It's Hard Being Small: Part Two

by Strata_skywolf_200 & Indigokitten

Clarai started walking, I followed. "So where are we going?" I asked.

"We're going to the Randerlan's Estate, you're going to get your food there," she answered, "You'll need to get five different foods, think you can handle carrying it?"

"Why five? I thought we were going to just go there and get food..."

"You're going to go there and take food, not get food, you need five different foods, this is more of a test then a snack," Clarai said, then she stopped.

"Here we are," she pushed me under the gate, "you shouldn't have any trouble, their Gelert barely notices small things, and so, your size is an advantage. Just be careful when you bring the foods, best get small but a lot."

"Okay," I said, trying not to attract attention as a walked across the yard.

"Good luck," Clarai whispered and started to wait for me.

I crept across the perfectly cut lawn, wishing I was a green Aisha so that I could blend in with the grass blades. This was some huge NeoHome... there must have been, like, a million rooms, I thought as I paused and gazed up at the stately house.

"Get going!" I heard Clarai whisper from behind a hedge, "Do you want to get caught?"

I ran quickly up to the house, and stopped to catch my breath, with my back against one of the great walls. Looking around, I saw that there were windows along each side - if I didn't want to be caught, I would have to crouch low and creep under the windows. Although I wasn't exactly sure where I was meant to find all this food, I guessed that it wouldn’t be just lying around outside. I'd have to get into the house, and find out where their inventory or safety deposit box lay. Soon, I saw a girl emerge from a large wooden door, which creaked as she opened it. This girl looked similar to the teenage owners had seen around, and she wore a straw hat and carried a basket. Looking around her, as if not wanting to be seen, the girl hurried across the lawn towards a walled garden a little way away, and disappeared through a gate. Here, I saw my chance - the door to the house was open just wide enough for a small Aisha to creep inside...

So, I did. Once inside I checked the first floor. There was the living room, the dining room, and the boring room... oops! Did I say that? Well, anyway, let's see, AHA! Success! The Kitchen! I walked in, took two Juicy, Red, and Organic Looking Apples. Looked around, Oh! Let's check the fridge... Mmm, a Steak, Got to take that. Some omlettes... okay, now to get out of here. I followed my way back to the door.

Oh no! Someone was coming! Got to hide! Got to hide! But where?! The closet! No, they'd put their coat in there... I'd better rush out and hide! I decided to carry the steak on my back, the omelettes on my head (held down by my two long ears) and I held the apples. Quickly I dashed back to the kitchen thinking there might be a door in there, and there was! I rushed out and into the bushes. I certainly hope this doesn't destroy the food. Oh no! As if it couldn't get worse! The Gelert smelled the steak! I had to make a run for it, so I did! I ran as fast as my little feet could carry me until I was under the gate and next to Clarai. I lay there on the pavement, gasping a little, but still clutching my precious edible prizes. Clarai urged me to get up and run further away, but I couldn't move... I heard a great clattering noise behind me, and lifted my head to see that Gelert crash into the closed gate! Getting up again, he rubbed his nose and looked angrily at Clarai and I. "Hey! Quit laughing! That hurt... it's not funny!" he said, poking his nose through the bars. "First you steal the food my owner saved for my dinner, then you tire me out by making me chase you all this way, and then you laugh in my face!" I couldn't help feeling a twinge of pity for the Gelert, but my own groaning stomach caused me to remember that I was less fortunate than he. Fancy living in such a huge house - he must have all the food he could ever wish for! But I had to go stealing for mine...

I sat up and looked hungrily at the items I had taken, wondering which I should taste first. “Hey! You’re not allowed to eat yet!” Clarai said, grinning at my confused expression. “Come on – we have to get back to the alley, and then we’ve got to share this stuff out...” Here it was the Gelert’s turn to chuckle at me, as a tasty looking omelette was almost dragged away from under my nose. I turned and poked my little pink tongue out at the Gelert, as we walked away, and was surprised to see an almost friendly smile pass across his face. Well, it's been a while since that day - three months later, and I have become an integrated member of the group. Grenadiers, Asmyth, Theo and especially Clarai have become my best friends - and even that old Gelert is good for a quick chat now and again! It's weird how that happened... the Randerlan's estate is a place my gang and I often go to 'forage', as we call it, and I am generally the one to go on such missions.

Every time I would creep up to the door, find my way inside and escape with a juicy morsel or two; and every time that Gelert would try to catch me but never succeed. Until one day, as I neared the gate to fetch perhaps some omelette for a family of poor abandoned Unis who had recently been befriended by the Gang, I could sense that something was wrong... there, waiting for me at the gate, was the Gelert! I started to run back in the other direction, but then – "Wait! You - Aisha! I want a word with you!" His voice sounded so strangely desperate that I came back and stood cautiously near the gate, all the while looking around me in case this was some kind of a trap. "Now, look - I know you've been stealing from this house, and I'm sure you've been taking more than you can eat yourself. So, tell me - where is all this food going to?" I was mildly surprised by this question.

"You - you're not going to bark at me? You're not going to shout and try to make me return the food?" "No - this family eat at such a slow rate that most of their food expires and is thrown out before they can eat it! I don't mind in the least... but my curious nature does get the better of me sometimes. So - what's the food for? And why don't I ever see you with an owner?"

So, I told the Gelert the whole story - about my being abandoned, meeting the Gang, and all the other hungry pets that we supported with the food we stole. A few days later I went to check on the Gelert, but he wasn't there. All the food was gone too. I saw the girl in the straw hat again, she was crying. I put my paws up on the window and looked around. All the furniture was gone, all the money was gone, and all the everything was gone. The girl looked up and saw me, but I hid before she could really tell I was there.

I ran back to tell the gang about this. "Theo, Clarai, Grenadiers, Asmyth! The Randerlan's Estate! The Gelert and everything but the NeoHome & owner are gone! What's happened?!" I asked.

"Oh my, they must've gotten a thief," Clarai remarked.

"A thief? What's that?"

"A thief is someone that steals things from other people, like we do, but they don't give them to the poor, they usually keep them," Theo said.

"But what happened to the Gelert?" I asked.

"He might've been sent to the pound, but I wouldn't recommend going to look, you'd probably get caught and would stay there," Asmyth answered. I was confused.

All this seemed terrible - my newest friend had been sent to that place which I had been taught to fear for so long! Was I expected to just sit here and forget about it?

"You guys have always taught me that... that we're a team! And team members always help each other out!" I told the others, "That Gelert was also a part of the team - I mean, he sometimes helped me to get food; and if we can get him out of the pound then maybe he can become a wild pet, like us!" Asmyth giggled as I said this.

"I'm not sure he'd be of much use - he couldn't even catch you on your first day!" Suddenly her face was serious. "You're surely not going to try and break him out, are you? Nobody ever escapes from... the pound!" There was a pause, during which nobody said anything, but all looked thoughtful.

To be continued...