Green-birds were chirping loudly outside as Cheddar Biscuit gently traced the handle of the fork she held in her paw along the surface of the kitchen table in a dragging motion. She was completely lost in her own little world, her cheek resting on her paw while staring blankly out the window above the sink as the rest of her family ate their breakfast. Ever since last night, she couldn’t stop thinking about that nameless yellow labrador that had saved her life. She found herself beginning to wonder about things about herself she had never put much thought into before, like if she was pretty. If she smelled nice. If she had a nice voice. She hoped that he liked the show last night - at least before everything went wrong. She wondered if maybe, somewhere out there, he might be thinking about her too.
“Are you gonna eat that, Cheddar?”
The lovestruck dog temporarily snapped out of her daydreaming to the sound of Tag’s voice as she pointed at the untouched sausage link on her plate.
“O-oh, sure, go for it, sis.” Cheddar Biscuit handed her the room-temperature stick of meat, which Tag took and gobbled up hungrily as the white Beagador resumed zoning-out while her gaze slowly shifted back towards the kitchen window. He was out there, likely still somewhere in Pawston.
“Is everything okay, sweetie?” Maw spoke up, clearly noticing Cheddar’s lack of appetite and how unusually quiet she had been all morning. “Do you want to talk about what happened last night? It’s okay if you’re still shaken, maybe it’d be best if you… cancel your performance tonight.”
“What?” Cheddar’s ears perked up at the mere suggestion of canceling her show. “No, no, I’m not doing that. ‘The show must go on’, as we say in showbiz. I’m okay… really.” Cheddar lowered her head down, finally eating the lukewarm paw-shaped egg directly off her plate and swallowed before she continued. “We’re setting up way more precautions this time. More tarps, rounded torch handles, and a catching crew at the bottom as a last-resort. I know you’re still probably worried about me, but I promise what happened last night won’t ever happen again.”
Maw still wasn’t fully convinced, but dropped the subject.
“Well, okay, if you’re sure… is something else bothering you, then? You’ve just been really quiet all morning.”
“She’s probably thinking about that dog who caught her~” Gilber playfully teased with a coy smirk as he bit into the crunchy crust of his breadless toast, though he immediately receded back into his chair a bit once he noticing his mother giving him a scornful glare.
But Cheddar Biscuit didn’t give Gilber’s pestering a second thought this morning, having already tuned him out completely as she continued to look out the window with a slight blush growing on her face. The little white Beagador didn’t even notice the slight smile growing on her furry muzzle as well. She hadn’t even had the chance to thank that dog for what he did. She needed to see him again, at least to offer her gratitude properly.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Grandpaw Mort chuckled, remembering way back on that wonderful feeling of being young and new to love. He’d recognize that look of infatuation on his granddaughter’s face anywhere.
“Well I think it’s cute,” Grandmaw Marge added as she turned to Cheddar. “As scary as that whole ordeal was, it was like you fell right into that young man’s arms. Like in one of those old movies from back in the day, remember, Mort?” She looked to her husband as she rested her paw on his arm, to which he nodded in agreement. “Maybe it was fate that he caught you.”
‘Fate, huh…’ Cheddar thought to herself as her cheeks suddenly felt warmer. She was the kind of dog who believed in fate.
“Hey everyone, I think the news is talking about that bright flash yesterday.” Paw’s floppy ear perked up a little, quickly standing up from the table and adjusting the volume of the morning news playing from the tennis ball-shaped radio on the kitchen counter.
“No one has come forward claiming responsibility for yesterday’s unusual worldwide phenomenon, which officials have begun referring to as ‘The Blink’, though top researchers believe that this was a natural occurrence and not any sort of dog-made event. Even more strange is that ever since the incident, hospitals all over the world have been nearly clearing out as all known allergies, diseases and even cancers have seemingly been completely eradicated from patients. Medical scientists across the globe are scratching their heads as they conduct rigorous tests to confirm if this is true, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as more information comes out. Stay tuned for more daily morning news, I’m Bites Hardley.”
“Cancer? Just… gone?” Paw commented with a gasp after the report was done, leaning against the kitchen counter in disbelief as he took a slurp of his coffee. As great as this news was, it only raised even more questions.
“What on earth happened yesterday?”
