It was an uncommonly bright day for the middle of winter, but this fact didn't make it feel any more special than any other day. Perhaps I should have kept to myself again -- after all, I chose to become a rogue on my own -- but I was getting restless. There is only so much one can do on their own, and although I'm not the most social of trasts, I'm also not as much of a hermit as I may make myself out to appear.
Somehow, though, I always seem to run into the wrong individuals at just the right time. My ears felt like they were on fire as I passed a couple of trasts, their voices dipping low in an attempt to hide their conversation from me. Curse my sharp hearing, they must have seen my ears twitch to their words as I tried to ignore them, because they came over to me, raising their voices slightly as if to mask the fact that they were... well, trying to mask the conversation before. "Hey, you're one of the zodiac, aren't you? We never see you come around; where have you been hiding?"
I hesitated. They always start out so friendly, but it's like their digging for anything they can poke fun at. I don't know, maybe that's just my luck, but it never fails. Despite feeling like just walking away, I shrugged it off and painted a smirk over my face instead. "Yeah, but I'm not anything special; I'm just another trast," I replied, deciding not to comment on their second question.
Not that they even noticed. "Which one are you? Of the zodiac, that is," a female asked, a little too giddily. A rather flamboyantly-colored female, I might add.
Again, the control I had over visible emotion created the illusion that I didn't mind the conversation, but internally I was trying to find a way out. Don't get me wrong, I know not all trasts are bad. However, there was the slightest tint of malice on her voice when she asked me which animal of the zodiac I represented. I knew what was coming, but I answered anyway. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment, or maybe those who tell me I can handle myself well are right, but I wanted to come out of my self-exile. In doing so, I needed to face every challenge head-on and with a mind full of confidence. "The rat," I said simply, bracing myself but appearing nonchalant.
She burst into a fit of giggles. "The
rat!?"
I shrugged, as if I couldn't grasp what the big deal was. Honestly, I never fully could, but I've come to terms with who I am, and I wasn't ashamed. "Yeah, can't you tell?" I asked, holding a paw out to display the bare pink of my forearm, as if it had been obscured before.
"The
rat..." she repeated, catching her breath. She wasn't very careful about how she worded her insults, either, as a slurry of ground words fell out of her mouth. "Why are you even here? I thought rats were one of the most disease-ridden beasts on the planet! Or was there experimentation done to prevent that from happening? Oh, how very
feminine!" she spouted. Was it just me, or did it sound like she was speaking through her nose?
I must have caught them off-guard just then, for they seemed to leap a whole body-length back when I couldn't contain my laughter anymore. The female seemed to freeze, her nose crinkled up but her eyes wide. I wondered briefly if this was due to the fact she may have believed me to have some sort of deity-level abilities, being of such a "prestigious" line. "That's just priceless... You're mocking
me about not being feminine?" I had to stop to actually draw in a much-needed breath before I could say anything further, but I could see her features morph to utter disgust. "If you're so scared about catching something, then you should really be more careful about who you talk to, shouldn't you? I don't carry diseases any more than you d-- Hmm, maybe that's a bad example. Well, not any more than any other trast out there. Honestly, I don't really care about what you think about me. Think what you want. As long as I am happy with who I am, I really couldn't care
less!"
I didn't rush off, but before she was able to collect her thoughts, I had already turned and walked away. Not back to my solitude, however. For some reason, I was feeling more empowered, more courageous in what I put my mind to. I smiled to myself, remembering what some of the more friendly trasts and zodiac members had told me before. I guess I could handle myself, and it was actually quite
fun. Curiosity over the social aspect of life was starting to develop into a way of life for me, even a hobby.
Just before I wandered completely out of earshot, an adolescent male that had been hanging out with the deflated female called over to me curiously. "Hey, if you're a rat, can you do normal rat-stuff, too? Like, can you squeeze under doors and other small spaces, too?" Interestingly enough, his voice held no underlying motive -- it was pure curiosity; an honest question. Before turning a corner, I looked over at him and replied with a simple wink.
Guess I'm here to stay.
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