HPU Fanfiction: The way the stars shine tonight.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Fri Nov 03, 2017 8:15 pm

The look of anger and frustration on Jolty´s face was that of nothing Leo had ever seen. He knew he had messed up BIG this time. ¨Jolty…..?¨ The dog called out. There was nothing for a few seconds, then, Jolty turned in a fit of rage and slashed, hard, against Leo´s face. ¨YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU JUST DID, LIONEL! THAT WAS MY EVERYTHING AND YOU JUST RUINED IT!¨ The cat gestured to the mess of books, wood, and other objects, burning in a pile. ¨You're no brother to me…….you idiot….¨

Lionel, a upbeat, quirky mutt, shot up in his bed, gasping for breath, like he had almost every night for almost a 3 years. Ever since Jolty, his nerdy, science obsessed friend had lashed out that August night, nearly 3 years ago, he had never slept the same. And now, here he was, returning home tomorrow morning….¨ Grimacing, the dog stood up, and rubbed his eyes. His owners asleep, he looked out at the snow covered lawn of 42 Maplewood Drive, thinking good and hard. What would Jolty be like? Did he make new friends? Was he still researching the weirdness of this world? What was his owner like now? So many questions he had, yet he was afraid for the answers. ¨No matter….¨ He murmured, rubbing the 6 slash scars on his right cheek area. ¨I owe you for what I did, and you're gonna get it, you dork….¨

Jolty looked at his sleeping owner, then back at the window seat, which he´d begged his owner for. He looked at the trees, the the upcoming houses, and the all-too familiar sign which was his last memory from this place…. RIVER FALLS, WEST VIRGINIA POP. 36,000

The bus hissed to a stop, and people began to get off. Nudging his owner, Ivan, he whispered: ¨Ivan. Bussed stopped, get up.¨ Ivan snorted, waking up, and grabbed their luggage, hauling it off the bus. ¨Our house is nearby. I'll get us unpacked, why don't you look around?¨ Jolty nodded, gingerly touching his glasses, and wrapping his scarf around his neck some more. He didn´t know where to begin. The town was busy as ever, people and pets walking about, stopping to talk with one another, generally being friendly. There was one place, however, Jolty did indeed wish to visit.

A short walk there proved to be devastating. ¨Under Construction¨ read the area, and he watched as workers were putting up houses right over his childhood playplace, the woods. His fort, the place where he buried his time capsule, all gone. Looking over at a metal dumpster, it was hard not to tear up a bit when he pulled a old, all to familiar metal briefcase from it. It was heavy, but he managed to drag it to his new home, placing it on the front steps, entering the locks, hearing a timeless *click* and opening the rusted, dented metal case. Photographs from childhood, toys, a letter to people of the year 2050, and a gift from Ivan´s Grandfather, a pocket-watch, came flooding out. Gingerly, tucking the watch into a pocket on his scarf, he looked at each. Childhood friends, crushes, others….people he didn´t know, if they were around, he looked at these photos, feeling the sentimental value they carried, he shut them back in the case, and walked inside. He needed time, time to think.

A few hours later, Jolty was lying on his bed reading a book when there was a knock on the door. He went over, and opened it up, and saw a black cat with violet eyes, and a purple scarf at the door. Next to her was a Dog, a Dalmatian, who sported a beanie and a mint green collar. Their faces lit up the second they say him in the doorway. ¨JOLTY!¨ They screeched in unison, tackling the cat. Jolty, confused more than ever, picked up his glasses, and squinted at these new creatures.

¨D-Dom? Saria?¨

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Post by **CyberDragon** » Sat Nov 04, 2017 3:05 pm

I like your writing, Jolty! The thing part about the time capsule made me tear up a bit.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:10 pm

Thank you very much, Cyber! I intend on adding more, if you want to see it.

biddyfox · Post by **biddyfox** » Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:44 pm

This is such a fantastic start. Im hooked. Looking forward to the next chapter

Saturn381 · Post by **Saturn381** » Mon Nov 06, 2017 3:54 am

Nice job, Jolty.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:39 pm

Uh, hello everyone, thanks for the support and feedback on Chapter 1. I hope you all enjoy Chapter 2, but before I begin, I would like to ask if you are interested in reading another story, where it´s my character, Jolty, visiting and interacting with all the other characters of Babylon Gardens and the Official HousePets! Universe. If you want to read it, just say so. I will be posting the chapters of my stories here. So, if you all wish to read another story, just say so, and I will work on it. That being said, my apologies for the rambling authors note, lets get into Chapter Two of The Way the Stars Shine Tonight.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The three animals sat by the fire, swapping stories, and catching up on what had happened in their lives in the past 3 years. Perhaps it was just the light, the friends, and the feeling of coming to rest after a long day, but Jolty felt more at home than he ever had in the three years he had lived with Ivan at his collage in Maryland. He closed his eyes, and sighed, the warmth of the fire warming his fur.

*Bonk* Jolty opened his eyes to find the twinkling, mischievous eyes of Dom looking back at him, his paw bonking Jolty´s nose. He smiled, and put his paw on Dom´s nose, and they shouted ¨Taxes!¨ at the top of their lungs. They chuckled, laughing at their inside joke. Saria looked confused, but smiled anyways.

¨So, Jolty. How long do you plan on staying here?¨ Dom asked, excited to see his friend again.

Jolty shrugged. ¨Dunno. I want to stay for good, but, uh, Ivan might go back to school, and I´ll have to head either with Ivan, or his family members who live in Montana, which, you know...¨ He lowered his gaze, clearly upset by the prospect. ¨Is a ways away.¨

Saria smiled. ¨C´mon dork, cheer up! You just got back, you´ve gotta while before you gotta worry about that! So, just chillax, ´sokies?

Jolty couldn´t help but smile. ¨Yeah, thanks guys. I can always count on you guys to cheer me up.¨

Saria gave him a bear hug, and Dom rubbed his head. ¨No probs.¨

. . .

The three pets walked outside, staring at the stars. Well, what stars could be seen. The feeling of slipping into a comfortable normality they hadn´t realized how much they missed was certainly pleasing in itself. But the hot chocolate in their paws? Made this entire situation a thousand times better.

¨So....what should we do now?¨ Jolty asked, his hot breath creating clouds of steam in the early November night.

¨Well.........I was gonna say we go eat dinner at my house.¨ Dom grinned slyly. His mom made pretty much the best food this side of well....anywhere to be perfectly honest.

Saria and Jolty had more stars in their eyes than their where in the sky that night. ¨YES.¨

Dom grinned harder. ¨I thought so. C´mon, moms is making Tomato Grilled Cheese and Soup!
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Perhaps the night was could, but the three friends raced off, knowing full well that anything even lukewarm would heat them like a furnace. The Heartwood household was filled with talking, happiness and livelyhood that many people only dream of. Ivan came looking for Jolty, and joined in on the festivities. Grandfather Heartwood, broke out his Violin, and sung in Irish of happy times and the good will and luck of the past and future.

Halfway through, Jolty burst into tears, happy to feel like he had a home and a family to call his own once more. It had been such a long, long time since he felt like this. He fell asleep on the couch, his two best friends at his side, the word ¨Home¨ ringing in his ears as it was whispered in his ear in the dark. From who, he didn´t remember. But he sat, everything he wanted at the moment satisfied.

Tomorrow is another day. I´ll have to face my other problems sometime, but now....I am at home....

