Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the intellectual property of Paws Inc. and Paramount Global/Nickelodeon at the time this story was written.
Warning!
The following chapter contains graphic content not necessarily suitable for certain readers.
Viewer discretion is advised!
Chapter 3: Odie
Nermal begrudgingly climbs up to the kitchen counter and grabs a pack of Oreo cookies before carefully climbing back down. Feeling rather hungry himself, he opens the pack and finds that there are only five of the sandwich cookies left. Five cookies that will no doubt be hoarded and devoured by Garfield without sharing even a single crumb to his friends…like he always does!
"Stupid Garfield." Nermal mutters to himself. "Making me do all that work just to get him a few cookies when he could've just had Odie get them for him…or better yet…he could just get them himself! Lazy oaf!"
Feeling rather hungry himself, the kitten takes a cookie out of the pack and tosses it into his mouth.
"But who am I kidding? He'll never change, especially with Arlene over there enabling him." Nermal continues to talk to himself while chewing. "*GULP* I'd figured he'd be nicer to me after the bear incident*, but again, I was wrong."
(*Garfield Quickies - Season 2 - Chapter 4: Survival of the Felines*)
Feeling dejected, he heads over the kitchen door, but stops himself just before opening it.
"*SIGH* Why do I even put up with him?" He asks himself. "Heck, why does anyone for that matter!?"
Then, an idea suddenly came into the young feline's mind. Staring at the Oreos, he lets out an evil grin, realizing that Garfield just made a terrible mistake making him get the cookies.
The three elder pets get back to watching the award show, having missed quite a bit of the program while relaying their stories to each other.
"What's taking him so long with my cookies!?" Garfield demands.
"Well, to be fair, he's still just a kitten, so he probably still has a harder time even climbing up to the pantry, let alone all the way up to the counter." Arlene replies.
*MMM HMM* Odie nods in agreement.
"Well, he better not be eating anything in there. He needs to ask for my permission first if he wants a snack." Garfield said.
"And let me guess, your answer is always gonna be no?" The pink cat bluntly asks.
"Exactly."
"Of course it is." Arlene rolls her eyes before focusing them back on the TV.
Right as they're about to open the letter to reveal the next winner, Nermal returns to the living room with the cookie pack.
"Here's your cookies, Garfield." Nermal said, handing him the pack.
"Much obliged." The orange cat said, opening the pack…
*GASP*
…only to find out that there's no more cookies left inside of it!
Closing the empty pack, Garfield takes a deep breath, doing all he can to calm himself down before his inner primal self can take control of his conscience.
"Nermal." Garfield said calmly. "I told you to bring me the cookies from the counter, not the empty pack of cookies I threw in the trash yesterday."
"Oooohhhh, the one from the counter, not the trash can, silly me." Nermal scolds himself, playing dumb.
*SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF* Odie places his nose on top of the pack…
…only to find that it doesn't smell like trash at all. In fact, it still smells fresh! *UH OH* Indeed.
"*SNIFF SNIFF* You're right, Odie." Garfield said, sniffing it for himself. "It is still fresh."
"Huh, looks like I did get you the right pack of cookies after all." Nermal said. "By the way, *BURP* I did get a little snack before I got here, so I hope you don't mind."
The orange cat doesn't respond to his remarks however, for the only hint of movement from his body are his twitching eyes, a usual occurrence whenever the kitten inconveniences him in a major way, especially when it comes to Pooky** or his food.
(**Garfield Quickies - Season 2 - Chapter 2: Faux Pas Kitten**)
"*SIGH* Here we go again." Arlene facepalms as she prepares herself for the inevitable chase sequence between the two cats.
And sure enough, Garfield tosses away the pack and proceeds to chase Nermal throughout the entire living room.
*UGH* Odie groans. Can't these two ever just get along?
"When I get my hands on you, Nermal, I'm gonna cut you open and take the cookies right out from inside your stomach!" Garfield threatens the kitten.
"Geez, Garfield! Do you have any moral standards, you psychopath!?" Nermal asks, genuinely concerned for his sanity as he continues to run around the living room in circles as fast as his little paws allow him…
*BAM*
…and eventually bumping right into a leg from the small table right next to the sofa…
*CRASH*
…causing a photograph to fall and smash into pieces, effectively ending their chase.
"Nermal! Are you okay!?" Arlene leaps off the sofa and gently helps him back up.
"Ohhhh, my head." Nermal moans in pain, rubbing the bump that just grew on his head.
"Oh, now look what you did!" Garfield said, picking up the damaged photograph. "It was a nice photo of me too!"
*SIGH* Odie leaps off the couch and heads out the living room to get the broom.
"Sorry 'bout the picture, Garfield." Arlene said.
"Not your fault." Garfield assures her, dropping the photo back down. "This always happens when we're chasing something, especially whenever Jon chases out any mice."
