FINALLY THIS CHAPTER IS DONE OH MY GOD
This mess of words was brought to you by my sweat, tears, having to rewrite half of this from scratch bc the old draft sucked aaand at least 3 writer blocks
This is an important chapter. Still retaining the slow burn element but I can finally say these two relationships is in the path of slowly-developing romance babeyy. Also lore of the AU, lots of lore lol Reminder I have a highlighted story on my insta Soniana_draws where I delve into behind the scenes of this fic ;D
This chapter's song is 'Moonlight' by Chase Atlantic, one of my fav songs I was v excited to include in this story. In this context I'd say the lyrics talk about both Shaun and Bitzer wanting to be on good terms but struggling, as they have their own emotional problems getting in the way(also the song gives me big 'running away through the city in the middle of the night' vibes which is perfect for this chapter).
Anyways, happy valentines day, this is my gift for u guys who bear with me taking months to update. ily all
oOo
Now he had done it. And so soon, to make it worse.
Shaun's day had started normally. Waking up early, grazing with the rest, planning what shenanigans he'd be into that day…all only starting to go downhill the moment Bitzer appeared to be more in a rush than usual.
He seemed too invested on a particular task to pay attention to the paper Shaun had finally dared(and failed) to show him. Whatever said task was had the dog running behind the farmer the whole morning, whuffing and gesturing wildly to try talk him out of it. The man pointing at a calendar in his checklist each time, and Bitzer sighing and nodding in the last attempt, showed it all was to no avail.
From that alone Shaun should've known. Even with his size not making it that noticeable, even with his hairstyle keeping it all out of his eyes, he unmatched the other sheep. It was a matter of time for the ones around to notice the new sheep's wool was getting too long for being spring.
But Shaun just didn't notice, and before he knew he was already trapped inside that fence cubicle, being held by that human he barely knew and with a razor shearing all of his wool.
It was horrible, always was. Only when his wool got too long, when there was no option and it was the only way to get something in exchange, Shaun was able to allow it after some insistence; but even then he hated every minute of it. And now without having been warned, without even getting a say on the matter-
It was all too much. Shaun didn't realize what he had done until he heard the man yell and everyone around gasp, and his only instinct was to jump over the fence to hide in the barn.
Hooves grasping onto the dressing table, out of breath, Shaun stared wide-eyed at the sheep in the mirror. Without his jacket on and his wool short like that, he didn't look like more than a small, simpleton sheep.
Shaun's ears lowered as a door slammed shut behind him. A sheep who wasn't going to come out unscathed out of this.
Desperate barks were already invading the room, because of course, out of all the animals it was Bitzer who would take his human being bitten the most personally. He turned around to see the dog's paws gesturing between Shaun and the disaster left outside— What was that?!
Shaun knew, he knew. He didn't need Bitzer yelling about the obvious to understand how far he had crossed the line. Out of instinct the sheep frowned, opened his mouth to say something-
But Bitzer was quick to lift a finger to shush him. Still frowning, he hit the side of his paw against his palm, voice getting louder with each word— They never bit the hand that feed them, never!
Shaun gave a step further, yelling as well — If the guy was such a good farmer he should know not to approach suddenly like that! — he gestured at the dog— Just what side was Bitzer on?!
Silence.
The sheep stared, almost daring the other to say something in return. He didn't want to argue, but Shaun could only go so long bearing with how unfair everything was, trying to cover it all with jokes and negotiations, before even he had enough. Too many times he had it hard to be listened to just for being a sheep. Humans did that with everyone, it was why animals had to look for each other, even if some had more advantages in life than others.
So if that was Bitzer's job, why did it feel like the dog always did the opposite?
Bitzer took a moment to react. He frowned, shoulders tense as his fists clenched in an explosion about to come.
But it never did.
Paws now clapped together together, the dog placed them over his lips and breathed in so deeply, so dramatic, one could almost see all the thoughts being swallowed back at once.
Then Bitzer breathed out. He looked Shaun in the eye, gestured tensely between the sheep and outside, then made a cross with his arms. He whuffed—- Just…that? Never again.
'That' was clear enough, yet too broad to remain as just one thing. One didn't have to be smart to know Bitzer wanted him to stop being everything that made Shaun the sheep he was.
Without another word or even a glare of sorts, Bitzer walked out of there. Giving his back to the sheep, he stopped with his paw on the door to comment one last thing:
'There was so much they could tolerate from a farm animal'.
And again, after the door closed, there was only silence.
Shaun glared at the door, but his scowl didn't last long as the post-argument thoughts settled in. Sighing, he reached for his jacket, abandoned over the dressing table in order to pretend he was a normal sheep in front of the human for the day, and his gaze landed on a paper that fell from its pocket. Any chances to ask about that were forever ruined now.
Shaun looked at the mirror. The wool of his head, the only distinctive trait he never needed to hide(the farmer didn't mind a sheep wearing curlers, less a simple hairstyle), was now all messy after all the racket. He should be happy it was at least intact, but seeing his reflection helding that piece of cloth, and his hair gel over the table, only reminded him of what Bitzer had said.
Shaun's ears lowered. He wasn't a wild animal, he wasn't a pet, he didn't even know how a farm animal was supposed to be. How long would they tolerate a sheep like him?
—
The momentary chaos left by the incident had calmed down by the moment Bitzer was able to take a break.
Resting his forearms over the nearest fence, he dropped all his weight there as a heavy sigh left him. Even after all those years, scolding animals for something serious never ceased to leave a bitter taste in the back of his tongue. But it was necessary, someone had to.
The farmer not, certainly. He only did that with Bitzer, usually because of the dog's tendency to try hide the animals' mess before the man could see it. More often than not Bitzer failed and accidentally ended up taking the blame.
Lately, with Shaun there, someone more down-to-earth than the flock, that situation was easier to avoid. Bitzer was relieved to have his help even if half of those times Shaun was the one to start the mess.
But even then there was a limit to what Bitzer could cover, and what that sheep did just now was far from his reach, from what he could let pass.
The farmer was taking it pretty lightly, compared to the dog. After all the yelling from the pain a moment ago, now the man was just at his side, calmly wrapping the bitten hand with a bandage. It was a farm of course, animals getting angry wasn't something the man wasn't familiar with. He didn't even question why a sheep had bitten him instead of headbutting him like that species usually would in self-defense.
