A faint scent of coconuts and strawberries wafted about in the air, the cerulean blue sky a vast, wide space with little to no clouds. I stood on the bridge again, looking deeply into the clean, clear water underneath it, my expression reflected back to me. I sighed, rolling my eyes and turning around on the bridge, shaking my head.
"Not again..." I muttered to myself, already exasperated.
I was tired of this damn dream on this stupid bridge being surrounded by all this water. I mean don't get me wrong, the environment was impeccable. The palm trees, the fruits hanging everywhere, the breathable air. But the same thing kept happening over and over again.
"Let me guess, I'll see all of my family and they'll pass me like I don't even exist. Bring it on let's get this over with, eh??" I said out loud, walking up the slanted bridge over the river. I went off the bridge and walked on the mushy grassland, feeling the prickly grass tickle the underneath of my feet. I walked through the grass and ended up on a hill, looking down and marveling at how beautiful the tall grass and flowers waved in the wind, the slopes of the hills and the combination of the colors were a work of art. But I felt strange. Journeying down the hill and venturing across the wide field, I came on some tall trees clumped together like a forest.
"Hmmm. This is strange. Never saw this here before...." I walked through the bushy canopy of the forest anyway, figuring why not?
The canopied roof of the forest covered my head as I walked through it, looking around and wondering why it was so quiet.
"Hello??? Anyone here??" I called out. No one answered.
Come to think of it I hadn't seen anyone since I had gotten here. They were usually out in the field, galivanting or having this whole bunch of food.
"So where are they? How come I'm the only one here this time?" I asked, scratching my head. Getting this strange feeling of loneliness, I turned around, beginning to make my way out of the forest. As I came out of the forest, I realized that I was no longer in nature.
I was standing smack in the middle of the Kitchen now. In the Giant's holdings, between the Island and the countertop.
I spun around, confused.
"What?? " I never usually got here in my dreams, in this prison for rodents. I hated the Kitchen and every room in the Giant's house.
"How did I get here?" I asked myself. Just as I did, Mother Mince, Cheesy and Sharp were running around the corner from the living room, one behind the other, Sharp bumping into me and knocked me down as he passed, continuing to go on his way.
"Hey Shar-" I struggled to say falling to the ground. All of them ran into the peephole, where the holdings were.
"Guys why are you running??Most importantly, why am I in the house this time..." when I said those words they came out as drawn out and as slow as possible, like an echo. The question itself travelled in the distance over, and over, and over again.
Mother Mince, Sharp and Cheesy running...from what? And why were my words slow?? The running straight past me I understand as they usually did ignore me in these dreams. I got up off the floor and slowly turned around. Something was behind. I sensed it. Looking up I saw the shadow of the cat, sitting on top of the counter, its tail waving from side to side.
It was nothing but a black, night shadow with glowing eyes of a murderous, blood streaking red. I gasped., jumping back as the ghostly figure above me shook me to my core, terrified, but I couldn't move. No matter how much I ordered my legs to take off, I just couldn't move.
"Burrow!!! Come on let's go!!!" A voice came from behind me and I tore my gaze from the demonic cat and looked towards the peephole.
"Come on!! Hurry!!" it was Cheesy calling me with a desperate look on his face, waving his paw and urging me to come home.
"Burrow look!!!" Cheesy pointed above my head; I turned around to see the murderous crimson eyes right above, the shadow cat leaping off of the counter to jump right on top of me.
"Nooooooo!!!" I woke up screaming and kicking, my hands gripping my chest for dear life.
"Burrs!!!! Burrow buddy calm down!!!" I opened my eyes and sat up, looking around as Sharp kneeled before me, by my bed. Sharp flashed a smile, chuckling at my frightened expression. He placed his hand across his chest and felt how rapidly his heart rate was going, scared at my reaction.
I closed my eyes and sighed, glad that it was just a nightmare.
"Really Burrow why are you always having nightmares??? By God. You were kicking and screaming down the place like the world was ending" Sharp commented, looking at me with the most surprised face.
I patted down my surrounding. The top of the nesting was wet, and I was covered in cold sweats.
"What-what time is it?" I muttered, my mouth feeling like it was made from paper. A bit of light came into the room, but it was still fairly dark so I couldn't judge.
