Chapter 14

The sun was barely brightening the sky in a grayish glow, much earlier than it was when he rose the previous day. Shrimpo didn't intend to wake so early, but he was used to waking up at whatever time his body deemed it. His body was currently aching in its usual soreness, similar to the previous day as well.

He was currently sitting up against the tree, breathing slowly as he blinked upwards at the treetops, its leaves obscuring most of the sky. Soreness wasn't the only thing bothering him. Hunger was. Of course it would be. A single fish wasn't going to be enough.

He didn't know what time it was, nor the time he had fallen asleep. He felt tired—maybe he should try and get more sleep. But the thought of falling back asleep with pain clawing at him deterred the idea. He exhaled, and continued to lean his head back, his tail bent downwards, his eyes resorting to staring blankly up as the sky continued to grow brighter.

There was nothing of interest to even look at, other than the fact he just wanted to look at something. The only thing he could note was the gray of the sky. It was pale blue yesterday, and the day before that. Was it going to rain? It didn't really 'rain' often on the show—maybe for a couple of episodes' plots—so he didn't really know. If it was anything like how it rained on the show, then they would need some kind of shelter if they wished to stay dry. Yet another thing he hadn't considered. He knew Boxten had brought it up once before.

He exhaled again—more of an aggravated sigh—then looked back downwards. His bag was next to him, full of nothing but empty jerky bags and clothing. The last bag was used by Boxten, both of them void of any food. He looked down at himself—he didn't even really need to change clothes, at least he didn't think so. Wasn't as if he was rolling in mud. Rubbing at his palms with his fingers, he didn't exactly feel dirty either. Oh well, he'd be fine.

Ahead of him, he saw Boxten, lying on his side, curled into a ball. Shrimpo kept his gaze locked on the music box. He sure hoped he had actually slept last night. Maybe then they could find a better place to stay. Then again, he didn't know what he had in mind as 'a better place.' Oh well, he'd figure it out in time.

He scooted a little closer to the lying down Toon, and poked his foot against his back. "YOU AWAKE?"

The touch, as well as the volume of his voice, earned him a tired groan from the music box. He waited for a few moments, and after nothing more from Boxten, he nudged him again.

"HEY. ARE YOU AWAKE OR NOT?"

He heard another groan, sounding more like a bothered grumble as the Toon shifted, moving his arms underneath himself.

" Yeah..." He heard the mumbled voice of the music box.

"GOOD." Was Shrimpo's reply, backing away more to give him room. After a few moments, the music box began pushing himself upwards, albeit slowly and shakily, and soon rested lazily on his knees, his arms dusted in dirt from the ground beneath him.

Shrimpo watched as he yawned, and rubbed at his face. He noticed how Boxten's key was starting to turn, breaking into a few out-of-tune notes. Shrimpo held his tongue despite his opinion of the Toon's sorry excuse for music, and waited as Boxten poorly attempted to wake himself up.

Shrimpo's whiskers twitched as Boxten fully turned to him. Clear indication of his displeasure was written all over his face. Shrimpo almost couldn't believe it, but he looked worse than yesterday. Not to mention the look he was giving the crustacean.

Shrimpo shook his head, keeping his brows furrowed. "DID YOU GET ANY SLEEP?"

"Not really." Boxten said flatly, his blinking slow and his key turning. Shrimpo's brows raised, as if he were to be surprised. He felt a bitter stir in his gut, and his frown deepened.

He let out a sigh, shaking his head. "SERIOUSLY? IT'S LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SLEPT ON A FLOOR BEFORE."

"I haven't. " Shrimpo could see Boxten's look fade into a glare. "Have you? "

"I HAVE NOW. " He retorted. "AND IT'S NOT AS BAD AS YOU SEEM TO THINK IT IS. YOU SHOULDN'T BE DEALING WITH THIS."

"And you think yelling at me is going to fix it?" Boxten's tone was laced with sarcasm and exhaustion, and he frowned. Shrimpo didn't know whether or not he preferred a snappy Boxten, or a cowardly one.

The crustacean huffed, and broke their staring contest. Boxten did the same, looking down. The two returned to their silence, except for the slow notes emitting from Boxten.