"Hey, wait a minute." Nermal said, taking a peek at the photo. "There's four of you guys in this picture!"
"What do you mean?" Arlene asks, approaching behind him.
"Look here, Arlene! There's Odie, Garfield, and Jon, but who the heck's this guy!?" The kitten asks, pointing to the man with the green shirt on the far left of the photo.
"I don't know. In fact, I've never seen him before either." Arlene said, now just as curious as the younger kitten as to who this mystery person is. "Garfield, who is he?" She asks, turning her attention to the elder male cat.
"*SIGH* His name's Lyman." Garfield reluctantly reveals.
"Lyman?" Nermal asks. "Who's Lyman, and how come you guys never talk about him?"
"I'd rather not get into it." The orange cat insists, not wanting to unbury the painful memories he willfully kept dormant deep inside his head for years.
"Why not!?" The kitten asks.
"Because I just don't, alright!?" Garfield snaps, startling the younger feline.
"Garfield, I think we're both owed an explanation." Arlene said, placing her paws on Nermal's shoulders to calm him down. "We're technically part of your family, after all."
Despite clearly wanting to avoid discussing the subject, and the trauma that comes along with it, Garfield knows that Arlene is right. She joined his family after being adopted by Jon, and Nermal belongs to the cartoonist's parents, so he truly doesn't have any excuse to keep them both in the dark regarding his and Odie's past for even a moment longer.
*SIGH* Letting out a defeated sigh, the orange cat prepares himself for the mental breakdown that'll inevitably result by explaining to them the full story.
"Lyman…
…is Odie's original owner."
"WHAT!?" Nermal and Arlene shout simultaneously.
"Yep, he came to Jon's house one day, asking him to let him stay until he could get back up on his own feet. Jon, being the nice, albeit gullible, guy that he is, said yes and allowed him to stay with us, bringing with him only a suitcase…
…and his dog."
"Ohhhhhh, so that's how Odie wound up living with you." Nermal said, the pieces starting to come together.
"But wait, whatever happened to Lyman?" Arlene asks. "Where is he now? Did he…abandon you guys?"
"No." Garfield replies, hesitant to reveal his fate.
…
"He's dead."
Odie digs through the entire hallway closet, still not having any luck finding out wherever the hell Jon had put away his broomstick.
*SIGH* The dog lets out a frustrated sigh, the closet too cluttered with cleaning supplies. Given how much of a mess the pets usually make on a daily basis, this isn't surprising.
Looks like he's gonna have to do this the hard way.
Swiftly tossing various items out of the closet, Odie eventually manages to finally locate the broomstick and the dust pan behind the mop bucket right next to the closet door on his right side…
…somewhere he should've looked first. Eh, better late than never, he figures.
Grabbing what he needs out of the closet, the dog ignores the mess he created with the items he tossed out for the time being, for cleaning up the shattered glass in the living room was a higher priority at the moment.
*GASP*
His ears suddenly pick up the sound of someone gasping coming from the living room. Dropping both the broom and the dustpan, the alarmed dog immediately rushes back to the living room to make sure his friends are okay. Upon reaching the front room of the house, he finds both Arlene and Nermal looking at Garfield with complete and utter shocked expressions on their faces, like they've just witnessed someone getting murdered right in front of their very eyes…
…which was exactly how he looked when watched Lyman die…
…and judging by the broken picture laying down next to them, and Garfield's depressed look on his face…
…his assumption wasn't very far off.
*ARF* Odie barks, asking if they're alright.
"Oh, Odie. I'm so sorry." Arlene suddenly wraps her arms around the dog in a comforting embrace.
*SIGH* Odie returns the hug. *SNIFF* A tear falls from his eye.
"Yeah Odie, I just told them about…you know." Garfield said.
*HUH* The dog bluntly utters, figuring as such.
"Yeah, and I'm sorry too, Odie." Nermal said sincerely, a rare occurrence for the normally narcissistic kitten.
*EH* Odie assures them, trying not to let the past take over his mind as it did before, for he had already gotten his revenge on the monster who killed his former owner***.
(***What Happened to Lyman?***)
"I'm sure he was a wonderful man to you both." Arlene said, wishing that she could've met him.
"He was." Garfield said, the memories he shared with him all coming back to him.
"But, now I gotta know something, how exactly did you wind up being adopted by him?" Nermal asks. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."
*SIGH* The dog lets out another dismal sigh, unsure if he even wants to discuss his earliest memories with a kitten who's too young to understand the harshness of reality.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Arlene assures him.
*ARF* Odie lightly barks, ultimately deciding that even his best friend, Garfield, deserves to know how his life all started.
