text: "RatHoney? I'm home!" With a weary, but grateful to be home tone, a RatDad walked into the straw stuffed RatHome, taking off his RatHat and loosening his RatTie. It had been a long, cold day in the Danish RatFields scavenging for scraps and grains beneath the frozen Earth, and his RatBoss was in a particularly foul mood about it. He squeaked and eeked non-stop, verbally berating all the RatWorkers. Maybe he had a point. Maybe RatBoss was right about none of the Rats working hard enough when they were digging and scratching in the RatField, but the way RatBoss insulted and RatScreamed at them was too excessive for this RatDad's likes. That's why it was a relief for him to finally make it back to his RatHome and see his RatWife and RatKids. "RatDad!" Several of his RatKids slithered and scuttled out of their hidey holes and surrounded RatDad, encircling him before ultimately leaping at him all at once for a big, warm RatFamily hug-a-thon. "RatMom's making garbage stew tonight!" The eldest RatKid squeaked with unbridled excitement. "Garbage stew?" RatDad looked over to his RatWife with a coy smile, "That stuff tastes like *garbage!*" It was his favorite RatDad joke and his RatKids loved it every time. The RatGiggles warmed his heart, and RatMom, tending to the garbage stew, looked over to RatDad and shook her head playfully in mock annoyance. RatDad winked at his RatWife whom he loved so dearly. Just then, the rumble of a vehicle approaching reverberated through RatTown. The RatKids got nervous. RatDad held them tightly, his RatEars twitching with attentiveness. He hushed his RatKids focusing on the vehicle’s characteristics. It felt strange. It didn’t seem like the usual truck of the HumanFarmer, and if it was, there’d be no reason for the HumanFarmer to drive this truck so close to RatTown. RatDad sniffed the air, but couldn’t pick up a good scent over the delicious aroma of the garbage stew. “RatKids, go to your hidey holes...” Scared, they scurried away, all but the eldest RatKid. “RatDad? Is there something wrong? I wanna help.” he said, barely masking his frightened trepidation in his RatSqueak. RatMom looked nervous as well. She knew something was wrong. All the adult Rats had been through tough times, through anguish and struggle. Being a Rat her and her RatHusband’s age meant they were survivors. She scurried over to her eldest RatSon. “Listen to your RatDad. He knows what’s best. Go to your hidey hole and make sure your RatBrothers and RatSisters are okay. Tell them to stay quiet and stay hidden.” RatKid looked very scared now, but mustered up enough courage to run off to the hidey holes. “What do you think it is, RatDear?” The RatWife said, huddle close to him. “I’m not sure... You stay here with our RatFamily. I’m going to go out and see if any other Rats know what’s going on. I love you” He gave her a RatKiss on the forehead and headed out the door of their burrow and into RatTown. A few of his RatNeighbors were already out in the open grain silo, the foundation upon which RatTown sat. They were sniffing the air and feeling the ground with all four paws, like their ancestors used to do back before HumanMade homes, back when a Rat had to rely on all his senses and his wits to make in the deep, boreal forests of old. RatBoss was out there, too. It was odd to see him outside of RatWork, but it was reassuring to see him as just another concerned Rat just like another Rat in RatTown. The vehicle came to a stop. All the Rats were standing up now, listening intently. Was that the sound of a sliding door? The unlocking of something... It was hard to tell what was happening out there. A RatFriend quietly scurried over to RadDad, softly nudged his ribs, and spoke, “RatMarc, what do you reckon it is?” RatMarc, thinking of his RatKids and RatWife he left just a few moments ago, felt the adrenaline rising in his stomach and chest. His RatHeart was beating fiercely. “I don’t know. Just be ready.” Something landed on the snow outside of RatTown. A few footsteps crunched. RatMarc thought to himself, “Maybe it’s just the HumanFarmer and he got a new truck. Maybe he’s just picking a tool or something he forgot in RatTown.” Suddenly the door burst open to the sounds of barking and a beast tearing through the snow and dirt. A Dog! Barking and snarling, full of sharp teeth and single-minded hatred for Rats, The Dog lunged at the crowd of terrified Rats. RatMarc scurried as fast as he could and over his shoulder he could see his RatBoss in the jaws of the monster, the massive, yellowing teeth sunk deep into his abdomen. RatBoss squeaked in vain, but the Dog shook his head side to side so violently, so uncaring for RatLife. A mist of RatBlood was