Dunny Rödent: Collection of Short Stories from the Rat World

Dunny and the prosaic dream

Dunny had a dream.

In a world of magic, sorcery and spellcraft, he was a magical rat. Hero of the land.

As a hero his job was to protect everyone.

He had knowledge and experience, going nest to nest, burrow to burrow, saving rodents from demonic predators and magical emergencies.

But there was final battle approaching. Defeating evil Demon-Cat Lord and ensuring peace in all the lands.

So Dunny took his wand, the Vigorous Toothpick, put on his mossy robe and pointy hat, and set out on the ultimate adventure.

He traveled far and wide, all the way across the Pond to the other side of the park, the Forbidden Dumpster Square, a territory of the vicious Demon-Cats.

Never before was he faces with such evil aura. The stench of rot and death was oozing from every direction. And he felt eyes, evil eyes, constantly on him.

Hoards of predators, small and big, came at him in waves. But Dunny persevered.

Casting fantastic spells from Vigorous Toothpick, protected from physical and weaker magical attacks by his mossy clothes, he moved closer and closer to the lair of the Demon-Cat Lord.

The Tower of Trashcan.

At the base of the plastic tower Dunny faced a serpent with shining scales, blacker than death itself.

"Who... Entersssss?" asked the snake slithering around the towering trashcan.

"Dunny, the magical rat." said Dunny, and he hoped he sounded more intimidating and confident than he actually was. "I am here to slay the Demon-Cat Lord. Step aside or perish like your kin, foul Demon-Serpent!"

Dunny lifted his Vigorous Toothpick high above his head and casted a powerful illusion spell. It made the snake freeze, blinded by the sight of furless two legged giant ape waving something. Dunny swiftly used that chance to charge another spell, this time to attack demon snake's head directly.

The battle was hard fought, exchanging spells and magical attacks back and forth, Demon-Serpent's demonic odor poison gas attack nearly disintegrated Dunny's magical clothes.

But Dunny had used all his knowledge and experience, everything he learned in Magic Rat Academy, everything his master, a mole Aloiseus the Blind, taught him. He survived another battle.

Tired, almost completely out of magical energy, Dunny pushed himself to see this quest to the end. It was already nightfall.

With huge difficulty he climbed up on the top lid of the Tower of Trashcan, where he stood face to face with the infamous evil Demon-Cat Lord.

Floof the Tormentor.

"Welcome Hero." Floof the Tormentor hissed at Dunny and waved his giant fluffy paw.

Air pressure alone almost threw Dunny off the Tower, but he held on.

"I will stop your evil deeds and all of your evil minions will be purged from these lands once and for all!"

"I will see you become my midnight snack instead!" shouted the Demon-Cat Lord and suddenly plunged teeth first at the tiny dun-furred rodent.

They battled all night, but despite Dunny's magic being depleted time and time again, he found new strength every time he was nearly felled.

"Why don't you die, rodent?!"

Furry of the Demon-Cat Lord, Floof the Tormentor, kept increasing along with his physical and magical power as time went on, but no matter how much he bit, how much he clawed, how much he hurled magical attacks at the magical rat - Dunny stood back up.

"I will always have the power to vanquish the evil, the foul, the vile and the detestable villain like you. Because I am a hero of Brawlington Parkingdom! Now begone, Floof!"

At last, as the dawn's first light was waking up the world through thick crown of the trees, Floof the Tormentor was no more. He evaporated, or turned into a sludge thing, or black smoke thing or something. Dunny wasn't looking. But Floof was gone.

Dunny, the heroic magical rat of legends saved the world.

Then Dunny woke up.