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these add to the experience as much of this story was partly inspired by music. Some songs are for specific scenes, and some are just there to add to the tone of the story. I claim no ownership of any of these songs.\n\nChapter 6, in order:\n\n'Find'\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfWmc5KSTjM]Standing In The Dark (Acoustic)[/url] - Nickelback\n\n'The Search'\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnXK3OVv7Lg]On Three[/url] - Shania Twain\n\n'Where Leaves Brush The Sky'\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaSd3yUuOyI]Waiting All My Life[/url] - Rascal Flatts\n\n‘The Birthday Boy’\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bde372WN2lg]Dancin’ In The Country[/url] - Tyler Hubbard\n\n‘Keep In Touch’\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K8YDPbZY3o]Summerlong[/url] - Kathleen Edwards\n\n‘The Never-ending Nightmare’\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sWk2gh1hSY]Hurts Like Hell[/url] - Fleurie, Tommee Profitt\n\n‘Smooch’s Lullaby’\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SjXVE_K3IM]I’ll Be[/url] - Reba McEntire\n\n‘The Truth’\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbcjkoArYe4]First And Last Waltz[/url] - Nickel Creek\n\n‘Go, Dog.’\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEB-QRsPMO4]Sometimes It Does[/url] - Front Country\n\n‘Good-By’\n[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOfxftphh38]Honest[/url] - Song House, Kyndal Inskeep\n", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Colby follows a trail of thoughtful clues left by Smooch, leading him to a special surprise.
(Also on AO3)

Each chapter has it's own "soundtrack"; these are completely optional to listen to, but I feel that these add to the experience as much of this story was partly inspired by music. Some songs are for specific scenes, and some are just there to add to the tone of the story. I claim no ownership of any of these songs.

Chapter 6, in order:

