Hey Mom and Dad,

Tonight was insane! Led the pack of Pawsburg against a zombie dog invasion—turns out, squeaky hedgehogs are key to saving lost pups! We squeaked ’em back to life! Just another wild night here!

Love, Honey Bunches of Oats (aka Mya)

As the moon yawned and stretched across the sky, I, Mya, found myself once again on the cobbled streets of Pawsburg, that secret realm where dogs like me thrive. The night’s inky blanket had a peculiar glimmer, the kind that whispered: “There’s adventure afoot.” My little ears flopped with anticipation. All 94 muscular pounds of me tensed, ready for whatever awaited us in this peculiar, magical night.

Tonight, however, wasn’t any ordinary night. A gnawing unease hung in the air, almost as if something—or someone—out of place had entered our beloved Pawsburg.

“Zombies!” barked a trembling pub owner named Rusty while he shuffled about, trying to lock up Labrador Lunch. The air vibrated with whispered growls and anxious whines.

“Zombies?” I huffed incredulously, sniffing the breeze as if it could confirm this late-night calamity. “Nonsense.” But the dread in Rusty’s eyes gnawed at my skepticism. Aunt Bella, ever the brave Beagle, sidled up to me with her signature wrinkle-nosed grin, though it seemed a bit wilted.

“Well, if it’s zombies they want,” I muttered more to myself than to anyone else, “then zombies they’ll get.”

Our first stop was the Canine Cafe, where dogs in various states of disarray crowded the entrance. Gretta, the Great Dane from the cafe, her nose quivering more from fear than the inviting smell of Pom’s pies, stepped forward to intercept us.

“Foul-smelling beasts approaching from Dachshund Dale,” she whimpered.

Raising my plush hedgehog, my valiant steed companion—to my lips, I said, “Let’s calm our paws and rally the pack, Gretta. We leave no tail behind.”

With Bella by my side and a squadron of brave pals, including the ever-elegant Doberman, Duke, and the chipper terrier, Sassy, we bounded past the tranquil waters of Basenji Bay and through the great leaning willows toward Dachshund Dale.

There they were, just as Gretta had warned: gaunt, disheveled dogs stumbling awkwardly, eyes lifeless. Zombies, alright. One might be so inclined to laugh if it wasn’t truly horrifying, but they were real.

“Awhoooo!” howled Bella, sounding the rallying cry, which echoed and bounced off the dale’s ancient bark and boughs.

Quickly, the pack assumed the defensive formation, which we’d perfected under the watchful eyes of old Commander Rufus at The Pawfect Training Center. For a moment, the mighty pack of Pawsburg stood still, pawing the ground, shaking off the last vestiges of fear.

“They’re just dogs who lost their way, barking at shadows,” Duke rasped, his calm demeanor bolstering our spirits. “Follow my lead.”

In the first clash of paws, fur, and furrows, I plunged into the fray, my white coat a ghost amid the brown and gray swirling madness. My strong frame was a beacon, creating a path for escapees and retaliating comrades alike. The ticking of my coat blurred as I spun, bit, dodged. Bella zig-zagged beside me, her beagle prowess proving invaluable. Together, we fought an elegant, deadly ballet.

But one zombie pup—a once-jovial Golden Retriever, whose lifeless whine still managed to unsettle me—lunged too close. In a flash, I clamped down on my hedgehog, and with a sharp yank, it emitted a squeak that echoed through the night. To my surprise, it jarred the zombies, as if familiar sounds from better days disrupted their bleak trance.

“What ho!” I barked with renewed vigor, “Squeak with all your might!” And so we did. The squeaks sliced through the haze of undead murmurs, tugging invisible heartstrings back into beat, back into memory.

Slowly, one by one, the glow of recognition kindled in the zombies’ eyes until they ambled their way back to coherence, tails awkwardly wagging. It was a searing sight—the spark of life rekindled.

By the time the faintest hint of dawn kissed the shallows of Basenji Bay, Pawsburg was back to its bustling, joyous self. And me? I collapsed in a friendly heap under the willows, the plush hedgehog still between my jaws.

“Just another night in Pawsburg,” Bella sighed, curling up beside me with a soft huff.

I gave her a gentle nudge and murmured, “Until the next adventure, sister. Until the next.”

The End.