title: Becoming Mortal - A Microcosm Tale aliases: [] tags: [FA] author: [SlysterK] id: [49452522] date: 星期三, 十月 19日 2022, 10:00:47 晚上 modified: 星期三, 十月 19日 2022, 10:22:00 晚上

[TOC]

Becoming Mortal - A Microcosm Tale

Author: SlysterK Source: Becoming Mortal - A Microcosm Tale

Prologue - Walking Among Mortals

His finger traced lightly across the cool metal. Across the barrel threaded with electronics that sent tingles through his finger. Across the boxy mass of battery and casing that powered this strange device. Across the strange tube of green energy that pulsed like a heart. And finally across the trigger and its guard, where his finger paused. He depressed it slightly. Not enough to fire. Enough to show he could do it. That it would take so little to bring it about.

Three-hundred and fifty dollars. That was the price for his life. Three-hundred and fifty dollars to a drunk laid off janitor who had given him the key to ending everything. He remembered when the drunk first showed him it. Shrunk a rock to a pebble. It was so…surreal, and amazing.

He had worried it might not work on people, but the janitor had been adamant. It would. It worked on everything. People, objects, animals. The lab had used them all. And then discarded the ray gun and them like trash.

That's why it had been perfect for the lion.

The lion breathed a sigh and walked away from his computer desk, settling onto his unmade bed instead. Hands tapping atop his lap as he mulled everything over. Was it fate that brought this to him? First time out of the house in weeks, and he found this? Maybe. But he wasn't going to squander this.

He'd already left the note on the dining table in the living room. Left it with this month's rent and a bit extra...he wouldn't need it anyway. It was meaningless anymore. He closed his eyes and ran his hands through his ragged mane. Should he finally shower before doing it? Clean himself up, like a body prepared for an open casket funeral?

...Nah. Fuck it. Why waste the time or energy? Not like he would last long enough for it to matter.

For a few moments, he just sat there. Memories running through his head like a film on loop. They say your life flashed before your eyes when you died. But why did it have to flash in such a way that reminded him of who wasn't here anymore and all the good times that would never return? His eyes started to feel warm as wetness drifted down his cheek fur.

No. No crying anymore. He was done with this misery. That's what this was about.

His hand rose to wipe the tears away before he was walking towards his desk once more. His eyes were open and focused on that cold metal object. He picked it up, his finger slipping under the trigger guard. He felt its weight. It felt good. His hand rotated the gun around in the air a moment as he thought how to do this. Where exactly to aim.

Sure, he wouldn't need to point it at his head, but it still felt the most right. It’d be awkward just pointing it to his chest, or shooting his foot. No matter where it’d hit, it’d shrink him anyway. Him, his clothes, everything. No idea how it worked, but he wouldn’t complain. Was there a point to even selecting somewhere special? He paced a moment before deciding on just going with the obvious.

Slowly, he lifted the barrel to his temple. Felt the muzzle dig into his flesh. His teeth gritted and his eyes fell shut again. This was it. Did he want this? Did he really want this? It'd be the end. The end of him. All because of...yeah.

That's why he wanted it. That's why he needed it. So he breathed in and out.

Then he pulled the trigger.

Even behind his eyelids, the world burned green. His head spun like a ship in a storm.  His stomach would have voided its contents if he had bothered to eat. He lost his balance and fell. There was a massive crash, like a plane slamming into the earth at massive speed, breaking apart. The rending of metal against metal.

And then...silence. Only the ringing in his ears and the pounding of his heart remained.

It took some time for him to get the confidence to open his eyes. He did so slowly. The ceiling of his bedroom came into view. White and rugged. Yet now, it seemed to stretch out for miles. His gaze shifted. Beside him was the shrink ray. Or what was the shrink ray. It was massive now, the size of a small building. The device had dropped from his hand and shattered on the floor, now left sparking and hissing.

It was completely dead.

His body ached, but he managed to force himself to his feet. Far above, what was once his desk now towered over him, having become a mountain of cheap fiberboard, and the feeling of Todd’s new size washed over him. Despite how terrifying the image should have been, it made him smile. He had done it. Shrunk down to micro size, to die as he indulged himself. Giving in to his fantasies, and likely getting stomped like a pest by his former neighbors. Maybe that cute doe in 204. It was perfect.

He walked across his floor slowly, taking in how even his smallest former possession now dwarfed him. Each piece of his furniture could contest Everest for height. The door to his room, distant as it was, felt like a portal a god could walk through. Unwashed clothes he had strewn around without a care now formed landmarks in his path that were both strange yet alluring. It was magnificent.

The living room brought with it similar yet distinct sights. The familiar made awesome, the boring now fascinating. Even his couch, once merely a place to watch TV, eat snacks, and play games, was now a landscape unto itself. For years he had imagined this. Wondered what it was like ever since he saw those pests around his childhood home. This is how they saw things...and how he had wanted to.

He paused as he reached the midpoint in the apartment. His gaze was now on his front door. Beyond it was a new world. Beyond it was his death. Beyond it was his ticket to escape all of this. It made him-

"Pssst!"

The lion's whole body tensed at the voice. He was home alone. He knew he was home alone. Yet that was someone making a deliberate noise. Who-

"Pssst, you there!" It was a whispered yell, oddly close yet still far. The tone was desperate, as if something hinged on the noise and words that were spoken.

With a shaky breath, he turned around and...nobody was there. Nobody above him. No giant about to end him. Just his-

"For goodness sake, are you completely daft? What are you doing out there?" The voice came again, yet nobody was in sight. He looked in the vague direction of the voice, yet there was no towering figure in that direction. Just emptiness.

The lion was starting to wonder if he was going mad due to side effects of the ray when he saw it. A flicker of movement underneath his couch. A silhouette of a person. It made him blink. The figure waved at him, as if it knew it had been spotted. An urgent wave, one of summoning and a desperate need to bring someone closer. He was in shock, yet his mind autopiloted his way towards the figure obediently.

As he got closer, the silhouette shifted into a hare. Lanky, tall, and clothed in what seemed like makeshift clothing. Two bags hung from his shoulder, and what looked like a needle was pinned to his waist by a belt that looked like it was made from those threads on the edges of carpets.

"Have you gone utterly mad, what are you doing walking around so exposed?" The hare demanded as he gestured wildly towards the direction the lion had come from. "I am aware the big one that lives here has not exactly been too active lately, but do you have a deathwish?"

In the face of the question, the lion remained stunned. It was one of them. The vermin. And...it was talking. Like a person. They always made sounds, but he never knew they could talk. Not like a person. Not like a person... His mouth slowly opened, but nothing came out. It just hung wide as his mind flew a mile a minute over this.

The hare stared at him before waving his hand in front of the lion's face. "Hello...anyone home? Can you understand what I'm saying, or are you simply an utter nitwit?" A frown formed on the rabbit's lips as he glanced up and down across the lion's form. A huff escaped his nose. "...Did you just get here? Crawl in through the vents? Bet you were hoping for an easy meal after they trapped your last refuge, hmm? You look like you just crawled out of a trash pile, or perhaps your own grave."

"I…" The lion uttered the syllable as he was trying to understand the flood of information that was flying in his face. His eyes blinked blankly for a moment longer before he breathed in and out. What had been a path laid before him clearly was gone in seconds. "...I am lost."

"Clearly." The hare replied, his tone losing its biting edge and slipping into something more akin to pity. "You are lucky you blundered your way to this particular place. The big one that dwells here, he has not been around. The local village believes he is suffering some form of illness. Apparently he keeps to his bedroom and rarely leaves it. I did hear something from there a short time ago, so I think he is still inside. But, regardless, your elders should have at least had the decency to teach you not to wander a giant’s home so carelessly."

"Elders?" The hare stared at the lion as he asked the question, with a look that suggested suspected madness.

"Your teachers. Your mentors. Your literal elders. Your parents even. Whoever showed you how to survive." The hare acted like it should be obvious. Perhaps it sort of was.

"I...guess I wasn't taught well. I don't know." He looked out towards the rest of the room. It felt stranger now. Like the board for a game whose rules he didn't learn.

"You do not know?" The question had a great deal of incredulity behind it.

The idea came to him as he stared at his former living room. The vastness of this new world stretched before him, and it called upon adventure stories. It was a cliche, somewhat. But he was now born again in a new world. So he'd be the blank slate he now was.

"I don't really remember anything before waking up here." The lion answered as he looked back to the hare. "I know I'm not from here. Or I don't feel I am. But beyond that, I'm...lost, as I said."

Silence fell between the two. The hare stared for a time, then rubbed his temples with a sigh. "...Fate is an irritating thing. Always brings me burdens, never windfalls. But, I am not heartless. I am not going to leave you to die. I will take you to the local village, but in exchange you shall help me gather food so I can fulfill my contract. I do not tolerate deadweight and slacking, regardless of amnesia. Understood?"

"Yes. I do." The lion nodded, and then offered his hand. "Thank you. My name is...Todd. I think." Perhaps lying about amnesia was a bad way to start a relationship. But, in Todd's mind, claiming the truth would likely shut the door on this new world before him.

The hare stared at the hand before reluctantly shaking it. "You can call me Falm. Simple wanderer. A pleasure and so forth. But, this has been enough time wasted. Follow me. The villagers told me this big one has left a reasonably large mess of crumbs, and now with your help, twice as much of it can be taken to them. It will be…"

Falm kept going as he led the pair towards the dining room table, but Todd zoned out. He felt something in his chest. It was warm. It was comforting. It was...excitement. For the first time in a long time, excitement radiated inside him and made him feel something other than an empty chill. This was the start of a new life. Full of mystery and wonder...and probably death.

But you know what? That was okay.

Chapter 1 - Walking Among Mortals

To be honest, Todd had never considered himself athletic. He was, at his heart, a nerd. Hours of sitting about every day after college, finishing up homework before spending hours (probably longer than he should have) playing video games before collapsing into bed to rise again the next day. Sure, he got some exercise walking the distance between classes. His little bit of cardio for each day. But it had been nothing compared to climbing around his apartment the size of a bug, filling a bag made of what he thought was the remains of a sock with the crumbs he himself had dropped on the floor and left on the kitchen table in the past. It put his lack of athleticism, and perhaps lack of cleanliness, in a new perspective. Of course, this all had given him an utterly massive change of perspective.

“Are you even paying attention?” The voice pierced like a dagger into the lion’s thoughts as he blinked and looked ahead of him. The hare had stopped midwalk to turn to face the lion, and if he hadn’t said something Todd suspected he would have barreled into the rabbit. The thought made him squirm in discomfort slightly before he sheepishly shook his head.

“No. Sorry. Just...bit lost in my thoughts. All of this is still a little...new.” It was the understatement of the year, but Falm would have no idea the double meaning behind that. The amnesia lie was one of convenience, but it did at least somewhat disguise the fact he was awkwardly staring down every vent passage as they wandered the metallic corridors that were filled with dust and debris.

“I understand you are still gathering yourself, but for your own sake and my own, do pull your mind away from its wandering. If the wind blowers start up and the temperature drops, you risk freezing in those clothes of yours. I assume you stole them from a giant’s doll or some such. They are far too thin and I have no idea why you’d think they were practical. But, digressing…” He paused and sighed, shaking his head and starting to walk. “Come on. We still have a good distance to Raf-Ojuh, and I doubt you enjoy lofting that bag any longer than I do.”

Falling into step behind him, Todd adjusted the bag on his shoulders. They were indeed already aching, along with his whole back. Honestly, his whole body was. He never expected to use a piece of string and a paperclip as a grappling hook to climb his own kitchen table. The fact he hadn’t passed out was because he was driven by the pure adrenaline of excitement, and perhaps an...odd relief he hadn’t died. His suicide had already gone so far off the rails, he wasn’t sure if he still desired it. But he shook that thought away, for the moment and focused on Falm again. He didn’t want to keep being rude to the one person who he’d met in his new life.

“You keep talking about a village. Are you from there?” The lion’s question received a laugh from the rabbit, oddly deep and somewhat mocking.

“Raf-Ojuh? Goodness, no. I did not come from some mousehole hidden inside a home of the big ones. You would have to be stupid to willingly live in these places. No, no. I come from...well, an island of green in the sea of stone and metal buildings to the north. And, before you ask, yes it was a long trek. No, a tragedy did not drive me away. I suspect my kin are still quite safe under the tree by the great water. It is easier there. The big ones may be less predictable, but they are also easier to hide from and take less care to guard what they drop.”

Island of… Shepard’s Park? Was he talking about Shepard’s Park, the old urban forest park up on Hannigan and Art? He did always hear that place was vermin infested, but when...what the hell was he doing? Vermin infested? Why the fuck was he still using that word? Vermin didn’t talk. Vermin didn’t think and feel. Biting his lip, he knew he’d have to fight that thought pattern for awhile and decided to just move on from it. “I see. Do you miss it? Why’d you leave?”

“Questions, questions. That is all you have been today, even about the obvious. You sure whatever knock you took did not perhaps completely dislodge your brain?” Falm gave another, more subtle laugh as he guided them onwards down a turn in the vents. “Regardless, sometimes. But, well, let us just say that...I followed a desire to learn. To learn about the world of the giants that existed beyond my homeland. So, for four years, I have wandered. Crossed plains of burning black stone where great metal beasts flew by at speeds you would not believe, killed chitinous and furred monsters who thought me a snack in the depths of underground barrows with my needleblade, and entered buildings of the big ones that seemed as if they would reach the heavens. I explore and observe, in search of answers.”

Falm’s words came to a brief pause, before continuing in a bitterly solemn tone. “Most of all, I observe the giants. I have watched the big ones from the shadows when they thought themselves alone. Even with their strange rituals and ways, there are patterns. Actions that show they are not simply beasts. Once, I watched a big one kill another of their kind with a massive blade. They can bleed, despite what some think. Giants are far from gods. Even if Raf-Ojuh has one of those damn cults in it worshipping the bastards. Fools...” His voice trailed off until suddenly the rabbit cleared his throat. “But, regardless. I am getting off track. I am happy traveling and learning. I scrounge what I can, and in exchange for sharing the burden of gathering food and such, I stay at mouseholer villages when I need to. And now, I am apparently a rescue service as well in your case.”

Todd nodded at Falm and offered a slight smile towards the rabbit. “Sounds like quite a life. I...don’t know if I could survive doing that.”

“Oh, you certainly could not.” Falm replied matter of factly. “But there is no shame in that. Everyone has their purpose. Even if you must cower in a mousehole, at least you can find some way you can provide for yourself and others. I am sure once your memories return, you shall find your way back to your path. Or maybe they will toss you out for being worthless. Either way, you will live somehow.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, Falm.” They shared a little chuckle and then the road continued in a somewhat amicable silence. Twists and turns followed, and Todd’s back hurt more and more. He honestly was starting to feel he would genuinely collapse before they reached their destination. But finally, they reached a vent and Falm gestured between the slits. They carefully moved their bags through the gaps and slid onto the other side. They were in a hallway, but he had no idea where. There weren’t any doors here in the grey walls, and the lights were flickering. Was this down in the basement? How the hell did they get down here? Still, Falm wasn’t stopping to let Todd get his bearings. Instead he picked up his pace even and headed over towards what seemed to be the wall on the other side of the passage. A couple pipes ran a short distance off the floor, and it was then Todd noticed something. Hanging from one was...a rope? A tiny rope, gently fluttering in the ventilated breeze as they approached.

“This will be tricky, always is. Never understood why they chose a dangling rope over carving a tunnel into the stone. But I suppose that is what paranoia and irritation comes when you live in a mousehole. Come then, up we go.” There was no real ceremony to it, Falm just started hoisting himself up the rope with ease. And Todd watched him, suddenly feeling like he was back in gym class in high school. This rope was nowhere as long as that one, but still. This would be pain. His hands slowly reached out and grasped the rope. It was shaking more with Falm climbing up it, and he had to adjust for the wiggles as he grasped it firmly. It was then he realized it wasn’t a rope. It was...oh jeez, it was dental floss. Please don’t be used, he thought as he started to pull himself after the rabbit.

“Todd, you are lollygagging! I am not about to stay out here this exposed for very long.” The rabbit called as he reached the top. Desperation mixed with what little of his adrenaline made the lion double his efforts, and eventually he reached far enough Falm was able to pull him up the rest of the way. Together they scurried along the pipe, and Todd had a somewhat higher viewpoint of the hallway. Definitely the utility part of the basement, far away from the laundry room the residents used. Nobody came down here but the super and occasionally the maintenance guys when something broke, if they were even called. No wonder the micros had hidden themselves down here. Eventually, they found a crack along the pipe. It seemed wider than Todd expected, and even looked partially chiseled by tools, but he supposed if he was...still big, he would never have given it a thought. Which was a thought unto itself.

Into the crack they crept, barely able to fit their bags. But slowly, the crack opened up into a tunnel. Carved, with even small supports. It was dark, but somehow Falm knew the way. He took Todd’s hand after a while to guide him as it grew nearly pitch black, not even asking but dragging the lion along in his wake. Eventually, however, a light appeared from the dim gloom. Distant and flickering. Todd blinked, honestly uncertain what to expect. But it grew and grew, until suddenly...it emerged. 

Raf-Ojuh.

It made Todd’s mouth fall open in that stupid way it had when he first met Falm. Quite honestly, he didn’t know what to expect. But here, carved into the very brick and concrete of his apartment’s foundation was a settlement. A real, proper settlement. In front of him was a wall of some kind, a simple barrier constructed of what looked like...Lincoln Log block toys, but carved up and converted into a palisade. What looked like a tupperware container lid had been modified into a gate, lifted by a surprisingly complex series of pulleys. And Falm was leading them towards it.

As they got closer, two figures standing on a platform above the gate came into view. Distant voices drifted from them, though Todd couldn’t tell who they were directed to. Until they got a bit closer.

“Halt in the name of the Guard of Raf-Ojuh!” Declared a squeaky voice that was trying to sound authoritative.

“A-all travelers must declare their intentions!” Added another similarly squeaky voice, if less confident. Falm ignored both, simply walking up towards the gate. The figures turned to each and seemingly chattered to one another, while Todd just followed Falm’s example.

“I said Halt! Halt!” The first voice squeaked. Now they were close enough that, instead of silhouetted by the dim light that came from behind the wall, the two figures were visible. And their appearance made Todd do a double take. The two were mice, dressed as...what he could best describe as guards in a fantasy RPG. They had those hat-like kettle helmets, except theirs were made out of what looked like bottlecaps. And they had round chestplates made from...were those dimes? Except painted over, with a symbol on them Todd didn’t recognize. Maybe a letter? It would have been adorable, if not for the fact they completed their little outfit with weapons. Makeshift halberds, crafted of some wooden pole with an entire razor blade attached to them, that nonetheless looked well crafted. Falm didn’t seem concerned, however.

“And here I was hoping you two idiots would not be here. Open the gate, or I swear I shall climb up there and lodge those cutsticks into the deepest and darkest of your crevices!” Falm called up as he finally came to a halt a few feet from the gate, his hands on his hips and his eyes narrowed at the two mouse guards.

“F-Falm? Is that you?” The second voice asked, now clearly a little more masculine than before.

“Of course it’s Falm, who else is that rude?” The first voice, more feminine, declared to the second with a sigh. Her vision then turned to Todd, and she seemed to stiffen as she realized the lion was there. “W-wait! Who is that? Where did they come from?” The mouse adjusted the ‘cutstick’ in her hand, and her fellow guard did the same.

Falm removed a hand from his waist to rub his temples before he looked back to Todd. “Todd, meet Gahr and Goyle. Loyal defenders of this ‘wonderful’ mousehole. And, utter imbeciles. And you utter imbeciles, meet Todd. I discovered him whilst scrounging, and he is in need of assistance. His memory has vanished and he has no idea where he is, so I lead him here to prevent him suffering a tragic fate. He is likewise carrying crumbs we gathered together. Do you know what that means, buffoons? We have twice the expected haul, and we are both very fatigued as a result. So, once more I entreat you to open the gate, or so help me-”

“There’s no need to be so mean! You’re always so mean, why do you do this?” The man, Gahr, asked in a voice that sounded genuinely hurt.

“Maybe they teach them to be rude at the island of green. Maybe they’re all a bunch of rude, rotten rabbits.” Goyle, the woman, replied bitterly before huffing. “Fine. We’ll open the gate. But if that stray causes trouble, we’ll-”

“Do absolutely nothing. Tell me, do you even know how to properly fight with those cutsticks? I cannot imagine you do. Now, just…get us inside. Please?”

“H-he...he said please!” Gahr declared as if he didn’t believe the word was in Falm’s vocabulary.

“And he was rude while saying it. Big surprise. Come on Gahr, let’s open the gate.” With those words the two vanished from atop the wall, and swiftly after the gate creaked to life and rose upwards. Falm gestured for Todd to follow and the lion did so without hesitation. He really needed to find somewhere to sit down.

As the two entered into the walls, Todd just looked around. Buildings were stacked like boxes, made out of seemingly whatever materials the micros had found. Popsicle sticks, biscuit boxes, plastic toy bricks, and more crafted the walls and roofs of the tenement-like structures that clustered the single main street that seemed to make up the village of Raf-Ojuh. Micros dashed about the street, and merchants hawked their wares from medieval market stalls. It felt like he had almost stepped back in time, if he wasn’t aware he was just small.

“Did you have to be so rude to those gate guards? They just seemed like they were doing their jobs.” The lion asked after a few moments more of weaving through the crowds in the street. The question earned something between a sigh and bitter chuckle.

“When I first arrived, those buffoons made me wait outside the gate for two hours. They claimed it was proper procedure, even though I later learned it was because the idiots had jammed the gate and ran off to find someone to fix it without informing me.  As I had just gotten here after a twenty day journey,  I was tired and thirsty. Very tired and thirsty. I had no supplies left. I wanted to rest. Yet I had to stand there for two hours, without the slightest bit of courtesy. Be it shared food or even their deplorable company to pass the time. They are lucky my tongue is the only thing I lash them with.” The rabbit huffed again and shook his head. “I have no idea why the supposed ‘Guard Captain’ employs them. He appears of a decent sort. Not quite as good as the Master Scrounger, but he at least apparently knows how to defend the city from a vermin attack.”

Todd knew the words, but not the meaning. It was all just going over his head, but he supposed he’d learn in time. He’d gone through his own journey, and quite honestly, he was tired himself. But it seemed they still had somewhere to go in the twists and turns of the village road. “I guess that makes sense. I’m sorry that happened. But...um...to change topics. Where are we going?”

“Village storehouse. We present them with our haul, they portion out our cut, and then...well, I suppose we shall have to find you a place to stay. I cannot offer you a room with me, as it is a tavern room only built for one. But I am certain we can find somewhere for you to make your home.” It made sense. Though Todd suddenly wasn’t sure what sort of accommodations he’d be getting. He was used to a warm bed and modern conveniences. This was going to be odd. His mind flashed through various rustic ideas as they continued on their journey, until suddenly Falm stopped in front of what appeared to be a large, flat building made of wood scraps. “This is it.” He declared, before walking to the door.

It was a surprisingly busy place. People were coming and going, and once inside there appeared to be lines where people were picking up various goods that were stacked up or bagged in various lots. There was a pile of cotton balls, rolls of torn fabric, a stack of various carved sticks, more toy bricks stacked like a construction site, and yet other items. Falm ignored all of them, passing the lines as they headed towards the back of the entire place. There, there was a man at a...well, it seemed like a desk stolen from a toy set somewhere. In contrast to it’s civilized look, atop it was what appeared to be rips of paper towel covered in writing, though Todd didn’t recognize the letters. And behind him was a small stack of carefully piled sacks and boxes, some which seemed to smell of...food.

“Soud. Got a good and proper load for you. Two sacks full of crumbs.” The rabbit declared to the man, removing his bag and settling it atop the desk. The man sighed and instantly shifted around his paperwork to prevent it from being covered. Todd waited until a spot was available before silently setting his own bag down.

The man, an owl, stared at both bags a moment before looking to Falm and then Todd. “Who is the lion?” It was the voice that one would expect every bureaucrat to have. Dry and firmly aware of their own importance.

“This is Todd. I found him while completing my assignment. Helped him back here, in exchange for his assistant. That is not important, however. I am tired and I desire rest, so I beseech you to weigh the food and portion out the shares so we can be out of your feathers.” The rabbit gestured to a pair of makeshift scales off to the right, hidden behind some bags that smelt of spices. The owl sighed and examined both bags before gathering them up and moving to the scales.

One bag went on one half, and the counterweight varied. First was a tiny coin of some kind. Then a removable eraser from a mechanical pencil. A large screw, or at least large for them. Bits of junk that all served to help the owl somehow determine exactly how much was in each bag. Falm watched with his arms folded, and Todd just sort of awkwardly observed without any idea how this was going. Finally, after a great deal of time, the owl nodded and returned to his desk.

“80 mouthfuls per bag. Fine work. Now, as per our contract, you will be getting a share. Do you intend for your partner here, whatever his name was, to get a share?” The owl wrote down more scribbles on his makeshift paper, using what the lion thought looked like a piece of charcoal. It was somehow advanced and primitive at the same time.

“Yes, of course. I am not in the business of screwing people over, Soud. Unlike certain individuals.” The words were pointed, and made the owl’s eyes roll.

“Hmm, yes. Well then, our standard split is twenty-five, seventy-five. You and your partner will decide how to divide the twenty-five amongst yours. So that comes to-” Falm slammed his fists down on the desk, making the owl practically squawk as the rabbit leaned forward to get in his beaked face.

“What in the gods’ names, Soud?! No, no! As the contract indicates, twenty-five and seventy-five to the scrounger. That means he gets twenty-five of his bag, and I get twenty-five percent of mine. That is how this damn well works, and you know it.” There was a genuine fury behind the rabbit’s words, unlike the sardonic bitterness that had been there before. It was...slightly terrifying.

Taking a moment to pat down some of his rankled feathers, the owl folded his hands and stared Falm dead in the eyes. “I’m afraid not. If you did that, your cut would be fifty percent of your scrounge. Thus, you get-”

“No, no. You are not screwing me over again, you fat foodpincher. Todd and I put in a great deal of effort to bring in these crumbs, and you will reward us properly. We are providing the aid you and your ilk so desperately need after all, or have your missing scroungers all reappeared suddenly, hmm?”

Missing scroungers. The words repeated in the lion’s head several times, his fingers rubbing against each other as he thought about what that implied. ...He always used nonlethal traps. Or cups and paper. He didn’t like even killing spiders, let alone micros. Was he responsible? When was the last time he had one? ...Falm, he supposed. Would he have even noticed Falm if he hadn’t gone through with this? He could have stepped on him, accidentally. A whole person, gone in a moment. His stomach sank at the times he had done that. God, he...he’d killed people. He’d killed actual living, breathing people. Even on accident, it was...still manslaughter. And god, there’s an entire aisle he’s passed in the supermarket dozens of times filled with poisons meant to kill these people…

He took a breath in and out, trying to suddenly level himself off. Falm and the owl were still yelling, so he turned away from the two to try to find something to hold onto and recenter himself. And he found it in the form of a woman that was standing a short distance away.

Staring at him.

Cold reptile eyes stared down a pointed snout at him. A hand rested atop what seemed to be a thumbtack carved and sharpened into a dagger that hung from her belt. She wore what he could best describe as patchwork mountain gear. A coat maybe made of a patch of leather stolen from a real leather jacket mixed with fluff that came from a fuzzy sock. Tight pants made of sewn denim or something like it, with attached pouches. And boots that were steel-toed, or perhaps more accurately copper-toed with wiring. All of this came together in an image of a hunter. And the way she eyed him made him feel like prey. The lion raised a hand and just waved to her meekly. Her head shifted to the side at the gesture, but she otherwise remained still. And staring. Then suddenly, she was walking. The lion tensed and his fingers wrapped around each other in a death grip. He waited for the worst. She came closer and closer. And then, she passed him.

“Soud. Give Falm what he is asking for.” Her words rasped out with the same icey chill that her eyes gave off as she stood at the tables side, as close to between the two as she could. “We’re barely making food quotas as it is. A double haul deserves a proper reward…” She paused and looked at Todd again. “For both scroungers.” The two had halted in their bickering and stared in rapt attention at the woman. After a moment, Falm smiled.

“Master Scrounger. It is good to see there is still one person in this village that has sense.” He chuckled while the owl was looking incredibly flustered all of a sudden.

“And that’s precisely why we need to dole it out this way, Master Hythe. If-”

“Give him what he asks for, Soud. Do not make me go to the Head Broker. It is my right as Master Scrounger to provide rewards to those that carry out their tasks. I am invoking that right here.” Her hands shifted behind her back as she simply looked at the owl. Waiting. While he drummed his fingers on the desk before sighing.

“Fine. But I will be writing a formal complaint to the elders.” He owl declared as he gathered some bags of his own to start shifting the crumbs into. Falm muttered something under his breath, presumably an insult, and the owl glared at him for a moment before continuing.

The lion watched all of this in silence. And when it ended, he sighed. But then he realized the woman, this Master Scrounger, was staring at him again. And suddenly she was in front of him. Face to face. Looking him over. “You are new.” There was no question to the words, simply an observed fact plainly stated.

“Ah, yes, Master Scrounger. This is Todd.” Falm said, seemingly glad for an excuse to get away from the owl and all that was involved with him. The declaration of the lion’s name made the slitted eyes of the woman grow smaller, though Falm didn’t seem to notice as he continued. “I found him in the home of the big one you sent me to. The man is rather lost, literally and mentally. He has amnesia, and as a result has bumbling about like a newborn kitten. Of course, he helped me scrounge, and so I helped him come here. I imagine Raf-Ojuh would be a good place for him to get his bearings.”

The woman didn’t respond. Instead, she circled around Todd and observed him in that chilling way. It made him shiver. Falm sighed and shook his head at the whole affair, though he seemed rather...blaise about the fact Todd was being eyed up like a meal.

“Now, now. There is no need for you to be like that, Master Scrounger. I p-”

“I am careful about those that enter Raf-Ojuh, Falm. You know this. You experienced the same.” The woman interrupted without removing her eyes from Todd. The lion continued to rub and tighten his fingers together as he was utterly silent. Anxiety filled him, and it locked him in panic mode.

“Yes, but I believe you are scaring him just a bit too much. I vouch for him. He was of surprising help gathering crumbs. Had a nose for all the spots the big one dropped them. I think you could use him.” Falm was being oddly supportive and kind in the moment. Even reaching out a hand to pat the lion’s shoulder as he stared at the woman with a ‘what the hell are you doing’ face.

“I see.” A pause from the woman, and finally she shifted her gaze to Falm. “Does he have a place to stay?” The question made the lion’s stomach twist again for some reason.

“No, not yet. Once we got our shares, I was planning to see if we could find him one. I do not sup-”

“I can house him.” The woman interrupted yet again. “If he is as good as you say, I wish to speak with him. Perhaps we can...restore his memories. With time. And words.” Those slitted eyes were on him, irises as thin as needles. Falm just sort of looked between Todd and her a moment before frowning.

“Is there something going on here I fail to understand? Do you know him?” He was just as out of the loop as Todd was. Though perhaps not as utterly terrified as the lion was. The woman didn’t respond to Falm’s question, and simply kept staring. The lion’s anxiety spiker higher and higher, until it broke him.

“I don’t wish to be a burden.” The lion finally squeaked out in a tiny voice. His gaze fell to the floor, to get away from the woman’s stares.

“You would not be. You are a guest in this village. And if you are a talented scrounger, you are worth having. There is no need for you to spend your crumbs to find housing. I would not want you to give away something so precious when you have so little, after all.” The words were reassuring unto themselves, but the tone had not changed. And his fur on the back of his neck was still raised because he knew he was being stared at.

“He would not have to,” Falm declared and tightened his grip on Todd’s shoulder. “I would happily pay for it. I do owe him for his help, and I have a decent personal store. It-” The words were halted by a snort from the woman, hot air that the lion could feel even from this distance.

“Falm. I assure you, this is fine. I insist. Housing Todd would be my pleasure. Go gather your crumbs and go rest. You had a long day.”

“Ma-”

“Falm. Go. Rest. You can see Todd tomorrow. Do not test my patience.” Those words made the lion want to run, but he couldn’t. He was frozen with his eyes on the floor as his only ally’s hand slowly fell away from his shoulder. His footsteps went towards the table, the ruffle of fabric signaled something being grabbed, and then the footsteps went back to them. There was a pause, and then they headed away...and faded into the distance.

Finally, Todd looked up. The woman’s stare had indeed not moved. “Get your food. Then follow.” She commanded in the same way she had commanded Falm. Todd hesitated for only a moment before quickly heading over to the desk where his partially emptied bag was waiting. The owl was trying to mind his own business, still scribbling away at his towel paper. He spared the lion only a glance, fleeting and quick, before returning to his work. There would be no help from him. He then turned to the woman, who was still watching him. She gestured to follow, and started walking. The lion fell into step behind her.

They left the storehouse and went back into the street. In the time they had been inside, the street had calmed slightly. Perhaps it was getting towards the evening. There was no way of telling time inside a wall, but the atmosphere of the village gave it off. But Todd couldn’t appreciate the atmosphere as he followed the woman through the crowd and clutched the bag he had been given tightly as if it could provide him security against this woman, whoever she was.

Twists and turns followed. The buildings shifted from stacked tenements to more singular houses. Carefully crafted, like a home DIY project intended to be displayed on a shelf. But these were lived in. Lights glittered in their windows made of plastic and other transparent materials. People shifted about inside them. They were real homes. With real people. And yet despite the life inside these homes, and even the stragglers in the streets, Todd had never felt more alone than as he walked behind the woman. Finally, they reached a home that was built of wood pieces that looked scavenged from a birdhouse. Where they’d find a birdhouse in an apartment complex, he didn’t know. But it was homely. Carefully painted a mix of blue and red, with little flower decals dotting the sides as if to mimic a garden. It was fairy tale, but right now it felt more like the Witch’s Gingerbread House where he’d be cooked alive than anything else.

The woman opened the door and silently gestured inside. Once more the lion obeyed without any commentary of his own. He entered inside and looked around. Chairs made of matchsticks and buttons surrounded a thread spool table. A bed made of a matchbox frame, with tissue sheets and a packing peanut pillow stood in a corner. A couch that looked like it was from a Victorian dollhouse stood in another, beside a...a bookcase? It looked like a bookcase, filled with scrolls or some kind of writing material. When the door closed behind him, he looked back at the woman. She was standing in the threshold, staring at him. Silence fell upon the two.

Eventually, Todd cleared his throat. “Thank you for hosting me, Master Scrounger.” More silence followed the words. Then the woman walked up to him, until her face was directly in his.

Her eyes burrowed into his own, and it made him step back slightly.

Suddenly her fist was in his stomach. The world spun all around like it had when he had shrank. He was on the floor before he fully comprehended what happened. His vision was blurred and his head swam from the pain. But as he regained composure, he saw the woman was standing over him. Still silent. Still cold. Still watching. And then, she spoke.

“How did you do this?” The question provided no context as to what she meant. It was asked, and the answer was expected to be obvious. It took a moment to answer, as the air had been knocked out of his lungs by her blow.

“W-what are you-” The woman’s boot slammed into his side and he let out a cry from the pain. Stars flashed in his eyes as he spasmed on the floor from the blow.

“How? Did you? Do this?” The question was punctuated and the ice had melted into fire now. A hateful fire that spit itself from her lips as she stared down with eyes that were practically closed. Todd was fighting through tears of pain to see it, but it still made him aware this woman was a monster.

“P-please, I...I don’t-” The woman crouched down, placing a knee on his chest and pressing down hard till he struggled to breath. She hissed like a feral creature and bared her sharp teeth down at him. A cut off yelp of fear was all he could manage with her weight atop him. Suddenly, a sharp object then slammed beside his neck, less than an inch away. Her dagger, with her fist balled around its hilt.

“Do you think I am stupid? That I lack any intelligence? I’m just some tiny pest, yes? A mindless vermin. We simply crawl around in the dirt and live in holes, we don’t think or feel. We’re just animals.” Every syllable was hissed and sounded less like words and more like guttral, hateful cries of a long forgotten monster. “I know what you are. How did you do this?”

The lion’s lips quivered like a child about to cry as tears of pain and fear rolled down his cheeks. “F-Falm-” He croaked out through haggard breaths, but he was interrupted as suddenly he felt the sting of metal cutting into his Adam’s apple as the dagger shifted from being beside his neck to against it. It pressed in, enough he felt blood draw forth and mingle with the fur there.

“Do not dare speak his name! You are unworthy of having his name on your tongue. He is saving us, and you manipulated him. You chose him, right? He didn’t know who you were, so he was an easy mark. A few simple lies to get here. But I know what you are. I will not let you turn him or my home into some toys for your sadistic pleasure. And I will not ask you again. How did you do this? How did you get to our size?”

The lion’s head continued to spin from pain and lack of oxygen. Terror gripped his throat and made it close. He was going to die. He didn’t want to die. It was all so clear, staring death in the face, that he really didn’t want to die. Not anymore. Not when he had finally started anew. Yet he was staring into the face of his murderer, and there was nothing he could do. His lips would not move and his mind couldn’t think of what to say. Until suddenly the knife pressed deeper into his neck, and he gasped one single word.

“S-suicide!”

The knife stopped pushing. But the woman still stared at him, face unchanged from hate. “What?”

It took a few forced breaths, but the lion was driven by desperation and forced each word out. “I-I was try-ying to k-kill...kill myself-f.” Sobs punctuated his hoarse words. How fucking funny the universe was. He started out today trying to kill himself, and now he had to explain himself to avoid dying. If he could avoid dying.

“I do not like jokes.” The woman hissed, but the dagger didn’t press back again. She just stared at him.

“I-I...I’m n-not jok-king. I-I had...h-had a dev-vice. U-used it. I-it made m-me sma-all. S-still in...in m-my ro-oom. You…y-you can c-check, I-I swea-ar.” More choked words, gasped begging as he stared into the eyes of his killer. Suddenly, the knee on his chest shifted and he could breathe a bit easier. He gasped and dragged as many mouthfuls of air into his lungs as he could.

“That doesn’t prove you were trying to kill yourself.” Yet despite the hints of disbelief, the woman still had easing off slightly. Slightly. The dagger to his neck had not yet left. His miniature Sword of Damocles that threatened to fall.

“O-okay...okay. On my dining room table. There’s a note. A suicide note. I don’t know if-look, you can probably read. If you can, read it. It’s all there. I swear. Go yourself, send someone. I don’t know, but you can check! It is there!” He was getting a bit desperate, even if he could now breathe. The woman stared at him for awhile longer as he continued to recover. Then she rose up and sheathed her dagger, leaving Todd to his agony. She vanished from his view for a few moments, before returning with what looked like more dental floss. She kneeled beside him, grabbing his legs and wrapping them up, and then forcibly doing the same with his hands. He was in too much pain to resist. And too desperate to survive to even try.

When she was done, she looked to his face. Her expression still held the same hatred as before. “If you are not here when I return, I will hunt you. You will not find a single hole you can crawl into that I will not track you to. I promise you that.” With that, she stood up and walked away. The door opened and closed. And then all he was left with was the pounding of his heart in his ears and his ragged breath and the sobs he couldn’t choke down. Maybe he should have just shot himself. Used a real gun. It would have been quicker than this. It wouldn’t have hurt like this. Why does it always end in hurt? Why can’t he just be lucky for once?

He wasn’t sure how long he was laying there. It was like the opposite of how it felt when he was lying on his room floor. There was no relief here. No sudden realization that he was freed from his burdens. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for it to collapse and kill him or an angry mob to come drag him into the street to beat him to death. Or for that woman, the Master Scrounger, to come back and just slowly torture him to death, bleeding him dry with her dagger. He knew his life, why did he expect this would have gone well? It went as it always did. He found Falm so life could give him hope, and then had it taken away in the most painful way possible. It just felt...different this time. It felt truly like a new start. A new world, beneath the old one.

He closed his eyes and tried to shake the thoughts away. He’d wanted to die. Now he didn’t. But he had no choice. So he might as well take it with dignity. The lion called upon the breathing techniques his therapist showed him to calm his mind during his depression episodes. They never worked, and still didn’t, but they gave him something to focus on right now. Something other than the others. Other than the dread. Other than the wait. Time kept passing, and he kept floating through the techniques. Yet a weight of panic remained lurking beneath his every attempted evasion action. Until suddenly, he heard the door open. And then close.

No steps followed. No sounds of somebody coming closer. Just dead air as he kept his eyes closed and waited. Waited for his death. Waited for the end.

“I am sorry for your loss.” It was the voice of the woman. It was less hissing. Less hateful. More the icy calm it was when they first met. And it confused the lion immensely with what it said.

“What?”

“Your father. I am sorry for your loss.”

Oh. Todd opened his eyes. All he could see was still the ceiling. And it hurt too much to try to move. “T-thank you.”

“You are welcome. And, you are odd.” Now there were footsteps and the woman appeared above him. “Why like this? Why do you crave the deaths we fear?” He assumed she meant the method he described in the note. That if he was found, he’d just be a bloody smear.

“I don’t know. I’ve always thought about it. Being small. Seeing the world from a different perspective. Like I was just vermin.. But I didn’t know about this. I didn’t know that-”

“We weren’t vermin.” The woman interrupted simply. Todd nodded as best he could, and a silence took over.

Eventually, Todd sighed and closed his eyes. “If you’re going to kill me, could you please just do it. I don’t want to keep waiting.”

A series of quiet, breathy hisses escaped the woman. A laugh? A chuckle? “I’m not going to kill you.”

Todd opened one eye and stared at her, tensing slightly. “Why? Going to let a mob do it instead? Please. I just...want to die quickly. I don’t want to-”

“I have no intention of letting anyone harm you, unless something changes.” The woman’s words were firm. Emphasized. “But I have questions.”

“More?” The lion worried this would just result in another beating.

“Yes. I examined the cabinets in your kitchen. Under the water source. There was no poison. None in the bathroom. You all keep poison. Where is yours?” Even with her ice, there was an audible hint of curiosity and perhaps confusion in her words.

“I don’t use it. I use non-lethal traps. They’re in the closet, by the door.” The words hung in the air for a time as the woman stared at him.

“What did you do with the people who you trapped?” The ice was a bit colder now. Though the lion could understand that.

“I put them outside. I don’t...I swear, I have never willingly killed or tormented any of you I’ve found. I swear on my life, on my father’s gra-”

“I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Stories from those who encountered you, and returned, support your claims. That doesn’t absolve you. But I will not condemn you for something I cannot prove. Moving on. Why are you here?”

The lion stared at the woman a moment before slowly replying “...You brought m-”

“In Raf-Ojuh. Why did you come to Raf-Ojuh? Why did you help Falm?”

Oh, duh. Sheepishly, the lion looked away slightly. “It was an accident. I was walking on the floor, after I, well, did this. Falm saw me. Called me to me. I didn’t know you could...talk. I was in shock. And then I was curious. I didn’t tell him who I was because I wanted to, you know, not come off as insane. And learn. About you.”

“Why?” It was as if the woman really couldn’t understand. Why he cared about it, why he was interested.

“Because, like, okay. You changed my understanding of the world. Entirely. So I wanted to know. It’s like meeting an alien, if you...know what that is. I mean, in reverse, would you not want to learn about...us? To speak to us, to understand how we work? To learn more about the world?”

“If it would help my people survive.” The woman replied simply. “And that is what I am doing now, is it not?”

“I suppose so.” Todd shrugged as much as he could in his bonds. “Look. I can leave if you want me to. I was serious when I said I don’t want to be a burden. I can just-” The woman shook her head.

“No. You do not have to leave. You may stay. Though that brings another question. Will another of you claim your home?” There was a hint of something more to the question. A sense of hope, and thoughts brewing underneath as if she was planning something.

“Eventually, yeah. Apartments are...we give things to keep them. Things we have to earn, like crumbs. But different. If I’m not there to give those things, well…” He offered an apologetic frown and a shake of his head.

“I see. Can you use your device to return yourself to normal?” Now, that question caught him entirely off-guard.