'Find'
Standing In The Dark (Acoustic) - Nickelback

'The Search'
On Three - Shania Twain

'Where Leaves Brush The Sky'
Waiting All My Life - Rascal Flatts

‘The Birthday Boy’
Dancin’ In The Country - Tyler Hubbard

‘Keep In Touch’
Summerlong - Kathleen Edwards

‘The Never-ending Nightmare’
Hurts Like Hell - Fleurie, Tommee Profitt

‘Smooch’s Lullaby’
I’ll Be - Reba McEntire

‘The Truth’
First And Last Waltz - Nickel Creek

‘Go, Dog.’
Sometimes It Does - Front Country

‘Good-By’
Honest - Song House, Kyndal Inskeep
", "writing": " Colby groggily opened his eyes as he lay once again in the sleeping bag on Smooch’s living room floor. Another nightmare - no surprise there. But what [i]was[/i] a surprise was that his bag was almost completely covered from the neck-down in shucked corn cobs. \n “Okay, Smooch. I know how much you [i]love[/i] corn, but this is getting kinda ridiculous,” the yellow labrador grunted as he slid out of his bag, scowling in confusion as to what the meaning of this was as he scratched his messy head of hair while smacking his lips. Without a second thought, he groggily dragged his feet into the kitchen to make breakfast for her and Scooch, since it seemed they were both still in their rooms sleeping.\n\n But to his surprise, even by the time he’d finished preparing breakfast, neither of them had emerged from their rooms yet. It was rather unusual. Colby quietly walked down the hall to Smooch’s room, lightly tapping on the door with his knuckle. \n “Hey Smooch, sorry to wake you, but breakfast is ready.”\n He waited for at least a minute - no response. He tapped on the door once more, deciding to gently open it to peek inside.\n Smooch wasn’t even [i]in[/i] her room.\n “Huh… maybe she got called on-duty early this morning or something.”\n Colby quietly tiptoed up the stairs to Scooch’s room, making sure to skip the one slightly creaky step on the way. But when his head peered over the opening of the stairway into the pup’s room, there weren't any signs of life there either.\n “Okay, now that’s weird. Scooch [i]always[/i] likes sleeping in,” Colby said to himself as he headed back down the stairs. He searched the bathroom, the garage, and out in the front yard, but it was like they had completely vanished off the face of the Earth.\n Colby’s heart began to pound, hating this sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn’t like to admit how dependent he had become on their presence, but he couldn’t ignore that their unexplained absence was quickly sending him into a spiraling state of crippling anxiety. His muscles tensed-up, and he felt a weakness in the knees as his breathing became short and labored. \n “Alone, alone, alone…” He whispered to himself, hearing faint whispers of that otherworldly voice in his head again as his shaking fingers began fidgeting and tightening into fists. “Alonealonealonealonealone-”\n Thankfully, as he looked back at the living room, his attention turned to the mysterious pile of corn on his sleeping bag - some of which had some kind of unusual black markings on it. As he approached the corn and picked up a piece, he turned it around and discovered a word on it, written in thick black permanent marker.\n\n [b]“FIND”[/b]\n\n Colby sighed a breath of relief, already putting together that this was some kind of scavenger hunt as he remembered that today was his birthday. He immediately began sorting all of the corn to have the words on them visible. One by one, he began trying to figure out what sentences would reasonably work from the words he was given. \n After nearly an hour of trial-and-error guesswork, Colby believed he’d finally solved the clue. On the living room floor, the corn wrote out:\n\n [i]“Amidst fields of corn where the lightning bugs dance, [/i]\n [i]We shared our first kiss and we found true romance. [/i]\n [i]Beneath the moon's glow, and where everything’s right, [/i]\n [i]Go find the same spot where our spark shone so bright.”[/i]\n\n Clearly, he was meant to go to the same cornfield Smooch had taken him to on their first date. When Colby headed to the front door, he finally noticed a small key with a chicken keychain had been taped to it just above the handle. Colby removed the key, knowing [i]exactly[/i] what it was for. \n He exited the house and tried fitting the key into Scooch’s tractor - a perfect fit. \n “At least now I won’t have to [i]walk[/i] all the way there… still kinda slow, though,” Colby muttered to himself as he got in and pulled out of the driveway at a snail’s pace. Colby looked down at the dashboard, wondering if there was any way this tractor could possibly go any faster before he glanced back at the big metal cylinders strapped to the sides. \n “Oh, duh. Rocket-boosters,” he mumbled, remembering that while Scooch never used this installed feature himself, he’d occasionally catch a glimpse of this tractor traveling surprisingly-fast when his friend Tag was at the wheel with him in the back. Not wanting to waste any more time, Colby pressed the big red button on the rocket before quickly speeding off towards his next clue.\n\n Colby soon came to a familiar-looking spot several miles outside of town, with a small gravel lot on the side of the road next to the cornfield. He swallowed and took a deep breath as he entered the cornfield, feeling anxious as he remembered his experience the last time he was in here, but feeling a little better now that it was daytime. Surprisingly, this cornfield was a [i]lot[/i] smaller than he’d remembered; he accurately deduced that this was because his anxiety had simply gotten the better of him that night, distorting his perception of reality. \n It wasn’t long before Colby entered the rhubarb patch in the middle of the field, quickly searching around to find anything of significance. In the exact center, obscured under a rhubarb leaf, Colby found and picked up a windmill-shaped doorbell with a small piece of paper tied to it.\n\n [i]\"Where the past comes alive with each gentle breeze, [/i]\n [i]A place of heritage, standing tall with ease. [/i]\n [i]Under rotating sails and history's grace, [/i]\n [i]Discover your clue in this enchanting place.\"[/i]\n\n “At the windmill museum.” Colby smiled as he pressed the button on the doorbell which sounded like a whooshing wind and a creaking vane, tearing up a little; it was incredibly thoughtful of Smooch to do all of this just for him, and it was far more than he ever could’ve expected. He ran out of the field back to the tractor, making his way to the next destination.\n\n When he arrived, Colby spent time analyzing every windmill carefully, being sure to thoroughly read the information stands at each podium as well - just to see if there were any hidden clues to be found. This was a much bigger area to search than the cornfield, and the next possible hint wasn’t exactly standing out to him. He tried to remember some of what Smooch had told him the first time she’d taken him here. \n [i]“If anyone asks, windmills and windpumps are [/i][i][b]not[/b][/i][i] the same thing - common misconception.”[/i]\n Colby looked around and saw a single windpump on display, heading towards it and quickly searching around before luckily spotting a lone tennis ball partially-hidden under one of the metal support frames, again with another paper note attached to it.\n\n [i]\"We were lost in this maze, just you and just me, [/i]\n [i]And found a lost puppy as sweet as can be.[/i]\n [i]Within leafy walls was a lucky embrace, [/i]\n [i]Go find the next clue, where our hearts found their place.\"[/i]\n\n “The hedge maze.”\n\n As Colby reached the entrance of the hedge-maze, he had no idea how he could possibly find the clue in here. Sure, he’d spent a fair amount of time in it, but he was a far cry from having memorized the entire layout by heart. \n “There’s gotta be some easier way to figure this one out,” Colby whispered, searching around the entrance for any signs with no such luck. “Well, supposedly the best way to get through any maze is to keep a paw against the left wall, so…”\n Colby held his paw against the leafy left wall, heading into the maze as he continued his search for the next clue. He went this way and that, until he finally came upon a seemingly random flat cardboard box in the middle of the path. \n “What the-” Colby picked up the box, wondering at first if someone had really just eaten a pizza in the maze and littered it on the ground. But as he took a closer look at it, he immediately noticed that there was a drawing of a smiling dog that appeared to be himself scribbled on the box, once again in thick permanent black marker. He opened the box, reading the text written on the inside of the lid. \n\n [i]\"Where dough is stretched thin and our dreams can take flight, [/i]\n [i]In a pawlor of pie under fluorescent light.[/i]\n [i]With ranch and a pizza, a duo so fine, [/i]\n [i]Your next clue awaits where our fates intertwined.\"[/i]\n\n “-Welcome to Hungry Hound’s Pizza, table for one?” A familiar cheery brown dog asked as Colby entered the pizzeria.\n “Hi Sniffany, but no, I’m not here for lunch today. I’m actually looking for a-”\n “14-inch kibble pizza, right?” Sniffany asked, finishing his sentence for him.\n “N-no, like I said, I’m not here to-”\n “Trust me, you want pizza,” She interrupted again with a coy grin, quickly ushering him over to a booth without another word before disappearing back into the kitchen before he could even get a word in.\n “O…kay…” Colby sighed as he waited. “I guess I could use a bite to eat, since I don’t even know how much longer this scavenger hunt is gonna take.”\n Hardly even a minute later, the waitress returned back to his table with a full-size 14-inch kibble pizza and a bottle of ranch dressing.\n “Oh, thanks for the ranch!” Colby said as she placed everything on his table, surprised that he didn’t even have to ask this time. \n \"I never forget a weird request like that,” Sniffany chortled, gently ruffling the brown hair on Colby’s head before walking away to tend to another table. Colby wasn’t sure whether that was meant to be a compliment or not. \n Regardless, he took a slice of pizza off the tray and drizzled some ranch on it before taking large bites out of it, finishing it rather quickly as not only did he not have time to waste, but he’d also admittedly built up an appetite from all this running around after clues. Before he took another slice of pizza, his attention was caught by something written on the tray where he’d taken his first piece.\n\n “AND STARS,\n GET THERE,”\n \n Colby silently laughed to himself as he had to wipe another tear from his eye, amazed at the impressive lengths Smooch had gone to for all of this. He continued eating the pizza as quickly as he could without overexerting himself, revealing more of the message one by one as he impressively cleared the entire pan all by himself. \n\n [i]\"Climb up to the heights where the leaves brush the sky, [/i]\n [i]A surprise awaits, [/i][i]go dog[/i][i], [/i][i]go way[/i][i] up high. [/i]\n [i]Among branches and stars, where laughter will be, [/i]\n [i]Ascend and you’ll get there, celebrate with me!\"[/i]\n\n [i]‘Huh, I actually… don’t know where that could be.’[/i] Colby thought as he got up from the table, thanking Sniffany for the food before leaving the restaurant feeling a bit stumped. \n “Where do the leaves brush the sky…?” Colby said as he looked across the horizon, spotting an incredibly-tall tree. It almost looked somewhat like a giant paintbrush, with the evening sky as its canvas. \n “Oh yeah, I remember Scooch took me there once,” Colby spoke aloud to himself again as he got into Scooch’s tractor, setting his sights on the Party Tree. \n\n When he finally got to the base of the tree, he was even more impressed by just how massive it was up-close; but almost just as impressive was the long yellow ladder that extended all the way to the top. Hoping that this was the right place for him to go, Colby began the long and arduous climb up to the top of the tree. \n With each step up the ladder, Colby thought more about how much being with the Pooches had changed him over this last month. He remembered how he was when he first arrived in Pawston, and while he still had a long way to go before he could truly feel at peace, he was eternally grateful that Smooch and her son had come into his life the way that they did. He quietly chuckled as he thought back on the exact moment she’d hit him with her car, and the wonderful days that followed. If he had the choice, he would’ve gladly gone back and done it all over again. \n Colby’s head eventually popped up through the canopy of the tree, and as he shook the leaves off his head he was greeted with a resounding,\n “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” \n His heart was warmed by the sight of a colorful crowd of dogs - some he had already met, some completely unfamiliar. There was, of course, Smooch and Scooch, as well as their neighbors the Barkers, Lady Lydia, Hambonio, and Wagnes, among several others. \n They all cheered for him in unison, and Smooch was holding up a chocolate birthday cake with twenty-seven candles as a bright rainbow of confetti loudly blasted out of Cheddar Biscuit’s party cannon.\n “Thank you so much, everyone… really. Thank you,” Colby said as he wiped the wetness from his face. “This really… really means a lot to me.”\n “Well go on, Colby… make a wish,” Smooch whispered with a smile. “The candles are melting.”\n The yellow Lab paused for a moment, considering his wish carefully. There wasn’t much in this world he could ever want or need, but if he had one wish, it would have to be…\n He blew out the candles.\n “Yee-haw! Now let’s get this hoedown started!” Smooch whooped as she put Colby’s cowboy hat on him, her usually-faint southern drawl sounding a little thicker than usual. She set the cake aside and enthusiastically pulled Colby into the circle of dogs quickly forming around them as one of them turned on the stereo; and with that, his birthday party had officially begun. \n\n [i]“Them neon [/i][i]lights[/i][i], look good on you, so good on[/i][i] you,[/i]\n [i]But we ain't [/i][i]got,[/i][i] no room to move, no room to [/i][i]move,[/i]\n [i]We need some [/i][i]space,[/i][i] and I know a [/i][i]place,[/i]\n [i]Outside of town where it don't ever close down,[/i]\n [i]No we never close down-”[/i]\n\n Smooch was surprisingly light on her feet as she led Colby in a fast two-step swing dance, and even though he himself wasn’t a dancer by any means, he was somehow able to manage keeping up with her in perfect time. But Colby didn’t even concern himself with that - all he could think about was how beautiful Smooch looked as the tangerine sunset shone on her furry blue face from all angles when he picked her up and spun her around, and just how much she made his heart swell with a pure bliss unlike anything he’d felt in years.\n This was certainly more than just love now - in just one short month, Colby knew in his heart that he wanted to spend the rest of his [i]life[/i] with Smooch Pooch, the police dog that destiny had brought to him when she’d hit him with her car. \n\n The treetop was full to the brim with dogs of all colors and sizes joyfully square-dancing for quite some time, until Colby took Smooch aside for a break to finally have some of his birthday cake; she stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek as she handed him the plate, earning a blush from him. She loved making his cheeks do that. \nColby and Smooch stood closely side by side among the many bouquets of balloons as they ate their cake together, watching all the other dogs having the time of their lives. For Colby, this was so much more than a simple birthday party. It was special moments like these - moments of peace, of happiness, of living, truly [i]living[/i] - that he had fought so hard and so long for. That he had lost so much for. For Colby, this was more like a celebration of life itself. \n “Oh! I almost forgot, I gotcha a present.” Smooch suddenly pulled out a little rectangular box from behind her back, thickly wrapped with pink wrapping paper and red ribbon tied around it. “Just a little somethin’.” \n “Thank you so much, Smooch! Is it okay if I open it now?” Colby asked as he took the box from her. \n “It’s your birthday, ain’t it?” Smooch chuckled, rubbing his back. Colby eagerly opened the wrapping paper, revealing a box with a bone-shaped device printed on it.\n “A cell-bone!”\n “Now we can always stay in contact.” Smooch nudged Colby’s arm. “Honestly, I’m still surprised you ain’t ever had one before. Now let’s get it set up so I can give you my number already!”\n\n They did just that, and when Colby finally entered Smooch’s number into his contacts and she entered his number into hers, somehow their relationship felt a little more official.\n “I can’t believe you did all this for me, Smooch. This has really been the best birthday I could've ever asked for.” Colby held back his tears of joy as he put his phone away, giving her a tight hug. “Thank you.”\n “Well, I had more than a little help from Cheddar Biscuit over there. I couldn’ta done all this without her!” Smooch looked over to the little white beagador and waved with a smile, though she noticed Cheddar’s expression seemed unusually dour compared to the lively dogs still dancing around her.\nWhen Colby glanced over at Cheddar from across the tree, however, he began to feel yet another headache kicking in - this one even stronger than the last time. Colby’s eyes clenched shut as he held his paw against his forehead, his chest feeling constricted as though he were being squeezed far too tightly by some kind of invisible force. \n “Hey, everythin’ alright?” Smooch asked, resting her paw on Colby’s back as he bent forward and grunted in pain.\n “Y-yeah. This whole party’s been amazing, Smooch, but if it’s okay, I think I’m ready to call it a night. No one has to stop the party though, keep it goin’,” Colby replied as he headed for the ladder entrance.\n “Then I’m goin’ with you.” Smooch firmly held Colby’s paw as she led him out. “Scooch’ll be fine with the Barkers tonight. Those dogs are enough party for all of Pawston, and[i] then[/i] some! Besides, I’m plenty partied-out myself anyhow. Wanna just settle in on the couch and watch a movie or somethin’?” \n “Sounds perfect to me, that’s [i]my[/i] kind of party.”\n\n “So what sounds good to you? ‘[i]The Hound of Music’[/i]? ‘[i]The Wizard of Paws’[/i]? Oh! ‘[i]Dogzilla vs Meowthra’[/i]? That’s a good one,” Smooch asked Colby, who was sitting on the couch as she was shuffling through her various DVDs.\n “I’m fine with anything, as long as I get to cuddle with [i]you[/i] while we watch.” Colby smiled, sinking back a little into the couch as he made himself comfortable.\n “Psh, you are so corny sometimes, y’know?” Smooch rolled her eyes, but her grin was uncontainable. \n “Hey, you’re the one who got me so into corn in the first place,” the yellow Lab chuckled, loving every second of their banter. \n “I know, I know. Ooh, speakin’ of which, [i]here’s[/i] a great one.” Smooch held up a DVD that appeared to be a horror film. “‘[i]Puppies of the Corn’[/i]. Ya like scary movies, Colby?”\n “Well I wouldn’t really call myself a ‘fan’, but sure, I think I can handle it. I trust your judgment.” Colby was a little hesitant, but surely it couldn’t be all that bad. \n After all, he’d seen far, far worse. \n “Okay, but just to warn ya, it’s a real fur-raiser. You’ll be tremblin’ like a Chihuahua in a thunderstorm.” Smooch put the disc into the player and closed it, joining Colby on the couch.\n “Well if I do get scared, I can always just hold you for safety,” Colby retorted; but in truth, he was hoping it would be quite the opposite, with Smooch holding onto him instead. \n “Hm, I’m countin’ on it.”\n\n However, this alleged ‘horror movie’ was not quite what Colby could’ve expected. Even after halfway through the film, there wasn’t a single death or even an ounce of blood - in summary, the majority of the movie was about a small rural town whose canine residents were being spooked by a group of puppies with ghostly blue eyes simply staring ominously at them from the edge of a cornfield. This was more like an innocent young puppy’s [i]idea[/i] of what a horror movie might look like, and Colby couldn’t help but feel immensely bored from the lack of any shock or suspense.