The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 105

Darkness instantly enveloped Tiberius as he stepped into the terrible smelling drainage pipe. No light could be seen inside, the sunlight outside only providing a little. As they went farther and farther into the pipe, the light grew dimmer and dimmer. Luckily for the old red tailed hawk, he could see perfectly fine in the dark. Taking the rear of the group like he had been for the better part of the day, he could tell that they weren't having much luck.

"Something just fell on my head!" Mel cried. His yip of fright was followed by a harsh chirp from Sweetpea. Sighing heavily, Buddy mumbled, "It's just Sweetpea..."

"I just stepped on something and it made a squishy noise!" Chloe yowled. Not looking back, Pops told her, "Yeah, got to warn ya youngsters, ya might want to watch your step. And if ya step in something, may I suggest you not look to see what it was?" Gulping, the tabby cat replied glumly, "Too late..."

"Come on guys, we can do this!" Gidget encouraged the rest of the search party.

"Yay! A puddle!" Norman squealed, jumping into it. Water splashed onto Tiberius. Huffing, he muttered, "Can you watch what you're doing?" Suddenly, Chloe picked up Norman and carried him over to the front of the group where she could keep an eye on him. She might have thought the glare of hatred she had given the hawk hadn't been seen but Tiberius had seen it clear as day. Left standing as still as a statue while the search party continued down the dark drainage pipe, the old red tail couldn't help but feel out of place amongst the pets. His feelings hurt, he padded after them before he could be left behind. His head hung low as he walked, his light brown eyes staring blankly at the muddy ground.

Probably a full three and a half feet behind the group, Tiberius heard small quiet footsteps approaching him. Strangely though, it sounded like they were coming from in front of him and not behind. A moment later, Norman squeaked, "Hi there." Lifting his gaze, the hawk saw the young guinea pig standing in front of him. Blaming him for the reason why he was getting snapped at all day, the red tail walked past him with a huff. Unfazed, the small rodent trotted alongside him, keeping him company. Looking up at the old hawk, he whispered, "How are you?"

"Great, really great. Now get lost," Tiberius growled, his voice low. He was afraid that one of the others, specifically Chloe, was gonna come and claw his eyes out of their sockets because Norman was back here with him. Splashing in a little puddle for a few seconds, the guinea pig piped up, "I'm Norman. What's your name?" Not answering, Tiberius merely whacked the rodent with his tail when they turned left. Thinking he had successfully got rid of him, the hawk went on walking. But he jumped with fright when he felt Norman climb up his tail and back, at last settling down on his broad shoulders. Keeping an eye out for the rest of the group, Tiberius hissed quietly, "Get off!"

"You're so soft," Norman mumbled, nuzzling his face into the reddish brown feathers on Tiberius's shoulders. He gently ran his paw over them, petting the old hawk. Surprised and slightly comforted by the action, the red tail had to force himself not to start purring right there and then. Seeing how no one was rushing towards them as they were all following Pops, he decided to let the guinea pig stay up there for a little bit, until they were either caught or if there was light. Careful not to drop the small rodent on his shoulders, he padded quietly through the darkness. Remembering something Norman had asked earlier, Tiberius sighed softly before mumbling, "I'm Tiberius."

"That's a nice name," Norman complimented. As he was saying this, his paw accidentally touched a scar on Tiberius's back. And it was one of the ones that ached. The hawk let out a tiny yelp of pain. Worried, the guinea pig squeaked, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" He didn't finish his sentence as Mel asked, "Anyone seen Norman?"

Fearing that he was gonna be caught, Tiberius reached back and grabbed Norman by the scruff of his neck. Placing him on the ground, he nudged him towards the others. Giving him a sad look, the small rodent scampered over to his friends. Lifting his head, Tiberius noticed that Gidget was looking back at him with a smile on her face. The hawk averted his gaze. "How much farther are we gonna walk?" Buddy whined, his feet dragging. Leading the group with a confident air about him, Pops replied, "Relax, we're approaching the underground river."

"Underground what?" everyone asked at the same time, Sweetpea chirping. At that moment, they rounded a corner to reveal a huge underground river.