Of Paws and Plans

AN: I do not own any of these characters except for Star.


"So, what do we think of her?" X-Ray asked his tent mates once they watched Stanley walk out of the Mess Hall with his and Star's food. The six boys were sitting at their usual table, the rest of the boys chattering loudly all around them. "And the neanderthal, I guess."

"They're weird as hell, man," Armpit said while spooning some brown beans into his mouth. "Especially how they act like the same person… Are ya sure they're not twins?"

"Mom said they weren't," Magnet, whose true name was José, acknowledged again. "Maybe they're datin'."

"Stanley said they weren't," Squid stated as he sipped some water from a metal cup. "And a boy like that wouldn't lie about a girl like her."

"…What's that supposed to mean?" X-Ray asked another question at his right-hand-man's words, causing Squid to glance up to see all the boys giving him a weird look.

"What…?"

"You think she's pretty?" Zigzag, whose true name was Ricky, inquired with a smirk. "I mean, I'm not gonna deny it, but there's no way-"

"I don't think she's pretty!" Squid barked before the boy could finish, an angry expression now on his face. "I just meant that… She's… She's too good forStanley. I don't think she's pretty or anythin', but she's definitely not ugly enough to be with that boy."

"Yeah, but… Even if ya say that, Squid, we know you don't actually mean it," Magnet remarked, not afraid at all to state his opinion. "Don't lie to yourself like that… We all saw her."

"I like her hair," Zigzag mused with a smile. "It's long and wavy… Like my mom's."

"Dog, your mother was the one who sent you here," Armpit jested almost immediately. "And it's not like you have the best first impression! You scared her like the lunatic you are!"

At this, X-Ray let out a snicker. "And ya called her a boy."

"Don't act like I'm the only one. She's too innocent and pure-lookin' for any of us here," Zigzag argued with a frown. "Didn't you all see that smile of hers she showed Stanley? That girl is…"

The boys were silent for a few moments after their tallest friend trailed off. Even Zero, who had been silent this whole time, now looked deep in thought as he stared down at his food. She did seem nice, Zero would give her that. And she was kinda pretty, too. The prettiest thing he had seen at this entire camp. But… But the way she acted was what made Zero the most conflicted.

It felt familiar.

The way she had smiled at Stanley, so kind and polite, it felt like he had seen it before in a dream or something. Like a long lost memory of someone he knew. Star looked like someone…who would care about anyone.

Anyone.

"She's weird, that's it." But when Armpit snapped this after a short pause, everyone turned their eyes back to him. "Let's just pray that Mom's jokin' about the whole her stayin' with us shit."

"Dude, if we're going to have a whole meeting about it, in our tent, I think it's pretty legit," X-Ray explained and then shrugged nonchalantly. "But I could honestly care less either way. Havin' the one girl here might be annoying, but it could be kinda fun."

"Yeah, true. She could add some spice to our every day, diggin' holes life," Magnet said excitedly, causing Squid to let out another scoff.

"If she cries, though, I'm not holding nothin' back."

"What do ya think she'll think about the lizards?" Zigzag then asked, a crazy yet equally joyful look in his blue eyes. "Wonder if she could help me hold one…"

Armpit rolled his eyes at this. "Again, what makes you think she's crazy like you, Zigzag? Ain't no way a girl would even go close to those things."

"I'm just wonderin' how she'll deal with the hole-diggin'." However, when X-Ray commented this, each of their eyes turned toward his eyes expectantly. "I mean, Squid wasn't wrong about the whole ant-thing. She looks weak as hell. Skinny as a twig."

"We'll just hafta wait and see, I guess," Magnet huffed while chewing on his sandwich. "Who knows? If her smile can surprise us, who knows what else can?"

"Stanley too," Squid added with a smile. "I can't wait until he digs his first hole… They'll both be prayin' to get outta here."

"Maybe even get by a rattlesnake to do it," Zigzag said, making each and every boy…slowly look back down at their food.

Barfbag's actions were still affecting them.

They still didn't believe how equally brave and cowardly he was.

None of them would do such a thing, even if they despised this place.

But some people just weren't strong enough to get through it. So, each of them thought, were Star and Stanley strong enough?


"Thank you so much, Stanley," Star thanked once Stanley had walked back through the tent with two trays of food. "I appreciate it."

After all of the boys left, including Stanley, Star took the time to get herself situated in the new "room." As Dr. Pendanski explained, there was another opening in the back of the tent, leading to where a single cot lay. Star could only thank whoever made this decision, since it was much more than she deserved for being a criminal. Star had placed her singular backpack beside the bed and was now where Stanley found her: in the middle of looking around her new home. Again, there wasn't much, but it was nicer than she expected.

