The Griffin's Champion

[Amazee Dayzee]

Even if you aren't consistent with the chapter lengths this chapter has really come out incredibly nice! Way to go!

[Hagus]

Chapter 6: Magic(k)al Girlfriend
Sabrina watches Max from across the kitchen, trying to hide the smirk on her face. Max is staring very intently at a cup sitting on the counter.
“C’mon you dumb cup, just go across the room. It’s not even that hard. Even a newborn kitten could do it. Literally a person with no arms or legs can do it.” Max mutters to himself.
“Max, the cup can’t hear you,” Tarot says, walking into the room. “I thought we already told him not every object in this house is magic(k)al.”
Max breaks off his concentration for a moment, and gives Tarot a glare. “I’m telling you, I can do this! I will move this cup! Even if it means I have to be here all day!”
He goes back to concentrating on the cup. Sabrina checks the clock. Max has been at it for over 2 hours now, which was way longer than the last time he tried something like this. Why is he staring at a cup? He is 100% convinced since he spends a large amount of time with Sabrina, her magic(k) “rubs off” on him. The sad part was even if that was true, telepathy isn’t magic(k). Moving objects with your mind is just something you’re born with. Moving stuff with magic(k) is obviously magic(k)al.
Sabrina looks back at Max, who looks like he’s about to explode from concentrating so hard.
“Max, if you weren’t so cute I would’ve slapped some sense into you by now” she says teasingly
She goes to tell Tarot to take a picture, but hears a “click”. Tarot is holding her phone and smiling.
“Here’s your picture. I know the angle is bad, and it’s a bit dark, but it’s the best I can do.” Tarot tells her.
“Well I-“
“And if you try to take the picture, Max will get mad and throw the cup at you.”
Sabrina just rolls her eyes and puts the phone down. Sometimes living with a psychic takes the fun out of life.
Across the kitchen, Max has been holding his breath for over 2 minutes now. Tarot holds up 3 fingers, and mouths a countdown.
“3….2….1…” she mouths, and then points at Max, who passes out.
Sabrina runs over to him and confirms he isn’t dead, before turning to Tarot. “I assume you just wanted to see him pass out?”
“Maaaayyyybe” Tarot says, smirking.
Sabrina pulls out some catnip to wave under his nose. His nose twitches, and he slowly wakes up.
“What...happened…?” He asks, looking at Sabrina.
Sabrina shakes her head and gives him a quick kiss. “Don’t worry about it hon.”
Sabrina helps Max up, but Max almost falls back down when he sees the cup, which is on the arm of the couch in the next room.
“LOOK! I DID IT! I MUST’VE BLACKED OUT WHEN IT HAPPENED BUT I DID IT!” he shouts, pointing frantically to the cup.
Sabrina blinks, looking at the cup. From the other room, a paw reaches from the couch and grabs the cup, and a slurping sound is heard. The paw returns the cup to the arm, and Tarot pokes her head over the top of the couch.
“Oh, were you still trying to use this?” she asks.
“.....”
Sabrina tries to cover up a laugh.
Max inhales. “AAAAAAAAAA-“

[Amazee Dayzee]

This chapter is really amusing to me! Nice job on writing it!

[Hagus]

Chapter 7: Steve On the Hunt
Grape rips the page out of the sketchbook, and she pins it to the wall of her cage, smiling. The sketch is of her riding Pete in the sky.
“I don’t know why I didn’t try drawing earlier. I’m not half bad at it!” She exclaims, admiring her work. Shortly after, Ethan, making the morning rounds with food, slides the bowl under the cage door.
“You’re up early. Restless night?” He asks.
“You could say that.” She responds, placing the sketchbook under her bed.
Ethan looks at the sketch and points to it. “I didn’t know you like to draw,” he says, and Grape turns a bit red.
“Well...I...haven’t done it before, just wanted to try it out.” She says, grabbing the bowl and sitting on the floor.
“It looks good Grape.” He says, moving to Steve’s cage.
Steve takes the bowl and sits at the door to his cage, peering into Grape’s cage.
“Is that Pete?” He asks, catching Grape off guard.
“Uh….why do you ask?”
“You were muttering his name in your sleep. Interrupted my midnight mice hunt.”
“Sorry, I- wait... you do midnight mice hunts?”
“Indeed I do.”
“...in your cage?”
“Yes ma’am. I have yet to catch any, but I shall get one eventually!”
Grape rolls her eyes. “I’ll let you know if I see any.”
“I appreciate it Cranberry. You have done a great service.”
“You’re welcome?”
There’s a moment of silence, then Grape turns back to Steve.
“Do you even know what a mouse looks like?”
“Yes, they are like a shadow, as big as a tree, cat killers. I shall protect all cats here from them!” He cries, pulling out a shovel from nowhere.
Grape’s eyes go wide. “Where did….ok you do realize mice are tiny right? Like, maybe the size of your paw at most?”
Steve nods. “Yes, or the size of a tree. Look, compare your hand to the trees by your window!”
Grape walks to the barred window, and holds up her paw. The tree outside looks as big as her hand because...well you know why.
“See?”
“Yeah. I see it.”
“Hey Blueberry.”
“It’s Grape”
“What’s Grape?”
“My name.”
“Your name is Grape?”
“Yes.”
“Ok Crepe, would you like to participate in the mouse hunt tonight? Maybe together we can catch them!”
Grape sighs and rubs her face. “Y’know what, sure. Let’s catch a mouse.”
“Huzzah! I’ll get the spare sword!”
“Wait, spare what?!”