Krytus The Dreamer · Post by **Krytus The Dreamer** » Mon Nov 06, 2017 4:15 pm

I’d say it be worth a read. Also, I trust you.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:59 pm

Chapter 3

"Well, ain't you just the luckiest cat around." A voice said, stirring Jolty awake, yawning. He rubs his eyes seeing Ivan extending a coffee mug for him to pick up. Jolty takes it, and lets his brain warm up, and then suddenly, it clicks in his head. Saria apparently had thought that Jolty was an excellent heat source, and had snuggled up to him, her arms wrapped tightly around his body.

Jolty felt the heat in his cheeks pick up, and his heartbeat began to race. Sputtering, he looked desperately at his owner, who simply grinned, and walked away. Looking around, he saw Dom, who had slipped off the couch, onto the floor, and now was looking at Jolty with a sly expression. "Dom....please help...." Dom , grinned, and got up, walking out in the exact same way Ivan had. "Good luck, Jolty~"

I will kill both of them later, as soon as I get out of this.... He thinks, looking down at Saria. "Okay, okay...I guess I should just...wake her up?"

15 minutes later, and Saria still hadn't woken. Apparently she's a heavier sleeper than.....Leo....

"..."

Jolty sighed. He knew he'd have to go talk to Leo eventually, and it scared him. He had hurt his already hurt friend." What had I been thinking...Leo already doesn't have an arm, and I lashed out at him like that. I may have hated him for destroying all my work, all my writing, but....I shouldn't have ever hurt him..."

"Ugh...what time is it?"

Jolty's attention flicked down to the cat next to him. Saria, stirred, her violet eyes looking up at him. It took her a second to realize where she was, and who he was. Then she smiled. Am I the only one feeling how awkward this situation is? Jolty thought.

But Saria never seemed to falter,always happy, always confident, and this was no exception. She nuzzled under Jolty's neck. "Mornin' dork!"

Jolty sighed. "Hi Saria. Care to explain what your up to?"

She grinned. "Oh, you know." She gets up, and walks out of the room, running her tail under his chin as she leaves. "Chillin'~"

Jolty sighed. Getting up, he followed her. "You know, you could always just go sit by the radiator, or on the washing machine. Or, heck, get a blanket?" He sipped his coffee, looking around, and seemingly unhappy with it. "Ivan never puts cream in it...." Finding the creme in the fridge, the cat adds it, and sips. "Mm....pretty good."

Saria smirked. "You are so weird." But she looked around herself. "Want to take a walk? I figure you'd like to be shown around after being gone for so long."

Jolty shrugged. "Sure, why not, let me go tell Ivan, and get Dom." He walks out of the room, heading to where he last saw Dom, only for a back paw to reach out, and grab his.

"Actually...." Saria said, a smile on her face "I thought maybe we could walk alone."

"Is it always this cold this time of year?" Jolty asked. He had agreed to go with Saria, under the condition they leave behind some kind of note letting everyone know where they had gone. Saria just huffed. "Your no fun. Making them guess is the best part." They walked along, wrapped in thick scarves, casually making conversation. They had begun to catch up yesterday, but they opened up more, talking about how the separation had been, what life had been like on both sides, and, what Jolty had feared most, Leo.

It was Saria who brought it up. "So....you ever hear from Leo?"

Jolty looked away, rubbing his paws together. "N-no..."

Saria looked back, a rare somber look on her face. "Not all of it was burned."

Jolty's head snapped up almost immediately. "What."

Saria shook her head. "It was mostly garbage dude. Old things he'd found in the trash. Very little was your stuff. Didn't you always keep the really important stuff locked away? Leo probably doesn't know the code."

Jolty slipped in a terrified expression. "Stars above....I never...." He looked at the ground, feeling tears begin to brim on his face. "I-I feel even worse now....I never should have hit him, but....knowing and remembering that, I...."
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Saria nuzzled his face. "Jolts...you can't be completely angry at yourself. He still burned you work, some of it. He shouldn't a done that." She grabbed his face. "Look at me. We are going to go over there, and you are going to apologize, and I am going to make sure he does, alright?"

Jolty nodded, hugging Saria. "Thanks."

Saria had a startled expression for a moment, then smiled. "No problem, dork....."

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Sat Nov 11, 2017 12:15 pm

Chapter 4

*Knock Knock*

Jolty felt the tension in his very soul as he saw the door open, and a familiar face, with 6 scars running down the right cheek look at him. He was speechless. "I gave you scars. Oh my stars....Leo....I...I.." Jolty looked at the ground. "Leo I am so sorry for everything. I never shoud have hit you, I should of remembered I kept my important-"

Jolty was cut off by an arm and a half being wrapped around him. "Dude. I am sorry too....I am sorry I burned the stuff I did, I never should have. Can we please, please, PLEASE, never fight again?! Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?!" Leo was shouting, tears streaming from both their faces. Jolty smiled. "Please....let's never fight again..."

*Flashback*

"Mommy? Daddy?"

"Yes Leo?" His owners looked down at him, smiling

"Can we go say hi to that kitty? He was here last time, we should say hello!" A young pup, named Leo, gestured to a cage full of different cats. He dragged his owners over to the cage, where a young cat sat in the corner...reading? The shreds of newspaper that covered the floor for the cats to play with where pieced together, and he was reading it. He looked up, squinting. "Uh....hello."

"Hi kitty! My owners are looking for another pet, and I think I want you as my brother!!!" Leo smiling, his tongue hanging from his mouth.

The cat smiled somberly. "Uh...thanks. But I don't think you want a freak like me."

Leo tilted his head. "Freak? How are you a freak, kitty?"

His father glanced at the card with the kitten's picture on it. "Leo, the cat's name is Jolty. Apparently your from Alaska? That's a ways away, how'd you get here?"

Jolty grimaced. "My owner was a wicked old guy. He lived as like....a hermit? I guess. He came down to visit his family, and died. I got moved here. And uh....." Jolty held up his paws. Most cats had five fingers, but he instead had 6. "I'm...p-polydactl...a freak."

Leo frowned. "Just because your different doesn't make you a freak..."

Jolty looked at the ground, embarrassed. "How would you know that...?"

Leo put his arms out, touching the cage. His fingers touched it, and the other arm was missing at the elbow, and had wrappings on it. "Your not the only one born different, kitty..."

*Flashback end*

After a heart warming reunion with his old family, Leo pulled Jolty aside, and handed him a metal safe. "I made sure to keep what was left safe. I haven't broken in, it's all here..."

Jolty gingerly touched it, picking it up. It was heavier than he remembered. "Thanks...."

Leo grinned, and rubbed his brothers head with his stump. "No problem, nerd."

They laughed for a moment, then Jolty opens the case, pulling out books, files and photos, with mounting excitement. "Leo, everything we need is here!"

Leo looked at Jolty, puzzled. "We?"

"Yes we! We are going to finally get some answers of everything I wanted to know! All this old research we found, buried in the woods, it's all here! Nothing of major importance was destroyed, so I think we can go over to the library tomorrow! You want to know why?" "Why?" "Well, when I was at collage, sounds funny saying it, but anyways. When I was there, I found a book. Talking about ciphers. It wasn't using Atbash Cipher, Leo. It was using Caesar Cipher! It we go to the library, and find the book, we can finally translate it!"

