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The rest of the days had crawled by, Sharp and Burrow spending their days sitting in quiet silence. Burrow was in his corner, nibbling on some breadcrumbs that he got from the garbage. Sharp hadn't eaten anything since the morning, as usual, just sitting in the corner and doing absolutely nothing, with an exhausted expression.
Sharp's appetite had been concerning his brother for a while now. He refused to eat anything at all, and had not eaten a solid meal since Cheesy died; and that was a week ago.
Whereas Burrow himself had been rather picky, it wasn't to the point of completely dismissing food. Bits and pieces here and there, but never ridding of anything edible on a whole.
Burrow got up out of his corner and went over to Sharp, breaking a piece of his bread off and offering it to him.
"Here Sharpo. You need to eat something" He offered, compassionately holding out the piece of bread to him.
Sharp's eyes gazed up to Burrow's hand with a deadened expression, he rose his hand and gently pushed the bread away.
"I'm not hungry" Sharp muttered lowly, laying down and turning his back.
Burrow sighed moving off and going back to his corner. Him, now actually feeling guilty to even be eating in the first place, after what happened with Cheesy. But he couldn't help it. He didn't want to starve. Cheesy wouldn't have wanted them to starve....
Suddenly, he too lost his appetite, throwing the bread away into some corner. The piece of bread just so happened to fall in the water cup. Burrow stood there, peering at the water cup for a long time. The memories of that day came rushing in.
"We're brothers forever Burrow" Burrow could hear the phrase echoing in the back of his head over and over again, then images of Cheesy's body floating on the water in that huge, giant grey tub. Burrow closed his eyes, feeling his chest sunken in again, the tears stinging. He went back to his corner and fell asleep.
Another day passed, and it was much of the same thing. Sharp stayed in his bed no matter what, not even getting up to get water, staring at Cheesy's empty bed. Burrow got up early that morning, coming in with the water cup in his mouth, having filled it to the brim. Sharp and him made eye contact as he entered.
He put the bucket down.
"You should drink some water Sharp. Here I got some for us" Burrow offered. Sharp looked up at him lazily, nodding his head and waving his hands.
'I'll drink some later." He told him shortly.
"Right" Burrow nodded and rested the cup in the corner where it usually was, beside the door.
Then, he hesitated, having second thoughts about resting it there.
'I'll put it in the center of the room, so he can have easier access to it. And so that it doesn't remind him of anything." he thought to himself, picking the water cap up and changing its position to the center of the room.
This was the first time Sharp had ever been that still. Sharp stayed on his nesting like a statue, only getting up to relieve himself of waste, which was ever so often since he hadn't been eating that much.
"That's it. I can't take this anymore" Burrow decided, getting on his feet and marching over to the Kitchen, securing a piece of Ham and going to Sharp.
''Sharp, for the love of all rodents please. Eat something. I brought your favorite, ham. And it has that sweet thick sticky thing on it that you love so much" Burrow pushed out his hand, a thick piece of meat glazed with honey over it. Sharp flopped over on his back, staring into the ceiling, and then his eyes lazily turned to Burrrow, without him even moving.
"Burrs its all good. I'll eat it, just leave it in front of me" Sharp instructed him. Burrow rested the piece of ham right beside Sharp's nest side, going over to the water cup and splashing some water over his hands to wash off the sticky sauce on his fingers.
He considered it to be a much better response than it had been for the past week. He told him to rest it in front of him, as opposed to just waving him off and telling him later.
Well, he still did tell me later, but he looks like he'll take a nibble of it this time, Burrow thought hopefully.
Sooner than later he found that Sharp didn't take any of it, not even a slight bite. Burrow got up and saw it in the same position the next day, right beside Sharp's nest side. A trail of ants were lining up underneath it, lifting it and taking it away.
"No. Get away!" Burrow said, taking the meat up and dusting the ants off quickly, one of them itching onto his hand and biting into his flesh.
"Ouch!" he muttered, pinching it off and throwing it back into the line of them on the floor. He went by his bed and pinched off a piece of cotton, sweeping the ants away and out through the door.
"Sharp you gotta-" Burrow stopped as he was about to warn Sharp that he needed to eat, considering how he felt on a deeper level. Cheesy just passed, and it had only been eight days after all. His heart got heavy again thinking about Cheesy, and he himself, had not been over it. It's just that he was trying to keep himself busy with getting food and continuing to live life as unusual. But he was far from over it. The pain of his brother being gone was too great. And even sitting down and reflecting on it for a minute, would probably drive him to insanity. So he opted to stay busy, to keep his mind off of it. Sharp was taking a different route, and not a healthy one.
Burrow simply sighed, going over to Sharp and resting his hand on him while he laid there, rubbing his shoulder.
"You eat whenever you can okay brother? I'll be right over here if you need me" Burrow said, Sharp's back turned to him as he pretended to sleep. Burrrow got up and walked through the peephole, making sure nobody sees him, and going out into the one of the Kitchen cupboards to think.
