Disclaimer: "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media; the song used is a copyright of Ashley Tisdale


Happy Tree Friends: Blood & Fire

Chapter 08 – Two Hearts; One Love


"Mom, no!" screamed 10-year-old Moonlight as flames surrounded her, trapping her in a fiery wall. "Run, Moonlight! RUN!" yelled Starlight. The young pup could only see her mother's silhouette on the other side of the flames before noticing an unknown shadow yank her away, followed by a pain-chilling scream. "MOM!" she screamed once more. The flames were closing in on her; smoke filled her lungs, coughing as she blacked out…


"Mom…" whimpered Moonlight, screaming for seconds as her nightmare tortured her. "Moonlight, wake up!" demanded Pop, shaking the furiously panting wolf. Startled, she sat up and accidentally hit Pop in the chin, forcing him to stumble backwards; Cub could be heard bawling his lungs out due to the noise. Muttering to himself, he ignored the pain and comforted the sobbing wolf. "There, there…" he soothed, "Just a bad dream."

The sound of a door being bashed down caught Pop's attention; he turned to find Splendid at the door, worry evident in his eyes. "False alarm," breathed Pop, "Poor pup only had a bad dream." He then left to tend to a still-crying Cub while Splendid sat next to and held her close. "Ssh…it's okay," he whispered, hugging her and ignoring her tears seeping into his fur. Pop returned with a curious Cub in his arms. "I think she's okay now," said Splendid.

"Seems to me she's got issues – whimpering and screaming for her mother in her sleep," said Pop, "I suggest she should see Sniffles – a little talk about her problems won't hurt." Splendid silently agreed, chuckling lightly as she hugged him close. "I don't need any help," she mumbled, "I just want…" She trailed off as she wiped away her tears.

"Trust me, that's exactly what you need – some serious help," insisted Pop, "And I'll make sure you get that in the morning." Cub somehow fell asleep and was slightly drooling on his daddy's robe. "Now get some sleep. Splendid, you're welcome to stay – just in case she had another nightmare."

Splendid thanked him and snuggled close to Moonlight under the covers; sneezing quietly as her hair tickled his nose. Just as he was about to fall asleep, Moonlight whispered his name. "Yeah?" he asked. "C-Can…Can I hug you close to me?" she meekly asked. The blue squirrel shrugged, saying he doesn't mind. As the wolf buried her head into his chest, Moonlight fell asleep almost immediately at the steady thumping of his heart. "Sleep tight…" he whispered, holding her close with one protective arm. What he didn't notice – he was falling asleep anyway – were Moonlight's lips…curling into a smile.

The next morning – as Pop suggested last night, he had Splendid take her to Sniffles straight after breakfast. As the two waited their turn, Splendid spied Toothy in the corner as he whimpered about getting glass in his eye; Nutty, sitting next to him, was moaning about a toothache. "Moonlight," Nurse Giggles called out, "Sniffles will see you now." The nervous wolf turned to Splendid, silently asking him to accompany her. He smiled and held her hand. "Something tells me you don't really like hospitals," he joked as they entered Sniffles' office.

"Hello there," greeted the anteater, "Moonlight, make yourself comfortable." He showed her to a méridienne chaise longue. "Okay…since this is your first visit, we'll start with your personal life – you can pretend nobody's here," Sniffles suggested as he prepared to scribble down notes. Moonlight lay down on the long couch and relaxed herself; Splendid leaned against a wall, ready to spring if she lost her sanity.

"I never knew my father," she began, "And everytime I asked, Mom would always – always – skip to some other topic. Sometimes she even refused to say a word about it, no matter now many times I pestered her. Eventually, I gave up." She went on to explain her lack of friends where she grew up; how everyone saw her as a white-haired 'freak' with an overprotective single mother; her childhood fascination with stars and how seeing them raised her spirits whenever she felt upset. But as she slowly reached the part about her 10th birthday, she paused involuntarily and seemed to be in a trance. "Go on…" Sniffles prodded. The wolf shook her head and continued.

"The day began just like any other day," she continued, "And as usual, no guests were invited – even if I had friends, Mom would never let them come over." She then explained the fire – how she screamed and cried out for her mother as she got trapped within a fiery wall; blacking out as smoke filled her lungs, forcing her to faint. "When I came to, I was outside the burning house – and I have no clue how or when I got out," she whimpered, wiping away her tears. "Since then I was terrified of fire – and it only worsens each time I got innocent blood on my hands…"

"So you have no clue about the events that happened in between – you just black out after seeing flames?" asked Sniffles as he scribbled, earning a quiet nod. "I see…" he breathed, noticing tears pooling in her ocean-blue eyes; nodded at Splendid to ease her. "From what you've described, it seems you have the same case as Flippy: PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," the anteater explained, "As for the reason behind the killing, I'll have to make further studies."