As a dog, a man's best friend, Bitzer decided to be the one to be angry and wonder all those things for him.
The dog's ear twitched at hearing a door open behind them, followed by the four hooves of a certain sheep finally leaving the barn. The farmer was the only one to turn his head. Only when Shaun passed by the gate did Bizer notice how the sheep kept his head and ears down and was avoiding the man's gaze. At least he showed some kind of regret. And thanks heavens Shaun never forgot to take his accessories off whenever the man was around.
Despite the flock not showing signs of being angry - they also hated shearing day, after all-, Shaun didn't go with them, instead avoided them and walked around the field, almost trying to stay hidden.
Suddenly, the farmer spoke, gaze set on the problem as well. His healthy hand stopped scratching his chin to point at the sheep in question, then made a gesture as if holding something small within his thumb and index finger— That one was quite the troublemaker for his size, wasn't he?
Bitzer scoffed and rolled his eyes. If he didn't know that already...
Drawing a long hum, the man looked at his bandaged hand and then at the razor lying unused on the grass. After just a millisecond of thought, he smiled and passed the object to his dog, indicating new orders for him. He even patted his head for doing a good job in advance.
Bitzer's babbled complaints reached no ears as the man left. He could only stare between the razor on his paws and the sheep still needing a haircut with disbelief. A human shearing a sheep was one thing; but an animal to another animal was kind of...weird, intimate. Bitzer couldn't do that, not with that guy!
He definitely wasn't going to. If Shaun so much wanted to have long wool to style he could. Bitzer knew when to mark his limits.
Suddenly, spotting Shaun hiding behind the junkyard made any thoughts leave the dog's mind. Bitzer narrowed his eyes. That sheep couldn't be trying to pull something off after what he did, could he?
He shook his head. No, no sheep could lack that much common sense.
—
The device had returned to his paw by the time the flock were preparing to sleep. In a fit to keep even the last box of his list checked, Bitzer had swallowed his pride and walked right into the barn.
And that should've been it. That should've been the only abnormality for them that night. But between the flock avoiding his gaze when Bitzer called for that one name, and discovering that scribbled map on the floor followed by a hay dummy lying underneath the sheet where an animal should've been, that just couldn't be the case.
The razor fell from his paw. Shaun was gone.
Gone, gone, gone, one of his sheep was gone!
The mass of events that followed remained blurry as Bitzer felt his legs moving on their own. He had shouted something to Timmy's mom, had frantically searched for the first trail of footprints he could find, had seen these turn from small hooves to the shape of a wheel and small screws scattered around the muddy road.
After that, all the dog could remember is that he ran.
He had switched to be on all-four at some moment, feeling his limbs wanting to give up due to tiredness of that day, but Bitzer didn't allow it, couldn't allow it.
His heart didn't stop racing even after the smell of gasoline left him in front of the entrance of Mossingham. The town was full of life even late at night, with sellers offering products from their booths and crowds of curious people passing by them, all illuminated in a festive orange coming from the bulbs hanging from every ceiling around
Without his human around, it was an intimidating sight for a dog that barely left his farm.
Bitzer gulped, but the sight of the home-made motorcycle liying broken behind a bush, not having resisted being repaired and used in such a short amount of time, got him to continue. It meant Shaun had to be near.
Going on all four to remain hidden better between legs, shopping bags and kids running around, Bitzer followed his twitching nose until finally, the smallest bit of wool appeared in his line of sight. He rushed after it when it went into an alley.
The figure stopped all its movements as soon as Bitzer's bark echoed through the narrow space. Now standing in two, the dog stayed on the entrance of the alley with his gaze set on those wide eyes.
There it was, the face of the one who nearly gave him a heart attack in less than half an hour, the one who dared to escape the farm just like that, that guy dressed in black who was going to get scolded until the end of time after this. He was there.
At hearing the softest, confused bleat coming from the sheep still in the dark, Bitzer frowned, clenched his fists. He opened his mouth to speak-
And he went and hugged that little bastard right there.
It was a short hug, but tight enough to leave the other out of breath. The dog then straightened, paws still firm on the sheep's arms, and tilted his head in every direction to check everything was in place. Jacket, sunglasses, wool just sheared. Save for the wool of his head looking messy, it was all there.
If Shaun bleated something, or tried to get away from his grip, Bitzer didn't notice as he found himself letting out all the stress in one long sigh.
Okay, his sheep was okay.
Now he could kill him.
Bitzer growled, then started shaking the confused sheep as he whuffed every single scold in one sentence— Did he have any idea how worried he was?!
This got Shaun to finally bleat a complaint and have the audacity to push the dog away. Right before Bitzer could continue because this definitely wasn't over, he got interrupted by the sheep yanking him by the arm to shove him into a wall.
A moment of silence happened as both saw children laughing and running near the entrance of the alley. Bitzer noticed the hoofs placed on either side of his chest and he tensed at noticing how close Shaun had gotten. Shaun on the other hand, remained unaware as his focus stayed on the people outside.
Once out of danger, Shaun stepped back and Bitzer was able to release the breath he didn't know he was holding.
The sheep was the first to talk. He gestured at the dog with disbelief in his voice— What was he doing there?!
Bitzer put a paw in his chest, brow arched as he whuffed back— He should be asking that! — He pointed at Shaun — Looking for him obviously!
Now it was the sheep's turn to look puzzled. He tilted his head and bleated a question, as if to make sure. Bitzer, nodded. Duh.
He wondered why in his mind would Shaun think no one would go looking for him.
The sheep blinked, stayed silent. It took Bitzer to cross his arms and tap his lower paw on the floor for the other to understand he owed an explanation.
This being something Shaun could literally take out of his pocket certainly wasn't what Bitzer was expecting. Hesitant, the dog took the paper being handed to him, only to see it was a newspaper article of sales Mossinhan was having that month. Only one product had a circle doodled around.
Bitzer lifted his head, having to knit his brows together at the hair gel with a recipe Shaun now had in his hoof.
Bitzer barely managed to whuff as he pointed to the paper then at himself— Shaun could have just asked him to get it?
