Once again, the Camden streets are blanketed with a thick fog as the red moon glows eerily in the sky. The shadowy canine silhouette is still covered by the fog, with gleaming red eyes.
"Time to awaken…" A guttural voice growled as the canine howls loudly, ending the dream. -----
=Reality=
Dylan jolts awake, hyperventilating and looking around to find himself inside his treehouse. He looks outside to see that it's almost twilight and groans about his recurring nightmare again, but this time, it's much more vivid.
"Ah, dog… That damn dream again…" Dylan cursed at himself.
"Dylan, dinner!" Delilah called out.
Dylan sighs and decides to ignore his nightmare, and leaves the treehouse only to be stopped by the sound of laughter. He looks up at the window in and sees Clarissa's human, Hugo, talking on his phone, which annoys the young dog before he heads inside. While inside, Dylan hears talking from the living room and sees the pups eating without him.
"-and we probably won't be back till the dead of night." Doug told the pups.
"That late?" Dylan asked as he walks into the room.
"Dylan, dearie, I was wondering when you would show." Delilah said to her son.
"Uh, yeah… I thought I was taking a short nap, but it turned into a long one." The eldest pup sheepishly replied.
"Long enough to skip dinner?" Dolly inquired.
"Never mind that…" Dylan said as he takes his place at the dinner table. "Mum, Dad, it's okay if I could go to Primrose with a friend? We're just gonna watch the stars." The dalmatian asked.
"Dylan, dear… I'm afraid we're gonna have to decline that request." Delilah answered before starting again. "And before you ask why, Doug?" The mother motioned to her mate.
"No children are allowed there." Doug finished for her.
"Without adult supervision or just in general for tonight?" The eldest pup asked.
"Both." Both parents replied bluntly.
"Well, I guess I have to break the bad news to Hunter." The dalmatian pup muttered.
"The De Vil boy? I wondered where he was." The father replied.
"Dylan was having a nerd talk with Hunter at the park." Dolly replied bluntly.
"Why go to Primrose when you can just gaze from the treehouse or from the roof?" Delilah inquired.
"Me and Hunter prefer the outdoors, where no light can obstruct our view of the stars." The eldest pup explained.
"Sorry, dearie. The answer is still 'no'." The mother said firmly.
"So much for your boring stargazing night." Dolly replied in a derisive manner.
"Yeah, yeah, make fun…" Dylan dryly remarked.
"Can Mr. Funny Face stay over?" Dee Dee pleaded.
"Please?" Dizzy followed up.
"Hunter's not gonna stay even if you ask." Dylan started. "He'll be busy at Primrose even if I don't show up." He finished.
"Well…" Delilah started being hesitant until she looks at her pups' pleading eyes. "I suppose the poor dear can stay for a little while." She relented.
"Yay!" The pups cheered, while Dolly rolls her eyes in contempt. Great, so the geeky human will come over…, Dolly thought in annoyance.
"At least it'll keep him off the streets, and out of trouble." Delilah lowly muttered.
"You say something, honey?" Doug asked his mate.
"Oh, it's nothing." The mother reassured as she continues talking.
Dylan was about to comment, but he hears a voice in his head, and his mind flashes back to his dream. Awaken… Time to awaken… The guttural voice echoed in his head, causing the dalmatian to double over.
"In any case, Dylan-" The mother stops and sees her son hunched over. "Dylan? Are you feeling alright?" She asked in concern over her son's behavior.
"Huh?" The young dalmatian replied as he snaps out of his thoughts and looks at his mother. "Oh… I'm...fine…" He responded, which got all the rest of the pups to glare at him in a vexing way. "Really! I am! Just thinking about other things." He answered.
"More space things?" Dolly inquired.
"Sure, let's go with that." Dylan fibbed.
"OK… Now, excuse us. Doug and I need to prepare." Delilah said as she and Doug leaves the pups alone.
An hour passed since the pups ate dinner, Dylan waits anxiously at the front but couldn't stop thinking about his recurring dreams. The dalmatian is deep in thought until he hears a knock on the door, which snaps him out of thoughts. The young dalmatian opens the door via the scanner, revealing the De Vil standing on the porch wearing his backpack.
"Yo." Hunter greeted the pup.
"If you're still planning to take me to Primrose, forget it. I'm not going…" Dylan answered bluntly.
