Austin the Absol - The New Bed

Austin was lying sprawled out on the sofa, lazily watching TV as per usual. Austin’s expression has changed from amused to ambivalent, which signaled to him that it was time to go to sleep. The Absol looked down at his back half to see that the remote was still where he had left it. The reason it was no longer in foreleg’s reach was because Austin had turned himself around during his TV watching session. This was no concern of his, as he simply lifted his right hindleg and used a sharp-clawed toe to hit the off button.

With the TV off, Austin got up onto his paws and hopped off of the black leather sofa and onto the carpeted floor. He sighed as he turned and padded softly across the floor out of the living room and clicked across the scratch-protected wood floor of the hallway. It took only a few steps for him to cross the hallway and enter the carpeted den, in which Austin could find a second fireplace, his Trainer’s video game console and second TV, a shelf with a collection of Eeveelution plushies, and most importantly, his bed.

Austin padded into the currently dark center room of the house, and turned to his left to where he knew his bed was, namely to the right of the door to the kitchen and dining room. However, what he saw stopped Austin dead in his tracks. Austin’s bed, a tan colored oval shaped wicker basket, which held his curled up body perfectly; filled with three white pillows with a well used and well loved light blue blanket on top; was gone. In its place was a large circular pillow-like basket that was a deep dark blue color on the outside and a lighter shade of blue on the inside. Said inside appeared soft yet smooth, although the side walls were fluffy and plush looking. In addition, there was also a white cylindrical shaped pillow inside as well.

Austin gaped at the unfamiliar bed for a moment, his excellent night vision allowing him to see it perfectly and take in every single detail of it. Although the only detail he cared about at the moment was that this was not his bed. Austin shut his eyes tightly and turned away, and he raised his right forepaw and wagged his third claw at it with disapproval. His tail tapped the floor nervously as he worked hard to resolve it in his own mind. He pictured his old bed in his mind, focusing on every detail of his beloved sleeping place. It’s color, it’s shape, it’s softness; he gave his all in visualizing his bed. A smile spread across his face as he recalled the feeling of his back up against the sides of the basket and softness of the blanket on top of his and the pillows below him. He let out a sigh, and turned and opened his eyes to look at his bed.

His smile fell flat when he saw the new bed still sitting where his old bed once was. He gasped as his rear hit the floor when he sat down hard. His breathing got faster and more distressed as tears welled up in his eyes. Austin then cried on the spot, sobbing hard as tears ran down his smooth blue cheeks. Utterly heartbroken, Austin relieved memory after memory of him snuggling down in his bed, enjoying not only the feel of his old blanket on top of him, but the scent of it as well.

At that thought, Austin’s sobbing promptly stopped as his eyes widened a bit at the idea that came to him. He then threw himself flat onto his stomach and started sniffing at the floor. Moving his hind legs, he scooted forward towards the place where his old bed was, now occupied by this new bed. He sniffed the spot, and then the light returned to his eyes as his nose got a hold of the scent of his old bed. His hind legs did a little happy jig before turning his body around in the direction of the scent trail. He then hopped up and stood up on all four legs, and then lowered his head down and sniffed along the scent trail. He tip-clawed across the carpet, back across the hall, and right to the front door.

With a flick of his horn, Austin unlocked the latch that kept the Poke-door closed and exited through the flap. He sniffed his way across the flagstone path outside and onto the paved driveway. Austin’s tip-clawing led him straight to the new plastic garbage pail waiting at the end of the driveway. The second his nose hit the side of the pail, Austin hopped backwards and looked at it with a scandalized expression.

Austin couldn’t believe that his Trainer had thrown his bed in the trash, but the proof was right there before his eyes, and in his nose. Austin huffed, and marched up to the garbage pail and knocked the lid off of it with his horn. Austin then whirled around and ran. He dashed around in a wide semicircle, and when he was several feet away from the garbage pail, he jumped up onto his forelegs, and then flipped up and over so that he came down hindlegs first into the garbage pail.

Austin looked down into the pail he was standing on, only to find that it was completely empty, much to his utter horror. He quickly realized that the garbage truck had already come, meaning his bed and blanket was long gone.

Austin wailed in despair, throwing his forelegs up and then covering his face up with his forepaws in his grief. He then threw his body backwards into the pail, causing it to tilt backwards and lose balance.