“Uh, I’m not sure. I only saw it shrink stuff. And, I think it broke when I shrunk. I’m not a scientist, I didn’t make it. I don’t even understand how it works.” The woman’s eyes closed and she balled her fists, making the lion worry he was about to be beaten again. But she simply shook her head and started to pace. “Why? I thought you said I could stay.”

“You could,” the woman stated as she continued to pace, “But that...would have solved so much. Have you ever gone to bed hungry, Todd? Had to desperately pray every day that you’ll be able to eat even a single bite of food?” She paused and turned to him.

“No.” He stated simply. But he understood the basis on which she was speaking. She had mentioned something about food shortages before.

“I imagined not. Every day now, most of Raf-Ojuh does. We’ve been rationing for some time. ...If you returned to how you were, if you could keep getting food for yourself wherever your kind does, you…” Her voice drifted off briefly as she stared at him. “What you ate in a day, that would feed us for thirty. We have to fight for every scrap. The big ones that lived with you, they’re getting worse. So much poison, so many traps. Even the vents are getting more dangerous. We’ve had to be careful, and I’ve lost so many...friends to your kind. All because they just tried to take a scrap of something to eat. You could have changed that. To have the ability to just have someone of your kind willing to just even tolerate taking small amounts would save us. So forgive me, but I hoped-”

“I still have plenty of food there. Not sure how much is good, I hadn’t gone shopping in a couple weeks. But you’re free to it, if you can get it before my apartment gets cleaned by the super when they discover I’m kinda gone. I know that’s not really a solution to your problem, but look...I’m happy to help where I can.” Another silence fell between the two as they each stared at the other.

Finally, the woman moved forward and crouched down. But no knee came, and her dagger remained in its sheath. Instead she slowly undid the knots in his dental floss bindings and let them fall away. Then she offered a hand to the lion. He took it with a nod, needing more than a little help to get to his feet after his beating. She helped him to the dining table, and he settled down. She did the same across from him. Her eyes still stared at him, but the look in them was different now. She wasn’t hunting him anymore. She was staring at something that she was trying to figure out.

“Do you need a bandage for your neck?” The woman asked, gesturing to the dried blood patch that clumped on his fur. Todd raised a finger to it, and it stung to touch. He shook his head.

“No. I think it’s okay.” He wasn’t sure if this woman was the type for apologies. He figured the offer was as close to one as he’d get for the moment. The fact all she did was nod in return confirmed this. After a moment however, she sighed and folded her hands together on the table.

“Let us start again. As you may have heard, I am Master Scrounger Hythe. It is my duty to guide those who gather the food and materials we need to survive. Lately, those I care for return less and less. My people starve. We need help. Falm, despite being an outsider, has proven to be resourceful. I do not understand it, but he has ways to avoid the gaze of your kind and the traps they lay for us. I ask that you help him and my scroungers to clear your…’apartment’ before we lose the food there. If we do not solve this lack of food soon, Raf-Ojuh will simply be refugees. Do you understand?”

Todd nodded firmly, perhaps a bit too firmly as his neck spiked with pain from his cut. It made him wince, but he otherwise ignored it. It was time to focus. “I don’t have the experience your people do. I can’t promise I’ll be as useful as them. But I know my apartment. And I know I’m also pretty messy. So there’s plenty of things you can use. You’re free to all of it. Food, my clothes, whatever bits and bobs might exist. As I said, I’m happy to help. I...want to learn about your people. About Raf-Ojuh. This changed a lot for me. So...thank you for not killing me.” He smiled, trying to add a bit of levity to the situation. To his surprise, the woman’s cold expression warmed ever so slightly into a smirk.

“You are welcome. This has changed much for me as well. All of us, I suspect.” Hythe paused a moment before gesturing to the couch. “You may sleep there for the night. I offer my home genuinely now, as you have offered your own. I have some blankets, though I suspect you may not find them to be the same quality as your kind is used to.”

“That’s fine. I don’t expect you to shower me with what are luxuries for you. And still, are you sure you want me in your home? I still have those crumbs...wherever I dropped them. If you tell me where I-”

“I have beaten you, and yet you offer help. No. You are welcome here. Save your crumbs. You will need them come morning. To eat, I mean.” Okay, maybe she was one for apologies. Just very drawn out ones that never actually included the word ‘sorry.’ Still, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or gift lizard, he supposed.

“All right. Just making sure. Do you...mind if I rest now? After today I think I’m the most tired I’ve ever been in my life.” He chuckled to himself and shook his head. This was all so insane. If it wasn’t for the extreme pain, he’d thought it was a dream. Another depression dream of a better, brighter future that would be taken away by the rising sun. But this was real. Somehow, someway, this was real.

“Of course. Let me get the blankets.” With that, Hythe rose and went over to a dollhouse cupboard near her bed. As she did that, the lion staggered to his feet and limped to his future bed. Despite being made for dolls, the padding was surprisingly plush. Maybe the micros had reupholstered it. Or maybe it belonged to one of those crazy people who build really realistic tiny houses. They must have gone more insane when it went missing.

“You nearly killed me once.” The words took him out of his reverie of imagining some obsessive boomer raging over one of their model sofas vanishing from their tiny model home, along with a cupboard. He turned to find Hythe holding out the blankets to him.

“I’m...sorry?” The bluntness of those words had hit the lion like a punch to the face, leaving him standing there sort of gobsmacked.

“Three years ago. I was just an apprentice to the Master Scrounger then. You had arrived in your…’apartment’ just a short time prior. I was sent to scout. See what you would bring. If anything could be taken in the confusion of your arrival. I was cocky. Took a risk. You were...holding one of those glowing devices voices come out of. Holding it to your ear. You were talking into it and walking around. I was trying to get across the floor, and your paw nearly hit me. It staggered me, but I tried running. You turned just enough that your next step kicked me. Threw me under your couch and into one of the supports. It broke my arm and fractured some ribs. As I was lying there in pain, I thought that was it. You’d seen me and did it deliberately. You’d bend down and grab me out from under there, and I’d become your toy or food. But you just kept walking and talking. I don’t remember what about. And then you went into your bedroom, and it was silent. It took me hours to drag myself back to Raf-Ojuh. I’ve been in your home other times. Taken things. But I was more careful then. Still. You taught me a lesson. Do not take risks that are not necessary.”

Todd’s eyes just slowly blinked at the woman in front of him. There was no anger or resentment in her voice. Her expression, the same as always. She had just said it all as if it was facts read for a history book. It brought back that sensation he had felt before he saw her. The reality of everything he had ever done. Of what his actions had caused, even accidentally, to these people. He closed his eyes and let a hard breath out. “I am so sorry, Master Scrounger. I didn’t even...I-”

She shifted a hand from under the blankets and raised it to cut him off. “It is fine. We expect it. Every time we leave Raf-Ojuh, we know there is a chance we may not return. Yet your actions were not malicious, and you didn’t kill me. And now, you help us. I will not blame you for an accident. Especially now that I know you would not have done it intentionally. Do not blame yourself for something you didn’t even know you did. Just focus on doing what you can now to help.”

Todd nodded to Hythe somewhat dazedly, taking the blankets and just sort of unfolding them onto the crouch as he tried to get his thoughts in order after hearing the fact he nearly killed the person whose house he was about to sleep in.

“Good night, Todd. Rest well.” He heard Hythe walk away, and seemingly rummage around in something across the house. Casual as can be, after saying all that.

“Good night, Master Scrounger.” The lion replied in a shaken monotone as he settled down into his bed. It was oddly comfortable still. As his daze faded, he noticed the blankets appeared to be actually cut down fabric place mats. The contrast between the carefully carved wooden sofa and the ramshackle sheets grounded him somewhat. He was small. Very small. It was becoming quite apparent that it was both in the scale sense and the cosmic sense. He truly had given up being...a person by doing this. He really had died in a way, and been reborn as someone entirely new in a world that was familiar yet strange beyond belief.

Once more, he was staring up at a roof. Contemplating a sudden change. Todd Heathcoat, a college dropout and depressed lion who lived in Apartment 211 of the Casa Del Sol Apartments. That’s how he woke up. Now, he was Todd Heathcoat, confused micro lion and scrounger in the village of Raf-Ojuh. He held back the urge to start laughing, to avoid disturbing Hythe. But it was hilarious. And insane. And utterly wonderful. The warmth was back in his chest again, alongside the aching from where he got kicked and punched and kneeled on. Excitement. Excitement about what tomorrow would bring. Excitement about the ideal of actually being useful to those he now helped. Excitement that he had a purpose. It had pushed away the guilt he’d been feeling, and he was glad.

Turns out he was wrong. Life was willing to finally give him a break. And he planned to use it well.

Chapter 2 - Mortal Understandings

Todd was standing in his apartment. The living room, to be exact. He didn’t remember coming here. He didn’t remember getting out of bed. But here he was, standing. He looked around. Same couch and television. Same dining table and nearby attached kitchen. Same decorations on the walls. But all felt off. Twisted. Wrong. Like it had been reflected through a funhouse mirror before he saw it all. He moved to look at it, taking a few steps.

A scream froze him in place. There was a feeling of warmth under his foot. He lifted it and looked down. A body whose guts oozed out as it twitched out its final death throes. Its shape was twisted like the surroundings, yet somehow the half-crushed face seemed familiar. Like a lost friend. The sight made the lion’s heart catch in his throat and he stumbled backwards. Another scream followed his shaky steps. He gagged slightly and looked down. Another body. It looked familiar too. His chest heaved. He looked around again. The floor. He could see his steps on it. There were bloody pawprints across the worn wood. And bodies in each one. Body after body.

He slowly backed away from the carnage he had created without knowing, and toppled onto his couch. He lied atop it, until suddenly he tasted iron on his tongue. Sickly bitter and sticky, mixing with his saliva. He reached a hand up and touched his tongue and teeth. It came out covered in blood. Had he eaten? He couldn’t remember eating. Yet he suddenly felt something in his stomach. It felt like butterflies mixed with a stomach ache, but more...desperate. It wasn’t supposed to be there. It wanted out. It wanted to live. The lion toppled off the couch as he felt violently ill. The world span around and around, and it made him feel sicker. But nothing would come out. He could feel the thing in his stomach trying to escape, but he couldn’t make it come out. His body wouldn’t listen.

Then the spinning stopped. The feeling in his stomach stopped. He looked up to the ceiling.

It was far away.

He got to his feet. His apartment stretched on for miles around him. The couch heaved its way into the heavens like a new Tower of Babel. He felt terrified. Alone. He could smell blood. He could still taste it. It felt like it was everywhere, but he couldn’t see it anymore. A feeling washed over him, like the chill of walking over a grave. His home was a place of death.

“Todd.” The voice pierced into his thoughts and made him turn behind him to the couch. He could see in the distance, a figure lying against one of the legs. “Todd.” It called again, weak and pained. It pulled at Todd’s soul like a siren song. He started running towards it. It felt so far away, but slowly he got closer and closer. The figure became more distinct. And the smell of blood grew stronger as he approached the person that still called out his name. Finally, he stood before the figure. He stared at their face, and suddenly it all clicked. It made the lion fall to his knees.

“Todd.” Hythe coughed out, blood running down her mouth as she laid broken against the couch leg. Her limbs were twisted at unnatural angles. Her chest looked partially caved in. It fluttered and spewed bloodily fluid with every ragged breath. And her eyes, cold and bloodshot, just stared at him. The light in them was dying, but still yet flicked. Yet he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it going out.

“I...I am so sorry.” Todd moved forward, placed a hand on the lizard’s misshapen arm. “Please, I’m sorry. I-I didn’t...please forgive me. Oh god, I am so sorry.” The lion’s vision blurred with tears as he spoke, yet his words could not drown out the pained heaving that was Hythe’s breath.

“Todd.” The lizard said again, yet more blood coughed from her mouth as she did. It splattered onto the lion. It made him shiver despite its warmth.

“I wanted to help. I just wanted to help. I swear I never wanted this.” Tears continued to fall from his eyes as he choked back a sob. His mind tried to race to think of a way to help, until suddenly he felt something touch him. It was rough and scaly, and it pressed into his throat. More than pressed, it squeezed.

“Todd.” Hythe rasped again, this time more clearly. Through the tears, Todd saw her right arm. Its hand was holding his throat, despite being shattered. Yet its grip was as tight as the coil of a boa constrictor. The woman stared at him still. The light in her eyes was now a fire, on the verge of burning out yet eager to consume something before it became just ash. It was hard for him to resist feeling he deserved it.

“I-I...am…s-sorry.” The lion choked as the grip continued to grow tighter. In the corner of his vision, he could see other figures coming towards the pair. The bodies from before, still mangled yet walking and crawling and dragging themselves toward him. They knew what he had done to them. He had taken everything from them. Their hopes. Their dreams. Their friends. Their lives. And now they’d do the same to him. It was deserved.

“Todd.” Hythe’s voice roared in his ears as her hand pressed like a vice against his neck. He couldn’t breathe. Other hands started joining hers. Some grasped. Some teared at his flesh like knives. Some pulled at his mane and threatened to drag him down to the ground fully. And despite everything, he still couldn’t bring himself to fight back. He just closed his eyes and waited for the end.

“Todd!”

Reality suddenly shifted and his awareness became muddled. He felt still like he was being grabbed, but instead of choked at the neck he was being shaken. His eyes suddenly fluttered open and\ fought to focus. His throat felt sore on the inside, as if he had been screaming for a long time. And then he realized Hythe was in front of him. Or rather, standing over him and gripping him by the shoulders, shaking him gently. She stopped when it became clear he had awakened. At that point, she stepped back and simply stared at him with her typical cold eyes while Todd caught his breath.

“You’re...y-you’re okay.” He finally gasped after finally regaining some semblance of a hold on where he was and what had happened. His eyes turned around his surroundings. He was still in the same tiny house made from scavenged materials. Still in a micro city built into the foundation of his apartment building. He was still shrunken and lying on a toy sofa that he’d been using as a bed.

He hadn’t actually killed anyone.

“Nightmare.” The woman stated simply before turning around and walking over towards the dining table. She picked up something from it and brought it back, offering it to Todd. It was a small makeshift cup, molded from what looked like stolen potter’s clay. Inside it was water that gently sparkled in the makeshift lighting that filled the house. “Here. Drink. It will help clear your head.” Nodding slowly, the lion shifted into a sitting position on the couch and took the cup. He eagerly gulped down the lukewarm liquid. It felt nice against his aching throat.

As he finished, he offered the cup back and Hythe took it to set aside. She brought over one of the dining chairs and settled before Todd. Staring at him. “What fears did your dreams manifest?” Her eyes studied the lion’s face as the lion sat on the couch and continued to push himself into being fully awake.

“I…” He started, but his mind couldn’t quite figure out how to explain the visions it had conjured while asleep. He took a few breaths in and out. “I was in my apartment at my normal size, and just...everything I did caused pain. And death. I was a monster. To you. And your people.” He raised a hand up to his mouth, pressed against his teeth before pulling it back out. Only some spit came with it. And his eyes looked to his feet, which were merely dirtied from the dust on the floor and nothing else. None of the blood remained, yet somehow he could still feel it on him. At that point, he was reminded of the real blood that was still on his neck. Some of it had peeled off in flakes last night. But it was still there. And it only added to the feeling the dream had left him with, because in that moment he felt he had deserved that cut from Hythe’s dagger.

Hythe, meanwhile, nodded and seemed to contemplate the idea a moment. He imagined it was all alien to her. She was literally talking with someone who had literally nearly ended her life with an errant step. It was like having a conversation with a kaiju. Yet the way she stared at him made him feel like she wasn’t looking at some monstrous being. Just another person. And he didn’t understand how that worked. Finally, she spoke. “I have seen many monsters amongst your kind. A monster kills with thought behind its actions. With the intention to inflict pain and suffering beyond mere death. Were you killing us in that way in your dream?”

“No! God, no. I never meant for-”

The woman snorted and extended her hands in a ‘there you go’ gesture. “Then you were not a monster. You were a man in your home. And we were uninvited guests who got in your way. As I said before, even if you nearly killed me before, it was unintentional. If I had died, it was because I took a risk that put myself in your way. And you cannot blame yourself for that, because we place ourselves beneath notice for a reason. There is also the fact you wish to help feed us. Gather supplies. A monster does not provide comfort and assistance to their prey. Only death.” With that, she rose from her seat and took it back to the table. Then she placed a familiar looking backpack onto the surface. “Now, come. Eat. You’ve slept past the midday, and you must be hungry.”

For a moment, Todd just sort of stared at Hythe. Or rather, his eyes were upon her but all he was really focusing on was his own thoughts and the way her words joined with them. Everything he had experienced with her felt like one contradiction after another. How does one brush off what he had done, even as an accident? Why does she act as if killing without intention is forgivable, when it still takes a life of someone she likely knew? He would have kept pondering it, but a gurgle from his belly reminded him of its emptiness. A shudder rocked through him as he recalled what he felt in the dream, and he poked his belly cautiously. Nothing other than hunger pangs came from it, and he sighed as he wondered whether he ever actually had accidentally eaten a micro. But just as quickly, he pushed the thought away and got up. He wasn’t going to just wallow in misery all day. He was genuinely hungry, and there were things to do.

He settled at the table to find that Hythe was quietly eating something of her own from atop a claycrafted plate as she sipped from a very different cup. It was bulky and plastic, perhaps having once belonged to a very small action figure. Yet she seemed skilled at lofting it to her lips despite that fact. She glanced at Todd as he began rummaging in the backpack that contained crumbs he had technically stolen from his own floor, and gave him a nod. He offered her a smile in return as he pulled out a fist sized crumb to eat. But he didn’t instantly bite it. It was one thing to collect these yesterday, when he was still dazed about all that had happened. About the revelations of micros being intelligent beings and not...what he was taught they were.

Yet now as he held the crumb in his hand and was about to eat it, he was overcome with a sense of...awkwardness. He dropped this, when he was larger. Something from an idle meal. Something he never would have put much thought into when he was, well, original size. And the worst thing was, now that was looking at it, he had no idea what this crumb was once a part of. Bread? Cereal? Cupcake? It was white and solid, and had at least a bready look...but also was dry enough to have been a tiny piece of cereal. He lifted it to his nose and sniffed, and it smelt of...not food, but not awful. Floor? Was floor a smell? Dust maybe? Something like that. It wasn’t enjoyable, but it wasn’t vulgar. It didn’t smell rotten. It just kinda...was.

“Something wrong?” Hythe had paused in her own eating apparently, and had been watching his food inspection. Something he was suddenly very self-conscious about.

“Uh...no. I’ve just...it’s weird. Conceptually. Eating my own crumbs. But also, uh, this won’t give me food poisoning will it?” The lion awkwardly chuckled, only half-joking as he asked the question.

“Did you poison it?” Hythe asked in her usual flat tone.

“N-no?”

“Did Falm believe it was okay when you collected it?” Again, same flat tone.

“I mean, yes. He was very adamant about inspecting all my choices due to my ‘amnesia.’ Told me I was good at finding quality crumbs though. I just-”

“Then it is edible. You are fine.” And with those words, she returned to her own eating and drinking. Leaving the lion to again stare at his food. His crumb.

God, why did he have to be such a fussy eater? He chose this fate deliberately. He knew he’d have to probably eat like this when he used that ray. He just...didn’t really think about that part too hard. But, now, he had to actually do it. With a deep breath in and out through his nose, he opened his mouth and took a bite from the fist-sized object as if he were eating an apple. Or tried too, anyway. It was more like biting into pretzel bread, hard and tough to get his teeth into. But he eventually yanked off a piece. It had a taste to it that was bitter and earthy, yet somehow just tolerable enough not to retch from. Still, he swallowed it quickly. His stomach made it clear with a rumble that one piece of the crumb would not satisfy his hunger. So, reluctantly, he kept eating until the fist sized food bit was gone. Yet still, his stomach wanted more. So he grabbed a second crumb and swallowed it down bite by bite. Finally, he felt full. With a sigh, he removed the bag from the table and set it beside him...mostly because he had no idea where to put it otherwise.

As he did that, Hythe seemingly finished with what she was eating and drinking. She gathered her things and took them over to what seemed to be an upturned thimble with attached legs and placed them inside. There was a splash as they landed inside, which made Todd realize that it was a wash basin of sorts. She grabbed what appeared to be a rag from the opposite side of the basin he could see and started to wipe down the dish and cup she had used. No soap, but then...that’s probably a luxury down here. He sat in silence and observed her working. She in turn was silent, seemingly focused on her work. Until suddenly she turned to him and nodded.

“Today we begin moving your food to Raf-Ojuh. You will be helping with this.” She didn’t wait for a reply to her statement before returning to her work. Yet her eyes drifted between it and him, suggesting she expected him to reply.

“I suppose the sooner the better. I’m willing to do what I can, though I don’t think I’ll be as useful as your more experienced-”

“That is why you’ll be doing this,” Hythe interrupted in her usual fashion, yet still continued to clean. “To learn. This will be your first lesson. How to be a scrounger. How to recover food and materials from your kind. It will be an easier first lesson than most undergo. You cannot get caught by yourself.” The woman paused in her work again to offer him the slightest of smirks before turning back, giving a few more scrubs to the items in the basin, before placing the cloth off to the side to dry. She moved over to beside the table, standing near him rather than taking a seat again. It was somewhat intimidating as she stared down at him, even if she was now closer to a friend than foe.

“I guess that’s true.” An awkward, somewhat embarrassed chuckle escaped the lion as he contemplated that he was perhaps the first person to ever become their own micro infestation. “So, how is this done? Falm was alone when he was gathering in my apartment, do you want me to do this by myself?”

His question elicited a shake of Hythe’s head. “No. Not for this. Scroungers are only alone when it is too risky to send more than one. You are learning, regardless. It would be cruel to send you alone and expect you to understand what is required. There will be others with you, and they shall guide you.” She paused briefly, tapped the dining table’s surface with her fingers, before adding “Falm is unique. He is not one of my scroungers. He merely scrounges for Raf-Ojuh. In exchange, we give him shelter. He is an outsider, and his ways are his own. He feels it is better to travel and scrounge alone. I let him do as he wishes, for at least he helps us.” A shrug heaves its way up her shoulders as she makes that final note.

“Okay. Makes sense. So um...who will I be with?” Todd couldn’t hide the fact he was suddenly feeling a bit socially anxious. He was about to meet more micros. More people who had lived their entire lives like this. And he was about to be a bumbling idiot in front of them because he was a ‘big one’ up until yesterday. Not exactly cohesive to forming lasting bonds really.

“I’ve chosen the three I felt most suited. My apprentice, Gikri. This will be a lesson for her as much as it is for you. For some scroungers, what we consider basic knowledge and talents becomes simply our very nature as a person. It becomes something that simply is, no longer an explicable concept. That is a problem. Each generation must be able to pass on the knowledge needed to survive to the next so it can survive as well. You are now a part of that next generation. So I hope to see her succeed in turning what is instinct to her into learnable knowledge to you.” She paused as if to let that settle, and the lion was about to say something before she continued.

“There will also be Obarun. He has been a scrounger for a short time. Long enough I trust him on this. He’s more experienced than you, but he is still learning. So you do not need to worry about being the only student. Though, I imagine he will be glad to not be the least experienced one there.” Another brief flashes of that smirk before she once again spoke. “And Falm.” She let the final name just hang there, as if she knew it would arouse a question.

“But you said-” Todd started to ask the obvious expected question, at which point he received the equally expected interruption from Hythe.

“I did. But you are familiar with Falm. My scroungers grew up together. Some know each other from birth, some at least meet each other as they grow. There is familiarity, and that breeds trust. The others do not know you. But Falm knows you. And they know Falm. Falm trusts you.” Todd starts to open his mouth to interrupt on that note, but Hythe simply raises a finger. “Perhaps not full trust. But enough. You helped him, and he helped you. That is something you can build on. And if my apprentice and Obarun see he trusts you, they will be more willing to offer their trust. Scroungers must be able to trust one another, to know they’ll stand by each other regardless of what occurs. Falm’s presence helps this.”

It made sense, in its own twisted way. Sorta. “Okay...and Falm is okay with this?”

Hythe again smirked as the lion asked the question. “If he wished to maintain his contract, yes. He had to be. Do not worry, it was not hard to convince him. He is often willing to listen to my requests.”

He started to nod, then paused as he realized something. “Wait, you already talked to him about this?”

“Yes. I spoke with all three. They are all ready, you are all that is required.” Aaaaand suddenly, extreme guilt filled Todd’s head. He’d been holding everyone up, hadn’t he. Apparently, it was readable on his face as Hythe shook her head at him. “Yes, they are waiting for you. No, that is not a problem. Not this time. Scrounging is based around when we know the big one will be either sleeping or away. Given you are the big one, that is not an issue. Now, are you ready?”

A good question, and the lion mulled over it quietly. Fingers again rubbing up against each other. No, he wasn’t ready. Would anyone ever be ready for this? To be a pest in their own home? Gather crumbs from the floor, and then climb furniture and break into cupboards to steal larger bits of food? It is still so incredibly odd and insane. And now he was going to do it with other scroungers from Raf-Ojuh. Veteran scroungers. Veteran...scroungers. As the thought entered into Todd’s brain, his eyes went wide. Hythe took notice with a cock of her head. “...Will your apprentice and the other one recognize me like you did?”

“No. Neither has been to your home before. My other apprentice, Yseu, has. I did not choose him as a result.” She glanced off a moment before looking back. “There was another task I needed him for, regardless.” There was a hint of something bitter in those final words, and Todd decided not to pry. Not about that.

“Okay.” Finger rubbing, anxiety stomach churning, and a million thoughts running through his head followed Todd saying that word, before he breathed in and out. “Should I tell them then?”

“Tell them?”

Todd shrugged and gestured to himself. “About what I am.”

Hythe cocked her head a little more at that question. “Do you wish to?”

His teeth dug into his lip as he again mulled another of the woman’s questions. But before he could help himself, his head bobbed in a nod. “If they’d believe me.”

“They wouldn’t.” The lizard declared simply, her head still cocked to the side in question. As if trying to figure out why he was even speaking of this.

“You could help me convince them?” Todd half asked, half sort of...pleaded. She had been talking of trust, and it felt wrong to continue to lie if he wanted to build a life here. But Hythe’s head simply righted and offered a shake.

“No.” That was all she said for a moment, and he was about to ask why when she moved towards the door. She paused there, and looked back. “It is your story. It is up to you to share it. To make others trust you. If you are to find a place here, you must be able to do things for yourself. Consider that another lesson. Now, come.” She pulled the front door open and gestured for him to follow. Funny, yesterday she did the same thing and nearly killed him. Still, he knew there was nothing left to be said about this. So he got up and did as she desired.

Stepping out into the street, he was again taken by the sight of Raf-Ojuh. Wagons crafted from macaroni wheels and cut down pencil baskets passed by, pulled by tough looking micros and carrying goods bound for who knows where. People stopping and talking, laughing at jokes, and sharing hugs with loved ones. The street flowed with life just like the streets outside the apartment complex did. But he didn’t have time to admire it long, as Hythe was clearly a woman on a mission. She strode out into the flow, and Todd had to fight to keep on her heels.

They walked away from the smaller houses and back to the stack buildings. Hythe said nothing as she walked, simply gliding between the bodies without effort. It felt slightly awkward, even with the sounds of the village echoing in his ears. So he decided to break their silence. At least something to pass the time till they arrived. He just needed a good question. One that wouldn’t result in a single sentence answer. “So, you have two apprentices?” That seemed like a good enough one.

“Yes, I do.” Hythe replied, and fell silent again as she walked. Welp, that didn’t work- “I imagine you wonder why.”

Todd had been preparing to ask that very question to keep the conversation flowing, but it appears that Hythe was going to be more talkative than he expected. “Um, yes. I was about to ask that.”

Just about the din, Todd could make out the woman giving another snort. “It is tradition. A Master Scrounger trains two possible replacements. They are just as likely to die as any scrounger is. As I am. We do not place all our hopes on one. There is less chance of starting from nothing if there are two.”

“Oh.” At first, that was all Todd could say as he once again found himself faced with the fact these people seemed to treat death like one would treat the chance of rain the following day. Like, yes, death could always happen at any time even when he was normal sized. He could be hit by a car crossing the street, have a heart attack or stroke, or even have a piano drop on his head like in a cartoon. But those were freak accidents. The odds of those involved decimal points and long calculations. The way Hythe and the others spoke of death, it was like every day they woke up was a miracle. Like every step could put them face to face with the grim reaper himself, ready to cut the thread of fate that kept them bound to the mortal coil. ...Okay, maybe that was a bit overly poetic, but he was a former wannabe writer and those habits die hard.

He couldn’t escape the thoughts however. And he still wanted to talk. So he sighed and asked another question. “...How often does that happen?”

“More lately. I have been observing. Fifteen days are typically the duration between each death. It is why we are on the verge of starvation. ...Some have said I am failing in my guidance of the scroungers. Perhaps they are right.”

“What?” Hythe had the unnerving habit of saying shocking things in the flattest monotone. As if they were dry notes being repeated by a college professor about something that happened decades ago. As if she had no feelings on the matter at all, even though seemed like it should have affected her deeply. “How is it your fault? You said my-” He cut himself off, glancing around at the crowd they slid through, before continuing. “I mean, you said the big ones had been using more traps and poison. Are you saying people expect you to anticipate every surprise? Every new challenge to get food before it happens?”

They continued on their path, but not Hythe was silent. Then, without warning, she stopped and turned around. Faced Todd and caused him to freeze as his blood ran cold. He expected her to be angry. To yell at him. Instead, she was just seeming to study him as she always did. Picking him apart. People said nothing to them as they stood looking at each other, the crowd moving around them like a river, simply flowing around a rock in its way. He took a breath in and out, and simply bit his lip. Waiting to see how she’d respond. And then she did.

“I choose each home they go to. To scout. To scrounge. I evaluate the risks. The big ones’ schedules. Their tendencies. Known pets. Vermin threats. I teach those who wish to join us. How to move beneath notice. How to climb furniture and crawl through vents. How to know what is poison and what is sustenance. I know what you are implying. That I cannot know everything. That I cannot perfectly control my scroungers, for they are individuals. I have heard this too. But my duty is to guide them. Their choices are based on my choices. Their instincts are based on my instincts. Their deaths lie upon my shoulders. I appreciate your words. Your attempt at comfort. But you are wrong. I am responsible. But, I will also make it right.” The moment she finished, Hythe blended back into the flow of the streets. And Todd rushed to catch up, still mulling over her words.

His mind was still processing everything when they arrived at a building just a short distance away from the front gate. How he hadn’t noticed it yesterday when it stuck out so much, he didn’t know. Perhaps because it sat in the shadow of two three story structures that looked a bit like if someone who sorta knew what an apartment was tried to make one using art supplies from a fifth grade classroom. Those buildings had people standing on little makeshift scaffold balconies or dashing up and down ladders to get inside them. They were alive. This building was more desolate. It was a squat thing, almost reminded him of a shoebox. Maybe it was one once. Seemed a bit too thick, material-wise, to be one though. More like plywood than cardboard. Couple windows carved into the side, plus a door. In front of which stood a lone individual, one Todd recognized. Falm.

The rabbit was leaning against the wall beside it. He was looking straight at them, seemingly sizing them up. Hythe was doing the same before she strode up to him and the door. He pushed away from the wall and folded his arms. His mouth open as if to say something in greeting, but then his expression changed as they got closer. His eyes seemed to settle on Todd, and he moved in front of the door. In front of Hythe. She stopped mere inches in front of him, their snouts nearly touching. Todd paused behind her, looking between the two while his lips curled into a confused frown.

“Hey Fa-” Todd started, but Falm himself interrupted his attempted greeting.

“Why does he have blood on him?” The rabbit’s question was directed to the lizard before him, rather than who the question was actually about. It made Todd touch the dried patch of blood on his neck. Pain flared from the cut beneath it as he did so. This was gonna be awkward.

“I was testing him.” Hythe replied and tried to move past the rabbit, only to continue to be blocked.

Falm scoffed. “Testing? You said your behavior yesterday was nothing. You simply being cautious. Why is he injured?” Silence from the woman. “Why did you act that way yesterday?” More silence. “Master Scrounger, I promised you I would help you, but I do not enjoy staying around those that keep secrets. What is-” Todd couldn’t take it anymore. Even if he had to lie to stop this from getting ugly.

“It’s my fault.” Despite the worry and fear that flowed through his every thought, the words carried confidently from the lion’s lips. It drew the gazes of both Falm and Hythe.

“What are you talking about?” The question came from the rabbit, finally addressing the lion. It made Todd’s heart jump, but he swallowed that down and continued.

“She was being cautious. She asked me about my past. Since I don’t know anything, we tried talking over topics that might cause me to remember. Scrounging. Surviving. It didn’t help, but I wanted to prove I wasn’t useless despite that. I, uh, suggested sparring. Showing my strength. I was feeling overconfident after doing so well yesterday, I guess. She wasn’t keen on it, but I insisted. She kicked my ass, and I cut myself accidentally in the process. She didn’t do anything. It’s my fault.”

They both kept staring at him after he finished. Falm’s expression was twisted up into confusion with a hint of uncertainty,  whereas Hythe was just herself. Icy and devoid of too much of a look into her thoughts. Then their eyes were on each other instead.

“...Is he telling the truth?” It was clear that Falm didn’t fully trust what Todd had said, but also didn’t completely disbelieve it either. So, that was something.

“I tested you when you arrived also.” Hythe responded in her typical way.

“You sent me scrounging. You didn’t attack me.” Some of the confusion left Falm’s face, but it was still there. Hiding behind his now frowning lips.

“Yes. Because you knew what you were capable of. Todd knew nothing. He also offered to scrounge, but I do not send the unskilled to their possible doom in that way simply to prove their use. We talked over other options, but he was adamant about his strength. As he said…” She glanced briefly to Todd as she exhaled hard through her nostrils. “He was overconfident. It was clear his success largely stemmed from your guidance. Which is why you are here today.”

Back and forth Falm’s eyes went again, between the lizard and the lion. Todd just gave a meek little wave, and finally the rabbit sighed and rubbed his temples. “Todd, perhaps I should have left you to die on that big one’s floor. You are clearly suicidal if you are willingly picking fights with the Master Scrounger.” The ironic choice of Falm’s words made the lion just casually drift his gaze off to the side. “As absurd as this is, I will believe you both. I have not waited here for hours for the Master Scrounger to drag you here for this to have been for nothing.”

“Good. Then move.” Hythe gestured for the rabbit to move and he did so with an overly exaggerated bow and a smirk. The lizard just shook her head before heading inside.

Falm’s gaze followed her before snapping back to the lion. “After you, Todd. I cannot believe I agreed to this idea…”

Todd smiled and nodded, finally heading inside their destination. As his eyes adjusted to the dimmer interior, the lion found it was not what expected.

In the middle of the room was a large table made out of a broken yo-yo. Around it were various makeshift chairs, two of which were occupied. In one was a bird woman. A very large bird woman. Her clothing was simplistic, like the archetypal barbarian. A loose fitting sleeveless jerkin that showed off her muscular arms, with a band of what looked like twine wrapped around her head to create a circlet. She dwarfed the chair she was sitting in, and yet seemed entirely at ease in it. Her beak was open wide as she let out a happy laugh, seeming in the process of talking with Hythe who stood beside her.

The other figure was a chipper looking cat who was silently observing the two. His attire seemed to have been stolen from some kind of tiny military action figure and then modified. Patchwork fatigues covered in modified pockets, with a tiny red beret perched between his ears. Unlike his companions, who continued to speak amongst themselves, he glanced to Todd and Falm as they approached the table and offered a wave. Falm rolled his eyes, while Todd returned the gesture. Without hesitating, the rabbit pulled out a chair and turned it backwards so he could sit leaning on the backrest. Trying to be a bit more polite, the lion just sat down normally beside him and looked to the three on the other side of the table.

The bird woman, whom Todd assumed to be Gikri, finally took notice of them and seemed to grin in their direction. “Yoooo! You must be the Todd that Hythe has been telling me about. And good to see you too, Falm. Done sulking outside?”

“I was not sulking, I was getting away from your obnoxious rambling.” Falm waved his hand as if to brush her off as he settled his head atop his arms on the backrest. “Some of us value peace and quiet, and do not feel the need to constantly fill it with inanity.”

“Oh come on man, don’t be like that! I’ve only met you a couple times, how else was I supposed to know you better?” Gikri’s smile never faded from her beak as she spoke, even giving a chuckle before she focused entirely on Todd. “Speaking of getting to know someone, I’m Gikri! I’m sure Hythe mentioned me to you, but figured I’d introduce myself! I look forward to seeing you scrounge today, given how big of a haul you and Falm brought in yesterday! But don’t worry, I know you’re new, so no pressure!” She flashed a thumbs up at that, and Todd just sorta sat there stunned as he looked at her.

She was excitable. Loud. And apparently more on the civil side. This was Hythe’s apprentice? ...You know what, he was gonna stop being surprised by things anymore. Of course one of Hythe’s apprentices would be the exact opposite of her. He’d had his expectations with micros defied since day one, why would this be anything different? So he just smiled and nodded to Gikri. “A pleasure to meet you! I, uh, hope I’m at least of some help. I know you all are more experienced than me, and I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Everyone starts somewhere.” The cat, and thus presumably Obarun, added before going back to quietly observing.

“Yes, but in my experience few start with a suicide mission.” Falm noted bitterly, only for Hythe to suddenly clear her throat and bring the room’s attention back to her.

“This is not a suicide mission.” The lizard stated simply, still standing beside her apprentice.

Falm’s eyes rolled deeply into his head. “Oh, of course not. A big one shall be leaving for a long time, so we plan to steal all their food. This clearly is not going to backfire specatularly.”

Gikri’s hand smacked the table, but she was still grinning and spread her hands wide. “Hey, have some faith, man! Hythe is one of the best Master Scroungers Raf-Ojuh has ever had. And this is our chance to actually finally rebuild our food stores. Plus, you’ll still get a cut.”

“If I survive,” the rabbit said as he sat up, “I still protest this. Master Scrounger, this simply feels wrong. You just happened to overhear the big one say they’re going to be gone for a long time? Is it not possible this is just another tra-”

“No.” Hythe interrupted simply as her eyes cast some bitter flames towards Falm. “As I told you, I investigated there after speaking with Todd. I know what I heard. The big one will be gone for a long, long time. And, as my apprentice says, we have a chance to gather the food we desperately need. When you succeed, you will have a feast unlike any you’ve had before.”

“Plus, you’re not alone on it.” Obarun offered before returning to silence.

“Yeah!” Gikri declared while giving Obarun a gentle punch in the arm. It made the cat wince, but he still smiled a bit at the gesture. “Obby and I got your back. Todd too, I imagine!” As he was mentioned, Todd tensed a bit as if he was somehow going to be playfully punched too despite the distance. Obviously, he wasn’t. So he awkwardly chuckled and nodded to both the bird and the bunny, trying to pretend that they weren’t technically kinda discussing him. And wondering how he’d break the news of that to them, if he did.

“I am so grateful to be aided by the all-mighty babbling bird, captain obvious cat, and a lion whose amnesia makes him as green as my homeland. Why, together, we could fell a giant with scarcely any effort!” Falm was clearly very much in a snarky mood, and Todd wasn’t sure whether he should be insulted or not...because the rabbit’s comment about him was basically true.

Hythe suddenly slammed her fist on the table and let out a hard snort. “Enough. We need this food. You all will do this.” She removed her hand from the table and her icy stare pointedly shifted between all four of them. “Focus on the larger foods first. Crumbs can come last, if you have spare room. Gikri, use the large packs for this. Fill them to the brim. You have time, so do not rush this. We will spend the next few days emptying out as much as possible, so do not worry about leaving a mess. It may make it easier to transport more on the next run. But still, do not dawdle either. We still have a limited window, and I expect you to use it well. And I expect to see you all back tonight safe and sound with as many mouthfuls as you can carry. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Master Scrounger.” The other three replied in unison. Todd just awkwardly nodded. He felt in over his head, but he couldn’t back out now. Especially not when people could possibly starve if he did.

“Good. Gikri, you may choose the kits for yourself, Obarun, and Todd. Falm, you may prepare your own kit. Do well.” And with that, Hythe retreated from the table and out the door. Leaving the four to their own devices.

“Well then!” Gikri said cheerfully as she rose to her feet. Now that she was standing, Todd realized she was even larger than he had given credit for. If she were beside him now, his head would only just reach to her chest. One of her hands gestured to him as the other pointed towards a series of boxes and what almost looked like storage lockers that ran along the building’s back wall. “I guess we’re gonna get this thing done! Todd, follow me! You too Obby! And Falm, you’re good to get what you want!”

“Thank you for your permission, Gikri.” The snarky tone hadn’t yet faded from the rabbit’s words as he rose and moved over towards a specific box at the back of the room, which left Todd wondering what had got him like this. Maybe it was the anxiety about what he mentioned. The idea of the ‘big one’ returning. Shame there really wasn’t a way for the lion to reassure him that wasn’t going to be the case without making himself look completely insane in the process. Hopefully things would get better when they were there.

Still, he had a job to do himself. Following the bird’s instructions, he moved over to join her at the boxes and lockers. Some looked like they were stolen from toy sets, others seemed purpose built. Obarun came up beside him while Gikri was fiddling around inside the various boxes. The cat offered another wave, and Todd returned it. It seemed like the feline was a little on the quiet side, which left the lion feeling uncertain whether he should talk or just accept the quiet. But before he could decide, Gikri turned around and offered him a large backpack. It reminded him of a hiker’s pack, a mixture of large pouches sewn together as part of a large backboard. There seemed to be various little bits and bobs on the side to attach things as well. It was clearly made with skill, and Todd had to hold himself back from berating himself over the fact that before yesterday he thought these people were literally basically just bugs.

“T-thanks,” he said, taking the backpack with a shaky smile and awkwardly putting it on. There were some ropes between the shoulder straps that tied together to help the backpack stay on properly. He supposed he’d have to get those fixed up in a second. He was a little distracted at the moment by how intimidated he was by this towering woman, who was cheerfully grinning down at him all the while despite looking like she could bench press him without breaking a sweat. Being dwarfed by someone who once maybe was about as big as one of his toes...it made him feel weird. And embarrassed.  

“You’re welcome! Now, I know you’re kinda missing your memories and I get that. It’s gonna make things hard. But, I’ll do my best to help you with stuff. Still, gotta know. You remember how to use a weapon at all?” While her words were boisterous, they were also somehow gentle at the same time. Maybe she was picking up on his nervousness. Or maybe she was just always like this. It was kind of a relief to not have Hythe being in charge, that would...probably be a bit too intense for him. Not that he intended to slack because Gikri was gentler, just...this was gonna be embarrassing enough as it is.

“Uh...no.” Neither Gikri nor Obarun had mentioned the patch of blood on his neck, thankfully. He imagined they noticed. He supposed, unlike Falm, they hadn’t been around to see he hadn’t arrived with that there. It served as a pretty good demonstration of the fact he wasn’t good with a weapon. ...Well, that was the lie he was going with anyway. Half-lie. He’d never used a weapon in his life, so it wasn’t like he wouldn’t be an incompetent mess if he had to use one.

“Right. Hrm.” The bird turned away from the two and started rummaging again. But she didn’t take long, instead pulling out a spear out of one of the lockers. Todd blinked as she offered it to him. “Not the most elegant weapon, but it’s also pretty easy to get the hang of! Just about thrusting it hard out in front of you! Sure, there’s technically more to it, but I can show you proper technique stuff later!” She grinned as she said that, seemingly eager to show Todd the ropes. He smiled nervously at the thought and took the spear. Gikri seemingly started rummaging around again as he did so, leaving him to his thoughts about the fact he was now holding a weapon.

It was very simple. A sharpened wood stick, no proper tip. But it had been carved so there were handholds to grip onto, so some effort had gone into it. He placed his hands on both grips and felt its weight. Heavier than he expected, but lighter than he feared. He’d played enough video games to know the concept. Push forward, using the weight of the weapon and the momentum to pierce flesh. But whose flesh? Why did they need to be armed? The image of giant spiders and mice popped into his head as he recalled one of his favorite childhood movies, causing the lion to shudder. Oh god, if he had to face down giant vermin, he was going to shit himself.

