Created: 11-7-04Dog saw himself tied on a pole and an angry mob was below him, shouting unkind words, well, more like curses, maybe. He turned and gasped as he saw Cat tied to another pole, covered in serious wounds, probably done by a whip.
He noticed the mob was carrying burning torches. That was when he realized that he and Cat were separated, as in literally. He had his own body and Cat has his own. He wasn't sure why were they tied on this pole and why was the mob so angry, but he sure knew that it wasn't something pleasant.
"Cat!" Dog found himself yelling to Cat. "Cat, we're going to be friends forever, aren't we?"
"Yes, Dog!" Cat replied from his side. "We are friends forevermore! I love you, Dog!"
"I love ya too, Cat!"
The mob started throwing their burning torches towards the stack of dry straw below them. The straw caught fire immediately and was racing up towards their bare bodies.
"This is it, Cat," Dog said sadly.
"Be brave, Dog," Cat replied. He, too, had a devastated look in his teary eyes.
Dog yelled in pain as the fire started licking his fur and up to his bare body.
Dog yelled himself awake and fell off the bed with a loud thud, pulling his brother down in the process. Cat grumbled and rubbed his head that was sore after having 'direct contact' with the floor. He turned to Dog accusingly and yelled, "What the heck is wrong with you, Dog?!"
"Nightmare! Nightmare! Scary! Scary! Fire! Fire all around us! Fire…" Dog was blabbering nonsense. Cat walked over to Dog and smacked him on the head to stop him from not making any sense. Dog blinked, looking stunned, his mind slowly clearing.
"Now that I've got your attention, what exactly is the matter with you?" Cat tried to keep his cool with his simple-minded brother.
"Sorry, Cat. I had a nightmare, that's all," Dog scratched his head sheepishly.
"Terrific," Cat rolled his eyes in exasperation. "What is it this time?"
Dog told everything he had dreamt about to Cat while Cat rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he listened. When Dog finished his tale, Cat looked a little bored.
"That's it? That's all you dreamt about? I swear I'll never let you watch anymore of those sacrificial movies again! They get into your head so bad you wouldn't even remember who you are anymore!"
"But Cat, this is serious!" Dog whined in terror. "This dream was very real! I felt the fire really burning into my skin! It almost got into my bones, for crying out loud! It hurt really, really bad! Don't you think it is a bit strange?"
"Dog, the only thing strange is that you being a total bimbo and an accident-prone and yet are still alive!" Cat waved his arms, having enough of all this nonsense. "Just go back to sleep. It'll go away before you know it."
"But Cat, what if it has something to do with us? Something to do with our past and…and why we are stuck together like this?" Dog was still worried. Cat turned around and gave a skeptical look before sighing.
"Look, Dog. It's just a dream, OK? Go back to sleep. It's 3 in the morning. We've got so much to do ahead. The feeling will go away in no time, just try to relax."
Dog nodded, his heart still tingling with doubt. He found it hard to believe that his brother sometimes never took him seriously—well, almost all the time—but then again, he's a cat, and cats don't really give a darn about the world unless it really, really concerned him. Besides, he's his big brother and he's smarter, so he should be right about things. Dog slowly crawled back to the bed and fell asleep almost in no time.
Little did Dog know that Cat was still lying awake, thinking about the dream Dog told him. It sounded pretty real and downright scary. No one would want to dream about themselves being tied to a pole and be burnt to a crisp. Definitely not Cat, who feared for his life more than anything. And it sounded so familiar. So familiar indeed.
It sounded exactly like the one he dreamt before.
CatDog woke up the next morning looking pretty much out of place. What with Dog's nightmare (which caused him to sleep quite restlessly) and Cat being rudely interrupted from his dream (and staying up all night thinking about the familiarity of Dog's dream with his), they looked like they haven't been sleeping since the Ice Age. Dog almost fell asleep on his bowl of dog food and Cat couldn't concentrate on the newspaper he was reading—his eyes were drooping like heck.
"Mornin', guys! Got milk?"
CatDog greeted their little neighbour Winslow, the blue rat glumly. Winslow went over to a rat hole somewhere at the side of the fridge and took out some milk. As he sipped his milk, he took one glance at his housemates and said, "Woah, guys. You look like you have had rough time last night. The bed bugs got ya? Heh heh!"
"I am not in a mood for jokes, Winslow," Cat rubbed his aching temples. "Go and harass someone else, like the Greasers or something."
"What are you nuts?" Winslow said his famous quote. "Harassin' you guys are far better than harassin' those mangy mutts. Gotta run, got some harassin' practices to do. Heh heh!"
"Yeah, yeah, go scare a nun," Cat muttered as he went back to his newspaper. By then Dog has already had his face planted into the dog food and was snoring away. Cat rolled his eyes and decided to ignore him.
Almost quite suddenly, their other neighbour Lola crashed onto their kitchen window. Obviously she was in one of her discovery adventures—judging by the camera hung on her neck—and wanted to grab a little bite. Dog woke up immediately by that sound and let Lola in.
"Morning, Lola," Dog greeted good-naturedly, although still a little sleepy.
"Hola, CatDog," Lola greeted back, taking a bite of Cat's toast. "You guys look like you've been overdosed with coffee grande. Anything wrong?"
"Don't even wanna talk about it," Cat muttered grudgingly, his eyes looking accusingly at Dog.
