Clarissa's gaze wanders around the room. To the front of lies a mountain of pillows, books, and assorted planetarium pieces. Sitting aside a window lies an impressively maintained telescope, pointed toward the stars. Lining the walls of the treehouse includes several bookshelves and unrecognizable machinery that seem to keep the Dalmatian cozy. Said Dalmatian sits awkwardly with his tail wagging.
Clarissa raises her nose to the skies. "Well, this is…interesting. One knew you fancied outer space, but not to this degree…"
"Uhh, good evening to you too, Clarissa," Dylan smiles. "Come in, have a seat! I probably don't have to ask, but a lot of these things are precious to me. Please be careful if you want to touch anything."
Clarissa scuttles closer into the room, but does not sit. Dylan closes the door's shutters, leaving the door open in case his guest decides to leave early. "Hmph. As if!" She scoffs. "What is it that you wanted, Dalmatian? This is cutting into one's beauty sleep."
"Well, I didn't get to finish asking my question. Why did you help us during the DVPI?"
"Is your memory on the fritz? One answered that earlier, Dylan."
"Technically…" Dylan does a pinching motion with a paw. "You got cut off by Hugo just before you finished what you were saying."
"Very well then! One couldn't stand seeing a human treating dogs, yes, even Dalmatians, like that! That human's owner obviously doesn't know how to train their pet."
"Heheh."
"What is humorous?" One of Clarissa's ears bends to the side of her head.
"You, uh, really don't get it, huh?" Dylan frowns. "That 'human' wasn't any old human. Surely you've heard the tale of the Devil Woman?" Clarissa shakes her head, prompting Dylan to clear his throat. "I-I researched her after the incident. Apparently, she's scary to other humans too! Some say that she watches her prey from beneath a rock, a chill in her stare as she seeks things she deems 'rare'."
Clarissa yelps softly, moving a bit closer to the light. Coincidentally, she loafs right in front of Dylan, her ears drooping to the floor. "Ohh, how dreadful! What could possibly be rare about Dalmatians? There's so many of you!"
Dylan face-paws. "Missing the point, neighbor. It's not about the fact that we're Dalmatians. No, no! It's about our…f-fur." His voice begins to crack. "What she planned to do me, do to my family! I-I just…I didn't think it was possible for a human to be evil like that…And don't think you were off the hook, Clarissa! If she deems you 'young enough', she'll take any animal, dog, fox, white tiger, and…and…" Dylan's words become a dribble of syllables.
"Dylan?" Clarissa looks up, noticing the petrified Dalmatian. "Are you…alright…?" He doesn't respond. Suddenly, Clarissa feels herself stand up. She moves to right beside Dylan, his tears slapping against the planks of the treehouse. Without a second thought, Clarissa nuzzles the top of her head against Dylan's side, causing him to back up a little. "One is mean and proper. But one is not heartless. I am truly sorry, Dylan."
Dylan trembles, finding it hard to breathe. "W-why…why did you accept my invitation, Clarissa? Normally, you'd just call me and the f-fam 'ruff-raff' and be on your way…"
Clarissa looks up at him. "Perhaps we should, um, change the subject? Like you said, it's…nice, to not bicker with neighbors." Her gaze catches the floor, her blush escaping the tearful Dalmatian's view.
"Alright. Thanks, Clarissa." Dylan opens his arms, attempting to hug Clarissa. She shuffles away, sitting two pillows far from Dylan. "Huh?"
She raises her nose into the air. "Now, now, one is not all 'biscuits and tea' with you, Dalmatian. Oh, by the by…DON'T tell a single soul one dare touched you. Not a word!" Clarissa bears her teeth, but her tail wiggles wildly while she growls.
Dylan immediately notices her stubby tail. He tries his best to not stare, remembering that he accidentally grabbed it earlier today. He thinks it cute that even Clarissa's tail can wag. "Chill, neighbor! It's not like the fam would believe me anyway."
"Well, good." She huffs. "…You know, I don't think your, what was it? 'Fam' is all that bad. Dreadful most of the time, but they are excellent royal subjects if requested."
