Darting along the game trail, Zen slowed his pace as he sniffed about. Once off the trail, he waved a paw and shouted to the two following behind them. "Hey! Over here... Heheh, here's my burrow." With that, the mouse seemed to disappear, darting into the burrow with his tail quickly following behind. Echoing softly, Zen yet again shouted back. "And don't chew on the pillows!"

Kaelin cautiously bounds along the game trail behind Zen, flicking his tail as he watches Zen disappear inside the burrow ahead. He pokes his head into the burrow entrance shortly after the mouse, his black eyes adjusting to the darkness. "Smells funny in here. Hey, do you like nuts?" he chitters, then blinks a few times, "Uh.. whatsa pillow?" he asks, backing his head out of the narrow entrance with a grunt. "I'mma have to stay out here. Hole too small."

Belumine sprints so fast past the burrow that he must skid to a halt, toppling head-over-heels before gaining his bearing again. He shakes it off, following Kaelin. He nearly runs into the squirrel in his hurry to enter the burrow, having to once again adjust his bearings. "Hey hey, watcha where ya goin'! I gotta get in here!" he says quickly, darting into the burrow a moment later. "Ooo, nice and safe here! Hey, what's that?" he squeaks immediately, pointing at random objects around the room with obvious fascination. "You got some coooool stuffs in here!"

Timothy has been trying to keep himself awake; he doesn't think it'd be a good idea to fall asleep in a stranger's home, kind as he is... and he's a bit worried about the bump to his head he'd gotten earlier. Hearing a bit of commotion outside, his ears perk up; /finally/, he thinks. /Been running out of things to think about.../ Still, he's a bit worried; he doesn't recognize any of the voices.

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?!"

As every day of the mouse's life has been, Zen was out fending for himself and searching for precious, shiny blue objects! It was like a quest for him, every item he found being a marker of his progress. Sniffing and bounding around, Zen came to a stop. What was this? This certainly was no shiny object and defiantly wasn't food. Turning to face the direction of the running mouse, Zen blinked as he looked to see what the mouse was running from. Keeping low, he side-shuffled into a patch of grass as he looked to find the nearest tree for shelter. "Hey! Over here! Hurry up and get over here!"

Timothy skids, not quite stopping as he hears the slightly quiet voice over his loudly beating heart and panting breaths, altering his trajectory to head towards the voice. The possibility of it being a trap flits across his mind briefly, but he's running out of options, and nearly anything would be better than being eaten by the monster following. Speaking of... Nearly the same instant Timothy reaches the patch of grass, a large, hulking rat with blood on his claws and a crazed, hungry look in his eyes emerges into the clearing, slowing a bit to look around. He sniffs about, ears perking as he listens for the slightest sound.

Some years ago, young Jenevieve, her family life forever altered, found comfort from a relative...

Background: This happens shortly after the Move to Thorn Valley. In part due to Jenner's demise, Victoria, his wife, decided to hang around the Rosebush, leaving Jenevieve and Racso to fend for themselves in Thorn Valley. Luckily they had help.

With Cadmus (Cassius) and Isabella (Drasta)

Cassius and Drasta meet in the forest and discuss some of Cassius plans for the Valley..

----------------------------------------------

Sirana finds her schemes cast to the wind as she finds herself increasingly under the Staggs' mercy...

Sirana surprises Drasta by actually showing up with her promised machine...and making it work

Drasta waits in the clearing, having taken a position on an outcropping of rock. She's not sitting; rather, she is in watch mode, scanning the area for the promised visitor. As always, she has Owen with her, and a few other...friends...waiting in the brush beyond the clearing. Just in case.

The trickster rat Sirana tries to have 'fun' with the Staggs by offering them her 'expertise', but ends up getting much more than she asked for

Benjamin and Isabella discuss their concerns over Merick's behaviour and then discover the results of his latest bout of madness...

Isabella is sitting at her desk in the office, having just filled out some paperwork--it's a report on Merick's actions, and she does not relish the thought of turning it in--but it must be done. She covers her face with her paws, still trying to process what she saw.

Years ago, after the rats had moved to Thorn Valley, Jenner's daughter and grand-niece reflected on his death and their lives in general.