#snrr

…Actually that was pretty rude. I made a note to apologize when I could.

Regardless, I just didn’t want to talk about it! It wasn’t like he was a bad guy either. He was… okay. I think. He was just a bit weird, and the last thing I wanted to hear was a flurry of questions as to why I was carrying a stuffed animal. It was so embarrassing - searching online, finding a yard sale where I could get one, and walking eight blocks down so I could actually get it. All because I was afraid of the dark.

As embarrassing as it was, it was true. For some reason, it was something I never grew out of. In middle school, high school, even in college, I was always that one nerd who couldn’t handle a little darkness. It just freaks me out, not knowing what’s out there.

I began to hurry along as the sun slipped behind the trees lining the road, leaving the street in a dim, purple light save for the glow reflecting from the tops of some nearby houses. I used to be able to live with my fear too, I’d feel an overwhelming sense of dread – even within the comfort of my own home.

Speaking of homes, I took a cautious glance back as I reached mine. It wasn’t like I lived in a bad neighborhood either. I was decently well off, as a matter of fact, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something could be there. Which is why we’re here now, I suppose. After making sure nothing was going to creep up on me, I unlocked the door and slipped inside, clutching my plush all the while.

I froze as I shut the door, noting how dim it was inside. I stiffly reached for the nearest light switch and flicked it. I let out a sigh as the living room was covered in a welcoming yellow light. I placed the toy on a small table nearby, and grabbed the featherduster that was sticking from my pocket. I had decided to pick it up from the yard sale as well, since I needed a new one after Fred’s dog murdered the last one I had.

Puppy-sitting. Not fun.

It was cheap too, actually! Only 50 cents. In fact, the plush I got was also pretty cheap. I didn’t think too much on it when I bought them, but it did seem a bit fishy in hindsight. Discarding that thought for now, I decided that the best way to break in my new duster would be to clean up my new friend!

…Though, I realized why it was so cheap after just a few brushes.

I blinked as a puff of dust blew from the brush. Thinking nothing of it, I tried to dust my toy off some more, but that only resulted in me coughing as a cloud of dust began to fly up. I tried it on some bookshelves I had too, just in case it was the toy’s doing, but this too left me in a bit of a pall.

“Agh—Good grief,” I said between sneezes. How could one duster be so dusty? I decided to walk outside and shake it in an effort to clean it out. It worked out well enough at first. However, I soon noticed how much dust was escaping. I watched in disbelief as a huge cloud of dust began to form.  Concerned, I hummed to myself…

I decided to put it up for now.

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. I resigned to sticking the plush in the washing machine while I ate. By the time I finished showering, the plush had finished drying, and I was ready for bed.

I held the toy close as I climbed into bed. Normally, I would’ve been wide awake, staring into the darkness above me while secretly wondering why I didn’t invest in a nightlight. But the plush, whose name I decided would be Lupa after seeing the tag attached to its rump, was so soft… so warm…

I sleep.

Dawn broke. Amber rays of light shone through the cracks between the curtains, letting just the slightest bit of light into the room. Unfortunately, this light decided it’d be a good idea to shine directly onto my face, forcing me to wake up. I willed myself to rise and my body begrudgingly followed my orders, though I refused to open my eyes as I listlessly felt around for my plush.

…Until I realized it was gone.

I sat there for a moment as my tired brain tried to make sense of it all. My plush was gone, and my pillow along with it. I looked under the bed, under my blankets – I searched the whole room and turned up nothing!

Then, I stopped. And listened.

I could hear footsteps.

I pressed my ear against the bedroom wall. Confirming my fears, I heard shuffling just outside. It took me a moment to collect enough courage, but I soon stepped out into the hall.

Nothing.

I looked to my left, then my right. The noise had suddenly stopped.

As I walked closer to the living room, the noise became less and less faint. It almost sounded like someone had pillows on their feet as they walked around. After hesitating for a moment, I turned the corner. The first thing I noticed was Lupa, placed on the coffee table near the TV. While I was relieved I had found it, I couldn’t help but wonder how it got there. Not to mention, the noise was suddenly gone, along with whoever was making it. …I hoped. I really didn’t want to have to deal with an intruder at… I stole a glance at the clock on the wall.

           7 A.M.

“Wait a minute…” I walked over to the couch, noticing something white. My pillow!

…Or, what was left of it.

