Rat in the cottage (extension)

Rat fixated his determination on the table top; dinner tonight again, no failures. Flexing his body muscles he dropped into a crouching position ready to pounce. Then, his footwork scattered all over the ground but moved rapidly in one straight direction. Pain swelled up his tail as his body was thrown backwards, landing on his butt. Dazed and confused, he searched the room for his assailant.

“What do you think you’re doing?” A giant head came into view.

“Yikes!” Rat squeaked and held up both arms in defense. “Don’t eat me!”

His assailant mrowed in amusement. “Cats don’t eat rats, they’re too dirty!”

Her words bludgeoned hard into this chest. “But my companion was …”

Cat snorted disgustedly. “Typical house pets - they don’t know food and poison. That poor kitty must be lying somewhere dead!”

“So,” Rat looked up innocently, “Not going to eat me?”

Letting out a deep sigh, she replied. “No. I don’t want to get tummy ache if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Why did you stop me then?”

“Look at that stinky table! Don’t tell me you’re going to eat that!”

“Erm, yeah.”

Cat’s eyes rolled in disgust, “Rats.”

Shaking her head in disgust and resentment, Cat bit down on Rat’s scruff and stalked over to the neighbour’s fence. The other side had a mini cottage with a fat animal wearing spiked necklace and snoring away. Rat thought this must be a ‘dog’; an animal more fearsome than cats but less agile.

Puzzled at the sight he glanced up to Cat who waved at Dog’s direction. He got the hidden message - Cat wants him to steal food from it.

Drawing a deep breath, he pounced ahead but was once again pulled back with an annoyed hiss.

“I didn’t ask you to do it alone, we do it together! Am I that scary to you?”

Rat nodded vigorously.

“Find, trust me, I mean no harm alright? We do it, together.”

Rat nodded. For the first time in his life he felt fulfilled something which never crossed his mind.

Together they leapt off the fence and stealthily crept up the dog house where fresh food waited. Leftovers it may be but it beats the skunk fields anytime. Once they had their fill, Cat delivered Rat back home again but this time to a top part of the house he never been to. It was absolutely dark but Cat had her way around this place.

“Here, we rest here today.”

“Why are you so kind to me?”

“Because both of us need to eat and it’d be better if I had to friend to go with?” Cat rested thoughtfully on her paws. “I grew up where the rooster’s pen across the bridge, I was following the moonlight and came here! I thought it was a nice change so I settled in.”

With that Cat gave Rat a few gentle licks on the head before dozing off. Rat boldly rested beside and the smile returned to his face as he drifted off to dreamland.