BURROW'S POINT OF VIEW
"Pheeeewwwwweeeeeee"
I twisted my head around to the exit, light from the outside of the living room shining into the darkened space.
"Already? Wow. Mother must really want to avoid the Giant today.." a piece of chicken slipped out of my hand onto the crumb filled floor, my hands greasy from all the fragments of meat that I had been picking up and stuffing into my sack. The first whistle had just gone out, and even though I would have loved to stay and grab more grub, it was time for me and Cheesy to head home. My eyes swiveled over to my sack that was inches behind me, the cotton bag was standing erectly, so full and stuffed that it if I added anything else to it, I wouldn't have been able to sling it over my shoulder and walk. I couldn't ask Cheeesy for help either. I'd be too busy swatting his hand away from snatching the food out of the sack..
So I left the crispy chicken on the floor for the ants, got to my bag, slung it over my back and exited the cave that was underneath the Giant's couch. Breathing in slowly I advanced my way out of the couch, coming into the light and going under the coffee table in front, taking a huge inhale.
The two corners of my mouth turned upwards. I blinked repeatedly, my eyes readjusting to light bending on the visible images in front of me. I could see the wooden leg of the table, the wine red color of the carpet, the sky-blue wall that parted off the living room from the Kitchen; It was great being able to see everything again. Now I realized how much I had taken light for granted. There was a lot of food under there but damn, was it dark.
"Cheeeesssyyyy!!! Cheessssy I have a surprise for you!! Your gonna love this!!"My bag was filled with sweet potato fries, Crispy chicken, Honey Ham, Biscuit crumbs, more Chicken, and to top it all off, those trails of ants led me to a block of cheese and some pork! I was mindful that Cheese was his favorite food, so I brought this speck back for him. I felt bad about how harsh I was being earlier, so hopefully this would somehow make up for it.
Patting my stuffed Knapsack, I felt quite accomplished. I found plenty of food and I was ecstatic about it; The first reason being because the Honey Ham was a treat to me, the second reason being that regardless of the fact that I still wasn't so into Mother just yet, I was sure she would be pleased about my load. One thing about the Giant's holdings?? There was always food to be found no matter what. At this point I didn't know if he liked rodents and wanted to ensure that we had something to eat, or he was just awfully messy. It couldn't have been the latter though, since he still set traps and poisons to get rid of us, but Mother had raised us well and warned us of those dangers, so no matter what we were trap proof.
I wonder if her and Sharp got a bag that was filled like mine was? Or mine was bigger than theirs? Who knows? We'd find out when we meet up, which was soon. Speaking of which, Cheesy and I had to leave urgently. When Mother whistled again, we should be making our way across the Kitchen floor, so that we could make it before she sounded the third. No later, else it I would be in trouble. I'd never hear the end of the nagging from her.
"Cheesy!!! This is no time to play hide and seek. Let's go, the first whistle rang out!" Where was that rodent? Didn't he hear the whistle? It's time to go.
After calling him a few times I heard nothing but silence. No shuffling, no snickered laughing. Just nothingness, like there was absolutely no one in this area. Stepping out into the entrance it was oddly quiet. Too quiet.
"Hmmm.." I gritted my teeth, sinking my claws into the fleecy mat, perplexed.
"That damned stupid, greedy big dunce!!I told that imbecile to stay in this exact spot...Cheesy!!Cheesy, out, now!!I don't have time for this!!" my voice blasted out into the room, echoing out into the distance. Nothing. There was nothing.
"Pheeeeeeewwweeeee!!!!!!"
"Drats!!!!" I flung the bag off of my shoulder, darting off in frantic search of Cheesy. The second whistle went off, and if I didn't find him now God knows what would happen. I already wasn't on Mother's good side, and this would be my finishing blow. She'd surely disown me after this.
I sped past the short wall that bordered the living room and the Kitchen, going all the way up to the other half of the room, digging under the identical couch without a second's thought. I searched every spot underneath it, sniffing one spot and then jumping to the other, like a fly pitching from one place to the next. I looked behind it, he wasn't there. I looked behind the potted plants he wasn't there. He surely wouldn't be up on the window ledge, Cheesy wouldn't waste his energy to climb up anywhere that far, he'd die first.
I wasn't seeing him anywhere up here, so I'd have to go back and look where I came from. He must be somewhere nearby.
"Cheesy??? Cheeese!!!! Where are you??" Twisting and turning around, I wheezed, my lungs constricting while all the air escaped. I span off heading down to the couch I came out of, stopping in the middle of the living room before i got there. Looking over to the vast space of the Kitchen floor, peering on into the distance of the Kitchen Island.