At the same time in the town square, a certain yellow labrador leaned his paws against the large orange dog-bowl shaped water fountain. He looked down wordlessly at the distorted reflection of the green-eyed canine looking back at him. The longer he looked, the less he recognized that face. He reached down and slowly swiped his paw through the almost cartoonishly-blue water, making it almost completely indiscernible before the waves receded again and showed him the truth of who he was.
“After everything, I’m still the same me.” He whispered under his breath with a sigh.
He turned around to sit at the edge of the bowl, looking up at the bright blue sky dotted with green-birds darting this way and that from tree to tree. Just as Cheddar had secretly hoped, he was still thinking about that spotted white clown-dog he had saved last night - though he wished he wasn’t. But no matter how much he tried to distract himself, he couldn’t help but think of anything else.
He looked over to the gigantic circus tent across town, its waving flags at the top towering over the smaller buildings as if commanding his attention.
If only that clown knew just what a fool she had made of him.
The sun rose and fell in the sky as the day went on, and Cheddar found herself experiencing deja-vu as the orchestra dogs began to play their circus fanfare again from out on the stage. As she peeked out from behind the curtain, she saw the catching crew on standby for the finale as well as several layers of thicker tarps below the tightrope, just as she had promised her family. She scanned the audience for them, spotting them almost immediately in the same spot they were in the night before. Cheddar continued moving her eyes through the crowd, hoping to see that green-eyed dog again; but no matter which row she looked in, he was nowhere to be found tonight. She sighed in disappointment - maybe she would never see him again, after all.
The show went on as rehearsed, and once Cheddar reached her finale again, she kept her eyes up and performed fantastically. If there was even the slightest chance that that dog was in the audience, she wanted him to be impressed by her talents; one slip-up was already embarrassing enough. Once she jumped up and did her final 1080 spin on her unicycle mid-air before catching the torches and lifting them high into the air triumphantly as she stood proudly on the seat, the audience below cheered with a loud round of applause; her toupe fired large clouds of rainbow confetti from cannons and the band played a bombastic melody of victory.
Cheddar rode her unicycle back onto the platform and made her way down the ladder, feeling exhilarated from the satisfaction of a perfect performance as Muttfield came back onto the stage to conclude the show. When her eyes glanced toward the exit as she watched dogs begin to leave, she felt goosebumps under her fur when she happened to catch the glimpse of a familiar and unmistakable head of brown hair in the crowd.
Without a second thought, she made a beeline directly for the nameless dog. She couldn’t let him get away this time, not without a proper ‘thank-you’. The little white dog had some difficulty pushing through the packed crowd, but thanks to her smaller size she was able to duck and weave between some of the taller dogs’ legs as they walked.
Once she was out of the tent, Cheddar Biscuit looked around for any sign of that elusive stranger. Finally, she spotted him; he was walking alone down the cement pathway leading in the direction out of the Amusement Bark towards the river, his head tilted up slightly as if looking up towards the moon in the sky. Possibly her one and only chance to talk to him. She couldn’t let him get away again. She picked up her pace in a steady jog, calling out to him as she closed the distance between them.
“Hey, you! Green-eyed dog!”
He turned his head back to look over his shoulder, those unmistakable emerald eyes looking directly back at her.
And just like that, their fates had become intertwined.
“Oh, um… hi.” The yellow labrador quietly replied after a brief pause as he turned his body to face her, not moving from the spot where he now stood.
“H-hi… heh.” Cheddar nervously chuckled, for a moment almost forgetting what she came over to him for in the first place. “I just, uh, wanted to… thank you. For last night, I mean. You saved my life.” She brushed her floppy purple ear aside as her eyes met his, clearing her throat as she stood before him. Her stomach felt like it was on a Tilt-A-Whirl as she anxiously awaited his response.
“N-no problem, Cheddar Biscuit. Just did what I had to do.” The dog replied with a faint smile; Cheddar felt like her chest was going to burst as he said her name for the first time, and without her even needing to introduce herself. “...That is your name, right? At least, that’s what the ringmaster said your name was. Or is that just your clown name?” He took a few steps closer to her for a more comfortable conversation distance.
“No, it’s my real name! Cheddar Biscuit Barker, actually. Can I ask w-what’s yours?” She took a step closer to him as well, eager to finally have a name she could call him by.
