An: Chapter 4, hooray! I probably should slow down, 4 chapters within 24 hours and all that. But i have the writing bug, i suppose. Feel free to leave a review, in fact, i insist you do. Non-writers don't understand how nerve wracking it is when no one reviews your story. You feel like your doing something wrong.

The Beast of Burden: Chapter 4: Fond Memories of a Day Now Lost

Sniffling, Nikolai sauntered away from the sweet smelling thing that called itself Princess. He wondered if that meant she was important somehow.

Approaching his destination, the cave he had planned to take, with it's blissful silence and lack of strange princess tummy hurters, he slowly crept into the darkened cave, sniffing slowly. He smelled strange things. Death, Smooth people, the little hims that became big when they needed too, and the scent of that pink thing again.

As he crept around the edge of the lightly lit cave, making sure to blend with the shadow's. he saw a strange site. A building. It looked out of place, a pleasant pink not unlike the princess tummy hurter, and seemed to be from before the boom. The walls showed age, with peeling paint here and there. Nikolai sniffed, but smelt nothing implicating anything was nearby. He became excited, maybe they left! and Nikolai can take the house! Nikolai became almost ecstatic, the thought of sleeping under a roof driving his face into a toothy grin.

Approaching the door, Nikolai pondered how to open the strange portal. Pawing the handle, he saw that it turned. He grinned, pleased with how smart he was. He deserved this house, he decided. He deserved to not have to deal with the noises and the angry things that wore shiny skin and swung their sharp sticks at him! He gripped the handle and slowly turned it, before pushing it open. I'm so smart! Nikolai grinned even wider, the look he now sported giving him a almost comical look, like if a clown was genetically hybrid into a...well him.

Looking about the room, he saw the strange area devoid of life. Spotting the couch, Nikolai recalled when he use to sleep on one like that, before a shiny man cut it in half trying to kill poor Nikolai. Leaping onto the sofa, Deciding to nap on it.


Limping into the kitchen, he snarled at the tricky couch that felt like rocks. Looking about, he saw the various cooking apparatus and fridge. His brow clenched in frustration as it tried to recall what they all did. Giving out a sigh of defeat, it gave up. It decided the room was unimportant, and left, deciding to explore the top floor.

Reaching the top, Nikolai discovered a room that smelt thick of the princess and thing that smelt alive but not. He sniffed about, smelling it on the bed. Did those things sleep on this? It is fluffy and warm... he pondered the thought, curious. Grunting to himself, he approached the other point of interest, the ancient recording machine. Standing on his sore hind legs, he stared at the device. Nikolai became distressed as he tried to remember what this did. He saw the various buttons and felt a wave of clairvoyance. Press the buttons! he thought happily as he pressed a single clawed finger onto one. Giving him a start, the device began to play sounds. Listening intently, He could hear a strange strumming sound and someones singing, but it seems it had been half played already.

-on't you look at me again
Like you did before?
You look right past me,
I just want more!

I just want us to be together
Even as friends

I'm sorry if i'm a fool

I'm sorry...

The sounds abruptly stop, and Nikolai briefly hears a light sob before a loud click. Frowning, Nikolai wonders why the girl was sad. He didn't like sad girls. He liked it when people were happy. Except the tummy hurters, he thought with a scowl. They can all be crushed by that mean tricky couch.

Turning around, he smelt the bed again. With a great deal of care, it tested the bed. Deciding it wasn't like the mean tricky couch, Nikolai happily began curling into the bed, He gives out a sigh in content. Drifting off into sleep, he wonders if the voice was talking about the strange tummy hurter that he could smell everywhere.


Several hours later, Nikolai began to stretch and sniffle, his body feeling much better since the last time he slept. Slowly opening his eyes, he began to think. Why would anyone ever leave this place? Did the couch scare them? I should claw it apart. Maybe they will come back and we can be friends. I'll share the fluffy thing with them. Whats that floaty thing? why is it looking at me?
A few moments after that thought, the realization that he wasn't alone dawned on him. Oh no oh no oh no oh no, he thought in a panic. maybe if i stay still it'll go away! Freezing in place, he slowly glanced over, eyeing the floating figure. The...thing wore clothing that looked from before the boom, and had a large mane of black hair. Maybe a cat? I can scare cats. They hiss and run away when i bark. he thought hopefully. But dismissed the idea, realizing that thing looked like the smooth ones, but not. the smooth ones are pink and black and brown and even pale white, but not grey, he recalled. Staring at it's face for clues, the floaty smooth but not had a small smile on its face, revealing two dangerous looking fangs. Staring into it's eyes, he saw curiousity and amusement in it's eyes, like a cat that had found a mouse. the thing smelt like the bad man in the suit. he didn't want to have to run away again. The suited man had chased him in many forms for many days before he was able to main the man when it got cocky.

The creature he now dubbed as a 'grey' slowly approached and raised its hand towards him. Nikolai eyed it warily as she begun to scratch one of his ears. With much surprise, he found his leg kicking without his say to, and the grey giggled. "What a cute little thing you are" she said, stroking his furry chin, "I wonder what your name is, little puppy?"

Enjoying the feeling a great deal, his mind wandered. Name? he had a name! maybe it would scratch his ear more if he said it! Opening his mouth, he attempted to speak again. "Ni...Ko...Lai"

The grey became startled when he spoke and stopped scratching, looking at him with suprise deep in her (he decided it was a her, from the sound of its voice) obsidian eyes. Did i do something bad? is the scratchy grey mad at me? He whined loudly, looking at her with large puppy eyes. Had he realized that said eyes could get him almost anything he deisred, he would have found himself quite pampered. The scratchy gray emitted a giggle of amusement at the beast. She stroked his ear, and he felt his leg going again.

"My name is Marceline. Would you like to stay here?" Spoke the grey, making him cock his head.

Unable to form the word he wanted, he gave out a bark of agreement. He liked it here. No leaky noises and a fluffy bed. But that mean tricky couch needed to go, he decided in anger. He would shred it and toss it into the hot stuff.

Giggling again, she patted his head and went downstairs, Nikolai in heel. "Lets get something to eat, eh Nikolai? Afterwards, i think we should go have some fun with a certain pink monarch..."