The pillow was pretty torn up. Actually – Half of it was missing, and the stuffing inside spilled out as I picked it up. I ran a hand through my hair in disbelief. I had a feeling that something must’ve got into my house, and I figured it was an animal, judging from the damage. It was either that, or one crazy dude. Either way, I quickly got to work searching the rest of my house, if only to quell my worries. I had no idea what I’d do if I actually found anything, but… it was good to know at least?

Ugh.

I spent the rest of my morning cleaning up, throwing out my old pillow, anything to distract myself from what happened. Despite my efforts, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching me. What made matters worse was all of this ruined my appetite! I resigned myself to sulk in the living room in hopes that I could at least watch something on TV. That didn’t quite work out.

As I returned to the living room, I spied something standing in the doorway. It was a small, grey thing. It had tufted cheeks, a bushy tail, and buttons for eyes.

“L-Lupa?”

I could hardly believe it. The toy stood there, staring directly at me. It looked as though it was caught mid-step – like it was trying to sneak somewhere. We held this gaze for what felt like ages, until it suddenly darted back into the living room.

“H-Hey! Wait!” I ran in after it. I gave chase as it hopped onto, then behind the couch. It scrambled under the coffee table and I made the mistake of following, hitting my head on it in the process.

“Agh, owww. Ow, ow ow ow,” I hissed. Holding my head, I could just see it running out of the room. Once again, I went after it. “Gotcha!”, I said as I finally caught the thing. I gazed at it in disbelief as it squirmed and flailed in my grip.

“Hey, hey, I’m not gonna hurt you,” I tried my best to soothe the panicked toy. “Can you understand me?” It looked up at me for a few seconds, then nodded. I had to admit, I didn’t know what to do at this point. It’s not like I was trained to deal with living toys.

“I’m, uh, guessing you wouldn’t know what happened to my pillow,” I stammered. I didn’t know whether I was joking in an effort to comfort the thing, or just making small talk. It seemed to work regardless though as the toy shrugged. It seemed to be calming down.

I felt it tapping my hand with one of its stubby arms. It pointed at the ground, then kicked its little legs. I assumed it wanted me to put it down. While I wasn’t sure if it would run away once I let it go, I carefully set it down on the floor. I grew concerned as it simply laid there, limp as a doll.

“Uhh…” I reached out towards it, but quickly retracted my hand as it suddenly darted upright. It beckoned me to follow as it made its way back into the living room. Strange, I thought.

I followed it, watching as it climbed up onto the coffee table and started rifling through some old papers. Before I could ask what all this was for, the toy lifted up a piece of paper with a picture of a pillow on it. It didn’t take long before I realized what Lupa wanted.

“You… want me to go to the store?”, I asked. The plush nodded, then beckoned me to lean closer. To my surprise, it hopped into my arm and climbed up my sleeve. It pointed at me, then at the door. This was weird, but…

Hmm.

           The market was only a few blocks down, so getting there was easy! Surprisingly, I was even able to sneak Lupa into the store and we got to work procuring some foodstuffs. As I walked, I couldn’t help but notice how clean the place was. They must’ve remodeled since the last time I was here.

“What do you think we should get?”, I asked. Lupa had taken up residence on my shoulder and every now and again, she’d point at stuff she wanted me to get. A surprising amount of it was meat, but I figured she was making these choices because she was a wolf. It took a lot to convince her that, as a human, I couldn’t live off just lamb. I was probably being paranoid, but I could’ve sworn I was getting some looks from some of the other customers too.

Eventually, I got what I needed. And, aside from the cashier insisting on trying to ring the toy up, things went well!

Later that night, we talked. Or, I talked and Lupa listened. I talked about all the other plushes I used to own, back when I was a kid.

“So, uh-- What are you, anyway?”, I asked, leaning towards the wolf, “Are there more like you?” Lupa stared for a moment, then shrugged. I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, but a certain child part of me couldn’t help but love this! I was talking to a plush! A living plush!

“Oh! I’ve got someone to introduce you to!”, I said as I started to dig through my closet, “Meet Terrance!” I retrieved a large, stuffed tiger. It had seen better days. It was torn in some spots, it was missing an eye, and it smelled kinda funny. “He’s not… alive, like you, but I figured you two should meet regardless!” I knelt down and set Terrence on the floor in front of Lupa. She looked up at me, then at Terrence.

Then, she punched him.

It caught me off guard – but she was absolutely going at the old tiger’s tummy.

“H-Hey, cut it out!”, I sputtered as I picked the tiger up and turned, keeping it away from the wild plush. “What’d he do to you?” Lupa simply stared up at me, and I groaned, setting the tiger aside for now. Maybe some other time.