Leo grinned. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow, we gather the others, and go over to the library, and finally continue the hunt."

Jolty nodded eagerly. "Just imagine. We can finally get some answers, or at least a lead! Perhaps it will explain all the weird stuff we have seen, yet the humans cannot seem to see."

Leo got up, and walked Jolty to the door. "I stick by my belief that it's just that the humans are stupid." He pushed Jolty out the door. "Have fun with your girlfriend, poindexter. Oh, yeah, by the way, can I see is Annabelle want's to come?"

Jolty looked back. "She's not my girlfriend. But, uh, yeah. You two still a thing?" Leo nodded. "Okies. She can come along. Oh, by the way, have you seen Saria? She was with us for dinner, but she disappeared after that..." Leo grinned. "Dunno. See you tomorrow, dork!

"That grin makes it look like you do-" "SURPRISE!!!" "AHHHH SARIA WHAT THE HECK?! NO NO NOPE, TO CLOSE!" "Snuggles time!"

*The next day....*

Jolty, Dom, Saria, Leo, and Leo's girlfriend, a Australian Shepard named Annabelle walked along the street. It was like it used to be, as Dom pointed out. "Leo and Annie are making out, Saria is staring at Jolty, who has his face in a book, and I am making jokes about you all!" Moments later, Dom had been pelted with freshly made snowballs, courtesy of the other pets. They arrived at the library a few minutes later. The lady at the desk greeted them with a warm smile, and hot apple cider.

They all slid over to a table, and Jolty rushed off to find the book. A few minutes later, he came back, holding it, and singing the Dewey Decimal System Rap, which was rewarded but a head rub from Leo and being called a nerd. Jolty opened book, and looked for the little marks, pinpricks on the page. Writing them out, it spelled "Zkdw sodfh exlow rxu krphv, rxu krxvhv, zkdw sodfh lv srzhuhg eb wkh qdphvdnh ri wklv wrzq? Wkhuh, wkh dqvzhuv zloo eh wr wkh txhvwlrqv brx vhhn. Brx kdyh frph idu, brxqj shw, dqg nqrzohgjh lv brxu sulch."

Annabelle breathed. "Wow, that's a lot...." Leo shook his head. "Not for poindexter. He's a master of this, he has spent years doing it, he could do it in a few minutes.

"Uh, Leo...." Leo looked over to see Jolty using a library computer to translate it.

"...Oh.."

A few seconds later, Jolty printed out the deciphered message. Everyone crowded around the read. "What place built our homes, our houses, what place is powered by the namesake of this town? There, the answers will be to the questions you seek. You have come far, young pet, and knowledge is your prize."

"I guess we're going to the sawmill...." "Didn't they shut that place down years ago? It's on tyhe verge of collapsing, from what I've seen." "It's over by the old train tracks, we can walk there." Jolty stuck the message in his rucksack. "Right. Let's go, and finally get the answers we've been looking for."

They walked out of the library (after taking a thermos of cider from the kind lady at the front desk) and started walking over to the tracks. The old line hadn't been used in almost a century, after an accident at the sawmill badly damaged the old bridge. It was to dangerous for humans the try and fix it, or even go near it. But not for pets. They stepped onto the tracks, and started walking. It would be about a 40 minute walk.

Jolty pulled out the pocket watch of Ivan's grandfather, and stared at it. He had been given the watch, not Ivan. But why? He did have a close bond with the old man, but....wouldn't he give it to his grandson, instead of his grandson's pet?

Leo looked back, and saw Jolty standing there, lost in thought. "Oi! Your running this show, poindexter! You coming?"

Jolty's gaze snapped up to meet Leo's. "Oh, sorry! I was just...thinking. We'd better get going, if we want to make it there before sundown." Tucking the watch back into his scarf, they started walking.

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Post by **CyberDragon** » Sun Nov 12, 2017 4:25 pm

Nice writing, Jolty! So far, it looks good!

Post by **D-Rock** » Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:15 pm

Alright, things seem to be interesting. Let's see where the journey takes us.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:00 pm

Chapter 5

"Oh my gawd. It's so cold and dark out!" Dom complained as the group trudged along, heading for the mill.

"Dom, your the reason we all wasted an hour! You complained of being cold, so we all went and got our coats and stuff!" Leo shot back. It was true, the usually happy go lucky Dalmatian was rather short furred, compared to the rest of the group, and had decided to complain, moan and whine until the group begrudgingly agreed to go back, and get their coats.

Jolty tugged on the hand-me-down over-sized army jacket his owner had given him, as it was messing up his satchel. "Sorry guys, I could've gone on my own, you know. You all could have gone home." He felt bad now. What had once been an exciting adventure, and an opportunity to spend time with his friends was now turning into a chore for them, and he was feeling guilty.
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But Saria shook her head. "Don't worry 'bout it, Sparkplug. We all woulda said something if we where THAT miserable." She stopped to look at a train car, pushed off on a side road. "But, I do gotta ask. Are we almost there?"

Jolty smiled. "Yeah, we are! Actually, it's right up ahead!" Just as he gestured, the old, broken down building came into view. It was exactly what you'd expect from something that hadn't been touched in almost 95 years. A broken down,decrepit place. The perfect hiding place for a secret. Jolty walked out front, looking for a safe entrance point for his friends. "Okay, guys, I see a safe entryway! Follow me!" The other pets followed in suit, and entered the old mill.

Jolty trotted down through the halls, holding a stick out in front of him, tapping the floor for weak spots. After 15 or so minutes, still no luck. Then he heard Dom shout, and not in a good way, and came running.

What he saw was his friend being sucked closer into some kind of glowing light. Was this the towns secret?! He saw his other friends trying to pull him back, but to no avail. He realized he had to go get Dom, even if it meant the weird light thingy eating him. Getting a running start, he dashed into the air, gravity seemingly vanishing around him. He floated, trying to propel himself towards Dom. When he reached his friend, he grabbed him, and threw him towards the doorway. Though gravity seemingly had failed around them, it was enough force to propel Dom, along with his friends, out of the event horizon of this weird light.

It was also enough to propel the Tabby straight into the glowing ball.

There was a flash of light, and a booming, like a clap of thunder, which echoed throughout River Falls. People looked, startled, wondering what could have made such a noise.

Dom looked up in shock, as the glowing ball disappeared. What had just happened? He just remembered looking for the secret, entering a room, a glowing thing showing up, and bam!, he was floating!

Leo looked around in shock and terror. "Jolty?!" He remembered the light, his friend pushing them back, just as- looking in realization at the cracked wall, he realized: His friend, the brother he loved dearly had sacrificed himself in an attempt to save them. "No...." was all he could say.

When the others awoke, they found Leo curled up in a ball, frozen in shock, and terror. They had to carry him all the way home, with only his quiet breathing, and the last sliver of the sun in the sky to let them know they where still alive.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, I need to level with everyone. I want to continue this story, but I feel like there are some things I need to say and explain.

1. Yes, this story has extremely heavy inspiration from the popular show, Gravity Falls. It's one of my by far favorite shows, and if you don't like that show, or hate this story because of the amount of inspiration I have from it, I really apologize. I don't want it just to be a HousePets! version of Gravity Falls, as I have a bunch of story aspects I want to include that are not Gravity Falls related. So, on my behalf, I sincerely apologize for that, I hope you all understand and forgive me. Like my Jumanji story, I have full intentions of expanding beyond, I just needed to get through this short beginning piece, with a few small chapters.