[Amazee Dayzee]

Liking how this is coming along! The way that you churn these out so quick and make them riveting is really impressive!

[Hagus]

Chapter 8: Walk the Walk
Bino steps up to the podium and taps the mic. It emits a loud, high pitched noise that makes everyone cringe.
“MY EAAAARS!”
“AAAAAAA”
“WHY?!”
He turns red and grins sheepishly. “Sorry...uh, attention everyone! It’s been another great night, and I want to thank everyone for coming. Unfortunately it’s getting late. Please get with your walking partner or group and head home. Remember next week we’re having a celebration at 6pm for the 4th anniversary of the GODC! Be on time or be feline!”
Bino powers off the mic, and sighs. Another meeting finished. A bit early to end, but it was better than keeping people past time. Bino hops off the stage and looks up at the dogs filing out of the clubhouse. Fido and Fox are standing at the entrance, watching everyone leave. Over at the snacks table, Peanut is cleaning up. Bino heads over to him, and hears him humming along to a song in his head, doing a small dance.
“Yo, Peanut”
Peanut continues to hum and dance, tossing some paper plates into the trash.
“Hey, Peanut” Bino says, slightly annoyed.
He keeps doing his own thing, and Bino facepalms.
“PEANUT!” he shouts, and Peanut jumps, startled.
“Hey! If you wanted to get my attention just say it normally!” Peanut says, crossing his arms.
Bino throws his hands up in exasperation. “Look, I just needed to make sure you had a partner to walk home with. Usually you don’t have one soooo...”
Peanut smiles. “Aw thanks for checking Bino. Fox offered to walk with me though.”
Bino nods and snags the last cookie from a tray Peanut was trying to put away.
“Alright. Have a good night Peanut!” he says, waving. He meets Rex, Griswold, and Devo at the door, then proceeds to leave.
Peanut waves after him, and turns his attention back to cleaning. After a few minutes he finishes, and Fox walks over to him.
“Ready to go janitor boy?” he teases.
Peanut rolls his eyes. “Yeah, let’s go.”
The two exit. Fido nods to them as they leave, before locking the clubhouse behind them and heading back to his own home. Peanut and Fox walk in silence for a few minutes, before Peanut looks at him.
“So...thanks for coming with me. Mom and dad hate coming to get me every night.”
Fox shrugs. “Don’t mention it. I would suggest going home yourself but you know how Bino is. Gotta protect everyone.”
“Heh, yeah…”
The duo walks for another minute before Peanut pipes up again.
“So is there a reason why he’s like this? I know people wanna make sure it's safe but this seems...a bit excessive.”
Fox looks at the ground, then straight forward. He stays silent for another moment.
“Just something that happened a few years ago. You hadn’t joined the club yet but...it left some lasting marks on everyone.” Fox says, rubbing his neck.
Peanut raises a paw to ask something else, but Fox stops suddenly, gesturing towards a house.
“Here we are. Cya tomorrow man”
“Oh, okie!” Peanut exclaims, dropping his paw and skipping towards the door. “Thanks again Fox!”
“Don’t mention it” he says, waving as Peanut enters his house and shuts the door.
Fox turns, putting his hands in his jacket pockets, then heads back home as well. Once there, he flops onto his bed, taking his collar off but leaving his bandana on. Within 15 seconds of him doing this, he’s out like a light, ‘neath another Babylon night. (Hey that rhymes!)

[96N64player]

I am very much enjoying this story. Great job!
Bino being responsible? I wonder what happened.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Still enjoying reading this story! It is really good! Hope you can keep on writing for a long time!

[Obbl]

Oh yeah, geez, how did Fox and Max get out without getting eaten by Fluffy?

[Amazee Dayzee]

I assume that we might find out and if he doesn't have anything planned for it, it could be a great future chapter.

[Hagus]

I assume that we might find out and if he doesn't have anything planned for it, it could be a great future chapter.

Oh yeah, geez, how did Fox and Max get out without getting eaten by Fluffy?

Oh don't worry. I took a decent amount of time thinking about how much Grape not being there would affect things. If I forget something then you guys need to make sure to call me out
But yes I do have a plan for it

[Amazee Dayzee]

I wonder if it the fact that Bino is more responsible now could be because he took Grape's place and wanted to make sure his brother and then bestie weren't snake food.