"Royal subjects…? Ohh, right! You're talking about that time we were wedded for a few hours! That wasn't fun."
"Oh? Was a 'fussy pink princess' too much for the 'king of Dalmatia' to handle?"
"Have you met yourself?" Dylan smirks. "Clearly, I wore the crown of the sake of wearing it. You were a total queen bee!"
"Hah! Like you can talk. Not a moment after wedding planning commenced and you take charge! One could hardly believe one's ears! Dylan, of all dogs, with a big bark! Inconceivable!" Clarissa chuckles.
Dylan pouts. "Hey, I can bark when I wanna…"
"Ohh, I jest, Dalmatian! You should see the curl in your muzzle, haha!"
The dogs have a laugh together. Even with tension of the DVPI brought up earlier, they manage to have some fun reminiscing on one of the few times they seemed to sort of make nice. Neither Dylan or Clarissa could believe it, but they are having a great time talking to one another! As they both sigh, Dylan's ear perk up as his eyes lock with Clarissa's. She looks up at him with a look he's never seen her make before. Her eyes are almost winking, as if she is attempting to smile with her eyes.
"Oh!" Dylan breaks the silence. "Would you like some water? I have clean bowls and the gallon's fresh and filtered. It's probably not what you'd be used to, but hey, when you live with a hundred-"
"Yes, yes! One will slum it if it means you'll stop talking!" Clarissa giggles. "Are you always this talkative? One would think with that many siblings, at least a few would lend an ear."
Dylan fills two bowls with water, then pushes one over to Clarissa. As he goes to answer Clarissa, he trips over the bowl intended for him. "Oh dog! Hahah, clumsy me…you would be flabbergasted. Outside of Dolly, who barely listens to me as is, only Dawkins will listen, but most of the others? No way!"
"Dawkins?"
"Oh, sorry! With ninety-nine of us, I never realized that you barely interact with any of the fam outside of Dolly and I. Dawkins is one of our brothers. Outside of my own handiwork, Dawkins handles a LOT of things around the house with his engineering expertise. That water machine we're drinking the water from? Dawkins helped me get it up here and made it easier for dogs to use."
"Is that the one with the big head, or the one with black fur and purple spots?"
"Big head, though don't let Dawkins hear you say that!"
"Fascinating. One will not fib, one has wondered how that many Dalmatians are able to survive without a human."
Dylan shrugs. "Funny you say that…while researching that…other person, I found some files in Mum and Dad's room that show a human. Not one I have ever seen before. Supposedly, this human is the pet of our great-great grandparents. The human's practically a phantom though; only information I could find is a. couple of old photos and the name 'Dodie Smith'. Apparently, this pet hasn't been seen in years. Weird, right?"
"Not really," Clarissa raises her nose to the ceiling. "If one had to deal with that many dogs daily, one would go missing too!" She chuckles.
"Not funny, Clarissa…" Dylan frowns. "But true!"
They laugh, and sigh. Again, their gazes meet in an awkward "say something else!" exchange, so Clarissa decides to feign a yawn.
"Well, I believe that is enough gabbing for the night. One shall be off now!" She stands and stretches.
Dylan frowns. "Aww, really? You didn't even get a chance to look through my telescope…"
"Telescope? Oh, your telescope, right…perhaps one will try it before one goes."
"Alright! Woo! How lucky is that the skies are completely clear tonight?!" Dylan jumps into the air, but lands with embarrassment. Four left paws didn't help the Dalmatian much.
After recomposing himself, Dylan begins preparing the telescope for Clarissa. He adjusts the angle so that she can reach it easily. He looks through it several times while refocusing the lens. He wipes the lens with a cloth so that the view is crystal clear…
Ouaaah….
Clarissa yawns for real. "Dylan, what is the meaning of this? One would like to go to bed!"
"Okay, okay, sorry! It's ready for you, c-come take a look."
Clarissa waddles over to the telescope with a confused look. She tries her best to look through it with both of her eyes, struggling to get a clear view of the night sky. Dylan chuckles, then explains that it's best to look through with one eye instead. Clarissa huffs, but tries to look once more with a single eye this time. She lets out a loud gasp before exclaiming with joyous wonder. The sea of darkness sprinkled with stars sparkles within her eye. Clarissa believed the idea of space stuff to be a pointless affair, a way to distract from the world around herself. But the view she was gifted by Dylan made her feel something different.
