Mama always say, "Da quiet ones are da ones ya gotta watch."
I never knew what she meant.
Til now.
*****
Rusty messed up.
Bad.
He won his fight. Bonked da pouched rat so hard his teeth rattled.
But now?
More rats stepped forward.
Bigger. Meaner.
One of 'em pointed at Rusty.
"Ssssqueak." ("He fight one rat. Now he fight us.")
Rusty froze.
His lil' ears twitched.
His grin faltered.
He turned to Mama.
"Sweek." ("I made a mistake.")
Mama smacked him."Squeak!" ("YES, YA DID.")
Da crowd murmured.
Soft, nervous squeaks, sweeks, meeps, chee-chees—all bouncin' off da cavern walls.
Even da ones who wanted to see Rusty get turned into a meatball started shiftin' uneasy-like.
Cuz sumthin' was off.
Da Capybara watched from his rock.
His big paws flexed against da stone, claws diggin' in just a lil'.
Not stoppin' da fight.
Not sayin' nuffin'.
Cuz he wanted to see what happened next.
Mama tensed.
Her fur bristled. Her tail flicked real slow.
I gulped.
I could feel da air change. Da kinda shift dat happens right before a storm.
Poppy whispered."Sqweeeek." ("Rusty gonna get turned into a meatball.")
Rusty stood up tall.
Chest puffed. Flashlight raised. Grinnin' like a fool.
"SWEEEEEEK!" ("I CAN TAKE ALL YA—")
Mama smacked him again.
Den—
A sound.
Soft.
Quiet.
Not a squeak.
Not a sweek.
Just…
A click.
Everythin' stopped.
Da rats froze.
Da crowd turned.
Da Capybara's ear twitched.
Cuz standin' at da edge of da arena—
Was them.
Da Silent Three.
My other three siblings.
Didn' talk much.
Didn' fuss much.
Didn' ever make trouble.
Always clingin' to Mama's back.
Always watchin'.
Always listenin'.
An' before dis?
Before Rusty nearly got himself eaten?
Dey had barely moved.
"Sqwek!" ("Where was dey durin' da Mole-Rat fight?!")
I had wondered.
While we was scramblin', bitin', gettin' thrown, gettin' licked—da Silent Three had been off to da side.
Crouched near da walls, actin' exhausted.
Breathin' slow. Tails droopin'. Lookin' like dey couldn' move a muscle.
Mama had checked on 'em.
"Squeak!" ("Ya alright?")
Grim had just nodded.
Grit had sighed.
Gale had curled up, mutterin'."Squeak." ("Too much. Need rest.")
So Mama had let 'em be.
Didn' push 'em.
Didn' force 'em to fight.
Figured dey was just worn out from runnin' all night.
But now?
Lookin' at 'em now?
I wasn' so sure.
Mama saw it too.
Her eyes narrowed.
She glanced at Grim. At Grit. At Gale.
Den sighed real slow.
"Squeak." ("Dis what we doin' now?")
Da Three Step Forward
First one:Grim.
Dark fur. Ears always twitchin'.
Tail always still.
Never spoke.
Just watched.
Second one:Grit.
Scar over his nose.
Not from fightin'.
From somethin' else.
Somethin' we don' ask about.
Third one:Gale.
Da smallest of da three.
Fastest. Sharpest eyes.
Moved like he already knew what was gonna happen.
Grim clicked his teeth.
Grit tilted his head.
Gale stared.
Didn' move.
Just waited.
Da rats shifted.
Tails flickin'. Claws flexin'.
One of 'em growled.
"Ssssqueak." ("Ya ain't fightin'?")
Da Silent Three didn' answer.
Didn' even acknowledge da question.
Just stood dere.
Still.
Da rat snorted.
"Ssssqueak!" ("Den move!")
Grim stepped forward.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Didn' say a word.
Didn' raise his tail.
Didn' show nuffin'.
Just walked.
Straight toward da rat.
Da rat froze.
His claws twitched.
Sumthin' bout Grim's stillness made da crowd go quiet.
Mama's fur bristled.
Cuz she saw it too.
Da Silent Three wasn' scared.
Not even a lil'.
Grit followed.
Den Gale.
Da three of 'em walked right up to da rats.
Didn' flinch.
Didn' stop.
Didn' speak.
Grim clicked his teeth again.
Not loud.
Not aggressive.
Jus'… deliberate.
Den—
He tilted his head.
Just slightly.
Like he was askin' a question only da rats could hear.
Da biggest rat's ears twitched.
His claws flexed.
He snorted.
"Ssssqueak." ("Tch. Not worth it.")
Den—
He turned.
An' walked away.
Da rest of da rats followed.
Just like dat.
No fight.
No words.
Jus' gone.
Da crowd murmured.
Confused.
Curious.
Whisperin' among demselves.
Rusty blinked."Sweek?" ("Did I win?")
Mama smacked him."Squeak!" ("NO.")
Da Capybara watched da Silent Three.
But his big paws stopped flexin'.
Like he got da answer he wanted.
Grim looked up at him.
Didn' bow.
Didn' speak.
Just watched.
Den—
He turned.
An' da Silent Three walked away.
I shivered.
Mama sighed."Squeak." ("I hate it when dey do dat.")
Twitch whispered."Sqwek." ("What did dey do?")
I didn' know.
Rusty shrugged."Sweek!" ("Guess I won!")
Mama smacked him again.
Den, we went home.
An' da Burrow kept watchin' us.