"Nah, it's cool. I'd rather stay in here with you than that loud Mess Hall," Stanley said as he handed Star a tray. "But, um, the same can't be said for the food. That really can't be helped."

"Hey, at least we have food, right?" Star shrugged, staring down at the food with a smile. More so, even though she wouldn't admit this to Stanley, she was used to this type of food. All Star ever got back at home were leftovers, so these mushy beans and pieces of bread looked pretty normal. "I'll eat it with pride!"

"Uh, yeah…" Stanley looked her up and down. "You do that."

Yeah, Stanley thought, Star was different from any other person he had ever met. And yeah, that thought was only gonna get proven more because of what Star was about to say next. "Hey, Stanley… Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah," Stanley said simply, blinking a few confused blinks at her. "What is it?"

"Come… Come to the back with me - to my room," Star abruptly told him, making Staney's eyes widen in shock.

"W-Wait, what kind of secret are you gonna tell me?"

"A very personal one that…you have to swear not to tell anyone else about," Star explained with a serious expression. "What's about to happen has to stay between only us."

"Huh?" Was all Stanley could say while he watched Star walk back toward her bedroom. "Star, what are you-"

"I'm gonna show you the most important thing to me, Stanley," Star also added, placing a hand on the bedroom door's flap. "You ready?"

"Uhhh…" Stanley gulped. "Star, if you're that worried about it, you really don't hafta show- Oh." However, when Star moved the flap away to reveal her cot, Stanley finally realized Star's true secret. On this dirty cot were three animals he recognized as two mice and a prairie dog. "Wow, uhm… Nice animals?"


For the first time that day, Star saw Stanley truly and brightly smile.

Almost instantly, Stanley had totally been onboard with Star's three critter friends, and had even introduced himself to them on her bed. Furthermore, the rodents had taken the same immediate liking to Stanley: only sniffing him for a second before full-blown cuddling him. And now, with the both of them hiding behind the tent's wall, sitting on Star's bed facing one-another, they smiled while Fido played around in Stanley's red cap. Jaq and Gus were both nibbling on the two's leftover food beside them, since both were already done eating their "dinner." Regardless of that sad dinner, though, they were both glad.

Their friendship was already kicking off more than smoothly, and neither of them could be more thankful to have each other their first day there.

"I still can't believe you brought them here," Stanley chuckled, but not unkindly. "You're one interesting person, Star."

"You mean weird," Star sighed as she scratched Fido's fluffy belly. "Who else do you know would bring three of her most precious animals to one of the most reptile-infested places on Earth?"

"...A good one?" Stanley queried, causing Star to give him an eyebrow raise and for Stanley to chuckle at such. "What? I'm serious. You care enough about them, and they care enough about you, that you both would accept coming here. I think that's pretty cool."

"I… I guess you're kinda right, Stanley," Star only sighed yet again. But this time, when Star smiled down at the innocent Fido, there was a powerful sadness in her golden-brown eyes. "It's just that… These three are…kinda…all I have left."

Stanley tilted his head, sensing and seeing her ever-growing depression. "What do you mean…?"

"Stanley, I… Well…" Star then moved to point her smile and eyes up toward Stanley once more. "Let's just say that not many people miss me back at home."

"Star, what…" Stanley shook his head in disbelief. "What-"

"Yo, are y'all makin' out back there or what?" a now familiar voice unexpectedly shouted to the two as they heard the tent open. "You're makin' me jealous!"

"That's… God, that's not what's happening!" Stanley said before Star could, glancing down toward the three animals and then standing up. Understanding immediately what Stanley was using that stare for, Star quickly hid her three friends back into her backpack with Stanley already walking back out of her bedroom. "We were just eating together, that's all!"

"Sure, man, sure!" the same teasing voice from before (José or Magnet was his name) only further bantered. "You're already livin' your best life out here, dude. I respect it."

"...Theodore, Alan, put those chairs in a circle by your beds," Star then heard Dr. Pendanski's voice order. "It's time to have our meetin'."

But as Star started hearing the boys shuffle around outside her "room," she took the opportunity to finally do-up her hair before her "meeting." Taking the long, brown hair out of its ponytail, Star started using her comb to straighten it out. Star's hair was naturally soft and thin, which was actually one of the only things she kinda liked about herself, so the process didn't take very long. And by the end of it, she even decided to make a little ponytail in the back with the hair on the side of her head; it was practical and useful for keeping her hair out of her eyes. Plus, with her short bangs, it perfectly created the nice look Star was going for.

"Star, we're ready for ya!" Dr. Pendanski ultimately shouted for her, making Star ultimately…peel away her tent door to reveal herself to the boys.

"H-Hello," Star stammered at the eight pairs of eyes glued to her exiting stature. "Um, thanks for waiting."