Clarissa tries adjusting the scope slightly, moving it around to look at different stars. She notices the collection of stars that seem to form shapes within the nearly endless waves. Her eyes perk up as she notices a peculiar shape. The collection of stars seem to create body of sorts. The body has four legs, a tail, and an almost triangular head.
"Dylan, have you-" Clarissa cuts her words off. "My goodness! Look at your ear!" She grabs his black ear. "Your spots, they look like that, that, collection of stars, Dylan!"
"Ow, ow, easy, Clarissa!" Dylan yelps. "You must've found Canus Major, the Greater Dog Constellation! Apparently, the spots on my ear look like it."
Clarissa doesn't respond. She finds her gaze attached to Dylan's ear. The contrast of black fur and white spots almost emulate the night skies perfectly. Clarissa feels herself move closer to the ear, looking deeply at the pattern.
Dylan blushes. "Uh…Clarissa? My ear is attached to me, y'know…"
"What? Oh my!" She lets go of Dylan's ear and backs up. "One must've been in a trance, how absurd."
"…Right. So, what'd you think?!" Said Dylan.
Clarissa realizes how close she must've been to Dylan's face if she had such a clear view of his ear. She shakes her fur to clear it from her mind. "Uhh, one…must be going now."
"You're not gonna tell me!? Aww, man…"
"Perhaps…n-next time?"
"You mean…!" Dylan's tail wags up a storm. His cheek-to-cheek smile glistens in the moonlight. Clarissa can't help but notice how adorable Dylan looks when excited.
"Don't get any wicked ideas, Dalmatian!" Clarissa yells, but her tail betrays her yet again. "One may be willing to do this again…if you provide snacks."
"Snacks? Really?"
"One won't ask again! Hmph." Clarissa waddles to the door.
"Wait, let me walk you home. It's the least I can do."
"Don't be daft Dylan, I live next door."
"And I live with ninety eight prying pups, I'd rather them think we had a disagreement than have them bother me about this!"
Clarissa sighs. "If you insist. But please keep your paws to yourself, Dalmatian. One did not forget one's tail being nabbed."
"R-right…sorry."
Dylan walks ahead of Clarissa, opening the shutters and peeking towards his house. Not a pip of noise whatsoever, the coast is clear. Quickly, Dylan and Clarissa cross the backyard toward the fence to Hugo's house. Figuring a fence climbing would be too noisy, Dylan digs out a previous dig tunnel of Diesel's, which leads directly to Clarissa's backyard. With a thump, a simple garden gnome tips over, and the two dogs find themselves in Clarissa's yard.
"Now that I think about it, how'd you come over to our yard earlier, before we met in my treehouse?" Dylan tilts his head.
Clarissa looks back at him as she heads to the sliding door her home. "Hmhmhm. One fancies a dig once in a while." She points to a similar tunnel just below a rosebush.
"Oh. Well, goodnight, neigh- no, Clarissa! Hope to speak with you soon!" Dylan whisper-yells.
"Farewell, Dalmatian."
Dylan reenters the tunnel, carefully placing the gnome above him as he leaves Clarissa's yard back into his own. As he traverses the dark tunnel, a couple of eyes meet his own. Suddenly, the eyes are paired with a gruesome grin.
"Ahh!" Screams Dylan.
"So, the eldest sibling sows seeds in another yard. Frolicking with that Corgi can only mean one thing. for us, Dylan: DOOOM!" Dante booms.
Another pair…no, trio of eyes, pop in. "I believe there was less doom, and more bloom, Dante. Yes, a bloom of…romance?" Dawkins chuckles.
Dylan's face becomes beetroot red. "W-what! No, I'm just makin' nice with our neighbor. And hey, shouldn't you two be asleep by now?"
Dante leans in. "Not likely! I haven't been able to do a doom-y thing all day! Luckily, Spencer and Portia are having a 'Doom is Bliss' meeting tonight. I gotta be there, member rules."