[Hagus]

Chapter 9: Shelter Adoption Day day
Grape rubs her eyes sleepily, sun shining through her barred window. She and Steve had been up most of the night “hunting” for mice. Needless to say, it was the longest night of her life. She would’ve slept longer, but for some reason everyone else was already up and making plenty of noise. Grape stumbles to the cage door and looks over at Steve, who is wide awake and talking to himself.
“Steve...what’s going on?” she asks sleepily.
“Pomegranate! You’re up!” he exclaims.
“Again, not my name.”
“Did you forget? It’s SAD day!”
Grape is taken aback by his statement. “SAD day? Today?!”
He nods and smiles. “Yup! Isn’t it exciting?”
Grape doesn’t bother to respond, but instead rushes back to her bed and starts trying to clean up the mess she has refused to clean up for a few months now. Of all nights for her to go mice hunting, why did she choose last night? She needed to rest up for today. She grabs random drawings, pencils, blankets, and things Steve has given her and shoves them under her bed. While she does this, 2 pairs of footsteps echo through the hallway. She stops and turns, and other pets start to fall silent. A tall broad figure strides down the hallway, stopping just outside Grape’s cage. Beside him, Ethan is holding a clipboard and smiling. The man looks up and down the hall, and opens his mouth to speak.
“Attention! My name is Mr. Small. Some of you know me, for I am the owner of this shelter.”
The newer pets look excitedly at each other, while some of the pets like Grape give bored expressions.
“Today, as all of you know, is SAD day! Don’t worry, SAD isn’t a word. It’s an acronym! It stands for Shelter Adoption Day. Today is the day that many of you will find new homes!
Steve raises a paw, and Mr. Small points at him.
“Yes, eyepatch cat. What’s your question?”
“It’s SAD day right?” Steve asks.
“Yes, I just said that” he responds, annoyed.
“So it’s Shelter Adoption Day day?”
“I...” Mr. Small starts, then trails off. Everyone stares at him, waiting for a response.
Grape stifles a laugh and Ethan covers his face with his clipboard.
“It doesn’t matter! What matters is you all will get a chance at a new home!” Mr. Small says, regaining his composure.
A few cheers ring from the cages, and Mr. Small checks his watch. He turns to Ethan and nods. Ethan gives a thumbs up and walks over to the door, turning the electronic “open” sign on. SAD day had begun!
2 hours in
Grape chills on her bed, listening to the endless amounts of people, kids, and pets talk. By her count, at least 10 pets had found new homes already. If the pace kept up, all of them would be gone by the end of the day, including her.
“Don’t get your hopes up” she tells herself.
The excitement she felt betrayed these thoughts though, every person walking by her cage increasing it tenfold. Usually she wasn’t this excited about Shelter Adoption Day day. However...when the first pet to be adopted was Steve, Steve, out of all the cats they could’ve picked, it’s impossible to say nobody else stands a chance. Grape strolls to her cage door, just in time to see yet another adoption taking place. The pet was being held in a human’s arms, not visible to her. She would’ve asked someone who was getting adopted, but the giant ears gave it away.
“Atta boy kid!” she calls to him. The kitten from game night pops his head out from the arms of the human, and waves to her, big smile across his face.
“What name will you be choosing for him?” Ethan asks, typing a few things into the computer.
The human looks down at the kitten, who was fiddling with the bag of chess pieces.
“How about King?” the human asks. The kitten nods excitedly. Ethan pushes a button on the keyboard, printing out the certificate of adoption.
“Congrats King!” Ethan says.
The human waves to Ethan, and King to Grape. Grape waves back, and the newly named King exits the shelter with his new family.
Grape sits back on her bed, still smiling. King was a good kitten, he was going to have a lot of fun in his new home. She already could tell.
10 minutes until closing time
“Thank you ma’am, and enjoy the rest of your day!” Ethan exclaims, as another human leaves with a pet in tow. They had already shattered the record for SAD day adoptions, and that one just made it even more impressive. Mr. Small checks the chart, and raises an eyebrow.
“Are those numbers right?” he asks suspiciously.
“Yes sir! There are virtually no pets left here!”
“Fantastic. I don’t see a need to be here for the last 10 minutes, you want to close up?”
“Sure thing. Have a good night” Ethan replies.
Mr. Small ducks down to fit his large frame through the door, and exits. Ethan grabs the clipboard of pets, many of them crossed off. He begins to walk down the hall, double checking the clipboard was accurate by looking into each cage.
“Charlie? Check. Spot? Check…” he lists off in his mind. He slows, however, when he reaches a cage he seems to spend a lot of time at.
“Grape…” he thinks, seeing no markings on her name. He peeks into her cage slowly, seeing no Grape at first.
“What the…?” he mutters.
Since the cages weren’t lit, Ethan pulls out his phone and shines it into the cage. Behind the bed, Ethan sees a purple paw pull itself out of sight. His expression softens and he slowly opens the cage. He hears a small sniffle from Grape’s direction, and she looks at Ethan from behind her bed. He sits down on the bed, and sets down the phone and clipboard next to him.
“So I saw that King got a family. Pretty exciting huh?” he says, trying to think of something to talk about.
Grape doesn’t say anything for a minute, then sourly responds. “Yeah, good for him.”
The two sit in silence for several minutes, the occasional sniffle from Grape the only sound that is made by either.
“You know Grape, it would be a lot easier to talk to you if I could see you” he teases.
Grape slowly gets up, wiping her eyes. “What is there to talk about? Are we gonna talk about my failure to get adopted again? Or how about how nearly every other pet got a family while I’m still here withering away in a pound?!”
Ethan’s eyes flash down for a moment, then look back at Grape. “I still think you will get adopted Grape. You just need to-”
Grape stopped listening to Ethan. It was the same speech he gave her every year, after every family that tossed her back. That decided Grape wasn’t good enough for them. Her ears burned, and her face turned red. Tears began to run down her face and she felt the words explode out of her before she could even process them.
“Just shut up! Shut. Up. I know what I need to do Ethan. Gosh dang it I KNOW! I need to ‘be more open’ and ‘stay positive’ but it’s not gonna happen! I’m done! You’re just saying these things because you feel sorry for me. Well don’t! I don’t want a family anymore! I’ll sit here and rot in my cage!”
She wipes a few tears off her face and faces away from Ethan, still seething in anger. Ethan goes to say something, but Grape puts a paw up, still facing away from him.
“Just get out.”
“Grape-”
“Get. Out. Now” she says, voice trembling. The edges of her vision here going red.
Ethan stands up and starts to put a hand on her shoulder. “Grape, I’m not going to-”
“I SAID OUT!” she yells, whirling around, lashing a paw out with claws extended.
Ethan stumbles back, hand covering the side of his face. Grape faces him, growling for a moment. The growling fades when Ethan slowly removes his hand from his face, revealing 3 long claw marks running down the side of his face. The smell of iron hits Grape’s nostrils, and her anger turns to shock at what she had just done. She retracts her claws, and her fur lays flat. Ethan looks from his red streaked hand to Grape. His shock turning to a look of sadness and disappointment.
“....fine. I’ll go” he says, clearly hurt. He pulls a bandage out of his pocket and puts it up to his face.
“Ethan…” Grape starts, unsure of what to say.
He takes his phone and clipboard, and strides out of the cage. Grape takes a step to follow, but Ethan shuts the door, locking it. He locks eyes with her for a second, before turning and walking away. The light of his phone fades, and Grape hears the sound of the electronic “open” sign turning off, and the door shutting. She was plunged into darkness, more alone than she had ever been. She slowly dies down on her bed, and buries her face into her pillow, holding back tears, knowing they won't help her.
Unknown to Grape, and most of the town, just down the road at that same time, a rabbit has run away from home, and deep into the woods behind the pound, where he discovers a mysterious temple with a griffin on it…