"I just had a nightmare and kinda woke us up," Dog said sheepishly. He licked the dog food that was stuck on his face and asked, "What about you? We haven't been seeing you for quite a long time. What adventure have you been into this time?"
"Speaking of nightmares and dreams, that is just exactly what I have been researching," Lola replied in her thick Mexican slang. "There are lots of theories talking about people with dreams of the future and stuff, and I was out all week trying to find out the truth. Some are still skeptical, both many of them are just plain loco."
"I had a dream last night, and it was so real!" Dog exclaimed. "Wanna hear about it?"
"You don't wanna hear this, Lola," Cat groaned. "It's nothing but nonsense!"
"My research is still on, so I can spare some time." Lola said as she took out a voice recorder. "Tell me, Dog, what was your dream?"
"Terrific! Here we go again! I'm not hearing this."
So while Cat buried his face in the newspaper trying to ignore them, Dog repeated again whatever he had told Cat to her. Lola nodded her head thoughtfully as she listened and recorded every word. As soon as Dog finished his tale, Lola turned off the voice recorder and said, "Mama miya, this is really more grande than I thought! I will do an immediate research on it right away!"
"When can you get the answers?" Dog asked eagerly.
"I cannot promise anything, but I, Lola, will prevail. Gracias, Dog, for your story. See you soon, amigos!" Lola said as she flew out of the kitchen window to the tree outside CatDog's semi-dog bone and fish home.
"Bye, Lola! Hear from you soon!" Dog called out. He then turned to Cat with an eager face and said, "Boy, Lola sure is very smart when it comes to mysteries like these. I sure hope she'll find something about my dream."
"Oh, she'll find something alright," Cat said, not looking up from his newspaper. "She'll find out that this is all just an insignificant dream that shouldn't be taken seriously of, that's what she'll find."
"Come on, Cat. It'll be great," Dog said as he finished whatever was left on the plate. "Who knows what lurks behind the dark world of dreams and nightmares of the human mind? Wouldn't that be cool?"
"I bet," Cat replied sarcastically. But secretly, deep down inside, he sure was curious.
Lola was in her tree home surfing the net and checking out the books while she replayed and replayed again Dog's dream she recorded on tape. She didn't know why, but she felt like she had a very important mission and a very essential case to crack, and this case was Dog's dream. She sat up all night trying to figure out what did this dream means and what did it signify. She even went through a History Book of Ages just to check out if any part of Dog's dream had any connection with the past.
When finally the pieces came together and Lola reviewed the whole thing, she came into a precise conclusion.
And it didn't sound pretty.
"So, my feathered friend, was I right or was I right about Dog's dream—that it is all a bunch of hogwash?"
Lola was sitting in CatDog's living room sofa between the conjoined brothers and was looking a little bit uneasy. Cat was watching the Kitty Relaxation Channel and Dog was watching Doggy Wrestle Mania when she came in that fateful evening.
"Actually you are wrong," Lola replied. "There is something going on, and it's between you two and it's something to do with Dog's dream, although I wish now that Cat is right."
"What do you mean, Lola?" Dog asked, surprised.
"I did a research alright, but it sure wasn't too excellente to me."
"What is it about, Lola? Tell us!"
"Yeah, Lola," Cat agreed in a sarcastic tone. "Tell us so that our Dog can be proven wrong and just shut the hell up about everything!"
"Are you sure about all this, amigos?" Lola asked, still hesitant.
"Oh, for the love of chum, just say it already! We haven't got all day!" Cat groaned, getting a little impatient with all the stalling.
"OK then," Lola said as she took out the History Book of Ages and flipped quickly through the pages to show CatDog the page where she meant. There, in the middle of the page, was a large painting of a cat wearing very exclusive-looking clothing like the early 1800s and a dog wearing peasant clothing of the 1800s. Surprisingly, the cat looked exactly like Cat and the dog, well, looked exactly like Dog (A/N: I know, I know, I always make Cat look high-classed and Dog the insignificant one, but hey, it's Nickelodeon CatDog tradition).
"Hey, Cat," Dog exclaimed. "They look exactly like us, only they're not stuck together."
"Yeah, you right," Cat agreed, rubbing his chin. "And I gotta say, that clothes sure looks mighty rich to me!"
"Ci, amigo," Lola replied. "This is the famous Sir Catronus and the peasant dog Dogarius. Somewhere in the 1800s, cats were once considered the higher class among society and dogs, well, the lesser class. There were Sirs and Dukes and Counts and Barons and they're all won over by cats. It was during the time when King Rancidio ruled over the land (A/N: Get it? Rancidio and Rancid?)."
"Why do we cats always get our due before I was born?" Cat groaned, thinking of how great it would be if he were the one stepping on The Greasers' heads instead of the other way round.
"What about this Catronus and Dogarius, Lola?" Dog asked, curious.
"Ci, amigo, this is where I'm getting at (A/N: OK, this part, imagine that the story was being played out while Lola told it to CatDog). Listen to this: 'As cats and dogs were socially divided, it was to no surprise that discrimination was involved. Sir Catronus, King Rancidio's bravest knight would stop at nothing to defend the country for his King. He was known famous throughout the world as "The Silver Rider" because his armour was made of pure silver and only he could wear it and bears its weight.'"
"Wow! This Catronus guy sure is strong and brave, eh, Cat?" Dog commented, suddenly feeling an extraordinary attraction to this history character.
