☂ ╎ a tale retold | swc writing entry

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☾ ❖°.╰➷1:12 ── ◑ ─── 3:07.★.⋆⤿ ⋮⠀⋮ ★ . ) . ☂⋆⤿ ⋮⠀★⠀⠀❝ My, my - did you really ★⠀believe that this was all a Fairy Tale? ❞ .. ⍋ .. Prologue Small breadcrumbs littered the ground, snacks lied abandon on the benches, and food stalls lined every inch of the fair. If not for the bright flashing lights and sudden sounds, it would be perfect. But it was a splendid sight, nonetheless. He could spot children - young and old who ran back and forth with cotton candy, dropping bits of popcorn on the fair ground as they sang, danced, and pranced. How foolish...wasting their own food without a second thought. But at least that meant more food for him. He snorted. No wonder this was called a rat's paradise. The rat could taste the mouth-watering snacks as he attempted to stay upright in the crate. The pain of being in this cramped space would become nothing once Rascal got out of this place. Yay! Food for everyone! Food for days! But of course, Rascal had no intention of sharing what he found. All rats were like that. Honestly, he didn't know a single rat that wasn't. It was in their nature to steal, hide, and fight. That was how the god's made them. "Thieving...conniving pests." The humans called them. Rascal let out a sigh as he propped himself on a ledge. Maybe that was how rats would be always thought of. "Hey - um, brother?" "What?" Rascal now turned his head around in irritation. "Do - do you think it's a good idea to go solo for this? What if I got lost?" said the larger rat. "Oh, come on. You'll be fine. Now go bother someone else." He replied in an annoyed tone as he turned his attention back to the sights at the fair. If not for his Fa, the small rat would have strangled his loud-mouthed and worrisome brother all those years ago. It was also his brother's fault that he had part of his tail gone because it was his "great" idea that had gotten both of them in trouble. Now "that" had been a terrible day for him. His ma - who was basically just an older version of his brother, pestered him and worried about him a whole week after the incident. Why exactly? No idea. It was how moms were. And that led to why Rascal always did things on his own. The rat heard the soft thump of the crate being placed on the ground and quickly slipped through the crack. He heard his brother scamper after him, but Rascal paid no attention to Tyke his brother. "Wait up!" shouted his brother as he clumsily ran over to Rascal, brushing away the dirt on his long whiskers as they parked himself next to him. "Would you stop bothering me? I've got my own things to do before Fa calls us back. Go find a food stall or something." Rascal stood up on his hindfeet for a better view. His gaze quickly landed on a broken vendor which had leaking fruit juice dripping out from the side of it. He licked his lips and made a dash for the vendor while weaving through the crowd of humans. Suddenly, he heard a soft mewling sound. Rascal paused, his heartbeat immediately getting faster by the second. And then, he heard the sound again. His dark eyes darted back and forth between the vendor and the many pairs of feet that thundered against the ground. Amidst all of the chaos - Rascal saw a stocky ginger cat staring at him with an innocent look on their face. When the feline noticed that the rat had finally recognized the danger, it let out a loud yowl and leapt - attempting to catch its prey. In panic, Rascal scurried over towards the stage where the humans were all packed in. But the tabby wasn't going to give up so easily. Using its long legs, the feline quickly gave chase after the rat. Rascal darted into the crowd of humans, hoping to distract the cat, but the large creature continued unfazed. He then stumbled upon a hidden burrow in the ground. Unable to stop before crashing straight into it, Rascal squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for impact. Maybe he should have listened to his brother and stayed together. Oh well. Too late now. Black spots began to appear in his vision as the rat tumbled down the steep hole, hitting many bumps along the way. He soon was knocked out and unconscious with no one to save him. .. ⍋ .. Part I Rascal woke up to the loud chirping up birds and a soft humming sound. His body, still sore from earlier, refused to respond as he tried to get up. He felt dewy grass and moist earth beneath him as he tried to reorientate himself. "Oh my, it seems like you're conscious again." came from a feminine voice. An unfamiliar voice. "Well, I fixed you up a bit earlier, so don't try to move too much." The rat opened his eyes and squeaked in alarm when he saw the figure of a human in front of him. "Oh rats..." He muttered. But the human didn't seem to hear him. "Now that you're awake, how about you have some food?" ( ++ )