Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the property of Paws Inc. and Paramount Global/Nickelodeon at the time of this story's creation.
*Note: This chapter takes place during and after the events of "Garfield Goes on Vacation in Paradise!"*
Odie In: Stick to the Past - Part 2
Odie couldn't mentally grasp what he was seeing standing right in front of him with his very own eyes. Was he dead? Did the sheer impact of the fall kill him and is he now in the afterlife, or was the universe just playing a very cruel prank on him? For the past few moments, he just stood there…staring directly at him…staring directly at the face of the man he'd thought he lost forever.
"Uh…Odie?" Lyman asks him, concerned. "You feeling alright th-"
The dog suddenly leaps onto him before he could even finish his sentence, bawling his eyes out like never before as he embraced his former owner as tightly as he could.
"Shhh…" Lyman whispers, returning the hug. "It's gonna be okay, little buddy. I'm here for you now…Spot."
Spot.
That was the dog's original name.
A name that only he can call him.
The name given to him by Lyman when he found him…
…as a stray puppy…
…all alone…
…In the rain…
…after his mother was fatally run over…
…by accident…
…by Lyman's car…
…right after he was born…
…in a cardboard box…
…in an abandoned alleyway…
…as a stray puppy…
Just the sheer thought of flashing back to these painful memories was enough to have the dog suffer a mental breakdown in Lyman's arms. For as long as he can remember, Odie was able to suppress his trauma by simply locking it all away deep inside his brain. But now, seeing the man who found him all those years ago…
…alive and well…
…was just too much for the poor canine to handle.
"Please don't cry, Spot." Lyman said, tears now welling from his eyes. "It really hurts my heart to see you cry."
The man and his dog continued sobbing for what seemed like an eternity to them. Afterwards, the two slowly begin to release each other from their hug. Lyman eventually places Odie back down onto the grass.
"So, how ya been all these years?" Lyman asks, hoping to brighten up the mood. "Let me guess, is Garfield still kickin ya off the table?" The two shared a laugh, wiping the remaining tears out of their eyes. "Well, you can tell me all about it later. C'mon boy, let's get out of these woods." He said, gesturing for the dog to follow him.
*GASP* Odie gasps, having just realized that he'd nearly forgotten about something.
"What is it, Spot?" Lyman asks, turning around and heading back to his dog. "Are you looking for something?"
*MMM HMM* Odie nods, frantically searching for the object that he could've sworn was just here a moment ago. Just then, his ears pick up a sound coming from the bushes.
"W-What was that?" Lyman nervously asks, backing away from the bushes.
*GRRRRR* The dog growls, firmly standing his ground, and prepared to protect his beloved owner from any wild animal that would even dare to attack them. Eyeing it sharply, he watches as the creature slowly creeps out of the bushes, revealing itself to be…
*SQUEAK*
A squirrel?
"Phew." Lyman sighs in relief, wiping his nervous sweat from his forehead. "For a second there, I thought you were a wild-"
*BARK BARK BARK* Odie suddenly yaps at the small woodland creature, noticing the stick wrapped around its arms. Growling, the canine demanded for the squirrel to give him back his beloved stick…
*SLASH*
…to which it responded by directly swiping his face with its incredibly sharp claws. Dripping small puddles of blood, the dog furiously lunges at the squirrel, who just barely manages to evade the attack as it quickly retreats to the bushes. Now, hell-bent on killing that pesky little rodent and retrieving his stick, Odie jumps right into the bushes and immediately gives chase.
"Spot! Where are you going!?" Lyman frantically shouts, chasing after his dog as they head deeper into the woods. "Heel boy, heel!"
*BARK BARK* The dog did not heed to his owner's calls, for he refuses to let both the squirrel and the stick out of his sight. Eventually, the squirrel finds itself cornered by the persistent canine into a large circular area of the woods completely surrounded by nothing but bushes. With nowhere else to run, the smaller rodent prepares for a bloody and painful demise, clinging onto the stick as tightly as it could.
*HEH HEH HEH* Odie lets out an evil laugh, grinning menacingly as he prepares to bring the squirrel's life to an abrupt end.
