Chapter 93 – Rat Packing Heat
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“...It went alright, I think. Monorise is in better hands now. Hooves and claws too.”

Coyotl nods and smiles at me, at which point Niamh and Bomba conveniently regroup with the rest of us, leaving us kind of stranded in the city with a whole party of people, though, I think I have a transportation solution.

“Alright, y’all, follow me. Our ride awaits.”

There are some confused looks between the uninitiated, but the only way Fox and Niamh could be any more on board would be if they were actually driving the damn thing I’ve got in mind. Once we check in on the other big names in charge of putting the town back together, we set off to the west, myself and Coyo catching up, Vi and Bomba enjoying each other’s silent company, and Liz and Niamh bickering, our detour eventually taking us over to the scrapyard a few of us are quite familiar with.

“Maybe yous should join da rat pack if dis is your idea of a quaint picnic space~”

I whap the rat in the back of the head before jogging ahead and– aha! Around the corner, hidden from sight, I find it, Sue-Zee’s ride! Now to just move around and push it–

[“IDENTIFY YOURSELF”]

“Whoa whoa hey uhh–!! Cat! Cat Kitten?!” I blurt out before the robotic eye at the end of a wiry tendril has even extended over to me, looking me over carefully.

[“...Ah, you are acceptable then. Sue and Zee give their regards.”]

With that, it retracts back into the truck, and I’m left in shock at how fast everything just happened. Ah well. With a push and a shove, I reveal our grand escape, at which Fox is all too eager to take shotgun…until Liz takes the driver’s seat, the rat cackling as the vixen leaps into the back.

“I wouldn’t think your experience with the shit-mobile down below would transfer into an actual automobile,” I quip, hopping into the passenger seat and buckling in, “but I’m also not surprised you’d know how to drive.”

“Oh, toots, I’s old enough to’ve been an active driver before deez machines were outlawed.”

Once everyone is seated and secured, Coyotl seeming awfully flustered being sandwiched between the flirty snake and oddly affectionate fox (Bomba in Niamh’s lap, uncaring), Liz starts up the car, letting it purr and rumble before we’re off, back on our way home. She takes a rather leisurely pace, though, the only thing I have to compare it to is Sue-Zee’s…reckless endangerment, so maybe this just isn’t as bad, or maybe she doesn’t mind a slow ride to close off the day.

“I expected that of all of us, you’d be the one who’d want to get home sooner than later,” I say, bringing my paws up behind my head and leaning back.

“Yeah, well maybe…”

The rat stops herself, her frown crooked and her gaze unwilling to look anywhere besides the road ahead.

“...I’s used ta take da other Royal Rodents out fer drives like dis all da time when dey were still around. Even after deyz were outlawed, I figured out ways to take ‘em for joy rides.”

“...Then enjoy the ride,” I tell Liz, the rat’s eyes as transfixed ahead as ever before. “It may not be the same, but I’m sure we can make new memories that we’ll remember just as fondly.”

Her silence persists, frozen in a perpetual hesitation until the ice cracks just a smidge.

“We’ll see.”

Parking just shy of Aspen Town, we all exit the vehicle…including Liz, surprisingly enough.

“Had enough of the city?”

“I’s had enough ‘a all da drama,” she answers, trying to put on her usual confidence as she shrugs, but her emotional exhaustion remains clear. “Especially with the incoming headache of actually puttin’ plans inta action regardin’ our new rule.”

“Well, I’ll be there to mitigate the migraine at least.”

The Rat Queen stops in her tracks, the rest of the gang running by into town as she turns and stares up at me with a cocked eyebrow.

“I’s expected yous of all peoples to be more sick ‘a da talkin’ den me.”

Shrug.

“If that were enough to stop me before, I wouldn’t’ve showed up for day two of the Subterfuge Shuffle.”

Liz stares blankly at me for a moment before grinning.

“Feh. You big dumb hero. Always gettin’ used by smart villains like me~”

“Yeah well, the good guys always come out on top, you stupid bratty sub.”

 

Tense whispers flitter through the snowy streets of a moonlit Aspen Town, the Rat Queen apparently having enough of a reputation to warrant hushed tones even in this little safe haven. At the very least she seems to revel in the creeping aura she exudes, strolling through town with her claws in her pockets and a toothy grin curled along her cheeks like a silent threat. While the rest of the crew works their way back to our cabin, I make sure to drop by Sue-Zee’s place before I miss the chance, Liz of course inviting herself in under my watchful eye, the rat holding her claws up as if to show no harm, but her curious tail tells a different tale.

“If you take anything I’ll cauterize the stump I’ll make of your tail.”

Of course, she takes this as an invitation to swipe whatever’s nearest, prompting me to shake my head and shove her against a wall with a monstrous quake of the building.

“I hope you’ve realized you’re the only person my threats aren’t exaggerated against.”

“Yeah~? Go ahead. Sear every hair off dis pretty little body ‘a mine. You promised me dat at da very least.”

