Zen darted back and forth, looking high and low as he made his way back from the rat colony. He was looking for a specific doctor, but couldn't find her! "Hello? Hey, Abat? Abat the squirrel? Are you here? HELLO!!!! ... Anyone?" Finding himself on his way home, empty handed, Zen felt a bit flustered! An injured mouse, in his burrow, and he can't get him help? Leaning against a tree, he stopped to think and fuss! "Stupid! People can't just stay away from the giant rats that will eat them... Nooo, they have to get hurt by them and... Wait, no, it's the stupid rat's fault! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why can't rats just eat plants!?! Hello?!? Anyone?"

"Yeah, stupid rats, always tryin' to steal my nuts or eat me or -somethin'-!!" comes a chattering voice above. Kaelin the squirrel bounds head first down the tree Zen is leaning against, stopping just above the mouse's head. "Bad, BAD rats!"

Belumine yawns, throwing a pile of leaves off of himself as he sniffs eagerly at the air, looking for something to sooth his rumbling tummy. He spies a berry bush, sprinting forward to claim one of the delicious contents...before turning his head around to find out what made that shrieking noise! He tumbles headfirst into the bush, squeaking and flailing. "Hey! Wha's the big idea?! Whossa shoutin'?!" He yells, sprinting out of the bush as he puffs his fur. He runs towards both Squirrel and mouse, bouncing up and down. "Who's you? Whatcha doin' makin' me run inta things? Huh? HUH?!"

Chip scurries out of his home in a fit, cheeks stuffed full of acorns and jumps down to the ground. Once there, he starts to bury one every ten inches, but not very well...Acorns are poking out of the ground everywhere until his cheeks are almost empty. He turns around and examines his handywork, then chokes on the last one with the commotion. He scampers up the nearest tree and onto a low branch, "QUIET!! Don't you know winter's coming!? No time no time to shout!" He scratches at a flea and shakes his fist.

Zen mutters and nods his head as he doesn't seem to notice Kaelin just yet. "Yea! Those rats always do that stuff an... an..." Realizing that someone was actually talking to him, he looked up at Kaelin and a wide smile brightened across his face. "Kaelin! Oooh, am I glad to see you!! I... I was just looking for someone to help me..." That's when he looked at the mouse, bounding toward him and Kaelin. "Uh, hi there buddy! Uh... not a rat that wants to eat you?" An ear twitches as he turns around to find yet another squirrel shouting at them! "Uh, sorry..." As he thought about it, a slight grin appeared on his face. Maybe, just maybe these rodents could give him a hand. Turning to Belumine, he waves him over as he turns back to Chip, waving him over as well. "Hey, come here! I... I want to ask you something, if it's not too much to ask.. You too Kaelin!"

Kaelin chirps as he notices Belumine approaching, bounding off of the tree trunk only to start running in circles around the mouse, chattering wildly. "Ooohoo. Mousie's ears turnin' red! I wonder if he'll explode..." The squirrel snickers and bounces off the side of another tree, rolling on the ground before abruptly springing up onto his hind paws. He licks one of his forepaws, running it through his headfur as he peers at Chip. "What, the forest wake up on the wrong side of the nest this morning?" he chirps, bounding nimbly back over to Zen and extending a paw in a way mimicking NIMH rats. "Sure, what's eatin' ya, mousie?"

Belumine huffs and bounces on his paws again, squeaking at Kaelin and trying to track the squirrel's rapid movements. "Hey! I's needs food, ya know!" He says, "I's not gonna explode! Imma scary when I'ma mad!" he says, attempting a feline-like hiss, failing and producing little more than a sputtering 'Fffh'. He turns his head over at Chip as he sprints off into the trees, shaking his fist in response. "Hey, we've got till the leaves all fall off tha trees! Whatcha shoutin' for?" He sprints right up to Zen, sniffing all over him. "Whatcha need? Whatcha want? You smell funny!" he says, looking into the unfamiliar mouse's eyes.