Second, do you people know about the ciphers, how to solve them, and etc? Because if people do not like those, I will seriously just remove them.

3rd, I want to say that chapters should get longer, and improve quality from here on out. I am trying to improve, and I hope it shows.

Thank you all for your time. I apologize for the short update. After the last chapter of my Jumanji story airs, I will be coming back to this in full force. I am also going to be drawing more, and maybe make a comic. I hope you all understand, and I once again thank you for your patience. -Jolty

Post by **D-Rock** » Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:59 pm

Never made the time to properly check the series out. I'm only vaguely aware of Ciphers, as they came up briefly in another fan fic I kept track of, "Hearts of the Selfless." Tried to decode what was here just now, are there different varieties of Cipher? what I plugged in was nonsense.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:50 am

Look for italicized letters in the story to figure out what kind of cipher you are dealing with. I don't want to ruin the fun.

Post by **D-Rock** » Thu Nov 23, 2017 6:44 pm

Found it. Neat.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Fri Nov 24, 2017 9:56 pm

Hey Folks, just wanted to let everyone know that the first real chapter, after this prologue type thingy, is all in progress, and I hope it will be typed, written, and posted by Sunday. Thanks for the support an co-operation! ^^

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Sat Nov 25, 2017 4:11 pm

Chapter 6

Hurt. Everything on and inside Jolty hurt. He felt like his entire body had been shattered into a million pieces, and put back together with searing hot glue. Shaking he opened his eyes, looking around. He couldn't see, everything was pixely and tv static-like. Holding his head for a moment, he closed his eyes, and took deep, slow breaths....

Okay. He thought. Getting up, he opened his eyes. The static was gone, but everything was blurry. "'Sonova cow-licker...." He murmured. Feeling around, he located his glasses, and balanced them on his nose. Looking around, he saw nothing. Nothing but a big, empty field. It was cold, and a breeze flew through the area. Shivering, he pulled his over-sized coat around him more, and felt his heartbeat quicken.

"H-hello?"

Nothing. Not even the wind. This was good and bad. Nothing may mean no predators, wanting to eat a bite-sized creature like him. But nothing also meant no one was around to help. "Okay Jolty....just analyze your situation...." He decided to look at the plants some more. Observing closely, he realized it was corn. "Well, that's good. I've got a food source." Not a very nutritious one, but beggars can't be choosers....

The corn was in rows, and extended for longer than he thought possible. Picking a direction, and began to walk. The sun was starting to set, and he was hoping to find something, anything, rather than just corn.

10:46 pm.... Jolty thought. Fortunately, he always carried his satchel, with had survival items tucked inside it for situations like this. Okay, maybe not being abducted by a glowing ball of light, but you get the idea.

A flashing light caught his attention, followed by the stomping of boots. "I'm telling you, Daryl. I heard something out here." Another creature sighed. "Sweetheart, it might have been one of the cats. You know they go roaming together at night. Ain't like they don't make a racket chatting it up. But, if you feel so confident, I guess we can look."

Jolty's ears shot up. Humans, possibly. Based on the boots, the reflections, etc, it was a human farmer, and his wife. But would they help him? He shouldn't trust them, but still.....

Remaining quiet for a moment, and after they dug around for a moment, he heard the lady sigh. "Guess it was nothing. But ah coulda sworn I heard a thing talking...." Jolty heard a kissing noise, and then. "It's late. You shouldn't have been out here, getting vegetables, miles from the house. It's almost 11'na clock." He heard the boot stomping fade, and followed, quiet and calculated.

After following the humans (yes, he saw they where indeed humans) for around half an hour of walking, he watched at the edge of the seemingly endless corn as the folks went inside, followed by a dog, who, based on his voice, sounded very young.

Jolty sat, thinking, his brain racing a mile a minute. Okay, Jolty, think. You are stuck in a place that seems to be a long ways away from home. It's a similar place, so I might not be in another dimension or whatever. Or it's a similar dimension..... The lump in his throat go bigger when he thought of that. Being across the world made him less scared; he could get home even if it took a lot of work. But a whole other dimension? Jolty liked to think he was a fairly smart cat, but he knew nothing about dimensions, even if he liked the idea.

He buried his face into his paws. "I guess it's true....Knowledge comes at a price....Gosh, what did I get myself into......"

Peeking out again, he saw everything, pet, human, etc, appeared to be either inside or in the barn nearby. He shot out of the cornfield, and wandered over to the road. Looking around, he looked for something, anything he could use as a reference point. Looking, he saw a beat down sign a few hundred feet down the road. Walking over to it, he brushed the fall leaves off it, reading the sign. BABYLON GARDENS, 50 MILES

Babylon Gardens? He had never heard of a town like that. But, hey, the world was a big place, right? There where plenty of places he could not know about.

Or it doesn't exist in our- Jolty slapped his cheeks, taking in the cold night air. "Stop thinking like that, Jolty. Kitten steps, kitten steps, you'll reach that bridge when you reach it. For now, I think this is your best bet. Just one foot after the other...."

So Jolty began to walk, stopping by the edge of the cornfield, grabbing two ears of corn. It was going to be a long walk, and he needed something to eat. You could go ask those folks, they might even let you stay the night.... No, no. Who knows, they might attack an kill you, they might hurt you.... So, he kept walking, hoping the trip wouldn't take to long....

Approximately 2-ish days later....

Jolty ground his teeth into the disgusting corn. Turns out, the corn had not been the sweet, tasty variety that he on occasion had as a treat, and rather, was the kind of corn put in alfalfa and cow/horse food. Not tasty, but it was something. It had taken him roughly a full two days to reach Babylon Gardens on foot. This accounted for roughly 4 hours of sleep, and the time it took to evade cars who stopped, either asking if he wanted a ride, or where trying to catch him. As you can probably guess, the latter took longer. He was tired, grumpy, and hungry for something other than cruddy cow corn.

Jolty wasn't generally a violent person, liking to solve things diplomatically. But there were a few occasions, like this one, that, if someone ticked him off, intentionally antagonizing him, he seriously was about to deck someone.

.....

Bino was in a overconfident mood. He had gone out and gotten the entire Good Ol' Dogs Club to listen to him for once, and his ego was roughly the size of Majora's Moon right now. He wasn't a bad guy, he just had some.... popularity issues, to say the least. He was on his way to buy a gift for his girlfriend, and saw a grey-striped tabby in an oversized army coat, wearing glasses, wandering down the street, eating a piece of corn. Grinning mischeviously, he opened his mouth, and did the equivalent of throwing a brick of Cesium in a bucket of water.

"Hey Four-Eyes, your a cat, not a cow! Also, the war's over, you can take the jacket off!"

Jolty's eyes widened for a moment. Looking over, he saw a smug looking brown dog with green eyes and collar looking at him, grinning. A condescending, mocking grin. Everything inside Jolty said to punch that grin right off his face. But he closed his eyes, and unclenched his fists. Proceeding the chuck the corn-husk at the dog, hard, he walked on, looking for the police station.

After walking around, and an uneasy exchange with a kind stranger, Jolty located the police station. A large, average looking building that appeared to have no regular doors, simply motion activated ones. Odd. Jolty thought as he entered, but remained on guard. He apprached the front desk, where an laid-back looking officer sat. Gently touching the bell, the officer lifted his hat up, staring at the cat. Grinning kindly, he offered his hand. "Well hey there, cat! How can I help ya?"