flung in the air, and in just seconds, RatBoss was dead. Two Humans were at the door now. RatMarc had never seen them before. They no doubt controlled the beast as they wide, full-toothed smiles did not even try to mask their jubilation for the coming RatMassacre. They cheered on the Dog. “Ja! Ja! Dræb rotterne!” They yelled with enthusiasm as the Dog pounced on and ripped apart another RatBrother. RatMarc did not know the language of the Humans, nor did he ever care to learn the tongue of such demons, but he could tell they were encouraging and directing their murdering Dog. Running down another rat, the Dog was making quick work of RatTown and hardly tiring. RatMarc heard the RatScreams and RatSqueals behind him. RatGuts and viscera was being wetly dropped down to the RatTown streets. The bodies were piling up already. He rushed as fast as he could, staying low, using the HumanJunk and HumanTools as cover like his RatFather taught him. He had to get home. He had to make it back to his RatKids and his RatWife. The terrible barking in the background. The pleading and panicking and praying of his defenseless RatBrethren. The Humans laughing and clapping. RatMarc burst through the door of his RatHome. “RatKids!? RatHoney!?” His RatWife was at the entrance of the hidey holes trying to calm the RatKids over the sound of a RatMassacre and thunderous, devilish bark of a Rat killing Dog. “Burrow! Dig deeper! The Dog can not reach you if you dig as deep as you can! Do not stop!” His eldest RatSon poked his head out of the hidey hole entrance. He was still just a RatChild... “RatDad... You’re coming too, right?” The awful sound of destruction and chomping coming from his RatNeighbor’s RatHome vibrated through his own. The crunching of RatBones, the spilling of RatGuts, the hysterical sobbing of his RatFamily just next door... RatDad was able to visualize it all too clearly. He knew what he had to do. He scurried over to his RatWife and RatSon. “RatSon... You have to dig. You have to go, now. I can distract the Dog. I’m quick enough, I think, but you have to burrow. Think of your RatSiblings, think of your RatMom. You have to dig now!” He embraced his son and there was a silent understanding that this would be the last time they see each other. With tears in his RatEyes, the eldest RatKid jumped back into the hidey holes and started yelling out orders to burrow and dig as far and as deep as they possibly could. He turned to his RatWife now, not even trying to fight back the tears. They held each other tight, RatKissed. The door to his RatHome exploded open with the clawing paws of the Dog. “GO! NOW!” She stumbled and made her way to the hidey holes to help her RatSon burrow their RatFamily to safety. The humongous, sword-like teeth of the Dog snapped and growled at RatMarc now, its DogSnout shoved into their once quiet home. He had to time this right. He had to lead the Dog away from his family, to give them time to burrow, to give them a chance to live. His RatWife cried out, “I love you, RatMarc!” The Dog pulled his head back for a moment, RatMarc did not even have time to return the sentiment. He sprinted through the small opening of his ruined RatHome and the terrible beast. Running and hopping over debris and bodies, he heard the howling and barking of the Dog on his tail. It was working. The Dog was following him! He used his agility to try to out maneuver the Dog, squeezing between tools, leaping into cracks, weaving out of garbage, but the Dog’s brute strength and relentlessness hardly slowed it down. If he could only run long enough and get out of RatTown, then maybe, just maybe the Dog and the Humans would think he was the last scared Rat in RatTown. The pursuing Dog slipped on a patch of loose dirt and its back legs flung out from under it. Thudding to the ground and yelping, RatMarc knew this was a lucky break, and so he poured everyone once of energy he could into scurrying passed the humans and out the Silo. If they wanted to hunt him down in the wildness of old, then so be it. The blood of a thousand ancestors ran through his veins, survivors all. Just two Humans at the door, nothing more. He scurried right under their feet. *WHACK* RatMarc couldn’t even comprehend what happened. He was dazed, disoriented. One of the chuckling Humans had clubbed him square the gut with a stick. They yelled out in excitement and the Dog trotted over. They looked down at the Dog, and then pointing at RatMarc, commanded, “Fang ham!” The Dog obeyed its master and clamped the blood soaked, sticky with the viscera of the fallen Rats of RatTown, jaw around RatMarc’s neck. “Goodbye, my RatLove...” Were his last thoughts before being violently shaken to death.