25 I Am Not a Creature! (1/2)

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Mina remained hidden inside the satchel oblivious to the scents and sounds in her surroundings. She felt the horse stop for a while as the general conversed with the guards at the gate. The horse continued to move a few moments later. Even after pondering for a long time, she couldn't shake off the gruesome image she witnessed. She remained motionless while running things over in her head.

”We're here.”

Mina felt the general dismount and she quickly tried to climb her way out of the satchel. She wanted to do nothing but curl up in one corner to sort out her thoughts. Without knowing how she found the strength, Mina jumped out of the satchel on her own.

Meanwhile, Tarou who has been hanging out with the human who loved handing him food was sound asleep when they arrived. He didn't even notice when the horse stopped. He was all too comfortable in the small space. When he woke up, everything was still. No more jostling, no more grunting horses, and no more dusty scent. He slowly crept out of the darkness but one of his paws was stuck on something. While struggling he couldn't help but squeak in frustration.

”Boss?”

”Human?”

”Anybody?”

Vigorously gnawing on a free paw, Tarou felt annoyed and disappointed.

'How could Boss forget him again?'

Tarou squeaked again, louder this time.

'They should hear him now. They will, right?'

Fully expecting to see Boss or the Barca human, Tarou was surprised when he heard tiny steps from outside. He tried to get out of the bag but his paw was caught on something. A few moments later, he heard small squeaks coming from outside.

”Did you hear that?” a high pitch squeak asked.

”Hear what?” another squeak questioned. The second squeak emphasized every word.

'I seem to have two squeaky friends outside,' Tarou thought. But he remained quiet. He was in a new place and he disliked socializing with other animals.

”I heard something squeak. I think it came from there?” the high-pitched voice revealed with concern. The other mouse quickly replied with doubt.

”There? Inside the satchel?” The mouse asked again, ”Why would a mouse volunteer to stay inside that thing? That's stupid.”

”Well...Maybe I heard wrong,” the first mouse admitted through another piercing squeak.

Tarou heard small footsteps retreat. He sighed in relief but before he could be comfortable with being left alone, he realized that he was still stuck. What if he gets stuck inside the satchel for his entire life?

No, it can't be. He had no food in there. There's no water either! Realizing the gravity of the situation, Tarou squeaked loudly for help. He heard quick steps and soon enough, he saw two pairs of eyes peeking into the bag. He held his breath while waiting for a reaction. But the eyes continued to stare at him with wide eyes.

”Do you see that?” the high-pitched mouse ask.

”It's not just your imagination,” the other mouse squeaked back.

The eyes suddenly disappeared and Tarou was engulfed in darkness again. Tarou continued to tug his paw to free himself. This time, he finally succeeded but the force caused him to tumble forward and he almost bumped into the curious mice.

When he finally saw the two creatures clearly, he realized that he really had two squeaky creatures in front of him.