It was an early Friday morning in Smileville, Dogday was still asleep in bed until he heard the ringing of his alarm clock. He quickly slammed on his clock to turn it off and jumped out of bed. "Time for another day," the sunny critter proclaimed.

He quickly headed downstairs, meeting his parents just before breakfast could be served. The young critter quickly had his breakfast before running back upstairs to brush in the bathroom. Once he was done in there, Dogday went back to his bedroom to get his backpack, gathering all of his books and other supplies he needed.

After that, he headed outside to walk to Catnap's house, which was just across the street. He helped to get his friend ready for school before the bus arrived. Both critters were on board and off to school with their friends.

School that day was pretty average, the only thing worth noting was Ms. Delight giving a reminder to the class. "Everyone, I want you to know that Monday will be your last chance to have your permission slips signed for this picnic field trip," Ms. Delight explained. "If you haven't had your parents sign up for this, you won't be able to come along."

Most of the students who wanted to go on the trip had already turned in their permission slips, but Kickin was a little late to the party. He quickly ran over to his backpack and grabbed a piece of paper that he quickly gave to Ms. Delight. "I kind of forgot I had that," Kickin' admitted. Ms. Delight just placed his permission slip away as the chicken bashfully went back to his seat.

"Anyways, I'm hoping that you all bring at least one dish from your home onto the picnic," Ms. Delight continued, "Either to have for yourself or to share with your classmates."

"I can handle that," Picky said to herself.

"Don't bring too much," Bubba warned, "There's a little hike to the picnic area, remember?" He was already dreading that long walk.

"It should be too bad," Dogday whispered, "It's only a short hike." He coughed a little bit which almost got Ms. Delight's attention. The teacher looked towards the class, confused, then went back to her work. Dogday rubbed his throat before letting out a few more coughs.

"Are you okay?" Bubba asked. The dog just gave a thumbs-up as he tried to keep quiet now.

Eventually, the school was let out, and the students were delighted to be free for the weekend. The smiling critters waited outside for the bus to show up and take them home. "So, what are you bringing to the picnic?" Bobby asked.

"I think I'm going to bring some rainbow cupcakes," Craftycorn said.

"Ooh, those are good!" Picky gasped. "I think I might bring my mom's stew." The critters heard coughing and looked towards Dogday, who was covering his mouth.

"...Guys, look, I'm fine," Dogday proclaimed. "I've just got something in my throat."

The other critters were looking suspicious as the bus showed up. "If you say so," Bubba responded. Once the doors were opened, the critters got on as Dogday let out a couple of coughs. The critters on the bus all stared at him.

"Are you sick?" Catnap questioned.

"I'm perfectly fine." He rubbed his nose before sitting down. Catnap was hesitant to sit next to him and sat down beside Bubba instead. Both of them had a feeling Dogday was lying.

That evening, Dogday was heading downstairs for dinner, rather slowly. The rest of his family were waiting for him. By the time he sat down, his parents noticed something was off. "Are you feeling okay?" Dawn Dog asked.

"I'm alright," Dogday muttered. He wiped his nose before he tried to grab a fork. He held his stomach as his parents knew something wasn't right.

"I'll be right back." Dawn Dog left the table to retrieve something. The kids would eat dinner, though Dogday was quite a bit sluggish. His mother returned with a thermometer and had it stuck into the critter's mouth.

"What does it say?" Wild Wolf asked.

"A hundred and four degrees," she commented, "Yep, that's a fever."

"What?" Dogday gasped, "But I can't be sick, there's a picnic on Monday."

"Well, you can hopefully recover from that with some rest." Wild Wolf picked up their son and carried him back to his bedroom while Dawn took his plate.

Dogday was placed in bed and had a tray placed in front of him so that he could have his dinner in bed. The young critter groaned a bit.
"Just take it easy, son," Dawn proclaimed, "You'll feel better after a meal and some rest." Dogday just sighed as he tried to start eating his meal. His parents went back downstairs to let him rest and to keep an eye on their daughters.

"Nightly Nap calling Sunny Leader," called a voice. Dogday looked around hearing his friend's voice before he grabbed the walkie-talkie he kept under his bed.

"Sunny Leader calling…" He was interrupted by another cough. "Calling in."

"...Are you sick?"

"...Yes. Mom says I have a fever."

"We told you."

"I know. I don't want to miss the picnic with you guys."