He had never seen Sharp like this before. Him being afraid of the animals, (and he was too) him not eating, this was the worst he had ever seen him. He wasn't moving to even go across the room, he wasn't eating, he wasn't saying as much of a word to him, he just wasn't doing anything, at all. Had he planned to stay there and starve himself to death?
A few more days had passed, and Sharp had been doing the same thing, doing nothing. He laid in his bed, not moving, he wouldn't eat at all, only taking a bit or a mouthful out of a piece of chicken Burrrow had brought back yesterday. He would drink water, but not very often. It had been two weeks, and whatever it is that Burrow brought home for Sharp, he refused to have anything except a little water. Burrow couldn't handle seeing Sharp like this anymore; he wanted to give him space to breathe, but it had been two weeks since he had something solid. Was he going to starve himself to death, just to join Cheesy? The thought of being left alone made Burrow feel cold in every inch of his being, and then he decided that he needed to confront Sharp for his own good, or else who knew what would happen?
Sharp was in his spot as usual; his body curled into a ball and turned the other way. Burrow walked slowly over to him, standing right next to him and clearing his throat.
Sharp closed his eyes and sighed, wondering what in the world Burrow could possibly disturb him for now.
"Sharp, I know with everything that's happened, food is the very last thing that could be on your mind right now." Burrow started out slowly, Sharp sighing and finally deciding to turn over; Burrow sighed as he saw how haggard and tired his brother looked. Sharp's eyes sagged with huge bags underneath them, and his eyes were filled with mats, from not bothering to wash his face for many days. Burrow sniffed and held his arm over his nose, pretending that he was coughing, for Sharp had not been grooming himself properly, and the stench of his body was beginning to take over their room.
"Listen Sharp, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, or even how to do it. If you don't want to eat, you just won't eat. But you cant just..give up Sharpo. You can't let something as unfortunate as death take over your life. It'll swallow you whole." Sharp sighed and rolled his eyes, his arms folded behind his head. He was hearing what Burrow was saying, but he couldn't be bothered.
I'll just let him lecture me. The more I listen the sooner this will be over Sharp thought to himself. So he sat up, as Burrow continued. Burrow looked at him, hoping to God that what he was about to say would be the fire match, for getting Sharp's head back into the game.
"Cheesy wouldn't want to see you like this, and I know you know that" he said spitefully, Sharp looking at Burrow seriously now that he said what was on his mind. Burrow stiffened at Sharp's gaze on him, a nervousness within his core for feeling that he had said the wrong thing, at the wrong time. Sharp stayed silent, just watching Burrow for a very long time.
" Hmph.I guess I should just, get over it huh?" Sharp asked.
"I should just, suck it up. Go out and get food. Change the water in the water cap, continue living as if nothing happened. Life's just back to normal for Burrow, so if Burrow can do it, Sharp should do it too" Sharp hissed, his eyes evilly staring at Burrow.
"Now don't start Sharp, you know that's not what I mean. I'm just concerned for you is all-"
"Concerned?? What in the drats sake... you don't need to be concerned with me, just worry about yourself" Sharp answered him bitterly, Burrow sighing and still trying his best to be patient.
" Okay Sharp, I'll just leave you alone for a while more" Burrow said, turning his back and beginning to walk off. Then he saw the water cup in the center of the room, and as he saw that, he remembered Cheesy's words that day.
"We're brothers forever Burrow. We stick together" he remembered how warm Cheesy's expression was, and how much hope and love he felt from that statement that day. So he turned back, determined as ever, promising Cheesy that he would be there for his brother Sharp, even if he was giving him a hard time.
"You know what, no. I'm not going to let you sit down and lay yourself to waste like this. Cause this isn't you Sharp. The whole lay down to die, I can't be bothered with anything because I'm afraid of anything act is getting old, and you need to realize that Cheesy will always be with us. He's the glue to keeping our family together. He always wanted us to be on good terms and work together, because he knew that's the only way we would get out of here" Burrow said.
Sharp rose up now and stepped to him, directly.
" When has working together ever gotten us anywhere? You know Burrrow Mother Mince is dead. Gone. You don't have to keep putting on this stupid act of being responsible for everyone" Sharp hissed, Burrow nodding his head and staying silent.
"You only ever cared about getting out of this prison. Look, if you're tired of me and you wanna leave, just go. I'll stay here to rot and die. Don't worry about me" Sharp said, lying down and curling back up into a ball.
Burrow looked at Sharp for a long time, sighing and putting his hands on hips. But he still wouldn't give up. Burrow came over to Sharp, leaned down, and had only one thing to say.
He whispered lowly over Sharp.
"I would never leave you like that Sharp. We're brothers, we stick together, no matter what" with that Burrow got up from over Sharp, going back out of the peephole with the bucket, to get some water for the both of them.
Burrow came back and it was night. Sharp was still wide awake, his mind going over and over about things, especially what Burrow said to him.
