After seeing ScornedRemnant’s lovely picture of movie Swiper hypnotized, I figured I’d give the cartoon version a shot. I can’t believe it took me so long to think of him. I loved watching Dora the Explorer as a kid; I don’t remember much of it, but I remember Swiper being my favorite. He’s such a cute and lovable jerk!

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Swiper snickered as he scampered into the bushes, turning to hide his tail behind a tree as Dora and Boots ran by. This had been the best day ever for swiping! They’d never find their stuff! Not the keyring, not the inner tube, not the potato, nothing!

…He had no idea what they were going to do with those, but who cared? He got to have fun!

A tap on his shoulder snapped Swiper from his thoughts; startled, he whirled around and found himself face to face with a snake. Before Swiper could bolt, the snake began to speak; his name was Kaa, and he was wondering if Swiper might know something about the inner tube that had hit him in the face. Swiper apologized; he hadn’t known anyone was in the tree when he’d thrown the tube. That was fine, Kaa replied, but why was he throwing inner tubes in the first place?

So Swiper explained his swiping to the snake. Kaa asked, confused: Wouldn’t it make more sense to just take things he actually wanted and keep them? Or just ignore the “Swiper, no swiping!”?

Swiper scoffed; where was the fun in that? The way he did things, he could make a game of it, one he’d win one day when they couldn’t find what he’d swiped.

Kaa smirked; he supposed he could see the appeal. Personally, he preferred staring contests. Dull-sounding, he knew, but he also knew how to make them interesting. He'd be happy to show Swiper, if the fox thought he could win.

Swiper matched the snake’s smirk; he was on. Staring into Kaa’s eyes, he was ready to start the contest.

Swiper’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as Kaa’s eyes filled with colors; beautiful, swirling colors that filled his vision and swiped away his thoughts, tossing them away and filling him with soothing warmth. Kaa moved his head, and Swiper followed, unaware of how his mouth hung open or how his pupils shrunk to pinpricks; the fox’s only thoughts were of the colors and how good they made him feel. The snake began to speak, and Swiper soaked up the words like a sponge as coils began to creep up his body: how he had done such a good job staring, how he was a good boy for doing a good job, and how good boys got to see beautiful colors all the time from their master. How he’d be his master’s pet and playmate, providing him with food, fun, conversation and anything else his master needed. And how in return for his love and obedience, his master would take up the burden of his pet’s thoughts and will, providing him with a life of coils, praise, and so many colors.

Swiper’s eyes swirled with color, his tail wagging behind him and an eager grin upon his face. He yipped in approval; all he wanted, all he needed was to be a good boy! He loved Master, and he couldn’t wait to start his new life with him. A final tug on the neck sealed the deal with a PING!, and Swiper broke out into the widest, silliest smile he had ever made.

Kaa chuckled as he looked over the spellbound, swirly-eyed fox. Technically, Swiper had won their staring contest; not once had the fox broken eye contact or blinked. And as his prize, he had earned a loving master and a long, long break from thinking.

He’d get so many belly rubs.