Me: Hey!
Terra: Hello! *Waves*
Me: I know, I should be working on my other Yugioh story, BUT I REFUSE! And I wanted to start something new and this idea actually came to me from a Roleplay on this site for DragonFable. It's called Fallen Tower and it's in the forums, under games if you readers are interested. I was reading the concept of that forum then, *POP! IDEA!* So yea, and For anyone who has read Young Murder, that story is going to turn into a collaboration project with the original author Sandfire Kat. And it will appear on her profile when we start it.
Terra: Sorceress of the Nile doesn't own Basil, Ratigan, Dawson, or Mrs. Judson, just myself and her other characters.
Me: Happy Reading!
Terra ducked to dodge a club that would have hit her in the head and dashed as fast as her legs would allow over the cobblestone streets. Her feet slapped the mouse fled for her life, dodging more flying clubs that were thrown by her pursuers. Terra sharply turned into a clearing and ducked behind a bunch of crates, making herself as small as she could.
"Search the area, the little street bugger couldn't have gone far." A voice commanded and Terra squeezed her eyes tightly closed. She prayed that they wouldn't find her.
"And who might you be searching for?" A new voice asked. Terra perked up her ears. That voice sounded familiar.
"That is none of your concern." The first voice bellowed.
"And why is that?"
Terra allowed a little smirk as she listened to the first voice yell at the second for involving itself in affairs that were not his.
"She's not here, Inspector." Another voice spoke. Terra assumed that it was a constable.
"Alright, Search around the city." The first voice commanded, who was addressed as Inspector.
"If the little bugger tries to leave, we can stop her then, Clear?"
"Yes sir!" Footsteps retreating gave Terra a little assurance. When there was silence once again, Terra placed a paw over her pounding heart. She hadn't felt this spike of adrenaline since she was a thief and that was years ago.
"It is safe to come out now." The voice assured. Terra felt like it was so familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. Terra peered over the crates and found that the voice was right, the mice that were on her tail had gone. Finally, Terra got a good look of the clearing that she had dashed into. In the corner, however was a cage made of steel, with bars wide enough to throw things like rocks though, but Terra's attention was on the mouse inside the cage. He was a male mouse with light brown fur and covered in cuts and bruises. The poor thing even had a black eye. Terra stepped out from behind the crates and drew closer. Her mind began to register the familiar profile. The mouse looked up and Terra gasped. His eyes were deep green, like two emeralds.
"Basil." His name rolled off her tongue and Basil crawled up to the bars.
"Terra," His voice sounded warn, like it had only been used for screaming. Terra scampered to the cage and fell to her knees.
"Basil, how did this happen?" Terra's heart was pounding again. How did he end up in a cage?
"Ratigan, it finally happened. He took over." His paw gripped hers as his other one touched her face.
"He-He rules now?" Terra asked horrified. Basil nodded.
"He locked me up here as his supporters throw stones at me. I've been here for god knows how long." Terra's heart caught in her throat.
"You were the first friendly face I've seen in weeks." Terra looked up at the cage to see a heavy lock on the door.
"I'm going to get you out." She said, eying the lock.
"How? There isn't anything we can use." Terra looked at Basil, a hint of a smile on her face.
"You have to trust me." She winked. She stood to her feet and looked around. It was true, there were only small stones around, but Terra smiled when she spotted a larger, more pointed rock lying nearby. She walked over and lifted it. Basil's eyes looked like they were threatening to pop out of his head when he saw her lugging the large sharp rock towards the cage. Terra lifted it above her head, took careful aim of the lock and swung the rock down, snapping the lock clean off. Terra quickly pulled the link of the lock off and swung the door open.
"And you thought, I couldn't do it." She smirked as she gently lifted Basil to his feet.
"Yes well, I CLEARLY doubted you." He weakly smiled. His legs were shaky and he seemed like he hadn't eaten in days.
"Where should we go? I need a place that has supplies." Terra asked as she draped one of Basil's arms over her shoulder.
"The morgue is most likely the place to go, or Dawson's practice." Basil told her. Terra nodded and the pair took off.
After stumbling and stopping, Basil and Terra managed to get to a small building that was made of stone with a chipped coat of white paint. Terra half dragged, half supported Basil the whole trip. Occasionally, they would duck into an alley when a pair of constables walked by. Terra opened the door and gently lay Basil down on the table as she searched though the various cabinets and cupboards for what she needed.
"After you had gone, Ratigan took your absent as an opportunity." Basil told her as she searched.
"Opportunity?" Terra asked, shooting a glance over her shoulder.
"Yes, he had been corrupting the police force and the medical ware." Basil said and Terra bit her lip. Of course he would know these things, he was a master manipulator.
"Hold on," Terra turned. "If you and him are enemies, why did he keep you alive?" Basil shrugged.
"I don't know his reason, but if I had to guess, I would say it was to rub my nose in my failure." Terra frowned. Again, why didn't she see that? Basil cocked his head to one side.
"Something seems to be on you mind." He stated and Terra turned back to the cupboards. Terra pulled a few items from one of the cabinets.
"My siblings are missing." She said after a few moments of silence.
"Missing?" Basil asked, knitting his eyebrows. Terra turned.
"I left to take care of my niece, Jane." Terra dropped her gaze as she filled a dish with water from the sink and dipped a cloth in the steaming water.
"It's not as good as a bath, but it will have to do." Terra said as she helped Basil roll up his sleeves.
"It's fine. The constables would dose me with water to keep the smell from becoming overpowering." Basil assured her.
"Hold still, this may sting a little." She warned before placing the cloth on his arm, making Basil flinch. The two sat in silence as she cleaned his fur of the dirt, then she rubbed ointment over the cuts and wiped the extra off with the cloth.
"The bruises are still tender, but they will heal on their own." Terra told him as she placed the dish and dirty cloth in the sink.
"What happened to all the other mice?" Terra asked at one point.
"Most of them went into hiding, or fled the country, however the ones that were close to me or were thought to be rebellious were imprisoned."
"Where?" Terra asked turning and Basil shrugged in reply.
"No one is really sure, but Dawson and Mrs Judson were taken." Terra frowned.
"What about the gypsies?" Terra asked.
"They were either driven out or captured and sold as slaves."
"Slaves?" The word made Terra choke. She knew that being a slave was never a good position to be in.
"Ratigan seemed to lose his mind as the power went to his head." Basil remarked.
"Be that as it may, we have to free them." Terra said but Basil shook his head.
"Very if we were to do that, where would we start? Ratigan has coppers all around the city and surely by now, they would have noticed that I escaped." Terra rubbed her temples.
"I don't know, Basil, but we'll find a way." They sat in silence again for a few moments, thinking of a plan.
"I have an idea!" Terra exclaimed, grinning wide.
"What is it?"
"Alright, here's what we are going to do..." She slyly said as Basil leaned in to listen.
Me: I feel kind of bad for Basil.
Terra: Well, considering he was in a cage and rocks were thrown at him for god knows how long, I can understand where the sympathy in coming from.
Me: Yea, well, I hope you enjoyed my first chapter, I will update, sooner or later, but I still don't have a computer. Reviews and criticism in a kind way is appreciated, flames are deleted or ignored. TTFN!