“The entrance to the tunnels. They will take us to the city. So we can see Archings. Keep up.”
With a shot, Randy had set off. Charlotte was still frazzled; a nap would definitely be in order soon.
She felt different, though. Not just the whole being a mouse thing. This was actual excitement.
Reaching the first hurdle on their journey took less time than expected. The piles of clothes were climbable, but it would be much easier to weave through the gaps. “I can remember most of the route from when I came through,” Randy announced confidently. Charlotte stared at the mounds of t-shirts, jumpers and other clothing around her. It all seemed impossible that she wore any of this; look at her now. She glanced down at herself, fuzzy white fur from hand to foot.
This was the instant she noticed she wasn’t wearing anything. Human embarrassment swelled up, and if her face wasn’t made from paper and she wasn’t a mouse, you’d likely see rosy cheeks beaming out at this point.
“Wait, Randy! I need some clothes; I’m not used to this. I’m naked.” Charlotte had begun to search for any shred of material or anything she could use to cover herself up. “There’s no need to worry about. You’re not human anymore. Only a few of us bother with clothing like that. Definitely not when we’re outside; it hinders movement.” Randy explained, with the odd twist, that the clothing concept wasn’t foreign to mice; they were just smart enough to hide the fact they knew from humans.
Mice are very clever creatures. There have been many examples of different behaviours to show this over the years. We've got mice that can be taught the concept of currency and paying for their treats. Most recently, in my timeline, we had a mouse that decided it would create a crypto-currency start-up (the currency is called SQK) with a community that focused on charitable efforts for the betterment of mouse livelihood. Wild.
Randy spied Charrlotte’s face at this stage, noticing the panic and discomfiture. He knew she was new to this, and it would take time for her to adapt. “Fine, here…” Randy approached the nearest pile and found the corner of a dark navy blue shirt poking out. With a few scratches to mark out the segment he was taking and some nibbles with his teeth, a piece was removed. Another moment later, he had poked a hole big enough for a pinky finger or a mouse head to fit.
“Come here, let’s try this.” Randy beckoned her. She lowered her head, and he seated the swiftly made cloak over her head, being careful not to come in contact with the mask. The eyes had settled at this point, no longer swirling with energy and seemingly having no power to alter the state of beings. The pale jade green colour they had agreed on was continually bewitching; he stared momentarily before realising she was staring right back.
He stepped back. Looking over Charlotte with admiration for his work. “Pretty good, I think, could do with being a little shorter, but it’ll do for now.”
Charlotte’s concealed cheeks had only grown more flushed. She wholeheartedly appreciated the cloak and was mildly befuddled about the little staring match that just took place. That hadn’t happened for a while. She hadn’t even looked someone in the eye for that long in what felt like forever.
“Thanks. It’s perfect.” The eyes on the mask tightened upward, and if her mouth had been visible, you would definitely have spotted a grin.
“Let’s keep moving then. No time to waste, it’s still quite a way we have to go, and time gets more precious the longer we wait.” Randy set off again into a light run, weaving through the valleys. Occasionally, he would stop and pause, scanning for landmarks he’d memorised to track the route.
All Charlotte could do was follow. Her thoughts were all condensed on what could possibly be where they were going. Would any of it be like the towns she’d imagined as a child to go along with the story of the little mouse? There was no expectation for rainbow bridges, and she was sure this would be a more elaborate journey. The image she saw in her mind of the cans as houses and streets lined with mice of all varieties had become vaguer at this point. The stress of transformation had taken its toll.
Her vision became sharp again; she watched Randy dashing and planning ahead of her. He had also transformed from the bragging joker to being quite determined. Randy was more of a grown-up than she’d first thought. He appears to know what he’s doing and seems resourceful too.
The blushing had started again. Silly thoughts, Charlotte thought. Regardless of anything else, she was glad he’d found her. A mental note was made to ask him more about his life when things become calmer.
Randy froze. With a sniff, he dashed to the side of the valley, dragging Charlotte with him. “What’s going on?” Sensing the fear in him. Then she heard a scratching, similar to the sounds she’d started detecting around her flat when she was still human. A way down this valley, a trio of mice charged out from one of the junctions roughly half a metre away.
The pair at the back had large backpacks. One was much stockier; his chest almost caught on the floor while running, and his face looked rougher. Bits of fur were sticking out in odd directions, and he had smaller sharper eyes that almost looked solely made of pupils. The second was on the wiry side, but even with his more petite frame, he was much bigger than Randy and had no problem with the weight on his back. The hair atop his head was flowing forward, obscuring his eyes from view; this made it look like he could not possibly see where he was going, but his nose was twitching furiously as they approached.
The leader looked like he shouldn’t have been their leader if it was based just on physical appearance. He was much smaller, around the same size as Randy, with a similar fur colour. He had a much more graceful run to him, and he held his head higher than the others when he ran.
Randy pulled Charlotte furiously into the mounds of clothes, not concerned with anything but escape. “What’s going on, Randy?” Charlotte tried her hardest to get information from him while he yanked on her arm. “We can’t be spotted. I can’t believe they found me. Now of all times.” She could hear a tremble in his voice.
After a few minutes of digging and churning through layers of clothing, they stopped. Randy checked to see if he could detect them, nose twitching wildly. Nothing. He slumped and released an almost visible sigh of relief, chest collapsing.
“Can you explain what that was now? Who are they?” Charlotte pleaded for details. She had not expected a roadblock like this at this stage. “They looked dangerous. Are you in some sort of trouble?”
Randy lifted his head and begrudgingly dragged words out. “The two at the back are hired goons by the looks of it. They probably come from the under-city. Not a nice place; it’s a black market of sorts. If you need something prohibited, you go there. If you need mice to do forbidden things, you find them there.”
“What things would they be hired to do? What does that have to do with you anyway?” Charlotte’s voice had calmed. Panic was still charged within her, but being calm, Randy comforted her.
“Murder, most likely. We have written rules that most mouse-kind follow. Some don’t, of course, but there is a general consensus that we don’t kill our own kind, take care of the ones who need aid, and try to do what is best for all of us.” Randy pulled his legs into himself. “Banishment is the usual punishment for going against this. We have a monarchy that can alter proceedings for this as well. They only hold so much sway, though. The citizens of any given area are their leaders and make their own decisions.”
“So, why are they here?” Charlotte understood but still needed to understand the most critical part.
“They’re here for me. I knew they were hunting me down. I just didn’t think they were this close.” Randy pulled himself tighter.
“The leader, he’s my older brother. I call him Art; his full name is Artemis Tosker. He is the crown prince of our monarchy and usually resides in the city we’re going to.”
Charlotte looked puzzled. “Your brother!? Why would he hunt you?”
Randy’s eyes closed, and he placed his head on his knees. “I was born. I lived. Our father has started to notice more of the underhanded dealings Art is involved in. He doesn’t want him to rule. So, he believes I am a threat. I never wanted to take his place.”
Randy had started to quiver. “I love my brother. I loved him.”