Rag Doll

by No one is home

Chapter 19: Empty Nest

“Okay, Uncle Cornelius, pay attention!” And wow, OC is really using her serious big filly voice. “We’re heading out of the Decantur Underground, and going up the hill now. The Underground is neutral territory. The hive controls the tunnels under old Decantur…”

“I really wish we could have seen more of that… would it have killed the quest to stop at a local restaurant?” I feel like I am being super reasonable.

“Focus, Uncle Cornelius!” My faithful steed does not agree, it seems. This is a pattern. I am detecting a definite pattern. “This is Pegopossum territory…”

“Wait, some entity gave those hell rats wings?!?!” What sick mind would do that?

“They actually bring us most of our surface-tech. We trade with them a lot.” She is oddly okay with the idea of winged hell-rats. “Just don’t panic when they screach at you. That’s just how they say ‘Hello, back up a few steps’. Usually we meet them in Old Decantur. But we have to go up the hill to get to the Zephyr Heights storm drains.”

“Skree!!!” I guess we walked too close to a nest? Good news is OC is still larger than a possum. I’m starting to get a sense of scale. She’s like baby pony size, but I’m not sure if she knows it. I don’t want to be rude and bring it up while a winged possum is screaming at me.

I incoherently scream back, because what else am I going to do? There is also much of flailing and flopping. God’s but I could fit my head in that possum’s mouth. And now the possum is barking at me? “Dammit it’s not my fault! Hide your nest better!”

“Uncle Cornelius!” I am getting ladybug-scolded, that happens now. It’s a thing. “Don’t be mean, she’s just worried something might hurt her babies…”

“Well something probably will because she didn’t hide her nest better!” I am winning this glare off… I am in a glare off with a winged possum. None of that statement defines “winning”

“It’s tiresome, Uncle.” Is she taking a lecture tone with me? I think she is. “This game where you play like you're helpless… It's tiresome. Maybe your little unicorn friend liked it, but I know what you are, Uncle Cornelius. I know what you can do. And all this projected animosity at your supposed helplessness is a little insulting.”

“Maybe you could tell me what you think I can do?” That seems like a helpful suggestion. “I’m a cursed talking rag-doll, I ride around on your back and sometimes flail and talk to things.”

“And you’re the narrator…” Damn if it ain’t a crime the way she just calls me out.

“Okay,” I am a reasonable cursed magical artifact, “So you are just gonna try to wield me, brute force style? Surprisingly the narrative doesn’t work that way. And your mom specifically said you can’t make ‘What do you want, what will you pay’ deals. So I talk, I flop, and I opened a path to the top of this mountain. I think I’m doing pretty good in the magic doll department.”

“Yeah about that path…” I am detecting definite tones of impatience from OC. “We are walking straight up into the hill. These nests just more dense the further up we go.”

“Just keep scuttling away from the nests when we get too close. And I’ll keep screaming back our general disinterest in their babies and friendly counter screams of defensive aggression. If it gets too intense we play dead. I am 100% that they respect that. We got this.” And to prove how right I am, another pegoppossum screeches. “Gods of Tartarus we don’t care about you’re stupid babies!”

And then a momma pegopposum gotta rush out and hiss. Not screech, hiss. “OC, I need you to scuttle back.”

“She’s not scared,” The little ladybug underling observes. She is observant like that. “She’s angry.”

“Just step back, Ocelia.” I use her serious name because this is serious. As I flop to the broken marble bricks of the ramp up the hill. “Not matter what happens, stay back. “My velvetine can be pierced but not torn, She can’t really injure me, just hurt me..”

The minute I hit the ground I am assaulted by way too many teeth. I swear marsupials are snake-rats, the way they unhinge that jaw. “Uncle…!” A lot of things happen at one time, OC screams. Mama possum thrashes me with rage, “Just stay back! She can’t really hurt me!” God’s of tartarus all the stabby pain. And I don’t dare go limp. I pet her head and tell her it’s going to get better as she thrashes me along the alabaster cobblestones. Then she hurls me into her nest. I wish I could say I was surprised that it was empty.

Author's Note:

Short chapter, but that is an end note if I ever saw one.  Heartbreaking if you think about it for more than a moment.  The winged hell-rats are rightfully afraid, and Ragdoll is being kinda an accedental jerk about it...

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Something is clearing out the nests? Maybe a small dragon?