(I know this was a long, depressing chapter, but I didn't want to split it into 2 parts. The next chapter is also long, so just be prepared for that. Also apologies for this whole story being sad so far, I assure you it's going to get better )

[trekkie]

Poor Grape. Hope she has a chance to mend fences with Ethan. Great, if sad, chapter.

[Amazee Dayzee]

That really stinks that sh ehad to lash out at him like that when he was only concerned about her. But you did a REALLY great job conveying all the feels in this chapter!

All. The. Feels.

[Hagus]

Chapter 10: Rabbit Missing
Fido looks over the group assembled before him, which consists of four K9s, Mr. Sandwich, Jeff, Jerry, Tiger, Bino, Marvin, and Peanut. Each of them carries a flashlight, with it being long past dark. He claps his paws, and flicks his flashlight on.
“Alright, you’ve all already been briefed, but for our audience reading this I’m going to say again why we’re all out here. Zach the rabbit has gone missing somewhere in these woods. We are going to separate into groups, and look all night if we have to. I have split you into groups of three. Each group will be led by a designated sniffer. Tiger, you’ll lead a group with 2 K9s. Peanut, you’ll lead Jeff and Mr. Sandwich. Bino, you’ll lead another officer and Marvin. The last group will be led by me. Any questions?”
Tiger raises a paw.
“Yes Tiger?” Fido asks.
“Yeah, why are you making me lead the group? That’s way too much work.”
“Tiger, you know Zach’s scent better than anyone.”
“What, you just assume I sniff things all day?”
“Yes. You’re a dog, that’s what we do.”
“Not true, I do a lot of sleeping and eating.”
“It’s true,” Marvin chimes in.
Fido shakes his head. “Look, the sooner we get going, the sooner we’ll find him. Then we can all go home and enjoy the remainder of the night. Let’s get moving, and stick together! Radio in if you find anything!”
The groups all march into the forest. Soon, all 4 groups lose sight of each other, and take their section of the forest. Bino’s group moves quickly, working its way through brush and bushes. Marvin exits a bush, fur covered in burrs. He picks one off his fur, and looks ahead at Bino and the K9, both forging ahead.
“Hey guys, can you slow down please?” he calls from behind.
Bino looks back and rolls his eyes. “Sorry, I thought we were trying to find your brother quickly. Guess you aren’t in as big of a rush.”
Marvin jogs forward and catches up to them. “It’s not that. I want to find him more than anyone, but I can’t fly through the bushes like you guys.”
Bino hops over a log, and Marvin scrambles over it.
“Well maybe he can carry you” Bino says, pointing at their K9 companion.
The K9’s bright turquoise eyes gleam in the flashlight’s beam, and he gives them a look.
“Not happening man” he says.
The three pass through a thick line of trees, and spot a strange cabin in a clearing. They all look at each other, concerned.
“That is the most cliche horror-esque shack I have ever seen” Marvin says.
“What, you a scaredy cat? Don’t wanna go investigate?” Bino teases.
“The only thing I’m scared of how loud you’ll scream when the serial killer in that house grabs you and drags you inside.” Marvin retorts.
“Ha! I’ll beat the guy up with one paw tied behind my back!” Bino responds, voice raising.
“Bet!” Marvin yells back.
“Bet!”
“What are you guys arguing about?” the K9 says, standing beside them.
“...where were you this whole time?” Bino asks hesitantly.
“I asked the old dude in the shack if he saw Zach. He said to follow the hand.” he says, pointing to a stone in the shape of a large hand, which is pointing to the left.”
“Oh” both pets say in unison.