Jolty took his hand, doing his best to make a genuine smile, but still felt uneasy. "Uh, hello officer. I was hoping you could tell me where we are? I'm afraid I'm lost."

The officer smiled again, and pulled up a map on the monitor next to him. "Sure, I can help you! Where in Babylon Gardens! Would you like to use the computer to find where you live?"

Jolty nodded again, adjusting the keyboard in front of him. His hands shaking, he typed in River Falls, Virginia.

No search results.

Jolty's breath went dead for a moment, before he tried again. No results.....

His throat dry, forced a smile, he looked up at the officer. "Uh, thanks officer. I know where I am now." As he turned to leave, he felt a hand clamp on his shoulder. "Uh, hey....I'm an officer, son. I can tell a liar from a truther, you know?" The police man laughed at his own joke. "I can tell you don't know where your house is. Do you...uh...need a place to stay? Because you can stay at my house till you figure it out. I've got a pet, he's a good dog, I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing."

Do I trust him? Jolty's mind was racing. He'd never heard of a "Babylon Gardens" and his town didn't exist. He was in another world, probably the same Earth, just different people. He had seen a theory show that talked about these kinds of realities before. What if he's just gonna dump me at a shelter?! I can't trust him....But, he sounded genuine.

Breaking from traditional Jolty thinking, he decided to trust the stranger. "That- That'd be great, if it is not a trouble."

The man sounded legitimately relieved. It worried Jolty, and also filled him with a sense of happiness. "Cool. My shift ends soon, so we can wait here for a few minutes, then get going." Jolty nodded. The man grinned. "I'm Bill, by the way. How do you feel about motorcycles?"

Jolty groaned. This was probably going to be an....interesting time here...

End of Chapter 6

Hlnvgrnvh blfi vmvnrvh xzm yv ivozgvw gl z mvd yvhg uirvmw....

Post by **D-Rock** » Sun Nov 26, 2017 12:31 am

Well, let's see how the dynamic unfolds. At least there's an actual bucket seat.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Sun Nov 26, 2017 6:19 pm

Chapter 7

Jolty groaned as he hopped off the motorcycle, pulling out his circular specs from some distant pocket, and putting them on. Everything's blurry....excellent... He thought to himself. Bill drove....recklessly...possibly worse than Ivan did, and that was saying something.

Ivan....No, stop, focus on the present. Pushing the thought of his owner worlds away in to a deep crevice inside the cerebral cortex of his brain, he rubbed his eyes, and looked around, trying to orient himself.

Bill, getting off the bike, chuckled and patted the cat's head. "Ahaha! That was fun, wasn't it?" Jolty managed a nod, and followed Bill inside a simple looking 2 story house. "Your gonna have to share the basement with Fox, is that okay?" The cat nodded again, following the man into the basement. Fox....so, I guess that's my new roommate...

Clicking on a bulb, Bill pulled out an old sleeping bag, and spread it out in a corner. "Well, here you are, cat! I never caught your name, by the way." Jolty mumbled his name, and thanked him for the help. "Aw, no problem. Now, I've gotta go get some groceries. Fox is out and about, he'll be back soon." Jolty nodded, and sat down on his...bed, lost in thought.

About 20 minutes later, Jolty was jarred from his thoughts by a tapping on his shoulder. "AHHH HOLY MOSES!" The cat shouted, leaping into the air. He heard a cough, and turned around, to see a grey dog in a yellow bandanna. "Uh....hey. You're the cat that Dad says is staying with us."

Jolty held up his hands, shaking them in a disagreeing motion rapidly. "Okay, just for the record, I have no intentions of stealing from your family. It was your father's idea, and I-" Fox shushed him. "I didn't think that, but thanks. You seem nice enough."

There was an awkward silence between the two pets. "I, uh...am not exactly a dog with experience as a friend of cats, so I don't really know...you know, what to say." Fox mumbled, kicking his feet awkwardly. Oh... Jolty thought.

"Socialization isn't exactly my forté, so...I don't really know what to say, either. Well, uh, how about some introductions? I'm Jolty, it's a pleasure." The cat offered a paw.

Fox took it. "Fox. So, you some kind of runaway?"

Jolty rubbed his hands nervously. "Not really. I'm....lost, to say the least. I don't know why your father didn't dump be at the shelter, it's what most people would have done in those circumstances."

Fox shrugged. "He's got a big heart, you know?" "Indeed he does. Now, if only his driving skills where as good as his heart." Fox burst out laughing. "Ho boy, yeah. Did you get sick?"

Jolty grinned, feeling like he was easing into conversation. "Yeah, I did. I have a kind of week stomach too, so that was almost a messy ride."

Fox's face, once clouded with suspicion, anxiety, and doubt, now looked more relaxed. "Yeah, you're alright, I can tell. You want to get some food?" The dog started for the stairs.

Jolty smiled. "Yeah, just let me set my bag down." Setting down his satchel, he looked at it for a moment. There's gotta be a way out of this....I guess I could go look at the local library for answers tomorrow....but for now, I guess I will just appreciate these kind folks... Turning, he followed Fox upstairs, into the kitchen.

They sat at the counter, quietly sipping drinks, and taking the occasional chip from bowl they had placed at the center of the table. Jolty, who had been delighted at the discovery that Bill's house contained coffee, took a sip of his caffeinated drink. "So....uh, what do you do in your time during the day?"

Fox smiled. "Not to brag, but I am a police dog. You?" "I write and draw, mostly. Being a police dog must be real interesting. Anything exciting happen as of late?"

Fox blushed. "Well, uh....I don't really want to talk about it." Jolty held up a hand, as a friendly gesture. Fox stared hard at his hand for a moment. The cat realized what he was doing, and hid his hand.

Fox looked startled. "Hey, I uh....didn't mean anything by it." Jolty shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. I just....don't like to talk about it."

The awkward silence resumed. Fox cleared his throat. "I can show you around town tomorrow, if you'd like. I don't have anything planned, and....I'm off duty." Jolty nodded. "That'd be nice." Fox smiled. The tension seemed to lessen.

After a hour or so of talking, the two animals retired to bed, more stressed out for tomorrow morning than they let on.

The next day....

Fox got up, and brushed up, getting ready to face the day. When he headed to the 1st floor, he found himself greeted by his Mom and Dad, along with Jolty who had a....thermos? He was pouring coffee into it, and sealing it tight, stuffing it into his bag. His parents looked over, and greeted him to breakfast.

A short meal, and a wave goodbye later, the two pets were out the door, and ready to face the day. Jolty was mumbling to himself. "This is a horrendous idea, Fox. I know enough about the dog hierarchy to know you're about to take a serious reputation hit."

Fox looked back. "Look, Jolty. I'm glad you're concerned for my....reputation, but, uh, your my friend now, you know? I'd rather you not get lost, heheh..."

Jolty rubbed the back of his head. "A-alright then....god, am I really stuttering? I haven't done that in a long time..." Fox trotted down the street, his newfound companion in tow.

A few local dogs gave Fox waves, and then stares as Jolty sheepishly followed behind, wrapping himself even more in the dull, dingy grey scarf he wore. Oh stars, this is kind of embarrassing. Let's just get this over with....