“Here, you’ll need this too!” Gikri thankfully thrust something towards Todd and thus pushed away his terrifying thoughts. He looked at the object, and almost instantly he knew what it was. “This is called-”

“A grappling hook.” The lion stated to the bird’s surprise as he looked at what was clearly some cut down fishhooks tied to a mess of more dental floss. “Yeah, I used one with Falm yesterday.” His arms still burned from it. So did his legs.

“Oh awesome! See, even if you don’t know anything about weapons, you do know some essentials. You can attach this to your backpack, right there.” Her finger pointed over to one of the sides of his pack and followed the gesture. There was a little fabric ring, seemingly for the hook, and a looser strap to seemingly wrap the rope in.  Setting his spear aside, he worked to get the grappling hook attached as quickly as he could. Which actually wasn’t that quickly. He’d never been that good with his hands, honestly.

While Todd was doing that, Gikri helped Obarun get kitted. He hadn’t been paying much attention to it due to his task until, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the cat was being given a very different weapon. A bow and a quiver of some arrows. It seemed to be more professionally made than his spear. Well-carved arms, a genuine bowstring of some material Todd couldn’t identify, and the arrows look like they were tipped with some fuzzy frills that looked similar to feathers. Obarun inspected each of these with care, before sliding the bow over his shoulder and attaching the quiver to his belt. Part of Todd wondered if it would actually work. The size and scale of everything had him questioning what was possible. Yet, he supposed, they wouldn’t be using them if they didn’t. ...How could something be so normal yet so alien at the same time?

Wait, crap. He was getting distracted. He finished up with securing the grappling hook before returning to watching. Gikri provided Obarun more gear. Extra rope. A shortsword made out of what seemed to be a sharpened nail attached to a handle. What looked like some sorts of rounded tools fashioned out of paperclips. A jar of some kind of liquid. Even what looked like bandages and such. Todd assumed he was just too inexperienced for most of that stuff. With Obarun seemingly fully kitted out, Gikri moved onto herself. Starting with yet another surprise for the lion. The first thing she put on was not a backpack. It was a sword and its sheath. A claymore made out of the blade of a box cutter, which covered much of the woman’s back. What the fuck were they facing that that was necessary? His apartment wasn’t a freaking RPG dungeon, it was empty! Yet despite the question, the lion remained quiet and simply whimpered to himself. He was honestly too afraid to really ask at this point.

Eventually, Falm came over to join them. Beyond his backpack and some additional climbing gear of his own, he looked near identical to how he had yesterday. And he also didn’t seem particularly impressed by the bird or the cat. “I highly doubt a fleshcleaver is necessary for this, Gikri. At least a bow is practical, that...thing is simply ridiculous. You two planning to go fight a few Wild Ones while Todd and I do all the work scrounging?” Todd’s eyebrow raised a bit at the mentioned term, but before he could ask anything Gikri interrupted while looking uncharacteristically glum.

“It’s not polite to joke about them, Falm. They can’t help what they’ve become.” With those ominous words out of the way, Gikri returned to grinning. “Besides, I am in charge. And any good scrounger prepares for the unexpected. Never know when a vermin may strike or something! Pays to be prepared. After all, what’s your needleblade gonna do against a whole feral mouse or rat? Give it a tickle?”

Falm’s fist balled up at that comment, shaking at his side. “My needleblade has many a feral kill to its name, and without being such an impractical lump of deadweight. If it comes down to a fight, I assure you. The speed of my needleblade will outmatch whatever supposed advantage your weapon has. Swear by your absurdities if you must, but do not insult what has served me well.”

Gikri just shrugged at that. “Hey, you started it, man. But trust me, with the vermin you see around here, it’s needed. They’re just as desperate for food as we are, given all the poison and traps the big ones lay around. Hunger makes them sluggish sure, but when cornered they’re vicious as all get out.”

Falm sighed and rubbed his temples in his usual fashion. “You act like I am the inexperienced one here, not Todd. I’m well aware of-”

“Perhaps we should focus on what matters and get going?” Obarun suddenly butted in. He seemed to be getting slightly miffed with the bickering between the two. And Todd, well, he was just too lost to really do anything besides stand there and stare.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. We can talk and walk! Good way to pass the time after all!” Gikri grinned wider and gestured for everyone to follow as she practically quick marched to the door. “All righty, on me! We got some food to bring back!” Falm sighed and rolled his eyes before doing so. Obarun just silently trod after him. And Todd fell into last, trying to quiet his anxiety about running into wild animals now. God, today was gonna be a long day…

Chapter 3 - A Simple Food Run

Todd wasn’t sure how long it had been, but already he was feeling tired. He had taken to using his spear as a walking stick, as the others seemed to be utterly unphased by the long walk they had been taking. Once more, they were inside the vents that had brought Todd to Raf-Ojuh in the first place. Their path twisted and turned at random, sloping up and up. Whoever built this place, it was clearly not with micro accessibility in mind. He honestly had no idea how the hell the other three knew where they were going. Honestly, he had been trying to ask about that for the last few minutes. But between trying to not run out of breath and the fact Gikri and Falm would not stop bickering had resulted in his efforts being a resounding failure.

“So you do not find this suspect at all? This place is filled with monstrous big ones, and you fail to think one declaring in a micro’s earshot that it was leaving for a while is odd?” Falm’s topic had moved from weapons to what they’d encounter in the apartment to now, of course, Hythe was so certain the ‘big one’ was going to be away for awhile.

“Nope!” Gikri had taken all of Falm’s snark and complaining in stride, somehow perhaps even enjoying it. She had said she liked how talk could be used to pass the time. “If it was only that, I’d find it suspect. Remember what Hythe said.”

“Just because it was using one of those talking box things, does not mean it was not lying. Or that it was unaware that the Master Scrounger was there. Not to mention, it still will be returning. Would this whole scrounge not simply bring retribution on Raf-Ojuh when the giant finds out that, well, all its food has been ransacked?”

“Um, I have-” Todd started, but was swiftly cut off by Gikri.

“Falm, we’re desperate right now. This is an opportunity, and Hythe believes it’s genuine. And, if there’s retribution, it’s not like the big ones know where we are. So they get mad about us raiding the food, we can just sit on our new food stores until they calm down. This will probably feed Raf-Ojuh for hundreds of days. We’ll be fine.”

“Can I-” Again, Todd opened his mouth to speak. Falm interrupted this time.

“That is if this is not a trap. If it is, then congratulations. Raf-Ojuh will have lost two experienced scroungers, one scrounger for hire, and a brand new scrounger who could have been of immense help replacing the ones you have lost. I simply cannot understand taking this risk.”

“Pleas-” The third time was not the charm as again Gikri spoke up and drowned out what he was going to say.

“Yet you were willing to scrounge in the house yesterday, after Hythe told you the big one was-”

Obarun cleared his throat and interrupted the interruption. He had been entirely silent this whole time, but apparently him just making a noise was enough to attract the others' attention. “I believe Todd wants to say something.” He gestured to the lion and then just went to focusing back on the tunnel. Falm and Gikri turned to him. In their own way, they each looked a bit embarrassed.

“What’s up, Todd?” The bird asked, and it made Todd sigh in relief he was finally able to be heard. And stop the bickering too.

“I, well, I got a question. How do you guys know where to go?” The two seemed utterly clueless as to what he meant. Fun.

“Go?” Falm asked with a raised eyebrow of questioning. It made Todd gesture around at the surrounding vents.

“Like, like. Here. In the vents. How do you know where to go, how to navigate? We keep making turns, and it’s all identical to me.” The question made Falm sigh and Gikri laugh.

“You didn’t even show him the waysigns yesterday, man?” Gikri asked of the rabbit, who offered her a glare.

“Forgive me, but I was more concerned with getting the food back and not being caught in a wind maker torrent than explaining your convoluted way of marking out routes in these vents.” As helpful as Falm had been yesterday, it’s clear that the bunny had left a lot of things unsaid. And Todd was starting to wonder whether that was deliberate or because he simply struggled to explain what seemed obvious to him. Or unobvious, based on the way he just described these ‘waysigns.’

Gikri laughed again, and then jogged ahead a little faster. Todd had to huff a bit to keep up with her and the others, but eventually she stopped at a four way crossing of the vent passages. “All right, so, this is a great example. Each of these walls are marked with waysigns.” She gestured at scratches on the metal surface. At first, they just looked random to the lion. But after focusing on them, he could see patterns. And Gikri helped by pointing out to various shapes. “This right here marks the direction the instructions are about,” her finger aiming at an arrow in the process. That was obvious. “Then you have a symbol indicating what is that way. You’ll see in the direction we came, there’s Raf-Ojuh’s emblem. That means this passage connects with those that lead back towards it. But you also see this door looking image? That means there are homes of big ones that can be accessed in that way too.” Makes sense. “Next to the door, you have a number. Shows you how many doors that particular route has on it.” Todd looked for a number, but instead of a 1 or a 2 or something, he saw what looked like an eldritch abomination made of lines and dots. It didn’t even look like a numeral, it was just a messy shape. He had no idea how to interpret that. Yet he still smiled and nodded, trying to pretend he totally was a micro and knew how to read their language. Not a norm pretending to be a micro staring at what looked like elementary school graffiti, not at all.

“Those house symbols will pop up elsewhere too. We use those to mark vents that lead into homes too, but be on the lookout because we usually write ‘danger’ or something on the vents that lead into the, um…” Her words trailed, as if she wasn’t sure how to put what she wanted to say.

“The ones that will brutally kill you.” Falm finished for her a short time after she went quiet. “Or the ones that are simply poison and trap obsessed.” The words made Todd shutter. He wondered what his vents were marked with.

“Falm! I was trying not to freak him out, man!” She gave the bunny a look that was a bit more serious than usual before sighing. “But yeah, that. Just look out for stuff like that and you’ll be good. There’s other symbols too. Some mark for pets. Others for places like closets where you can hide or rest if you need to. Stuff like that. I’ll point it out if we pass it, so you can know what it looks like.” Todd nodded in thanks, and her face brightened back up again. “All right, so, now you know! Let’s get moving again, we’re burning the day away standing here!”

The rabbit huffed and continued onwards “Yes, let us continue to walk into this trap.”

Gikri was right on his heels and quickly took the lead again. “And I’m telling you it isn’t…” At this point, Todd decided to zone out from the bickering. He let his mind wander, though not quite enough that he wasn’t paying attention to his companions and where they were going. The last thing he wanted was to get lost in his apartment’s vents and die starving and alone...anymore, at least.

Suicide. Twenty-four hours ago, that was all that was on his mind. That thought just kept popping back into his head. He was so ready to die yesterday. A snarky bunny found him. A serious lizard kicked the crap out of him. And somehow those two events reinvigorated his will to live. Or maybe at least kicked him out of the pit he had been buried in since his father passed. His lips pressed together and he sucked on them before letting them purse outwards again. Would his dad be proud of him? For helping people that everyone thought were vermin? For abandoning his entire future in exchange for living in walls and eating crumbs for the rest of his days? For placing a goddamn shrink ray to his head instead of actually getting over his depression like an adult? He had no idea. Was there a heaven and a hell? Where would he go to? He’d never been raised to think of killing micros as being anything other than cleaning away vermin. It never sat right with him to kill anything, but before now he can’t say he ever utterly hated himself for it when it happened. Did the accidental deaths he caused hold a bearing over his soul? Over everyone’s soul? Did the universe care at all about these people? Or were the cosmos as uncaring about them as his people were?

He was never religious. So he wasn’t sure why all these thoughts were popping into his head. Maybe it was because he hoped there was a happier place for these people. The way they talked about death still made no sense to him, but...he’d have to hope at least there was something waiting for them on the other side better than this. No starvation. No giant vermin. No monsters like him. Just proper meals and homes and happiness, free of that acceptance of horror and

loss they all seemed to have internalized. In the midst of his internal philosophizing, he suddenly rammed into a wall of cloth and fur. It sent his train of thought off the rails and back into reality as he stumbled back.

“Thinking hard?” It was the voice of Obarun, and as Todd got his bearings he saw the cat had stopped in front of him. The whole group had paused in front of a vent. And they were all staring at him.

“Uh,” the lion nervously laughed, “yeah. Sorry. Just...trying to parse though things still. About...my memories.” For once, that wasn’t a complete lie.

“Yeah, you really zoned out there, man. Figured it was best to leave you. Remember something heavy?” Gikri was leaning against the vent now. The bird seemed oddly solemn as she regarded him. He wasn’t sure how to take that.

“No...I mean, kinda. Personal stuff. Sifting through...a life inside here I still need to wrap my head around.” He gestured to his head when he said it. But what he really meant was inside these vents. These walls. Inside this new world he’d bumbled into.

“I won’t pry.” That was all Gikri said before she removed her pack and sword, and slid between the slats of the grate sideways. Obarun simply nodded and did the same. Falm, who had been uncharacteristically silent, instead walked up to Todd.

“Be careful about that once we are inside. You need to keep focused, just in case the Master Scrounger is wrong. We do not need to lose anyone.” The rabbit placed a hand on his shoulder a moment before following after the others. He supposed that was Falm’s way of being supportive. Regardless, he couldn’t keep the group waiting. As carefully as he could, he removed his pack and turned himself sideways to slide on through the slats...and right into his old apartment. He stared up at it. They had come in via the wall vent beside his television. The couch stretched before them, the kitchen behind it. The bedroom off to the side, along with the bathroom. He’d lived here since he started college. Had these micros been here the whole time? He supposed they had to, given what Hythe had said about nearly killing her. Had that been-

“All right guys,” Gikri’s voice broke into his thoughts and he realized he had to actually pay attention, “As Hythe said, we’re gonna start with the bigger stuff. Now, I know you know this Obarun. Falm, you ever done a cabinet raid?”

The rabbit gave a little laugh and smiled. “Many a time. Upper and lower.” That earned him a thumbs up from the bird, along with a grin.

“Awesome, that just leads you Todd. All right, let’s get over to the kitchen and we’ll show you how this works.” She seemed excited as she flashed the lion a grin of his own. He offered a smile back, and yet felt...it was like being back at the University. There were the people who read the material and did all the work, and then there were the people who glided through on everyone else’s effort. In college, he was the former. Now, he was the latter. And he really, really did not like it.

The group scampered across the floor, taking cover briefly under the couch and then the dining table before making it to the kitchen floor. It felt chilly. Honestly, he always hated the kitchen for that reason. He always had to wear socks in the morning so he didn’t turn his paws into icicles. Now it felt like standing in front of the freezer during his brief stint in fast food. Why the hell didn’t he wear jeans before shrinking himself, goddamn… Internal complaining aside, Todd followed along and the four grouped up at the base of his kitchen counter. A few crumbs dotted the tile around them, mostly the ones him and Falm had passed over yesterday for bigger ones. They would likely return for these smaller crumbs after hauling away the larger foodstuffs. ...Man, he regretted not going shopping either. He could have had more for these people.

Still, there was important stuff going on. Gikri cleared her throat and gestured up to the counter itself. “Okay, so. Follow along as best you can, and feel free to ask any questions. It’s rare we get to do this these days, so I’m a bit out of practice, but basically our goal is to get up there. Most of the food is stored in the cabinets next to the refrigerator apparently, so that’s where we’re headed. To get there, we look for things we can toss the grappling hook up onto.” Her finger switched to a little below the top of the counter, to the handle of the dishwasher. “You see that, on the rainsprayer? Stuff like that is generally good to latch the hook onto. The higher a perch, the better.

“These lower cabinet handles,” she signaled to the various cabinets he had mostly kept his cookware in, “are okay, but not ideal. Since the counter doesn’t have a proper brim, we can’t really grip onto it with the hooks. Whereas that bit on the rainsprayer, one of us can just get on the other’s shoulders, climb up, then pull their partner up with them. I know that already sounds pretty hard, but unfortunately...this is the simple part.”

“Yeah, it was already a pain to get up onto the table yesterday to get crumbs with Falm. So I...can guess.” Todd admittedly was glad his table had some molding on the sides of it, so at least there were some handholds after they used the chair for the first part...that jump still fucking terrifed him though.

“Try to be a bit faster today. We knew where the big one was then, we cannot afford to be so...hesitant now.” For once, the lion flashed his rabbit companion a glare. The rabbit blinked at this, then shrugged. “Heights can indeed be unpleasant, but still remember...speed is important.”

“Not all of us are experts.” Obarun offered, at this point seeming to only speak when he felt the need to offer a counter-point or reminder of something. It was better than the bickering, Todd would admit.

“Point taken. Shall we get started?” The rabbit’s question was met with a curt nod from everyone, and swiftly they got to work. It started with Falm himself removing his grappling hook. Like before, he unraveled it slightly and then hung it loose in his hand before starting to swing it in a circle. Around and around it went until suddenly he loosed it upwards at the edge of the handle. It shot up like a rocket, falling behind the handle. The momentum caught the rope and swiftly the head wrapped around the whole bar. Falm pulled it, confirming it was taut and secure, before nodding. Gikri offered a thumbs up, Obarun also nodded, and Todd just sorta stood awed. That was a hell of a toss, that was at least five or six stories up. No further words were exchanged as instead Falm led the way up the road, followed in the usual order of bird, cat, and lastly lion by the others.

It was a careful scramble onto the handle of the dishwasher, as it turned out something meant to be gripped by a hand was not exactly very wide. Still the trio helped Todd as he fought for balance atop it. Next, it was Obarun’s turn. He was lifted first onto the counter via Gikri’s shoulders, and then he pulled up Falm and Todd from his angle. Then came the tough part. While Gikri was tall, she wasn’t quite tall enough to reach the counter. And given her size, she was heavy. The result? All three of them had to pull her up, in an effort that made Todd feel like he was pulling a block of solid concrete. That bird was built like a truck. Yet still, they just managed to accomplish the task. All four of them took a breather after that.

“Okay, well, that was something.” Gikri said with a huffing chuckle and wiped her brow. “As I said, been awhile. Okay. Now comes part two. The hard part. See those cabinets above us?”

“Yep.” Why couldn’t he have just stored his food on the counter, the lion wondered to himself as he stared up the ever so distant cabinets that filled up the view above the counter. He supposed because this happened and he used to be against micros getting into his food, but now that he was a micro itself...he was regretting being not being lazy about one thing in his life that would have paid to be lazy about.

“Don’t worry, you’re not gonna be doing the climbing.” Todd’s eyes shot to Gikri in surprise as she said that, causing her to grin. “Trust me, I’m not gonna let a newbie handle this part. But I will explain it. So, those cabinets all have lips underneath the doors. See ‘em? We use those, but unfortunately they’re a bit too far away for us to hook from here. So, we use that big refrigerator over there. Two of us are gonna use the top handle to get onto it, which gives us a near even level to the cabinets. Then carefully latch a grappling hook onto and swing over to one of the cabinets. Usually, we can pull them open from there and climb inside. They’re all connected, so we’ll have access to all the food. All the while, the other two will have been waiting down here. We push closed boxes of food down to them, to avoid spilling them and making noise. They then open the boxes and load the bags with the food. Once they’re full, climbers slide down the rope and the loaders help catch them when they need to drop. Then Obby can knock the grappling hook down with an arrow or two, and we leave.” And with that, Gikri makes a ‘ta-da’ motion with her hands and grins excitedly.

“So, I’ll be one of the loaders, right?” That sounded much less stressful than the massive display of gymnastics that the bird had just described. And he was relieved when Gikri double confirmed his place with a nod.

“Who shall remain with him then?” Falm asked as he traced the path that was to be climbed with his eyes.

“You, I figured.” Gikri’s words made Falm turn his focus to her as a frown formed on his lips.

“Me? Why? I possess as much experience with this as you do.” It almost sounded like the rabbit was genuinely offended. That made Gikri chuckle.

“Figured you’d want to be down here and keep a lookout for that big bad trap you kept blabbing about. Watch for the inevitable moment the big one returns and comes to snatch us all up to be toys, OoOoOoh!” Gikri gave a ‘spooky’ wag of her fingers as she made a ghostly noise. If Falm’s eyes had their way, she would be a ghost herself. All the while Todd just sort of rocked back and forth on his heels. The rabbit was technically right, the big one had returned...just not as a big one.

“Ah. Mocking me again. How droll.” Falm stated dryly, bordering on monotone.

That earned an even wider grin from Gikri. “Yuuuuup. But seriously, you should stay down here. Obby needs more experience with this stuff, and those ears of yours do make you a better lookout than mine or his. Plus, I’m needed up there for moving the boxes and, even if he stayed, Obby isn’t much of a talker. So I imagine Todd would prefer you too.” She gestured to Todd, putting him on the spot. He was not fond of being put on the spot.

“I’m okay with anyone…” Todd’s small voice returned as he looked down and suddenly felt like he was making this whole thing more complicated than it needed to be.

After a few moments of silence, the lion could hear Falm sigh. “I see your point. Very well. I shall keep watch. And if something happens, my first and last words will be ‘I told you so.’”

“And if something happens man, I’ll have earned it. But it’s not gonna. Right, Obby, you’re with me. Let’s get to it.” Following those words, he could hear the sounds of backpacks coming off, fabric rubbing against fabric. Metal jingles and zipping sounds as tools were gathered as well. And finally two pairs of footsteps set off, slowly slipping into the distance. Leaving just silence in their wake.

After what felt like an eternity, Falm’s voice spoke up. “Are you all right, Todd?” The lion looked up to his companion, who had moved over to the edge of the countertop to look out across the room beyond it. Yet one of his ears slightly swived in Todd’s direction as the feline’s gaze drew upwards, indicating he was paying attention.

“Honestly? Surprised you haven’t pushed me over that ledge for being useless at this point.” He gave a sad chuckle as he moved beside the rabbit, to join him in his observations.

The rabbit gave a tutting sound and turned away from the apartment beyond. “Unskilled and useless are two wholly different matters. You are holding up to the best of your ability, I can tell.”

Todd shrugged off the attempted comfort, not really feeling it. “Maybe. Can’t help but feel like dead weight still.” His eyes moved to the rabbit as he suddenly made a quizzical look. “Also, why do you keep giving me a pass while insulting everyone else?”

For a few moments, Falm was silent. His fingers rested atop the hilt of his needleblade and drummed a steady beat. Then finally, he replied. “My critique of the others stems from the fact they know better, and yet act foolish. You, in contrast, lack any such knowledge in your presently empty head. No skills, no instincts, no understanding of the world. I may make a passing witticism, but were I to truly belittle you as you are would be akin to insulting a child for asking why the big ones hunt us or why the gods allow it. A child is asking because they genuinely do not know, and so are you.”

There was another pause, one that the lion was going to fill with words of his own, but then Falm continued. ”Yet, still. I will admit my sardonic nature is my way of coping with this reality. I have never been fond of placing myself in situations where I must rely on people or things I cannot completely trust. Big ones and their words would fit both categories. This whole affair feels incredibly off to me as a result. I need something to...focus me, release the tension that would make me jump at shadows. Hence, my attitude today and many other days.”

“And you aren’t afraid of burning bridges by doing that?” Todd had had many a friend that had used sarcasm similarly. To defuse tense moments, or to release worries in the form of inappropriate jokes. Even Todd did it himself, at least in company that wouldn’t punch him for it. But Falm seemed to delight in the irritation his words brought.

“An odd metaphor… But, I suppose I do see what you are implying,” the rabbit said as he massaged his forehead with his hand, “My relationships in my travels have always been, well, transitory. A fleeting meeting along the deadly road of this life. Those friends I make I rarely see again. Sometimes simply because of my departure. But more often it results from simply how life is. Someone or something taking them away from me, permanently. When you watch someone you care for die because a big one was just slightly too observant or some vermin ambushed you unexpectedly for the fifth or sixth time, you realize…perhaps it is better to burn a bridge yourself to distance yourself from the person across it than watch it be burned by a cruel accident and feel the agony that comes with that loss over and over again.”

In its own way, Todd found that made sense. It kept coming back to death in this world. Tragic death, accidental death, malicious death. Death. The death of his father, one single person, had crippled Todd. It had been as if life dumped a boulder upon his back when it took his dad, and he found he could no longer move. He spent so long lying still upon his bed, trapped under that weight. That shrink ray was his way of removing it, though in a different fashion than intended. But that was one death. One loved one’s death had crippled him. This world seemed to bring death constantly...maybe that’s why they had to become numb. People like him, who collapsed under loss, wouldn’t survive. Which did not bode well for his future here…

“Hey, Todd, Falm! You two doing all righty down there?” Even though she was yelling, Gikri’s boisterous voice still sounded rather quiet as it echoed down from above. Still, it was enough to draw their attention up to her. The bird was standing inside the cabinet, its door now open and a grappling hook hanging from the edge.

“Simply musing upon friendships and the cruelties of life that steal them from us, so we are perfectly fine and dandy,” Falm called up to her, causing the bird to seemingly laugh even from this distance, “How is it looking up there?”

“While I’ve seen more food in other cabinets, this is still a massive haul! We’re gonna start with dropping a box of those food bar things with...oats and stuff! We should be able to break them up and fit them in the bags! You guys head over to the sink though, just in case the damned thing bounces or spills! I’ve seen that stuff send people over the edge, and we don’t want to lose either of you! Too much stuff to carry after all!” She gave another laugh before waving and heading into the dark depths of Todd’s former food storage. Least those granola bars tasted pretty good...hopefully they weren’t too close to their expiration date.

“Best to heed her advice. The big ones are never very good at sealing their food in tightly.” Falm said with a sigh, picking up a two of the backpacks to carry towards the sink. Todd shrugged and did the same. He was pretty sure he hadn’t opened the box that was up there, but it’s not like he could explain that. Honestly, he was more curious to see how they intended to send down his family-sized box of Corn Pops...that’d be a feat!

The two settled beside the divided stainless steel basin that was the kitchen sink, still filled with some dishes that Todd had kept saying he’d get to eventually. Turns out, eventually was never. But hey, least it wasn’t his problem anymore. And thankfully they’d soaked enough in the past they didn’t smell...too bad. Falm glanced over the piles of plastic and ceramic before silently rolling his eyes and looking back to the open cabinet. “Let’s hope it doesn’t slide onto the floor.”

“That would be pretty unfortunate, yeah…” Todd was already having phantom pains from having to climb back to the floor at the idea. And those dental floss ropes were so painful to climb…

Suddenly, the edge of the granola bar box appeared at the edge of the cabinet. Slowly, it slid out length wise and upright. Suppose that was easier than it being on its side, not as hard to get it out of the actual door. He couldn’t tell how they were moving it, but it seemed like it was being pushed. He honestly admired the sheer amount of upper body strength that took. Comparatively, anyway. He was staring at a cardboard food box and thinking of it as something weighing in hundreds of pounds rather than, like, a tiny thing he could lift with no effort...it was such a change. He couldn’t stop thinking about that kind of stuff. It just-oh, there it goes. The box toppled out from the cabinet and landed with a smack on the countertop. It slid gently, but didn’t move too close to the edge or them. The lion gave it a mental 10 points.

Falm clapped his hands together happily. “Fantastic. Foolish as they can be, at least they get the job done. Now let us…” The rabbit’s ears perked up suddenly and started to swivel slightly as his face formed into a frown. “...Did you hear that?”

Todd’s own ears flicked and he tried to listen. He just heard his own breath. “Um...no? What shoul-”

“Hush!” The rabbit placed a hand on his chest as his ears moved. His eyes were still staring out towards the granola, but he clearly wasn’t really seeing their target anymore. He was focusing hard. “...There, that!”

Todd listened again. Hard. He listened for several moments. He was about to say he heard nothing again, but that is when he did hear something. A scratching. Like claws across metal. Scritch, scritch, clatter. Skritch, clatter, skritch. He couldn’t place the where, but it was there. It was. “Okay...okay, now I do hear that.”

The pair of climbers still hadn’t appeared to drop out of the cabinet yet. And Falm was focusing entirely on the sound, leaving Todd to his own thoughts. At first he thought it might be keys against the door lock, but no. Ignoring the fact that only the super had a spare key, there was no jingling of metal on metal and it felt too...close? Obviously he wasn’t in the apartment. Well, no, he was in the apartment, but he wasn’t there as who they thought he was. So what was it? Wait, wait...shit, this felt familiar. Someone mentioned this before. Not one of the micros, but his former neighbors. Jacky? Ms. Tyler? No, who was it that mentioned those weird sounds they heard. Right, it was Cheryl, that accountant in 301. They caught each other in the elevator that one time, and she talked about hearing weird noises in her kitchen that were scratching. And then she did some investigating and found...what was it agai-oh right. Shit. Literal shit. Droppings of some kind underneath his sink and hidden on the counter. Now, she blamed it on micros. And Todd remembered the super did too. But after all Todd had seen and the fact he was standing next to a micro who was very clearly not making it, Todd was at a loss. And, wait, didn’t that other hippie chick say something else about this? What the hell was it...

The scraping grew louder. And suddenly there was the clink of something moving ceramic against metal. Slowly, Todd turned his head back towards the sink. Falm was doing the same. There, at the bottom of the nearest basin, was the drain. Half covered by a plate. It was being manipulated, pushed. By a pair of pink claws. Very large, very sharp looking claws. The plate fell aside, and out popped a furry face. Not the furry face of a micro. But a large, feral looking furry face. A mouse. Its fur was matted and wet, and its whole body was rather emaciated. He could see its bones. It was starting to crawl out of the drain, slowly, straining to pull itself up out of the piping.

Oh yeah. That was it. The hippie chick said they had rodents as well as micros.

“Todd,” Falm whispered in the most deadly serious tone he’d heard the rabbit ever muster, “We are going to back away slowly. Gently. Grab the backpacks, and move towards the box. If we can get one of the bars out and leave it quick enough for the mouse to take, it might ignore us. Do you understand?”

Todd nodded. He had often found mice cute. Right now though, he didn’t. He stared down at that creature before him and felt like he was a peasant staring at the dragon about to devour his village. Still, despite his fear, he forced his body to comply. He took a step back...and bumped one of the backpacks. It toppled over, landing against the attached grappling hook with a metallic ping. It wasn’t very loud. Not very loud at all. Maybe it didn’t...Todd looked back at the mouse. Its ears were twitching, and then its head slowly turned towards the two. It sniffed the air. Rose back on its hind legs. And made a sound that might have been a squeak, but honestly it sounded more like the hiss of an undead creature preparing to rise from the grave and devour the flesh of the living.

“Run!” The lion felt a hand wrap around his own and start dragging him away from the sink. It took a moment for him to start moving his legs of his own accord rather than just being pulled behind. Behind him, he heard the mouse’s claws scratching against the sink as it climbed the dishes and metal wall after them. It echoed inside the basin and made Todd unable to tell how far away it was as the two ran towards the granola box.

“Gikri! Obarun! Vermin! Vermin!” The rabbit called up in the direction of the cabinet, which was still disturbingly devoid of any sign of their companions. Another screeching deathsqueak came from behind them, closer than the lion would have ever liked it to have sounded. He glanced over its shoulder. The mouse had gotten over the edge of the sink and was now sprinting towards them. Eyes teeth bared, mouth dripping with saliva, and eyes wide with hunger. Fuck. Giant rodents were supposed to be joke enemies in RPGs, not fucking terrifying abominations that looked ready to devour their souls!

They reached the box, and Falm shoved Todd against the cardboard as he turned around. His needleblade was drawn with a flourish as he faced down the beast that was barreling towards them. “Todd, stay where you are until it comes for me. When I have distracted it, head to where we climbed up from and run. Hide. Do you understand?” The beast was nearly upon them now.

“But my spea-”

“You have no idea how to use that thing, and I am not about to have you sacrifice yourself over something so stupid. Now, get ready!” The mouse was no longer just running. It jumped now. Leaping at Falm and Todd. The rabbit started to shift himself to the side to dodge. Todd was utterly frozen in place, watching in horror as his death came for him.

But it never arrived.

The mouse was knocked down mid-air as a micro suddenly slammed into the top of it while screaming their lungs out. “Stay the hell away from my scroungers, you boney excuse for a cheese nibbler!” The mouse squealed as it was knocked flat by the impact, a massive blade pierced through it in the process. It thrashed and bucked, as the figure held tight to their weapon that dug deeper and cut wider with every movement as it fought against its attacker. A few moments later, it fell still. And the figure fell off, the beast’s back and flashed a thumbs up to the pair. “Told you a fleshcleaver was useful, man!”

Both the rabbit and the lion stared at Gikri, who had become coated in blood while gutting the mouse. Todd grimaced at the sight of the still twitching rodent that was bleeding out on his countertop. Fucking hell, so that hippie chick in 107 was right, the super was hiding a rodent problem behind the micro problem. And now one was dying all over his countertop...ew.

“What a theatrical entrance,” Falm sighed before gesturing up to the cabinet “Were you just waiting up there until the most dramatic moment for you to help us?”

Gikri laughed and smiled while holding her hands wide. “Maaaaaybe! But nah. Obby and I were just talking over an idea of ours and then we weren’t expecting you to summon a feral!”

“You two okay?” It was the voice of Obarun joining in, still coming down from above. As he was starting to regain his senses, Todd glanced up to find the cat looking down at them from inside the cabinet. The lion nodded and waved up to the cat, his panic still caught in his throat and thus unwilling to let words pass. His fellow feline simply nodded in return, watching the trio.

“We just nearly died to a vermin and you two supposedly experienced scroungers were busy having a little chitchat. So I would say…” Falm was in the middle of bitching and snarking when his words trailed off. And his ears again started swiveling. This time, Todd wasn’t confused. He was suddenly hearing it too. The scratching and tapping of claws on metal. Coming from the direction of the sink again. “...Can you-”

“Yes, I can.” It was Gikri who replied as she turned towards the sink. Skritch, skritch. Clatter, skitter, clatter. The sounds came. Louder and louder. The bird moved over to the slain mouse and with just a bit of tugging pulled her makeshift claymore free. In two hands, she wielded it as it hung by her side. “How many do you think?”

“Two, I think.” Falm’s grip tightened upon his blade. His ears continued to swivel. “I think.”

“Should I-” Todd started, only to get cut off by Falm.

“If it is two, maybe. But if it is three…we cannot hold all of them. It would outrun you. We have to try to hold here.” The words made the lion grip his spear tightly. He was too afraid to stand, and more hugged his weapon than properly wielded it. This was bad. Why of all days did this have to happen today? Then he realized this could have happened yesterday. He could have just been devoured by a mouse yesterday after shrinking himself. Torn apart without meeting Falm. His hands started to hurt with how tightly he gripped his spear.

Obarun was silent above, offering no commentary or comfort. His bow fell into his hand and he drew an arrow. He opened the jar of fluid he had brought with him and began to coat each of his arrows with it. Their tips were made with shards of broken glass, sharp as obsidian. They glinted in the edge of Todd’s vision as he looked over his three companions.

The sound continued for a few moments. Then it stopped. And then it started again. Seconds later, they appeared. Three heads, one after the other, climbing onto the counter top. Sniffing at the air. They were following the blood. Out of kinship or hunger, Todd didn’t know. But Todd did know when the trio of vermin saw them. And made that horrible, horrible squeaking screech.

Everything went so fast after that. Obarun wasn’t in the cabinet anymore. He had grabbed onto the rope and slid down. Those paperclip tools he brought secured him to it. Mid-drop, he stopped himself and was hanging upside down. His hands freed from grasping the rope as his legs squeezed it madly. An arrow was in his hand, knocked back, and then sent flying in a matter of seconds. It hissed through the air and pierced into the first mouse’s back. It squealed in pain. More arrows swiftly followed.

Then Gikri was charging forward towards one of the feral rodents. A warcry bellowed from her lungs as the other mouse’s blood trailed off her with every moment. One of the beasts lept at her, and in a swift side movement she dodged its lunge and instead swung her blade upwards to connect with its side. Another cry of pain pierced the air as its blood dripped down its own open side. But it didn’t collapse upon landing. It stumbled around and turned itself around so it could continue the attack.

With that, Falm stepped onto the field. He moved with the swiftness of a runner and grace of a dancer as he sprinted towards the next rodent that charged the group. It chomped at him as he reached the beast, but by the time its jaws closed there was only air where Falm was. The move brought the rabbit beside the beast’s head, a location he used to his advantage by thrusting his needle into the creature’s eye. It reared and lashed its claws at the man. But yet again, the white rabbit was gone before they arrived and the paws simply sliced at nothing wildly.

It was in this moment that Todd realized where he was, and equally who he was. Somehow, reality had thrown into him something he had complained about when normal. Something that was merely existence in the realm of fantasy and make-believe in his previous world, but was far more real here. Somehow, he had ended up in the real life version of an escort mission. And he was the hapless NPC who sat there screaming and being an idiot while the actually important people did all the work. It was not a comforting realization. Not in the slightest. His heart was pounding in his ears while his throat had become dry at some point. He was staring at his companions as they fought and he was just sitting there clutching a spear that he couldn’t even use. ...Were they going to survive through this?

Gikri was still slashing away at her opponent. It limpingly clawed at at her, and she hacked off some toes in the process. Then it lunged forward with its jaws gaped to bite, but that resulted in the thing wrapping its lips around her blade and the weapon sinking into its cheeks. This didn’t stop it. It pushed the bird to the ground as she gripped her sword, her feet pressed against its lower jaw as it forced itself atop her. She was twisting the fleshcleaver to the side, bending its head to an unpleasant degree. But it wasn’t letting go. Fighting against the weapon’s leverage upon it. A test of endurance. Either its pain and blood loss got the better of it, or it would cast the bird’s weapon aside and devour her.

The rabbit still performed his melee danse macabre around his prey. He flowed like the wind around the chaotic beast as it clawed and lunged at him with its hungry, drooling mouth. It was as if the others did not exist, and it was just him. The starved rodent was slowly growing more and more coated with deep cuts, and its poked out eye dripped with lifeblood down its gaunt maw. None of its wounds were mortal, but every cut and bloody hole was clearly wearing upon it. It was a war of attrition that Falm was winning. And thankfully, so far the other mice were too busy dealing with their prey to break the rabbit’s flow.

Of course, it was the last mouse that was clearly the most driven. It was still being pelted by arrows from the hanging Obarun and circled below the cat like a hungry dog. Yet it was clearly getting more and more annoyed. And that’s when it struck. The beast drew back from beneath the rope, then using its powerful legs to jump up towards its archer prey. Despite Todd barely knowing the man, there was one thing that could be said about Obarun: he had amazing core strength. The rodent nearly reached him, and he used the legs that were slung around the rope to pull his body upwards just enough to avoid the rodent’s fangs. Yet the mouse was not deterred. It landed, stalked again, and when Obarun had started to line up a shot, it jumped again. The teeth failed to land again as Obarun pulled himself up, but...something happened. The cat started to slip.

The mouse fell away, and so nearly did Obarun. With grace befitting a feline such as him, he managed to reach up and grab the end of the rope. His bow fell away from his grasp, and the arrows spilled from his quiver, but he had managed not to tumble down completely. Yet even from the sheer distance, Todd could tell he was straining. Fighting to get his other hand up to grasp the rope so he could climb as he wiggled like a worm on a hook. A treat for the mouse below to snatch up. Thankfully, the mouse had not yet jumped again. When Obarun’s quiver had emptied, it had rained down the arrows atop it and some of them had landed tip down into the beast’s face. It was thrashing to pull one out that had clearly jammed into its nose. But that was a small distraction, and it wouldn’t last long.

“Obby!” Gikri had seen her fellow scrounger nearly fall to his doom. She let out a cry of rage as she redoubled her efforts to push the mouse off her. Yet despite her strength, she was still facing off against a beast over twice her size. She could only just hold it back.

Her call, however, did succeed in drawing Falm’s attention towards what was happening. Just in time to be knocked back by a strike of his opponent’s claws. The rabbit vanished from the lion’s view behind his opponent as it pounced to perform the coup de grace, but he reappeared a moment later getting to his feet a few feet away. He made an attempt to break off, but the mouse swiftly planted itself in front of him and continued its attempts to devour him. He had to dance more to evade, and it only put him further from the cat’s precarious position. There was no way for him to help.

There were always moments in movies like this. Where everything was going wrong and things seemed to tick by so slowly. Where you watched doom play out, and wondered how it was all going to end. Todd was watching his life tick by like that in front of him. Slowly. Agonizingly slowly. As his mind raced for solution. He looked between his companions. All trapped. All struggling. His hands tightened around his spear. His breath slowed to a near halt as instincts born of necessity from his ancient ancestors awoke in his skull. Driven by these instinct, he pulled himself to his feet. He gripped his spear. And he charged towards the beast that was holding down Gikri.

He’d looked up many, many things when he was writing stories in college. Trying to keep some level of plausibility to his storytelling. Whether it was possible to stab a spear through the roof of a mouse’s mouth and into its brain to kill it was not one of those things. Todd had absolutely no idea whether it would work as his sneakers clomped against the counter top, bringing him closer and closer to the rodent and the bird. This might just snap his spear and cause him to lose his sole chance to help. But if he hesitated, Obarun would die anyway. And for once in his life, he wasn’t going to be a coward. He wasn’t going to be the anxious, self-hating nerd he was. He was going to actually do something worthwhile.

His grip on the spear remained firm as he reached the beast, practically sliding to a halt so he didn’t step on Gikri. He didn’t catch the bird’s reaction, he was focusing entirely on his mark. The roof of the beast’s mouth was exposed, its mouth practically wrenched open by the sword lodged between its jaws. Blood dripped down from where the fleshrender had torn into its tongue and cheeks, flowing with its drool down towards the floor. It disgusted Todd. But it didn’t stop him. As people had said, he had no idea how to use a spear properly. But it was a matter of thrusting. Pushing forward with its strength and his own. So he held the wooden weapon level, stared the beast in the eye that was facing it, and pushed the thing forward into where he imagined the roof of the mouth met the brain.

He expected a geyser of blood to spray out, like when a hero strikes a massive monster in a video game. There was blood, but it didn’t gush, The flesh gave way surprisingly easily, and the blood more...oozed down the wood as the creature wreathed against the impact. Gurgling squeals escaped its throat, but only for a moment. They became weaker as Todd drove the weapon deeper, and its wreathing became more like twitching. He’d hit something essential, definitely. He kept pushing and pushing as the thing wreathed. At some point, he realized his throat was hurting. He was screaming. He wasn’t sure if it was a battlecry or because he was absolutely terrified. Slowly, he stepped back. He looked down at his hands. There were coated in the vermin’s bodily juices. It made him feel sick. From beside him, he saw Gikri rise. She had left her blade inside the vermin’s lips. She was charging in the direction of Obarun without it.

Everything was still in slow motion. Gikri was running towards the hanging Obarun. The mouse below him was finally pulling the arrow from its nose that had been tormenting it. Its gaze returned to the cat hungrily. It started to get ready to jump, shifting into an almost perching position. Then, the bird was on top of it. Leaping against it, screaming, grabbing the upper jaw of its open mouth and pulling it backwards. The thing squealed and instead of jumping it flopped in a backwards direction. Slamming into the countertop. Gikri fell beside it as it thrashed, tumbling dazed by the impact. Obarun took the opportunity to keep trying to climb, but it wasn’t enough. Todd watched his grip slip, and the feline fell away from the rope. Downwards like a stone. Even from the fairly long range he was at, the lion could hear the crunch as the cat’s leg slammed into the marble counter. His scream of pain as the impact occurred. He could see bone piercing through the leg. Bile gurgled and surged inside the lion’s stomach.

Falm was still carrying out his dance. Weaving and slashing and stabbing about the beast. Keeping it occupied. But he noticed Gikri’s actions. Watched the other mouse thrash about as Gikri came to a rest beside it. And then he was moving. The mouse attacking him tried to cut him off as it had last time, but he simply ducked and slid under it’s massive form. The rodent turned around to find the rabbit grabbing his large bird companion and helping her to her feet. It saw two snacks and it charged with a shrill cry. Its mouth wide and pointed teeth bared. It seemed as if they’d be grabbed, but the two dodged away at the final moment. And instead of sinking its teeth into the two micros, the mouse’s teeth sank into the still thrashing body of its companion. It tasted blood still, and it clearly couldn’t resist itself. It started to devour it’s friend alive.