The rest of the night was as uneventful as the last. I fell asleep pretty quickly. I felt at peace, but it wouldn’t last for long.

There it was again – the noise from before. I sat up, silently hoping that whatever was making the sound would simply stop.

Thump

Good grief.

I reluctantly made my way out of bed and felt around for the lightswitch. Finding purchase, I flipped it. Nothing happened. This was… concerning, to say the least. Suddenly, a flash of light came from beyond the bedroom window, followed by a rumbling noise. A lightning storm.

I groaned.

Reaching into my bedside table, I pawed around for my flashlight. Darkness freaked me out, but rain was just annoying. Especially when you have to walk to work and everything’s all wet and ugh.

Anyway – I found my flashlight, and I flicked it on. I began by searching my room, if only to make sure the thumping wasn’t coming from anywhere in here. Curiously, despite searching the whole room, I didn’t see Lupa anywhere. Strange.

This was worrying too – I needed something to keep me company while I searched the rest of my house, so I grabbed the next best thing.

My pillow.

I couldn’t help but shiver a bit as I walked down the hallway, pillow held close. I couldn’t see more than a few feet away, and what I could see was only barely illuminated. Windows and picture frames gave off long, ghastly shadows that stretched into the darkness ahead. I felt like I was in more of a haunted house than the middle of suburbia. One of the windows continued to flicker as lightning tore up the sky. The sooner I could get this search over with, the better.

I heard a noise as I neared the living room. It was the thumping from before, but I also heard something tearing. It sounded like fabric. Cautiously, I peeked into the room. Everything seemed normal. I took a few tentative steps forward, scanning the room with the flashlight.

Oh.

I could hardly believe what I saw as I shone the light into the room. On my couch was a large, grey creature. It seemed to be made of fabric, and seams and stitches ran all over its body. Long, blue hair rested on its shoulders. In fact, it kind of reminded me of…

“Lupa.”

…I wasn’t sure why I opened my mouth, but I could feel the slightest tinge of regret as its two pointed ears twitched at the sound of my voice. The plush creature slowly turned its head to face me. It stared at me with big, glowing, yellow eyes.

“What’re you doin’ up so late?”, it asked.

I stared. The wolf’s response was so unexpected that I couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. It didn’t help that it sounded as nearly surprised as I was.

“I-I was just, uh, wondering what the noise was,” I offered, trying my best to play it off, “But I see it’s just... you, so I’ll just head back to bed.” I figured that the sooner I could get back to bed, the sooner this bizarre dream would end. I tried my best to offer a wry smile as I backed away from the doorway. The creature seemed to study me as I backed away, its eyes narrowing.

“Wait.” I froze as the wolf spoke, pointing at my pillow. “What’s that?”

“N-Nothing,” I instinctively clutched it tighter.

“Nothing…” it mused, “Looks like something to me. Give it.” I quickly shook my head. What did it want with my pillow?

“You don’t want me to come over there,” it threatened. “I’m hungry, and what you’ve got looks delicious.” I was shivering by this point. The plush looked ready to climb over the couch, her tail playfully wagging behind her. I shakily handed the pillow over, recoiling a bit as it was snatched away from me. Lupa immediately got to work gnawing on it. She pulled the casing off, and started gnawing at the stuffing inside. Soon, there wasn’t much sign of the pillow left, aside from some bits of fabric on the floor.

“Hey, thanks for that.” She grinned, and I reluctantly smiled back. What is happening.

“Though…”, she began again. “I’m still hungry. I’d ask you to get me some more pillows, but I think I see something even more appetizing.”

“I-Is that so?” I didn’t like where this was going.

“It’s a little on the short side… But, it’s bigger than a pillow, that’s for sure. It’s got a couple of arms to munch on, couple legs… Oh – and some cute duckling pajamas. Any of that ring a bell?”

“Can’t say it does…” I was already halfway out.

I felt a finger pressing down against my head, stopping me in my tracks. I heard its voice again.

“It’s also an unconvincing actor.”

I ran.

I went as fast as my legs would allow me. I heard Lupa’s heavy footfalls behind me as I raced back up the hall and into my room. I rested my back against the door as I collected my breath.

“Okay,” I said to no one in particular, “This is just a nightmare. I-I’ll wake up any second now, and everything’ll be fine…” I repeated the last part over and over again, hoping to believe my own words.

So why couldn’t I just wake up?

I yelped as I heard muffled thumps from the other side of the door.

“Open up! You can’t hide in there forever,” the wolf teased.

