CROOK

Chapter 8

Cedar limped her way to Arlington and Wilfred. "Wilfred go to Annabeth I will get Cedar!" Arlington ordered. Wilfred nodded and went to do his action. Arlington quickly darted to her watching leonie pick up her speed. "Go get somewhere safe." Cedar murmured. "She wouldn't dare to kill me I'll fight back just for you." Arlington said protectively. Leonie was right in front of them now boiling with anger. Arlington was in a fighting position ready for some combat.

Leonie charged at pinned Arlington on the hardwood floor her body was heavy on top of him weighing him down. "Cedar watch out! Get away! quickly!" Arlington said struggling underneath the thick rat. Cedar nodded and tried crawling away from the fight. She couldn't stop thinking about Arlington getting hurt or worse killed. But leonie wouldn't break Solarlandia's code of law right? She wouldn't dare kill someone under their own anger. Solarlandia has a code of law all citizens have to follow. One of them states "Nobody shall kill under ones anger settle the situation maturely without fighting or murder at all cost."

This made Cedar gulp. Could the real traitor actually be Leonie? She slowed down her pace to see Wilfred with Annabeth running towards her. "What's going on Leonie!" Annabeth shouted. Leonie turned around and sprightly got off Arlington. "Helloooo um Anna!" Leonie said kicking Arlington aside making him yelped softly. "She just tried to attack us." Cedar announced. "Not true he was asking for it." Leonie tattled pointing to Arlington. "She's lying!" Arlington growled. "Hush everyone! I'd like to hear one at a time please!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"It's true that she attacked us though." Wilfred commented. "How about keep your mouth shut before I do it for you." Leonie snapped clenching her teeth with drips of spit trickling onto the floor. "They wanted to kill you Annabeth I wanted to protect you." Leonie said innocently. "Kill me?" Annabeth gasped and quickly turned to Wilfred with a unbelievable expression. "No it's just-" Wilfred murmured. "They suspect you have a tracking device on your neck making you lead the humans to us!" Leonie interrupted. "Is this all true?" Annabeth announced turning to Cedar. "Yes...the second part was we weren't planning to kill you." Cedar said. "Lies!" Leonie hissed. "Shut up kitty breath it's all the truth stop denying the facts and grow up." Arlington snapped.

"Oh so you wanna make me pissed again huh?" Leonie snarled slamming her left paw on his stomach. "That's the point." Arlington bellowed. "Enough!" Annabeth clamored. Her tone was no longer smooth and soothing it was more angry and serious. "Cedar it's time I reveal the truth to everyone I'm so sorry for lying." Annabeth continued. Annabeth lifted up her feathered scarf that hung on her neck. What revealed was a metal chip with glowing blue dots attached to her neck very tightly and a very purple bruise all around it. "Everytime it beeps it's a signal that the thing controlling it is gonna hurt me. It presses very hard into my skin making it bleed and bruise a lot.." Annabeth whined. Everyone gasped. It was true

Annabeth had a tracking device on her. Leonie was seething in confusion and fear. Cedar's claim was correct. "Please kill me all you want I just want this suffering to end." Annabeth pleaded with slow emptiness. "This was forced on me by the humans since not all of us escaped and are still on the surface. They suspected the migration was hidden somewhere I'm so sorry." She continued. Cedar's face lit up with curiosity could her mother still be out there. Maybe her sister was still alive? "Wait wait wait hold up a sec so the humans implanted this to you instead of yourself?" Arlington said standing up from the ground. Annabeth nodded. Cedar turned to Leonie she didn't say anything but her face was angry and shocked. "Leonie,Annabeth,Cedar,Wilfred,and Arlington what in the Mutilator is going on!" A voice called out.

Everyone turned their gaze to it to see it was Fulton. Cedar padded up to her father and explained all that happened. "My goodness! Annabeth you have a lot to explain. We are going to have a trial to figure out your punishment for treason." Fulton declared. "NO it wasn't her fault it was the humans if only you could her a chance maybe I'll be able to remove the device or-" Leonie was interrupted by Fulton's silence. "It was nice knowing you Annabeth." Arlington said. Fulton signaled Annabeth to come to him and she trotted beside him walking into the throne room. The rest watched them disappear further into the hall. Leonie's teeth revealed her paws twitched intensely in focus. Viewing them leaving her alone.

