If someone seriously wants to be part of your life, they will seriously make an effort to be in it. No Reasons. No Excuses.

- Unknown Author

The hallways were flooded with Red Smoke. How his prey had made it this far was beyond him. The heretic and false prophet made their way into his domain through the caverns. When he blocked their way back out, the false prophet had tricked him into pouncing prematurely onto a Little Critter, and had ambushed him. His body still ached from the painful fall onto the unstable catwalks then onto the cavern floors.

CatNap hissed as he sprayed more Red Smoke into the front halls of the Counselor's Office. No doubt they were trying to get out through the front door. The final door in the hall required a battery, and he had hidden it in a room on the other end of the hall.

He waited patiently. He could see the heretic and false prophet sharing a gas mask. He would have to destroy that if he had a chance at winning. He watched as they approached that far room. The mongrel waited in the hall as the human looked into the room. He saw she had the gas mask in her hand and she had retrieved the battery.

Neither of them were watching their surroundings.

Now's his chance!

ROAR!

CatNap was right on top of them with a loud roar, earning a terrified scream from both of them. The mutt landed against the corner of the hall while the human was pushed back onto the room, dropping the mask and battery in the process.

Before CatNap could follow, the door slammed shut. Instead of trying to open the door, he flooded the room with his Red Smoke through the vents. Looking down, he crushed the gas mask under his paw, then turned to DogDay, who had his paws up in a futile attempt to defend himself.

CatNap grabbed him by the nape of the neck and dragged him away, enjoying DogDay's pleas and screams.

"NO! NO NO CATNAP PLEASE NO!! ANGEL!! ANGEL!! ANGEEELLLL!!!!"

After a few seconds, he could feel the heretic go limp in his hold, having breathed in enough of the gas to sedate him. As much as CatNap would've enjoyed more of his screams, he relished in the quiet.

CatNap didn't make it far before a new pain ached through his body. The pain of hunger. He growled, but then paused when he heard a noise nearby. It sounded like cymbals crashing together.

Thinking he could spare a few minutes, he set the unconscious DogDay down and followed the noise.

Seeing a small Bunzo Bunny toy in the lobby, he flooded the room with his Red Smoke and waited. He heard the little toy cough and weakly clapping his cymbals as he struggled in vain to stay awake. Not even ten seconds later, the little bunny collapsed. CatNap charged and snatched the little bunny in his mouth, crushing the bones in his little body, causing his prey instant death. CatNap then ripped the cymbals from Bunzo's hands, and swallowed the little toy whole. It was a small meal, and CatNap knew it wouldn't be very filling, but he knew he had to be grateful, as food was so scarce now.

Thinking back to times before their freedom, he was neglected yes, but still fed. Now, instead of days in-between meals, it was weeks or even months in-between meals.

'Had things truly gotten worse? Things were supposed to be better. No more cages. No more pain. No more neglect. But…'

CatNap's thoughts trailed off.

He stood there. He was unable to think clearly. His stomach still complained for food, despite its most recent, but still small meal.

CatNap growled and shook his head in anger, "it's better than being locked in a cage."

He returned to the unconscious heretic and left the Counselor's Office.

Not too long after, they were in a safe room above the Gas Production Zone. If the false prophet decided to come for the heretic, she would definitely come here looking for him. She was still working to redirect the Red Smoke. Guarding that machine was still a priority.

CatNap got to work in tying up DogDay's legs and arms with belts so he wouldn't try to escape. Not that he really could, but fear makes people react. CatNap couldn't have that. After he was done, he got to work in setting up a little trap for the false prophet in the Gas Production Zone, returning to the safe room once he finished two hours later.

He sat in front of the TV security screens the safe room provided. There was one TV that showed the false prophet still unconscious in the Counselor's Office. She was thrashing in her sleep. No doubt caught in the nightmare that CatNap was sure she would receive, for he had the power to manipulate nightmares and memories with the smoke.

Behind him, he heard DogDay groan as he awoke. That was surprising to CatNap. The mutt breathed in quite a large dose of the smoke. He should still be unconscious.

"What…" he whispered, clearly confused.

DogDay tried to move, but found his arms tied behind his back and his legs restricted. He then looked up and saw CatNap, glancing at him from over his shoulder.

He started to panic.

"ANGEL!"

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," CatNap warned calmly.

"CatNap," DogDay started to beg, "please, don't do this."

"It's The Prototype's orders," CatNap said with slight excitement in his still calm voice. "You are our ticket to success, DogDay. You should be grateful."

This didn't calm DogDay down in the slightest.

"That false prophet has caused enough damage. Has caused enough harm. But it's the Prototype's will that she lives."

"What?" DogDay asked surprised. "What does he want with Angel?"

CatNap hissed at the name. He finally turned his head away and returned his focus to the screens.

"That's none of your concern," he growled. "If you value your lives, pray that your precious… 'angel'" he growled those words as if they left a foul taste in his mouth, "leaves Playcare."

DogDay whimpered. "CatNap, it doesn't have to be this way. We were friends! Things can be how they were before! Please, just stop this!"

CatNap visibly tensed up. He slowly turned his head to face DogDay again. The look in his white eyes made DogDay flinched.

"'How things were… before!?'" CatNap growled with bloodlust. He stood up and slowly approached DogDay. "You want us to go back to being locked up in a cage!? You want us to go back to being isolated!? Starved!? ABUSED!?"

CatNap was now right in front of DogDay. DogDay started to visibly shake.

"To being FRIENDS, CatNap!" DogDay insisted. "I was closest to you that the others! I trusted you! We looked out for each other- GAH!"