\n Though Colby felt no shivers of fear down his spine nor a single strand of fur raising on the back of his neck, when he looked over to Smooch he could see that she was genuinely invested and frankly [i]terrified[/i] of what was happening on-screen. Her eyes widened in suspense when the puppies emerged from the cornfield with their moderately creepy expressions, eating popcorn as though her very life depended on it. Colby smiled in amusement, remembering that life in the friendly town of Pawston was very different from the life he’d lived before. \n [i]‘Before…’[/i] Colby thought as he snuggled up to Smooch, resting his head on her shoulder to comfort her as he slowly closed his eyes.\n[i]‘Before…’[/i]\n\n He opened his eyes, though as he looked down at himself he quickly found he wasn’t a dog anymore. He had smooth, furless skin, and his tail was gone. Not only that, he was no longer in Smooch’s living room; he was now lying in a grassy field, one that seemed to stretch on and on for eternity behind him. However, as he stood up, in front of him was a corn field - one that appeared to be infinite in the same way. The sky above quickly fell black as night, and several pairs of glowing eyes opened and stared at him through the stalks; although Colby had felt no fear from the movie currently playing, he had the terrible foreboding sense that something much, [i]much[/i] worse than a few puppies making creepy faces was going to come out from the darkness.\n “Dad.”\n No, even worse than that.\n Colby’s loved ones slowly emerged from the corn field and approached him, the sympathetic looks on their faces torturing him more than any scary monster ever could. \n “We missed you,” one said as they all surrounded him in a soft embrace.\n “I… I miss you too.” Colby’s quiet voice trembled as he held his family close, his heart breaking all over again as he came to terms with the truth. “But I know you’re not real.”\n “Of course we aren’t,” another said, “but don’t you want to be with us again?”\n “Y-yes, but-”\n “Don’t you love us?” said the youngest of them. “You’d do [i]anything[/i] for us, wouldn’t you?”\n “We can be together again, forever,” another said as she gestured to the black void of the corn field before them. “Just come with us, and you won’t ever have to feel any pain ever again.”\n “You don’t belong here,” one added, grabbing his wrist assertively, and the others followed suit; they assaulted Colby with his own guilt as they began to drag him into the cornfield. “And you never will.”\n “Who are you even pretending to [i]be?[/i]”\n “Are you [i]abandoning[/i] us?”\n “We’re [i]nothing[/i] without you.”\n “You’re [i]nothing[/i] without us.”\n “Either come with us, or just be-”\n [b][i]“ALONE.”[/i][/b]\n Colby’s heart pounded at the sound of that familiar voice, and he immediately shook with all his might to free himself from their grasp. \n\n As his head lay on Smooch’s lap where it had fallen, Colby began softly whining and kicking in his sleep. As a mother who had seen this from her son in his sleep before, Smooch immediately recognized that Colby was having a nightmare. She rested her paw on his head, gently stroking his brown hair.\n\n Colby suddenly felt the soft touch of a warm and caring paw on his head as he weakly fought off the memories of his loved ones, and once he was reminded of the one who was there for him now, his family all suddenly vanished. \n That was, all except for one. \n “I’m not alone… not anymore.” Colby smiled softly as he placed his hand on her cheek.\n “I know. It’s okay,” she whispered as she pressed her forehead gently against his, the sight of her sparkling golden eyes bringing tears to his own. “Just… please don’t ever forget about us, okay? I’ll always love you.”\n He swallowed, taking a deep and shuddered breath.\n “I’ll always love you, too.”\n\n Colby opened his eyes, back in the warm comfort of Smooch’s living room once again. The credits of the movie were already rolling on the screen. \n “Hey there, sleepyhead,” Smooch gently whispered as she caressed his cheek, wiping the wetness from it. “You were out like an old porch light. Looked like you were havin’ a nightmare.”\n “Nothing gets past you, huh?” Colby chuckled sadly with a sniffle as he rubbed Smooch’s knee with his palm. \n “Yep, ‘cause I’m a mom. I know [i]everythin[/i][i]’,'[/i]' she hummed proudly, sweeping the hair from his eyes with her fingers.\n [i]‘Well, not [/i][b][i]everything[/i][/b][i]…’[/i] Colby thought with a quiet sigh under his breath.\n “Would you… sing me something?” he asked, gently clutching her leg as he faced the television. “...Sorry if that was weird of me to ask. I just… I remembered when you sang that song the first day we met, at the pizza place. You really have a beautiful voice. It’s… comforting.” \n “Aw, thanks for sayin’ that, Colby. And I don’t mind at all.” Smooch replied as she continued petting his arm. She often forgot just how much younger Colby was than her; if he were only a few years younger, he’d technically be young enough to be her own son. Strange as it might be, she actually didn’t mind acting a bit motherly towards him; so if Colby wanted a lullaby, then a lullaby is what he would get. “My maw always sang this to me when I’d have a bad dream when I was a puppy, and every now and then I still sing it to myself. When I remember this song, it helps me not feel so alone.”\n Colby closed his eyes and settled into Smooch’s lap, and she began to quietly sing.\n\n [i]“When darkness falls upon your heart and soul, I'll be the light that [/i][i]shiiines[/i][i] for [/i][i]youuu[/i].\n [i]When you forget how beautiful you [/i][i]aaare[/i][i], I'll be there to remind [/i][i]youuu[/i][i].[/i]\n [i]When you can't find your way, I'll find my way to [/i][i]youuu[/i][i].[/i]\n [i]When troubles come around, I will come to [/i][i]youuu[/i].”\n\n Colby thought back on the nightmare he’d had. Perhaps, he thought, it was trying to tell him something - that until he came to terms with his past, he’d never be able to truly move on. He listened to Smooch’s beautiful lullaby, wondering how he got so lucky to have met her. He honestly didn’t know what he did to deserve her, after everything he’d been through. Everything he’d done. Even now, this new life of his still felt too good to be true. \n\n [i]“I'll be your shoulder, when you need someone to lean on,[/i]\n [i]Be your shelter when you need someone to see you through,[/i]\n [i]I'll be there to carry you, I'll be there.”[/i]\n\n He’d kept his true self hidden away for far too long. Smooch had to know the truth about him. She deserved to. \n\n [i]“I'll be the rock that will be strong for you, the one that will hold on to you[/i]\n [i]When you feel that rain falling down… [/i]\n [i]When there's nobody else around, I'll be.”[/i]\n\n Colby looked up at Smooch as the back of his head rested on her lap, and she was looking down at him with an expression unlike anything he’d seen from her before. They silently stared at each other for a moment until Colby raised his paw to her cheek, brushing it gently with his palm before leaning up and planting his lips on hers. Smooch returned his kiss, leaning back into the couch as Colby sat up to lean into her. \nBut before he knew it, Smooch was already switching things up as she suddenly began pressing herself into him, taking the lead by gently pushing him down onto his back on the couch cushion without ever breaking their kiss. \n “Colby…” Smooch whispered when their muzzles finally parted, each feeling intoxicated by the other’s hot breath on their face. “I think it’s time.”\n “What do you mean?” Colby whispered back, his mind in a blissful daze.\n “I mean I’m ready… I want you.” Smooch reunited their lips, slowly licking at his mouth for entrance before he eagerly accepted. \n But still, the memories of his dream - and the memories of his past - would not let him rest. Not until he came clean. Smooch needed to know everything. No- if he was willing to spend the rest of his life with her, [i]he[/i] needed her to know everything. \n “Smooch… b-before we do this…” Colby panted as he struggled to catch his breath, his face - as well as [i]other[/i] places - feeling like it was on fire. “I… I need to tell you something. Something important.”\n “O-okay… what is it?” Smooch’s brows furrowed as he reluctantly pulled away, wondering what could be so important for him to interrupt such an intimate moment. \n Colby swallowed. This was it. Confession time. \n “I… I don’t… belong here.”\n “What? Colby… how can you [i]say[/i] that? Of course you belong here. My son loves you. Pawston loves you. I-I…” Smooch choked, suddenly finding herself unable to say that one word. \n “No, Smooch. What I mean is… I really don’t ‘belong’ here.” Colby repeated as he sat up and held her shoulders firmly, his green eyes staring directly into her soul.\n\n “...I am not [i]from this universe.”[/i]\n\n [i]“...What?”[/i] Smooch asked, wondering if she had somehow misheard him. “Colby, if this is some kinda joke, I’m not sure I get it.”\n “I’m not joking. I’m… from another universe.” Colby continued, feeling a sickly chill of dread down his spine as he made his confession. “That day we met, when you hit me with your car… that’s when I first arrived in this world. That’s why I’ve been so secretive about my past. Why I might say some confusing things sometimes. I know you probably won’t believe me, but… here, let me [i]show[/i] you something.”\n Colby held out his paw with his palm facing up and his fingers curled. His eyes and dog-tag began to glow a bright neon green, the brown hair on his head lifting up a little from the miniscule surge of energy. Tiny sparks of what appeared to be green lightning slowly began to crackle and zap from his palm, creeping up his fingers and forming a tiny but immensely bright glowing ball of a swirling fluid-like substance - it almost looked like a miniature star.\n “The plasma in my blood is [i]actual[/i] plasma. Superheated charged ions, hotter than the sun. The fourth state of matter.”\n “Then that explosion that happened a month ago… that was… [i]you?[/i]” Smooch asked as her breath began to shorten, still trying to process all of this.\n “...Yes.” Colby replied, dissipating the plasma energy as his eyes and tag returned to normal.\n “So… what happened that day, [i]really?” [/i]she asked, feeling her entire body tensing up further the more he revealed. “You just randomly showed up in Pawston one day, why?”\n “Well, you… died. Everyone died. The entire universe died. Every… single… universe… [i]died[/i].” Colby’s face turned grim as he forced himself to relive his darkest memories. “Your universe was… eaten.”\nSmooch felt her stomach churn, remembering that brief moment of complete and utter emptiness she’d experienced when The Blink happened. And to know what it felt like to be dead… to have no recollection of reuniting with Kernel…\n “And did [i]you[/i] have somethin’ to do with this?” she asked.\n “Alright, so… to put it simply, there was something from outside of all reality, and it was eating entire universes… consuming them. Getting bigger. I was eventually able to destroy it, and I found a way to bring everything back. But at a price. This isn’t even my original self. I’m more of a… copy. To restore each universe, I had to give up a small piece of my original self. I’m one of those pieces. That flash you experienced was, basically, a second Big Bang, with everything back in the same place as before at an atomic level.” \n[i]‘[/i][i][b]That’s[/b][/i][i] ‘putting it simply’?’[/i] Smooch thought.\n “And I’m… [i]not[/i] twenty-seven. Not technically, anyway. When my universe was destroyed, I survived. My family, they… sacrificed themselves to keep me alive. But then, I was stranded in an endless white void. Alone. On top of that [i]monster[/i]. Watching it absorb universe after universe like a black hole, and I was completely powerless to do anything. It felt like[i] [/i]forever[i].[/i]”\n “Wait, so how old are you, exactly?” Smooch’s head felt like it was spinning as she struggled to keep up, the sickening feeling in her stomach only getting worse the more he went on.\n “I have no way of really knowing anymore. If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve been alive for at least 40,000 years, but probably more. After the first millennia, things kinda just started to become a blur.\" Colby chuckled sadly as he rubbed the back of his neck, even though it far from a joke. \"I had no new experiences. I wasn’t living. Just running, and running… and running. Time didn’t exist there, so I didn’t age. Never got tired. Never slept. But it was a nightmare I could never wake up from. I just wanted it to end. I felt like I was losing my sanity. There were times when I… I wanted to [i]die[/i], Smooch.” \n Colby rested his paw on Smooch’s, but she gradually pulled it away. \n “But you and Scooch have given my life meaning again. I’m so sorry for not telling you all of this sooner, I just… wasn’t sure [i]how[/i] to. It’s not exactly an easy thing to explain. I’ve suffered for a long time, and I lost everyone I ever cared about. But I’m ready to talk about it now, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know about me.”\n Smooch was silent for a long time as she processed everything Colby had just told her. Her expression was extremely difficult for him to read.\n “This is… a lot to take in.” \n “I know this all probably sounds insane, but there’s so much more I want to tell you.” The Labrador paused. “...My name isn’t even Colby.”\n [i]“What?”[/i] Smooch’s paws clenched. “Then tell me, what [i]is[/i] your real name?”\n \"My name was M… M…”\n For a few moments, the word felt as though it was stuck in his throat like glue - a name he hadn’t heard uttered in eons. \n “Marcus Colburn. My name was Marcus Colburn. I chose the name ‘Colby’ because I wasn’t sure if Marcus would be considered a normal name or not in a world of dogs. So when I saw the poster for Cheddar Biscuit’s circus show, I figured it’d be a fitting new name. But as far as I’m concerned, Marcus is dead. I’m Colby now. And… I wasn’t always a dog. I was once something called a ‘human’. But when I came to this world, I guess my body sort of… automatically changed to fit the norm.”\n There was a long and uncomfortable silence between them as Smooch faced the TV, her paws folded over her mouth. Colby began to feel tears coming, desperately hoping that she would say something. Anything.\n “Smooch?”\n “I can’t believe…” Smooch muttered, shaking her head.\n “I’m telling the truth-”\n “I can’t believe… how [i]stupid[/i] I was.” She stood up, distancing herself from Colby. “I- I actually let a complete [i]stranger[/i] into my home! I let you get close to my son! I feel like I don’t even [i]know[/i] you!”\n “Then let me-”\n “No, I reckon you’ve said enough.” Smooch held up her paw, stopping him. “I’m gonna need some time to think about all this. About… our relationship. If everything about you was a lie from the start, I… I don’t know if this is gonna work anymore.”\n “Smooch… no… p-please… I already lost my wife and kids, I don’t want to lose you too.” Colby reached for Smooch, but she retreated back from him. \n “You had a wife before? And [i]kids?[/i] And you never [i]once[/i] thought of even mentioning them to me?!” Smooch snarled a little as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. “After I spilled my guts about everything [i]I’ve[/i] suffered through, it took you [i]this[/i] long to tell me? Do you not trust me?”\n “It’s harder for me to talk about these things, but I’m telling you [i]now![/i] Why are you acting like this?!” Colby’s face was starting to turn red as he took another step towards her, feeling more agitated himself as his heart began to race. \n “Well how’d you [i]think[/i] I was gonna react? That all of this was somehow okay? That I’d be just fine with the fact that you’ve been lying to me about your identity this whole time?!” Smooch said as she slowly backed away from him. “Does Barkdale, Woofsconisin even exist?!”\n “I don’t know, I just thought you might understand…” Colby replied quietly as he approached her, feeling a lump in his throat - this was [i]not[/i] how he pictured tonight going at all.\n “Oh, I understand completely. I understand that… we need some time apart.” Smooch’s voice broke as she turned away and crossed her arms.\n “Please don’t say that… Smooch, I…” Colby had to pull out his final trump card - one last resort to hopefully fix everything.\n “...I love you.”\n Smooch paused for a moment and turned back to face him with a dismissive scoff; unfortunately, she wasn’t persuaded.\n “If you really loved me, you would’ve been honest from the start. Like Kernel was. And speakin’ of which, if you could [i]magically[/i] cure cancer with just a snap of yer fingers, why couldn’t you have done it [i]before[/i] I lost him?!” \n “That’s not how it works! I lost my mom to it too, remember? You think I wouldn’t have done it sooner if I-”\n Colby then realized the implication of what Smooch had said - how she would apparently rather have Kernel back than have anything to do with him if she had the choice.\n “Oh. Oh. Oh, I see. That’s what this is about, isn’t it? I’ll never be able to live up to [i]him,[/i] will I?!” Colby’s shoulders shook with an anger unlike any he’d felt in years of his unnaturally-long life. “No matter [i]what[/i] I do, I’ll [i]always[/i] be compared to [i][b]him-!”[/b][/i]\n As Colby pointed to the picture frame of Smooch and Kernel on the entryway table, a stray bolt of green lightning accidentally shot out of his finger, slicing the frame in half down the middle and parting the happy terrier couple in the photo before it fell forward on the floor. \n “No!” Smooch ran over to the frame, picking it up and clutching the singed halves in her paws.\n “Shit, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to-” Colby calmly lowered his voice, cautiously approaching her to see if he might be able to do anything to fix the photo - and this situation.\n “You need to leave, [i]Marcus.”[/i] Smooch growled without even looking back at him, holding the broken halves of the picture against her chest.\n “Smooch-”\n “Just go, dog… go.”\n Colby didn’t want to leave. Not like this. But his own body seemed to know it was for the best, his feet carrying him reluctantly to the front door and giving Smooch one final look as he opened it. She finally looked back at him with an expression unlike anything he’d seen from her before. A particular look that said, “I never want to see you again.”\n And it shattered his fragile heart into pieces.\n Colby stepped out onto the porch and forced himself to slowly close the front door behind him, leaning against it and beginning to cry as this chapter of his life came to a bitter and unexpected close. He heard a quiet click of the door handle, locking him out of the Pooches’ lives for good. His feet dragged him down the steps and away from the warmth of her once-welcoming home, and he began to feel a light drizzle of rain begin to fall on his fur. \nHis feet took him down the street, and the rain only continued to get harder. By the time he reached the first bus stop he encountered, he was completely soaked with water running down his entire body. But he was completely numb to it now. He didn’t care about being wet. He didn’t care about anything anymore. \n He didn’t have to wait long until the bus arrived, its door swinging open with a metallic hiss. \n “Where ya heading, mister?” The bus driver asked casually without a second glance as Colby walked up the steps and found a seat. He was the only one on this bus. Alone.\n “...Anywhere but here.”\n Colby rested his head against the window as the bus began to move, seeing the pizza pawlor, the hedge maze, and the windmill museum as he slowly passed each of them by. Eventually, as the bus left Pawston’s city-limits, it finally passed by a familiar cornfield. As the reality finally sunk in that Colby would never see the Pooches again, all he could do was break down and cry. The bus drove further and further away from Pawston into the night, which welcomed Colby with open arms into the cold and lonely embrace of darkness once more.\n “So much for birthday wishes…” ", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "            Colby groggily opened his eyes as he lay once again in the sleeping bag on Smooch’s living room floor. Another nightmare - no surprise there. But what was a surprise was that his bag was almost completely covered from the neck-down in shucked corn cobs.
            “Okay, Smooch. I know how much you love corn, but this is getting kinda ridiculous,” the yellow labrador grunted as he slid out of his bag, scowling in confusion as to what the meaning of this was as he scratched his messy head of hair while smacking his lips. Without a second thought, he groggily dragged his feet into the kitchen to make breakfast for her and Scooch, since it seemed they were both still in their rooms sleeping.

