《A Hamsters Stupid Life On Deaths Door》 Prologue: Hamster Heaven Forum Hamster Heaven Forum Thread: "Share Your Hamster''s Unfortunate Demise" FluffyFiasco: "My hamster, Mr. Chester, decided to take a swim in the toilet... while it was flushing. RIP." ChewyCheeks: "Left the cage open overnight. Woke up to find Sparky had chewed through my phone charger. Guess he couldn''t handle the current." HamsterDance99: "My sister thought Hammy was a toy and tried to ''feed'' him to her doll. Traumatized for life." WhiskerWizard: "Our cat and hamster made a pact. Cat pretended to befriend him, then... well, you can guess the rest." TinyTroubles: "Hamlet escaped and found his way into the laundry pile. Didn''t notice until after the spin cycle." PawsAndClaws: "My hamster had a heart attack during a thunderstorm. Guess he couldn''t handle the ''shock''." HamsterHelper: "Why are we laughing about this? These are our pets!" FuzzyWuzzy: "My hamster tried to fight his reflection in the mirror. Died of exhaustion. Silly little guy." CheeksOfSteel: "Left the cage near the window. A crow decided to have a snack. Nature is brutal." SqueakyClean: "Accidentally vacuumed up my hamster during spring cleaning. Didn''t realize until the bag was full." HamsterLover123: "Guys, this isn''t funny. These are tragic stories." FluffyFiasco: "Damn, I''ve never seen a hamster die from old age, always the gruesome stuff." ***** MEANWHILE, IN A LAB SOMEWHERE¡­. Lab Log: November 21, 2054 Test Subject 37 Dr. Evelyn adjusted her glasses, her eyes reflecting the sterile glow of the laboratory lights. "Initiating cognitive enhancement protocol," she murmured, her voice steady despite the monumental implications of their work. Around her, the hum of equipment underscored the gravity of the experiment. Across the room, Dr. Alan Thompson monitored the subject''s vitals, his fingers dancing over the keyboard. "Neural activity is spiking," he noted, a hint of excitement breaking through his professional demeanor. In the enclosure before them, Test Subject 37, a golden Syrian hamster, twitched its whiskers, unaware of the historic moment unfolding. "Administering serum," Dr. Carter announced, injecting the luminescent liquid into the tiny creature. They watched in anticipation as the serum coursed through its system, hoping this would be the breakthrough they had been striving for. Test Subject 37¡¯s nose twitched. The fur along his back prickled as the serum coursed through his tiny veins, sending unfamiliar sensations sparking through his nervous system. His heartbeat, fast, fluttery, a rapid metronome of survival, stumbled for a moment, then resumed at an oddly steady rhythm. Dr. Evelyn adjusted her glasses, staring at the monitor displaying the hamster¡¯s brain activity. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a significant jump,¡± she murmured. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Cognition levels are spiking past baseline. This is unlike anything we¡¯ve seen before.¡± Dr. Thompson leaned in, fingers poised over the keyboard, ready to document anything unusual. ¡°Physical responses?¡± Evelyn gestured towards the enclosure. ¡°Look for yourself.¡± Inside the sterile glass box, Test Subject 37 sat completely still. Not grooming. Not sniffing for food. Not performing the usual restless, instinct-driven explorations. Stillness was unnatural for a hamster. Thompson frowned. ¡°Is he in shock?¡± Then, in a motion far too slow and deliberate for an animal hardwired for prey instincts, the hamster¡¯s head turned. His beady black eyes locked onto Evelyn. The room felt colder. Evelyn¡¯s fingers flexed against the metal countertop. "Did he just¡ª?" Thompson sucked in a breath. ¡°No. That¡¯s just a coincidence.¡± Test Subject 37 blinked. Once. Twice. Then, deliberately, he lifted a tiny paw and placed it back down. Another. Then another. He walked, not scurried, not darted, across the enclosure with measured, careful steps. Thompson¡¯s pulse ticked up. He checked the vitals again. ¡°Neural activity¡¯s stabilizing. It¡¯s plateauing at¡ª¡± His voice caught. ¡°Jesus. That¡¯s equivalent to a primate¡¯s pre-linguistic phase.¡± Evelyn ignored him. Her focus was entirely on the hamster, on the way he was now touching the glass¡ªnot in the frantic, instinctive scrabble of a rodent, but in a methodical, curious way. His tiny pink paws pressed against the barrier, sliding, feeling the smooth surface. Testing it. And then, impossibly¡ª He stopped. He looked up. He tilted his head. And then he¡­ frowned. It was subtle. A micro-movement. A twitch of his little brow. But it was unmistakable. ¡°No way,¡± Evelyn whispered. Test Subject 37 slowly lowered his paw. His head turned again¡ªslower, controlled. His eyes scanned the enclosure. The bedding. The water bottle. The food dish. Then, very deliberately, he turned back to Evelyn. He lifted a paw. And waved. Not a frantic, random flail. Not a meaningless twitch. A wave. A slow, unmistakable motion. Dr. Thompson knocked over his coffee. ¡°Holy shit.¡± Evelyn¡¯s throat was dry. She couldn¡¯t blink. Couldn¡¯t breathe. Couldn¡¯t do anything but watch as the first genetically enhanced hamster in history processed his existence¡­ and, by all appearances, understood it. Test Subject 37 squeaked. Not a mindless chatter. Not an instinctive sound. A single, inquisitive squeak. A question. Carter barely heard Thompson¡¯s voice over the blood pounding in her ears. ¡°We did it.¡± Test Subject 37 blinked again. Then, slowly, he turned his tiny head and looked down at his own paws. He lifted one. Stared at it. Flexed it. Turned it over. Then, after a long moment, he lowered his paw to his chest. And pressed it there. The way a person might gesture to themselves. Evelyn¡¯s breath left her in a whisper. ***** Fifty Years Later The world had changed. No one had expected the breakthrough to spiral this far. What started as a single experiment, one golden Syrian hamster gaining sentience, became an avalanche of scientific advancements. Within a decade, engineered intelligence spread to thousands of lab animals, mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs and many more rodents. Each new subject lived longer, learned faster, adapted quicker. They formed micro-societies. Built structures. Developed crude forms of written language using claw-scratched symbols and ink made from mashed berries. But even as these creatures advanced, the bigger question remained: What about the others? The world¡¯s focus had been on small creatures, those easy to manage, easy to control. No one considered the bigger ones. Not until it was too late. Cats. No one had meant to uplift them. It wasn¡¯t intentional. Feral populations of cats had always lurked around human cities, skulking through alleys, scavenging food, preying on rodents. No one realized that in the chaos of genetic experimentation, some of these creatures had been exposed, whether by accident or through deliberate interference. And then, one day, they simply¡­ stopped behaving like pets. By the time humanity understood what was happening, the damage was irreversible. The first signs were subtle. Certain strays displaying eerie intelligence, bypassing locked doors, solving puzzles for food, coordinating in groups like wolves. Then, the disappearances, pet cats vanishing from homes, only to return¡­ different. Their gaze sharper. Their movements too deliberate. By the time humans realized that the cats had achieved full sentience, it was already too late. Cats had always been patient creatures. Observant. Cunning. They played the long game while humans were still congratulating themselves on their ¡®harmless¡¯ little hamster experiments. And unlike hamsters, whose sentience came with a naive, almost comedic curiosity, cats saw the world for what it was. A game. And humans? Just another opponent. Chapter 1: The Rise of the Sanctuary Fifty squeaky years ago, da hoomans made us smart. But den da cats made deyself smarter. I dunno why hoomans fink dey so smarts. Dey go, ¡°Oh wow! Ham-hams can wave now! Squeak squeak, so cute!¡± an¡¯ den¡ªBOOM, dey make everything smart! But only da lil¡¯ beasties. No woofers. No moo-moos. No big floppy-buns. Jus¡¯ us. An¡¯ da cats. No one ¡®spected da cats. Hoomans fink cats is dumb. Dey say, ¡°Aw, fluffy babies!¡± an¡¯ den fluffy babies go stab-stab-stab. An¡¯ now? We runnin¡¯. Cuz da stabby-fluffies found us. Mama used to say, ¡°Sanctuary was home.¡± But if home go crack-BOOM in da middle of da night, den maybe home not really home. I don¡¯ ¡®member da sanctuary, but Mama do. She say it was tunnels an¡¯ lights an¡¯ da Great Big Food Pile. She say hamsters lived good dere, all organized an¡¯ smart. Had a real future. Had elders an¡¯ a council an¡¯ learnin¡¯. But da cats had a better future. It started slow. Mama say, at first, da food started disappearin¡¯. Not normal disappearin¡¯, like greedy-hamsters-stealin¡¯-extra-seeds disappearin¡¯. It was too fast. Too smart. Den da air got funny. Smelled wrong. Den da tunnels started feelin¡¯ thin. Hamsters whispered ¡®bout shadows in da vents. ¡®Bout eyes dat glowed just outside da tunnel lights. But da elders say, ¡°No panic. We safe.¡± Mama didn¡¯ believe dat. Cuz safe places don¡¯ go rumble-rumble-BOOM in da middle of da night. She woke up to a sound dat didn¡¯ sound right. Not squeaks. Not scurries. Sumthin¡¯ low. A hum, like da walls was breathin¡¯. Den da smell hit. Not food smell. Bad smell. Burny smell. Bloody smell. Da smell when hoomans drop meat-stick on da hot fire-box. Den da tunnels started screamin¡¯. Not hamsters. Da tunnels. A deep, awful, groanin¡¯ sound, like da walls was holdin¡¯ dey breath too long. Mama jumped up, ears twitchin¡¯, an¡¯ dat¡¯s when da whole place started shakin¡¯. Rocks fell. Lights popped. Sparks danced along da ceiling. Hamsters darted every direction, squeakin¡¯ loud, but Mama didn¡¯ look back. She grabbed us, her babies, all nine¡ªan¡¯ shoved us in da sleepy-pouch she made from old hooman cloth. She ran. She say she heard da council screamin¡¯ orders. Heard da elders tryin¡¯ to rally da hamsters. Sayin¡¯ da tunnels would hold. Sayin¡¯ dey could rebuild. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Mama knew better. Cuz behind her, da tunnel walls cracked open like a big, hungry mouth. She didn¡¯ stop runnin¡¯ when da dust turned thick. She didn¡¯ stop when da air got hot. She didn¡¯ stop when da squeaks of da others got quieter an¡¯ quieter an¡¯¡­ Stopped. She didn¡¯ stop cuz she knew. No one was diggin¡¯ outta dat rubble. Mama didn'' stop runnin'' til da air smelled like wet leaves an'' old wood. She say da trees was so tall, dey poked da belly of da sky. We never seen trees before. Sanctuary was all tunnels an¡¯ lights. But here, da ground was soft an¡¯ squishy, like da insides of a ripe berry. Mama say, ¡°Stay close, babies. Dis place not safe.¡± But we was curious. Our lil¡¯ noses twitched at all da new smells. Our ears perked up at da rustlin¡¯ leaves. We wanted to explore, but Mama¡¯s eyes was wide an¡¯ her whiskers trembled. So we stayed close. Da forest was dark, even when da sun was up. Shadows danced between da trees, an¡¯ strange noises echoed around us. Mama found a hollow log an¡¯ made it our new home. She say, ¡°Dis will keep us safe for now.¡± At night, we heard hoots an¡¯ howls. Mama say, ¡°Dem''s owls an¡¯ foxes. Dey eat lil¡¯ hamsters like us.¡± We huddled together, shiverin¡¯ in fear. Mama stayed awake, watchin¡¯ over us with tired eyes. Food was hard to find. In Sanctuary, food was always there. But here, we had to search. Mama taught us how to dig for roots an¡¯ find berries. Sometimes, we got lucky an¡¯ found seeds. Other times, our bellies rumbled as we went to sleep. One night, while we was out foragin'', we heard a rustlin'' in da bushes. Mama froze, her ears twitchin¡¯. She whispered, ¡°Stay behind me, babies.¡± We peeked around her to see a big, furry creature with sharp teeth an¡¯ a bushy tail. Mama called it a fox. It sniffed da air, its eyes narrowin¡¯ as it spotted us. Mama puffed up her fur, standin¡¯ tall to make herself look bigger. She bared her teeth an¡¯ hissed, tryin¡¯ to scare da fox away. But da fox just licked its lips an¡¯ stepped closer. Just when we thought it was da end, a loud crack echoed through da forest. Da fox yelped an¡¯ ran off, its tail between its legs. We looked around, confused an¡¯ scared. Mama hurried us back to da hollow log, her heart poundin¡¯ in her chest. Later, we learned dat da crack was a branch fallin¡¯ from a tree. But to us, it was like da forest was protectin¡¯ us. Mama said, ¡°Maybe dis place not so bad after all.¡± But at some point, she heard a voice. Sweek, sweek! sweek! (¡°Oh hey, a hamster! Dat weird, usually dey stay underground!