Mouse in the House: Chapter 2

It was an hour later. Catherine sat down on the dirt that her house overlooked. She held Corin and Howey in her right hand. The other neeras, still tied in the bag, were planted between her feet. A smaller bag, filled with chopped up fruit and vegetables, sat beside them. Howey and the other neeras couldn't understand what Catherine was saying, and vice versa. So, Corin had to serve as translator between the dragoness and the neeras.

"Why haven't they eaten us?" Howey demanded of Corin. "What is she playing at?!"

"I don't know..." Corin nodded. "All I know is that she wants something from me."

"Ask her what it is, then!"

"Okay, okay..." Corin turned to look at Catherine. "My brother wants to know; if you're not going to eat us, then what do you want with us?"

"I'll give you the truth." Catherine frowned. "Before today, I believed that neeras were unintelligent creatures. I've eaten one or two in the past."

Corin shifted awkwardly. He said everything to Howey in their tongue, who sneered. He glared up at the dragoness, who's expression sagged.

"I'm not going to eat any of you or your friends, honest." Catherine nodded. "Just let me explain."

"Okay..." Corin stammered, shaking.

"Now, I happen to be working on some... projects, and I needed a test subject. So I put a hole in my wall so one of you neeras could wander inside. But I was pleasantly surprised that you, Corin, could talk in dragon tongue. And you have all those other little gadgets of yours..."

"Th-Thank you." Corin bowed his head.

"Now, since these other neeras are your family and/or friends, I'll let them go with a little peace offering; the bag of food. They can take it back to their home, all in one piece."

Corin told this to Howey, who scratched his chin.

"What about YOU, Corin?" He asked. "What is she going to do to YOU?"

Corin gulped. He slowly, and nervously, repeated his brother's questions. Catherine sighed, wracking the fingers of her left hand upon her knee.

"Well... I would like for you to stay here, as my test subject."

Corin felt his blood pressure rise. "You... You're going to keep me prisoner?"

"You wouldn't be a prisoner." Catherine reassured. "I'll keep you under my watch, yes, but this could be a great learning opportunity, for the both of us. I'd like to know more about what goes on in your head, and I can teach you about the greater world I inhabit. And if you'd like, I could leave out some food for your colony every few days. And you can go visit your family every now and then. You can even teach them what you learn from me."

Corin was unsure what to think. He told Howey everything Catherine said.

"How can we be sure we can trust her?" Howey asked. "What if it's a trick, so we'd lead her back to our colony so she and her friends can eat us all?"

"She saved you, didn't she?" Corin asked. "You, and all the others. She could've just let her friend swallow you right then and there. But Catherine stopped it."

"Whether she can be trusted or not, do you REALLY want to stay trapped in this place, with THEM?"

Corin thought for a moment. This was a big decision. What would everyone back home say if Corin just up and left to live in a house of, as far as they knew, predators? Then again, if Catherine was telling the truth, this could be an... interesting experience. Or a deadly one. Or an enlightening one. He just didn't know.

Unable to decide, Corin turned to Catherine again. "Can I have some time to think it over?"

The dragoness was silent for a moment. She looked away, deep in thought. She shook her head no at herself, then looked back. "It wouldn't be right for me to force you to stay. Spend a day or two to think it over."

Catherine put the two neeras down. She untied both bags, and stepped backwards. "I won't follow any of you back to your Colony, nor will I eat any of you. I'll tell my roommates to leave you alone as well, but I can't guarantee they'll listen to me."

Corin, Howey and the neeras gathered up the food and hastily made for the grass. As they ran off, Corin looked back at Catherine, who watched him with almost longing eyes. When it looked like they were going to make eye contact, Corin turned back forwards. He almost hated leaving so soon.

~~…~~

Another hour later, the food-gathering team arrived at the neera colony. they lived in a large burrow, dug under an wide, old oak tree. A wide variety of boxes, cans, and cardboard tubes were salvaged from garbage cans and turned into housing for the neeras. A little fire was set up in the center of the nest.

When the scavenging party arrived, Corin was the talk of the town. All of the other neeras gossiped about how Corin somehow "convinced" a giant not to eat him, and then saved the entire team from three other giants. Corin tried to explain that Catherine did those things on her own, but they didn't believe him.

Corin stood before his mother and father, the leaders of the colony. They hugged and kissed both their sons, happy to have them back.

"Mom, Dad, there's something else I need to tell everyone." Corin said.

"What is it, son?" His father asked.

"Well, the dragoness promised that she'd give us more food than just what we were given today."

"You're joking." His mother laughed. "Giants would more rather have US as food."

"I'm serious. She promised us food... but at a price."

His father stroked his bushy beard. "And what price is that?"

"According to Corin..." Howey stepped forwards. "The giant wants him to stay with her."

Every other neera gasped at the revelation. Corin looked down at the ground, unsure of what to say. He scratched behind his foot with the other one.

"No!" The father exclaimed. "I won't have one of my boys sacrificed to a monster!"

"I'm not a sacrifice." Corin insisted. "Catherine... er, the giant said I'd only be a test subject."

"Test subject?" His mother repeated.

"She wants to learn from me, and says we could learn from her as well." Corin said. "And I could come back whenever I wanted. I think we can trust her, Dad."

"Trust a giant?! Never!"