Splendid couldn't help feeling uneasy at the thought; reminded himself not to squeeze Moonlight's hand too hard. "Do you…hear voices in your head?" the anteater asked. "Yeah, just recently…" she replied, "It sounded like a dark version of me. I once saw her image in my bedroom mirror." She then turned to Sniffles. "About the last part, was that what one may call a 'hallucination'?" she asked.

"Typically, yes…" he replied, "Anyway, did this 'voice' tell you anything in particular each time it comes up?" Moonlight said it did suggest one thing – it wanted to tell her who was responsible for the fire on her 10th birthday. "I believe we can find that out ourselves," said Sniffles as he stroked his snout thoughtfully. He then wrote down a pill prescription, advising her to take it at least once a day; avoid taking an overdose as results are not pretty. Giving her another slip of paper containing his address, he said she should meet up at his lab tomorrow; Splendid could come along too.

"Come on, it's not like I'm some immature pup and needed a bodyguard!" Moonlight complained. "Oh no, it's not that…" said Sniffles, eyeing between her and Splendid. "What? N-No way, we're not…w-well…" stammered the flying squirrel. Sniffles couldn't help but chuckle; dismissed them. "Lumpy, you're taking the next shift and your paperwork's still messed up!" Sniffles scolded the blue moose as Moonlight left the office with Splendid. Not wanting to see a gloomy look plastered on her face, Splendid offered to take her to the park for some ice cream; Moonlight smiled and accepted.

"PTSD, huh?" said Flippy, "That's…awful – she's just like me." Splendid sighed and watched Moonlight enjoy her ice cream while talking to Flaky, giggling as they watched some birds nesting in a nearby tree. "But hey, at least she's better off than I am – don't you think?" the bear added. "I guess…" agreed a dazed flying squirrel. Flippy noticed his behavior, cocking his eyebrows as Splendid sighed dreamily. "I don't know about you, Flippy – but seeing her makes me feel so…I can't explain it," the squirrel admitted, laughing to himself as Moonlight got ice cream stuck on her furry muzzle.

"Oh bother..." whined Flipqy, "You're right, he REALLY likes her. Does he even know how dangerous she is?" Flippy pretended to ignore his alter ego and suggested Splendid to take her out on another date. "She 'had you for dinner' on the first one – maybe it'll be the reverse this time," the war veteran chuckled; Splendid frowned at his lame joke. Just then, Lifty and Shifty's voices are heard from above – all four looked up and saw a banner flowing behind a plane which says 'Splendid likes Moonlight~!' in fancy print, along with a drawn picture of them kissing at the end of the sentence.

Nobody knew who blushed first, but both knew they've unwillingly become the talk of the town thanks to the twin raccoons' little scheme. "Those little…" Splendid muttered, "Once they get down here, I'll –" but he got cut off as Moonlight fainted, dropping her empty ice cream cup; immediately rushed over to her. "Looks like somebody had an emotional heart attack," Flaky jeered when the wolf came to. "You could say that…" Moonlight rasped as Splendid helped her up.

"I may have an idea for your date tonight," said Flippy, ignoring the 'stop-saying-we're-together' look on Splendid's face, "Unless someone's got a better plan." The 'hero' stayed silent, allowing Flippy to continue. "There's a lagoon about northwest of here," said the war veteran, "It used to be a tourist attraction, but over the years it turned into a private meeting place for couples...or couple-to-be." Flaky giggled, remembering her first day with Flippy in the same location.

"Your point being~?" asked Moonlight. "Girl, it's useless hiding it – he likes you; you like him; the entire town knows that," replied Flaky. The wolf glanced uneasily at the squirrel, both sharing the 'they-gotta-be-kidding' look in their eyes. "I'm up for it," Splendid finally admitted, "But only because you wanted us to." Flippy and Flaky high-five each other in victory. 'I'll get back at those raccoons some other time…' he silently thought.

Later that night… "Flippy, I don't know…" Splendid admitted as they waited by the bank for the girls, "Are you sure your little 'plan' will work? I mean, what if I mess up?" Flippy laughed and slapped the squirrel's back. "Just relax, will you? Everything's gonna go smooth as silk," he assured. Taking out a radio, he asked if his associates are ready.

"The band's ready and good to go," replied Cuddles, "Just give us the signal." The rabbit turned to his girlfriend – Giggles – as she, Petunia and Lammy practiced their vocals for the umpteenth time. Cuddles was helping Handy attach drumsticks to his stubs while Russell tuned their guitars.

Splendid gulped, making excuses about feeling sick and should just head home – Flippy stated he's just nervous. "Need some advice from the 'love expert'?" asked Disco Bear as he walked over to the sweating squirrel, "All I have to say is: stay calm and take your time – don't rush it."

