User blog:InklingBear/Life of Pets - Bone Cold Truth

Story #35 - Bone Cold Truth
3:00 pm

Ah, yes. It was that time of the day, yet again. Simple blue skies without a single cloud or a drop of rain in sight. For a typical Thursday afternoon, there was no doubt that anything could keep the family pets away from their eleven favorite playmates they'd never dare trade for the world. Given their unconditional love towards their human owners, who wouldn't want to spend time with them?

As the usual shtick goes in the big family, Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt sat comfortably on the living room couch. They all stared at the television screen as they patiently waited for the siblings to return home from school. As the screen displayed useless advertisements for minutes on end, the cat had the urge to break the silence. Bored out of his mind, Cliff grabbed a cube of ice and bit down on it like it was nothing, splitting the solid in two.

Charles took notice of this. "So… dis is how yer gonna start dis here episode, eh?" he curiously asked.

"At least I'm willin' ta break da ice here, not wind like youse," the cat responded.

Charles shook his head and shrugged. "I… so? Who cares about me doin' dat? It ain't like it's bad fer our health."

"You keep waking us up with your offensive fumes in the middle of the dang night." Walt spat.

"Dat ain't mah fault!" Charles retorted.

"Ya managed ta knock somebody out wit' dat big stink cloud o' yers, myself included!"

Crossing his arms, Charles retorted. "Well, he shouldn't have stood behind me den! And I know yer into mah stench yerself cuz I've seen ya holdin' yer nose shut several times."

Cliff's heart felt like it was going to drop. Chills filled him all over progressively. "Dat doesn't prove jack!"

"I don't know, I'm pretty sure it does," Walt added.

"Yer not helpin' bird!" Cliff said.

"He is ta me!" Charles responded, eyes on the cat.

"I'm sorry to butt in, but what's this have to do with anything?" Geo asked.

"Doan blame me," Cliff retorted. "I ain't da one responsible fer sayin' dese words!"

"Well, you're not incorrect," Walt said, presenting his annoyance.

"Yeah. Humor like dis is so overrated, it ain't even funny," Charles said.

"I know dat's right," Cliff agreed.

"I don't know how this stuff is able to appeal to anyone that's not even in their teenage years." Walt spat.

"It's a mystery," Geo added.

Hearing footsteps approach the house, the pets jumped. Cliff swiftly flicked out a remote and shut the television off. Zipping towards the door, it was already open wide. The youngest siblings chattered amongst themselves as they rushed to their beloved animals, sans Charles.

Lifted off the floor and getting rubbed on the heads, Charles felt confused and left out. He didn't understand what's happening or why. Tilting his head, he whined. With everybody wandering off to the second floor, Charles glanced over to the reader.

"Eh… what da heck's goin' on?" he asked. "Did dey not notice me?"

That question of his had potential, but the answer to it remains quite unclear. Shaking his head, the dog followed the whole gang upstairs. At the top of the stairs, he spotted Lana out in the hall. Instead of a happy reaction as he expected, it was a completely different reaction. Running back into her room, Charles ran to enter the door, only to get hit in the face by her bedroom door.

"Awooo!" the dog yelped before rubbing his red nose. "Geez, dat smarts."

Was he really dreaming, or was his experience an unreal reality to him? More confusion entered the white mutt's mind as his sights locked onto the door in front of him. "I doan understand what's happenin'! Mah filth kid doan want ta play wit' me now? Well, ain't dat a problem!"

Arms crossed, the dog looked for open doors. Lincoln's was way open. Maybe he was in the mood to play. "If she doan wanna play, den I'll just play wit' mah boy!"

Rushing to the middle child's room, Lincoln freaked before slamming the door shut. Charles skid close to the entrance in shock. He couldn't believe it. Him too?

"Alright, dis is gettin' ridiculous!" Charles said to the reader. Anger slowly took over his mind. "Somethin's wrong here. What da heck did I do? Bite somebody? Pee on the carpet? Lick myself clean down dere?" Suspicious, Charles' eyes squinted angrily. "Hey, settle down, ya weirdo."

Whatever was going on, he needed to set things straight. Desperate for answers, he started walking around the hallway. "I'm gonna get to da bottom of dis junk," he said, determination filling his head. "even if I hafta sniff out da tracks!"