"Yeah…I sure feel that way…" Cat muttered, also feeling a sense of belonging with Sir Catronus. By then, Winslow the blue rat realized there was a hot discussion going on and couldn't help poking his head out of the door to listen what they were talking about.
"Anyway, amigos, 'Sir Catronus was, without a doubt, a great leader of the knights and a powerful member of the force. Yet, it wasn't surprising that many were jealous of him and many wanted him dead. He had unofficially brought enemies upon himself. One day, when he was on his hunting trips in the woods, he was under attack by some kill-for-hire dogs (Greaser look-a-likes, of course!) and he could've been a dead legend if it weren't for Dogarius who had come to the rescue. He was one of those peasants working for another high-classed cat and had just so happened to be around when he was collecting firewood.
'Sir Catronus was taken to Dogarius' hut where he was nursed back to health. He took it for granted at first—all cats do when dogs serve them—but throughout his recovery, he and Dogarius had formed an unusual friendship and he was utterly grateful for Dogarius. Dogarius was seriously a friendly and upbeat person who didn't care about status or wealth and was easily content with what he had, and that was something Sir Catronus had never seen on any other dogs. After his recovery, he often went down to the woods to visit Dogarius whenever he could. They even called each other "Cat" and "Dog".'"
"Hey, just like us, Cat! Isn't it a cool coincidence or what?" Dog exclaimed, getting more into the story. Cat did not reply; it was too much of a coincidence that it slightly scared him a little.
"'Somehow their friendship was found out and it became a serious uproar among the community. There was no law that cats and dogs cannot be friends but ethically, it was pretty much not a sight for sore eyes. King Rancidio sure didn't want to let go of his trusted knight but somehow, his wisemen, who were strictly against this friendship, plot to frame Sir Catronus and Dogarius of a crime they didn't commit. Finally, they were both burnt on a stake on the full moon of May 1865.'"
"Wow, they were burnt on a stake just because they were friends?" Dog whined in disbelief. "That's not fair! How could they do this to them?"
"There is a lot of prejudice in this world, that's for sure," Cat shrugged. "So, you mean to tell me that Dog is actually dreaming about something that really happened in the 1800s?"
"Ci, amigo," Lola nodded. "And they weren't burnt because they were just friends. They were burnt because they were…well…I dunno how to say this…"
"What? They were burnt because of what?" Dog asked anxiously.
"Yeah, Lola. If they weren't burnt because they were just friends, then what were they burnt for?" Cat asked, forgetting to pretend to be uninterested.
"If you amigos really wanna know," Lola said hesitantly, "they were burnt because they…they were lovers."
A long silence hung the whole living room. Even Winslow, who about to blurt out his famous 'What are you nuts?' quote, stopped short after hearing those words coming out of Lola's beak.
"Ci, amigos, it is true," Lola closed the book. "Sir Catronus fell in love with Dogarius one day just like that," she snapped her fingers, "and the feeling was mutual. They were caught by Dogarius' master one night doing…well…'making out' and Sir Catronus took him in to his home when the master kicked Dogarius out. King Rancidio's wisemen used that excuse and twisted the truth to make it look like they have committed a serious crime. That's what led them to the burning."
"But…But what has that got to do with my dream…?" Dog asked timidly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.
"From what I've researched, you have described the dream in such detail and made it sound so real, and that the pictures of Sir Catronus and Dogarius looked exactly like you, I'm afraid, CatDog, that you could be…dreaming about…your past life."
Again, a really long silence hit the whole house. Past life? CatDog were actually dreaming about their past life? That has to mean that they used to be Sir Catronus and Dogarius…and that they were gay! They were real life fags! How could this be? They cannot be gay now, could they? They're brothers, and born as conjoined brothers, and their relationship are just between brothers. How could they be…? Could this be all just a dream right now? Were they hearing right? Is this theory possible? Lola did have the tendency to be wrong, but what if…she's right…?
The silence didn't last forever. Winslow suddenly broke the ice by laughing hysterically loud, rolling all over the floor. CatDog were horrified. How much has he heard?
"Boy, this is rich! This is unbelievably rich! A cat and a dog reborn as CatDog to be together forever! Wait till all of Nearsburg hears this! This is gonna be so much fun! Heh heh!"
Before Cat could leap over and stop him, Winslow was already slamming the door at his face and running down to goodness knows what tunnel and probably be out at Nearsburg spreading the news. Cat groaned and turned accusingly at Lola.
"This is all your fault, bird-brain! If you hadn't been so interested in listening Dog's dream and leave this all alone, we, no, I wouldn't be in this mess!"
"Well, forgive me for being inquisitive and curious, but this is how I was born," Lola replied, annoyed. "I've done my part of the job as Dog requested, not you. So if you don't like it, fine! Hasta la vista, amigos!"
"Hasta la vista my foot, you bird-brain!" Cat yelled back at the disappearing Lola before turning to Dog and grumbled, "And as for you, Dog, I told you to leave this thing alone! But no, you just wanna know everything about it! Now look what have you got me into!"
"I'm sorry, Cat," Dog apologized. "It's just that it's so scary and so real, I had to know something about it. Dreams like these don't just come whenever they want to, you know. Remember the last dream we had about us in separate bodies and being in a train accident or something? It didn't just happen, it's…"
"I don't care if it happened once in a gazillion years!" Cat exclaimed. "All I care about is Winslow going out there spreading terrible news about us being fags! Doesn't it bother you just a bit, Dog?! We're gonna be the laughing stock of the entire Nearsburg!!"
