Conner never was asleep. But everyone thought he was.

In fact, he had been awake for everything. Seeing the flames die down, watching his and Priscilla's skin burn, The hover ride to the hospital, even for the tests they took on him.

At first, there was nothing he could do. He was in far too much pain. But now the intensity had lowered down to "a really bad sunburn."

He overheard his younger brother and sister asking his mom when he would wake up. He also heard the nurses and doctors wondering aloud about when he would wake up. He just lied there in bed with his eyes closed, thinking about how Priscilla looked in the explosion.

The biggest reason he didn't want to wake up, was because of visitors. He had a splitting headache as it was, and he didn't need a conversation to make it any worse. But he really, really needed needed to pee.

Water was passing through an iv to his body non-stop for about eighteen hours now.

When it was finally too much, he slowly sat up. Luckily, there wasn't a nurse in the room. Across from him, was his mom Janie. She was a pretty, platinum blond dog with collie-styled ears. Sleeping on the couch next to her were Tanner and Tonnie, twin siblings with matching black fur. They were only ten, but you could tell Tanner would look exactly like their dad when he grew up.

Janie gaped at him. "How...?"

Conner smiled slightly. "Do you think I can use the bathroom? I really don't want a bottle, or anything."

Janie looked at him with confusion for a second, but shook herself. "Let me call a nurse."

She walked with a fast pace to the door, the put her paw on a button. She asked a nurse If it was okay for him to use the bathroom. The nurse said it was, but they would have to take his iv's out.

A tiny chihuahua came into the room, and he took Conner's ivs out. "You're much better than Priscilla was. Your fur is even growing back a little."

And like she said, Conner had a thin layer of blond fur.

The nurse offered to help him off the bed, but it would probably cause her more pain than him.

He landed on his paws, and he winced. He slowly waddled to the bathroom in the corner, then closed the door.

He quickly did his buisness, Then looked at himself in the mirror.

His fur was almost half-way done growing. But his fur wasn't blond.

The majority of it was red, but his bangs, underside of tail and a v shaped marking on his chest, were colored like fire. His ears were lava-rock black along with the top half of his tail. His eyes shifted shades of red and gold like a fire.

"Holy crap!" He barked.

The hot air vent he was standing next to melted like ice. Heat raised quickly in the room, and the air shimmered like a mirage.

Conner opened the door, eager to escape the room. He was panting heavily.

"What's wrong?" The chihuahua barked, then gasped. "Your fur!!"

Conner looked at his fore legs. He could see the fur regrowing. It was shifting blond and red like an ember.

Janie gasped. "What... is wrong with your fur?!" Her gold eyes grew wide.

The nurse ran out of the room before she could say anything.