Can you keep a secret?
Got a secret, can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save,
Better lock it in your pocket,
Takin' this one to the grave.
If I show you, then I know you
Won't tell what I said,
'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead...
-Secret by The Pierces
Most pets didn't know, but Russell and Zoe were dating. It was a bit unusual for Russell, a clean-crazy nerd, and Zoe, a popular singer to be together but it was so. What was even more unusual was the fact a hedgehog and a dog were in love with eachother but love knows no limits.
However since Zoe and Russell feared crazy rumors would pop up if they told any of their fellow pets they were dating, they decided it was best to keep their relationship a secret.
Thanks to this Russell and Zoe spent as little time as possible with eachother in order to not expose any hints that they were in love. But they did have dates in secret and spent time with eachother at the park, making sure fellow daycampers weren't around.
Not even their owners, nor Blythe knew of their secret.
One day, when it was almost the end of the day Russell quickly turned to his girlfriend and whispered, "Meet me at the park tonight at 7:30. Alright?"
"Yes," whispered back Zoe as she quickly jumped in her pet carrier that John Trent, one of her owners held. Russell then scittered over to his pet carrier as the day was over and night slipped in and the Littlest Pet Shop closed.
When they had reached home, Zoe and Russell carefully slipped out of their homes without their owners noticing and met at the park. When Zoe arrived a shocking sight met her eyes.
There Russell was, presenting a huge picnic with lots of food layed out on a red-and-white checkered blanket. He seemed rather proud of himself and his teeth seemed to gleam in the sunset. A small brown open basket sat in the middle.
"You did this... for me?" asked Zoe, her gleaming cyan eyes sparkling like two stars. "Yep!" said Russell. "And I've spent weeks planning this picnic for you, so you better be satisfied~"
"Oh, Russell..." Without another word Zoe leaped into Russell's arms. "I just don't know what to say..."
Suddenly, Zoe looked around. "But we better keep it down in case our friends come by," said Zoe in a low voice.
"Right," agreed Russell.
All of a sudden, Zoe froze and licked her lips. "I'm feeling a bit thirsty, honey," said Zoe. She didn't usually call other pets affectionate nicknames unless she was in a relationship with them. "Did you bring any water with you?"
"No, I didn't," said the orange hedgehog. "But I think there's a pond nearby."
"Oh, good," said Zoe, continuing to lick her lips. "I'm so thirsty I could drink a whole ocean!"
"You wouldn't be able to do that, or you'd die of too much water," stated Russell. "And anyways, oceans are saltwaters, so you'd die among the first sip."
"Oh, Russell," said Zoe. "You're so nerdy... I like that."
The clean-crazy hedgehog blushed. "Well, I can't help it if I'm smart!" he said, his voice pitching a bit higher.
"Anyways, let's go find that pond!" said the purple Cocker Spaniel as she put her nose to the soft grass. "I think I smell some water nearby," she concluded. "It's just over those bushes."
The pet couple raced over the bushes and as they did, Sunil and Vinnie crossed by.
"I'm so glad we're having a playdate at the park, Sunil," said Vinnie before eyeing the picnic.
"Yes, it was most kind of our owners to let us- Vinnie, what are you staring at?" said Sunil in his heavy Indian accent.
Vinnie's lilac eyes widened as his jaw dropped and saliva started to pool in his mouth. Ham, bread, candy, cake, ice cream, ice cream cake- almost every kind of food you could imagine was on that red-checkered blanket.
Sunil's golden eyes started widening too as his jaw dropped as well.
"We've gotta get that food, Sunil!" said Vinnie as he closed his best pal's mouth.
"But how will we do that?" asked the blue mongoose. "It seems like this picnic belongs to someone. I mean, no one would leave such a feast out in the park for everyone else."
"Dude, I don't care," said the green reptile. "I just wanna get that food, and anyways no one is around. I'm sure no one will mind..." Vinnie started sneaking towards the huge banquet.
"Uh, I dunno, man," said Sunil as he walked over. "I just have a bad feeling about this.."
But it was too late, as Vinnie had already stuffed some ham in his mouth and he seemed to enjoy it. "Oh, you gotta try some of this stuff, man!" said Vinnie, mouth full.
"Erm..." Sunil quickly did a check around the park to make sure no one else was around. "..Well, this picnic seems abandoned, soo..."
"That's my man!" said Vinnie. "Now hurry up and eat the food before it gets spoiled!"