¡±) Mama almost bite him. Dere, in da moonlight, was Rusty. Da first fing Mama noticed? He was big. Almost too big to be a ham-ham. But he was standin¡¯ like one, holdin¡¯ a stick in one paw, sumthin¡¯ burned in da other. Da second fing? He smelled like dirt an¡¯ fire an¡¯ maybe a lil¡¯ like dumb. Mama squint. Mama: Squeak! (¡°Who?¡±) Rusty: Squeak! (¡°Rusty! I mighty guin-guin of da wilds! I fight beasties! I find foods! I¡ª¡±) Mama sniff. Mama: Squeak! (¡°You smell like foods.¡±) Rusty look down at da burned berry pile in his paws. Rusty: Squeak! (¡°Dis was food.¡±) Mama frown. Mama: Squeak! (¡°You no cook berries.¡±) Rusty puff chest. Rusty: Squeak! (¡°I try! I make da fire!¡±) Mama squint harder. Mama: Squeak! (¡°You dumb?¡±) Rusty look real proud. Rusty: Squeak! (¡°No! I fail test! Dat different!¡±) Mama blink. Mama: Squeak! (¡°What test?¡±) Rusty scratch head. Rusty: Squeak! (¡°Uhhh¡­ dunno. But hoomans say ¡®he fail¡¯ an¡¯ throw me in da Outside. So I win!¡±) Mama blink again. Real slow. Mama: Squeak! (¡°You lose.¡±) Rusty pause. Think real hard. Rusty: Squeak¡­ (¡°...Oh.¡±) Mama sigh. Mama: Squeak! (¡°You got foods?¡±) Rusty nod fast. Rusty: Squeak! (¡°YES! I got food-pile! Over dere, by da big rock! It got berries an¡¯ seeds an¡¯ uh¡­ stuff!¡±) Mama didn¡¯ trust him. But she was hungry. An¡¯ Rusty was dumb but not cat dumb. An¡¯ so dat how we met my dumb-dumb Daddy. Chapter 2: The Dumb-Dumb That Saved Us Mama always say, "Rusty ain''t smart, but he ain''t cat-stupid." An¡¯ dat was important. Cuz bein¡¯ dumb an¡¯ bein¡¯ cat-dumb was two different fings. See, hamsters? We gotta learn fast. We gotta think fast. If a shadow move funny, we run. If da air smell weird, we hide. If we see a cat, we don¡¯ even fink. We just gone. Cats? Dey don¡¯ gotta learn nuffin''. Cuz da world already work in dey favor. Dey got claws. Got teeth. Got hooman hands dat feed dem. Dey don¡¯ run from fings. Dey watch. Dey wait. Dey play pretend. An¡¯ when dey play pretend long enough? Dey win. Rusty was not a winner. But somehow, he was still alive. Mama followed Rusty to his ¡°food pile.¡± She didn¡¯ trust him, but she also didn¡¯ wanna let us starve. Me an¡¯ my brothers an¡¯ sisters waddled behind her, sniffin¡¯ da air, listenin¡¯ close. Da night was too quiet. No owl hoots. No fox rustlin¡¯. Just da wind whisperin¡¯ through da trees. Didn¡¯ like it. Rusty led us to a big ol¡¯ rock in da middle of a clearin¡¯. It was weird. Hamsters don¡¯ live in clearin¡¯s. We like tunnels, holes, dark cozy spots. Big Open Spaces? Dat¡¯s how you get eaten. But right dere, by da rock, was da food pile. An¡¯ ohhh, what a pile! Seeds! Berries! Even sum hooman snacks¡ªda crunchy kind in da lil¡¯ plastic bags. My belly rumbled just lookin¡¯ at it. Mama narrowed her eyes. "Sweek?" ("How you get dis much food?") Rusty puffed up his chest. "Sweek! ("I strong! I brave! I steal from hoomans!") Mama sniffed. "Sweek." ("You dumb.") Rusty beamed. "Sweek!" ("Yeah!") Mama sighed. But she didn¡¯ argue. Food was food. She gave us da nod, an¡¯ we scurried over to grab what we could. Den¡­ sumthin¡¯ shifted. Not a sound. Not a rustle. Just a feeling. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Mama¡¯s fur puffed up. My ears twitched. Rusty paused, a seed halfway to his mouth. Da shadows around da clearin¡¯ felt¡­ heavier. Like dey was watchin¡¯. Mama whispered, "Sweek." ("Run.") Den da air went cold. No one saw it. Not at first. Cuz dat¡¯s how cats work. Dey don¡¯ charge. Dey don¡¯ make noise. Dey wait. Da first fing I noticed was da eyes. Glowy, slitty, lurkin¡¯ in da darkness. Den, da tail, flickin¡¯ slow-like, like it had all da time in da world. Den? Da voice. A low, rumbly purr. Smooth. Amused. Dangerous. "Well well¡­ what do we have here?" Da world froze. Rusty dropped his seed. I swear it hit da ground in slow motion. Mama¡¯s eyes went wide. "SQUEAK!" ("RUN!") I bolted. My siblings bolted. Even dumb-dumb Rusty bolted. But Mama? Mama charged. Right at da cat. I only saw da fight in flashes¡ªfur, claws, screeches, da blur of Mama movin¡¯ faster than I ever seen before. She bit da cat¡¯s nose. She scratched his ear. She screeched so loud da night itself flinched. But da cat was big. Too big. An¡¯ too smart. He didn¡¯ panic. Didn¡¯ hiss. Didn¡¯ lash out. He just¡­ smiled. "Brave," he purred. "But foolish." Den? He batted Mama aside like she was nuffin¡¯. She hit da dirt hard. I sweeked so loud my ears hurt. Mama tried to stand. She wobbled. Blood dripped from her fur. Da cat took a slow, lazy step forward. I thought it was over. Den? Rusty happened. Rusty ain¡¯t a fighter. He ain¡¯t smart. But he is one thing. He is a disaster. An¡¯ sometimes? Dat¡¯s enough. I dunno how he did it. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe it was fate. Maybe Rusty¡¯s whole life was leadin¡¯ up to dis one, single, beautiful moment of pure, unhinged chaos. Cuz one second, da cat was smirkin¡¯ down at Mama. Da next? Rusty dropped a whole-ass hooman flashlight on his head. BONK. Da cat yowled. He staggered back, shakin¡¯ his head, da glowy eyes flickerin¡¯ like a busted lightbulb. Rusty screamed, "SWEEEEEK!" ("BONKED YA, STABBY-FLUFFY!") an¡¯ grabbed da flashlight, smackin¡¯ it against da ground. It turned on. A beam of hooman light blasted da cat right in his face. Da cat shrieked an¡¯ bolted. Just gone. Silence. Mama groaned, strugglin¡¯ to stand. We rushed to her side, nudgin¡¯ her, helpin¡¯ her up. She was bruised. Bleedin¡¯. But alive. Rusty stood over her, chest puffed, holdin¡¯ da flashlight like it was Excalibur. "Sweek!" ("I DID IT!") Mama, breathless, looked up at him. "Squeak?" ("How you even get a flashlight?") Rusty blinked. Looked down at it. Looked back at her. "Sweek?" ("...Dunno.") Mama groaned an¡¯ flopped on da ground. Rusty turned to us, grinnin¡¯ wide. "SWEEK!" ("I AM DA MIGHTY BONK-MASTER!") Me an¡¯ my siblings stared. An¡¯ in dat moment? I realized sumthin¡¯ awful. Sumthin¡¯ terrifyin¡¯. We owed our lives to da dumbest guinea pig in da whole wide world. An¡¯ worst of all? We guessed that he was now our Dad. Chapter 3: Welcome to Da Wilds Mama always say, "Survive first. Think later." Rusty? He do da opposite. So when we sat in da dark, shiverin¡¯ from da fight, Mama plannin¡¯ our next move, Rusty was busy pokin¡¯ da flashlight an¡¯ whisperin¡¯, "Sweek, sweek¡­" ("If hoomans make da sun go in a stick¡­ what else dey got?") Mama didn¡¯ even look up. "Squeak." ("Shut up, Rusty.") Rusty sat back, hummin¡¯ to himself, still pokin¡¯ da light. Me an¡¯ my siblings huddled close, listenin¡¯ to da night. It was too quiet now. No bugs. No owls. Not even da wind. Just¡­ waitin''. Mama took a deep breath. "Squeak." ("We need to move.") Rusty tilted his head. "Sweek?" ("Where?") Mama closed her eyes, thinkin¡¯. "Squeak." ("Away.") Rusty nodded real slow. "Sweek, sweek." ("Smart plan.") Mama shot him a look. "Squeak." ("Not da time.") Rusty put his paws up. "Sweek!" ("Okay! Okay! No bonkin¡¯ Rusty today!") Mama groaned. She was tired. But tired don¡¯ matter. Not when da stabby-fluffies still out dere. She pulled herself up, shakin¡¯ out her fur, den turned to us. "Squeak." ("Stick close. Move fast. No noise.") We all nodded. Even Rusty. Den, we ran. Da Wilds was huge. Sanctuary was tunnels, wires, soft dirt under our paws. It was lights dat never went out, food dat never ran low. But da Wilds? It was everything else. Dark trees stretchin¡¯ high. Sharp, crunchy leaves underpaw. Bugs hummin¡¯ low. Tiny lights dancin¡¯ in da air like stars got lost an¡¯ didn¡¯ know where to go. It was beautiful. It was terrifyin¡¯. Mama stayed low, nose twitchin¡¯. Rusty waddled behind her, ears perked up. Me an¡¯ my siblings skittered close, eyes wide. Den Rusty stopped. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. His fur puffed. "Sweek!" ("Wait!") Mama whirled on him. "SQUEAK?!" ("WHAT?") Rusty pointed ahead. "Sweek, sweek." ("Dere¡¯s sumthin¡¯ big out dere.") Mama¡¯s whiskers twitched. She sniffed da air. So did I. Nuffin''. She narrowed her eyes. "Squeak." ("No dere ain''t.") Rusty frowned. "Sweek!" ("Yes dere is!") Mama sighed. "Squeak." ("Rusty¡ª") Den da ground moved. I don¡¯ mean wind. I don¡¯ mean shadows. I mean da whole dirt floor breathed. Mama froze. Rusty¡¯s eyes went wide. "Sweek." ("Told ya.") Den da ground opened its eyes. I ain¡¯t never screamed so loud in my life. We scrambled back, fur puffed so big we looked like lil¡¯ spiky potatoes. Mama shoved us behind her. Rusty grabbed da flashlight like he was ¡®bout to BONK da whole planet. Da ground stared at us. Two big, glowy-yellow eyes, half-buried in da dirt. Big long whiskers. Sharp teeth peekin¡¯ from a twitchin¡¯ snout. Den it spoke. "Ssssqueak¡­?" Mama¡¯s breath caught. "Squeak?" ("Who¡ª?") Da dirt twitched. Den¡ªda rest of it rose from da earth. Not a cat. Not a fox. Not a stabby-fluffy. A rat. A huge one. Bigger dan Rusty. Bigger dan Mama. His fur was brown-gray, rough, patchy, like he been livin¡¯ out here a long time. His ears twitched. "Ssssqueak." ("Not hamsters. Not hooman pets. Not cats.") He sniffed. Eyes narrowed. Den, he grinned. "Not prey." I didn¡¯ trust him. Mama didn¡¯ trust him. Rusty? Rusty looked too interested. Da rat tilted his head. "Ssssqueak." ("What hamsters doin¡¯ in da Wilds?") Mama¡¯s fur stayed puffed. "Squeak." ("We runnin¡¯ from cats.") Da rat¡¯s tail flicked. "Ssssqueak." ("All hamsters runnin¡¯ from cats.") Mama¡¯s ears twitched. "Squeak?" ("You got a problem wit dat?") Da rat chuckled. It was a weird sound. Low an¡¯ rough. Like he ain¡¯t laughed in a long time. "Ssssqueak." ("No. I got da same problem.") His name was Grizz. He was old. Real old. Said he used to live wit¡¯ hoomans, but not like us. Not in a soft cage, not in some big fancy Sanctuary. He lived in da hooman underground. Da sewers. Da trash heaps. Da places da hoomans forgot. He knew da Wilds better dan anyone. An¡¯ he hated da cats. Mama didn¡¯ like him. Didn¡¯ trust him. But she listened. Grizz told us ¡®bout da real war. Da one we didn¡¯ see when we was hidin¡¯ in Sanctuary. Da hamsters thought we was da first ones to get smart. We wasn¡¯t. Da rats? Dey got it too. Dey got da same spark we did. But hoomans didn¡¯ like dat. Dey called da rats mistakes. Dey hunted ¡®em down. Killed ¡®em. Said dey was too dangerous. Grizz watched his whole colony get wiped out. He hated hoomans for dat. But he hated da cats more. Cuz da stabby-fluffies? Dey didn¡¯ just wanna live. Dey wanted to rule. Grizz looked at Mama. "Ssssqueak." ("You can stay. If you strong.") Mama lifted her chin. "Squeak." ("We strong.") Grizz¡¯s eyes flicked to Rusty. Rusty was gnawin¡¯ on a stick. Grizz sighed. "Ssssqueak." ("We¡¯ll see.") That night, we stayed in Grizz¡¯s burrow. It was dark. Warm. Smelled like dirt an¡¯ old leaves. Safe. Mama curled up around us, tail twitchin¡¯ even in her sleep. Rusty snored, sprawled out like he owned da place. Grizz sat near da entrance, starin¡¯ out into da night. I didn¡¯ sleep right away. Cuz for da first time since we ran, I wasn¡¯t just scared. I was curious. Chapter 4: Da Rules of Da Wilds Mama always say, ¡°Listen first. Squeak later.¡± Rusty? He sweek first. Den keeps sweekin¡¯ ¡®til sumone bonks him. We spent da night in Grizz¡¯s burrow, curled up in a warm pile. It smelled weird, like dirt an¡¯ old fur an¡¯ sumthin¡¯ kinda sour¡ªbut it was safe. Better dan bein¡¯ outside, waitin¡¯ for a stabby-fluffy to pop out da shadows. Grizz sat by da entrance, whiskers twitchin¡¯, starin¡¯ into da dark. He didn¡¯ talk much. Just watched. Listened. Mama didn¡¯ sleep. She curled ¡®round us, but her eyes stayed open. Her paws flexed every time da wind rustled da leaves. Me? I tried to sleep. But my brain was full of finkin¡¯. Dis rat, Grizz, he knew sumthin¡¯ we didn¡¯ know. Knew da Wilds. Knew da stabby-fluffies. If we was gonna make it, we needed to learn. Da moment da sun cracked da sky, Mama sat up. "Squeak." ("We leavin¡¯.") Grizz didn¡¯ even look at her. "Ssssqueak." ("Bad idea.") Mama frowned. "Squeak." ("We don¡¯ trust you.") Grizz flicked his tail. "Ssssqueak." ("Don¡¯ gotta trust me. Gotta trust da Wilds.") Mama narrowed her eyes. "Squeak?" ("An¡¯ what dat mean?") Grizz finally turned to her. His glowy yellow eyes looked¡­ tired. "Ssssqueak." ("Mean if you leave now, you die.") Grizz taught us da rules. Not hooman rules. Not Sanctuary rules. Da Rules of Da Wilds. Rule One: Da Wilds Don¡¯ Care ¡®Bout You. In Sanctuary, we had food. Had water. Had light. Didn¡¯ have to fink ¡®bout it. Didn¡¯ have to fight for it. Out here? If you don¡¯ dig, you don¡¯ eat. If you don¡¯ sniff, you get poisoned. If you don¡¯ listen, sumthin¡¯ bigger dan you notices. Da Wilds don¡¯ care if you scared. Don¡¯ care if you cold. Don¡¯ care if you tired. