Black Rat
Black Rat had been in the recovery room for about two days, and Gold had taken over, feeling guilty about his leg because it was his fault. Black had insisted that no one worry about him, that he would be fine and after some rest he'd be on his feet again, with the help of a walking stick. Gold checked in on him now. He was asleep, a bandage around where his right eye had been. The glass had pierced deep, and Black was lucky to be alive. He had several other bandages around his worst cuts, and Gold felt sorry for him, looking at his bruises. But Black had hardly complained. That was one strange thing about Black. He rarely complained, and no one knew where he came from. He kept to himself most of the time. When he could walk, he was an excellent leader. Gold could remember the camp raids of not too long ago. He could see Black riding on a huge hawk's back, his eyes glowing with an unnatural fire, his long black cape streaming in the wind, bent over, staring at the fated Nazi Rat, raising an arm to command everyone to dive at the rat, the look of terror on the enemy's face when he saw the dreaded Black Rat aiming right at him--
"Gold!" The name snapped Gold out of his reverie. Turning he saw the teacher/doctor, Burgundy Rat, walking briskly towards him. He looked angry.
"Get away from that door," he whispered, "and be quiet. We don't want to wake up the sergeant, do we?"
"Aw, buzz off," Gold snapped.
Black opened his one eye and glared at Burgundy. The sound of his hollow voice startled Burgundy. "Who said I didn't want visitors?"
"Oh, Sergeant! I--I didn't know you were awake, sir. Do you want anything?"
"Leave the corporal alone, Burgundy. Can't you see he was thinking about something?"
Burgundy nodded. "Yes, sir," he said, leaving.
It was Gold's turn to be startled. Black Rat was looking at him and smiling in a knowing way, as if he could read his thoughts.
"How did you know I was--"
"Thinking about me? Anyone educated enough could tell. You were so lost in thought you didn't even notice me wake up. I knew you were feeling sorry and thinking about the times before the accident."
The accident! He'd nearly forgotten. "About the accident, Black--"
Black Rat cut him off again with a shake of his head. "That was Dobermann's fault. Of course, you didn't help any by not looking."
Gold Rat stared at his feet.
"Now get out of here. I have to recover." He smiled again and closed his eye. Gold obeyed, and closed the door behind him.
The pat-pat-pat of his own feet on hard cement and an occasional splash were all Gold could hear as he walked along one of the many trenches. Once in a while another Trench Rat would come by and greet him, and then disappear in the labyrinth of water-filled passages It was more like a sewer system than a network of connecting trenches, underground and with a roof over them--sort of like tunnels. While Gold walked, his thoughts turned again to Black. He would barrage him with questions if he could. What had Black done before he'd agreed to lead the rest of the rats [sic], of which there were hundreds? He thought also about an incident that had happened the other day, causing Black to stay longer in recovery. Apparently a Nazi Rat had sneaked poison into Black's water. When Burgundy, Gold, Green, and Red had gone up to check on him, he'd been choking and unable to speak. He finally informed them by writing "POISON--HELP!" on the wall, and they were able to save him. Gold had blamed himself for this as well, because he hadn't taken warning when he'd seen some rats with a large bottle. Eventually Gold's thoughts returned to the present, and he caught himself at a dead end. He turned away and went back to his quarters.
Black Rat had made an excellent recovery, and now was back to leading the battalion. Gold remained moody, arguing at least once a day. He never argued with Black, that is, until one day. He began protesting about not fighting for a long time, and Black sharply reminded him that they hadn't been stationed in Germany to fight, but to help lost or wounded.
"Oh, so you don't care if we go out and have some fun?" Gold said.
"I care enough to keep you in order," Black replied coldly.
"Then why don't you let us know about yourself, so we can trust you!" Gold snapped.
There was a long, uneasy silence. Black was turned away from Gold, but he could still tell that something had come over Black.
"You want to know about my background?" Black finally asked quietly.
Gold bowed his head, ashamed that he'd blurted out that question so harshly.
There was another pause. Then Black broke it and said, in a low voice, "I was a sky pirate."
Gold looked up, stunned. "D-did you say sky pirate?"
Black nodded slowly, and then continued. "Yes, I said sky pirate. You know, people who rob and plunder and fly airplanes. Sort of like airborne Captain Hooks, only fiercer." He stopped again.
Gold spoke this time. "How'd you get into the Marines, then?"
"I had a companion named Midge, an orphaned rat, who was my only family," Black replied. "One day some rival sky pirates kidnapped him. I decided to get even then, and became a lone pirate. After that I quit and got into training. When I'd been with the Marines for several years, an official asked me if I'd like to command the first battalion of some so-called Trench Rats. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity, since I had nothing to do. I came here and was set up as your leader. You probably don't remember; we had other Rats at that time, but several of you were here--I remember Burgundy and Blue. You, Red, Yellow, and most of the others came later. Burgundy and Blue knew about my secret, but none of the younger Rats were told until you. So do you want to go tell the others?"
Gold stared for a bit, then said, "No. I'll keep it a secret. I'm sorry I shouted. I've just been so nervous lately--"
"Perhaps it's better that you do know," Black said gently. "It's a load off your back. You can tell if you like, but please don't make a deal out of it." He waved a paw. "Dismissed."
Gold grinned and headed off to Mess Hall. It would be a long, tough day.
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