Shrimpo brought his knees to his chest, digging his fingertips into his shins. This was getting unnecessarily annoying. How hard was it for someone to just sleep ? Surely one could eventually rest even in the most uncomfortable of circumstances—hell, he'd been able to do it for who knows how long! His whiskers twitched, there was no way he'd want to deal with a half-energized Boxten for the rest of his days.

...

He sighed. He looked back up at Boxten to see him staring at the ground, his hand mindlessly picking at the grass he sat upon. His expression was void of anything notable, with slow blinking eyes.

His frown deepened, and he blinked. A thought popped into his mind, which made the bitter feeling return again. It was stupid, but he was tired of seeing Boxten like this. It was... pathetic. Too pathetic, even for him. Shrimpo bit the inside of his cheek and sighed once more.

The notes of music only continued.

Shrimpo turned around to see his bag still lying against the tree. He reached for and grabbed it, then opened it. There were his clothes, and the empty bags. Shrimpo tried not to look at the jerky bags for longer than he had to, the clawing feeling in his stomach only continuing. Closing the bag, he looked up towards Boxten.

The music box was staring at him, more specifically the bag. Shrimpo glanced down at it, then up at him. Then, with his right hand, tossed it a small distance towards Boxten.

He, of course, flinched as it landed in front of him, then darted his eyes back towards Shrimpo. His initial shock turned into confusion. "Wh.. what...?"

Shrimpo stood up, to which Boxten's gaze followed. The crustacean motioned towards the bag and the Toon. "USE THAT AS A PILLOW, AND REST." He kept his tone neutral. "I'LL BE BACK."

"What??" Boxten blinked at him, almost bewildered. When Shrimpo started to move away from him, Boxten stood. "Where are you going??"

Shrimpo turned his head towards the music box. "I'M GOING TO GET SOMETHING FOR YOU TO SLEEP BETTER, BECAUSE CLEARLY, THIS,"—he motioned to Boxten—"ISN'T WORKING."

Boxten frowned, brows furrowed as if he were offended. "You- you're getting something? For me ??"

"WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE FOR, IDIOT?" Shrimpo snapped, and Boxten shut his mouth just as quickly. He already had an idea in mind of where he was going to get it. "DON'T WANDER OFF."

And with that, he started walking off again. He ignored a "but-!" from Boxten as he sped-walked, being met with silence the further he moved. He was facing the clearing, and in the distance, he could see the dull figures of what he could only assume to be human homes.

He made steady work, pushing past some of the bushes that led to the break in the trees. He ignored the branches that dragged against his legs as he passed, and soon, he was out of the woods. He looked around from where he had entered.

It almost reminded him of the little houses the show had homed them in while filming, except much, much larger. Twice, if not three times the size of their little stylized abodes. Before him was grass, of course, but farther he could see gray, metallic walls, and pale brown-painted, wood-like walls bordering the first two houses before him. He had no idea what these walls were. The only one he could accurately see into was the gray one.

Drawing closer and peering in, he noted the pattern of this wall. It was diamond-shaped, its gaps just big enough to where he could fit his entire hand through. Inside, he could see the house it guarded, its walls painted an off-white. There was a strange square something next to one of the windows, a large circle drawn on top of it, making a strange humming sound. Near the center of the grassy area was a weird, much smaller house, this one only having a single entrance carved into it. Inside was... something. It had short, brown hair coating its body and a large, whiskered muzzle. It seemed to be... asleep? Shrimpo didn't know what it was, but he did notice a strange metal collar on its neck, a leash protruding from it, and was attached to some kind of pole stuck into the ground next to the tiny house.

It almost reminded Shrimpo of a similar kind of beast he knew of. The thought of it sent a shiver down his spine. He let go of the patterns in the wall, and decided that this house wasn't worth the risk. So, he moved past, taking a right and passing the border. The gray gaps soon turned into more pale, long wooden boards. He could only somewhat see through these gaps, and it provided nothing of interest except the plain paint of the houses they bordered.

