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You know what we noticed this week? For the first time in years, we didn't have any birthday shoutouts to share on our Tuesday episode. And honestly, we missed it. There's something really special about hearing a child's name read aloud in their favorite bedtime story. The way they light up, the way they listen a little more closely, knowing they're part of the sleept family. Parents tell us these shoutouts become treasured memories. A simple moment of we see you, we celebrate you, and you matter to us. If you'd like to surprise someone special with a birthday shout out on Sleeptight Stories, here's how it works. When you become a sleept Premium supporter for a year, a shout out is included. You can also purchase one directly from our website@sleeptitestories.org or if that feels complicated, just send us an email@helloleeptightstories.org and we'll help you out. It's just Clark and me running things here, so we keep it simple and personal. Every shout out you purchase goes directly to supporting the show and helping us keep these stories going. Let's fill up our Tuesday episodes again with names, giggles, and a little extra joy. We'd love to celebrate your favorite little listener. Sleep Tight Friends, Hello friends, and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories. Yuki had a perfect life until Koro showed up. At least this week has been better. Since Koro has been at school, Yuki thinks things are great until Nico, her owner, calls her for breakfast and she smells something really bad. Yuki does not like greens. It had been a few weeks since her once perfect life had been turned upside down. All thanks to the arrival of him. Koro the ear chewing, head licking menace. His presence had been a tremendous strain on Yuki's previously idyllic existence, but this past week had been bliss. Koro had been away at school. Apparently puppies had to go to school because they weren't cultured at birth the way cats were. Yuki wasn't convinced school would ever fix his lack of refinement. After all, dogs were never truly sophisticated, and certainly not as much as she was. She was a princess. Yuki, your breakfast is ready. Called Nikko. Come eat. I have to leave early today. That suited Yuki just fine. Lately, Nikko had been going into the office more often, which meant Yuki had the apartment blissfully to herself. No surprises, no loud, drooly creatures. Just peace, naps and ice cream as life was meant to be. She pranced into the kitchen, tail high, her head held proudly, exactly as a princess should carry herself. What would be for breakfast today Strawberry ice cream. That was a favorite. Or maybe banana coconut, which had been surprisingly delightful, though still not as exquisite as her ultimate favorite abalone ice cream. Now that was a meal fit for royalty. Miso was also quite good, but fish flavored anything made Yuki purr with anticipation. She approached her bowl with great excitement. Food always came first. Cuddles second. And then she froze. Her bowl looked wrong. The contents were green. The smell, suspiciously unicecream, like Yuki's fur bristled as she looked up at Niko, who stood there with a suspiciously cheerful grin. Good morning, Princess, Nico said, clapping her hands. I thought we'd try something special today. It's a vegetable smoothie packed with super greens and a splash of banana. It's the same smoothie I make for myself. I figured if it's good for me, it must be good for you, too. Yuki blinked. No social media comments, no lectures about anything. Just greens for breakfast. She narrowed her eyes at the green horror in her bowl. Her tail puffed up, her ears flattened. Her stomach rumbled dramatically. Fine, she thought. Starvation was undignified. With a deep sigh, she leaned forward and took a tentative lick and immediately regretted everything. It tasted like green. Yuki knew what green tasted like because she had once accidentally eaten grass during a moment of weakness on the balcony. The aftermath was not pleasant, and she had made it very clear to Nikko that such things were never to be repeated. I have to go, Yuki. Try to finish your breakfast, okay? Nico said, grabbing her bag. Oh, and I might be home a little late because I'll be bringing Koro home from obedience school after work. Won't that be great? You two will be together again. As if this day couldn't get any worse. Yuki let out a long, dramatic sigh as she heard the door click shut. Now she was alone with this. She stared at her bowl in silent horror. Yuki was a young cat who ate nothing but ice cream. She had ice cream for breakfast and dinner every single day of the week. As a princess, she was pampered with all the luxuries a cat of her station deserved. Scratching posts, designer outfits, and a comfy bed in every room. One was even shaped like an ice