"Cheeseyyy!!!!!" I should've never left him on guard duty. What the hell was I thinking???? I knew he wouldn't have listened!!!!" Reaching the mini table from the couch I came from; I went back under and scouted the area.
Still nothing.
"Oh drats man Cheesy!!Ow!!!" The pain was back. A scrapping discomfort within my chest that came sometimes when I got anxious, I held my chest, still draping one foot behind the other.
"Brother Cheesy!!! Cheese where are you???" shouted into the air, my head rotated round and round like I was a rodent with mad cow disease. Something terrible must have happened to him..he should've answered me by now. Cheesy was so vulnerable. So naive..what if something heavy dropped on him?? What if he was stuck between somewhere and couldn't get out because of how big he was? Or maybe he left me to go home like the last time.
He wouldn't Burrow. Remember we made an agreement, and he swore to me that he would never do that. Cheesy wasn't one to dishonor his promises.
"Chheeeessseeeyyyyyy!!!!'' my chest felt like someone stabbed it now, my palms sweaty, my voice was about to crack with the boisterous shouting that I had done over and over again. I sprinted looking left, looking right, and he wasn't there. The space between the couch and the table was empty, he was nowhere to be found.
Where was he goddamit? Reaching the very end of the couch under the clear eye, I sat down, leaning against a wall that led up to the arm of cushiony seat. There were two clearing eyes, one directly in front of me, the other to my right. My vision wondered to the clearing glass above, a thick purple curtain with weird patterns moving from the breeze coming through; it was slightly open.
The warm, welcoming sunlight came through it, ruminating on my fur. I could hear the wind out there, bustling through the leaves of the trees from here. Strangely, listening to it brought me a sense of peace. The swishing, rustling chime of the leaves greeted my ears like it was music. I closed my eyes, bone tired from racking the living room up and down like a maniac.
Forget it all. If Cheesy wanted to lose himself, who cared??Certainly not me. My feet were halfway through the door anyway, with Mother hating me for even mentioning going outside. So it didn't matter. Why would I withstand this bullshit, searching up and down in this hot, boxed prison, when I could be out there... Enjoying the trees, listening to the songs they made with the wind. Basking in the sun! Not..this. Whatever "this" was.
Enduring this with Cheesy solidified one thing for me. I was getting out of here, no matter what. Why was I here right now? Losing my mind searching for someone that didn't want to be found?? Forget it. If the whistle blew and Mother scorched me for coming late, so be it. I was burnt anyway. She could have her opinion of me. I was dying to get out of here..
Breathing in steadily, my eyelids got heavier and heavier, until everything went black. I sat there in complete silence, no thoughts in my mind. All I could hear was the song the leaves were playing for me outside. It was so calming. So relaxing....
Out of nowhere, a tiny spark of intuition flickered into the back of my mind. I heard a small voice whisper something, telling me to get up and look behind the curtain that covered the clearing eye in front of me. That was the only place I hadn't checked yet.
Through narrowed eyes I peeped, squinting directly at the end of the curtain that touched the floor, it was a few feet away from me.
A round imprint of something was shaped under it, an obvious indentation protruding.
I sprung up, no longer sleepy. On all fours, tip toeing to the curtain.
The rounded shape began moving, shifting from one direction to the next, shaking ever so often.
Leisurely, a tail seeped out of the space, wind shifting it to the side;
"Cheesey!" a feeling of relief washed over me; my heels dug into the carpet as I bolted towards him; Tearing the curtain out of my way hastily.
The first thing I was greeted by was Cheesy's chubby, white, furry, behind. This would be the first, and only time I would ever be joyful about seeing something like that. His tail was dancing happily in the wind, his posterior shoved up into the air, head bobbing to the level of the floor. He was a few stomps in front of me, centered right in the crevice of the wall.
"Cheesy didn't you hear me calling you all this time??? Why didn't you answer me??" I demanded an answer, but he wiggled his behind, ignoring me. It looked like he was nibbling at something. Curious, I moved to the side to see what had grabbed his attention.
'' Hey! I've been looking up and down for you everywhere like a mad rat and here you-'' I posted myself to the side to see what Cheesey was so preoccupied with, coming out to get a full view.
My jaw seized halfway through finishing my sentence; the words wiped clean out of my mouth for what I was about to witness.
It was a wooden rat trap with cheese on it; the food sitting there innocently, dangerously, waiting for some oblivious rodent to attempt to snap it away; to get his neck broken in the process of doing so.
"Cheesy no!!!!!" my stomach fell to the floor as I watched him launch his body forward, sinking his teeth into the food, his mouth and hands wrapping themselves tightly around the slab of cheese.
The metal clamp declutched and snapped forward, swinging down fast to his neck.
"Pheeeewwwwwweeeeeeee!!!!!!!!"