All of which, except one. He didn't know how long he'd been walking until something caught his eye about one of the boards. It was tilted ever so slightly. Shrimpo's whiskers twitched in curiosity, and he approached, resting a hand upon it and gingerly pushing.

It was loose.

This made Shrimpo's eyes widen. An idea suddenly popped into his mind. With the strength he had, he pushed against the board. It gave way a inch, then stuck, and he had to dig his heel into the ground and really push against the old wood. Eventually, he heard a groaning snap as the bottom of the board gave way, and fell onto the grass. He felt a surge of pride as it dangled by only a few threads from the rest of it.

Shrimpo always wins! He thought with a smile. Now he just had to get in. Squeezing through the gap was a bit of a challenge, but with his feet digging into the ground, he was able to push himself through with a grunt of effort. Such effort proved overkill, as he immediately fell forward onto his face once free.

He was glad Boxten wasn't here to see such a fumble.

Regardless, he dusted himself off with a grumble, and now being able to see the area before him, he turned his head to take it all in. The grass beneath him was short-cut, unlike the longer, almost knee-tickling grass of the forest. It almost felt uncomfortable on his bare feet, but he tried not to let it bother him.

Other than the strange grass, the rest of the area was relatively plain. He noticed, however, a singular tree that was planted near the edge of the walls bordering the house. It was much smaller than the ones back in the woods, with its leaves long, rustling in the slow wind. Attached to the branches were strange green... ovals? Well, they weren't all green, some had hues of yellow and red. He could only assume it was some kind of berry or fruit. Whatever they were, they looked weird, that's all Shrimpo could say. Regardless, he was near someone's house, and he needed a way in.

He only wanted to grab a select few things. If he wanted to be out of here anytime soon, Boxten needed to get his stupid body rested up. He was not planning on hauling around a half-asleep Toon on his back. He already knew what he needed to grab.

He walked next to the wall of the house, turning a corner to see more borders, which wrapped around almost the entirety of the house except for one side. Instead of more walls, it held gray stone, stretching across the ground. Apparently, all homes had a slab of carved-out stone attached to it. It almost looked like a path of sorts. He didn't know for what, though.

His whiskers twitched. Another one of those weird square boxes was attached to this house by wires connected to more, much smaller boxes. Above it, the main thing that caught his eye was a window.

He approached the strange box. It was metallic to the touch, and fairly hot. Not enough to burn him, as it was in the shade, but warm air radiated off of it as if exhaling constantly. The most prominent thing about it to the crustacean was how he could possibly climb on top of it. There was only one way to tell.

Despite the pain in his stomach, and in his limbs, he reached onto his tippy-toes and placed his hands flat onto the top of the box. Then, he dug his fingertips onto the surface as he tried to haul himself upwards. He struggled for a bit, his feet unable to find any good grip to push himself upwards. After a minute of attempts, his left arm screaming at him to cease, with a final effort he hauled himself on top of the machine with a gasp of breath.

The box was warm under his shins, and he sat there for a moment, catching his breath. He ignored the humming of the machine beneath him as he then stood, holding his arms outwards as to balance himself. Once adjusted, he looked upwards. The window was directly above the box, and he could easily place his hands on the windowsill.

Cupping his hands around his eyes, he pressed his face against the panes, peering inside. The lights were turned off, but from what he could see, it looked almost like an office. He could make out the shape of a desk, and a computer—though much smaller than the ones back at Gardenview. The rest was too vague to tell. Looking downwards at the interior windowsill, he noticed something. A lock, as a window should have, but a little... weird. Almost as if it were damaged, or perhaps not installed correctly. It looked almost crooked.

Now, he had no idea how a window's locking mechanics were supposed to work, but he did know how to open a window. And he knew, with enough force, it would open. So, with his fingertips dug underneath the bottom of the lower window's muntin, he pressed upwards in an attempt to open it.

It didn't budge at first.

He expected this, so he put more pressure, wiggling the frame in a pathetic attempt to loosen the lock. To his own surprise, the harder he did this, the more it actually seemed to work . This only encouraged Shrimpo to continue.

