Chapter 61: One Year Later, Changed Times Yet Again
Let's take a look at the year that has passed for the critters in Crittopia after The Hour Of Joy ceased to exist and everything returned to normal.
First there was KickinChicken and Hoppy Hopscotch getting back together. They were looking to fix their relationship by trying to be better for one another.
"So you know the drill?" Hoppy asked KickinChicken while the two were in Hoppy's house,
"Yes, I know the drill…" KickinChicken replied, "No more manipulation."
"Uh-huh, and no more shitting on your friends."
"What else?"
"...I don't know. Do you have anything?"
"...No, not at all."
"...This is gonna be harder than we thought."
"Beats me, but I'm sure the two of us will get through it together. Right?"
"Right."
The two then hurdle together on the couch while sitting and laying on opposite sides of the couch.
"...So… What now?" KickinChicken wondered,
"Wanna watch some TV?" Hoppy wondered, "It's gonna be a long road to recovery."
"I guess, sure."
Holden Howler was on the phone with someone.
"Oh, don't worry, my brother is doing just fine now!" He said, "It's gonna take a while for him to get back out there while keeping the secret of him being a Dark Critter locked tight."
Holden then bumped into someone and dropped his phone.
"Oww!" He said while rubbing his head, "Sorry!"
"Damn, watch where you're going!" A critter said as he picked up Holden's phone off the ground and gave it to him, "Here, I'm off to my home and taking a long ass nap."
The critter walked away as Holden sighed.
"This guy is in a cranky mood." He said, "I don't blame him."
Holden then looked at his phone as it was cracked on one corner.
"Damn." He said, "Oh well, it is what it is. I'll stick with it until the next line of phones get released."
Holden then noticed that the call was still going and gasped.
"Oh, sorry!" He said while back on the phone with someone, "I had a little accident and I dropped my phone! It didn't break all the way!"
Later one night, Bobby and PickyPiggy were on a date together near a balcony of a fancy restaurant. A candle was lit up in the middle of the table as Bobby was in a lovey-dovey mood as she and PickyPiggy were looking at each other.
"Picky…" Bobby said, "I love you, to the moon and back."
PickyPiggy giggled.
"I love ya too, Bobby." She said, "I love ya so much, ya make me wanna shout it from the rooftops."
"Is that even possible?" Bobby wondered,
"Heh, I might as well try."
"Woah, are you that type of girl?"
"...Uhhhhh…"
"Look, you can tell me later. I see a waiter coming up to take our orders. Don't worry, I'll be paying for our meals."
"Thanks, Bobby."
"No worries, love."
A few weeks have gone by. RatedRat and DandyDragon were writing documents for a future tournament the two are creating. RatedRat clears her throat to get DandyDragon's attention.
"So, I'm in love with this guy, right?" She said to her,
"Uh-huh, how dreamy was he in your eyes?" DandyDragon wondered while trying not to get distracted by RatedRat,
"Oh, I don't know, he was tall, handsome and a hunk! We've been friends for years and he's got my interests already! He's also a Theater major in college!"
"You know something, RatedRat? How did we go from hating one another to straight up being close?"
"I might as well have a best friend since I barely got anyone close to me."
"...You're right. I don't really have a best friend other than Hoppy, but don't hang out a lot due to some… drama."
"Yeah… I still gotta apologize to Hoppy."
"Damn right, forgot about that."
The two then looked at each other with different looks. DandyDragon being a serious look while RatedRat with a troubled look. Then, before long, the two shared a laugh together. It seems their relationship has evolved in a positive way.
"Anyways, back to work!" RatedRat said, "You got ideas?"
"Oh I sure do!" DandyDragon replied,
A week later, Bubba was with CraftyCorn in Sunshine Valley, a place located in the Northwest of Crittopia. They were walking around together in the streets. Bubba was silent as he was trying to think of something to say. CraftyCorn then noticed his silence as she turned around.
"Are you ok, Bubba?" She asked him,
"Oh, yes, I'm fine…" Bubba replied,
CraftyCorn was worried.
"What's wrong?" She wondered,
Bubba sighed.