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. You slow? You weak? You gone. Mama already knew dis rule. She learned it da hard way. Rusty? Rusty needed dat lesson. Grizz walked us to a big berry bush, all full an¡¯ juicy lookin¡¯. Rusty¡¯s eyes lit up. "SWEEK!" ("FOODS!") He charged. Grizz didn¡¯ stop him. Just sat back. Da second Rusty shoved his face in da berries, da bush moved. Da whole thing shook. Den¡ªda biggest, fattest, angriest beetle I ever seen popped out. It hissed. Rusty froze, cheeks full of berries. Da beetle lunged. Rusty screamed. "SWEEEEEEK!" ("I HAVE MADE MISTAKES!") He ran in circles, still chewin¡¯, da beetle clickin¡¯ an¡¯ hissin¡¯ right behind him. Mama sighed. "Squeak." ("Rusty, spit it out.") Rusty kept runnin¡¯. Kept chewin¡¯. Kept screamin¡¯. Mama rubbed her face. Grizz just muttered, "Ssssqueak." ("He not gonna last long.") Rule Two: Hide Better, Live Longer. Hamsters know how to hide. But dis? Dis was a different kinda hidin¡¯. Grizz led us to a patch of tall grass. "Ssssqueak." ("When a cat hunt, it don¡¯ chase first. It waits.") Mama nodded. "Squeak." ("We know.") Grizz narrowed his eyes. "Ssssqueak." ("No. You think you know.") Den he disappeared. I blinked. One second, he was right dere. Den¡ªgone. I sniffed. Nothin¡¯. Mama¡¯s ears twitched. "Squeak?" ("Where¡ª?") A whisper. Right behind her. "Ssssqueak." ("Dead.") Mama jumped. Rusty fell over. Den Grizz stepped out from da grass, grinnin¡¯. "Ssssqueak." ("Cats hunt like dis. You hide like dis, maybe you live.") Mama frowned. Didn¡¯ like bein¡¯ snuck up on. "Squeak." ("Show us.") Grizz nodded. He taught us da trick. It was simple, but hard. Slow movin¡¯. Stayin¡¯ low. Sinkin¡¯ into da shadows. Don¡¯ fidget. Don¡¯ breathe too loud. Rusty? Rusty was horrible at it. Rule Three: Never Be Alone. Grizz led us near da edge of da trees, where da land dropped into a deep, twisty river. He sat, watchin¡¯ da water rush by. "Ssssqueak." ("You ever see a lone hamster in da Wilds?") Mama¡¯s eyes narrowed. "Squeak." ("No.") Grizz nodded. "Ssssqueak." ("Know why?") I shivered. I already knew why. Cuz dey gone. Grizz flicked his tail at da water. "Ssssqueak." ("Da Wilds don¡¯ got room for loners. You alone? You weak. You weak? You food.") He looked at us. "Ssssqueak." ("Stick together. Always.") Mama nodded. We already did. But I fink she understood it more now. Rusty? Rusty squinted at da river. "Sweek?" ("Wait¡­ you sayin¡¯ da river eat people?") Grizz just stared at him. Rusty gasped. "Sweek!" ("DERE''S A WATER MONSTER?!") Mama smacked him. That night, we stayed in da burrow again. But dis time? Sumthin¡¯ felt¡­ different. Mama wasn¡¯ just hidin¡¯ anymore. She was watchin¡¯. Listenin¡¯. Thinkin¡¯. We wasn¡¯t just runnin¡¯. We was learnin¡¯. An¡¯ Rusty? Rusty was sittin¡¯ outside, whisperin¡¯ to da river. "Sweek, sweek¡­" ("If you¡¯re real, Water Monster, please don¡¯ eat me.") Grizz sighed. I sighed. Mama sighed. An¡¯ I realized sumthin¡¯. Rusty was never gonna be smart. But maybe ¡­ He was gonna make it. Chapter 5: Da Stabby-Fluffies Don’ Forget Mama always say, "If you hear nuffin¡¯, dat means sumthin¡¯." Da Wilds was loud. It was always loud. Bugs hummed. Leaves rustled. Da river babbled on like it got secrets. Even Grizz made lil¡¯ scratchy noises when he twitched his tail. So when da night went quiet¡ª We knew. Sumthin¡¯ was out dere. Rusty was da first to freeze. Which was weird. Cuz Rusty don¡¯ freeze. Rusty don¡¯ stop movin¡¯ ever unless he sleepin¡¯ or Mama bonked him. But dat night, he was sittin¡¯ outside da burrow, starin¡¯ into da dark, ears twitchin¡¯. Mama stepped up beside him, whiskers twitchin¡¯ too. "Squeak?" ("What?") Rusty didn¡¯ look away. "Sweek." ("Sumthin¡¯ out dere.") Mama sniffed. Nuffin¡¯. Listened. Nuffin¡¯. But sumthin¡¯ in Rusty¡¯s face made her fur prickle. Grizz stepped up behind ¡®em. His tail flicked. "Ssssqueak." ("We ain¡¯t alone.") Den, in da distance¡ª A sound. Soft. Slow. Almost like a whisper. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A voice. "Hooooo, little squeakers¡­" My blood went cold. Dat voice wasn¡¯ loud. Wasn¡¯ angry. Wasn¡¯ shoutin¡¯. It was soft. Playful. Like da sound a cat makes when it finds sumthin¡¯ small an¡¯ squirmy¡ªsumthin¡¯ it don¡¯ wanna eat right away. Mama¡¯s breath hitched. "Squeak." ("Inside. Now.") We ran. We hid in da burrow. Curled up in da dark, holdin¡¯ our breath. Waitin¡¯. Listenin¡¯. Da Wilds stayed silent. No bugs. No river. No wind. Den¡ª Soft pawsteps. Close. Too close. A whisper. "Oh, come now¡­ don¡¯t be shy¡­ I only want to talk." Rusty gripped da flashlight tighter. Mama¡¯s claws dug into da dirt. Den¡ªda scratch. Right at da entrance. Slow. Deliberate. Scritch. Scritch. Scritch. Like claws draggin¡¯ over da earth. Like a game. Like it wanted us to hear. Da scratchin¡¯ stopped. Silence. Nuffin¡¯. Just when I thought maybe, da stabby-fluffy left¡ª A shadow moved. I ain¡¯t never seen a shadow move like dat. It didn¡¯ flicker. Didn¡¯ shift. Didn¡¯ flow like leaves in da wind. It crawled. Like it was stretchin¡¯. Like it knew we was watchin¡¯. Den¡ª Two glowy green eyes opened. An¡¯ da smile. Wide. Sharp. Full of teeth. Den da whisper came again. "Boo." Rusty screamed. "SWEEEEEK!" ("DA SHADOW GOT TEETH!") Da stabby-fluffy laughed. A low, purry sound. Not happy. Not mad. Just¡­ patient. "Oh, I like you," it murmured. "You¡¯re funny." Mama moved first. She grabbed a rock, chucked it at da entrance. It hit da dirt. Da eyes didn¡¯ blink. Didn¡¯ flinch. Just watched. Waited. Den¡ªda whisper again. "I remember you." Mama froze. Da stabby-fluffy¡¯s tail flicked. "Little squeaker from the tunnels. You ran, didn¡¯t you? Left them all behind. Left them to die." My breath caught. Mama¡¯s whole body went stiff. Den she lunged. "SQUEEEAK!" ("SHUT UP!") She swung. Claws out. Ready to fight. But da stabby-fluffy? It was already gone. Da Wilds came back slow. First, da wind. Den, da river. Den, da bugs hummin¡¯ like nuffin¡¯ happened. But we knew. Mama knew. Cuz da stabby-fluffies? Dey didn¡¯ forget. Dey was watchin¡¯. Chapter 6: Da Stabby-Fluffies Don’ Forget Mama always say, ¡°If dey know ya name, ya already dead.¡± Da stabby-fluffies? Dey knew Mama now. We had to run. Grizz was already packin¡¯ when da sun cracked da sky. He didn¡¯ ask no questions. Didn¡¯ argue. Didn¡¯ say ¡°Maybe dey gone¡± or ¡°Maybe dey ain¡¯t comin¡¯ back.¡± Cuz Grizz knew. If a cat finds you once? It ain¡¯t gonna stop. It¡¯s gonna wait. Gonna watch. Gonna play pretend ¡®til it get what it want. An¡¯ da only way to win? Don¡¯ be where da game starts. Mama pulled us close. "Squeak." ("We movin¡¯. No noise. No stoppin¡¯. No dumb-dumb Rusty nonsense.") Rusty frowned. "Sweek!" ("Rude.") Mama gave him a look. Rusty sighed. "Sweek." ("Okay, fin¡¯, no nonsense.") Den he tripped over a rock. Mama groaned. Grizz rubbed his face. "Ssssqueak." ("I shoulda let da beetle eat him.") We moved at sunrise. Fast. Quiet. Through da underbrush, paws barely makin¡¯ a sound. Mama led, sniffin¡¯ every step before takin¡¯ it. Grizz stayed behind, tail flickin¡¯, eyes everywhere at once. Me an¡¯ my siblings? We kept our ears low. Rusty? Rusty was whisperin¡¯ to himself. "Sweek, sweek¡­" ("If I was a cat, where would I hide?") Mama glared. "Squeak." ("Rusty¡ª") Rusty kept talkin¡¯. "Sweek, sweek." ("Not in a tree. Too high. Not in da river. Too wet. Not underground¡ª") He stopped. Mama stopped. Grizz stopped. Cuz suddenly, Rusty¡¯s face did sumthin¡¯ we never seen before. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. It got serious. "Sweek." ("Oh.") Mama¡¯s whiskers twitched. "Squeak?" ("Oh what?") Rusty swallowed. Den whispered, "Sweek." ("Dey already here.") I dunno how Rusty knew. Maybe he felt it. Maybe he just got lucky. But da second he said it¡ª Da shadows moved. Mama shoved us back. Grizz spun. Rusty? Rusty grabbed da flashlight. Den we saw ¡®em. Glowy green eyes. Flickin¡¯ tails. Smilin¡¯ teeth. More dan one. More dan two. Too many. A low purr rumbled through da Wilds. Den a whisper. "Running again? Silly little squeakers¡­" Mama¡¯s breath hitched. "Squeak." ("Run.") But da stabby-fluffies just grinned. "No more running." Den dey leapt. I ain¡¯t never moved so fast in my life. Claws missed me by a whisker. Fur brushed past me like cold wind. Mama kicked one straight in da nose. It hissed, twisted, landed soft. Like it wasn¡¯t even mad. Like it was playin¡¯. Grizz swung his tail. "Ssssqueak!" ("MOVE!") Rusty? Rusty screamed an¡¯ swung da flashlight. BONK. A cat yowled. Rusty blinked. "Sweek?" ("Wait¡­ dat worked?") Den¡ª One of my siblings squeaked. Not a normal squeak. A bad squeak. I turned just in time to see¡ª NO. Peanut was in da cat¡¯s MOUTH. I saw his lil¡¯ paws kickin¡¯. His tail stickin¡¯ out between da sharp, sharp teeth. Da cat smirked. Mama screeched. "SQUEEEEEEAK!" ("LET GO OF HIM!") Rusty panicked. Rusty flung da flashlight. BONK. Right in da cat¡¯s forehead. BAM. Da cat¡¯s eyes crossed. An¡¯ den¡ª It spit Peanut out. Peanut flew through da air, landin¡¯ straight in Mama¡¯s arms, covered in cat spit, lookin¡¯ like he just saw da afterlife. Mama stared at him. Peanut stared back. Den, he whispered, "Squeak." ("I ded?.") Mama hugged him tight. "Squeak, squeak." ("You alive, dat¡¯s what matters.") Grizz snarled. "Ssssqueak!" ("GET TO DA RIVER!") We ran. Branches whipped past. Paws pounded da dirt. Da stabby-fluffies chased. Didn¡¯ run fast. Didn¡¯ run panicked. Dey ran easy. Like dey was enjoyin¡¯ dis. I heard one purr behind us. "Run, run, little things¡­ but where will you go?" Mama¡¯s ears pinned back. "Squeak." ("Grizz, where?!") Grizz snarled, teeth bared. "Ssssqueak!" ("River!") Mama¡¯s eyes widened. "Squeak?!" ("YOU WANNA DROWN US?!") Grizz grinned. "Ssssqueak!" ("No. I wanna drown them.") Da river roared ahead. Water churned, deep an¡¯ mean, twistin¡¯ through da Wilds like a snake. Mama didn¡¯ slow down. Rusty did. "Sweek." ("Wait¡ª") Mama grabbed his scruff an¡¯ yeeted him forward. Rusty screamed. Da stabby-fluffies were right behind us. Eyes flashin¡¯. Teeth bared. Closer. Closer. Grizz dove first. Mama jumped. I jumped. Rusty? Rusty tripped. "SWEEEEEK!" ("HELP!") A paw snagged his tail. A cat¡¯s grin widened. "Got you." Rusty panicked. Rusty flailed. Rusty grabbed da nearest thing¡ª Da flashlight. An¡¯¡ª BONK. Right in da cat¡¯s face. BAM. Da cat yowled an¡¯ let go. Rusty flailed harder. Den¡ª SPLASH. We hit da river. Cold. Everything spun. Fur soaked. Paws kickin¡¯. Air¡ªgone. Bubbles. Chokin¡¯. Currents pullin¡¯ down. I grabbed Mama¡¯s paw. She grabbed all of my siblings. Rusty grabbed da flashlight. Grizz grabbed us all. Den¡ª Everything went black. Chapter 7: Da Wilds Take What Dey Want Mama always say, ¡°Water don¡¯ got teeth, but it still kill ya.¡± I understood what now. I woke up gaspin¡¯. My fur was heavy, soaked through, stickin¡¯ to my skin. My paws felt like little stones, too tired to move. My ears rang from all da water I swallowed, an¡¯ my chest felt tight, like da river was still tryin¡¯ to pull me under. But I was alive. I turned my head slow, breath shudderin¡¯. Da others were sprawled out in da mud beside me, breathin¡¯, twitchin¡¯¡ªdrenched but not dead. Mama was already sittin¡¯ up, shakin¡¯ her fur out. Grizz was mutterin¡¯ curses under his breath. "Ssssqueak." ("Hate water. Stupid, nasty, grabby thing.") Rusty? Rusty was on his back, still holdin¡¯ da flashlight like it was a treasure. He grinned, teeth flashin¡¯ in da early mornin¡¯ light. "Sweek." ("I survived! Ha! Take dat, stabby-fluffies!") Mama groaned. "Squeak." ("Don¡¯t start, Rusty.") Den, her ears twitched. She sat up straighter, sniffin¡¯ da air. Her nose twitched fast. Her eyes went sharp. I sat up too. My fur prickled. Sumthin¡¯ was wrong. Mama turned fast. "Squeak!" ("ROLL CALL!") Me. Here. Rusty. Unfortunately, here. Grizz. Soaked an¡¯ grumpy, but here. Den, my other siblings¡ª One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Wait. We were nine. Mama¡¯s breath hitched. "Squeak!" ("WHO¡¯S GONE?!") Den¡ª A weak lil¡¯ "squeak¡­" We turned. Twitch. Dat was his name. Da smallest of us. Da runt. Mama always said he had da fastest paws, da sharpest nose. He was da best at slippin¡¯ through tight spaces, da best at disappearin¡¯ when da danger came. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. But he didn¡¯ disappear now. He was stuck. Half-buried in da river mud, paws strugglin¡¯, tail flickin¡¯. Mama was at his side in a blink. "Squeak!" ("Twitch! Hold on!") We rushed up, helpin¡¯ dig. Da mud was thick an¡¯ grabby, like da river still had its claws in him. Twitch wheezed, strugglin¡¯. "Squeak¡­ squeak." ("Can¡¯t mov¡¯¡­ too heeevy¡­") Mama¡¯s paws flew. She was diggin¡¯ fast, pantin¡¯, tail lashin¡¯. "Squeak!" ("Almost got ya, baby, almost got ya!") Grizz pushed us aside. "Ssssqueak!" ("Too slow. Gotta pull.") Rusty shoved his flashlight in his mouth an¡¯ grabbed Twitch¡¯s scruff. I grabbed Twitch¡¯s paw. Two of my sisters grabbed Twitch¡¯s tail. Grizz grabbed all of us. Mama hauled. "SQUEEEEAK!" ("PULL!") We yanked Twitch out in a slurp of wet mud. He tumbled forward, gaspin¡¯, shakin¡¯, paws weak. Mama yanked him close, wrappin¡¯ ¡®round him tight. "Squeak, squeak, squeak." ("You here. You safe. You here.") Twitch curled against her, still breathin¡¯ hard. "Squeak." ("River tried to eat me.") Rusty, flashlight still in his teeth, mumbled, "Sweek." ("Told ya it was a water monster.") Mama smacked him. We sat dere, shiverin¡¯, catchin¡¯ our breath. Da stabby-fluffies were gone. Da river left us behind. But da Wilds? Da Wilds didn¡¯ care if we was tired. Mama knew dat. She took one last deep breath, den pushed herself up, still holdin¡¯ Twitch close. "Squeak." ("We keep movin¡¯.") Grizz nodded. "Ssssqueak." ("Where?") Mama¡¯s ears twitched. She looked up at da trees, sniffed da air. Den, she frowned. "Squeak." ("Wait. Where¡­ are we?") We all looked up. An¡¯ we all realized at da same time¡ª We ain¡¯t never seen dis place before. Da Wilds was big. Bigger dan Sanctuary tunnels. Bigger dan da clearings we knew. But dis? Dis was sumthin¡¯ else. Da trees here were huge, roots twistin¡¯ in weird, grabby shapes. Da ground was soft, covered in thick moss dat swallowed our pawsteps. Strange vines dripped from da branches, like da trees were whisperin¡¯ to each other in secret. An¡¯ da air smelled wrong. Not like da river. Not like da mud. Like¡­ Hoomans. Rusty¡¯s nose twitched. "Sweek?" ("Smells like hoomans¡­ but old hoomans.") Mama¡¯s whiskers twitched too. "Squeak." ("Yeah¡­") Grizz narrowed his eyes. "Ssssqueak." ("Could be bad. Could be worse.") Rusty perked up. "Sweek!" ("Could be cool!") Mama grabbed his ear an¡¯ yanked. "Squeak." ("Could be dangerous, dumb-dumb.") Rusty pouted. I sniffed again. I didn¡¯ like it. It smelled like hoomans, but not da kind who give out food. Not da kind who build safe cages an¡¯ make dumb tests. Dis was a different smell. Old. Faint. Like hoomans used to be here. But now¡­ Now sumthin¡¯ else was. Twitch whispered, "Squeak." ("I don¡¯ like dis place.") One of my sisters shivered. "Squeak." ("Me neither.") Mama¡¯s ears stayed high. "Squeak." ("We be careful. Move slow. Find cover.") Rusty wiggled his nose. "Sweek?" ("What if dere¡¯s treasure?") Mama smacked him again. We moved deeper into da mossy trees, slow an¡¯ careful. Every step felt like da ground was listenin¡¯ to us. Grizz muttered, "Ssssqueak." ("Dey say hooman ruins still got danger.") I swallowed. "Squeak?" ("What kinda danger?") Grizz flicked his tail. "Ssssqueak." ("Dunno. Never lived long enough to ask.") Rusty perked up. "Sweek!" ("Guess we find out!") Mama sighed. "Squeak." ("I hate dis plan.") We crept forward. Da moss swallowed our steps. Da vines swayed, even wit¡¯ no wind. Den¡ª A sound. Click. Rusty froze. I froze. Mama froze. Rusty blinked. "Sweek?" ("...Dat normal?") Click. Click-click. SCRAAAAATCH. We turned. An¡¯ dere¡ª Dere, in da vines¡ª Two red, glowy eyes blinked. A shape moved. Not a cat. Not a rat. Not hooman. Rusty whispered, "Sweek." ("Oh.") Den¡ª It started chasin¡¯ us. Chapter 8: We Ain’t Alone Mama always say, "If sumthin¡¯ look like it wanna eat ya, it probably do." I was really hopin¡¯ she was wrong. She wasn¡¯t. Cuz right now, we was bein¡¯ chased by sumthin¡¯ wit¡¯ red, glowy eyes¡ªan¡¯ it wanted us bad. "SQUEEEEEAK!" ("RUN!") We bolted. Da vines shook. Da moss shuddered. Da sound of claws scrapin¡¯ filled da air behind us¡ªfast, too fast, gettin¡¯ closer. I didn¡¯ look back. I didn¡¯ wanna see. Rusty looked back. Rusty shouldn¡¯ have looked back. "SWEEEEEEK!" ("WHAT IS DAT?!") Mama yanked his ear as she ran. "SQUEAK!" ("DON¡¯T LOOK, JUST RUN!") Rusty sprinted faster. I didn¡¯ even know guinea pigs could move dat fast. We wove through da twisted roots, leapin¡¯ over old logs, dodgin¡¯ low-hangin¡¯ vines. But dat thing? It didn¡¯ stop. Didn¡¯ slow. It wanted us. An¡¯ den¡ª Peanut tripped. He was da second-smallest, right after Twitch, an¡¯ his legs weren¡¯ as fast as da rest of us. He tried to leap over a root¡ª Didn¡¯ make it. He hit da dirt hard. Mama turned fast. "SQUEAK!" ("PEANUT!") Peanut struggled up, panicked, ears flat. "Sqeek, sqeek!" ("I¡¯m okey, I¡¯m okey¡ª") Too late. Da thing leapt. It burst from da vines, big an¡¯ wrong, like a shadow dat grew teeth. Red eyes flashin¡¯, metal limbs gleamin¡¯, wires pokin¡¯ from its broken face. Not a cat. Not a rat. Not hooman. It was sumthin¡¯ hoomans left behind. A machine. An old, busted, hooman-made hunter. An¡¯ it was fallin¡¯ straight at Peanut. Peanut froze. I screamed. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Mama lunged. Didn¡¯ matter. Da machine was faster. It opened its jaw¡ª Sharp metal teeth glintin¡¯¡ª An¡¯ chomped¡ª But it didn¡¯. Cuz right before it could snap Peanut in half¡ª Rusty BONKED IT. BAM. Rusty swung da flashlight straight into da machine¡¯s head. It screeched, sparks flying from its face. It jerked back. Spit Peanut out. Peanut hit da ground, rollin¡¯ like a tiny, panicked potato. "SQUEEEAK!" ("I ALMOST DIED!") Rusty stumbled back, still holdin¡¯ da flashlight. His eyes was huge. "SWEEK!" ("I HIT A ROBOT!") Mama grabbed Peanut an¡¯ RAN. "SQUEAK!" ("DON¡¯T STOP!") Da machine twitched. Den it snapped its head toward us. An¡¯ kept chasin¡¯. We kept runnin¡¯. Da machine was mad now. Didn¡¯ just chase. It JUMPED. From tree to tree, claws diggin¡¯ in, metal legs bendin¡¯ in weird, grabby ways. It wanted us BAD. I could hear da gears grindin¡¯. Da soft hiss of old wires sparkin¡¯. Hoomans built dis. Hoomans LEFT dis. An¡¯ now, it was hungry for sumthin¡¯ to catch. An¡¯ we was right dere. Rusty yelled, "SWEEK!" ("WHERE WE RUNNIN¡¯ TO?!") Mama didn¡¯ know. Grizz didn¡¯ know. Twitch wheezed, "Sqwek!" ("Annyywhere but heeere¡¯!") An¡¯ den¡ª Da ground disappeared. We skidded to a stop¡ªright at da edge of a drop. A deep, dark, hooman tunnel. It stretched below us, open like a big, black mouth. Rusty panted. "Sweek." ("Oh. Dat¡¯s not good.") Da machine hissed behind us. I turned. It was crouched on a branch, red eyes glowin¡¯ in da dark, waiting. It knew. It had us trapped. Mama¡¯s claws dug into da dirt. Grizz¡¯s tail lashed. "Ssssqueak!" ("Now what?!") Rusty looked between da tunnel an¡¯ da monster. Den¡ª He jumped. Into da tunnel. "SWEEEEEK!" ("RUSTY, YOU DUMB¡ª") Too late. Mama grabbed me, grabbed Twitch, grabbed Peanut, and the others¡ªan¡¯ JUMPED TOO. Grizz cursed an¡¯ followed. Da last fing I saw before we hit da dark? Da machine leapt too. We hit da ground HARD. Mud an¡¯ dirt splashed up around us. Da tunnel echoed wit¡¯ our gasps an¡¯ skids an¡¯ squeaks. Den¡ª BOOM. Sumthin¡¯ huge crashed behind us. Da machine. It landed, claws diggin¡¯ in. I turned just in time to see¡ª A gate. A big, old, rusted hooman gate, half-fallen, barely holdin¡¯ up¡ª An¡¯ right above da machine. Mama saw it too. "SQUEAK!" ("SOMEONE PUSH DAT DOWN!") Rusty looked at his flashlight. Rusty looked at da gate. Rusty grinned. "SWEEEEEEK!" ("BONK TIME!") He swung. BAM. Da flashlight smacked da gate. It wobbled. It creaked. It collapsed. CRASH. Da machine didn¡¯ move fast enough. Da whole rusty thing caved in on top of it, buryin¡¯ it in metal an¡¯ dirt. It let out a final, glitchy hiss. Den, silence. Just da sound of our pantin¡¯. Just da sound of Rusty still holdin¡¯ da flashlight. He blinked. Den whispered, "Sweek." ("Dat¡­ worked?") Mama flopped onto her back. "SQUEEEEEAK." ("I AM TOO OLD FOR DIS.") Twitch coughed. "Sqeek." ("I fink I furgot how ta breaf.") Peanut curled into a tiny ball. "Sqeek." ("I almost got eated. Twise.") The rest of my siblings just laid there gasping. Rusty beamed. "Sweek!" ("I BONKED A ROBOT TO DEATH!") Mama smacked him. We laid dere, breathin¡¯, waitin¡¯, listenin¡¯. Nuffin¡¯. No stabby-fluffies. No red eyes. No chasin¡¯. Just¡­ da tunnel. Deep. Dark. An¡¯ full of old, hooman secrets. I shivered. "Squeak." ("Where even¡­ is dis place?") Grizz sniffed. His ears flicked. Den he frowned. "Ssssqueak." ("We ain¡¯t alone.") I froze. Mama sat up fast. "Squeak?" ("What?") Den¡ª Sumthin¡¯ moved in da dark. Not a machine. Not a cat. Sumthin¡¯¡­ else. A voice whispered from da shadows. "Who da squeak are you?" Chapter 9: Da Lost Ones Mama always say, ¡°If sumthin¡¯ talk first, it either a friend or da worst mistake ya ever made.¡± Right now? We didn¡¯ know which. Cuz in da deep, dark tunnel, past all da busted hooman junk, sumthin¡¯ was talkin¡¯ to us. "Who da squeak are you?" We froze. Every fur on my body stood up. Mama¡¯s ears twitched high. Grizz¡¯s tail flicked. Rusty, dumb as ever, squeaked back. "Sweek!" ("WE DA GUYS WHO BONKED A ROBOT!") Mama smacked him immediately. "Squeak!" ("SHUT UP.") Rusty pouted. Den¡ª Da shadows moved. I barely saw ¡®em at first. Just tiny shapes, shiftin¡¯ low in da dark. Little paws. Little ears. Little eyes¡ªnot glowy like da stabby-fluffies, not red like da metal monster. Just black n¡¯ watching. One by one, dey stepped forward. Hamsters. Dere was six of ¡®em. They was smaller than us¡ªscrawny, fur messy, eyes big an¡¯ sharp. Like dey ain¡¯t seen da sun in too long. Like dey been down here forever. Da one in da front, a brown-furred hamster wit¡¯ a lil¡¯ torn ear, narrowed his eyes. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Squeak." ("You ain¡¯t from da tunnels.") Mama¡¯s nose twitched. "Squeak." ("Not dese tunnels. Who are you?") Torn-Ear crossed his arms. "Squeak." ("We da Lost Ones.") Rusty gasped. "Sweek!" ("COOL NAME.") One of da other hamsters, a chubby gray one, leaned close to Torn-Ear. "Sqeek?" ("We eat dem?") I almost died. Mama stepped forward fast. "SQUEAK?!" ("EXCUSE ME?") Torn-Ear smacked da chubby one. "Squeak!" ("No eatin¡¯! No eattin¡¯ da new guys!") Chubby pouted. "Sqwek." ("I iz hungry...") Mama looked horrified. I don¡¯ blame her. Twitch whispered to me, "Sqeek." ("I dun lik dese guys.") I nodded real, real fast. Da Lost Ones wasn¡¯ done talkin¡¯. A skinny, twitchy hamster wit¡¯ wild-lookin¡¯ fur sniffed at Grizz. "Squeak." ("Da big one a rat.") Grizz grumbled. "Ssssqueak." ("Got a problem?") Da twitchy one grinned. "Squeak." ("Nah. We like rats.") Mama wasn¡¯t likin¡¯ dis. She squared up. "Squeak." ("Why you all livin¡¯ down here?") Torn-Ear¡¯s face darkened. "Squeak." ("Cuz up top got stabby-fluffies. Down here got less.") I shivered. Rusty perked up. "Sweek?" ("But what about da robot monster?") Torn-Ear snorted. "Squeak." ("We avoid dem.") Mama narrowed her eyes. "Squeak." ("Well, WE had to fight one.") All da Lost Ones stared at us. Den, dey laughed. Like, deep belly laughs. Da chubby one almost fell over. "Sqwek!" ("Dey fought da big metal snappy!") Torn-Ear wiped his eye. "Squeak!" ("New guys ain¡¯t gonna last a week.") Mama¡¯s ears flattened. "Squeak." ("Watch us.") Torn-Ear tilted his head. "Squeak?" ("Ya wanna stay?") Mama didn¡¯ answer right away. She was thinkin¡¯. I knew what she was thinkin¡¯. We got nowhere else. We couldn¡¯ go back. Da stabby-fluffies were waitin¡¯ in da Wilds. We didn¡¯ know what was ahead. But here? Here was shelter. Here was other hamsters. Even if dey was kinda weird. Mama took a deep breath. "Squeak." ("For now. If we don¡¯ like it, we leave.") Torn-Ear smirked. "Squeak." ("Good luck. No one leaves da tunnels.") Twitch whispered to me again. "Sqeek." ("I reeeally dun like dese guys.") Me neither. But we ain¡¯t had no choice. Da Lost Ones led us deeper into da tunnels. An¡¯ somethin¡¯ in my gut told me¡ª We wasn¡¯t gonna like what we found. Chapter 10: Da City Below Mama always say, ¡°Da Wilds belong to da stabby-fluffies, but down below? Down below belong to somethin¡¯ worse.