Now it was Shaun's turn to look skeptic. He barely hummed while tilting his head to the paper, promptly making Bitzer turn it around for inspection. At the other side was the headline talking about the spring festival being held at that moment in Mossingham, with little red scribbles at the corners. All of them were of Shaun and Bitzer; either buying online, sneaking the gel on the farmer shopping list or -this one covered with an X but still visible- them going walking around town.
Huh, he never expected a sheep to know so much about human shopping.
Bitzer blinked at Shaun, who had the absolute nerve to look away, cross his arms and bleat in a sarcastic tone— He was going to ask him to.
Bitzer almost crunched the paper in his paws. All of this was planned beforehand and not to bother him after the disagreement of that morning as Bitzer had suspected, but it wasn't an excuse! A sheepdog was there to help, it wasn't that difficult to go the easy way and just talk instead of doing something as insane as sneaking to town behind his back.
Sure, the option of leaving just like that to the store was definitely out of their possibilities, and adding something like that to the farmer's list was complicated(the man didn't have any hair to use the gel on, precisely), and they were just way too busy this time of year to take care of something so small to begin with. Honestly it was all too difficult so at the end-
He...he would've said no.
It took Bitzer a while to realize how silent he had gotten suddenly. Shaun arched a brow at him, and though this was a signal that the discussion could still continue, for some reason he didn't have it in him to scold anymore. Bitzer just ended facepalming, sighing loudly as he gave the paper back.
He didn't want to deal with this, not right now.
A quick gesture for Shaun to follow him was enough to say the conversation was over. The troublemaker put no resistance to the request, actually tried to guide them back to the entrance, but with a growl Bitzer told Shaun to stay back. He had done enough, and it wasn't like a sheep knew how to walk through a street full of people.
Bitzer pecked from the alley to the fair, full of colour, full of fun; he had to shake his head to ignore it and focus on what he had to do. A dog in town was no big deal but a sheep? It would get too much attention.
Suddenly, beside him Bitzer saw Shaun put on his sunglasses and lift the collar of his jacket, perfectly managing to hide his face without even being asked to. The dog squinted his eyes at him. Who was this guy really?
And so they sneaked under the booths, going from one to the other on all four to avoid being seen.
It was when they reached one of the booths near the entrance that something caught Bitzer's eye. Through a small opening in the white tablecloth, he spotted a circuit of games for pets, frisbees flying from one side to the other and dogs playing happily around them.
He only noticed his wagging tail when he heard snickering behind him. Bitzer glared at the sheep, who waved a dismissive hoof to avoid another fight. Instead, Shaun sat crossed legged in his place, smile soft and bleat careful as he pointed outside— Bitzer could go. He wouldn't move from there.
Despite narrowing his eyes at the sheep, Bitzer's gaze went back to the fun at the other side. His tail again started wagging, his eyes remained focused, and the moment his fingers slowly stretched over the floor in anticipation, Bitzer knew he was lost.
Just one break wouldn't hurt...
—
The task of staying still was usually difficult for a sheep like Shaun, much enough he had surprised himself promising to actually do that.
But really, deep down, he knew why it was.
Lying over his stomach, Shaun moved the cloth in front of him to have a better look of the fair. There he was, that sunshine dog that was somewhere behind strictness and frowns, now running on all fours behind a frisbee and playing with other dogs. Bitzer looked happy, responsibilities forgotten just for the sake of having fun for a while.
The sheep covered his mouth not to chuckle at how contagious the happiness of dogs was. Instead, without noticing, Shaun leaned his cheek in one hoof as a smile escaped out of him. Seeing Bitzer like that was a sight he'd never get tired of.
But as good as everything was, for him it was weird mostly, to see the scenario of Bitzer there with him actually happening.
It seemed impossible right from the moment Shaun started planning how to pass the barrier of rules just to get the gel. Running there on his own ended up being a last minute thing, done on a whim of the moment after that morning. Even if Shaun was less likely to go unnoticed with how watchful Bitzer was, he didn't expect the dog would actually bother to go after him, less looking so scared.
Shaun frowned slightly. Way too scared.
So this was fair. Shaun got his gel, Bitzer to play and relax as compensation. The dog may even get so happy that he would forget about it when they got back! All was going perfe-
As if a blackout suddenly occurred, the harsh fall of a boot in front of the booth drowned the orange lights around into dark. Shaun flinched back, covering his gasp with his hoofs as he saw how a metal claw got hold of a fallen piece of wool.
At the familiar grunt of the figure, Shan's body moved on its own to get away. It couldn't be, not there, not again.
His luck was bad enough that his back hit a delicate leg of the table. The whole booth fell over, revealing the sheep underneath and earning gasps from everyone around. Except from one person.
With part of the tablecloth still over him, curled up out of instinct, Shaun felt himself getting smaller as his gaze slowly went up(and up and up), from the boots, to that mustached mouth grinning at recognizing him.
Shaun couldn't move.
Even when the small crowd that gathered to take photos of what they saw as 'a cute sheep in silly clothes' could've served as a distraction for his escape, Shaun didn't react. The animal warden made a gesture for the people to stand back as he lifted the metal claw(because of course, even when he was on vacation, even when he didn't have his uniform on, unfinished business kept him on the hunt). Unable to move his legs, Shaun closed his eyes at the sight of the impending attack.
Until a bark made him open them again. Shaun blinked to see Bitzer in front of him, on all fours, growling in warning as he hid the sheep behind him.
Finally coming back to his senses, Shaun bleated loudly, making the dog a quick gesture with his head before trotting off. The stubborn man instantly gave chase.
And they ran, ran and ran until no people or lights were visible around them. Shaun kept himself in front, ignoring the barks reclaiming behind because this was not the moment, until he spotted an escape route. He dragged Bitzer into the alley with him just as the dog was about to run past it.
Both lied on the cold stone wall, hands on their chest, panting in an attempt to stabilize their breath. After a moment, when everything seemed to be okay, Shaun released a chuckle. He still had it.
He looked at his side, about to congratulate Bitzer for a well done escape, until he saw the dog's lost expression. Bitzer was patting every part of his chest, growing desperate by the second he didn't find anything. It was the first time Shaun saw him without a whistle around his neck.
