This mostly adheres to the continuity of the first season (Holly owns the pound, Brighteyes is an adult dog rather than a puppy et al.), and, as in my previous fan fictions, Violet, Barkerville, Scrounger, Flack and Tubbs and Dabney Nabbit, the latter of whom now working for Katrina Stoneheart, are part of the cast. The storyline is based off of an episode of Tom and Jerry entitled, "Little Runaway", and its title was taken from a Mickey Mouse cartoon entitled, "Mickey and the Seal." Please enjoy!(BTW, I have a picture of Sammy available on my blog, the Keeper of the Fun blog!)
It's a peaceable summer night in New York City. At a local circus, a small black seal is picking the lock of his cage with a toothpick as his keeper sleeps. Once he finally manages to undo the lock he slowly pushes the cage door open and quietly tiptoes away, looking over his shoulder every few minutes to make sure his keeper doesn't hear.
The next morning, at Holly's Puppy Pound, Brighteyes, who's wearing a green two-piece swimsuit(1), traipses out into the yard. "Ahhhh," she sighs, breathing in the warm summer air. "It sure is a super peachy-keen morning. Perfect for a nice swim in the pool!" She then makes her way over to a small inflatable blue backyard pool, tests the water with her toe, then takes a dive in and promptly lands headfirst on an unseen object. CRASH! The seal quickly surfaces with Brighteyes on his head. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Miss, I didn't see you there!"
"Gosh-oh-golly-gee, a really, truly baby seal!" The yellow lab slowly climbs down and helps dust the little seal off. "I'm super-duper sorry for crashing into you like that."
"All is well." the seal replies graciously. "By the way, my name's Sammy."
"Pleased to meet you, Sammy, my name's Brighteyes." She gently shakes his flipper. "If I may ask, please, what brings you to our Puppy Pound?"
"Well, you see," Sammy notes sadly as Brighteyes slowly climbs out of the pool. "I used to live at the circus, but they kept making me blow horns all day, like this," He then demonstrates same. "I was so tired of it that I ran away." A small sad tear then escapes the little seal's eye. "I'd love more than anything to go back home to Alaska to see my Mommy and Daddy again. Can you help me, please?"
"Well, absolutely, little friend!" The yellow lab replies cheerily. "We Pound Puppies always look out for animals in need."
A contented smile spreads across the little seal's face. "Oh, thank you! This means so very much to me!" Brighteyes beams. "You're quite welcome, little friend."
Sammy then turns to Brighteyes. "Uhm, I hope I'm not being a pest, but may I have...a bit of fish, please?"
"Sure, little guy," the yellow lab cheerily obliges. She glances over her shoulder toward Katrina Stoneheart's hilltop mansion. "And I think I may know of the perfect place." She turns to Sammy. "I'll be right back, little friend. Please take care."
"Sure thing, friend." Sammy replies as Brighteyes hurries off.
Brighteyes, who's now wearing her regular outfit, presently arrives in Katrina's living room, where Katrina's mean cat Catgut(Who looked much more like a fur-covered pillow with claws) is sleeping. Spotting a large silver fish in his bowl, the yellow lab tiptoes over, nabs the fish, and begins quietly making her way toward the door. Unfortunately, she's barely just stepped into the doorway when Catgut sits up and opens his eyes slightly. Panicked, Brighteyes ducks behind the corner and stands the fish up on its tailfins; she moves its fin a bit with her thumb, making it wave.
Much perplexed, the mean cat traipses over to get a closer look. Thinking quickly, Brighteyes takes the fish in both hands and begins moving it back and forth and up and down; making it look like it was dancing. Catgut watches excitedly as Brighteyes makes the fish tapdance in place, then dance around the corner.
The mean cat claps and cheers, "Meow! Meow, meow, meow, meow!" Upon this, Brighteyes makes the fish step out and take a bow. Catgut then claps and cheers again, "Meow! Meow, meow, meow, meow!" upon which the yellow lab makes the fish take a bow again. Catgut then claps and cheers some more, "Meow! Meow, meow, meow, meow!" upon which Brighteyes steps out with the fish in hand and takes a bow. Catgut gasps and begins to growl angrily. Noticing what's happened, the yellow lab gives an audible gulp. "Uh oh, I think something got mixed up here..."
Catgut pounces at Brighteyes, but she fortunately manages to dash out of the way just in time. The yellow lab then takes to her heels with the mean cat in hot pursuit. Upon arriving back at the puppy pound, Brighteyes tosses the fish into the pool and dashes away. As Catgut arrives on the scene, he observes the fish landing on its head and moving in a circle on the surface of the water. Now very perplexed, the mean cat picks the fish up by its tailfin and shakes it a little, but nothing happens. Sensing something amiss, he glances over his shoulder, upon which Sammy pops out of the water and snaps the fish up. Catgut then begins walking toward the gate, until he suddenly notices his paws empty. "MREEEEOW!" he screeches in shock.
