_______ Still inside the treehouse, Dylan groggily gets up and walks out to see the sun rising into the sky. He walks from his treehouse and into the house, where he sees his siblings still sleeping. The eldest pup quietly sneaks by them to head up the stairs for the bathroom where inside the lavatory, Dylan tries to shower only to get spooked by a certain inverted dalmatian in the tub.
“Ahh! What the... Dante, what are you doing?!” Dylan asked in an indignant manner.
“To tell you that something awful is gonna happen today. Also, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t leave anything in the tub.” Dante explained.
“Like what, your fur dye?” Dylan inquired.
“Yes.” The inverted pup replied bluntly.
“*yawns* Well, make sure you keep your dye out of the tub. Last time, I spent a few hours trying to clean it up.” The dalmatian tiredly responded to his brother.
“I said I was sorry. The world’s gonna end sometime, and I needed to look presentable when it does.” The goth pup explained in an indignant tone as he left the tub.
“Uh-huh...right…” The elder dalmatian stoically replied.
“Also, being gloomy and negative’s my style. What’s your damage?” The younger dalmatian asked in an indignant manner.
“Had another sleepless night as usual.” The older dalmatian replied.
“You too? I thought I was the only one.” The inverted dalmatian said intrigued.
“Just a nightmare, Dante. Nothing more, nothing less.” Dylan wave him off as he tries to shower.
“Nightmares can be a sign too.” Dante started.
“Oh dog, here we go...” The elder brother sighed as he walks past and enters the tub after taking his collar off.
“No lie. Dreams and nightmares can have a significant meaning in what’s to come.” Dante continued as he’s being ignored by his brother as the latter starts showering. “Impending doom awaits us all. The end is upon us!” The inverted dalmatian ranted dramatically.
“Yeah… Dante, while I appreciate your concern about how dreams work, but mind toning down that ridiculous assumption of yours?” Dylan shot down at his younger brother as he showers.
“Dylan, I’m serious. Have you experienced any night terrors lately?” Dante asked.
“No. I rarely get those nowadays.” The elder brother stated wanting to end the conversation as he finishes showering. “Besides, why do you want to know?” He asked as he dries himself off with a towel.
“Well, you’ve been sleeping in most mornings and arriving at breakfast late.” The inverted dalmatian answered.
“Oh...that… Guess I was just tired.” Dylan said plainly as he put his collar back on.
“Since when, last week?” Dante inquired.
“Actually, it was precisely last month.” A younger voice said to the two.
Both brothers turn towards the door to see Dawkins, the smartest resident of the household.
“Oh, morning, Dawkins.” Dylan waves to his brother.
“At least you managed to wake this morning.” Dawkins said in a stern but concerned manner.
“Actually, I had another sleepless night.” The elder brother stated.
“Yes, those bloodshot eyes of yours are a real giveaway.” The smart pup started.
“Anyway, I’ll get everything ready.” Dylan said as he walks out of the bathroom, but his brother stops him.
“Are you sure you’re capable this morn?” Dawkins asked him.
“Where are you going with this?” The elder pup asked in an annoyed manner.
“To be direct, you have been...shoddy in your work around the house. Your vacuuming, wiping, filling the kibble and water bowls have left much to be desired.” The smart pup commented on Dylan’s inadequate chore work.
“Is that all? *yawn* I’ll make up for it this morning.” The eldest pup tiredly reassured his brother.
“Actually, we noticed that you’ve been nodding off in the middle of your chores. You almost vacuumed Dorothy.” Dante added in.
“Oh yeah… I remembered how crossed Dorothy looked.” Dylan remembered what happened.
“That and one time, you fell over while you wiping the walls. You slept for 5 hours.” Dawkins reminded him.
“I did? Huh…” Dylan said in bewilderment.
“Mum and Doug are starting to worry about you. Also-” The genius pup was cut off.
“I’m fine. No need to worry about me.” The eldest pup reassured his siblings as he went downstairs to prepare breakfast.
“I’m concerned that things might take a dire turn.” Dawkins stated in a worried manner.
“Disaster is upon us all!” Dante shouted, scaring the genius a little. _______ A couple of hours later, all the pups are awake and eating breakfast excluding the eldest, Dylan, who’s staring at his bowl full of kibble thinking about his recurring dreams. His lack of sleep is making him unable to eat for some reason, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed, as one of the adult dalmatians noticed her son isn’t eating again.
“Dylan, is something the matter, dearie?” Delilah asked her eldest son snapping out of his thoughts.
“Huh? Oh… I’m...fine. Just...not hungry at the moment.” Dylan replied to his mother which got the rest of the pups’ attention.