This is what Leonie felt after her brother Keokuk left. She couldn't focus to Cedar when she asked if she was feeling alright. She stayed silent not moving a single muscle. Her heart raced and her breaths were heavy. "She's fine come on Cedar." Arlington said. "No stay here." Leonie finally said. Her voice was sharp and sounded like she wanted to burst into tears. Arlington rolled his eyes and walked to Wilfred's side. Cedar walked to Leonie leisurely and stared into her eyes. "You took her away." Leonie said blankly. "You took the only one who loved me away." Loved? Could Leonie and Annabeth be something? Homosexuality in rats was not very common due to having one point in life.

To reproduce and spread is what her father said. She genuinely thought they were just a good friend. "Did you have a crush on her or something?" Arlington called from across the hall. Cedar hissed at him to shut up and he giggled. "No she's going to be gone." Leonie said. "And it's all. Your. Fault." Leonie held up her claws and scratched Cedar's eye making her slam to the ground. "WHAT THE HELL." Arlington shouted charging to Leonie. Cedar whimpered holding her injured eye. Blood trickled slowly on the floor and Leonie pinned her down. "IF I WASN'T FOR YOU I WOULD OF HAD SOMEONE THAT CARED YOU GOT RID OF MY BROTHER YOU GOT RID OF MY FRIEND!" Leonie snarled intensely scratching at Cedar. Cedar tried fighting back but she was weaker than ever.

Arlington landed on Leonie throwing her to the wall. Cedar watched as the two rats fought within the darkness. Her vision was blurry all she could see was 2 blotches coming at each other. "Cedar! Cedar!" Wilfred exclaimed at her. "Wilfred?" Cedar murmured. His face was on hers feeling his hands pushing her. She heard a window break Arlington was hit against it making it crack. "YOU TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING." Leonie said sinisterly stepping closer. "I WANTED SOMEONE TO LOVE ME!" "Leonie please you know she was guilty leave him alone!" Cedar said. "Shut up you know you also got rid of my brother. You encouraged him to go to the lab but look now! You've gotten him killed you animal!" Leonie said furious.

"Look Leonie I can explain. I'll bake you a cupcake. I'll sing you a song!" Arlington said holding on to the edge of the window. "No time for that now." Leonie growled pinning Arlington to the outside of the window. Both heads were outside the window fighting. Cedar had to do something quick before they both fall to their death. Cedar tried standing. Her body aches but she managed to get up on her feet. "Cedar settle down and rest." Wilfred ordered. But Cedar shook her head and went to them with blood from her eye and her body running with the wind. "Now you know how I felt. Fear. Alone. Nobody coming to help." Leonie whispered in his ears as she had gotten him to almost fall.

Cedar fell on her dress and pushed with all her force on Leonie and she fell over Arlington out the window. Arlington fell out the window but held on a ledge. Cedar looked down and watched Leonie plunge into a thorn bush that grew beside the castle with sharp thorns. Cedar almost hurled at the sight of Leonie's motionless corpse being stabbed exposing her esophagus with a large thorn deeply through her throat. Cedar's muscles are frozen in place but filled with such a tingling pressure she wanted to run until her body was empty – put as much distance between herself and the corpse as possible. But all she sees right now is loose forms with colour and I need the world to come back into view before she can run. Cedar knows it's adrenaline. Perhaps fleeing is the dumbest move, she wouldn't know, her brain is too fried to analyse the options. Arlington managed to climb up through the window. Right when he landed his feet on the corridor's floor Cedar hugged him.

She cried into him refusing to let go of his soft warm fur and his robe. "There there." Arlington said petting her back. Wilfred came to pet her back as well. Arlington peered to a figure. Their mouth was wide open in shock and fear. "Y-you killed her!" The unfamiliar rat said. "You killed Leonie!" "Look we can explain Teo." Wilfred assured. Teo shook his head and ran away in fear probably going to tell Fulton. A few minutes later they sat in the hallway looking at the guards with metal armor and a tall spear stood in front of them. "The king wants to see you three." One said. "You're all punished for murder as well as treason." Wilfred had a confused expression like what he do.

"Go now." They prodded Cedar with their spears they held in their hand. The rat trio stood up and walked through the hall heading towards the throne room. Cedar still couldn't believe she killed a rat she would never do such. It was all just an accident.

Right?