Todd looked away at that point. It wasn’t simply because he found that disgusting, but because his guts finally had decided it was time for the climax. He ran to the edge of the counter, fell to his knees, and released the growing torrent of bile that had been gathering in his stomach. His eyes watered as he sat there and just let it all come out. The weakening squeals of the dying mouse getting devoured filling his ears and making his guts lurch even more. Eventually, those stopped. There was no more sound at all after that. No more sound but his retching and gagging as he sat there recovering. Slowly, those eased too. And he was just left with his thoughts as he looked over his apartment.

He’d never killed an animal before. Dear god, especially not like that. The stabbing and the blood and...he forced the thoughts from his mind as they made his stomach want to vacate itself again. And then he nearly jumped out of his skin and over the edge as a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Easy! Be careful there. You did not survive everything that just happened to stumble off the edge and fall to your death.” It was Falm’s voice. The lion took a vomit-scented breath in and out before looking up at the rabbit.

“Is it over?” The lion asked, wiping some flecks of...whatever gunk had come out of him off his lips using his hand.

The rabbit slowly nodded and settled down beside the lion. “We finished off the vermin. Gikri is still treating Obarun at the moment. We did our best to get his leg cleaned up and splinted. But he will be unable to walk for some time. Regardless, Gikri wanted me to come check on you, given you were emptying your belly over the edge and all. ...That was a fine bit of work with that spear there. I do believe you saved us.”

That bit of praise earned a bitter laugh from Todd. “I had no idea what the hell I was doing. It just kinda happened.”

Falm shrugged. “Yet still, it helped. You got Gikri free. She saved Obarun. I saved her. Nice little circle of rescue. And it started with you. It’s an accomplishment.”

“Suppose so.” Todd said with a shrug. “So, what’s the plan now? How do we get the food out?”

“A good question,” the rabbit said with a sigh, “shall we go figure that out?” He rose and offered Todd a hand. The lion took it, not sure if he’d be able to get back to his own feet alone at the moment.

It wasn’t pleasant, walking past the mouse he killed. Or seeing the three other ones. The first stabbed one, the half eaten one and the last with a massive wound in its head where presumably Gikri stabbed it while it was busy feed-frenzying. And amidst it all was Gikri, who was kneeled down over Obarun. They’d indeed managed to seemingly set up a patchwork splint around his shattered leg, but the bandages were already soaked through with blood. And the cat seemed to be only half there as he was spoken to by the bird. But he was alive. For the moment. Todd was honestly glad to see that this had turned out okay despite how it started.

As the two approached, Gikri flashed a grin. But it wasn’t her usual grin. It looked strained. Tired. Perhaps trying a little too hard to hide pain and sadness that lurked behind it. “Todd, man, you saved my ass! Stabbed that thing nice and good, you didn’t even hesitate! ...Thank you, Todd. I don’t think Obby would be alive without you.’ She looked to the cat, and poked him in the arm. “Say thank you to the nice lion.”

“T-thank you.” The cat’s voice was shaky and breathy, born out of the sheer agony of his injury. Given it’s unlikely these micros had painkillers of any kind, he was surprised that Obarun was even conscious due to how much pain he would be in.

“You’re welcome. I...instinct. It was just instinct. I’m just glad it worked out.” The lion raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. “So, what’s the plan? How do we do the stuff with the food.”

Gikri sighed and cast a look towards the box of granola bars. “Well, the good news is, we kept it. Didn’t have to give it up to those freaky vermin. The bad news is, with Obby the way he is, I need to get him back to Raf-Ojuh. Fast. He needs to get his wounds treated, before infection sets in. Before all…” She paused and gestured around at the corpses. “...this, him and I were talking. We were thinking we’d leave the rope up, maybe see if we could use that box we dropped as a platform once we emptied it to get up there again tomorrow. The big one isn’t coming back anytime soon, after all. Now it seems like that plan is kinda our only option. As for the food itself, well...I’ll leave you and Falm the bags. You guys fill them up. Once Obby is nice and snug with the healers, I’ll huff it back here to help you guys return it. I got the muscles, I sure as heck can carry two bags if you guys get the other two.”

“Sensible. So long as no other vermin decide to join these ones.” Falm said as he cast an eye out over the carnage. The thought of more of those things made Todd shudder and start rubbing his hands together. Try to distract himself from those thoughts with the sensation of fur and flesh pressed against each other.

“Should be fine. None have come so far. Just keep an ear out, and you two will be fine, man. Now…” With more care than Todd expected such a large woman to be capable of, she gently pulled Obarun into her arms and then around her shoulders. “...I gotta get this kitty off to the sickbed for rest. Stay safe, you two. I’ll be back as quick as I can.”

A few moments later, the two were alone atop the counter. Todd looked to Falm and found the rabbit had done the same. He shrugged.

“Shall we?”

“Let’s.” Todd replied with a weary smile. He was just glad that everything was okay.

Chapter 4 - Artifacts of Godhood

It’d taken them both a bit of time to pull open the seal on the box of granola bars. Not to mention cutting through the godforsaken plastic wrappers coating each one. But they worked as a team. Falm did the breaking, Todd did the scooping and filling. Of course, Todd had washed his hands of the blood before he touched anything. He was lucky he had a leaky faucet and there was some dried soap crust on the edge of the sink. ...Even if the drips were beach ball sized to him and hit as hard as dodgeballs. Still, they had washed him nicely. So it worked out.  Yep, making do with what he had to get the job done...honestly, that summed up how the micros worked.

Every little moment with their tools and ideas made him realize how goddamn ingenious these people were. Working with so little, they’d found a way to create great things. For instance, the bags were larger than Todd expected. With proper breaking, each one could hold a whole bar and a half. And given it was a twelve bar pack, that was a fair amount. And now, with all said and done, the two were carefully making sure the bags were sealed up tight and ready to be carried. There was still no sign of Gikri though. And thankfully no sign of vermin either, beyond the bodies beside them that were starting to smell. Todd had suggested to Falm that maybe they should butcher them for the meat, but he shot it down. They had no idea if the animals were diseased, not to mention the difficulty of storing meat properly so that it didn’t spoil. Todd hadn’t wanted to eat mouse meat, but...well, he was a lion. And he did enjoy a good bit of cooked meat.

With their work done, the two sat in silence on the edge for a bit. Looking out over the apartment, waiting for Gikri. After awhile, Todd’s gaze drifted in the direction of his bedroom. Well, former bedroom. And thoughts crept into his brain. Memories of good times and bad times. Mementos that still hung to that room’s walls. Pictures...pictures he would never see again. He blinked as he realized everything would be trashed. He’d just be some tenant that bailed on his rental contract.

That’s when he realized what he had to do.

“Hey Falm? Mind if I go take a look at something?” Even as he asked the question, he was already getting up. Heading towards the dishwasher handle so he could climb down to the rope that led to the floor.

“Look at something?” The rabbit glanced at him with utter confusion as he rose, quickly doing the same and falling into step behind him. “Todd, you are aware the food will not guard itself, yes?”

“I’m sure you can handle it. I just need to look at something.” He made it to the edge and started to move to jump down to the railing when Falm gripped him by the shoulder.

“Todd. What in the gods’ names are you doing? You just nearly died to vermin, and now you want to just venture off to look at some random thing in a big one’s abode? Have you lost all sense of reason?” The rabbit’s expression clearly showed he thought Todd was. The lion just stared into his eyes.

“Maybe. It’s just something I have to do.” He should have known that Falm would react like this. But this was his best chance to get this done. If he came back tomorrow, the others would be there. It’d be harder to get away and just...take that final look.

“What could possibly be so-”

“It has to do with my memories. I think it’ll help with them.” It wasn’t a complete lie. It was about his memories. Just...not the ones he claimed to be missing.

That reply made the rabbit blink. “Your memories? So, looking at this…thing would help you regain them, at least partially?”

“Maybe.” Now, that was a lie. But if it convinced the rabbit to let him go…

“What is this thing then? What precisely do you need to look at?” The rabbit still stared at him in utter bewilderment, but he was slowly starting to come around. Not quick enough to Todd’s liking though. A sigh escaped the lion as he glanced towards the bedroom.

“It’s in there. That’s...all I can really say. I just need to see it.”

“In...you do realize-” The lion silenced the rabbit by placing his own hand atop the one the Falm had on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I do. But it’s in there. And I need to see it. It will help.” He cast the most pleading, kitty eyed look he could at his companion.

For a moment, the rabbit just gazed at him like someone contemplating a confusing art piece. Then he gazed through him, his mind drifted off into thought. Finally, out came a sigh alongside a curt nod. “Fine. Let us be off then.” Those words confused Todd, as did the rabbit starting to move to climb down onto the washer handle.

“Wait, what? What are you doing Falm?”

The rabbit continued to start climbing down, but paused midway to look up at him. “We just experienced a very serious near-death experience. If you insist on wandering off, I intend to come with you to keep watch. The last thing we need is for you to get killed by some other creature lurking in this house because you think something in that bedroom will help you. If you wish to make this journey, those are my terms. Do you accept them?”

The lion’s mouth started to move to express disagreement, but he closed it before a word came out. Perhaps...perhaps this was appropriate. A good way to get the truth out. About him. About what he was. Falm did kinda discover him. Todd left his bedroom that first day and met the rabbit, learning of a whole new world. Perhaps now the rabbit could join Todd in his bedroom, and he could truly meet Todd. ...Okay, no, god no. That sounded like a bad porn line. Scratch that thought. Scratch it, burn it, and replace it with something better. The better thought being that Falm was right about possible other vermin. After what just happened, Todd didn’t want to face any alone. Anyway, focusing back on reality, Todd just nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

And so they did. The bags were left near the ledge, given there were no signs of vermin coming to take them. Once they reached the floor, Todd took the lead. Falm followed behind him, occasionally huffing as they passed by various bits of furniture. The light entering through the windows was starting to dim, but there was still enough to see. For that, Todd was glad. It’s not like he could reach a lightswitch anymore anyway. As they reached the open doorway, the lion came to a halt. He peered into the evening gloom of his room as he hovered at the threshold. The whole doorway towered over him. Stretching up and up and up till he had to crane his neck to see the top. Two days ago, he walked through his doorway with a shrink ray he bought from a drunk janitor. He walked through it with ease. His body partially filled it. Now...he was barely noticeable standing in it.

“Second thoughts?” Falm’s voice interrupted into Todd’s musings.

“No.” The lion declared flatly before walking inside.

Nothing had changed about the room. Clothes still dotted its floor. The closet, half open, still was poorly organized and missing half the things that should be in it. The bed was unmade, its sheets flowing onto the floor like a waterfall that had frozen in winter. The ceiling fan distantly hummed around and around at a slow but steady pace. And their destination, his computer desk, sat directly across from them. But on the way, another thing stood. A metal object. Its barrel threaded with electronics that had tingled at his finger’s touch. Its middle a boxy mass of battery and casing that had powered this strange device. And its back a shattered glass tube was once filled with green energy that pulsed like a heart, but now was empty and still as a grave. Todd walked to the object, up to its grip, and stared at it. Then, he touched it.

“Have you gone completely mad?! Do not touch that, you have no id-”

“It’s not a trap, if that’s what you’re worried about, Falm.” Todd replied as he glanced over the device. His free hand waved off the rabbit’s concerns, as for once he was not ignorant as to what he was doing.

“You have no-”

“Trust me, I do. I know.” Again, Todd interrupted. This time adding a bit of a laugh. And then his hand fell away from the device, and he was walking forward again.

“I’m assuming that was not what you wanted to look at then? You simply enjoy meddling with objects you know nothing about and cla-”

Todd laughed again as the rabbit started complaining. “No, it wasn’t what I wanted to look at. But it was important. And it’s not dangerous. Not anymore, anyway.”

The rabbit scoffed behind him. “So have your memories all returned, or are you just playing games with me like Gikri? ...We should not even be here. No matter what the Master Scrounger says, this whole affair will end poorly if-”

“Falm,” Todd paused and turned around, raising a finger to the rabbit’s lips, “It will be fine. Just please. Be quiet a moment. I’ll explain when we get up top.”

“Up-” Falm tried to move his mouth from behind the finger, and Todd just moved it.

“Yep. Up top. Just follow me. You wanted to come, we’re doing this my way.” Todd offered a smirk to the rabbit.

“Very well.” The rabbit said from behind the finger with a frown. The lion responded with a smile before continuing on his way.

The way up would be easier than the counter. His computer cables. They were a tangled mess under his desk, but they’d easily lead them up to the top. Once more, Todd took the lead. He took them beneath the desk, and up to his behemoth old PC tower. His hand rubbed along its plastic side as they moved around its back. Almost instantly, the lion was able to pick out the cords that would get them up to the desk. And wordlessly, he grabbed onto them and started climbing. Thankfully, Falm kept quiet. Mostly quiet. He could hear the rabbit cursing occasionally as they pulled their way up the plastic surface. Honestly, Todd wasn’t sure how he was doing it. Maybe some leftover adrenaline from the battle with the mice was giving him the strength to climb this much. Maybe it was something else, like desperation to see that particular picture one last time. Either way, he was glad it was working.

They reached the top of the desk in record time. Todd pulled himself up onto the desk surface, right behind his old trusty monitor. He said nothing as he walked past it. He said nothing as he leapt up onto his keyboard and skipped across its keys, though he did giggle slightly in the process. Falm followed him with much less exuberance, still continuing his muttered cursing. Finally, the two arrived at the edge of the desk. And Todd stared out at his room once again, from a greater height than before. He sighed to himself as he gazed upon the room. This would be the closest he’d ever get to seeing it from his former height again. His eyes shifted to the decorations. The various video game posters dotting the walls, looking like advertisements on the side of skyscrapers...weird to think he’d never play one again. A bookcase filled with years of good and bad sci-fi and fantasy novels, all of which he’d equally never be able to open now. Not that he was particularly keen to, at the moment. And action figures on shelves, now bigger than he was and utterly devoid of point to him. He was no longer in his room. He was in his tomb. His grave.

This was all that was left of him. The final monument and memorial of the man known as Todd David Heathcoat.

“Is this-” The rabbit started, sounding rather annoyed.

“What would you think if I told you I’d been lying to you ever since I first met you, Falm?” The question shut the rabbit right up. And the lion didn’t take his eyes off his room beyond.

“...What,” came the rabbit’s incredulous reaction after a moment of stunned silence.

“What would you think if that was the case?” Todd wasn’t sure if this was the best way to go about this...but it was the only way he could see to go about it.

“About...what?” The rabbit asked after yet more silence.

“Everything. About who I was.”

“I…,” the rabbit started, stopped, and then started again,“I cannot see how you would have lied regarding it. You cannot lie about not knowing things, and then act the way you are acting unless you are truly oblivious. You are like a newly born babe. You clearly have no idea what you are doing by and large. Unless…” There was a pause, and then a bitter chuckle. “Ah, so you are playing a game with me. You are going to claim you are a Cage Born, I suppose? That this here big one owned you-”

“What?” Now it was the lion’s turn to have absolutely no idea what their conversation partner was one about. He turned to the rabbit, who was glaring at him with a particularly large amount of irritation. “What the hell is a Cage Born?”

“A pet. A toy. Trust me, if you are going to claim that is your heritage, you would need to work on your act further. I have met some of…them. They are not just innocent and oblivious, they are wholly braindead. It is like they are blind to reality itself. Blind to anything that is not those food bits, their water tank, and their owner’s attention. And you are certainly not that blind.”

Todd sighed and shrugged. “Nope. Not claiming to be one of those at all. And you didn’t answer the question. What would you think?”

“What I think is that you are trying to play a game I believed you were better than, Todd.” There was a bitterness in the rabbit’s words. They stung. And made the lion sigh.

“I’m not...I’m just figuring out how to explain, well, everything.”

Another bitter chuckle escaped Falm. “Then here is a suggestion: perhaps simply just explain it?” The words made Todd throw up his hands in frustration before just…

“Fine. Do you want to actually go to what I wanted to see? Wanna see it yourself? Because it’s also an explanation.” The lion gestured off to the left of the computer monitor. A small square object sat there, silhouetted in the dimming evening light.

Silence fell between the two. The rabbit wasn’t just looking at Todd now. His eyes were boring holes into the lion’s heads, as if to see inside it and determine what the hell was going on. But his efforts were unsuccessful. So, he sighed, rubbed his temples, and simply stated “Show me then.”

Todd said nothing more, instead simply heading off towards the square object. It didn’t take long to get there. To look at it. To gaze at that picture, for one final time.

“A picture of two big ones is your supposed explanation?” Falm was clearly not pleased at their destination.

“Did you actually look at it?” The words came out a bit flat. He couldn’t help it. His mind was half elsewhere as he stared up at that photograph.

“It is a pic-”

“Did you? Actually? Look at it?” He couldn’t help but feel a bit angry now. He understood how strange this must be to Falm, but for him to just...not even try made him angry. This was important, he was trying to be honest. This wasn’t some fucking mind game he was playing.

“No.” The rabbit replied, a hint of surprise at the way the lion was acting. It had drowned out his annoyance.

“Do so.” He paused, and then added in a more pleading tone “Please.”

Silence. Dead silence. It hung for awhile. Until the lion broke it.

“What do you see?”

Still more silence. Then slowly, the rabbit replied “I...I see two big ones.” That was all he said. But the way he said it made clear he had seen what the lion had wanted.

“Yeah. The one on the right? That’s my father. We took this when we went on vacation to my hometown of San Diego on the West Coast last summer. I was off college for summer break, though I don’t imagine you know what that means. ...It helped us reconnect. Things had gotten really bad. He was...injured. Badly injured. It made him become someone else. He became abusive at times. He didn’t mean it. He couldn’t help it. But he did. When we took this...it was

around seven o’clock in the evening. Everyone was starting to pack up. But I found someone who would hold my phone for me. Take a photo of us against the sunset. We hadn’t taken any pictures, and this was our last day. I wanted...something to remember it all. Because it felt like how it’d been when I was with him as a kid. Before he changed. Before it got so bad.”

After he finished, the lion was left in silence. He didn’t mind that. He needed a few moments to compose himself. Wipe the tears that had started to form in his eyes. Try to not break down in front of the rabbit over something that no doubt was weighing on Falm for another reason.

“...How?” The question finally came after the silence had stretched on a bit again.

Finally, the lion removed his eyes from the picture and turned around. The rabbit was staring at him. Not with anger or annoyance or confusion. But terror. Pure, unadulterated terror. His ears were flattened hard against his skull, his eyes wide. One of his hands was clutching his needleblade, like he was ready for Todd to suddenly do something. Once again, the rabbit stung him. But this time...he could understand it. It took a breath in and a breath out to get him ready to keep going. He was going to take it slow, because the last thing he wanted was a second micro kicking his ass.

“Remember that thing I touched on the way here? The one I said knew wasn’t a trap?”

Slowly, the rabbit nodded his head. His grip tightened on his blade now that he was being stared at. But otherwise, he didn’t move. He barely seemed to be breathing.

“It’s called a shrink ray. You point it at something, pull the trigger on it, and it makes that something small. Don’t ask me how it works, I don’t know. I didn’t make it, I just got it from someone else. And then, I used it on myself.”

Again, the rabbit’s head bobbed in a slow nod. His eyes seemed to want to look towards the ray itself on the floor behind them, but he equally seemed too afraid to take his eyes off the lion. It made Todd sigh. He was about to say something more, when the rabbit interrupted him.

“Why?”

The question made the lion bite his lip. He could offer to lead the rabbit to his suicide note, but that would just be more climbing. Not to mention, they’d actually gone around it when scavenging on his table yesterday and Falm hadn’t said a thing about it. It was better to just try to work through the whole thing out loud. He just wasn’t sure if the rabbit would understand.

“It was...honestly, maybe this’ll be silly to you. Probably will. You said yourself you’ve experienced death. A lot of death. My father, he died a few months ago. You see, for us, um...death isn’t an everyday thing. I didn’t leave my home expecting to die. I didn’t worry about dying while getting food or visiting friends. And I certainly didn’t expect my friends to suddenly die at any given moment. When death comes for us, it’s unexpected. It hits you like a sucker punch to the gut, because you almost believed it was impossible. It was like that for me. When my dad died, it was like the impossible had come to pass. I...I loved my dad. He helped me. Gave me hope. Gave me drive. When he died, all of that...vanished. A lot of us experience that. Collapse upon experiencing death. Some people get back up afterwards. Some don’t. I...didn’t. That shrink ray, I used it because I figured I’d make myself small and just...die. Like a bug...or a micro.”

The rabbit kept staring at him as he finished. His mouth fell open after a time, but nothing came out. Then it closed. Then it opened again, and this time something came out. “You wanted to die?” The words were more squeaked than spoken. As if Falm couldn’t believe at all what he was hearing.

The lion rubbed his neck and awkwardly chuckled. “Um...yes. I did. Uh...see, I...had always liked the idea of being small. Seeing the world from the perspective of a micro. It was...an escapist fantasy to explore the world at that size. And maybe some other stuff, but that’s not important. I had been trying to die before this. I went out to look for a random death. They were rarer than I’d hoped. But I found someone, and they gave me that ray. And I thought...fuck it. I’ll die while experiencing something I thought was cool. Turns out...it’s not what I thought.” The lion chuckled and raised his hands in a shrug.

Falm was quiet. Then he wasn’t. It came out of his mouth, and seemed to shock even him a first. A laugh. A single laugh. And then another. And another. And then he was bent over laughing. It was a deep, full laugh. After a few seconds of watching, the lion found himself unable to not join in. The two laughed together. They laughed for a long while. Until both of them were out of breath. And even then, Falm had to fight the urge to start again. So did Todd, honestly.

“Are you...completely...stupid?” Falm finally gasped out as he regained control of himself. His hand was no longer on his weapon, but he certainly was still looking with shock at the lion.

“No...just moder...ately stupid...and...rather...depressed.” Todd replied between gasps of his own.

Eventually, the two caught their breaths. Todd sat down onto the desk surface, and Falm followed. The lion traced the tiny scraps on the surface with a finger briefly before looking to his rabbit companion. “I’m not going to hurt you. I swear. I...I’m going to be honest with you. You’re the only reason I’m alive. Remember when you were under my couch, and you saw me? You called to me. You scared the living daylights out to me when you did that. This...this is going to sound really rude, but uh...we don’t know you can talk.”

The rabbit’s eyes widened a moment, then blinked. Once, twice. Then his head slowly tilted towards the desk’s battered top as he asked “You...you do not?”

“No. We don’t. I mean this in the least offensive way I can, which is still super offensive I know, but...it’s literally just squeaking to us. Or like the buzz of a fly. We literally don’t even know you are anything other than an animal. Like those mice, I guess. So when you talked, I just...you completely changed my perspective on life.”

That revelation caused a shift in the rabbit’s features. His buck teeth bit into his lip. He drummed his fingers against the wood of the desk as he seemed to struggle to internalize what he’d been told. And then with a hard huff outwards, he placed his head in his hands. “...So. Your kind do not just say that to taunt us. Ugly squeaking, gross squeaking, irritating squeaking...I have heard people beg for their lives, yet all they got in return was a look of disgust or amusement. And comments about squeaking and noises. Every time. I thought…” His voice trailed off into silence.

In that moment, Todd was tempted to shift closer. Enough to offer a hand of comfort to the rabbit. But he wasn’t sure if that would be a comfort to Falm. Given who he was. Given the dynamic between them now. So he just sat there and frowned. Letting the rabbit have his time. Eventually, the hands fell away and the rabbit’s features had changed again. They were hard. Stern. Lips locked into a frown that just slightly bared his teeth.

“How many have you killed? How many of us?”

The question struck the lion like a knife to his gut. He understood the intention, but after so much warmth from the rabbit, it felt so odd for him to suddenly expect that.

“None intentionally. I...don’t know how many unintentionally. I don’t use poison. Or lethal traps. You can check the apartment, if you want. The only ones I’ve killed are ones I...accidentally stepped on. I swear.” A disbelieving eyebrow raise and the growth of that frown to a grimace aded to the pain the lion felt, so he continued. “The nonlethal traps are in the closet by the front door. Those are the only traps I use. ...If I had seen you yesterday at my full size, all I would have done is scoop you into a glass with a piece of paper and put you outside. I don’t...I never liked hurting anything. Micros or anything else. It never seemed right to kill something that was just trying to survive.”

Those black lapine eyes burned into him a few moments longer before, with a sigh, the rabbit’s expression finally softened again. “...I believe you. I should not, but I do. The fact you vomited

after killing that mouse suggests you lack the stomach to be like most of your kind.” He tapped his fingers on the wood again as he mulled over everything some more. Then he balled his hands into fists and heaved an immense, hissing sigh. “Yet I...by the gods, do you know what I’ve done? What this means? By all technicalities, I have led a giant to the location of Raf-Ojuh. Regardless of your size or your nature, that is...what I have done is just unthinkable.”

“I know. I didn’t mean to lie to you. I would have been honest then if I didn’t think you’d have thought me insane, stabbed me, or just run away. I was desperate to learn, because you were...something completely new.”

The rabbit looked suddenly a bit offended by that. “I would never have stabbed you! Thought you absolutely mad, certainly. But not stabbed you. Do I look like a Wild One to you?”

“I have absolutely no idea what a Wild One even is, so...no?”

There was a pause as Falm bit his lip again. His eyes danced back and forth as he gazed at the lion, but they didn’t seem to be looking at anything in particular. Finally, he slowly nodded. “No, I suppose that distinction might escape your kind’s notice. We can get into that later. Suffice to say, I would not have stabbed you. ...Whether I would have aided you, I do not know. I tend to...avoid what seem like dangerous inconveniences. But...I…” He trailed off as he drifted off into thought.

All the while, Falm’s gaze absently flashed back and forth between Todd and the northern bedroom wall, and then finally rested upon the rabbit’s own hands. They shook slightly, and he folded them atop his arms to stop their movements. His mouth started to make a word’s shape at the same time, but it stopped midway and he shook his head. Almost as if he dismissed a thought. A breath in and out allowed him to continue. “I can say I am at least glad that I did. After all, that haul we brought in was very helpful. For Raf-Ojuh, and...for me, of course.”

“I’m sorry if I-”

“You are forgiven.” The rabbit interrupted without hesitation. The lion blinked, not expecting that so quickly. Nor the oddly content smile on Falm’s face. “This...must have taken a lot of courage to tell.”

“A bit. More necessity than anything. You wouldn’t let me come without you, and I needed to see this stuff. Before it all gets tossed out.”

“Tossed out?” Now the rabbit seemed a bit befuddled, his head tilting a little to the side.

“Yes? Like, okay. Bit of an odd concept, but I don’t own this place. You pay crumbs for your place, right? Well, I pay something that works like crumbs for us for this place. And when they find me gone, and thus not around to pay anymore, they’re gonna get rid of my stuff so someone else can move in here. It’s called an apartment.”

Up and down went the rabbit’s eyes as he inspected Todd a moment then slightly leaned forward. “...So, wait a moment, are you telling me you’re staying this way? Our size?”

“Um, yes?” Todd thought that was obvious.

“Do you still wish to die then?” As he voiced the question, Falm’s massive ears appeared to sink a little into his head.

“What? No, I...you and Raf-Ojuh made me rethink that. I think. I’m fine living for the moment.”

With a huff of frustrated confusion, Falm tossed up his hands. “Then...why?”

“It’s not like I can go back, even if I wanted to. The ray broke when I shrunk myself, and I don’t even know if it has a ‘grow’ option on it.”

“Oh.” Falm didn’t seem to fully comprehend that, but still he nodded. Yet, realization seemed to quickly dawn and brought with it a frown. “...Wait. Hold a moment. So you cannot grow back to your normal size?”

“Nope.” The lion replied cheerfully, but that just made the rabbit narrow his eyes in suspicion.

“Then what in the gods’ names was the Master Scrounger talking about when she claimed to have been here last night and heard you talking about leaving for a long time?” As he asked the question, the rabbit briefly peeked over his shoulder back towards the device before again focusing his inquisitive gaze on Todd. Who, in turn, just stared right back at him with a smile, as if to answer the question without saying anything. A confused blink and a slow ‘o’ shape forming on the rabbit’s lips made it clear that, yes, he understood.

. “...Does sh-”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Well. By chance, um...does she blame me for bringing you to Raf-Ojuh?” Suddenly the hare sounded rather nervous. And after the beating that Todd had suffered, he didn’t blame him.

“No. I don’t think so anyway. She knew you didn’t know. She kinda recognized me.” The thought made the lion rub the patch of flaking blood on his neck.

Watching the lion’s hand touch the blood patch made the rabbit’s eyes widen again. His finger jutted out to point at the wound almost in declaration. “So that was why she was-”

“Yep.”

“And what did sh-”

“She took me to her home and got me inside, then punched me in the stomach, kicked me in the ribs, kneeled on my chest and put a knife to my throat to get me to explain myself.”

With a wince and expression of sympathetic pain, Falm nodded in understanding. “So the sparring story was…?”

“A complete lie. Do I look that stupid?” Todd couldn’t help but smirk as he asked the question.

“You willingly shrunk yourself to our size. Do you wish me to genuinely answer that question?” The rabbit retorted, smirking right back.

“Touché.” The word made the rabbit give a ‘what’ face, and so the lion just shook his head. “Nevermind. You have a point. Anyway, yes. She recognized me. She’d scrounged in my apartment before. I, um…” The lion tapped his fingers together as his voice lowered. “...apparently nearly stepped on her and kicked her underneath my sofa once. Accidentally. Without noticing.”

Slowly, Falm raised a hand to his face and used his fingers to rub his temples. “...I am surprised she didn’t do more to you. And I guess I should be grateful that you shrunk yourself, lest you have trampled all over me!”

“Hey! ...I probably would have noticed you…” Maybe. Possibly. If he happened to have a single lucid moment outside his daydreaming head on the way to the kitchen. Oh god, he totally would have killed Falm if he had been normal.

“Your face tells another story.” Yet despite the dark implications, the rabbit smiled and chuckled. And then slowly, he rose to his feet. “...I can assume then that you are willingly giving Raf-Ojuh your food?”

Todd did the same, dusting himself off. “Yeah. It’ll get tossed out with the rest of the stuff. I don’t want it to go to waste. And…” He paused and smiled at the rabbit. “As I’ve said. I don’t want to be a burden. If I’m going to live like this now, I want to be useful. My food’s yours. I just wish I had gotten more of it before...doing this.” He gestured regretfully to himself, in reference to his shrinking. But that just earned him an eye roll and second chuckle from Falm.

“If you believe the quantity of your food stock is lacking, then your inexperience does truly show. I assure you, your food is going to feed a great deal of people. Raf-Ojuh will owe you a great debt. We should thank the gods that the giant who lurked here ‘vanished,’ yes?” A smirk curled up onto his lips at that comment before he waved Todd to follow him. “Come now, we should get back to the bags to ensure they are guarded. If Gikri has yet returned and not started panicking over our disappearance, then we shall be very lucky indeed.” Shit, Gikri…

Just as Falm turned to head back towards the cords, Todd called out to him. “Falm, wait...about Gikri…” He paused as the rabbit looked back with a raised eyebrow. “...Please don’t tell the others yet. About...who I am. I will tell them, I just...I want to tell them when it’s right. Build trust first, so they don’t throw me to an angry mob when they learn the truth. ...I know lying isn’t conducive to that, I just-”

“Do you honestly believe they would do that?” The rabbit’s question, despite a slight hint of sarcasm to it, seemed genuine. As if he wanted to know.

“I don’t know. I literally met them today. That’s why I wanted to wait.”

That reply gave Falm pause. The lion watched him chew it over in silence before shrugging the matter off. “A fair point, I suppose. I shall say nothing. For the moment. I expect you to keep your promise, however. Just...be genuine to them. Yourself, I suppose. It…it helped here, and I suspect it will with them too. Now come on. Before Gikri reports us missing and has the Master Scrounger send a rescue party.”

Todd breathed a sigh of relief at that before falling into step beside the rabbit. He cast one glance back towards the photograph as he did. Goodbye dad, he thought to himself as they climbed down off the desk. They walked past the computer that he would never turn on again. Past the shrink ray that put him down here. Through the field of dropped clothing that would never fit him in a million years at this point. And back out the door, towards the kitchen.

Gikri was there, when they arrived. She practically hugged the two when they got there. Falm very adamantly demanded to be let go, before they all gathered up the backpacks. Todd explained they were exploring around for clues of who he was before he lost his memory, and that seemed to satisfy the woman and her questions. He was lying again, and he caught a look from Falm as he was. But he’d be honest eventually. He made a promise that he would, and he wasn’t about to break it. One day at a time, he’d get through this. One day at a time, he’d build a new life here. That excitement in his chest? It hadn’t died. Even through the mice, even through the darker moments during his conversation with Falm, it hadn’t died. And now, he felt it as strong as ever.

He was excited for what would come.

Chapter 5 - Old Friends, New Faces

Todd was staring at the ceiling again. Just sorta basking in the warm, wibbly feeling between sleep and consciousness beneath the covers of his bed. He wasn’t exactly sure how early it was. Anymore, time was sort of only a vague concept. The morning didn’t bring with it a sunrise through the windows, and the evening wasn’t any darker than the day itself. Down here, at least. Slowly, the lion sat up in his bed and shifted his eyes from the roof to his room. Two weeks and five days now. He’d kept a tally. Two weeks and five days since his world entirely changed. Two weeks and five days since he started a new life.

Two weeks and five days since he made himself a micro.

And that’s why his new home was barely decorated at all. He had the basics. A bed, a dining table, some storage for food and drink. But there was no personality to it. Not to mention, he was still kind of torn about what had led to him having it. Came with the first week, and the ‘cut’ of the food the scroungers and he had taken from his former apartment. He’d tried to convince Hythe he didn’t need a cut. She insisted. Said it would make him less suspicious, but honestly he thought she just wanted him to get something as thanks. So he’d put his bags of crumbs towards this place, mostly so he’d stop being a layabout on Hythe’s couch. Even if she said that wasn’t a problem, to him it was.

It helped with work too. The place was a short distance from the main gate, part of the Stackhouses. That’s what they called the neighborhood of triple-decker tenement things, apparently. It’s where the normal people lived. The Floorhomes, like Hythe’s place, were reserved for those who were part of the higher parts of Raf-Ojuh’s little government. Todd didn’t need that luxury, and honestly this place reminded him of the way he lived before. Just without in-door plumbing. Or AC. Or...a lot of stuff. But it was homey. And the commute’s pretty okay.

The lion pulled himself out of bed and stretched. The movement reminded him of how sore he was, but he was used to that now. He was a full scrounger now. His second week had been an accelerated training of sorts. Hythe and Gikri took turns taking him out into the field. He did a crumb raid on a young lizard couple on the third floor. Learned how to collect water from the condensation that formed atop water pipes in the basement. Learning some better climbing techniques to get atop furniture without feeling as winded and how to move about when big ones were about. It was a lot. But oddly enough, Todd found himself adapting rather quickly to this new existence. And enjoying it.

He fetched his usual breakfast from storage, two crumbs he’d earned and a handmade mug full of water from the cask that Hythe had given him. Settling down at the table, he eagerly dug into his meal. Turned out, crumbs were an oddly acquired taste. One acquired by necessity, granted, but still. He didn’t dread their vague mix of pleasant and unpleasant tastes anymore, and more just saw it as something he had to deal with. Plus, the fresher crumbs and the nicer food he’d taken from his own apartment tended to taste a bit better. But he generally saved those for dinner. Or, for guests.

The lion turned his gaze out one of the nearby windows and out onto the town beyond. So many people came and went by his home everyday, yet still...only two really knew him. Hythe and Falm. He’d been working up to it with Gikri. The two had been getting closer over their lessons together, and he was fairly certain the bird wouldn’t be slicing him in half with her fleshrender the moment the truth came out. But unlike Falm, a moment to be honest that wouldn’t completely derail what the two were up to at any given moment hadn’t surfaced.

And Obarun, well, the cat was still healing. Todd had checked on him the day after, and found the micros had a surprisingly weird mixture of a hospital and a medieval alchemist’s hut for where they treated their sick and injured. Sure, there were things that looked like potions out of his favorite fantasy RPG, and mortars and pestles for grounding up gathered herbs and mushrooms, but they also had a large collection of stolen medicine. Apparently, Raf-Ojuh had a caste of scholars that were dedicated to learning English and use that knowledge for good. It involved a lot of stealing looks at Baby’s ABCs books, but...they’d succeeded.

And thus, instead of having his leg cut off while drunk on bourbon like a pirate, the micros had used antibiotics on Obarun’s wounds and he was just looking at a month or so in bed and then a few more weeks on crutches. Probably a limp for life though. Of course, even when Todd visited him, the cat had been his typical near mute self. So, he was no closer to connecting there. And to be honest, he had no idea how to even really get close...it seemed like even around his friends, Obarun was quiet as a mouse. The couple times Gikri had joined Todd, she was the one doing most of the talking with the lion bringing up the rear. Maybe he’d find an in one day.

Hythe, well, they’d talked. It was a mixture of praise for his work, and questions about his...heritage? Nature? Experience? Questions about what he’d known because he used to be a big one, so she could use what he knew to help the scroungers. She was his teacher, and he was her pupil. She didn’t seem to be interested in bringing their relationship beyond that, and Todd accepted that. She was frequently busy with her work regardless, and Todd wasn’t about to demand her attention when there were more important things on her plate.

The lion finished up his meal and drink, and took his dishes to the wash basin to give them a scrub. It was weird, having to do everything by hand. He’d actually had to ask Falm to teach him a lot of stuff. And, despite spending a great deal of the time mocking the lion’s bumbling, the rabbit had been surprisingly patient and willing to do what he could to walk the lion through what was apparently considered basic, common knowledge. Every couple nights, the rabbit came over. They’d work through something together, and then just...talk. Falm had so many questions for Todd, about what big ones were actually like, and the lion was quick to point out that he’d once mocked Todd for being the same way. Of course, Falm always brushed that off. And Todd let it drop. It was fun to be the one who could teach at times.

With a sigh, the lion left the dishes to try and turned to face his room again. Today was strange so far. Anymore, he was used to Hythe coming to gather him for a scrounge at this point. But no knock at the door came. The only sounds that drifted in were those of the people in the street and the occasional knocks and rattles from his upstairs neighbor. Hunter named Ubul, bit on the old side but still kicking. Nice guy. In the absence of an interruption, the lion walked fully over to a window and leaned out. Based on the flow of the crowd, it was indeed midmorning. His former neighbors, aka the big ones, would be heading to work, and it’d be the perfect time to scrounge for what they’d dropped in their rush to eat and get out the door. But as he looked to the small staircase that led up the side of his home and into the street, he was once again unable to see any signs that Hythe would be coming.

For a bit, he just stood at the window and watched the world go by as he waited. Waited for the call. But still, it never came. Maybe she decided to give him a vacation after pushing him so hard the last couple weeks? But that felt out of character for Hythe. Yes, the town’s food stores had surged in the wake of him giving up his own food. But he was still technically in training, and Hythe made it clear he had plenty left to learn. She’d come yesterday, after all. So, why not today? It made no sense. Something had to be up, and that made the lion curious. He was a feline, after all. Though hopefully his inquisitiveness wouldn’t be the death of him.

He took a bit more time, mostly because he still needed to get dressed. As he pulled his shirt one, he considered how odd it was, wearing the same clothes every day. Made him feel like he was still his lazy, depressed self. But the micros did it too, because they didn’t have the resources to waste on a dozen different shirts and pants. So he wasn’t about to pitch a fit about it. After all, his t-shirt and shorts still served him well. And his sneakers were probably more comfortable than the piecemeal shoes that micros used. Just a shame they weren’t built for as much walking and climbing as he’d been doing. They wouldn’t last long. Still, they’d do. And as he tied them on, he knew he was ready to set out.

There were no real locks on micro doors, and it felt slightly disconcerting to leave his home so open to others to enter in. But neighbors looked out for each other in this place in a way that Todd had certainly never experienced back in his apartment. They’d make sure nobody took what didn’t belong to them. So the lion just closed the door behind him and glided down the stairs from the second floor to the ground floor and then into the street. To be honest, he still hadn’t gotten a read on whether the roads were more busy in the mornings or the afternoons yet. The markets opened in the morning and had their rush, but the afternoons seemed to have more general people about. Either way, the lion was fighting through the current on his way towards the Scroungers’ Circle.

The ‘Scroungers’ Circle’ was apparently the official name for the shoebox-like building with the yo-yo meeting table and the supply storage stuff. It had perhaps been Todd’s second home as he settled into his duties, going there to prepare for every trip out into the world beyond Raf-Ojuh’s walls. So far, he hadn’t met many new scroungers. Mostly because a great deal of them had seen him before when he was still big. And Hythe at least respected his wishes to avoid becoming, for the moment, well known as a former big one. Still, he had met other trainees here and there. A nice shy fox woman, and a sibling pair of dogs who seemed perhaps a bit too eager to jump into danger at times. Nobody he’d kept up with yet, but there would be time eventually.

Even straining against the crowd, it was no real struggle to get to the Circle. The stout structure had no crowds or stalls in front of it, simply sitting in contented silence in the shadows of the other taller homes around it. There was light glowing from the windows, so people were clearly inside. Why was he not invited then? It just seemed so odd. Todd was going to get to the bottom of it, one way or another. The lion pushed his way out of the crowd and headed up to the door, reaching out for its hand...just in time for it to open and slam straight into his nose.

“God fucking damn it!” The lion stumbled back and held his nose, a dull pulse of agony pounding from it. Thankfully, he didn’t feel any blood coming out as he rubbed it.

“Todd, goodness, are you alright? I am so sorry, I did not realize you were outside....” Of all the people Todd expected to hear apologize for hitting him in the face with a door, Falm wasn’t one of them.

“I’m fine,” the lion said after rubbing his nose a few more times and then turning his attention to the mortified looking rabbit in front of him, “I’ve had worse over the last few days. Don’t worry about it, Falm.” He had to gently push the rabbit away when he came to inspect the feline’s nose.

“If you are certain.” The rabbit replied with a sigh before raising an eyebrow. “What are you even doing here? I cannot imagine that the Master Scrounger wants to involve you in…,” he gestures vaguely, his hand whipping around in a circle, “this ridiculous mess.”

What the rabbit implied made the lion glance past the rabbit to the door and then back again. “What mess? What’s going on? I came here because nobody got me this morning.”

“You have not heard then.” Falm’s buck teeth dug into his lip a moment before he sighed. “Not for me to say. I would advise you to leave it be, but I suspect you will ignore my counsel on this. I was just finishing my business with them before they got down to discussing it.”

“So, you’re not involved then? And you’re not even gonna give me a hint?” The lion folded his arms and looked the rabbit up and down. Falm simply sighed and rolled his eyes.

“No, I am not involved in matters so unpleasant, regardless of my disposition…” Yet after that snarky reply, he went silent. Awkwardly silent. Todd kept staring. “You are going to be a pest, I can see that. Very well. I was here on unrelated business. My contract.”

“Yeah, you said it was up soon? You planned to move on?” Todd couldn’t hide the fact that the idea that the rabbit was going to leave made him rather sad. Losing his only true friend in Raf-Ojuh? It hurt like hell.

“That was the plan, yes…” The rabbit glanced away as his voice trailed off. He seemed to mull over things for a few seconds, even closing his eyes. But then his firm gaze was back on the lion. “I am staying. For a bit longer at least. Even with your help, Raf-Ojuh needs more hands to sustain its food stores. Especially with what has happened.”

“Oh!” Todd’s lips curled up into a smile at that, and he had to resist the urge to hug Falm outright. Still, realizing what he said in whole wiped the smile off his face as he processed it. “Oh. We lose another?”

Falm shifted uncomfortably before nodding. “Possibly. The Master Scrounger is uncertain for the moment, she...bah, I am not letting you sneak this out of me. I will say nothing more.”