This stupid fucking rat…with one hand on the wall behind her head, I take the other to her neck, claws to her skin, paws beginning to burn and sizzle against her delicate fur. I can feel her heart beating fast, hear her grin stretch wider, see her eyes widen with excitement, a thrill she’d been waiting for for so long that it’d be more than cruel to deny it to her.

So of course I do just that.

“Not here,” I whisper leaning in real close to her big cute mousy ear, real tempted to take a chunk out of it right here and now, especially as the rat whines facetiously and patronizingly.

“Aww, afraid ‘a taintin’ ya lovely lil’ partner’s sanctified workspace~? Such a goody two shoes she is, ain’t she~?”

Goddammit. My claws scratch lightly down her neck to find the collar of her jacket, pulling her up and her lips against mine, feeling myself burning up, hotter than the rat can handle, and she relishes each soldering second, her claws scratching and sinking into my shoulders painfully. They remain punctured in my flesh even after I pull back, a smouldering growl rumbling through the back of my throat as we pant nose to nose.

“Only stupid heroes act completely selflessly,” I quip, the spark of the moment flickering and fluttering through the air, refusing to be snuffed out.

“Only stupid heroes give da villain exactly what deyz want~”

Goddess, I hate her. I can’t, but I hate her, I hate her stupid smug cadence, her wormy tail coiling around my waist, her poisonous lips pressed against mine, the heat her body steals from my ever burning flame, I hate every last bit of her.

“Yous stupid fuckin’ cat~” she breathes out breathlessly betweet panting and kissing, her claw coming up to my cheek just firm enough to not be delicate.

“Fuck you, rat,” I spit back, pushing her against the wall harder, claws running down her arms to find her wrists and hold her up by those instead, my body and the wall doing the rest of the heavy lifting. “Shut the fuck up–”

“What, before yous makes me yourself~?”

“Before I make you regret opening your pretty little mouth.”

My lips move from her mouth to her ear, not doing a single thing beyond holding her up and pressing myself against her, letting the silence sink into her skin.

“Because I’m going to make you want to say things you never wanted anybody to ever hear again.”

“Wh-what…?”

I feel her entire body seize up as my whispered tone creeps through her ear and down her spine, a gentle quiet blanketing the room and cushioning her fall in a way that makes her uncomfortably bare.

“Because you need me, and I’m going to let you have me.”

“W-wait–”

My grip on her wrists eases as my paws move into her palms, locking fingers with her as she trembles, her breath staggered and laboured like she’s struggling to hold herself midair through sheer force of will.

“And when you don’t have to take me, you’ll remember what it feels like to have your needs met, lovingly, and unconditionally.”

“C-Cat, no, I–”

Her tail loosens around my waist, instead slithering and twitching around with uncertainty, seeking something else to hold onto before my own tail curls around and embraces it in a fluffy warmth she never expected.

“Then we can take that old you you’d worked so hard to bury, and let her breathe…let her live and love…”

“I…I hate you…!”

She squirms and sobs, but her legs come up and hook around my waist, clinging to me desperately as my lips move from her ears to her cheek, kissing her tears gently.

“I love you, Liz…”

“I…I-I…!”

At last, I let go of her claws, each of our arms coming around the other and holding ourselves to the other girl, kissing, shivering, trembling.

“I…I love you, Cat…”

 

We take a moment to ourselves before detaching, allowing me to grab the duo’s device and return to the rat’s side, her smugness already beginning to regain its footing as we exit the house.

“Don’t eva do dat again.”

“Hey, I had to break the shell by some means, how else am I gonna get to all that juicy meat on the inside?”

The rat haws and haws again, swinging her hips from side to side.

“If yous wanted my meat, all yous had ta do is get on ya knees~”

“You’ll need to work harder than that if you want me to bottom out for you.”

The two of us yuck it up and get on our merry way, bickering through the woods and back home, the rat really seeming to take in the open world out here.

“So ‘ve you been in the city your whole life?”

“Feh, ain’t like I’s been locked up in concrete dis whole time,” she sneers with a grin, rolling her eyes at me obnoxiously. “‘Course I’s been outta da city before, I just prefer da urban expanse to da fuckin’ woods.”

“You say that, but you really seem to be enjoying yourself out here.”

“Cuz it’s like a vacation, ya dumb broad!” she exclaims with a cackle, and I can’t help but giggle back. 

She’s so stupid and annoying. Thankfully she shuts up as we get to the house, opening the door to find a cozy little party gathered in the living space, Coyo using the TV as a display for his thoughts by connecting his screen to it with a chain strung between each monitor. He seems to be explaining something Radiant related with colourful commentary from Niamh, a barrage of questions from Fox and Violet, and Bomba taking notes while sitting on the coffee table.

“Thus, through my studious research, I have concluded…” the chimera states dramatically, having plucked an antenna off his head to use it to point at the television, “...Bahamut is an unbound KING!!”

