Chapter 17: Music Night

Sniffles cautiously poked his head out from behind the curtains. The auditorium was packed. Everyone in town must've been there.

It was almost show time. He pulled his head back before anyone could spot him; that would've been unprofessional. Sniffles took out his clipboard to review and run the last check—making sure all the back doors were locked. Apparently, the venue had recently been a target of several burglaries.

The owners of the venue had also hired a pair of security guards, so Sniffles planned to check in on them after he rounded the band up. Not a single thing would go wrong as long as he was the stage manager.

Not a SINGLE thing, Sniffles thought as he marched with purpose. He felt unusually uptight and on edge, almost like he could sense something was going to go horribly wrong.

Just like before.

He stopped, startled.

Before? Why'd he think that? He hadn't been a stage manager for a group of musicians before...had he?

He held his head, bothered. Even with every item on his list checked off and how well things had progressed so far… he suddenly felt like he was missing something.

Something that had happened, or was going to happen?

It feels like...there's no difference. Sniffles realized, furiously trying to hold onto this feeling. It was like déjà vu, but ten times worse.

Then, someone screamed in the distance. Sniffles' heart may as well have jumped through his chest.

He rushed to where the musicians were gathered. How could've something happened to them, he'd just left—

He barged into the room. Everyone was there, still alive and well—Cuddles, Giggles, Toothy, Lumpy, Flaky, Flippy, Nutty, and Disco Bear. The males wore black tuxedos with matching trilbys and the females wore white dresses with rose hair pins. Everyone had their instruments near or in hand, but not a single one of them acknowledged Sniffles or seemed aware that they were about to be on stage in front of the whole town. No, they were all gathered around Cuddles, who was in hysterics.

Sniffles wandered close, anxious. He'd noticed that Cuddles had been unusually anxious and squirrely during their rehearsal earlier. The rabbit seemed to be in the middle of recounting something that'd happened to him.

"…and I barely got away!" Cuddles exclaimed. "It had to have been a monster!"

Flaky was already shaking like a washing machine. "Wh-What'd it look like?" she asked, shedding dandruff onto her dress.

Cuddles raised his hands, waggling clawed fingers, and described the monster as tall, pale, and furless. The other animals grew restless and uneasy, save for Disco Bear and Lumpy. The former was too busy checking himself out in the reflection of Giggles' mellophone, and the latter was enjoying a banana.

Sniffles' eye twitched. How many times have I told him NOT to eat before playing his instrument…?

"It didn't try attacking you?!" Toothy asked.

Cuddles snorted proudly. He wouldn't have known; he reminded them that he'd run away so fast that he'd left that Thing in the dust.

Giggles clapped her hands together, pleased. "So…where is it now?" she wondered.

Cuddles stared at her blankly, then he shrugged.

"It's still on the loose?!" Toothy yelled. As the other animals looked at each other in terror, Sniffles rolled his eyes.

"Oh, oh!" Nutty hopped up, flailing his hand in the air. He volunteered that they do a neighborhood watch and they all agreed with that idea.

"Weapons!" Toothy yelled, punching the air. "We need weapons, too!"

"Where do we get weapons from?" Giggles asked. After a moment, everyone looked towards the only ex-military in the group. Flippy looked startled, then creased his mouth into a stern grimace and shook his head. Cuddles jumped on him.

"Pleeeeeeeease?" the rabbit asked. "I have, um…two tickets! For a cruise! I'll take you if you say yes!"

"Hey!" Giggles huffed scornfully, crossing her arms. Literally just before rehearsal Cuddles had promised that'd be a trip for him and her.

Sniffles felt like this was a good time as ever to step in. "Okay, okay. That's enough."

"But the monster—" Flaky tried.

"There's no monster."

"Is so!" Cuddles exclaimed.

"Where's proof?" Sniffles questioned. He blew the whole thing off, stating it could've been some weirdo/s in a costume. It was clear everyone believed Cuddles and not him, but before they could start protesting he ordered them to get their things and head to the stage. He caught them discussing the 'monster' and what it may've been doing the whole day.

"W-What if it comes to the music venue?" he heard Flaky mutter to Giggles.

I hope not, Sniffles thought. If it even exists. I still think someone's playing a prank…

He checked his watch. He was running fifty four seconds behind and needed to check in with security, stat. It took several minutes for Sniffles to reach the back hall where they were waiting.

One of the security guards was The Mole, who flashed him a thumbs-up. The other guard was a flying squirrel wearing a mask, baseball cap, and pair of dark shades.

Huh. Sniffles thought the second guy looked familiar, but whatever. He ordered them to man their separate posts and to make sure the back doors were locked. "Try not to get lost," Sniffles called as he hurried off. He was sure he was the only one who'd bothered to memorize the corridors and mazes of the venue.

When he got to the stage he was relieved to see everyone at least seemed close to ready. Disco Bear was dancing with the mic stand, shimmying his shoulders and whispering sweet nothings to it; he was the vocalist. Behind him from his left-to-right was: Cuddles, on the keyboard; Giggles, on the mellophone; Nutty, on the xylophone; Toothy, on the drum set; Lumpy, on the trombone; Flaky, on the clarinet; and Flippy, on the double bass.

