Searching the halls

[minkey55]

(OOC: Any rat that wishes to join please feel free.
This is just a general running through the halls looking for things. Food, Shelter, Things to tinker with ect.)


Captain Madden gazed out of the small bolt hole in the wall, she had almost been seen by one of the orderlies on his night patrol.
The hall was once again clear and she was off in search of some more food for the mischief of her cell.
With 2 more mouths to feed Mistress Merliah had asked her to fetch some special food to welcome them.
The others had been to busy to come help her so she had set off on her own.
Sadly in her rush she hadn't noticed the sound of footsteps approaching until he was almost on top of her.
Now she was heading up towards the main rooms where the Doctors worked.
She knew most of them ate in their offices and their was always something to be found left over she could take back.
Stopping at a junction between cells she sniffed the air gently to see if any one was in the area.

[Echoscream]

Sir Thad's wise eyes gave a dull glimmer, he had never seen this rat. She was evidently not one of his own, but he knew what trouble she would taint herself with wandering so close to the medical ward. He twitched his nose in slight disgust. Medical wasn't a word to describe those creatures...
"You there," he crooned in his deep tone from behind the beige female.
He knew he was going against his colony to help an outsider, but he was well respected and had an eye for good and prospect individuals that may be helpful. This female - as lost as she seemed - did not appear undernourished to him in this light. He pondered that she must be part of a colony.

[minkey55]

Captain Madden turned round quickly at the sound of another bracing herself for a fight.
As she looked over the male she relaxed a little. Although this male was unknown to her she was happy to see another rat in the halls.
"Greetings. I beg your forgiveness if I have entered your territory, but i am unfamiliar with these halls."

[Echoscream]

Thad gave a friendly twitch of the whiskers, "Oh no, we are both out of territory boundaries, there are no fights here - this is neutral turf. It is not safe around this side of the ward though." He debated on going into further detail but his ears gave a slight twitch to the noise of human chitters. Quieting his voice, he gave a murmur. "Northeast of here is the safest area. I strongly advise heading that way. I will accompany if needbe. I am heading to the garden in that direction." He began to scurry in the direction, giving a single look back at the ladyrat before continuing his venture - if she followed he would likely indulge in conversation - but here it was too risky to be in the open halls chattering.

[minkey55]

Madden nodded her head and followed quickly after, she too had heard the human voices and he seem to know this area better then herself.
She moved quickly and fell in line with the male allowing him to lead them.
"Are their many around here?" Madden asked then mental kicked herself "other like are selves not the humans"

[Echoscream]

Thad swayed to meet a side-by-side pace with Madden so he could meet her eyes during their chat. "I live in a colony of thirty eight. There are three or four other colonies aside from my own. Do you belong to any band? Name is Sir Thadius Maxwell, but please just call me Thad. What do you go by?" He took in the smell of the air, the scent of human being at a much more safe distance now. The deputy knew of humans all too well, having seen too many rats injured by the works of the whitecoats.

[minkey55]

"My Name is Captain Madden, but most call me Madden." she said keeping stride with him "We have only just moved into the lower cells so i am still not familiar with the layout and bordering colonies. Are colony is only 14 strong at the moment." her head dipped slightly "sadly we lost most on the escape from the higher quarters here."
She shook her head to rid herself of the mental images trying to come back.
"But a new ,strange, male has been allowed to join and we wanted something as a welcome, so my mistress sent me out looking for food."

[Echoscream]

"The lower cells are safer by far. My colony settled in the headpoint of the water shaft where there is a bunch of abandoned closets and video rooms. The stair bits were boarded off years ago so we have to use the piping or the garden to get home, but the safety and space available are great." His golden eyes gave a twinkle at friendly colony folk. "It is a pleasure to meet you Madden. Most around here from neighboring colonies seem to be not so welcoming." Coming up to a set of vertical pipes Thad grabbed the nails along the wall and began to climb, looking down at Madden. "Not far now until the garden, there is plenty of food growing there and inmates aren't harmful. Just keep your eyes peeled for whitecoats."

[minkey55]

Madden nodded following him quickly up the pipework.
"The higher quarters were more difficult to live in but their was plenty of food just lying around." Madden chuckled to herself as they climbed "Some of the younger ones in the group are complaining that their is never enough food any more."
She paused for a moment thinking about her sister who is the one who demands the most even though she's not willing to risk getting caught herself to get it but would gladly send outer out.
shaking her head to clear her wandering thoughts she quickly followed Thad to the top, she needed a clear head in this part.

[Echoscream]

Thadius's old bones definately did not prove limber as he made his way up the pipes to the opening in the wall where the rafters attached from one side of the ward to the next. Pulling himself up, he checked on her once more - being the oldest in his colony left him with some ingrained actions. "If you don't mind my asking, how many does your colony hold?" He paused for a moment and stretched his legs, the fur around his muzzle aged in the more intense light, though he appears well kept for a rat more than halfway over the hill. Thad squinted his eyes to look for the position of the sun. "We should be alright in the ward across until the sun reaches one thumb away from the horizon. The inmates were just fed so there should be ample scraps around there." He scurried out onto the rafter and stood on his hind legs to look around for something that would be useful for carrying food.

[minkey55]

Following close behind Madden mentally counted how many were in her colony, then she wondered if she should tell a strange rat she had only just meet.
"At Last count i think it was 12, no 13 including the new buck that arrived. Some are from the original colony, some joined us in travels and one lived in the cell space we live in and simply wanted to join us." She paused again wondering if she should really be telling him so much, but she mentally shrugged it off, if he had been a threat why would he be showing her the way.
Joining him out on the rafter she looked around for something to use.
in one corner their seemed to be some type of paper stuck under a chair leg, it could be a piece of napkin or a bit of news paper or even part of some medical notes lost by one of the whit coats, but it looked just the right size to carry some choice scraps and still easily move about.

[Echoscream]

Thadius gave a flicker of his ears warmly towards the youthful doe, "Rats come from many corners of life. We meet in the commonplace of colonial life, that is all that matters. What brought your rats together? Do you have a Mistress in your ranks?" His questions spoke solid friendliness while following Madden to retrieve the paper. "How old are you, if I may ask?"

[minkey55]

"Yes we have a Mistress , though she is still a bit young. We were part of a larger colony above the cells but were forced lower by the white coats. We lost most of are colony including the ruling Mistress." she paused a moment thinking back to that awful day when they all had to flee their home. "The new mistress was her daughter, 13th in a long line of mistresses, she seems to simply know things."
She turned to him with a cold stare at his last question. "I'm older then my teeth and younger then my tongue." she said before laughing slightly " It's not right to ask a doe her age. But i am old enough to be captain in are hunting parties."