So…I know that I have a lot of other stories going right now but I am really stuck on this one. I really liked this idea and want to write more of it. For those that have read my other stories I promise I am working on them as well, but for now I wanted to continue this one. Hopefully uploading a new chapter quickly will get it more attention. Cause as I feared when making this story. It is severally limited by being forced to be posted in the movie sections because the cartoon sections don't have it as an option. On that is. AO3 doesn't have this problem. Most of my new stories will get over a hundred views after just a few days if not more. As of currently writing this chapter a little after a week of posting the first, it finally went over a hundred but is still in the 130-140 range.
Speaking of which, please don't be afraid to leave a comment on my stories. I will accept any form of criticism. And to the few comments this story as so far, thank you. I am glad you all like it so well. I'll react to them at the end of this chapter as I normally do.
Also, something I forgot to mention in the last chapter, for my story Hunter is 12 years old. Going by his size and the fact he is definitely not a teenager, 12 seemed like a good age range to put him in. The show never actually gave him an official age that I know of. Even the wikki doesn't know. As for the pups, apparently Dylan and Dolly are the equivalent of 12 years old themselves. (part of the reason I am making Hunter 12.) They are the only ones with confirmed ages that I know of. Meaning all the other pups are between the ages of 11 and 1. Dorothy being the youngest of course. My head cannon is that Dorothy definitely turned a year old while Hunter was trapped for those six months. And with many being adopted into the family many are most likely the same age range.
Now on to the story. I was so focused on getting this story out I completely forgot to bring a new character to co-host. For the Loud House stories, it is usually Lincoln or his sisters. I have also had Louie from Ducktales. I even had Gus co-host from the Owl House story.
Dylan: Well clearly it should be me. I can help you be more organized, and I know what the readers want.
Dolly: Yeah right bro. No offense but I think you may be a little too…. boring for the audience. You may keep the author guy here organized but you tend to make people fall asleep.
"When did you two get in here?! I could have sworn I locked the door after the Louie incident."
Dylan and Dolly: Dawkins.
"Figures. Okay you two. I know you both want to help host, but I think you are forgetting an important factor?"
Dylan: Impossible! What could I be forgetting?"
Dolly: What he said!
*Deep breath* "Neither of you are the main character for this story. Your secondary characters at best. Hunter is the main lead."
Dolly: Does he even want to co-host? He kind of has a lot on his plate.
Dylan: Plus, I still think either of us would still be better. Hunter is still a child.
"Aren't you two only like, pre-teens. Young teens at most in dog years? I mean, going by the logic of your show, you guys age the same as humans. Otherwise, we would have seen a lot of the pups, Dorothy especially, grow up during the time Hunter was trapped."
Dolly: I guess you have a point there. But the point still stands that aside from mom and dad we are the oldest. So, we should be in charge.
Dylan: Wait…we? As in you want us both to co-host?
Dolly: If the author is okay with it. It makes the most since to me.
Both pups look to me. "Alright fine you guys can co-host for now. I still want to ask Hunter. But this intro is already too long because of all your arguing.
Dylan and Dolly: Sorry!
Dylan: As usual the author does not own the right to the show or the characters. Just the story idea.
Dolly: And please don't forget to comment and follow!
Dylan and Dolly: Now enjoy the story!
"Wow. You two actually pulled that off really well." I say impressed.
Chapter 2: Meeting the Family.
"What took you guys so long?" Dolly asked as Hunter and Dylan came back from the treehouse.
"We just a little conversation is all." Dylan explained. "We are going to help Hunter meet the pups."
"That may take all day you know that." Dawkins joked as they walked to the door.
As Hunter followed the three elder pups back into the house, he started to get nervous all over again. He was about to meet all the Dalmatian pups. Not as one big group but learn their all their names and everything. Which made since, but there are still over ninety pups he still doesn't even know! There was no way he could remember all of them! He wanted to make a good impression after all.
He tried to kidnap them twice. Least he could do is learn their names.
He thought back to early when he admitted to Dylan about the nightmares. He wasn't planning on doing that any time soon if at all, but it seemed to get the eldest pup the reassurance he needed that trusting him was okay. Hopefully he wouldn't ask about them in more detail.
Looking around the house he could see all the pups were scattered everywhere! Some in the kitchen, some in living room, the hallway, and he could hear many more upstairs. He could also see dog toys everywhere and had to suppress the urge to chew on one. He may be currently staying with dogs, even temporarily, but that didn't mean he had to act on all his dog instincts. No offense to them. "How am I supposed to meet all of them?" Hunter asked. "No offense but I don't think I could ever remember all their names, much less who is who."
"Hmmmm." Dawkins thought for a moment. "He does have a point, Dylan. It would take far too long to introduce him to every pup one by one. And not to mention remembering names."
"Well do you have an idea?" Dylan asked not sure what to do.
"Maybe ask for pups that want to meet him? Get to know him more?" Dolly suggested.
"Not a bad idea Dolly, but I think almost all of them want to meet him personally. It's not everyday we let a human, much less a child, into the house." Dawkins replied.
"We could handpick a few pups. As a starter introduction." Dylan suggested.
"Yes, but then there is still the issue of names. We wear collars but we don't have name tags." Dolly countered.
Hunter pulled out his phone while the other three talked. He wouldn't be able to use it for talking and texting for very long, not that he had anyone to talk to now, but he could still take photos. He quickly took a few of the pups playing liking how natural it was. Photography was one of the only hobbies he had that was his own choice (Along with space). So, he liked to take photos whenever he could.
Suddenly he noticed he had an audience and saw the Dylan, Dolly, and Dawkins staring at him. "Sorry! Force of habit! I really like taking pictures. Animals especially. I can stop if you want me to-"
"No, no wait. This gives me an idea!" Dolly said. "What if we have a photo shoot!" Dolly cheered.
"Get serious Dolly!" Dylan said.
"I am! We hold a photo shoot for all those that want to join, Hunter can take photos of the pups, we print them out for a photo album and bam! He has an album of all the pups with their names on the back. Think of it as a family photo album."
"I've been thinking about doing something like that for a while actually. I just haven't had the opportunity to do it." Dylan said.
"And if any don't want to join, they don't have too. What do you think Hunter?" Dawkins asked.
Hunter's eyes lit up looking like they were filled with stars. "I would love that! I've always wanted to do a photoshoot!" He cheered very excited. He then realized how loud he was getting and calmed himself. "I-I mean, sure. And if any don't want their pictures taken, I understand."
"Dude lighten up a little." Dolly chuckled. "If you haven't noticed we aren't the strictest family. We consider the house not falling apart a good day." Dolly joked.
"She's right. But we are getting off track." Dylan agreed. "If you want to go for the photoshoot then we'll do it. We can get some of the others to help set up a space to take photos."
"I think the best space would be the living room. We can use the sofa as a main area so the pups are on higher ground." Dawkins suggested.
"Okay. Dawkins take Hunter to the Living room. We'll get any pups who want to join the photo shoot." Dolly cheered grabbing Dylan to get any pups that would join.
"Right this way." Dawkins said leading hunter to the living room.
Many of the pups that were nearby were curious what was happening and followed the two in. Hunter pulled out his phone getting ready for the photoshoot. Dawkins explained what was happening to the pups and they all seemed to think it was a great idea. Many of them starting to argue who should go first.
"Are you guys sure your okay with this? I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." Hunter asked. He didn't want anyone feeling like that had to do this for him. He may not even be staying after tonight.
"Of course!" DeeDee and Dizzy exclaimed.
"Yeah. If it's to help you to get to know us better I don't see a problem." Another pup said. Hunter turned around to see it was one of the slightly older pups. Younger than Dawkins but still older than most of the others. His most defining features being the two white dots at the tip of his otherwise black ears and the headphones he was wearing.
"Names DJ. I like to make music." He said pointing to his headphones.
"It's nice to meet you…for real this time." Hunter said. After a few more minutes of talking to all the pups in the room Dylan and Dolly finally came back.
"Alright we got most of the pups to agree!" Dolly said walking into the room. Several more pups behind her.
"I thought all of them would join." Dawkins said surprised that apparently some didn't want to join.