¡± I didn¡¯ know what she meant. I do now. Da Lost Ones led us deeper into da tunnels. Da deeper we went, da weirder it got. Walls covered in old, crumblin¡¯ hooman stuff. Rusty beams, pipes dat leaked funny-smellin¡¯ water, faded scribbles dat hoomans musta wrote a long time ago. But dat ain¡¯t what made my fur prickle. It was da noise. Soft. Distant. But huge. Like da sound of too many paws in one place. Rusty twitched his nose. "Sweek?" ("Dere a stampede down here?") Torn-Ear snorted. "Squeak." ("Dat¡¯s da city.") Mama¡¯s ears twitched. "Squeak?" ("City?") Torn-Ear grinned. "You¡¯ll see." We turned a corner. Da tunnels opened up. An¡¯ den? I saw it. A whole city, underground. It stretched forever. Wooden bridges, tangled tunnels, lil¡¯ makeshift houses made outta old hooman junk. Tiny lights, stolen from hooman stuff, glowed like fireflies. An¡¯ da animals¡ª Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. So. Many. Rodents. I thought only hamsters lived down here. I was wrong. Mice. Runnin¡¯ across da rafters, squeakin¡¯ at each other. Rats. Big ones. Grizz looked tiny next to some of ¡®em. Squirrels. Their tails flickin¡¯ as dey leapt from ledge to ledge. Prairie dogs. Standin¡¯ up, watchin¡¯ da tunnels. Porcupines. Movin¡¯ slow, their quills rattlin¡¯ when sumone got too close. Beavers. Big, stocky, chewin¡¯ on wood near da river tunnels. More guinea pigs. Rusty lost his mind. "SWEEK!" ("LOOK, DERE¡¯S MORE DUMB-DUMBS LIKE ME!") Mama yanked his ear. "Squeak!" ("Shut up.") Chipmunks. Scurryin¡¯ up walls, their cheeks so stuffed wit¡¯ food I thought dey was gonna pop. Pouched rats. Quiet, sneaky, draggin¡¯ bags of stolen junk. Pocket gophers. Diggin¡¯ holes in places dat probably shouldn¡¯ be dug. Chinchillas. Fancy-lookin¡¯ ones, sittin¡¯ on ledges, whisperin¡¯ to each other like dey had secrets. Springhares. Big jumpy ones, leapin¡¯ ¡®round like dey got hooman springs in dey legs. Scaly-tailed squirrels. Creepy-lookin¡¯ ones, starin¡¯ from da high-up tunnels like dey knew somethin¡¯ we didn¡¯. Dis wasn¡¯t just tunnels. Dis was a whole world beneath da world. An¡¯ in da middle of it all, watchin¡¯ from a high-up ledge¡ª Da biggest rodent I ever seen. Da Capybara. I ain¡¯t never seen one before. He was huge. Bigger dan Grizz. Bigger dan Rusty. Bigger dan anything dat lived in da tunnels. He sat on a big, flat stone, surrounded by da biggest, toughest-lookin¡¯ animals in da city. His fur was scarred in places. His eyes? Calm. Too calm. Like he already knew why we was here. Torn-Ear led us right up to da ledge. Den, he bowed his head. "Squeak." ("New ones, Boss.") I gulped. Da Capybara tilted his head. Den, real slow, he spoke. "Kweek." ("Welcome to Da Burrow.") Mama stepped up first. Her tail twitched, but she didn¡¯ show no fear. "Squeak." ("We ain¡¯t here to cause trouble.") Da Capybara watched her. His big ol¡¯ paws flexed against da rock. Den, he nodded. "Hup." ("Good. Cuz if you was, you wouldn¡¯t last long.") I didn¡¯ like dat. Twitch clung to my side, whisperin¡¯, "Sqwek." ("Iz dis place better den da stabby-fluffies or worser?") I didn¡¯ know. Rusty? Rusty beamed. "SWEEK!" ("I LIKE IT HERE!") Mama smacked him. Da Capybara chuckled. "Kweek." ("Ya got guts, new ones. But guts don¡¯ mean much down here.") Mama frowned. "Squeak?" ("What do mean?") Da Capybara¡¯s ears twitched. He glanced down at da city below. Den, real slow, he said¡ª "Down here, only da strong survive." An¡¯ sumthin¡¯ in his voice made me realize¡ª We wasn¡¯t guests. We was bein¡¯ tested. Chapter 11: Da Test Mama always say, ¡°If sumone say dey testin¡¯ you, what dey really mean is dey waitin¡¯ for ya to fail.¡± I didn¡¯ wanna fail. Not down here. Da Capybara, sittin¡¯ big an¡¯ calm on his rock, watched us real slow-like. His eyes ain¡¯t blink much. Den, he leaned forward. "Kweek." ("New ones gotta prove themselves.") Mama¡¯s ears twitched. "Squeak?" ("Prove what?") Da Capybara didn¡¯ answer right away. Instead, he looked down at da city below. At all da animals watchin¡¯ us. Beady lil¡¯ mouse eyes. Sharp rat whiskers twitchin¡¯. Chipmunks peekin¡¯ from shadows. Even da fancy chinchillas sittin¡¯ on ledges, waitin¡¯ like dis was sum kinda show. Mama didn¡¯ like dat. I reeeally didn¡¯ like dat. Rusty? Rusty grinned. "Sweek!" ("I love tests!") Grizz muttered, "Ssssqueak." ("Ya ain¡¯t gonna love dis one.") Torn-Ear, da hamster who found us, smirked. "Squeak." ("Ya wanna stay? Ya gotta earn it.") Mama¡¯s tail flicked. "Squeak." ("How?") Da Capybara finally spoke again. "Hup." ("Go down dere. Let Da Burrow decide.") I gulped. Twitch clung to my side. "Sqwek." ("Dat soun¡¯ bad. Dat soun¡¯ real bad.") It was bad. Cuz I saw it. How da animals looked at us. Some of ¡®em was curious. Some was bored. But a lot of ¡®em? Was hungry. Mama squared up. "Squeak." ("You want us to fight?") Da Capybara didn¡¯ smile. Didn¡¯ frown. Didn¡¯ do much of anything. Just said, "Kweek." ("You want a place here? Show us you worth da space.") Mama didn¡¯ like dat. I saw her nose twitch. Her whiskers flick fast. She was thinkin¡¯. She didn¡¯ like bein¡¯ told what to do. Didn¡¯ like bein¡¯ pushed. But she also knew. We ain¡¯t had no other choice. Da stabby-fluffies was up top. Da metal monsters roamed da ruins. If we ran? We¡¯d have nowhere to go. So Mama did da only thing she could. She stood tall. "Squeak." ("Fine.") Den, she turned to us. "No dumb-dumb Rusty nonsense." Rusty pouted. "Sweek." ("Aw.") Da Capybara flicked his ear. "Hup." ("Let ¡®em through.") Torn-Ear led us down a long, twisty path¡ªpast old metal beams, past tunnels dat smelled like too many animals in one place. Den, we stepped into a big, open space. Da arena. It weren¡¯t no fancy place. Jus¡¯ a big, dug-out pit. Walls made of old hooman stone. Lil¡¯ ledges, tunnels, places to hide if you was fast enough. All ¡®round da edges, animals gathered. Whisperin¡¯. Squeakin¡¯. Waitin¡¯ to see what we¡¯d do. Mama stepped forward first. Grizz right behind her. His tail twitched, his nose sniffin¡¯ da air. Me? I stuck close to Twitch. Rusty? Rusty bounced in place. "Sweek!" ("Dis gon¡¯ be fun!") It weren¡¯ gonna be fun. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Not one bit. Torn-Ear hopped onto a high ledge. "Squeak!" ("Burrow-folk! We got newcomers!") Da crowd squeaked an¡¯ sweeked an¡¯ chattered. Torn-Ear smirked. "Squeak!" ("Ya know da rules! New ones gotta prove dey can survive!") Den, he pointed at us. "Squeak!" ("Let¡¯s see if dey got what it takes.")
I felt it before I saw it. Da ground vibrated. Tiny lil¡¯ shakes. Like sumthin¡¯ big was movin¡¯ underground. Twitch grabbed my paw. "Sqwek!" ("We runnin¡¯? We runnin¡¯ now?") I wanted to say yes. I wanted to run real bad. But we didn¡¯. Cuz da arena floor split open. An¡¯ den¡ª It crawled out. At first, I didn¡¯ know what it was. A pile of fur n¡¯ dirt. Claws too big for a hamster, but too small for a rat. nose twitchin¡¯, breath comin¡¯ in short lil¡¯ huffs. Den, I heard da name whispered in da crowd. "Da Mole-Rat." A big, scarred-up, ugly-lookin¡¯ naked mole-rat. Its teeth was huge. Its claws was sharp. It sniffed da air¡ª Den faced himself wit¡¯ Mama. Mama stood firm. "Squeak." ("We don¡¯ want no trouble.") Da Mole-Rat grinned. "Eep-eep." ("Den ya in da wrong place.") Den it charged. Fast. Faster dan sumthin¡¯ dat big an¡¯ ugly should. It charged, claws diggin¡¯ deep into da dirt, big nasty teeth flashin¡¯ under da dim tunnel lights. It didn¡¯t stop. Didn¡¯t hesitate. Didn¡¯t even blink. Mama jumped back as it lunged. Grizz swung his tail hard, smackin¡¯ dust in its ugly face. Twitch squealed an¡¯ dived behind me. "Sqweeeeeek!" ("I WANNA GO HOME!") Da Mole-Rat snorted, shook off da dust, den¡ª Rusty happened. "SWEEEEEK!" "BONK TIME!" Rusty launched himself forward, flashlight held high. BAM! Da flashlight slammed into da Mole-Rat¡¯s noggin¡¯ so hard, I swear I heard a clank. "Eep-eep!" ("WHAT DA¡ª?!") It staggered. Its big nasty teeth clacked together. Rusty landed, grinnin¡¯ like an idiot. "Sweek!" ("You ain¡¯t da first thing I bonked today!") Den da Mole-Rat shook its head. Its nose locked on Rusty. Den it grinned. A slow, toothy, horrible grin. "Eep-eep." ("I like you.") Den it lunged. Rusty screamed. "SWEEEEEK!" ("NO LIKIN¡¯! NO LIKIN¡¯!") He dodged. Barely. Mama cursed. "Squeak!" ("RUSTY!") But we ain¡¯t have time to help him¡ª Cuz da ground shook. More challengers stepped out. First came da big squirrel. Scar over one eye. Tail all ragged n¡¯ twitchy. It crouched low, lookin¡¯ at us like a cat do before it pounces. "Meep." ("New faces. Good. I was gettin¡¯ bored.") Den da prairie dog. Chunky, paws like tiny shovels. It stretched its lil¡¯ stubby arms an¡¯ cracked its neck. "Chee-chee." ("Been a while since I had a workout.") Den, worst of all¡ª Da angry chinchilla. Tiny. Fast. Teeth way too sharp. Its nose twitched fast like it was already plottin¡¯ murder. "Peeps." ("Hope ya run fast, lil¡¯ ones.") I panicked. We wasn¡¯ fightin¡¯ just one rodent. We was fightin¡¯ ALL of ¡®em. Chaos. Mama lunged at da Mole-Rat, bitin¡¯ at its side. Da Mole-Rat twisted, kicked her off. Mama rolled, landed, hissed. Grizz charged da squirrel, tail whippin¡¯ like a club. Da squirrel dodged, climbed up his back, started BITIN¡¯. Twitch screamed. I turned¡ª Da prairie dog grabbed Poppy. Poppy. My sister. She was da third-smallest after Twitch an¡¯ Peanut. She was fast¡ªbut not fast enough. Da prairie dog started lickin¡¯ her. Lick. Lick. Lick. Real slow. Real disgustin¡¯. Poppy screamed. "Sqweeeeeek!" ("STOP LICKIN¡¯ MEEEE!") She thrashed, flailed, kicked. Didn¡¯ matter. Da prairie dog held on, still lickin¡¯ like she was da best snack it ever had. I jumped at da prairie dog, bit its tail. It yelped, dropped Poppy. Poppy hit da ground, rolled, paws twitchin¡¯. "Sqweeeek!" ("I feel so unclean!") Den¡ª A blur. Somethin¡¯ small n¡¯ fast zipped past me. Cricket. One of my older sisters. She was da best jumper outta all of us. She jumped on da chinchilla. Or¡ª She tried. Da chinchilla caught her in midair. Flipped her. Tossed her like a piece of bread. Cricket went flying. "Sqeek!" ("DIS NOT WHAT I WANTED!") Bonk. Hit a rock. Slid down. Didn¡¯ move. I panicked. "SQUEAK!" ("CRICKET?") Cricket twitched. Den muttered. "Sqeek." ("I seen da afterlife.") Da Mole-Rat swung its claws. Mama ducked, spun, bit at its leg. Rusty jumped on its head. "SWEEEEEEK!" ("BONKED YA ONCE, BONKIN¡¯ YA AGAIN!") BAM! Another flashlight strike. Da Mole-Rat stumbled, da metal beam echoed. Mama took her chance¡ª BIT ITS EAR. HARD. "Eep-eep!" ("OW! YOU LIL¡¯¡ª") Grizz finally flung da squirrel off his back. It hit da ground, spun, shook itself off. "Meep." ("Not bad.") Rusty tried to bonk again. Missed. Got grabbed by da prairie dog. Den¡ª Da lickin¡¯ began. Rusty screamed. "SWEEEEEK!" ("WHY? WHY? WHY?!") Da prairie dog licked his whole face. Lick. Lick. Lick. Rusty thrashed, tail wavin¡¯ like crazy. "SWEEK!" ("I¡¯M TOO DUMB FOR DIS TORTURE!") Mama jumped on da prairie dog¡¯s head. Bit its nose. It yelped, dropped Rusty. Rusty rolled away, gaspin¡¯. Da fight wasn¡¯ over. Da Mole-Rat shook itself off. Da chinchilla bared its teeth. Da squirrel flicked its tail. Da prairie dog huffed, sniffin¡¯ its sore nose. Den¡ª Da Capybara spoke. "Hup." ("Enough.") Everythin¡¯ stopped. Silence. I was pantin¡¯. Mama was bruised. Twitch looked like he was gonna faint. Rusty sat in da dirt, stunned. Cricket twitched. "Sqeek." ("I wanna go to bed.") Poppy gagged. "Sqweeeek!" ("I need da biggest baff.") Da Capybara watched us. Den, real slow, he nodded. "Kweek." ("Dey live.") Da crowd cheered. I nearly collapsed. Mama sighed. "Squeak." ("Dat was da worst thing I ever done.") Rusty grinned. "Sweek!" ("I bonked a Mole-Rat!") Twitch muttered, "Sqwek." ("I got licked.") Poppy shuddered. "Sqweeek." ("Too much lickin¡¯...") Cricket groaned. "Sqeek." ("I got THROWN.") Mama rubbed her face. "Squeak." ("We all need sleep.") Rusty stood up. "SWEEK!" ("I WON DA TEST!") Mama smacked him. Den we finally, finally rested. Chapter 12: Da Burrow’s Rules Mama always say, ¡°Survivin¡¯ ain¡¯t da same as livin¡¯.