"Aww, cheer up, Cat. It's not like Winslow gonna…"
Dog was about to reach out his hand to pat Cat on the shoulder when Cat suddenly slapped his hand away. Dog was shocked. Why would his brother do that? He never resisted his touch before. Not ever! He was about to ask but when he saw the look in his brother's eyes, he understood.
"From now on, you are not going to touch me ever again, you hear me?" Cat demanded. "Not ever! Don't you even dare lay a finger on me! From this second, it's every man for himself, understand?!"
"Y…Yes, Cat…" Dog sighed and looked down. Silently, he sobbed. He couldn't believe that he was rejected by his own brother now that he had heard everything Lola said about them. He hated him, Dog could tell. Cat hated him.
Cat's heart ached to hear Dog cry.
Needless to say, the next morning when CatDog went for a walk down Nearsburg, they were the hot topic of discussion. Many cowered away from them in disgust and would not want to have anything to do with him, thanks to Winslow's big mouth (and big nose, for that matter). Wherever they went, the usually crowded place would suddenly become very spacious and they could see people whispering and pointing at them.
"Look, it's those fags!"
"How dare they show up here in public!"
"I couldn't believe they could do such a thing! They are brothers, for crying out loud!"
"They have to be ashamed of themselves!"
"I heard that…"
And the gossip continued on and on. Cat took it very badly as he was very self-conscious of himself (like most cats). Dog kept silent throughout the whole day.
"Hey, CatDog!"
Cat groaned when he heard the ever familiar voice of Cliff, the leader of The Greaser. He could see he and his gang coming up to them with that I-want-to-pound-you look on their faces.
"Yo, CatDog! Whatcha doing out there? Making out with each other?"
"Yeah, probably they're gonna sit under the moonlight and watch the stars or something while they slobber each other silly!" Shriek chided in, but in her heart, she was crying—she had lost the only dog she had ever loved.
"Duh, maybe they go and, uh, do the, uh, thing with the heart-shapes and chocolates and all that," Lube muddled his way through his insult.
"Just go away and leave me alone," Cat muttered grudgingly, not wanting to look at them.
"Why? So that you lovebirds can enjoy some quality time together? I don't think so!" Cliff guffawed as he punched his fists. "Let's pound 'em fags, Greasers!"
And the ever familiar chase begins as CatDog ran for their lives from The Greasers who were bent on pulverizing the guts out of them, and needless to say, the pounding was inevitable as Dog wasn't able to outrun The Greasers this time. It looked as if the pounding had gone worse after their un-fame of being fags had rang across the town of Nearsburg. Not only that, after The Greasers were done mangling CatDog, on their way home, they were either thrown by food or really hard objects by every people they passed by, and that even includes the mellow-looking Mr. Sunshine. By the time they reached home, they were both covered with cuts and bruises and stank of leftover food. Winslow was sitting at their doorstep eating cheese when they arrived.
"So, how was your day? Had a real blast now, didn't ya? Heh heh!"
"I had a seriously terrible day, thanks to you, and I am seriously not in a mood to be disturbed," Cat said through gritted teeth. "So I would appreciate it if you'd just keep everything you have in mind to yourself!"
"What are you nuts?" Winslow grinned slyly. "I haven't done telling all about you guys in Farsburg yet, and ya want me to quit? I—Woah!!"
Before Winslow could finish, Cat has already grabbed Winslow and threw him into his rat hole like a bowling ball. He let out a huff before walking upstairs to take a shower. As much as he hated water, he had to get this terrible smell off him.
"You could've run faster, you know," Cat mumbled as he turned on the shower, shivering as he let the cold water run down his dirty fur.
"Well, you said every man for himself," Dog said timidly. "So I'm not supposed to look out for you now, am I?"
"Whatever," Cat tsked as he cleaned himself through and through. He remembered the last time he took a bath. Dog had dragged and forced him into the water because he smelt terrible and Dog was sick coughing out furballs for him. It was like a nightmare for him as the water went all over his body and the feeling of soap on his fur. But he had to admit, he smelt so much better after that shower.
He stole a look at Dog. Dog was also cleaning himself, but he wasn't facing him. His body was as wet as his and the water was dripping down his droopy ears. Some of them fell on his face, which he wiped off casually. Cat continued to stare and stare until at one point he didn't know what he was doing…
"Don't touch me!!!"
Cat was knocked out of his senses when he felt a slap on his hand and a loud, ear-piercing scream ringing in his eardrums. He looked and saw Dog cowering at one end of the half-cut bath tub with eyes full of fear.
"Wha…What's wrong?" Cat asked, a little dazed and confused.
"You said last night that we should never touch each other. What the hell were you thinking about touching me?!" Dog exclaimed, his voice filled with anger and betrayal.
"I…I touched you…?"
"Yeah! You were all loopy and such and you were touching me and holding me like a creepy crawly or something! You stay away from me!"
"Look, I must've…" Cat tried to explain himself but Dog pushed him even further away.
"Get back! I said get back! I'm warning you, Cat! One more inch closer and you're not my brother anymore! I'll get a huge butcher knife and cut us in half, and I mean it!"
