The Chief.

What I saw could only be described as impossible. It was akin to a scene from a children's cartoon perhaps. At this moment for one fleeting part of a second I felt like Alice in Wonderland.

I saw a vast room filled to the brim with wooden containers. Each container contained a ration of sort. One of them for honey, the other for cheese and many more. There were also what seemed to be a wooden board right ahead of me with words written on them. Words! In a rat cave!

As soon as you entered you were immediately bombarded with the sound of wood being cut. Hundreds of rats all using their teeth to mould chunks of wood into new containers. The smell of wood attacked your senses as soon as you landed. I felt like I was in a factory!

I was shook beyond belief. I already knew that rats in this world were evidently more advanced than ours. But to this degree? It didn't feel right.

I stood there mesmerized for a good few minutes. Apparently in that period Corn had been calling my name but I was too distracted to notice. However after a while I awoke from my trance and listened to his voice.

"Amigo amigo you there?" He shouted.

"What the hell is this?" I asked with my eyes still wide open.

"Impressive no? It's all Chief. Here let me introduce you." He then lead the way through the huge compound and I followed, looking left and right at every little detail.

Just who the hell was this chief? A genius rat? Does such a thing exist? Was all this really all about rats? Rats of all creatures? My mind was a jumbled mess. Ideas kept swirling around in it till we finally reached what looked like a cubicle with a door. A door! There was a bloody office in a rat cave under a tree. Is this alternate world really just a disney movie? No but the rats would've look a lot prettier... such thoughts were abruptly cut as Corn knocked on the door. A deep voice could be heard from within.

"Enter." Said the voice. Corn walked in and I followed suit. Inside the cubicle there looked to be a space almost exactly resembling an office. There was a desk, ink and paper, a drawing board and a rat sitting behind desk. At that point I would not have batted an eye if I had seen that rat in a custom tailored Armani suit; but thankfully such a shock to my already collapsing nervous system was avoided as the rat was as naked as the rest of them. He had a different air than the rest. It's not easy making out expressions on a rat's face. I'm still very new to this; but even then I could clearly tell he was different.

"Chief Sir. I'm a scavenger in the night shift." Corn said with a keen look and a calm demeanor. He obviously held this 'chief' in high regard.

After Corn made his greetings Chief looked at me. His eyes were penetrating me, as if he was searching for something. I froze in my place and didn't know what to say.

"What are you waiting for? Introduce yourself!" He shouted at me. The shout startled me for a second causing me to freeze up even further. I then caught a glance at Corn next to me leaning to my side whispering

"Introduce yourself amigo. Just like we practiced." He whispered.

Just like we practiced? Practiced what? We never practiced anything you moron. What in the world am I supposed to say now....?

Not knowing what to do I resolved myself to just answer with my name.

"I-I'm Brady. I'm new." That was all I could muster.

"Brady?!" Chief shouted. His eyebrows frowned and he kept checking me out from heat to toe...or to tail would be more accurate. He then turned his gaze towards Corn.

"Wait outside!" He said to Corn

"B-but I was about to tell you how we met." Corn replied anxiously.

"I won't repeat myself again.." He said calmly yet menacingly. Corn almost jumped in fear but held himself together and turned around and walked out of the door. Then I was left

alone with this chief. His gaze was fixed on me. Unwavering. We stood there for a few minutes in utter crushing nerve wrecking silence before he finally spoke.

"You're human aren't you?"