“Just give me the basics. Come on, she doesn’t-”

“But she will know it was from me, who else would you get it from?” The rabbit flicked his hand dismissively. But as Todd kept staring at him, now putting on a bit of a kitten face. Despite a valiant effort to resist, eventually Falm sighed and raised a hand to rub his forehead. “...FINE! Fine. You are familiar with the Master Scrounger’s other apprentice, Yseu, correct? He was scouting some of the big ones. Some things had changed with a few of them, including one particular one. A very dangerous one I’m told. Lisette, I believe her name is. Ne-”

“Wait, wait…” There was absolutely no way it was the same person, but that name struck a chord. The lion leaned closer and lowered his voice “You mean Lisette Boucher? Mrs. Boucher? Old woman, a poodle? She’s dangerous?” It seemed utterly absurd.

“That sounds like her, yes…” The rabbit leaned in a little closer himself, and glanced towards the crowd beyond them walking the streets before continuing “I am gathering you’re familiar with her. From...before?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” The lion didn’t really feel comfortable discussing this in the street. Or general. Mrs. Boucher being dangerous...just that thought sounded so wrong in his head. “I’m going to talk to them about this. I need to know more.”

“I would advise against that,” the rabbit cautioned gently, leaning back and placing a hand on the lion’s shoulder, “The Master Scrounger is...not well at the moment. I think she is taking this rather personally. Which, I can understand. She did send him on this. It would be better to wait until things have settled, then ask.”

Todd pretended to think for a moment, then simply stated “No.” With that, he pushed the rabbit’s hand off him and slid around Falm to get to the door.

“Todd,” the rabbit’s voice became firmer as the lion gripped the handle, “...be careful. I doubt you wish for the Master Scrounger to bloody you yet again, this time far worse. And given what has occured, I fear it would not be hard to push her to that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you Falm.” He offered Falm a small smile, and the rabbit returned the gesture before walking off with a nod. Todd watched him vanish into the crowd before pulling the door open and sliding inside as quietly as possible.

“Hythe, I don’t feel th-”

“Your opinion is noted.”

Hythe was sitting at the table. Gikri was across from her. The lizard’s hands were folded atop the yo-yo table’s surface, her eyes closed and her head bowed slightly. Gikri looked oddly flustered, uncharacteristically so. There wasn’t a grin on her beak, but a deep frown of sadness. Her eyes, meanwhile, seemed to flicker with hints of...fear maybe.

“Listen to me, Hythe. There’s no need for you-”

The lizard’s hands slowly slid apart and she opened her eyes to stare straight at her apprentice. There was a fire in them Todd hadn’t seen since they first spoke, since Hythe put a dagger to his neck. That fire silenced Gikri instantly. “No need, for what?” The words rasped out of the lizard’s lips with such coldness, it was a miracle the room didn’t freeze over.

“Hythe…” Gikri spoke softly and looked down at the table. “We don’t know yet. It’s only been seven days, maybe-”

“No need, for what?” Hythe stated again, in the same cold tone. It made Gikri visibly wince.

“...You don’t need to sacrifice yourself for this. You haven’t-”

“Failed?” The lizard hissed. She punctuated the questioning word by slamming her fist against the plastic table. “Failed my scroungers? Failed this village and its people? Failed those who entrusted me with this position? Failed those who trained me, who guided me in my youth? Is that what you think, Gikri? Is that what you believe?” The lizard suddenly rose up and leaned onto the table. She seemed as if she was able to yell, but then just...closed her eyes.

“...Yeah, Hythe. I don’t think you’ve done any of that.” Gikri offered her grin now, but it was twisted. Wrong. Filled with the same sadness her frown was. “You’re trying. We know that. I don’t care what some of the village elders say. I don’t think any of us scroungers do. We trust you. We trust in-”

“Seventeen. Under my service to this village as Master Scrounger, seventeen scroungers have fallen in the line of duty. Eight alone, in the last one hundred days. The greatest number in a generation. And now, my own apprentice is possibly the eighteenth. It is quite clear that I’ve not just failed in my guidance, but my teachings as well if you and the scroungers still feel my words lead to anything but death.” With that, Hythe slumped back into her seat and sat in silence. Gikri did the same. And Todd just stood there in the doorway still, feeling awkward.

Falm had been right, there was clearly something very heavy going on. Maybe he really should have waited. Or at least give them time to cool off before opening some very fresh wounds. As silently as he had entered, the lion reached back to the door knob and started to open the door again. That was when Hythe’s eyes opened again and she stared straight at him. Shit.

“Todd.” Her tone was icy still. Harsher than normal, but not in the same way it had been addressing Gikri. “I didn’t summon you.”

He released his grip on the handle and turned around fully to face the Master Scrounger. Even Gikri was looking at him now. He tried to swallow, but nothing really went down as his mouth had spontaneously become like a desert. Yet still, he cleared his throat and tried to speak. “N-no...no, you didn’t.”

“Why come then?” Hythe stared at him unblinkingly. Piercing into his very soul.

“I, uh,” the lion awkwardly rubbed his fingers together and took a deep breath in and out, “I wanted to see what was going on. As you said, you didn’t summon me. It was odd, not having a task. So I came here. Looking to find out what happened.”

The lizard nodded and finally blinked. Yet still she stared on. Gikri was left just awkwardly glancing back and forth between her teacher and one of her students. She offered the lion a meek, almost apologetic look at being put in the place he was. But still, she said nothing.

“What have you learned?” The lizard suddenly asked, just as it seemed as if the silence would drag on forever.

“Well, your apprentice, or your...other apprentice. Yseu. He’s missing. Vanished.” As Todd spoke, he watched the lizard’s hands fold themselves against each other on the table again. Tightly.

“Is that all?” Again, her stare was unblinking. Even when she had been torturing him, she had not been like this. It was incredibly unnerving.

“N-no. No. It involved a dangerous big one. Mrs. Bo-erm, Lisette.” The fact Mrs. Boucher was even involved in this made no sense.

Hythe cocked her head as she took note of Todd’s slip at naming the old woman, but she didn’t comment on it. Instead she just gestured to the table. “Sit.”

The lion raised his hands in protest. “I do-”

“Sit.” Hythe’s tone returned to the coldness with which it had addressed Gikri, and it made Todd scramble for a chair. He settled down into one wordlessly and looked between the bird and the lizard. Gikri was looking down, Hythe was looking at him. “Who told you? Falm, I assume?”

The lion hesitated only briefly under the woman’s steely gaze before simply bobbing his head in affirmation. It only made the lizard sigh. To be honest, Todd had no idea what she was thinking. Her eyes hadn’t left him, but they slowly shifted into staring through rather than at. It helped the lion relax, enough he flashed a glance at Gikri. The bird had not lifted her gaze, like a child who knew they had done wrong. Yet Todd was at a loss as to how she’d be at fault for any of this, or why she’d be feeling like she should be ashamed in any regard. Maybe it was some cultural thing he didn’t understand, or maybe it was personal. He couldn’t really think straight, still being stared at.

“In the end, it does not matter. That you know means it will be easier for the transition, when it occurs.” As Hythe spoke, her eyes finally left Todd. She glanced over to Gikri and simply sighed. “You know I must do this. This is my burden to bear.”

Finally, the bird looked up and then...gained a fire of her own in her eyes. “We’re not ready for this if it does happen, Hythe! We still need you! And you have no idea what the village elders will think. They don’t even know yet, man. And even if you do find him, if you don’t return, it’s not like we’ll even know either of your fates. You can’t do this to us!” For the first time since Todd had seen Gikri, she seemed angry. Hurt angry. Sad angry. And all of it left Todd reeling as he tried to figure out what was even going on.

Hythe opened her mouth to say something, but Todd’s words came out first. “What are you two even talking about? What transition? What are you going to do, Master Scrounger? And how does even this relate to Yseu?”

Hythe glanced back to Todd and simply stared at him again. But it wasn’t a silencing stare, just another thoughtful one. “It all comes back to Yseu. I sent my apprentice on a task, and he has vanished. He had been scouting homes. Ones belonging to three of the most dangerous big ones. Things had changed among them, and I wished to know if that made them less dangerous. He survived the first two. But the last, Lisette, may have killed him. He has not returned in seven days. That is unlike him. So it falls to me to discover his fate. This will likely end me as well. Even if it does not, the village elders will almost certainly have Gikri replace me for my failure if I return with confirmation of his death. Either way, the title of Master Scrounger will fall to her.”

Shit. This was heavy. Todd slumped back into his seat as he mulled that over. Gikri was shifting uncomfortably in her seat, clearly not enjoying the idea of taking the title. Meanwhile Hythe just seemed...defeated. While her body language was the same as always, now that coldness in her eyes was just changed into...emptiness. There was enough of a pause from all this that Todd could get his thoughts together enough for another question.  “...Okay. But, why do you need to go? Couldn-”

“He is my apprentice.” Hythe’s tone became harsher and more firm as she said those words. But then she snorted, and continued more gently. “He was Gikri’s senior. He had scrounged longer. Trained under me longer. He was skilled and determined. And in the end, I sent him to his potential doom. It is only fitting I face the same danger I sent him into. And I cannot risk losing more scroungers. I cannot leave Gikri with even less to guide when she assumes her duties.”

“If, Hythe. If. You’re still assuming the elders will force you to step down, man. We don’t know how they’ll react. And maybe Yseu is alive! Just trapped. Needing some extra time to get back.” It was quite clear that Gikri didn’t actually believe what she was saying, yet still felt compelled to say it regardless. Trying to find a string to hold onto that would pull Hythe back from the lizard’s planned actions.

It didn’t take. Hythe simply shook her head and stared the bird down. “Your optimism will not save us now. You know that Yseu is dead. You know that my fate is sealed. Do not blind yourself to reality. I must go.” Though they were far apart, Hythe reached a hand forward as if to console the bird despite the distance. Gikri just nodded before covering her eyes with her hands.

“There has to be another way. You can’t leave yet. I’m not ready. None of us are ready.” On the edge of her voice, Todd swore he could hear Gikri getting ready to cry.

“You are ready,” Hythe’s form of reassurance was simply to declare something as if it was fact, as if there was no way it could be challenged, and she did so in the gentlest way possible here, “Anything your brain says otherwise is simply anxiety. You care for your fellow scroungers. You have led many personally on scrounges, and they trust your judgement. You can out do them all. You can out do me. You will succeed.”

Open and close, Gikri’s beak went. Her hands didn’t remove themselves from her face, yet Todd could tell she was trying to work through some sort of rebuttal. But nothing came out. Nothing but half heaved puffs of air and a resounding silence. Finally, she just nodded.

“I will take some time before I leave. We can speak over what is next. Anything you require. After that, it is up to you. I will likely not return. I know you. You will be tempted to locate me, if I do not. Do not. Lisette needs no more victims after me. And you will-”

Todd wasn’t usually one to interrupt his superiors. But all of this, about Mrs. Boucher? He needed to understand what they were talking about. About why his former neighbor was spoken of like a dragon that feasted upon peasants. “Take me with you.” He spoke firmly. He sat up and looked Hythe in her face. Shifted to her eyes once the lizard’s gaze was upon him. He stood strong as it tried to wilt him.

“What?”

“Take me with you.” The lion repeated to the reptile’s question.

“I am not in the mood for-”

“This is not a joke.” Even as the lizard started to hiss as she spoke, the lion didn’t break. Not in this case. “Nor antics of any kind. I need to go with you. Take me with you.”

The way the lion phrased it seemed to register in Hythe’s mind. Her stare remained firm, pushing on him. But her head cocked ever so gently to the side. She opened her mouth, but it was Gikri that spoke before her.

“Have both of you gone absolutely mental? Todd, man, I’m not letting you go with her. She’s right. There’s no need to lose more scroungers to that big one. She’s a monster.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re not losing a scrounger. You’re losing me.” Todd’s gaze switched over to the bird whose face had been claimed by outright horror. “An amnesiac with only the most minor of experience under his belt. Everyone else? They’ve had a lifetime. My head’s empty. You’ve seen me out there. Had to save me several times. You lose me, it means you don’t have to fill my head. Without the Master Scrounger, I fall to you as a burden of education. Save that training for the people who won’t drain you as you get used to your new role.”

The bird threw up her hands and looked to the ceiling. “Everyone! Stop, just...stop. You’re insulting yourselves, being all...what’s the word...fatalistic? Like, yeah, this is all bad. But, man, we can get through this. We don’t need to lose anyone.”

“Then allow me to go so I can force the Master Scrounger to return. Make sure she stays safe.” As if on cue, Todd’s words earned a snort from Hythe. And a look of ‘you’re crazy’ from Gikri. “I’m serious. Yes, I’m inexperienced. And yes, you lose nothing by losing me. But two is also better than one. I helped keep us alive, my first trip out. Just takes one person in the right place to save a life. So please. Let me go.”

“Do you have any idea what you’re asking? What all this involves?” Todd looked back to Hythe at the question. There was no longer irritation in her words. It was the same way she had asked him things after seeing his suicide letter. Cold confusion and curiosity.

“No. But it doesn’t bother me. Take me.” He needed to know. He needed to see this.

The table jostling as it was slammed made both the lion and the lizard look to Gikri. Her fists were balled and pressed firmly against the tabletop. “Stop. Just stop.” Tears had welled up in her eyes, but hadn’t yet started to fall. “Hythe, you can’t let him. I know the dangers. Take me. I can’t lose you. Not like this.” Breathing in a deep lungful to calm herself before breathing it back out, the bird’s eyes fell to Todd. “You have no idea what this big one is capable of. You don’t want to see it. I get being curious. But this isn’t something to be curious about. I won’t tell you the details, because you don’t need to know. Just stay. Please, man. You can build a life here. You don’t need to throw it away.”

“She fed us to her pet cat.” It was one of those declarations from Hythe that came out of nowhere, and hit Todd right in the gut. Even Gikri seemed utterly floored by it as the two looked to the lizard. Her hands were folded, and she was simply staring at the table. “When she caught us and it was awake. We were treats for it. When it was asleep, or she did not wish to bother it, she would crush our legs under her shoe as we fled. If she was feeling merciful, she would crush our head after leaving us to suffer for a time. If not, she would crush our arms to prevent escape by crawling and watch us bleed out. But for those of us she saw and escaped but later returned, or who resisted her efforts long enough, they received a different fate. That is the fate I fear befell Yseu. That is the fate that may befall me. And that, Gikri, is why you may not come. Because I cannot let that fate befall you.”

Robespawierre? She loved that cat. He sent her a card when it died last month. Just like she had done with… And he petsat it last winter break, when she went down to see her grandnephew’s family. It had been so affectionate. A sweet cat. She fed it…?

A conversation with her flashed through his mind.

Two years ago. The steps of the apartment, he’d been letting a micro he’d caught in his apartment go back into the wild...off in the grass. She had been coming home from somewhere and saw him.

“It’s best not to waste the effort on those vermin, dear. They can’t even think, and it’ll just get back inside. No need to let it suffer to live out here. Away from its nest.”

He’d talked to her about how he felt nothing that lived deserved to die for trying to survive. She had been sympathetic, but he realized now she never agreed with what he said. They never brought it up again.

Should he have? May-

“Why would you tell him that, Hythe? Look at him, man! You’ve traumatized him! There was no need for that!” Gikri’s words thankfully snapped him out of his mental realization spiral. He realized he was holding his breath, and let it out before waving his hand at Gikri.

“I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.” Slowly his eyes met Hythe’s. She was looking at him. Expecting something. He gave it to her. “I need to go with you.”

“Are you sure?” That was Hythe’s question.

“Are you mental, man?!” That was Gikri’s question.

To both of them he smiled, but he just nodded at the first question. “Yeah. I’m sure. And I’m not mental. I’ve got reasons for this, Gikri. Reasons I can’t explain. Not yet. Let’s just say I’m figuring something out. And when I get back, I’ll talk about it. I’ll bring Hythe with me when I do. That’s a promise.”

The lizard snorted. “Do not make promises you cannot keep.” All that did was make Todd shake his head, but otherwise say nothing. Gikri looked between them both before placing her hands on her face again.

“I cannot believe...Hythe. Todd. Just...come back. If you’re really doing this, come back. Please.” She was on the verge of sobbing again. The lion felt bad for doing this for her. But the wheels in his mind were turning, and they wouldn’t stop until he saw the truth of all this. Of if this really was how Mrs. Boucher was. Of if she really did what they claimed. If what he had seen had all been lies.

“Todd,” Hythe spoke to him directly and he looked her in the eye, “go home. Prepare yourself. Eat well. I will be spending some time preparing my apprentice for her duties, as well as finishing my necessary business. I will collect you when it is time. We will talk further then.”

It was an odd command. She mentioned she’d take time to prepare the others, but he hadn’t expected to be dismissed. Left out of figuring out how things would go. He wanted to protest, to insist on staying. But he supposed Hythe knew best. He was an outsider, after all. And there was no guarantee they’d survive. Plus, he would need to properly eat and prepare himself for the journey. So he rose and nodded. Hythe nodded back. Gikri lowered her hand to stare at him, pleading. Pleading to change his mind. He simply offered her a gentle smile and headed for the door.

His mind kept turning, but he forced it to stay quiet. The answers would come soon. He’d know everything when he got up to her apartment. And so, with a sigh, he left the Scroungers’ Circle. And headed back to his home to prepare.

He waited a bit once he got home before eating. He had no idea when Hythe would arrive, so mostly he just waited at the window. People watching. He used to do that a lot on his apartment balcony. That was where he and...nope. Not going to think of that now. He didn’t need to work himself up with what-ifs and what-had-beens before this got going. His fingers drummed across the top of the window sill as the back and forth flow of the street walkers passed before his eyes. Hundreds. There had to be at least three hundred people in this village. Three hundred living, breathing people. With thoughts, hopes, and fears. Three hundred bodies going about their day, like any of his kind would. ...It had never been a nest. Never had been filled with vermin. It was the same as any civilization that had ever existed amongst his kind. How had he ever seen them as anything other than that? It all felt so alien anymore, those thoughts. Those feelings. Like they belonged to someone else entirely. He couldn’t imagine ever thinking that way again.

It was about three hours in, by his estimate born from the flow of the streetfolk, that he started feeling a bit peckish. So he decided that it was time to fill up. Cereal crumbs with a side of granola. Big glass of water to stay hydrated. Two, actually. Best to play it safe. He took his time to eat it, somewhat savoring it. It was fresher than his breakfast, and a bit of luxury in his new life. Flavorful. If this was gonna be his last meal before he was killed by his former neighbor, it at least would be a decent one. Meats and other goods were rare here. Mostly, it was bugs that could be trusted to be disease free. It was harder to hunt the mice and rats and know they weren’t filled with something horrible. With medical supplies being premium, and the unfortunate lack of many herb gardens to steal from in an apartment complex, Raf-Ojuh had to be extra careful. Yet still, the lion found himself craving some nice juicy meat as he waited. Maybe it was the carnivore in him.

He finished his meal and did the washing again. Then he went back to people watching. Yet another three hours drifted on, and he started to wonder if Hythe had simply said she’d take him to placate him. His staring out the windows stopped being a distraction and turned into something purposeful. He wanted to actually see if she was coming. If this would actually happen. Walking between the window that looked out on the street in front of him, and the one that looked towards the Circle. Waiting for a sign. Waiting to show he hadn’t been lied to. It was after one more hour, just when he was contemplating going to try to find the lizard, that he finally saw her. Flowing through the bodies up to the stairs of his home. Past the first level, and up to his door. Todd wordlessly opened the door to meet her. She was carrying a backpack, fully kitted out. She offered it to him. He took it. Hythe, already geared up, waited for him to put the pack on. Todd closed the door behind him, and then they were off. Down the stairs. Through the crowd. To the gate, opened by the guards who watched them curiously. And out into the world beyond. Heading towards the vents that would lead them to Mrs. Boucher.

They had been walking for some time when Hythe finally spoke. “You know her.” Todd had already expected this, but it would still be an unpleasant conversation.

He nodded, even though she was staring at the vents before them and thus couldn’t see what he was doing behind her. “Yeah, I do. She was my next door neighbor after all.”

That declaration caused the lizard’s stride to ever so slightly slow. But only for a moment. “Yes. I suppose she would have been.” The hint of surprise and realization in Hythe’s tone made the lion lift an eyebrow.

“I figured you would have known that.” Seemed obvious. She knew him. How would she not know that?

Idly, she gestured at the vents. “You, you walked the halls. You used the doors. The machine that brought you up and down. That is your territory. My people, they walk here. In the vents. And the vents alone. We do not walk in those places, because they are death. Too easily seen. Too easily captured. In the vents, space seems different from out there. We follow their twists, and it is not always obvious where your homes lie in relation to one another. Thus, the distance between you and her seemed greater. But now I think on where the vents lead, and I see it. You lived beside her.”

The lion shrugged at that. The vents were a maze. They did seem to warp perception of what laid beyond them, he supposed. He was certainly seeing a different side of Casa Del Sol than he had been used to. With a sigh, he rubbed his neck. “...Yeah. I did. I can’t say we were...friends? More like...we talked. I caught her watering her flowers out on her balcony at times, and we’d talk. About her travels across the world. About history. About...stuff. When I moved in, she baked me cookies. When my dad died, she sent me a card and offered any help she could. She was kind to me. I didn’t...know about this.”

“I could tell.” For awhile, that was all Hythe said as they walked. Todd reached an idle hand out and let it brush against the dusty metal wall as they walked. Using the warmth of it to center himself. But then, the lizard continued. “This is personal to you. That is why you wanted to come.”

“Yeah.” Todd pulled his hand away from the wall and balled it into a fist. “I lived next to her for three years. I never...saw this. The way she spoke was gentle. And Robes...erm, the cat. It was gentle. Used to just lay beside her as she watered and we talked. I just...I don’t understand…”

Hythe let out a snort. “Your kind is always good at putting on masks. Acting as if they will be sweet, before they spray us with poison or rip off our limbs one by one for amusement. You hide your cruelty well.”

“But I know…” The thought died in the lion's throat. Did he know other people who’d never do this? He’d never had expected Mrs. Boucher. Not for a moment. Were his college or childhood friends any less likely to secretly be torturing micros for pleasure? He could certainly see his mother doing it. Some teachers. Classmates even. They’d smile and be friendly, but behind it could be simply sadistic glee in the pain and misery that came from torturing others. “...God. How many people who live here are like this?”

“A few.” The lizard looked back now at him. “You are panicking. Don’t. Not all here are monsters. You are not the one decent one amongst the vile. Some are kind. Some are tolerable. And some are bloodthirsty. But not all are like her.”

She was right. He was panicking. This was why he hadn’t wanted to think about this. Every moment of this new existence had made him question life. How and why things worked the way they worked. If you hurt a dog, you were guilty of animal cruelty. But a micro, they were fair game. Poison against them was sold on shelves. Even their status as pets was barely greater than a goldfish won at a carnival. You could starve one, and nobody would care. Nobody would blink. Why? Why was it like this? Why did nobody care? Why did nobody know micros were people? Why did it have to be this way?

They continued on in silence now. Todd’s head was filled with various dark thoughts as he tried to process it all. He knew what it was like to live with an abuser who was good at seeming like a good person. Was that what Mrs. Boucher had been the whole time? Just an abuser with a smile painted on the mask she showed to the world? Did she ever really care? Was it a game? Did their conversations mean anything? ...If she saw him now, shrunken, and knew it was him, would she see a difference between him and a micro? Was there a line for her? Or was it just anything too small to resist her was free game for her cruelty? Who truly was she?

The vents twisted on and on. There was nothing to see beyond occasional peaks into the world beyond when the ducts had an opening into a hallway. And nothing there provided the lion any distraction. Any form of escape as realization upon realization crashed upon his mind. He wanted to open his mouth, to talk to Hythe, to find something that would pull him out of this. Nothing would come out. His mind was too muddled with everything on it. It was a relief when they finally arrived at their destination. At the air vent that lead straight into the home of the old poodle herself.

Todd still hadn’t quite learned to read micro yet. But he had learned the shapes that represented certain words and concepts. Danger was carved in massive letters around both sides of the vent, and even the roof and floor. A dim evening light trickled in through the slats from the apartment beyond. Must be around 6 o’clock. She used to be one of those old people who was an early to bed, early to rise type. But after Robespawierre died, she sort of started to stay up later. She said her late night stories were her company now. He’d felt bad for her when she told him that. But not anymore.

As they went up to the slats to peek inside, he gazed around at the apartment. Despite knowing her, Todd had only actually been inside the apartment twice. Once to pick up Robespawierre to petsit him, and once to return him. It was very typical. Paintings, pottery, and knicknacks everywhere. Not like one would expect to belong to anyone other than a sweet old woman. Maybe that was how she did it. He could hear the sounds of the television nearby. Commercials playing. And underneath it, a clacking sound. Metal against metal. He shifted in the vent, and caught sight of the poodle on her couch. She was knitting away, seemingly some kind of hat. Maybe for her grandnephew. Her glasses were pushed to the edge of her snout, and she was wearing a simple t-shirt and some sweatpants. Sandals too. She was just...normal.

“There,” Hythe whispered all of a sudden and brought the lion’s attention to her and her pointing finger, “that is where we need to go.” She was pointing to a wooden box he could somewhat see, sitting atop a shelf below a window. Just to the left of where Mrs. Boucher was sitting. He was glad the woman was half blind, and thus would have trouble seeing them when they went for the box...the box. When he came back to return the cat, he’d sat with her on the couch and had some tea. That box wasn’t there. He remembered, because the cat had jumped onto that shelf. There were pictures on the edges, but a big open spot in the middle. He thought it was for the cat. Why was it gone when he was there? Hell, why was it even important?

“It’s a box? What does it have to-”

“You will see. Come now.” Hythe didn’t even leave Todd time to finish, simply sliding through the slats and creeping off towards the shelving. With a sigh, the lion moved after her. He didn’t keep asking. He knew that Mrs. Boucher used hearing aids, but the last thing he wanted was to attract her attention after all he’d heard. They moved across the carpet flooring swiftly yet with absolute care. Sticking to the wall, the shadows of the evening that stretched against it. To the shelves, and then in front of them. Getting into a position before them where the couch just narrowly blocked them from view. Where they were in the corner of the woman’s vision, not the full side of it. Where they had a hint of safety that would not last. Hythe removed her grappling hook and started to twirl it. Then she cast it up, catching the second of the three shelves. She tugged to confirm it was stuck fast, and started to climb. Todd was after her the moment he could be.

They reached the top of the dental floss rope in less than a minute. She unstuck the hook, and then maneuvered herself to the edge. More twirling, carefully this time. This was a banked shot. Up, and to the side. Enough up it’d go past the ledge, enough to the side it’d come back down on it. Woosh, woosh, woosh...swish. Up it went. Past the ledge, and on it. First try. Hythe knew how this went. Todd would have been admiring that skill if he wasn’t so absolutely terrified right now. He kept looking over towards Mrs. Boucher. Her eyes flicked between her work and the television. It had started playing the triumphant intro of the 6 o’clock news. She didn’t seem to notice them at all. Thankfully.

Hythe once again tested the rope before climbing. Todd carefully took the rope and followed after her. He felt more exposed now, than on the first part of the climb. Not to mention, he was starting to wonder what the hell they were climbing towards. The silence between him and his companion didn’t help. Inch by inch, they climbed the rope. The intro to whatever news programme that continued in the background being their inspiration tune as they went along their journey. It felt surreal. Even more so than any of his past scrounge trips.

Finally, they reached the top. There were many things Todd would have guessed the box was. What it was, what it actually was, that was not actually among even his darkest guesses. Hythe pulled herself up first, and then slowly walked up to the box. The lion had pulled himself up, caught his breath, and then looked to the box. What he saw stole it away again. It nearly stole away the contents of his stomach too. Four neat rows. Five in each. Eyes that stared but didn’t see, glassy and empty. Pins in each limb, and their stomachs. Underneath each, a label. Their genus and species. Their clothes had been removed. They were bare and simply displayed. Like bugs in a collection. Twenty micro corpses, casually displayed before him. Twenty micro corpses, inside that wooden box. Twenty micro corpses, turned into trophies of their killer.

Part of him wanted to scream. Staring at those bodies. But no sound came out, his mouth was dry and his mind could do nothing but make his eyes flick between each face. All of them twisted into strange empty visages. No expression, not even pain. Just...void. The rest of him wanted to flee. To run. Somewhere. Anywhere. Far from here. Far from those faces. Far from those bodies. And then, all at once, those two parts just sort of...faded. He felt numb. His mind emptied. His gaze fell upon Hythe. She was standing in front of the box. In front of the fifth of the five bottom bodies. He walked to her and looked at the body too.

It was a wolf. Grey fur, with icy blue eyes that no longer did anything but blindly peer at the world their owner no longer existed in. Hythe stared into them nonetheless. Her hand was pressed against the glass that separated the two, gently just hovering near where his chest was. Her face was as empty as the wolf’s. No ice. No fire. Nothing. Just empty. Yet she still breathed as she stared at the wolf. She was still alive.

“How do we get him out?” The lion’s voice had flatlined into a depth of monotone he didn’t think he was capable of. Honestly, the words just sort of bubbled out. He was still numb. His speech center firing neurons on instinct to form the sentences it thought it should be.

Wordlessly, the lizard raised her other hand to point towards a single keyhole in the lid of the box. Locked. The lion moved over to it. Jammed his arm into it. Tried to feel around for the pins inside, to force them into position. All he got for his efforts was soreness and frustration.

“Where-” He started, but Hythe didn’t let him finish.

“We have no idea,” her tone was as flat as his as she spoke, “We never have. We’ve looked. None have ever found it.” The response made something flick on in his brain. But it wasn’t working right. It was twisting, grinding against itself. It wanted to make him do something, but it couldn’t. It was stuck.

He turned back towards Mrs. Boucher. Stared out at her as she knitted without a care and watched the news. The anchor was on the screen now. His soothing voice spoke of a strange case of murder over in the suburb near the forest. A software engineer had been horribly murdered, her head cut off and her house burned down with her inside. Images flashed on the screen of the charred remains. At the anchor’s words and the images, the old poodle paused.

“What is this world coming to,” he heard her mutter as she adjusted her glasses on her snout, “Why must everything be so cruel and violent in this day and age? What happened to decency?” And then she went back to knitting. Just like that.

Everything so...cruel and violent in this day and age. Decency. Decency. The words echoed in his brain over and over until, whatever it was inside him, started working. The gears started turning. And then he couldn’t help it. It suddenly flowed out of him as his fists balled up at his side and his teeth pulled into a snarl. “You...you hypocritical bitch! I...you made me care about you! You’re a fucking...monster! A psychotic freak from the bowels of hell! What is wrong with you?!” He was shaking. His whole body was rocking with rage. Fury. He’d never felt like this, not even when he’d cursed at the universe for taking his father from him. But that rage didn’t last long. It was replaced with something else. The icy tendrils of utter terror.

She was half deaf. He knew this, from their conversations. But somehow, in his rage, he thought she heard him. Because she had stopped knitting. Adjusted her glasses. And from behind those thick lenses, her eyes had locked with his.

Fuck.

In seconds, he was running. Towards Hythe. They needed to go. They needed to go right now, as fast they could. The lion grabbed the lizard’s shoulders. Trying to pull her away. “Hythe! Hythe, I’m so sorry, I think she heard me. We nee-”

“Just go.” She pushed him away and went back to staring at the wolf. “Please. Just go.”

At first, the lion was about to start pleading again. But those gears in his head turned a bit more. And instead, he slapped Hythe across her face. It actually tore her attention away from the wolf’s body. She was staring at him, with a mix of anger and confusion.

“No. No, I am not letting you pull the dumbass mentor death trope. Hythe, listen to me. Before my dad died, I thought I had prepared myself for that eventuality. I thought I was ready, I could face it. But it goddamn broke me. Not only that, but new responsibilities dropped into my lap I never knew I’d need to take care of. I had nobody to guide me. Nobody to answer my questions. Now, I know you trained Gikri well, but you and I both know that there will always be questions she’ll have. Things she will need guidance on. You die here, you doom her to having nobody to answer those questions. Of the stress and uncertainty that comes with it. So snap the fuck out of it, and let’s get out of here. For her. Okay?”

The lizard stared at him a moment. Then she breathed in, and started to reply. “Oka-” She cut herself off as her eyes went wide, and suddenly the lion found himself being pulled with her as she leapt forward. They slammed down, and behind them landed the massive head of a broom. A wave of air hit them, and Todd looked up to see Mrs. Boucher. Her lips curled up into a disgusted snarl as the evening light reflected off her glasses to hide her eyes.

“Vile things.” She said as she raised the broom again. And suddenly, Todd was on his feet. He was running. Hythe was dragging him behind her, and he was trying not to scream.

They were heading towards the edge, the edge nearest to the vent. Hythe wasn’t stopping. Todd didn’t have his grappling hook ready. He wasn’t sure there was even time to- “Tuck into yourself and roll! Like I taught you!” The lizard commanded as she dragged the two over the edge. They were falling. Todd heard the impact of the broom behind them. Now he really was screaming.

Yet, he followed the instructions. The one good thing about being smaller was the increased wind resistance. He wrote sci-fi, he knew about terminal velocity. It’d hurt when he fell, and it could still kill him. But it was easier to survive. Easier to endure. It was all about distributing the force of impacting. So he tucked. And rolled as his back landed hard against the floor. He was winded, his eyes streaming with tears of fear and pain. But he was on his feet. Hythe grabbed his hand once more.

“Quick ones...should have just used the poison.” The mutterings of the mad woman echoed down to the lion’s ears, and he felt the rage boiling underneath his terror. But his mind knew now was no time to lose himself to anger. Especially when he looked back to reveal a massive sandal coming at them.

The impact was inches from his back, and nearly blew him from his feet. But Hythe helped him stay steady as she pulled him on. They weaved across the floor now, as another impact followed behind them. The vent loomed ahead. Safety. But the impacts kept coming. This woman was nearly eighty, how the fuck was she so quick?! His lungs burned, his legs begged for rest, but he kept going despite the pain.

In the movies, it would have been the part where he dropped his hat as they went through and he epically grabbed it before the wall of doom came down. But he had no hat to grab. Just the looming wall of sandal-shaped death behind them to avoid as they threw themselves through the slats and into the vent. They scrambled as deep as they could, the light fading into the gloom of the ducts. And then, and only then, did they finally stop.

For a time, Todd just sat against the metal wall. His arms clinging around his own legs as he filled his lungs back up, only so he could use that air to scream curses back in the direction they had come from. The most foul of curses, the kind that would make a sailor blush. It was all he could do. Impotent rage against everything he had just seen. Everything he had just experienced. Until finally, he just slumped against the wall, closed his eyes, and worked to try to get his brain back to normal.

“Thank you.” He opened his eyes to see Hythe standing before him, looking down at him. She still had that emptiness on her from before, but it had lessened. Mostly there was just tiredness in its place.

“Don’t. I caused that. I wouldn’t have needed to slap you if I hadn’t blown up like a fucking moron.” The lion rubbed his face with his hands.

“It was your first time facing that manner of death. Everyone reacts differently. Anger is one way. We survived. That is all that mattered.” As always, Hythe was there to dole out her simply spoken comforts. For once, Todd didn’t feel like he deserved it.

“Fine. If you say so.” He paused, lowered his hands, and sighed. “...I’m sorry. About Yseu.”

Hythe nodded at that, and looked back towards Mrs. Boucher’s vent. “...As am I. This is my fault. But you are right. I cannot condemn Gikri by dooming myself. I will return to Raf-Ojuh. Face the judgement of the elders. And prepare her for her role. Come...let us go home.” She offered the lion her hand. He took it.

For a time after that, they walked in silence. Both processing what had happened, Todd suspected. But he didn’t want silence. He needed anything but silence. After that, seeing that, he needed something to get him out of his head. He kept seeing those empty faces. Decency. It kept repeating. Vile things. So he looked to the lizard who walked ahead of him, and took a breath.

“What was he like? Yseu, I mean.”

Hythe didn’t respond at first. Todd wasn’t even sure if she had heard him, the way she kept walking. But then, she responded. “Careful. Yseu, in all things, was careful. Not just about himself, but with others. He always did his best to ensure they were protected, that nothing would come to harm them. He would fuss over the smallest details, until he was certain everything was suitable. I chose him for this because of that. But he was also kind. Patient. He knew how to work through the mistakes of the other scroungers, so they could learn and become more confident without ever making them feel lacking for not understanding at first. He was my first apprentice. And a good friend.”

“He sounds like a good man. The world is lesser without him being in it.” He’d heard those words so many times when his father passed and he talked to others about him. They felt just as hollow coming from him as they had when he’d heard from anyone else.

“He was good, yes.” Hythe snorted as she said those words, and at first he thought he’d offended her. He was going to apologize when she continued. “If the world is lesser, it is because of me. Do not coddle me and claim I am not responsible. That is a fact. I thought without that cat, she would be a lesser danger. I was wrong. ...I just wish she had not claimed him. He deserves better than being a trophy.” Once more her words were edged with sadness, even as they came out flat. This was weighing on her.

The lion sighed and shifted his eyes away, feeling guilty even if hadn’t offended. “...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked about it.”

“No.” Hythe’s eyes looked back now. They had tears hanging from them. “It is good. He deserves to be spoken of. In that way, we can still have him even if he is there. Our piece of him that still remains.”

They kept walking. And Hythe started talking more about Yseu as they went. Stories of their lessons together. Of him training others. Of his adventures in and outside Raf-Ojuh. Todd just listened respectfully. It was a good distraction. Honoring the dead, while keeping his mind on other matters. Yet underneath, he felt his anger still boiling. What those bodies had turned on in him had not been turned off. It was working away inside him. And he wasn’t sure exactly what it would bring.

Chapter 6 - Justice of the Gods

When they got back to the Circle, Gikri was waiting. And so was Falm. The bird practically fell sobbing in relief when Hythe entered through those doors, although some of those tears were also at the absence of Yseu. She had wrapped both Todd and the lizard in her arms, and both had had to struggle to break free of them. Falm, having been informed of the whole matter by Gikri after he’d gone to Todd’s house to find him gone, seemed strangely disquieted as he watched the whole affair. He’d tried to pull Todd aside to speak privately, but the lion told the rabbit he wanted to be alone for awhile. And so the lion simply went home, to pass out in his bed.

Three days passed, and Todd remained in his home. Lying in his bed, occasionally getting food. Falm had come calling, but the lion sent him away each time. He needed space to process everything. To figure out what was going on in his head. On the fourth day, he still hadn’t figured it out. But he grew restless. So he left his home and wandered the streets of Raf-Ojuh. Blending with the crowd, not going anywhere in particular. Until finally, his destination found him. An individual atop a box, yelling to those gathered before him.

The Church of the Worldshapers. That was the name of the local religion that worshipped ‘big ones’ like Todd. He’d seen the preacher and his ilk before. Many times over the last two weeks. He’d laughed the first time. It all seemed so absurd. Him, a god? Please. He struggled tying his shoes and showering regularly, how the hell was he supposed to be a god? But today he wasn’t laughing. He stood with those gathered, and he listened.

“Each of us has a place in this world, be they being or beast. Everyone knows this. We all have a place in this world, roles to fulfill. So many question their place, however. They see our duties as the cleansers of the refuse and chaff of the Worldshapers as beneath them. We were shaped in their own image to shape these things ourselves. Shape them into objects worthy of being part of creation.”

The preacher was an old bearded sheep. His horns cracked and his face scarred by the years. He wore a simple red and white robe that looked like it might have once been part of a fancy handkerchief. In every way, the man was an image of the stereotypical prophet. Yet his words made that thing inside Todd’s brain whirl around annoyingly.

“Is that not an honorable duty? Is it not a privilege to have been given these forms so we might take what is worth nothing to a god and turn it into something deserving of being a part of the universe? So why then, do you steal from the Worldshapers? Why then, must you take what they need? Is what they provide not enough? Do you doubt the world they have shaped for us is sufficient?”

♪Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat.𝅘𝅥𝅮 Lyrics from an old song from his childhood. Sometimes, you had to do bad things just to survive. Todd was fine being stolen from, if it meant someone could stay alive. But this preacher wasn’t. From what he’d gathered, this man wanted micros to only take the crumbs from the floor and the items left in the trash. Not the extra food nobody would notice go missing on the shelves that might feed starving children. Not the lifesaving medicine in a bathroom cabinet that could easily be bought from a store for his kind. Just the trash. The refuse. Why?

“Or, worse, do you think yourself worthy of being a Worldshaper yourself? Does hubris overcome you? Remember, everyone has a place in this world. The Worldshapers ensure this. And when you step out of your place, the Worldshapers notice. Do you think it an accident those who call themselves scroungers die in great numbers? Do you think it a tragedy that those who go on their own to steal from our creators perish? No, my children. This is to keep the Balance of the world, to prevent it from falling into chaos. So, give your thanks to the Worldshapers! Let the gods know you are grateful for giving you purpose, and punishing those who would bring chaos to the world!”

His teeth grinded in his mouth. Honestly, he was pretty sure he had just burst a blood vessel on his forehead. Thankfully his mane was probably covering it. That thing in his head kept whirring and whirring. His gut was twisting as the preacher’s words went on. He just...couldn’t take it anymore.

With a growl, he shoved his way to the front of the crowd. “Shut up! Shut the living fuck up!” He screamed up at the preacher as his claws slid out from his fingertips. A voice in the back of his mind screamed at him for that. To let one’s claws come out in anger…if you were a predator descended species, in polite society that was an unforgivable sin. A sign of going mad, feral even. And to be honest…maybe Todd was indeed going a little mad at the moment.

But he didn’t really care.

The sheep, to his credit, seemed utterly nonplussed. “How dare-” He started to bluster. Todd wasn’t having any of it.

“You’re right I dare! I fucking absolutely dare! And I fucking dare because you are a fucking lunatic! What gods kill their own creations?! Huh!? They aren’t preserving order, you senile idiot! The natural balance doesn’t need watering with goddamn blood to keep working! If a god wanted to let someone know they stepped out of line, they’d tell them! They’re fucking gods!”

The preacher pointed forward a finger of indignance towards Todd. “Blasphemer! If you doubt the divinity of the Worldshapers, you merely need to stand beneath-”

“Oh, I have. I’ve been up close with them a number of times. You could say I have some very personal experience with them.” The lion let out a bitter chuckle at that before turning to the crowd behind him. “They don’t care about you! Any of you! You’re not their creations! You’re not their subjects! Do you know what they think of you?! You’ll love this! ...You’re vermin! You’re fucking mice and rats crawling in their walls, stealing their food and trash! They sell poison and traps just to kill you! And hell...some of them enjoy it. They do seek you out to kill you, but not for some fucking cosmetic balance bullshit! Ooooh nooooo! It’s for pleasure! They’re sick freaks that get off to it!”

The crowd was yelling at him now, some of them angry and some of them confused and some of them cheering him on for his rant. So he turned back to the preacher, who was still pointing at him and was starting to open his mouth to spew more holier-than-thou bullshit. When Todd marched up to him, the wind seemed to deflate from his sails as he stared at the lion who climbed up onto his box and shoved himself into his wooly face.

“You! You think you’re holy?! You think you’re praising some great beings that care about you and the universe?! You’re delusional! Fucking insane!” The lion’s hand thrust out and grasped the old man by his throat. It felt good. He could feel his claws dig into the flesh a bit. He didn’t press hard enough to draw blood though. Not yet. As he continued, his voice grew softer. It hissed through his teeth. “But you’re right. Maybe they are some great cosmic creatures. But not gods, no. They’re not gods. They’re not even angels. They’re fucking demons. Eldritch horrors whose dark minds you can’t even comprehend. Yet you praise them. Over and over, on this street corner. You yell out to a crowd about how they deserve death for trying to find better food and clothes and basic fucking necessities. You tell parents and siblings that their kin who went out to fetch the things they needed to survive that they deserved to die because they just wanted to help people. So maybe you fucking deserve each other. Bloodthirsty demons and their pathetic little worshipper.” And then, he shoved the old man from the box.

The sheep fell back onto the street. And the lion was on top of him seconds later. Punching him. Slashing him with his claws. Blood had started to flow. He didn’t know why, but it felt good. That thing in his head wasn’t whirring anymore. But the rage was still there. It told him to keep going. To keep beating the old man. To draw more and more blood from him. This was justice. This was vengeance. For all the dead he’d insulted. For all the innocent people he’d harassed. For implying Todd would ever force people to live this way, and kill them for trying to just survive.