“Mine? Uh…” The dog darted his eyes upward back and forth, almost as if he was trying to remember something he had forgotten. “...Colby. My name is Colby. It’s nice to meet you, Cheddar Biscuit. I loved your show. You’re really talented!”
Her heart began to swell at his compliments; he didn’t just like her show, he apparently loved it. And his name was Colby? Named after cheese, like her? This had to be fate, she thought, just as her Grandmaw had said.
“Thanks, it’s really nice to meet you too… Colby.” They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds as Cheddar quickly tried to think of where else to take the conversation. “So, um, are you new to Pawston? I don’t remember the town ever throwing a welcome party for you like we usually do for new residents. Or are you just… visiting?” She asked, secretly hoping he was here to stay.
“You could say I’m new here… yeah.” Colby’s expression turned sullen for a second as he looked downwards, though he did his best to keep a friendly smile on his face.
“And it looks like you’re… not here with anybody?” Cheddar asked as she interlocked her fingers together, wanting to make sure he wasn’t already seeing someone; she didn’t want to get in the way of someone else’s happy relationship.
“Nope, just… me, myself, and I.” Colby’s smile looked especially sad as he said this, as though there was some deep unspoken pain he was hiding. Cheddar wanted to be happy that he was alone, but noticed it immediately; as she had just met him, she knew it would be best for her not to pry.
“Then… would you like to…” The little white Beagador’s chest tightened as she made her move, her paws wringing together as she was completely unsure if this was proper etiquette. “H-hang out? With me?”
Colby’s head turned away, looking back up at the clear starry sky behind him. He had nowhere in particular to be, and no one else to be with. Nowhere to belong.
He turned back to face the confetti-colored circus dog standing in front of him. His smile grew slightly as he exhaled out of his nose in what was almost a chuckle, only now taking notice that she still had her bright red clown nose on. Cheddar immediately became aware of his subtle glance down to her muzzle, quickly taking the ball off to reveal her dark purple dog nose underneath as he smirked at her bashfulness.
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
The Barkers finally made their way out of the circus tent amidst the crowd of attendants, wondering where Cheddar had gone off to in such a rush. They had been hoping to congratulate her on her successful show, but she had left so quickly that they hardly even noticed until she was long-gone. They scanned the immediate area to see if Cheddar was waiting for them somewhere, until Tag first spotted her beginning to walk off with a yellow dog with brown hair.
“HEY, CHEDD-” She excitedly called out to her big sister but was suddenly interrupted by her mom’s paw on her arm.
“Let’s… just let her have some alone-time, okay Tag? We’ll catch up with her a bit later.” Maw smiled knowingly as she also noticed her daughter with the dog from last night.
“So, I’m curious… I really hope you don’t mind me asking this, but…” Colby tried to put his words delicately as they walked together past the various booths and stalls of the Amusement Bark, hoping he wouldn’t end up offending Cheddar. “How old are you, anyway? I mean, you’re obviously a professional circus performer, but, uh…”
“I’m short? Yeah, I get that a lot.” The little white dog shrugged it off nonchalantly as she looked up to him, having gotten used to the question by now as she got older. Colby wasn’t quite as tall as her dad, but he still stood about an entire head’s height taller than her. “There’s big dogs and little dogs, and I’m just somewhere on the shorter end of the scale. But I’m actually twenty years old. You?”
Colby was silent for a moment.
“What’s the date today?”
“I think it’s… April twenty-eighth today, why?” She replied, remembering that her opening night, the night she had been looking forward to for ages, was the twenty-seventh.
“Then I’m twenty…six, twenty-seven in about a month. June first.”
Cheddar glanced up at him at her side with a slightly perplexed expression on her face when he stated his age almost as though he had somehow forgotten. Either that, or he had absolutely no idea until now what time of year it was. There was certainly something highly unusual about this new dog in town, but she couldn’t place her furry finger on what exactly it was. Not that she disliked that about him; in fact, his odd but endearing behavior intrigued her greatly.
“Are you hungry? Wanna get some hot-dogs?” She changed the subject as she felt her stomach suddenly growling, pointing to the hot-dog stand nearby.
