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Setting; Petstore shelves (Bulkbins, automatic water bowls and pet carriers/liners/small beds.)
Further down the shelves are more pet beds, litter boxes and bowls getting larger as they move away from the bulk bins.


It had been several days since the Big Water came through and the awful, dangerous liquid had finally receded. Fancy, the fine golden rat that was so adored by the Great Ones for her fur color had been stranded high on one of the shelves during the chaos but found herself not to be in such a bad spot. These large plastic bins she found herself on were full of food, In time, she learned by accident to press on a part and the food would pour onto the grated ledge.
Next she found herself looking for somewhere to rest, and located some soft things and packages near by that - with a little effort - released the perfect (if a bit wet still) nesting material. She ate well, and slept curled up in a nest made of fine nesting materials.
And in this way Fancy survived the next days with surprising comfort. As the flood waters dropped, the mouse become bolder, exploring her environment... And now? The waters were all but gone. There was perhaps only so much that were she on her hind paws she would have her head above the waters. It was much less frightening to the rat now that the storm had passed.

Fancy thought carefully on what to do next. The Great Ones had not returned, not since the Big Water came. She knew that she was favored for her fine coat by the Great Ones but that did not help her now. Now she had to make due for herself. She wasn't even sure if any of the others in her cage had survived. And today she had a mission - find a better place to hide. As it was she was sleeping where she had discovered the nesting material... But that was too exposed for the burrowing animal.

She quickly jumped down from the grating she was eating on, to the level she'd been sleeping at. From here, getting down was a little more tricky. The rat reached out with one foot and felt the strange container below her. It was full of food too, but had water in it as well. It was slick but perhaps if she moved carefully....
Then she realized - too late - just how badly the container sloped. Her feet slipped and Fancy went tumbling onto the floor. She squeaked as she hit a rat's depth of water, and some of it went into her lungs. With all the panic of the Great Water she lept onto the shortest shelf, coughing and spluttering. She quickly regained her composure and looked for a way up. There were some strange, rough posts that would likely get her up to the place she had slipped. With some wiggling she would be able to make it all the way up if her paws didn't slip again.
A way back up established Fancy began to clean the water from her whiskers and take in her surroundings. She was eager to make herself a permanent home around this food source... And defend it by any means.

Fancy paused mid-grooming, her nose twitching. For a few days now her sense of smell had been sub-par... Her nose and sinuses damaged by the water, but not permanently. Now that she'd had time to recover, she had begun to pick up scents again.

With a final wipe of her face to remove the worst of the water she raised her nose. She scented the air carefully. There was another rat around - a male by the smell of it... But where still escaped her. She hadn't recovered completely yet, and locating smells was difficult.

She decided to try another tactic. Whoever was here, having them hidden away would do her no good... She could neither drive them off nor demand their servitude if she could not find them...
And servitude was what she was after. She was eager to regain a place of stature amongst the local rats. And she was willing to do whatever that required of her.
Fancy chirped in a voice heavily laden with honey and kindness... A careful observer might have heard some unsettling undertones, but to most rats it was a voice of a loving friend or a doting mother.

"Hello there. I know you are here." She said, making a brief amble along the edge of the shelf. She thought the scent might be coming from this direction but it was hard to tell. "Perhaps if you come out we can speak together. Perhaps we can help each other. I am a Favored of the Great ones and can offer much to you if you are willing to offer yourself to me."

Fancy's eyes widened as she took in that lovely golden head popping out of the muck. Amazing! Perhaps he could have been one of the favored as well? But he was scared and confused and she would have to handle this gently. Perhaps he could do more than serve her... Perhaps he could help her build.

Fancy walked slowly and haltingly towards the strange male to show she meant no harm. The last thing she needed was him to feel threatened, so she continued to speak in her soft, honeyed voice. In all reality it was more sincere now then ever.
"Yes, I can help you. Before the Big Water, The Great Ones favored my family for our lovely fur and each of my kin was taken Beyond. No other family has been so favored. Only I was kept behind to live over the other rats and to continue our most honored and noble line."
She slipped a little closer and raised herself to her hind legs. She could almost touch him now. She eyed his white fur with patches of gold. He wasn't true to her form of golden fur but he could be a great asset... He could be the rat to help her continue the line even.
"I can provide you with food, shelter... Even make you like a king. You bear the golden marks of one destined to rule by the great ones. Together we could take our proper place over the other, more savage rats."

Fancy smiled as she watched her words wash over the twitchy rat. And her ears twitched as the other rat began to agree with her. She scurried closer, and boldly began to groom him, running her paws over his coat and cleaning the dirt and water from his thick fur.
"Yes. We need to protect ourselves and our territory from them... And all our supplies. Our food and shelter is important as well as ourselves. Only rats who will work with us are not against us... That is the law of the world, of course. Anyone else is just a thief."
Fancy stopped her grooming to look at the rat. "My name is Fancy. Would you like to help me? There is good food here, and supplies to make a good nest... I came down the shelves to find a sheltered spot to nest. These boxes could serve the purpose well, but I am not sure I can break through them on my own..." She indicated the cat carriers near-by. Each one was plastic, and had holes that could likely be chewed through with some determination... But the doors were metal and held closed with heavy springs.
"If we worked together we could have a safe place to sleep at night and clean food always close to our paws... And when we find other rats we can drive them off or ask them to serve with us and help protect what we have!"

((Thinking of winding this down. X3 Crazy has pretty much gotten himself in deep now and the den area is established. Not sure if there's anywhere else we could go with it...?))

"Wonderful!" She chirped, voice high with elation. Now she had a partner in crime. Someone to help her grow and establish this territory as hers.
"It's so nice to have you on my side, Crazy One. Goodness knows what could have happened if you weren't." Shy said slyly, flashing her sharp little rat teeth in a grin. The threat was vague and well concealed... And she let it hang in the air for a moment before continuing to smoothly cover it.
"After all, I could have chipped a tooth trying to break into these boxes on my own and you.... Well you could have gotten hurt or worse out there on your own!"

Fancy finished grooming the other rat and started back down the shelf back to where she could climb back into the nest she'd made, high above. "For now, you should come with me! Back to where I have been." She stood on her hind legs, and looked back at him. "There is food high above these shelves and I bet you could use some... After all you have been on your own for so long... You MUST be hungry!"

Fancy smiled as she studied the other rat. Fancy truly WAS favored! It was even more cemented in her mind now then ever that she was meant to rule. There would be rats to oppose her, yes... But in the end, more rats would fall at her feet, listen to her every word and help her build her masterpiece of survival. Yes, Fancy was quite secure in her position now.
"Yes, it can be difficult to reach but with some skill you can easily get almost any food you'd like. And I can teach you how. It's dry and safe even, untouched by the flooding."

She quickly climbed up onto the top of one of the cat towers, and looked behind her. "We have food, water, and things to build soft nesting materials here. And once you have rested you can start work on the boxes... And we can have the safest place to sleep. Now come along! We'll get you settled in."

With that she began to climb back up to her nest, fully expecting the male to follow. Her plan was in motion... And now nothing could stop her from taking her rightful place and ruler of a colony!