"Well a few of them are camera shy. Or said that they just didn't…feel up to it." Dylan explained.
Hunter felt like there was more to be implied there and he was probably right. Course if none of them wanted to do this he completely understood, but it still hurt in some weird way. He really does want to make it up to all of them. Before he could think much more about it however, Dylan started to talk again.
"Okay everyone single file oldest to youngest!" Dylan commanded. Many of the younger pups that were already next to the sofa whined sad that they would have to wait. "As you take photos the pups can introduce themselves if they want. Please just stay with names and one hobby. We don't have all day." Dylan explained the last part specifically to the pups.
"You ready Hunter?" Dolly asked. "Captain boring over here is going to make everyone fall asleep pretty soon." She joked. Dylan just sighed.
Hunter walked over so he was in front of the couch making sure he had the camera lined up the way he needed it. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. He couldn't really explain why he was so nervous; he just was. He still couldn't believe this family was helping him, giving him a second chance. 'Do I even deserve this?' He thought. Mentally shaking those thoughts away, he gave a thumbs up signaling he was ready.
"Good. Going oldest to youngest so that means I'm first." Dolly said hoping on the sofa. She apparently grabbed her skateboard and Hunter somehow didn't notice that earlier. 'How long has she been holding that?' He thought. Questions for later. Dolly sat on all fours with her front paws on top of the skateboard. Hunter quickly took the picture nodding that Dolly was good. Dylan went next. Then Dawkins. Hunter has gotten to know these three pretty well so they didn't need to do introductions. Although Dawkins did mention that he is the inventor of the family. Apparently, Dylan actually made a lot of the tools they use but Dawkins as become the main repair…dog since then. And the main tinker since.
After Dawkins was the Dimitris. Or the Dimitri trio as they called themselves. The first set of triplets in the family. They all had very similar fur patterns, but upon closer inspection saw they actually had some pretty striking differences. Dimitri 1 for example had a black ring around his left eye, Dimitri 2 had one around his right eye, and Dimitri 3 had rings around both eyes. They each seemed to have dots on their left ears corresponding to their number. If that wasn't enough to tell them apart, they each wear a gold chain with their number. The other defining thing about them was that their black fur made them look like they were wearing pants.
And maybe it was because of their appearance, or the way they acted in general, but they certainly gave Hunter the feeling they did not always used to live in a house. They defiantly had a living on the street kind of feeling. Remembering what Dylan told him, he wondered if that wasn't too far off. Also, none of them really liked cats. Something they felt they should share.
After those three DJ was next. Hunter was also introduced to him already, so he was also pretty quick.
The next pup was Deepak. The one Constantin mentioned? Unless there was more than one Deepak that liked meditating Hunter was going to say yes. His most noticeable feature was the half white half black fur spilt on his face, the line was curved almost making a Ying, Yang symbol for lack of comparison.
After him was one pup Hunter was surprised, he hasn't really noticed before. Delgado, he was born with only two legs having to use a doggy wheelchair to be able to move around. Despite his small size he is one of the older pups, just barely older than the ages most of the others fall in. He quickly realized to not be fooled however, because he was possibly one of the most energetic pups he has seen so far. According to Dolly he is the fastest pup of the family and likes to play with her a lot being the two that like sports the most. Specifically skating. He is also very charismatic according to some of the others.
After Delgado the rest of the pups were very close in ages and became much harder to tell apart at first glance. Hunter then realized that there were two specific pups in the older range that didn't seem to be here. Unfortunately, he still hasn't learned their names. But one was the painting pup, and the other was the one with almost all black fur. Getting back to the task at hand Hunter was making sure to take a couple photos of each pup to make sure he would have some good ones for the album. The pups made sure to keep introductions short so they could all get back to their activities.
Next was Desmond, who likes to play video games.
Then Delphie, she likes to skate like Dolly but is still in the early stages of practice.
Dafydd and Dinio, these two both like to read about dinosaurs. Often trying to mimic their roars.
Donburi likes to listen to music. Often music that DJ makes.
Declan and Diana, a brother and sister pair that like to bake from time to time. Their favorite dish is making dog biscuits from scratch.
Ditto often plays copycat with any sibling at any time. It's not to annoy them, he just finds so many of their hobbies interesting.
Denzel, likes to play with puzzles, any kind of puzzle.
Dapple, similar to Declan and Diana likes to cook, but he likes to learn about human dishes and what they can or can't eat. Unfortunately due to budget reasons and how restrictive human food is for them he does not get to do it often, so he usually just hangs out with most of the other siblings, also really likes apples apparently.
Domino, this pup really likes board games and card games. Hunter couldn't put his finger on it, but for some reason this pup seemed really familiar. He shrugged it off for now.
Darby, Darcy, and Dandy, not triplets but wanted to take the photo together. They want to start a band and are taking lessons from DJ.
Donut, he really likes sweats and is often hyper because of it.
Dodger, one of the best dodge ball players in the family. Wins almost every game. He his also good in sports in general.
Dara, she really likes mystery books and often plays detective.
Demi, Dimple, and Dean. Another set of triplets. Two sisters and one brother respectively. They really like going to the park. More than the others they claim.
Daoud, considers himself a comedian. If you listen through the chaos, you can often hear him making puns almost non-stop.
Dingo, a very adventurous pup. Like to climb up trees to see how high he can get. Dylan and Dolly have had to retrieve him more times than they can count.
Dieter. Likes to make hand (paw) puppets. Will often do shows with the help of some of the other siblings. Speaking of which.
"Arrgh!" Two twins yelled as the got on the couch. DeeDee and Dizzy. "We're pirates!" They yelled. Dawkins explained that they like to switch between playing specific characters. Right now they are pirates, tomorrow they could be aliens. They also often play in Dieter's puppet shows.
Next was a pup that was completely covered in dirt, Diesel. He really likes to dig. And apparently has one of the strongest noses in the family having him try to sniff out any danger. Deepak often has to keep him calm enough to keep him from completely destroying the backyard.
Dijon, likes to keep to himself. He'll hang out with the others but will often be found reading.
Doreen, she likes to write apparently. She makes her own fanfics. Often having one of the older pups check for spelling errors. Dawkins says he has read too much of them but then also proceeded to ask when her next chapter would be ready. Saying she needs to keep a steady schedule. Hunter could see Dolly trying not to laugh.
Duffy, much like how Deepak gets along with cats, this pup likes to play with the ducks (especially the ducklings) at the park.
Dobie, the resident fantasy lover of the family. He his trying to get more siblings into the Harry Potter movies but most fall asleep before even getting halfway through any of them.
Diamond, likes to decorate. Will often be in charge of organizing birthday parties and other holidays. She obviously does not do it alone but is often looked to for decorating advice.
Next was the one triplet set he does kind of know. Triple D. Or rather Destiny, Dallas, and Déjà Vu. Déjà Vu? Okay Hunter has been trying to be non-judgmental on names, not that hard to do, but who names their kid Déjà Vu. The fact that he knows they are the mothers also did not help. He really wanted to know the thought process for that. Then again, said pup didn't seem to mind. And if anything liked to make jokes about the name herself.
Derek and Dusty. Two brothers who could not be more different. Derek liked to stay clean as often as possible often helping Dylan with smaller messes in the background. Dusty on the other hand really liked to play in mud or dirt often leaving a trail wherever he goes. You couldn't have a more opposite pair of siblings.
Dane, really likes chew toys. Almost never see him without one. Even if he isn't chewing it he likes to carry it around.
Delta, this pup really likes to play D&D. She is often the DM and will have multiple sessions with different pups. Even Dylan and Domino play time to time. (Hunter didn't know what all of this meant. He was just too embarrassed to ask what D&D was. Was he supposed to know?)
Dilma, really likes to knit hats and scarfs for all her siblings for the winter. Will do smaller things like bracelets from time to time.
Dominique, likes to read comics.
Duke and Dechang, two other pups that like to play D&D.
Next is the fourth set of triplets, the Debbies. Debbie-May, Lou, and Lee. They each have their own interest. May likes to sew, often helping Dilma. Lou likes to make bets with dog treats. She often wins. Lee likes to do parkour. Despite the different interests they of course will still hang out with each other to relax reading magazines or watching tv.
