You're gonna feel sorry for Danny Dingo. Yeah, you heard me right. I said Danny Dingo.

After 3 agonizing years of living with AIDS behind bars, Danny Dingo was finally released on parole back into society. Over the years he had gotten very sickly from the virus but he fought it back through sheer willpower and determination.

Shifty was up and ready to go to school, he was in a particularly bright and cheerful mood as he bounded up to Danny, "Good morning, Danny. I'm so glad you've been released, now I can spend time with you."

Suddenly, Shifty noticed something was wrong with Danny. He was sobbing quietly. Without warning, the black dingo knelt down and wrapped his arms around Shifty, "I'm so sorry for everything I ever put you through, Shifty. I'm so, so very sorry." he cried, tears streaming down his muzzle.

Shifty blinked, "Are you feeling okay, Danny? You're hugging me...and you're crying."

Danny sniffled and wiped his eyes, "There, I admit it. I'm a wimp. Just laugh all you want at me."

Shifty frowned and returned the hug, "There's nothing wrong with crying, Danny. I'm a boy and I cry all the time when I feel sad. It's so much better to let it all out than bottle it up inside, you know."

Danny sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Shifty smiled, "So, I'll be seeing you after school, okay?" Danny nodded and wiped his eyes.

And with that, Shifty left for school. Daisy walked up to Danny and looked at him, "Danny, I had no idea."

Danny growled, "I wasn't crying okay, Daisy? I just have allergies."

Daisy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, whatever tough guy. I'll see you when I get back from the salon."

Danny looked outside and he saw Meatball playing with Shifty's toy trucks. With Ma Dingo out shopping, now was his chance. Danny walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, "You've been through so much, haven't you? All those schemes, all those scams, yet you never found the true meaning of happiness. You walk through life, always taking the wrong path. Everyone hates you, even your own family." Danny said to his reflection, feeling his eyes mist up with tears.

The black dingo took a gun out of the medicine chest and loaded it with a single bullet. He closed his eyes and began to reflect on his own life. He remembers the days Ma Dingo was cheerful and how she would always play with him but then he began to remember his father. His father was an insane religeous zealot who hated him because he was born with black fur. He called Danny the devil and would try to "beat" the "demons" out of Danny with a belt and lock him in a closet. Several times he would cry himself to sleep in the dark closet and the only thing that quenched his thrirst at night were his own salty tears. The abuse went on for months until one day, Pa Dingo went too far and kicked Danny off a cliff. Danny only suffered a few broken ribs but Pa was sent to a mental institution after the incident. Afterwards, Ma Dingo grew bitter, grouchy and cold. All the love, all the warmth and all the compassion for Danny flew out the window and his mother began treating him like trash, often selling him off to men in exchange for sex to get pregnant then buying him back only to do it again. It wasn't long before she became pregnant with Daisy, Meatball and finally Shifty. She had a total of 3 litters and she would keep only one pup from each litter and sell the rest for drug money. Those 3 lucky pups were Daisy, Meatball and Shifty. She named Meatball when she was high off marijuana. Danny's life was at a downward spiral. He didn't know the true meaning of love anymore. All the love in his heart was gone and replaced with anger and rage. He became manipulative and began cheating, gambling, scamming, anything he could do to support his mother. And then, they moved to Greenpatch. Ma Dingo met Wombo and he helped her to kick her drug habit but her anger problems and aggression just did not go away. Danny squeezed his eyes shut against the sting of tears and whimpered, "What a fantastic life you lead, Danny Dingo." he sarcastically told his reflection in the mirror. There was no way he could tell any of this to Shifty. The insane father, Shifty's siblings being sold for drug money, cause if he did, the poor little dingo's fragile spirit would be broken beyond repair.

Danny sighed and tried his hardest not to cry, just thinking about it. Living a life like that then slowly dying from AIDS that a monster injected into him. It was just too much for him to bear. Better to die a quick death than a slow painful one. He put the gun to his head and fired. Silence.

Shifty was at school when Miss Magpie got a call. He could clearly hear Daisy's hysterical voice from across the classroom. Daisy had gone back to the dingo residence because she forgot her purse and found Danny lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Danny Dingo was declared dead on the scene. The little dingo was completely shocked and saddend by the news. The entire class heard it and turned to Shifty who was now reduced to an inconsolable sobbing mess. Nutsy simply wrapped her arms around Shifty and held him tightly, letting his tears soak into her dress and fur. Shifty just cried and cried and cried and the whole class tried their best to cheer him up. Miss Magpie dismissed the class for the rest of the day, sending Shifty home.

A funeral service was held for Danny Dingo and Shifty watched as the coffin was lowered. He heard some people attenting the funeral insulting Danny and it just broke his little heart to pieces. Some residents even went as far as spitting on Danny's coffin and telling him that he deserved it. Shifty felt like he could literally cry an ocean as Nutsy held him the entire time. She gently wiped the tears away from Shifty's cheeks and muzzle. Nutsy whispered into his ear, telling him that they didn't really mean all those terrible things they said to Danny. By the time the funeral was over, everyone left with the exception of Nutsy and Shifty.