Judging by the look in his brother's eyes and the tone of his voice, Cat knew that he meant business. He nodded and kept his word—he didn't lay a finger on him or go any closer than allowed for the evening and the whole night through. He couldn't help feeling that he was experiencing almost the same thing as Dog had experienced today. His heart ached at the thought of it but, as the proud cat he was, he refused to acknowledge it.
It sure cut him deep though.
"Cat? Cat! Cat, wake up, Cat!"
Cat's slumber was rudely interrupted by Dog's voice. He groaned and blinked himself awake. He rubbed the sleep off his eyes and asked in irritation, "What time is it, Dog?"
"About 2 in the morning," Dog replied in an as-a-matter-of-fact way.
"Then why are you waking me up at 2 in the morning?!"
"Because there's a fire at Nearsburg."
Cat woke up almost immediately and looked out of the window. Their bedroom was facing Nearsburg and sure enough, there was a distant light burning brighter than the rest of the buildings in Nearsburg and a huge billowing cloud of smoke. Winslow was also awake in his bath robes sitting on the window sill enjoying the view. CatDog went over to get a clearer view.
"What's going on out there? Where's the fire?" Cat asked, squinting at the burning light which seemed to go brighter and brighter by the minute.
"Where have you been, in the middle of space or somethin'?" Winslow grinned. "It's the bank. I heard some guy went kaboodles coz the ATM machine won't work and now he's torching the bank."
"D...Did you say...the bank?" Cat suddenly went pale. Dog noticed that look and turned to Winslow worriedly.
"Uh, Winslow...Which bank are you talking about exactly?"
"What are you nuts?" Winslow said his famous quote. "There's only one bank in the whole Nearsburg: The Nearsburg County Bank. You should know better. You've been living here all your life."
"Uh...Cat?" Dog turned to his brother tentatively. "Isn't that the bank where we keep..."
"All my money!!!" Cat finished Dog's sentence and quickly made a dash out of the bedroom and out of the house, dragging the unsuspecting Dog along with him. He ran as fast as possible towards the direction of the fire, fearing for his money being burnt to a crisp. The money was the profits he made out of all the money-making scams he pulled and there's no way he was going to let all that money go up in smoke.
When he finally got there, as expected, a huge crowd was gathered around the bank. Someone was in the phone booth trying to call the fire department. Everyone looked devastated as they stood there watching the bank burn, unable to do anything.
"What the heck are you all standing here for?" Cat exclaimed. "Aren't you guys going to at least go in and save some of your money in there?!"
"Oh look, it's the fags," one of the on-lookers said in disgust. Cat ignored it; he didn't have time to argue with their remarks. He repeated his question again and one of them turned to him with a look of annoyance.
"Are you crazy? It may be our money in there, but we're not stupid enough to go in there and burn ourselves silly!"
"Yeah! If you wanna go get your money, go get it yourself!"
"You know what?" Cat said determinedly. "I think I will!"
So saying, he made a dash through the crowd, knocking them over like a bowling ball running through pinheads, towards the burning bank. Everyone was shocked and taken aback to see Cat Dog banging the entrance door and barge in without fear. Dog was looking at the hot, burning building and was slightly frightened.
"What are we doing here, Cat? This is crazy! Let's get out of here now!"
"I'm not leaving without my money!" Cat exclaimed, trying to look for the money vault.
“It’s not worth it, Cat!” Dog pleaded as he pulled at Cat’s hand. “We’ll be fried hot CatDog in here! Come on, Cat, let’s get outta here!”
Cat turned around abruptly and smacked Dog’s hands away, giving him a glaring, warning look, “Didn’t I tell you not to touch me? Now I gotta go and get my money and it’s worth every second. You wanna escape, be my guest! Exit’s out back!”
Dog wanted to talk Cat out of this but Cat was adamant on getting his money. Besides, they’re way too far away from the exit or the entrance for Dog to stretch out, so he had no choice but to be dragged along by the money-crazed conjoined brother of his.
“Help! Help! Somebody, please help me!”
CatDog were halfway to the money vault when all of a sudden, they heard a cry for help. Cat wanted to ignore it but Dog, the soft-hearted dog he was, couldn’t.
“Cat, someone needs our help!”
“Forget about him!” Cat grumbled. “We’re almost near the money vault now, and no lost last-minute money-chaser is gonna stand in my way!”
“But, Cat, he could be dying out there! We got to save him before he becomes toast!”
“I told you I don’t care! I’m getting my money and that’s final!”
“No! We are going to save that poor man whether you like it or not!”
So saying, he tugged at the other direction towards the cry for help. This time it was Dog dragging Cat away from the vault. Cat hissed and clawed at the ground, desperate to stay and get back to the vault but Dog's urge to save whoever was asking for help was much stronger than Cat's urge to save his money.
Sure enough, they saw a security guard on the ground, coughing and spluttering as he tried to keep himself from breathing more smoke. Dog rushed over to him and asked, "Hey, man. Are you OK? Anywhere hurt?"
"I think I broke my leg," the security guard replied.
"What happened?"
"That guy's crazy! He couldn't get his money out of the ATM machine and he threatened to break it. I tried to stop him but he just grabbed me and threw me back inside here. I broke my leg when I fell and the next thing I knew he was pouring oil all over the place and the whole bank was burning. He's crazy, man! He's crazy!"
"Hang in there. We'll get you out," Dog said reassuringly as he squeezed himself under the security guard and stood up, carrying him from the midsection that joined him and Cat together. "What your name again?"