Missing just a beat, the pup was stumped. With no evidence around aside from everyone acting paranoid of him all of a sudden, there had to be another way to decipher this strange behavior. Shaking his head, the dog uttered "Er… dat won't work. Dere's got ta be another way I can work dis out."

Hatching an idea with a lightbulb floating over his head, Charles had an idea. "Maybe it's just dose two? Guess I'll hafta see if anyone else is treatin' me da same way."

Not long after, screams of panic ensued as every door he approached slammed shut before his eyes. This definitely wasn't a dream. It felt like a nightmare to him. It's almost like the siblings didn't want to do anything with him. Trembling his paws, he felt completely left out. Trying his best to fight his pain, Charles was understandably in a rage.

Turning to the reader, the dog questionably spat some angry words. "Alright, who's da wise guy dat set me up dis way? Dere ain't nothin' funny about dis at all! I'm gonna get to da bottom of this crud as if my unconditioned love fer dose kids depend on it!"

Inside his doghouse, he turned on the slide projector he managed to steal from Lisa. He scrolled through loads of footage she always had on file, including what was caught just today.

"Hmm…" Charles uttered, massaging his chin with his paw. "Ain't nothin' unusual goin' on… just da kids doin' dere thing."

Charles shook his head. There were no evidential clues present to help him out. Still having that bit of determination, he glanced at a few more clips from the day before. Everything went okay so far for the poor animal. He witnessed some bit of activity from the kitchen interior, where the older siblings talked amongst themselves. They had engaged in a conversation about the white hound while he remembered being outside… chasing down a butterfly.

"Let's see what's goin' on here…" Charles spat, squinting his eyes.

All that really happened so far was the siblings' casual activity. No funny business seemed to take over. He skipped back to the day before tomorrow. What he retrieved was the exact same results.

"Drat!" He slammed the projector. "Ain't dere somethin' out dere dat could've led ta dis?"

Charles flicked to another camera, this time projecting someone in the shower. Getting flashed out of nowhere like that was a shock to him. When he gave out a horrid scream, he quickly flicked to another active feed. Much to his relief, he got an eye full of the living room couch. Cliff and Walt were there, resting peacefully.

"Of course dose two would laze around." Charles rolled his eyes. Scratching his head, he was stumped. "Well maybe it's nothin'? Maybe dey're just messin' around or somethin'..."

When he shook his canine head, he was really starting to doubt it. "Nuh-uh. Somethin's wrong here. I've known dis darn family fer years. Dere's gotta be a logical explanation fer all dis crazy behavior."

The dog's eyes shifted around, still placing his focus on the projection. "I ain't gonna rest dis case until I find out da source." He rubbed his paws together. "It's time ta infiltrate dis place."

Sprinting out of his doghouse and heading to the back door of the house, he entered the doggy door. Now inside the kitchen, the first thing he spotted with his own eyes was a slice of ham, discarded on the floor.

"Ooh, meat!" Charles munched on the food like there wasn't a tomorrow. When he shook his head after satisfying himself, he stopped for a quick shame. He sighed for a second. "I hafta cut dat out."

As the mutt resumed walking aimlessly around the house he searched high and low, far and near for any clues. There still wasn't anything out there to help him out. This slowly upset Charles.

"C'mon now, dere has ta be somethin' helpin' me out." The dog looked down. He couldn't give up just yet. He needed answers one way or another. Heading into the living room, he found Lincoln playing an online match of a role-playing game he was into, with his best friend Clyde as his opponent.

"Oh yeah!" Lincoln spat. "You know with this power I have on me Clyde, there's no way you can take my henchmen down anytime soon." He concluded with a simple laugh.

Charles was a little disoriented. At first, he was in fear, now he was openly playing a game with someone? Suspicions arose inside the dog. Desperate to have someone to communicate with, he walked to the boy at a steady stride. What came next was something he literally expected. As Lincoln's vision laid upon the dog, he screamed and bolted upstairs. Startled, Charles jumped back and shook his head.

"Aaand, saw dat comin'," The dog facepalmed, to no surprise. What could've possibly gone wrong? "How am I gonna get answers wit' ev'rybody scrammin'?"