Over the course of the next 3 hours, Fox gave a pretty lengthy and accurate explanation of Babylon Gardens, it's sights, etc. He stopped at a familiar spot the police station. "Ah here we are, the police station. Pretty self explanatory, I'd like to think. Any questions?"

Jolty shook his head. "No, thank you. I can tell you kind of want to go. I get it. I'll find my way around. Thanks for the help, Fox."

Fox gave him a apologetic look. "Sorry, it's nothing personal, I just-"

Jolty held up a hand. "Hey, remember what I said earlier? Don't worry about it, I'll see you tonight."

Fox nodded, and ran off, feeling a combination of relief and incredible guilt.

And a lone Jolty stood in the street, waiting on the universe for something interesting to study.

He didn't have to wait long.

A brown dog and a purple cat came walking down the street, holding....Christmas decorations. Duh, stupid. It's November, everyone's getting ready for the holidays....

The dog looked at him, and smiled. "Hey there stranger! You look new, I don't think I've seen you before!"

Jolty gave him a nod. "Uh, greetings." He looked at the box. "Getting ready for Christmas, I see. Do, you, uh, um....need any help?" Gosh, I am out of touch with talking to strangers....Don't be stupid, and you'll be fine. That's what Leo always said...

The dog gave him another big, goofy grin. "Some help would be awesome! Can you pull the sled?" The dog gestured to a sled full of ornaments, wrapped gifts and various Christmas-like things. "I'm Peanut by the way! This is Grape!" He gestured to the cat next to him, who just stared. "I'm Jolty...." he mumbled in reply.

"It's nice to meet you, Jolty! Thanks for the help!" Jolty nodded. "Yeah, of course. He took the sled's rope, and followed the pets ahead of him to their unknown destination....

Kviszkh hlnv uirvmwh rh zoo blf mvvw. Nzbyv gsvb slow gsv zmhdvih gl blfi jfvhgrlmh. Szermt gifhg rh rnkligzmg, wlip. Ovzim gl ovmw rg lfg nliv lugvm.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I wanted to get something out today, apologies if it's kind of bad. I hope everyone enjoys, I will probably type more tomorrow, if school doesn't kick my behind. Hope this enough to tide everyone over. *Sarcasm Sarcasm*

Post by **D-Rock** » Sun Nov 26, 2017 7:42 pm

So Fox still has issues with cats? Not a surprise, really, those kinds of things can take a while to grow out of.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Sun Nov 26, 2017 7:44 pm

I am so excited to share all the ideas I have, I have a full page of them, it's going to be awesome. (I hope.)

NHWestoN · Post by **NHWestoN** » Mon Nov 27, 2017 10:09 pm

Finally got to this ... Made for a delightful evening's read, Jolty.

VoidGaming404 · Post by **VoidGaming404** » Sun Dec 03, 2017 7:42 am

Meant to give this a read earlier. This looks good so far, I haven't really watched Gravity Falls before, so I may not get any of the references. Also, I can't say I've ever read a story with cyphering involved, but I like it! (Though I'm not quite that good at it.) Keep up the good work, I'm definitely looking forward to the next chapter!

Not A Furry · Post by **Not A Furry** » Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:36 pm

Finally got around to reading it, nice work! I haven't watched Gravity Falls either but I probably should. Looking forward for the next chapter

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Mon Mar 26, 2018 8:23 am

6.17.18

Post by **D-Rock** » Mon Mar 26, 2018 7:24 pm

a teaser poster!
Looks good.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 9:40 am

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jolty started after these odd creatures. They where different, yet also familiar. The dynamic they shared, their personalities in some ways, it all reminded him of his relationship with Leo. He was like Grape, it would seem. Grumpy, needing, demanding his rest, born different than most; His coming directly from the bloodline of a snow leopard, her scientifically fascinating purple coloration. Yet, caring for the other all the same.

Leo was like Peanut is seemed; Both of them had bubbly personalities, and had tendencies to wake their cherished friend from sleep, but all in all meant well for the other.

He smiled, watching their dynamic. It was certainly funny from the perspective of an outsider. Not always amusing being in the situation.

…

Jolty missed him.

Jolty missed them all. He missed his brothers antics, the nonstop yammering of Dominic, the things Saria would whisper about him when she thought he was asleep, he missed all of it. He didn’t know if he would ever go home….

A question from Peanut snapped the snow leopard from his thoughts. “What was that, Peanut?”

Peanut looked back at him, smiling wide. “I asked if you wanted to go downtown with us! They are setting up a holiday tree in town square, you should go!” Grape gave him a nudge, and he smiled sheepishly. “Only if you want, I mean.”

Jolty shoved his hands in his coat, thinking. He shrugged. “Okay, sure. I’d be delighted.”

Peanut gave him the ridiculous smile, apparently rather pleased with the cat’s answer. “Awesome, lets go!”

…

The trio walked down the street, eying all the decorations on the houses, and pointing out which ones they liked best. It was a familiar thing, comfortable. The absently chatted along the way; it seemed that Peanut was very interested in Jolty’s heritage, as well as his Polydactyly, and Jolty had questions regarding the areas history, as well as trying to make casual banter, which wasn’t particularly easy.

His attention turned to Grape, who had been pretty silent the entire time. She noticed him and gave him a small smile, but he saw it: she knew he was hiding something, and most likely was waiting to ask him about it. He sighed internally. Guess it’s time to play the waiting game….

As the group reached the square, he looked around, shocked and delighted. The entirety of the town seemed to be here, all working on different things, There was the smell of Holiday Bread, and latkes filled the air, as well as smell he couldn’t even begin to imagine. His eyes brightened, happily. “It’s like Luminoris!”

The pets looked at him, confused. “Huh?”

Jolty looked back at them, smiling. “Luminoris was something my family came up with, long before I was a part of it. The entire town got together on a day in the wintertime, and brought foods, toys, and other things, each from a different religion. It was the best thing. Despite all the feuds religions can have amongst one another, there was always so much happiness, and laughter….” Jolty looked away, a bittersweet feeling in him.

Grape regarded him. “That… actually sounds really cool!” Peanut wagged his head in agreement. Jolty grinned. “Aww, geez you guys. It was pretty cool.” He looked around, not sure where to go first. “I should probably get Fox a holiday gift.”

Grape looked at him thoughtfully. “Maybe you should come with me, too. We can go meet the other cats. They do some kind of event around this time? I don’t know.”

Jolty nodded, quickly pulling his journal from his satchel and scribbling away. The two other pets looked at him, watching his frantic scribbles, before he looked up. “Oh! Sorry, I tend to zone out lots. Just had to write a few things down.”

Peanut sighed. “Bino called a meeting, which I should attend. How about we meet up here in a hour or two?”

The cats nodded. “Sounds good.”

Peanut grinned excitedly. “Cool. Seeya later!” He took off into the crowd, running away towards some unknown destination, leaving the felines to themselves.

There was a moment or so of awkward silence, an internal struggle between the two. Neither particularly knew what to say, so they just stood for a moment, looking for something to say.

Grape cleared her throat. “Soooo….you want to check out some of the festivities and stuff.”

Jolty was lost in his own head for a brief moment, looked up. “Hm...oh-oh? Oh! Yes, of course, I should probably find Fox a gift anyways….” He started off in a direction, then stopped, blushed and turned around. “Oh, um, I’m sorry, I should probably follow you?”

