AN: in this story, Koa DID NOT burn down the shrine. She only recovered DogDay's legs.

The enemy of joy is not suffering, it is idolatry.

- Matt Papa

"Hello, DogDay," CatNap whispered. "It's been a while. I'm surprised you've made it this far."

CatNap was standing over the treacherous heretic, DogDay. He had him by the ankle to keep him from escaping punishment for not only escaping his previous punishment for his defiance against The Prototype, but also for siding with the false prophet that trespassed into the factory. Not only did she 'rescue' the heretic, she also stole an offering from his savior's shrine! Then she had the unmitigated gall to attack him, leaving cuts to his chest and paw, which still stung, and singed his face after dropping a fire bomb in his Red Smoke. Twice.

"CatNap, p-please, don't do this," DogDay begged.

CatNap squeezed his ankle, not hard enough to break it -yet- but hard enough to inflict pain as his claws dug into his skin, causing DogDay to whimper in pain and fear, tucking his tail between his legs.

"You are such a coward, DogDay. This could have been avoided if only you had obeyed The Prototype. He saved us all, and this is how you repay him? Disobeying direct orders? Escaping punishment? Stealing an offering? Fraternizing with one of THEM?!"

DogDay whimpered louder, tears welling in his eyes. "C-CatNap, please. Please. Let me go."

CatNap only chuckled, enjoying the fear he was causing.

"Don't think I don't recognize that human," CatNap hissed. "I saw how you looked at her. I saw how friendly you and the others were with her. You no doubt take her side despite what she's done?!"

"CatNap, s-she didn't know! She had n-n-nothing to do with a-any of this! She h-h-had nothing to do with o-our torment! She didn't know – mph!"

CatNap released DogDay's ankle and covered his mouth to shut him up, though CatNap was pressing so hard it was growing difficult for him to breathe and he was crushing his head. DogDay tried to pull CatNap's paw off of him and back away from him, but he couldn't.

"That means nothing! That human is a false prophet! She came back to kill us all! She came back to put us all in a cage! She killed Miss Delight. She killed several of the Little Ones. She will kill you and me the first chance she gets! She is filling your head with lies!"

He leaned closer Into DogDay's face, their noses only inches apart, malice and sadism written all over his smiling face. DogDay tried again to pull away but it did him little good, as CatNap held his tight grip on DogDay's face.

He whispered sadistically, "but I'm feeling rather generous. I will save you from her manipulative lies. I will save you from her inevitable betrayal. I will grant you the death you wanted, and you won't have to watch me rip her apart."

He rose his right paw, the wound from being impaled by the false prophet's knife still bleeding, ready to deliver a fatal strike.

Before he could do anything else, the ceiling above him collapsed, and something landed hard on top of him, and he collapsed with a terrified and pained shriek. The surprised attack forced him to release his hold on DogDay, who scooted away from CatNap while coughing.

CatNap landed hard on the floor, his assailant still on top of his shoulder blades, and he felt intense pain in his right shoulder. No, not felt. He heard it. He heard the sounds of flesh and muscle tearing, and metal scraping against bone. After what felt like eternity, the feeling of cold metal went away. The intense pain, however, did not fade once the scraping and slicing stopped.

Instead, it intensified.

It did not help that there was a weight right on top of his rib cage. Thin as he was, his ribs and spine were an easy target, and the weight he felt on his back made his ribs feel like they were straining against it and were ready to snap. The weight then spread up his back onto his head. He glanced up, and saw the false prophet leaning on his head! She had gotten the drop on him! Literally!

He tried to move but the pain in his shoulder and back paralyzed him. What stopped him further was when the false prophet held her long knife beside his head, right next to his eye, and then she angled it towards his throat. He couldn't help but flinch.

CatNap couldn't remember the last time he felt so helpless. So afraid. He closed his eyes and prayed to his god. He prayed for The Prototype to come to his aid. He had before. Surely he would do it again.

On top of CatNap, Koa saw how helpless he looked. She noticed how tense he felt. She moved her knife ever so slightly away from his throat, and stole a glance at DogDay. He had recovered from his coughing fit, but he had himself huddled against the wall. He was hugging himself tightly, his tail still tucked between his legs, and he was trembling hard. But the look on his face was not only one of fear, but also of shock. Despite his smiling mouth, Koa could tell that DogDay was still unable to comprehend CatNap's behavior and actions.

But, Koa could also see that, despite his fear, despite his anger at what he did, DogDay still saw CatNap as his friend.

Koa glanced back down to CatNap, and saw his white iris glancing up at her. Noticing he was preparing to breathe his Red Smoke again, she growled, brought her knife up while twirling it in the air to hold it high above her head, and struck the handle of the knife hard against the back of CatNap's head, knocking him out cold instantly.

Panting, she slid off of CatNap's back and stood over him. Still panting, she glanced back to DogDay, who looked to her with amazement… and relief. Giving a final sigh, she sheathed her knife and looked back to the unconscious CatNap.

She was at a loss. She didn't know what to do. CatNap had already threatened her life twice. He mutilated DogDay, and just tried to maul him to death. And he already killed how many others. Those crimes were more than worthy of death.