A lightbulb popped up. "I've got it!" He rubbed his paws together. "Let's see if dey'll figure out it's me, unduh some apparel." He then glanced back at the reader. "Now don't get me wrong here, I hate bein' clothed, but I hafta get to da bottom of dis… even though I've used dat many times already." Already half a minute in, Lincoln's match between Clyde was getting dominated.

Up in the attic, the mutt himself dug through a chest filled with old items to rummage around. There wasn't a lot of options for Charles to choose from, so he had to work with whatever was in the area. Tired of rummaging through the attic, he settled on a simple tuxedo, fit for someone his size. It's as if Lily could fit something like it. Staring at the selected piece of clothing, he had no other choice. He had to work with what he was able to find.

"Welp, here goes nothin', I suppose." Charles sighed sharply.

What he didn't expect was getting spooked by a feline friend. "Hey, dog!" Cliff darted up from behind the chest. That had Charles' heart racing. "What's wit' da getup?"

"Okay... don't do dat." Charles uttered through his hyperventilation. "And I'm in some sort of a huge pickle fer no good reason."

"Why? What's goin' on?" Cliff asked, his confusion building up ever so slightly.

"Evuh since dat family came back home today, everyone's been treatin' me like some sort of outcast!" Charles extended his arms out. "And dere ain't no clues out dere fer me that coulda led ta dis crud! So I'm dressin' up a bit so dey'll probably calm down or somethin'."

"Oh... as crazy as dis sounds right now, is it really dat serious?" Cliff tilted his head.

"Ya bet yer butt it is." Charles furnished a tie on his tux before putting on a dusty hat. "I've never seen such a silly turnout such as dis."

Cliff smirked. "I could genuinely say da same ting for dis entire story, it's gettin' kinda strange, don'tcha tink?" He made his way to the stairs. "Well, good luck wit' whatever yer tryin' ta do. I have a belly rub callin' me downstairs…" The cat's stomach growled. "But I hafta answer nature first."

After Cliff left to ramble around in the hallway, Charles sighed once again. He pulled out an old brush and looked closely at it. "Gee, I sure hope dis works."

In the hallway, Leni and Lola went into their rooms. The dog had to decide which one he wants to retrieve answers from. It already occurred to him that both of the girls have a thing for fashionable apparel, so he shouldn't have a problem with it in the first place.

Hopping down on the hallway carpet, he looked to his left and right. Giving off a stink eye, he decided to try the teenage fashionista first. Maybe she could have some insights on why everyone's trying to stay away from the white pup. Walking into her room, he simply gave a bark. Leni turned around, looking directly at Charles. What could he want?

Leni gasped. "Ooh! Handsome doggy!" She picked him up, much to his dismay. "You know what'll go even greater with what you have on? A hairdo!"

"Aroo?" Charles uttered under his breath before Leni set him on her bed. He was utterly confused. What was wrong with what he was wearing? Nevertheless, he had to not underestimate her and just go with it. Maybe he'd like it after the turnout.

When Leni doffed the pooch's hat, she gasped and immediately backed away. "Charles?!" she said, her arms trembling around. Out of fear that Charles might do something, she screamed, bolting out of her room without hesitating a second. As expected, Charles shook his head. This was nowhere near a different reaction than he thought he'd get.

The dog couldn't help but let out an irritable groan. "I guess I'll try da little beauty queen next." He exited the room, entering the hallway before making his way into the room that belonged to Lola and Lana.

As the dog would expect nothing different, he spotted the beauty child fixing up her hair. She decided what type of spray she would use for her soon to be tea party. She just needed one more member to join in on the fun.

"Alright, my fellow playmates," Lola walked to her occupied plastic table, filled with some fresh made tea and crumpets along with a stuffed rabbit, cat, and a bear, dressed properly for the occasion. "Our little party's about to start in a couple of minutes. Your charming young princess needs time to decide which spray she needs to use."

The last sentence gave the dog a reason to smile. This could be an opportunity Charles may have been waiting for. All he wanted was to not feel left out. He wanted to help her out in any way he could. With that powerful sniffer of his, he would make for a great assistant.

