One month ago, you’d watched Scout and Blossom lose their heads. You remembered watching them blown into fine red mist, but it’s not like it kept you up at night. You’d seen worse. Been through worse.
Your poopie babbeh reminded you of that every day. Every time you looked down at him you remembered Sparky’s bloody corpse. The splat of your pink babbeh against the wall, your green babbeh’s guts bursting from his mouth, the taste of your bloody blue babbeh after it was shoved in your mouth.
You were intent on seeing him every day until you went forever sleepies.
You and the Herd had moved far from your old home, in case the hunter came back for more. You were the herd’s nummie findah now, and you’d done a damn good job. The herd fully accepted you, even Sunny, who fed your babbehs, now looked at you differently.
Last week you’d found yourselves in a small patch of trees in a suburban neighborhood. The humans rarely went as far as the forest, so you figured yourselves safe as long as you kept hidden. As for food, that’s where you came in.
You got up as the sun was rising, Smarty and Toughie were awake, and sorting through the previous day’s nummies. Sunny was asleep, her purple foal cuddled against her. Your poopie babbeh was sleeping a good foot away, even after all this time she still refused to accept it. Not that he needed it, he had his milkies, though Sunny’s milkies had been drying up as of late.
You departed in your next big search. Crossing through the forest to a fence. You’d poked around it thoroughly, and knew where you could make it through. You climbed through the hole and made your way to the nummies
There were three houses in this section of the neighborhood. The first would often let their garbage pile up out front instead of using the cans. Just fine with you, you tore into one of the bags, rummaging around. There was an old Chinese takeout box, about half full with stale rice, with traces of soy sauce. You moved it onto your back, taking the metal handle in your mouth, and then…
“RoooOOOoooOOO!”
Right, this house had the dog.
Though it was chained to a stake in the yard, you’d rather not be the center of its attention. Both because his teeth looked sharp and because the humans inside were going to look where he was barking.
You quickly hid, darting from spot to spot until you found somewhere completely out of sight. After some time, the barks went away. No humans came to investigate. You’d gotten away. This time.
Your stomach rumbled, you’d worked up an appetite. But as you went to open the box, you thought of something better. The second house, the one next door, had a garden. You’d earned a juicy tomato.
You made your way between the two houses, hiding where you could. Using traits you’d learned in the alleys of your younger days. The backyard was empty but for a sprinkler going back and forth. You doused yourself in it, washing away the day’s grime. You walked to the garden.
Whoever lived here seemed to enjoy vegetables, because there were plenty of plants. Still, you didn’t want to make your meddling obvious. You helped yourself to a single small tomato, and found another one as well as a carrot to put in the box and take back to the herd. That made three missing vegetables, anymore and whoever lived here might do something about their thief.
You began your first steps back to the herd, but you began to think. That was two houses down, but there was another within feeding distance. You’d never been to it. Maybe it had nothing, maybe it had nummies, maybe it had more nummies than you could ever imagine? Might as well check.
When you finally found a gap in the fence big enough to squeeze through, you ducked in. What met you on the other side was another fluffy face.
“Hai! Am Geowgie! Who am yu?”
He smiled, and wagged his tail around. He was looking at you with blue eyes, his coat was a dark yellow, and his mane brown.
“Am Dweam,” you said hesitantly.
“Wewcome tu Geowgie’s homie! Su happy to see anota fwuffy! Geowgie am so wonewy hewe! Dweam wan be Geowgie fwiend?”
You were only halfway through the hole, but you didn’t want to move an inch further. Still, it was nice to have an ally in these parts.
“Suwe, Dweam am fwiend. Geowgie hab nummies?”
“Cowse Geowgie hab nummies! Geowgie gu get nummies!”
He pranced away, and returned later with a piece of hamburger meat, some ketchup still stuck to it. He dropped it in front of you.
“Tankie Geowgie.” You said, “Dweam hab weave nao, but wiww be bacc!” You grabbed the burger in your mouth, pulling back through the fence. You opened the box, tossing in your burger meat.
“Yaay!” Georgie was saying through the hole in the fence, “Geowgie hab fwiend nao! Can pway fun gamies an’ num sketties an-“
Hearing enough of that, you returned to the herd. Everyone was awake now, and Smarty was happy to see you return.
“Dweam find nummies?” He asked.
You answered by dumping over the box. The burger meat, tomato, carrot, and rice were plain for all to see. Smarty took his pick, the burger meat, sharing it with his red foal. While Tuffy took the carrot, Sunny dragged out the tomato and began munching. Then you noticed her purple foal.
It had already opened its teal eyes, and was growing a green mane. It waddled over to the tomato, and took a bite.
“Babbeh num nummies nao! Sunwy am su happi!” Sunny clapped her hooves together.
Well, if her foal was weaned, that meant…
Your Poopie Babbeh had a similar idea. He made his way to the tomato, only to be pushed over by Sunny.
“Nu! Poopie babbeh nu get nummies!”
You didn’t have the energy to deal with this. You picked your babbeh up with your mouth, though he was getting too big for that already, and set him down in front of the box, the back of it still filled with rice.
“Tanku daddeh!” He said. Your poopie babbeh had grown a lot, with his green eyes he now sported a black mane, one that reminded you of Sunny. You’d have to tell him about his mummah someday, but it wasn’t today.
You watched him waddle into the box, and begin munching his first solid food. Feeling like everyone was safe enough, you went to a more secluded spot. There you lay down and closed your eyes, finally able to get a nice rest.
“Dweam?”
Or not.
It was Sunny. What did she want now?
“Dweam? Siwwy Dweam! Dweam gu ‘way fwom hewd!” She sat down next to you, unusually close. You kept silent.
“Dweam fin’ weawy gud nummies! Babbeh wuved nummies!”
You hoped yours did.
“Sunwy’s bestest babbeh an’ Smawty’s wed babbeh bof wuved nummies. Wed babbeh wuv Dweam tu!”
Was there a reason she was here?
“Dweam sab’ wed babbeh fwom munstah! Dweam keep babbehs safe! An’ Sunwy’s babbeh aww gwown nao!”
She lay down next to you, nuzzling against you. Your eyes shot open. She moved her head up to your ear.
“Sunwy wan mak babbehs wif Dweam…”
What.