Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the intellectual property of Paws Inc. and Paramount Global/Nickelodeon at the time this story was written.

Garfield In: The Chase

Down in the basement, Odie gleefully gnaws at his bone without a care in the world. He figured that the cats upstairs would figure something out themselves that would put an end to their petty quarrels. He would ultimately be proven wrong however, right as Arlene bursts through the door, completely out of breath.

*HUH?* Odie said, startled by her sudden entrance.

"Odie! Are you in here!?" Arlene calls out, catching her breath.

*UH HUH* The dog nods.

"We…have a little problem."

Nermal hides on top of the tree in the backyard, as it is currently the only safe place from Garfield's wrath.

"Nermal, I swear to God, when I find you, I'm going to claw out every single bone in your body!" Garfield threatens, scouring the entire yard in search of the kitten.

Nermal lets his breath in and out in rapid succession, exceedingly afraid of what terrible fate will unfold should he be caught. He now regrets everything he's done, from hiding Pooky inside this very tree to telling Garfield straight to his face that he disposed of him for good, not knowing just how much Garfield loves that bear, and would kill anyone who even thinks of harming him, let alone destroy him.

Then again, Garfield has been nothing but horrendous towards the kitten ever since they first met at the farmhouse on Christmas, from tricking him to eating Grandma's super spicy gravy* to trying to scare him away from Jon's house forever by pretending to be a ghost**.

(*Garfield Celebrates Christmas with the Arbuckles!*)

(**Chapter 1: The Invisible Feline**)

From his perspective, Garfield deserves to have Pooky taken from him as punishment for everything he did to him. He thought they both could be the bestest of friends…

…but he was wrong.

He's made up his mind. As soon as Jon's parents come to pick him up at the end of the week, he's never coming back to this house ever again.

That is, of course, if he makes it out of here alive.

"Garfield! Nermal!" Arlene shouts, bursting through the back door, Odie following right behind her.

"Oh good, you're here." Garfield said, slicing through the bushes with his claws. "You two help me find Nermal so that I can kill him!"

"No Garfield, this needs to stop. NOW!" Arlene said sternly, completely fed up with his childish behavior.

*ARF ARF* Odie barks in agreement.

"Fat chance, Arlene!" Garfield snaps back at her. "That little bastard is going to pay for what he did to Pooky!"

"Garfield, look, I'm sorry that you lost Pooky, but that's never worth killing someone over! Nothing is!" Arlene said, desperately trying to bring some sense into him.

"I don't care!" Garfield angrily shouts, his moral judgment clouded in the heat of the moment. "He's given me nothing but trouble ever since he came here, and now I'm gonna dispose of him for good just like he did with Pooky!"

As the vengeful cat is distracted by Arlene's pleas to show mercy to him, Nermal realizes that she has just given him what may be his only opportunity of escaping with his tail still intact. Slowly climbing down the tree, the kitten made it his top priority to make as little sound as possible. Making it safely to the ground, Nermal prepares to dash out of the yard as quickly as possible…

…until another realization came to him.

Pooky is literally right behind him, hidden inside the hollow tree. He can just grab him out of there and give him right back to Garfield, thus bringing an end to this meaningless drama right here and now. Turning around, the kitten quickly places his paw inside the tree, desperately trying to grab the teddy bear out from his hiding spot.

"There you are!" Garfield suddenly shouts, running towards him like a raging bull, Arlene and Odie chasing after him.

Before Nermal can grab the teddy bear out, Garfield grabs him and pulls him away from the tree.

"Garfield! Wait!" The kitten begs, struggling to break free from his grip. "Pooky's in that tree! I hid him there! Please don't kill me!"

"So that's twice you've lied to me today!" Garfield growls, refusing to believe him.

"It's the truth!" Nermal insists. "Just look in there, you big jerk!"

"Look who's talking, bear killer!" The orange cat said, drawing his claws out. "Now, I will avenge him by disposing you for good!"

But right as Garfield is about to start slicing him into mincemeat…

*CRUNCH*

…Nermal bites his paw as hard as he could.

