Not Just A Rat

I don’t really remember my mother; I’d only had my eyes open a few days before I was pulled from feeding and thrown into a small cage away from her and four sisters. The cage was big enough for me, had two stories and a little house but I was very lonely. I watched my mother and sister in the tank across the room play, with tearful eyes.

I was never taken out of my cage like my mother and sisters and often I wasn’t feed when they were. I learnt to hid a few blocks just incase. The girl that feed me throw a small handful of food in my cage, the blocks would fall down and hit me. I learnt that when the cage door opened, I should hide.

I learnt many things while stuck in the cage that seemed to get smaller and smaller. I learnt that I was to big to hid in my house, and screaming for help wouldn’t bring help. I learnt that if you need help, help yourself. I chewed through the tasteless plastic and made the door big enough for me to get out of. I no longer ran to the house when the door opened, I hid down the back of the cage while she throw in my food.

Then came the day a new face opened the door, she placed her hand in towards me. I had nowhere to go I was trapped; I sniffed the hand and bite hard. The new face I saw was also a girl only her fur was the same color of mine, dark brown, not the colour of the wood shavings in my mother’s tank.

She cried out and turned towards the wood shaving haired girl and spoke to her in a tongue I did not understand. I was disappointed to see I didn’t draw blood. The girls disappeared for a moment and returned this time the Dark Furred Girl was wearing thick skin over her hands. She put her hand back in and again offered me her hand. I bite it but she didn’t pull it back. She scooped me up. I twistered and turned, trying to get out of her grip. I bit and bit but the second skin was too hard for her to feel it. I screamed at her to let me go. She spoke to me in her weird tongue before placing me in a small plan cage with only a small orange thing. I nibbled it, it was sweet tasting.

The cage rocked back and thought. I wanted it to stop but it went on and on. Finally it stopped and the cage was placed down. I sniffed the air. It was full of interesting new smells. I liked it. The Dark Furred Girl open sat down next to the cage and spoke in the tongue I didn’t understand. Her tone was calming and smooth. She open the lid at the top of the cage and reached a hand in. I sniffed again, the smell it was there. She was holding a little white disk. I sniffed at it but backed away. [1]This had to be a trick[1/]. She held it there by turned her head away. [1]maybe if I was quick I could steal it, while she wasn’t looking?[1/] I decided if I was going to act I had to do it now. I darted forward and grabbed the disk in my mouth and darted back.

The girl turned and smiled at me, and spoke again in a calm tone. She disappeared from view, and dropped the disk and picked it up in my hands and took a small bite. It was the tastiest thing I’d ever eaten, it was sweet and creamy.

The Dark Furred Girl returned with a rat in her hands, for a moment I thought it was my mum, but a double take told me it wasn’t. The Dark Furred sat on the grown legs crossed and placed the rat on the ground. I looked at the rat, a female, with hooded patterns like me.

She came over to my cage, “Hi Remi, I’m nibbler.” I frown at the name Remi.

“I don’t have a name. I think you’re confusing me with someone else.”

She laughed, “No you didn’t, my pet named you Remi.”

“Your pet?” I asked.

Nibbler turned at looked at the Dark Furred Girl. “Yes, my pet. I own her. You do too now.”

I nodded my understanding, “Are there any other rats?”

“Nope just us. That’s my cage.” She turned towards a two story wire cages with lots of toys and places to climb. It was 50 times bigger than the cage I was in. But after all she a girl and I’m the unwanted guy. “That’ll be your cage.” She turned to the cage identical to her own in all but color. It didn’t have any toys in it. But the thought of living there was a dream.

“That’s m…my cage?” I stuttered.

“Yep our pet is just setting it up for you.” I turned to look at the Dark Furred Girl who was digging through bags pulling out water bottles, food dishes, brightly colored wooden toys I couldn’t wait to chew.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. [1]I was going to live in there?[1/]

“I’m really going to live there?” I asked.

“Yep right next to me. So we can talk all the time. I’ve never had a friend before. Last time I saw another rat was a year ago. Our pet took me in a week ago, before then a guy was my pet.”

“I was living in a tiny cage where I could barely turn around, I wasn’t being feed.” I remembered sadly.

“My last pet looked after me, I don’t know where he didn’t want me. Maybe I bit him one to many times.” Nibbler said. “I’m sorry your last…pet wasn’t nice. But our new one is. She spends hours with me, and gives me lots of yogi drops.”

“Yogi drops?” I asked having never heard the words before.

“Yeah she gave you one before, the white circle thing.” Nibbler explained.
“It was really nice.”

“Yeah, all you have to do to get on is brusk. Then she’ll give you one.” Nibbler continue at a fast pace. “Look I’ll show you, pay close attention.” Nibbler walk over to The Dark Furred Girl and climb on to her knee, turned around in a full circle, eyes lit up. She was beautiful.

The Dark Furred Girl picked her up and kissed her, scratching her behind the ear as she spoke to nibbler in the calming tone. I picked up the words Nibbler and Remi in her speech. Nibbler grinds her teeth and talks like a baby, chattering nonsense. The Dark Furred Girl holds Nibbler to her chest as she reaches into her pocket, pulling out a bag full of yogi drops.

I stare stun at nibbler as The Dark Furred Girl stands and walks towards the cage I’m in. She places Nibbler back on the ground in front of me and gives her a yogi drop, before turning and opening door to my cage and offering me one. I take it quickly, eat half and hid the rest under the paper covering the bottom of the cages.

The Dark Furred Girl laughs and I hear the words Remi and yogi drop. Nibbler laughs as well.

“She says she’s not going to take you yogi drop from you Remi.” Nibbler is still laughing.

“I’m just saving it for later,” I say feeling embarrassed.

“Our pet will just give us another one later,” Nibbler smiles.

A voice in the same tongue as what The Dark Furred Girl speaks, yells out. This voice is calm and nice sounding like The Dark Furred girl. The Dark furred Girl sighs and stands scooping Nibbler up and placing her in her cage before living the room.