"Look, it's three days from now. You'll be better in no time."

"I sure hope so."

"Hey, how about the critters and I drop by tomorrow and check in on you?"

"That would be great. Thanks, buddy."

"Anytime. See you tomorrow." Dogday sighed as he slowly continued his dinner. His stomach wasn't making it easy for him.

The next morning, Dogday felt drained. He groaned as he looked around his bedroom and at his clock. He could see it was a quarter past ten, much later than he would normally sleep.

He thought he could hear some chattering downstairs followed by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Eventually, he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," Dogday wheezed.

The door opened to reveal Catnap and the rest of the smiling critters. "Hey Dog…. Eeh," Catnap paused, looking at his friend.

The other critters were just as disturbed. "You look awful," Bobby commented.

"I feel awful too," Dogday moaned.
"We brought some stuff to help you feel better," Bobby informed.

"Yep, I brought some soup from my mom," Picky proclaimed. She showed a thermos filled with some soup. "It might need to be reheated."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be great," Dogday proclaimed.

"I also brought some medicine to help with your fever," Bubba informed. "Any symptoms you've been feeling?"

"My nose feels stuffed up and my stomach…" Dogday paused as his stomach growled. He quickly covered his mouth before getting out of bed, making a beeline for the bathroom. His friends followed him just as they found the vanilla-scented critter panting over the toilet.

"Are you okay?" Craftycorn asked.

After panting for a few seconds, Dogday responded. "False alarm," he informed, "I'm good now." They slowly walked back to the bedroom, with the critters helping their sick friend keep his footing. He felt much better once he was back in bed, especially with the blanket Catnap had brought him.

"You should probably stay in here until you're better," Bobby suggested.

"Can do."

"I'm going to microwave your soup," Picky informed.

"I'm going to bring up my gift for you," Kickin proclaimed, "Hoppy, mind giving me some help?" The rabbit nodded as she, Kickin, and Picky headed downstairs.

Bubba sighed, "I should probably give them a hand," he noted. Dogday was a little confused with what they meant. A few moments later, Picky had returned with the soup, fresh out of the microwave. Just as Crafty showed Dogday the card she made for him, they could hear some groaning words about frustration.

Slowly but surely, Kickin and Hoppy walked into the room carrying a small TV. It looked to have a built-in DVD and VHS player. Bubba helped them get it set up in front of the bed, much to the confusion of the critters'. "What's this for?" Picky asked.

"It's the bedridden TV," Kickin proclaimed. "My family uses it when one of us is sick. Just put in any movie of your choice and you're good to go."

"Wow, that's awesome Kick," Dogday commented. "I think my family has our movies downstairs."

"Which is why I saved them the trouble and picked a couple before I came up here," Bubba explained. He showed the tapes and DVDs he brought up with him. He showed a few to Dogday until the sick critter picked which one he liked.

Once that was picked, the critters stuck around to watch it with him for a little while. Halfway through, Dawn Dog came to check on them. "How are you doing, sunshine?" she asked her son.

"I'm fine mom," Dogday replied. "My friends brought stuff to help me feel better."

"Oh, why thank you all. I appreciate you all wanting to help Dogday, but I don't want to risk any of your friends getting sick."

"I'm aware of the risks," Bubba replied. He showed them a bottle of hand sanitizer that he brought. "Anybody want some?"

"You can apply it outside. I'd rather be safe than sorry." The critters listened and started to leave the bedroom. Catnap glanced at Dogday as he didn't want to go.
"Don't worry, buddy," Dogday proclaimed, "I'll be fine a few days." This managed to make the feline smile before he left the bedroom with his friends.

He began to catch up with the rest of the critters, who were all talking about the current situation. "So you think he's going to miss the picnic?" Picky asked.

"Most colds or fevers take around three days to recover from," Bubba proclaimed.

"So he's going to miss it?" Crafty asked, worried.

"Well, he should get better soon with all of the stuff that we brought him," Bobby reminded. "He should be better in no time." Catnap stopped to look back at the house before he carried on with his friends.

The next day, Dogday was still in bed, feeling sick. He sighed as he watched some movies on the TV that Hoppy and Kickin' had brought him. He would've preferred it if he was outside with his friends, but his body likely wouldn't be able to keep up with them.

Around lunchtime, Dogday heard a tapping noise on his window. He looked and was surprised to see Catnap wanting to get in. Dogday managed to open the window and let his friend in. "Catnap, we have a door," Dogday said before he coughed.