"It's the 'No Kids Without Adult Supervision' Rule, right?" Hunter asked.
"Oh, so you knew about that…" The dalmatian replied.
"Yep. Also, I found a way around that." The boy smugly replied as he took off and opened his bag. "See, it's-" He gets interrupt by a couple of voices.
"Hey, Dylan./Who's at the door?" Dizzy and Dee Dee both said, peering from the corner.
"We'll have to save our conversation another time." Hunter as he zips up the bag.
"Mr. Funny Face!" The twins happily greeted the human as they ran up to him.
"Ello, there." The boy greeted the twins and picks up both of them.
"Are you gonna stay for tonight?/Please say 'yes'!" The twins pleaded.
"Uh…" Hunter started as he looks at Dylan and gets an idea. "I might, but I have an important job to do with your brother." He stated.
"What kind?" The twins asked.
"It's a secret. Guy stuff." He told the puppies.
"Guy stuff?" The twins asked with their heads cocked to the side.
"So, if you'll excuse us!" The boy said as he quickly scoops up Dylan and heads into the kitchen, leaving his bag behind at the front door.
"Hey! We wanna learn too!" The twins followed the two.
Unknown to the 4, a duo of grown dalmatian was eyeing the scene, especially the human. The human reaches the kitchen with the 3 pups in tow.
"So, why are we in the kitchen?" Dylan asked.
"To get away from prying ears." Hunter said plainly.
"So they won't mind?" The eldest pup mentioned the twins.
"That depends…" The human replied as he put the eldest pup down.
"We won't tell anyone." Dizzy and Dee Dee both pleaded.
"I doubt that, knowing you two." Dylan replied bluntly.
"Hmph!" The twins pouted.
"Sulk all you want. The answer's still no." The eldest pup firmly stated.
"Why not? They couldn't care less." The human reassured the dalmatian.
"*sigh* Fine… We're gonna watch the moon. Happy?" The teen pup said in irritation.
"That's boring…" Dee Dee started.
"Dolly said that stargazing is dorky…" Dizzy finished in disappointment.
"Told you." Hunter said in a smug manner towards.
"Well, if you brats don't want to watch the moon, you could go bother the pound out of Dante or Dawkins." Dylan said irritably to his sisters.
"Hmph!" The twins huffed and left their brother and the human alone in a sulking manner.
"That was cold." Hunter remarked.
"It's the only way to get them away. Look, I'll make it up to them later…" The teen pup replied in annoyance.
"Still… You could have been a bit more subtle about it." The human teen rebutted.
"They wouldn't listen, no matter how many times you tell them not to." The pup rebutted back.
"It would seem so, but whatever." The boy shrugged. "Anyway, I got a perfect plan to bypass the rules." The boy stated smugly.
"Which is?" Dylan asked.
"By the front door." Hunter walks towards where his bag is and digs into it. "Inside is what's gonna help us bypass that rule-Hey…" The boy said as he rummages around for something in his bag. "Where is it?! I had it in here!" He said in irritation.
"What are you looking for?" Dolly peers from the other room.
"Oh, it's a wi-" Hunter stopped himself as he notices the tomboyish female dog. "Nothing important." He fibbed.
"So it's not a fancy hairdo or a wig?" She pressed further.
"OK, that was too much of a guess." Hunter said in suspicion.
"I saw Mum carrying some wig." The tomboyish pup said bluntly.
"Crap…" Hunter grimaced as he sees Delilah carrying said wig upstairs. He raced upstairs to catch the dalmatian mother. "Um, Mrs. Dalmatian-" He got cut off by the dog.
"You'll get it back after me and Doug return." Delilah sternly told the boy as she went into her room.
"Hey, that was just a little decoration I wanted to show Dylan." He fibbed. "So, can I just have that back?" He asked innocent.
"You're not sneaking out tonight with any of the pups." The mother dalmatian said firmly from the room.
Hunter decides to give up and head back down the stairs to relay the bad news to Dylan.
"Uh… Your mum confiscated my wig; therefore, it puts a wrench in our plans." Hunter stated.
"Why would-Wait… Let me guess… We were gonna sneak out to Primrose Hill?" The dalmatian asked the boy.
"We were gonna, but it's been shelved for the time being." The boy explained in a low tone.