¡± We survived da fight. But dat didn¡¯ mean we was safe. Da Capybara didn¡¯ waste no time. Right after da fight, he flicked his ear, lookin¡¯ at us real slow-like. "Kweek." ("Ya live. Now ya follow da rules.") Mama sat up straight. Her fur was still messy from all da fightin¡¯, but she didn¡¯ show no fear. "Squeak?" ("What rules?") Da Capybara¡¯s big ol¡¯ paws flexed against da rock. Den he spoke. *Da Burrow¡¯s Rules* [Da strong get first pick. Food, shelter, weapons¡ªda biggest an¡¯ smartest take what dey want first. If ya want more? Get stronger.] [Ya don¡¯ steal from da Burrow. Take what ya need, but take too much? Ya get thrown to da Wilds. Da Wilds don¡¯ let no one back.] [Ya fight if ya challenged. If sumone wants what ya got, ya gotta earn it. No refusin¡¯. No cryin¡¯. Ya win or ya lose.] [If ya make trouble, ya get thrown in da Pits. I dunno what da Pits is. I don¡¯ wanna find out.] [Da Capybara decide what¡¯s fair. An¡¯ what he say? Go.] Mama listened real quiet. Her whiskers twitched. Thinkin¡¯. She didn¡¯ like it. I didn¡¯ either. Rusty, meanwhile¡ª "SWEEEEEEK!" ("DIS SOUND AWESOME!") Mama smacked him immediately. "Squeak!" ("HAVE YA EVEN THOUGHT BOUT WHAT HE SAID?") Rusty blinked. "Sweek?" ("Ya mean da part where we get strong an¡¯ take what we want?") Mama groaned. Da Capybara watched us. His tail flicked against da stone. "Kweek." ("Ya can leave if ya don¡¯ like it.") Mama stiffened. Cuz we knew. Leavin¡¯ meant death. Da Wilds was crawlin¡¯ wit¡¯ stabby-fluffies. Da hooman ruins had da metal monsters. If we ran? We¡¯d have nowhere to go. Mama knew it. Da Capybara knew it. We wasn¡¯ guests. We was trapped. Mama sighed. "Squeak." ("Fine. Where we stayin¡¯?") Da Capybara flicked his ear toward Torn-Ear. "Hup." ("He¡¯ll show ya.") Torn-Ear grinned. "Squeak." ("Follow me, squeakers.") ***** It wasn¡¯ much. Jus¡¯ a small cave dug into da tunnels. Dirt walls. A couple piles of old, chewed-up cloth for beds. A tiny hole dat let in air from da surface. But it was ours. Rusty flopped down first. "SWEEK!" ("DIS NICE.") Twitch shivered, huggin¡¯ himself. "Sqwek." ("Dis feel like a prison.") Peanut groaned, floppin¡¯ on his back. "Sqeek." ("I dun care. I could sleep in a pile of rocks right now.") Mama sat in da middle, lookin¡¯ round da cave real slow. Thinkin¡¯ again. I knew what she was thinkin¡¯. We needed a plan. Da Burrow was tough. Da Burrow was dangerous. An¡¯ if we wanted to live here, we had to get tougher. We barely even got to sleep before Poppy snapped. She woke up in da middle of da night, twitched her whiskers, an¡¯ growled. "Sqweeeek." ("I gotta do it.") Cricket groaned, half-asleep. "Sqeek?" ("Do what?") Poppy sat up. Her eyes burned. "Sqweek." ("I gotta find dat prairie dog an¡¯ lick IT.") I sat up real fast. "SQUEAK?!" ("WHAT?!") Rusty shot up grinnin¡¯. "SWEEK!" ("I LIKE DIS PLAN.") Mama grabbed both dey ears. "SQUEAK!" ("BOTH OF YOU GO BACK TO SLEEP.") Poppy struggled. "Sqweeeeek!" ("IT LICKED ME FIRST!") Rusty giggled. "Sweek!" ("Poppy, I¡¯ll help.") Mama smacked both of ¡®em. ***** Mornin¡¯ came. Hunger came faster. We needed food. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. But da Burrow had its own way of handlin¡¯ dat. Mama led us through da tunnels, sniffin¡¯ out da marketplace. It weren¡¯ much¡ªjust a big open cavern where all da rodents swapped supplies. Old beetle shells for armor. Sharp lil¡¯ bones for weapons. An¡¯ food. But we had nuffin¡¯ to trade. Mama kept us close as we walked. Twitch still looked spooked from last night. Poppy twitched her whiskers every time a prairie dog passed us, mutterin¡¯, "Sqweeek." ("If I see dat Chee-Chee again, I bite him first.") Rusty was bouncin¡¯. "Sweek!" ("Look at all dis stuff! I wanna touch ALL of it!") Mama grabbed his ear. "Squeak!" ("You touch nuffin¡¯.") Rusty pouted. Da marketplace was loud. Rodents squabblin¡¯ over trades. Squirrels dartin¡¯ between stalls, bartering wit¡¯ scraps of old hooman cloth. A chinchilla sittin¡¯ behind a pile of stolen trinkets, polishin¡¯ a shiny button like it was gold. Food sat in piles, stacked up in corners. Seeds. Mushrooms. Dried beetles on sticks. Rusty stared. "Sweek." ("¡­Dat a bug kebab?") Cricket tilted her head. "Sqeek?" ("Would it be bad if I said I kinda wanna try one?") Mama ignored ¡®em. She walked up to a fat squirrel sittin¡¯ behind a crate of nuts an¡¯ berries. "Squeak." ("We need food.") Da squirrel sniffed. "Meep." ("Ya got trade?") Mama shook her head. "Squeak." ("Not yet. But we can work for it.") Da squirrel sneered. "Meep." ("No trade? No food.") Den he took a berry an¡¯ ate it real slow. Just to be a jerk. Mama¡¯s ears twitched. "Squeak." ("Maybe dere someone else we can¡ª") "Ssssqueak." ("Fight for it.") We turned. A rat¡ªbig, one of da Burrow¡¯s tough types, sittin¡¯ near a pile of dried roots. He gnawed on one real slow, watchin¡¯ us. Grizz tensed. Mama sighed. "Squeak." ("Dat¡¯s how food works here?") Da rat grinned. "Ssssqueak." ("Dat¡¯s how everythin¡¯ work here.") I was too busy listenin¡¯ to notice Sumo wanderin¡¯ off. Sumo¡ªone of my brothers. Roundest outta all of us, not big like Grizz, just¡­ soft. An¡¯ right now? He was stuck starin¡¯ at a pile of mushrooms. "Sqwek." ("Dey look so soft¡­") "Meep!" ("HEY!") I spun around just in time to see a squirrel shove Sumo. "Meep." ("NO TOUCHIN¡¯!") Sumo stumbled, blinked. Den, real slow, he muttered. "Sqweeeek." ("I hungry.") An¡¯ den he grabbed a mushroom an¡¯ ATE IT. Da whole market went quiet. Mama turned so slow. "SQUEAK?!" ("SUMO?!") Sumo chewed. Nodded. "Sqwek." ("It good.") Rusty died laughin¡¯. "SWEEEEEEK!" ("HE JUST ATE IT!") Da squirrel was FURIOUS. "MEEP!" ("DAT A CHALLENGE!") Da crowd erupted. Torn-Ear popped up outta nowhere. "Squeak!" ("Dat mean fight!") Mama slapped her own face. Sumo swallowed. Den blinked. "Sqwek." ("Wait¡­ fight?") "MEEP!" ("YA LOSE, YA GET BIT!") Sumo¡¯s ears flattened. "Sqweeeek." ("...Oh.") Mama groaned. ***** Sumo was so dead. Da squirrel was bigger, faster, meaner. Sumo? Sumo was round. Sumo was soft. Sumo was already regrettin¡¯ everythin¡¯. "Sqweeek!" ("CAN I JUST SAY SORRY?") Da Capybara flicked his ear. "Kweek." ("Begin.") Da squirrel charged. Sumo froze. Didn¡¯ dodge. Didn¡¯ move. Just squeaked in terror. "SQUEEEEEEEK!" ("DON¡¯ KILL MEEEE!") Den¡ª He fell over. Not on purpose. Sumo just collapsed. Outta fear. His big round body rolled¡ªstraight into da squirrel¡¯s legs. Da squirrel tripped. Didn¡¯ just trip¡ªhe FELL. Hard. Right on his own tail. SNAP. Da squirrel let out a horrified screech. "MEEP!" ("MY TAIL!") Da crowd GASPED. Sumo lay on da ground, eyes closed. Didn¡¯ even realize what happened. He thought he was dead. Silence. Den¡ª "Hup." ("Winner.") Mama¡¯s jaw dropped. Rusty screamed. "SWEEEEEEK!" ("SUMO ACCIDENTALLY WON!") Sumo opened one eye. "Sqwek?" ("I ain¡¯t dead?") Poppy poked him. "Sqweeeek." ("I fink ya just invented da fall-over fight style.") Mama sighed. "Squeak." ("Fine. We keep da mushrooms.") Sumo sat up, confused but happy. "Sqwek." ("I like dis place.") I shuddered. We weren¡¯ invisible no more. Dat wasn¡¯ good. ***** Sumo won by accident. Rusty hated dat. He sulked da whole way back to our den, tail draggin¡¯. "Sweek." ("How come Sumo get a fight an¡¯ I don¡¯?") Mama sighed. "Squeak." ("Sumo didn¡¯ get a fight, he got lucky.") Rusty crossed his paws. "Sweek." ("Still won.") Grizz rolled his eyes. "Ssssqueak." ("Ya wanna fight? Jus¡¯ wait. Trouble always find ya.") Rusty perked up. "SWEEK!" ("YA PROMISE?!") Mama smacked him. "Squeak!" ("NO.") But Grizz was right. Trouble found Rusty real fast. It started in da tunnels. We was lookin¡¯ round, learnin¡¯ da layout, figurin¡¯ which paths led where. Rusty wandered too much. Didn¡¯ notice da huge pouched rat watchin¡¯ him from da shadows. Didn¡¯ notice til it shoved him. Hard. Rusty stumbled, blinked. "Sweek?" ("Wha¡ª") Da pouched rat grinned. "Ssssqueak." ("Ya bumped me. Dat means we fight now.") We froze. Twitch grabbed my paw. "Sqwek." ("Not again.") Mama¡¯s fur bristled. "SQUEAK?!" ("WHAT?") Da rat rolled his shoulders. "Ssssqueak." ("Dat¡¯s da rule.") Rusty¡¯s ears twitched. His eyes lit up. "SWEEEEEEK!" ("I WANNA FIGHT!") Mama grabbed his face. "SQUEAK!" ("RUSTY NO!") Rusty turned back to da pouched rat. "SWEEK!" ("FIGHT ME.") Mama grabbed his whole body. Too late. Da crowd gathered. Da Capybara watched from his rock. Da Burrow loved fights. An¡¯ now? Rusty had his first real one. Da pouched rat was big. Not as big as Grizz, but way bigger dan Rusty. His claws was long. His teeth was sharp. His tail flicked slow as he cracked his neck. Rusty? Rusty was grinnin¡¯. Da Capybara flicked his ear. "Kweek." ("Begin.") Da pouched rat lunged. Rusty swung. BONK. BAM. FLASHLIGHT TO DA FACE. "SWEEEEEK!" ("BONKED YA!") Da pouched rat stumbled. Da crowd gasped. Mama facepalmed. Da rat shook himself off. "Ssssqueak." ("Lucky hit.") Rusty twirled his flashlight. "Sweek!" ("Dey all lucky.") Den da rat charged. Rusty dodged. Barely. Da rat¡¯s claws scraped his tail, almost catchin¡¯ him. Rusty scrambled backward, swung again. BONK. Didn¡¯ hit clean dis time. Da rat took it, shoved Rusty back. Rusty rolled. Twitch squealed. "Sqwek!" ("HE LOSIN¡¯!") Peanut hid his face. "Sqeek!" ("I can¡¯ watch!") Cricket leaned forward. "Sqeek." ("I wanna see if he dies.") Mama slapped Cricket. Rusty panted. Da rat grinned. "Ssssqueak." ("Ya fun. But ya done.") Den¡ª Da rat leapt. Rusty¡¯s eyes widened. No time to dodge. So¡ª He swung. BAM. Rusty bonked da rat right in da teeth. Hard. Real hard. Da crowd winced. Mama winced. Even da Capybara twitched an ear. Da rat froze. His eyes watered. His teeth rattled. Den¡ª He dropped. Face-first. Didn¡¯ get up. Silence. Rusty stood over him. Pantin¡¯. Grinnin¡¯. "SWEEEEEEK!" ("I WON!") Da Capybara watched. Didn¡¯ smile. Didn¡¯ frown. Den, he finally spoke. "Kweek." ("Da guin-guin fights well.") Rusty puffed up. "SWEEK!" ("I DA STRONGEST GUIN-GUIN IN DA BURROW!") Mama sighed so hard, I thought she¡¯d pass out. Den, sumthin¡¯ worse happened. More rats stepped forward. Bigger. Meaner. One of ¡®em pointed at Rusty. "Ssssqueak." ("He fight one rat. Now he fight us.") Rusty froze. His lil¡¯ ears twitched. His grin faltered. He turned to Mama. "Sweek." ("I made a mistake.") Mama smacked him. "Squeak!" ("YES, YA DID.") I gulped. Chapter 13: Da Silent Three Mama always say, ¡°Da quiet ones are da ones ya gotta watch.¡± I never knew what she meant. Til now. ***** Rusty messed up. Bad. He won his fight. Bonked da pouched rat so hard his teeth rattled. But now? More rats stepped forward. Bigger. Meaner. One of ¡®em pointed at Rusty. "Ssssqueak." ("He fight one rat. Now he fight us.") Rusty froze. His lil¡¯ ears twitched. His grin faltered. He turned to Mama. "Sweek." ("I made a mistake.") Mama smacked him. "Squeak!" ("YES, YA DID.") Da crowd murmured. Soft, nervous squeaks, sweeks, meeps, chee-chees¡ªall bouncin¡¯ off da cavern walls. Even da ones who wanted to see Rusty get turned into a meatball started shiftin¡¯ uneasy-like. Cuz sumthin¡¯ was off. Da Capybara watched from his rock. His big paws flexed against da stone, claws diggin¡¯ in just a lil¡¯. Not stoppin¡¯ da fight. Not sayin¡¯ nuffin¡¯. Cuz he wanted to see what happened next. Mama tensed. Her fur bristled. Her tail flicked real slow. I gulped. I could feel da air change. Da kinda shift dat happens right before a storm. Poppy whispered. "Sqweeeek." ("Rusty gonna get turned into a meatball.") Rusty stood up tall. Chest puffed. Flashlight raised. Grinnin¡¯ like a fool. "SWEEEEEEK!" ("I CAN TAKE ALL YA¡ª") Mama smacked him again. Den¡ª Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! A sound. Soft. Quiet. Not a squeak. Not a sweek. Just¡­ A click. Everythin¡¯ stopped. Da rats froze. Da crowd turned. Da Capybara¡¯s ear twitched. Cuz standin¡¯ at da edge of da arena¡ª Was them. Da Silent Three. My other three siblings. Didn¡¯ talk much. Didn¡¯ fuss much. Didn¡¯ ever make trouble. Always clingin¡¯ to Mama¡¯s back. Always watchin¡¯. Always listenin¡¯. An¡¯ before dis? Before Rusty nearly got himself eaten? Dey had barely moved. "Sqwek!" ("Where was dey durin¡¯ da Mole-Rat fight?!") I had wondered. While we was scramblin¡¯, bitin¡¯, gettin¡¯ thrown, gettin¡¯ licked¡ªda Silent Three had been off to da side. Crouched near da walls, actin¡¯ exhausted. Breathin¡¯ slow. Tails droopin¡¯. Lookin¡¯ like dey couldn¡¯ move a muscle. Mama had checked on ¡®em. "Squeak!" ("Ya alright?") Grim had just nodded. Grit had sighed. Gale had curled up, mutterin¡¯. "Squeak." ("Too much. Need rest.") So Mama had let ¡®em be. Didn¡¯ push ¡®em. Didn¡¯ force ¡®em to fight. Figured dey was just worn out from runnin¡¯ all night. But now? Lookin¡¯ at ¡®em now? I wasn¡¯ so sure. Mama saw it too. Her eyes narrowed. She glanced at Grim. At Grit. At Gale. Den sighed real slow. "Squeak." ("Dis what we doin¡¯ now?") Da Three Step Forward First one: Grim. Dark fur. Ears always twitchin¡¯. Tail always still. Never spoke. Just watched. Second one: Grit. Scar over his nose. Not from fightin¡¯. From somethin¡¯ else. Somethin¡¯ we don¡¯ ask about. Third one: Gale. Da smallest of da three. Fastest. Sharpest eyes. Moved like he already knew what was gonna happen. Grim clicked his teeth. Grit tilted his head. Gale stared. Didn¡¯ move. Just waited. Da rats shifted. Tails flickin¡¯. Claws flexin¡¯. One of ¡®em growled. "Ssssqueak." ("Ya ain¡¯t fightin¡¯?") Da Silent Three didn¡¯ answer. Didn¡¯ even acknowledge da question. Just stood dere. Still. Da rat snorted. "Ssssqueak!" ("Den move!") Grim stepped forward. Slow. Deliberate. Didn¡¯ say a word. Didn¡¯ raise his tail. Didn¡¯ show nuffin¡¯. Just walked. Straight toward da rat. Da rat froze. His claws twitched. Sumthin¡¯ bout Grim¡¯s stillness made da crowd go quiet. Mama¡¯s fur bristled. Cuz she saw it too. Da Silent Three wasn¡¯ scared. Not even a lil¡¯. Grit followed. Den Gale. Da three of ¡®em walked right up to da rats. Didn¡¯ flinch. Didn¡¯ stop. Didn¡¯ speak. Grim clicked his teeth again. Not loud. Not aggressive. Jus¡¯¡­ deliberate. Den¡ª He tilted his head. Just slightly. Like he was askin¡¯ a question only da rats could hear. Da biggest rat¡¯s ears twitched. His claws flexed. He snorted. "Ssssqueak." ("Tch. Not worth it.") Den¡ª He turned. An¡¯ walked away. Da rest of da rats followed. Just like dat. No fight. No words. Jus¡¯ gone. Da crowd murmured. Confused. Curious. Whisperin¡¯ among demselves. Rusty blinked. "Sweek?" ("Did I win?") Mama smacked him. "Squeak!" ("NO.") Da Capybara watched da Silent Three. But his big paws stopped flexin¡¯. Like he got da answer he wanted. Grim looked up at him. Didn¡¯ bow. Didn¡¯ speak. Just watched. Den¡ª He turned. An¡¯ da Silent Three walked away. I shivered. Mama sighed. "Squeak." ("I hate it when dey do dat.") Twitch whispered. "Sqwek." ("What did dey do?") I didn¡¯ know. Rusty shrugged. "Sweek!" ("Guess I won!") Mama smacked him again. Den, we went home. An¡¯ da Burrow kept watchin¡¯ us. Chapter 14: A Moment to Breathe Mama always say, ¡°When trouble stop chasin¡¯ ya, don¡¯ run back to say hello.