From the side of the pound, Brighteyes laughs merrily and slaps her knees. "Tee-hee-hee, that was priceless!" Enraged, Catgut hisses and snarls and takes off after the yellow lab again. Suddenly, he feels himself being lifted in the air, then spun in a circle. "MEOW-MEOW-MEOW-MEOWWWWW!" the mean cat screeches as Sammy bounces him up and down on the tip of his nose, then flips him over the fence. Frightened, Catgut quickly picks himself up and dashes back toward the mansion. "MEOW! MEOW, MEOW, MEOW, MEOW!"
As the two watch Catgut go, Brighteyes gives Sammy a gentle hug. "Oh, thanks oodles for saving me, Sammy!" The little seal smiles modestly. "You're quite welcome, friend."
Meanwhile, Catgut presently arrives back at the mansion and makes his way toward the dogcatcher's office. He finds Dabney Nabbit the dogcatcher asleep at his desk with his feet propped up on the desk and his hands folded on top of his large round belly; Catgut jostles his shoulder, "Meow! Meow, meow, meow!"
"Wh-huh?" Nabbit slowly stirs awake. "What is it, boy?"
"Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow!" the mean cat replies.
"Y'say one'a them pesky Pound Puppies got into da mansion 'n took your dinner?" Nabbit replies.
"Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow!" Catgut elaborates.
A perplexed look crosses the dogcatcher's face. "Huh, seal of approval?"
"Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow! Catgut explains.
"Oh, that kinda seal!" Nabbit replies. "Well, I-" Before he can continue, however, the radio on his desk(Which he had left on earlier) suddenly pipes up. "In other news, the local circus is offering a reward for the return of their valuable baby seal. The reward of $10, 000 will be payed to anyone who returns this little seal."
Upon hearing this, Nabbit's eyes grow wide. "T-ten million dollars! Wow, that's more than da boss has payed me in a lifetime! I gotta get me dat seal right away!" He quickly hops down from the chair, grabs his net, and dashes off as a nonplussed Catgut looks on.
Meanwhile, back at the puppy pound, Brighteyes and Sammy are merrily playing a game of catch, unaware of the unseen enemy watching them from around the corner. "Heh, heh," Nabbit snickers nastily. "I'll nab that seal and I'll nab him good!(2)" He then rushes toward the two, brandishing his net. "You're mine, seal!" he sneers. "You'll fetch me a pretty penny!" Upon hearing this, Sammy freezes where he stands and shudders audibly. "Oh no, please don't let him get me, Brighteyes!" A determined look crosses the yellow lab's face. "Don't worry, little friend, I won't let him do a thing!"
The two then quickly dash away; unfortunately, Nabbit quickly catches up to them and scoops up Sammy in his net. "Hah, gotcha, my little money magnet!" he scoffs rudely. Just then, Brighteyes traipses up to him, holding a burlap sack. Not thinking anything of it, Nabbit gently picks up the little seal and places him in the bag, upon which Brighteyes ties it shut and gently picks it up in her arms. "Thank you." she says obligingly. The dogcatcher grins and tips his hat. "No, thank you!" As he watches the yellow lab leave, Nabbit suddenly realizes what's happened. "Wait a minute!"
Brighteyes quickly dashes through the gate and around a nearby street corner, where she gently sits Sammy, down, helps him out of the bag, then drops the bag over a fire hydrant; she and Sammy then dash behind a nearby fence. Upon leaving the pound, Nabbit quickly spies the ersatz seal. "Ha, y'won't get away from me this time, twerp!" He dashes toward the burlap sack-clad figure and ends up plowing headlong into it. WHAMM! "Oogh," the disoriented dogcatcher groans. "Anybody get da license number a'that truck?"
Wile Nabbit is distracted, Brighteyes and Sammy make their way back to the pound and hurry off in different directions. Nabbit arrives on the scene just in time to see the little seal inching through the rain gutter; the dogcatcher quickly climbs up after him and chases Sammy across the roof. Noticing a telephone line nearby, Sammy quickly and carefully begins to scurry across it. Unfortunately, he hasn't gone too far before he hears the sound of pedaling from behind him and sees Nabbit riding a small bicycle along the wire(Which surprisingly didn't sink under his weight) while holding a tightrope walker's pole, pedaling toward him. Where DID he find that? Sammy thinks curiously; he doesn't contemplate this too long, however, before hurrying off again.
Thinking quickly, Sammy ties the three wires into a knot and rushes toward the end of the line. Once Nabbit reaches the knot, the bike splits into three pieces, which all go their separate ways. The dogcatcher stares in shock. "Huh? What gives?" Just then, he sees Sammy and begins to pedal the remaining bike piece furiously. "I gotcha now, pest!"
Seeing what's happening from the ground below, Brighteyes quickly runs underneath with a fair-sized glass of water, about Sammy's size. "Don't worry, little friend, I'll save you!" she exclaims. Upon noticing this, the little seal does a swift jackknife dive from the telephone pole and splashes safely into the water. "Gee, thanks so much fer savin' me, Brighteyes," the Sammy says graciously as he hops out of the water. "You're a real pal." The yellow lab blushes modestly. "You're quite welcome, little guy."
