It started with a knock at the door.
Not a normal knock.
A soft, rhythmic boop boop-bark... bark boop that only dogs could understand.
Travis opened the door to find a Yorkshire Terrier in a tuxedo, wearing sunglasses and holding a gold envelope in his tiny mouth.
He dropped it on the welcome mat, gave a crisp nod, then backflipped off the balcony.
"Was that—" Carlton began.
"Yep," Travis said. "That was Bark Ruffalo. Hollywood's top secret dog agent."
Carlton opened the gold envelope. Inside was a single card:
> "You are cordially invited to join…
THE PUPSTARS: Elite Team of Fame, Fur, and Justice."
Bring your own chew toys.
Buttermilk sniffed it once, then struck a dramatic pose like she'd known this day would come since birth.
---
That night, a luxury van pulled up with tinted windows and a bumper sticker that read "My Other Ride is a Rocket-Powered Sled."
Inside, they met the team.
Captain Biscuit: A bulldog with a monocle and a grappling hook.
Princess Meow-Meow: A cat hacker who only spoke in purrs and sass.
Tuna Supreme: A ferret with lock-picking skills and an espresso addiction.
And Slinky: A greyhound who could run so fast he circled the room twice before you finished blinking.
"Welcome to the Pupstars," Biscuit grunted. "We protect the fame ecosystem. When things go wrong in the influencer world... we make them go right."
Carlton whispered to Travis, "Did we just join the animal version of the Avengers?"
Travis whispered back, "Yes. And I'm 100% fine with that."
---
The Mission:
A rogue gang of squirrel influencers known as The Nutwork had been hacking dog accounts and posting pro-acorn propaganda. Their goal: sabotage canine clout and rise as the top algorithm species.
One victim: Dogtok star Luna the Snorting Beagle, whose page had been turned into a nut-cooking tutorial channel.
"Unforgivable," Biscuit growled. "Luna doesn't even like almonds."
They tracked The Nutwork to their hideout: a fake yoga studio in Beverly Hills that was actually a high-tech squirrel dojo.
Travis, Carlton, and Buttermilk suited up in Pupstar tactical gear: treat pouches, spy collars, and Carlton's jacket lined with beef jerky (for emergencies).
---
The infiltration began.
Slinky disabled the squirrel cameras. Tuna picked the lock with a bobby pin and a chewed-up pencil. Buttermilk distracted a squirrel guard by dramatically yawning and flopping onto a yoga mat.
Then they found the mainframe.
It was just a giant oak tree... plugged into Wi-Fi.
Princess Meow-Meow hissed, tapped her tablet, and rebooted the internet with a single swipe.
But suddenly—alarm squeaks.
They were surrounded.
Squirrel ninjas dropped from the ceiling on tiny grappling hooks. One yelled in chipmunk, "DELETE THEIR INFLUENCE!"
Carlton screamed and threw beef jerky everywhere like confetti.
Chaos.
Buttermilk leapt into action, performing a flawless spin, boop, and bark combo that stunned their leader: Twitchy Steve.
"Fall back!" he shouted. "They brought the Bark Queen!"
The squirrels retreated in a panic, tossing trail mix behind them as a diversion.
---
Back at HQ, Captain Biscuit saluted Buttermilk.
"You saved DogTok. We owe you."
Buttermilk gave a humble blink.
"She says she'll accept payment in bacon."
Carlton looked around the Pupstars lounge: velvet beanbags, a doggy ice cream freezer, and a karaoke machine that only played barks and howls.
"Can we live here?"
"No," Biscuit said. "But we can give you this." He handed them a custom Pupstar medal, shaped like a bone and sparkly enough to blind Fabio.
---
That night, back home, Travis scrolled through Buttermilk's feed.
Comments poured in:
"Queen saved the internet AGAIN."
"I barked so hard I dropped my phone."
"Was that a ferret? I need a spin-off."
Carlton smiled. "We're not just influencers anymore."
Travis nodded. "We're legends."
Buttermilk barked once, then did a celebratory zoomie across the couch, knocking over three pillows and a scented candle.
---