“Try me!” I shot back. For a while, I didn’t get a response. Instead, I heard Lupa walking away. Did she really leave?

I liked to think I wasn’t completely dumb. Before I went to make sure the monster was gone, I went over to the closet. I opened it and pulled out a bat. If I was getting grabbed, if I was getting eaten, I wasn’t going out without a fight.

Slowly, carefully, I cracked open the bedroom door – just enough so I could see out. I shakily stuck my flashlight through the gap, making sure nothing was there. I stepped out, trying to suppress my fear as best I could. Where could she have gone? My house wasn’t big – she had to be somewhere. …Why would she leave anyway?

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest as two big paws wrapped around my midsection. I was swiftly lifted up, soon coming face to face with a certain wolf’s grin.

“Gotcha!”

It took all of my will not to drop my bat as I stared the wolf down. I raised my weapon, and struck.

…It didn’t really do much. If anything, her head absorbed the blow. In hindsight, I probably should’ve expected that.

“...Okay,” she seemed a bit dazed at least. “Nice try, but that’s not gonna work.” She grabbed the bat and tossed it to the side. My eyes widened as she reached for the zipper just beneath her collar. She pulled it down, revealing the stuffing inside.

“Wh-What’re you doing?”

“What’s it look like?! I’m hungry, and I’m gonna eat’cha!” I barely had time to yell as she pulled me closer. Of all the ways to go out, getting eaten by a toy wouldn’t have been my first thought.

Then, she started laughing.

“H-Huh?” I found myself frozen as I struggled to process what was going on - or what just happened. I wasn’t being eaten. Or, absorbed or whatever. I couldn’t quite tell, but it felt like she was hugging me. And laughing.

“Y-Y’know,” she managed between fits of giggling, “I can’t believe I got you so bad! I was really hamming it up there too! Like, oooh~ I’m gonna get’cha!” She mocked before bursting into laughter again.

I was floored. I hung limp in her arms for a bit, my mind scrambling for an explanation while I tried to catch my breath. I felt something well up within me as I remembered the fun we had earlier. Was all of that some kind of joke? What’d all of that mean?

“Hey, you alright?”, Lupa asked as her laughter died down. She set me down as she pulled her zipper back up. “Listen, if it means anything, your pillow’s fine.” She pulled the zipper all the way down and - lo and behold - the pillow flopped out. It landed between us with a thump.

I clenched my fists.

“Who cares?!” I snapped,  “You were supposed to help me get over my fears, not make them worse!” Lupa blinked, shifting her gaze for a moment.

“I-It was just a joke! I wasn’t really gonna hurt you!”, she protested.

“It’s not a joke!” I sniffled, rubbing my eyes. I knew I was crying, but I didn’t really care. I was just, so mad. The whole day was so wonderfully bizarre, and now it all felt spoiled.

“I’m sorry.”

I uncovered my eyes to see Lupa on her knees, her head hung as she rubbed her arm. “I-I… I didn’t mean to scare you-- Well Ididbut-- I didn’t mean to make you mad! I guess I thought we were having fun, b-but I was sorta getting carried away,” she finished. I could tell she wasn’t very good at this.

I was still kinda mad.

“Why were you down here anyway?”, I asked, regaining my composure. Lupa flinched.

“Well I-- I was hungry! A-And I wanted to explore the house! And, uh… I… The thunder kinda scared me,” she finished quietly.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she quickly replied. I furrowed my brow as she stared back, fidgeting.

“Look! It was loud, okay? A-And bright too. I just, felt like I needed to take shelter or something! I wanted to hide in the kitchen, but I couldn’t fit under the table, so I…” she trailed off. Replacing my anger was a sense of pity as I sat down next to the plush.

“I can… kinda relate,” I offered, leaning against her. She murmured something I couldn’t quite hear, but it was punctuated by another flash in a nearby window, followed by a booming noise. Lupa squeaked, wrapping her paws around me again. I could feel her shaking.

“Listen, let’s go back upstairs,” I said, “Maybe we can keep each other company! C-Can’t be scared if we have each other, right?” The wolf seemed to mull it over for a bit, before nodding. I yelped as she suddenly picked me up and planted me on her shoulders.

“What’re you--”

“I’m giving you a ride! It’s the least I could do.”

I sighed, resting my head against hers. As quick as it came, all the energy I had before completely evaporated. After reaching the top of the stairs, Lupa squeezed her way through the doorway my room and set me down on the bed. It was obvious before, but only now did I truly get an idea of how big Lupa had gotten. I was never the tallest person around, but Lupa was at least a head taller than me.