Grape shrugged, and said “I don’t know,” which caused Jolty to twitch. Grape looked at him in curiosity. “You good?”
He nodded in response. “Yeah. Just, well...my brother usually says that to tick me off, so I kind of just get annoyed by the phrase.”

Her interest seemed piqued. “I didn’t know you had a brother. What’s he like?”

Jolty turned away internally panicking. “I don’t particularly want to talk about him. We should get a move on.” As he sped away at a quickened pace, Grape couldn’t help but feel that she had struck a particularly sensitive chord. She resolved to apologize later.

A few hours later, the two had gone around, reconvenied with Peanut, and bought a few things with some of Jolty’s money, which the pets where surprised Jolty had. Jolty was just as surprised, though his surprise was that this dimension had the same currency.

As the small group trotted along, they felt a rush of wind, and shivered as flurries blasted them. Then they heard yells of shock and surprise, and before they could process what was occurring, the thing swooped down beside them, and when they opened their eyes, Jolty was gone.

Peanut and Grape looked around in shock. “Jolty?!” “Holy Carp, did that thing take him?!” “What just happened?”

Peanut squinted into the winter sky, then his eyes widened. “Grape.” Grape followed his gaze, and looked up to see a large winged beast carrying away an equally fascinated and ticked off snow leopard.

“...”

“At least he is far enough away where can’t make out his incoherent swearing.”

Jolty was fuming, for several reasons. First off, he knew exactly what this thing was, and wanted to know why or how it got here. Second off, it’s large claws were digging into his back, though thankfully his coat protected him, mostly. It was still uncomfortable though.

“Okay you scientifically impossible beast, how in all that is scientific did you get here?!” No response, obviously.

How would Mothman know how to speak English?

The winged terror carried him for a good while, and Jolty had to comply. Not like I have a choice, really…., he thought.

The beast, true to it’s seeming ‘nature’ took him to a broken down building, which seemed to be an old paper factory. As it’s talons let him go to land, he immediately sprang into action, leaping into the shadows, under and old processing machine. A few moments later he heard a screech of fury and rage. That's right, be angry.

Digging through his pack, he began thinking quickly. Now that it can’t find me, it’s going to go after someone else. I need to act fast… He looked up to see the beast beginning to take flight. Stuffing a few items from his pack into his pants pockets for easier accessibility, he ran out from his hiding place just in time to jump upon the creatures back.

It was clearly dumber that he thought, as the beast didn’t even notice or feel it. “Now, we wait…” He mumbled to himself.

The creature floated amongst the clouds for around 15 minutes, before it made a clicking noise, and suddenly repositioned it’s wings, going into a diving stance like which a hawk or falcon would do when hunting. Jolty gripped to the thing as it suddenly dived towards the ground, it’s victim chosen…

It was supposed to be a simple day, a real simple day for Tiger, he just wanted to go to the festival in town square, and have lots of food without being judged. But then, just as he was about to take a bite from his delicious apple fritter, something had to come and take him?! What were the odds?

Jolty felt a bump! followed by a squealing, as the creature swooped low, and picked up some poor person or pet. Jolty had his chance! He grabbed the horn esque feelers, pulling himself over the top, and reaching into his coat. He wasn’t allowed to have a real gun at home, but a flare gun would suffice. He pulled the trigger, light flashing in the creature's face, causing it to scream in shock.

He grabbed the poor soul who had been taken, and reached into his pack, as they began to fall. The cat quickly located what he had been searching for, which was an umbrella, and ignited it, giving them a soft transportation to the ground. He looked over at the person he rescued.

“Hey buddy, you okay?”

Tiger sputtered for a moment, searching for words. “What the heck just happened?! Who are you?!”

Jolty, despite himself, smiled, and offered a hand. “Jolty Halvenson. It’s a pleasure.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*End of Chapter 8*

25-15-21-18 5-14-20-9-18-5 12-9-6-5, 25-15-21 8-1-22-5 2-5-5-14 6-15-12-12-15-23-5-4 2-25 20-8-5 23-5-9-18-4.

2-5 16-1-20-9-5-14-20, 25-15-21-14-7 15-14-5. 20-8-5 1-14-19-23-5-18 9-19 14-5-1-18.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 10:00 am

And then here is the Chapter 8 Poster. Welcome back everyone, hope you stay a while. I have a few different ideas for the series, with a big finale on *DATE REDACTED*, but not to worry! There will be a follow up story, which takes place right away after the finale of this series. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and think it was a good reintroduction to the creation I have so dreadfully neglected for a long while. And remember, stay weird!

~Jolty

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 3:53 pm

Chapter 9 Teaser Poster! I will keep you all updated on a release date, since well, it's kind of all just scribbles of concepts at the moment, but I will try to have a date planned by Saturday. Thanks for everyone's support!

~Jolty

Post by **D-Rock** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 6:52 pm

Finally caught up, but wow he's prepared.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:18 pm

Okay, so question. How would everyone feel about the next chapter being posted Saturday? Thanks.

~Jolty

Post by **D-Rock** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:39 pm

No problem at all. Go at your own pace.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:21 pm

Oh hey, look at that. Me posting this a day early. Well anyways, enjoy!

~Jolty
______________________________________________________________________________

Peanut stared outside at the darkened sky. It was late afternoon, and he was getting ready to head to bed. However, sleep had been sort of difficult for the past few weeks. Not since he had heard about what happened to Jolty, the mysterious new cat who had just...shown up in town one day. It had been about 2 months ago he’d arrived, but he and Grape had formed an incredibly strong bond with the cat, it seemed. He and Jolty would spend hours talking about, and doing tons of stuff together. Despite his shy demeanor, he shared interests, like drawing (he was pretty good at it, and helped out with the Spot comic on occasion), videogames, Astronomy, and a lot of other things. It seemed like Peanut was the person he went to when wanting to have fun. It took him a little bit to warm up to the dog, but once he did, he became a very different person. Still shy and on occasion awkward, but he was much more happy, open, and smiled more.

Now, with Grape, he wasn’t particularly sure what they talked about, but she seemed to like him a lot. She said that he was definitely a writer too, and, much to Peanut’s shock, she shared some of her writing with the cat. She said that Jolty had really opened up to her, and that he had shared lots with her. And from how Jolty generally seemed, this came as a surprise that he would open up to the two of them. But he did. He would come over everyday, looking to do something fun to do with one, or both of the pets. It was like this for a while…

But then one night, everything changed. Fox said that Jolty vanished one night. For almost 15 hours, he was missing.

And then a group of human teenagers found him, 3 towns away, on a walking bridge.

He was crying, and couldn’t stop. His clothes were torn, and his glasses were missing. He passed out in one of the kid’s arms, before being returned to Fox and his family. And Jolty hadn’t come over in the two weeks after whatever happened. Peanut hadn’t seen him at all. He asked Fox, who said that he just “wouldn’t leave the basement at all.”

Peanut stared out into the dark street, a street light the only illumination. He had no idea what happened, but he was worried. And from how upset Grape had seemed lately, he knew even if she didn’t outwardly say it, she was definitely worried about him too. She had been rather quiet lately, and he had caught her talking to Max on the phone about “someone she was concerned about.” It didn’t take a lot of imagination to know who she was talking about.

