..............................
It was late in the afternoon and the sun was going down. I slept for most of the day, which was unusual for me. My ears perched to a rambling stomach; my eyes rotated to my white, slightly protruding gut. I was so famished from all that rest. Cheesy was setting up the dinner table, spreading out all of my favorite things. Carrots, broccoli, chicken, fruits, and nuts. Cheesy took the water cup and placed it on the table, I yawned and walked over, rubbing one eye and coming to sit down.
"Burrow! Your finally up. I've got some stuff that you'll like. I bet your hungry" he stated. I barely grunted and nod my head, Sharp coming behind me and placing his hand on my shoulder, shaking it in a friendly, playful manner.
"Look whose finally up! Had any good dreams Burrs?" Sharp asked, trying to fish for conversation.
"Not really" I responded, sighing and looking out into space as Cheesy finished setting the table.
I wasn't in the mood to talk to Sharp right now, so I ignored him. They got up and stood around the table, holding each other's hands and bowing their heads, prepping for prayer. I remained seated.
"Burrow would you like to pray?" Cheesy asked politely, stretching his hand out for me to take it. I gazed at his paw with complete disinterest.
"Sorry guys but I can't give reverence to anyone right now. Anyone of you can go ahead and pray. I'm just gonna take some food and hit the hay again" Cheesy and Sharp looked up at me while I was taking pieces of broccoli, carrots and a piece of chicken. Scooping them all in my arms I excused myself from the table, going back to my quarters. Cheese sighed, flashing Sharp a saddened expression, and then looking down at the table.
"But Burrow don't you want any raisin bread? It's your favorite!" Cheesy said as I walked off, to which I waved, acknowledging that it was fine.
"Okay..."Cheesy said sadly. I went back to my nesting sitting at a place close by it, laying my food on my lap, and breaking it into pieces to eat.
"Talk to him Sharp" Cheesy nudged Sharp in the side, giving him a look. Sharp looked at Cheesy and then looked at Burrow, seeing the lifeless way he was eating, and how his back was bent.
"I'll talk to him later, I promise" Sharp reassured Cheesy, Cheesy nodded and warning him that he had better. Both of them sat down to eat their dinner.
................................................................................
It was dark now, and after the food was done, I went straight back to lying down in my nesting. A few hours had passed by since then and Sharp and Cheesy fell asleep, Sharp snuggling in his corner, Cheesy's foot kicking out as he mumbled in his dreams. My eyes were wide open, pinpointed to the ceiling as a million thoughts passed through my brain.
Just then Sharp woke up and turned over, looking to me as he laid there, watching the ceiling.
"Seems you've ventured into another world there Burrs " snapping out of my vision of focus, my head turned to acknowledge that he was awake.
"Oh yeah. Just going over a few stuff" I commented, taking my focus away from him and going back to the ceiling.
After those words were exchanged, it was silent for a while. All that could be heard was the crickets crying outside, wailing into the night.
"Burrow?" Sharp whispered.
"Yeah Sharp?" I answered.
"I um. I know there's been a lot going on lately, with Mother and the cats and the birds and everything but I uhh" Sharp paused, trying to rack his brain to search for the right things to say.
"I still think you're a great leader Burrs. Things are scary right now yes, but you always find some way to. You know. You'll figure it out" Sharp added awkwardly deciding that that was all he could say at the moment.
Hold on a minute..Did Sharp..was Sharp trying to...give me a compliment??
Wow, that bird really must have given him quite a scare...
I nodded my head and looked over, Sharp fidgeting, as if he had something else to say.
"Is that iit?" I asked, Sharp turning to me and non-verbally agreeing.
"Yeah, that's all I had to say. Just um. Keep up the good work yeah? So goodnight" Sharp retorted.
Hmmmm. How awkward of him to mention that I was a great leader out of the blue, I thought.
"Goodnight Sharp" I returned, watching him turn his back to me. I refocused on the ceiling and continued pondering.
................................................................................
The roaster crowed in the air bright and early, the fog lifting over the place as the sun came up and warmed everywhere. Sharp twisted and turned, fixing his body until he could find a good enough position, falling back to sleep. But it was a restless night for me. I stayed up all night, only getting two minutes of rest, and now it was morning. Once its bright, I'd never go back to sleep. I got up and stretched my arms, yawning and walking over to the water cup. Cheesy was already next to it, picking it up to go outside and refill it. He turned around to see me.