"Disguise ourselves to bypass the rule?" Dylan deduced.
"Actually, it's just me disguised, and you would act like a service dog." Hunter corrected. "Kinda hoping to do that after your siblings were asleep…" The human explained further.
"Uh-huh… Yeah… I doubt that trick will fool Mum and Dad. It may work on Pearl and maybe Dad, but not my mother." The dalmatian teen responded in a matter-of-factually manner.
"I guess you geeks won't be going to your weird stargazing event." Dolly said she appears from the ceiling.
"Like anything you do is better… Why don't you go bug Dawkins and stay out of my fur?" Dylan bluntly rebukes his stepsister.
"Dude, that's like the second time you've harped on me! Dizzy and Dee Dee also told me that you were being mean to them." Dolly rebuked with a glare.
"And?" Dylan asked bluntly.
"You've been grouchy paws for the past I dunno week or so?" The tomboyish dalmatian explained a bit.
"A month. Your point exactly?" He asked again, trying to get his stepsister to be more specific.
"Well...uh...err…" She tries to find other words to express the situation.
Dylan sighs inwardly, seeing that his stepsister is struggling to find the words. "Are you done? Because I have a lot of stuff to do than listen to your pointless attempts to guilt-trip me." He said with a mixture of annoyance and pity.
This got Dolly to shut up and walks away in disdain as Hunter whistles in astonishment.
"Damn, dude. Way to be savage." Hunter replied with a smirk.
"Hunter, if you'd had an annoying sister like that, you'd know the feeling." Dylan dryly added.
"Eh…" The human just shrugged.
Unknown to the duo, Dante watches from the shadows, keeping a fixed a gaze on the human. A half an hour has passed, and it's already nighttime, as Delilah and Doug are already leaving for tonight.
"See you, dears. And Hunter, no sneaking out. And the same goes for you too, Dylan." Delilah warns them.
"Yes, ma'am!/Mum!" Hunter and Dylan saluted as they watch the adult dalmatians leave and close the front door. "You sure you don't want to try to escape?" The human asked the teen pup.
"And get punished via getting snitched on by my bratty siblings? No, thanks." Dylan replied.
"Well, we have time before the bl-" Hunter is stopped by the dalmatian's gesture as the dog looks around to make sure a certain dalmatian isn't listening in.
The pup motions the human to follow him upstairs and away from the pups to a secure location in the quarantine room.
"OK. I think we're safe here for now." Dylan stated. "That was too close… I'm really not in the mood to hear Dante's a doomsday spiel…" The dalmatian said.
"Just how emo is your brother?" Hunter incredulously asks the dog.
"He's goth, not emo." The dalmatian reminded him.
"Preeetty sure you can be both…" Hunter muttered under his breath.
"What?" The dalmatian inquired.
"Nothing." The human fibbed before continuing. "Anyway, we have time before the blood moon and your sibs are gonna be sleeping soon, right?" He asked him.
"That's if they'll sleep. I'll let Dawkins and Dolly handle them." Dylan replied.
"If you say so, Mr. Grouchy." The boy teased.
"Hunter, I…mmm…" The teen pup stopped himself short as he glares at the door.
"Something wrong, mate?" Hunter asked the dalmatian.
Dylan walks over to the door and punches it, and then hears whimpers and quick pawsteps scampering away, which causes Dylan to growl.
"Thought so. Nosy little- Ugh…" Dylan growls at his siblings trying to eavesdrop on the other side of the door.
"Hopefully, your gloomy brother didn't hear." Hunter replied.
"Knowing Dante, he pops up in unexpected places." The teen dalmatian responded.
"So how long until-" The human is cut off by a whimper at the door.
"Dywan… Dywan…" Dorothy calls from the door.
"That's the little one, right?" He motioned to the voice at the door while walking towards it. He opens the door to let Dorothy in. "She won't mind, right?" He asked the dalmatian.
"I guess…" The dalmatian teen said as his infant half-sister walks up to nuzzle him. "She's too young to know these things." He finished.
"You sure about that?" The boy asked as he closes the door, only for a certain black foreleg to stop the closing, causing the human to stare in shock. "What?"
"Please, tell me that's not-" Dylan stated as he recognizes Dante, being that he's the only dalmatian with dark fur in the household.