*SQUEAK SQUEAK* The squirrel cries for help as loud as it could, begging for the dog to have a shred of mercy.
*GASP* The canine immediately stops himself upon hearing the creature's desperate cries, realizing what he had nearly just done. Seeing this poor, defenseless little creature…begging for its life to be spared…it almost made him no better than…
…than…
…a monster…
…no…
…the very monster that killed…
"Spot!"
…Lyman.
The dog turns around and sees his owner running straight towards him, only coming to a stop once he's right behind his small tail.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Lyman scolds his dog, catching his breath. "You could've really hurt this poor creature, or worse, you could've killed him!
Odie hung his head down in shame, feeling tremendously guilty for nearly causing a tragedy. Lyman had always been very protective of the wildlife, and had the dog been successful in killing that poor squirrel…he could've…
…left him…
…again…
…no…
…he couldn't lose him…
…not again…
…NOT AGAIN!
Just thinking about the possibility of losing him again causes the already distraught canine to suffer another meltdown. Seeing his tears pouring all around the grass was more than enough for the man to no longer be angry towards his dog. Crouching down, Lyman places a comforting hand on Odie's back and gently strokes it back and forth.
"Oh, Odie. I'm so sorry." Lyman apologizes, feeling immensely guilty for yelling at him…
…and for failing him as an owner…
…no…
…failing him as a father.
Ever since he inadvertently orphaned him when he was just a tiny little puppy, he vowed to raise him…
…to protect him…
…no matter what it would cost…
…even if it cost…
…his own life.
"It's gonna be okay, little buddy." Lyman said, gently wrapping his arms around the emotionally disturbed dog once more. "I'll never leave you ever again. I swear on my own life."
Odie didn't mutter another sound, only wrapping his paws around his owner's neck, the two engulfing each other in another hug. While he couldn't verbally communicate with him, his owner knew exactly how much those words mean to him just by looking at the big smile on his teary-eyed face. Even the squirrel couldn't help but smile upon witnessing this heartfelt moment between them.
"C'mon, let's get out of here." Lyman said, gently letting go of their hug. Odie, not caring about the stick anymore, proceeds to follow him, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes. However, just as they were finally about to make their way out of these godforsaken woods, the dog came to a complete stop when his ears pick up a sound coming from the bushes. This is quite an unusual sound, as the wind was currently not strong enough to blow the bushes in such a loud manner. That's when he realized…
*GROWL*
…they're not alone!
The sudden growl caught everyone else completely off guard. The squirrel, knowing full well what that sound meant, runs for its life as fast as it could. Lyman anxiously looks all around the trees, which are now mysteriously surrounding them with no way out. Odie, his ears picking up what sounds like smaller, quieter growls, cautiously proceeds in the direction where he believes the growls came from. Carefully sticking his nose inside the bushes, his nose picks up a scent that seems…off…yet…familiar.
"Uhhhh…Odie?" Lyman calls for his dog, strangely now referring to him by his alternative name. "I think we need to find a way out of here, and fast!" He suggests, his anxiety growing just as fast as the bushes they're entrapped in.
Odie paid no attention to his master's calls, for his eyes were now face to face with another pair of eyes…
…a pair of evil yellow eyes…
…staring directly into his soul…
The dog remained completely frozen in place, refusing to take his eyes off the mysterious creature as it slowly creeps out of the bushes, revealing itself to be…
…oh no…
…it...can't...be…
…the midnight black fur…
…the razor-sharp claws…
…the teeth filled with blood…
…the body of a monster…
…no…
…the very monster that killed…
…HIM!
Realizing that his owner was in very grave danger, the canine immediately rushes back to him, ready to protect him at any cost! The creature slowly walks towards them, not once taking its evil eyes off its prey.
"You…" Lyman whispers, recognizing the monster that stood menacingly before him. Looking back, he realizes that their only way out has been sealed off by the bushes. Knowing that he can't fit through them now, he knew what he had to do…for his dog's sake.
