Chapter 12: Two Sharp Rocks (In the kitchen) 12:20 PM

Time passed ever since Leo and Colten met up with the others. After getting their food, they decided to continue their conversation about their unusual dreams.

"Okay, so far, we've got an ocean in the sky, endless voids, and crazy reptiles. What next?" Chase asked.

"You make it sound like it's all one dream!" Rocky chuckled.

"As if we needed more chaos…" Mira smirked before turning to Leo.

"Hey, if you think about it, maybe it won't be as bad as you think! I mean, we're all still learning how to live on earth, so everything on our imaginary planet can learn a different way!" Skye claimed.

"Yeah, I agree with Skye on this one. It would be pretty cool to have a monster as a friend, right Leo?" Colten asked as Leo looked up.

"Wait, what? Sorry, I wasn't listening."

"Hey, you haven't said much since you came back. Are you doing okay?" Mira wondered.

"M-me? I'm fine! I just have a lot on my mind is all!" He stammered while looking at his food.

"Well, if you say so… Just let me know if you need anything, alright?"

"Don't worry! I'll be fine! I think…" He muttered to himself before sipping his soup. "Well, it doesn't look like anything is going on between them, so maybe I was worried about nothing! But just to make sure of it, I should probably stick around! Yeah…I wouldn't want to give myself some false hope, now would I?"S

Silence...

"Wait, why am I doing this again…? I thought I already convinced myself that it wasn't going to work out…." Leo pondered to himself as Mr. Jordan entered the kitchen.

"Alright guys, you have about 10 minutes until we start heading to the field, okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Jordan!" They all replied before continuing where they left off.

Meanwhile at a different table…

"So, what do you think we're going to play today?" The corgi asked.

"Well, I saw Leo looking at the flag equipment, so maybe capture the flag?" Joey answered.

"Oh, it's been a while! I hope I haven't gotten rusty."

"But Sarah, we played the game about two weeks ago."

"I know, but that's still enough time to forget a thing or two! And besides, I barely got to do anything that last time!"

"Eh… Is there really a point in trying if those three are always going to carry?"

"Hey, you never know! My team has gotten close before, so today might be our lucky day, right Peter?"

No response…

"Hey, where did he-? Oh right..." Sarah remembered as her tail slowly began to lower.

"You know… I didn't really mean what I said back there. About me not wanting him around an all."

"Yeah... It's like I've always wanted him to keep it down a little, but now that he's gone, it just feels… different."

"To think this all started just because of cereal," Joey mumbled before Sarah tilted her head.

"...Was it because of the cereal? I mean think about it, how many times have we made fun of him over the past few weeks?"

"Uhhh…. More than I can recall."

"Right! So, don't you think that maybe he was just trying to stand up for himself for once?"

"Maybe… I mean, even if he had admitted we were right, we would have just made things even worse for him…" Joey realized as his ears declined. "Umm… I think we owe him an apology."

"Yeah, we haven't been good friends, now have we…? Do you know where he is?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen him ever since we left the kennel. Do you think he might be avoiding us?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, but if that's the case, then we should probably give him some time to cool off. I don't want to annoy him or anything…"

"Geez, I feel like a jerk…"

"Yeah, me too. But hey! If this all goes well, then everything should be back to normal by tomorrow!"

"Right! Well, anyway, we should start heading to the field right now. Good luck out there, alright?"

"You too…" They finished as Mira and Colten smiled in the background.

"Well, it looks like they're finally starting to get everything figured out, aren't they?" Colten smiled.

"Sure does! I just hope it all works out for them." Mira replied.

"Yeah, me too..."

"Hey, what was that argument even about?" Leo asked.

"D-Don't worry about it! It's all done and over with, and I really don't want to bring it up again…"

"Well, you guys must have done a really great job breaking up the argument!" Chase commented as Skye nodded her head.

"Ehh… all we did was warn them about the staff coming in. There wasn't really much to it," Mira said.

"Well, at least you guys actually did something. I mean, I wish I had that kind of courage…" Rocky sighed.

"Wow, Rocky! I didn't know you cared!" Colten gasped.

"Well, I guess I can't blame you for that. I mean, I've been avoiding social interaction for years now, so I wouldn't be surprised if everyone thought so too, but I made a promise that I'll break out of my shell one day, and I refuse to let it slide, so with that being said, I've always cared about you guys. It's just that… I don't really know how to respond to all of those names. I mean, I get it… they don't like having me around and all, and that's fine, but if I've learned anything over these past two days, it's that I shouldn't ignore them because of that. I want to help others whether or not they want me around, and so far, I think I'm off to a great start!"

"Really…? And you don't ask for anything in return?" Mira asked.

"No...do I have to?"