To Bitzer's horrified, almost begging for a positive answer gaze, Shaun could only shrug. He hesitantly smiled to lighten up the mood. Maybe he forgot it on the farm? It was just a whistle after all, he didn't see the big deal.
Bitzer didn't like that. He covered his eyes, growled. A low growl, one that got Shaun to lower his ears at feeling something bad was coming up.
And he was right. Unlike that morning, Bitzer didn't only complain, didn't breathe in to leave the problem aside. His first bark was harsh as he gestured wildly to the whole situation at hand.
Whatever he was was about to yell couldn't go past the first verse before a bleat of pain suddenly overpowered it. As silence fell, both animals widened their eyes at the tranquilizer dart that was now cleaved on Shaun's leg.
Bitzer looked at the alley's exit. The silhouette of that insane man, gun barely visible in the dark, grinned satisfied at having hit the target.
With his trembling legs barely able to hold him, Shaun held his head in an attempt to cease the dizziness. He couldn't hear what Bitzer was telling him.
He only saw the dog desperately running towards him before the world gave into the dark around him.
—
Step, step, step, step.
As silence slowly faded to muffled noise, Shaun was able to feel he was moving. Not on his own, but something under him. He couldn't open his eyes for the life of him to identify what. He was tired, too tired…
He was being carried was all he could tell. The thing felt warm and fuzzy under his belly. Probably was one of the sources of the scandal happening around, judging by how close it sounded. That bark...no, two barks? They sounded familiar, as well as that raspy voice of a woman arguing with someone far, far away.
Where he was, what was happening, or what was telling him that voice so desperate under him, were things Shaun could barely wonder about before his mind went completely numb again.
—
It had been an hour. Twenty minutes of running around, an unconscious sheep on his back and with no other option than trusting the lead of a stranger to an unknown place.
And then, after they were lucky enough to get the man to bump into the old lady and get distracted by her hitting him with her purse, after they could finally get refuge, he counted forty minutes of sitting on that rusty mattress on the floor, only accompanied by deafening, endless silence.
Shaun still didn't wake up.
Bitzer's only comfort was the slow but constant movement of breathing between his arms. It helped, but even that sign of wellness wasn't enough to calm his nerves.
He wasn't the only one. At the other side of the room, barely visible between the old furniture covered in white sheets and the little light of the only lamp there, Bitzer could spot that dog shooting worried glances at the sheep once in a while. A sad smile of support was the only thing she could offer before returning to tidy the room. It was an abandoned house, not much to tidy up really, but it wasn't difficult to sense Bitzer wasn't up for conversation at the moment.
A sudden chill ran up his spine and Bitzer frowned. He ignored his own need to shiver to hug the small creature in his arms tighter, looking to compensate for the lack of wool and what the jacket couldn't do. An instinct left since he was a puppy, whenever a sheep was sick or he simply had a nightmare and wanted to know they were all okay.
All of this was his fault. Not Shaun, but Bitzer's. He lost track of his sheep, he did the only thing he promised he'd never do. Knowing how much they loved danger he should've anticipated and been prepared for something like this and yet- In the farm, in the tent, in the alley while screaming at him, Bitzer didn't stay alert. For all he knew now one of his sheep could be-
A sad whine escaped and Bitzer found himself leaning his chin on Shaun's head. The long wool still in need of a cut, the one task Bitzer hadn't completed that day, felt soft yet as a bitter reminder of his failure under his nose. He couldn't let it happen, not again.
More minutes went by, silent and cold in a gloom of thoughts slowly vanishing into sleepiness until, finally, the tiniest movement woke Bitzer off his trance. The cloudy coziness that came with having a wooly pillow under his grasp dissipated suddenly as, Bitzer realized, said pillow had his curious face at mere inches of his.
The movement to get away was equally abrupt from both parts.
Shaun was the first to emit a sound, having to hiss and touch the bandaged zone of his leg. He arched a brow at it, then looked around the place in hopes of finding anything self explanatory. Bitzer's paralyzed tongue was unable to help.
It was a brown furball rushing to them who saved him the embarrassment. The small pooch dodged over every object on the floor with ease, instantly giving excited jumps, spins in her place and barks once in front of Shaun. After a second of widened eyes, the sheep bleated equally eager, his arms extended in a greeting.
Bitzer could only knit his brows together at the complicated fist bump those two displayed in front of him.
The stray pooch, Slip as she presented herself, had claimed she knew Shaun when they crossed paths, hence why Bitzer followed her there with no doubt. It wasn't like Bitzer was up for questioning before, when running away from a maniac and a protecting a sheep were his main problems. Now that everything was calmer though, he was able to realize just how unexpected seeing both animals cheerfully talking and charading to catch up was.
But Bitzer wasn't given time to delve on that as the other dog tilting her head towards him got his attention. She started giving Shaun playful nudges, grinning and battling her long eyelashes as if teasingly congratulating the sheep for something. Shaun was quick to frantically do 'cut it out' gestures, but it was late. The memory of the hug came to Bitzer's mind and the 'what?!' that left his mouth was instant.
The sheepdog motioned at himself up and down then at Shaun, disbelief clear in his voice as if stating the obvious— They were both different species! They couldn't...be together or whatever she was hinting at.
Saying that was like suddenly smashing a plate in the middle of a crowded room. Everyone falling silent to stare at him.
What was relatively similar to said plate in what he just said, Bitzer didn't get. Slip's eyes shifted to Shaun for a second before she uncomfortably sucked on her teeth, then left the scenario she had provoqued quickly. Shaun from his part looked away, ears a bit lowered and failing to hide the tenseness in his face.
What was with those reactions? It was true! Something like that never happened, so there was no reason to react like that unless-
Unless...
Bitzer's ears slowly lowered as realization settled in. He blinked, his mouth opening a bit as he lifted his paw to point at the sheep— Was- did he...?
A tray with drinks, accompanied by a chirpy(yet too rushed to be natural) tone from Slip interrupted the conversation. An obvious attempt to give the sheep a way to escape.
Yet Shaun, despite having plenty of time to think of a change of topic as he emptied half of the orange juice box he had grabbed, still decided to answer the question.