“So-- What’s with… all this?”, I asked, motioning towards the wolf. She tilted her head.

“What’s what?”

“Yknow, how’d you get so big? When did you get so big?” She smirked as she stood up and silhouetted herself against the moonlight shining through the window.

“Blame the moon. See, I’m what you call a werewolf. During the day, I’m small - like a normal toy. But at night…” She stepped toward me, placing a paw on my head. “Well, you can see for yourself.” I thought for a moment.

“Doesn’t that make you a were-plush, then?”

“I-I guess,” Lupa thought for a moment. “Whatever.”

“Anyway!”, she began to my surprise, flopping back onto the bed, “It’s my turn to ask questions. Why’d you buy me, Sam? Didn’t think you were gonna get a big, bad wolf? Thought you were just gonna get a little toy?” I twiddled my thumbs, unsure of how to say it. Though, I supposed that simplicity always worked.

“I’m… kind of afraid of the dark. A-And I, y’know, hoped that getting a plush would help.”

Lupa faltered again. It seemed like she didn’t expect that answer. “O-Oh. Really?” I nodded.

“I-It’s kinda dumb but, y’know, I just get the creeps whenever I can’t see. It’s like, it feels like there’s a monster out there.”

“Awww.”

I thought I heard her say something, but I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. I was tired, and ideas for conversation were hard to come by. My eyes drifted down to something I hadn’t quite noticed before. Coming out of Lupa’s back was a thin string that ended with a white ring.

“What’s that?”, I asked, grabbing it.

“What’s wha--Mama!”, she interrupted herself as I pulled on it. We stared at each other, and I pulled it again.

“I love you~”,  she managed out, before covering her mouth. It sounded muffled, like an actual doll’s speaker.

“Never. Do that. Again,” she slowly warned, her eyes wide. She looked incredibly embarrassed.

“But that was adorable!” I said, “I didn’t know you could do that! That’s so cute!”

“I’m not cute! I’m big, and I’m mean! See these chompers?”, she protested, pulling on the side of her mouth and baring her sharp plastic teeth! She huffed and scowled, crossing her arms and looking away.

“Th-Though, uh…”, she began after a moment, “C-Could we… Hmmm, could we, maybe, cuddle? A little bit?” I blinked.

“Cuddle?”, I repeated. She shuffled awkwardly, twiddling her big thumbs.

“Well, I’m… y’know, a doll, and… That’s kinda what I’m meant for, right? I-I figured I’d ask since you’re so afraid of the dark!” She floundered. “...Forget about it.”

“Mean, huh.” I remarked. I don’t know what came over me, but I started hugging the big wolf’s arm. Maybe I was just tired. “I wouldn’t mind. You’re a lot bigger than earlier, and I wouldn’t call that a problem.”

“...Plus, I uh, left my pillow downstairs,” I added. Lupa snickered.

“And you called me a ‘dumb plush,’” she quipped.

“I’ll pull the cord again,” I shot back.

“...Okay.”

It wasn’t until we both lied down that I really understood just how big Lupa was. She took up almost the entire bed. The plush pulled me closer and closer until I could feel her nuzzling my neck. She had a soothing warmth to her, and her body was so soft and tender. She really was like a big, tender pillow.

“...Yknow, why’d you have to beat Terrance up like that anyway?”, I asked, on the verge of nodding off, “Not like he did anything to you.”

“I-I was intimidated! He looked at me funny,” she reasoned, “...He was bigger than me.”

I lifted my head up and gazed at her in disbelief.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I groaned as I willed myself to rise out of bed the next morning, shielding my eyes from the rays of light filtering through the cracks in the blinds. If it was somehow possible, I felt more tired than yesterday.

“What did I do last night?”, I wondered aloud as I got to my feet. As I shuffled out of my room, I couldn’t help but notice a burning smell coming from downstairs. Concerned, I hurried my pace. After following the smell to the kitchen, I noticed something smoking on the counter. Lupa standing next to it.

Oh!

I gasped as everything came back to me. I rushed toward the counter to see what was on it, ready to grab a bucket of water if needed. And… It was a plate. With some cloth on it.

It was singed a little too.

Next to the plate was a note.

“Sorry about last night. Made you breakfast!”

Hmm.

“I can’t eat this,” I flatly said. Lupa looked dejected.

“But,” I said as I picked her up, “I can teach you how to cook. I can make pretty much anything as long as it’s, uh, ramen. Or pizza.”

Lupa tilted her head a little, before her tail began to sway from side to side. Seemed like a plan!