Little by little, cursing under his breath as hunger waved through him, he picked at the process until finally, he jerked the window harshly, and heard a snap. The window then easily gave way under his hands, and he opened it with ease.

No idea how that worked, but whoever lived here must be stupid to not notice their window lock was busted.

Without thinking, he hopped inside, and ended up falling face-first into the carpet with a thud . Ignoring the stinging in his face, he got up, his body feeling a warm flash of embarrassment. Jeez, how many times was he going to do that? He shook his head and looked around.

Now that he was able to get a better view, it was a fairly decorated, yet small room. He noted a lot of potted plants and framed pictures on the walls. It wasn't a conventional office, like the smaller ones he noted seeing while on elevator shifts, but more... personalized. There was nothing of interest after a few minutes of digging around, so he moved on.

He had to reach to turn the doorknob, and exit, him now in a hallway. Shrimpo looked around, noting the pictures lining the hall. There was a closed door downwards to the right, then an opening in the hall, to what Shrimpo could assume was the rest of the house. To the left led to two more doors, one of which opened. Taking a look inside showed him a bathtub with a shower head on the wall, as well as a sink and a toilet. He had no reason to be in this room, so he didn't linger.

He decided to go right, passing the closed door with heavy steps. He was presented with a large felt-textured couch, with a coffee table right in front of it. On top of it held a mug, and some letters. He didn't bother to read the name nor address written on it. It wouldn't matter.

On the couch was a blanket, and when Shrimpo dragged his hand across it, he almost shivered from how soft it was. It was... nice. Real nice. But he had no time to wrap himself in soft blankets and fall asleep. He needed things from here.

Turning right again, he was presented with a dining room, which was connected to the main kitchen, and the first thing that caught his eye was a piece of clothing draped over one of the dining room chairs. He reached to grab it, pulling it down roughly and presenting it in front of himself. It was a solid black hoodie, with long sleeves and a large hood. On the front of it held a weird circle shape on the chest, and flipping it over showed that shape, but larger, this time with a human-shaped being on it. It seemed to be wearing a kind of suit. It almost looked spacey, from what little he didn't care to know about astronomy.

Shrimpo's whiskers twitched. This looked like a blanket within itself, it was almost as big as he was! Sticking a hand into the inside of it, he felt the texture. It wasn't rough, or overly smooth. It was a comfortable in between.

Half out of impulse, half to test it out, he flung the hoodie over his head. It was a struggle to get it on, and he almost fell over twice as he struggled, but eventually he got his over-sized shrimp head through the neck hole.

When he looked down at himself, he almost scowled. It looked too much like Gigi, weirdly enough, with the sleeves going far past his hands, and the bottom of the hoodie nearing his knees. His teeth clenched at the reminder, but he shook his head. This wasn't for him.

...

Jeez, he was going through all this trouble for someone else.

He shook his head again. It was for him, actually. So that they could get a move on! Once Boxten stops whining and being overly pathetic, then things would be a lot easier. He just... needed to do this first.

Another pain coursed through his stomach.

Right.

Not bothering to take the hoodie off, he made his way to the kitchen. The first pantry he opened held a plethora of snacks. Anything in a box, he ignored, but he was able to pick out the shape of chips and cookies, as well as long boxes holding tiny pastries, reminiscent of Cosmo and Sprout's baking.

The thought of them made him roughly toss the box back in the pantry. He snatched a light blue pack of chips, however, the flavor he didn't care for, and somewhat stuffed it into the hoodie pocket. He didn't bother to close the pantry.

The refrigerator was huge, with two doors with large handles. Opening it was a bit of a challenge, and his body was blasted with cool air as he gazed upon its contents. Mostly just ingredients meant for cooking, instead of grab-and-go snacks. But he knew cooking wasn't an option. This wasn't his house, and he didn't think the owner would appreciate him using their stuff to cook. Not like he cared how the owner felt... wait.

Closing the fridge, he paused. He looked around, tuning into the silence of the house. Silence was all he received. His whiskers twitched, he didn't even think to check if anyone was home. He hasn't seen anyone, except somewhat glancing at the framed photos. In fact, he hadn't even bothered to examine them. Then again, it didn't matter.