DogDay was cutoff from CatNap grasping his throat.

"YOU BETRAYED ME!" CatNap roared in his face. "THEY CAGED ME LIKE AN ANIMAL BECAUSE OF YOU! BECAUSE OF YOU! I TRUSTED YOU, TOO! AND YOU BETRAYED ME! LIKE I MENT NOTHING!"

"YOU MATTERED THE MOST TO ME!" DogDay choked out.

CatNap flinched at this.

"You all mattered to me!" DogDay repeated. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen! I thought I was doing what was best! But I was wrong! I messed up! And I'm sorry for that! I wish I could take it back!" DogDay paused before forcing out his next words with a sob, "but I can't."

DogDay closed his eyes in grief. Tears spilled from them. CatNap's hold on his throat loosened, but he didn't remove his paw.

"You were right," DogDay confessed. "We didn't treat you like a friend. We treated you like a stranger. We deserved to be punished for what we had done. And I truly wanted to die back in that Playhouse."

CatNap's grip tightened back up, "then why did you ask that pest to save you?!"

"I didn't!" DogDay confessed.

This confused CatNap to no end. He released DogDay's throat and backed off.

"I didn't ask her to save me," DogDay elaborated quietly. "I never asked her. In fact, I told her to leave me behind when the little toys attacked us. But she didn't. She saved me. And I didn't ask her to."

He looked up to CatNap and looked him right in his eyes. "And I didn't have to ask her to spare your life back in the school. She knew. She knew I…" he paused. "She knows I still see you as my friend."

CatNap didn't know how to respond to that other than with a small gasp.

"I know you may not see it that way, CatNap, but… you're still my best friend. I really do want things to be the way they were before as friends, CatNap. Things were not easy for me, either. I was abused, too. But I focused more on having fun and playing with the kids. To me, that was worth it. I would happily take more of that for the children. I didn't focus on the bad, CatNap. I focused on what was good. And the children were good. Koa was good. She's still good! I don't see her as a literal angel, CatNap. I call her that because of her saving me when I never asked her to. She healed me. She protected me. She can do the same for you! Please, just come with us. We can end this madness! The torment! You're not a lost cause, CatNap!"

At those words, CatNap growled. "'Lost cause?' Is that what you really think of me?"

DogDay flinched again. He knew he should not have said that. "I didn't-"

"You're the 'lost cause,' DogDay. Not me. You're the heretic! I see things clearly! That human is just using you!" CatNap growled.

"If she were like the others, she would not have saved me! She would have killed you the first chance she had! She would not have healed you!" DogDay insisted.

"It's a trick! Don't you see that?! The Prototype is our salvation! The Prototype is the way!" CatNap tried to reason, but he knew DogDay wouldn't listen.

"CatNap, please! It's the Prototype who's using you! The Hour of Joy didn't fix anything! It just made things worse for all of us! Vengeance is never the answer! Once he has what he wants, he'll kill you! If A- If Koa had ill will, she would not have saved me, nor spared you! Please, let's end this together!"

CatNap paused for a moment, staring, before he nodded, "you're right, DogDay. We should end this."

DogDay flinched. He didn't like the way CatNap said that. He sounded too calm.

Behind CatNap, DogDay could see the security TV showing Angel in the Counselor's Office. CatNap noticed and followed his gaze. She had finally woken up as she sat up quite suddenly. Her hand as clenched over her chest where her heart is. She was panting. Both of them could tell she was traumatized by her nightmare.

CatNap looked back to DogDay, "I hope this answers your request, DogDay."

CatNap walked away from DogDay with a chuckle, and picked up a phone that was nearby. With his claws, he carefully dialed, and on the screen, both he and DogDay saw the human pick up her own phone.

"LEAVE PLAYCARE! OR THE MONGREL DIES! AND I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

CatNap then slammed the phone onto the ground, shattering it to pieces under his paw.

DogDay started to shake again. "CatNap, please! Don't do this! Please! It doesn't have to- mph!"

He was cut off again, this time by CatNap stuffing cloths into his smiling mouth. To keep him from spitting them out, CatNap tied a belt around his mouth as well.

CatNap then held his head down and whispered in DogDay's ear, "see how your 'angel' saves you now, after I spray her blood across your face!"

He slammed DogDay's head onto the ground, and DogDay released a muffled yelp.

CatNap walked away from DogDay and paced, waiting to see what form of action the human would take. Would she leave? Or would she come for DogDay? CatNap hoped it was the latter. He was hoping to release the tension by taking it out on the human during the hunt.

Though... DogDay's words ran through his head: "I know you may not see it that way, CatNap, but… you're still my best friend."

CatNap paused, and looked at DogDay. His eyes were closed and his cries were muffled. After everything, did he really still see him as a friend. CatNap hated to admit it but, it did sound nice. To go back to how it was before between them.

Best friends.

CatNap caught himself and shook his head. This was getting out of hand. First the humans words started plaguing his mind, now the mutt's!? He growled and continued his pacing. He had to focus.

"If she were like the others, she would not have saved me! She would have killed you the first chance she had! She would not have healed you!"

"I had you at my mercy, and I let you live. You tried to kill me. You mutilated and tried to kill DogDay, and I let you live."

"If A- If Koa had ill will, she would not have saved me, nor spared you!"

"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!"

CatNap shook his head and growled in impatient annoyance. This had to end! He hoped that it would end soon. But those words of the mutt and human never left his head.

Not even after a large crash echoed in the Gas Production Zone.

"There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."

- Carl Gustav Jung