Prompt: Twilight

noun

a period or state of obscurity, ambiguity, or gradual decline.

Fandom: Scooby Doo

Charaters: Scooby Doo

Others: Daphne, Velma, Fred, Shaggy, Scrappy

It was Scooby who first noticed it. I mean, how could he not? It was happening in his body. The gang's last case, he fell hard on his back leg. It didn't break, but it was sore. Very sore.

Why was it hurting this bad?

Don't show them. They won't let you investigate if you show them your in pain. It will pass. Your a strong one.

But, I'm a coward.

You are strong because of what you have faced and felt. Everything is okay. It will be okay.

It was Fred who noticed next. The limping, the slow steps, favoring of that leg. He wanted to say anything, but every time Scooby looked at him, it was like he was asking that Fred keep quiet. He made a pile from his old shirts for Scooby to lay on in the back of the van, trying to keep the weight off of his leg, although he knew it was only a matter of time before everyone noticed.

He kept the teams as they were, an unfortunate need to prevent suspision. It hurt him to see the dog running from the mad men they tried to catch. And he didn't like the fact that no one else seemed to notice, nor did he like the fact that he couldn't say anything. Because of those large brown eyes that looked into his blue ones.

He knows. He's not going to let me investigate with them.

He will. See? He made a bed. No more hard floor on your leg.

I guess..

Velma and Daphne noticed around the same time.

Velma stopped using Scooby as decoy when it wasn't neccesary. She would sit with Scooby on the floor of the Mystery Machine and either read the books she wrote about their mystery exploits quietly or read to him in a soft voice. Her glases occasionally becoming fogged up with tears with each word causing her to stop reading to wipe away her tears.

Daphne sewed the shirts that Fred gave to Scooby, making the bed more sturdy on his leg. So it would stop shaking so much, so it would not look so.. so wrong and so painful.

Velma's voice is nice, isn't it? And hey, Daphne made the bed feel even better.

I.. I don't know. I don't want to hear about the past things we've done, I want to keep doing what we've been doing for who knows how long.

Are you sure? Maybe if we sit out-

No! I wanna keep going! I gotta!

Okay, okay! Geez..

It took Shaggy the longest to notice. He was either stuffing his face, or being too afraid of things. It took him weeks- no, a month to realize Scooby was no longer being as visible with fear. That he wasn't jumping into his arms anymore. Then he noticed the walk cycle. The limp, the slow stepping. He was still running fast, but it hurt him to run from the villain of the week.

Slowly Shaggy began to go on more 'bait quests' by himself. The pain in his best friends eyes, seeing the betrayal of being left behind. It hurt, really bad.

I.. I can't hold on. Shaggy was the last thing keep me from letting go.

It's okay. You held out for a long time. Sleep now. Just sleep. It will be okay, Scoobert.

Okay.. Okay..

The gang scattered Scooby's ashes at their base in Coolsvile, at a small garden called Scooby's Place. It was a small affair, just them and Shaggy's sister, Shuggie.

Words were spoken on Scooby's behalf, most were happy and others were filled with sorrow. That night, a storm raged through the night and next day. It didn't let up, not until two days after they spread Scooby's ashes.

Shaggy, working at an animal shelter now, saw a small great dane pup in a cage. He looked so much like Scooby.

The color, the eyes. Everything.

The pup was now laying on the passenger seat of the Mystery Machine, sleeping as it drove. A blue collar on his neck with a tag that said, "Scrappy Dappy Doo" on his neck.