She looked over to DogDay. He slowly stood up and slowly joined her side.

"Thank you, Angel," he said quietly. "For saving me again."

She looked to DogDay. She knew that he wanted to say 'for not killing him' as well.

"DogDay, I know what you're thinking," Koa said quietly.

DogDay flinched. "I'm sorry, Angel. I know I shouldn't-"

"It's okay," Koa interrupted. "I understand."

DogDay squeezed his eyes shut and gave a heavy sigh. He started to tremble as he fell to his knees besides CatNap's unconscious form. Koa stood beside him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in comfort.

They stayed that way for a bit, though they both knew that they were pressed for time. Koa then turned her attention to CatNap's bleeding shoulder. He needed medical attention or he would bleed to death.

"I'll help him."

DogDay's eyes snapped open. Had he heard her right?

"What?" He asked as he looked at her.

"I'll help him," she repeated. "I'll fix up his wounds. I don't know if it will accomplish anything. In the words of Winston Churchill, 'a fanatic is someone who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.' I don't know if CatNap will change sides easily if at all. Understand DogDay, if he attacks us again, I will do what I have to in order to protect us."

DogDay nodded. He understood too. He didn't think CatNap could be persuaded to change sides either. And he also understood what Angel meant. She would kill him if she had to. He prayed it wouldn't come to it, but something was telling him if CatNap didn't change sides and if Angel didn't kill him, something else would.

"Do you think you can help me move him?" Angel suddenly asked.

DogDay felt uncomfortable again. The thought of CatNap suddenly waking up terrified him.

"DogDay, I'll be right there with you the whole time. If something happens I'll be right there," she comforted.

DogDay took a deep breath, and nodded.

….

In a nurses office, Koa had just finished stitching up CatNap's paw. His shoulder and chest were stitched and wrapped up. DogDay was on the other side of the room near the door. He still wasn't comfortable being near him, afraid he would wake up any second. Once Koa finished with his paw, she carefully wrapped it up. Koa then took a bottle of antibiotics and a syringe. She filled the syringe with an appropriate amount of the antibiotics, and gave CatNap the injection.

Once it was finished, she got up to leave, she paused. CatNap's strained and raspy voice sounded in her head. She then squatted back down besides CatNap, and looked into his smiling mouth.

"Angel, what are you doing?" DogDay asked, fear in his voice.

"Is there a way to get to his voice box, DogDay?"

….

CatNap groaned as he regained consciousness.

Everything hurt. His head. His back. His shoulder. His chest. His paw.

He opened his eyes and looked around once they focused. He saw himself inside a nurses office of the school. Memories came back to him. His shrine had been tampered with. The false prophet had attacked him while he was trying to teach the heretic mongrel a lesson. Then there was a sharp pain in his head.

Then nothing.

He moved his right paw, then froze when he saw it bandaged. He looked at his chest and shoulder. They were also bandaged. They were still sore, but it wasn't anywhere near as painful as when he received the wounds.

'How did this happen? Did the false prophet and heretic leave me for dead? The Prototype must have found and saved me,' CatNap thought to himself.

"I let you live," a feminine voice suddenly spoke through the school's intercom, startling CatNap out of his skin.

"I had you at my mercy, and I let you live," the voice spoke again. "You tried to kill me. You mutilated and tried to kill DogDay, and I let you live," the voice growled.

CatNap realized it was the false prophet's voice.

"This means nothing-" CatNap paused.

His voice.

It didn't strain his throat to talk! His voice was still deep, but it was no longer raspy! It didn't hurt to speak anymore!

"It was an easy repair," the human spoke again.

CatNap started to tremble. 'The false prophet did this?'

"Those 'scientists' kept your voice like that on purpose no doubt. DogDay helped with fixing it. This should prove I am not like them. I would never condone what they have done. I would never have allowed it," she explained. By the tone of her voice, she sounded upset and grieved. "I'm sorry for what you have been through, CatNap. I know you have no reason to believe or trust me, but understand, everything I've done since I got here was self defense. All I want is closure on what happened to my co-workers. All I wanted was to know what happened and why it happened. Now I know. And I am so sorry. Please, CatNap, let's just end this little tête-à-tête right now."

CatNap growled. But, he still listened.

"If I really had malicious intent, I would have killed you when I had the opportunity. I would not have healed you. If I had malicious intent, I would've left DogDay in the Playhouse. I would not have healed him from what you did to him! I will do what is necessary to stay alive and to protect myself and DogDay, CatNap. And you know I can. If you try to touch DogDay again, if you come at me again, I will kill you! That is a promise!"

The intercom then went dead.

CatNap sat there. Honestly, he didn't know what to think. He didn't believe the false prophet's words, as they had to be lies. But then the thought of her patching him up from the wounds she inflicted on him, and her fixing his voice box entered his mind. It had to be a trick.

He never felt this confused. This conflicted. He needed to think.

He left the nurses office for the caverns.

When faced with conflicting thoughts and emotions, we must decide what to trust, what we fear, or what we know. What's important is that this decision be made by the knowledgeable versus the anxious part of who we are.

- Bill Crawford