Filler chapter alert!

This is a filler chapter, and also a tribute to my rat Zeva, my Little Shoulder Angel, so if you just want to read the story, go ahead and skip this chapter, I don't blame you if ya do.

Shoutout: You all know who it is! Go to the early chapters, she's mentioned there! :)

Disclaimer:Check the last chapter.

O-O

"My earliest memory was the cage, it was small, barley big enough for my brothers and sisters and our mom.

I was in an unlucky litter, I only had six siblings, all my friends from neighboring cages had ten or thirteen, but, momma always said, 'Beggar's can't be choosers, young rat, so shut yore trap an' eat yore pellets!' or was that Gramma? I can never remember.

One day when I was little...

-O-

"Come young'uns! Breeder brought us some dinner!" I heard Momma call. With happy shrieks, I joined my siblings in the mad stampede across the cedar tree wood shavings.

"Whats for dinnah tonight, Momma?" I asked.

"Well, Sixrat, I'm sorry, but more pellets," Momma said.

"Aww! But we had pellets yesterday too! Why can't we have good food like the otha cages?" I pouted.

"Because, we're special rats Sixrat, we're feeders, all the others are testers, breeders, and pets," Momma said, I, being young and naïve, didn't know what a feeder was, but it felt good being one, "Now, go eat your pellets before Grandma lectures you again," Momma scolded.

"Yes marm, no marm, three bags full marm!" I said as I scampered away, my mother shook her head and followed, soon to scold me for being cheeky.

O-O

The next day a human came and opened the cage, all my siblings and I were eager to be played with. But Momma called to us.

We surrounded her, she looked sad, if rats could shed tears...

"Now young'uns, my babies, you are of age to be told the truth," she said, "Being three weeks old, you must know what a feeder rat is," my sister Tworat interrupted.

"It's the best rat in tha world!" she shrieked.

"Tworat, don't interupt. Feeder rats are born, and bred for one things, food. I was saved because they needed a new mother for feeder rats, I was lucky, my littermates were not. You are all snake, lizzard, and even fish food, that is your purpose, I am not coming with you, one of your sisters is staying here to be the new mother of the feeders," she explained, "They will pick who stays, the rest of you..." she trailed off, "I love you all, I hope something happens, and you all die quickly, instead of being eaten, or frozen for food, or maybe you will be even luckier, and someone will want one of you as a pet, but it is unlikley. I will not see any of you again. Onerat, step forward,"

My brother, Onerat came forward, Momma wrapped her tail around him.

"I proclaim you leader of your siblings, you are my firstborn, and you will lead them when they are frightened, right down to the death!" she proclaimed, her mother had done the same for her firstborn when it was their time, "You will be put in a large box, with many other pups, do not let yourselves be seperated, stay together, Onerat, it is your job to keep them together, can you accept this role?" she asked.

"Yes, Momma,"

"If Onerat is killed, or cannot live up to his promise, I proclaim Sixrat Vice Leader! She followed up the rest of you, making sure none were left behind, Sixrat, do you except this role?" Momma said.

I gulped, unsure about this, I was always the leader in our games, but this was different, it was a life and death kind of thing,"

"Yes Momma, I do," I had no idea how I found the courage.

"Good. I love you, Onerat, I love you Tworat, I love you Threerat..." Momma continued until she got to me, "Goodbye Sixrat, I love you, make me proud, you have my name, I am Sixrat, your mother," Momma said. I was shocked, I was named after my mother!

Then the human took us. There was panic, dissaray, but Onerat kept us together, he held our family up when no-rat could. He was a leader.

-O-

I don't remember much after that, it all turned into a blur, until one day...

-O-

There was yelling and screaming in the cage, I opened my eyes and scrambled out of the plastic igloo house I had been sleeping in. I saw my sister, Fiverat.

"Fiverat, what's happening?" I asked her.

"It's Onerat! Look, they took him, and they're headed to the snake cage, oh it's horrible! He's gonna get fed!" she squeaked.

"Sixrat!" came a distant cry, "I name you Leader of our siblings, lead them well!" I heard him say.

There was a collective gasp as he was dropped into the snake tank. I watched in horror as a big yellow python thing, reared up and began coiling itself around Onerat, I heard a scream of agony from him, then it was silent. When the snake began eating, I looked away.

Then some-rat said, "Sixrat! Leader of the Sixrat family! Chant, for her! Sixrat, Sixrat!" the chant picked up, they were all saying my name! "If she's as good as her brother, lets name her Leader of the Tank!" another said.