"Yeah, real helpful…" Splendid sarcastically remarked. Out of the corner of the boys' eyes, Flaky could be seen walking over while holding Moonlight's hand, half-dragging the hesitant wolf along. 'Whoa…' was all the flying squirrel could think – Moonlight changed out of her usual V-neck shirt and mini-shorts into a sparkling blue halter top and matching mini-skirt, looking like a princess covered with hundreds of stars. A hint of silver glitter dotted her moon-white hair, adding to its natural silky sheen. Her tail swished gracefully despite her obvious nervousness, the only added accessory being a blue bow that's tied close to the tip.

"I gotta admit…she does look pretty when not evil," Flipqy admitted. Disco Bear whistled as he eyed the shy wolf top to bottom, stopping as Splendid glared at him. He then held her hand and led her to a rowboat, allowing her to seat herself before joining opposite her. Disco Bear chuckled and took up the oar; Flippy helped push the boat into the water, sending it floating down the lagoon while Disco Bear rowed along the way. "Alright – go, go, go…" he whispered into his radio.

In the distance, Mime and The Mole pulled back the imitation-moss curtains as the band began to play…

Song selected: Kiss The Girl by Ashley Tisdale

[Italics: Giggles / In parenthesis: Petunia and Lammy]

(Ah…) Kiss the girl~! (Ah…) (Kiss the girl)

There, you see her

Sitting there across the way

She don't got a lot to say,

But there's something about her…

And you don't know why,

But you're dying to try – you wanna

Kiss the girl

"Do they have to pick that song?" Splendid mock-complained. Moonlight giggled while Disco Bear made sure he rowed slowly and steadily.

Yes, you want her

Look at her; you know you do

It's possible she wants you too –

There's one way to ask her…

It don't take a word,

Not a single word – go on and

Kiss the girl (kiss the girl~!)

The wolf blushed as she listened to the lyrics, silently admitting they're right – she does like him ('want' didn't sound right at the moment), but she's just too shy to say so. Splendid felt the same.

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my

Looks like the boy's too shy –

Ain't gonna kiss the girl…

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad?

It's such a shame, too bad…

You're gonna miss the girl…

Go on and kiss the girl… (kiss the girl)

Flippy and Flaky got into another boat paddled by Lumpy, eager to watch the show. They held their breath as Splendid leaned close…but then groaned disappointedly as he moved away. "Come on!" Flippy called, "This is no time to chicken out."

Now's your moment

Floating in a blue lagoon

Boy, you better do it soon –

No time will be better…

She don't say a word,

And she won't say a word – until you

Kiss the girl (kiss the girl~!)

As soon as Disco Bear rowed the boat into the man-made cave, Mime and The Mole – who scrambled to the location by land – pulled back another pair of imitation-moss curtains so the band could still be watched. Changing his rowing pattern, he made the boat float in a circle.

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my

Looks like the boy's too shy

Ain't gonna kiss the girl…

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad?

It's such a shame, too bad

You're gonna miss the girl~!

"Not again~!" Flaky cried as Splendid pulled back after another close-call kiss. Moonlight giggled at his shyness. Flippy face-palmed, snickering to himself.

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared

You better be prepared –

Go on and kiss the girl

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't stop now

Don't try to hide it how…

You wanna kiss the girl…

Go on and kiss the girl… (kiss the girl)

"Moonlight? I wanna tell you something…" Splendid began. "What is it?" she asked. "I…" he replied, swallowing a lump in his throat, "I…"

(Ah…) (Whoa~!) Kiss the girl~! (Ah…) (Kiss the girl)

(Ah…) La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (Ah…)

Go on and kiss the girl~!

(Ah…) La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (Ah…)

Go on and –

Kiss the girl

"You~?" Moonlight prodded. Splendid took a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes as he held her hands in his. Flaky could be heard squealing with Lumpy trying to stop her from rocking the boat as she jumped in her seat.

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my~!

Looks like the boy's too shy

Ain't gonna kiss the girl

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad?

It's such a shame, too bad

You're gonna miss the girl~!

He leaned close for the third time…Moonlight could feel herself being drawn into it, ignoring the confusing mix of emotions that danced in her stomach. "Too soon to say this since we only met a few days ago…" he confessed, "But I…"

La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Go on and kiss the girl~!

(Go on and kiss that girl~!)

La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Go on and kiss the girl~!

"Just say it, damn it!" Flippy ordered, unable to wipe that smile off his face. Ignoring him, Splendid exhaled and said, "I…I love you. I can never stop thinking about you – no matter how hard I've tried." Moonlight gasped. "Oh Splendid…" she breathed, "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard…"

The two smiled affectionately and leaned even closer…until their lips brushed, finally locking together as they closed their eyes and shared their first kiss. Ignoring the hoots and squeals from their impromptu audience, they held each other close in a hug – not wanting to let go of themselves or the moment.

Go on and kiss the girl…

Kiss the girl… (kiss the girl)

Go on and kiss the girl

It was then that Moonlight found herself at peace…and had regained the one thing she thought was forever lost in the fire all those years ago; the one thing only her mother gave back then.

'Love…'