A shy little mouse wearing white robes crept along a rocky path. A
plump little rodent who’d be considered a delectable catch by most
of the meat eaters in the forest, her meekness was understandable,
especially as she was creeping into the territory of a huge notorious
python. Whiskers twitched as she scented the air, and scanned back
and forth. . . . no. . . no python nearby. She’d learned her lesson
two days before, she’d look to the sunning rock to see if the
python waited for her ther

The mouse’s steps were heavy, and her expression unusually somber
as she made her way home. It was tempting to dwell on her meeting
with her love that morning. But she was alone in the woods, and
survival must come first. Long honed habits, and occasional reminder
to herself that her love would want her back whole once he’d fed,
ensured she’d keep her head up, keep glancing back and forth, keep
paying attention to the outside world. She vaguely wished a fox would
come after her, or some s

Walking tall, well, as tall a she could, staff in paw, the mouse made
her way up to the familiar gnarled tree looming against the horizon.
It had been over a week since she’d made the journey, and while she
had told him about the gazelle, she expected he’d be wondering why
she’d been away so long--well, she had mentioned the gazelle to
him. She’d purposefully come early, and so she waited a while,
nibbling a berry. The territory around the owl’s tree was rich with
nuts and berries, all

The day was clouded. There was no rain.
. . but little light. Resting out near a pond, a python could be
seen. His tan form was slender, and he’d rest curled with open
eyes. Snakes, creatures of a cold nature, would typically stay
huddled in their nests and await the sun’s warmth. And even with
that warmth, serpents preferred to bask upon a stone to gather more
warmth or lay hidden within cover. This one did neither. Instead
he’d lay in the open, along the cold dirt ground. . . almost as

The grey rat would shake his head,
sighing long. This conversation was clearly taking its toll. His ears
were drooped, his head was lowered, eyes getting to be a little
heavy. One by one, the white mouse before him, named and described
members of his family. Not ones she had seen personally. No, most
listed would probably have thought to hunt the mouse should they have
crossed her. Instead the account was taken from another source: A
cat, which had claimed them.
The mouse bowed her head, paw rub

The sky was dark, with a cool haze
filling the night air. A nervous grey rat laid hidden in the grass,
watching. His head would turn behind, and he'd go about positioning
himself toward a near burrow, in preparation: Standing out in the
forest without a clear escape route was dangerous. And at night. . .
near suicide. Owls were a great threat to a rodent with poor sight,
and the fog only made it worse.
”OOOOH-HOOOO. . . .”
”OOOOH-HOOOO. . . .”
Tarik froze. The sound was that of an
owl,

A lanky grey rat would walk along the
grass. His were movements slow. . . hesitant, with lightly drooped
ears. He wouldn’t look behind, not yet, but was certain beyond all
doubt he was being watched. Watched. . . by a predator. It
wasn’t uncommon for a rodent to suffer paranoia in the wild,
especially after several close-calls: Tarik certainly had enough of
those. The thought wasn’t at all unjustified, he had just left a
snake’s nest after all, and was not yet out of sight. He’d pass

It was late in the morning, the sun’s
light shining quietly over a small pond. A pond, a source of water so
near the forest, would usually be gathering of life. Small creatures
all about, wishing to drink, eat or rest. And yet, there would look
to be only but a few instincts buzzing abou,with no birds near to
claim. The nest which rested just beside the waters, could be thought
to blame. Anyone who ventured close enough would know the area was
territory for a large serpent. Those among large f

It
was early in the morning, and the burrow walls were cold, so early
that only the a barely distinguishable light coming through the
cracks of the burrow entrance would reveal it was morning at all. The
cold would ameliorated by the presence of a furry rabbit, together
with a thick layer of fur, a mix of mouse and rabbit, lining the
floors. The burrow as clean and highly civilzed, with containers of
water, a large wash bowl, and bags of food stored neatly in a corner.
By now it would be decorat

Tabatha
would lower her head and stare down at the rat, yellow cat’s eyes
unblinking. “I met a clever young rat named Vivek by this stream,
just as I’ve met you. When I offered him his head start, not only
did he approach me, but he proposed we play a game of riddles
instead.” The cat smiled wide. “I was intrigued he’d be so
bold. And so we set the rules. They had to be riddles both of us
could understand, nothing only a cat or a rat could comprehend.”
The cat’s voice was a monot