“I’m…” Colby was about to politely reject her offer, but his stomach growled harshly as well at the mere mention of food. He had hardly eaten much of anything since arriving in Pawston, aside from sneaking the occasional apple hanging from one of the odd umbrella-shaped trees in town. “...starving, actually.”
Before she even realized what she was doing, Cheddar grabbed Colby’s paw with a goofy grin and eagerly led him to the end of the short line as her tongue stuck out of her mouth slightly in a very dog-like manner. They continued holding paws for a brief moment longer as they waited in line together, until she realized what she was doing. A bright red blush burned through the white fur on her cheeks as she let go of his paw, casually rubbing her arm in silence as though she were pretending it never happened. If she had only turned to look at the yellow lab standing next to her, she would have noticed an equally red blush visible on his face as well.
Colby gulped as he felt his heart pounding the hardest it had in what felt to him like years. His fingers inched ever so closely back to Cheddar’s as he desperately wanted to feel the physical affection of her soft palm clasped against his again. He could nearly feel the subtle warmth of her paw against his as the distance between them lessened down to the millimeter. But just before they made contact, he reluctantly pulled it away and tightened it in a fist of self-restraint before letting out an exhale to try and calm his touch-starved nerves.
They didn’t have to wait much longer in awkward silence before they finally reached the front of the line.
“Hi, ketchup and mustard, please.” Cheddar asked the vendor with a smile, the glow in her cheeks finally having faded into a subtle pink. The apathetic green dog gave her what she asked before looking at Colby without a word.
“I’ll just have a plain one, please.” He requested, to which the vendor dog raised an eyebrow; not many dogs declined both mustard and ketchup. But she gave it to him anyway, just as he asked. Cheddar began to casually walk off with her hotdog in paw as Colby continued to stand at the front of the line, nervously calling out to her.
“H-hey Cheddar? I’m sorry, I uh… don’t have any… money.” He offered the hotdog back to the vendor in shame, who only shrugged her shoulders with a slight shake of her head in confusion.
“‘Munny’? Whaddya mean?” Cheddar Biscuit looked back at him, her purple ear drooping downwards as she tilted her head in confusion.
“Well we have to pay for these… right?” Colby looked back and forth between her and the vendor, who both looked at him as though he just spoke gibberish.
“Pay?” Cheddar’s brow furrowed even further, still not understanding such a concept.
“Hey, you’re holding up the line!” The red dog behind him complained, accompanied by the hungry groans of dogs also waiting behind him. “We’re hungry too, ya know!”
Rather than try to explain what he meant, Colby decided it would be best to just roll with it to avoid any further unnecessary confusion.
“N-nevermind, haha, I uh… forgot. Silly me, sorry about that everyone.” Colby feigned a smile to the dogs waiting impatiently behind him as he followed Cheddar, not wanting to draw any further attention to himself. He had never felt more like a fish out of water.
“You really aren’t from around here, are you?” Cheddar asked with a rather amused chuckle, in her mind still unable to comprehend whatever this ‘munny’ was. Everything had always been free - the world was prosperous, and most dogs naturally always looked out for each other, only taking what they needed within reason. For as long as anyone could remember, no dog had ever been left homeless or hungry. And those very few dogs who didn’t own a proper house typically did so by choice, usually opting instead to find a nice tree to live in.
“N…no. I’m really not.” Colby muttered as he slowly took a bite of his hotdog, tears starting to well up in his eyes as he chewed. Cheddar’s heart sank as she noticed his eyes become glossy.
“Hey, hey, I’m really sorry Colby, I-I didn’t mean to…” She gently placed a paw on his shoulder, dreading that she might have ruined her first-impression with her comment.
“This… is … a really… really good hot-dog…” The yellow lab whimpered with joy as he swallowed before taking another savory bite, and Cheddar let out a sigh of relief. He was crying because the hot-dog really did taste that good, but in reality, it was a little more complicated than that.
They continued to walk together through the colorful neon glow of the brightly lit Amusement Bark as the night went on, slowly getting to know each other better as they talked.
