Mama always say, "If sumone say dey testin' you, what dey really mean is dey waitin' for ya to fail."
I didn' wanna fail.
Not down here.
Da Capybara, sittin' big an' calm on his rock, watched us real slow-like. His eyes ain't blink much.
Den, he leaned forward.
"Kweek." ("New ones gotta prove themselves.")
Mama's ears twitched. "Squeak?" ("Prove what?")
Da Capybara didn' answer right away.
Instead, he looked down at da city below.
At all da animals watchin' us.
Beady lil' mouse eyes. Sharp rat whiskers twitchin'. Chipmunks peekin' from shadows. Even da fancy chinchillas sittin' on ledges, waitin' like dis was sum kinda show.
Mama didn' like dat.
I reeeally didn' like dat.
Rusty?
Rusty grinned.
"Sweek!" ("I love tests!")
Grizz muttered, "Ssssqueak." ("Ya ain't gonna love dis one.")
Torn-Ear, da hamster who found us, smirked. "Squeak." ("Ya wanna stay? Ya gotta earn it.")
Mama's tail flicked. "Squeak." ("How?")
Da Capybara finally spoke again.
"Hup." ("Go down dere. Let Da Burrow decide.")
I gulped.
Twitch clung to my side."Sqwek." ("Dat soun' bad. Dat soun' real bad.")
It was bad.
Cuz I saw it.
How da animals looked at us.
Some of 'em was curious. Some was bored.
But a lot of 'em?
Was hungry.
Mama squared up. "Squeak." ("You want us to fight?")
Da Capybara didn' smile. Didn' frown. Didn' do much of anything.
Just said, "Kweek." ("You want a place here? Show us you worth da space.")
Mama didn' like dat. I saw her nose twitch. Her whiskers flick fast.
She was thinkin'.
She didn' like bein' told what to do. Didn' like bein' pushed.
But she also knew.
We ain't had no other choice.
Da stabby-fluffies was up top.
Da metal monsters roamed da ruins.
If we ran?
We'd have nowhere to go.
So Mama did da only thing she could.
She stood tall.
"Squeak." ("Fine.")
Den, she turned to us.
"No dumb-dumb Rusty nonsense."
Rusty pouted."Sweek." ("Aw.")
Da Capybara flicked his ear. "Hup." ("Let 'em through.")
Torn-Ear led us down a long, twisty path—past old metal beams, past tunnels dat smelled like too many animals in one place.
Den, we stepped into a big, open space.
Da arena.
It weren't no fancy place.
Jus' a big, dug-out pit. Walls made of old hooman stone. Lil' ledges, tunnels, places to hide if you was fast enough.
All 'round da edges, animals gathered.
Whisperin'. Squeakin'. Waitin' to see what we'd do.
Mama stepped forward first.
Grizz right behind her. His tail twitched, his nose sniffin' da air.
Me?
I stuck close to Twitch.
Rusty?
Rusty bounced in place."Sweek!" ("Dis gon' be fun!")
It weren' gonna be fun.
Not one bit.
Torn-Ear hopped onto a high ledge.
"Squeak!" ("Burrow-folk! We got newcomers!")
Da crowd squeaked an' sweeked an' chattered.
Torn-Ear smirked. "Squeak!" ("Ya know da rules! New ones gotta prove dey can survive!")
Den, he pointed at us.
"Squeak!" ("Let's see if dey got what it takes.")
I felt it before I saw it.
Da ground vibrated.
Tiny lil' shakes. Like sumthin' big was movin' underground.
Twitch grabbed my paw."Sqwek!" ("We runnin'? We runnin' now?")
I wanted to say yes.
I wanted to run real bad.
But we didn'.
Cuz da arena floor split open.
An' den—
It crawled out.
At first, I didn' know what it was.
A pile of fur n' dirt. Claws too big for a hamster, but too small for a rat. nose twitchin', breath comin' in short lil' huffs.
Den, I heard da name whispered in da crowd.
"Da Mole-Rat."
A big, scarred-up, ugly-lookin' naked mole-rat.
Its teeth was huge.
Its claws was sharp.
It sniffed da air—
Den faced himself wit' Mama.
Mama stood firm. "Squeak." ("We don' want no trouble.")
Da Mole-Rat grinned.
"Eep-eep." ("Den ya in da wrong place.")
Den it charged.
Fast.
Faster dan sumthin' dat big an' ugly should.
It charged, claws diggin' deep into da dirt, big nasty teeth flashin' under da dim tunnel lights. It didn't stop.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't even blink.
Mama jumped back as it lunged.
Grizz swung his tail hard, smackin' dust in its ugly face.
Twitch squealed an' dived behind me. "Sqweeeeeek!" ("I WANNA GO HOME!")
Da Mole-Rat snorted, shook off da dust, den—
Rusty happened.
"SWEEEEEK!"
"BONK TIME!"
Rusty launched himself forward, flashlight held high.
BAM!
Da flashlight slammed into da Mole-Rat's noggin' so hard, I swear I heard a clank.
"Eep-eep!" ("WHAT DA—?!")
It staggered.
Its big nasty teeth clacked together.
Rusty landed, grinnin' like an idiot.