...In fact, was he even planning on coming back? He thought that yes, although he didn't want to, he knew he'd likely have to eventually. This place was stocked with snacks, and he knew a way in! He could raid this place whenever he wanted!

He smiled to himself, he kinda liked the sound of that. Serves the humans right!

Now, for the next line of business. He moved towards the counter left of the fridge, and began opening drawers. After a few of just oven mitts and baking equipment, he found what he was looking for. Utensils, but more specifically, knives.

He needed self-defense, after all.

Shrimpo grabbed the first one he saw. It was very small, one likely used to cut one's steak, but it fit perfectly in his hand, and he was fine with that.

He closed the drawer, then lifted his head, looking over onto the counter. A hue of yellow caught his eye, and he stood on his tippy-toes to see a fruit bowl. Those weird red-green ovals rest in it, as well as a fruit he was familiar with. Bananas.

Without thinking, he pawed at the bowl to draw it closer, then grabbed at the stems. He ended up snagging 3 of them. That was good for now.

Again, he pocketed them, albeit with a struggle. It made a weird lump to the front of him, but he tried to pay it no mind. He only needed one more item, then he could go.

He ignored a small thump to the ground as he moved his way out of the kitchen, albeit walking awkwardly. He kept the knife in his hand as he opened the first closed door. As he assumed, it led to a bedroom.

It looked as any bedroom should, with more fake plants and furniture similar to his own back at Gardenview. He didn't dwell on looking around and moved towards the bed. It was too tall for him to jump on with no struggle—plus he didn't want to do that with a sharp blade in his hand. Instead, he moved to the side of it, near the headboard. There, he grabbed a pillow. He set the knife down on the bedside desk as he fluffed the cushion, getting a feel for it.

It was big. Bigger than his head, and by that logic, Boxten's too. It wasn't for his use, so it didn't matter. He turned his back to the bed just as the softest thud sounded behind him.

He tucked it under his left arm, and returned the blade to his hand. He turned back towards the bed and—

" Meow !"

"A—WH—" A furry face was suddenly in front of him, and he flinched backward on instinct, the pillow dropping from under his arm. He backed away a few steps, hands gripping the handle as he stared at it.

The creature was small, with bright yellow eyes. Its fur was long, mostly black with its face, chest, and paws being white. Its tail was in the air, waving at the tip as it looked at Shrimpo.

"WHAT THE HELL?" He blurted, and he only got a stare in response for a few moments. Then, unexpectedly, it jumped down from the bed. Shrimpo immediately took a few steps back, but it followed, its tail waving in the air.

"STAY BACK!" Then he pointed the knife at it. The black and white fluff-ball only stared at him, then curiously approached more and sniffed at his leg. This time, he stayed completely still. When had he started shaking? What was this thing?It almost reminded him of Goob... and Scraps, at the same time? And Pebble, maybe? It didn't make sense, but it was the best comparison he could come up with.

After a few seconds of it sniffing at him, it made that sound again. A high-pitched trill, then it rubbed its head, then its body, against his leg.

It was soft, almost as soft as that blanket. Its tail continued to stick straight upwards, and Shrimpo could hear a rumbling coming from it, almost similar to that weird sound Goob made when he was happy about something—something that Shrimpo had no care about, but it was loud enough for him to notice at the time.

After a moment, it stopped, and it just stared up at Shrimpo, still making the sound. Shrimpo stared back. "WHAT ARE YOU?" He asked, as if expecting to get an answer.

" Mriau!" Was his response.

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"

"Mrr.."Shrimpo shook his head. He wasn't going to get a comprehensible answer, was he?

Slowly, he moved his leg away, then quickly grabbed the pillow again. The creature didn't give any sign of protest, and just stared at him as he slowly moved away from it, not breaking eye contact.

Shrimpo glared at it.

It tilted its head. " Miau.. "

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!" He scowled.

The creature slowly blinked at him, then leaned back and started licking at its flank.

Shrimpo stared at it for a few seconds, before taking the opportunity to book it out of the room, into the office, and out the window. He hoped he wouldn't drop anything on the run back to the trees.