Chapter 2: The Rat Gang’s Secret Meeting
Amelie Fastrun didn’t make it all the way home before the weight of her secret became too much to bear. She darted through winding alleyways and slipped into the hidden entrance of The Burrow—an underground hideout known only to the Rat Gang Crew. It was a safe space where mouse-kids and rat-kids whispered plans, dreamed big, and occasionally gobbled up cheese puffs by the pawful.
Waiting for her were her sisters, Scarlett and Ivy, and her cousin, Atlas—a handsome and clever rat-boy with a talent for sneaking up on anyone. He had started the Rat Gang Crew when he was four years old and decided that calling it the Rat and Mouse Gang Crew was a bit long but that mice could join too. Besides, all his girl cousins were mice and they were a bit bossy.
The moment Amelie entered, Scarlett’s ears twitched with excitement. She had been practicing her “investigator stare,” but she still looked like she was trying not to sneeze.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Amelie Fastrun, terror of the streets!” Scarlett teased, while Ivy, the quieter one, fiddled with her pencil, colouring in her “Big Book of Famous Mouse Singers. She really loved Mousey Swift.”
“You wouldn’t be running like your tail was on fire unless there was serious trouble,” Atlas said, trying to appear cool but dropping a cheese puff.
“Sit down, Amelie, and spill it,” Scarlett added. “Don’t leave out a single whisker-twitching detail!”
Amelie’s paws were trembling. She took a deep breath and began, describing everything from the yellow monster’s enormous teeth to its terrifying roar. As she spoke, Scarlett’s eyes widened, Ivy dropped her pencil, and even Atlas stopped munching.
“D-diggers?” Ivy stammered, her voice barely a squeak. “Are they going to—”
“Knock down our burrow?!” Scarlett interrupted. “Not on my watch.”
“That’s what Inspector Cluehunt thinks,” Amelie said, her voice heavy. “He said I should go home and let the grown-ups handle it. But I think he’s scared.”
The four fell silent for a moment, processing what this meant. If the diggers from Smithies Construction really were coming, it wasn’t just any threat, it was a threat to their entire underground world.
Atlas broke the silence, his eyes flashing with determination. “Grown-ups? Pfft. They always say they’ll handle things. But this is our home too! If we don’t act, who will?”
“Exactly!” Scarlett’s voice rose, filling the room. “We need a plan!”
“What kind of plan?” Ivy asked nervously, doodling a tiny yellow monster in her book. “It’s not like we can just march up to Smithies and demand they leave…”
“Why not?” Atlas said, puffing out his chest. “We’ll outsmart them. Rats are smarter than people think!”
Amelie’s mind raced. “Wait! The old tunnels, the ones under the construction site! We could use them to get close and see what they’re planning.”
“Brilliant!” Scarlett declared, clapping her paws. “Operation Tunnel Sneak is a go!”
Everyone cheered. Well, almost everyone. Ivy raised a paw timidly. “Um… what if they catch us?”
Scarlett draped an arm over her sister. “They won’t. Not if we stick together.”
That night, the Rat Gang Crew gathered supplies: flashlights, a map of the old tunnels, and, of course, cheese puffs for emergency snacking. They slipped out of The Burrow and crawled through a narrow passageway leading to the forgotten tunnels.
As they crept forward, the air grew thick with dust, and their flashlights flickered eerily. Shadows danced on the walls, making it feel as though a hundred watchful eyes were upon them.
“Shh,” Scarlett whispered. “Listen.”
From somewhere above, there was a rumbling sound—the unmistakable growl of the yellow monster. It made the ground vibrate, sending a shower of dirt and pebbles down onto their heads.
“It’s right above us,” Atlas whispered, his voice trembling. “Be brave, everyone.”
They crawled closer, pressing their ears to the cold stone walls. Voices echoed from above. It was the workers from Smithies Construction. The rats strained to listen.
“We start at dawn,” one voice said gruffly. “All burrows cleared and flattened. No exceptions.”
Scarlett’s paw shot into the air. “That’s our cue! We have to stop them.”
“But how?” Ivy asked, eyes wide with fear.
Amelie’s eyes glinted with determination.
“By showing them we’re not just any rats. We’re the Rat Gang Crew, and this is our home!”
The group nodded, hearts pounding. Whatever came next, they knew one thing for sure: they’d face it together.
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