Patch's PoV = me
Ashy's PoV = Jazz Belle
Scamper's PoV = Blueberry Lollipop
Nut's PoV = my lil bro
Pip's Pov = my lil cuz!
We hope you enjoy!
Chapter One
xxxxxxxxxxI laugh breathlessly as I drag my little sister, Pippa, along.
xxxxxxxxxx“Come on, Pip,” I gasp, “the others are miles ahead! Quick!”
xxxxxxxxxxPip glances over her shoulder and gives a shrill shriek as an enormous cat leaps around the corner.
xxxxxxxxxx“Run!” I yell, and, making a last desperate lunge, drag Pip under a door.
xxxxxxxxxxMy two little sisters, and my younger brother, Ashy, Scamper, and Nut, have already arrived, jumping up and down and squeaking excitedly.
xxxxxxxxxx“Oh my gosh, are you crazy?” Ashy giggles. “That was nuts!”
xxxxxxxxxx“I know!” I agree. “Let’s do it again!”
xxxxxxxxxxScamper gasps and her brown fur quivers. “No way,” she shivers, then stops, listening. “The cats are coming!” she screams. “Run!”
xxxxxxxxxxI lunge forward and grab her tail as she turns to scamper away. “Oh no you don’t. Wait.” I hold her still and turn to peer under the door. A loud thumping meets my ears and odd shadows race toward the door.
xxxxxxxxxxSuddenly, a loud ‘bang’ echoes around us and the door vibrates for a few moments.
xxxxxxxxxxThe others are silent for a while, then: “What—was—that?” Nut whispers.
xxxxxxxxxx“The silly cat just rammed into the door!” I laugh.
xxxxxxxxxxThe other four lose it. Ashy, Nut, and Pip all rock back and forth as they laugh and light ripples along their brown and white fur.
xxxxxxxxxxI suddenly smell danger and tense, clarifying what I’m actually smelling.
xxxxxxxxxx“Humans!” I cry. “Run! They’ll let the cats in!”
xxxxxxxxxxWe quickly race across the room, squeeze under the couches, and slip inside our mouse-hole, tumbling into the living-room.
xxxxxxxxxx“That was amazing!” I yell. “We’re definitely doing that again!”
xxxxxxxxxx“I’m with you, Patch,” Pip squeaks, “that was fun!”
xxxxxxxxxx“What’s going on?” Our father enters the room glancing at us curiously, his multi-coloured fur glossy and sleek.
xxxxxxxxxx“Oh! We were—-I mean we just...
xxxxxxxxxx“We were kinda provoking the cats again.” I admit, and the others agree.
xxxxxxxxxxDad looks shocked, “You were doing what?”
xxxxxxxxxx“We were annoying the cats,” Nut repeats in a low voice.
xxxxxxxxxxDad sighs, visibly annoyed, “How many times must your mother and I tell you: ‘Don’t mess with things that are determined to kill you’ ?!
xxxxxxxxxx“We can’t lose you. I can’t lose my children.”
xxxxxxxxxxI hang my head, “Sorry, Dad,” I say, “we’ll resist temptation next time. I promise.”
xxxxxxxxxxA faint smile cracks through his stern visage, “I hope so. But knowing you, your promises don’t mean that much, Mischief.”
xxxxxxxxxxI grin back, deciding I will try—even though he speaks the truth.
xxxxxxxxxxI try to not lead the younger three astray, but when I see something fun to do, all promises automatically leave my mind. Earning the nick-name ‘Mischief’ was no problem for me.
xxxxxxxxxx“Now,” Dad continues, “go play properly. A nice, safe game.”
xxxxxxxxxxWe nod and file contritely out of the mouse-hole.
xxxxxxxxxx“So... what do we do now?” Ashy asks outside.
xxxxxxxxxxI shrug.
xxxxxxxxxx“Oo! Patch, I know,” Scamper begins excitedly, “we could go over to the Trembles’ and make dust cakes with their mouselings!”
xxxxxxxxxxI grimace, curling my snout into a weird shape, “Nah, you can, though,” Being a boy, dust pies don’t really interest me.
xxxxxxxxxx“Okay! Anyone coming with me?”
xxxxxxxxxxScamper only looks slightly crestfallen when everyone declines. “That’s alright. I’ll just hang with Loyal. See y’ later!” She scampers happily away.
xxxxxxxxxx“So... what do we do now?” Pip repeats.
xxxxxxxxxxI shrug again, and then think of something.
xxxxxxxxxx“Oo,” Ashy croons as Pip and Nut start prancing around us, “I—we know that look in your eyes! What are we doing?”
xxxxxxxxxx“Well, we haven’t done much lately, so how about we do some exploring?”