cream cone, where she would curl up like the adorable icon she was. She used to have an elaborate climbing track that let her explore the entire apartment like a feline acrobat. But lately, she found lounging to be far more elegant than climbing. Jumping and scrambling about. That was for kittens and commoners. Yuki had made a wise decision. A princess should never have to climb and jump when she could simply recline and be admired. After reluctantly forcing down some of her breakfast, Yuki made her way to the living room to take a well deserved nap. Nap. Her bed was in the perfect location, right where the sunlight poured in, wrapping her in golden warmth. Yuki loved the sun. And she was pretty sure the sun loved her. Until it moved. Which, frankly, was rude. Didn't the sun know who she was? If it did, it would have the decency to stay put. With a long, exaggerated sigh, Yuki got up and stretched gracefully before making her way to the dining room, where she settled into another bed. A princess must have options there. She began her daily grooming ritual, meticulously licking her fur until it gleamed like silk. Cleanliness was very important to Yuki. Before Yuki had mastered the art of self care, Nico had once made the terrible mistake of giving her a bath, which was an unforgivable crime. Even worse, there was one time, one horrific time when Nico put her in the shower. It had taken weeks for Nico to recover physically, emotionally, spiritually. After all the hard work of cleaning herself, Yuki felt a little hungry. She padded into the kitchen, hoping she had imagined breakfast earlier. Unfortunately, she had not. Her bowl was still there. It was still green. Yuki gagged. How could she live like this? But Yuki was strong, resilient. She would wait. Surely when Nikko came home, she would bring something worthy of her refined palate. Fish flavored ice cream, maybe even lobster. A rare delicacy for lobster ice cream. Yuki would even agree to wear a costume and let Nikko take pictures of her. Their usual evening routine. The things she did for ice cream. Before Yuki heard the door open, she heard him. A series of yelps, pants excited, scratching at the door. Oh no. He was back. So annoying. As soon as Nikko stepped inside, Koro, a clumsy ball of boundless energy, barreled into the apartment and launched himself at Yuki. He pounced on her, chewed on her ears, and licked her entire head from ear to ear. Then, completely satisfied with his enthusiastic greeting, he bolted down the hallway, probably to chew on something else. You two are so cute. Nikko cooed. Koro loves you so much. Yuki sat frozen in horror, her fur soaked in dog drool. Her hours, hours of grooming ruined. She let out a long, exhausted sigh as drool dripped from her whiskers. I can live without this kind of love. Was even lobster ice cream enough to make up for this? I brought you a super special treat for dinner tonight. Niko announced cheerfully. Yuki's ears perked up. Finally, some justice. It's for both you and Koro. A way to celebrate his graduation from obedience school. Less justice. And after dinner, we're going to have a fun little party. I even got new costumes. Maybe we'll play dress up and put on a show. You two were very popular last time with the neighbors. Yuki was less concerned with parties and more concerned with dinner. At this point, she'd agree to almost anything. She padded into the kitchen, even meowing. A rare occurrence. She must have been hungrier than she realized. And then the unthinkable happened again. Niko placed her bowl on the floor. It was green. Yuki stared. What did I do to deserve this? I got you some Super Greens today, Yuki. Nico beamed. They're packed with all the good stuff to keep you healthy, sparkly, and full of royal energy. And they're called Super Greens because I think you're super. Yuki wished she were just a tiny bit less super. She turned her head away from the insult in the bowl, her ears flattening in betrayal. And then she smelled. Smelled it. Her nose twitched. The food in Koro's bowl smelled delicious. It couldn't be. No. It was fish. Nico had given Koro fish for dinner. Yuki's tail puffed in outrage at the sound of his bowl hitting the floor. Koro thundered down the hallway, his ears flopping like pancakes, paws skidding wildly as he nearly wiped out on the kitchen tile. Niko chuckled. Careful, Koro. You're not in puppy gym class anymore. Yuki squinted at him. Gym class? That explained a lot. I'm going to take a shower while you two eat. Make sure you finish all your food, Yuki. She called, disappearing down the hallway. Yuki's ears twitched. She would not be finishing this food. Koro, meanwhile, was already inhaling his dinner, gobbling it up at alarming speed. But just as he was about to finish, he stopped and looked at Yuki. He tilted his head as if reading her mind. Then, without