Barking With The Blues [PG/PG-13]

[SergeiTheFox]

For a long time I have been wanting to write a Housepets! fanfic, but I had no idea where to start or what to write about. Over the past two years, there have been many changes in my life; some good, some bad. Yet all of them have inspired me in my idea of a fanfic.

This fic, although it will follow some of Rick's characters, will have a primary focus on a family of three that has moved from Austria to Babylon Gardens: A divorced father wanting the love of his son, a 15 year-old son that is facing the joys and hardships of his teenage years, and their adopted Australian Shepherd, who has a passion for music, but struggles with his own problems as he tries to incorperate himself in the pet community.

I say that this fic is PG/PG-13 because while I will be trying to keep the story as fun and enjoyable as possible, there will occasionally be the addition of subjects such as peer pressure, drama, societal taboos, and battling addictions sprinkled throughout.

I am aware that there are many young viewers on this forum and that is part of why I am making this fic. As a teenager, I dealt with peer pressure, family drama, and had problems with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products. I want to create a story that is interesting to read, but sheds light on relatable subjects and shows that there is no glory in addiction. As per forum rules, I won't be including illegal substances, the use of substances with human minors, or graphic depictions of the effects of these items. It's a HP! fanfic, not Breaking Bad. I want to spread a positive and relatable message to the youth of this forum, but like I said, these will be subjects mentioned occaisionally, not major plot points.

Moderators, if I cross or tread too close to any lines, message me and I will make any needed editing.

As for the storyline, the main focus will be mainly focused on the dog Mikael and his life with the pets in BG. The father and son will also be characters, but their involvement will generally be related to Mikael. It will also put some focus on other pets in the community and their development.

The fanfic will start about the time at the end of the HP! arc "The King And I" (Arc 69), so most of the content featured during and before that arc will have already happened in this fic.
If anyone would like any of their characters included in this universe or have any questions about it, feel free to message me.

I am currently drafting the pilot and will post it once I feel it is ready.

[SergeiTheFox]

Sorry about the wait. I've been going through different drafts of how I wanted to start off the story and I think I finally found one I like. This may seem a little short (let's face it: too much exposition at once gets pretty boring), but I will try to make them longer as I post more parts. Please keep in mind that I am far from the world's best writer, so I am always open to critisism and suggestions.

1.

Knock Knock
"Bino!"
Knock Knock
"Bino! You're going to be late!"
Knocking again at the door, he was about to call out for Bino a third time when he felt a paw grasp his shoulder.
"Fox, he probably isn't up yet. It's barely past eight am."
Grimacing, Fox turns to face the other dog while crossing his arms.
"Fido, you remember the last time we didn't wake up Bino for something related to the club."
Sighing and shaking his head some, Fido's face flashed a look of annoyance as he recalls what had happened during that last time.
"You think I want to hear him complaining for a month too, Fox? As much as I love my brother, we have to face facts: it would be easier to fly than to wake up Bino...."
Taking a moment to consider his words, Fox conceded to Fido. Turning away from the door, Fox had only taken a step when the door opened.
"What the Christmas do you guys want?!"
Startled by the aggressiveness of the tone, Fox turned to see a very tired and irratated cat standing in the doorway.
"Max," Fido starts, "Could you get Bino for us? We have to prepare the clubhouse for the new dog moving to the Gardens today."
Rubbing his eyes, Max shook his head.
"Sorry Fido, I'm the only one here. Dad left for work and Bino is at your club-thingy."
Adjusting his scarf some, Fido turned and started walking away as he called out behind him.
"Thanks Max!"
With Fox following quickly behind Fido, Max closed the door and mumbled to himself as he made his way back to his bed.

