PaRappa's Hat Ties

The night before

PaRappa started following them when Anton grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?” Anton asked.
“I was just going with them,” PaRappa said blatantly.   
“They’re going home PaRappa. This is our camp, they camp here. They don’t live here,” Anton explained, “Well... I live here. You’re welcome to stay within my hut for a sleepover if you want. I know that you live in an attic somewhere called Spaghetti Dinner,” PaRappa raised an eyebrow. He only called the attic Spaghetti Dinner to himself. Spy! Wizard! Magical being of chaos?
“I guess having a sleepover won’t hurt anyone. It will save the trip home,” He let his suspicions slide.
“Good! Follow me this way,” Anton almost seemed a bit giddy. They arrived at a hut mostly identical to the others around it, Although this one had a mesh window at the side of the hut, and the door was better designed than the rest.
    Inside the hut, was a fireplace and chimney along with a bunch of light blankets scattered around the place. At the front end of the house sat a bunch of lit candles sitting nearby the fireplace. They illuminated the hut with a swishy yellow flow.
At the very end of the hut was a raised platform made out of hardened clay that PaRappa assumed was Anton’s bed.

“Hold on a sec I gotta get the dust off these,” Anton tried to pick up all the blankets at once and was successful. Although it looked like the blankets were trying to absorb him. He went outside as PaRappa sat on the “bed” and waited for him to come back.

    Although Anton was happy to have such a curious guest, he had just realized the flaw of this sleepover. It would be incredibly difficult to sleep with a mask and cloak on. His mask was pokey and annoying to breathe out of, and the cloak’s tie that kept it a cloak instead of a cape choked him. Anton couldn’t just randomly ask PaRappa to leave. He got himself into this mess, and he was going to be as polite as possible.

    He put the blankets on a clothes line and beat them with all of his frustrations using a stick.
PaRappa ignorantly just tried to recall the last time he had pizza. Coming back in with all the dust free blankets Anton put them down. It seemed he was being rather hasty and with that PaRappa paid better attention to him.
“OK, I need to give you some rules. To sleep soundly I will need to take off my mask and cloak. You must PROMISE not to look at me AT ALL. I will make it easier by putting a blanket over my face but while I’m asleep you mustn't take a PEEK,”
“Uh yes ok!” PaRappa sat up. He could already hear a tiny voice in his head saying he wouldn’t even know that I took a peek if I did. How naughty, but he knew that he would feel bad if he did. The temptation was tempting still.
“Hello!” Lucio burst in with a bunch of other frogs following behind him. Music was emitting from his gun in a sort of mellow volume.
“Oh hey Lucio! What’s it look like out there?” Anton turned to the door while putting his hands together.
“I saw a drone! And the caterpiller dragon thing is on the move. I also saw the Someone, a smoky ghost guy is piloting it. He stole 2 of my chickens,” Lucio said, “With that being said expect less eggs than normal for now on,”
“Thank you Lucio on the news. I would beware of the dragon. He sits at the treefort currently. It’s good to know that somebody is piloting it. It means that a soul hasn’t betrayed us. Sounds like a smoke golem,” Anton said.
“Uh Anton, what exactly are smoke golems? I’ve seen them around but I don’t really know what they arrrre,” PaRappa said. The way the question was asked gave Anton another chill. He had never known PaRappa to be so submissive.
“Good question. Smoke golems are pieces of Dragonbreath’s personality over the years. I’m not sure how he makes them, but there are 3 that he has. Himself as a child: Eddy, himself as a young soldier: Andy, and one that doesn’t really have a name that just sorta acts like himself now. They are sorta like home security, and they work better than lesser smoke golems. Lesser smoke golems only obey orders, and have no personality. They also die often. You get it now?”
PaRappa nodded.
“How do you even know about all this stuff anyway?”
“Sometimes I spy on them when they go outside and play Kubb. They also go bowling, but I never follow them there,” Anton explained.
“Oh,”
“Well It was nice seeing you again PaRappa, but i’m in a bit of a hurry. My chicken gate is badly damaged, and I don’t want any of them getting away. OOH! And the jungle is being filled to the brim with crow things, like that one!” Lucio pointed to PaRappa Putt Crowla who was sitting in a corner, “They also have big red ones too!” Lucio put his front legs up like wings.
“Sours..” PaRappa breathed.
“You know about them?” Lucio didn’t know about pinatas despite being one.
“Not that much. Just that they’re bad,” When PaRappa said bad he made a face like he was going to hiss.
“Well both are trying to eat me!” Lucio said in a sarcastically happy manner.
“Do you… need shelter tonight?” Anton asked. There was plenty of room for a likatoad.
“I really just need to get back to my chickens. I’m afraid that if they all get out i’ll starve,” Lucio said. Crowla rolled his eyes. Pinatas didn't need food to keep living, or anything for that matter.
“Well ok I guess. Don’t get eaten out there,” Anton said.
“Hehe ok. See ya in the morning!” Lucio waved and then proceeded to hop to the beat, “Speed boost!”
“Bye…” PaRappa said his goodbye too late.
“Alright to sleep it is,” Anton tossed up a light blanket up onto PaRappa. Then he put a comforter on the floor as a mattress replacement for himself.
Anton laid himself out on the comforter and wrapped himself in a felt blanket. It was almost like he was in a cocoon because PaRappa could not see his face. Anton was doing something, most likely taking his mask off.
    It seemed like the end of the night. PaRappa prepared himself for sleep by staring at the ceiling. An ugly spider spun its web in a corner. It was hard to see and that made it even more terrifying. He tried just ignoring it but he noticed it start to move around.
    PaRappa turned around in his bed so his head was not below the arachnid. A bolt of sadness struck his head and went down his lungs. The factory was in his near future. He almost didn’t want to fall asleep. If he did the night would pass him by. He really did not want to go back after being away for so long. There was pressure like jaws chomping down on him. In wanting to escape this feeling, PaRappa fell asleep. 
    Waking up in the very early hours of the morning PaRappa noticed that Anton’s face was exposed. He must've pulled the blanket off of his face because it was too hot, or that it was hard to breathe. PaRappa didn’t even need to move anything other than his head to take a good look. He thought that there was no harm in looking it Anton didn’t know, so he glanced over and stared.
    Anton’s face was not anything out of the ordinary. He honestly didn’t look ugly or messy. PaRappa almost laughed at why Anton made it such a big deal anyway. Anton had a face like a dog, but around his head was some nice flower pedals. Oh Anton, who are you hiding from? Probably not me. I mean, ptt! How does you being a dog-flower hybrid have anything to do with me? Ph ha!
PaRappa sat up from his rock clay bed. He decided he was going to go straight to the factory. With a phone on low battery and a chisel in his pocket he started on his way.

Crowla stayed close behind watching his back as he left camp. PaRappa hated leaving when the dew was still on the ground. He didn’t even leave a note to say where he was going.