Rushing to her, the dog poked at the spray she had in her right, which had a hint of cherry blossoms and cinnamon. Lola didn't feel confident about using it, but she had to realize that even a non-sapient animal like Charles can have a good intention. What if he's had a whiff of it before? He might not be wrong.

Lola was getting suspicious. She knows that's the dog everyone's been avoiding all this time. "I know it's you Charles." Lola spoke up. "You're not getting a bite out of me. Now back off!"

Charles was really starting to get confused. The dog had no idea what the heck the child was talking about. With all due respect to her wishes given her aggressive nature at times, he sadly whined and backed off.

"Hmm. I'm not sure about this," Lola glanced closely at the spray bottle as Charles lamented, leaving the room. "Cherry blossoms and cinnamon?" She shrugged. "Eh, I'm sure it'll be a good combination."

Putting her trust in the canine with couture, she tried to perform a little spritz on her hair. But instead, it sprayed all over her hair, soon covering her face with an aromatic pinkish-red cloud. Her coughing ensued as it was too much for her to handle. When it cleared up, the smell of it overwhelmed her senses. This was a good call on the dog's part. Lola gave off a smile as the spray really complimented her hair nicely.

Lola poofed up her hair. "Well I'll say, the dog has good taste, I'll give him that."

Arriving back at the doghouse in the late evening, Charles was on the verge of throwing in the towel at this point. Nothing seemed to have worked out well for him. If he had the power to turn back time, the dog would use that to an advantage. But no, there was no need for wishes about altering the present to his liking.

Charles growled to himself in a hastily matter. "Ohhhh, I'm so angry." His paws stomped on the dirt. "All dat plannin' and nothin' worked out!"

This upset the poor pooch to a good degree. He was a bout to shed a tear. Running fresh out of potential ideas, he threw his head down. "Where did I go wrong?" He sniffled. "What did I do?" The dog felt like he needed to assert himself after the awkward situation he had to endure for no reason. He banged his fists on the slide projector, only for it to start back up on him unexpectedly.

It showcased another piece of footage from the feed of the living room, with Cliff and Walt resting peacefully on the carpet and the birdcage, respectively. Lincoln barged through the front door, much to the distress of the two pets. Charles, who's currently watching this go down, was understandably confused at first, but at least it snatched his attention up instantly.

The middle child hopped onto the computer, as he searched for something online. He called Lana over to join in with him. Not long after, the kid pulled up an unknown website. Charles paid close attention to what was happening between him and the mud loving twin. He figured that sometimes, it's the things happening in the background that might have led to a position that the dog's in.

Charles didn't want to believe that was the source to everything. But then again, what if it was? As he continued watching, he noticed the two hugging it out on the side. They were even shaking in fear as they quickly glanced back and forth at each other. After a short while, the two bolted upstairs, possibly telling everybody about what they just witnessed.

Charles was understandably skeptical about what just happened. "Wait a sec?" He crossed his arms. "Ya mean ta tell me dat all of dis mistreatin' I've been gettin' was cause of a dumb website? Dat place is filled with loads of lies!" He glanced towards the reader. "Knowin' how impressionable people are gettin' nowadays, dey'll believe anything people put out dere."

The dog had to facepalm. He just found out the possible source of everything that occurred. "Alright, enough talkin'. It's time ta put a stop ta dis."

At the computer desk now, Charles got to work. Placing his delicate paws on the keyboard, he typed away. "Wait a sec," he mumbled to himself, placing a paw over the mouse. "I can just oh I dunno, lurk around dere history." He hovered it over the history tab. A click in, it exposed all the recent websites they've visited. The dog was surprised that nobody would've actually thought to clear it every once in a while.

"Wow, dat's a buncha stuff." Charles scrolled down to the most recent site someone was on. He clicked on it and soon found himself directed to a page about a debatable news article. "Nope, dat's not it." He redirected himself to another page, this time being an experiment about some physics. Impressed but with not much time left to waste, he scrolled to another page. "That's cool, but not it eithuh."

The third page it redirected him to was about the human body, included with the functions they withheld and why it's healthy for them. Charles read a couple sentences about how there's nothing wrong with letting one rip every once in a while. It turns out; he was right about his intentions after all. With a smirk on his face, he didn't hesitate to let out a fart. "Serves ya right, puss."

