One night down in the London sewers, the neighborhood was mostly silent all except for one, large house. The rocky house had one light on and a very loud infant's cry was heard
"Oh my little darling, don't you cry…" Roddy cooed, trying to calm down the baby rat. "Shh sh sh sh…Daddy's here my beautiful princess. He gently bounced her in his arms. Then Rita silently came along to help Roddy
"Someone's getting a little fussy again…" She told her husband. "Here let me hold her…"
"Ugh, calming her down is very tricky…" Roddy said, placing a hand on his head from an ongoing headache
"Yeah, and giving birth to her 2 days ago was a piece of cake…" She replied sarcastically. Roddy shook his head at his wife. He knew fully well that She would never give up her adventurous spirit, even when she was going to be married to him and starting a family. After a while, Rita finally got her daughter to stop crying and placed the baby in the crib for her and Roddy to admire their offspring.
She was a slightly perfect mixture of Roddy and Rita, having taken her mother's green eyes and having reddish brown which the brown was all thanks to Roddy. Recently she had her father's timid streak but when she got sassy, her family knew automatically, it was from her mummy.
"Oh Rita, she's our precious little gem…"
"A gem that will always be treasured" As the couple shared a kiss, a coo was heard from their daughter. They saw her wave a hand at a picture of the ruby from their adventures 3 years ago
"Well, we have yet to give her a name…" Rita reminded her husband
"Well, I believe she's just told us the perfect name…Ruby…" and just like that, the infant rat gave out a happy giggle.
The past few months of raising Ruby have been a roller coaster of sleepless nights, lots of attention, and learning new things. Just today, Ruby's parents found out a very…surprising detail about her.
One day, her grandmother was cooking up soup as usual and Liam spotted his niece sniffing her pink little nose in the air…all the way from the nursery which is in the back of the house, pointing out the ability to her parents.
"How can she smell that from there…" Roddy asked dumbfounded
"I guess she can finally smell how bad the soup stinks…" Liam and his brothers laughed right before earning a rightfully deserved slap on the back of his head from his mother. Rita, seeing this newly discovered trait from her child, an idea came to mind.
After dinner, Rita found a piece of cheese from her scavenging trip and looked around the nursery to hide it. She glanced at the toy bin and hid the cheese there.
"Alright, Roddy…Bring her in…" On cue, Roddy brought in a quite antsy Ruby into the nursery
"Are you really sure that we should be doing this with a 7-month-old?" Roddy asked
"Well, we have to be sure that she has a good nose…It could be of good use for us…" then Rita turned her attention toward her daughter. "Okay, sweetie…Ready to play a game…"
Ruby cooed and babbled happily at the word game. "Okay see if you can find the cheese." Rita took Ruby from Roddy's arms and set her on the floor. She crawled around the room, sniffing to her heart's content. Then She stopped at the toy bin, happily pointing at it and turning to her parents, surprising them when Rita picked up the cheese
"Ey…we got a sniffer…" Rita smiled. Ruby happily clapped her hands, a subtle sign that she wants to play the game again. Roddy smiled proudly at his daughter and decided to cover her eyes and mouthed to Rita to hide the cheese. Rita nodded and decided to hide the cheese upstairs with Roddy following behind
5 years later
"Am I getting closer Mummy…" Ruby asked as Rita and Roddy led their now 5-year-old daughter down the stairs as they were playing "Hide the Cheese".
"You're getting really close darling…" Roddy said excitedly. Ruby smiled as she smelled her way through the house as she tried to find what she was looking for.
She wore a white short-sleeved collared shirt with multiple Union Jack flags on it along with denim shorts and red suspenders that cross in front of her chest and turquoise high-top Converse sneakers. Her curly reddish brown hair was held in a high ponytail with a red scrunchie as she was led throughout the house with a dark blue blindfold.
"Wait I'm getting something…" Then Ruby ran toward the corner and accidentally bumped into the wall. "Oww…I'm okay…" then she ran off towards the kitchen, waving her arms as she went with her parents in tow
"What do you smell…" Rita asked her
"I smell, something strong…something cheesy…" Then Rita gave her daughter a little push near the fridge…and Ruby lit up as she attempted to open the fridge door and smelled the found cheese.