Unfortunately, before the next pups could go, the last triplet set, Hunter got a notification. His camera space was full.
"Uh, Dylan. I'm out of space on my phone. I forgot I had a lot of photos on here already." Hunter admitted sheepishly. The plan was to take the photos on his phone and then connect it to a printer.
"I was worried that would happen." Dylan said thinking of what to do. Many of the pups that haven't gone yet were very upset wanting to get their photo taken. Apparently, they were having fun with this.
"We should have older camera in the attic. It uses film so it prints the photos as you take them." Dawkins said. Hunter wanted to be offended that Dawkins thought he had to explain that, but he was too excited at the thought of using an actual film camera!
"I-I can help find it!" He said stars in his eyes.
"Alright! You go with Dawkins and me and Dylan will take care of the pups." Dolly suggested.
"All those that have gotten their photos taken can go. Those that haven't please stay here." Dylan told his siblings. Most of those who already got their photo taken already left and the others decided to stay since most of the other siblings would still be here.
Hunter nodded following the slightly younger pup up the stairs. Dawkins showed him where the attic was and the two made their way up.
"Mr. Funny Face!" a voice yelled. Hunter turned around and saw DeeDee and Dizzy running towards him. Still in their pirate outfits. They apparently left after getting their photos continuing their game of pirates.
"We want to play pirates with you!" Dizzy said very excited bouncing in one spot.
"We are searching for treasure!" DeeDee continued. Both pups begging him. He suddenly realized where the term 'Puppy dog eyes' came from. And why they were so effective.
Hunter looked at the two conflicted. He didn't want to turn the two down, but he also had to help Dawkins.
"Uhhhh…I would love to but-" He started but was interrupted by Dawkins.
"He is busy right now. We are looking for something in the attic." He said, causing the twins to look down thinking they would have to wait. Hunter was about to say something else, but Dawkins continued. "However, if you want to search for something? How about you help us?"
The twins faces' lit up again quickly bolting up the stairs to help. Hunter had to run up to catch up. "How did you know that would work?" He asked Dawkins.
"You have this many siblings you learn to make compromises on the fly. You should see Dylan and Dolly. They've mastered the technique. There is a reason I'm the mechanic." He smiled. Hunter guessed that made since. Being an only child, he has never experienced this before. Should he be taking notes?
"Okay cadets. We are looking for an important treasure. A camera. Look through as many boxes as possible!" Dawkins commanded Dizzy and DeeDee."
"Aye, Aye Captain!" Both yelled starting to search the attic.
"Your good." Hunter complimented. "Where should I start?" Looking around the attic he saw that there was a lot of boxes. And that the attic was fairly big. He also saw a lot of paintings and other nick-nacks like a record player.
"I'll stay with these two and look over here. How about you go check over the other half?" Dawkins said pointing to the left side of the room.
"Okay." Hunter said walking over. He started to try to move things around but quickly found out that much of the stuff was stacked haphazardly. It was like trying to play Jenga. The only clear spot was the very center of the room. Everything pushed around that area.
'Okay Hunter. Just try to look through boxes that doesn't have a bunch on top of it.' He thought. He started to look for any boxes that were by themselves seeing if they were labeled to help him possibly find the camera faster. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to be labeled. Making the search that much harder.
"Great. This may take a while." Hunter sighed. He hoped it would take too long. This room was little crowded. And there were only three pups in here.
"You find anything yet?" Hunter heard Dawkins ask a few minutes later.
"No! Too many boxes have too much stuff for me to move!" He replied.
"Look through what you can! We'll be over there if we don't find anything!" Dawkins said.
"Aye, aye!" Hunter replied deciding to play along with the pirate bit.
"Arrrgh!" He heard the twins growl like pirates. He couldn't help but chuckle. Finding a small space on the other side of the bigger piles, he went in-between them thinking searching in the middle would be a good idea. Hunter started to look through one box but didn't find what they were looking for. He pulled everything out to make sure he wouldn't miss anything putting everything against a part of the wall that wasn't covered so nothing would get lost. Looking up he saw a box behind the one he was just looking in but there was stuff all around it. Unlike the others though it seemed like it was more boxed in. The stuff above it was not actually touching it meaning he should be able to pull it out easily.
He pushed the other box behind him so he could reach for the other one. Thank goodness he was small enough to fit here. He grabbed the top of the box and started to pull, but about halfway it got stuck!
'Oh so it's going to be like that is it?' Hunter thought in his head. He started to pull harder using all the strength his small arms had. Suddenly his hands slipped causing him to fall backwards straight into the box behind him! He fell hard enough that he caused multiple things around him to suddenly fall! The last thing he saw was a giant painting of a dog dressed as royalty falling on top of the box before everything went dark!
"Oh come one!" He yelled. But because of the box his voice was muffled! He tried to move the painting but it wouldn't budge! Either it was a very heavy painting or more than one fell on top of the box. It was big enough for Hunter that he wasn't completely squished, but it was still…very cramped, and small. Was it getting hot?
Suddenly Hunter's heart started racing as he realized what was happening. He was in a small, cramped space, no windows, no way out, in complete darkness. Flashes of being trapped in that stupid shipping container started going through his head, panicking he tried to move the box seeing if he could shake it enough to move the stuff on top of him. But nothing worked! He started breathing heavy his eyes going wide in fear and filling with tears.
"No-no no no, nonononononononono! Not again!" Hunter yelled fear in his voice. He was trapped! He started to hyperventilate hitting the (metal) cardboard walls as hard as possible trying to break free. Unfortunately he was cramped enough that he couldn't get the momentum to break the box.
"Someone help! Please can anyone hear me?!" He started yelling. He really wasn't sure why. It's not like anyone could hear him. The (container) box muffled his voice too much! Soon his tears took over and he crunched down to make it feel like he wasn't in a space where he couldn't walk.
"P-please. S-s-s-someone let me out!" He pleaded it was much quieter than his previous attempts.
"What was that sound?!" A voice called out. Dawkins, having heard multiple things falling on top of another went over to where the sound came from. "Hunter are you okay?" He asked trying to find said human. But he couldn't see him! He suddenly realized there was a box that had multiple painting stacked on top of it and it was big enough that it could easily fit someone…Hunter's size.
"Oh my dog!" He yelled running up to the box. "Hunter are you in there?!" He yelled hoping that either he would hear him, or Hunter wasn't actually in there.
But he didn't get a response. And despite the dust he could smell Hunter was in the box. Putting his ear up against the board he could hear…crying? Oh, this was bad. He tried calling out Hunter's name again but got no response. And he knew the box was not that thick. "Hunter! Hunter are you okay! If you can hear me, please respond!" Still nothing. What would cause him to react this way? He's heard of people sometimes being so scared that they don't always respond to their surroundings, but this seemed different. Why would he be so scared of being stuck in…a…box? Suddenly it clicked.
'Oh no." He said aloud suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation! "DeeDee! Dizzy!" He yelled calling the twins. They showed up not two seconds later apparently sensing something was wrong.
"What's wrong big bro?" Dizzy asked.
"And where is Mr. Funny Face?" DeeDee asked.
Dawkins only pointed to the box Hunter was trapped in the two's eyes going wide understanding the message. "Go get Dylan, Dolly, and any of the other older pups! And make sure to bring Deepack as well!" He told the two. He would stay with Hunter to make sure nothing got worse. He didn't want to leave the boy alone.
DeeDee and Dizzy both nodded back running to the stairs. As they reached the bottom Dawkins could hear them starting to call Dylan and Dolly's names. With that base covered he turned back to the box hoping to reach Hunter.
There were five big painting on top of the box, completely blocking any light from entering and Hunter was so caught up in his...predicament, that he couldn't hear anything else! Sadly, Dawkins could not move any of them on his own. Hence why he told the twins to get as many of the older pups as possible.
"Hunter if you can hear me help is on the way! Just hang on for a second!" He yelled trying to get through to the boy. He could hear Hunter's crying going down. Did that mean he could hear him? Or did he just run out of tears?
"Hunter, listen to my voice! It's Dawkins! You are not alone!" He said hoping something would get through.