Shaun leaned his free arm over his bent knee, a crooked smile barely visible as he did a 'so-so' gesture with his hoof. He shrugged and bleated— He didn't mind that when dating really. He liked who he liked and that was it.
A simple 'oh' left Bitzer's mouth, followed by a longer and more regretful one. He was quick to try apologize, but all he managed to give were hasty, nonsensical barks. He ended up facepalming at not being able to control his own tongue, but the apology must have gotten somewhere because Slip actually offered him a drink now, and Shaun finally stopped looking at anything but him.
Bitzer sighed. He leaned his back on the wall, legs slightly bent, and for a moment didn't look at either of the other animals as he almost emptied his juice box in one gulp. He whuffed more calmly this time— It wasn't bad, was what he was trying to say. He just...never considered it could happen.
And that was true. As much as Bitzer longed to have a romance like the ones of his many books one day, he never got the chance to besides of the occasional crush.
That one blonde lady dog with a beret he met outside the farm, another dog Bitzer thought was handsome here and there, but that was it. Life on the farm gave him a limited reach when it came to love, more so when that place was his top priority. The less he would think was that things could go beyond 'the usual'.
Shaun seemed to understand that. The sheep smiled softly, waving a hoof to tell him to not worry about it. He shrugged, bleated— He wasn't an expert in the matter either.
Now feeling the atmosphere more light, from her spot Slip whuffed about that being a lie, earning a pillow being thrown at her direction by Shaun. Her laugh and how easily she dodged it showed it might be a common banter between them.
And this set Bitzer to actually wonder further about the whole situation.
Save from someone visiting or having a reason to leave their home(farm shows for the rest, and whenever the farmer needed an extra hand for his money-earning schemes for Bitzer), farm animals rarely got to meet outsiders. It was odd for a sheep to be such good friends with a dog from town. More strange had been to see Shaun make his way there and walk around as if he owned the place.
Maybe he lived nearby, had done these kinds of escapades back in his previous farm. It had to be a really weird farm then, for Shaun to not be used to waking up early, or not reacting to the whistle at first, or wearing a leather jacket around like that...
Now that Bitzer thought about it, the farmer never told him the circumstances or reasons for Shaun to be there. Why was the old lady of all people who brought him there again?
In the middle of the storm that was his mind, one question managed to emerge from the depths of the raining clouds. Simple and containing all of his doubts in one. One which would explain so many things if Bitzer had just wondered about that before.
'Where was Shaun from?'
The question left his mouth so suddenly, the other animals took a moment to react by how jarring it was. Shaun opened his mouth, but barely a small sound came out as he frowned, eyes settling on the floor as if this would give him the answer he should already know.
Slip arched a brow at Shaun's lack of answer. She lifted a finger as an idea came to her head, then rushed over to the nearest wall. She jumped over a box, moved aside a curtain to reveal a broken window underneath and whuffed. The distant lights of tall buildings could be seen from there.
It took Bitzer a few seconds to register the answer.
The sheepdog's widened eyes turned to the sheep, who's only reaction to that was to breathe out a small laugh at how convenient that was.
Bitzer's voice came out louder than intended— He came from The Big City?!
—
Bitzer's questions were, apparently, too many to be explained in a normal conversation.
Just by looking at each other Slip and Shaun came up with a plan. The stray pooch had brought a dust-covered blackboard from the depths of the house, and in a moment the sound of chalk against board and whispers filled the air.
Brow arched the whole time, Bitzer remained sitting on the mattress. After a moment, the other animals finally stood on each side of the board to shout 'ta-da!'. Bitzer released an amazed 'wow' at how detailed the drawing of The Big City was, for being done in just a few minutes.
The presentation began with Shaun pointing his white chalk at the stick figures of him and Slip drawn at the side, then making an arrow that went towards the tall buildings. He opened his mouth, but didn't say anything as the sound of chalk interrupted him. Slip moved aside from the board to reveal two orange dogs, a rottweiler and a poodle, added to the group. She whuffed to Shaun with the smallest questioning tone as she pointed at figures.
Shaun made a face, but nodded weakly and continued nonetheless. He held up a paper, a drawing of the man that had chased them now wearing an animal warden uniform, and with a loud bleat for effect he placed in the middle of the board. Judging by the drawing's devil horns and how Slip growled at it, what Bitzer already knew became even more obvious: the man was ruthlessly evil. Bitzer lifted a paw to his mouth, fearing how the rest of the story would go.
Opposite to the sheepdog, Shaun seemed pretty entertained with his narration. He turned the board around to reveal the drawing of a bus on the other side, the stick figures inside it, and a piece of newspaper stuck on the corner. The article was of the old lady's animal help shop. Unlike the animal warden, the old lady had a halo drawn over it, but still retained her angry expression.
Bitzer blinked. The old lady was a mystery that had passed by the farm for years now. Everyone knew first hand she was the grumpiest woman in Mossinham, and it was gossiped about in the farm that she might know the animals were smarter than they showed. But she also owned a charity to help animals, and even with so many of the farm's shenanigans having affected her she had never revealed their secret. She wasn't a bad person.
So though a bit surprising, it didn't sound that crazy to think the woman could've helped Shaun and his friends in the past too. Maybe her hitting the animal warden with her purse hadn't been a coincidence to begin with.
Whatever the case was, Bitzer had a new-foumd respect for her now.
Continuing with the narration, Shaun drew two arrows at the front of the bus. One pointing to a few buildings(Mossinham, where Slip had ended) and the other pointing at Mossy Bottom. Shaun then closed his eyes and motioned to the board as a whole, marking the end of it all with a confident bleat.
For a moment there was silence. Bitzer lifted a finger and opened his mouth, about to mark an inconsistency in the story, but another whuff did that for him.
Brows knitted together, Slip shook her head. She faced the board and, besides of adding the lacking stick figures inside the bus, she erased her and Shaun. Under the farm animals' watchful gazes, she added herself at the end of the bus, a small stick paw extended, and Shaun outside, running to reach for it.
She looked at Shaun and whuffed softly, chalk tapping his stick figure— Didn't he remember?
Bitzer frowned, looked at Shaun as well. The sheep seemed completely taken aback by the correction. He took a moment to react, but at the end he chuckled, this sounding fake as he nodded. The dog recognized his shrug as the one the sheep did whenever he was about to change the subject.