"N-Not at all! It's just that… Wow! I think I might start crying right now…" She mumbled as Leo rolled his eyes...

"Oh, brother…" He mumbled to himself before gently patting her back. "There there… You're going to be just fine."

"Yeah, as for you Rocky, that's very nice of you! I'm very glad you're deciding to change, and I wish you the best of luck!" Colten smiled.

"Thanks, Colten! I don't think I would ever make it this far if I didn't talk to Chase and Skye the other day." Rocky replied as faced towards their direction. "To be honest, I'm just surprised that this wasn't a dream.

"Well, we're glad to have you too, Rocky!" Skye agreed as Chase nodded his head

"Yeah, and we're just getting started! Are you guys ready to play capture the flag?"

"Definitely!" Colten howled as Mira nodded her head.

"Yeah, me too!"

"Heh heh… I'm really going to do this, aren't I?" Rocky marveled as Chase patted his back.

"Don't worry, you'll do great! I mean, you've already made it this far, haven't you?"

"Yeah! All we have to do is come up with a decent strategy, and we'll go on from there!" Skye nodded.

"Well, we wouldn't want you to share your plan with us, so we'll meet you guys in the field, okay? It was nice talking to you all!" Mira said.

"Same goes for you! We'll see you around!" Chase waved.

"Oh, and don't forget what we talked about, alright?" Skye mentioned as Colten raised an eyebrow.

"I won't!" Mira assured as they made their way to the door.

"Wait, what were you guys talking about?" Leo asked.

"Ummm, I'll tell you guys after the game."

"Fine by me!" Colten replied.

"Okay… I guess…" Leo sighed as they left the building.

"Well then, shall we get going?" Chase asks Rocky and Skye.

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Rocky cheered.

At the field (12:30 PM)

"Alright guys, you already know the drill, so start splitting into your teams! Let me know when you're ready, and we'll get started, alright?" Mr. Jordan announced as he made his way towards the side of the field.

"Same plan as always, right guys?" Leo grinned as Colten nodded his head.

"I go for the flag in the first round, while you guys stick to defense. Then after that, Mira and I can switch positions, right Mira?"

No response…

"...Mira?"

Still no response…

"He cares about us! He even said it himself…" Mira thought to herself as Colten and Leo tried to get her attention. "After all this time, I've always thought that he was some kind of heartless pup that would never change, but the more I think about it, the more ridiculous I sound. It's like, everything I told myself about him was a lie, to begin with, but why am I just realizing this now…? How could I be so mean…? Even if what I said wasn't directed towards him, I never really apologized for it…"

"Heeey! Earth to Mira! Hello!?"

"Hmm… I wonder if there's a way I get to know them a little better before we go back inside. Maybe I should join their team… Yeah, I'm sure they wouldn't mind! Besides, when was the last time I-"

"MIRA!" Leo barked as she snapped out of it.

"H-huh!? S-Sorry, I wasn't listening! Umm… what were you guys talking about?"

"You doing okay? We've been calling you since and you just stood there..." Colten said before Mira nodded her head.

"I'm fine, it's just that I was thinking that… maybe we should split up. J-Just this one time, okay?"

"Wait, split up!? But, we've never been separated before!" Leo whined.

"I know! That's why I brought it up because think about it. We mostly win our games because

we're always on the same team. I honestly don't have a problem with that, but don't you think it's a little unfair for the other team?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess that makes sense." Colten thought out loud as Leo shook his head.

"B-But… If they had a problem with it, wouldn't they have said something by now?"

"Well, I rather not wait until then, but if you guys don't want me to…"

"Oh no, I'm okay with it!" Colten agreed as Leo took a step back. "How about you Leo?"

"I don't want it to seem like I'm holding her back…" He thought to himself before sighing. "Sure. I don't see why not."

"Really!? Thank you guys so much! I promise this will all be worth it in the end, trust me! I'll see you around, okay?" Mira waved before running to the other side.

"O-okay! We'll see you… I guess." Leo sighed as his ears went down.

"Hey, don't worry about it! We can still win, alright?" Colten promised.

"Y-Yeah… That's what I'm worried about…"

"Well, come on. Let's meet up with the others."

"Right! Right…" He mumbled as they approached the rest of the pups. "I really hope this has nothing to do with him…"

Later on the other side…

"Okay guys, I know we're all still pretty worked up from this morning, but trust me when I say we're going to be okay, alright?" Sarah explained.

"Wh-who says I'm worked up…? N-no, I'm perfectly fine! I don't know about you guys."

"Peter…"

"Yeah… we're fine too. Another pup agreed as the rest nodded their heads.

"Guys, that's not what I was trying to... Look, I meant that we have a pretty good chance at winning!"

"And how can you be so sure about that?"