xxxxxxxxxx“Done.” Pip responds instantly. “Woo hoo! I knew you’d think of something.”
xxxxxxxxxx“Hurry up,” Ashy commands, “where are we going?”
xxxxxxxxxx“Follow me.”
xxxxxxxxxxI lead them along the wall under the couch, remembering to stop, look, and listen every time I hear a suspicious noise. It’s annoying, but I don’t want to be responsible for the deaths of any of my siblings, no matter how annoying they get.
xxxxxxxxxxI pause as we reach the end of the couch: this is where it gets really dangerous and exciting.
xxxxxxxxxxTurning to the others I say in a hushed voice: “Okay, if you want to live, you need to listen to what I say to the letter. Alright?”
xxxxxxxxxxThey nod, eyes shining in anticipation.
xxxxxxxxxx“Well, to the left is the humans’ living room, to the right is a doorway to outside.
xxxxxxxxxx“Smell the air.”
xxxxxxxxxxI set the example by rising onto my hind-legs, black fur camouflaging me perfectly from any sharp-eyed humans.
xxxxxxxxxx“I smell worms,” Pip says, wrinkling her little pink nose.
xxxxxxxxxx“Cat,” Ashy says in disgust as she drops back to all fours. “The smell of cat is very strong.”
xxxxxxxxxx“Cat-food!” Nut squeaks happily. “Yay! I’m hungry!”
xxxxxxxxxx“So are the cats, Nutter,” I point out. “Anyway, these smells mean the door is open. This is gonna be extremely dangerous. Do you still want to come, or should we do something else?”
xxxxxxxxxx“Stop being silly,” Nut scoffs, “what could possibly happen? Let’s go!”
xxxxxxxxxx“Alright Peanut Butter, you asked for it!” I say, cuffing him with my paw as I use his full name. Then I turn serious, “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do: on the other side of the door-way is another couch, I’ll scurry over, and when it’s safe I’ll wave you over one by one. Ashy, you go last since you’re older than the other two: you can keep an eye on them while I’m over the other side. Pip, you come over first, then you, Nut, and then Ashy.
xxxxxxxxxx“Got it?”
xxxxxxxxxxThey nod eagerly.
xxxxxxxxxx“Good,” I nod, and then, without warning, I turn and dash across the door-way and slip safely under the second sofa.
xxxxxxxxxxPoking my nose out a little, I check that both sides are clear, duck back under cover, and motion for Pip to come over.
xxxxxxxxxxShe arrives safely, scared and a bit breathless from her sprint. Nut’s trip, too, is uneventful, so I tuck Nut and Pip into a small hidey-hole and motion Ashy over.
xxxxxxxxxxShe nods and begins bounding toward us, but about halfway across, a large container slams down on top of her.
xxxxxxxxxxI freeze, stunned.
xxxxxxxxxx“Mama!” a loud voice calls. “Mama! Mama, I’ve caught a mouse! It’s a white one, can I keep it?”
xxxxxxxxxxI’m finally able to move, and am about to dash to Ashy’s rescue when the floor starts vibrating under my feet, so stay put: I’ll be killed if I try to save her now.
xxxxxxxxxxTwo huge slippers thump down in front of us, and a female speaks, “Ooh, I don’t know, Jason, the cats might eat it.”
xxxxxxxxxx“We could put him in with Rocky, though,” the boy begs.
xxxxxxxxxxShe’s a girl, you idiot! I fume.
xxxxxxxxxx“I don’t know, a guinea-pig’s a lot bigger than a mouse, he might get squished. Why don’t we just let him go?”
xxxxxxxxxxShe.
xxxxxxxxxxI wait, hoping against hope that they’ll set Ashy free, but the aggravating boy speaks up again.
xxxxxxxxxx“Oh no, Mama, please! I can look after him alright! Please!”
xxxxxxxxxxI grit my teeth angrily, SHE!
xxxxxxxxxx“I’ll tell you what,” the boy’s mother bargains, “how about we keep him in Rocky’s cage until Daddy gets home, and I’ll talk with him about whether we keep the mouse or feed it to Hunter and Stalk, okay?”
xxxxxxxxxx“Okay, the boy agrees, “but if Daddy doesn’t want it, can I feed him to the cats?”
xxxxxxxxxx“We’ll see.”
xxxxxxxxxxThey find a flat lid, slip it under the container, and carry the terrified Ashy away.
xxxxxxxxxx“Pistachio!” I shout desperately, but she’s gone. “Noooooo!”
xxxxxxxxxxI can’t forgive myself for what I’ve done, but I’m determined to get my little sister back before she’s either trapped with the lazy guinea-pig permanently, or that horrible child feeds her to the cats.
xxxxxxxxxxI’m sorry, Pistachio, I think, but I promise, I will rescue you.