"All hail Sixrat, leader of the Tank! Sixrat, Sixrat, Sixrat!" they all chanted, my heart beat a mile a minute, which wasn't that fast.

-O-

After my coranation as leader, everything faded back into a haze, the days blurred together, all was good, until one day...

-O-

We were playing catch the Queen. I had been elected 'Queen' because I was the ruler of the tank.

"Go, Queen, go!" Four-rat my brother said. I sprang forward in a three second headstart, all the others followed, hot on my heals.

As I ran, I failed to notice the humans at the edge of the tank, I ran by, then was halted, and hauled into the air, a human held me by the tail, it felt much like being held by one finger for a human.

After a moment of inspection, he dropped me into a box, a collective gasp came from my subjects.

"Welp, that 'un's a female, take 'er up to the front counter and pay," one of the humans said.

-O-

My box opened, and light poured in. The happy face of a human pup smiled above me.

"She's perfect! Can I name her?" she asked, name me? I already had a name.

"She is your rat," a male voice said.

"I'm gonna name her Zeva, because she is the best T.V character ever!" the little girl said. I felt honored, being named.

-O-

Once again, the days blurred together, all was good, those days turned into years, I was five, very old for a rat, yet I still acted two weeks, we had many photos of me, one wearing a Barbie doll crown, another eating a huge cheese filled cracker, playing in a multicolored playpen. Then came that faithful day...

-O-

When Ayla was done feeding her kitten, she walked past my cage, I was ready. She walked by, and grabbed me in a swift, deft swoop, her mother failed to notice. She slid me into her cloak as she closed the door.

"How long do you think it will take for her to find out?" Ayla asked.

"Well, considering she feeds me in ten minutes, I think about, hmm, just a rough guess, ten minutes," I answered.

"Really? I guess we better get a-rollin," Ayla said. I rolled my eyes, and nestled into her coat pocket.

-O-

When we arrived, she asked me how long it would the mine would be, I answered something smart, I can't remember, anyways...

-O-

I knew it was a rat the moment it attacked, I could smell it. I screamed and scurried away, then something happened, I was aware of a pain, my body began growing bigger, the pain was from my body expanding, and growing too fast, it hurt.

When it stopped, I looked at myself, I was huge! Momma said something about getting big when you ate a lot, but this was exaggerating...

I could here the cry of something dying, and hurried over to Ayla, she sat there wide eyed and blood spattered.

Soon, humans came, I was frightened, but confident, Momma chose me for a reason. The one said something about the dead rat being diseased, but I didn't believe this, when I smelled rat earlier, there was no smell of sickness, but why would this human lie?

We were loaded onto huge bats, Ayla fell asleep the whole time, but, I could care less, I was fascinated by the caves, looking at the formations, wondering how old it all was...

-O-

The next few days passed by fast, then we were in the city of Regalia, I was instantly hustled into a stone room, a human came by hours later with a little cart, several syringes with needles sat on it, I had a bad feeling...

-O-

Then we were reunited, and shown the Prophecy. I was fascinated again by all this, the culture of the Underlanders' was different, I was... Intriguing.

A while later, we met Gregor, as soon as he and the Underland Queen Luxa stepped through that door, I could sense something between them...

The next day Ayla and I went to train after our disaster in the kitchen with Ripred, Ayla hit the total, and look as if she could care less, honestly, I was bored, I knew she would get them all, but still you have to be at these things.

Later, Gregor told her she was a Rager, but she shrugged, she had become a fighter the day she was jumped at school, no one messed with her after that...

Then Ayla and I left for the kitchens, we met a bat there, Jinx was her name I think, and after that, I was pulled aside by one Vikus to be questioned. End. Period, comma,"

-O-

Zeva looked up, that was all she had to say.

Vikus scribbled down a few more words, then rolled the parchment up.

"Thank you, Zeva. That is all I wished to know," he said.

"Did you question Ayla too?" Zeva asked.

"Yes, though I find your story more interesting. Thank you for your time, this will be filed, and put in the archives," the old man said.

Zeva sighed as she got up, stretching like a cat, smiling in satisfaction as bones crackled and popped into place, she headed back to the sleeping chamber, they were leaving the next day, and she was tired.

O-O

I love ya Zeva, may you rest in eternal peace.

Zeva, August Third, 2011. My Little Shoulder Angel, nri-fao, goodbye.