Somewhere along the lines, other arms tried to start grabbing him. Pull him off the man. He tried to push them away. Until suddenly, there was a fist in his face. And then, there was only black...

Slowly, his consciousness returned. And Todd was staring up at an unfamiliar roof. His face hurt. Badly. Honestly, his whole body did. He wasn’t quite sure what was happening. His mind was spinning for some reason. He couldn’t get his thoughts straight. Until, like stars aligning, it all came back to him. And he bolted up into a sitting position.

“Awake, huh?” The voice drew Todd’s attention to several things. That he was lying inside a jail cell made out of sticks and plastic. That a jackal woman was sitting at a desk outside his cell, staring at him, dressed in the armor of the Raf-Ojuh Guard. And that he most certainly had been arrested for what had...done to the preacher.

The lion didn’t respond at first. He just looked down at his hands. They still had blood on them. It made him shudder, and feel a bit sick. Why did he… “...Yeah. I’m awake.” The lion half-heartedly mumbled as he kept staring at his hands.

The guard cackled and shook her head. “Heh, don’t worry about it. Wordspeaker Eryb is still alive. That’s probably the third beating that idiot’s gotten in the last, oh, ten days. Granted, you did a number on him. Nice work with those claws of yours.”

The fact the preacher was alive made the lion sigh in relief and collapse back down into a lying position. “...I didn’t...I don’t know what came over me.”

“You got fed up with his trash, trust me. If I wasn’t wearing this uniform, even I’d kick that giant lover’s ass from one side of Raf-Ojuh to the other. Plus, I heard you were involved with that thing with the old Master Scrounger. Nasty stuff. Can’t imagine coming back from that to hear his junk.”

Todd was going to respond to that. But then a certain word that was a part of the guard’s statement all registered in his brain. “...Old Master Scrounger?”

Again, the jackal guard cackled. “Ah, haven’t heard? Yeah, your boss kinda got her ass reamed out by the village elders. Had a whole trial and everything yesterday! Nearly had her exiled, but you guys had that massive haul a dozen or so days back, and that convinced them to let her stay. Hear her apprentice argued for it too, before she became the new Master Scrounger. Surprised you didn’t go. Heard most of you scroungers went.”

So. It had come to pass. Hythe had lost her title. He wondered what she would do now. Least she was still here. Able to help Gikri settle in. He groaned and rubbed his face, aching as it still was. His mind was still running at a million miles a second, and it only made the pain worse.

“Heh, sorry about that. The boys had a hard time getting you off the idiot. Had to employ a bit of forceful de-escalation. Honestly, you were out longer than I expected. Good couple hours.” A remarkably blasé way to say he got beaten up by cops, Todd thought.

“It’s fine,” the lion replied as he lowered his hand and looked to the jackal, “So...how long am I in for?

More cackling from the jackal. Honestly, he was starting to think that’s all she did. “Yeah, they did say you were a fresh one. All right, so, here’s how we do things here, at least when it comes to crimes like this.” Holding up two fingers, she continued, “One of two things will happen. Either you, or someone else, pays off the debt for what you did and you get out.”

She lowered a finger and her eyebrows waggled slightly before moving on. “Or, after a couple days, you’ll be taken before the village elders and there’ll be a trial. And they’ll figure out what to do with you. Now, in your case...it’s probably around thirty-ish mouthfuls, for the debt. I’m not the one that sets the amount, so don’t quote me. That’s up to the Guard Captain, and occasionally the village elders. I’m just the Watch Lieutenant. I take care of the paperwork. So, you feel that’s something you can pay off?”

30 mouthfuls? Honestly, he had well over two hundred from both the haul from his own apartment and the scrounges after. He’d easily pay that off, even dealing with rent and feeding himself. So, with a shrug, he started to open his mouth to say he could. But he didn’t even utter the first syllable before he heard the sound of a door opening and people stepping through.

“Don’t bother with him, Uratur. Someone already paid out for him.” The remark from the voice surprised the lion. Who in god’s name would bail him out from this mess? It all became clear as the origin of the voice came before the cell, alongside a familiar guest. Falm.

The person speaking was a tall, serious looking rat dressed in the same guard armor as the jackal. He placed some paperwork on her desk, only half glancing towards Todd in the process. They talked things over, seeming to figure things out. Todd barely paid attention. His focus was on the rabbit.

Falm had taken a position before the cage. His arms were folded and his whole body tense, but his face...his lips were folded into a worried frown, not one of madness or a ‘I can’t believe you did this’ grimace. He simply gave Todd a nod as he waited by the cell door, saying nothing at all. Todd nodded back. He had no idea what to say at this point. The current of his thoughts dragged the words away at their rapid speed.

“Yes, Captain Kiakesh.” Swiftly, the jackal picked up some charcoal and started writing away on the paper. She paused only to look over to the rabbit. “You the one who paid? I need a name.”

Taking a few seconds longer to look at Todd, he moved over to the jackal. “Falm. ...No, with a...yes, like that…” The two began speaking. Passing back and forth information. The rat occasionally joined in, but otherwise remained simply an observer of the exchange. All Todd could do was lay inside his cell and wait for the whole thing to be over.

It felt like an eternity, but it was probably closer to fifteen minutes. The jackal got up, and used some sort of tool on her belt that was very much not a key to open up the cell door. The lion slowly eased himself to his feet, and padded over to the door. The guard lieutenant dramatically gestured for him to walk past her, and the feline eagerly did so. He swiftly came face to face with the rat captain.

“While it seems to be a common pastime for members of the community to attack parts of the Church of the Worldshapers, it is still illegal to harm members of the Raf-Ojuh community. Outsider or no, the rules apply to you. Do not let my men find you harassing Wordspeaker Eryb again. Understood?” It was a classic sort of perpsweat. Massive cop, or guard in this case, staring down at someone who had no way to resist. So the lion simply nodded. The many words he wanted remained outside his grasp anyway. “Good, you’re free to go.” And with that, the rat stepped out of the way.

In his place was Falm. Todd walked up to the rabbit, and offered him a smile...then started to walk around him towards the exit. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

“Todd.” Falm’s voice was quiet. His tone was more filled with concern than offense for the lion having just brushed past him. It made Todd sigh, and look back at the rabbit. He forced his mind to slow down, so he could try to genuinely converse. It didn’t really work.

“Yeah?”

“I have never been the one to pry into personal matters. It is against my nature. But Todd, you beat a man down in the street. You are not yourself.”

The lion bobbed his head at that. “I know.” It was all he could think to say in reply.

“We need to-” The rabbit started, but the lion gently brushed Falm’s hand from his shoulder.

It took effort. All of it making his body hurt more. But he needed to speak thoughtfully now. Because it felt important.

“Fix this? Discuss it? Do something? I just need time, Falm. To think.” The way he shrugged as he finished seemed to draw some annoyance out of the rabbit.

“Again. You beat a man down in the street. You locked yourself in your house for three days, then came out and attacked someone. There is clearly something deeply wrong going on.” The lion started to open his mouth again, but the rabbit cut him off. “I paid your debt off. I am the closest thing to a true friend you have here, you have said this yourself before. ...Please, just give me an honest answer. I just want to understand.”

It was true. Falm was really his only friend anymore. He...liked the rabbit. He was good company. He’d helped the lion understand the world better. So, with a swallow, Todd forced back the pain and nodded. But then he held up a finger. Indicating he had more to say, it just took a moment to get out. “One hour. Give me one hour to get myself in order at home. Then come over. And we can talk. That okay?”

Falm nodded. Todd nodded back. And then he turned around, and headed out the door. He heard one of the guards talking to Falm, but didn’t catch the words. He didn’t care. The river of his thoughts was back to rushing, and he needed to get home. To just...get to a place that he could get himself back to how he should be. Not...whatever this was. Whatever Mrs. Boucher had made him into.

The moment he got home, he splashed water on his face, and washed the blood from his hands. Had something to eat too, for good measure. It helped calm his mind a bit. Enough he could formulate a conclusion. He’d gone insane. He had to have. Like the protagonist in a horror story, he’d witnessed a revelation that had shattered his mind and left him not himself. Never in his life had he attacked someone. He’d gotten angry. Really angry. But he’d never lashed out like that. He’d never felt that desire inside him, the whirring of part of his brain urging him to draw blood in repayment for what he thought they’d done wrong. The feeling of sickness had returned to his stomach, yet he buried it under more food.

He was in the midst of downing a cup of water when he heard the knock on the door. Sitting at the table, he didn’t feel like getting up. He honestly didn’t feel like facing the rabbit at all. But he’d made a promise. “Come in Falm.”

There was a pause, and then the rabbit slipped inside. The lion simply remained slumped back in his seat as he clutched his cup of water. The two exchanged glances. Todd’s tired and broken, Falm’s worried and fearful.

“I think I’m going insane,” Todd shrugged and drank more of his water.

“You look like you’re going insane,” the rabbit replied as he settled across from the lion, removing a large backpack from his shoulder and setting it on the ground in the process.

After a moment of mulling over whether sitting in silence with a friend would fix his problem and realizing it wouldn’t, Todd set his cup down. “I...I’m sorry.”

The rabbit raised an eyebrow at that, even though he was still deeply frowning. “Given I am not the one you attacked, I do believe that I am the one owed the apology here.”

“I do owe you one though. I pushed you away...for three days. But maybe if I talked I wouldn’t have…” His voice petered out and his gaze drifted off out the window, to the village beyond. “...My head was a mess. Is a mess. I just...I don’t know if anyone here can understand what I want to say.”

The rabbit’s head shook slowly from side to side as Todd looked back to him. “As you have never even tried to explain what was going through your mind before you nearly beat a man to death, I admit I cannot quite understand what thought process was behind that. But I am willing to at least try, in the name of helping a friend.”

The lion’s teeth dug deep into his lip as he worked to find the words he needed. Pushing himself up from his seat, he started to pace as he thought. Arms wrapped around himself. Some of it was there, but other thoughts were still blocking it out. He needed to settle them down. He needed to know about what he’d heard. With a couple steadying breaths, he looked to his concerned rabbit friend. “Okay. Okay. You’re right. I just...before we get into it. I just have a couple questions. I heard that Hythe is no longer the Master Scrounger. And that she was nearly exiled. What happened, exactly?”

It was clear from how the rabbit’s face shifted from sadness to frustration that the question did not have a pleasant answer. “Yes. It is true, though I was not present for the events exactly. I only learned them from Gikri after the fact. Yesterday, around midday, they held a trial. They brought Hythe before the village elders, and apparently quite thoroughly questioned her about Yseu’s loss. Gikri was there, defending her. As were several other scroungers. It was not a...pleasant affair from what I gathered. All rather strange to me, truth be told. I am used to things being decided by the community as a whole where I come from, not just some old people who lord over everyone for whatever reason…”

Catching himself, the rabbit paused and cleared his throat before continuing. “ I digress. There was a lot of internal bickering. Half of the council of the village elders wanted to toss Hythe out for what she did, but the other half were worried about losing yet another talented scrounger because of that. Gikri managed to get enough of the former to agree with the latter. So Hythe remains here, as a scrounger. And, privately, an advisor from what I understand. The soon to be new Master Scrounger has not been the most confident about her rise, and I believe she intends to rely a lot on Hythe’s counsel. Of course, there is going to be some public ceremony soon to officiate the transfer. It is all a bit up in the air till then. But it is quite clear that Hythe’s reign has come to an end. A shame.”

Todd nodded. Then, he nodded a second time, more to himself. “So, any idea where that leaves me?”

“What do you mean?” The rabbit leaned forward onto the table as he asked the question.

“Like,” the lion began as he started to pace again, “you and Hythe are the only ones who know. About me. What I am. I trust Gikri, I just...I don’t know how to go about telling her everything. Should I just go up to her and be like ‘congratulations on the promotion, sorry about everything that happened, and oh by the way, I used to be a big one who shrunk myself because he was suicidal and stupid’ or something? Feels like that’d probably be...bad.”

Falm stared at Todd a moment before biting his lip and nodding. “A fair question. I am uncertain how to answer it. Especially given that, since the Master Scrounger is unaware of who has seen you when you were...larger, she may assign you with them and cause unnecessary chaos in the process. Best I can suggest is that you ask Hythe to help you. And I shall happily advocate too, if she thinks it would be appropriate.”

“Right, right.” The lion nodded, pacing a bit more before sighing heavily. His gaze fell towards the bag the rabbit had brought, and then moved up to its owner. “What’s with the backpack by the way?”

For a second, Falm seemed a bit rattled that the lion had taken note of the bag. “Oh, well, it is a surprise.” He placed a hand atop the bag, and then his expression grew back to the way it was at the beginning of the conversation. “It shall wait until we have talked, however. Truly talked. You are not escaping that obligation with these questions, if that is what you are attempting.”

Todd’s tongue ran against the back of his teeth as he realized he may have been doing just that. It felt more comforting to talk about anything but what the thoughts rushing in his mind were. But, he knew he’d promised to talk. So, he supposed it was time. Settling back in his chair, he drummed on the table with his fingers as he again got himself in order. “...Three weeks, two days. That’s how long since I shrunk myself. I just...it feels like a lifetime, yet so short at the same time. I woke up that morning, and I wanted to die. I planned to do something that’d help me end my life. I didn’t know this would happen. That Raf-Ojuh existed. That your people were...people. And if those were the only revelations, I could...I’d be fine. Completely fine.”

The rabbit was simply observing. His eyes studying the lion's features as Todd took a breath to figure out how to keep going. “...Remember when I revealed everything? I said...death was rare for us. It was not something we had to consider daily. That it felt impossible at times. ...Did Hythe talk to you after, about what happened?”

“No,” the rabbit’s head shook firmly as he replied, “she did not. I admit, nor did I ask. I felt it very much was not my business.”

“Okay.” Todd swallowed at that as he realized he’d have to go over that image again. “You said you knew Mrs. Boucher - Lisette - was dangerous. Very dangerous. And I told you I knew her. ...Do you know anything about her, beyond the danger?”

“Beyond that she killed many of my kind, no.” It was quite obvious the rabbit could tell he was building to something. Yet he wasn’t prying. Simply letting it come out as Todd wished it too. And for that, he was grateful.

“All right. Okay. So…” His fingers drummed a rhythmless beat as he fought against the growing sickness in his stomach and anger inside his head, all stemming from him dredging up what he’d seen four days ago. What’d he’d buried in a sea of thoughts to avoid thinking about at all. “...I knew Mrs. Boucher. She’s...she was my next door neighbor. We used to chat. She was a world traveler. Crossed those oceans I told you about. Went to places so far away it’d make your brain melt trying to comprehend it. She told me stories. I, uh...she gave me cookies when I first moved in, and consoled me after my father died. She was nice. Kind. ...And, uh…”

Deep breaths. Deeeeeeep breaths. “...We went to her apartment. To find Yseu. I expected a corpse. It would have been fine if we found a rotten body or a red stain or...something I could have thought someone would do to kill what they considered vermin. But, um...oh god...we didn’t find that. ...Twenty corpses. Inside a box. She kept it on a shelf. Twenty people, pinned up inside it. Kept on display. Like...collectables. They’d been prepped for display. Even had little placards with their...scientific names. ...This woman had a pet cat. Apparently she fed you guys to it. It died a few weeks ago. Maybe that’s a mercy. I just...I knew her. I spoke with her. I...wouldn’t call her a friend, but I cared about her and just…” His voice drifted off as he lost the words he wanted to say. Tears had started form in his eyes, from sadness and rage. His mouth hung open, twitching as it tried to keep talking.

“I see.” Falm’s expressions said all that needed to be said. He too was horrified. One of his hands reached forward and moved to rest on some of Todd’s drumming fingers. It made them fall still. “...That...does sound like quite a lot.”

“Yeah…” Todd’s mouth finally started working again after a moment, uttering only that word at first as the tears started to trickle down his cheek. “...But it’s not...it’s not just the deaths. No. You just...twenty bodies. Pinned up trophies. I just...you said you once saw one of my kind kill another. That’s rare. But it happens. I’m sure you have murderers too. But uh...here’s the thing. You kill one person. Odds are, you get caught. In fact, it’s rare to get away with it. And then, like I did today, you go to jail. But our jails, you don’t pay to get out. You stay there. You have a trial, they determine if you’re guilty or not. And if you are, you got to jail. For years. Decades. And that’s just one person...you kill more? That...that’s life. You killed twenty people, that’s life. Serial killer, that’s the name for that. Those are our monsters. But our monsters...receive justice.”

Gently, the rabbit’s hand stroked the back of the lion’s as he continued to talk. “I am assuming it bothers you that she has not?”

For a moment, Todd just stared at Falm through the tears. And then suddenly, he stopped drumming with his other fingers. He balled them into a fist. A fist that slammed down onto the table. It made the rabbit jump in surprise.  “...YES! Twenty bodies. And that’s...that’s just what I saw. She fed your people to her cat, crushed you to pulp, and who knows what else and for how long she was doing it… When I moved here, and she gave me cookies, she was probably doing it. When we talked on the balcony as she watered her plants and she shared stories of her travels, she was doing it. Hell, I...I took care of her cat when she visited family, and there might have been someone dying inside its stomach as I played with it in my apartment. ...People were dying in the apartment next to me, murdered by her. Over and over. And I...was just chatting with their killer. Enjoying her company. And then...she spotted me and Hythe when we were in her apartment. Tried to kill us. ...A ‘vile thing,’ that’s what I was at that point. Not a person. Not even an animal that could think and feel. Just a ‘vile thing’ to be snuffed out.”

“A common attitude,” the rabbit said as he recovered from Todd’s outburst, “though her methods are indeed extreme. But you are not responsible for the lives she’s taken. Ignoring the fact you were not even aware we were people, you also lived in a separate home. You had no control over what happened in those walls, and she obviously did not share it with you. ...Big ones like her, they exist all over. We just try to learn where they are, and avoid them. Sometimes, there are those that ignorantly meet them. And other times, there are those that believe themselves smart or fast enough to ignore those warnings. Those deaths are unfortunate. But they are simply part of life.”

A deep, half-sobbed exhaled escaped Todd as the rabbit spoke. How could this just be...part of life? This woman had killed...who knows how many people? And he still...had no idea how genuine she had ever been with him. But the fact she was disgusted with that murder on the television suggested she wasn’t...no, no. She was a killer, just not one of his kind. That was the disconnect that bothered him the most. How a life mattered, only if it belonged to a being of a certain size.

“...How do you do this? How do you just brush away so many lives lost? And then…” The lion’s thoughts turned to the preacher again. His still balled fist tightened as it lied atop the table. “...Some of you say it’s deserved? How the fuck do you tolerate those Church assholes? How...how do you look at us, and see gods instead of fucking demons or monsters?”

That question drew a sour note of a laugh from the rabbit. “I assure you, we do not. The majority, at least. We see you as simply what you are. Other beings. But some people...I suppose they are like you. They see this death. This misery that the worst of your kind causes. They see the way you live so luxuriously and well, and the way we just must endure and barely survive each day. And they do not comprehend the reason it occurs. So they decide it must be divine. The work of some greater being. That there is a purpose to your actions, beyond...killing a pest, I suppose. It is how they stay sane. I find it as utterly ridiculous and stupid as you do. But...I would not go so far as to attack them as you did. That being said, I can comprehend why you did, however.”

“...It’s not just her.” The lion sighed out as he lowered his head onto the table. Letting the cool surface make his face feel a little less pained from the lingering effects of the punch. “I...I was listening. And it just...I don’t want you living this way. Any of you. You are people, and I just...I am not that. I would never wish death on you for just trying to survive. You’re just trying to survive...you don’t need to be killed for that. And I just...heard him say you did. And I saw red. Those twenty bodies didn’t deserve their fate, and they kept popping into my mind. I cracked, and...yeah. I cracked.”

For a couple minutes, the two sat in silence. Todd was enjoying the cool darkness with his eyes closed and head on the table as the rabbit patted his hand...it felt safe. His mind finally felt at rest for the first time in days. And he needed that. He needed these thoughts gone. He needed all of this. So badly.

“...I’m so sorry for not saying this earlier,” the lion finally admitted as he raised his head to face the rabbit again.

“It is fine. I admit, I...had not realized you experienced something of this nature. And while I do not believe I would react the same in your place, I have...been raised in a world different to yours. It is quite clear that you are more sensitive to things. And that is fine, I am not criticizing you for that. Because at the very least, it is part of why you are...surprisingly caring for a giant. I know I have said this before. Along with the fact that I have never seen one like you. But I say both again because it is true. But even if we are vastly different, I swear to you, I do understand. And...that is why I got you the surprise I mentioned.”

Todd’s ears flicked at that sudden segue. He unclenched his fist so he would wipe away his tears and try to get back to some semblance of descent. “Oh. Yeah, the bag. ...Wait, hang on, you got something for me?”

A smile took over the rabbit’s previously serious face as he nodded. “Now...this took a bit of effort. Largely figuring out how to properly transport it and not utterly ruin it, given its size. And I have no idea where you will place it without it raising many, many questions. But I know it was important to you.” Leaving the lion dumbfounded with his words, the rabbit reached down to the back pack and opened it. Pulling out a folded up paper thing of sorts. It was indeed pretty large, even folded up. Pizza box size. The lion took it with care as it was offered to him, and looked it over.

“...You got me a piece of paper?” Todd was, admittedly, totally lost. It made the rabbit heave an exasperated exhale.

“Open it, you ridiculous giant.”

With a shrug, the lion slowly did. It required him standing up. And slowly, he unfolded the paper. He was midway through when it appeared...and it made him drop the whole thing in surprise. The tears came back to his eyes, but for an entirely different reason. His father’s face was staring at him. Looking at the camera, with the beach in the background. He could vaguely make out his own head, still mostly covered by what was still folded. “...How...did you?” The rabbit was still smiling as the lion looked back at him.

“It took some looking. And a great deal of...creative climbing and navigating. I was unable to save what it was in, but I at least could get it out. I figured it might...help. With whatever was bothering you. I hope it does.”

The lion gently fell to his knees and picked up the photo again. He stared down into his father’s eyes. Gone, but not forgotten. ...But it was in times like these, he wished his dad was still here. It was absurd to think he’d have any advice about Mrs. Boucher and this whole situation. But still. His father had always been able to help him through things. Even when Todd just needed someone to bounce his wacky story ideas off of…not to mention, his father telling him stories of his own misadventures. Memories flashed through his mind as he thought of it all. And that’s...when the thought came to him. Popped right into his head.

His father had always fought for what he believed in. And Todd, as a writer, had enjoyed creating stories inspired by things he heard and saw. In that moment, those two sentiments collided in the lion’s mind. He felt sick at what entered into his thoughts, but at the same time...it felt right. Insane, awful, but...right. It felt like justice. Quietly, the lion folded up the paper. He placed it onto the table. And he looked to Falm...and ran up to the rabbit, wrapping his arms around him as tight as can be.

Falm went as rigid as a board. He clearly hadn’t expected such an intimate thanks for his gift, but in a few moments he seemed to relax into it. “Thank you,” the lion said quietly as he rested his chin on the rabbit’s shoulder, “I owe you for this.”

The rabbit gently chuckled at that. “No. You certainly do not. This is simply thanks for...well, I suppose you teaching me so many new things. About the world, and your kind. Also the fact you have...honestly been a fine friend and companion this last fortnight and a half. As I said, I...often ‘burn my bridges’ to avoid tragedy. But, it has been a pleasure to share this one for now.” The lion continued to hug the rabbit for a few moments longer, before pulling back.

And now, he stared the rabbit in the eye. His idea from before at the front of his mind. “...Have you ever wanted revenge? Against the big ones like Mrs. Boucher?”

Taken aback at the lion’s sudden return of the topic from before, it took some time for Falm to answer. The way his gaze drifted off made it clear that it was truly something he had to consider regardless. “A few times, in the past. But that is beyond me. Beyond any of us. Your kind could destroy us with a single fist clenched around our bodies. I do not let the foolish thought linger long.”

“What if I told you I know a way we could get revenge? Not just revenge, but...we could put an end to her for good?”

“Todd…” The rabbit was getting that concerned look yet again. “...What are you talking about?”

The lion glanced towards the photo, still sitting back at the table. Was he sure about this? ...Yeah, he was. It was stupid as hell. But if there was one thing his father taught him, it was to stand up to injustice. There was no way to end this with the law. So, he’d call upon an old story. One that worked perfectly. Hey, his father once threatened to have an abusive cop killed for being a vile bastard. Now he was going to show Mrs. Boucher who the true vile thing was…

“Something important.” The lion stated as he looked back to Falm. “Follow-up question. Do you think Hythe wants revenge for Yseu?”

The rabbit threw his hands up. “For goodness sake, stop! I have no idea what you think you can do, but you are one of us now! This is how the world works! There are our monsters, Todd...not yours. They will always exist. And there is nothing we can do but do what we can to abide by them.” He sounded bitter as he said it, so certain of that truth. But it wasn’t the truth, no.

With a shrug, Todd headed towards the door. “Fine, I’ll go ask her.”

“Todd, what-”

“You can follow me, and I’ll explain. Or you can keep acting defeated and go home, Falm.” With a smile, wide and somewhat toothy, he opened the door and gestured outwards. “What’s it going to be?”

There was much huffing and starts of protests from the rabbit before finally he bit his lip and nodded. “Fine. Fine. But only so I can talk you out of whatever further madness has possessed you.”

“Good.” And with that, the two were off. Todd led the way, down into the crowd of the street. As they walked, Falm kept asking for an explanation. Where they were going. What his plan was. Whether he understood he was being irrational and that clearly his anger had gotten the better of him again. Todd just brushed it off as they continued on towards their destination. It was a decent walk, of course. But it didn’t bother Todd. Honestly, it helped him figure out the details as they went. How he’d convince not just Falm, but Hythe if she was reluctant. This would work. He knew it would work. And it was entirely possible for micros to do. There would be justice.

The crowd thinned out. They’d reached the Floorhomes. And then it loomed out. In the distance. That bird house home of Hythe’s. She hadn’t lost it yet hopefully. Falm was more eagerly pestering him now as they approached the door, trying to convince him to give up whatever he was planning. He ignored it all. Instead, Todd knocked on the door. A moment later, Hythe appeared. She seemed to still have that tiredness on her face that she had the last time they’d spoken. But this time, it was mixed with some confusion.

“Todd. Falm. Why are you here?”

Todd gave that same smile he had given Falm before. “Hythe. I’m sorry you lost your position as Master Scrounger. But I have a question for you. An important question…”

He paused, briefly glancing back at the uncomfortable looking Falm before returning his gaze to the baffled looking Hythe.

“How would you like to kill Mrs. Boucher?”

They’d moved inside, Todd and Hythe sitting at the table while Falm stood beside it with his arms crossed and a deep frown on his face. “He’s insane. Please, tell him that. That this whole line of thought is insane.” It was quite clear the rabbit disapproved.

Hythe, meanwhile, was silent. Her focus wasn’t on either of her guests, but instead down at her table. She stared at it like it somehow held the secrets of the universe. Her breath slow, drawn in and out through her nose as she silently mused.

Todd, all the while, sat with his fingers interlocked as he leaned forward on the table. Hythe was his sole focus, as he waited for her answer. They’d come here straight from the door, after clarifying he was serious and that he genuinely knew a way to kill the murderous poodle. Falm, of course, had launched into trying to make it clear that this was a terribly stupid idea to consider and the entire discussion should be tabled, even before the method was discussed. The lion could only hope he’d change his tune the moment he heard the plan.

“...Why did you bring this to me? Why do you come and ask this?” It was with those words that returned Hythe to the world as well as her focus back to the one sitting across from her. Her expression had regained her typical iciness, but also perhaps a hint of...anger. As if she still thought Todd was joking with her for some reason.

“A few reasons, with one above all,” Todd unlinked his fingers so he could poke one of them into the table for emphasis, “That being, that it’d be wrong of me to do this on my own, or with someone’s help that wasn’t you. For all that Mrs. Boucher has done, for all the lives she’s taken, she has never wronged me. Not truly. Even her attempt to kill us, at best, was a temporary stress. As you guys keep saying, there’s nothing wrong with defending your home, and in my case she did it unsuccessfully. But you? She’s done more than just defend her home, and you experienced that. She’s taken your people, turned them into trophies. Defiled mockeries of who those people once were. Including Yseu. Or fed them to her pet like treats, so they’d die either to its jaws or stomach. I won’t deny you the justice you deserve in not offering you this chance.”

As he finished, what he said hung in the air for a moment. Then, Falm groaned, threw up his hands as he had before, and started pacing back and forth beside the two. Hythe, meanwhile, chewed over it all. Her brow furrowed deeply, before her head slowly bobbed in a curt nod. It seemed like the lizard was slowly coming to believe that Todd was indeed being serious.

“And the other reasons?” Those words came out slowly from Hythe’s mouth, as if delayed by her thoughts on the matter.

“Well…” Todd tapped his emphatic finger against the table twice before letting it fall flat. “...I realize I came in here all puffed up, but...gonna be honest now. If I tried to do this myself, I’d die. End of story. I got lucky when it came to my first scrounge and killing that mouse. This is your world, and people like you and Falm have the skills needed to survive in it. I take one step outside Raf-Ojuh alone, I die. So, that’s the second reason. The third is...justice, as I mentioned before. Just, justice. Your people have been denied it. I want to help them get it, you especially. The final reason is, I’d need help to gather the supplies needed to do this. It’ll be easier to locate and handle them with others than alone...not as dramatic as the others, but yeah.”

“Yes, you would absolutely die if you tried this. Because we would all die if we tried this! Are you listening to yourself?!” The rabbit ranted as he continued to walk back and forth. “Hythe, you already lost your position as Master Scrounger. And you only just survived an encounter with this big one. Why go back and risk your life?”

“There won’t be a risk, I promise. This plan doesn’t even involve us getting near her exactly either.” Todd wasn’t lying when he said that either. But it was clear the rabbit didn’t believe him.

“Oh, so what do you propose? Do you intend to kill her from down here wi-”

“What is your plan?” Hythe leaned onto the table herself in interest as she interrupted Falm. She was interested. It made Todd sigh a bit in relief.

“Okay, so…” The lion shifted into a suitably dramatic leaning posture for explaining. “Dentures. False teeth. You familiar with them?” Falm stopped by the table to stare at Todd after hearing that. Hythe stared at him as well. “...I know it’s an odd question. But just answer it.”

“Yes.” Hythe’s answer was understandably simple. Falm just rolled his eyes and frustratedly waited for whatever Todd was going to say next.

“Right. Good. Dentures. We have them. I assume you have them. Here’s the fun thing about dentures. Among my kind, people who use them usually take them out when sleeping. I don’t know why, maybe they come unstuck when people are sleeping and are a choking hazard. It doesn’t matter. Now, here’s what matters. They take them out and they put them inside glasses of water. Usually kept in their bathroom. I know for a fact Mrs. Boucher does this. I had the displeasure of them once falling out during our conversation. Not pretty, but anyway. I digress. That’s the key.”

“Key to what, precisely? How does any of this have anything remotely to do with killing a giant? All you have done is forced me to picture something I certainly did not desire to.” Falm continued to bitch. Todd just flashed him a look, before focusing back on Hythe. Who seemed to simply be still waiting for the point as well.

“Yes, it’s disgusting. But all of this reminded me of something. Or rather, something reminded me of all of this. Falm, I mentioned to you I was learning to be a storyteller. An author, or writer. Not sure if I mentioned that to you too, Hythe. I was getting an education to be one, professionally. Since that’s a job we have, even if it’s incredibly difficult to accomplish. Anyway, digressing again. As part of my classes, we had to write stories. To turn it, to be judged on our craft. To save me effort, I often took inspiration from things I heard or read about. One such story is how we’re gonna do this.” The lion stood up and shifted into a position in front of the two of them. This was gonna be awkward as hell, but...

“Soooo, this is gonna be a bit of a tangent for context,” the lion meekly admitted as he rubbed his neck, “and it’s not gonna be a pretty one. So...okay. A while ago...a year ago more accurately...I was told by one of my teachers I had to write at least one story that wasn’t completely fantastic for my writing classes. I...like fantastic stories, and I’ll leave it at that. I don’t have time in this conversation to explain how our whole literary genres work. So basically, I did some research into cool events. One I found inspired me to create a story about a murder mystery. That is...a story about someone discovering how a murder was done and who did it.”

Falm made a ‘get on with it’ gesture. Hythe was just listening patiently, thankfully. Or, hopefully patiently. It was hard to tell with how she was always so stoic. Clearing his throat, Todd continued. “Right. Okay, so. A decent distance from here...like, for you, what would be months of walking. For me...probably would have been at least a two, three hour walk. There’s a housing community. For big ones. The Irwin Allen Estates. About five years ago, there was this guy...I forget his name. But, uh, he was...well, an exterminator. Which...is probably like being the grim reaper to you guys, but that’s the thing.”

By the way he just raised an eyebrow, Falm seemed unfamiliar with the concept...parks probably didn’t get many exterminators. But Hythe suitably tensed at the mention. Least someone would understand this. “One day, the dude just...started killing others of our kind. He used his pesticides to poison people. Killed like...seven, eight people by the end of it. One house he pumped the vents full of poison while the people were sleeping. Another, and this is the point of inspiration, he had been hired by them to clear out some pests. He secretly had sprayed various dishes and cups with poison while supposedly inspecting the house for aforementioned pests. That’s the key here.”

Todd leaned onto the table now, for the dramatic finish. “The people that ingested that poison? They died just like those who breathed it. Based on my understanding, the stuff is relatively tasteless. Barely noticeable. ...Apparently to spray dropped food bits to poison you guys without putting you off. Fucked, I know, but it works on us too. In the proper amounts, enough poison put in Mrs. Boucher’s denture glass will kill her swiftly. A stomach ache, followed by her throat closing, spasms, and then death within roughly an hour of ingestion. I can guarantee this. So, I figure we go in after she’s taken out her dentures and gone to bed. No chance of being noticed. Quick dump of poison, then we leave. That’s it. Justice is done.”

A few minutes passed in silence as the lion drew his speech to a close. Hythe stared at him. So did Falm. He waited for their reactions without a word. As the quiet dragged on, Todd’s confidence began to waver. Perhaps the rabbit was right, this was all a terrible idea. Almost like he heard the thought, Falm started to open his mouth. It was Hythe that got her words out first.

“And you know the proper amount of poison?” An understandable question...with an awkward, slightly embarrassing answer.

“Yes.” The firm affirmation was followed by a meek smile and the tapping of fore fingers together by Todd. “I wanted the story I was writing to be realistic...very realistic. I may have...ended up being detained by the police due to my research. That’s, uh, our version of the Raf-Ojuh Guard. ...My dad was kinda furious when he bailed me out of that one…” To hide the fact his cheeks were flushing at those memories, he lifted his gaze to the ceiling and hummed a bit. God, the reaming when dad came to the station in person…

“So, let me get this straight,” Falm’s voice joined the conversation now, “You want us to use the plan of an insane big one, who I assume got caught, to kill Lisette or Mrs. Boucher or whatever you wish to call her. ...Truly, Todd, you have astounded me. Utterly wowed me. For you have come up with the most irrational, moronic, and suicidal idea I have ever heard. Hythe, pl-”

“You are positive this would work?” Yet again, Hythe interrupted the hare. It brought Todd’s gaze back to his companions and his focus onto what mattered. Falm’s eyes were locked onto the seated lizard with utter bewilderment. It was obvious that he hadn’t expected her to even be remotely considering this.

“Yeah,” Todd replied with a nod as he sat down again, “as positive as I can be. There’s always a chance of the unexpected. But we stick to it, plan every move carefully to get the poison in that glass...she’ll be dead. As I said I...did the research. I am certain.”

More silence, but different. Hythe looked away like she had at the start of the conversation. She shuddered. Her eyes shifting down to her hands, her fingers gently rubbing over both of her palms. With a hard breath out, those fingers suddenly clenched into fists. Burning eyes stared into Todd’s own. That fire from before was back, but it didn’t burn him. “So many dead. So many lost. ...Justice. Yes. You are right. Justice will be done.”

Hell yes. He’d done it. She was on board. Meanwhile, Falm backed away from the table. He seemed just...shocked. “I...I do not understand. Hythe, I know you. How can...this is insane. Surely you can tell this is insane, correct? There are so many unknowns that could happen, there is no possible way to plan for them. You cannot actually be agreeing to this?”

Todd expected a fight to break out. Instead, Hythe simply took a breath in and out before looking to the rabbit with almost...pity beneath her typical cold expression. “There are many unknowns, yes. It is insane, yes. But this big one. This Mrs. Boucher. She took from me what I held dear. And others I once called friends. If there is a chance, even small, I can end the pain she causes...I must take it. For Raf-Ojuh, and for myself.”

Falm’s mouth opened to reply, but he faltered and just looked down. His mouth closed and his eyes with it. After a moment, some quiet words came out. “...You know we cannot do this. We get our hopes up, and it will end badly. To challenge them is folly. I have seen it. Lost those I cared for to it. We cannot stop them. ...This is a false hope at best.”

“You’re right, you cannot stop them.” For once, it was Todd’s turn to be the one declaring shocking things. It was enough to get the rabbit to open his eyes. Eyes that now held an anger inside them that Todd had never seen in the hare before.

“Then w-”

“Let me finish,” Todd interrupted as he strode up to the rabbit and poked him in the chest, “You cannot stop them. A micro cannot stop any of my kind. Not without evening the field. You can’t challenge us. Because we are larger and stronger. But you know what? You can trick us. Because to us, you’re an animal. You don’t think. You don’t feel. When we see cleverness from you, we mistake it as luck. ...Falm, you said I taught you many things. Let me teach you this. We’re not invincible. We’re not infallible. We’re not gods. We’re just big, and when we fall...it’s usually because we underestimated something smaller than ourselves. So, come on. Show me you’re cleverer than I am. Show me the lifetime of skills you have. And put them to use felling a giant.”

Burning in Falm’s eyes was anger and confusion and pain. Todd simply looked into them and let those feelings be seen. His poking finger pulled back so instead he could place a hand on the hare’s chest. He could feel the rabbit breath heavily and deeply as he mulled over what the lion had just said. “Who are you,” Falm asked with a crack in his voice as he finally deflated, “And...what have you done with the lion I knew?”

It made the lion snicker. “I’m still me. I just...I’m gonna be honest. I’m sick in my stomach thinking of taking a life. But I’m doing this for a reason. As I said...where I come from, people like Mrs. Boucher get justice. I’m angry. Furious. And I have a chance to help people rid the world of a great evil. I just want to make sure my new friends and home are safe from it. I don’t want anyone to be her victim anymore. Especially not my rabbit best friend.” Gently, Todd punched Falm in the arm. He winced, but then let out a snicker of his own.

“...All right. Very well. Every instinct in my body is screaming at me to slap you in hopes of bringing you to your senses. But at the same time, you...regretfully have a point. If you want me to assist with this…insanity, I will.” Rising up, Falm’s hand rubbed his temples as he realized the headache he’d entered. But Todd just smiled. He’d done it.

Jumping in celebration of his victory, he returned to the table and leaned against it. “Okay, so. I have an idea how to get the poison. Mrs. Boucher likely has some, but it’ll be in an aerosol can. Now, I don’t know if you know how those work, but there’s a bit of danger when it comes from getting the poison. And not just from the stuff itself. It’s all under pressure, air pressure, and so you can’t just crack it open. It’d, well, explode if we did. So I figured we’d be careful about it. We push a can on its side and punch a hole in the bottom, we can let the stuff drain out where the pressure is the least. Just gotta-”

About at the midpoint in Todd’s explanation, Hythe interrupted with her rare smirk locked on her lips. “I know. We do that regularly.”

“What?” In that moment, all of Todd’s careful train of thought crashed and he was utterly at a loss. It made the lizard snort.

“If I recall, you’ve seen scroungers use those jars of clear liquid? To coat their arrows and spears?” Hythe’s question was as much an explanation as it was a question. Todd flashed back to what Oberun had done during their scrounge in his apartment.

“So...that’s...you gather the poison for your weapons?”

Hythe nodded. “Yes. The doses are low and rarely kill, but they help slow and disorient the vermin they’re used on. Every advantage against bigger creatures is required. And in this case...it is more than an advantage. How much would you require?”

Todd tapped his chin as he mentally ran the numbers. “Okay, so...I am...trying to think of a way to explain this. It’d require conversion from my units of measurement to yours to get an exact number. So I’m not going to bother with that, and I’m instead gonna just give a rough picture. Imagine a glass vial as tall as yourself. That, filled roughly three fourths of the way would be enough. Little more than enough, but I’d rather be over than under to be certain she’ll drop dead properly. Make sense?” The lion looked expectantly at Hythe. She seemed to be running some number in her own head, before nodding.

“We’ll use much of the store. But there is enough. I shall see if I can find us such a vial to transport the poison in.”

Todd was about to say he was just using the vial as a demonstration of how much they’d need, but he stopped when he realized that he supposed that would probably indeed be the best way to transport the stuff. Better than carrying a dozen tiny jars in a backpack, at least.

“Well then. We truly intend to do this? Kill one of your kind, Todd?” Falm approached the table again. His face betrayed his nervousness. Discomfort. Even if he was in, he was still worried.

Todd licked his lips and sighed. “...She isn’t one of my kind. She’s a monster. A murdering, evil beast. That’s why she needs to die. And that’s why we’re going to kill her. No more, no less.” There was a voice in the back of his mind now. Buried beneath all the rage, it screamed at him. He was planning to kill someone. A person. Thinking. Breathing. Feeling. How would he be different? The answer...because she killed for enjoyment. And while revenge was perhaps enjoyable, in this case...it was also justice. And an apology to all the lives he could have saved if he hadn’t been ignorant of what was going on just beyond his apartment’s walls.

It was clear Falm didn’t seem to fully believe Todd, but he dropped the subject. And swiftly, the conversation shifted in a new direction. Nailing down the steps to get the deed done. The journey to Mrs. Boucher’s apartment, when and how it would be undertaken. The crossing of the apartment floor to get to the bathroom. The climb atop the sink, and then the careful scaling of the glass that contained the dentures. There was a lot that could go wrong at any moment, so they discussed every aspect they thought was important.

They couldn’t leave any evidence, so the vial couldn’t just be dumped there. And it had to be easily openable after the climb, as it’d be too easy for it to spill if it was opened earlier. There was also the fact the poodle was old, and easily could get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. They needed places to hide if necessary. But they’d try to time it immediately after she went to bed. It’d simplify a lot, and minimize the risk. Still have to move fast, though. There was no reason to chance an encounter.

They’d each be taking roles. Todd, given his experience with the poison, would be carrying it. He knew it’d weigh a ton and he’d probably struggle a lot, but it was probably for the best given the jobs of the other two. Falm, being the fastest, would be serving as scout. Moving ahead of the group, making sure the path was clear. Hythe would be carrying the important climbing gear, to minimize the load on the others, and thus would be in charge of getting them up to the sink. And, to pour the poison in. It only made sense she’d be the one to do it. Not to mention...Todd doubted his ability to climb and open the damned thing without fucking it up.

Once everything was put to metaphorical paper, they broke for the day. As they left Hythe’s house, Todd stopped Falm. All so he could give the rabbit a second hug of thanks, for both recovering his picture and for agreeing to the plan. The fact this hug was public made the hare resist the gesture with all his might, which of course only made the lion hug him tighter. But he wasn’t a complete sadist, and eventually he freed the rabbit from his trap and wished him goodnight. Falm did the same between a great deal of complaining. And with that, Todd was on his way home.

And as he laid in bed that night, recovering from the day, he realized something. That thing in his brain, that had been whirring and whirring away...was silent. And for the first time since he’d seen the truth of his former neighbor, he passed peacefully into sleep.

Chapter 7 - Death of a God

Another three days passed. Tomorrow was going to be the ceremony to induct Gikri as the new Master Scrounger. As Todd stood inside the Circle with Falm and Hythe, he supposed that this would be their gift to her. The death of the great beast Lisette.  That’s what he’d taken to calling her in his head, to distinguish her from himself and other giants. The way she acted towards the micros, it made her little better than an animal.

At least, that’s how he’d tried to come to see it.