Fox blinks, looking to Niamh while Bomba scribbles furiously.

“What?”

“They’re right, love, Bahamut’s tits are massive and powerful and he’s right to be proud of them!”

Fox looks back at the screen, a giant dragon with an equally giant chest on display, to which the vixen squints, then nods sagely.

“I see, I think I get it now.”

“Meowdy doo, fellow lizard boob enthusiasts.”

The entire room (aside from Bomba) turns their heads simultaneously towards me and Liz, Fox’s tail now wagging, Niamh fanning herself in an obnoxiously pompous manner, and Coyotl straightening himself out and reattaching his antenna.

“Cat! And Elizabeth! I am happy to see you have made it.”

“What, yous expected us to get lost? We ain’t all without signal like you, kid~”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Liz hisses at Vi as she chimes in from Fox’s tail, the rat then sauntering over to the dining table and ordering her rats to prepare a kettle of tea.

“At least she has taste.” Fox muses with a smirk and a roll of the eyes, only to look back to Coyotl and find a very, very sad face on his screen.

“D-do I not have–”

“NO NO NO NO THAT WASN’T A JAB AT YOU I PROMISE!!”

Vi barks out a laugh as Fox leaps over the table (and Bomba) to hug the wet eyed chimera, clinging to him like a squirrel to a tree while I make my way into the bedroom, finding Sue and Zee cozy as ever. Plug in the lil’ thingie and…beep! Seems like that’ll do! Back out I go, pulling up a chair opposite to Liz in the dining space and whistling for my own head rat, nudging my head towards the brewing tea kettle for it to get us both some as well.

“Glad ta sees ya enjoyin’ havin’ a part a me with ya~”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t really have much of a say in the matter, but I might as well make the most of it.”

“Hey, treat it as an honour, I’s only gots so many ‘a doze ta give.”

I tilt my head at the rat as I reach for my freshly poured cup, my own rat balancing atop its lip.

“Here I figured they were infinite.”

“Nah. Yous gots one in a hundred. Now I’s only gots ninety nine.”

She sips her tea while so casually burdening me with this knowledge.

“What, so you think I’m forever in your debt for you choosing to force a part of yourself onto me?”

She grins.

“Yes, I’s do~”

“You mother fucker–”

“Darling, darling,” Niamh interrupts, smiling as she scrolls through her phone, Thmei poking Thmei’s eye out from between her tits to see as well, “would you kindly find a room? And when you do, send me an invitation~”

Liz pretends to gag, the serpent merrily laughing like a noble woman in response.

 

“Alright, ladies, let’s tone down the homosexuality for a second.”

Gathering everyone’s attention, I take a sip from my cup and place it down, watching Fox slide down Coyotl before scampering back onto the couch.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow? Clearly the Ghost Train isn’t something we should let lie in wait any longer than it can.”

Coyotl steps up and looks serious as ever, crossing his arms sternly to punctuate his stance.

“We will most likely all need a method of warding off its malice aura, but I think we each have a means of doing so. I have Yombroila with me…”

“I’ll protect my Light,” Violet adds, then looking to Niamh, who pulls Thmei’s ankh from her cleavage.

“I’ve a truth goddess of my own to keep my sight true~”

“And the Amazing Mirror will be enough to allow one person to deposit themselves onto the battlefield,” Coyo concludes, to which Bomba gives a thumbs up behind him. “...Of course, I did want to ask if you would like to sit this one out, sister. It has not been long since your last battle, after all, and I know you need to take better care of yourself.”

Sigh…I nod.

“I don’t think Yom’s necklace would be enough to protect me, but even then, you’re right. I shouldn’t be jumping in so soon.”

“Besides, we’s gots a date tomorrow~”

Ugh. Stupid rat.

“Don’t yous think I ain’t pitchin’ in tho, bitch. I’ll have a lil’ somethin’ that should be useful versus a train set up for yous losers.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth, I appreciate your generosity,” Coyotl says, bowing slightly to the Rat Queen who scoffs.

“Puh-lease. Dis ain’t outta da kindness of my heart. I’s gots ta keep an image, an’ bein’ da sponsor of da heroes who rid da city of dat filth is a good look for a ruler~”

“...Right. Uhm. Well, still, thank you.”

Man. Even Liz is throwing her money into the pot…I wish I could help somehow, or at least offer someone in my stead. Maybe Vivian? Ah, but how would she protect herself from the malice? Maybe there’s an artifact that…no, if there were, I’m sure Coyo would know. Dammit, who…!

Knock knock. Knock-knock knock. Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock. THUNK.

…No fucking way. Right away, I jump out of my seat and march towards the door that knocks and thunks in the night, throwing it wide open to see a small blue robot grinning from cheek to cheek, short, lithe, and with long flowing electric hair.

“You can’t keep getting away with this.”

Krzt– Oh, but we’ve only just begun!”

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