"D-dawkins?" Hunter asked finally hearing the dog. How was Dawkins here? He was trapped by himself. Did he somehow get stuck in here with him? Wait-where was he?!
"Oh thank dog I got through!" He heard the dog sigh. "Don't worry Hunter help is on the way! Just listen to my voice." He said.
"O-Okay!" He said shakily. He was still paralyzed with fear and confusion. He didn't know what was going on but followed the dog's instructions.
"What happened?" Dawkins asked trying to keep Hunter talking. He didn't need the boy to keep panicking.
"I-I don't know! I just fell and the next thing I know it's completely dark!" Hunter replied scared. He was trying to remember where he was. Nothing was making since!
"Are you hurt?" Dawkins asked.
"I-I don't think so." He responded before asking a peculiar question. "B-but. H-how are y-you here? I thought all of the p-pups escaped?!"
'All of the pups escaped?' Dawkins thought. What was Hunter-Oh. Oh this was worse than he thought.
"Hunter where do you think you are right now?" Dawkins asked.
"I-in the shipping container?" Hunter responded confused. 'Where else could I be?' He thought.
"Hunter listen to me." Dawkins started slowly. You are not in that shipping container! You are in the Dalmatian Home. My house remember?"
'The Dalmatian home? How did I-' Hunter took a second to breath for the first time feeling what he was trapped in. Instead of touching metal like he assumed, He felt…cardboard? Suddenly, the memories came back to Hunter, and he came back to his senses. He was in the attic of the Dalmatian house. He came to ask for help.
"Dawkins." Hunter said almost too quiet for said dog to hear. Suddenly Hunter started to whimper his dog instincts kicking in. "P-please help m-m-me out. I-i-I'm stuck!" He pleaded tears coming back.
"Help is on the way." Dawkins said. "Just keep talking." 'Where are those pups?" He asked himself. Should he have gone to get the others himself?
"Dawkins! Dawkins what's going on?!" He heard his oldest sister ask coming up the stairs. Dawkins immediately turned around and called his sister over.
"Dolly quick! Hunter got trapped in one of the boxes! Are the others coming?" He asked her as she made her to them.
"Wow!" Dolly said not expecting the scene before her. "Y-yeah they are. DeeDee and Dizzy found me and Dylan. Dylan went to go grab the others. I'll see if I push any from the top."
"Dawkins who is there?!" Hunter asked barely able to hear their voices.
"It's just Dolly. Others should be here any second!" He explained.
Like magic he heard several footsteps coming up the stairs. Dolly having the higher ground looked to see who it was. In the front was of course Dylan. Along with him she saw Dante, DJ, the Dimitris, and Deepak. DeeDee and Dizzy also returned along with two other pups around their age. Domino and one pup wearing a cape known as Damian. Why were they here?
"What's going on?!" Dylan asked. Looking at Dolly. Who went back to trying to push the painting off.
"Hunter is trapped under these paintings! Help me push them off!" Dolly said giving them the cliff notes.
Not having to be told twice the pups got to work. Dylan and the Dimitris running up to Dolly. DJ, Dante, and Deepak went to Dawkins helping push them from the bottom. In no time the paintings were pushed or pulled off one by one. Laid down where they were out of the way.
While moving the painting many of the pups could hear Hunter still softly crying from fear. After the last one was moved it was found out that the flaps for the box were pushed to the inside meaning Hunter was still in complete darkness! Dante without a word leaned the box to its side, DJ helping. Gently placing the box on its side Domino, Damian, Dizzy and DeeDee came running up opening the box causing Hunter to fall out!
He was only in there for no more than two or three minutes, but to Hunter it felt like those six months all over again.
*Gasp* Hunter took several deep breaths almost like he was gasping for air!
"What's wrong with the Human?" Dimitri 2 asked.
"Yeah. It was just a box." Dimitri 3 commented.
"I bet he's just afraid of the dark." Dimitri 1 smirked. Despite the sarcasm they were genuinely confused why Hunter was as…scared as he was. Hunter, still trying to slow down his breathing, didn't even hear the three.
"That's enough out of you three!" Dylan said taking charge. "Right now, Hunter needs space. So everyone but Dolly, Dawkins, and Deepak out!" He commanded. The pups reluctantly did as they were told as the older pups brought Hunter to the center of the room where there was more space.
"Can we talk to him later?" DeeDee asked.
"When he feels up to it." Dawkins said. "Right now he needs to regain his bearings. The less pups in here the better."
"But why does Deepak get to stay?" DeeDee and Dizzy asked.
"Yeah! Why?" Domino and Damian asked.
"Because-you know what I don't have time for this. DJ please take these four with you and let the rest of the pups know everything is under control. We don't need Dante causing another panic in the household." Dylan said.
DJ was shocked to hear his brother say that. He knows Dylan has a usually high patience for the younger pups. So, this must have been very serious. "Come on you four. You can check on Hunter later. Let the others help him first." He calmy told them. They decided not to test their luck and followed their musical sibling to the stairs.
"And thanks for the help you guys!" Dolly said. DJ nodded in acknowledgement as he followed the others down.
With the others gone, Dawkins, Dolly, and Dylan turned back to Hunter who was being comforted by Deepak.
"Take deep breaths my friend. You are in no danger here. You are safe." He told Hunter clapping his little symbols much like Constantin did.
And it seemed to be working too! Hunter started to breath more calmly regaining his thoughts.
"Are you feeling better?" Dawkins asked.
Hunter, still feeling off could only nod in response not able to give a full verbal response. He looked at the four pups around him. Still wondering why, why are they helping him so much? He just asked if he could stay for at least the day, why do they care what happens to him? Taking deep breaths, he looked at Deepak.
Constantin wasn't kidding about this pup possibly being able to help him. After a few minutes they tried to talk to him again. Deepak keeping him calm.
"What happened Hunter?" Dolly asked trying to get the boy to say something.
Taking one last deep breath he finally talked. His voice was still very shacky though. "I-I-I was trying to help find the camera. A b-b-box was stuck a-a-and I f-fell in o-o-one I was looking in before. T-t-the painting then fell on top a-a-and it went d-d-dark. N-n-next thing I know Dawkins is talking to me telling y-y-you guys were on the way." Hunter explained as best he could.
"Do you remember anything else?" Dawkins asked. Hunter thought back to while he was in the box. He remembered panicking a lot, but not much else.
"J-j-just that I was scared. I think I blacked out." He said truthfully. 'Did something else happen?' He thought.
Hunter looked at the four pups around him. All had concerned looks. Dawkins however seemed very conflicted. He was there the longest, so he must have known more. "What else h-happened?" He asked.
Dawkins looked to Deepak who nodded his head as if to say Dawkins could continue.
"Well, as I am sure you figured out by now…you had a panic attack." Dawkins said. Hunter nodded thinking that was the obvious part. "But…while trapped in the box you seemed to-how do I put this? To forget where you were." He slowly explained.
"Forget where I was?" Hunter asked confused. What did that mean.
"Well, while trying to get your attention, you mentioned something about all the pups escaping. You seemed confused about why I was there talking to you."
"What do you mean Dawkins?" Dolly asked now just as confused as Hunter. Same can be said for Dylan. Deepak seemed like he already put the pieces together.
"Hunter…you thought you were stuck in the shipping container again." Dawkins finally said. "I think you had a PTSD attack."
'What?!' Hunter thought in his head not sure what to say. He vaguely knew what PTSD was. Something to do about stress, and specially something that happened to you in the past. He is only twelve, so he didn't exactly know a lot. "I thought I was in the container?" He asked to confirm what Dawkins said. The pup nodded back to say yes.
"PTSD?" Dolly asked.
"Yes. It stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Deepak clarified. "If someone went through a traumatic, or terrifying enough experience, they may develop PTSD from it. Of course, for Hunter it is more likely to be Acute Stress Disorder. Which is a very similar to PTSD. Think of it as a branch of the same tree."
"How do you two know so much about this?" Dylan asked.
"Well after…. that night I wanted to make sure none of the pups would have PTSD or if they did, we would be prepared. I already knew about some of it through my meditation lessons. Apparently meditating can help calm someone down going through a traumatic episode. So, I did some more research and asked Dawkins to help me to keep an eye on the pups." Deepak explained.