But Slip wasn't having it. She held up the chalk and whuffed again, head tilting to the board— Well, how did the rest of the story go then?
Bitzer felt himself at the edge of an imaginary seat, leaning forward and everything, as Shaun hesitantly took the chalk. The sheep took a deep breath, then erased his stick figure with his hoof. The tip of the chalk touching the board was almost loud in the silence. It remained there for a few seconds, unmoving, under everyone's gaze, until it finally started drawing.
When he was done, taking longer than someone would for a simple doodle, Shaun moved aside to reveal the stick sheep...
Tripping.
He had tripped and lost the bus. Bitzer almost scoffed at how disappointing the finale of such tension was.
Shaun simply shrugged and laughed weakly— So dumb, right?
Slip seemed to want to ask more, Bitzer wanted to ask more, but the sheep had been quick to say something about 'needing to find a map around the house'' before making his escape.
Bitzer stood up to stare at the hallway's door Shaun just left through. He flinched at hearing Slip was at his side, barely making herself present with a sigh.
She whuffed softly— Was he doing okay?
She was looking up at him now, but Bitzer knew perfectly who the 'he' was referring to was. Her gaze was worried, lost in the sea of doubts of what should be done, and still struggling to find a path there.
It was a gaze Bitzer had seen in his own reflection more than once.
He wanted to answer yes. He really wanted to answer that.
Bitzer looked to the door, then down at his fidgeting paws, the lack of a whistle around his neck making itself present. His whuff was almost inaudible— They were trying...
She nodded, sighed again. Nothing else was said as she turned off the lamp to then leave the room, probably assuming Bitzer would as well.
But the sheepdog remained in the dark.
Trying. He was trying without having any idea of how, of if he was making any progress at all. And meanwhile her. She knew Shaun, from years probably, and still seemed to have it hard to figure him out.
Bitzer scoffed. He could barely handle the farm alone after all this time, what made him think he could be of help when barely two months had gone by?
—
Out of all the things Shaun missed from living in the city, running free and wild alongside Slip was at the top of the list.
Not that the giant field of a farm wasn't cool. It had its advantages, but being out in the streets late at night, on four legs jumping over trash cans, and adrenaline running within his veins with each urban danger avoided...just had a certain charm to it.
As expected of Slip, she had already memorized her ways through the small town. Despite the silent discussion in front of the blackboard, how she seemed to remember things more clearly than Shaun would've wanted, she wasn't delving much into it and was happy to guide them. It was like old times, like the separation in the bus hadn't even happened.
That should be one less thing to worry about, but now it was Bitzer, for some reason, the one that remained quiet all the way to the bus stop.
Even when they had invited him to follow along their run. The sheepdog's tail had wagged in reflex, but the way he had shook his head and that tired face showed he wasn't up for it.
Weird, knowing how happy Bitzer was playing back at the fair, and how later in the farm he wouldn't have time to anymore. But Slip and him were probably playing too rough for his liking. Shaun rubbed his arm, being surrounded by grass sure made him forget how painful falls on concrete could be.
It was when Bitzer was too focused walking around the bus stop sign to join any conversation that Shaun decided to give up on him.
He instead sat on the empty sidewalk, telling Slip more details about how things were where he was living now. She seemed content just listening, teasing him a bit about being a responsible guy and waking up early now. The obvious, impeding topic seemed to be at the tip of her tongue, but at no moment did she ask about it.
This got the sheep to turn nervous by the minute.
So many things she knew, so many things he didn't dare - want - to talk about. Despite the obvious worry in her eyes, she always respected his silence, his need to keep those negative thoughts to himself. Someone like her, someone who had done so much for him, at least deserved the truth about what really happened.
But Shaun couldn't do it, he barely could accept it himself. His mind wandered to that one thing he knew he could offer instead. Something he knew Slip wanted and deserved for so long now. Something she, unlike him, would be able to keep.
Guilt consumed Shaun knowing he was nervous even of telling her that. He pushed the feeling back, because he couldn't allow himself to be selfish again with her, not with something like this. He stood up, getting a smile from somewhere and looked at his old friend.
But the moment he opened his mouth, Slip lifted her paw, smile almost sad. Shaun followed the gesture to see the last bus of the night was here. Bitzer as well, so in a rush he was, took a moment to snap his gaze out of them and notice the bus. Shaun arched a brow at seeing the sheepdog get in without a word.
Realizing they didn't have any time, all Shaun managed to do was take out the newspaper article in his pocket, rip the part where he had previously noted the address of the farm, and give it to her. Slip seemed more content with this decision.
She softly punched his arm to wish him good luck, he laughed and made a quick 'call me' gesture, feeling an old weight leaving his shoulders as Shaun got on the bus.
The vehicle was empty at this hour. Sneaking into the back to find Bitzer wasn't difficult. The dog, always watchful, was so distracted looking through the window that he didn't notice him until Shaun sat at his side. It took the sheep to arch a brow for Bitzer to stop looking wide-eyed at him. The dog shook his head and returned to look outside, not a word said.
The bus continued its route under an awkward, crushing silence.
—
It wasn't until they had to leave the bus a few stops before Mossy Bottom, due to a temporarily blocked road, that Shaun started having enough of Bitzer's silence.
The dog walked ahead of him through the muddy path, showing no rush even when he was so strict with everyone being asleep at a certain time(yet Bitzer never respecting that rule himself, of course). Shaun bleated to call his attention. Nothing. He tried again, now louder.
Bitzer stopped to turn his head. Shaun shrugged, lifting a hoof to do a general questioning gesture. Despite being so deep in thought a moment ago, the dog seemed to be confused as to what to answer.
It took a moment of staring at his lower paws for Bitzer to finally whoof— What he did was dangerous.
Shaun didn't know why he expected the reason to be something less obvious. The sarcasm left his lips almost automatically— What wasn't dangerous for him?
A glare. Bitzer returned to his walk at a quicker pace. Realizing his mistake, Shaun rushed to be in front of the dog and quickly wave his hoofs to say that that wasn't serious.
But actually, it was. That phrase, the topic in general, had been at the tip of his tongue for a while now. Despite his first attempt to calm the situation, Shaun found himself unable to keep the dam from breaking anymore.
