A Tail of Two Wobbledogs

Chapter One

Jelly was halfway through one of the last jelly molds that had been scattered about the room when they were first born. Now all that was left of them was a sticky residue covering every single surface in the room, along with a stench that had arisen after their juices had mingled with any and every bacteria present. Jelly didn't really mind the smell.

What they did mind, though, was a sudden itch they'd gained that they just had to scratch. It was an urge of sorts- a feeling that they had to do something. They just weren't sure what.

Perhaps it's to eat another jelly mold. They told themself as they smashed their face into the food dispenser's button. Just like magic, another jelly mold popped out, which they wasted no time in devouring. And yet, the feeling persisted. Their gaze flitted around the room in search of a cure, eventually landing on the colourful tube they'd yet to explore. So they trotted over to it, giving its border a couple of cautious sniffs.

But just as they were about to step into it, The Hand appeared, pressing an invisible button over Jelly's head before retreating over to the food dispenser to dish out more jelly molds. While it was busy, Jelly began to feel a surface not unlike the jelly that was now spilling over the floor encompass them.

So that's what the feeling was. Jelly gazed around the cocoon, a sense of happiness overtaking them. It felt nice to simply stew in the cocoon drippings. The Hand was even petting them from outside of it. They laid their head back, allowing themself to begin to drift to sleep. But The Hand had other ideas as it pressed another button, unbeknownst to Jelly.

The cocoon broke open, sending Jelly falling to the foam floor in a cascade of cocoon juice. They shook themself off before looking up and down their body. It was greener, shinier too. Like a jelly mold. Perhaps that was where I got my name.

The Hand turned and floated into the tunnel behind them, being whisked away at light speed. Jelly's curiosity had been piqued by that. Where was it going in such a hurry? They had to test it out, but the speed of the pull made them wary to do so on themself. A jelly mold from the new pile bumped them in the leg as if to provide an answer.

So in one smooth motion, Jelly reached behind them, sunk their teeth into the mold, before tossing it into the tunnel. It was whisked away much like The Hand, and returned a quiet splat a couple seconds later. Shifting their feet, Jelly stared down the tunnel for a moment, thinking to themself.

A . . . wall? I'll have to throw more things in.

~

Burnt cowered in a corner, shoving charred biscuits into his face in a vein attempt to get them down his throat before they crumbled in his paws. They tasted awful and their sharp edges cut up his mouth, but they were his only option until he managed to work out another one or escape the headache-inducing room altogether.

. . . He could always eat his own poop, but that was a last resort Burnt wasn't quite ready for.

Glancing up to make sure the terrifying being that was The Hand hadn't appeared, Burnt set a paw down to steady himself as he made eye contact with the wall. The shifting lime green patterns lining his room were only making him more and more nauseous as his hunger grew- no thanks to the biscuits. Burnt was beginning to think they were emptying his stomach more than filling it the more he shoved down his throat.

He was staring debatedly at a pink pile of waste sitting nearby, paws surrounded in burnt biscuit crumbs, when The Hand appeared. It zapped the poop away, surprising Burnt, whilst also alerting him to its presence. He hadn't noticed, but now that the poop distraction was gone, he felt the overwhelming urge to do. . . something. It even overrode the pangs of hunger radiating from his stomach.

Sure enough, the hand paused in front of him, pressing an invisible button, before flitting away. As soon as it retreated Burnt felt a slick surface begin to encircle him, causing panic to well up in his head. Before he knew it, he was inside of a cocoon, eyes wide from confusion and terror.

Though the fear he'd felt was short lived as he realized what a gift the sudden pupation was.

No sounds. No shifting walls. Even my hunger is gone.

He could feel his body changing ever so slightly, along with what he thought was The Hand stroking him from the outside- something he'd usually despise- but now he didn't care. He had no worries in his cocoon.

Unfortunately, just as soon as his soppy paradise had encompassed him, it let him drop to the floor before quickly following suit, hitting him straight on the head. Sensing an opportunity while The Hand was preoccupied with whatever it was doing, he pulled the empty cocoon behind the giant incubator for safekeeping.

Suddenly, a splat alerted both Burnt and The Hand to the wall present on one side of the room. The Hand flew above it and presumably down the tunnel it sectioned off. Overcoming his immediate fear, Burnt slowly followed, speeding up slightly as a sweet aroma lured him in.

As he stuck his face in between the wall and the sickening wallpaper, his nose bumped into something slimy. Pulling back slightly in surprise, he inhaled deeply, realizing that this mystery object was the source of the sweet aroma. He decided then and there he wanted it for himself, so after contorting his body in a way so as to reach his mouth into the small crack, he yanked the thing out.

Drool spilled over his gums as he stared at it. Sinking his teeth into the object once more, he tugged it over to the place he'd stashed his cocoon. He stared at both of them, side by side, each green and oozing in their own special way. He finally had real food- but he had to keep them hidden from The Hand.

Burnt bit a small piece off of the bottom of the sweet smelling food, which he guessed was jelly, taking as little as possible just in case he was caught. But The Hand didn't appear to scold him, so he slowly began taking larger and larger bites, each growing more ravenous as he went on. Finally, once he was full for the first time since his hatching, he pushed the remains of the jelly back into its hiding place to save it for later, before collapsing on the floor for a nap.

But before he could drift off into blissful sleep, a question popped into his mind. Where had the jelly come from? Surely it wasn't The Hand. It was far too malevolent for something like that.

Was there. . . another dog? In a room, connected to his via the colourful tunnel? Perhaps the wall was in place to prevent contact. Slinking back to the large, yellow wall, Burnt sniffed around its perimeter, an idea forming in his mind. Sucking in a deep breath, he let out the loudest bark he could right into the crack he'd fetched the jelly from. Surely if there were another dog, it'd bark back.

Burnt impatiently waited for a response, shifting his weight from one leg to another. Seconds ticked by, his anticipation growing with each one. Though right as he was losing hope, a bark came back at him, distinctly different from his. Excitement sparked through his body. Perhaps there was a chance for escape for Burnt- or at least a friend to make his hell bearable.