Gregor and the Uncharted Lands

An Underland Chronicles Fanfic

By Feltbeat

Disclaimer: I do not own The Underland Chronicles or any of the characters. They belong to Suzanne Collins. I do however, own all of the OCs, plot, and creativity.

PROLOGUE

Through the long-bladed grass, sounds of scurried footsteps were emitted, clear as daylight against the silence of the surroundings. Tiny little footsteps, and padded feet bounced off of the soft, mossy flooring, and the flickers of tails could be seen if one looked closely. One was but a little bloody stump, leaving trails of red behind as it darted in and out, between earthly obstacles, such as rocks or large bushels.

When at last the quick movements ceased, it was near the entrance to a small, jagged cavern.

"Listen to my words," the rat said to her pup, who looked up with large, round eyes, fear being the dominant feature on his face. "Go inside the cave, and stay there. No matter what you might hear, or see, or think, do not leave. Do you understand?" The little pup nodded its head frantically. His mother had never spoken with such urgency, not in his lifetime. This must be serious. "Good. Now go on inside – hide as far back as you can, and cover yourself with something if you can. Here – " the rat drew out a thin glass vial, and broke it open on her paw. Clear liquid spilled from it, heavily scented with foreign fumes. The mother grabbed her pup, who was busy trying to squeeze his plump little body into the small cavern entrance. His mother could never fit inside.

She smeared the liquid all over the confused pup's body, who shriveled up his nose at the strong smell. The sensitive tissue surrounding it had not yet reached its full-grown stage, so the fumes were not only unpleasant, but painful. "Momma…" he whimpered, as a particularly nasty sting made its way through his cartilage.

"Shhh…it will be alright. You will be okay…it will be okay…" the mother rat said soothingly, running another handful of liquid through her pup's fur. "Do not worry…everything will be alright. Shhh…" Tears poured from her eyes, and she wiped them away quickly so that her pup would not see. She needed to be strong, for him. For his sake.

There was a noise, some distance behind them, which made the two rats jump up in surprise as it was emitted. The rat felt chills creep up her spine, and rubbed the liquid with more urgency. When at last the entire vial was used up, the noise became more frequent. Louder…closer…

"Alright, go on inside," she told the pup, giving his behind a nudge, so that he would squeeze in through the narrow opening. Once inside, the pup peered through the entrance with those humongous eyes. And there was the noise again.

"Momma…what is that?" His voice sounded terrified and confused simultaneously. The older rat didn't know what to say.

The bushes in front of them moved. No – it must have been her imagination! But there it was again – that casual sway of leaves, along with several crackles of fallen branches. The wind couldn't have done this – there was no wind. Only moist, humid air, thick with the scent she'd just got done rubbing on her pup. Pray Sandwich that he be alright…

"Momma loves you very much Cutcer," she whispered into his ear, sticking her muzzle in through the opening. "Do not you ever forget that!" She finished on a certain note of urgency. "Now go! Go, bury yourself! Now!" The little pup scurried away quickly into the depths of the cavern. There was only enough time for the rat to shove a handful of dry leaves into the hole before the wall of bushes broke.

Spinning around, the rat found herself almost face-to-face with the most horrifying thing she had ever seen. In that very moment, her entire life flashed before her eyes. The awful incident at the Garden of Hesperides, where the dike was broken by a killer, drowning her mate and countless others…the wretched life she and her pup had spent, wandering aimlessly in the outskirts of the rats' own lands, for fear of showing her face there again…all of the cold, damned nights when the two of them slept on the freezing ground, with nothing but the sound of Cutcer's empty stomach, wailing in tune with the wind…

And now here she stood, staring into the eyes of a beast, her heart skipping a beat or so every now and then. She couldn't fight. Hell, she could barely stand on her hind paws. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears, deafening her.

She opened her mouth, unable to take her eyes off of the wild ones in front of her. "Don't – "

But she never got the chance to finish what she wanted to say. Long, sharp teeth that felt like daggers tore into her weakened, defenseless body, reopening older wounds and creating new ones with immense ease. The torn patches on her skin felt as if they had been set to flames, which in turn enveloped her whole body, spreading quickly. She was blinded almost instantly, as red blood poured to her eyes, and burst through. She was losing the rest of her senses too, and soon she slipped out of consciousness, becoming limp in the large jaws of the beast.

Cutcer watched the entire thing unfold in front of his big eyes. He had forgotten all about the pain in his nose – it no longer existed. All that was there, was Cutcer, his mother, and the large creature that had dimmed her light with a single bite.

Cutcer remained quiet during the scenario, and when he saw the signs of struggle cease, his eyes silently passed over the gory remnants of what had happened.

He suddenly understood his mother's request for him to stay hidden no matter what, for leaving his nest and embracing the same fate as Leatherface, his mother, suddenly came to mind. Indeed the idea appeared welcome and inviting, but yet he made no movement. Only watched, his breathing corrupt against the silence.

He looked on as the creature began to dine upon the body. There was little meat to pick off of the bones. Cutcer watched Leatherface's blood smear on the creature's face, which broken into a manic expression.

That was about as much as the pup could handle, for he felt dizzy and lightheaded, and soon hit the mossy flooring with a soft THUD.