He bleated, a little louder now— Bitzer never let them do anything!
Not unfamiliar with this argument between them, the dog didn't hesitate to raise his voice as well— Because everything they did could end in someone hurt!.
Bitzer gestured behind them, the long way they had come from— Didn't he see all that happened?!
Shaun looked back. If he squinted, he could spot a few remains of the motorcycle he had used to escape buried between the mud. Attempting an answer only earned the sight of Bitzer retaking the path to the farm.
Even if the base of their bicker always was Shaun thinking the guy was paranoid, it took a re-encounter with an animal warden for the sheep to admit that maybe, this one time around, things could've gone really wrong.
The sheep rushed to walk beside the dog, understanding the discussion would follow them all the way back. Ignoring the point just made against him, he picked a little grass from the sideway and vaguely pointed at it with a bleat— What were they supposed to do then? Graze all day?
Bitzer remained quiet, but it almost looked like he wanted to say yes.
This pushed Shaun over the edge.
This wasn't about him anymore. It was about the flock, about seeing others like him, smart and funny and with so much adventurous spirit in them, being held back like that.
That was life for a sheep no matter where they were. In the city, before and after that, Shaun had always known how it worked, he knew it just was that humans decided their roles. Dogs, cats, any pet animals didn't need to hide their intelligence from them. They were free.
And the rest? They stayed behind, had to pretend they didn't know. That wasn't fair! Why could Bitzer do anything he wanted and not them?!
As Shaun ranted all those old thoughts out, Bitzer didn't say a word, the only sign of him listening being his gaze shifting to the paper Shaun just took out of his pocket. The sheep stared at it. The only favor he ever asked him for, something so small yet he still had to ask permission, and even that was denied.
Shaun fell silent then, but one last question could be heard clearly in that mere gesture:
'Why would another animal willingly choose to hold them back too?'
For the first time since their disagreements started, Bitzer didn't frown, neither decided to cut the argument off altogether. He just stared, and stared, until finally a quiet murmur of wonder left him. He looked ahead, blinking as he seemed to process even his own words— He never thought about it that way...
Shaun lifted his brows at how compressive that answer was. And honestly? After leaving all that out, he wasn't as angry either. Felt pretty light actually.
Enough to remember Bitzer wasn't really one to blame for the core of the problem. He antagonized their plans a lot, sure, but Shaun had met enough animals to know when that came from them believing to be better than others. This wasn't the case. This one dog genuinely seemed to believe each danger his head came up with, took his role as protector so seriously he barely rested - nor accepted help - in his own stubbornness to keep them safe.
Hooves going to his pockets, Shaun kicked a small rock on the way. The question he had wondered for so long left him in a casual bleat— Why did Bizer worry so much anyways?
At the lack of answer, Shaun looked up. The dog's shoulders had tensed and his gaze, always vigilant, didn't look like it was...there with them.
'It's my job', told softly, eyes momentarily squeezing shut to bring him to that reality, was enough to guess the answer might be more complex than just that.
To ask more was tempting. After the conversation of that day, Shaun thought he had the right to know more. But he also knew about preferring to keep some things behind closed doors, so he stayed quiet.
After a few steps, Bitzer was the one to break the silence. He took a deep breath and gestured behind, his whuff soft— Everything that happened back there...was horrible to see. He knew Shaun was used to his life in the city, but now Bitzer was his sheepdog, Shaun was his sheep.
The dog stopped pointing between them to make a face, probably aware of how weird that sounded. Nonetheless, he continued— Things were different now and he...he just wanted the best for everyone…
Again, as Bitzer stared ahead that lost gaze threatened to be there, only being held back by the way he fidgeted with his paws. With the words 'the best for everyone' echoing in his mind, now it was Shaun's turn to get lost in his own thoughts.
He had met another pet in the past. A dog similar to Bitzer, Shaun just realized. Always working, always tired yet doing his best to protect the ones around...having tried with him, but having enough problems on his own to be able to deal with another one.
Shaun also remembered the moment before his escape that day, how the flock had given him worried looks, maybe tried to warn him about it not being a good idea. Obvious hints to something bigger that Shaun hadn't paid attention to back then.
It seemed the dog himself didn't know how to explain his reasoning, but now, even if just a little, Shaun thought he could understand.
Finally, Shaun found it in himself to bleat the apology he owed. Just a few words, but all genuine enough to get it was for everything that had gone wrong that day. He looked down, the lightest chuckle leaving in the irony of the situation — Guess he really wasn't made for a farm.
At that last statement, Bitzer jumped to shake both his head and paws, whuff almost desperate— Not at all, it was the opposite actually! Shaun got along so well with the flock. They always talked wonders about him ever since his arrival.
Shaun blinked, then smirked and bleated calmly — What, didn't Bitzer think the same?
It was just a joke to lighten up the mood. He didn't expect the dog to get nervous, let alone see him choke in his own words as he tried to give a proper answer. For once Bitzer was reacting to Shaun's moves with anything that wasn't blinking or arching a brow in utter confusion.
He should enjoy it, and he did to an extent, but Shaun now understood Bitzer wouldn't see those overly-friendly-but-not-serious interactions of the city the same way as him. After having revealed his peculiar view of dating that day, after the dog took it that well, Shaun prefered not to make things awkward just to get another reaction(as tempting as it was).
Chuckling, Shaun bleated to change the topic and lightly nudged the dog— They talked wonders about Bitzer as well.
This got the other to visibly relax, a warm smile appearing as he shyly scratched the back of his neck. But the demeanor was gone as soon as it came. Bitzer turned serious again and, after a moment of silence, he whuffed— He was sorry, for being too much sometimes as well.
Then he sighed, made an attempt of a laugh that really didn't come out, and murmured something more directed to the air than to the sheep at his side— They'll never reach a balance, will they?
Though Shaun could have been offended for indirectly being told he was 'too much', he didn't, because he knew they clashed for that reason. Instead he focused on how Bitzer's comment felt too general to be just about the two of them. It being about the farm, about a conflict that had been going on for years now, made more sense.
Shaun looked up at the stars, full of life and scattered all over the dark sky without any urban light to scare them off. A sight he hadn't realized how much he missed until his arrival at Mossy Bottom.
