Mama always say, "If dey know ya name, ya already dead."
Da stabby-fluffies? Dey knew Mama now.
We had to run.
Grizz was already packin' when da sun cracked da sky. He didn' ask no questions. Didn' argue. Didn' say "Maybe dey gone" or "Maybe dey ain't comin' back."
Cuz Grizz knew.
If a cat finds you once? It ain't gonna stop.
It's gonna wait.
Gonna watch.
Gonna play pretend 'til it get what it want.
An' da only way to win?
Don' be where da game starts.
Mama pulled us close. "Squeak." ("We movin'. No noise. No stoppin'. No dumb-dumb Rusty nonsense.")
Rusty frowned. "Sweek!" ("Rude.")
Mama gave him a look.
Rusty sighed. "Sweek." ("Okay, fin', no nonsense.")
Den he tripped over a rock.
Mama groaned.
Grizz rubbed his face. "Ssssqueak." ("I shoulda let da beetle eat him.")
We moved at sunrise. Fast. Quiet. Through da underbrush, paws barely makin' a sound. Mama led, sniffin' every step before takin' it. Grizz stayed behind, tail flickin', eyes everywhere at once.
Me an' my siblings? We kept our ears low.
Rusty?
Rusty was whisperin' to himself.
"Sweek, sweek…" ("If I was a cat, where would I hide?")
Mama glared. "Squeak." ("Rusty—")
Rusty kept talkin'. "Sweek, sweek." ("Not in a tree. Too high. Not in da river. Too wet. Not underground—")
He stopped.
Mama stopped.
Grizz stopped.
Cuz suddenly, Rusty's face did sumthin' we never seen before.
It got serious.
"Sweek." ("Oh.")
Mama's whiskers twitched. "Squeak?" ("Oh what?")
Rusty swallowed.
Den whispered,
"Sweek." ("Dey already here.")
I dunno how Rusty knew. Maybe he felt it. Maybe he just got lucky.
But da second he said it—
Da shadows moved.
Mama shoved us back.
Grizz spun.
Rusty?
Rusty grabbed da flashlight.
Den we saw 'em.
Glowy green eyes. Flickin' tails. Smilin' teeth.
More dan one.
More dan two.
Too many.
A low purr rumbled through da Wilds.
Den a whisper.
"Running again? Silly little squeakers…"
Mama's breath hitched. "Squeak." ("Run.")
But da stabby-fluffies just grinned.
"No more running."
Den dey leapt.
I ain't never moved so fast in my life.
Claws missed me by a whisker. Fur brushed past me like cold wind.
Mama kicked one straight in da nose. It hissed, twisted, landed soft. Like it wasn't even mad.
Like it was playin'.
Grizz swung his tail. "Ssssqueak!" ("MOVE!")
Rusty?
Rusty screamed an' swung da flashlight.
BONK.
A cat yowled.
Rusty blinked. "Sweek?" ("Wait… dat worked?")
Den—
One of my siblings squeaked.
Not a normal squeak.
A bad squeak.
I turned just in time to see—
NO.
Peanut was in da cat's MOUTH.
I saw his lil' paws kickin'. His tail stickin' out between da sharp, sharp teeth.
Da cat smirked.
Mama screeched."SQUEEEEEEAK!" ("LET GO OF HIM!")
Rusty panicked.
Rusty flung da flashlight.
BONK.
Right in da cat's forehead.
BAM.
Da cat's eyes crossed.
An' den—
It spit Peanut out.
Peanut flew through da air, landin' straight in Mama's arms, covered in cat spit, lookin' like he just saw da afterlife.
Mama stared at him.
Peanut stared back.
Den, he whispered, "Squeak." ("I ded?.")
Mama hugged him tight. "Squeak, squeak." ("You alive, dat's what matters.")
Grizz snarled. "Ssssqueak!" ("GET TO DA RIVER!")
We ran.
Branches whipped past. Paws pounded da dirt.
Da stabby-fluffies chased.
Didn' run fast. Didn' run panicked.
Dey ran easy.
Like dey was enjoyin' dis.
I heard one purr behind us.
"Run, run, little things… but where will you go?"
Mama's ears pinned back. "Squeak." ("Grizz, where?!")
Grizz snarled, teeth bared. "Ssssqueak!" ("River!")
Mama's eyes widened. "Squeak?!" ("YOU WANNA DROWN US?!")
Grizz grinned.
"Ssssqueak!" ("No. I wanna drown them.")
Da river roared ahead. Water churned, deep an' mean, twistin' through da Wilds like a snake.
Mama didn' slow down.
Rusty did.
"Sweek." ("Wait—")
Mama grabbed his scruff an' yeeted him forward.
Rusty screamed.
Da stabby-fluffies were right behind us.
Eyes flashin'. Teeth bared.
Closer.
Closer.
Grizz dove first.
Mama jumped.
I jumped.
Rusty?
Rusty tripped.
"SWEEEEEK!" ("HELP!")
A paw snagged his tail.
A cat's grin widened.
"Got you."
Rusty panicked.
Rusty flailed.
Rusty grabbed da nearest thing—
Da flashlight.
An'—
BONK.
Right in da cat's face.
BAM.
Da cat yowled an' let go.
Rusty flailed harder.
Den—
SPLASH.
We hit da river.
Cold.
Everything spun.
Fur soaked. Paws kickin'. Air—gone.
Bubbles. Chokin'. Currents pullin' down.
I grabbed Mama's paw.
She grabbed all of my siblings.
Rusty grabbed da flashlight.
Grizz grabbed us all.
Den—
Everything went black.