            But to his surprise, even by the time he’d finished preparing breakfast, neither of them had emerged from their rooms yet. It was rather unusual. Colby quietly walked down the hall to Smooch’s room, lightly tapping on the door with his knuckle.
            “Hey Smooch, sorry to wake you, but breakfast is ready.”
            He waited for at least a minute - no response. He tapped on the door once more, deciding to gently open it to peek inside.
            Smooch wasn’t even in her room.
            “Huh… maybe she got called on-duty early this morning or something.”
            Colby quietly tiptoed up the stairs to Scooch’s room, making sure to skip the one slightly creaky step on the way. But when his head peered over the opening of the stairway into the pup’s room, there weren't any signs of life there either.
            “Okay, now that’s weird. Scooch always likes sleeping in,” Colby said to himself as he headed back down the stairs. He searched the bathroom, the garage, and out in the front yard, but it was like they had completely vanished off the face of the Earth.
            Colby’s heart began to pound, hating this sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn’t like to admit how dependent he had become on their presence, but he couldn’t ignore that their unexplained absence was quickly sending him into a spiraling state of crippling anxiety. His muscles tensed-up, and he felt a weakness in the knees as his breathing became short and labored.
            “Alone, alone, alone…” He whispered to himself, hearing faint whispers of that otherworldly voice in his head again as his shaking fingers began fidgeting and tightening into fists. “Alonealonealonealonealone-”
            Thankfully, as he looked back at the living room, his attention turned to the mysterious pile of corn on his sleeping bag - some of which had some kind of unusual black markings on it. As he approached the corn and picked up a piece, he turned it around and discovered a word on it, written in thick black permanent marker.