“You’ve been eating in intervals for some days now. Are you sick?” The mother asks once more.
“No… I…I’ve been preoccupied with my-” The eldest brother was cut off by a certain inverted dalmatian.
“His dreams of doom!” Dante dramatically announced.
“Knock it off, Mr. Doom and Gloom. It’s just a random nightmare, like I said.” Dylan repeated in an annoyed manner.
“For a month. Ow!” Dawkins muttered unfortunately in his brother’s earshot which earns him a pinch on the leg from him.
“Just a little insomnia. Nothing to worry about.” The eldest pup replied.
“A little insomnia for you to skip breakfasts, bro?” Dolly skeptically asked.
“Look, I’m not sick… It was just a random dream. Everyone get them, it’s no big deal.” Dylan defended himself. “Now, can we please change the subject?” He pleaded.
“Alright, if you’re well, me an’ Doug have the whole day off.” Delilah announced to the pups.
“That’s right, and well, both of us decided to head out for the evening.” Doug added.
“You’re going out?” Dawkins asked the two.
“Not until this evening. So, Dylan, if you’re able, you don’t mind watching the pups?” The mother replied.
“I’m able and willing.” Dylan responded with a salute.
“Just don’t vacuum Dorothy again.” Dolly remarked with a sly smirk.
“Watch it…” Dylan warned his stepsister with a glare.
“Just saying, Cap’n Doze-a-lot.” She teased her stepbrother, earning a disapproving groan from him. _______ As the hours pass in the morn, Dylan decides to head outside by opening the front door, but gets stopped by his stepdad, Doug.
“Heya, son.” Doug greeted his stepson.
“Hi, Dad… I was just heading out for a little walk.” Dylan replied.
“You sure you don’t need any rest, son?” The father asked in a concerned tone.
“I’m fine! Don’t worry about me, Dad.” The eldest son reassured.
“Well, if you’re OK, mind taking the pups with you on your walk?” The father requests as that got the pups eager as well.
“Dylan’s going for a walk?/I wanna go for a walk!/Walkies!” The pups got excited hearing the trigger word.
“Oh no…” Dylan whined as he embraces the impending tidal wave of pups.
Soon Dylan is swarmed by all 98 of his siblings out of the house, and onto the sidewalk. Dylan peaks out of the puppy pile, and gave his stepfather a thumbs up. _______ A few minutes later, Dylan walks down the sidewalk with his siblings in tow as the eldest brother is in deep thought until Dolly breaks the silence.
“Hey, bro, where are we going?” Dolly asked her stepbrother.
“You all didn’t have to come with. I just wanted a solo walk.” Dylan stated as he stops for a moment.
“Why? What’s going with you?” She asked again.
“Nothing. Just a walk.” He answered halfheartedly.
“I’m feeling concerned about your well-being and-” Dawkins tries to talk, but got cut off by his elder brother.
“I said I’m fine!” Dylan replied, but this time in an indignant manner, scaring his siblings.
“Woah, Dyl, chill.” Dolly said as she backs away from her stepbrother as did the pups.
“Sorry, everyone. I’m just a little unhinged at the moment…” Dylan admitted.
“Not to mention grumpy as well.” Dolly added.
“First off, shut up, and second, I’m in no mood to hear any of your crap.” The eldest dalmatian responded bitterly and sighed. “Like I said, I’m just taking a walk to clear my head.” He says this and resumes his walk, only for Dolly to cut in front of him.
“OK, spill. What’s wrong with you?” She demanded.
“Nothing, and even if I told you, I doubt you or the pups would understand.” Dylan stated firmly.
“Can your science interpret dreams?” Dylan interjected with his question and added more before Dawkins could ever talk. “Without any machines or chemicals?” He finished.
“I cannot…” Dawkins replied in defeat.
“Geez, bro! You’re more of a downer than Dante.” She snarked.
“Yuh-huh.” Dante replied, earning a glare from Dylan.
“Whatever… I’m going to the park. You can all just-” The eldest pup is stopped by a sharp pain from his tail. He turns to see Dorothy nibbling his tail. “What’s with you?” He asked his half-sister.
“Yeah... She’s not letting go unless you take her with you.” Dolly said as the other pups began to hug Dylan. “Also them too.” She finished.
“*sigh* Fine…” Dylan replied in a defeated tone, which the pups cheer. Just my freaking luck, he said to himself in his thoughts. _______ Some time later at the park, the pups went about their leisurely time while Dylan, tiredly, watches the pups until he notices a certain human with a long messy blond hair sitting on the bench with his backpack.