"Whatever you're planning, De Vil, I don't like it…" Dante growled with narrowed eyes.
"Bye, Dante!" Dylan said as he waves him off.
"But I'm saying-" The inverted dalmatian is shoved out of the room by the human.
"Are you sure he's alright in the head?" The human asked the dog who shrugged. ----- Later, Hunter is on the roof of the house reading the mysterious book he got from the librarian. He's still looking into the blood moon and is in rumination until Dylan comes up behind him.
"Still looking into the blood moon?" Dylan asked the human.
"Of course, you'll never believe the weird things I'm reading right now. Like how the lunar eclipse can trigger a domestic's primal behavior. Like some curse." Hunter explained as he read.
"Well, I don't believe in that whole curse mambo-jumbo. I only care about watching the blood moon in peace and no pup is gonna interrupt us." The dalmatian said.
"Your siblings are asleep, right?" The boy asked.
"Dolly got that covered. Besides, I needed this. Some peace and quiet with no sibling or neighbor to annoy me." The dalmatian tiredly replied.
"By neighbor, you mean that corgi next door?" Hunter asked with a raised brow.
"Yes, Bitchrissa." The dalmatian snarled at the name, which made the human laugh.
"Wow, this is one side of you I've never seen." The human smirked.
"Sorry. I'm still a bit stressed from the constant nightmares I've been getting." The dalmatian apologized in a low tone.
"Speaking of, what type of nightmare did you get?" Hunter asked with a raised. "You told me that you've been plagued for a month with it."
Dylan sighs before starting. "It's like this: There was a red moon in the sky and Camden was covered in a thick fog. In the midst of it, there's a dog or something resembling inside it. It had these glowing, piercing red eyes, and it suddenly howled. And my dream stops there…" The teen pup explained.
"And that's been happening to you for a month?" The De Vil asked once more with wide eyes.
"That's pretty peculiar, Dylan." A voice ranged out, startling the two as they turn to see Dawkins behind them.
"What the- I thought you were asleep?!" Dylan rebuked his brother.
"I couldn't help but overhear your talk of the blood moon and nightmare that's about to take place soon." The genius pup replied.
"You wanted to watch with us as well?" The human smirked at the pup.
"No, I wanted to do some research on the moon." The genius pup rebutted.
"Dawkins, if you wanted to watch, you could've said 'yes' instead of eavesdropping." The elder pup stated.
"I-I said it's for research!" Dawkins rebutted in denial.
"Well, since you're here, I'm doing some research as well. I wanted to see if the blood moon has a unique effect on dogs, awakening their primal side." Hunter explained.
This info got Dawkins excited as he furiously wags his tail but composes himself. "Well, that's all well and good, but-" The genius pup is cut off by a sudden outburst behind him.
"I KNEW IT!" A loud bellowed, scaring Dawkins as Hunter's eyes widen once more as Dylan facepaws himself as he recognizes the voice, and it's Dante, who had just arrived on the roof.
"Oh my dog… Here we go." Dylan groaned as Dante walks up to the three.
"I knew there was something off between you and Hunter, Dylan! The secret chat at the park, and here at home! It makes sense now of what is happening!" Dante started as Hunter takes a bag of chips out of his bag and starts eating, while being amused by the goth pup's ramblings. "Dylan's tormenting nightmares, the blood moon that is happening tonight, they're a freak combination of the beginning of the end of all that's good!" The goth dalmatian explained while earning a groan from both his intelligent brothers.
Dylan couldn't facepaw himself any harder, as he knew that this was coming after he tried so hard to prevent his brother from hearing about it.
"Uh, Dante… While I love to hear your garrulous ramblings as much as the next possibly sane dog but-" Dawkins is cut off once again, but this time Dolly came into the scene along with Dizzy and Dee Dee.
"Dude, what the pound are you yelling about now?" Dolly rebuked her goth brother.
"Duh! The end of the world, since the blood moon is coming out soon." Dante, calming from his paranoia high, responded as he glares at the facepawing Dylan and chip eating Hunter. "And Dylan and Hunter tried to hide it from everyone." He finished.
"OK… What's so special about some dumb moon?" The tomboyish pup asked, clearly not impressed about it.
"Well-" Hunter was about to answer, but Dylan silenced him.