Sunil obeyed his friend and picked up a loaf of sugared bread. Although his brain was telling him to put the bread down as it didn't belong to him, Sunil was really hungry anyways and did feel like it was the time for a snack. So the blue mongoose took a bite into the sugary bread.
"Mmm," said Sunil, the corners of his mouth beginning to rise up. "This bread tastes really nice."
"I know, right?" said Vinnie, already had eaten his ham and was now trying to devour a slice of chocolate cake. "It tastes almost like cake except without the icing."
Sunil decided to settle down and eat with his friend. Although this was technically stealing as they were eating food that wasn't theirs, his mind seemed to block out the rules and enjoyed the food to his heart's content.
Then came a rustle in the bushes. Vinnie ate slower but Sunil completely stopped and stared at the hedges where the noise came from. A familiar orange hedgehog and purple Cocker Spaniel came out.
"That water was really yummy, Russell," said Zoe. "Now my thirst is quenched."
Sunil gasped and wiped the sugar from his mouth to not hint to his fellow daycampers that he had been eating their food, because what if the picnic belonged to them? Vinnie, however, continued to eat the food obliviously.
Zoe shrieked when she saw her friends eating the picnic. Vinnie then stopped eating and looked up. Upon seeing the King Charles' Cocker Spaniel, he let out a small, "Uh-oh."
"Sunil?! Vinnie?!" cried Russell. "What are you doing eating our food!"
"Um.. We're not eating anything!" said Vinnie, wiping the chocolate icing that was on his paws on his legs. However the chocolate smeared around his mouth was still very much visible.
"Who do you boys think you are to try and eat our stuff?" growled Zoe, walking up to them. "It's just simply not polite!"
"Hey, don't blame us!" whined Vinnie. "I was just really hungry, that's all!"
"That doesn't mean you can steal other pets' food!" said Russell, walking up to the two boys as well, narrowing his lime-green eyes.
"Wait a second," said Vinnie, smiling a mischievous grin. Russell couldn't help but gulp, the lump in his throat clearly visible.
"Why are you with a pet of the opposite gender, walking in the park and having a picnic...? Hmm, Russell?" asked Vinnie, hinting that he thought Russell and Zoe were on a date, which they were.
Russell's cheeks flushed bright red. "I-It's just a playdate! That's all!"
"Oh, really?" asked Vinnie. Russell wanted so badly to slap the silly smirk off Vinnie's face right there and then.
"Why would we even love eachother, anyways?" asked Zoe, her cheeks also flushed. "I mean, I'm a dog and Russell's a hedgehog! It would never work out!"
"Mhm," said Vinnie. Russell was really getting angry now.
"Russell and Zoe sittin' in a tree.." chanted Vinnie playfully.
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" added Sunil, trying to tease the embarrassed couple.
"First comes love, then comes marriage.." continued Vinnie.
"Shut up, guys," said Russell through clenched teeth.
"Then comes the baby in the baby carriage!" chanted Vinnie and Sunil together. The two best friends ended up rolling on the grass below them laughing while Russell and Zoe blushed like mad.
When the blue mongoose and green gecko finally stopped laughing, they got up and continued to tease the embarassed hedgehog and dog.
"Oh, c'mon, Russell ol' pal..." said Vinnie. "Just admit it!"
"You and Zoe are dating!" teased Sunil playfully.
"We are not dating! And that is all!" said Russell. "C'mon, Zoe.. let's leave these two bozos alone!" And with that he took the paw of his girlfriend and stormed off.
"Ooh," said Vinnie. "They're holding paws!"
Russell could hear Sunil snicker. He growled quietly.
"Fine," said Russell. He walked back over to his best buds. "I'll tell you our secret. But you must promise to not tell another living being. Got it?"
"We won't tell a soul," said Sunil, the blue mongoose lifting his paw.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," agreed Vinnie, making the appropriate motion.
"Good," said Russell, his voice lowering. He looked around. "Me and Zoe are dating."
Vinnie and Sunil did a high-five. "Yes! You win," said Russell in barely a whisper. "But you must not tell anyone else. Or there will be grave consequences." The small orange hedgehog smirked.
Sunil was a little scared at this. "Don't worry man," said Vinnie. "Your secret is safe with us."
Russell sighed. "I sure hope so..." And with that he and Zoe walked away. As soon as they were out of sight Vinnie continued eating the food but Sunil was much too scared to continue eating. What did Russell mean by "grave consequences"? Also he hadn't really kept a secret before, and the poor mongoose realized how horribly this could go.