¡± So after da fight, or da weird non-fight, whatever ya wanna call it¡ªMama made sure we got far away from dat arena. Didn¡¯ wanna talk. Didn¡¯ wanna look at nobody. Didn¡¯ wanna hear Rusty brag about winnin¡¯. She just wanted us back in da den. Da tunnels was quieter den before. Didn¡¯ mean nobody was watchin¡¯. I could feel it. Little eyes peekin¡¯ from cracks in da walls. Mice, rats, squirrels, all whisperin¡¯ about us. Rusty was eatin¡¯ it up. "SWEEEEEK!" ("Ya see dat?! I bonked a rat so hard he took a nap!") Mama ignored him. Rusty turned to Grizz. "SWEEK!" ("Wasn¡¯ I da best fighter ya ever seen?!") Grizz snorted. "Ssssqueak." ("Ya best at bein¡¯ an idiot.") Twitch whispered. "Sqwek." ("Can we walk faster? I feel¡­ watched.") I did too. We reached da den without trouble, but not without notice. A group of chipmunks scurried past, glancin¡¯ at us real quick before disappearin¡¯ into a side tunnel. A rat pup peeked out from behind a rock, starin¡¯ at da Silent Three, but ran off soon as Grit twitched his ear. Even da market vendors was talkin¡¯¡ªlow voices, tails flickin¡¯, exchangin¡¯ seeds an¡¯ stories. Rusty grinned. "SWEEEEEK!" ("We famous now!") Mama sighed so hard, I thought her lungs might quit workin¡¯. "Squeak." ("We need a break.") Our den was small but safe. Dirt walls. Little piles of cloth in da corners, just soft enough to be beds. A hole near da top, lettin¡¯ in a faint breeze from da surface. Felt like home. Or¡­ at least, da closest thing we had to one now. As soon as we got inside, we collapsed. Sumo flopped onto his back. "Sqwek." ("I nap now.") Peanut curled into a ball. "Sqeek." ("If anyfing touch me, I bite it.") Twitch was still shiverin¡¯. "Sqwek." ("I fink my soul left my body.") Mama rubbed her face. Rusty stood tall. "SWEEK!" ("We need a victory speech!") Mama threw a pebble at him. Meanwhile¡­¡­ Poppy was still mad. She sat by da wall, fumin¡¯. Paws crossed. Tail twitchin¡¯. She was so mad dat even her fur looked fluffier dan usual. Her lil¡¯ nose scrunched up as she muttered. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Sqweeeek." ("I shoulda licked dat prairie dog back.") I sighed, rubbin¡¯ my face. "Squeak." ("Let it go, Poppy.") She snapped her head toward me. Eyes burnin¡¯. "Sqweeek." ("NO.") Cricket chuckled, stretchin¡¯ out her back. "Sqeek." ("She gon¡¯ hold a grudge forever.") Peanut peeked up from where he was curled. "Sqeek." ("How long forever?") Cricket grinned. "Sqeek." ("Forever-ever.") Poppy huffed, puffin¡¯ up like a berry about to burst. Mama looked exhausted. Didn¡¯ even lift her head. Just sighed deep. "Squeak." ("Ya can get revenge later. Right now, we rest.") Poppy grumbled. "Sqweeeeek." ("I¡¯ll find ¡®im. An¡¯ when I do¡ª") SMACK. Mama¡¯s paw hit da back of her head so fast, Poppy let out a startled squeak an¡¯ fell right over. Rusty laughed. "SWEEK!" ("Poppy got bonked instead!") Mama picked up a pebble. Rusty shut up. For two seconds. ¡®¡­¡¯ I was finally startin¡¯ to relax. Da tension was fadin¡¯. My heartbeat was slowin¡¯. Everythin¡¯ was quiet. Til Rusty stood up. Bright-eyed. Wide awake. Tail waggin¡¯. "SWEEK!" ("Let¡¯s talk strategy!") Sumo groaned. Didn¡¯ even open his eyes. Just rolled over. "Sqwek." ("Da only strategy I got is sleep.") Rusty ignored him. Hopped onto a rock like he was some big-shot leader. "SWEEK!" ("We should make a battle team! Like¡ªda Bonk Brigade!") Mama picked up da pebble she was holdin¡¯. Rusty dodged. "SWEEK!" ("C¡¯mon, Mama! We makin¡¯ a name for ourselves!") Mama huffed, tail flickin¡¯. "Squeak." ("Ya makin¡¯ a problem for us.") Rusty pouted. Folded his lil¡¯ arms. Plopped down. Grizz stretched out his paws. "Ssssqueak." ("If we stay here, we gonna need to fight more.") Twitch whimpered. "Sqwek." ("I dun wanna fight more.") Da den got quiet again. Den¡ª Gale spoke. Real soft. Real matter-of-fact. "Squeak." ("We will. Whether we want to or not.") Den¡ªhe went back to bein¡¯ silent. Da air shifted. Nibbles frowned. Mama frowned. Nobody else said a thing. Da Silent Three Are Too Good At Bein¡¯ Creepy Speakin¡¯ of da Silent Three¡­ Dey was fine. Didn¡¯ look tired. Didn¡¯ look worried. Didn¡¯ even look like dey just walked through chaos. Just sat together in da corner, cleanin¡¯ demselves like nuffin¡¯ happened. Mama watched ¡®em. Eyes narrow. Didn¡¯ speak for a moment. Den, finally¡ª "Squeak." ("Ya three feelin¡¯ okay?") Grim nodded. Grit shrugged. Gale licked his paw, wipin¡¯ his face. Didn¡¯ even look up. Just muttered. "Squeak." ("It¡¯s quiet now. We like it.") Mama frowned. A real deep frown. I could tell. She was thinkin¡¯. Hard. I knew what she was thinkin¡¯. She was still tryin¡¯ to figure ¡®em out. We all were. I had too many questions. Where was da Silent Three durin¡¯ da Mole-Rat fight? Why did da rats back off? Why did da Capybara watch ¡®em so close? Why did I feel like somethin¡¯ big was comin¡¯¡ªsomethin¡¯ we wasn¡¯ ready for? Rusty had no questions. Rusty had one thing on his mind. "SWEEK!" ("I wanna fight sumthin¡¯ else.") Mama nearly threw a whole rock at him. ***** Da night passed peaceful. But peace never lasted long. Next mornin¡¯¡ª We got a visitor. A beaver. Big. Broad. Fur patched up wit¡¯ scars. Teeth yellow an¡¯ sharp, always grindin¡¯ together. Eyes cold. He stood at da entrance of our den, watchin¡¯ us. Didn¡¯ say nuffin¡¯ at first. Didn¡¯ have to. Mama stood up slow. Didn¡¯ flinch. Didn¡¯ back down. Just faced him. "Squeak." ("Who are ya?") Da beaver¡¯s big, flat tail lifted. THWACK. It slammed against da ground, dust bouncin¡¯ up from da impact. Den¡ªhe finally spoke. His big teeth clacked together, slow an¡¯ deliberate. Ch-ch-ch-ch. Voice deep. Gruff. ("Chop.") Mama¡¯s ears twitched. She kept her voice calm. Didn¡¯ show no fear. "Squeak." ("All of us?") Chop snorted. Didn¡¯ even blink. His teeth clicked again. Ch-ch-ch-ch. "THWACK." Tail slammed da ground again. Louder. Dirt shook under our paws. ("Jus¡¯ you. An¡¯ dem three.") His head tilted toward da Silent Three. Da den went quiet. My fur bristled. Mama glanced at da Silent Three. Dey didn¡¯ react. Didn¡¯ look surprised. Didn¡¯ say a word. Rusty frowned. "Sweek?" ("Why only them?") Chop didn¡¯ answer. Didn¡¯ have to. We already knew. Mama sighed. Didn¡¯ argue and Didn¡¯ ask questions. Just nodded. "Squeak." ("Fine. We go.") Grim, Grit, an¡¯ Gale stood up slow. Didn¡¯ hesitate. Didn¡¯ even look back at us. Just followed Mama an¡¯ Chop into da tunnels. Den¡ª we was alone. An¡¯ I had a bad feelin¡¯. We wasn¡¯ gonna like what happened next. Chapter 15: Followin’ Trouble Mama always say, ¡°Curiosity don¡¯ just kill cats¡ªit get hamsters in trouble too.¡± Well. I was about to prove her right. ***** Mama, Grim, Grit, an¡¯ Gale disappeared into da tunnels with Chop. Didn¡¯ say goodbye. Didn¡¯ even glance back. Dat was da part dat bothered me. Da Silent Three wasn¡¯ dumb. Dey knew when sumthin¡¯ wasn¡¯ right. An¡¯ if dey knew, why didn¡¯ dey hesitate? Why didn¡¯ Mama? I couldn¡¯ let ¡®em go alone. Didn¡¯ matter if it was a bad idea. Didn¡¯ matter if my paws was still sore from yesterday. Didn¡¯ even matter dat I was already breakin¡¯ Mama¡¯s number one rule. I had to know. So I went after ¡®em silently an¡¯ sneaky. Da tunnels stretched on, weavin¡¯ in an¡¯ out like tangled roots. I kept my steps light. Didn¡¯ breathe too heavy. Didn¡¯ make a sound. Didn¡¯ wanna get caught before I knew where dey was goin¡¯. Chop was leadin¡¯ ¡®em deep. Deeper den da market tunnels. Deeper den da fightin¡¯ pits. Even deeper den where da meanest rodents lived. I almost turned back. Almost. Til I heard Mama¡¯s voice. ¡°Squeak.¡± ("Dis a private meetin¡¯, or we gettin¡¯ thrown in da Pits?") Chop let out a deep ch-ch-ch from his teeth. ¡°THWACK.¡± His tail slammed against da dirt. (¡°Naw. Capybara wanna talk. Dat¡¯s all.¡±) Mama wasn¡¯ convinced. ¡°Squeak.¡± ("Yeah? Cuz last time sumone ¡®just wanted to talk,¡¯ I lost a home.") I pressed closer to da wall. Didn¡¯ wanna miss nuffin¡¯. Chop grunted. "THWACK." Den¡ªsilence. Da tunnel opened up into a huge cavern. I almost gasped out loud. I seen big rooms in da Burrow before. Da fight pit. Da market. Even da sleep chambers. But dis? Dis was sumthin¡¯ else. Glowing mushrooms lined da walls. Pools of still water reflected da ceiling, makin¡¯ da space look endless. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. In da middle¡ª A raised stone slab. An¡¯ on it, sittin¡¯ like a king on a throne¡ª Was da Capybara. He watched Mama an¡¯ da Silent Three. Den¡ª He tilted his head. Slow. Real slow. An¡¯ finally spoke. "Kweek." ("Da three of ya¡­ ain¡¯t normal.") I held my breath. Mama¡¯s fur bristled. But Grim, Grit, an¡¯ Gale? Didn¡¯ even react. "Kweek." ("I watched ya in da fight pit.") His heavy paws shifted against da stone. "Kweek." ("Didn¡¯ lift a paw. Didn¡¯ say a word. Jus¡¯¡­ looked.") "Hup." His tail twitched. ("An¡¯ da rats walked away.") Mama narrowed her eyes. "Squeak." ("Ya got a point?") Da Capybara didn¡¯ answer. Instead, he leaned forward just slightly. Eyes never leavin¡¯ da Silent Three. "Kweek." ("What are ya?") Mama¡¯s tail flicked, sharp an¡¯ deliberate. A warning. She didn¡¯t move from her spot, but her fur bristled, ears twitchin¡¯ just enough to show she wasn¡¯t likin¡¯ where this was goin¡¯. Didn¡¯t matter. Dis conversation was happenin¡¯ anyway. Squeak ("Dey¡¯re my kits.") Her voice was firm, almost bored, like she thought dis whole discussion was pointless. But da Capybara wasn¡¯t lookin¡¯ at her. His focus stayed on Grim, Grit, an¡¯ Gale. Like Mama wasn¡¯t da one answerin¡¯. Kweek ("Dey ain¡¯t like ya.") Mama¡¯s whiskers twitched, but she kept her posture steady. Squeak ("Dey¡¯re smart. Observant.") Da Capybara hummed a low, thoughtful Hup. His head tilted slightly, slow an¡¯ deliberate. Kweek ("Dey ain¡¯t scared of nuffin¡¯ but cats.") I swallowed hard, sneakin¡¯ a glance at da Silent Three. Dey hadn¡¯t moved, still locked on da Capybara, studyin¡¯ him as much as he was studyin¡¯ dem. Kweek ("Dey got sumthin¡¯ different. Sumthin¡¯ powerful.") His voice carried weight, each word steady, like a fact he¡¯d already decided on. Mama, still unreadable, gave a short reply. Squeak ("Dey¡¯re hamsters.") Da Capybara exhaled a deep, rumblin¡¯ Hup. Not quite a laugh. Not quite a growl. Hup ("Nah. Dey more den dat.") Across da room, Chop adjusted his stance, tail twitchin¡¯ just slightly. He didn¡¯t say a word, but dat tiny movement was enough. He agreed. Mama noticed too. She didn¡¯t look at Chop. Didn¡¯t acknowledge it. But her whiskers gave the faintest tremor, her shoulders tensed ever so slightly. She wasn¡¯t likin¡¯ dis one bit. Neither was I. I was too focused on listenin¡¯ to realize I was movin¡¯. A single step forward. Barely even a shift in weight. Didn¡¯t seem important. Til my paw landed on somethin¡¯ loose. A small rock, nestled just right to be a problem. My fur prickled. Ears twitched. I froze, hopin¡¯ I hadn¡¯t actually¡ª CRACK. A tiny piece of stone snapped off da tunnel wall, bouncin¡¯ forward across da dirt. Skipped once. Twice. Then stopped. Right at Chop¡¯s feet. Da room fell still. Not da kinda stillness when creatures are sleepin¡¯. Da kinda stillness before a predator strikes. Chop¡¯s head snapped up. His big yellow teeth clattered together, a sharp, rhythmic Ch-ch-ch. His tail lifted, hoverin¡¯ in da air like an axe about to fall. Then¡ª THWACK! I stumbled back, heart hammerin¡¯, tryin¡¯ not to let another sound slip out. Didn¡¯t matter. Mama had already turned, her fur bristlin¡¯, eyes burnin¡¯ holes straight through me. Squeak ("NIBBLES?!") I thought about playin¡¯ dumb. Pretendin¡¯ I wasn¡¯t sneakin¡¯ around where I wasn¡¯t s¡¯posed to be. But dat glare? Nah. No chance. Chop took a step forward, dirt crunchin¡¯ under his heavy paws. His teeth