Austin was snapped out of his grief as he and the pail fell over and onto the street. The plastic pail, now on its side, began to roll down the road. Austin cried out as he was spun round and round as he rolled within the rolling pail. The pail bounced and tumbled down the inclined street all the way over to the short barrier that ran alongside the drop off overlooking the dirt road some distance below.

The pail struck the metal barrier hard and shot up quite a bit, spinning in mid air and allowing Austin to fall out when it flipped upside down. Austin took a single look at the ground several feet below, and immediately reached out with his hind legs and grabbed onto the sides of the garbage pail with his claws. He then quickly pulled his body back into the pail and shifted his weight so that the pail flipped over again and fell straight down, bottom first.

The pail landed hard on the ground below, crushing accordion style like a soda can. This both broke Austin’s fall and caused him to pop out like a jack in the box. Austin’s legs snapped downward and he perfectly landed flat on all four paws. Austin actually smiled in relief, looking around in awe at the fact that he made it out unscathed. He chuckled as he began to happily run his way back home. Even better, as the garbage pail was new and today’s trash wasn’t particularly messy or leaky, Austin’s impromptu ride didn’t make him dirty at all.

However, by the time he reached his house, Austin’s happy mood was completely gone, much like his old bed. Austin somberly entered back in through the Poke-door, locking the latch with a flick of his tail. He walked his way back to into the den, stopping right at the threshold between the den and the hallway. He could see the new bed from where he stood, and a terrible anger built up inside of him.

Austin snorted and scratched at the carpet with his right foreclaws. Then, with a snarl, Austin lowered his body and wiggled his butt. He then pounced up high and soared through the air, crying out with bloody vengeance as he threw himself towards the new bed. Upon landing on the light blue cushion inside the bed, he viciously stomped on it repeatedly, his attempts at digging his claws into it foiled by the Pokemon-proof material it was made from.

Austin stomped hard on it over and over until a strange sensation came in through his paws. Austin’s stomping suddenly stopped, his eyes wide and staring into space, until he quickly hopped out of the new bed and backed away from it warrily.

The Absol blinked with a tilt of his head, and then took a timid step towards the bed. Then, he shakily raised his left forepaw and carefully moved it over the bed. He slowly placed his paw onto the light blue cushion, and gently applied pressure on it. He shifted his weight onto that paw, allowing his three digits to sink into the softness.

Austin’s mouth hung open at first, then he let out a delighted laugh and jumped right onto the bed. With a smile, Austin bounced from paw to paw, lifting his legs high as he enjoyed the cooling effect the cushion had on his sore paws. He then walked around in a circle and let himself fall flat, the left side of his head landing right on top of the cylindrical pillow. Another contented laugh escaped the Absol, and he smiled as he snuggled down in his new bed. He even stretched out his legs and tail, very appreciative of how much roomier this bed was.

Austin sighed and sleepily closed his eyes.

Then his nose twitched and a frown appeared on his face. He opened his eyes and sighed, unable at this new bed’s satisfying smell. At the moment he truly missed the scent of hsi old bed, and his precious blanket.

“Surprise, Austin,” came the lowered voice of his Trainer, “You like the new bed?”

Austin sighed, not bothering to look up at his Trainer. Austin did appreciate this new bed, as it was superior in many ways. He knew it wouldn’t be fair to be mad at his Trainer for the bed’s fatal flaw. Humans didn’t have the extra keen sense of smell that so many Pokemon had, so Austin couldn’t blame his Trainer for not realizing this problem.

“I also saved this for you, just in case. Want it?” his Trainer asked.

Austin briefly wondered what his Trainer meant, but the answer became clear when the familiar scent reached his nose. Austin looked up and he cried out with joy and delight when he saw the familiar light blue blanket in his Trainer’s hands.

“I’ll take that as a yes!” his Trainer said, and he draped the light blue blanket over Austin.

Austin let out one final sigh of contentment as he snuggled down into his nice cool bed, surrounded by his familiar smelling blanket.

“Love you. . .” his Trainer said with a smile.

Austin just purred serenely as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The End

This was a Pokemon short story.

Staring the clever, beautiful, slightly cool, somewhat vain, and sassy. . .

. . .part cat, part dog, part pony. . .

Austin

MMXXII


Austin’s hind paws stuck out slightly front beneath the blanket. The claws twitched a bit from being exposed. Austin’s butt wiggled a bit, and his tail moved a bit in his sleep, until the bunched-up blanket moved down a bit so that it finally covered up the exposed paws, resulting in a delighted hum from the sleeping Absol.