"Bob," the security guard replied painfully.
"Alright, Bob. Just hang in there. We'll be out in no time."
Through the blazing fire and falling bricks and wood, CatDog carried the heavy bulky Bob towards the entrance door they just banged through. They hastily dropped Bob into the middle of the crowd and hollered for one of them to call an ambulance.
"Alright, we saved him! Can we go get our money now?!" Cat exclaimed and dragged Dog back into the bank. Bob stopped them in their tracks.
"Hey, guys! My partner is still in there! You gotta help him, please!"
"We have no time to save any of your puny friends!" Cat groaned. "We're going in to get my money!"
"What's your friend's name?" Dog asked.
"Fletcher," Bob replied. "Please, you gotta help him! He's my best friend!"
"Alright. We'll try," Dog replied before being dragged back into the burning building by his anxious brother Cat. Soon they were back inside and the heat was getting more intense. As Cat searched for the safe vault through the blazing fire and more falling charcoaled bricks and wood, Dog yelled for Fletcher over and over again, hoping that he'll answer. After the 20th call, Cat was getting annoyed.
"Will you stop yelling for that for that Fletcher guy? You're driving me nuts!!"
"But Cat, we have to find Fletcher," Dog protested. "We promised we'll save him!"
"You promised him! Not me! As far as I'm concerned, you're the one who always want to do the heroic stuff. Well, I don't! Now if you'll excuse me..."
"Help! Is there anyone out there? Help me!"
"Cat! Did you hear that?" Dog exclaimed excitedly. "It has to be Fletcher! He's right there!"
"Not now, Dog! I'm still looking for the vault!"
"I think it is coming from the vault, Cat!"
"Then why didn't you say so? Let's go!!"
CatDog made a dash towards the direction of the cry for help. Sure enough, they found themselves standing in front of the huge round-shaped vault. Dollar signs began to emerge in Cat's eyes as he desperately tried to open the safe. But no matter how he twisted and turned the combination lock, it wouldn't budge.
"Damn it! Damn it! We're so close! So close!" Cat groaned as he banged his fists on the vault door.
"Hello? Is anybody out there?" A voice called out, coming from inside.
"Yeah! We're here to rescue you!" Dog hollered back. "Can you tell us the combination number on this lock so that we can save you?!"
"Sure! It's the same as my birthday!" the voice answered happily. "It's 64 left, 12 right and 25 left!"
Cat did as he was instructed. Miraculously, it opened. CatDog cheered (for their own reasons actually) and barged into the vault. Cat immediately drooled at the sight of the safes in the vault. If no one wants to claim it, he sure would.
Suddenly, out of the blue, another security guard jumped onto CatDog with a desperate look in his eyes, pleading, "Please, you gotta get me outta here! I don't wanna die! Wait a second, you're the fags everyone's been talking about."
"Are you Fletcher?" Dog asked, ignoring the last comment.
"No, I'm Smith," the security guard replied.
"We're looking for Fletcher," Cat said hastily. "Goodbye!"
"Please! Please! Don't leave me here to die, please!!!" Smith grabbed onto CatDog for dear life.
"Where's Fletcher?" Dog asked. "Your friend Bob said Fletcher was supposed to be here."
"He was, but then after a while he called me to fill him in for the night because he had an emergency call from home. Said his wife was having a baby or something. So I came. Bob must've missed me."
"And what the heck are you doing here in this vault?" Cat asked, looking suspiciously at him.
"I was here to check and see if all the money is safe and intact in the vault," Smith explained. "Then I accidentally locked myself in. This vault can only be opened from the outside and I was hollering for help when I heard a loud commotion and the sound of burning fire. Soon the fire has pretty spread to here. I thought I was going to die! Please, you have to get me outta here!"
"Come on, Dog," Cat said grudgingly. "We're here to get our money and split! Let's not waste our time and just do it already!"
"But Cat, we have to save him! We promised!" Dog protested.
"You did! Not me! Besides, you promised to save Fletcher, not Smith!"
"Come on, Cat. Fletcher or not, he needs our help."
"Dog, I am not going to help someone who just called me a fag!" Cat hissed at his relentless conjoined brother.
"He didn't mean any harm," Dog replied kindly. "He's just confused, that's all. Come on."
"Please, Mr. CatDog," Smith went on his knees and begged. "I'm sorry I called you guys fags. I didn't mean it, honest! Please help me get outte here! I don't wanna die! I'm too young to die! I'm not even dating yet!"
Cat shifted his gaze from Dog to Smith and back again. Dog sure was the typical soft-hearted, caring little mutt. As another burning brick fell about a few inches beside them, Cat rolled his eyes and groaned, "Oh, terrific! Bleeding hearts of the world unite!!"
Finally, with Smith holding onto CatDog, they all rushed out of the vault and out towards the entrance of the bank. The vault shut by itself but lucky for Cat, he still remembered the combination lock numbers. This time the road was quite tricky with more debris and dangerous burning stuff all over the place, and the place was crumbling down even worse. They were almost hit by the falling ceiling as they hurriedly made their way out of the bank. It was hectic, hot and dangerously suicidal as CatDog and Smith tried to outrun the burning fire that was getting bigger and bigger and ready to swallow them whole. They were about a few more feet away from the entrance when all of sudden, a huge piece of the ceiling fell on top of CatDog, pinning them onto the ground. The fire burned like hell on their back and they couldn't move anywhere. Smith tried to pry the ceiling piece off CatDog but it was too heavy and hot. He tried to pull them out by tugging at their arms but to no avail.
