TW: implied potential death/starvation
Caretaker had been working with Whumper for just over five years; he knew how things operated and how he handled nuisances like Whumpee. So when Whumper asked Caretaker to transfer Whumpee, it really wasn't a big deal. They both knew where Whumpee was going.
And that's how Caretaker ended up with Whumpee on a chain as they trekked through the forest.
"Whumper couldn't have had you drive me there?" Whumpee huffed from behind.
"Why? Do you honestly think that you deserve a rest?" Caretaker didn't bother to look behind him as it had been going like this for quite some time.
"After all the shit Whumper has put me through, yeah, I do."
"'All the shit,' do you mean putting a roof over your head and making sure you were fed?"
Caretaker didn't bother answering Whumpee. He knew that Whumper would occasionally starve him, but in all honesty, it was hard to see Whumpee as anything more than some annoying prick.
"Can we at least stop?" The breathless question landed on deaf ears as Caretaker yanked on the chain in his hand.
Caretaker tried to walk forward but felt the chain snag back. When he turned, Whumpee was on the ground with the leaves.
"Get up, Whumpee. I want to get home before it's dark." Caretaker gave another hard yank on the chain, which just pulled on Whumpee's arms. "Get. Up. Unlike you, I actually have a place to go back to, okay?"
Whumpee didn't respond, not with his usual snark.
Caretaker waited for a second before approaching Whumpee, taking notice of how bruises had started to form on his arms from the chain.
"Whumpee." Caretaker shook his body, and Whumpee's eyes opened just a sliver.
"Oookay...okay." Caretaker dropped the chain as he reached for his phone to call Whumper. "Hey, Whumper?"
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"Whumpee is down in the forest right now...I don't know what's wrong with him. I promise I didn't do anything, he just-"
"Oh no Caretaker it's fine, I know."
"Yes...Whumpee got a bad wound this morning that why I needed to get rid of him. A toy is no fun while he's healing."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Nothing. If he refuses to stand, simply drag him. It'll make no difference; he'll be dead in a few hours."
Caretaker's heart dropped as he watched Whumpee turn his head into the dirt to conceal his tears.
"Okay. I'll make sure he gets there." Caretaker hung up the phone and put a hand on Whumpee's shoulder. "Listen, please get up. I really, really don't want to drag you."
A shaky breath left Whumpee, but he also gave no indication of standing up.
"Whumpee, please. Don't you want this to be over soon?"
At that, Whumpee turned his head to look up at Caretaker. His dirt-stained cheeks had tear tracks that went over his hollow cheek bones.
Caretaker left out a long sigh before lifting Whumpee in his arms and going back to the employee parking area.
"Where are you taking me?" Whumpee mumbled under Caretaker's chin