Upon seeing this, Nabbit glowers as he reaches the end of the line, "You won't escape me that fast!" Upon this, he quickly dives toward the glass of water. Said glass, however, was only big enough for a small seal and not an overweight dogcatcher; Nabbit quickly gets stuck inside the glass with his feet sticking out. "Mmph! Mmph!" he exclaims in a muffled voice as he hops around in a frantic circle. "Gef mef ouf of here!" From behind the pound, Brighteyes and Sammy giggle at this hilarious sight.
Nabbit eventually breaks free of the glass; he sits sodden on the ground, with his chin in his hand. "Hmm, them little flea farms're pretty smart." At this moment, he spots, by the side of the pound, a large black wetsuit. A sly grin spreads across the dogcatcher's face. "But not as smart as me!"
Nabbit rushes around the side of the pound and promptly seizes up the suit; he then squeezes into it, struggling a bit to get the zipper over his enormous belly. Spotting Brighteyes and Sammy playing catch again, Nabbit waddles over and inserts himself between them, startling Brighteyes. "Ork! Ork!" he barks, clapping his hands like flippers. "Hello, little seal friend, I'm a new neighbor. May I please play catch with you?" Sammy eyes brighten. "Sure, new buddy!"
He and Nabbit then begin passing the ball back and forth to each other, upon which Nabbit bounces the ball away. "Oops," he says with faux concern. "Here, I'll go get it." He hurries dashes over and quickly seizes upon the ball, upon which he begins to dribble it down the front walk, toward the gate. Once outside, Nabbit sticks his head around the corner and twirls the ball on one finger. "Ork! Ork!" he barks. Excited, Sammy hops up and claps his fins with an "Ork! Ork!" of his own. He then begins hurrying toward the gate.
Seeing what's happening, Brighteyes rushes toward him, calling, "Wait, Sammy, please!" The little seal then stops in his tracks. "What's wrong, friend?" Brighteyes puffs, "He's not a real seal, he's Nabbit in disguise!" Sammy looks on with concern. "Ooh. Gosh, thanks fer savin' me!"
From outside the gate, an impatient Nabbit waits for the little seal to arrive. "What's taking that twerp so long?" he mumbles under his breath. "He shoulda' been here by now." He's so preoccupied with this that he doesn't notice a circus keeper approaching him and dropping a net over his head(3). "Ah, now don't worry, my little one," the circus keeper says. "We'll have you back to your tank in no time."
"Buh-but, I'm not a seal," Nabbit protests. "I'm a dogcatcher! Stop! Lemme go! Hey!" Unfortunately, the circus keeper doesn't hear him as he drops him in the back of the circus truck and drives away. As Brighteyes and Sammy traipse through the door, they observe the truck driving off with Nabbit in the back. The two exchange amused looks. "Now he's back where he belongs!" Brighteyes notes. She and Sammy share a laugh over this.
After the trucks has left, the two share a gently hug. "Oh, thank you so much for all you've done for me, Brighteyes," Sammy says happily. "You're such a good friend!" The yellow lab beams as a blush warms her face. "You're quite welcome, Sammy. Thank you super-duper much for all you've done for me, too." Sammy smiles. "You're quite welcome, friend."
A concerned look crosses Brighteyes' face. "Now that he's gone, we'd better help you find your home again. Follow me please." Sammy then follows Brighteyes toward the door.
The two soon arrive at Wagga Wagga Harbor, where Brighteyes locates a ship about to leave for Alaska. She gently helps Sammy into the lifeboat, upon which the boat begins to sail off. "Goodbye, friend!" the little seal calls, waving happily. "I'll always remember you!"
"'Bye, little buddy!" the yellow lab calls, waving in reply. "I'll always remember you, too! Please take care!"
As she watches the ship sail off into the sunset, Brighteyes breathes a hearty, sigh, happy that her friend had finally found his home. "Best wishes, Sammy Dear." she says softly.
Meanwhile, at the circus, the disguised Nabbit is standing in the center ring, playing Yankee Doodle on a series of small bike horns with his nose. "Whatta revoltin' development." he grumbles under his breath. Just then, the dogcatcher hears the crowd clapping and cheering. Elated by this, he begins bowing. "Thank you, thank you all." Suddenly, one of the keepers tosses a fish in Nabbit's mouth, causing him to stand and stare blankly.
"Y'know," Nabbit says in a muffled voice. "It's gettin' harder 'n harder fer a dogcatcher t'make a livin' these days."
The end.
Voice Cast
Brighteyes-Nancy Cartwright
Sammy-Brianne Siddal
Catgut/Circus Keeper-Frank Welker
Dabney Nabbitt-Jeff Glen Bennett
(1)Resembling the one she wore in the episode "Brighteyes, Come Home."
(2)Nabbit's catchphrase beginning with season 2.
(3)Wow, how ironic was this?