            “FIND”

            Colby sighed a breath of relief, already putting together that this was some kind of scavenger hunt as he remembered that today was his birthday. He immediately began sorting all of the corn to have the words on them visible. One by one, he began trying to figure out what sentences would reasonably work from the words he was given.
            After nearly an hour of trial-and-error guesswork, Colby believed he’d finally solved the clue. On the living room floor, the corn wrote out:

            “Amidst fields of corn where the lightning bugs dance,
            We shared our first kiss and we found true romance.
            Beneath the moon's glow, and where everything’s right,
            Go find the same spot where our spark shone so bright.”

            Clearly, he was meant to go to the same cornfield Smooch had taken him to on their first date. When Colby headed to the front door, he finally noticed a small key with a chicken keychain had been taped to it just above the handle. Colby removed the key, knowing exactly what it was for.
            He exited the house and tried fitting the key into Scooch’s tractor - a perfect fit.
            “At least now I won’t have to walk all the way there… still kinda slow, though,” Colby muttered to himself as he got in and pulled out of the driveway at a snail’s pace. Colby looked down at the dashboard, wondering if there was any way this tractor could possibly go any faster before he glanced back at the big metal cylinders strapped to the sides.
            “Oh, duh. Rocket-boosters,” he mumbled, remembering that while Scooch never used this installed feature himself, he’d occasionally catch a glimpse of this tractor traveling surprisingly-fast when his friend Tag was at the wheel with him in the back. Not wanting to waste any more time, Colby pressed the big red button on the rocket before quickly speeding off towards his next clue.

            Colby soon came to a familiar-looking spot several miles outside of town, with a small gravel lot on the side of the road next to the cornfield. He swallowed and took a deep breath as he entered the cornfield, feeling anxious as he remembered his experience the last time he was in here, but feeling a little better now that it was daytime. Surprisingly, this cornfield was a lot smaller than he’d remembered; he accurately deduced that this was because his anxiety had simply gotten the better of him that night, distorting his perception of reality.
            It wasn’t long before Colby entered the rhubarb patch in the middle of the field, quickly searching around to find anything of significance. In the exact center, obscured under a rhubarb leaf, Colby found and picked up a windmill-shaped doorbell with a small piece of paper tied to it.

            "Where the past comes alive with each gentle breeze,
            A place of heritage, standing tall with ease.
            Under rotating sails and history's grace,
            Discover your clue in this enchanting place."

            “At the windmill museum.” Colby smiled as he pressed the button on the doorbell which sounded like a whooshing wind and a creaking vane, tearing up a little; it was incredibly thoughtful of Smooch to do all of this just for him, and it was far more than he ever could’ve expected. He ran out of the field back to the tractor, making his way to the next destination.

            When he arrived, Colby spent time analyzing every windmill carefully, being sure to thoroughly read the information stands at each podium as well - just to see if there were any hidden clues to be found. This was a much bigger area to search than the cornfield, and the next possible hint wasn’t exactly standing out to him. He tried to remember some of what Smooch had told him the first time she’d taken him here.
            “If anyone asks, windmills and windpumps are not the same thing - common misconception.”
            Colby looked around and saw a single windpump on display, heading towards it and quickly searching around before luckily spotting a lone tennis ball partially-hidden under one of the metal support frames, again with another paper note attached to it.

            "We were lost in this maze, just you and just me,
            And found a lost puppy as sweet as can be.
            Within leafy walls was a lucky embrace,
            Go find the next clue, where our hearts found their place."

            “The hedge maze.”

            As Colby reached the entrance of the hedge-maze, he had no idea how he could possibly find the clue in here. Sure, he’d spent a fair amount of time in it, but he was a far cry from having memorized the entire layout by heart.
            “There’s gotta be some easier way to figure this one out,” Colby whispered, searching around the entrance for any signs with no such luck. “Well, supposedly the best way to get through any maze is to keep a paw against the left wall, so…”
            Colby held his paw against the leafy left wall, heading into the maze as he continued his search for the next clue. He went this way and that, until he finally came upon a seemingly random flat cardboard box in the middle of the path.
            “What the-” Colby picked up the box, wondering at first if someone had really just eaten a pizza in the maze and littered it on the ground. But as he took a closer look at it, he immediately noticed that there was a drawing of a smiling dog that appeared to be himself scribbled on the box, once again in thick permanent black marker. He opened the box, reading the text written on the inside of the lid.