"Sweek!" ("You ain't da first thing I bonked today!")
Den da Mole-Rat shook its head.
Its nose locked on Rusty.
Den it grinned.
A slow, toothy, horrible grin.
"Eep-eep." ("I like you.")
Den it lunged.
Rusty screamed.
"SWEEEEEK!" ("NO LIKIN'! NO LIKIN'!")
He dodged. Barely.
Mama cursed."Squeak!" ("RUSTY!")
But we ain't have time to help him—
Cuz da ground shook.
More challengers stepped out.
First came da big squirrel.
Scar over one eye. Tail all ragged n' twitchy. It crouched low, lookin' at us like a cat do before it pounces.
"Meep." ("New faces. Good. I was gettin' bored.")
Den da prairie dog.
Chunky, paws like tiny shovels. It stretched its lil' stubby arms an' cracked its neck.
"Chee-chee." ("Been a while since I had a workout.")
Den, worst of all—
Da angry chinchilla.
Tiny. Fast. Teeth way too sharp. Its nose twitched fast like it was already plottin' murder.
"Peeps." ("Hope ya run fast, lil' ones.")
I panicked.
We wasn' fightin' just one rodent.
We was fightin' ALL of 'em.
Chaos.
Mama lunged at da Mole-Rat, bitin' at its side.
Da Mole-Rat twisted,kicked her off. Mama rolled, landed, hissed.
Grizz charged da squirrel, tail whippin' like a club. Da squirrel dodged, climbed up his back, started BITIN'.
Twitch screamed.
I turned—
Da prairie dog grabbed Poppy.
Poppy. My sister.
She was da third-smallest after Twitch an' Peanut. She was fast—but not fast enough.
Da prairie dog started lickin' her.
Lick. Lick. Lick.
Real slow.
Real disgustin'.
Poppy screamed.
"Sqweeeeeek!" ("STOP LICKIN' MEEEE!")
She thrashed, flailed, kicked.
Didn' matter.
Da prairie dog held on, still lickin' like she was da best snack it ever had.
I jumped at da prairie dog, bit its tail.
It yelped, dropped Poppy.
Poppy hit da ground, rolled, paws twitchin'.
"Sqweeeek!" ("I feel so unclean!")
Den—
A blur.
Somethin' small n' fast zipped past me.
Cricket.
One of my older sisters. She was da best jumper outta all of us.
She jumped on da chinchilla.
Or—
She tried.
Da chinchilla caught her in midair.
Flipped her.
Tossed her like a piece of bread.
Cricket went flying.
"Sqeek!" ("DIS NOT WHAT I WANTED!")
Bonk.
Hit a rock.
Slid down.
Didn' move.
I panicked."SQUEAK!" ("CRICKET?")
Cricket twitched.
Den muttered.
"Sqeek." ("I seen da afterlife.")
Da Mole-Rat swung its claws.
Mama ducked, spun, bit at its leg.
Rusty jumped on its head.
"SWEEEEEEK!" ("BONKED YA ONCE, BONKIN' YA AGAIN!")
BAM!
Another flashlight strike.
Da Mole-Rat stumbled, da metal beam echoed.
Mama took her chance—
BIT ITS EAR.
HARD.
"Eep-eep!" ("OW! YOU LIL'—")
Grizz finally flung da squirrel off his back.
It hit da ground, spun, shook itself off.
"Meep." ("Not bad.")
Rusty tried to bonk again.
Missed.
Got grabbed by da prairie dog.
Den—
Da lickin' began.
Rusty screamed.
"SWEEEEEK!" ("WHY? WHY? WHY?!")
Da prairie dog licked his whole face.
Lick.
Lick.
Lick.
Rusty thrashed, tail wavin' like crazy.
"SWEEK!" ("I'M TOO DUMB FOR DIS TORTURE!")
Mama jumped on da prairie dog's head.
Bit its nose.
It yelped, dropped Rusty.
Rusty rolled away,gaspin'.
Da fight wasn' over.
Da Mole-Rat shook itself off.
Da chinchilla bared its teeth.
Da squirrel flicked its tail.
Da prairie dog huffed, sniffin' its sore nose.
Den—
Da Capybara spoke.
"Hup." ("Enough.")
Everythin' stopped.
Silence.
I was pantin'.
Mama was bruised.
Twitch looked like he was gonna faint.
Rusty sat in da dirt, stunned.
Cricket twitched. "Sqeek." ("I wanna go to bed.")
Poppy gagged."Sqweeeek!" ("I need da biggest baff.")
Da Capybara watched us.
Den, real slow, he nodded.
"Kweek." ("Dey live.")
Da crowd cheered.
I nearly collapsed.
Mama sighed."Squeak." ("Dat was da worst thing I ever done.")
Rusty grinned."Sweek!" ("I bonked a Mole-Rat!")
Twitch muttered, "Sqwek." ("I got licked.")
Poppy shuddered. "Sqweeek." ("Too much lickin'...")
Cricket groaned. "Sqeek." ("I got THROWN.")
Mama rubbed her face."Squeak." ("We all need sleep.")
Rusty stood up.
"SWEEK!" ("I WON DA TEST!")
Mama smacked him.
Den we finally, finally rested.