"Alright, you got me…" He replied, "I'm just… worried about the future."
"Huh, that's new." CraftyCorn said, "You're usually very confident."
"It's not just the future in general. It's about us."
"Us?"
"Of course… I'm worried about losing you again. I'm worried about what will happen to me if I lose you again…"
"Bubba, please, don't make this worse, ok?"
Bubba sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry…" He said, "I got carried away…"
"...I know how much you mean to me." CraftyCorn said, "From the start of our friendship to my disappearance to now my return…"
"Huh?"
"Here, everything will be ok. Let me… pay you back."
"Pay me back? What are you–"
CraftyCorn then went over to Bubba and kissed him. Bubba blushed.
"W-Woah…" He said,
CraftyCorn giggled.
"I know how much you have feelings for me." She said, "That's ok, I kinda feel the same way."
"H-How did you know?" Bubba wondered,
"Uhhh… Don't some of our friends know?"
Bubba felt defeated.
"Oh…" He said,
CraftyCorn laughed a bit.
"Cheer up, Bubba! I'm back and I'm well!" CraftyCorn said as she held Bubba's hoof, "Come on, I haven't been to Sunshine Valley in a long time, so show me everything!"
"O-Ok, Crafty!" Bubba said as he laughed a bit to calm himself down, "Wow, you're in a different mood today."
Running past a shorter critter, he looked up at the new couple and smirked.
"Guess love is in the air for them." He said, "Good for them."
Wolf Wolfgang meanwhile was in his new library as he was doing paperwork. Then, he saw a critter walking up to him with a book in their feathered arms.
"Excuse me?" They said in an accent, "Can I return this book?"
"Certainly." Wolf replied, "Let me see your ID and book."
Let's fast forward to next year, to where CatNap, DogDay, CraftyCorn and Bubba were graduating high school. The other four friends were waiting for them to graduate so that they could all go to college together. CatNap was in the men's bathroom, looking at himself through a mirror while in graduation robe. He was silent and looked like he was gonna throw up. He then heard a knock on the door.
"CatNap?" A voice said, "Are you in there?"
"...Come in." CatNap replied as he almost heard who was the voice,
DogDay entered, who was also in his graduation robe and was wearing a graduation cap as well. He was also holding another one in his hands, which was supposed to be for CatNap.
"What's wrong, buddy?" He asked him,
"Nothing…" CatNap replied, "I just feel… sick, to be on stage in front of an audience. But also without a family watching you and cheering you on… Not even you don't have a family either…"
"CatNap… Listen, we have each other."
"I know, but…"
"No, listen to me, the 8 of us have each other. We can call ourselves a family, well, one in spirit."
"Teh, if you say so…"
"Come on, buddy…"
DogDay then gives CatNap his graduation cap.
"Shake it off." He said, "And then, we'll be on our way. The ceremony starts in 20 minutes."
CatNap sighed.
"Alright…" He said, "I'll be out in a bit."
"Ok, good." DogDay said as he left,
CatNap then looked at his reflection again as he took a deep breath, and put on his graduation cap. Without saying another word, he went outside to meet with DogDay and the rest of the critters graduating in the same grade as them, including CraftyCorn and Bubba.
Later, the graduation ceremony for the graduating critters of Cunning Curiosity High School has begun. Everyone would get their diplomas while the audience claps for them. KickinChicken, Hoppy, Bobby and PickyPiggy were in the audience, as they graduated high school before them, and sitting alongside them were Bubba's and CraftyCorn's families. When CatNap got to his diploma, he looked at the audience and sighed, but he kept a fake smile to make sure that nothing was wrong, when there was. He doesn't have a family to congratulate his achievement. How will this affect him going into college?
Later, at the school's gym, CatNap was chatting with his friends about what's next for them in the future. While that was going on, another graduated critter was watching them talk while thinking to herself.
"I heard a voice telling me my purpose…" She said, "But… I don't want to trust that voice…"
The critter then turned away.
"Even so, what is my true purpose in life?" She wondered,
The critter walked away as the graduation was slowly ending. A new chapter in life for the critter crew has started.