"We know that you two are busy as it is, so we didn't want to add more to your responsibilities." Dawkins added.
Hunter just watched the pups in silence. PTSD? He couldn't have that could he? He thought only adults had that. Wasn't this jumping to conclusions?
"Off course we would need a medical official to confirm if he has it. But from what we researched and what I just saw happen, I wouldn't be surprised if he does." Dawkins added.
"Okay…while we thank and appreciate you two doing this, you shouldn't be having to do this. What about yourselves?" Dylan said trying to not sound ungrateful, but also to get his point across.
"We've kept an eye on each other as well. Plus, until now, we haven't really seen any signs of PTSD in the others." Dawkins responded.
"..Okay we'll talk more about this later. For now, we need to focus on Hunter." Dolly said pointing to the boy who was still crouched down his arms wrapped around his legs.
The others nodded switching their focus. "Okay, so assuming I d-d-did have a PTSD attack. What now?" Hunter asked.
"The best thing to do is talk about what caused it. But you already did that. So take the time you need to recover and then you can go back to what you were doing before. This could have easily just been a panic attack, in which case one of the best things you can do is to focus on something else to keep you busy." Deepak explained.
"So the photo shoot is still going then?" Dolly asked.
"I never found the camera." Hunter pointed out. And because of how useless he is, they probably won't now. Everyone was too focused on him. And he was sure the area he looked in was a mess.
"Oh…well I'm sure the rest of us can help find it. You can either stay here or go back down if you need too. One of us can keep you company." Dylan volunteered.
Hunter thought for a moment. On one hand he wasn't sure if he could handle being around so many pups after what just happened. But on the other, this room was felling more and more crowded. Despite being out of the box for a minute now, he still felt cramped. The only reason this room was tolerable was because he was sitting next to a window.
"I-I think I'll go back downstairs. Maybe even outside." Hunter replied. "Sorry I'm not helping." He added.
"Dude it's literally no big deal. We can find it in no time." Dolly said.
"But I really wanted to-"
"Hunter it's fine. Just go relax. Deepak can keep you company while the rest of us look. We just want you to feel better." Dylan stopped him. "We'll come tell you when we are ready to start the photo shoot again.
'But why? Why do you care?' Hunter thought. He didn't dare say it out loud in fear of what their response may be. So, he just nodded and headed to the stairs. Deepak right behind him.
"I am glad you are feeling better." Deepak said trying to keep up some kind of conversation.
"Yeah…me too I guess." Hunter said not sure how to respond. He walked down the stairs going to the back door to go outside. He didn't want to face all the other pups yet. He was already embarrassed as it was. Deepak continued to follow him seeming to be expecting him to go outside.
Walking into the backyard, he saw four other pups out there. DeeDee and Dizzy were two of them. The third one he was half certain was…he thinks Domino. The one that looked familiar and probably had one of the most unique dot patters. His tail is half black half white with the black half being the bottom. Upon closer inspection of his ears, Hunter saw that the pup's spots seemed to form patterns. The left ear had three spots going diagonally across somehow lined up perfectly. The right ear, had two in the same pattern. Even his back seemed to have spots lined up in a pattern. Two one the left and two on the right with one in the center of his back. He also had one spot between his eyes and four on his chest that make a square. If Hunter had to guess, he bet there is a pattern of six on his stomach. The name Domino was very fitting.
He hasn't been introduced to the fourth pup yet from what he could remember. Or he was worst at remembering names and faces than he thought. But he was pretty sure he would remember a pup wearing a cape.
"Mr. Funny Face!" The twins exclaimed. The other waved at him.
"Mind if Hunter and I join you?" Deepak asked.
"Of course!" The fourth pup said. He has several spots around his eyes almost making a mask like Dizzy but still had white fur in between his eyes and around the spots themselves. So they were rings like Dimitri 3 but with less white fur in-between. Hunter also noticed that his tail was almost completely black. Other than that, he was about the same size as the twins and looked almost like any of the other pups. Oh, and he is also wearing a cape.
"Are you doing better?" The pup asked.
Hunter paused not sure how to answer. He honestly wasn't sure how to feel right now. But he figured overall…yeah he was doing better than when the pups left the attic. "Y-yes. Just trying to relax before I continue the photo shoot." He tried to smile but it wasn't very convincing. He then realized this would be a good time to get introduced to this pup till then.
"Sorry but I don't think I've got your name." Hunter said.
"Oh right! I'm Damian! I heard that you were in trouble so I wanted to see if I could help cause that's what superheroes do!" He exclaimed. That told Hunter a lot right there. Wait, he was in the attic? Hunter was so distraught after initially getting out of the box he didn't notice who all was there before Dylan shooed them off.
"Yep!" DeeDee and Dizzy said.
"Yes, Damian is obsessed with superheroes. He says he wants to be one when he gets older." Deepak explained.
"I do!" Said pup confirmed.
"Well…thank you for helping me. I think you'll make a great hero." Hunter said not sure what else to say. Damian gasped in excitement jumping up to hug the boy, clinging to his face. 'I really hope not all the pups do this.' Hunter thought. He liked the hugs, just not so much to the face. He peeled the pup off petting him on the head. He looked over to Domino who seemed a little shy all of a sudden
"Domino right?" At the sound of his name Domino became very excited apparently very happy that Hunter did remember him.
"Yes. I'm the one that likes to play board games. Go Cat is my favorite!" He explained.
"Go Cat?" Hunter asked confused.
"I believe humans know it has 'Go Fish' if that helps." Deepak tried to help.
"I still don't know what that is." Hunter said. 'Should I know it?' He never really had anyone to play games with before. He's played chess on the computer and a few online games here and there. Usually against the AI.
"You've never heard of it!?" Domino asked in what was most likely a more dramatic reaction then necessary. "This mistake must be fixed immediately!" He exclaimed running off back inside.
"Should we be following him?" Hunter asked.
"No he'll be back." DeeDee replied.
"He just went to go get his card deck." Dizzy continued.
"I hope I didn't make him upset." Hunter said thinking of the pup's reaction.
"No need to worry my friend. If anything, Domino actually looks up to you." Deepak explained.
"Looks up to me? What do you mean?" Hunter asked. He certainly hasn't done anything to deserve that.
"Well…you remember how you helped us escape from...Cruella?" Deepak asked hoping the topic wouldn't be too sensitive. He heard Damian whimper and he quickly petted the pup to give him comfort. He was so light he almost forgot he was still holding him.
"O-of course." Hunter replied. He didn't like talking about that night but he guessed it was unavoidable.
"Well, when you let us out of the kennels most of them busted open, Domino's didn't however, and you had to open his manually to let him escape." Deepak explained.
Hunter thought back to that night and remembered what Deepak told him. After getting his cage to fall it caused most of the other kennels to fall and open as well. During the chaos of the pups trying to find a way out, Hunter saw one didn't open that happened to be next to him. He didn't realize that the pup he let out was Domino. There was so much going on at the time.
"I didn't even know that was him." Hunter said.
"Yep! He's been asking about you ever since. I think he felt bad for us leaving you behind." Damian explained.
"Yeah…speaking of that, sorry we didn't offer you a ride home." Dolly said walking outside. "In hindsight that was a bad move on our part."
Hunter shrugged it off. Honestly, he didn't even think of it at the time.
"Did you find the camera already?" Deepak asked.
"Dylan thinks he found it but it got buried under a lot of stuff so him and Dawkins are getting it. I came down to check on you. Glad to see you're getting along with some of the pups already. Although I can't say I'm surprised that DeeDee and Dizzy were so quick to befriend you."
Hunter smiled glad he was making…. Friends he guessed? He was so used to living on his own. He's only been here for what? A couple hours? And already he has made more friends than he ever has in his life.
"Are they really okay with me being here?" Hunter asked. He knows some of them seemed, understandably, tense when he introduced himself. As if to answer the question Damian, DeeDee and Dizzy all snuggled up to him, not unlike the night they were all trapped.
"We can't speak for all of them. But for the most part they are." Deepak explained not trying to sugar coat it.