Despite everything, the thought of what he had set in motion made his stomach churn somewhat. He was going to kill a person. Not a feral monster like the mouse had been, but a thinking, feeling individual. One with a family. A life. That voice in his head from before had become louder over the last few days. She didn’t know, it kept saying. To her, they were just animals. Sure she was cruel about it, and choosing to taxidermy captured micros was kinda disgusting, but still. The micros forgave him for the lives he had taken, why did he condemn Mrs. Boucher for the same thing? And the feeding Robespawierre part did not change anything, it said. Would he condemn pet owners that fed micros and feral animals to their pet snakes for just caring properly for such a pet?

Where was his line? What were his limits?

The anger had faded enough with the passage of time that his moral compass had started to spin wildly as it fought between seeing this as justice for the lives of those lost to what seemed to be intentional malice, and seeing this as simply murder born from anger over an injustice that was not this woman’s fault. So far, the former was winning. He’d committed to this, and what he had seen… There had to be consequences for such cruelty. Justice for those turned to props by a sadistic old woman. Hythe deserved it. Gikri deserved it. All of Raf-Ojuh deserved it, for the bodies in that box. But…would he be any different, in the end? How was he not a monster, meting out vigilante justice and enjoying it? That notion was the part that was on his mind while they prepared.

After all, they were still gearing up. Hythe was off filling the vial with the poison stores. All the while, Falm gathered up his own supplies. Basic things, like bandages and extra rope. Just in case they needed it. Todd doubted they would, but it paid to be prepared. As for the lion himself, he was just sitting atop the yo-yo table. Mulling over all of this. The fact they were about to go take a life.

“How are you feeling?” It was Falm’s voice that cut into his mind and pushed him back into the present.

 “You’ve asked me that three times now, dude. I’m fine.” He gave an awkward little laugh and tried to keep things casual. He wasn’t sure how Falm would react if he knew that the lion was struggling with such a debate internally.

The rabbit frowned at that. He ceased his packing of equipment and looked to his lion companion with folded arms. “Yes, I have. Because you keep saying you are fine, and then proceed to drift off into your head over and over. You need to be focused for this, Todd. This of all things. You started this. You need to be ready to see it through.”

His lips shifted to form the shape needed to offer another dismissal, but then froze. Acting like nothing was wrong was clearly just going to piss Falm off. Todd didn’t want this dragged out. So, unfortunately, he’d have to confront this. And hope that the rabbit wouldn’t ream into him too badly for the conflict that stirred in his brain over…her.

“Yeah, I…I know,” the lion let out a long exhale as he pushed from his perch and onto his feet so he could stretch and move to join Falm at his side, “Just...that’s the thing, I guess. Yeah, I know. I suggested this. I convinced you both of this being doable. But now, I just…the reality has set in. We are going to kill someone. A person I used to know, regardless of what she has done. It’s just…”

“Please do not tell me you are having second thoughts after we did all this work.” The rabbit irritatedly stated as the lion’s voice trailed off.

Todd mulled that notion over for a moment. Were these second thoughts? Maybe. But they weren’t just that.

“Sorta? Not…entirely. There’s more...there’s this conflict in my mind over whether I am becoming her by doing this. Whether she is evil, or just oblivious like I was. A life is a life, but not all lives are equal. To her, she’s killing animals. Protecting her home. But her cruelty, her joy in it, goes beyond what I think is reasonable to kill pests. That's why I think she is evil. A beast. And I know if I kill her, I may save a great deal of lives. It’s all so...your world is so complicated. And it warps what I thought I was capable of. And even now, I…I realize this may not be the last time I kill, in the name of protecting myself in others. I may have to accept that...I’ll just have to live with causing death to stay alive or protect my friends. As much as it…honestly sickens me.”

He paused for a moment, but before the rabbit could respond, he added in a condensed, less rambally summary of what was going on. “I don’t want to become a monster by doing this. I find myself so easily justifying this, seeing it as a good thing. Because it feels like it is a good thing, ending the life of someone so cruel. But…it just alao feels like an excuse to jump off a slippery slope at the same time. To become a monster, a vigilante disguising murder with moralizing. I just don’t wanna be another version of her. I don’t want to start seeing lives having different values simply because of my perceptions…but this needs to be done though. That I am…pretty certain of.”

Falm’s eyebrow rose the highest Todd had ever seen it as the rabbit stared him straight in the eyes. Then, he let out a breathy chuckle as his head shook in almost debelif. “...Never in my life had I thought I would encounter one such as you, Todd. At certain times, you are philosophical and  to an absurd degree. and utterly daft to an equally absurd degree at others.” He paused and glanced back at his tools before returning his focus to the lion. “On whether Lisette is evil, that is a matter of debate. But on killing, here is my advice on this matter: You are correct. You may have to kill. I have had to. Perhaps Hythe has too. But having to do something, and feeling at peace with doing it...those are two separate concepts. You can do what must be done, and still loathe doing it. Because a life is a life. But sometimes, taking the life of one can save the lives of a dozen others or more. That life was not worth less, its loss is still tragic even, but the many more who yet live because it was ended outweigh it in the scales of need. Be aware of what you have taken. But do not forget what you have saved either.”

Now it was the rabbit’s turn to pause as he seemed to consider something about the lion. And slowly, a small smile appeared on his lips as he placed a hand on Todd’s shoulder. “Hold on to that distaste you feel. Never set it aside, even when you know what you did was necessary. Especially in your case, it is what sets you aside from becoming like Lisette. And it...is honestly refreshing to see one of your kind that is capable of feeling this, Todd. One who hesitates before they end a life, as your kind often casually do. It is good to know such a thing can…exist among your kind.” A softness entered the rabbit’s final words, and his hand atop the lion’s shoulder gently patted against it before he let it fall and returned to finishing his packing.

The words and gesture were somehow reassuring and more anxiety inducing at the same time. How does one hold onto that distaste, in world where monsters existed and freely preyed on people? Yes, some were just defending their homes. That was, as much as it felt wrong to say, okay. But there was still no thought to it. When faced with ending a micro’s life, few of his kind shed tears over casually ending their life with even an accidental step let alone a deliberate attempt. Mrs. Boucher demonstrated that fact handily.

While it had never been a matter of inner turmoil, Todd had felt bad after every micro he could recall obliviously ending the life of. But that was before this. Now? Every accidental death he’d caused weighed on him like an anchor tied around his neck. So, how was Mrs. Boucher different? Why did enough of him feel okay with ending this woman’s life? Falm said it was about accepting that it just needed to be done, and what would be saved in the process. But did she really need to die? Would this save anyone?

His mind flashed back to the box. Twenty lifeless bodies. Twenty families robbed of spouses, parents, and children. Voices that would never be heard by friends again, never share tales and laughs at meals or in the streets. Of countless dreams they no doubt all had that would never be fulfilled. She could have simply killed them and tossed them out like someone does with pests. Used traps. Killed them quickly and without suffering. But she prolonged their deaths. Or turned them into pet toys and treats. Or trophies in her collection.

He was not like Mrs. Boucher. He was not a monster. But he would kill. He had to. Twenty lives had to be answered for, no matter what the voice inside him said. And from this day on, she would take no more in her cruelty. This was how he could protect Raf-Ojuh. This was how he brought about justice for what they suffered.

It was. It had to be.

Once more Todd was brought out of his head by his companions, but this time it was Hythe shoving a massive vial into his arms. He nearly dropped it out of shock, but he caught it at the last minute by the straps. The lizard gave him a look, presumably due to once again being lost in his head, to which the lion just timidly shrugged. He looked over the glass tube in his arms, the clear liquid sloshing around inside. Hythe had attached a harness to it that would allow it to be carried like a backpack with no chance of slipping. Which was good, because Todd really didn’t trust himself carrying several dozen pounds of poison without something to make sure it didn’t fall off.

He slid the straps around his arms, and tied the extra string bits meant to secure the whole thing around his chest. It should hold. Climbing up to the sink with it would be an interesting challenge, but the lion was up for it. Carefully, he took a few staggered steps about the Circle. Adjusting to the new weight on his back. It made him slouch a bit, and already he could tell his knees would be aching by the time this was through. But he could take a long rest when the deed was done. Honestly, given how his mind was reacting to all of this, it was for the best he took some time. There would be a toll. The question was, was it worth paying?

Todd’s eyes turned to Hythe. She was inspecting what Falm had gathered, kneeling over his pack and confirming he had everything. It took mere seconds before she rose with an approving nod. Falm offered a nod back. She then moved over to Todd, inspecting his work with the straps and their securing ties. She made a few minor adjustments, but didn’t seem displeased with his work. He got a nod too, and he offered a weak smile in return. Hythe herself seemed to have already geared up in the process of gathering the poison, yet still she also gave herself a final check. When it was done, she let out a long, hard exhale through her nose.

“This is it. I assume both of you are ready?” Her cold eyes traced them both up and down as she asked the question.

“Yep.” Todd replied with a thumbs up as he adjusted the vial on his back, trying to shake off the last of his doubt.

“As ready as I shall ever be to kill a big one, yes.” Falm replied with a sigh. “I assume you intend to launch into a speech to inspire us before we perform this most dangerous deed?”

Hythe stared at the rabbit a moment before simply stating “No.”

She then headed off to the door, leaving Falm a bit lost for words before he fell in line behind her. With Todd bringing up the rear, feeling a bit lighter as he grinned at how the rabbit most likely just lost his desired opportunity to snark at Hythe’s theoretical inspirational comments. Least there was some levity to this situation.

Speaking of levity, Gikri had no idea they were doing this. Nobody did. So as they left the Circle, they took on the air of being on absolutely official Scrounger business. It was late evening, so the streets were emptying out. But those that remained cast glances at them as they passed. Hythe especially got some withering looks, presumably due to her loss of title having become public. She made no indication she even noticed.

When they arrived at the gate, it was a familiar pair of mice on duty atop the walls. Gahr and Goyle. As they noticed the trio stop at the bottom of the gate, they snapped to attention.

“Y-you three! What is your business leaving Raf-Ojuh?” Came the usually timid voice of Gahr.

“Yeah, what’s the former Master Scrounger doing leaving this late? Not to mention having that rotten rabbit with you.” Came the squeaky voice of Goyle, trying and failing to project authority as usual.

Falm glared up at Goyle while Hythe simply snorted. “Scrounging.” She replied in her cold, understated way like it should have been obvious.

“W-what’s with the glass thing with the liquid-y stuff in it?” Gahr asked, gesturing down towards Todd with his cutstick. The lion tried to hide the fact he was starting to worry whether this would work.

“Yeah. Why bring that on a scrounging run?” Goyle pipped in as her eyes narrowed.

“Do you question all scroungers like this?” Hythe quired back without losing her deadpan tone. It made the two guards look at each other silently before looking back.

“No…” They both replied as if uncertain how else to respond.

“Is it required protocol for the Guard to know exactly where scroungers are scrounging?” Hythe did not let up in the slightest in her cold tone or equally chilly staring at the guards. They started to waver under both.

“No, but-” Goyle started to say.

“Then open the gate. Or I shall speak to your Captain. Again.” The lizard’s tone grew more firm as she interrupted, a hint of menace leaking in. Gahr seemed to shiver while Goyle just glared.

“Fine,” the female mouse responded before turning to her companion, “Come on Gahr. Let’s get the gate open...stupid mean lizard.” With that, they hopped down to start turning the wheel to get the tupperware gate open. Todd quietly sighed in relief, while Falm continued to silently glower at the mice as they worked. He persisted doing that until Hythe elbowed him and with a grimace he stopped.

Moments later, the gate was open. Without pausing a second more, Hythe walked through it. Falm and Todd were right on her heels. The mouse guards called something after them, but Todd couldn’t quite make it out. Not that he cared. They’d just surmounted their first obstacle, as small as it was. It was nothing compared to the walk they had ahead of them, but still. It was a victory that made the lion feel there was a chance this would go completely smoothly. Probably. Hopefully.

The climb down from the pipes was the lion’s first experience holding the weight of the vial while climbing. And it was intense. By the time he was at the bottom, his back hurt. His arms ached. And honestly, he was a bit out of breath. But, he could keep going. He had stamina. Or at least adrenaline induced stamina that would likely result in him collapsing the moment this whole thing ended. Yet still, he kept going. Following after his two companions across the floor and into the familiar vents. The quiet hum of the night AC cycle that blew a gentle breeze in his face made him glad it wasn’t winter yet.

As usual, Todd followed in the footsteps of his guides. You’d think he’d remember the way, having only just been there a few days ago. But no. These vents felt all the same, even with the writing on the sides. But Hythe clearly knew the way. And she led them on in silence. At least, for a short time. And then, she asked a surprising question.

“Why did he kill them?”

Todd wasn’t sure who the question was directed to. Falm looked back at him, and they shrugged at each other. Silence fell across the group for a moment, as it was clear Hythe was waiting for an answer. Eventually, it was Todd who spoke up.

“Who do you mean, exactly?” The lion felt a bit awkward, as if he wasn’t sure if the question was one he could answer. But Hythe’s reply confirmed it was.

“The exterminator. Why did he kill members of his own kind?”

Oh. He supposed he didn’t cover that motive when they talked it over. “Well…” Todd started, but the words didn’t come. Why did the dude kill them? He remembered reading about how the guy had mental problems, but that wasn’t the reason precisely. He wasn’t a typical psychopath, he remembered that much. It was a weird case, now why was it...again… Todd nearly tripped mid-step as it came back to him all at once, doing his best to disguise it as trouble with the vial while thinking.

Haunted. The guy claimed he was haunted by the micros he’d killed over his career. He could hear their voices in his mind, revealing they were intelligent. That they were people. And he’d been killing them. That’s how he chose his victims too. The houses he’d worked on, where he’d cleared micro ‘nests’ he gassed like he’d gassed the micros. The people who hired him to look for micros he poisoned more subtly. ...Was he right? They guy had had mental problems, documented before that happened, but...after all Todd has seen here, was he actually being honest?

Perhaps, perhaps not. Maybe he just saw too much while exterminating micros, and his ill mind twisted it into something else. Repressed guilt twisted into phantom voices or something like that. He wasn’t a doctor, it was just...ghosts? He learned micros were people and that had altered his view of the world, but there were limits to the things he’d believe. If his dad appeared to him or he got haunted by the ghosts of the micros whose lives weighed upon him, maybe then he’d believe. Otherwise...it felt too far-fetched. It had to be something rational.

They’d been walking in silence while Todd was in his head. When he realized that, he started to say something. To explain. But...it felt wrong. To explain the truth. Because Todd read about this, and brushed it off as crazy talk. Even if part of it, the part about micros being people, was true. Guilt slipped back into his mind. Guilt over every bit of harm he’d ever caused a micro, even accidentally. Like kicking Hythe. ...He’d simplify it. But he’d be honest mostly. Mostly.

“Sorry, took me a bit to remember that part.” The lion’s voice was soft and somber as he pushed out of his mind and into reality. “It, uh, was because he realized micros were people. Somehow. And his regret over his actions drove him to lash out at the people who hired him to kill them. He was also mentally ill. So it was complex. And nobody believed him because of it. Including me.”

“I see.” Hythe’s words crawled out of her mouth slowly. As if her mind was processing that revelation as she spoke. “Appropriate, I suppose. He acted out of regret. Killing those who asked him to kill us. We use his technique to kill one who kills us.”

“Forgive me if I do not exactly feel comfortable stealing the technique of a murderous big one, regardless of how poetic it may be.” Falm’s ears had sagged gently in light of the revelation, and he seemed a tad perturbed by it. “And...forgive me for this as well, but is it wrong to be somewhat bothered by the idea that our nature was written off as part of a madman’s insanity? Is there anyone, Todd, anyone at all among you who knows we are thinking, feeling beings? Who can change all this?”

“I-”

“Falm,” Hythe cut in rather pointedly, “They are taught by their elders we are vermin. We steal from them like vermin, and that is the only time they see us. If, one day, you ran across someone who claimed that they had learned that ants were thinking, feeling beings...would you believe them? Without proof before your own eyes? Even if there are those that know, clearly they do not have proof. And it is not as if our kind would help them prove it, would they?”

“That is…” The rabbit had started to flare up in frustration before simmering down with a sigh. “A fair point. Yes. Apologies, I do believe my nerves are getting to me. It is bringing thoughts to my mind that I have not considered for a long time. Forgive me.”

Todd shifted his gait so he could catch up with the rabbit and put a hand on his shoulder. “Falm, I swear on my father’s grave, I would see the whole world learn the truth if I could. ...I don’t know why we don’t know. I don’t know how we don’t know. Maybe it’s like...collective ignorance. Refusal of reality. Maybe there’s a secret conspiracy to prevent it. Maybe nobody has ever taken an interest, I don’t know. But you and Hythe and Raf-Ojuh, you are people. That I know. And I got your back.”

For a moment, the rabbit just gazed off into the ducts. And then, he let out a tired sounding laugh. “...I am aware I am a person, Todd. Goodness, when did my life get so absurd? A big one is giving me a pep talk on the way to kill another of his kind. …Raf-Ojuh was just another unimportant mousehole to me before this. A stop on my road of exploration. How in the gods’ names did it become this?”

“You brought an amnesiac ‘meecro’ to my people’s home.” The lizard glanced back with one of those rare smirks of hers. Falm seemed utterly shocked by its appearance, while Todd just grinned.

“...Another fair point, I suppose,” the hare replied as he recovered himself, “And a good thing too, at least in my opinion. Even if said ‘meecro’ has now dragged me into this suicide mission.” Falm gained a smirk of his own, and it made Todd chuckle a bit.

“You know, you said that the scrounge at my apartment was a suicide mission, and we survived that perfectly well!”

The rabbit’s eyes rolled back deep into his head. “Mmm, yes. But I do recall something quite unpleasant happening on that adventure. What was it, what was it...oh yes. We were attacked by a horde of vermin. So, forgive me if my instincts tell me this whole thing will not go off without some unpleasant complication.”

For the first time since they first met, Todd heard Hythe let out her hissing laugh. “You survived. That is what matters. You complain too much, rabbit.”

A look of pure indignation crossed the rabbit’s face as he shifted from walking beside Todd to Hythe’s side. “I do not ‘complain,’ I merely point out the obvious dangers and mistakes overlooked by others. Even if I agreed to this whole affair, it’s still absurd.”

“You complain.” Hythe retorted simply. She was smirking.

Falm threw up his hands in an exaggerated manner. “I do not! Hmph! I used to wonder how someone as intelligent and skilled as you chose someone as absurd and lackadaisical as Gikri to be your apprentice. Now I am starting to see the connection.”

Hythe raised an eyebrow before replying “Now, you are complaining about my apprentice.”

“No,” the rabbit raised a finger of point making, “I am merely observing that I have finally realized you both are prone to needling others to the point of…”

The two went on for some time with their banter, with Todd occasionally joining in. It was lightening, helped bring up the mood as they grew closer to their destination. Yet, as they indeed drew nearer, the banter gradually ceased. Until only a determined silence remained as they walked the final duct and reached their destination. As before, the warnings stretched out before them. Prophesying their doom. But for once, the warnings were mistaken. As the trio gathered themselves before the slats, it was not their death that was coming. But the death of the one who lived beyond them.

They had arrived, as intended, in the late evening. Mrs. Boucher was still awake and watching television. The lion stared out through the slits at her. A food tray in her lap, the meal long finished. Her dark eyes, partially hidden behind her thick glasses lenses, casually glued to the screen. The poodle was relaxing. Unaware of what was to come. Seeing her again, living her life as normal, it…it brought back that mixture of feelings. Sickness and anger. But his gaze slowly slid over to the box. Twenty bodies. Still inside. It made that rage and desire for justice wash away the sickness. ...After tonight, no more would have to die. After tonight, maybe they could finally bury those who had been stolen.

It was probably about twenty minutes later that the poodle grabbed the remote and shut off her television. Slowly rising, carefully holding her meal tray. She stretched slightly. Strode out of view, and shortly after the telltale sounds of dishes being washed in the sink drifted over to the vent. Then silence. The lights were turned off. And just behind the couch, he could make out Mrs. Boucher heading back towards the bedroom and bathroom. A door closed. And they waited still.

Finally, it reopened. The distant sound of footsteps were followed by another door closing. They gave it ten minutes more, just to be careful. And then, they were moving. Todd removed the vial from his back briefly, and Hythe helped carry it lengthwise through the slit. Falm, meanwhile, moved ahead to scout the room. By the time the two were through and Todd had settled the massive vial onto his back again, Falm returned.

“The bedroom door is closed, however the light is still on. But we have another more pressing issue. She shut the bathroom door as well. I saw a vent on the wall next to it, however. It might be one of those room to room kinds, if we are lucky. Provide us passage through.” The rabbit reported. It made Todd tense. He remembered his own apartment had vents like that, but he had no idea how they worked.

“It is,” Hythe’s voice was as icy as usual despite her seemingly trying to be reassuring, “These homes have vents that lead between rooms. I do not know why. But they will provide us passage inside. There shall be no issue.” With that, the lizard was moving towards the underside of the couch. Falm shrugged and followed after. Todd did the same.

The couch loomed, and soon they were hidden within the darkness beneath it. Moving into position to be as close to the bathroom as possible confirmed Falm’s observation of the bedroom light being on. As creepy of a thought as it was, Todd regretted that he knew nothing of Mrs. Boucher’s bedroom habits. She could spend the next thirty minutes reading a book. She could turn the lights out in a second. The lion couldn’t help but pray for the latter. His back was aching from walking so long with liquid death on it.

Minute after minute ticked by once more as their eyes remained locked upon the light that leaked from the door. As fortune would have it, that light flicked out surprisingly quick. And the moment it vanished, the three were moving again. The vent mentioned by Falm was not hard to find, though once more it took some time to get the vial through the slits. Hythe and Todd worked together again to make sure it could be pulled through without the risk of damage, which the lion continued to fear. His grip was as tight yet equally gentle as he could muster as they carefully carried the vial into the gloom of the vent.

It was smaller than the other vents. More narrow. Clearly meant purely to allow airflow from room to room, nothing more. But they could still stand and walk without issue. There was only a moment’s pause as the precious cargo was secured, and then they were off in the darkness. But they didn’t walk long before Hythe came to a sudden halt. A tension filled her as she stared towards where the ground met the wall on the left side. A silhouette stood out against the darkness, pressed against the wall there. It made Todd tense in fear of another vermin attack.

But it wasn’t a vermin. As the Hythe moved towards it, and the two others slowly followed in her footsteps, Todd realized it was something far, far worse.

A fox sat against the wall, curled up in a fetal position against it. The fox did not move. The fox did not breathe. The fox was dead, and the reason was obvious. Even though the body had started to rot, it was clear that before the vulpine’s death they were emaciated. Starving. Their clothes were like rags, and their fur in shambles. They didn’t look like they came from Raf-Ojuh. Maybe this was one of those Wild Ones that Falm and the others had mentioned. Maybe it was just an unfortunate wanderer. Either way, they were long gone. Sickness and rage boiled inside Todd’s stomach at the thought of it all. Just another pointless death because of this woman’s cruelty.

“Trapped in the vent, and too afraid to try to leave,” the hare observed in a voice barely above a whisper, “Even if desperation drove them here in all likelihood, they probably spent their final moments in regret. I have nearly suffered that fate, several times. It is a…very slow, painful way to go. No matter what anyone says, it is simple luck, not skill, that saves you.. ...We should move quickly, before we share this fate ourselves.”

Todd gave the desiccated corpse one last look before he joined his companions in continuing down the vent. The sight of yet another dead micro caused those nagging doubts and guilt to fade more and more, bringing with it certainty that he was doing right. But the voice, while quieter now, kept screaming. Telling him he was just a murderer. A killer who was finding ways to justify and relish the death of his first victim. But he didn’t want to enjoy this. He wanted to follow Falm’s advice. He just didn’t know how to keep that disconnect, when all signs kept pointing towards the fact he was ending a great evil. But he pushed the thoughts from his mind as they reached the end of the ductwork. He had work to do.

The simple bathroom laid before them as they exited. A hand towel hung beside the sink. Larger towels hanging from the rack on the shower doors. Some random kitsch decorating the walls and top of the toilet. And, most importantly, a glass of water containing a pair of teeth sitting right atop the counter. Their target was finally in sight. Now, it was time to finish this. Ideally as quickly as possible.

Roles shifted slightly now as they exited from the dusty vents and into the world itself again. Falm would be standing by the door, listening for any sounds of the poodle’s approach. It suited the hare’s paranoia about everything, but more importantly his ears were the best of the group and would hear her far more quickly than the feline or the reptile. After Todd and Hythe carried the vial out of the vent as before, they slightly loosened the cork that was placed in it. Not enough it’d fall out, but enough it could be more easily removed entirely when the time came. While the lion would be carrying it for the climb up onto the sink, after that it would be Hythe who would loft it on her back as she climbed the glass to pour it in. She had the expertise and strength. And Todd would enjoy his break from carrying the deadly weight on his back around.

But getting up there was the tricky part. This wasn’t like the dishwasher, there weren’t convenient handles positioned just below the edge of the countertop. Instead, they’d have to use the toilet, as gross as it sounded, to get up to the wash cloth. They’d then use that to climb across to the sink itself. And the glass that awaited its poison additive. It was for an eventuality like this that Hythe had backed her pack so full of extra climbing supplies. Multiple grappling hooks, and extra ropes to tie onto the ends of the already attached ones. This would be a damn struggle...but the end, the end would be worth it.

As the duo first approached the porcelain mountain, Todd was glad the lid was down. Dying by drowning inside the bowl would perhaps have been the most humiliating way to fulfill his original death wish. The gaps between the seat and the lid also provided the perfect gaps to lock the grappling hook into. Hythe removed one of the ones she brought from the bag. She eyed the distance, and examined the rope. With a nod, she apparently had decided the length was enough. And swiftly, the hook started twirling. Around and around, like a fan on high, the metal object spun before it was released upwards. And it stuck nicely to the edge of the seat as it landed, confirmed to be secure with several tugs.

Hythe went first, and Todd waited until she was at the top to follow. The reason was to avoid too much weight on the hook, lest it did indeed slip. Finally at the part of the journey where he’d be climbing a lot, the feline found himself huffing and puffing like a fairytale wolf. His lungs burned as much as his arms did, and they all begged for mercy by the time he reached the middle of the climb. Yet he didn’t stop. Not until he finally reached the top and was pulled up by his lizard companion.

“Need to catch your breath?” He expected Hythe to have asked that in a disappointed or annoyed way, but no. Her voice was typically icy, but there was a hint of sympathy to it. It made the lion nod as he pulled as much air into his lungs as he could. Hythe returned the nod, and simply set to work on the next part of the climb.

She leaned down and skillfully removed the grappling hook from its place in the seat gap before moving over towards the rear of the plastic surface. She seemed to consider using the handle as a perch, but then she looked back at Todd and shook her head. Probably the weight of the vial that made her change her mind. Instead, her target switched to what appeared to be a wicker basket of sorts containing soap bottles atop the tank. The distance was greater, so she began adding more rope to the end of what was already attached to the hook. It took a bit, and that gave an appreciable amount of time to recover himself.

By the time his lungs had stopped hurting, Hythe had finished not only tying the rope but had tossed up the grappling hook. Unlike the first toss, it’d taken several times. Probably because of the awkwardness of hitting something just past the lip of the tank’s top. The lizard stood ready, her eyes on him. He flashed her a thumbs up, and moved to join her. She didn’t wait for him to arrive, instead starting the long climb to the top. Todd watched her progress carefully. The thing the grappling hook was lodged onto wasn’t as secure as the seat had been, and so the lion was a bit worried the whole thing would come crashing down. Especially once he started climbing himself.

But, thankfully, Hythe made it up and gestured for him to follow. Todd jumped in place to psych himself for the climb before taking a breath in and out as his hands grasped the dental floss. His arms and legs still ached, but he pushed past it as he lifted himself up and up. The lizard watched him from the edge as he made his way. A new voice in the back of his mind started to rant to him that he was going to fall now. That this was a bad idea. He pushed it back by turning to listen to the old voice. What it said about Mrs. Boucher. About how he was finding a way to get away with murder and not even caring about that fact. Not the most positive thoughts, but it was distracting enough. And by focusing on it more, he was able to start to build an idea of how to actually care. To follow Falm’s advice.

There was a study he’d read once, when he’d been doing research about mental health of soldiers for a sci-fi story about space marines recovering after the aftermath of an interstellar war. The further one is from someone they kill, the less it affects them. Snipers, aircraft pilots, drone operators...they were staring at specks that could be hundreds upon hundreds of feet away, if not miles. Pulling the trigger was like squashing an ant. It held no firm place in their mind. Soldiers involved in urban fighting, who went face to face with their opponents, felt the weight of every kill. They saw the people they shot die. Their faces. Their death throes. All of it.

This entered into his mind because of what Falm said. To hold onto what he had taken. To hold onto his distaste. The problem was, based on what he knew, Todd wasn’t sure which category he would fall under. Because if they followed the plan, he wouldn’t be around to watch Mrs. Boucher die. He was carrying her death, holding onto the responsibility for taking it, but he wouldn’t see the consequences. The distance made it seem more surreal. Less impactful. Was that better, or worse? Would he truly feel like he’d ended a life when the poison was poured into that glass? Would it weigh on him like it should? The voice was conflicted. The killing was wrong. But if he did this, if he had to do wrong, he should see the result. He should have to live with knowing the consequences for the rest of his life, and all that implied.

He needed to have beyond a glass of poisoned water something to hold onto.

His musings on maintaining his distaste for death faded as he reached the top and Hythe helped him up. Despite what his brain had told him, the basket had remained firm. Maybe the soap bottles in it weighed more than he thought. Or maybe he got lucky. Who knows. The lizard gave him a glance over. Maybe his face had revealed what he’d been thinking about. But she said nothing, simply grabbing the hook once the lion was secured and moving off towards the next hook point as Todd again caught his breath.

The lion wasn’t sure what he expected for when they used the towel to get up to the sink. He’d thought they’d jump for it, but now that seemed both stupid and waaaaaay too movie-like. Especially given the distance. Instead, it seemed Hythe had a very different plan. One that involved the grappling hook, albeit used in a very different way. Once more, she launched up into the air and it became embedded into the very hand towel itself. She tugged it, tested it, and then turned back to the lion and gestured for him to join her. So he did.

“You’ve never swung across a gap before, have you?” Hythe’s habit of saying things or asking questions that felt like a slap in the face continued.

“Um...no.” The lion replied as he looked between the Hythe, the rope, and the sink. “I haven’t.”

“That is fine. You can do this. First, you run back a distance from the ledge. Then, run forward and jump. Pump your legs to help with momentum, but be careful not to hit them on the opposing ledge. I will go first. Watch closely.” And before the lion could even protest, she swiftly moved back from the ledge until the floss rope was taut in her hands. She took a brief breath, and then ran forwards. She ran straight up beside the lion, and then leaped forward. Her legs pumped backwards as she swung up towards the edge of the sink. She made it look easily as she landed her feet on the edge of the countertop and stopped herself. The reptile adjusted herself so she was standing up fully and turned around, holding the rope. It was his turn.

“Ready?” She called across the gap. Todd swallowed as he psyched himself up for what was going to be a living nightmare.

“Just, um...fuck it, yes! I’m ready!” Even while yelling, Todd’s voice still quaked with nervousness. If Hythe noticed, she didn’t comment. She just tossed the rope so it swung back towards the lion. He reached out to grab it as it came towards him, nearly fumbling it but managing at the last second to get a proper grip before it swung out of his grasp. The whole affair made Todd pause to use a breathing exercise to briefly calm his anxiety.

He went back as far as he could before the rope became completely rigid in his fists. More breathing. More trying to assure his fraying nerves everything was gonna be okay. Another swallow, and a nod to himself. And then he was running. Sprinting as fast as he could. The moment the edge of the porcelain tank loomed before him, he pushed himself into the air and pumped his legs backwards. His mouth fell open and he was screaming, he couldn’t help it as he flew through the air. He had to fight every instinct to flail so he didn’t waste his momentum. Especially with the weight on his back slowing him down. And when the sink countertop came up, he reached his legs out to press onto it.

It was hard, his sneakers were not meant to have traction for stuff like this. But thankfully Hythe moved to grab him and secure him. She pulled him fully onto the ledge, and pried the rope from his tense hands. It took a few seconds for him to stop screaming, even after he was on the ground. It had become more like a hoarse gurgle by the end. And when it was done, he had to refill his lungs once again. God, he had no idea how the fuck these micros did stuff like this just to survive. That was fucking terrifying!

Hythe had started to pull on the rope, gathering it in her hands as she reeled it in. Todd watched curiously as he recovered his wits. Eventually, when she had pulled enough up to her liking, she removed her pack and set it on the floss rope coil as a weight to keep it where it was.. From her backpack, she pulled a second grappling hook and rope before turning to Todd with a nod. He nodded back. It was time, he supposed. Gently, he started to undo the strap bindings as the lizard moved over to join him.

With the utmost care, he removed the vial and offered it to her. She took it, and strapped it on with equal caution. They both turned their eyes to the massive glass of water that contained a set of teeth resting on the bottom. It was, in truth, a both gross and utterly terrifying sight. Like staring at something out of a surreal horror film. It didn’t stop them from heading towards the pillar of glass however. As they walked, he started considering what he had come up with and the related thoughts. Not the ‘this is stupid, you’re gonna die’ thoughts, but the ‘will the distance make this deed wrongly easy and tolerable’ thoughts. He needed to see the consequences, but was watching the best way? He could come back and see her body. That would be equal evidence of…what he had put into motion. Of his responsibility for another’s death. But that wouldn’t be her, just a slab of meat. It was easy to look at a body and not see a person anymore. He knew that from his father’s death. But he didn’t want to be a peasant at a medieval execution making a spectacle of Mrs. Boucher’s death either. He just wanted to feel the right guilt…the right sensation of killing being just a necessary evil, but still an evil.

“Hey Hythe.” The lion broke from his head to bring his thoughts into words. “I have an...odd question.”

The woman who walked beside him didn’t look at him, focusing on their goal, but she did reply. “Yes?”

“Have you killed before?”

The lion’s question brought the lizard to a halt. She turned to face him fully and studied him from head to toe. “My own kind, you mean?”

“Yes. Another micro. Another person.” The lion stared her straight in the eye, and she met his gaze.

“Yes, I have.” There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in her reply, but there was a softness that pushed away the ice. “Wild Ones who knew not what they did. Desperate thieves driven to violence because their body demanded it. Cruel plunderers who cared only for their own hunger and desires.”

Todd nodded in understanding. “How did it feel?”

“It depends. The Wild Ones and the thieves are a weight I carry. Like the lives of my scroungers lost to your kind. They press down. But I walk on. Because I know I had no choice. The plunderers? I do not think of them. It is my duty to defend those under me. And to provide for Raf-Ojuh. Those that act knowingly violently for personal gain, or do so for pleasure? They deserve neither pity, nor mercy. They pass out of my mind the moment they lie still. Lisette is no different, I will tell you that. Do you feel otherwise?”

Todd licked his lips before eyeing glass again. “Not exactly. It’s...this is about killing, about causing death. I talked to Falm about this. It’s...I still feel this is justice. But I just...I don’t want to be her. I don’t want to start to enjoy this. Killing, even for the right reason. That mouse I killed, on my first scrounge...as you know, I vomited. It wasn’t from the blood or anxiety. It was from the weight of the kill. I saw what I did, I felt it, and it…overcame me. But now, with her, I won’t get that. And I worry I won’t feel the weight of what I’ve done as a result. To hold onto and let it haunt me as it should.”

“I see.” The lizard replied. “What do you believe would ensure there was weight?”

Todd contemplated the denture glass like it held the answer before sighing, and then he looked back to Hythe. Her eyeride was raised in curiosity. “...I am going to sound like her when I say this. But, I…I swear this isn’t about some weird kill trophy desire thing like she has. Or some perverse desire to relish this. Or just anything like that. Just...I need to...see her die. To see the consequences of my actions, what I’ll have to live with. I don’t...want to be like her, but in reverse. I don’t want to see the life of a person, evil or not, as something ended like nothing. I want to see the blood on my hands. I want to feel it. So that I never forget what I did.”

Hythe nodded at that. “Then, we can.”

That incredibly easy to get agreement took Todd aback. “Wait, really?”

Again, the woman nodded. “We hide in the vent. We watch. She dies. We leave. There is minimal risk. And…” She paused and seemed to actually have to contemplate what she was about to say for once. “While you may not relish this, I do. She has taken many I cared for. Very many. You know we live in the shadow of your kind. It is...an odd catharsis to topple that shadow for once.”

Despite the slight worry at the notion that Hythe enjoyed this brought to Todd’s mind, he could understand her ultimate point. In the end, he’d get what he wanted. So it worked. Still, one question remained.

“What about Falm?”

“He can return home if he wishes, while we wait.” Fair enough, Todd supposed.

And so, they again exchanged nods before continuing onward. They’d wasted enough time talking over all this stuff. And now they walked in silence onwards to the ever towering spire of glass. Even after weeks of being this small, it never ceased to be alien when he stood beside something he once could have held in his hand only to now be dwarfed by it. And even worse, to stand beside something as gross as dentures in a glass and know that they fit in a mouth. A mouth that he could fit in now easily. And teeth that could easily chew him to bits. Once, that former part attracted him...okay, honestly, it still did. But, in this context it was more just terrifying. And he certainly didn’t wanna be mashed to bits by teeth…

Hythe prepared the grappling hook again as Todd checked on the seal on the vial. It was still suitably loose but not too loose. He offered the lizard an approving thumbs up, and she set her way onto her task. Even with the added weight on her and the straps around her arms, Hythe showed no signs of slowing as she began twirling a grappling hook yet again. And just as soon, it was flying in the air and landed with a soft clink on the lip of the glass. She gave a couple soft tugs, enough to test the strength of the hold but not potentially upset the whole glass itself. It was solid. With that confirmed, the lizard was climbing. And Todd was heading towards the front of the sink to check on Falm.

He slunk around the edge of the massive sink bowl with as much caution as he could. He couldn’t imagine getting out of it would be easy...be like a spider stuck in a bathtub. The thought made him shudder. Still, it only took him just a few minutes until he reached the edge. Peering over it, he stared down at the tile floor to make out the vague shape of the rabbit beside the door. Even from a distance, Todd could tell that he was concentrating hard with an ear pressed against the wood. He hoped he wasn’t about to scare the hare when he called out.

“Hey! Falm!” The lion shouted through cupped hands. Thankfully, the rabbit didn’t seem spooked and simply glanced up at the lion. “Hythe’s climbing the glass! I’ll let you know when she’s done! Have you heard anything?”

Faintly, the rabbit’s voice drifted up to him. “Thankfully not! It is not as if I would still be simply standing here if I had! Regardless, how much longer until we can get out of this awful place?” It made the lion chuckle a bit, the rabbit being his usual self. His focus switched from the rabbit to back over his shoulder to Hythe. Surprisingly, she had already reached the top of the glass. She sat on the lip sideways, her legs tightly pressed into it on both sides as she had partially unstrapped the vial to uncork it. She wasn’t done, but at the pace she was easing it out with her claws, it wouldn’t be long.

“Looks like just a couple more minutes,” the lion yelled down in reply as he looked back to the rabbit, “She’s almost got the vial open. I’ll let you know when she’s started pouring, that way you can start running to the vent then!”

“That would be appreciated Todd! Now, let’s be quiet so I can properly keep a lookout, yes?” The rabbit’s yelling held a playfully sarcastic bite as he offered a wave up to the lion before returning his focus entirely to the door. For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Todd couldn’t help but grin as he gazed down at the rabbit. Yet still, he had a job to do. His eyes returned to Hythe and her activities.

The cork was nearly out...and then it was. Using her claws, Hythe had removed it without it fully falling out. She carefully tossed it down to the bottom of the glass before beginning to slowly shift the vial up and then tilted it across her lap so the lip of the glass could be used as a leverage point. The transparent liquid shifted inside the tube, until they reached the tip. It started with a drip. Just a single droplet of the poison cascading down, before it dropped into the liquid. This was it. He had put this in motion. Again his mind divided itself into sides as to whether he should be really doing this. But the side that disagreed was the minority. He knew in his gut this was the right thing, even as said gut twisted with a small amount of apprehension. This was it.

The droplets became a trickle. A trickle became a stream. The poison flowed forth from the vial at a steady rate. Death came for Mrs. Boucher, and she had no idea. She’d never see it coming, nobody would. This was justice. This was-

“TODD!” Falm’s distant voice cut into Todd’s musing and the desperation in it made Todd go rigid. He looked back over the edge, and he could already see the rabbit fleeing from the door. “THE BEDROOM DOOR OPENED! RUN! FIND SOMEWHERE TO HIDE!”

Fuck.

A heartbeat provided a steady drumbeat in his ears as he turned on his heel. All the tiredness and pain he’d felt from climbing vanished from his limbs. He was driven by pure, unadulterated fear and adrenaline. And as he made his way around the sink bowl again, he shouted out to his companion.

“HYTHE! SHE’S COMING!”

The shout earned a brief glance from Hythe as she continued to pour the poison in. It was almost all gone. She shifted the vial just a bit more, causing the flow to increase speed. She was being careful, not to let it shift and drop in, Todd could tell. But they were out of time, and he didn’t want her to try a second shot at that ‘strike me down, and I’ll become more powerful than you can imagine’ bullshit. Thankfully, she clearly wasn’t. By the time he got to the glass, she was finished. She already had the vial back on her back, removed the grappling hook, and leapt to the ground. Thankfully without hurting herself. She removed the vial for a moment to cap it, and Todd moved up beside her to say more when suddenly her hand was around his and she was dragging him in the same way she had when they first escaped the poodle.

“You will take my pack, and grab the rope. Slide down, and run to the vent. I will remove the grappling hook and follow you.” The lizard instructed as they sprinted towards where they’d left the rope. All Todd could do in reply was nod. This time terror had wired his jaw shut and left him almost on autopilot. The moment they arrived at the bag, Hythe thrust it into Todd’s arms and he obediently put it on. She uncoiled the rope and handed it to Todd with a firm look on her face. “Jump and hold tightly. When you come to a halt, climb down as far as you can and then jump to the floor. When I see you’re there, I’ll handle the hook. Do not stop until you are in the vent. Now, go!”

The lizard practically shoved him towards the edge, and carefully the lion tightened his grasp before stepping over it. Hugging the rope desperately, he felt the air whip past him before suddenly the rope twanged in his hand as it hit its limit. He bounced in place briefly, before finally coming to a gently swinging halt. He was about midway on the rope, the floor still dozens of feet below him. So he started sliding like a fireman on a pole. Even when he got to the end, the floor was far away. But he had no choice. He didn’t pause, he didn’t panic. He just dropped and let himself fall. He landed as best he could, even as his ankles made their displeasure known through spikes of pain. Even then, he didn’t stop. He had to move.

The vent was across the room. He didn’t care anymore about being careful. The lion bolted towards the slats, towards the safety they represented. In the distance, he could hear the thumps of feet against the wooden floor. Growing closer and closer. Every ounce of energy he had left went into his legs as he practically threw himself into the slats. The metal pinched him as he inelegantly squirmed inside. The hands of the rabbit grabbed him and pulled him through fully. He practically hugged against Falm in relief. For once, there was no protest from the rabbit. He even hugged back. Holy shit, that was close. Just...holy shit.

It was then he realized that he didn’t hear any sounds of Hythe following. Pushing away from the hare, he looked out through the slats. There were no signs of the lizard anywhere. Hythe, you better not-

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The bathroom light flicking on blinded him, and he yelped as he looked away from the light. “We nee-” The lion started to whisper, only for the rabbit’s hands to grab him again.

“No, we are leaving.” Falm started to drag him back down the vents. He wanted to protest, but the pain was starting to come back. In force. And it made him just let himself be pulled. The sound of a door closing behind them was the last sound Todd heard before they got too far away. Honestly, he was kind glad for that...he didn’t want to hear an old woman going the restroom. But he did want to hear if she saw Hythe. He didn’t want this to end like that. This was not some bullshit ‘I get my revenge, but I die doing it’ story. No. This was a ‘the heroes slay the beast and all return home to celebrate’ story. It had to be…

They finally came to a stop at the exit to the vent, and there they paused to catch their breaths finally. Todd slumped against the wall and breathed in shallow breaths of the dusty duct air. He peered back into the darkness they came from, looking for any signs of the third of their trio. All he could hear was the panting coming from himself and Falm. And eventually even that slowly came to a conclusion, leaving silence.

