One Year Later...

Daisy's eyes snapped open at the crack of thunder. Drawing in shaky breaths, she raised her head and glanced over her shoulder at the den entrance. The storm outside raged on as the earth was pelted by buckets of rain water. It was not safe to go outside. Then again, considering the circus was nearby, it was never safe. Daisy shuddered as her nightmare, a distant memory, came back to her.

"Come on everyone! Move it! We gotta get the blazes out of here!" Snowball's voice shouted over the commotion. The big top had become a battlefield between the Flushed Pets and the circus itself. Unfortunately, a few of the pirates had fallen to the guns of the circus workers. Leading the tiger Hu towards the exit, Daisy cried, "Snowball! This way!" All of the sudden, there was a loud gunshot followed by a cry of pain from the bunny rabbit. Pushing Hu out of the tent, Daisy turned around in time to watch the four black wolves pounce on the downed Snowball. Standing nearby, Sergei hid his pistol in his coat as a sinister grin crept across his face. Meanwhile, Snowball's horrified, bloodcurdling screams came to an abrupt end. Having watched the whole thing go down, Daisy whirled around and ran with Hu by her side, tears streaming down her face...

Feeling all those emotions from that night rushing in, Daisy shook her head to clear her thoughts. The sound of a creaky wheel alerted her that she was not alone anymore. Sitting up and stretching, the Shih Tzu murmured, "Hey Pops."

"Hey Tulip," Pops rasped, slowly making his way over. Laying down in the next nest over, the elderly basset hound asked, "Same dream again?" Daisy nodded her head solemnly and mumbled, "It hasn't been the same ever since that day. I miss the old days." Nodding his head in agreement, Pops added, "I know what you mean. It seems like everyone either left or died. Funny thing is, just a few days ago, I saw Guinea Pig Joe for the first time in ages. It was brief and he was on his way out but I saw him."

"Really? What was he up to?" Daisy asked, curious. Shrugging his shoulders, Pops replied, "I think he was stealing. I tell ya what Tulip, this whole mess has changed everyone. Guinea Pig Joe is stealing, I learned magic and taught some of you. The Flushed Pets became nothing without the Ball of Fluff. To be honest, I even sense a change in you."

"I have not changed," Daisy insisted. She winced when she heard the harsh tone in her voice. Clearing her throat, the Shih Tzu tried again in a kinder manner, "I am still the same." Raising one eyebrow, Pops questioned, "Then how come you stalk the circus any chance you get? You lost a lot of friends when you were trying to save that tiger, and I doubt he wants to stick around either."

"You think I don't know that?! I literally watched Snowball get torn to pieces by wolves while Sergei watched with a grin on his smug face! He's going to pay if it's the last thing I do!" Daisy snapped, jumping to her paws. Flinching, Pops sighed softly and mumbled, "So you're here for revenge?" Sitting back down, Daisy fired back, "Of course!"

A small whimper caught the pair's attention. The whimper had come from Hu, who was fast asleep. But he was twitching in his sleep, a sure sign that he was having a nightmare. Concern washing over her, Daisy padded over to the tiger and licked his face lovingly. That seemed to do the trick cuz Hu was calming down now. Watching this whole interaction, Pops slowly heaved himself to his feet as he murmured, "A word of advice Tulip, don't choose revenge. It never ends well for anyone. I tried it once and it went horribly wrong. I don't want to feel the same kind of guilt."

"I appreciate your concern, but I need to do this. For Snowball and for Hu," Daisy declared. Hearing Pops stroll away, the Shih Tzu sighed and gazed down at the sleeping tiger. Licking his forehead again, she whispered, "Sweet dreams my little one. One day when you're big and strong, we will have our revenge." Laying beside the tiger, she quietly sang a lullaby. All the while, the storm raged on outside the den...