"YEEEEEOWWWW!" Garfield screams in excruciating pain, clinging hard to his bitten paw as Nermal makes his escape through the side yard.

"Garfield!" Arlene shouts, running towards him to check on his arm. "Are you okay!?"

Ignoring her, the orange cat pulls his injured arm and, despite the immense pain, chases after the kitten into the streets, now wanting to kill him more than ever.

"Wait!" The pink cat desperately shouts from the side yard, but to no avail. Her only hope now is to run after them and bring an end to the conflict herself…even if she has to physically beat some common sense into that stubborn, orange cat.

*AROOOOOO* Odie howls from the backyard.

"Odie, what is it!?" Arlene shouts, running to him.

The dog reaches his paw into the knot of the hollow tree and pulls Pooky out of it.

"Pooky!" The female cat exclaims, grabbing the bear. "Thank God, you found him!"

*PHEW* Odie sighs in relief, wiping the sweat from his head.

"Quick, we have to find Garfield, and fast!" Arlene said, the two running out of the yard as quickly as they can.

Garfield breathes heavily as he dashes through the busy city streets, not caring about the pain coming from his injured arm or almost getting run over by the oncoming traffic. All that matters to him at this very moment was catching Nermal…

…and getting rid of him from his life for good.

However, Nermal proves to be much faster than Garfield, despite both of them being rather chubby, as the kitten manages to evade his sight and blend himself into the busy streets of Muncie, Indiana. With Nermal no longer within his field of vision, Garfield comes to a complete stop on a crowded sidewalk, cars zooming by as he finally takes a moment for himself to catch his breath after running nonstop for a few solid minutes.

"Damn it!" Garfield angrily shouts, clenching his swelling arm. "I lost him."

"Look, a kitty cat!" A little girl shouts, catching the attention of all the nearby kids as they all now eye the chubby cat.

"Oh great, just what I need. More brats." Garfield said sarcastically to the reader, backing away from the children as they approach him.

"Aww, He looks so cute!" The girl said.

"What's wrong with his arm?" Another girl asks, concerned.

"I wanna pet him!" A boy exclaims.

Not wanting his fur to be stroked by their little germ-infested hands, Garfield turns back around and makes a run for it as all the kids start chasing after him.

"Wait!"

"Come back, little kitty!

"We just wanna pet you!"

"This is definitely not my day!" Garfield said, trying his damndest to shrug off the immense pain from his arm so as to not slow himself down and risk being captured. Eventually, he stumbles across some bushes conveniently placed near a restaurant. Without even a second to spare, he leaps over the benches and lands into the bushes right as the kids turn right into the street.

"Hey, where'd he go!?" A boy asks, looking all over the sidewalk for any sign of the cat.

"Aw man, he's gone!" Another boy complains as he and the other children turn back.

"I hope his arm's okay."

"I wanted to play with him!"

"Mom's so gonna ground us!"

Garfield waited patiently until the coast was completely clear before crawling out of the bushes.

"Phew, that was close." Garfield said, wiping the nervous sweat from his forehead as his arm slowly begins to heal itself. "Now to find Nermal."

*GRUMBLE*

"But, then again, it wouldn't hurt to at least grab a quick bite to go." He said, rubbing his stomach.

Right as a couple exit the restaurant, Garfield rushes right through the door as it starts closing. Once inside, he immediately leaps under a tablecloth so as to not be detected. Luckily, he wouldn't have to wait long as a waiter approaches the table and places food onto it. Now all he has to do is wait for the right moment to swipe the food from the family, eagerly wanting to eat it right as it got to them, without any of them noticing him under the table.

"This is definitely not my day!"

Nermal runs as fast as he can all across town as he's being chased by a swarm of angry dogs who are all eager to use him as a chew toy. "Of all the places I could've chosen to hide from Garfield, why did I end up picking the park!?"

The dogs draw closer to the kitten as one of them nearly bites his tail right off. Now clenching his tail tightly, Nermal looks all around him for any hiding spot he can use. Unfortunately, he reaches a parking lot that turns out to be a dead end covered up by trees that enclose the gap between the city streets and the woods that lead to a camping ground near a lake. Coming to a screeching halt, he can only back away for a few more inches as the dogs all surround him.

