the city mice

[Neoruko]

At the street's corner, between a small group of trash cans belonging to the shop behind them, sat a small white mouse, half buried in the spilled trash and hiding from the much larger rats that might be about. She had learned the hard way not to get in the way of a hungry rat, Damn blood-thirsty monsters, she thought as she huddled there, her scent masked by the heavy scent of rotting and decaying, long-spoiled foods. After a particular encounter with a rat had left a deep gash in her side, which carried over into her human form, she forever carried a scar for it, to remind her to be more careful.

Where is he . . . ? He told me to wait here and he'd come along soon enough! Well, I've been waiting for at least half an hour and- she cut herself off as every rat in the area quickly scampered away as if their lives depended upon it, which indeed they might. A large red cat had leaped from the roof of the shop to the ground beside the trash cans. It gave a questioning mrrow? and began to sniff about the trash.

At first he could scent nothing but the disgusting smell of the trash, but in an instant there was a pretty white cat between the trash cans, it's tail curls perfectly about it's paws and it's eyes narrowed in annoyance, "Well, Roth, now what? I've been waiting for you forever . . . ."

He rolled his eyes and allowed her to rant about him being late again, as usual, though he ignored pretty much every thing she said until she finished in a huff, white fur bristling, "Are you quite through?" At this, she spat angrily, knowing he had also ignored her, once again, as usual, "Well, are you ready then? Everything's in place, just as I said it would be. You're turn, and be careful Moro," he hissed quietly as she slipped from her place between the cans and brushed past him.

"And when am I not careful? You worry too much. When have either of us ever been caught and not gotten away with something? Hm?" She paused, giving him a short time to speak, though he only growled lowly, "I didn't think so." Her bushy white tail in the air, she padded away from him and slowly changed back to a white mouse, slipping in the shop's open door and scurrying behind a few boxes stacked in the corner. As her stomach gave a painful twinge, she realized just how hungry she was. Watching the door closely, she waited as a red mouse darted in and sped the opposite direction.

He quickly turned into a large red rat, at which point the clerk instantly noticed him. He scurried about, just dodging the clerk's every move to catch him or run him out of the shop. As Roth made his distraction, Moro darted to behind the clerk's table and changed once more. Now, behind the table, huddled a pretty girl, white feathers in her hair. She looked fairly young, though by human standards, she most certainly wasn't. She searched quietly through a few drawers and finally found the one the money was in. Carefully gathering it all in her hands, she stuffed it into a pouch around her waist.

Just then, her head popped above the table and the clerk noticed her, shouting. At this, Roth darted out once more and Moro turned back into a small white mouse, the feathers, her clothes, and the pouch of money all melted into her as she scurried around the walls of the shop to the door and out. As soon as she was out the door she squealed at suddenly being plucked from the ground in the talons of a large red falcon with strange green eyes. Though, she stopped squirming a moment later and relaxed as Roth carried her away in his favorite form.

[Neoruko]

After flying back to their 'hide-out', which happened to be the attack of an abandoned house, Roth gently dropped Moro back to the floor, still in her white mouse form. That accomplished, he changed while still in the air to his human form, who came across as standing with arms crossed moodily, staring down at the white mouse Moro. Though she wasn't a mouse for long, quickly changing to human form as well, and glaring defiantly back at him, waiting.

"I thought I told you to be careful!"

"I was careful. There was still gold left in that drawer, but I left as soon as I noticed my mistake!You always do this! Nothing bad ever happens and you yell at me for it anyway!"

"That's because you're never careful enough! We've been getting noticed a lot more lately and it's always your fault because you're getting careless! You can't do that! If we get caught-"

"Always my fault!?" she snarled. It wasn't that she was especially angry with him, just that his words had hurt her more than either of them knew, "It's just never good enough for you, is it!?" Her vision blurred by restrained tears, she changed once more, this time to her favorite form, and turned to leap away, only to be knocked to the ground by her brother in a red wolf form, snarling, "You're not going anywhere!"

"Watch me! I'm more experienced as a wolf than you are!" She went limp beneath him and he relaxed slightly after a moment, only to be thrown off by her sudden leap up as she raced from down the stairs.

"MORO!" he howled as he picked himself up and leaped after her, "Moro! Come back! Wait! Don't do this! It's not safe-"

"What do you care anyway . . . ?" she muttered from where she lay under a table which had previously been used for dining. Her red gaze was narrowed to slits and her nose tucked under her fluffy white tail.

"Moro . . . ," his gaze softened slightly when he saw her, as he crawled under the table and lay beside her. Though he felt her fur bristle against his touch, he only lay closer, his head resting on her shoulder, his green gaze focused on her, "Of course I care . . . . That's . . . that's why I . . . yell so much . . . I guess."