clicked again, slow an¡¯ steady. Ch-ch-ch. A deep, disapprovin¡¯ sound, like he was decidin¡¯ whether he should kick me out or eat me. Ch-ch-ch ("Ya ain¡¯t s¡¯posed to be here, kid.") I gulped, tryna keep my paws still, my breath even. Didn¡¯t wanna look scared. Didn¡¯t wanna give him a reason. Before I could even try to talk my way out of it, da Capybara lifted a paw. His voice cut through da tension like a blade. Kweek ("Let him stay.") Chop hesitated. His teeth clattered one last time before he slowly lowered his tail back to da ground. Didn¡¯t look at me. Didn¡¯t argue. But da way he exhaled, slow an¡¯ heavy, made it clear¡ªhe didn¡¯t like dis. Mama wasn¡¯t likin¡¯ it either. Her fur stayed puffed up, her paws planted firm. She wasn¡¯t sittin¡¯. Wasn¡¯t relaxin¡¯. Her tail flicked once. Not a nervous twitch. A warning. Squeak ("Why?") Da Capybara finally pulled his gaze from da Silent Three. Now, he was lookin¡¯ at me. An¡¯ da way he did it made my fur prickle. Didn¡¯t feel like he was seein¡¯ a curious hamster who got caught. Didn¡¯t even feel like he was seein¡¯ a burrow outsider. Felt like he was analyzin¡¯ a puzzle. Like I was a piece of somethin¡¯ bigger. Somethin¡¯ he hadn¡¯t figured out yet. His voice was calm. Measured. Kweek ("Cuz da more I watch ya family¡­ da more questions I get.") A cold chill ran down my spine. Didn¡¯t like da way he said dat. Didn¡¯t like how Chop was still shiftin¡¯ his weight, like he was holdin¡¯ back words. Didn¡¯t like how da Silent Three hadn¡¯t moved, hadn¡¯t even blinked. Like dey already knew sumthin¡¯ da rest of us didn¡¯t. Da Capybara leaned back against his rock, stretchin¡¯ his paws out like dis was just another conversation. But I wasn¡¯t fooled. His ears twitched, his claws flexed, his tail rested just slightly lifted¡ªlike he was still waitin¡¯. Still calculatin¡¯. Kweek ("Sit, little one.") He flicked his tail in a slow, deliberate motion. Not a command. Not a request. Just a statement, one he expected to be followed. Hup ("Listen close.") I glanced at Mama. She didn¡¯t argue. Didn¡¯t tell me to run. Didn¡¯t break eye contact with da Capybara. Cuz she knew¡ª We was already trapped in dis conversation. So I sat. An¡¯ I listened. An¡¯ I prayed to whatever hamster god was out there¡ª Dat I wasn¡¯t about to regret it. Chapter 16: A Deal in da Dark Mama always say, ¡°A good deal leaves both sides feelin¡¯ like dey got robbed.¡± Which meant, right now? We was about to get screwed. I sat where I wasn¡¯t s¡¯posed to, starin¡¯ up at da Capybara sittin¡¯ on his rock throne. His paws stretched out, his tail lay flat, an¡¯ his eyes? Watchin¡¯. Calculatin¡¯. Didn¡¯ matter dat Mama was bristlin¡¯ like a porcupine. Didn¡¯ matter dat da Silent Three was sittin¡¯ perfectly still, too still, like dey wasn¡¯t even breathin¡¯. Didn¡¯ even matter dat Chop was still twitchin¡¯ like he wanted to grab me by da scruff an¡¯ throw me down a tunnel. Dis Capybara? He was takin¡¯ his time. Kweek ("Been watchin¡¯ ya,") he finally said, his voice low, slow, draggin¡¯ over da words like he was chewin¡¯ on ¡®em. Kweek ("Watchin¡¯ all of ya, but mostly... dem.") His paw flicked toward Grim, Grit, an¡¯ Gale, who didn¡¯ so much as blink. Mama crossed her arms. Squeak ("Ya want somethin¡¯. Spit it out.") A small chuckle rumbled from deep in da Capybara¡¯s chest, more felt than heard. Hup ("Smart.") His tail flicked against da stone. "I do want somethin¡¯. Da question is¡ªdo ya want what I got?" Mama¡¯s ears twitched. Didn¡¯ answer right away. Didn¡¯ say no, didn¡¯ say yes. Dat was a bad sign. Meant she was actually thinkin¡¯ about it. Da Capybara leaned forward, big paws pressin¡¯ into da rock beneath him. Kweek ("Word¡¯s spreadin¡¯. Ya family caused a stir. Fights, whispers, rodents askin¡¯ questions.") His gaze drifted back to da Silent Three. Kweek ("Some are scared. Others are... curious.") I swallowed hard, fur pricklin¡¯ at da back of my neck. I didn¡¯ like da way he said curious. Didn¡¯ like da way he was lookin¡¯ at my siblings like dey was somethin¡¯ to be studied instead of sumone to be respected. Mama¡¯s voice cut through da air, sharp as broken glass. Squeak ("What¡¯s da offer?") She wasn¡¯t playin¡¯. She wanted da deal now. Da Capybara smiled. Just barely. Hup ("Stay. Join us. Ya family earns protection. Food. A future.") His paw gestured at da massive underground chamber around us. Kweek Kweek ("Ain¡¯t many places left for rodents like us. Ya got a choice. Take what¡¯s offered... or fight for scraps ¡®til da cats sniff ya out.") Da room went still. Da Capybara¡¯s words hung in da air like damp moss, weighin¡¯ heavy on all of us. Even Chop wasn¡¯t clickin¡¯ his teeth no more. Dis wasn¡¯t jus¡¯ a casual offer. Dis was a decision dat couldn¡¯t be undone. Mama didn¡¯ answer right away. Didn¡¯ take da bait. She let da silence stretch, let it breathe, like she was testin¡¯ if da Capybara would flinch first. He didn¡¯. Instead, he just watched her, patient as a still pond, like he had all da time in da world. I glanced at Grim, Grit, an¡¯ Gale, wonderin¡¯ if dey was gonna say sumthin¡¯, if dey already knew what was gonna happen. Dey didn¡¯. Didn¡¯ even look fazed. Jus¡¯ waitin¡¯. Finally, Mama¡¯s tail twitched. She exhaled slow. Squeak ("We stay... on conditions.") I sucked in a breath. She wasn¡¯t refusin¡¯. She wasn¡¯t acceptin¡¯ blindly, either. She was bargainin¡¯. Da Capybara¡¯s ears twitched, just slightly. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Not surprised. Maybe even expectin¡¯ it. Kweek ("Let¡¯s hear ¡®em.") Mama held up one paw. Squeak ("One¡ªwe ain¡¯t fightin¡¯ in no pit, no matter what kind of rules ya got.") Da Capybara nodded. Didn¡¯ seem to care much about dat. She lifted a second paw. Squeak ("Two¡ªmy kids don¡¯ belong to ya. Ya don¡¯ command ¡®em, ya don¡¯ own ¡®em, an¡¯ ya sure as hell don¡¯ test ¡®em.") Her eyes locked on him real hard at dat last part. She wasn¡¯t stupid. She knew exactly why he was interested in Grim, Grit, an¡¯ Gale. An¡¯ she was darin¡¯ him to say it out loud. Da Capybara was silent for a moment. His tail flicked, paws shiftin¡¯ slightly against da rock. Kweek ("Done. But ya still answer to me while ya here.") Mama nodded. Dat was fair. She lifted a third paw. Squeak ("Three¡ªwe leave when we want. No chains, no threats, no traps.") Chop¡¯s tail lifted, his teeth grindin¡¯ again. Didn¡¯ like dat part. Didn¡¯ like da idea of rodents comin¡¯ an¡¯ goin¡¯ freely. Da Capybara stayed real still. Didn¡¯ speak right away. Jus¡¯ let da weight of da words settle. Den¡ª He nodded. Kweek ("Done.") A Choice Dat Ain¡¯t Really a Choice Mama¡¯s shoulders relaxed. Not by much. Jus¡¯ enough to show she knew she¡¯d gotten da best deal she could. Didn¡¯ mean she liked it. Didn¡¯ mean she trusted it. But she took it. An¡¯ dat¡¯s what bothered me. Mama didn¡¯t like takin¡¯ deals. Didn¡¯ like owin¡¯ no one nuffin¡¯. Didn¡¯ like settin¡¯ roots in places dat could crumble under our paws. Yet here she was, acceptin¡¯ a deal from a rodent bigger den all of us combined. I glanced at da Silent Three. Still quiet. Still unreadable. Like dey already knew dis was how it was gonna go. Maybe dey did. Maybe dey understood sumthin¡¯ I didn¡¯t. Or maybe... Dey just didn¡¯ care. I clenched my paws, diggin¡¯ my claws into da dirt. Squeak ("We coulda said no.") Mama didn¡¯ look at me. Didn¡¯ break her stare from da Capybara. Her whiskers twitched¡ªjust barely. Like she was holdin¡¯ back words she wasn¡¯t willin¡¯ to say in front of him. Den, real quiet¡ªso quiet I almost didn¡¯ hear it¡ª She muttered: Squeak ("No, we couldn¡¯t.") Dat hit harder den I expected. I looked around da chamber again, eyes bouncin¡¯ from da glowin¡¯ mushrooms to da still water reflectin¡¯ da stone ceiling. We wasn¡¯t just stayin¡¯. We was trapped. Da Capybara¡¯s deal was a cage wit¡¯ an open door. Da kinda cage where leavin¡¯ was still an option¡ª But da second ya tried, Ya¡¯d realize da door wasn¡¯t open no more. Da fur along my back prickled. Rusty Ain¡¯t Gonna Like Dis I could already hear Rusty¡¯s complaints in my head. "SWEEK! ("We shoulda kept movin¡¯!") "SWEEK! ("I don¡¯ trust dat big rat!") "SWEEK! ("Let me bonk him!") Yeah. He was gonna lose his mind. But right now, none of dat mattered. Mama had made da call. An¡¯ just like dat¡ª We was stayin¡¯. Da Capybara didn¡¯t smile. Didn¡¯t congratulate us. Didn¡¯t say nuffin¡¯ about how we just joined his kingdom, his game, his world. He just sat there, watchin¡¯ like he was already thinkin¡¯ ten steps ahead. Like he knew dis wasn¡¯t da end of da conversation¡ªjust da beginnin¡¯. Finally, he raised one heavy paw. With a slow, almost lazy motion, he gestured toward Chop. Kweek ("Show ¡®em to their place.") Chop¡¯s tail lifted. Not in aggression. Not in anger. But in annoyance. He didn¡¯ like dis job. Didn¡¯ like wastin¡¯ his time on newcomers. Didn¡¯ think we was worth much. His big teeth clicked together. Low. Steady. Not a threat. Not yet. Just a reminder. Ch-ch-ch ("Follow me.") We followed. Didn¡¯ know where we was goin¡¯¡ª But it didn¡¯ matter. We was goin¡¯ anyway. Da tunnels stretched deeper den I thought possible. At first, I figured da Burrow was just one big chamber, maybe a few side rooms, some hidey-holes. I was wrong. Da deeper we walked, da bigger it got. Tunnels twisted in different directions. Some led to dens, packed tight wit¡¯ creatures curlin¡¯ up in nests made of cloth, leaves, an¡¯ stolen human scraps. Others opened into storage chambers, where nuts, berries, an¡¯ seeds sat piled in careful stacks. Everywhere we passed, creatures watched. Eyes peekin¡¯ out from burrows. Tails twitchin¡¯. Whispers followin¡¯ us through da tunnels. I caught glimpses of mice an¡¯ rats, their small bodies dartin¡¯ between crates. A group of chipmunks gathered near a pile of stolen cloth, sortin¡¯ through scraps like tiny merchants. A prairie dog chewed on a root, his beady eyes followin¡¯ our every step. Even a chinchilla, sittin¡¯ atop a rock, glanced up from cleanin¡¯ his fur to give us a long, slow stare. They all knew. Knew we wasn¡¯t from here. Knew we wasn¡¯t one of ¡®em. Yet. Mama walked wit¡¯ her head high. Didn¡¯ react to da stares. Didn¡¯ acknowledge da whispers. She acted like we belonged here, like she wasn¡¯t second-guessin¡¯ her decision. Like dis was jus¡¯ another tunnel. Me? I wasn¡¯t as good at pretendin¡¯. I stuck close behind her, keepin¡¯ my tail from brushin¡¯ against da walls, ears twitchin¡¯ at every voice I couldn¡¯ quite understand. Dis place was full¡ªnot jus¡¯ wit¡¯ bodies, but wit¡¯ tension. Like every single creature here was tryin¡¯ to survive. Tryin¡¯ to climb higher in a world dat didn¡¯ have space for weakness. Dis wasn¡¯t a home. Dis was a system. A machine. One where ya either fit in... or got crushed. Chop didn¡¯ say much as we walked. Didn¡¯ explain nuffin¡¯. Didn¡¯ tell us da rules. Cuz he didn¡¯ need to. We¡¯d figure it out. Or we wouldn¡¯t. After what felt like forever, Chop finally stopped in front of a tunnel dat dipped downward into a smaller chamber. Not as big as da others. Not as fancy. But ours. For now. Chop¡¯s tail smacked da dirt floor once. A dull, solid sound. Thwack. Ch-ch-ch ("Dis ya space. Don¡¯ wander too far.") He turned to Mama, his gaze sharp. Ch-ch-ch ("Rules get broken? Ya deal wit¡¯ it.") Mama nodded, tail flickin¡¯. Squeak ("Understood.") He snorted. Didn¡¯ say goodbye. Jus¡¯ turned an¡¯ walked off, tail draggin¡¯ behind ¡®im. I waited til he was gone. Til his footsteps faded. Den let out a breath I didn¡¯ realize I was holdin¡¯. Mama turned, takin¡¯ in da space. It wasn¡¯ much¡ªa dirt floor, a few cloth scraps shoved into a corner, an old crate tipped on its side like a makeshift wall. But it was dry. It was warm. An¡¯ for now... It was ours. I glanced at da Silent Three. Dey didn¡¯ react to da new space. Didn¡¯ explore. Didn¡¯ even look all dat interested. Jus¡¯ sat down like dey been here a hundred times before. Like it didn¡¯ matter where dey slept. Mama sighed, sittin¡¯ down against da crate. Her shoulders sagged slightly. Not much. Jus¡¯ enough for me to see dat she was tired. I swallowed. Stepped forward. Squeak ("Mama...?") She glanced up. Didn¡¯ say nothin¡¯. I hesitated. Looked at da dirt, at da scratches along da walls, at da faint smell of other rodents dat had lived here before us. Squeak ("Did we make a mistake?") She was quiet for a long time. Den¡ª She exhaled. Ran a paw over her whiskers. An¡¯ finally muttered: Squeak ("Don¡¯ know yet.") Dat was da scary part. Not da tunnels. Not da creatures watchin¡¯ us. Not da Capybara¡¯s plans, or da deal we just got locked into. It was da fact dat even Mama wasn¡¯t sure. An¡¯ if she didn¡¯t know¡ª What chance did da rest of us have?