[NHWestoN]

The Hermit comes through again! But now ......... Shudder!!

[Amazee Dayzee]

Glad that you have the next installment up! This really brightens my day!

[Obbl]

“Alright, you’ve all already been briefed, but for our audience reading this I’m going to say again why we’re all out here."

Lampshades cover a multitude of sins
The mystery still hangs over me. Looking forward to seeing more

[Amazee Dayzee]

That is why there needs to be more lampshades in the world.

[Hagus]

Chapter 11: Channel Surfer
“So we just sit and wait?” Sabrina asks her mentor.
Tarot puts a few items into a box. “We don’t have any other option. All the futures I see end the same. Whether we find the temple or not before the search party, we will not stop Pete’s release. Unless you want to kill virtually everyone in that search party in the process.”
Sabrina leans back, gears turning. “What about his avatar candidate? Were you able to find them?”
“Yup. Her name is Grape. Purple cat.”
“Never heard of her. Whose house does she live in?”
“She’s a shelter cat. No family, no home, no owner.”
“That doesn’t sound like she’s eligible then. Unless someone adopts her, Pete won’t have an avatar!”
“Well yeah. I’ve stopped her from getting adopted for over 2 years now. At this point, she’s so bitter and unlikable she will reject families without our interference.”
“That’s...really harsh Tarot,” Sabrina says, fiddling with her tag on her collar.
“It was either that or letting Grape become loyal to him, running to the temple, and freeing him herself. I’d say this is better.” Tarot says.

The two avatars stand up, and Tarot yawns.
“I’m gonna head to bed. You’re gonna want to stay up though. Max is gonna come flying through that door in about half an hour asking you questions.”
“Oh boy, sounds fun.” Sabrina says sarcastically.
Tarot sticks her tongue out playfully at Sabrina, and leaves the room. Sabrina flops onto the couch, and touches Tarot’s crystal ball. The ball swirls clouds inside of it, before showing Bino, leading his trio through the woods. Sabrina grabs some popcorn, and begins eating it. With every tap of the ball, the feed shown changes the pet on screen. Marvin. Peanut. Tiger. Fido. Zach.
“There we go.” she says, relaxing and watching the feed.

In the ball, Zach has a laurel on his head, and is standing in the temple alone. She taps it again, and the view switches to the raccoon standing guard outside the temple. Rustling sounds come from the undergrowth, and the raccoon enters a defensive stance. A few seconds later, Bino, Marvin, and a K9 that Sabrina didn’t recognize come into view. The three stop in their tracks at the sight of the temple.

“What in the…?” Marvin says.
“Is that Ancient Akkadian?” the K9 asks.
“Who cares? Let’s get Zach and get out of here. These ferals weird me out.” Bino whispers to them, starting towards the temple.
“Halt!” the raccoon yells, paw out.
Bino keeps walking, and the raccoon steps in front of him, halting his progress.
“The Opener of Ways has unsealed the chamber! Only he may enter, and-!”
The K9 steps forward and glares at the raccoon. “Please step out of the way. That rabbit belongs at his home, not locked in this…”
He looks at the temple again, and does random hand gestures while trying to come up with the words.
Marvin starts to step around the dogs and raccoon. “Look, it doesn’t matter what it is. Let’s just grab Zach and get out of here before something else-”
He stops, and his ears perk up a bit at a sound. The bushes start to rustle to his left, and another raccoon exits the bush, eyes narrowed.
“Don’t even think about it cat! Nobody shall enter!” he shouts.