"We're brothers, forever. We stick together no matter what" he repeated to himself, remembering the day when Cheesy said this to Burrow when he was going out the door to fill the water cap; Sharp also remembered how warm he felt when he overheard him encouraging Burrs like that.
"Together..forever..." he muttered breathlessly, turning over and seeing Cheesy's quarters. Slowly, he sat himself up, looking at the cotton bedded nesting place that Cheesy used to rest in. Looking at the water cup he always filled. Looking at everything. Sharp walked towards Cheesy's quarters, Burrow watching him soundly.
Sharp went over there and stood above Cheesy's bed, his hands shaking and the breaking feeling in his chest coming back. He felt the pins scrapping across the channel of his throat again, on the edge of crying.
"We're brothers,forever.." Sharp repeated, putting his trembling hands out to touch Cheesy's bed, feeling the softness of it. He etched slowly onto to it and began laying down, softly caressing the material and being aware of his surroundings. He began smelling it. The bed still had Cheesy's scent, and he closed his eyes and took in the smell, hugging himself and curling up into a ball as he laid there.
"We're brothers forever...." Sharp whispered to himself, closing his eyes as the hot tears travelled down his face, his heart breaking as he laid in his quarters.
Burrow was right, Sharp thought to himself. Cheesy wouldn't have wanted him to moop around not doing anything, he would have wanted him to be happy and stick to Burrow and continue. Go out, live our lives, meet new friends. And Sharp decided he had been sad long enough. He would move on, him and Burrow, they would move out of this hellhole, and go on to live great lives. He just needed to take in the last of Cheesy's aura. Just this last time.
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Burrow woke up the next day, seeing Sharp curled up in Cheesy's space, with his arms folded to his chest. He stood there looking at Sharp rest peacefully, slightly smiling.
"It looks like what I said hit a mark..." Burrow said to himself, quietly grabbing the water bucket and going to the bathroom to fill the water cup. A few minutes passed and he came back from the bathroom, stepping into the peephole door. And as he did, he dropped the water cup, spilling all the water that was inside of it. He was shocked at what was in front of him.
Iit was Sharp, sitting at the table, eating some left-over ham and bread from yesterday. He looked up at Burrow who was standing there, staring at him.
"How am I gonna throw all this grub down If you spilled the water all over the floor? I swear your clumsier than Cheesy" Sharp shook his head, taking another bite out of his ham. A smile slowly spread across Burrow's face, him recognizing Sharp's mean tone.
"He's back!!" he exclaimed to himself, walking over to the table and sitting beside him, watching Sharp full his face like he had never eaten before.
"Mmmmmm!! My God, remind to take a fast sometimes eh Burrs? The food tastes better when you haven't had it in such a longtime" he told Burrow as he shoved marcels of food into his mouth. Burrow looked at him and out of nowhere, leaned over and gave him a hug.
"Your back! Your back your back Sharpo is back" he repeated, Sharp trying to stuff his face and looking at him weirdly, Sharp shrugged him gently, continuing to eat his food.
"Eh Ehh don't get sentimental on me now, so I was outta wack for a few big deal. Plus I remembered something important" Sharp added.
"What was that Sharp?" Burrow asked politely.
"I remembered that" Sharp paused, beating his chest as he tried to swallow down the food.
"Cheesy's moved on to the other life, but that doesn't matter. Cause no matter where he is, we're still brothers, no matter what. Forever. Even in death and beyond" Sharp shook his head, a sad smile on his face. Burrow looked at him and rubbed his shoulder, nodding his head and agreeing.
"We're brothers, forever" Burrow repeated, fist bumping Sharp.
Burrow's stomach began to growl, he took some of the ham that was right in front of him and began eating along with Sharp, the silence filled with chewing noises and grunts.
"I'm just glad I got to spend time with him ya know?" Sharp added.
"Me too Shharp. Me too" Burrow agreed.
So the next day, the two cleaned up the nesting area for Cheesy, taking all his stuff and putting into a pile. They had a funeral where both of them came up and gave their respects, going over the fond memories they had of their late brother and taking all his stuff out. Having done that, they decided to talk about their escape plan over a game of Dratsmate, the urgency to get out of this hell hole clearer than ever.
"So what's the plan boss? 'Sharp inquired, moving his cat queen to the side, and taking out one of Burrrow's soldiers. Burrow looked at the board intently, rubbing his chin and contemplating.
"Well, the plan is what it's always been. We get up early, make sure the coast is clear, and we get the hell out of here. And there's no better time for that than tomorrow morning..." Burrow took his rat Bishop and knocked Sharp's Cat queen out of the way, putting one more score on the board for himself.
"Drats!" Sharp said to himself, wondering how he managed to miss that obvious trap.
" But for now, we venture into the kitchen to get something to eat." Burrow said, moving one of his soldiers up to a better position. He leaned over and sniffed Sharp, his nose scrunching up.
"And we work on getting you a bathe." he added. Sharp laughed, nudging Burrow in the side.
"Great, because I'm still starving....and dirty" Sharp got up and stretched, Burrow getting up and both of them going through the peephole to get what they needed.