coffee over to them, “That does bring up the question as to what we’ll do if someone does finally notice that people are now animals.”
“Hopefully nothing drastic or stupid,” Lois said as she sipped her coffee.
“I’m honestly more concerned with trying to be human again,” admitted Marion, carefully trying to sip his coffee without spilling it all over himself, “Frankly, I don’t want to live my life as a squirrel.”
“I dunno,” his mother said with a slight giggle, “You do look a bit cuter now and your small size can help with the cleaning a bit more.”
“Plus, you make for one cute teddy bear,” Lois added, making Marion blush before all three shared a good laugh, the first one they had all day. Any chance to be happy about the situation, they were gonna take, even though they were still sad and scared in regards to their current status.

Having spent a good hour looking through the room, Zenyako flopped backwards onto Tarot’s bed, comparing the current job to looking for a needle in a haystack as Dragon returned with a couple sodas for them, asking if they found anything.
“Not even a crumb,” Daisy said disappointingly as she sat on Tarot’s beanbag, “Maybe our theory was wrong, I dunno. It still doesn’t explain why Tarot wanted the amulet - other than wanting to be a hero.” Dragon, handing the sodas out, was disappointed as well. She too had hoped there was something in her room that would’ve explained Tarot’s behavior. But it seemed the three were back to square one once more with nothing more than theories to go by when Zenyako, sitting up to sip his drink, wasn’t disappointed but, rather, digging through his memories to see if there was anything that Tarot had ever said that may help. He thought back to when she told him what she wanted to do, her reluctance to tell him the truth, to how she reacted when holding the amulet but nothing was sticking out, Maybe I need to think back a bit further, he wondered before thinking back to his very first encounter with her. What was it she said? Soon, Tarot’s words echoed in his head: “She had done nothing good for me! Ever! All she ever did was keep the truth from me! She's...she's just like that stupid Kitsune! Wish I could just...just...wish I could just take Dragon out like how Pete was..."
“Penny for your thoughts, Zen?” Zenyako looked up and over at Daisy, “Eh, just thinking back to all what Tarot said to me. I was hoping I could remember anything that could help us but, either then her wishing she could take out Dragon like how Pete was taking out? I mean, that last part could be some of the reasoning behind her wanting the amulet but it’s just another theory on the huge pile of theories we already have.” Daisy nodded and took a huge swig of her own drink. “Say, Dragon?” she then asked, “Were there any other Celestials that Tarot interacted with before today?” Dragon thought for a bit, “Other than me and Zodd? There was my dad, Thunderbird, when he came back to see me with her brother. She also had some interactions with Kits…” she suddenly stopped and had a thought, one that even Zenyako and Daisy didn’t think of. “Oh dog,” she said, “I think I just figured out what her plan is…” Daisy and Zenyako looked at Dagon, “She wants to be the hero, right? I think, and I hope I’m wrong, that her wish was to make it look like Kitsune did something to the land, giving her the opportunity to stand up and be the hero…” he face turned pale, “I think she wants to kill Kitsune!”
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by trekkie »

Sweet Dukes of Hazzard reference. I like Marion’s mom being a wolf, the two ladies who care about Marion the most, are a wolf and a bobcat he’s pretty safe from predation. Nice work.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Really digging the work you are doing with this! Wonderful job!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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HousepetZ: Wishmaster
Chapter III: Enter Sandman




Daisy and Zenyako couldn’t believe their ears when Dragon spoke those terrifying words, their hearts sinking to the bottom of their stomachs. Tarot wants to kill Kitsune? But why? He wasn’t the cause for the zombies nor was he behind anything that happened to them in the past nor recently, so why does she want to kill him? “It’s just a theory, mind you, but with how she’s been acting towards us Celestials lately? I wouldn’t put it past her to do such an act.” Dragon added as she sat on Tarot’s bed, “She has so much hate built up in her that I feel she may be past the point of redemption.” Zenyako looked at Dragon, “Are you saying we may have to kill her?” Dragon shrugged, “I’m not saying that but I’m not dismissing it either.”
“Does raise the question why would Tarot want to kill Kitsune,” Daisy added, “Did they ever have any interactions with each other?” Dragon opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. Did they ever talk or, at the very least, run into each other? She knew they spoke during the last U&U game and once after the temple incident but, afterwards? She was just as in the dark as anyone else. She turned her attention back to Daisy, who was patiently awaiting an answer. “Other than that one day in Australia? Nope.” With a sigh of frustration, Daisy slouched back on the beanbag and huffed, “So we’re back to where we started….again! Why is it that, out of all the folks in Babylon Gardens, Tarot had to be the one no one can figure out?!”
“Hey, don’t get frustrated,” Zenyako assured Daisy, “We'll figure out what Tarot's M.O is somehow.” He turned his attention over to Dragon, “Just came to my mind but I don’t suppose you know of any of Tarot’s friends that may know what she’s up too?” Dragon at first shook her head as she didn’t know of any until she remembered one person. “There was one other,” she said while snapping her fingers, “Alongside Tarot, I also had a black feline named Sabrina as a Relief Avatar for Tarot. If anyone knows what Tarot has planned, it’s her. Want me to call her over?” Both Zenyako and Daisy nodded and Dragon left to call Sabrina, leaving the two alone in Tarot’s room for the time being. “Looks like Lady Luck is on our side finally!” Zenyako quipped to Daisy, who laughed before telling him they shouldn’t count their cards yet as Sabrina could be just as unaware as they are. “Still,” she admitted, “It is nice to finally catch a break.”