Dawkins shrugs. "…Right. Meanwhile, I must repair some faulty machines around the house. The dumbwaiter got stuck, leaving so many of our siblings trapped for hours!"
"And you didn't tell me!?" Dylan yells.
"Not your turn!" Dante and Dawkins snap back.
"Ugh, fine! Let me through you two." Dylan walks through them. "I'd like to go to bed."
Dawkins clears his throat, following behind his big brother. "Sooo…we are keeping this a secret from Dolly, correct?"
"Of course!" Said Dylan. "I know we've had our differences, but it feels like Clarissa's putting in effort to make amends…kind of."
"She's gonna find out sooner or later," Dante shrugs. "Then we're really gonna-"
"Don't say it!" Dylan groans.
"What? I was gonna say 'overdose on Dolly' when she chews us out!" Dante gives a crooked smile.
Dylan snickers. "Dolly cannot say anything! Not after blurting out her 'plans' with the Prince. Besides, she can't control who I'm friends with."
The three Dalmatians pop up in their backyard, shaking away stray clumps of dirt into the yard as they refill some of the hole. As they start to branch off, Dawkins notices three silhouettes of dogs wandering around within the house, seemingly wide awake. Dylan, Dante, and Dawkins glance at each other, then roll their eyes as they gently enter through the doggy door. In the middle of a carpet sits a set of triplets: Debbie-Lee, Debbie-Lou, Debbie-May. Debbie-Lee shivers out of fur, Debbie-Lou pants like it's the longest long tongue day of the year, and Debbie-May whines like a little puppy.
Dawkins yawns. "What seems to be the problem, Debbie Three-o?"
"It's too cold!" Debbie-Lee whines.
"It's too hot!" Debbie-Lou cries.
Everyone's eyes turn to Debbie-May. "Huh? Oh, I'm okay. But when my sisters are feelin' bad, so am I!"
"Awww, I gotta get my night going soon…" Dante lowers his ears.
Dylan chuckles. "Not until we get these three back to bed. Let's help these pups get cozy, I'll help Debbie-Lee, you two help the other two."
"Oh, Dawkins! Can't you make it cooler in here?" Debbie-Lou stares at him with big eyes.
"Posit- Ohh, I need to stop saying that. Affirmative, sibling!"
With the moon splashing through the sea of stars, the Dalmatian brothers spend just a little bit more of their evenings helping their younger siblings get back to bed. After successfully getting the Debbies back asleep, the brothers go their separate ways. Dante slinks out the front doggy door while Dawkins applies the necessary precautions around the dumbwaiter so that none of the fam tries to ride it. Finally, Dylan heads back into his treehouse, nearly stumbling over the water bowls left out after his meeting. He promptly leans them over the window, pouring the water into the grass below, and stacking the used bowls in a "dirty" container to deep clean later.
Dylan yawns, rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes while he explores the stars with his telescope. He looks around at different collections of stars (and potential constellations to coin with his namesake). But after a while, he eyes begin to feel heavy, his blinks becoming longer with every wink. Until suddenly…
Swish!
"Wah!" Dylan flails awake, shaking his head before peeking out his telescope again. It's a shooting star! "Oh wow, I'm a lucky dog!" He clasps his paws together and makes a wish. A plead for more days with eustress and relaxation than worry and anxiety. A prayer for closer friendships and stronger interests in living his best life. A youthful hope…that his eyes will soon be able to understand the expression Clarissa had on her face just an hour ago. Dylan peeks out the front door to Clarissa's yard, just barely being able to see the snoot dangling over sofa. Dylan's tail begins to wag as he lays down. He doesn't even notice the stray brown furs dancing in front of his nose.
Notes: I think this chapter is my favorite. I really liked the episode where Clarissa was pretending to be nice to the Dalmatians, so I tried my best to organically evolve the idea that Clarissa has become nicer.
Featured Incidental Dalmatians: Debbie-Lee, Debbie-Lou, and Debbie-May, dialogue inspired by the Goldilocks' bears.
Song: Grains of Sand by Andrew Huang during the telescope scene.