"Cheese... Meat... Fruits... Grains..."
Tarou's eye bulged as he looked at the heaps of food in front of him.
"Cheese... Meat... Fruits... Grains..."
'Which one should I eat first?'
Tarou closed his eyes and allowed his paw to make the choice but before he could grab a handful of food, a loud sound startled him and his magnificent hoard disappeared.
"My foooood!!!!!!" Tarou screamed. When he opened his eyes, he saw a hoof descending on him, ready to stomp him to death. Suddenly pumped up, Tarou quickly dodged the hoof only to be subjected to a barrage of more hoof attacks.
"What is your problem!!!" he squeaked while trying to find the best place to hide in the stable. Seeing the threatening hooves which aimed at him, he panicked and stiffened. Not knowing what to do, Tarou called out in a loud squeak.
"Boss!!!"
The door to the stall opened and the enraged horse planning to stomp him to death was startled. Finally, someone was here to save him. He knew Boss would rush to his rescue.
'Boss, you care for me after all!' Tarou thought, thanking his lucky stars for allowing him to befriend a cat. So, when he caught a familiar lemongrass scent, he was surprised.
'Barca?'
Well, it didn't matter if his savior was human or cat. Without wasting time, Tarou ran out of the stall. Knowing that this human was friendly, he even squeaked to announce his presence.
Barca looked at him and nodded in reply before moving closer to Nightmare.
'This human is really friendly! No wonder the high-pitched mouse I just met was crazy about this man,' Tarou thought while looking at Barca who crouched down to check on the horse using the light from a lamp.
Meanwhile, Tarou stayed outside the stall where it was safe. Everything that happened after he woke up was a blur and he barely had time to catch his breath. All he remembered was the violent attacks when he woke up.
Today has been a long day for him and Tarou tried to wait for Boss in the stables. Unable to locate the cat, he stayed in a stall where he unknowingly fell asleep. The next thing he knew, there was a hoof descending on him with the aim of crushing him to death.
Tarou couldn't help but feel wronged, angry, and confused. On top of that, he had not eaten since they arrived. Despite all these complaints, the mouse peeked into the stalls and listened to what the violent horse had to say.
"Nightmare, what's wrong?" came Barca's concerned voice. Tarou listened to a series of grunts and became as white as a sheet when what the horse said registered.
"Cursed rodents! Kill that pest!"
Tarou couldn't help but feel wronged. He did not do anything to offend this creature. These horses have been torturing him for the past few days!
"You are the pest!!! Not me!!!" he squeaked while maintaining a safe distance. Shortly after, the horse on the adjacent stall groaned in pain, catching Barca's attention.
Tarou had no idea what happened. He hid in one corner waiting for Barca to check on the other animal.
When Barca headed to the other stall, Tarou followed him cautiously, making sure he will not be stomped on by the horse. As Barca examined the horse, Tarou caught a whiff of blood. He came a bit closer and saw that the area just above the hind leg's hood seems to be injured. The injured area looked like it has been gnawed off.
Tarou felt a chill and he slowly turned towards the other stall only to be greeted by Nightmare's murderous look. He shuddered while looking at the enraged horse who grunted while looking at him.
"Pest! Get lost!"
At the accusation, Tarou couldn't help but squeak defensively.
"It wasn't me! That... a horse's hoof is not my favorite source of nutrition!"
The horse continued to eye him with disdain. The injured animal in the stall continued to grunt in pain, looking at Barca with pitiful eyes. Tarou couldn't help but take a closer look at the injury. It was unmistakable, a rodent made the teeth marks on the hoof.
'Did I mistake that for food?' he thought, concerned that he was actually guilty of doing something so vile although he dismissed the idea right away. 'I didn't even get the chance to have a single bite in that dream!'
"It wasn't me!!!" he insisted, making sure both horses could hear his squeak. He took another look at the injury and felt so nervous he subconsciously gnawed on his paw. Owing to his troubled thoughts, Tarou bit too hard. He winced in pain. But as he looked at the sore paw, something clicked.
Tarou went closer to the injured horse which earned nothing but Nightmare's wrath. He ignored the horse and found a thicker part of the hoof close to the injured area. He couldn't help but stare at the hoof as if he was about to make a major decision.
"This is disgusting!" he complained as he bit down. "But I have to make a point!"