"Hunter, no! Don't! Please!" Dylan pleaded through gritted teeth as he motioned to the inverted dalmatian in their presence.
"What was he about to say?" Dolly pressed the question.
"Nothing. Go back downstairs." Dylan fibbed as he tries to get his sisters to leave.
"Is Mr. Funny Face keeping a secret?" Dizzy started.
"We wanna know!" Dee Dee followed suit as well.
"Well, the moon has a specific value, which I'll tell you when you're older." Hunter fibbed as well, earning a groan from the twins.
"Ugh… I bet it's more typical geeky stuff, like that book you're holding right there." The tomboyish teen pup said, derisively as she spots the book next to the human, which got Dawkins and Dante to look at with curiosity.
"Uh, Hunter… Where'd that book come from?" Dawkins asks about it.
"Library." The human answered bluntly as he tries to put the book back in his backpack but Dante grabs it.
"Hold it. There's a page about the blood moon in it, right?" The inverted dalmatian asked both Hunter and Dylan, who only looked away in silence. "If I have to recall, does the very moon signify, chaos, danger and the end of all times, correct?" He answered once more, causing the duo to grimace at the answer. "I knew it! It is the end!" The goth pup is going back into his paranoia high.
Dylan growled, having had enough of his brother's antics. "Aw, for the love of dog, Dante! Shut up! We're here to watch the blood moon to see if it has any effect on dogs!" The nerdy pup explains, clearly livid out of his mind.
"What's the end?/Are we gonna die?/What's Dante and Dylan yelling about?/Are they fighting?" Several voices said as a swarm of pups appears on the roof, causing the eldest pup to groan even louder.
"What effect are you talking about, Dylan?" Dawkins asked in bewilderment with a raised brow.
"Hunter, you explain." Dylan tiredly passes the spotlight to the De Vil, who just finished eating.
"Gladly. You see, according to this book, the blood moon supposedly affects dogs in a certain manner. It supposed to make you domestics feral like your wild ancestors by awakening your dormant inner wolf so to speak." Hunter explained to them all, as it made of some of the pups nervous, curious and indifferent in between.
"Sounds like a borderline superstition to me…" Dawkins snarked before starting. "Another reason to watch- er… do research on this." The genius pup corrected at the last second.
"Your brother, Dylan, volunteered to be a guinea pig on this." Hunter smirked at the pup next to him.
"Yeah, I kinda did…" Dylan sheepishly replied.
"Well, what if it doesn't work?" Dolly asked with a smug smile.
"Then, we just enjoy nature's show of the blood moon." The nerdy shot back.
"What about your nightmares tied to the blood moon?" Dante asked him, which got everyone except for him, Dylan, Dawkins and Hunter curious.
"I doubt it's a coincidence, Dante. It's just a random dream, like I said." Dylan turns away from the inverted pup to look at the moon that's starting to change.
"Which haunted you for a month." The goth pup added his last two pounds, earning a glare from his older brother.
"Just shut up and look. See? The blood moon is here." The eldest teen pup motioned to the moon that's turning a full blood-red color.
"It's here now!" Hunter announced as well as the pups are being mesmerized by it.
"The eclipse looks phenomenal." Dawkins stated with awe.
"I still don't see the big deal about it." Dolly smugly replied to her younger stepbrother.
"That's because you're never the type to have patience for these things." Dawkins rebutted.
Dylan tunes his siblings out as watches the red moon, as he's engrossed by it. Other sounds around the dog eventually falls silent as the moon illuminates the sky, turning into a deep crimson shade.
"Amazing… The moon...urk!" Dylan is stopped as he felt his heart skip a few beats and his vision blurs slightly as his vision turns blood-red before all went black. -----
=Dreamscape=
Dylan wakes to find himself on the streets of Camden in the middle of thick fog with the red moon shining above him.
"What happened? Where am I?" Dylan frantically looked around in a panic until a familiar voice speaks to him.
"Little pup… It's time…" The voice spoke in the tone as before in his previous dream.
"Time? Time for what?" The dalmatian teen asked in fear.
"Your awakening… It's time for you to unleash your true instincts…" The voice answered.
The turns to see the shady canine behind him and backs away in sheer terror as the canine's piercing red eyes burrow deep into his soul.