"Odie, quick! You can still fit through the bushes! I'll hold it off while you get out of here!" He shouts, urging for the dog to escape with his life while he still can.
*MMM MMM* Odie shakes his head, absolutely refusing to leave his owner ever again.
"HURRY! BEFORE-"
*SLASH*
"GAH!"
…
…
Before Lyman could finish the rest of his words, he felt his entire body starting to…numb…as the remaining blood in his body dripped into the grass…
…before falling down with it.
Odie could only watch as his owner's lifeless body laid on the grass…the grass colored with the very same red blood that once kept his body going. Lying on the ground next to him, the dog wraps his arms around him…
…sobbing…
…for he failed to save him…
…again…
…and it was all his fault…
…AGAIN!
As the dog clings onto Lyman's lifeless face as tightly as he can, his tearful eyes find themselves glaring at the creature that killed him. Wanting nothing more but revenge, Odie lunges directly at it, hell-bent on either killing the monster that took his father away from him, or die trying!
*GROWL* The creature lets out an earsplitting roar as it violently shakes the vengeful dog off its face.
Slamming into the ground, the canine finds himself unable to move as the creature slowly moves towards him. Panicking, he desperately tries to stand himself back up, only for his body to keep failing on him.
Y̸̤̮̟̫̾̌͗͠O̴̮̐͝Ȕ̴̼̹͚̯͠'̵̦͎͉͕̖̅́ͅV̸̛̭̭̰̞̤̮́͌̔͑͒E̴̙̠̹̋ ̸̩̅͌̊̾F̴̦̭͋̎͂͗̂͜Å̶̧̻̞̖̜̟͊̂̈́I̸͖̼̲̿̃̒͜͝L̷͈̖̗̯͖͛̉̀Ę̴̼̃͛̍̀͊̚D̶̩̐͒͗̾ ̴̫̉͂̍͑T̷̨̺̹̥̼͑̉Ó̵̢̪͈̪͙́ͅ ̴̰̻̻̠̣̎̈́̒̓̕͜S̸̛͈͈͐̑̿͐̎A̵̛̞V̷̛͉É̸̫̣̖̹̼̽ ̸͕̮̂̄̐͝͠Ḩ̷̞̝̀̅̋́̒Į̵̲̰̏ͅM̸̱̃̓͒̉̔,̷͙͈̄͛̋ ̷̓͛̿̀͜͝͝S̴̛̤̗̀P̷̨̣̘͙̀͜͜͝͠O̸̯̦̙͍̩͒T̸͎̦̜̼̞͋̋̃̕ͅ.̶̱̙͎̙̄̇͒.̷̫̬̬̜͂͜.̵̝͎͙̺͆͌́̊̈́̆͜ͅ
.̸̩̦͎̾͆̈́͠.̷̢̙̖̻͉̙́͌̌̌̈́.̸͖̟̃Ä̶̼̲̺͍̏N̸̪̹̮̬̿̎̎̀̈́ͅD̷͚̻̞͙̟̜̂͌ ̴̛͕̭͖̭̼̌̅͂N̶͚̱̠͐̎Ǫ̷̈̈́̔̔̕̚Ẃ̴̻̼͕̬̣̟̒͒́͘͠.̶͖̘̯͓̙̀̊͝.̷̡̪̱̮̰̽̀̽̈́͝.̷̙͖̹̭͊̓̎̈́̀͜͠
.̶̢̥̥͍͍͚̆̑̿͌̓͝.̶̟̫͉̪̀.̵̢̫͔̠̤͌̏̀͛͜͝Y̷̘͎͇̝͊̿͂̅O̷̖̾̐͝͝U̷͙̞̤̻̳͈̇̽̍͐͒̅ ̶̤̀̌̈́́̇̉W̶̧̨̯̘̫͗͌̑ͅḮ̴̛͙̭̫̟̯͔̓͛̓L̵̟͌͂̀̊L̸͚̘̺͖̅͐̉͘ ̵͉̃D̷̪͔̭̖͆͛͘͝ͅÌ̵̹͓͌̆͂͌͝Ȅ̷̦͉̯͎̜̑͘̕!̸̼͎̘̞́̏̉͠͠
Odie wasn't able to figure out where that voice came from or what exactly it said, as the creature only gave him a few seconds before LUNGING ITSELF DIRECTLY AT HIM!