            "Where dough is stretched thin and our dreams can take flight,
            In a pawlor of pie under fluorescent light.
            With ranch and a pizza, a duo so fine,
            Your next clue awaits where our fates intertwined."

            “-Welcome to Hungry Hound’s Pizza, table for one?” A familiar cheery brown dog asked as Colby entered the pizzeria.
            “Hi Sniffany, but no, I’m not here for lunch today. I’m actually looking for a-”
            “14-inch kibble pizza, right?” Sniffany asked, finishing his sentence for him.
            “N-no, like I said, I’m not here to-”
            “Trust me, you want pizza,” She interrupted again with a coy grin, quickly ushering him over to a booth without another word before disappearing back into the kitchen before he could even get a word in.
            “O…kay…” Colby sighed as he waited. “I guess I could use a bite to eat, since I don’t even know how much longer this scavenger hunt is gonna take.”
            Hardly even a minute later, the waitress returned back to his table with a full-size 14-inch kibble pizza and a bottle of ranch dressing.
            “Oh, thanks for the ranch!” Colby said as she placed everything on his table, surprised that he didn’t even have to ask this time.
            "I never forget a weird request like that,” Sniffany chortled, gently ruffling the brown hair on Colby’s head before walking away to tend to another table. Colby wasn’t sure whether that was meant to be a compliment or not.
            Regardless, he took a slice of pizza off the tray and drizzled some ranch on it before taking large bites out of it, finishing it rather quickly as not only did he not have time to waste, but he’d also admittedly built up an appetite from all this running around after clues. Before he took another slice of pizza, his attention was caught by something written on the tray where he’d taken his first piece.

            “AND STARS,
            GET THERE,”
 
            Colby silently laughed to himself as he had to wipe another tear from his eye, amazed at the impressive lengths Smooch had gone to for all of this. He continued eating the pizza as quickly as he could without overexerting himself, revealing more of the message one by one as he impressively cleared the entire pan all by himself.

            "Climb up to the heights where the leaves brush the sky,
            A surprise awaits, go dog, go way up high.
            Among branches and stars, where laughter will be,
            Ascend and you’ll get there, celebrate with me!"

            ‘Huh, I actually… don’t know where that could be.’ Colby thought as he got up from the table, thanking Sniffany for the food before leaving the restaurant feeling a bit stumped.
            “Where do the leaves brush the sky…?” Colby said as he looked across the horizon, spotting an incredibly-tall tree. It almost looked somewhat like a giant paintbrush, with the evening sky as its canvas.
            “Oh yeah, I remember Scooch took me there once,” Colby spoke aloud to himself again as he got into Scooch’s tractor, setting his sights on the Party Tree.

            When he finally got to the base of the tree, he was even more impressed by just how massive it was up-close; but almost just as impressive was the long yellow ladder that extended all the way to the top. Hoping that this was the right place for him to go, Colby began the long and arduous climb up to the top of the tree.
            With each step up the ladder, Colby thought more about how much being with the Pooches had changed him over this last month. He remembered how he was when he first arrived in Pawston, and while he still had a long way to go before he could truly feel at peace, he was eternally grateful that Smooch and her son had come into his life the way that they did. He quietly chuckled as he thought back on the exact moment she’d hit him with her car, and the wonderful days that followed. If he had the choice, he would’ve gladly gone back and done it all over again.
            Colby’s head eventually popped up through the canopy of the tree, and as he shook the leaves off his head he was greeted with a resounding,
            “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
            His heart was warmed by the sight of a colorful crowd of dogs - some he had already met, some completely unfamiliar. There was, of course, Smooch and Scooch, as well as their neighbors the Barkers, Lady Lydia, Hambonio, and Wagnes, among several others.
            They all cheered for him in unison, and Smooch was holding up a chocolate birthday cake with twenty-seven candles as a bright rainbow of confetti loudly blasted out of Cheddar Biscuit’s party cannon.
            “Thank you so much, everyone… really. Thank you,” Colby said as he wiped the wetness from his face. “This really… really means a lot to me.”
            “Well go on, Colby… make a wish,” Smooch whispered with a smile. “The candles are melting.”
            The yellow Lab paused for a moment, considering his wish carefully. There wasn’t much in this world he could ever want or need, but if he had one wish, it would have to be…
            He blew out the candles.
            “Yee-haw! Now let’s get this hoedown started!” Smooch whooped as she put Colby’s cowboy hat on him, her usually-faint southern drawl sounding a little thicker than usual. She set the cake aside and enthusiastically pulled             Colby into the circle of dogs quickly forming around them as one of them turned on the stereo; and with that, his birthday party had officially begun.

            “Them neon lights, look good on you, so good on you,
            But we ain't got, no room to move, no room to move,
            We need some space, and I know a place,
            Outside of town where it don't ever close down,
            No we never close down-”

            Smooch was surprisingly light on her feet as she led Colby in a fast two-step swing dance, and even though he himself wasn’t a dancer by any means, he was somehow able to manage keeping up with her in perfect time. But Colby didn’t even concern himself with that - all he could think about was how beautiful Smooch looked as the tangerine sunset shone on her furry blue face from all angles when he picked her up and spun her around, and just how much she made his heart swell with a pure bliss unlike anything he’d felt in years.
            This was certainly more than just love now - in just one short month, Colby knew in his heart that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Smooch Pooch, the police dog that destiny had brought to him when she’d hit him with her car.

            The treetop was full to the brim with dogs of all colors and sizes joyfully square-dancing for quite some time, until Colby took Smooch aside for a break to finally have some of his birthday cake; she stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek as she handed him the plate, earning a blush from him. She loved making his cheeks do that.
Colby and Smooch stood closely side by side among the many bouquets of balloons as they ate their cake together, watching all the other dogs having the time of their lives. For Colby, this was so much more than a simple birthday party. It was special moments like these - moments of peace, of happiness, of living, truly living - that he had fought so hard and so long for. That he had lost so much for. For Colby, this was more like a celebration of life itself.
            “Oh! I almost forgot, I gotcha a present.” Smooch suddenly pulled out a little rectangular box from behind her back, thickly wrapped with pink wrapping paper and red ribbon tied around it. “Just a little somethin’.”
            “Thank you so much, Smooch! Is it okay if I open it now?” Colby asked as he took the box from her.
            “It’s your birthday, ain’t it?” Smooch chuckled, rubbing his back. Colby eagerly opened the wrapping paper, revealing a box with a bone-shaped device printed on it.
            “A cell-bone!”
            “Now we can always stay in contact.” Smooch nudged Colby’s arm. “Honestly, I’m still surprised you ain’t ever had one before. Now let’s get it set up so I can give you my number already!”

            They did just that, and when Colby finally entered Smooch’s number into his contacts and she entered his number into hers, somehow their relationship felt a little more official.
            “I can’t believe you did all this for me, Smooch. This has really been the best birthday I could've ever asked for.” Colby held back his tears of joy as he put his phone away, giving her a tight hug. “Thank you.”
            “Well, I had more than a little help from Cheddar Biscuit over there. I couldn’ta done all this without her!” Smooch looked over to the little white beagador and waved with a smile, though she noticed Cheddar’s expression seemed unusually dour compared to the lively dogs still dancing around her.
When Colby glanced over at Cheddar from across the tree, however, he began to feel yet another headache kicking in - this one even stronger than the last time. Colby’s eyes clenched shut as he held his paw against his forehead, his chest feeling constricted as though he were being squeezed far too tightly by some kind of invisible force.
            “Hey, everythin’ alright?” Smooch asked, resting her paw on Colby’s back as he bent forward and grunted in pain.
            “Y-yeah. This whole party’s been amazing, Smooch, but if it’s okay, I think I’m ready to call it a night. No one has to stop the party though, keep it goin’,” Colby replied as he headed for the ladder entrance.
            “Then I’m goin’ with you.” Smooch firmly held Colby’s paw as she led him out. “Scooch’ll be fine with the Barkers tonight. Those dogs are enough party for all of Pawston, and then some! Besides, I’m plenty partied-out myself anyhow. Wanna just settle in on the couch and watch a movie or somethin’?”
            “Sounds perfect to me, that’s my kind of party.”

            “So what sounds good to you? ‘The Hound of Music’? ‘The Wizard of Paws’? Oh! ‘Dogzilla vs Meowthra’? That’s a good one,” Smooch asked Colby, who was sitting on the couch as she was shuffling through her various DVDs.
            “I’m fine with anything, as long as I get to cuddle with you while we watch.” Colby smiled, sinking back a little into the couch as he made himself comfortable.
            “Psh, you are so corny sometimes, y’know?” Smooch rolled her eyes, but her grin was uncontainable.
            “Hey, you’re the one who got me so into corn in the first place,” the yellow Lab chuckled, loving every second of their banter.  
            “I know, I know. Ooh, speakin’ of which, here’s a great one.” Smooch held up a DVD that appeared to be a horror film. “‘Puppies of the Corn’. Ya like scary movies, Colby?”
            “Well I wouldn’t really call myself a ‘fan’, but sure, I think I can handle it. I trust your judgment.” Colby was a little hesitant, but surely it couldn’t be all that bad.
            After all, he’d seen far, far worse.
            “Okay, but just to warn ya, it’s a real fur-raiser. You’ll be tremblin’ like a Chihuahua in a thunderstorm.” Smooch put the disc into the player and closed it, joining Colby on the couch.
            “Well if I do get scared, I can always just hold you for safety,” Colby retorted; but in truth, he was hoping it would be quite the opposite, with Smooch holding onto him instead.
            “Hm, I’m countin’ on it.”