Shaun was now part of that conflict, maybe had even augmented it with his new ideas and everyone following him into his search for crazier adventures. And Bitzer? Still kept firm in his posture, never giving up. Seemed to be the only thing both sides could do, even knowing how easily this could end on bad extremes, on constant disagreements that didn't let them see the truth.
And yet here they were, Bitzer having gone as far as to follow the troublemaker sheep to town just to bring him back, and Shaun knowing he would help the dog with any problem caused the next day. It always ended like that.
With all that in mind, was it really impossible to reach a balance?
From the corner of his eye, Shaun spotted the dog at his side shivering and hugging himself in an attempt to keep away the nightly cold. Despite himself not having wool left to do the same for him anymore, Shaun still took off his jacket to offer it to the dog.
He smiled at the other and bleated, answering the rhetorical question— They could try.
—
Once they finally arrived at the farm, the flock received them in the only way they could: disorganized and doing the silliest things possible.
Behind the entrance fence, Nuts was bleating and waving energetically at them as he looked through a pair of binoculars which were turned around. Shaking her head, Hazel accomodated the object to be in the correct position, only for Nuts to whistle at 'how fast they had gotten there'. The ewe facepalmed, but smiled a bit at the typical Nuts action nonetheless.
The twins had already jumped over to be at Shaun and Bitzer's side, going on and on about how nothing bad happened but if it did, they would've defended the farm just fine. The karate chops to the air made for show didn't take long to evolve into a playful sibling fight between them.
Overall all way less disastrous than expected. Not that Bitzer didn't trust Timmy's mom's ability to be in charge but...he didn't.
Despite being the closest the flock had to a leader, the ewe was tired enough with just one child and had never really had it in her to keep the rest more in check than necessary. They were 'big enough to take their own decisions', according to her. Yet another reason for the sheep to be uncontrollable.
The flock were quick to start with the questions, with Shaun looking strangely uneasy and unable to answer any of them. Out of nervousness for the drama of that morning perhaps, something Bitzer knew they didn't mind, so he put a paw behind the guy's back to slightly push him forward. He gestured at him and whuffed at the flock— Safe and sound!
And grounded. Oh so grounded.
Shaun blinked at the sudden closeness. The rest also exchanged glances at seeing Bitzer so...calm after an infraction of that degree - after he had freaked out like that before leaving as well. The piece of clothing around his shoulders didn't go unnoticed either.
Indeed it was all strange and honestly? By having to yawn for the third time the past half hour, Bitzer knew he was too tired to care. With no further chastising for staying late, he gestured for everyone to go back to the barn, earning a few disappointed 'awws' from the most energetic ones.
Bitzer didn't notice his paw still on Shaun's shoulder until Timmy's mom emerged from the crowd. With a sleeping lamb on her arms, she got closer to comment on how tired Shaun looked. Bitzer as well probably, but that was no news.
Before the sheep in black could even try to protest, she was already dragging him to take a seat over Shirley's wool, taking the chance to leave her son there as well. The soft texture knocked Shaun out instantly and soon enough Shirley took both young sheep away to the barn at her usual slow pace.
The smallest smile drew on Bitzer's lip at witnessing all that. He hadn't paid attention before, but there was something funny(cute even) on seeing a 'rebel city guy' like Shaun always losing against the mother in these things. Besides her son, he was the youngest sheep that had been there in a long while, and one so reckless too, it was natural that someone as motherly as Timmy's mom would be drawn to him.
That didn't mean Bitzer was free from her seeing him the same way anymore.
The ewe was the only one to stay behind as Bitzer picked his whistle from the depths of his doghouse, instantly hugging the object in pure relief.
At seeing this, the ewe shot him that one worried gaze Bitzer knew well, but no further comments were made. The mother settled for a general question instead— So, how was town? Something to tell?
She had asked that while looking at the jacket he had over his shoulders, hence her smirk. It was the worst moment to remember the commentary Slip had made about Shaun and him back a few hours ago. Unnecessarily so, Bitzer blushed in embarrassment and quickly removed it to give it to her without another word. The cold of the night took its place unwelcomed.
The ewe made a face as she draped the piece of clothing over her arm, already planning to take It straight to the laundry machine most likely. No wonder after all the rolling around Shaun had done back in town. His gaze momentarily shifted to the crumpled paper ball falling on the grass and he instantly followed the need to hide it under his lower paw.
Understanding Bitzer's silence, the ewe didn't insist on getting an answer, but patted his arms and bleated to remind him where he could go if he ever felt like talking. Her motherly scold from over the door telling him to get some sleep was also there that night.
Bitzer shook his head to snap out of whatever had him feeling like he had something to hide and picked the piece of newspaper up, uncrumpling it to observe the doodles Shaun had made.
Unpredictable. No longer an unredeemable troublemaker, not just a sad sheep who had trouble adapting, but simply and utterly unpredictable was what Shaun was for him now.
There just was so much he didn't know about him, so many things Bitzer hadn't wondered about before he came along. The past of new arrivals was something he never delved into until now. Farm animals usually didn't have anything new to tell, but Shaun…
A sheep from the city, how could he have ever guessed? What could a simple sheepdog even do against that?
Thoughts about a sheep he was failing to help hadinvaded the dog's thoughts all the way to the farm. He had seen Shaun so happy back there, laughing and running through the streets along his old friend, enjoying being back. For Bitzer it meant that was it, that he would once again return with less sheep to count the next day, that another failure would be added to his list instead.
But Shaun never did what Bitzer expected. He had gotten on the bus. Despite fading smiles, arguments and constant rules holding him back, Shaun still had a reason to come back.
Bitzer may not have all those years Slip had to understand him, he knew. He still was far from cracking that shell. But today, today they had actually talked, had made fair points and listened to each other for once. Both wanted peace, to reach a balance.
Bitzer had given up on a long time ago, left forgotten by routine taking its place. Was the encouragement of a new sheep really enough to make him try once more?
Then again, that sheep, the most uncontrollable he ever had so far, the one who could make even the most insane plan work, had faith in that. If Shaun was willing to try then…
He looked up at the door, frown determined. He would as well. For Shaun, for the flock, even for himself, Bitzer would try.