"Oh Burrow good morning. How's everything?" he asked matter of factly.
"Oh everything's good Cheesy. Everything's lovely" I lied, nodding my head and putting my hands on my waist.
" You going to catch some water in the bathroom?" I inquired.
"Yes. It gets so hot in the night, and you wake up thirsty so we need it pronto" Cheesy replied.
"I'll leave you to it then" I added, turning my back to walk off.
Cheesy turned off to walk out the peephole, but just as he was about to do that he turned back, wanting to say something to me.
"Burrow- wait!" I turned around to see Cheesy running to me, he stopped and began talking.
"Burrow, I just wanted you to know that I know how badly it is you want to go outside. I know how hard it is to be couped up like this, feigning for scarps that the giant left behind, I know you just want to be free.'' narrowing my eyes and folded my arms, I turned to Cheesy and gave him my attention.
"Mother Mince always drummed pride into us as rodents, telling us to hold our heads high and march out there. Telling us that we had a right to exist and live, just like anyone else did. But it's not that easy with huge birds and panged up cats feigning for you all the time"
"We have each other to watch out for Burrow. If you hadn't taken the lead to distract the bird, we would have been boiling in his stomach by now" Cheesy chuckled, Burrow flashing a small grin.
"The point is Brother Burrow; look how far we've come. Both of you had the patience to wait on me to get into shape, we've saved each other's butts over and over again, and we will continue to. We'll get out of here Burrow. I know it seems like every time you get the chance to exit this place, something stops you. Me with my weight, the cat or the birds of prey trying to get at us, Mother's death. But I beg you to please, have a little more faith. Everything will be fine, as long as we look out for each other, and have each other's backs to depend on. I mean look how much times we've had to save each other!! Apart from Mother, you two are the only things I have in this world; I love you both. Me and Sharp trust your vision, no matter what, so, therefore, we will get out together and leave this dump behind."
I don't know what it was but something about Chessy reminded me of Mother Mince that morning, even the words that he spoke sounded like they were leaving her lips. Out of all of us Cheesy had the warmest aura surrounding him. He looked most like Mother with his plummy cheeks puffed up into a warm, welcoming smile, his eyes gleaming with love and hope, like hers did.
The heaviness that I had in my chest about our situation fizzed out like water droplets, evaporating into thin air, becoming nothing. It was a ten-pound weight that got lifted off of me entirely, and I felt a little lighter now, much happier. More at peace with accepting things the way they were, even though things weren't how I wanted them to be.
Maybe that wasn't so bad after all. Our relationship and the way we related to one another had certainly improved. Having to train Cheesy to his best weight was definitely draining, but he's faster, quicker, braver and not as dependent.
Me and Sharp's relationship has gotten better since our fight with Mother's death, and it allowed me to see some of the one sidedness I had in myself. Yes the whole "escape via garbage bag" was a bust, but, through and through the challenges, we were saving each other. Healing our wounds together, suffering together, eating together.
I knew I was fully capable of going out on my own without the two of them...but I didn't want to dishonor my mother's memory. And plus, how would that be any fun?
"Don't get discouraged now Burrow, we need you. We need us. All three of us, against the world. Therefore, we are brothers forever" Cheesy nudged my side playfully, chuckling wildly until his laughter spread to me. Both of us stood there cackling from cheek to cheek, not a care in the world except for the brotherhood that we all shared. I began to feel selfish for how I've thought these past days. Sharp saw the viciousness of that huge Falcon and it scared him shitless, and all I wanted to do was go outside. I didn't even stop to consider his feelings, at least giving him the grace to be afraid.
"Thanks, Cheesy. I really needed to hear that" I commented, hugging Cheesy for a second and rubbing his head.
"Welp! Let me go get that water now. See you later Burrow" Cheesy said, and with one more wave of the empty bucket in his hand he was gone through the peephole.
"See you later Cheesy" I answered. I smiled watching his tail wiggle, his words warming me up on the inside. Cheesy shone a light on me and made me feel appreciated for the efforts I was making. He made me know that nothing was impossible, from now on I had a feeling that all three of us would prosper, no matter what. Everything would work out.