            However, this alleged ‘horror movie’ was not quite what Colby could’ve expected. Even after halfway through the film, there wasn’t a single death or even an ounce of blood - in summary, the majority of the movie was about a small rural town whose canine residents were being spooked by a group of puppies with ghostly blue eyes simply staring ominously at them from the edge of a cornfield. This was more like an innocent young puppy’s idea of what a horror movie might look like, and Colby couldn’t help but feel immensely bored from the lack of any shock or suspense.
            Though Colby felt no shivers of fear down his spine nor a single strand of fur raising on the back of his neck, when he looked over to Smooch he could see that she was genuinely invested and frankly terrified of what was happening on-screen. Her eyes widened in suspense when the puppies emerged from the cornfield with their moderately creepy expressions, eating popcorn as though her very life depended on it. Colby smiled in amusement, remembering that life in the friendly town of Pawston was very different from the life he’d lived before.
            ‘Before…’ Colby thought as he snuggled up to Smooch, resting his head on her shoulder to comfort her as he slowly closed his eyes.
‘Before…’

            He opened his eyes, though as he looked down at himself he quickly found he wasn’t a dog anymore. He had smooth, furless skin, and his tail was gone. Not only that, he was no longer in Smooch’s living room; he was now lying in a grassy field, one that seemed to stretch on and on for eternity behind him. However, as he stood up, in front of him was a corn field - one that appeared to be infinite in the same way. The sky above quickly fell black as night, and several pairs of glowing eyes opened and stared at him through the stalks; although Colby had felt no fear from the movie currently playing, he had the terrible foreboding sense that something much, much worse than a few puppies making creepy faces was going to come out from the darkness.
            “Dad.”
            No, even worse than that.
            Colby’s loved ones slowly emerged from the corn field and approached him, the sympathetic looks on their faces torturing him more than any scary monster ever could.
            “We missed you,” one said as they all surrounded him in a soft embrace.
            “I… I miss you too.” Colby’s quiet voice trembled as he held his family close, his heart breaking all over again as he came to terms with the truth. “But I know you’re not real.”
            “Of course we aren’t,” another said, “but don’t you want to be with us again?”
            “Y-yes, but-”
            “Don’t you love us?” said the youngest of them. “You’d do anything for us, wouldn’t you?”
            “We can be together again, forever,” another said as she gestured to the black void of the corn field before them. “Just come with us, and you won’t ever have to feel any pain ever again.”
            “You don’t belong here,” one added, grabbing his wrist assertively, and the others followed suit; they assaulted Colby with his own guilt as they began to drag him into the cornfield. “And you never will.”
            “Who are you even pretending to be?”
            “Are you abandoning us?”
            “We’re nothing without you.”
            “You’re nothing without us.”
            “Either come with us, or just be-”
            “ALONE.”
            Colby’s heart pounded at the sound of that familiar voice, and he immediately shook with all his might to free himself from their grasp.

            As his head lay on Smooch’s lap where it had fallen, Colby began softly whining and kicking in his sleep. As a mother who had seen this from her son in his sleep before, Smooch immediately recognized that Colby was having a nightmare. She rested her paw on his head, gently stroking his brown hair.

            Colby suddenly felt the soft touch of a warm and caring paw on his head as he weakly fought off the memories of his loved ones, and once he was reminded of the one who was there for him now, his family all suddenly vanished.
            That was, all except for one. 
            “I’m not alone… not anymore.” Colby smiled softly as he placed his hand on her cheek.
            “I know. It’s okay,” she whispered as she pressed her forehead gently against his, the sight of her sparkling golden eyes bringing tears to his own. “Just… please don’t ever forget about us, okay? I’ll always love you.”
            He swallowed, taking a deep and shuddered breath.
            “I’ll always love you, too.”

            Colby opened his eyes, back in the warm comfort of Smooch’s living room once again. The credits of the movie were already rolling on the screen.
            “Hey there, sleepyhead,” Smooch gently whispered as she caressed his cheek, wiping the wetness from it. “You were out like an old porch light. Looked like you were havin’ a nightmare.”
            “Nothing gets past you, huh?” Colby chuckled sadly with a sniffle as he rubbed Smooch’s knee with his palm.
            “Yep, ‘cause I’m a mom. I know everythin’,'' she hummed proudly, sweeping the hair from his eyes with her fingers.
            ‘Well, not everything…’ Colby thought with a quiet sigh under his breath.
            “Would you… sing me something?” he asked, gently clutching her leg as he faced the television. “...Sorry if that was weird of me to ask. I just… I remembered when you sang that song the first day we met, at the pizza place. You really have a beautiful voice. It’s… comforting.”
            “Aw, thanks for sayin’ that, Colby. And I don’t mind at all.” Smooch replied as she continued petting his arm. She often forgot just how much younger Colby was than her; if he were only a few years younger, he’d technically be young enough to be her own son. Strange as it might be, she actually didn’t mind acting a bit motherly towards him; so if Colby wanted a lullaby, then a lullaby is what he would get. “My maw always sang this to me when I’d have a bad dream when I was a puppy, and every now and then I still sing it to myself. When I remember this song, it helps me not feel so alone.”
            Colby closed his eyes and settled into Smooch’s lap, and she began to quietly sing.

            “When darkness falls upon your heart and soul, I'll be the light that shiiines for youuu.
            When you forget how beautiful you aaare, I'll be there to remind youuu.
            When you can't find your way, I'll find my way to youuu.
            When troubles come around, I will come to youuu.”

            Colby thought back on the nightmare he’d had. Perhaps, he thought, it was trying to tell him something - that until he came to terms with his past, he’d never be able to truly move on. He listened to Smooch’s beautiful lullaby, wondering how he got so lucky to have met her. He honestly didn’t know what he did to deserve her, after everything he’d been through. Everything he’d done. Even now, this new life of his still felt too good to be true.

            “I'll be your shoulder, when you need someone to lean on,
            Be your shelter when you need someone to see you through,
            I'll be there to carry you, I'll be there.”

            He’d kept his true self hidden away for far too long. Smooch had to know the truth about him. She deserved to.

            “I'll be the rock that will be strong for you, the one that will hold on to you
            When you feel that rain falling down…
            When there's nobody else around, I'll be.”

            Colby looked up at Smooch as the back of his head rested on her lap, and she was looking down at him with an expression unlike anything he’d seen from her before. They silently stared at each other for a moment until Colby raised his paw to her cheek, brushing it gently with his palm before leaning up and planting his lips on hers. Smooch returned his kiss, leaning back into the couch as Colby sat up to lean into her.
But before he knew it, Smooch was already switching things up as she suddenly began pressing herself into him, taking the lead by gently pushing him down onto his back on the couch cushion without ever breaking their kiss.
            “Colby…” Smooch whispered when their muzzles finally parted, each feeling intoxicated by the other’s hot breath on their face. “I think it’s time.”
            “What do you mean?” Colby whispered back, his mind in a blissful daze.
            “I mean I’m ready… I want you.” Smooch reunited their lips, slowly licking at his mouth for entrance before he eagerly accepted.
            But still, the memories of his dream - and the memories of his past - would not let him rest. Not until he came clean. Smooch needed to know everything. No- if he was willing to spend the rest of his life with her, he needed her to know everything.
            “Smooch… b-before we do this…” Colby panted as he struggled to catch his breath, his face - as well as other places - feeling like it was on fire. “I… I need to tell you something. Something important.”
            “O-okay… what is it?” Smooch’s brows furrowed as he reluctantly pulled away, wondering what could be so important for him to interrupt such an intimate moment.
            Colby swallowed. This was it. Confession time.
            “I… I don’t… belong here.”
            “What? Colby… how can you say that? Of course you belong here. My son loves you. Pawston loves you. I-I…” Smooch choked, suddenly finding herself unable to say that one word.
            “No, Smooch. What I mean is… I really don’t ‘belong’ here.” Colby repeated as he sat up and held her shoulders firmly, his green eyes staring directly into her soul.

            “...I am not from this universe.”