All around them, more ferals come out from the bushes and trees. The three pets turn, realizing they’re uh...in a bit of trouble. The first raccoon gives Bino a cocky grin.
“Not so tough now are you, dog?” he says.
The K9 steps back from the first raccoon, paws up.
“Ok, let’s not do anything drastic. We’re all smart, civilized people. We can figure this out without-”

Without warning, he turns and punches the first raccoon, knocking him to the ground. The other ferals are taken aback, processing what just happened.
“Marvin, get Zach!” he calls to the orange cat. He then pulls out his radio as the ferals close in. “This is officer Young! Requesting backup! Follow the stone hand by an old cabin to my location, you’ll see what I mean!”
Marvin begins running into the temple, and Bino starts to follow. The K9 snags his collar, pulling him back.
“Ack! What gives!?” he yells.
The officer dodges a charging feral, and lets go of Bino. “I’m not insane, fighting these ferals myself. You’re gonna help!”
A skunk tackles the officer, and tries to pin him to the ground. The K9 grunts, grabbing the skunk and tossing them aside. Before he can get up, a mink and possum grab him.

Sabrina taps the ball, swapping to Bino. The dog is grappling with the 2nd raccoon, pushing back and forth, neither able to get an upper paw. Sabrina raises an eyebrow in surprise. He certainly was doing better than she thought he would. Finally, Bino manages to get an arm up and punches the raccoon in the face. The raccoon grunts, letting go of Bino and covering his nose, some blood starting to leak from it. Bino goes to taunt the feral, but is forced back into the fight, dodging a fox trying to scratch him.

Sabrina taps the ball a few times. The ball shows Fido, leading the rest of the search party to the temple. He points to the stone hand, and follows the pointing of the statue.
“C’mon! This way!” he calls, waving everyone down into the deeper parts of the woods.
The party arrives at a tight formation of rocks, a tunnel-ish gap in the center of the rocks is illuminated by their flashlights. Jerry looks at the gap, and then shakes his head.
“No way we can fit through that.” he says dejectedly.
Fido quickly waves the officers to the gap, the K9s crawling through it. Mr. Sandwich turns to Fido, concerned.
“Is there anything we can do?” he asks.
“Stay here I guess. If something goes wrong we’ll call.” Fido responds before following Peanut through the gap.

[NHWestoN]

That is why there needs to be more lampshades in the world.

Regulation headgear for all festive good times ... and late-night studying.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Anyway I like this chapter very much! Really a nicely written one!

[trekkie]

Good work on these chapters! Interesting to see Bino being a somewhat capable fighter.

[Amazee Dayzee]

That is something that is definitely odd to see but it is nice observing Bino be able to defend himself. For a minute there, I forgot that canon!Bino can be broken by having a cup thrown at him!

[Hagus]

That is something that is definitely odd to see but it is nice observing Bino be able to defend himself. For a minute there, I forgot that canon!Bino can be broken by having a cup thrown at him!

Good work on these chapters! Interesting to see Bino being a somewhat capable fighter.

Well I believe personally that everyone can fight, it just takes a life threatening situation or a dangerous situation at least to bring it out. Can't tell you how many times I've seen skinny little people beat down on a big buff football player, so Bino fighting a feral probably wouldn't be too hard to imagine

[trekkie]

It’s interesting to see Bino being pretty likable, as well, hope that continues.

[Amazee Dayzee]

It's a shame that in order for Bino to be likable, Grape has to have a sucky life.

[Hagus]

Chapter 12: Temple Brawl
Another tap by Sabrina sends the ball to a general overview of the area outside the temple. Bino is pinned by the fox, growling and trying to free himself. The K9 that was with them has a large scratch across his cheek, trying to push a feral off of him. The bushes start to rustle again. Out of the bushes burst the K9s, followed by Peanut and Tiger, with Fido bringing up the tail end (haha tail end get it?). The K9s waste no time tackling the nearest ferals, while Peanut runs up to Bino and tries to pull the fox off of him. He is successful, and Bino scrambles to his feet. The fox, angered, turns and swings at Peanut. The fox never connects however, with Bino charging forward, knocking the fox into the temple wall. Peanut looks at Bino and gives a thumbs up.
“You owe me one Peanut.” Bino says, keeping one eye on the fox.
“Now wait a sec…” Peanut starts.

Fido slides under a diving tackle from a possum, and up to officer Young. He knocks the feral attacking him off their feet, and turns to the officer, who wipes a bit of blood off his face.
“What the heck is going on?!” he yells over the chaos.
“Zach’s inside. These ferals won’t let us get him!” the K9 responds, tossing another raccoon into the bushes.
Fido nods and runs past a K9 fighting with a bunch of squirrels into the temple.