"Did I find it?!" Ruby asked excitedly
"Yes, my little princess you found it…" Roddy took off Ruby's blindfold and gave the child her prize.
After happily munching the cheese, She turned to her parents.
"Mummy, Daddy…Can we please go scavenging today…" Ruby asked
"Sure we can…" Then Roddy interrupted his wife's response
"As long as you don't go too far little lady…because you tend to go farther than what we agreed on…" Roddy waved a finger at her
"Oh don't be so overprotective of her…She's becoming a big girl…" Rita remarked as she picked up Ruby
"Yeah, Daddy…I'm a big girl now…" Her daughter added picking up on her mother's sass. Roddy smirked at his daughter as he ruffled her hair. "Daddy you're messing up my curls…"
"Alrighty…run along…Daddy and I will be there in a minute…" As Ruby ran outside of the house, the couple exchanged a couple of laughs
"Oh, they grow up so fast…" Roddy and Rita turned to see Rita's father and mother doting on their grandchild.
"Dad…" Rita whined playfully
"They sure do…" Roddy agreed, earning a light flick from Rita as they join their daughter for a day out
The family of three searched around for certain items for most of the day now and Ruby found a good number of items: a box of matches, a dirty roll of ribbon, and a large silver hoop earring. She glanced behind her and saw that her mother was loading her number of discarded items in Jammy Dodger Mark II. Rita taught her that scavenging items wasn't stealing from other people, but rather finding treasure that they could never find anywhere else. It was something that both her husband and daughter admired about her.
Then something caught Ruby's eye. She saw a clean little wooden sailboat with a white flag sailing past her on the water. It looked simple, but to Ruby's eyes, she saw it as an opportunity and she quickly dropped everything that she was holding and grabbed the boat, and took a moment to admire it.
She could instantly tell that the way that the boat was made was with a lot of care and it seemed to float nicely in the water. She looked around and saw no one around claiming it. She glanced back down at the boat in her hands and grinned
"You're coming with me…" Ruby said as she ran to Jammy Dodger Mark II, showing her parents what she found. They allowed her to put her little boat along with the rest of the items they found and she raced back to fetch the rest of the treasure she found, only to find it missing. She looked around and saw her hoop earring. She ran to grab it only to have someone step on it
"Looking for this?" an older voice asked. Ruby backed away to see another rat that was just about her Uncle Liam's size and his two other members behind him. They looked intimidating and scary to her and she backed away slowly
"You're on our territory kid…" the second rat told her.
"See if she has any more stuff on her…" Then the third rat picked up Ruby by her tail and attempted to shake her
"PUT ME DOWN…MUMMY DADDY HELP…." Ruby yelled. Luckily her calls were answered. It's safe to say that Rita and Roddy were very upset that someone was bullying her daughter
"HEY, GET YOUR DIRTY PAWS OFF MY DAUGHTER…" Rita called out. The rats dropped Ruby, took her stuff, and ran off before they could meet the parent's wrath
"Pick on someone your own size…" Roddy yelled after them. Then they turned their attention to Ruby who was still upset by the experience
"My treasure…" She whimpered. Both parents felt bad for her and Roddy decided to get her little toy boat.
"Hey…at least you still have this…" Ruddy gave Ruby the toy boat and Ruby gave out a small smile, feeling a little bit better
"We should head back home, I don't want Ruby out too late…" Then they started the boat and sailed home. On the way as she was playing with her toy boat, Ruby spotted a bricked building that looked very familiar to Roddy and Rita
"What's that building over there Mummy…" Ruby pointed.
"That…is where the Toad lives…" Rita said, sneering at the building.
"Who's the Toad?"
"He is a very dangerous little slimebag…I don't want you going anywhere near that building, Do you understand me…"
"Yes, Mummy…" Ruby replied as she continued to play with her toy boat
A few months ago, Roddy and Rita heard about The Toad's release from prison. He may still have it out for the two rats and the last thing that they wanted is for the Toad to kidnap Ruby and use her against them.
By the time they got back, it was dinnertime at the wild Malone household. As everyone took their seats, Rita's mother could tell that her granddaughter was a little blue about something that happened during their scavenging adventure.