August 8th, 2012
*BOOM*
Loud thunder roars across the dark, cloudy sky above a filthy alley as a female dog has just finished giving birth to her puppy in the safety of a torn up cardboard box slowly falling apart by absorbing the cloud's raindrops. The fleas all over her body, her bones visible from severe starvation, and even her other vital organs no longer working properly couldn't keep her from losing her will to live…
…for she is happy…
…happy that she now has a son…
…someone who's now given her a newfound purpose to keep on going…
…and is no longer alone in this cruel world.
*MMM MMM MMM* The newborn puppy whimpers, cuddling his mother very close to shield himself from the cold rain.
*BOOM*
*YIPE* The puppy yelps, frightened by the thunder booming in the sky above them. His mother held him tight, ensuring him that everything will be alright.
*ARF* The newborn smiles, now knowing that he doesn't have to worry about anything…
…for he's safe and sound thanks to his mother…
…who'll always be there for him.
Closing his eyes, he drifts to sleep. His mother licks his face before slumbering with him.
A few hours pass before the mother dog slowly opens her eyes once more. Gazing up at the sky, she sees that it's now covered with brighter gray clouds, and less rain is pouring down on them. Looking back down to her makeshift home, she can't help but smile seeing her baby still snoozing away as time swiftly flies by him. Soon, the sky will show its beautiful, bright blue color, and she's happy knowing that he'll be able to experience one of the many joys of life very soon.
*GRUMBLE*
But first, she has to make sure that she has at least something in her own stomach.
Stepping out of the box, the female canine limps out of the alley and into the streets, the few remaining people there doing all they can to cover themselves from the rain with their umbrellas and raincoats. She doesn't mind it herself though, for it provides her with a fresh supply of water for herself…
…and now for her son.
Scouring around for any leftovers, the mother dog begins making her way across the empty street with what little mobility she has, for she is willing to do anything to make sure her newborn is well fed and…
*BAM*
Before she could even react…
…a speeding car suddenly strikes her down…
…ending her life right there and then.
*SCREEEEECH* Right as the car's driver felt a massive bump on the road, the brakes were immediately slammed as the vehicle came to a sudden stop in the middle of the street. Stepping out of the car, the driver is revealed to be a man wearing a raincoat, who slams the door and quickly runs behind his vehicle to investigate the cause of such a huge bump that nearly caused him an accident…
*GASP*
…only to find the bloody corpse of a dog…
…just lying there…
…completely motionless…
…all thanks to him.
Taking a moment for his mind to reel in what had just happened, the man drops to his knees and gently picks up the dog, her blood pouring into his hands. The horrific sight was too much for him to handle…
…the sight that he himself caused.
"W-What have I done!?" The man pleads for forgiveness to the heavens as his tears join the raindrops on the ground. If only he drove slower, paid more attention to where he was going, wasn't in such a rush to get himself out of the rain, ANYTHING! This whole thing could've easily been avoided…
…but his own reckless actions caused this. He just killed an innocent animal, one whose life could've easily been spared.
*AROOOOOOO*
The man's ears suddenly pick up the sound of howling…
…rather, the sound of a young puppy howling…
…for he had just witnessed everything that occurred moments prior.
Getting himself back up, the man slowly walks to the alley to find the source of the sound. Upon finding a moldy, cardboard box tucked away in a corner, he takes a peek…
…and finds a stray, newborn puppy shivering inside of it, desperately trying to keep himself warm.
The man's guilt is now far worse upon laying eyes on the puppy, for it looks virtually identical to the now deceased dog. The realization struck him harder than anything else he ever had to endure in his miserable life…
…for he didn't just kill a dog…
…he just killed his mother!
The puppy peeks his head out of the box upon hearing the loud sobs of the man standing in front of him, leaning on the brick wall with his face covered by his arm.
*MMM MMM MMMMMMM*
*HUH?*
The man turns his head and finds the newborn puppy slowly walking towards him. Placing his paw on his knees, the puppy looks up at him, tears in his eyes.
"*SNIFF* I'm so sorry, little puppy!" The man said the only words he could muster to him at the moment, for his mind was too much in pain to say anything else at the moment.
Standing on his hind legs, the newborn places both of his front paws on his knees, urging him not to cry.
Wiping the remaining tears from his eyes, the man gives himself a moment to recollect himself. His vision remains blurry from his tears, but he can see the sad look on the puppy's eyes. He looks scared…
…all alone…
…in need of someone to provide him shelter…
…and to take care of him.
With his mother gone, the man realizes that the only one who can raise him now…
…is himself…
…for in his mind…
…it's the only way he can atone for his sins.
Leaning down and picking up the puppy, he ponders on a name to give his new pet. While thinking, he can't help but notice the huge, black spots on both sides of his waist…
…and that's when the perfect name came to him.
"Welcome to my world…Spot."
The puppy rests his head on the man's shoulder as he heads back to his car. Gently placing the little fellow on the passenger's seat, Lyman drives back home with a smile on his face…
…for he now has a newfound purpose to his life.
Next Chapter: Nermal