Inside, Fido enters a room with a large glowing bowl, Marvin and Zach standing by it. Fido approaches them, and Zach appears to have tears rolling down his face.
“Hey Zach. You...ok?” Fido asks.
Marvin pats Zach. “The ferals insist he’s some sort of deity, and think he’s going to usher in a golden age. They won’t let him leave until he does so.”
“I didn’t think pushing a button would cause this!” Zach cries, taking off his laurel.
“What button?” Fido asks.
“I was standing at the door to the temple, and I pushed a button like so,” Zach says, pushing a button on the panel in front of the bowl.
The three pets look at the button, which sinks into the panel. The panel retracts into the floor, and the ground begins to shake. Bits and pieces of the temple ceiling begin to fall. Marvin looks around, and sees a particularly large piece falling right above them.
“Move it!” he cries, shoving Fido and Zach out of the way.
The piece crashes down at the spot where the trio were standing a moment ago. Marvin rolls a few feet, avoiding another chunk of ceiling. Zach and Fido scramble to their feet, and Fido points to the exit.
“Let’s go!” he calls, helping Marvin up and taking off towards the exit.

Outside, the fighting is just as intense as when Fido had entered the temple. Although the K9s were bigger, stronger, faster, and trained in hand to hand combat, they were outnumbered at least 4 to 1. Peanut and Bino were trying their best to help, tag-teaming the fox that attacked Bino. They weren’t able to keep the fox down though, oftentimes being thrown off him when they managed to pin him down. Tiger meanwhile, was running around like a chicken with his-
Squints from What Chicken
I mean uh...running around like crazy because a squirrel had burrowed into the fur on his head, and wasn’t coming out. The K9s have formed a loose perimeter around the entrance to the temple, waiting for Fido to return. Footsteps echoing in the temple halls signal to the K9s that Fido had returned. Officer Young sees them approaching, and shoves a possum away.
“He’s got Zach! Fall back!” he calls to the team.

The K9s break off from their fights, all focusing on the center of the group of ferals that surrounds them. One of the larger officers manages to plow through them, opening a gap. Marvin, Fido, and Zach run through the gap, followed closely by the K9s. Over by the edge of the clearing, Bino and Peanut see the retreat.
“Bino! They’re leaving, c’mon!” Peanut calls to Bino.

The two dogs shove the fox down, and follow everyone into the gap in the rocks. On the other side, Bino comes out last, tumbling to the ground after emerging. Fido points to 2 officers, who shove a rock into the opening, blocking the ferals from following them. The entire group lets out a collective sigh of relief, sitting or slumping against trees and rocks. Bino looks over at Fido.
“Did...did we get him?” he asks, out of breath.
Zach pokes out from behind Fido and waves. Bino gives a thumbs up, then goes back to leaning against a tree.

The temple continues to rumble, most of the ferals have run into the woods, with only a few remaining to watch the temple. It shakes violently for a few seconds, and then a loud, bellowing voice rings out, echoing through the woods.
“I...am...FREE!!!”
The remaining ferals flee into the woods as a blue and yellow griffin explodes from the temple. He does a loop-de-loop, before soaring over the woods towards Babylon Gardens. The pets and humans down below stare in awe at him, then look at each other in confusion.
“...are we gonna pretend we didn’t see that or…?” Bino says, still looking at the sky.

Mutters and varied responses from everyone there sound out, and Sabrina double taps the crystal ball, powering it down. She stands up and stretches, her back cracking. She looks at the clock. 11:57. Time for her to catch up on sleep. She starts towards her bedroom, then pauses.
“I’m forgetting something. But what-?”
She doesn’t finish. The door behind her explodes open, Max standing in the doorway.
“SABRINA DID YOU SEE THAT GIANT THING FLYING OVER THE-”

[96N64player]

Grape's way of dealing with the ferals was much more efficient.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I loved reading this chapter! I found it really exciting!

[Hagus]

Grape's way of dealing with the ferals was much more efficient.

Yes, yes it was

So I guess I need to mention, I’ve been posting about every 2 or 3 days, not sure if I’ll get the next one out in time though. I had written several chapters ahead and I finally ran out of my stockpile of chapters
I’ll get the next one out at some point though, don’t worry. In the meantime I’m gonna shamelessly plug Minepets! into this topic and say my wrist is healed enough to work on it again

[NHWestoN]

Leaving us with a giant something taking flight is a pretty good "grabber" as screenwriting folks would call it.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I hope that whatever giant species or object that is that can fly doesn't end up falling out of the sky and crushing a few houses.

[trekkie]

Nice chapter! So Pete’s escaped. This’ll prove quite interesting.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Now that he is out and about, we are getting closer to the point where he transformed Joel into King.

[Hagus]

Chapter 13: The Man Who Is a Reference to Something Even I Don’t Understand
Grape slowly rolls over onto her back, trying to get herself to wake up. It was around noon, but with how things had gone last night, she wanted to sleep for another 12 hours. She opens her eyes slowly, looking up at the ceiling. Another day. Hip hip hooray. Grape tries to get herself to sit up, but her body refuses. She sighs and tries a couple more times, still trying to blink the sleep from her eyes. She snaps herself awake, though, when she sees a man standing in front of her cage door. The man was tall, skinny, had a moustache, and a cane as well as a hat which covered his eyes.