"It looks like the morning is just about to start, the sun's coming up." Sharp said, after quickly looking through the peephole and making his own deduction.
"We're going right now. We've gotta get out of here now" I kept repeating to Sharp, getting up and heading straight for the door and falling.
Drats!! My legs were still asleep.
"Hey! Hey hey hey slow down there champ" Sharp came behind me, helping me get on my feet and carrying me back to the bed.
"For Drats sake you just woke up. Your body's still asleep. Give it about a minute and we'll go" Sharp warned me gently, holding onto my shoulders. I took my time and sat down slowly on my nesting.
"What's gotten into you?" Sharp asked suspiciously, wondering what could have possibly stirred me, to make him this unsettled recently. Before this, Sharp had never seen me like this.
It was this place. The kitchen, the Cat, the Giant. Mother dying. Cheesy dying. Sharp almost dying. I was sick of it, and there was a sickening stench of death that settled all around us; I needed to get out of here. We needed to get out of here, as soon as possible. I would have no peace until that was achieved.
"We need to go and I'm not going to tip toe and waste any more time. It's long overdue, and I fear that if we stay here any longer..." I looked at Sharp, remembering how he bumped into me in the dream. In those dreams normally Mother, Cheesy and Sharp passed me and when I tried to touch them my hand phased through them. I felt when Sharp bumped into me making me fall, so maybe it was sign that we still had a chance to get out while Sharp was still alive. But never in all the dreams, had anyone called out to me before. And for Cheesy to call me out this time and he had recently died? That was strange....
I snapped out of my train of thought, focusing my attention back on Sharp.
"We need to leave while we can" I repeated again, with emphasis.
"You don't have to tell me twice Burrs. I've been waiting for this day to happen."
................................................................................
A few minutes had passed and after Burrow had gathered himself, him and Sharp folded up everything that was into the room and shoved into a neat corner, stuff from Mother, Cheesy, and themselves, leaving them all behind. They said a quick prayer and asked for their mother's guidance, and then they headed to the peephole.
"Let's do this" Burrow said, pushing his head out of the hole slightly. He looked to the left, then to the right, and not a Giant or a cat was out.
"Coast's clear" Burrow muttered, him crawling out swiftly, Sharp behind him. They scurried quietly across the passage that connected the Giant's bedroom to the kitchen, the giant's bedroom door closed. Burrow ran towards the inner part of the counter, where the cupboard was below. Sharp did the same. Both of them moved steadily, their backs against the wall of the counter. Sharp stood right beside Burrow, both of them sliding across until they were on the other side.
"Wait here" Burrow said, Sharp nodding his head as Burrow moved to the wall that bordered the Kitchen and the Living room. He ran across and stood by the wall, pushing his head out and peeping, to see if anyone was there. He looked on the couch, where the cat was usually curled up, sleeping, but he wasn't there.
"Pssssst" Burrow turned back, Sharp watching him from behind. Burrow gave him a thumbs up, Sharp nodding and running right towards him. Both of them stood behind the wall, looking. Both of them looked at the square space of the cat door, the light from outside shining through it.
"There's our golden out. Let's move" Burrow said, a sense of relief washing over him as he moved away from the wall, heading straight to the cat's door. Sharp followed behind him, both of the rats moving swiftly, only steps away from jumping out the cat door, scurrying across the patio and heading to freedom. They were right in front of the door now, both of them.
"Gimme a boost" Burrow asked, Sharp getting in position and Burrow climbing on his back. He reached up to the rubber flap of the cat door and pushed his paw against it, opening it to see beautiful rays of sunshine. The grass sprinkled with silver droplets of morning dew, the wooden steps leading down to the patio before them.
Burrow pushed himself up off Sharp and pushed his head out of the flap to crawl out, then, some light particle of dust flew on his nose, and he sneezed, closing his eyes for a moment. He opened his eyes up, he saw the cat walking in from the left side of the patio.
"Drats!! Go back down Sharp the cat's coming!!" Burrow alerted Sharp, both getting down and running away from the cat flap, going behind back behind the wall of the counter.
To-mas strolled in, moving his whiskers, and sitting coolly, right in the middle of the room, steps in front of the cat flap. Burrow and Sharp peeped from behind the counter, watching the cat as he sat there, waving his tail from the far left to the far right.
