King of Rats

The Alley King's Plan: Part 1

As his cockroach spy and only friend, Skit, scurried away through the earthen tunnel, King Giles of the Alley Rats enjoyed a rare moment of contentment. His age had been showing lately. He was indecisive at times, and had even been seen showing mercy. In a king, these were unfortunate signs of weakness, and in his warren, the weak were shunned.

Four of his subjects had vanished. They had either fled or been taken by an enemy. Either way, it was an insult to the pack and an unanswered challenge to the King. Worse, yet, someone had been stealing food from the pack's hoard, forcing the smaller rats to go hungry. This meant Giles was no longer feared, at least by some of his subjects. For a king, these were unforgivable signs of incompetence, and in his warren, the incompetent were killed.

Giles had even been seen backing down from his mate, Alice, as she publicly berated him for showing weakness. The irony of it was delicious. He let her live because their newest litter of kittens was still nursing, but to be honest, he was running low on patience with them, too. He suspected they weren't really his, anyway. But that issue needed to ripen a bit. He'd let her grow more attached to her offspring before doing anything drastic.

It had taken longer than he'd hoped, but his performance had finally paid off. Skit had identified several rats in his pack with very high aspirations, but insufficient subtlety to keep their plots against him secret. They, along with their mates and recent offspring, just to be safe, had been brutally and publicly tortured, murdered, and butchered for his larder. That should firmly reestablish him as a rat worthy of respect, and a king to be feared.

Skit's recent news raised his spirits even more. Their plot to ambush and kill his final and most dangerous rival was ready to hatch. His ever-reliable companion had even found a stash of dried food bigger than they used to have on the farm! In a single outing they could eliminate the greatest threat to his power, and return with enough food to feed even the runts for most of their lives. He would be more than a king. He, Giles, would be a hero

Everything was in place. They'd have to leave before sunset, when they would visible to humans and all sorts of other monsters. He hated going to the surface, especially while the sun spilled its horrid light over everything. It was almost enough to make him reconsider.

He wondered if he could go back to being a country rat; living in a comfortable hole on a farm, near a stream where he could swim, fields with endless supplies of food, and a pretty little mate to dote on him.

Bah! I'd go crazy of boredom in a day!

Feeling almost young again, he returned to the main nesting chamber for some rest before his outing.