*GRRRRRRRRRR* One of the dogs growls, ready to rip out every bone in the kitten's body so he can chew on each and every one of them.

Breathing heavily, Nermal realizes that the only way to escape being shredded to pieces by all these bloodthirsty canines is to squeeze himself through the trees and just hope that whatever is on the other side isn't out to kill him, as if he didn't have animals that want his head on a plate already. Taking that chance, he leaps into the trees and just barely manages to compress his butt through the branches. The dogs attempted to squeeze through the trees themselves to continue their pursuit, but one of them was just barely get his head out of the enclosed space. Realizing that trying to get through isn't worth the trouble, the canines all turn around and head back to the park.

Meanwhile, in the restaurant, Garfield successfully manages to swipe a basket full of fries and chicken strips right before any of the family could notice him.

"Mmm mmm. Haven't had chicken quite this good ever since I had that fiesta salad over at Rax." Garfield said while chewing, dipping a strip in ranch dressing.

"Mom, where's my chicken!?" A boy asks, searching all over the table for his food.

"It's right there in front of you sweetie." The mom said, not even paying attention as she scarfs down her burger.

"But it's not there!" The boy insists.

"You're just hiding it behind you just to get more food!" His younger sister said, her mouth full of spaghetti. "You always do this, Jack! All the time!"

"No, I don't!" The boy stands up, growing more and more frustrated by the second.

"You don't talk to your sister that way!" The father angrily shouts, pointing his fork at him. "Now sit your ass back down and be quiet!"

Realizing that arguing with his dad is just going to get him into more trouble, the boy puts his hands down in defeat.

"Fine." He grumbles, slumping into his seat.

"Wow, one big happy family right here." Garfield sarcastically said to the reader, having just overheard their argument as he stuffs some fries into his mouth.

"Garfield! Nermal!"

*AROOOOOOOOOO*

Odie and Arlene scour the entire city looking for any sign of either cats. So far, their search is proving unsuccessful.

"Ugh, they could be anywhere by now." Arlene said, clenching Pooky really hard so as to not to lose him.

*MMM MMM MMMMMMM* Odie whimpers, deeply concerned for both felines.

"Don't worry, Odie. We will find them." Arlene assures him, gently stroking his head. "We just need something that'll lead us in the right direction, even if it's like…I don't know…their scent or something."

This gave the dog an idea. One that's so brilliant, that any other dog would've thought to do it right away…

…if they weren't desperate enough to rush after two cats chasing each other in the city…

…or as dumb as Odie.

*GRRRRRRRRRRRR*

Sorry, did it again. My bad.

Ahem

Anywho, Odie places his nose down on the ground and begins to sniff like never before, desperate to find any trace of either of their scents.

"Huh, can't believe we didn't think to just do that earlier." Arlene said, feeling as dumb as Odie as she follows him across town for any useful scent they can find.

Garfield reaches his paw onto the table to swipe the plate of spaghetti right from under the girl's nose as she's busy talking to her mother. However, right as he grabbed the plate, she turns around and spots an orange paw grabbing her food.

"Hey!" The girl grabs hold of the plate and manages to pull it away from him. Quickly looking under the table, she spots an orange tabby with an empty basket right next to him.

"*GASP* A kitty!" She exclaims, too distracted by his adorable face to remain angry with him.

"Oh, crap!" Garfield panics, his hiding place now compromised as all of the family look down to get a good look at him.

"It was that cat! He's the one who stole my chicken!" The boy angrily shouts, proving himself right as he points directly at the basket.

"Sure did, kiddo." Garfield said smugly. "*BURRRRP* And it was some damn good chicken too."

"Why, you little-"

Before the boy can lay a finger on him, Garfield quickly grabs the table cloth and yanks it, catching the family completely off-guard as their plates start flying everywhere across the restaurant. As chaos ensues throughout the building, the waiter and a few of the chefs burst through the kitchen door to see what exactly all the commotion is about.

