*Thunk*
The rear door of the red and orange car was closed shut as everything they needed was finally packed. Not like they needed much anyway - they didn’t need to pack any clothes, after all. Most of it was just supplies they needed to take care of Brie, as well as some extra food and water for between stops. Colby couldn’t help but smile with a little excitement for the road-trip ahead as the warm spring air softly brushed through the yellow fur on his body, heralding the happy ending that he had always wanted.
“We’re going to miss you so much!” Paw said as he squeezed Cheddar Biscuit tightly against him.
“We’re not gonna be gone forever, Dad.” The little white Beagador grunted as she tried to push away from his firm grip. “But I’ll miss you too.”
“Just remember, you can always call us.” Maw patted Paw’s back, and he finally - though reluctantly - let her go. “At least once in a while, to let us know you’re okay. We’d appreciate it. Please?”
“I will, Mom.” Cheddar paused for a moment before giving both her parents a tight hug as Colby joined her.
“And I usually never say this, but drive slow.” Grandmaw added, passing Brie from her own arms into Cheddar’s. “You’ve got this little one to take care of, after all.”
“‘Drive slow’? Who are you, Grandmaw?” Cheddar Biscuit chuckled. “But of course we will. Fast is more Tag’s thing, remember?”
“True. It’s just, after everything that’s happened, I think it’s about time I slowed down a little myself.” Marge pulled Cheddar and Colby in for a hug. “I’m gettin’ too darn old for doing wheelies on that motorbike anymore.”
“Well you’ll never see me going slow!” Tag chimed in defiantly.
Colby chuckled, petting his little sister’s head.
“I’m counting on it.”
As Colby and Cheddar hopped into the car with Brie seated on the puppy-seat installed into the top of the car roof behind them, they looked back at the Barkers.
“Hey, can you get me a pawtograph from Bark Hamill when you get to Paws Angeles?!” Spike called out to them.
“Heh, we’ll see what we can do, Spike.” Colby chuckled as he lightly scritched the top of Brie’s head with his fingers.
“Have a nice trip!” Gilber called out, and the family began to wave.
“Good-by!” They all shouted together in unison.
As Colby watched the Barkers seeing them off, he had a good feeling that for the rest of his days, everything would be okay. He and Cheddar waved back.
“It’s not good-by,” Colby said as he turned the ignition on.
“It’s ‘see you soon.’”
With that, Colby and Cheddar Biscuit drove off into the sunrise together with their daughter Brie in tow. As they left town, Colby saw a road sign that read,
‘Exit 42’
The yellow Labrador chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Cheddar asked with a smile.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Colby replied, smiling as well; the dotted yellow lines passed them by as he took the exit.
“I’m just happy.”
-
Cheddar slowly opened her eyes, feeling the night wind brushing past her face. It took a moment for her to realize where she had slept before she looked over to see Colby still driving to the next destination on their trip.
“Good morning,” he said quietly, not wanting to wake Brie. “Well, technically it’s morning, anyway.”
The clock on the dashboard said 1:26 A.M.
“You should pull over if you’re tired, you know.” Cheddar mumbled, still half-asleep.
“It’s okay, I’m not tired yet. We’re almost to a hotel anyway.” Colby rubbed her leg, her foot pressing against him as she laid curled up on her side on the car seat. “You can go back to sleep if you want though, I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
Cheddar yawned, adjusting herself into the seat as she got comfortable.
After several minutes of silence, Colby glanced over to see that his wife had been looking directly at him the entire time.
What’s up?” He asked, unable to help but blush at the loving look she was giving him.
“Oh, it’s nothing, Colby,” Cheddar Biscuit replied, closing her eyes again with a smile.
“I’m just happy.”
-
And - as cheesy as it may sound - they lived happily ever after.
Tag went on to become the first dog to end her idol and tutor Sam Whippet’s flawless winning record, and eventually earned the title of World-Class Racer. She and Scooch eventually married when they were older, and they moved to a farm just outside Pawston where they raised - of course - chickens. But true to her word, Tag never stopped racing, and she held her winning record for even longer than Sam. With her expertise on vehicles of all kinds, she and Scooch also eventually became the owners of the Pawston Pawtomotive Garage.
Maw and Paw continued to work at their passions of blimp-piloting and doorbell salesman respectively, and they eventually got Paw’s old band back together for a reunion tour. It was so successful that they released a new album the next year after a nearly thirty-year hiatus.
Grandmaw Marge and Grandpaw Mort eventually retired from the Pawston Pawtomotive Garage, choosing to live out the rest of their days at the Happy Tails Senior Center to be around dogs their own age and receive proper care. They both lived to be one hundred years old, until one night they both passed away peacefully in their sleep together. They were holding each other's paws.
Gilber became a world-renowned barkeologist, always on faraway trips to dig-sites all around the world. He eventually became a college professor to give important lectures on canine anthropology.
Spike eventually became the head of the Space Cadets, and under his leadership their surveillance of outer space reached further than ever before as they monitored for any further potentially world-ending meteors that might hit Earth. None ever did.
Yip ended up joining the circus in Cheddar Biscuit’s footsteps, using his expert marksmanship to become a knife-throwing stunt performer. His main draw was he never used his paws to throw knives - he always spat them out with his mouth. And not once did he ever miss his target.
After their six-month-long road trip across the world, Cheddar Biscuit’s ‘Circus Bone-anza’ show drew in dogs from all around, and she became a household name synonymous with the very word ‘clown’.
Brie grew up with the happiest childhood any puppy could wish for, and when she eventually discovered her strange inherited plasma abilities when she was older, her father Colby taught her how to use them. Not that a time came when she ever needed to.
Colby Barker lived a happy and peaceful life for the rest of his days, full of many more fun and enjoyable adventures with his family.
He never had nightmares again. Never felt suffering again.
And he never felt alone.
