Battle of the Gente Animali

Pest Problems

Canis awoke from his sleep and took in a deep breath through his nose. He quickly sat upright, coughing and sputtering with a nose full of rank air.

"You forgot we were sleeping in this sinking place as well," said Passerie. Who was sitting with her legs crossed in the middle of her blanket nest.

" How long.....have you been awake for? " asked Canis rubbing his while yawning

" Quite some time, I've been waiting for you lot to wake up so we can have breakfast, pay that old hag and get out of this horrible place. Speaking of breakfast," Passerie snatched up a cockroach which was crawling over her blankets. She dangled it by it's hind legs over her mouth. Canis thought she probably would have eaten it if it hadn't turned into a man. Watching the cockroach turn into a man was like watching a sped-up version of a seed turn into a tree. Besides getting larger, there were considerable other changes. One pair of legs shrank into the body while the other two elongated and thickened; the head stretched from the thorax creating a neck; its antennae receded back into the head and hair spread from where the antenna had been; its remaining legs grew hands and feet; its exoskeleton changed colour and peeled off at places to make clothes; it's black compound eyes turned milky white with a beady black pupil. Until a fat, middle-aged man was lying on top of Passerie who was kicking and screaming appeared in the cupboard. The noise had aroused Anne and Ferre. They raced towards the cupboard to help drag the stranger off Passerie. When he stood up he made the floor boards creak and groan. He looked at Canis, Anne and Ferre with a confused look. He had a bald patch on his head but what hair he lacked on the top of his head has made up in his moustache. He had a thick moustache that covered his mouth which muffled his voice slightly, he wore a stained white singlet and denim shorts which were so tight around his fat thighs it made his legs go plum purple. He stared at Anne, Ferre and Canis then turned around and started yelling at Passerie.

"What you be doing that for?" yelled the man

"Excuse me," said Passerie in a very malicious tone "What were you doing in our room?" The man stopped and stared at Passerie, opening his mouth now and then, but not saying a word.

"How about you tell us exactly who you are?" said Anne drawing her dagger and pointing it between his eyes.

"My name is Ralph," replied the man who was now was trembling, eyes crossed staring a the tip of the blade.

"And why are you here and what are you doing?" said Anne in a calm voice.

"Well, it started when my friend came to me saying that people were in this room, he and his family live in that couch see. I found it odd that people were in this room because this room is for the poorest of the poor. I gathered some more of my friends to look around but when I found how much food and money you had I couldn't resist. My friends didn't really understand why I needed the money they're cockroaches after all. To them, coins are just shiny, metal circles but I told them I could get them more food with them so they didn't argue" said the stranger.

"Wait you've been robbing," said Passerie in an alarmed voice.

At this Ferre grabbed their bags and tipped their content onto the coffee table.

"There's only half the food in then there was last night,"

Anne dropped her dagger and rummaged through their money bag. When her hand came out of the bag only two gold, four silver and five bronze were in here hand.

"He's taken most our money," said Anne in a very shocked voice.

"Why does everyone we meet want to rob us," said Canis in a tired, weary voice.

"Well in my defence money's hard to come by and if you guys are so cheap that you stay in this room you kind of deserve it," said Ralph in an assuring voice.