"Y-Y-You… Who or what are you...?" The dalmatian fearfully inquired as the figure tilted its head.
"You do not know who I am, Dylan?" The mysterious figure asked.
"Huh?" Dylan tries to make out the figure as the fog starts to clear, but the young dalmatian hears a familiar voice but distorted.
"Dylan… Dylan! Dylan!" The voice called out as the environment becomes enshrouded in a bright flash from the moon, ending the dream. -----
=Reality=
Dylan jolts awakes on the roof, surrounded by Hunter and his 98 siblings, and looks around the area.
"Still on the roof. You suddenly passed out while you were the looking at the moon." Hunter stated to the dalmatian.
Bewildered, the dalmatian looks at the red moon, that's starting to go back to its regular pale white color.
"Oh." Dylan shortly replied.
"Also, you were mumbling in your sleep about time and awakening and some other thing…" Dawkins said in worry.
"That and #MoonWatch is over." Hunter announced as he took out phone and looked at the time. "It's getting late, so I'll be heading off." He said as he packed his stuff.
"Can't you stay for tonight?" Dizzy asked as she clung to the boy's leg.
"Please?" Dee Dee follow suit.
"Yeah, they're not gonna let go until you say yes." Dolly stated the obvious.
"Really?" The De Vil said with a sigh. "Fine, but only for tonight." This got the twins cheering, much to Dolly's annoyance.
Soon, everyone heard some voices below them and saw Portia and Spencer walking along the sidewalk with a crowd gothy felines.
"Such an auspicious night wouldn't you agree?" Portia the goth poodle asked her friend.
"Think nothing of it. Who knows when the next one will show?" Spencer the dachshund replied.
Hunter watches the animals go before asking. "Huh. A bunch of animals were watching too?"
"Portia loves seeing creepy things as long as they amuse her." Dylan dryly commented.
"You're still crushing on that poodle?" Dolly chided her stepbrother.
"I couldn't care less about that gloomy witch." The nerdy dalmatian with a snide remark, which shocks everyone but Hunter.
"I'm lost. What's going on?" Hunter confusedly asks the pups.
"Dylan's./Got a crush./On Portia." Triple D answered.
"Correction: Dylan had a crush on Portia." Dawkins stated while glaring at his brother.
"What's the big deal? So I no longer have any interest in the poodle, big whoop!" Dylan exclaimed.
"So, you're into Summer, then?" Dolly pressed.
"Summer?" The De Vil asked once more.
"A collie we met in Cornwall." The tomboyish dalmatian replied.
"I'm kinda on the fence with her. Also, she's probably still mad about that 'local' remark from me." The eldest pup said.
"Yeah, that didn't win you any points with her." Dolly teased, earning a glare from him.
"Look, I'm terrible when it comes to romance and I kinda forgot about- Ugh! Let's just forgot all this and go to sleep." Dylan said, trying to end the conversation.
"Yeah, we can talk more in the morning. Mr. Sandman is working his magic." Hunter said, as he's starting to doze.
The pups start to complain as they want to stay up more, but Dylan refuses to let them as the pushes all of them through the opening.
"You can all sleep while I stay here and try to see if the moon did any- Yipe!" Dante cut off his as Dylan grabs him by the tail.
"No. Bed." Dylan declared as he dragged his gloomy brother with him as Hunter follows while smirking.
Later inside the home, all pups are sleeping in their respective spots while Hunter is resting on the sofa under the covers with Dizzy and Dee Dee on the covers. Outside, Dylan walks to his treehouse, but can't stop thinking about his recent dream that became much more vivid. The dog inside his dream was about his size, but he couldn't help but feel some familiarity with the creature. Digressing that, the dalmatian heads up into his treehouse to sleep, and he plops onto the cushion with fatigue.
"What a night…" Dylan tiredly exclaimed.
The dalmatian teen blinks a few times and on the final blink, his vision turns red for a moment and hears an internal growl before his vision goes back to normal shortly before finally going to sleep. ----- The blood moon has come and gone, but something stirs inside Dylan… Whatever could it be?
![[2024] Mildred L'Belle Hevyhorn](https://va.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5080/5080909_PlasmaFang70__2024_mildred_l_belle_hevyhorn_noncustom.jpg "[2024] Mildred L'Belle Hevyhorn")