“So...did you two accomplish it?” It was Falm that finally returned sound to the world. With a sigh, he looked up at the rabbit. Tiredness was visible across his features, as well as perhaps still some still raised fur born from fear.

“Yeah…Hythe managed to empty the whole vial. She’ll be dead an hour after she puts her dentures in.” It felt absurd, saying those words. But they were true. They had done it. They had set in motion the events that would kill his former neighbor.

Slowly, the mouth of the rabbit opened again. Then closed. And then opened once more. “...We did it. We...we killed a big one.” It seemed absurd to Falm as well it seemed, but more the kind of absurd that was met with disbelief and shock than simply a feeling of strangeness.

“She’s not dead yet,” Todd half-mumbled as he looked back down the ductwork in search of the lizard, “Not till an hour after she puts those teeth back in.”

“But she will be.” The rabbit’s voice grew more firm. “She will be...dead. Deceased. Gone. I...we did it.” There was a pause, then the rabbit began laughing like he had during their first honest discussion. This time, Todd didn’t feel like joining.

“Yep. We did.” A few seconds after Todd’s words, a rumbling in the distance and the rush of water through the pipes inside the wall signaled the toilet had been flushed. It made the lion tense. He waited now. Just waited. Slowly, Falm’s laughter subsided. And he seemed to wait too.

Time passed. Eventually, he heard the sound of a door being opened and closed drift in through the outside of the vent. Followed by a second door opening and closing even further in the distance. Slowly, he rose to his feet. And he turned to Falm.

“We should go back for her.”

It seemed like the rabbit would protest at first. But then his jaw tightened and he bobbed his head in agreement. Together, they started back down the duct. Their footsteps echoed against the metal. They passed the corpse of the fox with nary a glance in its direction. They just pressed on and on, until Falm came to a sudden halt. Todd did the same. It was clear that the hare had heard it first, but it didn’t take long for Todd to hear it too. Another pair of footsteps, beating down the vent towards them. And, a few moments later, a very weary looking lizard appeared with a vial on her back and a grappling hook wrapped around her shoulder.

The trio exchanged looks without a word. Until finally, Todd gave a chuckle and punched a fist in the air.

“Fuck yeah, we did it!” His words bounced around inside the duct, and earned another laugh from Falm and a small smirk from Hythe.

“Yes. We did. But we are not done.” Hythe’s voice warbled with fatigue, but it still held a determination to it beneath.

“Quite. We need to get back to Raf-Ojuh swiftly. The last thing-”

“We’re staying. To watch her die.” Todd interrupted awkwardly as he faced the rabbit. A look of frustrated confusion overtook his tired face.

A flat “What” was all the hare could muster in reply as his hand moved to rub his face.

“You don’t have to. Just Hythe and I can stay. She wants satisfaction. I’m...you told me, there’s a difference between doing something and being comfortable with it, right? And that I should be aware of what I’ve taken? I realized something. If I don’t see…this, it’s all too easy to brush it off. I ended a life, the life of a person. And while I see it as…justice, it’s too easy to take that experience of bringing justice to…become comfortable with killing people. I don’t want to be comfortable with this. Not now, not ever. So I need to see what I did. I need to feel the weight of Mrs. Boucher on my shoulders by watching the consequences of my actions.”

Hythe didn’t speak, instead simply nodding her agreement with the statement. It was enough to earn a frustrated exhale from the rabbit. He lowered his hand and stared at the two, then started to pace back and forth in front of them as his buck teeth pierced into his lip. This continued for several minutes before he did his usual hands toss up and returned to standing still.

“...No. No, I will stay too. It’s not every day you watch a giant fall. And I am not leaving you two alone so you can rush off on who knows what other ridiculous tomfoolery. Someone in this group needs to be a voice of reason.” Frustration, bitterness, and perhaps a bit of resignation was audible alongside Falm’s words. Todd smiled, and walked up to hug the rabbit again. This time, there was resistance. Weak resistance.

“Thank you for being our voice of reason, oh great and wise Falm. Truly we would be lost without you.” Snarked the lion as the hare tried halfheartedly to push the feline away.

“I said I shall stay, there is no need to restrain me! ...Is this supposed to be my reward or my punishment? ...Enough, Todd, please!” Todd was satisfied in his ruffling of Falm’s metaphorical feathers and indeed released him. Though he did give the rabbit a playful pat on the shoulder, much to his clear consternation.

Hythe seemed to be enjoying the show in her own way, her hissing chuckle escaping her scaled lips as she walked past the two. It only added to the rabbit’s clear embarrassment at the whole affair. Still, swiftly the two joined her and walked back to the other end of the vent. There they settled in. With how tired they were, and how long it would be until daybreak, rest seemed prudent. Falm offered to stay awake as watch, the least fatigued given he hadn’t been climbing anywhere. Given it paid to be careful, and because Todd certainly didn’t want any bugs sneaking up on them while sleeping and trying to suck their blood, he agreed. Hythe did the same. And with that, the wait began.

A gentle shake brought Todd into the land of wakening. And he was met with the face of Falm kneeling over him. He raised a finger to his lips before whispering in the softest audible volume he could. “She is awake. Bedroom door opened, and I believe she’s in the bathroom. How long do you think until she puts the teeth in?”

Stretching and shifting to sit up beside the rabbit, Todd noted that Hythe was already up and staring out the vent in preparation. It took a minute for his mind to fully catch up and process the question, which made him ‘hmmm’ in thought.

“She might shower first. I don’t know her schedule that well. But it’ll be before she eats. If we’re lucky, she’ll prepare her meal and die before eating it. Be able to have the world’s most morbid breakfast.” The lion was trying to add some levity to the situation as he whispered back, mostly because he was now using sarcasm to cope. He was about to witness a death. A death he caused. And he needed to see it. He needed to feel it. So that he would never forget what he was responsible for.

“Right.” Falm, meanwhile, seemed to be in serious mode all of a sudden. He didn’t even seem to notice the joke, and his whole body was tense as if he was ready to run at a moment’s notice. “So, still some time then.”

“Yep. Some time.” The lion replied before reaching out to place a hand on the rabbit’s shoulder. “You okay?”

“I am absolutely terrified and worried that we will all die horribly due to some unforeseen event, but otherwise I am utterly fabulous. How are you?” An exaggerated smile crept onto the rabbit’s face a moment before it vanished back into that serious expression again. At least the Falm he knew was still in there.

“You didn’t have to stay. I told you that.” Todd’s hand lifted to pat the hare’s shoulder gently. It made him sigh and glance away.

“I am aware. Very aware. Very, very aware. Trust me, my brain is currently very angry with me for not accepting that offer. But I refuse to leave you. Or Hythe. ...You, Todd, are one of the few true friends I have made during my travels. And Hythe provided me with shelter and a means to earn my keep when I came here. So, as I said. I will be the voice of reason. I will make sure neither of you do anything stupid. I have no desire to lose anyone today.”

“You know, for a constantly complaining snarky asshole, you’re a bit of a softie.” The lion smirked as the rabbit went rigid with a mixture of surprise and exasperation.

“I do not complain!” The rabbit retorted in a loud whisper before catching himself and lowering his volume. “...I do not.”

“So you’re just a snarky asshole then?” His hand on Falm’s shoulder moved to gently poke the man’s chest.

“Yes. Just a ‘snarky asshole,’ as you put it. But the ‘snarky asshole’ who is looking out for you, so do show me some respect, would you?” The rabbit’s nervousness faded a bit into a smirk as he poked Todd’s chest back.

“Oh trust me. I respect you. You could kick my ass ten times over. Think about that, Falm. You’re more powerful than an entire big one. Granted, I am a pretty dumb, out of shape big one, so not the highest bar...” The lion smiled as the rabbit rolled his eyes.

“Ah yes. And it is such a joy to have been the meecro who discovered the world’s most ridiculous big one. Tell me, how is that suicide working out for you? Still lusting after being killed like a pest by your kind?” It was a bit of a low blow, but somehow it made the lion actually chuckle.

“I mean, it got me a friendship with a damn cool rabbit badass, so I’m pretty good with this suicide thing.” It was perhaps a trick of the morning light, but Todd could almost swear he saw a bit of flushing beneath the rabbit’s cheeks at that comment as Falm seemed taken aback by the snarking switching to complementing. Yet, with a sigh, he recovered.

“Yes, well, you’re welcome. For leading your ridiculous self to safety. Now, return the favor by not doing anything stupid today, all right?”

“Course Falm! When do I every do anything stupid?” Todd put on a wide grin that caused the rabbit’s eyes to practically rotate back into his brain.

“You mean beyond having us kill one of your kind and then stick around so we can watch her kick the metaphorical bucket? Well, I had started to write down a list, but sadly I left it back in Raf-Ojuh. So, for the moment, we shall have to remain without a proper tally unfortunately.” By this point, it was quite clear their conversation had had a calming effect on the rabbit. He was still tense, but less in a nervous sense and more in a prepared sense. His face had eased into an almost smile as he spoke, and it made Todd feel happy to see.

Slowly, Todd eased himself to his feet. Falm rose too, offering a nod before moving over to the slats of the vent beside Hythe. The lion stretched and worked out the various kinks in his back he could after sleeping on a literal bed of metal. His clothes would need a good wash after this. God, he still wished he’d shrunk himself with a suitcase or something… Regardless, once that was done, he moved over to Falm’s pack. He had left it off and nearby, opened up to reveal the extra supplies inside. Todd took some of the food he’d brought, glad they had at least some rations. At this point, he suspected he hadn’t eaten in at least twelvish hours. The crumbs he ate tasted a bit bitter, but they filled his stomach eagerly. And some sips from a canteen washed out any lingering bits of the taste.

Time passed. The rush of water in the pipes again started and lasted for a bit. Maybe a shower. Eventually, they shut off. A door opened and closed. Then another. But after a brief pause, it opened again. Distant footfalls eventually reached the vent, causing Todd to move over to the slits. Like a titan of myth, he watched Mrs. Boucher march past the vent. Every step of her sandals made the ground quake. They rumbled off in the direction of the kitchen, and eventually their smacking against the kitchen tile could just be barely heard.

Straining his ears, Todd listened to the sounds of the older poodle no doubt starting her breakfast. The woosh and thump of refrigerator doors being moved about. The creak of kitchen cabinets. The clink of dishes. Eventually the humming and beeping of a microwave. By his estimate, it’d probably been about twenty minutes since she was in the bathroom. Thus probably about twenty minutes since she put the teeth in. She probably already had the stomach ache starting. Just some nausea. Were old people used to that? Maybe. Maybe she’d take some pills from the kitchen cabinet. Maybe she wouldn’t care. But this was it.

Eventually, the sounds in the kitchen faded. Out of the corner of the vent, he could see the poodle take a seat on her couch. The television hummed on and became white noise. Time passed as she ate. It was probably about ten minutes into her meal she started coughing. It was soft at first. She tried to stop it with a drink of some kind, he could see her bringing a cup to her lips. It kept going. She eventually got up to get something from the kitchen again. Cough drops, maybe. Or something more to drink. It turned out to be the latter, as she came back eagerly swallowing it down. But the coughing got worse and worse.

After a few more minutes, she tried to get up again. But her legs gave out and with a quiet yelp he heard her fall to the floor. There might have even been a crack as she landed. A broken hip maybe as she toppled like a tree in the forest. The coughing was becoming more like gagging now. Hollow breaths heaved down a throat that was constricting itself like a snake. He could make out her trying to say something. Probably call for help. The nearest occupied apartment was across the hall. He could say from experience there would be no way you could hear someone in the apartment opposite you. Beside, though, yes. If Todd was still normal in this situation, maybe he’d have heard the fall. Come to check. But there was no savior now. No way to stop this now.

He wasn’t sure what compelled him to do it. But the lion slipped through the slits and started walking towards where he saw the poodle convulsing on the ground. There was wet gurgling coming from her now as he walked. And from behind him, he heard Falm’s voice calling to him desperately. He ignored it and simply picked up the pace towards the fallen poodle. When he arrived, he found her splayed out on the floor. Her limbs twisted into shaking, quivering poses as she wreathed against the ground like a fish out of water. Her head was pressed against the floor. Turned to the side. It looked like spit mixed with something else was dripping from her open mouth that vainly twitched as if trying to get words out between the agonized sounds of her dying.

Her eyes were flicking around wildly. Her glasses had partially fallen off to reveal pure terror lurking in those dark orbs. Todd stepped closer until he was a good foot away from Mrs. Boucher. A foot by her scale, not his. As if attracted by his movement, the eyes settled on him. He didn’t flinch. A ghastly noise escaped her throat, like whale singing while its lungs were attacked by a hacksaw. But she couldn’t move to do anything to him. Not even as he spoke.

“Hi Mrs. Boucher. It’s Todd Heathcoat, from Apartment 211. Yes, it’s really me. I don’t know if you can hear me. But I need to say this anyway. I trusted you. I liked you. You made me feel good during a dark time. But it turns out, you weren’t who you said you were. Sure, you traveled the world. I’m sure you cared for Robespawierre too. But you weren’t a gentle, kind woman. You were a monster. A sadistic, terrible monster. Micros are people, if you didn’t know. I saw the box. I know you slowly crushed and tortured micros for pleasure. I know you even fed them to the cat while they were alive. I bet that’s how he died, ya know? Probably some micro who ate some of your poison without you realizing it. And you just gave them to Robes as a treat...I’d say that’s karma, but Robes deserved better. But this, this is karma. I poisoned your dentures with pesticide. Everything you’re feeling, right now? They felt as you sprayed them like bugs. So just relax. It’ll all be over soon. After all, we shouldn’t let a vile thing live, should we?”

The words just flowed out of him. It was that thing in his brain, it had come back. It conjured them all to life, spoken in anger and pure disgust. The thing whirred on as he spoke, until the final syllable left his lips. And then, like that, the thing was gone. And shortly after that, Mrs. Boucher was too. Those eyes still stared at him, but they were empty. She was gone. The beast was dead. It was under an hour, but Todd could guess why. The nausea. Probably started to throw up her meal, and with her throat closed she choked on her own vomit. Todd blinked finally, the spell of anger, hatred, and disgust was broken. And he was left with his thoughts in front of what was a corpse. A corpse formed out of his own actions.

“...Dear gods above.” Falm’s shocked words staggered out from behind Todd, as if they struggled to leave his mouth. Footsteps approached, and Todd became aware that the rabbit was beside him. “That was-”

The rabbit was interrupted by Todd falling to his knees and promptly providing the floor with a splattering made from his own breakfast. That weight, he felt it. Dear god, he felt it hard. He’d just...ended someone’s life. Holy fuck, he killed a person. This was...it was like the combined sum of every moment he’d felt he hated himself turned into a simultaneous gut punch and a rope tied around his brain. Everything was spinning, as more and more of his stomach contents spewed forward out of him. This was nothing like when the mouse died. This wasn’t even comparable to the aching guilt over accidentally killing micros in his past. It stung. At some point, he realized he’d started to cry. And that there was a hand stroking his back gently. It slowly eased him back into reality.

“...Is that...what it always feels like?” Through sobs and coughing up more bits of bile, the lion choked out his words. He looked up through blurred vision to see both Hythe and Falm crouched beside him. It was Falm’s hand on his back.

“It is.” Falm responded. Hythe said nothing. Todd wasn’t sure if she agreed, or if it was actually different for her. Honestly, he didn’t want to know.

“Fucking hell…” The lion’s hands wiped away as much of the tears as he could, but they kept coming back. He couldn’t help it. God, she’d deserved it, but...she was still a person. With thoughts and feelings. And he ended her, painfully. So it was good that he felt pain of his own, as awful and sickening as it felt. He wasn’t her. He would never be her. No matter what, if he took a life, he would feel this. He would make sure he felt this. Because a life is a life. And even unequal or evil lives should not be taken without guilt.

“Take your time, Todd. As odd as it may sound, we are not at risk anymore.” A brief pause, followed by some softer words. “That was...an impressive speech.”

That made Todd give a somewhat bitter laugh. “Thanks, I...I think it would have been better if Hythe made the speech. The bitch never did anything to me.”

“I said my own piece when I poured that poison. You are fine.” Finally, the lizard spoke. He was glad she wasn’t angry at least. For what he said, or for utterly collapsing like this. So Todd just nodded slowly. And continued to wipe away the tears and the vomit from his face.

He wasn’t sure how long the three of them were there in front of the body. But it was long enough the sun had risen pretty high by the time he’d recovered. His clothes were filthy. His eyes were red. He hurt all over. He wanted to go home. So home they went. Past the still body of a fallen god. Through the vent whose warnings no longer held meaning. Through the twisting ducts and passageways. Up the rope and into the crack.

And into the village that was truly Todd’s home.

Chapter 8 - Mortal and God

Vassa. The Giant Slayer. Those were the words on everyone’s lips as of yesterday.

It had been around two months since Mrs. Boucher died. The only people who knew micros were behind that one was Hythe, Falm, Gikri, and himself. They’d kept it quiet, because it would have been hard to explain how they knew what to do without exposing everything about Todd. Girkri, the now official Master Scrounger, was also now in the know. The bird had done perhaps the most absurd double take Todd had ever seen when it all came out. But she was surprisingly chill with it. Even gave Todd a hug as thanks for giving away his food, and for helping avenge Yseu. In the days that followed the poodle’s death, they’d scrounged her apartment as much as possible before the body was discovered.

Todd had no idea what the official cause of death was ruled, but nobody had reported any big one activity that matched police investigators. So it was probably ruled to either be an accidental poisoning, or natural causes. That suited the lion fine. But even after so much time had passed though, Todd was still coming to grips with it. He was not okay with murder, and that was good. It’d weigh on him. That was also good. Yet he was also...glad. To have helped rid Raf-Ojuh of a monster. To have helped them see justice. He needed to be careful about that, work a bit on that feeling. He couldn’t let the gladness overwhelm the guilt. He needed to remember what he did.

Of course, he had never realized part of what spurred him to do it, what served as the tipping point of his rage towards the woman in the first place, was the work of a micro.

The murder and arson he saw on the television. That was Vassa. The giant Allison destroyed her village, and so she killed the giant. It was insane to think a micro did that. Cut off the head of someone, and burned her house to the ground. As Todd sat at his window and stared out into the flood of people below, he silently wondered how many down there would see him dead for what he was. He obviously never killed a micro village. Nor would he ever. But he was a big one. A giant. How many would see only that? Gikri told him she’d be careful, but also that they’d work to slowly introduce him to the rest of the scroungers, including the ones that had seen him as he once was. It’d be a sworn secret. Not even the village elders would know. And for that, he was grateful.

From out of the crowd, a white lapine figure slid towards the stackhouse Todd called home. It made the lion smile happily and cast a wave towards the figure. They waved back as they climbed the steps up towards him. Todd moved to open the door and usher them in for their usual weekly dinner. It was Falm, after all.

“It was difficult, but it is done. I humbly present to you chocolate cake crumbs for dessert! You may offer thanks in the form of telling me you actually acquired what you promised.” The rabbit thrust out a small sack, which Todd took with a smile as he gestured to the table.

“Genuine big one salad, courtesy of that party in Apartment 101. I would have brought dressing, but uh...I can’t quite handle the containers anymore.” The lion felt a sense of pride as the rabbit clapped his hands together with glee.

“Do you know how long it has been since I ate something fresh, Todd? I will tell you how long: since I left the...the island of green. Thank you for this. Now then, shall we?”

“But of course!” And with Todd’s declaration, the two settled down. Todd divided the makeshift bowl of salad onto two plates. It was, unfortunately, clearly a store bought packaged salad. So not quite uber fresh. But as Falm dug in, it was clear he was utterly elated with it. Eagerly grabbing the ripped apart leaves of lettuce and devouring them with a blissful expression on his face.

After a few minutes of eating, the rabbit paused and offered a slightly nervous smile. “I imagine this must have cost a good bit of crumbs. Not too much I hope, as the last thing you need is to start dealing with the Head Broker pounding at your door because you’re short.”

“Nah, nah.” Todd waved the concern away like a fly. “Gikri helped with this. I just had to agree to double scrounge runs next week. So I’ll technically come ahead richer, if...slightly sleep deprived and achy.”

“Ah. Just take care then. Lack of sleep and scrounging are not, well, exactly the best combination.” The rabbit smirked before grabbing another bit of lettuce.

“I know, I know. I’ll be careful. ...How’d you get the cake?” Todd was, admittedly, curious.

A devious grin appeared on the rabbit’s face, broken only by a bit of lettuce being chewed apart. “That would be telling, now would it not? You may have once dwelled up there, but it is clear you have no clue how to find the good stuff. So, I leave that up to you to figure out.”

“You’re just saying that because you want all the cake crumbs to yourself, don’t you?” Todd huffed in mock frustration as he nibbled on the end of a carrot shred like it was an actual carrot.

Falm raised a hand to his chest as if he was hurt by such a foul accusation. “How dare you imply I would be that selfish! No. It is because I want most of the cake crumbs. The rest can be divided between you and the people of Raf-Ojuh. This is only fair, after all.”

“I think scrounging underneath Master Scrounger Gikri is rubbing off on you, Falm.” The lion teased and that earned some more real umbridge from the hare.

“Pah. Banter in good company is different than constant tomfoolery and the inability to take anything important seriously. She must learn to act her age if Raf-Ojuh is to continue on the road to recovery.” The rabbit huffed.

“Speaking of,” the lion leaned forward onto the table and took a more serious tone, “now that things are stable, you going to leave? I remember you said you were extending your contract because Raf-Ojuh was still struggling. Now that we’ve, well, kinda helped fix things with a mixture of me shrinking myself and, uh...murder, do you think you’re gonna head back to wandering?”

The question caused the rabbit to go rigid, before his ears drooped slightly. His eyes drifted down to the table as he drummed his fingers atop it. “...Perhaps. I...this place. This village. I thought it was a typical mousehole. But I have...actually come to appreciate its, well, limited charms. I am uncertain what I will do now. It simply feels wrong to leave it behind just yet.”

Todd nodded slowly before sighing. “I have a follow-up question. Perhaps an awkward one.”

From rigid to now more just befuddled, Falm’s eyes rose to meet his. “Awkward? How so?”

“Yep. Awkward. As for the how, well...do you not want to leave Raf-Ojuh because of me?”

It was like a mute button had been hit on the conversation. The rabbit just stared at him. Like he was a feral deer staring into the headlights of an oncoming car. Honestly, Todd wasn’t sure what sort of reaction he was going to get  with this question, but the way the rabbit freaked out had unfortuantely certainly been one of his guesses. Still, he had to ask. Because…he liked Falm. A lot. Who wouldn’t be attracted to a handsome rabbit swordsman? More seriously, the fact the rabbit tolerated his struggles and was so patient behind his mask of sardonic commentary and desire to appear as if he didn’t really care was…comforting. He had to know if there was something more to all this.

“I…” The rabbit utter the syllable before returning to speechlessness. His hand grabbed a piece of lettuce, and he slowly chewed on it as if to occupy his mouth while he tried to figure out how to respond.

“I like you, Falm. A lot. You’ve been kind to me. You’re probably the person I trust the most here in Raf-Ojuh. Hell, in the whole of my new existence. I don’t know why you treat me so nicely, especially given who I am. But, uh...yeah.” An awkward chuckle from Todd punctuated that series of statements before he too placed a piece of lettuce in his mouth to occupy it as he realized everything he just said was probably insanely stupid and just going to cause problems.

The rabbit had stopped chewing and was just staring at Todd blankly now. And then, he swallowed, let out a sigh and just sort of leaned forward to rest his head on the table. “...Yes. Yes, it is because of you. Mock me now, if you so wish. You are...unique. You are a big one who is kind. Caring. You bumble around, yet you also can produce kernels of wisdom. And provide answers I craved for so long. It is...I do not know what precisely. But it draws me to you.” The words were half spoken into the table, but Todd could make them out all the same.

“Okay. So. Um…” The lion tapped his fingers together. “...I don’t want to presume. Not at all. But, I uh...maybe it’s the whole dashing swordsman thing. Or the whole snarky yet caring thing. Or the fact that you’re just...handsome. But, uh...yeah. If you like me, do you want to give it a go?”

Utter silence. The rabbit was stock still for a time. Then slowly, he raised his head up and blinked at the lion. “...Give it a go?”

“Yeah. Like...date?”

“Oh.” More blinking. The slightest hint of a blush beneath his white cheek fur. And then suddenly he shook his head and sighed. “...I mean...you are a giant. And I am...a meecro. That is fundamentally who we are. I cannot...fathom why I am drawn to you. But it feels…” His voice drifted off as he seemed to get lost in thought.

“If you don’t feel comfortable, that’s okay. I just wanted to offer.” Todd spoke softly. He reached across the table to place a hand on one of Falm’s. “Just gonna say, it doesn’t bother me. At all. ...I mean, technically, in the eyes of big one law, it’d be...you know what, not even gonna go there for a joke. Point is, I don’t care what you are. I just care who you are. You’re Falm. A really awesome rabbit I am surprised tolerates me, and whom I like because you are supportive and clever. ...But no pressure, really?”

With a sigh, the rabbit looked down at the lion’s hand and then up to his face. “It just feels...I will always be vermin to your kind. A pest, an animal. If you ever returned to your previous size, that would...could you even…?” The question wasn’t fully voiced, but Todd understood it.

“Yeah. I would. I don’t intend to go back, but let’s say...for some reason, I do. Wouldn’t change anything but my size. You’d still be the person I cared about, I promise. You are someone I will always care about. I don’t care if we are the same size, or I could hold you in my hand. I got your back, Falm.”

Something between an exhale and a stifled laugh escaped the rabbit. “...You really have turned my life into the most absurd thing. I am in love with a giant. I have seen this story before, and it usually ends with my kind either scraped off the bottom of a shoe or dying in a stomach. Yet somehow, I managed to find one big one that...it is actually possible with. And somehow, I fell in love with them. Me. The person who lives his life constantly picking over every detail because any detail could be the one that kills him. The one that always takes the safest route. The one who has seen your kind end lives right in front of him, and fears that being his fate. It is simply...damn it. I…yes? Yes. My answer is yes.”

More silence. But a different silence. A comfortable silence. One that was broken when Todd jumped up from his chair to practically leap across the table so he could pull the rabbit into a massive kiss. It lasted for a good minute, and when Todd pulled away the rabbit looked absolutely shocked. Eyes frozen wide open and his lips subtly still pursed to reveal his twin buck teeth.

“So, cake to celebrate?” The lion asked with a laugh.

Slowly, life returned to the rabbit’s face. A wide, happy, genuine smile as he gazed up at the lion. “Yes. That sounds absolutely divine.”

And so, they set their salads aside and Falm set up the plates filled with massive balls of chocolate dough. It was like eating cake brownies, and Todd loved it. Because now, it wasn’t just a fun dinner between friends. It was...the first date with his boyfriend. Four months ago, he wanted to die. Four months ago, there was no meaning left in his life. Four months ago, Todd David Heathcoat had no idea what turns his life would take. But now, as he shoved slightly dried out cake crumbs into his mouth and made fun of the fact Falm got indigently blushy over being called his boyfriend? He was...happy!

Once, he was a god. Walking in the heavens, yet utterly devoid of happiness. Now, he stood amongst mortals. He’d fallen in love with one of them. Found friendship with others. And he shared knowledge that helped them all topple one of the cruel gods who relished in their misery. It was a strange existence, one fraught with death and danger around every corner. Yet it gave him purpose. It gave him life. To be mortal, was to be alive. To be mortal, was to walk a perilous road with strong companions and know that the challenge you faced would lead you somewhere fantastic.

And Todd was certainly excited to see where that road took him next...

Appendix

Raf-Ojuh: A General Overview

Raf-Ojuh (Raf-oo-juh)

Settlement Type: Village

Ruling Kingdom/Country: None

Population: Estimated 350+ micros, 1 nova

Government Type: Council of Elected Elders

Location: Crack in utility corridor wall inside basement of Casa Del Sol Apartment Complex

Districts: The Stackhouses, The Floorhomes, and The Gatherhall

Currency: Food crumbs/bits

Official Religion: None (freedom of religion)

Sub-villages: None

History of Raf-Ojuh

Raf-Ojuh, derived from the giant word Refuge, is a settlement that formed less on its own and more out of necessity and the confluence of travelers. Built in a half natural, half carved hollow in the basement walls of the Casa Del Sol Apartment Complex, the cosmopolitan village has lasted for roughly a generation and a half, fairly long compared to its predecessors. Thus, to discuss its history, one must discuss the heritage of micros in the complex as a whole.

Casa Del Sol was built in 1954 as nothing more than an average giant apartment complex intended to appeal to both students at the nearby Eustace University and permanent residents of Eustace proper itself. And where giants dwell, home micros are sure to follow. The original settlement was built outside the apartments themselves, in a series of bushes planted outside the building. Sroub (Sa-rube), a bastardization of shrub, was its name. It was formed by survivors from a nearby house village that had been wiped out by an exterminator, who saw it initially as a temporary hiding place rather than a true home. But that swiftly changed.

By use of an intake vent mounted on the outside of the building, they learned to access the various apartments inside. The amount of students meant a great deal of messes, and thus a goldmine of crumbs. Sroub quickly became more permanent, building a makeshift tent city beneath the shelter of the bushes. The sprinklers served as water sources, and they hunted bugs for additional food. Wanderers, hearing of the amounts of food available, eagerly settled down to provide more manpower. It was a solid start.

Unfortunately, it only lasted a few months. It was not long until the apartment owners had gardeners come around and begin trimming the bushes to maintain the landscaping. This led to Sroub being discovered, though losses were minimal in terms of people. The majority managed to flee into the vents before they were crushed, yet their stores of food and water sadly got destroyed. Desperate to remain in a place with such bountiful food, the survivors moved to found new villages inside the walls of the apartments. But disagreement over where to settle resulted in a split in the group. The largest group would go on to move into the walls of one of the college students, founding the village of Srudant Hom (Sa-ru-dant Ha-om), or Student Home. The smaller second group moved into the walls of an older gentleman who was easily avoided and yet left a suitable amount of food to recover. This was Edlar Hom (Ed-lar Ha-Om), or Elder Home.

The two lived in relative harmony for several years. Unfortunately, the student finished their education and ended up leaving the apartment shortly after. This resulted in the loss of their primary food source. While their stores had enough for them to last as they used the vents to try to find other easy targets, it wasn’t enough to save them. Shortly after the student left, the apartment super inspected the apartment and found traces of the micros. Srudant Hom swiftly found itself attacked by gas and traps, killing many of the residents. Those who fled and survived ventured into Edlar Hom. Unfortunately, the influx of micros was swiftly noticed even by the slightly oblivious senior resident. The exterminator again followed, leaving yet more dead and no place to retreat.

Yet still, the micros were a stubborn lot. Various attempts to build other villages were started and swiftly failed due to desperate scrounging revealing them, their names lost to history. It took the discovery of an odd location in the apartment’s garage for one to endure. One resident of the apartments never used their car, instead taking public transport or having their groceries delivered. So their microbus went unused, sitting in a corner spot of the garage. A snake named Kavisk took note of the fact that, unlike the other metal beasts nearby, this one never moved. Nobody approached it. Nobody even looked at it. She would watch these beasts, out of curiosity. But as her people struggled with yet another failed village, she had an idea that might finally give them a safe place to live.

With a bit of convincing, Kavisk gathered a small group of followers, and through careful climbing through the innards of the vehicle, managed to get inside. The microbus, to the micros, was massive. Three rows of seats, and a massive open trunk at the rear. It was largely filled with discarded bags of forgotten belongings, their owner never bothering to remove them. Dust showed that nothing had been touched in a very long time. It was the perfect hiding place, beneath notice of any big one that lurked outside the van’s walls. So, with her followers, Kavisk would gather supplies and begin to turn the microbus into a new village. Metah Maeshin (Me-tah May-shin), or metal machine.

Owing to its unique location, the construction of Metah Maeshin was equally unique. The village was divided into those on the floor, who built normal houses, and those of elevated privilege who had built homes that were literally carved into the seating. They made discrete holes in the seating, and then crafted tunnels and rooms that would allow them to live within. It was hot, owing to the insulation of the seating padding, but also was much less obvious than the floor housing. The trunk was used as an open-air market of sorts, as well as storage for the village’s goods. Thankfully, the windows were vaguely tinted enough that they were disguised, and few parked close to the van regardless. Its perfection quickly began drawing survivors from the previous villages, and it swiftly became the home of all micros in Casa Del Sol.

One would expect this settlement to be discovered quickly, when the owner finally used their van. But as luck would have it, that never happened. Years would pass, and the owner of the vehicle ended up dying in a hit and run incident as they were getting groceries. While their apartment was cleaned out, everyone was so used to the microbus being parked in the corner that they had forgotten it even belonged to the person that died. This granted the micros within Metah Maeshin near perfect isolation from those they stole from.

The micros were clever though. They realized that if the giants noticed the vehicle was decaying as the years went on, they’d likely investigate. So they kept it cleaned and carefully tended to on the outside, even as they turned the inside into a massive metropolis by house micro standards. At its height, over six hundred micros lived inside Metah Maeshin. Of course, the lack of a threat bred a culture of excess and exploitation. While Kavisk had founded the settlement, as more of her kind came she found herself pushed from power in her later years by the food barons.

The food barons rose up from the most successful of the city’s scroungers, whose ability to bring back hundreds of mouthfuls of food had brought them respect and great fortunes. They collectively brought together their personal food stocks to recruit minions who could in turn scrounge for them in exchange for a cut of food. Some of these minions became thugs, bullies to harass those that threatened the growing influence of the food barons. And it was these thugs that would become their army, and force Kavisk and her council of elders from power.

With bribery and intimidation, their coup was swift and nearly unresisted. Kavisk wished to fight back, but ultimately knew it would cost more lives than it was worth. So she left, with a small group of loyalists. The food barons instantly set to work creating their new oligarchy. They lived in luxury inside the seats, while those below had to scavenge hard to gather tribute for them. Kept in line by well-paid and well-fed guards, no one had the strength to oppose them. And so Metah Maeshin went from utopia to dystopia. Over time, many started to flee. But with nowhere to go, they did not last long.

Kavisk, even now in her middle age, refused to leave the micros of Casa Del Sol with no true place of retreat from suffering. With her followers, she began another expedition. She searched the apartments from top to bottom. And it was at the bottom she found what she desired. A crack had formed in one of the basement walls, just across from a vent. Some shifting in the earth beneath the foundation had caused it to appear, though thankfully it only created a tiny hollow in the wall rather than a threat to the whole complex. Gathering what tools she could, Kavisk personally began to carve out the hollow into a full cavern.

Far from the eyes of the residents, and isolated even from those that maintained the building, they had found what they had sought: refuge. And so, they named their new home Raf-Ojuh in honor of this fact. It was a quiet existence at first, mostly growing by refugees who could afford the supplies to flee from the garage to the basement. But grow it did, enough that it became sustainable. That it became a true village, small yet happy. They never expected what would happen next. Nor did the food barons.

It only takes one small accident to tear down any micro’s settlement. In this case, it was a literal one. A giant accidentally backing their metal machine into Metah Maeshin’s rear end. No real damage, but it was enough for the microbus to suddenly be noticed. Enough for the managers of the apartment to realize it had been sitting there for over two decades after the resident that owned the thing had been killed. Enough for them to take a look. A simple look that revealed what was, to them, a massive nest of vermin.

All at once, Metah Maeshin collapsed in a frenzy of fleeing micros and food barons trying to keep control. Any who remained more than a day were swiftly killed by sprays of poison as the apartment managers were eager to clear out the abandoned vehicle and remove it. The survivors took to the vents, looking for anywhere they could go. Many would, perhaps appropriately, take refuge in Raf-Ojuh. The settlement swelled and struggled immensely with the sudden growth. While it took as many as it could, the village was only a few years old and had barely carved much from the wall. It only had so much proper room, and so those who could not find shelter had to move on.

It was chaos for a long time. Many died as they tried to find places to shelter. Some even tried to create a village in the vent ducts, only to get found due to the blockage in the air flow their homes caused being noticed. Yet, Raf-Ojuh endured and expanded. It grew as fast as it could, to take in as many as it could. But it had to balance this with what food it could gather. The discovery of Metah Maeshin had caused the giants of Casa Del Sol to be more vigilant against micros. Traps were laid down and poison used eagerly. Food became hard to come by, and it seemed that all the paradise-like qualities the apartments had had were gone.

Days turned into months and months turned into years however. Raf-Ojuh endured by the skin of its teeth at first, and then eventually it started to flourish. The giants became less paranoid. New students arrived, bringing with them freshly messy apartments to scrounge from. Wanderers from settlements beyond the apartments brought with them both trade and manpower. By the tenth year of its existence, the village of Raf-Ojuh was thriving. While it was more limited than Metah Maeshin had been, it still managed to literally carve out its own niche. Restrictions were put in place to ensure no food barons would ever rise, and when Kavisk finally passed on she left behind a village that was in safe hands of a council of elders selected by merit, not purely food wealth.

There was no one thing that caused the famine that gripped the modern Raf-Ojuh. It was more a series of events that pushed it into motion. Casa Del Sol switched hands between giant owners, and the new owners refused to take as many precautions about vermin. A group of outsiders trying to settle inside one of the apartments and ending up discovered resulted in the local giants growing again more paranoid. Desperate mice, rats, and other large vermin started hunting micro scroungers for food, as their usual trash became better guarded. And several of the residents grew more and more cruel towards the micros they found for whatever reason, resulting in the death of many quality scroungers to terrible accidents.

Hythe was the fourth Master Scrounger, and she was always a controversial figure. Her attempts to save Raf-Ojuh from famine may have staved off death by starvation, but they also cost many lives that the village felt were not worth the food they’d earned in turn. Yet still, it was her efforts and those of her apprentices that had kept the village alive up until Todd’s arrival. And Todd’s actions would ultimately result in Hythe’s reluctant acceptance following the loss of her post. The food that came from both Todd’s own apartment and the apartment of the deceased Lisette Boucher served to return the village to life it hadn’t known for many years. While it did not guarantee the famine would not return, it helped ease tensions and bring an era of peace to the micro village.

Time will tell if it lasts.

Culture of Raf-Ojuh

Raf-Ojuh’s culture is best described as an amalgam of every village upon whose descendents it was built from. Sroub lives on in its idealistic view of a paradise where all micros are welcome, so long as they’re willing to help build a life in the resource rich yet dangerous wilds of the apartments upstairs. Edlar Hom and Srudant Hom serve as the basis for whom Raf-Ojuh primarily relies on. The oblivious older residents, and the younger messy residents. Metah Maeshin’s careful isolation and use of hiding in plain sight, as well as to some degrees its lesser luxuries and council of elected elders, are at the core of how its citizens ensure their safety and manage the issues that arise politically.

Unlike many micro villages, Raf-Ojuh lacks many hunters. Being located more close to the inner city, the vermin that lurk around the apartments tend to be diseased or filled with parasites. This poses risk to a society that lacks the ability to produce much in the way of medicine due to the equal lack of farmland or natural herbs, and thus primarily scrounging serves as the cornerstone of survival for the village. Yet, therein lies the complexities born from what was learned at Metah Maeshin.

Raf-Ojuh is ruled by a council of elders. Each elder is selected by vote from amongst their peers, which is to say the group they represent. They are as follows:

The Master Crafter, leader of the artisans of the city. They made sure that the needs of both Raf-Ojuh itself and the populus individually were met, as well as the occasional surplus goods created for outside trade. The Head Broker, who oversaw the various merchants of the village and minimized price gouging for essential resources. They also handled the logistics of assigning stalls to both local and foreign traders as required. The Chief Carter, who oversaw the moving of resources between the different groups by porters as necessary. Their role is often the most overlooked, even if it is among the most important. The Master Knowledgeminder, who was in charge of the city’s scholars and studying giant artifacts to learn more about possible dangers, as well as potential boons that might be of benefit to Raf-Ojuh. They also create records of the city’s history, and serve generally as scribes when required. A sub-sect of the scholars, known as the menders, are responsible for running the village’s hospital and categorizing the medicines retrieved by scroungers. The Logistician, who heads the small group of bureaucrats that keep stock of the village’s supplies and how they are distributed. They primarily operate the village storehouse with assistance from the porters, and determine how food is meted out as both currency and rations as required. The Chief Grower, who leads the small group of farmers who use gathered soil to grow small amounts of fungi and other small plants for medicine and food to supplement what is scrounged. The Master Builder is indeed responsible for builders, but also for maintaining the structures and infrastructure of Raf-Ojuh as well as mining out deeper into the wall as necessary for expansion. Owing to the famine, recent years have seen the rise of a new elder. Despite the lack of many hunters, the Huntsmaster exists to manage those that have risen to hunt bugs outside the apartment to supplement crumbs and other recovered food. Most of these bugs are carefully picked because they are not normal carrion feeders or otherwise pests, and thus have little likelihood of disease.

There is no one true central elder, not since Kavisk passed. This was intentional, as while she held the role, she only did so to help organize the village in its early years when a strong, focused leader was required. She never intended the position to last, and those that followed her obeyed her wishes. Thus, each elder has equal voice and equal vote, regardless of what tasks they oversee. While this has prevented the rise of any cults of personality among the leadership, it has also resulted in a council occasionally wracked by infighting. So far, however, the merit-based democratic election by peers has at least resulted in capable leaders who still get things done as necessary, even if their actions are occasionally delayed.

To many outsiders, it is notable that the Guard Captain and Master Scrounger are not considered elders, but instead the hands of the elders. The reasons for this came from the lessons learned from Metah Maeshin. No leader should have an army at their beck and call, and putting power in the hands of those that gather the most valuable resources can lead to them using their talents to subvert the will of the people. While both roles are honorable, they operate differently. Their holders can be dismissed at will by the council, and the council has final say over who they prefer to take the role from those trained to do so. Most often they obey the wishes of the previous holder of the office, but there have been upsets on occasion.

One might think making food their currency would cause a repeat of Metah Maeshin as well. But the entire reason it is as such is to prevent that very thing. Food is necessary for life. Clothing, weapons, books, even shelter can be tossed aside to some degree in favor of simply having food and water. By requiring food to be exchanged for any service or good, it means that an essential is always earned for one’s effort. The fact it must be eaten too prevents hoarding to a major degree, as there is only so long it can last. And while everyone gets rations, if they wish more than the bare basics, it means they must pitch in and help Raf-Ojuh. And no one can forge food, meaning false currency is impossible. And outsiders need not exchange currency for currency, instead simply using their own supplies as necessary to acquire what they need.

Raf-Ojuh serves as one of the largest settlements in the region of Eustace it is in, owing largely to the difficulty of maintaining any communities larger than a hundred or so in the walls of nearby homes and businesses in such a heavily urbanized area. Thus, travel is high and routes through the vents are well-known to locals. Occasionally, temporary tent cities similar to Sroub pop up around the apartments as caravans arrive to either trade or rest and restock to continue on their journey. Raf-Ojuh prides itself on its hospitality, and strives to ensure both its neighbors and independent wanderers are pleased when leaving. This has become doubly true in the wake of the famine, where outside trade became more crucial as a secondary food source.

However, there are certain outsiders that Raf-Ojuh privately disdains while still welcoming them. Giant worshippers. The Church of the Worldshaper arrived in Raf-Ojuh after being driven from their previous home and taking shelter at the village. What at first seemed like a temporary stay became permanent, and they had enough supplies to purchase space to build a temple. While their preaching is tolerated within the village, the vast majority of the residents take offense at their moralizing and ravings against the very foundations of Raf-Ojuh’s scrounger culture. Their members occasionally get attacked, usually by drunks or particularly irate scroungers. While these attacks are punished, very little is done to actively deter them. And time will tell if the Church will continue to merely tolerate them, or they will begin fighting back against the assaults against them.