The Rat in The Signal

Chapter 18

At this rate, my original goal of having this be 20 chapters like Raincoat isn't going to happen but oh well.

Rat squeaking, human speaking

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Squeaks led them to an old abandoned fox den, moss and soft grass strewn about the flooring of it. What happened, Seven didn't want to question it, finding it better to leave some questions unanswered.

They were settled in the back of the den, Rain carefully trying to open the lock that secured his muzzle. He grimaced and gave a small quiet whimper as each movement she did dug the muzzle deeper into the broken skin on his nose. It just got done healing too...

Squeaks sat at the den entrance, watching the bushes with a hard stare, alert to any noises that might mean danger.

"There, think I got it," Rain said, the lock clicking open, the muzzle immediately loosening. Seven reached up, gripping the muzzle grating and flung it off, throwing it into a rock.

Around his mouth tingled from lack of proper bloodflow, blood beginning to drip off the tip on his nose and onto the ground. He gently touched his reopened scar, hoping to stop it. Rain got up from where she had been kneeling, walking to a bush that was near the den entrance and plucked a leaf. Squeaks glanced over to her, before staring forward again.

"Here, this should help with blood clotting," she explained, gently pressing the light green leaf on his wound. Seven reached up, holding it in place.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"It's no problem," she muttered back.

The two fell into an awkward silence soon after. Seven wanted to ask questions, but found himself finding a hard time with how he wanted to ask. Words weren't his best friend, especially with how to ask his own sister what happened in all the time he went missing.

Luckily, Rain broke the silence, looking over towards the entrance. "Something must really have her attention..." she whispered.

Seven looked out of the corner of his eyes, seeing Squeaks hadn't moved from her spot. Her nails were dug in the dirt, still staring forward, ready to protect them from the looks of it. What could have her so on edge though? Well, besides the rebellion member's now wanting his head and possibly Rain's as well, and the forest being hella fricking dangerous.

"Seems like it," he answered in a monotone voice. Rain looked over, Seven seeing his twin's eyes rounding as she tried to carry the conversation.

"You never really explain how you two met. You only said it was on The Maw and that was it before Commander Mono showed up," Rain said, voice softening under her breath.

Seven gave a groan, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "Just call him Mono, he doesn't deserve his title."

Rain flinched as he rose his voice, only then did Seven realize he accidentally snapped at her. He silently cursed himself, trying to soften his voice as he went to speak again.

"Sorry. As for me and Squeaks, we met right after I left to try and escape. I had just escaped the Nursery's bathroom when I ran into her. She came out behind some boxes, next thing I knew I was one my back with some crazy feral girl sniffing me over," he gave a small chuckle. "For a moment I thought she was going to bite my throat out,"

"We fell down a pipe, took out some adult swimming in the water, nearly starved in the engine room, danced to get passed some guests, then I went and killed the Geisha."