Rat

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There are many ways to pass the day. I could be basking in the sun. I could be hunting for food. I could be searching for water. I could be trying to mate.

Yes, there are many ways to enjoy the passage of time as the local star traverses the sky from one horizon to the next. I knew each of these past-times well.

This, however, was not one of those ways.

I fell across a hard floor made from trees. I landed on my back, and for a moment I was stunned. I blinked, waited for sensation to return to me. Then I spun around and started running again.

Something stopped me. A paw--a claw.

I did not need to look around to know what had me. It was one of them. Perhaps this creature has a name, but to me it was just a monster covered in fur, with sharp teeth and a long tail and two eyes that missed nothing. It was a vicious predator, and it had taken more than a few of my kin.

Now I was in its grasp. I did not know what to do. I tried to run, but it was too fast. I played dead, but it just swatted at me with its paws. It threw me across the room where I skidded across the smooth surface. The world spun. Nausea gripped me.

Terror gripped me, too.

I could see no way out from this. The monstrous creature had been swatting me for at least half an hour. I had been carried throughout the beasts' nest, often by my tail. It had clawed me and padded me and thrown me through the air. I was powerless. I was like a leaf in the wind.

All hope was gone.

The monster swiped me again. A little harder this time. The creature's claws were out, and they drew blood. I gasped and lay on the ground, pretended to be dead. It had never worked before, and I knew it wouldn't work now, but I had to try. I couldn't just give up. I was still alive, and if I was alive then there was a chance that I could stay alive. I just needed to find my moment. The right moment. It would come to me. Patience was all I needed.

The creature gave a strange cry. It sounded alien to me. I can't describe it. The monster looked... happy. It approached from across the room. It stopped halfway, leaned down on its front paws. I could see it tensing, ready to pounce. This was it. This was the end.

The creature pounced.

This was it! The moment I had been waiting for. With the creature in the air, there was little it could do to stop me. But I finally had my chance, and I took it. I ran--I ran right underneath the creature.

The monster spun in mid-air, tried to grab me with its paws, but I was too small and nimble. I kept running. Beyond there was a wall, and there was a small gap that ran up the entire length of the wall. It wasn't much bigger than I was; I would have to squeeze to get through.

With a thud, I heard the monster land behind me. I knew it would be on my tail. I could feel it racing after me. The ground shook as it charged. I was fast, but was this monster faster? I didn't know. I still don't.

I only had to reach the gap in the wall. It was so close. I could feel my heart racing, so fast that it threatened to burst. My legs were moving in a blur. I could think of nothing but the gap. Nothing but the gap. Nothing but the gap...

... And then I was through, and the monster could not fit. Fresh air hit me, the perfect tonic. I was safe. I was alive.

I had won.