Plot choice: The rats have found a long-sought-after tunnel only spoken of in awed voices and tales of old.

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In a fit of bullying, Marcus accused Vincent of being a coward, which Vincent vehemently denied. To end Marcus' violence, Elizabeth reminded him that his father's upcoming campaign for Council Elder would be hurt by his bullying, should it be exposed. With Marcus gone, Vincent and Elizabeth made their way to the dig site, where Barnaby and Thomas greeted them, excited to share what they'd found.

Vincent and Elizabeth peered into the dark entryway of the low tunnel from the well-lit chamber they occupied with the dig team.

Vincent's brow furrowed. "What is it?" he asked.

Barnaby was flabbergasted. "What is it? What is it?" he boomed. He waved his hands at the entryway. "It's a tunnel, that's what!"

Vincent scratched his head. "Yes, but—"

"We didn't dig that tunnel, is what he's trying to say," Timothy explained, voice quiet in the echoing aftermath of Barnaby. "We found it."

Barnaby threw his hands up. "Exactly!"

Vincent's eyes narrowed as he peered down the discovered passageway. "Where does it go?"

Rolling his eyes, Barnaby groaned. "How are we supposed to know that? We found it, then we sent for you. Took your sweet time getting here, too."

A lantern appeared at Vincent's elbow, and he took it. "I was held up." He stooped to shine the bright light down the tunnel and was surprised to see it sheared up by a network of wooden supports. "Do we know anything at all about it?"

"Nope. Nadda," Barnaby answered, considerably calmer. "Though... remember the story about the Tunnel of Forever Food we were told about as kids?"

Everyone peered down the tunnel again. Vincent's heart skipped a beat. Could it be?

Vincent straightened and turned to face them. "Okay, this is a voluntary mission. We don't know what's down there or how safe it is, but we need to explore it. We can't have a tunnel like this so near the colony."

A small chorus of agreement came from nodding heads.

"I volunteer," Timothy. "I'm the smallest."

"Great. Two more?" Vincent urged.

"I'm small, too. I'll go," Elizabeth said.

Vincent raised a paw. "Are you sure, Elizabeth? Your mom would be furious if she knew."

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Yeah, well, I don't always do what she wants."

He grinned. "Just most of the time."

She slapped his arm in faux anger. They both knew he was right. Elizabeth rarely went against her mom, especially since she was a single parent and working hard to provide for them.

"Not this time. This is important."

"Okay," he nodded. "Who else?"

With a heavy sigh, Barnaby spoke. "I don't think I'd fit... not until we dig it out a little."

A small hand appeared in the back of the group. "I'll go," a timid voice said. It was Charles, Timothy's cousin. Vincent brought him into the dig group when Marcus started in on him. "I'm not as small as Timothy, but I think I'll still fit."

A smile spread across Vincent's face. "Great! We've got us a team. I'll go first." He looked around. "Who's got the chalk?"

Barnaby patted his vest until he found the appropriate pocket. "Here! This should be enough," he said as he handed it off.

Vincent handed it to Elizabeth. "You come behind me and mark our way."

Her eyes shined, and she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Got it!"

"Everybody gets a lantern, too," he proclaimed, and the crowd found them easily. "Alright. Let's go." Vincent's stomach dropped a little when he squeezed through the opening. It wasn't a horribly tight fit, just enough to remind him he was the biggest. When it widened, he breathed a little easier. I hope it doesn't get any narrower than that. Elizabeth, Timothy, and Charles cleared it with no problems.

The tunnel plunged into darkness in just a few feet. The air was musty but earthy, too. It twisted and turned but didn't split until they were well into the darkness. "We're going right," declared Vincent. He'd once been told to always go right, and you'd never get lost. Though, it might be the long way around. In the quiet, he heard Elizabeth's occasional scraping of the chalk on the wall.

Much to Vincent's relief, the tunnel began to expand even more. The air, however, became damper on their fur. After another turn in the tunnel, Timothy's voice echoed, "Hey, does anyone else hear machinery?"

Vincent held up a hand and paused, listening intently. Indeed, there was some kind of engine ahead. But it wasn't a steady sound. No, it was more like a—

"Tractor!" Charles declared. "That's the farmer's old tractor! You know, the one he put the backhoe on to help dig out where the new building will be."

"The one that almost ran over Marcus?" Charles giggled.

Timothy nodded furiously. "We should be so lucky."

"Wow. Do you think we've traveled that far?" Elizabeth mused.

Vincent shrugged. "Maybe? I say we keep going."

The chorus of agreement from the others spurred him on. The sound of the tractor increased until it was nearly deafening. Vincent was just about to assure everyone everything was okay when he stepped in mud.

He gasped, stopped short, and pulled back from the wet earth, causing Elizabeth to crash into him and the rest into each other.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she shouted.

He pointed to his foot. "The ground is wet!"

"So?"

He resisted rolling his eyes. "There's water nearby. With the tractor digging, how much you want to bet it might open that up into this tunnel?"

Elizabeth's eyes went wide. "We need to move!"

They began to scramble as fast as possible through the squishy, slick mud. Vincent prayed there was a way out ahead soon. He was surprised when the tunnel forked after a turn.

Pick Your Plot:

Comment on the plot point you like best. Please only vote once before August 30th, 2022.

The rats go right, into the tunnel leading up and away from the possible cave-in, into unknown circumstances.

The rats go left, deeper into the earth, away from the tractor, to keep exploring.