He went to another webpage once again. This time, it was about theories. It perplexed Charles, tilting his head almost immediately after. The most recent one read and it quoted:

"Do you ever get the strange feeling... that all dogs like to lick our faces... because they know we have bones inside our body? You don't think... our best friends that we've known for years are waiting for the perfect moment to try and eat us... right? ...r-right?!"

Noticing the comment section below it was notably filled with fear and panic, Charles gulped. This felt like a nail hammered hard into a broken heart to him. His ears flopped the moment he stared at it all. His pupils were getting larger as he felt that his family felt the same way about him. Feeling isolated, he had nothing left.

"I guess it all makes sense now..." Charles uneasily muttered, trying to fight his tears. "This family... tinks I'm a complete monster..." Now crying, he hopped off and left the house without even uttering a single word.

It was gloomy and raining outside now. Charles rested outside in his doghouse, lamenting about how he felt singled out by the family that took him in. On one side, he couldn't believe how impressionable the world would be to him, but on the other half, he was a mixed bag filled with emotional sadness and rage. If he could talk some sense into the siblings, he would've pulled it off. But the only thing that stood in his way was some bad communication between animals and humans. It hurt him most that even Lana was that impressionable, and she loved animals more than anything.

He didn't understand it, but then again, there was the society they all lived in today. He heard a voice call out to him. It was from the kid that found him since day one. She was desperate to find the whereabout of her faithful companion, but to each call she made out, there was no answer.

"Charles? Where are you?" Lana walked aimlessly into the backyard. "I know you're out there, buddy." Lana sniffed deeply. "I can smell you somewhere around here."

Rustling ensued from the bushes. Could that be where Charles was? Thinking that could be true, she walked over to them. "Charles, Is that you?" Lana reached into the bushes. "I just wanted to apologize-"

CHOMP*

"Yow!" The child screamed out. It was a stray raccoon, and he looked real hungry for something to sink its sharp teeth into. It startled Charles, gasping in complete shock. Reacting on impulse, he had to bolt out of his doghouse. He charged directly at the two fighting parties, crashing into them as they rolled around in the muddy field.

With the raccoon losing its grip, he was thrown next to the growling hound. Catching sight of the snarling beast, Charles bolted directly at it. Not a moment to spare, the two animals got into a scrap. Several clouds formed up as the battle commenced. Lana was in shock. She didn't know what to do from that point. All she could do was just sit back and watch.

The brawl reached its climax, with the dog biting down on the coon's tail, he hurled the animal left and right. With bravery and confidence, he sent the animal into a tree, knocking him out cold.

Lana was speechless. She was saved by her bumbling pet. The one she was afraid of all this time, was right there for here when she needed it the most. She couldn't help but smile with a joyful tear.

When Charles looked back at the child, his mind was too fixated to do anything else other than run towards her at top speed.

"Charles! Good boy!" Lana opened her arms out and got glomped by her happy pooch. "That was awesome!"

Charles never felt so satisfied to finally have his empty void feel occupied. But now, only one piercing question remained. Charles took the honor in asking it. He was curious and at the same time, desperate to know. He communicated with her through his elegant way of speaking.

"Avoiding you?" Lana answered uneasily. "Come on, Charles."

The dog spoke again, only this time it had a bit of dominance.

"Oh. If I really made you feel that way, I'm sorry, boy." Lana petted the dog on his head. "If I could explain myself, then I would in a heartbeat. But it's a teensy bit complicated for me to tell you."

Charles wanted to comfort her. He'd understand someday. Lana looked back at her pet. She wanted to build her courage up for Charles but, she just couldn't do it today.

"I'm sorry, I'll tell you someday." Lana uttered, like she was making a promise. "But c'mon. Let's spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want!" Lana walked back to the kitchen. Charles gave the kid two barks before he followed her inside. Lincoln screamed his heart out upon finding Lana with her dog.

"Calm down, Lincoln." Lana uttered irritably.

~End~

Trivia

 * This isn't my best one to date, but this one was meant to take on a little "take that" towards the impressionable public. This was the best I could do, so sorry if it's not good.