"A few pups are…not completely sure how to feel. I'm sure you noticed that Da Vinci and Dante were missing earlier." Dolly mentioned. Hunter stopped to think for a moment. Going by the names, were they the older ones he noticed were gone?
"They're the painter and the one with the mostly black fur right?" Hunter asked.
"Yep. Our resident painter and emo. Dante has been surprisingly quiet this whole time. I'm sure you remember that he was the first one that you… tried capture when you came back, he seemed almost happy to see you at first." Deepak recalled.
"Yeah. I was wondering about that." Hunter said remembering that encounter. Dante was also the first pup that he heard talk which at first, made him just even crazier than he already was. He was just so filled with the need for revenge it didn't even completely register to himself that he could understand them.
"Well he was going through a little bit of a slump that day. He liked to make predictions that bad things will always happen, but that day none of his predictions were coming true at all. So, Dylan and Dolly tried to cheer him up by faking bad things happening. Then you showed up and to him that was the equivalent of the 'end of the world.' He was happy because his predictions finally seemed to be coming true, but then the reality of the situation hit him and then he found you could understand him. He hasn't been sure how to feel about it since. I don't think he fully knows how to react around you." Deepak explained.
'That was a lot.' Hunter thought. "I hope…I'm not scaring him."
"I don't think he sees you as the bringer of the 'end of the world' anymore. But that was also one of the few times he was truly scared. I think he's just trying to figure things out. If it means anything, he was one of the pups that came to help you out." Dolly explained. Wow Hunter was really out of it before the others left the attic.
"And what about Da Vinci?" Hunter asked Dolly.
"Da Vinci…is a special case. She doesn't usually get along with Humans in general. Mostly because she doesn't like getting all the attention from her art, and for…other reasons that is not my business telling. So, to be clear, anything going on with her, is not necessarily directed at you specifically. She's been keeping to herself ever since we introduced you to everyone."
Hunter just nodded not wanting to pry. It sounded like Da Vinci didn't have the best life before joining this family. From the sound of it he guessed she must be another one of the adopted siblings. But if she was going to hid just because of him, shouldn't he just leave?
As if sensing his thoughts Deepak spoke up. "Do not fear my friend. If you get to stay longer she will surly warm up to you. Like Dante she as to figure stuff out.
"Any others?" He asked.
"A few here and there are still trying to figure you out. Honestly you lost most of your scary factor when Dylan got us to escape from you by tickling you."
The pups, who were still snuggling him, started to snicker. "I try not to think of that." Hunter said pouting. Causing them to laugh more.
"My point is the pups are giving you a chance just like me and Dylan. They saw how you saved them, and when you broke down in container. They know that you don't pose a threat. But they also can't help but be cautious. Just give it time and I'm sure they will warm up to you. Even Dante and Da Vinci.
'Right. Cause that's all this is. A chance. And if I mess up or their parents don't like me, it's to the streets.' Hunter thought. What was his overall plan here? Realistically he knows his options are limited, but he was too afraid to try the others. This was the only he could think of to get help. So far everything he thought could go wrong hasn't. But that just meant something bad would happen eventually. Right?
"I guess. I-I…thank you. You guys have all done more for me than I could have ever hopped for."
"Don't think too much about it." Dolly joked. Just then Domino came back with a deck of playing cards.
"Who wants to play?!" He cheered. He then realized Dolly was there and his other siblings snuggling Hunter who looked to be on the verge of tears again. "What did I miss?"
(With Dawkins and Dylan)
After Dolly left to go check up on Hunter, Dylan and Dawkins continued the search for the camera.
"So Dawkins. You and Deepak said none of the pups have showed signs of PTSD?" He asked figuring this would be a good time to talk about it.
"No. A few of them have had nightmares as I'm sure you know, but not in a way that would classify them to have PTSD. From what me and Deepak have researched, we believe since everything that happened with Cruella happened so quickly, having the support of each other, and returning to normal life so quickly, they most likely won't develop it. But it has also barely been a week since then, so it may still be too early to tell."
"So how would you know?" Dylan asked. He really wanted to know this just in case.
"Well I guess there is no harm in telling you now. Like Deepak and I mentioned earlier it is caused by someone going through a traumatic event. It can happen to anyone, at any age, and can be caused from any number of events. Surviving natural disasters, car crashes, neglect from family, or in Hunter's case, being trapped in a giant box and being forced to eat dog food to survive. It's actually a really long list depending how detailed you want it. And the symptoms can occur any time from within a month to the event, or not until years later."
"Okay. And what about the other thing Deepak mentioned? Acute Stress Disorder?"
"Oh yes. Turns out there are a few disorders similar to PTSD. Mostly that they are caused by traumatic events. But Acute Stress Disorder means that the symptoms are likely to occur within three days to a month. Things like being unable to sleep, recurring nightmares, flashbacks to the event in question, trying to avoid talking about, and being easily scared to name a few. Also any fears related to the event. From what we have researched, if he has enough of the symptoms, he could have Acute Stress Disorder. And if they last longer than a month after they first appear, then it is classified as PTSD." Dawkins explained.
"Hunter did mention he's been having nightmares. And Dolly and I noticed he looked really tired." Dylan confirmed.
"Anything else?" Dawkins asked.
"He also mentioned that he doesn't like to think about Cruella. Doesn't even want her referred to him as his Aunt anymore."
"Okay. So that could be unrelated, or the trauma goes further than just the shipping container. Either way can't say I blame him." Dawkins sighed.
"So what about treatment?" Dylan asked.
"You know you could ask mom all of this. She is a nurse?"
"Yeah but we don't even know if her and dad will let him stay after today."
"Fair enough. If he does have it, we are really assuming a lot here, then usual treatments include therapy or even medication. Often both. Of course, if it is just Acute Stress Disorder then we may be able to avoid that."
"What do you mean?"
"If it is caught soon enough, then Hunter could recover with some help. Not all treatments work for every person, but there are ways to cope with it. If he can take care of himself and his physical health, and surround himself with friends or loved ones, he could relieve some of the stress enough to stop it from getting worse if not get rid of it entirely."
"Neither of which he would really be able to do if he went to live in the street or go to an orphanage for that matter." Being two of the oldest siblings, they know that not all the pups that were adopted had happy lives before joining the family. There was a reason they were either in a shelter or on the street.
"Which is why he probably came here, something that Hunter himself may not even realize. We are the only other dogs, or people, he could turn to. So if we can help him, we may be able to stop the disorder from getting worse. Again, we would need mom to actually confirm it. But I feel pretty confident on this. Although for once I wish I didn't."
"Agreed. Anything else I should now?"
"I finally found the camera." Dawkins said holding up said object.
"Finally! But seriously anything else?"
"Not that I know of. Keep in mind I haven't been researching this for long but I found several sources that all said more or less the same thing I told you."
"Okay. So back to the photo shoot then?"
"Correct. Thankfully we have some extra film too. We're going to need it. We only got through about half the pups."
"Let's go get Hunter then." Dylan said. Thinking about what his brother told him, he was more worried for Hunter than before. He really hoped his parents could help.
They ran down the stairs going to the living room seeing that most of the pups were still in the room but seemed concerned. Oh right. The twins came running in saying Hunter was in trouble, but Dylan told all of them except the older pups to stay put. Only Domino and Damian didn't follow that rule. And he wasn't sure if Domino was even in the room.
"Okay everyone. As I'm sure DJ and the others have told you everything is under control. Hunter is okay and no longer in danger."
A lot of the pups sighed in relieve glad to have Dylan confirm everything. "Does anyone know where he went?" Dawkins asked.
"Hunter and some of the others are in the backyard!" Diesel yelled from within the crowd of pups.
"Thanks Diesel! Everyone just wait a little longer and we will begin the photo shoot again." All the pups started cheering.
Dylan and Dawkins walked out to the backyard walking into a scene they were not expecting. In the middle of the yard, they saw Dolly, Deepak, DeeDee, Dizzy, Domino, Damian and Hunter playing a game of 'Go Cat'.
"Got any fives Dolly?" Hunter asked. He picked up on the rules really quick. It was actually a pretty easy game to-
"Go cat." Dolly said causing Hunter to draw.