“Is that...?” Dylan asked himself as he goes over to the human.
As he got closer, he recognized the human as none other than Hunter De Vil, the great nephew of the dalmatian family’s worst enemy, Cruella De Vil. He motions for the boy to look at him, but notices that Hunter is wearing his earbuds and listening to the music on his phone, which drowns out the dalmatian’s barks. Seeing this annoys him, and Dylan decides to press pause on the music, which startles the boy.
“Oi! I was listenin’ to that!” Hunter exclaimed as he turns to see a certain dalmatian. “Oh, it’s you. Been a while.” He greeted the pup.
“Yeah...it has…” Dylan tiredly replied.
“Any particular reason why look you like a zombie?” Hunter asked, noticing the slight bags under the dalmatian’s eyes.
“I barely slept much these days… I get the same nightmare every now and then.” Dylan answered.
“I’m sure it was some random dream, mate.” The boy replied.
“Do the same nightmares occur for a whole month?” The dalmatian asked, which shocks the boy.
“Yeah, that’s not normal...” The boy replied. “I’m not sure what it’s about, but I’m sure you’ll resolve it soon.” He finished.
“I wouldn’t know about that… But anyway, what are you doing here?” Dylan asked, changing the subject.
“Killing time till tonight.” Hunter stated plainly.
“Tonight? What’s tonight?” Dylan asked curious.
“If you must know, the lunar eclipse is coming here tonight.” The De Vil answered with a smirk.
“Wait, really?!” The dalmatian said excitedly, but he stops himself. “Wait… Which phase? Is it the-” The pup got cut off.
“Total. All full.” Hunter stated plainly.
“I totally forgot about it. That with the pups, endless sleep, and-” Dylan said and was cut off again.
“Plus, the weather conditions are perfect. Barely any clouds in the sky, and I get to enjoy myself on the hill.” The boy went on.
“The hill?” Dylan asked.
“Primrose Hill. It’ll be the best spot to look at the blood moon.” Hunter replied.
“You can’t view it from your tower?” The dalmatian asked him.
“Rather spend time outdoors than indoors.” The boy explained once again as he looks into his bag to take out a water bottle. “You can tag along with if you want.” He offered.
“Why me?” Dylan asked in a suspicious manner.
“If I didn’t know, you could use a little break from the fam.” Hunter said as he looks over to see the pups wreaking havoc. “Plus, I wanna make up for what my great-aunt put you through.” He stated to the pup as mentioning his great-aunt leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.
“That was on her. Besides, you couldn’t have known she was gonna skin us alive.” Dylan reassured him as he looked at the backpack. “So, you got picnic supplies in here?” The dalmatian asked as he peered inside the bag.
“Pretty much.” Hunter said as he drinks from the bottle.
“Along with this book?” The dalmatian asked once more as took out an odd book.
“Uh… Well… I got curious about myths, and the bookstore lady said I can keep it.” The De Vil said as he looks through the pages. “I was reading the section about the blood moon and how it affects animals in particular.” He continued until he stopped at a certain passage in the book. “I wanted to do a little research to see if it’s true.” He finished.
“To see what’s true?” Dylan asked about the myth.
“That animals, canines in particular, have their primal instincts reawakened under the blood moon.” Hunter explained.
“So that’s why you invited me?” Dylan smirked at the boy with a raised brow.
“Well, technically, I was gonna study the other dogs at Primrose tonight, so with you coming with me, you’re one of the viable candidates.” Hunter sheepishly explained his motive.
“Great… So I’m a guinea pig for your research?” The dalmatian sarcastically asked.
“In a way, if you call it that…” The boy muttered under his breath.
“Fine, I’ll go. But one other thing…” Dylan started.
“What?” Hunter asked.
“Don’t mention any of this to ‘you-know-who’.” The dalmatian motioned to the inverted dalmatian who was staring at the pups, until he turned to glare at them.
“Your brother there, mate?” The De Vil said as he points to the goth pup. “I remember him being so dramatic when I had him in a net. So, why can’t he know?” The boy asked once more.
“Ugh… Dante will go crazy with this theory of the world ending because of the lunar eclipse.” Dylan groaned as he facepawed himself.
“Well, technically, the very moon was supposed to symbolize chaos, disruption, and change…” Hunter trailed off.
“And that’s why I don’t want to say anything to Dante about the moon…” The dalmatian emphasized his point.
A few meters further from the duo, Dante continues to glare at the duo with suspicion as Dolly strolls up to him.
“Yo, Dante! What’s up?” Dolly asked.
