The Road So Far

Rat.

A big, fat fucker, too; probably had been gorging itself in the rations. Maero could hear its little feet scamper and its little mouth squeak in the murky light casting itself through the room from what lights hadn't burned out from constant use.

His own claws barely tapped against the floor as he crept, locating the vermin by smell and sound. The aim was to corner it and kill it when it fought back. Lips raising to expose his front teeth, Maero silently moved forward. The rat skittered away from him, herding into the corner with no hole to escape to.

Maero lept forward. His powerful legs propelled himself toward the rat, but the slimy fuck had its own backup plan. It dove under him and toward its hole before Maero could right himself and take off in its direction. He crashed into the wall unceremoniously and pushed against the wall to start himself in the right direction as he clumsily brought himself back to his feet.

Ultimately, the rat got away. It wiggled its fat little ass through the hole it had chewed through the wall while Maero was rocketing toward it. Once again, he hit the wall and righted himself. He scratched and chewed at the hole in frustration before he was able to compose himself enough to give up with a huff.

The rats were just as much of a problem now as they always had been once they found out about the rations that the dogs had inside, ripe for the thieving. Maero contemplated ways to trap or poison the annoying beasts as he came to the main room of the kennels, where his pack generally congregated when not out in the yard. Two years had passed since the humans had disappeared and left most of the current members locked in their kennels for weeks before they were released to a life of humanless paradise.