"Dang it!" Hunter pouted. While drawing he happened to notice they had an audience now. "Oh. Yeah Dylan, Dawkins. You finally find the camera?
"Y-yes." Dawkins responded processing the scene in front of him.
"I didn't think we would take so long you guys would start a whole game of Go Cat." Dylan chuckled.
"It was my idea!" Domino explained. "Hunter had never heard of the game before, so I wanted to introduce it to him."
"It's actually really fun." Hunter added. "Although I'm not the best at it right now. I've only got one matching pair and that was only because it was in my hand." He pouted.
"It really is a luck-based game." Deepak agreed who was not fairing much better.
"Yeah there's some strategy! It's all about listening for what other people ask for and keeping track of who you've asked. Case in point…you have any fives Hunter?" Domino asked with a smirk. Hunter groaned and handed the pup a five.
"I'm ready to go finish the photo shoot now." Hunter halved joked. He did think they should finish that as soon as possible but he was actually having fun.
"Yes!" Damian cheered being the only pup in the group that hasn't gotten a photo yet.
"We can finish this game later Domino." Dolly compromised.
Domino nodded in understanding not at all upset and started picking up the cards. They started walking back inside Hunter checking out the camera. He always wanted one of these. For some reason he never thought to look for one online. And was too afraid to ask…her. But now he finally got to try one.
"Alright! The photo shoot is back on!" Dolly cheered as they walked into the living room. Hunter was surprised that all of the pups were still in here. And seemed happy to see him. 'I hope I didn't make them too stressed.' Hunter thought. Last thing he needed to be doing was adding more stress to all the pups. "Sorry about that everyone. Took a while to find the camera." He said not sure what else to say. "And am doing okay." He added. Honestly, he was not sure how to completely feel, especially about the whole possibly having PTSD thing. But getting to relax outside with the others calmed him down enough.
Thankfully the pups seemed to believe him and got back into the line to continue the photo shoot. Now that they were using a film camera Hunter had to limit each pup to one photo so hopefully they would be good.
The pups that are next, Denver, Devon, and Duck, having sat on the sofa as to not lose their spot. The last set of triplets, all brothers like the Dimitris. They like coloring books or even drawing their own things from time to time. A lot of their inspiration comes from Da Vinci.
Dutch and Duchess, another set of twins, (Hunter is surprised there weren't more so far considering the number of triplets) brother and sister respectively. They are often just seen running around playing tad or like to use the tire swing.
Drama, likes to recreate scenes from almost any play. Also helps with the puppet shows.
Drew, another artistic pup. But instead of paining he likes to sketch and one day wants to make his own comic.
Dinga, similarly to Dylan she likes to look at the stars. She not much into the science of it though, she just likes making patterns in her head.
Donny, likes to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Guess who his favorite character is. (Spoiler it's Donatello)
Duncan, likes to play basketball, has a basketball chew toy made just for him to practice with.
Dax, really likes electronics. You can often see him playing on a tablet.
Dibs, will randomly call out 'Dibs!' if you dare drop something near him. Whether that meant Dibs was a nickname or a coincidence Hunter would never know.
Disco and Dixie, two siblings that really like to dance. Need a dance party? These two are on the way.
Dubaku, really likes anime. Being so young Dylan is very restrictive of what he can watch. His favorite right now is Pokémon.
Diego, can often be found swinging from place to place. Whether it's the tire swing or a rope he tied somewhere. He likes swinging.
Daphne, similar to Dara, really likes mysteries. But she is more into mystery shows like Scooby-Doo.
Divya and Doris, really likes to have tea parties.
Most of the pups from this point on are still young enough they don't have 'hobbies' like the others. They mostly are just seen running around playing not unlike Dutch and Duchess.
They are Dvorak, Dolce Vita, Dalmar, Drake, Dupont, Deneesha, December, Dai-ichi, Donna-Maria, Dionne, Dulcinea, Dalston, Deuce, Daley, Dorset, Desiree, Darius, Damian, Durian, Dani, Dumpling, and Dakota.
A few highlights of course are Damian who Hunter has already met. December, she was born the week before Christmas and really likes snow, Dai-ichi also likes to watch anime with Dubaku but his favorite show is Digimon. Deuce, likes to play games like Domino, the two often have matches against each other to see who is better. Dani, is into sci-fi like Star Wars. And Darius, really likes a show called 'The Owl House.' Hunter as never heard of it.
And that left one last pup. Dorothy. The youngest of the family. As in, still teething young. She still couldn't even talk in full sentences yet. Not to mention doesn't have any spots either. She's very much a go with the flow type of pup. She seems to enjoy playing in the chaos instead of causing it. She is also much more observational than one may think. Hunter took her photo and they were finally finished.
"And done!" Hunter said.
"Yaaay!" All the pups yelled Glad they could help. Hunter realized they had to take a lot of photos, more than the thought considering that Dolly said not all of the m wanted to join.
All the pups went to go do their own thing. Hunter walking over to Dylan to figure out what to do next.
"How many pups was that? I thought you guys said there were a lot that didn't want to join?"
"Yeah I thought so too." Dolly said just as confused. "Da Vinci and Dante still didn't come, but neither of them really like cameras. But other than them I think that was all the siblings."
"I was surprised by that too. I'm pretty sure most of them didn't come in until after…you now what it's probably not important. They must have just changed their minds." Dylan said not wanting to finish his thought.
Hunter looked suspiciously at Dylan. "Until after what?" He asked feeling like he knew where this was going.
"Until…after what happened in the attic." Dolly answered. "I don't think they knew anything other than you were in trouble, but I guess they thought coming to do the photos would make you feel better."
"Yes I believe that is exactly what they thought." Deepak said walking up to them.
Hunter stayed silent. He didn't know what to think. The whole point of doing this was to have the pups not only introduce themselves, but also to get to know Hunter at their own pace. He didn't want any of them to feel like they had to do.
'Oh what now? I don't even know which pups did or didn't want to join in the first place and now I accidently quilt trip them!? What nex-'
"Hunter. Hunter. Hunter dude are you okay?" Dolly asked.
"Uh…What?" He asked almost forgetting who he was with.
"You spaced out there a little. You want to talk about it?" Dylan asked
Hunter shook his head trying to collect himself. "No. Not really. I, I just don't know what to think." He said. He feels like he's gone through enough today. Between meeting all the pups and what happened in the attic, he was tired.
As if on cue he let out a yawn his lack of sleep catching up to him. Turns out sleeping in once and waking up because of a nightmare does not improve ones sleep cycle.
"Yikes dude. When is the last time you got some sleep?" Dolly asked.
"Last night." He answered truthfully. Just then his stomach growled and he remembered the only thing he has eaten today was granola bars.
"And what about eating?" Dylan asked
"…I would rather not answer that question." Hunter said not wanting to admit he hasn't had a proper meal for the past couple days. He can't seem to hold much food down recently. Hence the granola bars.
"Okay that settles it. You are going to get some food and go to bed. You clearly need it."
Hunter was going to protest but his stomach growled again, causing him to cave in. He didn't want to argue right now. And he really needed food.
"Fine. But what am I going to eat? I'm trying not to eat dog food anymore." He said a hint of sarcasm in his voice at the end. Not directed at the pups of course.
"We have a few things you could eat. We actually keep a few human foods around that we use as occasional treats for the pups. I hope you like peanut butter." Dolly said going to the kitchen.
Hunter followed along and in the next few minutes had a peanut butter sandwich and a glace of milk. Hunter took one bite and was quickly reminded of just how hungry he was. In seconds the sandwich was gone, as if it was the most delectable thing he has ever eaten. He also downed his milk class to clear up any peanut butter that got stuck.
"Maybe try not to inhale your food dude." Dolly said wondering if she needed to make him another sandwich.
"S-sorry. Forgot how hungry I was." He admitted.
"Yeah that doesn't make it any better." Dylan said. "But we can focus on that later. For now you need to go to sleep. It's actually getting pretty late."
Late? What time was it? Hunter looked at the nearest clock and looked at the time. It said it was six o'clock! What time did he get here?!