            “...What?” Smooch asked, wondering if she had somehow misheard him. “Colby, if this is some kinda joke, I’m not sure I get it.”
            “I’m not joking. I’m… from another universe.” Colby continued, feeling a sickly chill of dread down his spine as he made his confession. “That day we met, when you hit me with your car… that’s when I first arrived in this world. That’s why I’ve been so secretive about my past. Why I might say some confusing things sometimes. I know you probably won’t believe me, but… here, let me show you something.”
            Colby held out his paw with his palm facing up and his fingers curled. His eyes and dog-tag began to glow a bright neon green, the brown hair on his head lifting up a little from the miniscule surge of energy. Tiny sparks of what appeared to be green lightning slowly began to crackle and zap from his palm, creeping up his fingers and forming a tiny but immensely bright glowing ball of a swirling fluid-like substance - it almost looked like a miniature star.
            “The plasma in my blood is actual plasma. Superheated charged ions, hotter than the sun. The fourth state of matter.”
            “Then that explosion that happened a month ago… that was… you?” Smooch asked as her breath began to shorten, still trying to process all of this.
            “...Yes.” Colby replied, dissipating the plasma energy as his eyes and tag returned to normal.
            “So… what happened that day, really?” she asked, feeling her entire body tensing up further the more he revealed. “You just randomly showed up in Pawston one day, why?”
            “Well, you… died. Everyone died. The entire universe died. Every… single… universe… died.” Colby’s face turned grim as he forced himself to relive his darkest memories. “Your universe was… eaten.”
Smooch felt her stomach churn, remembering that brief moment of complete and utter emptiness she’d experienced when The Blink happened. And to know what it felt like to be dead… to have no recollection of reuniting with Kernel…
            “And did you have somethin’ to do with this?” she asked.
            “Alright, so… to put it simply, there was something from outside of all reality, and it was eating entire universes… consuming them. Getting bigger. I was eventually able to destroy it, and I found a way to bring everything back. But at a price. This isn’t even my original self. I’m more of a… copy. To restore each universe, I had to give up a small piece of my original self. I’m one of those pieces. That flash you experienced was, basically, a second Big Bang, with everything back in the same place as before at an atomic level.”
‘That’s ‘putting it simply’?’ Smooch thought.
            “And I’m… not twenty-seven. Not technically, anyway. When my universe was destroyed, I survived. My family, they… sacrificed themselves to keep me alive. But then, I was stranded in an endless white void. Alone. On top of that monster. Watching it absorb universe after universe like a black hole, and I was completely powerless to do anything. It felt like forever.”
            “Wait, so how old are you, exactly?” Smooch’s head felt like it was spinning as she struggled to keep up, the sickening feeling in her stomach only getting worse the more he went on.
            “I have no way of really knowing anymore. If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve been alive for at least 40,000 years, but probably more. After the first millennia, things kinda just started to become a blur." Colby chuckled sadly as he rubbed the back of his neck, even though it far from a joke. "I had no new experiences. I wasn’t living. Just running, and running… and running. Time didn’t exist there, so I didn’t age. Never got tired. Never slept. But it was a nightmare I could never wake up from. I just wanted it to end. I felt like I was losing my sanity. There were times when I… I  wanted to die, Smooch.”
            Colby rested his paw on Smooch’s, but she gradually pulled it away.
            “But you and Scooch have given my life meaning again. I’m so sorry for not telling you all of this sooner, I just… wasn’t sure how to. It’s not exactly an easy thing to explain. I’ve suffered for a long time, and I lost everyone I ever cared about. But I’m ready to talk about it now, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know about me.”
            Smooch was silent for a long time as she processed everything Colby had just told her. Her expression was extremely difficult for him to read.
            “This is… a lot to take in.”
            “I know this all probably sounds insane, but there’s so much more I want to tell you.” The Labrador paused. “...My name isn’t even Colby.”
            “What?” Smooch’s paws clenched. “Then tell me, what is your real name?”
            "My name was M… M…”
            For a few moments, the word felt as though it was stuck in his throat like glue - a name he hadn’t heard uttered in eons.
            “Marcus Colburn. My name was Marcus Colburn. I chose the name ‘Colby’ because I wasn’t sure if Marcus would be considered a normal name or not in a world of dogs. So when I saw the poster for Cheddar Biscuit’s circus show, I figured it’d be a fitting new name. But as far as I’m concerned, Marcus is dead. I’m Colby now. And… I wasn’t always a dog. I was once something called a ‘human’. But when I came to this world, I guess my body sort of… automatically changed to fit the norm.”
            There was a long and uncomfortable silence between them as Smooch faced the TV, her paws folded over her mouth. Colby began to feel tears coming, desperately hoping that she would say something. Anything.
            “Smooch?”
            “I can’t believe…” Smooch muttered, shaking her head.
            “I’m telling the truth-”
            “I can’t believe… how stupid I was.” She stood up, distancing herself from Colby. “I- I actually let a complete stranger into my home! I let you get close to my son! I feel like I don’t even know you!”
            “Then let me-”
            “No, I reckon you’ve said enough.” Smooch held up her paw, stopping him. “I’m gonna need some time to think about all this. About… our relationship. If everything about you was a lie from the start, I… I don’t know if this is gonna work anymore.”
            “Smooch… no… p-please… I already lost my wife and kids, I don’t want to lose you too.” Colby reached for Smooch, but she retreated back from him.
            “You had a wife before? And kids? And you never once thought of even mentioning them to me?!” Smooch snarled a little as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. “After I spilled my guts about everything I’ve suffered through, it took you this long to tell me? Do you not trust me?”
            “It’s harder for me to talk about these things, but I’m telling you now! Why are you acting like this?!” Colby’s face was starting to turn red as he took another step towards her, feeling more agitated himself as his heart began to race.
            “Well how’d you think I was gonna react? That all of this was somehow okay? That I’d be just fine with the fact that you’ve been lying to me about your identity this whole time?!” Smooch said as she slowly backed away from him. “Does Barkdale, Woofsconisin even exist?!”
            “I don’t know, I just thought you might understand…” Colby replied quietly as he approached her, feeling a lump in his throat - this was not how he pictured tonight going at all.
            “Oh, I understand completely. I understand that… we need some time apart.” Smooch’s voice broke as she turned away and crossed her arms.
            “Please don’t say that… Smooch, I…” Colby had to pull out his final trump card - one last resort to hopefully fix everything.
            “...I love you.”
            Smooch paused for a moment and turned back to face him with a dismissive scoff; unfortunately, she wasn’t persuaded.
            “If you really loved me, you would’ve been honest from the start. Like Kernel was. And speakin’ of which, if you could magically cure cancer with just a snap of yer fingers, why couldn’t you have done it before I lost him?!”
            “That’s not how it works! I lost my mom to it too, remember? You think I wouldn’t have done it sooner if I-”
            Colby then realized the implication of what Smooch had said - how she would apparently rather have Kernel back than have anything to do with him if she had the choice.
            “Oh. Oh. Oh, I see. That’s what this is about, isn’t it? I’ll never be able to live up to him, will I?!” Colby’s shoulders shook with an anger unlike any he’d felt in years of his unnaturally-long life. “No matter what I do, I’ll always be compared to him-!”
            As Colby pointed to the picture frame of Smooch and Kernel on the entryway table, a stray bolt of green lightning accidentally shot out of his finger, slicing the frame in half down the middle and parting the happy terrier couple in the photo before it fell forward on the floor.
            “No!” Smooch ran over to the frame, picking it up and clutching the singed halves in her paws.
            “Shit, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to-” Colby calmly lowered his voice, cautiously approaching her to see if he might be able to do anything to fix the photo - and this situation.
            “You need to leave, Marcus.” Smooch growled without even looking back at him, holding the broken halves of the picture against her chest.
            “Smooch-”
            “Just go, dog… go.”
            Colby didn’t want to leave. Not like this. But his own body seemed to know it was for the best, his feet carrying him reluctantly to the front door and giving Smooch one final look as he opened it. She finally looked back at him with an expression unlike anything he’d seen from her before. A particular look that said, “I never want to see you again.”
            And it shattered his fragile heart into pieces.
            Colby stepped out onto the porch and forced himself to slowly close the front door behind him, leaning against it and beginning to cry as this chapter of his life came to a bitter and unexpected close. He heard a quiet click of the door handle, locking him out of the Pooches’ lives for good. His feet dragged him down the steps and away from the warmth of her once-welcoming home, and he began to feel a light drizzle of rain begin to fall on his fur.
His feet took him down the street, and the rain only continued to get harder. By the time he reached the first bus stop he encountered, he was completely soaked with water running down his entire body. But he was completely numb to it now. He didn’t care about being wet. He didn’t care about anything anymore.
            He didn’t have to wait long until the bus arrived, its door swinging open with a metallic hiss.
            “Where ya heading, mister?” The bus driver asked casually without a second glance as Colby walked up the steps and found a seat. He was the only one on this bus. Alone.
            “...Anywhere but here.”
            Colby rested his head against the window as the bus began to move, seeing the pizza pawlor, the hedge maze, and the windmill museum as he slowly passed each of them by. Eventually, as the bus left Pawston’s city-limits, it finally passed by a familiar cornfield. As the reality finally sunk in that Colby would never see the Pooches again, all he could do was break down and cry. The bus drove further and further away from Pawston into the night, which welcomed Colby with open arms into the cold and lonely embrace of darkness once more.
            “So much for birthday wishes…”            ", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Love is Lawless - Chapter 6 - Chasing Windmills", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "image/png", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "1", "views": "113" }