"Ruby lost some of her stuff to bullies…"
"Yeah, those bullies said that it was their territory and took my treasure…" Ruby whimpered with a slight scowl and a pout.
"Oh don't be too upset sweetie…" Her grandfather chipped in
"Yeah…It's only a few items for a dumb kid…" Liam taunted, laughing at her along with a few of his brothers
"Oi, you cheeky little monkey…Don't go making fun of her…" His father threw a bit of his food at Liam for the insult
"She'll surprise you one of these days Liam…" His mother added.
"Yeah, like she'll surprise me…" Liam scoffed adding insult to injury. Despite her family attempting to comfort her, Liam's insult towards her already felt like a sting in her heart. She finished dinner early and ran off to her room, slamming the door behind her
"Now you what you did…" Rita hissed at her little brother. "Roddy can you talk to her…"
"No need to tell me twice darling…" Roddy got up from his seat, gave his wife a kiss, and went after his daughter
The young rat sat in her room, on her bed sulking, and heard laughing downstairs. She wore light pink patterned pajamas and her curly hair is now loose. She grabbed a picture that she drew a few days ago and it was of her riding a cat and showing that she was at Up Top. then She glanced at her teddy bear and her toy boat, bringing the items next to her as she stared at the photo
Then a knock at the door was heard.
"Ruby darling…Can your first mate come in?"
"Yes, Daddy…" Then Roddy stepped inside, holding a plate of cookies with a smile on his face
"I brought you some cookies in case you're hungry…" Ruby smiled and took one as the two shared the treats.
Roddy looked downstairs as he heard Liam laughing along with some of his family members and glanced at his daughter who had a sad reaction
"Hey… you're not a dumb kid Ruby… what does your uncle Liam know…huh"
"But he always calls me a dumb kid…I'm not dumb…why does Uncle Liam have to be so mean…" Ruby sighed softly
"He can be…but no one listens to him…" Then Roddy glanced at the drawing. "You wanna show Daddy your drawing…" Ruby handed him the drawing and Roddy's reaction was priceless, and it made Ruby laugh. He was shocked to see Ruby draw a picture of her on top of a white cat, riding it like a cowgirl in a fancy house, implying that she is at Up Top
"Now look at Daddy's little princess, riding on a… nine-life feline…" Roddy exclaimed, unsure of what to say about his daughter's art.
"That's me and a kitty up top… I wanna go up top and conquer a cat, so I can finally tell Uncle Liam to eat my shorts…" Ruby declared, crinkling her little pink nose
"Now Ruby…I know that your uncle Liam can annoy you but saying that to him won't make it fair… remember…"
"Two wrongs don't make a right," Ruby and Roddy say together. On cue, Rita came in and saw her husband and daughter talking.
"Now what's all this fuss about ey?" Roddy showed his wife the drawing and she too had the same reaction as He picked up his daughter and placed her on his hip.
"Well, someone is getting a bit bold…"
"That's me riding a cat Mummy…" Then Rita smiled playfully
"So you want to go up top ey… you're trying to venture the sewers…getting past mouse traps…and trying to be a scavenger…" Rita asked while tickling Ruby's tummy, making the child laugh wildly
"Yeah yeah…I wanna be like you…" Ruby giggled, bouncing in Roddy's arms
"Are you sure you're ready to face the wild rapids and slimy toads…" Roddy added to the fun by pinching his daughter's nose. Ruby nodded wildly
"And can I please have a mini Jammy Dodger, just like my little boat…"
"Hmm…we'll think about it…but it's time for the adventurous sailor to get to bed," Rita said as Roddy placed Ruby in her little bed and placed her little sailboat on her nightstand.
"Aww, but I'm not tired…"
"Even the crew of Jammy Dodger Mark two needs their sleep…" The couple tucked in their little rat, shut off the lights, gave her their kisses, and went off to let her sleep. Ruby then pulled out her teddy bear
"Did you hear that Teddy Kensington…I'm gonna have an adventure…" Then Ruby let out a yawn and cuddled in the blankets, hugging the stuffed toy. "I wonder when it'll happen…" she finished as she fell asleep.
Little did she know, her adventure awaits, she just doesn't know it yet.