"Well, that's sure a great way to show it," she growled softly, turning her head away to rest on her paws. Suddenly she felt his cold nose on her ear as it nuzzled by toward her cheek, where he promptly gave it a lick. She nipped him playfully at that, not expecting it at all, then sighed, looking away again.

"Do you forgive me?" he murmured softly as she turned back to him.

"Of course I do, you overgrown furball . . . how could I hate the one who raised me . . . ?" She spoke just as softly as she indirectly mentioned their past. Nuzzling his chin, she stood, "Come on, I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat. This gold should last us for a few days at least."

"Yeah, a few days at the rate you eat," he teased and padded after her, both of them changing to their human forms before leaving the abandoned house they called their home.

[Neoruko]

Moro sighed as they sat in the upper room of their hideout, enjoying the spoils their work brought them. A warm cherry pie, half eaten already, was the only remaining edible object. She sucked cherry juice off her fingers and leaned back, looking at her brother, eating like the bird he so favored.

"You should enjoy your food more, Roth . . . you eat like it's a chore." She chuckled and grabbed another piece of pie.

"I do enjoy my food . . . I don't understand how you can enjoy it when you shove it down your throat before you can even taste it," he reached over and wiped a small streak of cherry on her cheek, "It may take me longer to eat but at least I can actually taste it."

She wiped the cherry off her face with the back of her hand, grinning, "I can taste my food just fine! You'd never win an eating contest, that's for sure. I can eat a whole pie before you even eat one piece!" She threw the remaining pie she held in his face, much to his surprise.

Slowly, he began to wipe the splattered pie from his face, "You know . . . you just wasted good pie."

She lay on the floor laughing at the expression upon his face, only just hearing his words. After a considerable amount of time, she finally got herself under control, "No . . . I just wasted a half eaten piece of pie, and it was well worth it!" She broke out into girlish giggles, her attempt to hold back more laughter not working well, "At least the cherries match your hair."

"Match my- . . . ," he sighed and shook his head, wiping the rest of the pie from his face, "You're so childish sometimes."

"Well, you started it. You're the one who first wiped the cherry stuff on my cheek. You have to know me well enough by now that you'd expect a return attack," her voice showed mock exasperation. She soon giggled once more, however, and laid back, settling down. After a while of silence, she sighed once more and looked over at him, "Roth . . . I know we have a good thing going here . . . the people in this place are so easy . . . but . . . ."

"But what, Moro . . . ?" He laid down on his side beside her, propping his elbow on the floor and holding his head up. Lightly, he touched the two snow white feathers in her hair.

Abandoning her previous comment for now, she whispered, "What was she like, Roth? I know I've asked before but . . . tell me again . . . ."

He closed his eyes, going back in time in his mind, "She was beautiful . . . you look so much like her . . . but you have dad's eyes, just like I have hers. More than green . . . emerald . . . pure and kind and wonderful . . . . And as an owl," he smiled slightly, happy in the knowledge that he had inherited his natural bird affiliation from his mother, "As an owl, she was amazing. White like freshly fallen snow and those emeralds for eyes. She was silent and graceful . . . never did I hear her utter a single sound when she took her owl form. She taught me how to fly-. . . ." Though he broke off, opening his eyes once more to look down at her.

Moro looked away; she was always sorry when she made him relive painful memories just for her own selfish wants. Her eyes snapped back to him when he felt him touch her cheek lightly, "I wish I could remember them . . . then I wouldn't have to ask you all the time . . . ."

He gave the slightest smile, "Don't worry about it . . . it's good to remember every once in a while. It just . . . ."

"Hurts . . . ?"

After a short pause, "Yeah . . . ," he took a deep breath, "It does . . . ."

She looked up at him for a while, almost imagining she could see their father in him, but no matter how she tried she just couldn't remember. Sighing yet again, she sat up, hugging her knees, "Roth . . . can we leave?"

"Leave . . . ? Where would we go?" he sat up as well.

"I don't know . . . somewhere . . . . I want to leave the leave the city, the Earth Kingdom . . . go somewhere else. See something other than forest . . . maybe the mountains . . . or the ocean . . . or . . . . Don't you want to see anything other than what you've always known?" He looked down at his hand momentarily, not yet responding, "Please, Roth . . . I get so bored here-"

"But we know this place . . . we know the streets, the places to hide, the easiest places to steal from. We don't have that anywhere else . . . it'll make us easier to catch! It's too dangerous to leave-"

"Well, maybe we know this place too well! And that's dangerous too. Some people in town are starting to recognize us, some even know we steal things! If we start over somewhere, well, it'll be like when we first came here. It'll be a little touch for a while, but, Roth, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself now! If we leave here, no one will know us!"

He stared hard at her, taking in her argument and not liking how logical it sounded . . . it meant she was right. Giving a soft growl, he stood up, "Are you going to eat the rest of this pie?"

"I- . . . what?" she looked down at the pie, "No . . . I'm pretty full . . . why?"

"Because we're leaving, and we can't take it with us."