*AROOOOOOO!* Odie howls at the top of his lungs as his body suddenly flies itself to an upright position. Breathing as hard as he can, and tapping his paws all around the ground, the dog realizes that he's no longer lying helpless on the grass in the woods, but instead lying comfortably on the couch inside the farmhouse. Surrounding him were a bunch of familiar faces staring directly at him, almost all of them sharing the same relieved, yet worried looks among one another.
"Aww, are you okay, sweetie?" Anna asks, having the most worried look out of all of them.
"He looks fine to me." James said, not looking as worried about him as his wife.
"That's quite a bump you've got there, Odie." Nermal said, pointing directly at the rather large lump that stood between his ears, which the dog hadn't noticed until now.
"Good thing I found ya taking your little dirt nap while I was on my way into the woods for my weekly hiking exercises, or else you would've been bear food." Grandma said in a sincere, yet slightly jokingly manner.
Odie ponders to himself upon hearing Grandma's words. A dirt nap? Does that mean…the whole thing in the woods…was nothing more but a dream!? But…it all felt so…real.
"Now then, I believe Doc Boy has something to say to you." Anna said, giving all their attention to her youngest son.
"Do I have to?" Doc Boy frustratingly asks.
"YES!" Everyone else shouts.
"Fine." He groans. "Odie, I'm sorry I tricked you into going to the woods. Do you forgive me?"
The dog responds by simply licking his face, accepting his apology despite how half-hearted it was. While what he did was wrong, Odie isn't the type of dog that would hold a grudge against anyone…
…anyone except…
…the monster…
…that's still lurking around out there…
…somewhere…
…to this very day.
"Yuck! Doggie drool!" Doc Boy whines, causing everyone to laugh at his expense.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"I'll get it!" Anna shouts, opening the door to find her eldest son, Jon Arbuckle, standing in the doorway.
"Hi, mom!" Jon happily greets his mother.
"Jon! Why, I didn't know you'd be back from your vacation so soon!" She happily greets back.
"It's a long story. How's Odie?" Jon asks.
"Oh, he's doing just fine, honey. He's right over there." Anna said, pointing him directly to the couch where his dog is currently sitting on.
"Hi, Odie! Did you miss me!?" Jon happily greets.
*BARK BARK* Odie excitingly leaps right onto his owner's face, showering him with his usual affectionate licks.
"Wait, what's with the bump on your head?" Jon asks, concerned.
"It's a long story." Doc Boy answers for him, still covered in the dog's drool alongside his brother.
"Well, we'd better get going now." Jon said. "Garfield hasn't eaten anything throughout the whole trip back, and you all know how grumpy he gets when he hasn't gotten any food in his stomach in less than an hour."
After saying their goodbyes, Jon happily carries Odie back to his car. Garfield is already inside, impatiently waiting for them to return.
"Well, it's about time you got here!" Garfield said, being his usual charming self as the dog hops inside the back of the car…
*HUH?*
…only to find some random pink cat sitting in his usual spot, forcing him to sit on the other side.
*UHHHHHH…*
"I'll explain on the way, Odie." Garfield said, waiting for Jon to get the car moving before clearing up the confusion.
"We'll grab something to eat on the way back. Think you can make it for just a little bit longer, Garfield?" Jon asks, putting his seat belt on.
"I don't know, Jon. I've never been without food for three hours in a row! I need food! NOW!" Garfield suddenly shouts.
Odie chuckles to himself upon seeing his best friend being overdramatic as usual. He pays no further attention to any of them as he looks up at the bright blue sky through his window…
…knowing that he's up there…
…waiting for his dog…
...no…
…waiting for his son…
…to reunite with him…
…one day.
Meanwhile, in the woods, a lone squirrel finds a stick lying in the grass. Curious, the squirrel examines the stick before picking it up with its mouth and carrying it up a tree.