"Go! Go, Smith! Save yourself!" Dog breathed painfully, shoving Smith away. "The entrance is just right ahead! Go!"
"But I can't leave you here!" Smith exclaimed, still trying to pull CatDog out from under the burning ceiling piece. "You saved my life! I can't leave you alone here to die!"
"Then just go outside and get help for us if you worry about us so much!" Cat groaned, feeling the heat of the rubble on his back. He tried to squeeze himself out of it but it was too heavy and was practically pinning him to the ground.
"Just go and save yourself!" Dog said as he pushed Smith away. "We'll be alright, you'll see..."
Smith looked touched, tears flowing out of his eyes as he backed away towards the entrance. He took one last look at CatDog before he ran off, saying, "I'll get help, I promise! Just hang in there!"
Now the conjoined brothers CatDog were all alone in the fiery building, the heat getting stronger and stronger. The building looked as if it was slowly crumbling and falling and was about to collapse on them, turning them into mush. They tried to get themselves out of their imprisonment but still they couldn't move an inch out of the huge rubble. Cat yelled in pain as another piece of burning rubble from the ceiling fell and hit his hand, scalding it.
"Cat, are you alright?!" Dog asked, panicking.
"How can I be alright when I'm stuck here under a tonne of burning rubble in a burning building--which is about to collapse--with you?!" Cat exclaimed, rambling like a maniac. "Thanks to you, we're stuck here getting ready to die! I said let's just ignore whatever is out there and get our money and go, but no, you had to go superhero all over and save them! All you had to do was listen to me! But you didn't, did you?! Oh, this is great! We're all here nice and comfy ready to die together and be together romantically forever, just like what they'll think when they find our corpse here burnt like firewood, thanks to you, Dog!!"
Dog didn't reply. Obviously, Cat's cynical and sarcastic words made him feel guilty. As he was ready to face death and felt the burning heat coming even closer and closer towards him, suddenly a familiar feeling struck him. Fire...Pain...Heat...Together with Cat...This all looked too familiar...
"Hey Cat," Dog voiced out. "Does this look familiar to you?"
"What's so familiar about this?" Cat asked.
"This is just like in the dream I had! The fire, the burning, us together, the mob outside...This is it, Cat! This is exactly the same thing I dreamt, only the reality we're in is slightly different!"
"What the heck are you talking about?!"
"What if Lola's wrong? What if the dream I had was just some sort of dream premonition, like something that might happen in the future? Maybe this bank fire incident might happen and I'm getting some sort of a message. Or maybe what if...what if Lola's right? That we could be the reborn of Sir Catronus and Dogarius? What if it really was us in the before life being burnt alive and that my deepest, darkest memory had just somehow awakened? What if...?"
"There is no 'what if' in here, Dog! Nothing about Lola's theory is real! I am a perfectly normal cat in a mental way! I'm no fag! I would never fall in love with my own gender, let alone my own brother which is practically a different species from me!"
Dog remained silent for about a few minutes before asking, "Are you in denial, Cat?"
"I am not in denial! Why would you suddenly ask that?" Cat groaned.
"Because...I remember, Cat. I remember you being Sir Catronus, and I'm remembering it now."
Cat turned to Dog in disbelief. 'What the heck is he talking about?' he thought. 'He must be hallucinating...and I think I am too...' His thoughts trailed away. Whether it was because of the pain from the burning, scalding fire or the trick of light from the fire, he thought he saw Dog in his 1800's peasant clothes, staring sadly back at him. Suddenly, like being struck by a bolt of lightning, the memories he had forgotten for centuries came rushing back to his head: him being knighted by King Rancidio, him riding the horse with his silver armour, him being cheered by the crowd for slaying the whole enemy force, him returning from a great quest to rescue King Rancidio's daughter from the jaws of a dragon, etc, etc...
He tried to slap his head to keep all those 'hallucination' away, but they kept coming back. Soon he remembered hearing rumours about people being jealous of his abilities. He remembered being ambushed a lot of times as the jealous ones attempt to kill him. He remembered being in the woods and being chased by Greaser-like assassins. Then he remembered Dog—Dogarius—jumping out from behind the bushes and clobbered the assassins with the fire wood he collected. He remembered being so badly hurt that he had to be carried by Dogarius all the way to his tiny hut that was beside his master's house. He remembered being bathed in warm water and soothed with salve on all the wounds inflicted on him by the assassins. He remembered Dogarius' smile, his friendly chatter and his extraordinary outlook on life. He was so different. He wasn't like the rest of the lower-classed people who wished they weren't born in their family of poor status. He was happy with what he was and accepted everything that was ahead of him with optimism and courage. And to think he—Sir Catronus—used to be so picky about things and complain about his food not tasting good and all the hullabaloo about whatnot.
As more burning rubble fell, he began to remember other things, like how he visited Dogarius almost everyday without fail after he was cure of his ailments. He remembered Dogarius teaching him how to make ground beans, weave clothes and cook stew, and in return he taught him about horseback riding and swordsmanship. He remembered having fun times together with him, like the time when he burst the pot trying to cook soup and when Dogarius shot the arrow almost close to his 'down there' when he was supposed to shoot the apple on his head. He remembered the first time he saw Dogarius in a weirdly different way. It was like a weird, seducing attraction. He couldn't help feeling as if he couldn't live without Dogarius. Every second apart from him was an aching torture to his heart. He wanted to be with Dogarius every minute and every second of the day. He remembered confronting Dogarius one day and confessing his feelings to him and he remembered the joy he felt when Dogarius blushed and said that he felt the same way about him. He remembered the night they shared together, becoming one...