“...hi?” Grape starts hesitantly.
“Hello there kitty,” he responds.
“Were you watching me sleep? That’s kinda messed up.”
The man chuckles. “Not at all. I just arrived and noticed your bright fur. It’s quite beautiful.”
Grape uneasily gets off her bed. Something was strange about this guy. Also vaguely familiar…
A pair of footsteps echoes from down the hall, and Mr. Small arrives next to the man.
“Hello sir, how can I help you today?” he responds cheerfully.
“Yes, I would like to adopt this cat, unless she’s already taken of course.”
Mr. Small makes a face. “Definitely isn’t taken. I warn you though, she’s a bit hot tempered and-“
“I’ll take her,” he interrupts, and Mr. Small shrugs.
“I’ll get the paperwork,” he says, walking off.

When the man turns back around, Grape is glaring at him through the cage. The man tilts his head, amused. Before the man can say anything, Grape points a finger at him, claw out.
“Listen bub, I’m not your pretty little kitty who’s gonna love you unconditionally, and stay with you until you die. I’m happy here, so you can just take your adoption papers and shove them up your-”
The man tips his hat back, revealing his eyes. They glow a brilliant yellow, and Grape stops mid-rant. Memories of her dream flash in her mind. Pete, the feather, the grove. She had dismissed it as a strange fever-dream, and thought the feather had fallen through her window. Could it have been real? She takes a step back, gears turning.
The man smirks, and tips his hat back down. “I think I’ll be a bit different than a normal owner, Grape,” he says as Mr. Small arrives.

“Sign here please,” he says, holding out the papers.
The main obliges, and Mr. Small unlocks Grape’s cage. Grape stands there for a moment, looking back and forth between the two men. She slowly leaves the cage, and the man in the hat hands the paperwork back to Mr. Small. They shake hands.
“Congratulations Mr. Gaspar” Mr. Small says, looking at the signature.
The man starts walking out of the center, pulling Grape along with him, who is still trying to process what is happening.
“Thank you sir. I’ll be sure to give Grape a good home.”
The two leave, with Mr. Small watching them leave.
“What a strange man,” he says to himself, before going back to his desk.

Outside, Grape pulls herself out of the man’s grip, and stands facing him, slightly on edge.
“Ok, you need to explain yourself! Who are you? Are you Pete? Do you work for him? Why did you adopt me? Was the feather real? Are you a celestial or just like some weird magic(k) person who-“
As Grape talks, he snaps his fingers. Grape watches as the world in front of her vanishes, and is replaced by a swirl of colors and snapshots of different parts of what she assumed was Babylon Gardens. It was an incredible spectacle, but it ended as quickly as it started. Grape was now standing outside of a house, the man standing next to her.
“There’s a time for questions Grape. For now, we need to establish a few things. First off, how are you feeling?”
“I feel fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine?” she retorts.
“Usually after warping for the first time, mortals tend to...uh…you sure you’re ok?”
Grape had turned a shade of green, and was swaying back and forth. She puts up a hand up as if to say something, before losing her lunch right in front of the man...well she hadn’t had lunch so I guess it was dinner from last night. “Gaspar” makes a face, and inches away from her.
“Theeeeere it is,” he says, waiting for her to recover.
Grape stays bent over for a minute, before giving him a look. “Thanks for the heads up.”
He pats Grape on the back, and gestures to the house. “How about you head inside, and you can lay down.”
Grape pushes his hand away, and stumbles up the stairs to the house. The door swings open on its own, and Grape enters. “Gaspar” follows behind her, shutting the door.

Across the street, Max and Bino watch the two’s interaction. Bino nudges Max playfully, smirking.
“Control yourself Max. Remember, you already have a girlfriend~” he teases his adoptive brother.
Max rolls his eyes and pushes Bino away. “Ah shaddup. I wouldn’t cheat on Sabrina. Not even if you offered me 5 pounds of nip. Plus she just puked all over the place. Not exactly something I find attractive.”
“Is that because you have integrity or is it because you’re scared of what she would do to you if you found out?”
“....yes.”
Bino chuckles and gestures to the house. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she is some sort of rich cat who looks down on everyone else. Did you see her owner?”
“It’s kind of hard to miss him. What the heck was he wearing?”
“It’s probably a rich people thing. The more ridiculous they look the better right?”
Max nods, before turning to continue down the street. “Something like that. Remember when Duchess paraded around town in that dress thing that looked like toilet paper taped to sandpaper?”
“Oh don’t even get me started on that!” Bino exclaims, laughing with Max.

Inside, Grape is still hurling her guts out. Turns out eating shelter-issued kat kibble right before warping does a number on anyone.

[Amazee Dayzee]

This is a really intriguing chapter! Your writing skills are impeccable Hagus!

[Crazy_Simone]

This is really fun alt universe to explore! A better Bino, Fox befriend with Peanut, Pete finally got an ideal avatar, a cat King.
What would make me even happier (I know not all chapters make ppl happy here) is some cat-lover issue!(which is another good reason for Grape to fight Tarot? Oh I'm overthinking)

Good story! keep it up!

[NHWestoN]

Not a problem, Simone. Over thinking is what goes on here.