Sniffles walked through, ready to search for problems. He honed into the biggest offender first. "Did you at least rinse your mouth out?" he asked Lumpy sternly. When the moose cluelessly shook his head, Sniffles fetched a bottle of water and chucked it at him.

And now, for who knew what reason, Nutty's tie was missing. Sniffles had extras and quickly helped the squirrel get one on. Nutty motioned to take a bite out of it and Sniffles quickly smacked his hand down. "Unh-unh," he scolded.

Flippy was standing next to his instrument (which was two-and-a-half times taller than he was), looking around for something. Sniffles groaned. He'd forgotten to bring a chair and ran to grab one.

Why don't they have double basses that are scaled to the average animal's size? Sniffles wondered. If that thing falls over, it could kill someone!

When he got back to the stage Sniffles spotted Cuddles peeking out of the curtains. "Cuddles!" he snapped, placing the chair for Flippy to stand on, "Get in position! And where's your hat?"

Toothy was spinning Cuddles' hat on one of his drumsticks, snickering. With another groan Sniffles took it from him and plopped it on the rabbit's head. Now they were ready.

Meanwhile…

As soon as Oakie woke up, he groaned like a mother in labor. Everything still hurt and he'd woken up next to an elephant.

Oh, right. He was still…wherever he was. He sat up gingerly, trying to figure out what on earth there was for him to do next. His first instinct was to ask Allie for suggestions, but she hadn't really been agreeable.

That was the other strange thing. He was usually high-strung and it never took much to ruin his day. He hated that about himself, but he loved that he didn't feel bothered now, for some reason.

He didn't really feel worried. He didn't really feel like he should've been concerned in the slightest. Wherever he'd intended to go initially no longer seemed important enough for him to remember. Maybe it wasn't that important to begin with.

Now, he only cared about being there, on a couch with an elephant in a trailer owned by a blue moose.

Oakie cringed as he massaged his temples. Even though Lumpy was a walking natural disaster, Oakie was thankful that the moose had taken him in. It was better than wandering out on the streets, alone and afraid. The human tried to get up, but he crumbled to the floor in an aching pile. Lumpy's elephant lent him a trunk and helped him stand. Thank goodness it was more delicate than its owner.

That's funny…a moose keeping an elephant as a pet. So these animals keep animals as pets? Maybe it's like one of those things were the non-sapient ones are just like…

…normal…animals…

So if the elephant is a normal animal…I guess the animals that can walk and talk like me are…not normal?

But it's normal for them. 'Cause it's their world. Place. Country. Whatever.

I'm a human…I should fit in, right? We act like each other.

He thought about the yellow rabbit from earlier and felt fuzzy inside. Oh, there just had to be some many other cute little animals here!

"Hey, big g…"

Oakie suddenly remembered that Lumpy wasn't there. He walked around for a moment, getting familiar with the inside of the trailer (discovering that it was much bigger on the inside than what it looked from the outside) and trying to recall what Lumpy had told him earlier.

Much earlier—he looked out the window for the first time and saw the stars glowing brightly against the night sky. Oakie stuck his head outside, entranced. Was it him, or were they more beautiful than they'd ever been before?

…wait.

What…the…hell…?

That's the North Star. There's the Little Dipper. And Ursa Major—

The constellations are the same! I'm not in a different world after all!

That was the next thing to get a shock out of him. He studied the night sky in amazement, all-too familiar with the mapping and organization of the stars.

If I'm not…in a different world…right, then why is…

When he finally pulled his head back, he banged it on the windowsill. He immediately remembered what Lumpy had told him earlier.

Music! The big guy's at some music show.

I wonder if it's still going on. I kinda want to find it.

He needed to find it.

He couldn't wait ANY longer. He had to see more cute animals. He HAD to.

Whoa… Oakie stopped himself, holding his hands out. Okay, slow down, dude. Don't go crazy. They're not plushies like the ones you sleep with. They're living, breathing things with the intelligence of a human.

He took Allie out of his pocket and left her on the couch. He didn't need the input of Artificial Intelligence on this one. He was a sound, logical person who wouldn't let his emotions get the best of him. After giving the elephant (whom he'd named Stanley) a few pats, he slipped out into the night. The neighborhood was quiet. No lights were on in any of the houses.

Oakie moved slowly, from caution and out of pain still. He could see a lot of light coming from the downtown area. That had to have been the most logical place to head. He picked up a jog, hunching slightly and glancing around on occasion. The hairs on his neck steadily rose. He experienced a sudden, brief feeling that terrified him—he was being watched.

It's in my head. It looks safe here, actually.

Looks safe enough to drop a baby in the street, go to work, and come back to find it's graduated college already.

He slowed his pace. That fuzzy and hazy feeling came back and filled his head with entrancing smoke. Yes. He was safe. He could feel it. Or maybe, the night air and the blunt force trauma from earlier was getting to him.

As he got out of the residential district and deeper into the town, he began hearing music blaring out into the night. The bright lights helped him find the right building, a more modern-looking one sitting on the corner of a major avenue. The outside of the music venue was unguarded and for the taking.