“I hope this isn’t insensitive to ask, but I’m curious…” Colby spoke up after he took a drink of his orange-flavored soda, looking the little spotted Beagador up and down. “About your fur. I don’t think I’ve seen any other dogs with so many different colors like yours. Do you dye them, or…”
“It’s okay to ask.” Cheddar Biscuit gave him a smile of reassurance that she wasn’t at all offended by the question. “And they’re birthmarks, actually. Sure, I could probably bleach them off if I wanted to, but I like them just the way they are!” She lifted her ankle up slightly, looking down at the large purple splotch on her left foot in particular with admiration at her body’s own uniqueness to match her personality. “They suit me.”
“That’s a nice way to look at it. They really do look good on you.” Colby’s inner thoughts spilled out of his mouth, looking away slightly in embarrassment once he realized what he said as he took another dip of his drink.
“Th-thanks...” Cheddar replied shyly as she looked away as well, having already lost track of how many times she had blushed that night.
“You really like juggling, huh?”
“Hm?”
She looked forward again, only to realize that she was suddenly juggling three red rubber balls. “Shoot, sorry, I didn’t even realize I was doing it.” She put the balls back behind her back, where they disappeared. “It’s a clown thing.” Cheddar chuckled nervously, hoping he didn’t think her way of fidgeting was too off-putting.
“That’s… okay…” Colby replied, curiously leaning over to look behind her; he didn’t think her random juggling was weird, in fact, he thought it was pretty cute; what was weird to him was where the balls went as she put them behind her back. And where had they even come from, for that matter? After struggling to understand the physics of that, he shrugged it off as it wasn’t worth worrying about at the moment.
“Oh! Speaking of birthdays, what’s your favorite holiday?” Cheddar asked seemingly out of the blue, remembering that Colby mentioned his birthday was only a month away.
“Definitely Christmas.” Colby responded without much thought, smiling slightly as he thought back on better times.
“...'Crisp-mas'? What’s that?” Cheddar’s eyebrow raised, having never heard of that holiday before. “Is that like Sniffsmas?”
“O-oh, yeah. Sniffsmas, that’s what I meant. I misspoke.” Colby cleared his throat. “Yours?”
“Well, birthdays are definitely my all-time favorite, but Howloween is a close second. I just love the autumn weather, pumpkin-flavored everything, and dressing up in costumes!” Cheddar got visibly excited just thinking about it. “Not to mention the sugar! Oh, but then again I can’t forget April Fool’s Day either! It’s so hard to pick just one!”
As the white Beagador looked over to him, she finally noticed the unusual triangular tag hanging from his collar. It looked like some sort of strange mechanical symbol, a fusion of smaller red and orange triangles melded together like pieces of an intricate puzzle with what appeared to be a small flat green crystal in the middle.
“Do you mind if I ask about your tag?” Cheddar questioned as she sat on a bench to rest her feet before gesturing to his neck.
“Oh, this?” Colby pinched it between his fingers as he sat next to her, looking down at it as though he hadn’t even noticed it was even there before. “It’s a, uh… family heirloom.”
“Oh, okay. Well, it looks good on you.” She said as she smiled at him, trying to return the favor for his compliment earlier. But as Cheddar Biscuit looked at Colby when he smiled back at her, she noticed that faint look of sadness on his face showing again through his expression.
“Thanks.” He replied, followed by a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“So… what made you decide to move to Pawston? Do you have any family here?” Cheddar gave a smile as she casually tried to change the subject, trying to steer it in a direction that would hopefully improve his despondent mood.
“No, no family here. Just… needed a new start.” The yellow labrador looked back up at the night sky.
“Do you miss your family back home?” She inched closer to him, gently resting her head against his shoulder as she looked up into the sky as well.
“...Yeah… a lot.” Colby rubbed his eye with his finger before clearing his throat to change the subject once more. He’d personally much rather learn more about Cheddar than talk about himself. “So… what else do you like to do when you’re not performing?
“Well, not much honestly, performing is my whole life.” Cheddar replied as she sat up straight again, clearing her throat as well. “I started with being a clown of course, which is still my main passion, but lately I’ve also been getting into lots of other kinds of performing arts. Tap-dancing, ukulele, piano, comedy, singing, a little magic…" She listed her many interests on her fingers as she counted, almost running out as she only had eight fingers to count from. “I even tried being a racecar driver in the Race Cadets once, but that didn’t work out.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Colby replied sympathetically, though he was definitely impressed by how multi-talented she was.
