for our own amusement

Shag lay napping in his cardboard box up on the white wicker couch when he heard the basement door open and shut, and footsteps coming down the stairs. He could tell it was the girl right away by the sound of her footsteps. He opened his eyes and looked at her, lazily at first. She was wiggling something in her hand.

*A toy! Oooh!* He hopped down from the couch and trotted towards her. Sonic was already sauntering over there.

*Another toy for the mindless amusement of kittens,* said Sonic. He swatted at it a few times, but it was Shag who became fascinated with its movements.
*It's YELLOW!* Shag swatted at it, trying to catch it just like he tried to catch any toy on a string.
He got so into it that he hissed and growled a few times, too. Other times the girl made it dance in the air, but instead of jump at it, he would sit there and watch. He wasn't much of a jumper.
Sonic watched Shag play with the toy. He also watched as little bits of feathery yellow wisps came off the toy and floated in the air. Great, one more thing to get stuck in my coat. He was already somewhat annoyed by the easter grass that had somehow found its way all over the basement. He and Shag nearly always ended up walking around with at least one piece of the plastic green stuff clinging to some part of their bodies.
*How's the freedom campaign coming?* said Sonic while Shag played with the toy as though it were a real live thing...odd, he thought, how the movement of a toy could get you feeling that strange high, like you were killing something small and helpless.
Shag stopped playing and looked thoughtfully at the little yellow feathery lump. *Oh, that. Well, I kind of took a nap instead today.*
*I figured as much,* said Sonic while Shag went back to playing with the toy.

*Oh, but I'm going to go forward with it, all right!* said Shag. *Don't make any mistake about it.*

Sonic yawned and blinked his eyes in a bored sort of way. *I admire your youthful idealism.*

~Sonic & Shag