"Do I really have to explain myself…?" She sighed as Chase, Rocky, and Skye joined in on the conversation.

"Umm… aside from all of the drama, we're new here, so what would you guys like us to do?" Chase asks.

"...Huh?"

"Don't you guys have, like, some kind of strategy in mind?" Skye commented.

"Uhhhh… we don't usually plan our games," Sarah responded.

"Yeah… we just play for fun and stuff…" Peter added.

"But, don't you guys want to win?" Rocky asked.

"Well, duh, but that's almost impossible if Leo is on the opposite team…"

"Well, that doesn't sound right…" Chase thought out loud. "So, is it okay if I come up with a plan?"

"I'm not sure it'll make a difference, but I guess it's worth a shot."

"Great! And trust me, I'm sure we can win this."

"Wait... Rocky, are you playing too!?" Sarah gasped.

"Umm…Y-Yeah! I figured I'd give it a shot since it's been a while." He replied with a nervous smile.

"Whoa! That's a surprise, considering you're mostly a coward." Peter chuckled as the others joined along.

"Well… you're not wrong… I guess."

"Mind if I tag along?" Mira chimed in before everyone turned in her direction.

"Mira!" The trio beamed as Sarah's jaw dropped.

"Wait, seriously!? You want to be a part of our team!?"

"Yeah! I wanted to make sure the teams were even, so I asked Leo if we could split up this time."

"And… he's okay with it?"

"Yeah… why wouldn't he be?"

"N-no reason… Welcome to the team! We're glad to have you on board!" Sarah approved with a hesitant smile as Mira tilted her head.

"Yeah, and I think Sarah might be on to something! I mean, our team is completely different now, so maybe we do have a chance!" Peter smiled.

"So, what's the plan, Chase?" Rocky asked.

"Well, first we need to figure out how they plan on carrying this out, so let just wing it for the first match. It's only the first round, so we can still catch up if we lose."

"I'll keep a lookout for my friends since they're pretty fast." Mira decided.

"Oh, Chase can help you out with that! He's pretty quick too, you know!" Skye suggested.

"Yeah, I think I can catch them!" Chase said confidently.

"Okay! I'm counting on you, Chase! Would anyone like to be the angel?"

"I'll give it a try if nobody else wants to do it." Peter volunteered before Sarah nodded her head

"I guess that leaves the rest of us on flag duty."

"Alright team, let's make it happen!" Chase howled.

On the other side...

"Wait, is Mira going to be on their side?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, she wanted to try switching teams for once, but don't worry! We've still got this!" Colten replied.

"Wow… and here I thought you guys were inseparable!"

"We are! We're just trying something new today, right Leo?"

"Y-Yeah! Right…" He mumbled with a nervous smile before turning back in Mira's direction.

"Well, I guess that's not our only surprise! Check it out, you guys!" A different pup exclaimed.

"Whoa! Mr. Lamebrain is playing too!?"

"Hey, I thought Skipper told us to stop calling him that…" Colten warned.

"I know, but it's not like he can hear us or anything."

"Still, that doesn't make it right! Back me up, Leo!"

"Why are they standing so close to each other…?" Leo thought to himself.

"Leo…?"

"You know, I've never actually seen him run before," Joey commented.

"Joey, I bet you ten pup treats that he's going to be an easy catch for me!"

"Not if I catch him first!"

"How about this? Whoever catches him the most by the end of the game gets to have three pup treats from everyone." Another pup suggested.

"Oh, it's on!" Joey smirked.

"Guys, give him a break! He was doing something nice for us!" Colten defended as the others gave him a confusing stare...

"But weren't you the one saying that he'll never change the other day?"

"Yeah, I know… but I didn't mean-!"

"Don't worry! We won't go too hard on him." A different pup mentioned before Joey shook his head.

"Speak for yourself! My snacks are on the line, so he's going down!" He scoffed as the others laughed.

"Shouldn't we do something about this, Leo? They're going to ruin his first game back! " Colten worried as Leo's senses came back.

"Uhhh… I think we should stay out of this…"

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thi-! Wait, what!? Are you serious?"

"Yeah! They've already made up their minds, so there's nothing much we can do about it. Unless you want to try and convince them…" Leo explained.

"I… B-But we can't just leave him alone like this!"

"We're not! He has his teammates, remember?"

"Well… yeah… but-!"

"You don't think they can handle it…?"

"I…! N-no! That's not what I was trying to-! You know what? Nevermind... I thought you'd understand…" Colten sighed before walking away.

"Hey, don't worry! I'm sure he'll be just fine!" Leo said before smiling to himself. "If he's in our jail, then he'll be separated from Mira! And assuming I'm the only one who can keep up with her, then if I leave her alone, they'll stay separated! Yeah… I hope they can catch him! I wonder how the kitten is doing... "