Peanut sighed. He was really concerned for his newest friend, and wanted to go check on him. But would it be an invasion of much needed privacy and space? He wasn’t sure. He figured the best thing to do would be to get some rest. After all, his household would be heading out on vacation that Friday. They were stopping at the farm, then going on a road trip. They would be gone for a few weeks, and Peanut hoped it would be enough to have Jolty calm down. Maybe Peanut would get his friend back by the time he returned.

As the dog turned to go to bed, he found Grape standing behind him, holding a thing of papers. Peanut gave her his warm smile. “Well hey Grape, how’s it going? I was just about to head to bed.”

Grape nodded, forcing a smile. “Yeah, I figured. It’s probably a good idea to rest before our vacation....”

Peanut nodded, and there was an awkward, and uncomfortable silence between the two. Peanut pointed at the papers. “What’cha got there?”

Grape looked up. “Oh, um...just some rough drafts for a small story I was working on. I was um...I was thinking of seeing if Jolty wouldn’t mind...you know, looking at them…” Peanut was quiet for a moment. What was there to say?

Grape took a deep breath. “I, well...I had this idea...”

Peanut looked up in interest. “What’s that?”

Grape looked at Peanut, and he could see discomfort, sadness, and frustration in her eyes. “I was talking to Max, and Res, and some other people...And I was thinking. What if we maybe took Jolty with us on our road trip? I mean, if he wants to come with us. Maybe some fresh air, new experiences, excetera, would help him...And maybe we could get him to open up a little about whatever happened that night.” She kneaded the papers a bit. Clearly she had been mulling this over quite a while. “...Maybe we could help in some way…”

Peanut smiled. “Grape, you know I’m worried too. And I’m all for helping friends in need. I was on the fence about leaving him be, but well...if you think we can help…” He grin, giving her a warm hug. “Then I think we can too! Let’s go ask him tomorrow, okay?”

Grape looked at Peanut, some of the tension on her face melting away. “Yeah, let’s do that. Thanks for the support Peanut. You're the best.” He grinned in response.

“I try.”

The next day, the two pets set out for Fox’s house. When they arrived, they looked at one another, each pet trying to hide the worry on their face. Grape gripped the papers tightly.

Peanut looked over, giving the periwinkle cat a grin. “Ready?” Grape nodded, and slowly, Peanut reached up, pressing his fingers to the bell.

*DING DONG!*

The bell rang, just once. There was a shuffling, and a few moments later, the door opened. Thankfully, it was Fox. He looked tired. “Oh, hey guys. Can I help you?”

Peanut nodded. “We wanted to know if Jolty was around?” He glanced at Grape, then returning his gaze to Fox. “It’s kind of urgent.”

Fox nodded. “Yeah, just uh...give me a moment.” The door closed, and there was some shuffling. About a minute or so later, the door opened, but no one was there. A six fingered paw was placed on the doorframe, and slowly, Jolty peaked his head out, his yellow eyes wide in surprise.

“Oh...Grape, Peanut...What a ni-nice surprise. How can I help you guys today?” He looked to them, offering a weak smile and adjusting his glasses.

Peanut smiled. “Well hey Jolty! It’s great to see ya again! We were wondering…” He looked at Grape. “Well, it’s Grape’s idea. So I’ll let her talk.”

Grape looked to Peanut, who gave an encouraging smile, then to Jolty, who looked at her with a slightly confused, slightly worried expression. “Well, it was, well...I was wondering if you were interested in reading some of the new stuff I had written in my spare time…”

Jolty offered another small smile. “Ah yes, I did indeed miss your writing. Well, I would be delighted to look at it. I’ll have Fox return all of it as soon as I am finished.” He turned to shut the door, papers in hand.

“Wait!” Grape, before she really had any idea what she was doing, reached out, and grabbed his paw.

Jolty stared back, shocked and blushing. “Y-yes?”

Grape wasn’t entirely sure why she did that, but it gave her an opportunity to talk. “Well, um..me and Peanut are going on a road trip with our family. We are going to be gone for a few weeks. I, well, we wanted to know….” She stared back at Peanut for a moment, who smiled, encouraging her once more.

She took a deep breath. “We wanted you to come with us, if you are not busy.”

Jolty looked at her, confused. He waved his free hand. “Oh no no. I couldn’t, I-I couldn’t possibly...I wouldn’t want to bother you guys, and you might not have room, or…”

Grape smiled, unconsciously squeezing his paw. “We asked Mom and Dad last night, and they were on board with it. There’s room Jolty, I promise.”

Jolty looked thoughtful, and clouded for a moment. He closed his eyes for a few moments, before mumbling. “...yeah…”

Peanut grinned, his tail wagging furiously. “Is that a yes?!”

Jolty grinned a little wider. “Yeah, why not. If you really have room, I’m always up for a little adventure. When should I be packed by?”

Grape stared at him in shock. She wasn’t expecting a yes, not by a long shot. But here he was, okay with it. A massive grin broke onto her face. “Meet us in the our driveway at around 9 in the morning tomorrow. You don’t need much, so just pack light.” She threw her arms around him in a hug, purring.

Jolty looked at Peanut, who looked back, and shrugged, seemingly as confused as Jolty. Gingery, the clouded leopard placed his hands on her back in return.

Grape seemed to suddenly realize what she was doing, and let go. “Well, try and look at some of the story tonight? I want some feedback for the car ride tomorrow. We should go get packing, Peanut! See you tomorrow, Jolty!”

With that, Grape ran down the sidewalk, towards their house. Jolty looked to Peanut, who smiled. “It’s really good to see you again. We both missed you.”

Jolty smiled. “I missed you guys too.”

Peanut looked. “Well, I’d better catch up with Grape. See you later, Jolty!” With that, Peanut started to run down the sidewalk himself, his tags jingling as he left.

Jolty watched him leave, then turned and went inside, where Fox was waiting, looking concerned. “Hey, everything okay?”

Jolty looked down at the papers in hand, then back up at Fox. A grin spread onto his face. “Yeah. I feel better than ever, Fox. I’m about to go on a brand new adventure.”

______________________________________________________________________________

*End of Chapter 9*

Post by **D-Rock** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:04 pm

Alright, let's see what the trip brings us.

TheSilverFox51 · Post by **TheSilverFox51** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 11:12 am

Just finished reading, I like it. It's well written and intriguing, you did good

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 12:17 pm

Oh, thanks. I might stop writing this though. People are going to dislike it soon enough.

Post by **Obbl** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:19 pm

Don't make up my mind for me ya little whippersnapper

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 7:26 pm

No offense, but I really don't think anyone will like it. I mean, I don't think anyone really, besides D-Rock, whom I thank greatly for doing so, reads this. Plus, I feel like I am doing a disservice to housepets! with my atrocious writing, and horrendous art. I don't want to ruin these characters in this story, and I feel like what I have done, and what I had planned will be unlikeable.

Post by **Obbl** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 8:15 pm

Hey, your writing and art has a long way to go, but the only way you get better at that is by writing and drawing. I have been and will continue to read your fic not because it is the most well written prose I have seen, but because you are creating something that speaks to you. That matters.
If this story is not working out for you, that's fine. Try to figure out what isn't working so you can do better next time. But don't let your fear of us not liking it cause you to stop. We can only decide if the art speaks to us, but only you get to decide if it still speaks to you.

dusk · Post by **dusk** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 8:23 pm

Well, I thank you for that. I will keep writing it, and drawing chapter covers. Thank you for the motivation, that kind of stuff really helps.