The Smiling Critters: A Day With Catnap

Block Bash Break Up!

DogDay x Bobby (Non-Request)

The sun blazes high over Poppy Fields, but the critter's, Doey's and Huggy's crews are undeterred by the heat. Colorful streamers wave from lamp posts, music blasts from Bobby's and Simon's handpicked playlist (a surprising mix of dreamy jazz and techno remixes), and the smell of grilled skewers and fried pies fills the air. The annual Block Bash has begun, and chaos is already creeping in from the shadows.

Bobby is practically glowing with happiness as she hands out handmade cupcakes from a pastel tower of trays. Her hair is done up with bright yellow ribbons, and her eyelashes are curled to perfection for the event. Her eyes flick between the crowd and the beverage table.

"Where's DogDay?" she asks herself just above a whisper, pausing as she spots Kickin hanging from a bunting line, zip-tied to the pole by his ankles.

"Hoppy and I made a bet," Kickin grins upside down. "But really, I think she just wants to kiss me."

Hoppy was busy sprinting laps around the bounce castle, shouting, "No, I do not!" to anyone who made eye contact.

"Right," Bobby sighs, smiling to herself. "Typical of you two."

Just then, a howl split the sky, and there he was: DogDay, wearing glowstick sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt two sizes too big, standing on top of the fence of Rabie's yard. The female bat flies up and grabs the dog by the shoulders, boosting him in the air. After a moment, she lets him go, letting him cannonball into a plastic kiddie pool full of rainbow jello.

"THE PARTY GOD HAS ARRIVED!" he declares, jello clinging to his fur like war paint.

Picky facepalms from her barbecue station, set up in Simon's yard. "DogDay, that was supposed to be dessert."

"Hey, I'm clean!" DogDay replies, snatching a half-submerged popsicle with his teeth. "It's still edible."

Bobby watched him with an affectionate roll of her eyes. DogDay's always been this way--explosive, wild, always two sips away from destruction. But she believes she loves him. Truly.

The party rages on with increasing volume. CraftyCorn is drawing chalk portraits on the sidewalk with Kissy, Bubba is trying to help Allister DJ on an old record player, and Catnap silently retreats to the rooftop with a camera from Doey, silently observing and recording the festival of nonsense below.

As sunset drenches the street in orange and pink, Bobby finally catches DogDay by the punch bowl with a worried Huggy. Again.

"Hey, slow down," she chuckles, gently tugging his paw away from his fourth refill. "You're going to end up dancing with a tree or something."

"Or someone?" DogDay winks, slightly sluggish. "You're jealous already!"

"I'm serious," Bobby says, tone soft but firm. "Take it easy, okay?"

DogDay pauses, staring at her. He nods, though his grin said, I'm not listening at all. "O-okay, babe! I promise I'll slow down... After this one!" Then he quickly downs his cup and skates away on a pair of roller skates he borrowed from Hoppy.

"Oh, DogDay..." the sighs with a concerned smile.

Several Hours Later

The moon is high now, casting a luminescent glow over the still-raging party. The crowd dwindles to the true party animals—the nightmare critters, except Baba and Allister, the smiling critters, except Bubba and Crafty, as well as Doey and Mommy. Fireworks crack in the distance. Someone has set up an inflatable bull ride in the middle of the street, which doesn't last long because Toulle accidentally deflates it with a fork. Picky begins shouting about how the mayonnaise has turned into "live bacteria," and Catnap is now curled next to his camera and purring softly on a picnic table while Crafty paints him under the starlit sky.