"For rodent's sake Burrs if we keep letting the cat get in our way we'll never get out of here!" Sharp whispered, Burrow holding up his hand and looking towards the window.
"We'll just have to wait him out Sharp. He's right in the middle of the room, it's not like he's in the corner where we have more of an angle to pass all sneaky. Besides, in a few he'll probably climb on the couch and fall asleep -" as Burrow was saying this, Sharp walked past Burrow and put himself right in the vision of the cat, standing outside of the wall they were hiding and exposing himself.
Burrow's attention was so on the cat that he didn't even realize what was happening at first. Then, looking to his right and seeing that Sharp wasn't beside him anymore, he looked up to his left, seeing Sharp standing there right in the middle of the floor, plain as day for the Cat to see.
"Sharp what the??!!" Burrow muttered, stretching his hand out he grabbed Sharp by the wrist, but Sharp shrugged him off and headed on directly for the cat, with a fierceness in his eyes. The cat sat there, waving his tail and looking straight at the mouse as he came forward, looking delightfully surprised.
Burrow was pulling hairs out of his head at this point, his eyes so wide they could have dropped out of his skull and rolled onto the ground.
What in the rat's ass is Sharp even doing right now!!!!! I know he said he wanted to conquer his fears, but this wasn't the way to go about it. Suddenly Burrow felt nauseous and on the edge.
Mother is gone, Chessy just passed, and now Sharp wants to commit suicide. The rodent felt the anxiety pangs in his chest, not sure how much more stress he could take.
"Leave it to Sharp to do reckless nonsense. Sharp!! Sharp!!" Burrow whispered lowly, Sharp bravely marching his way up to the cat that sat there cooly; stopping only a few steps away from him.
To-mas' vision was fully focused on the rodent, a pair of mischievous eyes glowing under the early morning sunlight.
Lucky lucky for me.. To-mas considered this a huge blessing from the ones that came before him. It wasn't everyday your meal volunteered to be a meal. This rat must have gotten sooo low on in his well-being..
Sharp came right in front oof the cat, his expression blank; gazing into the eyes of the fanged up, carnivorous, predator feline that was right in front of him. There was silence between the three of them as they all stood in their positions, Burrow's fear shaking him up from behind the wall, Sharp standing there in front of an enemy that was much larger, stronger and faster than him, and the cat, thankful that the opportunity for him to have breakfast, twice, was revealing itself to him.
There were two sides to the animal kingdom, no in between. It was either eat or be eaten. Predator vs prey. And the ones that are on the lesser side never showed the enemy their position, never.
But here was the rodent, unafraid and fed up, standing right in front of his enemy.
Sharp breathed in slowly, folding his fists and looking the cat straight in its eyes, its hungry, venomous, malicious stare made Sharp feel an uncomfortable wave in his gut. He wondered why Burrow hadn't slapped him across the head before he decided to do this; even though he knew he didn't give him the time to. But he didn't regret it, even if he was fearful, he wouldn't make it stop him. He was tired of this murderous bully, and no matter what, he knew that him and his brother were leaving this place today. No feline could get in the way of that.
"You-. You've" Sharp began stuttering with his words, fear getting the best of him. He closed his eyes and swallowed, reminding himself that he needed to face his fears.
"I used to be afraid of creatures like you. Because you were a lot bigger, more frightening than me. "
Sharp started off, his voice clear and steady. The cat continued to peer at him, still not quite registering what was going on.
"You bare your fangs and scratch us with your claws, chasing us down or putting fear in us every chance that you get, only thinking about yourself. About your selfish desire to devour. Even though the Giant feeds you every. Single. Day." Sharp continued, Burrow holding his chest and feeling how rapidly his heart was beating. He wondered why the place was so warm all of a sudden...
Dammit. Why did Sharp decide to go all philosophical and give a speech??At a time like this??? Burrow pondered. He wondered if Cheese's death had done a number on him that drove him to this.
"But I realized puss, that even in my darkest moments, I am just like you. I breathe the same air, I eat just like you, I'm alive just like you, I feel just like you. I deserve to live, me and my brother. Even my mother. But I won't take any more of your crap, I won't live in fear anymore." Sharp stood there with his head held high. Burrow rubbed the temples of his head, feeling the anxiety of him and his brother's pending deaths coming on him.