warning, Koro stepped forward and picked her up by the neck. Yuki let out a startled yowl. Hey, what are you doing, you drooling monster? Put me down this instant. She squirmed, but Koro held firm. I don't need any more of your drool on my head. Then, to her utter shock, Koro sat her down right in front of his bowl and nudged her forward as if to say, go ahead. Yuki blinked. Are you suggesting what I think you are? You're really going to give me the rest of your delicious, fragrant fish dinner? I mean, you ate most of it already. But still. She eyed him suspiciously. A trap. A trick. A setup for more ear Chewing. But Koro just sat there, tail wagging, watching her expectantly. Hesitantly, Yuki leaned down and took a small, delicate nibble. Perfect. Glorious. A taste of what life was meant to be. And just as she started to appreciate his unexpected act of generosity, Koro lunged. Not at her, but at her bowl. In a blur of golden fur, he devoured every last bit of her food in the chaotic, messy way only a Labrador puppy could. Bits of green horror flew across the floor. Yuki stared, horrified. What just happened? Was this drooling, ear chewing, nap ruining, creature kind? Before she could process the moment or shudder, thank him, Koro bolted down the hallway, disappearing into his secret kingdom. A little while later, Niko emerged from her shower, wrapped in fluffy towels and wearing her comfiest clothes. Yuki liked those clothes. Those were the cuddle clothes. Usually, after an exhausting night of modeling costumes, Yuki would curl up in Niko's lap for a well earned post photo nap. Oh, Yuki, you finished your dinner. That's a good princess. Niko cooed, bending down to scratch behind Yuki's ears. I did? Oh, right. Yes, of course. I totally meant to. Green food is so good for you. Niko said, giving Yuki a gentle scratch behind the ears. You'll have all the energy you need to nap in every bed in the apartment. And maybe even do a little exploring again. Yuki held back a royal grimace. She had no plans to go leaping about like a common alley cat. But she did have every intention of keeping her arrangement with Koro going for the next week. Every mealtime followed the same unspoken agreement. Koro left a generous helping of his fish flavored food for Yuki. Koro also took it upon himself to enthusiastically devour all of Yuki's green smoothie before she had to endure even a single lick. A fair trade, she decided. After all, Koro liked making messes and Yuki liked avoiding vegetables. Everyone wins. Yuki started to appreciate Koro just a tiny bit. I mean, he had also saved her from the toilet disaster. Maybe he wasn't entirely terrible. She even let him share her bed, where they would cuddle while they waited for Nico to come home. Well, most of the time, he still licked her head, which she never accepted. But she tolerated it at least as long as he kept sharing his food. Then one evening, Nico came home and made a big announcement. I have a special surprise for you both, since you've been getting along so well together. Yuki's ears perked up. Could it be a special dinner? But first I have to take Koro for a walk. Then we can eat. Okay? Yuki flicked her tail Typical. Dogs weren't civilized like cats. They had to go outside to do their business. When Niko returned, she cleaned Koro's paws. A necessary task. Yuki approved. His feet were often very stinky. Then, without warning, Koro bounded over and gave her a huge, sloppy lick. Yuki recoiled. Drool must be his love language. Niko laughed. Since you've been so good about eating your greens, I thought we'd have a special treat tonight. She placed a bowl in front of Yuki. It was everything. Abalone ice cream with a scoop of miso flavored ice cream on the side. Yuki was in heaven. Her tail quivered with excitement. She was so thrilled, she was almost drooling. Almost. Enjoy your dinner, you two. I'm going to take a shower. Then we can play and maybe film some videos. But Yuki wasn't listening anymore. Because her dinner of dreams was right in front of her. Abalone ice cream, miso on the side. Pure perfection. She leaned in, ready to take the first glorious bite. Then she paused. Coro wasn't eating. In fact, he wasn't doing anything. He was just staring at her dish, his eyes wide, tail still and drip, drip, drool leaked from his mouth, pooling on the floor. It was disgusting. But also. Yuki flicked her tail, annoyed at herself for what she was about to think. Maybe he wanted some fish flavored ice cream too. All he had was his usual food. Some kind of fish flavored wet dog concoction. Yuki looked at her dish, then at Koro, then back at her dish. And against her better judgment, she switched places with him. Tonight he could have her dinner and she would finish his. It wasn't ice cream, but it was still fish. And that is the end of our story. Good night. Sleep tight.