Arriving at the clubhouse, the pair walked inside, happy to get out of the cold of the early winter morning. The only thing that surprised them more than Bino being awake so early was how clean the clubhouse looked. Not seeing anyone inside, Fido and Fox began looking around for Bino.
"Hello?"
"Hey Bino, you here?"
Rounding a corner, Fox let out a small chuckle as he laid eyes on what was ahead.
"Hey Fido, I think I found him."
"Good, let's get our introductory package together and-"
Stopping mid-sentence, Fido had to take a moment to take in this somewhat comical moment: Bino sleeping on the floor and cuddling with a mop.
Taking his cell phone out of his collar, Fox snapped a picture before walking over to Bino and started shaking his shoulder.
"Come on Bino, you need to get up"
Met with some incoherent mumbling, Fox shakes his shoulder a little harder.
"Bino!"
"Gah!" Bino responds as he shoots up into a sitting position, the fur on half of his face matted by the floor.
"Good morning, sleepyhead" Fox says with a mock smile.
Rubbing his eyes, Bino let out a yawn as he streched his arms.
Stepping towards Bino, Fido kneels down.
"Bino, why did you come here so early without us?"
"So early? I've been here all night."
"Why did you do that?" Fox asked as he too got a little closer.
"Well, I seem to recall this time where I asked to be woken up," Bino says, throwing a knowing look at Fox and Fido, "but since I was failed by my most trusted friends, I took it upon myself to start prepping tonight's party."
Rolling his eyes after hearing another reference to the last time they forgot to wake up Bino, Fox just helped Bino stand up as Fido stood too.
"Well, the clubhouse looks great, but you look like you've just been attacked by a pack of wild mops. You go home and get cleaned up; Fido and I will finish setting up and we'll get you when it is time to invite the new dog, okay?"
Letting out something between a sigh and a yawn, Fido gave a small nod.
"Fine, but you guys better not be late again."

______________________________

Taking off his headphones, the teenage boy looked at the dog facing him from the front passenger seat.
"What did you say?" The boy asked, his accent filling his voice.
"I said that if you keep listening to your music that loud, even I will probably go deaf." The dog responds with a matching accent.
Looking down at his headphones, which still had 'Dead!' by My Chemical Romance blaring through them, the boy glares at the dog.
"At least I have taste in music, mutt."
Baring his teeth, the Australian Shepherd regards the teenage boy.
"Wanna call me 'mutt' again? I'll gladly spell it on your arm bite by bite."
Sneering, the boy just lets out a smug chuckle.
"You aren't a full citizen here, remember? You bite me, you go to the pound, mutt."
Before the dog could say anything else, a new, louder voice from the driver's seat cuts him off.
"Mikael, Daniel, knock it off!"
"But Da-"
"No 'buts' Daniel. We've been in America for a couple days now and you two are already arguing like we never left."
"Well, maybe if you could tell Mikael to stop trying to get hammered at eleven in the morning, maybe he would be easier to put up with."
Taking a moment to regard the fourth can of orange soda, Mikael glared intensely at Daniel.
"Oh please, I'm nowhere near drunk and you know it."
"And how do I know you aren't drunk yet?"
"Because when I am, at least I can put up with you and your bull-"
"Mikael!"
Turning back to the driver of the car, Mikael lowers his ears some.
"Sorry Brandon..."
Brandon keeps his eyes on the road while he talks to the pair.
"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Daniel.
"Ha!"
"Daniel, you apologize to Mikael too"
Mikael shoots a content smile at Daniel as he takes comfort that at least their defeat is mutual.
"I'm sorry Mikael."
"I'm sorry Daniel."
Now smiling, Brandon listens to the gps as he takes an exit off of the highway.
"That's a lot better guys. You both know I hate having to be 'that' dad, but we are trying to start a new life here, okay? Let's leave all the bickering in Europe and just bring some positivity with us."
Mikael and Daniel look at each other for a moment before Mikael holds out his paw.
"Truce?"
Daniel smiles as he takes the paw in his hand and gives it a firm shake.
"Truce."

______________________________

Sitting on either side of a pentagram in a candle-lit room, the cat and dog opened their eyes together in an almost uncanny way.
"They're here, Sabrina"
"I know, I felt it too Tarot"
"Are you sure we shouldn't have stopped them?"
"It isn't our place to do so."
"That dog, Mikael. He has a strong mind. It seems that he has put up some shield around it."
"No Tarot. One thing is obvious: he has been hurt before. Bad. He isn't protecting his mind from others, he is protecting it from himself."
"Should we be worried?"
"Not yet. There are many ways this could end, but we must not forget that this could end well too."
"There are many futures that could become reality Sabrina. But the question is, which one is it?"
"I don't know...."

[Obbl]

Alright, you have me intrigued

[SergeiTheFox]

Thanks I had decided to split the intro into multiple parts, but I didn't realize how short it would appear in an actual post, so I'll probably post the rest of the introduction in a 1 or 2 part post.

The problem is that I'm using a Wii to write and post on the forums, so I have to individually point at and select each letter I want to use, along with all spaces and symbols. As you can imagine that takes a while, especially since there isn't a copy-paste feature on the Wii, which means I can't write or edit it in Google Docs or any program like that. I handwrite my drafts so I can immediately post what I have done. Although there are some minor mistakes, the small bit that I posted took about an hour and a half to type out and I was only copying what I had on paper.