"She saved the entire scavenging party." Corin said. "She didn't have to, but she did. And even if she has... other motives, I think it would be best to take up this offer."

His parents looked at him incredulously.

"I hate to say it..." Howey began, taking a breath. "But I think Corin might be right. The red giant caught us almost as soon as she saw us. We're not practiced enough to go hunting for food in that place. If the brown giant is willing to give us food, we could use the time otherwise spent on gathering food, to TRAIN on gathering food."

Their father sat down, holding his head. "I can't believe I'm hearing this... Corin, do you really WANT to be entrapped by a giant who caught you so easily?"

"Well..." Corin scratched his head. "If it's for the good of the colony... then yes."

Corin's father looked to his mother, who sniffled. The old neera sighed.

"For the good of the colony..."

~~…~~

Corin spent the next night preparing his belongings. He packed up a little backpack, fashioned out of scraps of cloth. He filled it with a grappling hook, rope, and a knife, all things he made on his own. He also took the time to wander around the colony's home. He hadn't been there long, to be sure, but it still felt like some kind of home. When daylight came, Corin gave a teary goodbye to his family, and set off.

Corin snuck around to where the hole in the wall was the previous day. It was untouched. For some reason, Corin was of the impression that Catherine might have blocked it up. The neera traveled through it, into the dragoness' room.

When he ventured inside, Corin saw that it was quiet. He walked out from beneath the desk and chair, and looked around. On the other side of the giant room, the neera saw Catherine lying on her bed, fast asleep in a fluffy green nightgown.

"Well, here I am, and there she is." Corin said aloud. "She's pretty far away. How am I going to get her attention?" Shrugging, Corin began to make the walk towards Catherine's bed.

Before Corin could get far, the door swung open. The neera gasped as another giant stepped into the room. It was the yellow dragoness from the day before.

She had six great, silver horns atop her head. Her black mane was wild and unkempt, falling over her amber eyes. Silver spines grew on her shoulders and lower jaw. She wore loose-fitting jeans and a purple jersey.

"Hey Catherine, rise and-" The dragoness stopped when she spotted Corin. A wide, happy grin spread instantly. "HI!!!"

The neera turned to run, but the yellow dragoness lunged for him. In just seconds, she had her hands cupped around Corin, entrapping him. Corin struggled to break free as the dragon lifted him off the floor. As Corin got his head free, he found himself just inches away from her giant eyes.

"I remember you!" The dragoness said excitedly. "You're the talking little mouse from yesterday!"

"You're hurting me!" Corin squeaked, trying to free his arms and legs. "Let go!"

The dragon opened her hands wide, letting the neera plop down onto his rear on her palm.

"Sorry about that!" The dragoness giggled. "Sometimes I don't know my own strength!"

Corin heard a groaning coming from the back of the room. Catherine sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes.

"Tina what are you doing in my room?" She asked grouchily. "I thought I told you to KNOCK first."

"Nevermind that now, Cathy!" Tina said. She marched right up to Catherine's bedside. She stuck her hand out, presenting Corin to the brown dragoness. "You have a visitor!"

"Huh?" Catherine blinked her eyes and shook her head. She looked down at Tina's hand, where Corin stood awkwardly. Catherine blinked a few more times, not sure if what she was seeing was real. "Corin? You came back?"

"H-hi?" Corin asked sheepishly.

"I saw him on the floor when I came in!" Tina said enthusiastically. "I didn't think we'd get to see such a cute little guy again!"

"Neither did I, to be honest." Catherine rose her arms in the air, letting out a wide yawn. Corin got a few seconds to look into Catherine's wide, toothy maw. But halfway through the yawn, Corin's nose was assaulted by a thick aroma of meat and spice. He covered his face, trying to conserve his air.

"What's that smell?" He asked through a cough.

"Sorry about that." Catherine scratched her mane. "That was probably last night's dinner. Don't worry; it was venison, not neera."

Catherine shifted to get from the bed, slipping her feet into slippers that matched her nightgown. Tina backed away to give the brown dragoness room. Once Catherine stood up, she stretched out her back and tail. Then she turned to Corin, looking him over.

"So, does your coming back mean you agree to be my test subject?" She asked.

"Yes..." Corin nodded nervously. "...As long as my colony gets the promised food every few days."

"I see..." Catherine let loose another yawn. "Maybe you should have come here a few hours later. I need to have my morning coffee and breakfast before I can think straight."

"Oh. Sorry..." Corin looked down, blushing.

"No, it's alright, Corin." She held out her hand before Tina's. "In fact, would you like to join me for breakfast.? And NO, I don't mean YOU'RE the breakfast..."

"Kara would have him for breakfast, though!" Tina snickered.

"You're not helping, Tina..."

Corin looked up into Catherine's eyes. Despite their groggy look, they had a layer of warmth to them he couldn't deny. Up until now, she hadn't done anything to hurt him. But one thing still clung to the back of his mind; Had he not been able to communicate with her, she may have kept him a prisoner. She would have let her "roommate" devour all of his friends; maybe even eaten a few herself! Even when they met yesterday, she made an offhand threat of eating him if he didn't talk. But was that for real? After finding out he COULD talk, she went out of her way to help Corin and his friends. That had to count for something, right?

He moved to step off Tina's hand and onto Catherine's. "Sure. I'd like some breakfast."

"Great. Let's go, then..."