Oakie ran over and, after looking around for watchful eyes, ducked inside. He accidentally knocked over a ticket booth and then jumped over a series of rope dividers with the skills of an Olympic hurdler, rushing into the long corridor where the auditorium doors were. He had to squat a little to peer in through the windows.

He gasped. An auditorium filled with animals of all colors and species, and all of them huggable as the next.

Gotta get a better look!

The auditorium was locked, and so were the two doors on either side of the hall. Around the back it was, then.

But, his luck may've run out. He crested the back corner of the building and screeched to a halt; there was an animal posted up at the back door, though it was standing at a weird angle and seemed to be looking at nothing in particular. A security guard, maybe?

This guy looks serious, Oakie thought nervously. He was afraid of getting beaten up even if this purple thing was several times smaller than he was. He got a little closer when he realized he hadn't been noticed. The security guard would idly glance around, very slowly, and sometimes check his watch.

"Hi…sir?" Oakie tried. He went ignored. Maybe the security guard didn't care?

This guy doesn't need this job. What is this thing, anyway?

Oakie was about to slip in through the back door when the guard suddenly turned and crashed into his leg, bouncing back. Oakie jumped a mile and so did the purple thing.

"Ah ha, sorry!" Oakie exclaimed, raising his hands. "I was just, uhhh snea—going in. Am I good?"

The thing just stared at his waist. Oakie wondered why he was wearing shades at night and peered closer.

Funny…this little guy has a mole.

…wait. No way.

Could he be…

…a mole?

Things were beginning to make a little more sense, especially when he spotted the walking stick in The Mole's hand. He waved his hand in front of the fellow's face and got no reaction.

Definitely blind. Poor guy. Maybe he can't hear as well?

The Mole began to walk, tapping at the ground in front of himself and waving his other arm blindly. Oakie quickly backed up into the building. When The Mole couldn't find who or what he'd bumped into, he just shrugged and shut the door.

"Uh…thank you?" Oakie tried, just to double-check. Still no reaction. He couldn't believe it. What idiot made this guy a security guard? He looked over and through a cracked door, saw a room full of security camera feeds.

Oh...he's in charge of watching the cameras. Oakie bit his bottom lip, puffing his cheeks out. He wasn't going to laugh. He would not laugh. He patted The Mole on the head and that got him another stare, though this one was aimed his face.

This guy…oh, geez. He may be mute, too. Poor thing.

Well, he wasn't the one with The Mole on his payroll, so none of this was his business. He took off further into the building, pumped to get a front row seat to the show. But there were a ton of twists and turns, which began making him feel like an ugly rat in a maze. Even with a map, he knew he'd get lost.

Oakie began to get frustrated. How big was the place? As he was roaming, the band finished at least four more songs!

CRASH! BANG!

Oakie jumped, almost losing his glasses. He traced the noise to a door that was slightly ajar and as he got closer, began to hear a lot of ruckus. The light wasn't on.

He carefully peered in and could barely make out two somethings flitting about the dark room, snickering and bickering with one another. The door creaked slightly. The creatures froze, simultaneously jerking their heads to stare at Oakie with glowing eyes. He quickly turned on the light.

Raccoons. Green ones! One of them was wearing a hat and the other was carrying a gigantic bag over its shoulder. It looked like they'd been raiding the trophy room, but Oakie didn't really care at that point. Something in his mind had completely snapped.

"Oh, I think ONE or TWO of you needs a big hug!" Oakie cried, flinging his arms out.

The twins screamed like they were being murdered. Before Oakie knew they'd shot by him, causing him to spin around and around. He had to put a hand to his face to keep his glasses on.

Oh, no. They were not getting away from him, not when he'd gotten this far!

Splendid's ear twitched. He thought he'd heard something, but what…

He stepped in from outside, frowning. Super hearing or not, the maze of corridors made it hard for him to trace the source of the noise. He sighed, hoping his 'partner' hadn't slipped up and let any evildoers in.

As he flew through the hall, focusing past the music from the band, he determined that he was definitely hearing voices. He grimaced. There were maybe three or four of them and they sounded panicked.

He hovered in place in the next intersection, spinning slowly as he tracked the voices with growing accuracy…

…there! Splendid chose, flying at the wall and punching through it. He immediately spotted a pair of raccoons running away from him. They looked over their shoulders, saw him, and ran even faster.

"Hey!" Splendid snapped. He took off, losing sight of them when they rounded a corner. Seconds later, the both of them screamed in sheer terror.

Splendid blitzed around the corner. They were frozen.

He sped up, smirking. He had them.

Then…he happened to notice what they'd run into.

With a gasp Splendid came to a sharp halt mid-flight, causing his shades to fall off his face. He landed to the floor right next to Lifty and Shifty, staring along with them. Before them was this tall, weird-looking…Thing.

"Ooh! You have pretty fur!" The Thing cried, pointing at Splendid. "And look at that patagium! You're a flying squirrel that can actually fly!"

The three animals stared.

"You know...because where I come from, they just glide?"

Lifty, Shifty, and Splendid ran off screaming.