“Dylan is chatting with the De Vil over there. Plotting something…” Dante stated while staring at the duo.
“Huh?” She said as she turns to see them.
Back to the duo as the dalmatian finishes his explanation.
“Seriously, Dante will ruin this night with his nonstop doomsday nonsense.” Dylan finished.
“Again, mate, it’s just you and I watching the moon. I doubt your siblings even care about seeing it.” Hunter reassured him.
“Well good. All I have to do is ask my-” The dalmatian got interrupted by his stepsister.
“Yo! What are you two talking about?” Dolly said as she quickly gets between the two.
“We’re just talking about scientific phenomenon known as-” Hunter started before Dolly cut him off.
“Wait… Is this geeky space related?” She deduced with a raised brow.
“Yes?” Both Hunter and Dylan responded bluntly.
“Yeahhh… Not my bowl of kibble… Later.” Dolly said disappointingly and left the two alone.
“Dolly’s not a fanatic…” Dylan stated after she left.
“I can see that…” Hunter replied.
“Anyway, I could ask my parents if I could go.” The dalmatian said.
“Ya sure, mate? Ya still look like a zombie.” The boy said in a concerned tone.
“Ah, no worries, a little nap is all I need to be right as rain.” The pup reassures him.
“OK. I’ll come visiting at sundown.” Hunter said as he places the book back inside his bag.
The dalmatian nodded as Hunter got up to stretch, but the dalmatian starts to feel uneasy as he remembers his nightmare. His thoughts return to the scene in his dream where a lone canine is howling at the red moon in the sky. Dylan groans a bit as he shuts his eyes tight and hunches over as if he’s in pain.
“Alright, I’ll be- huh?” Hunter stops himself as seeing Dylan hunching. “Oi, mate! Ya feeling alright?” The boy asked concerned.
“Oh! I’m fine. Just needed a bit of rest.” Dylan fibbed with a grin.
“OK… See ya.” The De Vil shrugged as he grabbed his bag and left the dalmatian alone.
Dylan then frowns after the human left, contemplating his ongoing nightmares. The dalmatian decided to lie down and try to sleep off his worries, but that moment is interrupted by a certain female dalmatian.
“Hey, is the geek talk over with?” Dolly asked, which earned her a groan from Dylan. “What?” She asked again.
“Nothing. What do you want?” Dylan asked in an annoyed manner.
“For you to lose that sour look, and what were you and Hunter talking about anyway?” The tomboyish dalmatian asked.
“Nothing but geeky, nerdy stuff that your small mind wouldn’t understand.” He sardonically replied while impersonating his stepsister’s personality with a smirk.
“Dude, did you just burn me?!” She asked indignantly.
“If it bothers you a lot, then leave me be. Go annoy someone else.” He stated while trying to nap.
“Jeez! Fine, Mr. Grouchy.” She rolls her eyes. “You’re missing out if you just lie there.” She said as she left him alone.
“Oh no. It’d be a shame to miss out on your antics.” He sarcastically replied. “So much for clearing my head... I’m going home.” The troubled dog got up from the bench and walked towards the park gates.
Dylan stops short at the gate and feels a little headache, but shrugs it off. Unknown to him, one of his siblings stares at him oddly as the eldest pup leaves the park.
“Dywan?” Dorothy called as she follows him, and the pups noticed their youngest sibling leave as well.
Dorothy catches up to her half-brother, who is staggering in his steps, and calls out with a bark.
“I’m fine, Dorothy. Just go back to the park with the others…” Dylan commanded without looking at her and hears more whimpering. “I’m just going home to sleep off this headache. Just stay with Dolly and Dawkins, they’ll-” He cuts himself short as the spotless pup clings to his leg.
Seeing that Dorothy isn’t letting go, Dylan smiles and decides to put his sister on his back and walks home. He slightly turns to see the rest of the pups follow him, but decides not to argue and continues on home with his siblings in tow.
“Any idea what’s up with him?” Dolly asked Dawkins as they watch their brother lead the pups home.
“Sleep deprivation perhaps?” Dawkins suggested.
“Whatever it is, Dylan’s not his usual nerdy self.” She replied.
“I’m sure sleep will make him right as rain.” He reassured his stepsister as he went to join the pups.
“Hopefully.” Dolly said, feeling concerned and unsure as she follows her siblings back home.
As the dalmatian pups head back home, a lone inverted dalmatian glares worriedly at Dylan before he follows the pups as well. _______ A blood moon is nearing tonight, but how will the young dalmatian cope with his nonstop nightmares? What’s got Dante so suspicious about his brother?