Across town in the Ward’s house, the now-wolf Julia Ward was preparing lunch for her now-squirrel son Marion and his now-bobcat girlfriend Lois, who were in the living room watching whatever looked good on streaming. Periodically, Lois checked her phone on the off-chance that one of her family members or friends would text or call. “You OK?” Marion asked from his pillow as Lois sighed once more, replying, “I’m fine. Just thought I would’ve heard if someone else changed at least.” Marion nodded as his mother placed their lunch on the coffee table in front of them while Lois continued, “If I’m the only one of my family who changed then who’s to say they would still accept me, you know? I know you guys do but…” Marion sighed as he watched Lois slouch into the couch cushion, walking over and cuddling up next to her as he ate his sandwich, smiling as Lois wrapped her paw around him and brought him close for a proper cuddle. “Hey, no matter what happens with you and your family,” he assured her, smiling as a small bit of mustard rested on his fur, “You’re always welcomed here.” Smiling at her tiny boyfriend, Lois leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead, her mouth somewhat covering the top of his head as Marion smiled.
“Lois, I know you’re a bobcat but I made a perfectly good lunch for you. So I ask that you not give into your predator side and eat my son,” both Lois and Marion jumped from the kiss as Juila returned to the room, spotting the kiss and making a small joke out of it. The three laughed at Julia’s joke, returning to the movie on TV as they enjoyed their lunch together. Though her thoughts of what her family will think still played in her head, she wasn’t as worried now as she knew she’d still have Marion.


Back at Dragon’s house, Daisy and Zenyako were sitting in the living room with Dragon, discussing various movies and the like and enjoying some more soda when the doorbell rang. Knowing who it was, Dragon stood up and excused herself for a bit before returning with Sabrina walking next to her. “Mind telling me what’s going on?” Sabrina asked as she sat on the nearby recliner, “You sounded frantic on the phone.” Dragon then went on to explain the situation to Sabrina as Daisy and Zenyako, after introducing himself, filled in any missing bits she left out. Sabrina listened intently and was surprised at what they were telling her. She knew Tarot had some issues that needed to be worked out but to go as far as to change most of the population into animals just so she could be labeled a hero when she kills someone, somehow revealing they were behind it and not Tarot? That’s beyond messed up, she thought silently to herself while Dragon asked her if Tarot ever chatted to her about anything. Sabrina thought and, to their shock, shook her head no. “Last time I chatted with her was before I left for Dargento City but that was close to a few months ago and we haven’t chatted since. I did try to call her up one day but she never returned my calls.”
“Does Tarot, like, hate everyone?” Zenyako asked, “Seems like everytime we turn around, she’s hating someone else.”
“Well, she still thinks the whole world is against her in some way,” Sabrina said, “Especially ever since that day Slayder returned.”
“But that’s stupid,” a dumbfounded Daisy responded, “No one knew about Slayder so why would she think that?” Sabrina could only shrug, “I don’t know. She’s been acting weird ever since she recovered from her time as that beast thing which, by the way, hello Zenyako. Glad to see you’re on our side now. But, yeah, she’s been acting weird.”
“How so?”
“Well and, mind you, this was pre-Dargento CIty so there might be more I’m just missing, but it just seems that Tarot just isn’t there anymore, know what I mean? Like she’s there and we know she is physically! But mentally? She isn’t.” Zenyako wasn’t too well versed in the ways of mortal emotions so he didn’t have much of an idea what she was talking about. Dragon and Daisy, however, did have an idea and each expressed disappointment and sadness towards it, with Dragon lemanting how she wished she had seen her issues sooner rather than never.