"I know but I had to get somewhere quiet," Catnap stated. "They would've gone to my house."

"Who would they be?" Catnap decided to explain the situation that brought him here.

About ten minutes ago, Catnap and the rest of the smiling critters were at the park. They were making teams with Kickin' and Hoppy being the captains of each team, there was just one problem, they had an odd number of critters so their teams wouldn't be fair.

"So who's team does Catnap go on?" Picky asked.

"Maybe he could be a ref…" Before Bubba could even finish speaking, Kickin' spoke up.

"I sure my team can do better with Naps," Kickin' proclaimed.
"Then it'll be three against four," Hoppy stated. They both walked up to Catnap, who felt like this wasn't going to end well.

"Hey, you've got Bobby," Kickin stated, "We need someone to keep up with you two." He grabbed Catnap arm without warning and tried to pull him toward his team.

"Well, Bubba's the brains of your team, and we need to be unpredictable with him," Hoppy stated. She grabbed Catnap's other arm, making it look like their game was now starting to become a tug of war. The rabbit and chicken kept trying to pull their friend onto their respective team.

"Guys, can't we just settle this calmly?" Crafty asked.

"Maybe just flipping a coin," Picky suggested.

Hoppy and Kickin weren't listening as they were arguing over who got to have Catnap on their team. Feeling overwhelmed, Catnap used his claws to prick his friends, making them let go so he could get away.

The others watched him run as they looked towards Kickin' and Hoppy. "What?" they questioned, oblivious to what they did.

"And then I ran here because my home was too obvious," Catnap finished.

"Oh, man," Dogday sighed. "Maybe I should drop by and…" He paused as he was interrupted by a cough or two. "…Drop by and sort things out."

He was about to walk to the door if it wasn't for Catnap stopping him. "You need to rest," the cat stated. He forced Dogday back into bed before he left the room.

This didn't help easy Dogday's concerns, he was the leader amongst his group of friends. Just from what he heard, they were out of control without someone to keep them in line.

He knew things could get out of control with Hoppy and Kickin, but he worried about the others too. Bubba was smart but he often got boastful with his smarts, Crafty was creative but she lacked confidence, and then there was Picky and her food. They all usually relied on Dogday's leadership and that made him worry.

"I've got to get better somehow," Dogday said to himself. He figured some rest and medicine would be good for him, but he didn't know if it would be fast enough.

That evening, Dawn Dog came to check on Dogday. The young critter blew his nose before he quickly tossed the tissue away. "How are you feeling?" Dawn asked.

"I think I'm better," Dogday proclaimed. He stood up to try and show his improved health. He suddenly let out another cough which was a sign he still needed to rest.

"Sorry sweetie, but I think you're going to have to stay home from school tomorrow." Dogday sighed as he went to the bathroom to wash up before bed.

As he brushed his teeth, he couldn't help but think about his friends on the picnic tomorrow. He knew they would miss him and would likely out of control if Ms. Delight didn't keep an eye on them. He spat out his toothpaste and sighed before rinsing out his mouth.

As he slowly walked back to his bedroom and sat down, looking at his clock. The sunny critter thought about his predicament before he got an idea. "Maybe if I leave early enough, I can make it to school and go on that field trip," he said to himself. "I think there's still some of Picky's soul left, so that could be my lunch."

Dogday started to put his plan together, starting by setting his alarm clock to wake himself up for school. He just needed to hope his parents wouldn't catch him and ruin the plan. The sickly critter just went straight to bed hoping to get an early start the next day.

When the sun shone across Smileville, Dogday was sound asleep until his alarm went off. The critter groaned as he still felt tired but still forced himself out of bed, it almost felt like he had to crawl out of his room. He didn't see any sign of his parents awake or sisters either.

Dogday snuck into the kitchen and grabbed what he could for his lunch. He got some of Picky's soup, a small bag of chips, then got a soda can, and placed them all in his lunchbox. Then he grabbed his backpack and got his school supplies backpack. Already he was feeling very tired just as he wrote a note for his family.

"I don't want them to worry too much about me," he coughed. He held his stomach a little before sticking the note to the fridge and heading out the door to catch the bus. He was just in time as he could see Catnap and the bus pulling up.