The eight were sitting around in a circle, some sitting on their beds while some sat on chairs between said beds. But still… But still, even if they each had different angles of her, Star was… Well… To seven of them, she was positively captivating. Long hair that shimmered in the light, porcelain skin that didn't have a single blemish, innocently sparkling eyes that honestly could be stared into forever.

Some of them were wrong.

No, some of them wouldn't admit it out-loud, but…

God, she was beautiful.

Not only necessarily in the weird horny-boy-type way, but also in this stranger and…purer way. Regardless, none of these boys had ever felt this type of way before, particularly with a girl they just met. There was this pull within their guts to know more about her - see more of her. They just couldn't take their eyes off her, and they didn't want to. Even worse, there was also this emotion they couldn't figure out rise within their guts as well. It felt heavy, strong, vicious… It felt…

Jealous.

And all of a sudden, they were relieved that Star had been put in their tent.

Theirs.

Star was-

"Star, if these boys are gonna be lookin' after you, you should probably sit down on their level," Dr. Pendanski then acknowledged with a knowing smile. "You are their responsibility now, so we gotta start building some trust between ya."

"Wait, what…?" Star tilted her head cutely, which made the boys only stare harder and them to start - for the first time ever - internally thank Dr. Pendanski's words. "What do you mean?"

"Just sit yourself down, Star." Was all the older man said. "Sit down next to Stanley."

"O-Okay…" Star babbled, quickly sitting down beside said boy to not delay any longer. Though, she was too confused to notice how the boys watched her every movement. "So, uh, how's this all gonna work… With me being the only girl?"

"That's just it: it won't be much different for you at all. If anything, it'll be more different for all the boys here than for yourself," Dr. Pendanski said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course, either side will hafta get used to it, but you, Star, shouldn't be worryin' over everything else too much. The Warden's already got a plan for ya."

At this, Star couldn't stop herself from gulping. Which, obviously, didn't go unnoticed by the boys' keen eyes. "What… What did she plan?"

"You'll be diggin' one hole everyday, same size of your shovel, like everyone else; get up at the same time, too. You'll also get yer deserved shower tokens… But those two things are the only similarities between you and the boys," Dr. Pendanski started explaining. "Other than that, you actually get a more…special treatment. Your bathroom and shower will be situated near the Warden's cabin - away, private, and protected from the rest of the boys."

"R-Really…?" Star shook her head, stunned. "The Warden really did that for me?"

"We're not a prison, Star Sirius," Dr. Pendanski muttered in a smug yet serious tone. "We like to think we're better than that at Camp Green Lake… Especially the Warden. She understands you, Star."

Did she? Did she truly understand her? Star thought.

What did the Warden actually know about her other than she was a girl? By the way Dr. Pensanski described her, and the way the Warden's cabin was better than everyone else's, she seemed to be a very cunning, powerful woman. That lady could have known more about Star than the girl herself. More so, bringing back the fact that they were both girls, what else did the Warden "understand" about Star? Again, Dr. Pendanski made it seem much deeper than privacy. Almost the antonym of the word, really.

Oh, but what the doctor said next, only made Star's shock increase.

"And now we come to where you seven come in!" Dr. Pendanski beamed merrily, showing the boys the most excited of smiles. "You will be the breathing, physical, and responsible ones to be protectin' Star here. If anythin' happens to her, it's on your hands."

"But… Damn, Mom, but why us?" X-Ray asked first, also being the first one to snap out of his trance. "What did we do to get her?"

"Let's just think of it as a learnin' opportunity, alright?" Dr. Pendanski grinned elusively. "The Warden - and myself - think you all could learn a thing or two from this, don'tcha think?"

"Heh, yeah…" Magnet stared heart-eyes toward Star with his chin laying on his palm. "I think it's a great learning opportunity."

"I still think it's stupid," Armpit huffed, causing Squid to nod in agreement as he leaned back on his bed.

"I agree. She's just gonna be an extra problem to deal with."

"This could be fun…" Zigzag mumbled in pure exhilaration. "I like it. She could be my bait."

"I'm cool with it," Stanley stated kindly, as Zero only remained silent. "Happy even."

The boys had finally gotten out of their dazes, but they didn't necessarily say the truth in their spoken word. Some were kinda true, yet they lacked the emotional, specific feelings behind it. Because, the honest truth was…

They would protect her. All of them.

No way in hell would they let another tent touch her.

Star was theirs.

Their beautiful girl to stare at.

And worst of all, these feelings made them wanna be the bad boys they were even more. Those feelings only got stronger, though, once Star let out her next words, totally oblivious to these true feelings of theirs. "I swear, I'll try my best not to be a burden to you or take up any of your time. I just wanna be treated like everyone else, okay? I'm not more special than anyone else here."

Oh, but she was.

Star was the key to those seven boys' beating hearts.