I can't just leave him to die by himself, even though I really want to run off into the holdings right now.....Darn you Cheesy!! Darn you, wherever you are. Burrow cursed.
Burrow slowly made his way out from behind the wall, into the view of the cat. He walked towards Sharp, hesitantly advancing to him. He could hear every step, feel every droplet of sweat, feeling all his bodily reactions. And he stepped through it, going up next to his brother, and standing beside him. Sharp looked across him at Burrow's scared face, smiling and nodding his head. Burrow looked at him awkwardly, forcing a smile.
"This is the dumbest shit you've ever done Sharp!" Burrow whispered between grinned teeth.
'' I've got this Burrs" Sharp affirmed back, Burrow shot him a hateful look, Sharp smiling warmly as his brother stood beside him. He knew his brother would have his back no matter what, and even though stepping to the cat was a bit brazen, he knew that that was what they needed. After all, how far have they reached by running away from the cat?
Fear was not working. They had to try something different. Sharp cleared his throat and began to speak again.
"Now, we're going to walk out that door, and you're going to step aside" he demanded, with clear, unfearful intentions. The cat leaned his head to the side, peering at Sharp and wondering how everything led up to this very moment. Its golden eyes glowered under the light of the sun coming in from the window, the pupils of its snake like eyes dilated. The cat licked his tongue mischievously and grimaced. Burrow swiveled his head between Sharp and the cat, feeling all the fear and anxiety mounting up in his chest. He couldn't even look at the cat, and here was Sharp, looking him straight in his eyes, not even blinking for a single second. The air was thickened with silent tension, that could kill even an over sized Giant. No more words were exchanged for just a few seconds, but danger of the situation drew it out like it was hours; intense glares and sudden, simple movements shot through the air like daggers, and suddenly, like a vase breaking on the floor, the silence was cut, To-mas finally opening up his mouth to respond.
"Hmmmm. Seems there is something different in the food these rats are eating nowadays... you all are certainly a lot braver than I remember" the cat spoke lowly, but still loud enough for them to hear. He got up slowly, merely switching to a position where he could sit down and face them. The rodents jumped up, etching a few steps back as Burrow held on to Sharp. The cat raised his eyebrows, chuckling underneath his breath at how jumpy they were. A slow, menacing smile spread across his face.
"Relllaaaxx my rodent friends...I'm not going to hurt you. I just had to fix myself. I was getting tired of being in that position..." The cat said slowly, continuing to talk in that careful, low tone.
''First of all, I just wanted to say that your right. Everything you said just now is absolutely, wholly, true. The undeniable truth. Often the truth is a hard thing to hear, but I appreciate someone that can speak it clearly, with no regrets. Especially against someone that could...gobble them up, in just a few movements" The cat continued, waving his tail back and forth. Sharp and Burrow's eyes were laser focused, them not taking their eyes off of him for even a second.
"I admire your courage rat. I really do. And with that being said, I will allow you to go right through that door. I won't chase you; No no, I won't run after you. I won't do anything at all, the both of you can leave. I've put you all through enough. Consider this my way of....apologizing..."
The cat spoke cautiously, his venomous eyes' looking down at the brothers before him. Sharp looked at Burrow, both of them exchanging surprised looks.
To-mas could tell that they were confused, and that they didn't believe him. But it was true. The feline had no intentions of hurting them, they could go out the patio door as they wished.
He continued speaking.
"I, To-mas the cat, promise on the patch of dirt that my mother was buried in, that I won't stop you. I wont "bare my fangs". I won't growl. I won't run after you. Hell, I won't even look if you don't want me to. You both can go ahead and pass me; I won't try a thing. I promise'' he repeated, moving even further to the side and getting out of their way.
In front of them was the door, shinning like a beacon in the light.
Sharp nodded his head and took Burrow's hand, marching forward to the flap in the door, but Burrow stood still, anchoring himself in that place he was standing.
"Are you frigging insane Sharp? You really believe that cat's not going to hunt us down as soon as we reach far enough to turn our backs???This is a feline for crying out loud." Burrow insisted, trying to knock some sense into his brother's mind, before he made any rash decisions.