~The Tiger and the Rat~
AN: This is sort of a parody for the Hare and the Tortoise fairytale. It was originally an English assignment.
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
The rat sulked in the shadows; all the other animals of the land were gathered around the fire. The Tiger was boasting about his hunting skills, his strength, but most of all, his speed.
The Tiger laughed as he told the other animals about the time he out-ran a Cheetah.
The rat snickered evilly; a plan was forming in his mind.
"You think you're the fastest thing on the face of the Earth," the Rat exclaimed in a squeaky voice.
"I can think that," said the Tiger stalking towards him, "Because I am,"
They were now face to face, the rat looked up at the Tiger boldly, "Well you're also mean and greedy!"
"How dare you!" The Tiger's voice was close to a roar. "You are a squeaky little rat that would never come close to beating me!"
"Are you willing to bet on that?" the Rat asked looking up into the Tiger's brown eyes.
"I could beat you with my eyes shut tight without even trying," said the Tiger confidently with a flick of his tail.
"Then I'll meet you at the start of the track tomorrow."
"I'll be there, don't chicken out."
They both went their separate ways, each preparing for the next day.
The Rat woke up very early the next day, before the sun rose; he was looking for the tastiest looking Magical berries. He had to make sure the Tiger would eat them. He wandered out onto the track where he would be racing in a few hours time.
The Rat came to a large tree and laid the berries out underneath it, shrieking with laughter. 'Of course the foolish Tiger would fall for this trick," he thought as he walked back to the start of the track.
"Didn't think you'd show up," said the Tiger when he arrived.
"Same to you," the Rat nodded.
The race started and the Tiger leaped forward and sprinted away. The Rat ran a bit at first for show but he knew he wasn't good at long-distance.
The Tiger ran at a steady pace, he was about to pass a tree when something caught his eye.
Delicious, juicy berries, just sitting there, waiting to be eaten. The Tiger licked his lips, 'I need an energy boost, and the rat will be ages, by the time I'm finished he won't be halfway here,' he thought, staring at the berries hungrily. Little did he know that these weren't normal berries, they were Magical berries.
He ate one after another, licking his paws before falling into a deep, dream-filled sleep.
The Rat passed the unconscious Tiger smirking. 'Perfect, he'll be out for a while, just enough time for me to win the race,' he thought happily.
The Rat went on to win the race, the other animals cheered when he crossed the finish line.
Meanwhile the Tiger woke up, 'Oh, I do hope I didn't sleep for long, I must have dozed off. It doesn't matter, even if that nasty little rat is ahead, I'll overtake him,' He thought as he started to sprint.
Soon later the Tiger appeared at the finish line, he saw that the Rat was already there and he was furious. "You tricked me Rat!" He roared.
"Yes, but what can you do?" the rat shrieked gleefully.
Later that night, the Tiger lurked in the shadows and watched enviously as the Rat and the other animals celebrated, his eyes somehow gleaming in the darkness.
'That sneaky little Rat!' he thought bitterly, 'I'll get my revenge soon enough.'