The sleepy feline looked surprised to see his friend heading towards him. Dogday waved to him, sniffing and panting as he boarded the bus with his best friend. "You're better already?" Catnap questioned.

"You bet," Dogday lied. "You know I didn't want to miss this field trip." They both walked to their seats before the sick critter let out a couple of coughs.

Catnap was concerned. "Are you sure you're…"

"Don't worry about me buddy. What did you bring for the picnic?" Catnap felt like he was avoiding the question but figured it was too late to get off after the door closed. They exchanged small talk as they made a few more stops, picking up more students.

By the time they got to school, the rest of the smiling critters were concerned about their leader. Dogday looked like he could barely stand judging by his shaky legs as he wobbled into the classroom.

"Maybe you need to sit down," Bobby suggested.

"Oh, sure," Dogday replied.

"I think lying down would be better," Bubba proclaimed.

"He's already lying," Catnap remarked.

"What? I'm perfectly fine," Dogday said. He gave a smile before he coughed again.

His friends weren't really believing him. "Do you parents even know you're here?" Crafty asked.

"I… Left a note. I didn't want you guys to miss me."

"Well, we were missing you when we needed even teams," Kickin' stated.

"That's what I heard. I knew you guys would…" Dogday stopped as he let out a lot of coughs. This would draw the attention of Ms. Delight, who was just as concerned as the critters.

"Dogday, are you feeling okay?" she asked.

The dog turned to look at his teacher and held his stomach. "I'm… I'm fine," he lied.

"He's clearly sick," Bubba corrected.
"Guys, I'm doing better. The medicine and soup helped to make me…" Dogday coughed again, as it sounded like it was getting worse.

"Maybe I should call your parents," Ms. Delight said.

"There's no need. I feel…" Dogday groaned as he held his stomach and tried to support himself on the nearby desk. His friends would've approached him if it wasn't for a sudden "BLEURGGHHH!"

The children in the classroom were digested and horrified as Ms. Delight brought the trash can over to Dogday, as he needed to vomit again.

While the mess in the classroom was being cleaned up, the students left for their field trip, while Dogday was taken home by his father. "You know you could've gotten your friends too," Wild Wolf stated, "What were you thinking?"

Dogday just moaned as he leaned against the window. "I guess I wasn't thinking," he sighed, "I just didn't want to miss out on my friends and the picnic. They look up to me as a leader."

"I know they do, son, but you can't help other critters if you can't help yourself. Let's just get you home so you can get some rest." Dogday said no more as he dad drove him back home. Catnap looked out the window of the bus, watching the car drive away. He sighed as Bobby placed her hand on his shoulder, they would be having their picnic with one less critter.

Once there, he was given stern wording from his mother as she helped to clean him up. After that, Dogday was back in bed, feeling worse than ever, not because of his cold, but because of putting his friends at risk. He didn't even feel like watching anything on the TV his friends brought him. The sickly sunny critter just went to sleep, hoping that this would all be over.

Hours passed by, and soon there was a loud knocking on the door, Dogday quickly woke up to find his friends at the door. They each had a tray of food with them, Picky even placed a tray with a nice warm stew on it in front of Dogday. "Hey, guys," he said nervously, "How was the field trip?"

"It was fine," Hoppy answered. "Kind of wished there was more excitement."

"There was still a couple of nice sights," Crafty said, "I drew a couple of them in my journal if you want to see them."

"That would be great, Crafty," Dogday answered, "But why do you all have trays of food?"

"We felt sorry that you missed the picnic," Catnap explained, "So thought about bringing the picnic to you." He got himself a seat as he showed his fish. The other critters would do the same with their meals.

"Oh, wow. Guys, you didn't have to do this."

"Well, you've always been one to support us," Bobby reminded, "So it was about time that we did the same for you."

This helped to make Dogday feel better already with his friends by his side. Plus the stew was quite delicious too. "Picky, did you make this?" he asked.

"Yep. I helped to prepare most of the dishes here," Picky proclaimed. Dogday gave a thumbs up as he enjoyed the stew.

"If you're worried about us being sick," Bubba added, "You'll be happy to know that no one was caught in the blast of your vomiting."

"Thanks dude," Kickin' said sarcastically, "I enjoy hearing about that while I'm eating." There was a little annoyance heard from the others but Dogday and Catnap weren't paying attention to this. They were just happy to be together and hoped it wouldn't be too long before this sickness got out of their friend's system.