The fire was getting bigger and hotter. CatDog could feel the flames coming closer towards them, surrounding them like an army of merciless red hot burning destructive soldiers. They could feel the fire slowly beginning to crawl up their skin. As the first few blazing flames hit him, Cat started remembering even deeper about being caught by Dogarius' master while making out—how the horror and utter disgust was shown on his face. He remembered the days that followed when wherever he went, everyone was giving him the stink eye. Everyone was angry and disgusted at him, and even more disgusted at Dogarius who was supposed to be the lower class of the system. Even Dogarius' own kind hated him and threw spoiled food at him whenever they had the chance. They despised them for being together and most importantly, they despise them for even trying to be friends despite the differences between statuses. King Rancidio was never against them and had not done any action on them, but he could tell that he, too, didn't like the idea of them being a couple. He then remembered overhearing the wisemen and King Rancidio talking about executing him and Dogarius because of a crime they didn't commit. Somehow they twisted and turned Dogarius' master's story about them making out into something horrible and he was shocked to hear King Rancidio agreeing to the execution after much pressure put by them. He and Dogarius planned to run away but they were caught in the end. He remembered the fire, the burning, the angry mob below them, the heat that came up to their bodies and licking through their bones like hell. It hurt...It hurt so bad...
"Dog...Dogarius...?" Cat finally looked at Dog the way he had always remembered. The little peasant dog with such an optimistic character and always looking on the bright side. The dog he had always loved.
"S...Sir Catronus..." Dog smiled as the memory of his past life came to a completion.
"This is it, Dog. Be strong," Cat said, a teary look in his eyes, just like in Dog's dream.
"I love you, Cat."
"I...I love you too, Dog..."
Before the whole burning building crumbled down under the weight of the burning fire and failing structure, Cat and Dog held their hands together tightly, like they would never let go...
"Cat...? Cat?"
Cat opened his eyes groggily. The first thing he saw was all white and a bright fuzzy light. Then Dog came into focus. Cat tried to sit up but Dog held him down.
"Lie down, Cat. You don't wanna waste your 9 lives."
"Where are we?" Cat rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the fuzzy vision he's having. "Are we dead?"
"You wish!" Dog chirped happily. "We're in the hospital, down in ICU. I wonder what ICU means though..."
"It means 'Intensive Care Unit', you simple-minded canine," Cat rolled his eyes. "What happened actually? I thought we were gonna be goners or something."
"I thought that too," Dog replied. "But when we were about to black out, I thought I heard firemen coming in and dragging us out of the bank. I woke up first and the nurse told me that we were almost half-dead when we were brought in. The burns were mighty bad, but we'll heal."
"Scar-less?" Cat asked worriedly. Always the self-conscious one.
"I can't say we won't have any scars, but there's nothing time can't heal!"
"What about our money? We went in there to get our money, but...now it's gone! What are we gonna do? How are we gonna eat later?"
"Don't worry. I've just saw the news on TV. The bank manager promised everyone that he will pay back the exact amount of money everyone had kept in the bank. Every single cent. And he has kept double copies or something in his home office just in case there are some people who try to cheat in getting more money than they've spent, and that means you, Cat."
Cat looked away, annoyed that his sly plan has been busted.
"Cheer up, Cat. We're both heroes now," Dog patted his brother's shoulder lightly. "Those two security guards Bob and Smith had told the TV guys that we've saved their lives, and we are considered heroes. The mayor said he'll give us a big reward once we're fully recovered and we're given free imunity. That means if anyone tries to harm us, they'll have to answer to the mayor. I guess we won't be bothered by The Greaser or being thrown bad food by them now."
"Yeah, whatever," Cat muttered, still not satisfied about his money being burnt to ashes.
"Besides, even if we don't have the reward or our money, you'll always come up with a plan to make some, right?"
"You always think there's something good in everything."
"Well, someone's gotta do it, don't ya think?"
"Yeah..." Cat replied as he stared at Dog. With his smiley face and cheerful attitude, he was thoroughly convinced that Dog was the little peasant Dogarius he had been in love with for so long. He wasn't going to deny his memories anymore and he wasn't going to think that this was all just a bunch of hogwash. He had felt it and he had seen it. It has to be true. Maybe it could be fate, or maybe it could be the power of love itself, but whatever it was, it had brought him and Dog closer together so that they won't have to separate ever again. So much closer.
"Dog?" Cat called out tentatively.
"Yeah, Cat?" Dog replied.
"Umm...I've been receiving a lot of flashbacks lately and...uh...well...I believe that...well...maybe...maybe Lola's right. Maybe there is some truth in whatever that got us together. But it's a little bit of a surprise for me, so why don't we just..."
Dog stopped him short with his finger on his lips. He looked deep into his eyes that told him that nothing in the past mattered anymore. What mattered was that they were together, and that's that, brothers or not. And they would be that way forever. Cat grinned sheepishly and scratched his chin, understanding what Dog meant. Slowly, they came closer and closer to each other, not even bothering whether they were watched or not, until their lips met.
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