“Know what I think we should do?” Daisy, Dragon, and Sabrina looked over at Zenyako, who was now sitting straight up in the recliner, the trio thinking he had a plan only for him to say, “I think we need to rest our minds and get something to eat. I know we should be focused on Tarot but it’s never good to dwell on something for too long. Why don’t you three just hang tight? With Dragon’s permission, I’ll head over to the kitchen and whip us up something good. What do you say?” Dumbfounded at first, the three agreed that food sounded good at the moment and, with Dragon’s permission, Zenyako walked to the kitchen and got to work, leaving the three by themselves in the living room. Though silence filled the air rather briefly, it soon dissipated as Daisy cleared her throat and said, “Never thought I say this but Zenyako’s right. I am feeling a bit hungry at the moment and could use something to eat. Plus, I’ve been dealing with Tarot for the past few days so a break sounds great.” Dragon chuckled, “Well, I’m gonna get us some drinks. You two can see if there’s anything to watch.” This led Sabrina to ask them if any of them had ever watched the original Rescuers film. With responses ranging from haven’t seen it in a while to Daisy saying she never saw it, Sabrina knew exactly what they were gonna watch.


Meanwhile, in the middle of a park, Tarot sat high in a tree, her face almost frozen in a scowl as she watched for Kitsune to show up, knowing that he frequently took walks to the park. She knew that the moment she spotted him, she would begin the next stage of her personal hero quest. She soon smiled as she spotted a familiar shape belonging to a certain white fox. Bingo, she smiled and waited for them to walk by the tree. Though they were wearing a button shirt over top a shirt quote “nerds” would wear, she knew it was who she thought it was as she recognized the outfit from back in Australia. The lack of multiple tails was odd, she thought, but she had a feeling they were doing it to hide themselves from everyone. It took a little bit but the moment the fox passed under the tree, Tarot leapt down behind them. “Hello, Great Kitsune.” she growled rather loudly. The white fox turned around, looking almost confused, “Um, are you talking to me?”
“Well, there’s no one else here that has your ugliness, G.K.” Tarot replied. The white fox, still confused, was taken aback by the pomeranians' insult, “Ma’am, I have no idea who you are but you clearly got me confused with someone else. My name is not Great Kitsune so, if you’ll excuse me?” As he turned to leave, the fox suddenly felt something hard smack him against the back of the head. “OW! What the heck?!” He shouted while turning around, spotting Tarot tossing a small rock in the air. “What is your problem?!”
“Oh, you know what my problem is, G.K,” she growled while pacing back and forth, keeping the fox in her eyesights, “And don’t lie to me. You’re a terrible liar. You told me I don’t have to be a hero all the time, just be Tarot. In other words? You wanted me to be normal and let everyone else be the hero! Heck, PEANUT, a STUPID dog, who cared more about those stupid Spot comics, should NEVER have been that stupid Anubis’ Avatar in the FIRST PLACE! That should’ve been ME! But NO! For too long, you and your kind have prevented me from being like my friends and being something special! For too long, you hid things from me! Things that maybe I would’ve liked to have known! But no more!” As she continued her fiery speech, the white fox continued to listen with the utmost confusion as he had zero idea what she was talking about, let alone raving about. The rest of the park was the same, with most of the park goers within earshot passing it off as a simple quarrel and nothing more. But Tarot didn’t care, nor did she care what the white fox was saying. She gripped the amulet once again, it’s eye glowing once more, as she glared at the fox, “My first wish was to turn most of the population of this town into animals,” she looked around the park, “You know why?” The white fox tilted his head then shook it. “Because I’m going to reveal that you were the one who did it. I’m gonna get the entirety of Babylon Gardens to hate you and look to me to end your life and reverse the ‘curse’, therefore making me the hero I was always meant to be ....” The white fox suddenly spoke up, interrupting her, “Wait, you wished for us to be...animals?” the fox looked down at himself then at his tail then yelped, much to Tarot’s confusion, “I’M A FOX?!” She watched in bewilderment as the white fox freaked out at his current look, saying every word in the book and then some while wondering what’s going to happen to him. Good actor, she thought as she still believed this to be Kitsune. She took a last look at the fox and smiled, “Nice try, Kitsune,” The white fox looked back at her and started to speak but stopped as Tarot, closing her eyes, lowered her head. She then looked up and smiled, “Good-bye, Kitsune.” The amulet’s eyes flashed red as it sensed her wish as a bright flash engulfed the area. When it vanished, much to Tarot’s surprise, nothing had happened. Did she not make the right wish? The white fox was still there, though no longer freaking out over the fact he was now a fox. She then got mad and, to the fox’s surprise, pounced him. “WHERE IS HE?” she growled rather darkly, “What have you done with that fox?!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” the fox sputtered. Tarot, with a huff, threw herself off the fox and ran off, swearing like never before and thinking that Kitsune, once again, tricked her, leaving the fox all by himself. A passing park goer helped him back up onto his feet and asked if he knew that dog, to which he shook his head and said it was probably a case of mistaken identity.


