The War of .Zip (Working Title)

Chapter 33: The hardest thing you'll ever learn.

As the remaining buddies sat down to bite away at Black 9's hopes and dreams, Ethan was feeling optimistic.

He was sailing through the sky (well, hovering slowly forward a meter or so above the ground on the back of a sheep who made up most of that meter) with two people who, unlike the rodents in the camp, weren't threatening to make him into a hat.

He was a very different mouse to the one that had set out from Oervard. Yes in deedy.

''Well, any idea where we're going?'' He asked the other two.

No response came.

He turned to see them hidden behind a tuff of the stars hair, embracing one another.

Looks like it's time to write a few more poems...

Stephanie sat up and stretched.

''I'd swear your getting better at that.''

''I'm like a fine wine.'' Jasper explained. ''I just get better and better.''

''Oh yes, silly me for not making the comparison between an enjoyable Bordeaux with a mangy old feline.'' She began to strap her clothes back onto herself and, when it came to her corset, motioned it towards Jasper in the hopes he would help. The cat decided it was better to kiss her neck rather help her dress.

''Do I need to get Ethan to do it?''

Hesitantly, Jasper complied.

As he secured it, a thought floated across the surface of his mind, took root and then refused to be removed until it had been resolved.

''In the maze, your fear was an older version of me. Why?

Did he...did I do something i-''

''It wasn't necessarily you.'' She interrupted. ''It was what you represent.''

She turned and knelt down in front of Jasper. ''We met when I was still but a little mite of a thing. When I was older and I met you again, you whisked me away on a grand adventure and, ever since, I've been like this.

It's not a bad thing, but it's just that it's not real, is it?

We don't deal with taxes, or little problems with the house or community and I can't remember the last time I thought about the future.

So, is this life? We're missing so many of it's little intricacies that sometimes it feels hollow.''

''I can see that, but then why was I your fear instead of, say, an elderly vole complaining about your Petunias?''

''Well, that's what I was asking. Your clone thingy just reminded me about it all. A friendly face that would bypass my defenses and make sure the words struck home.

And there's also the fact that you don't love me whilst I'm so damn lost in you.'' Stephanie laughed.

Jasper went to speak but she continued before he could.

''Lover, please. We both know you don't.

In all these years, over all your lives, I've only ever loved you.

But, well, you certainly got around.

In truth, that version of you was the first version of you that forgot me entirely. I waited months for you to die, praying that you'd come back to me.

In the meantime, I tried to keep tabs on you, and the easiest way to do that seemed to be by listening to the whores you bedded.

I counted over a hundred, so someone was a busy boy.