Zen watches Chip dart off, then he turns back to Kaelin as he smiles and places his paw on Kaelin's. He didn't quite grasp the concept of actually shaking paws quite yet. "I've got a mouse who's beat up in my house... I need help moving him and... well, mind giving me a paw?" He then turns as he looks at Belumine, his widening a bit as he curiously sniffs back at him. "Smell funny? Ooh... yes. I guess I do! Oh, uh.. I want you to help me! I promise food and.. well, you look like you need someone to be with. Rats have been attacking us younger guys so... need to stick together, yes!"

Kaelin chitters in response to Zen, nodding hyperly. "I could help with that! And maybe Xan too!" Smirking in response to Belumine's hiss, he gets down on all fours, waving his poofy tail around. "Meow?" he chirps, before quickly extending his paw to Belumine as well, again mimicking the Rats. "I'm Kaelin, of the Swiftpaw clan."

Belumine hrmms, nodding fiercely at Zen, and especially at the notion of there being food. "Yeah yeah! I'll help for some foods! And, uhm, to be a fer-end, too!" he says, looking over to Kaelin with another bounce. He takes the offered paw in both of his mimicking Zen much too energetically as he moves his arms widely up and down. All this accomplishes is to make the small mouse shake furiously. He lets go abrubptly, staggering dizzily backward. "A'm...A'm...Bel-ooo-min-eh, the scary mousie! I scare all the bugs away!"

Zen smiles happily seeing that Kaelin would help him! Even he couldn't hide his excitement, tail swishing back and forth! "Oh, that'd be great!!! Well, just say the word and I'll lead the way! Thank you so much, yes! With these rats going crazy around here, hehe... it sure makes me feel a lot better having a group of us smaller guys sticking together!" He then smiles at Belumine, grinning happily. "Oh, that's very great! You two are the best friends I could ever meet!" He grinned happily, then blushed as it occurred to him, he might want to introduce himself. "Oh, I am Zen Fetcher. I fetch stuff, kind of my job I guess. Nice to meet you Belumine! Ooh, scary mouse? I bet!"

Belumine follows Kaelin's gaze into the trees, falling over as he looks too far up. "Xan? Whossa Xan? Is he your fer-end?" The mouse shakes himself off of the ground, standing fully on his hindpaws. "Fer-ends are nice to have, yes yes! So watcha need us for? Yah yah, those big rats are scary...even scarier than me! they scare -all- the bugs away, and all the other mouses!"

Zen nods his head a bit and grins, though he does find himself looking up in search of Xan. He doesn't seem to see anyone though. "Friends are very nice... Ooh... Maybe... we should try to make a giant group of friends.... hehe... Feral Friends.. hehehh... I'm sure the NIMH colony would like that... Might have to try it!" He blushes as he finds himself muttering to... well, himself. He then snaps out of it and grins as he turns to Kaelin. "Ahh, yes! There's a mouse in my burrow... All we need to do is go to my burrow, find a safe way to move him, and get him to the rat's colony! Now, don't worry about those rats... They're... a bit weird, but not like these other crazy rats... So here... Follow me and we'll go pick him up, yes?"

Kaelin chits softly, nodding. "Those rats. Yeah, I know those rats. . Very weird." He blinks, then bounds in another circle. "What are we standin' around for? Lets go get that mouse before the nutfiends come around and eat us!" he chirps, looking around nervously.

Belumine squeaks worriedly at Kaelin, ears perking high and alert! "N-nutfiends?! Those sound bad! I don' like bad!" He runs right up next to Zen, head swirling around in every direction, sniffing feverishly at the air. "Where d'we go, huh? Jus' lead the way!

Zen grins a bit and nods his head at the squirrel and mouse, his tail flitting side to side before he gets down on all fours. "Alright! Let's go! Gotta mouse to save!" Little did he know of the adventure ahead of him and his friends...