"What the hell is going on in here!?" The waiter furiously shouts, letting out a huge gasp upon seeing the disaster area that is the dining area. "Who's responsible!?" She demands.

"It's the cat!" The boy points directly at him. "He did it!"

The restaurant employees shoot angry glares at the sheepishly grinning feline as they all approach him.

"Hey, it's one of those cats!" One of the chefs points out.

"He's not escaping this time." Another chef growls.

"Wait, what?" Garfield asks, confused by their remarks.

"Come here, you-"

The cat just barely manages to avoid being snatched by one of the chefs as he, once again, runs for his dear life from a swarm of people wanting to get their hands on him.

"Stop him!" The waiter shouts.

Right before Garfield can reach the door, a pair of kitchen knives land right in front of him, stopping him dead in his tracks!

"Heh, heh, heh. Gotcha now, you little pest." One of the chefs taunts the feline as he and all the other employees surround him within a circle.

With all the exits blocked by human legs, Garfield now realizes that the only way to escape this predicament alive…

*HIIIIISSSSS*

…is to fight his way out.

Grabbing both kitchen knives from the ground, the cat twirls them like they were ninja swords, startling the chefs and all the customers watching everything that's transpiring right in front of them.

"Mamma mia!" An Italian chef exclaims. Not wanting to be chopped into mincemeat, he slowly backs away from the angry feline.

"Get him!" Another chef shouts, not as afraid as some of his other comrades as he marches straight towards the cat.

*CLING*

*CLANG*

*CLANG*

*CLING*

Blades clash as knives and cleavers are swung and thrown around in all directions, the audience all around the restaurant taking cover.

"Awesome!" The boy exclaims in amazement, feasting his eyes upon the ongoing fight from under one of the tables.

Odie sniffs as hard as he can, for the scent he's following is starting to fade. His trail leads him and Arlene into a parking lot with trees covering the entrance to a camping site.

"Great, another dead end." Arlene said, frustrated. "Now how are we gonna find them!?"

*ARF* Odie points at the trees, indicating to her that they must go through them in order to proceed further with their trail.

"Yes, Odie, I know we've reached a dead end. I just said it." Arlene said, turning around. "Let's just go back this way and see if they're somewhere else in town."

Facepalming, the dog leaps into the trees and squeezes himself through the leaves and branches.

"Oooorrr, we can just go through them. Great idea." Arlene sarcastically said to herself, not too keen on getting a bunch of rashes all over her butt again like she did from the trees back on the island. But seeing as this could be the only lead they have to finding her friends, she follows the determined dog into the trees and squeezes her way through them.

As Garfield manages to block every strike the chefs swing at him, his left arm, having been pushed too hard from all the fighting, gives up on him once again.

"AHHH!" The cat cries in pain, dropping one of his knives.

"Heh heh, now we got you, kitty." One of the chefs said, a vicious smile on his face.

"You're in deep trouble, cat." The waiter said, approaching him with a glare even sharper than any of the knives in the building.

Knowing that this is a losing battle, Garfield quickly picks the knife back up with his other arm and leaps onto one of the tables. As the restaurant staff gain up on him, the cat sets his top priority on finding a way out of the building…and fast. With the very few seconds he has, he surveys the area and manages to find a gap between the workers that he can safely run through if fast enough. Tightly clenching both of his weapons with his right arm, the cat makes his move and jumps off the table right as a chef swings his cleaver onto the table. Running as fast as he can, he manages to slip through the gap and, with all his remaining strength, pushes the door open. Once outside, he quickly pushes the door back, causing all the chefs to slam themselves directly into it.

"Well, that's another restaurant that I'm permanently banned from entering again." Garfield said to himself, pondering on what they meant when they referred to him as one of those cats.

"AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!" A screaming voice echoes across the city, startling everyone who heard it.

"Nermal!" Garfield exclaims, recognizing his voice. Listening carefully to the echoes, he quickly manages to figure out the direction the scream originated from. "Sounds like he's somewhere in the woods. Figures he'd try to hide out there."

Clenching both of his knives tightly, he sets out to the woods with every intent on finding that kitten…

…and making him pay with his life!