"What time did I get here?" He asked out loud.
"I think it was somewhere between eleven and twelve. Me and Dylan were fixing the kibble machine at the time." Dawkins replied. He was already in the kitchen still apparently working on the machine.
"I knew I forgot something. You need help bro?" Dylan asked.
"No. I just finished. And just in time too. It's dinner time." Suddenly everyone heard several footsteps running to the kitchen.
"Dawkinssss! Trigger word!" Dolly said right before she got swept by a sea of puppies! Hunter thankfully was able to get out of the way as all the pups came into the room. Dante and Da Vinci included. Hunter, having just ate, went back into the living room so as to not get overwhelmed.
"Ready to take that nap?" Dylan asked causing Hunter to jump. He didn't here the pup following him. He already had a pillow and blanket for Hunter.
"When did you grab those?" He asked.
"Oh we have these stored all over the place. Never now where a pup may decide to sleep. No matter how many dog beds we get." He grumbled the last part. Hunter thanked Dylan and took the pillow and blanket. He didn't actually want to sleep, but also didn't want to argue with Dylan and Dolly either. So, he thought he would fake it until they left. His body had different plans however as he really was tired despite how much he slept in. Letting out on more yawn he fell asleep on the sofa almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Dylan watched as Hunter fell asleep. "Wow. He was more tired than he let on." He said to himself.
Dylan was about to head back to the kitchen to eat himself but was stopped by five pups. DeeDee, Dizzy, Domino, Damian, and Dorothy. They were all giving him begging eyes. Meaning they were up to something.
"What do you five want?" He asked suspicious.
"Can we sleep in here with Hunter?" Domino asked.
"Please!" The others asked at once. Dorothy just somehow made her eyes bigger making it hard for Dylan not to look.
"We already ate." Damian added hoping that would help.
"Absolutely no-" But before he could finish Deepak walked in.
"Actual Dylan I think it's a good idea."
"I'm sorry what?" Dylan asked making sure he heard Deepak right.
"I know you want to make sure Hunter won't be disturbed but having some of the pups in the room with him might actually help. He is used to being by himself. Too used to it from what I can tell. Having some company can actually benefit him. Maybe even help with those nightmares you mentioned."
"…. Fine. But only you five. I want to make sure he is actually going to get some sleep. I'm ordering everyone else to sleep upstairs."
"Yaay!" The pups cheered only to be shushed by their brother pointing to the still sleeping Hunter. "Yaay." They whispered. They ran over to the sofa picking spots to sleep. Hunter was small enough he barely took up one cushion. Damian went to the top acting as a watchdog for the others. DeeDee and Dizzy went to the arm of the couch next to Hunter. Domino took the risk of climbing up to sleep on top of Hunter's stomach which seemed to just add more warmth for the both of them. With help from Deepak Dorothy was set on top of Hunter's hair that was over his shoulder. Apparently, she found his hair really soft and snuggled in as much as she could.
It wouldn't be too noticeable to normal people, but Dylan with the heightened senses that dogs have, could hear Hunter seeming to calm down. His breathing becoming more even.
He looked at Deepak who just had a look of 'told you so.' And the two walked into the hallway.
"Well…today was interesting to say the least." Deepak said.
"You said it. But Hunter seems to be getting along with the pups at least. And vice versa."
Just then Dolly walked in and joined them. "Yeah. Although we are going to have to talk to Da Vinci and Dante. I've barely seen them since Hunter got here." She reminded them.
"Yeah. I've been thinking about that too." Dylan said. Hopefully They could help those two like they were Hunter.
"Overall, it was a good day. I can't help but feel like we are forgetting something though." Dolly added.
"Ummm…guys I hate to bring down the moment, but Mom and Dad should be here any second now." Dawkins said also joining them.
Like clockwork the front door opened and the kids looked over.
"Kids, were home!" Doug and Delilah were home.
END Chapter 2.
And done! I was not expecting this chapter to be so long. Then again, trying to come up with quirky little hobbies for all the siblings can take up a lot of space, and time. I really like where this story is going which is why this is probably the fastest update I'll ever do. I hope posting another chapter like this will get more attention for this story.
I'm going to do things a little different this chapter and do the reviews first, and then do y usual notes.
From :
Yellowpikmin88: I hope you like this chapter. And thank you.
LinkinPark936: Thank you so much! I really hope this chapter keeps it up.
Brody R. E. Hall: Here's more. And thank you.
NickXtreme12: Thank you. I really hope you like this chapter.
Reviews from AO3:
SoO1c: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so much! Enjoy this chapter.
Poffiin: I honestly feel like this is where the story for the actual show could have gone as well. I am glad you like this story.
As for everyone else, please let me know what you think so far!
So let's talk about a few things. First the siblings. All the names are cannon, as far as ages goes I just went by the list and added the main ones where I feel they would fit. As for the hobbies, as mentioned I made those all up. Some I went by names and others I just went with the first thing that came to my head. And as you can tell I kinda ran out of ideas at the end for some of them. But I realized having a few blank slate characters wouldn't be too bad if I wanted to add something later. As for how much must of the siblings will effect the story? Well not many. The main reason I did this was add some more personality to the pups and give multiple things for Hunter to do and experience with such a large family. It also gives me a reference sheet, so I know what siblings do what if I ever do want Hunter to interact with them. Even of for a short moment.
And as I am sure you noticed there are two siblings outside of the main cast I have put a big focus on. Domino and Damian. I picked them mostly because of their names. I saw Domino and instantly knew his thing was going to be games. And while more obvious I had to make Damian a hero obsessed kid. Why did I have Domino be the one specifically saved and not Damian? Mostly because it was also how I thought to introduce Domino before I decided to add Damian as well. And because I was going to introduce Damian as being a pup that wants to be a hero regardless, so I thought it would fit Domino better.
Also, basically all the things I have said about the siblings are head cannons I came up with for this story. I don't know who is from what side of the family, who is adopted or is not, heck I'm pretty sure I added an extra triplet set just because they had such similar names.
But to help keep things organized here is a short list of who I think is adopted or from what side of the family from the main cast of the story.
From the mom (Delilah's) side, before marring Doug: Dylan, Dawkins, DeeDee, Dizzy, and DJ.
From the Dad (Doug's) side, before marrying Delilah: Dolly, Deepak, and Dante.
From both the mom and dad: Triple D, and Diesel.
Adopted into the family: Da Vinci, The Dimitri's, Delgado, Domino, Damian, and Dorothy.
Most of my reasoning for this is how some of the siblings react or look compared to most of the family. Which is why some are much shorter than others. And for anyone wondering why I put Dorothy in the adopted list, I feel like she is too young to be Doug and Delilah's. By that I mean just looking at the rest of the pups, even assuming that the youngest after Dorothy is two, it wouldn't add up. I know this is a cartoon and one that does not go by normal dog logic. But so many of the pups are so close in age, Dorothy almost feels out of place being the only pup that still can't fully talk. I don't really see a reason for this to be debated but I thought I would share it with you all.
And now to address the big thing, Hunter. Was this story written with the intention of having him face his trauma? Yes. Was I planning in actually going into detail what PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder are? No. The more I was writing about Hunter and what his problems would be. I realized this had to fall into at least some kind of anxiety disorder, if not PTSD. And if I wanted to write what would happen to him as accurate as possible then I would have to do some research.
Everything that Deepak and Dawkins said about PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder, while very simplified, is correct TO MY KNOWLEDGE! I made sure to use reliable resources when searching these topics. If there is something I left out or got wrong, please let me know.
I originally had a whole thing here explaining PTSD and anxiety disorders but I have a sneaking suspicion that is why my story got blocked. So I took it out to see of that works.
Hunter may not have been...hurt physically, but he was very much emotionally. Something I have already been hinting at already. Him getting scared easily, his constant uncertainty, his nightmares, just a few symptoms that could be related to Acute Stress Disorder. Something I forgot to mention in the story is that, most cases of PTSD tend to happen after the person is no longer in constant danger. Part of the reason why some cases don't start until years after the event that caused it. It really can happen to anyone at any age. And of course affects different people in different ways.
Also my views for this story on Fanfiction is almost at 200 now.