“Eh, it wasn’t really for me, anyway. That’s more my sister’s thing. Oh, and I especially love being a clown for puppies’ birthday parties. Hearing their laughter is just too precious!” As she continued on into great detail about what it was like to be a performer, Colby quietly hung on to her every word with a gentle smile, gazing at the white fur on her cute face as it almost seemed to glow like snow in the moonlight.
“Listen, um… Colby…” Cheddar Biscuit’s tail swayed back and forth nervously as they still sat together on the bench, watching the other dogs as they passed by. She only now realized just how long she’d been talking, as the Amusement Bark was closing for the night. Her heart thumped in her chest as they turned to look at each other, making a small part of her fantasize about what his lips might taste like. “I-I can’t say I know what it’s like to be alone in a new town, but… I can understand what it’s like to feel like no one knows you at all.”
“How so?” Colby hummed inquisitively, unsure how she could feel such a way.
“My family… I love them more than anything, of course, but sometimes I feel like… like they only ever see me as nothing more than the goofy circus girl. I mean, I am the goofy circus girl of the family, but… there’s so much more to who I am that I feel like no one ever really sees. I know they love me, but I just wish they’d take me a little more seriously sometimes. Being a clown isn’t just fun and games for me, it’s really a lot of hard work and I feel like it goes unappreciated. Someday, I want to be world-famous for what I do!” She shook her head, realizing she was starting to get a little too hyped-up with her rambling.
“It’s great to have dreams, I hope you get there someday.” Colby cracked a soft smile. “And I think you will, you really were great out there.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to turn this into a therapy session.” Cheddar blushed at the heartfelt compliment. After her brother’s discouraging words the day before, it felt really nice to hear. What I’m trying to say is… i-if you wanted, since you’re all by yourself in a new town, I could… show you around Pawston sometime? You know, get you a little more familiar with how things work around here?”
Colby looked at her silently, his expression extremely difficult for her to read. Over the course of the night, he seemed to be a dog of few words - just one of the many ways that he unintentionally made her the best kind of nervous. “I-if you don’t want to, I get it. I just figured-”
“I’d honestly… love that, Cheddar Biscuit.” Colby stood up from the bench, lifting his ankles as he cracked his back in an arch before turning to her and politely offering her his paw to help her off the bench. “Are you… free tomorrow? My schedule is wide open.”
The little white Beagador’s fingers trembled a little as she took his paw and he gently pulled her up, feeling a jolt of electricity run up her spine as she got closer to the yellow lab than she’d ever been. It took every ounce of her willpower not to lean up and kiss him right then and there. Her highly sensitive dog nose picked up the unique scent of the fur on his chest as she nearly stumbled into his embrace - she couldn’t put it into words if she tried, but there was something about the faint aroma he was giving off that was completely foreign to her.
“Y-yeah, I’m available.” Cheddar stammered, awkwardly turning the paw-holding into a friendly pawshake. “Our circus shows are only on the weekends, so I’m free all week.”
“Great… wanna meet back here then? Same spot, first-thing tomorrow morning?” Colby asked as he shook her paw in return, savoring every second of the feeling of her paw in his.
“It’s a date!” The clown-dog blurted out rashly, her cheeks immediately flushing as red as the crimson birthmarks on her fur in embarrassment before she broke the pawshake. “O-okay, see you tomorrow, Colby!” Cheddar said as she hastily waved him goodbye, running away in the general direction of her house. ‘Why did I say that, why did I SAY that?!’ Her heart pounded as she thought to herself in self-hatred at her own impulsive wordage.
“A date…” Colby muttered quietly as he watched her run down the street before looking at his warm paw, then down at his own pounding heart. The heart in his chest that had been repeatedly telling him ‘No’ was now quietly whispering,
‘Maybe.’
Much later that night, as Cheddar Biscuit lay restlessly on top of the bed’s headboard and looked out the starry night sky through the window to the sound of the rest of her family snoring peacefully, her thoughts were filled not only with what today gave her, but what tomorrow might bring as well. She hadn’t been able to sleep a wink as her brain felt like it was riding high on a carousel of emotions. Closing her eyes to try and finally get some rest as she didn’t want to be late for their meeting tomorrow, Cheddar smiled giddily to herself with a sigh as her dreams were filled with visions of that yellow dog with the green eyes.
‘Colby…’