As the day turned to early afternoon at the home of one King and Bailey, King was outside relaxing on the porch as Olive played in the sandbox while, inside, Bailey prepared dinner for the family as Rook and Ace watched TV. Olive was building some castles and humming a sweet little song to herself, enjoying the fresh air, when she saw a shadow appear over the one castle. “Hello there, mister!” she said cheerfully. Outside the fence and looking down at her, stood a rather tall and skinny looking whippet who seemed dressed for a Cure concert. But, for reasons unknown to her, she knew she could trust this person as she felt like she seen him before. “Hello there, little one,” they said, their voice, though deep, feeling like a gentle stream, “Can you tell me where I can find a person named Dragon? They’re an old friend of mine and I promised I would visit them when I’m in town.” Olive, sweet as she was, smiled and told him where to find who she called ‘Dwagon’. The tall-one smiled and patted her gently on the head, thanking her as they walked off in the direction she pointed to while Olive returned to her castle building. The tall-one soon arrived at the house, instantly knowing it belonged to Dragon, and knocked on the door. The door opened as Zenyako stood there, “Uh, can I help you?”
Yes, I’m looking for Dragon,” The tall-one said, “Is she here, by chance?” Zenyako, bit taken back by the look, nodded and let the tall-one in, shouting to the living room, “Dragon! You got a visitor!” Dragon looked up as Zenyako led the tall-one in, her eyes widening as she recognized who it was almost instantly. “It’s been a while, Dragon,” the tall-one said, turning their attention to Daisy and Sabrina, both of whom were frightened by the whippet. “Do not be alarmed,” he told them, “I mean you and your friends no harm. I am simply here to lend a hand in retrieving an object that was stolen from the Imaginarium.” Daisy, hearing the word Imaginarium, relaxed as she had a feeling that Marko sent this dog to them. Sabrina, on the other hand, wasn’t as relaxed, “What’s your name?” The whippet smiled and bowed, “I am known by many names and many titles, many of which belong to the lips and hearts of children everywhere. You may call me Dream for I? I am The Sandman.


Next time? The thrilling conclusion to the Amulet Arc...
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Host Of The Realm Of The Metal Wolf: Where Metal Is King
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

That was a really terrifying chapter. But it was terrifying in a good way if that makes sense!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Amazee Dayzee wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 3:35 pm That was a really terrifying chapter. But it was terrifying in a good way if that makes sense!
It does. I truthfully wasn't aiming for 'terrifying' but I do see where you're coming from. Hopefully the next arc (which is basically HPZ's version of the main Housepets story HECKRAISER) won't be as dark :)
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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I will look forward for that part then! Hope that it will be really awesome!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by SeanWolf »

Just a bit of a delay as I'm still planning out 'Heckraising The Heckbound Heart' (First draft was way too dark and ended on a very depressing note. Second draft is good but I'm still running it through it's paces), but it should be ready to go very soon.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I always love it when things that are depressing and dark get fixed because of how bad it is. I'm sure that the new story is gonna be really interesting also!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Amazee Dayzee wrote: Sat Oct 09, 2021 2:19 pm I always love it when things that are depressing and dark get fixed because of how bad it is. I'm sure that the new story is gonna be really interesting also!
I hope it will be too! The original ending (not a spoil as it's been scrapped) saw a second Universes & Unrealities game being played, this time between Tarot, whose avatar is Peanut (who she kidnapped from Duchess), and Kitsune (Never chose his as I scrapped it before I chose it), which would've ended with Duchess arriving and telling the two Avatars to break their contracts. Kitsune would've arrived and allowed the breaking but Tarot would then arrive and kill Kitsune, leading to her to start to make her third wish and, long story short? Tarot would've died by the hands of Peanut. I scrapped this whole version as not only was it way too dark but it ended the story on a very depressing note.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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Amazee Dayzee wrote: Sat Oct 09, 2021 2:19 pm I always love it when things that are depressing and dark get fixed because of how bad it is. I'm sure that the new story is gonna be really interesting also!
Sometimes a depressing and dark tone adds maturity and depth to a story.
Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But [The LORD] said, “Yes, you did laugh.” - Genesis 18:15 (NIV).
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by trekkie »

I do love the fact that the two ladies who love Marion are fierce predators, as a squirrel he needs protection. If Daisy and Sabrina are both scared of The Sandman the whippet might be cause for concern for our heroes.
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Hoping that they will find a way to triumph though. That is what we are all looking for when we read stories like this!
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Re: HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

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trekkie wrote: Sun Oct 10, 2021 8:32 am I do love the fact that the two ladies who love Marion are fierce predators, as a squirrel he needs protection. If Daisy and Sabrina are both scared of The Sandman the whippet might be cause for concern for our heroes.
The Sandman is a good guy (never judge a book by it's cover). In fact, he's heavily inspired by the Neil Gaiman character of the same name.
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