"Danny. You'll always be my big brother no matter what...always". Shifty sniffled, placing the flower Nutsy's father gave him on Danny's tombstone. It wasn't long before Shifty broke down again and Nutsy watched helplessly as Shifty's tears fell like rain upon Danny's grave.

"Shifty..." Nutsy whispered softly. It wasn't long before rain clouds grew overhead and it came down pouring. Shifty knelt in the cold pouring rain before Danny's grave shivering, a mixture of cold freshwater rain and his own hot salty tears rolling down his muzzle. It was as if the heavens were crying alongside Shifty.

Nutsy rubbed the dingo's back and gently licked the mixture of rain and tears off Shifty's muzzle. She had seen Shifty cry many times before in her life but this time was different, this time Shifty looked like a complete mess, soaked from head to toe in pouring rain, eyes completely red from crying, his fur matted from all the rain, tears and snot. It was the most heartbreaking thing she saw in her life.

Nutsy crawled up to Shifty and put her arm around him. The little dingo sniffled as several tears ran down his muzzle. He gently wiped his muzzle with his paw and sighed. "Oh Shifty, I...I don't know what to say. I'm sorry, I really truly am so sorry for your loss." Nutsy said.

Shifty just let out a whimper, "Thanks, Nutsy. It's just so awful...I...the pain...it feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest and set on fire."

"If I could turn back time so I could heal you, I'd do it in a heartbeat." Nutsy said as she softly kissed Shifty's tearstained face and held him close to her, licking his salty tears and gently running her fingers through the fur of Shifty's bushy tail.

"Nutsy...I...I..." Shifty was speechless, he just threw his arms around the koala and pulled her into a warm embrace. He hugged her for 15 minutes straight before releasing her. Nutsy smiled and looked over to Danny's sunglasses that lay beside his grave.

Nutsy picked up Danny's sunglasses and put them on her face, "Hey Shifty, I have a really great plan, first we'll take all the gold and buy ourselves a mansion!" Nutsy said, mimicing Danny's voice. Much to Nutsy's surprise, Shifty smiled. And then he laughed. And then the laugh turned into a fit of giggles. "You're too young to understand it, Shifty. Your juvenile little mind will explode if you try figuring it out". Nutsy said, still mimicing Danny's voice.

A new kind of tears were rolling down Shifty's face, tears of laughter, "Stop it, Nutsy. I...I'm gonna bust a gut laughing!" Nutsy just smiled at Shifty and set Danny's sunglasses back down. The two walked off into the sunset away from Danny's grave.

As they reached the horizon, the koala and dingo gazed deep into each other's eyes and kissed each other on the lips.

"Thank you for always being there for me." Shifty said.

"Your welcome." Nutsy replied. "But no matter what happens, I want you to know that your brother Danny cares for you deep down. He may not show it but he really does."

Shifty snffed and wiped one last tear from his eye, "That's why I was crying so hard. I never got to see the love Danny was capable of."

Nutsy hugged Shifty, "Come on, Shifty. Let's go back to my place and warm up a little. We'll both catch colds out here." Shifty just smiled at her and nodded.

The koala and dingo entered the koala residence and Nutsy's father saw them, "You two must be soaking wet from being out in the rain. I'll make you two some hot chocolate and get a fire going." He handed Shifty Dingo a blanket and Nutsy and Shifty sat down by the fireplace. They gazed into each others eyes and Shifty wrapped the blanket around him and Nutsy as they huddled close. Nutsy didn't seem to mind Shifty's wet dog smell as she rested her head on his chest. Eventually Nutsy's father got the fire going and gave them hot chocolate.

Shifty took a sip of his and sighed contently, "The fire feels so warm when I'm next to you. Nutsy, let me just say I'll cherish this moment forever." he said as he nuzzled Nutsy's cheek with his long muzzle.

Nutsy leaned in close and licked the side of Shifty's muzzle, "Me too, Shifty. Me too."

The koala and dingo fell asleep together by the warm fire, cuddled up in a blanket. Nutsy's father looked at them and smiled, "Kids these days." he laughed softly.

The end. Credits roll:

I'm a heartbreak beat
Yeah, all night long
And nobody don't dance on the edge of the dark
We've got the radio on
And it feels like love
But it don't mean a lot
And it feels like love
And it's all that we've got

There's a heartbreak beat playin' all night long
Down on my street
And it feels like love got the radio on
And it's all that we need
There's a heartbreak beat
And it feels like love
There's a heartbreak beat
And it feels like love

Well the beat don't stop
We talk so tough
And there's a perfect kiss, somewhere out in the dark
But a kiss ain't enough
And the world don't stop
Every time that you call
And the world don't stop
Every time that you fall

There's a heartbreak beat playin' all night long
Down on my street
And it feels like love got the radio on
And it's all that we need
There's a heartbreak beat
And it feels like love
There's a heartbreak beat
And it feels like love

-The Psychedelic Furs, Heartbreak Beat