am.”

The cat finally lowered her paw, and looked down at the pitiful dog below her, casting him a hazy glare. “And that’s supposed to make you someone better than who you originally were?” She hissed at him. “What ignorance!! Ramming into doors and slipping in puddles doesn’t make you an idiot – rejecting your friends and treating them like dirt does.”

Haywire drew in a breath to reply, but he suddenly realized he had nothing to say. He blinked, trying to organize the thoughts in his head. A sharp pain jabbed at his brain. “W-Why are you telling me this?”

Now it was the cat that smirked. “Go ahead and act as macho as you want, doggie. You aren’t fooling anybody here but yourself.” And with that, she leapt off her perch, jumped off a trashcan, and disappeared from view.

Haywire was left in the darkness of his alleyway, feeling somewhat ashamed of himself. He was torn in two by the parts of him that wanted to return to his old friends and apologize, and the other that wanted to lap it up, and take it as it was.

He turned around and sprinted out of the alleyway, but he was blinded by another stab of pain as the side of his body collided with another, then another.

Three Huskies lay on the ground, dazed. They slowly got up, rubbing their heads, and groaning. Ambyr looked up and gasped.

“Haywire!!”

“Ambyr!! Blitz!!”

“Haywire?”

The three dogs stared at each other for a second. Then, Ambyr shook her head. “Haywire, what’s gotten into you? What’s wrong?”

Haywire was speechless.

Blitz looked up. “This doesn’t have anything to do with that bone I buried behind the boiler room, does it? Because if it does, I swear, Ambyr made me – oof!!”

Ambyr nudged him hard on the side, and gave him a look. “Haywire, it’s not like you to kill your toys and lunge at people, and go running off like that.”

“Not to mention, practice at the track,” Blitz chimed in.

Ambyr paid him no mind. “It’s like you’re acting like a total...ermm...”

“...Idiot?” Haywire offered.

Ambyr and Blitz silently nodded their heads.

“Ugh...” Haywire got up, and started pacing in front of them. “I dunno...It’s just that...well...”

“Yeah?”

Let them have it, something inside told him. Tell them how angry you are with them! “...You guys all think I’m nothing but a clumsy oaf. I don’t want to be thought of that by my own friends. I mean, ever since yesterday, I’ve been thinking...”

“Haywire,” Blitz said. “What makes you think changing will make you any more of a friend now more than it would yesterday, or ever since you were a pup, for that matter?”

Haywire looked at him. “...I...just wish I wasn’t so...you know.”

Ambyr walked over to his side. “I can understand if you want to change because you think it’d be better for you...but why for us?”

The more they spoke, the more Haywire’s “mature” side faded away. He suddenly felt somewhat lonely, shocked, and even a little ashamed. It was as if all his dual personalities suddenly meshed together into one. He still wanted to tell them about how hurt he was last night, but he decided against it. Looking back at what he’s done and how he treated his friends made him feel even lower than how he began. He sighed and looked at the ground. “I dunno what’s gotten into me,” Haywire said glumly. “I thought that maybe...I could change myself.”

Blitz cocked his head to the side. “What makes you think we want you to change? You know, a serious Haywire every now and then would be great, but...”

“We like you for who you are,” Ambyr finished. Then, with a frown, she added, “As corny as that sounded.”

Blitz and Haywire exchanged looks. Then, Haywire chuckled. “You know...I never really liked to act my age to begin with. I mean, I know I’m older than Ambyr and all, but –“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Blitz interrupted. “Hold the telegraph!! YOU’RE OLDER THAN AMBYR?!” He looked over at her. She only stared back, and shrugged.

“What, I thought you knew?” Haywire said, confused.

Blitz shook his head, still in shock.

“Oh...well...I shouldn’t matter, should it? I mean...just because you’re old doesn’t mean it’s not okay to act like a pup every now and then.”

“I think you just learned your own lesson,” Ambyr said.

Haywire thought for a moment. “Yeah,” he said after a while. “I think I have.”

The three started laughing together, as both Ambyr and Blitz gave Haywire playful slaps on the back.

“Let’s get going,” Blitz said, getting a grip on himself. “We need to get Haywire some new chew toys.”

“And a bite to eat,” Ambyr said, rubbing her stomach.

“You got it!!” Haywire barked.

And with that, the three dogs started forward. Suddenly, as they were walking, Ambyr’s paw lurched forward, and she gave out a yell as she was flipped over onto her back. “Oh!!”

Blitz and Haywire looked down at her.

“What’re you two looking at?” she said as she got up.

“Myself,” Haywire replied. “Once upon a time.” They helped Ambyr to her paws, and they all walked off, laughing at each other.

Not far behind, a black cat leapt down from her perch, and watched the dogs disappear. She casually licked at one of her paws. “My work here is done,” she said.