Bab 664: JUST LUCKY
25 FEBRUARY, THURSDAY, LUNCHTIME
I pretty much ran out of the classroom the moment the lunch bell rang. I had a hunting plan.
Fluffy and EJ had tried to follow me, but they had band practice for The Last Hurrah and I pretty much Alpha Commanded them to go with Henry.
Anyway, I swallowed everything in my lunch box and immediately started from wherever Henry had found the box. I tried to put myself in the hammie's shoes, or rather, coffee cup.
The guys had already messed with the slushy snow and dirt on the ground, or I might have been able to see where the cup landed, but I think it was safe to say the cup either landed directly in the open gutter or it hit the side of the gutter and fell into it.
I checked the edges carefully, just to be sure. Since the cup landed in the gutter... It would have fallen facing either way - and that would be the way the hammie would most likely go.
I carefully searched the length of the gutter one way and then back the other way. This was when I felt my lucky sense of direction kick in in favor of the gutter running up to the front of the school. I carefully checked every inch and found a clue!
Yes! It was just a tiny thing, but it was a clue! A very tiny speck of paper bedding. I found a few more a few feet up... And then I realized hammie probably got into the hole on the side here.
I mean, if I were a hamster, I would hide out in here. I suddenly remembered hiding out in the vampire cave at Black Forest. Yup, there would be rats in this cave too, but I would reason that it was definitely be safer than an opened gutter which would put me in full view of whatever ate small rodents.
But at this point, I was at a loss.
No. I wasn't going to just stick my hand into the hole and pull out the first furry thing I got my hands on. I've seen what happened when the guys tried that.
Okay, I did consider it. I've always been lucky right? So what were the chances that if I put my hand into that hole, I would be able to produce a perfectly cute white hamster (and not another drain rat)?
But I'm proud to report that I didn't.
Mostly because my lucky sense of direction seriously didn't feel it was a good idea.
By now, I was just squatting by the gutter looking forlornly at the hole. Goodbye baby hamster. I hadn't even named you yet! I hope the moon goddess shines on you, although usually she specializes on wolves. Oh wait, maybe you might not want her spotlight - especially if you were running away from a predator. I guess unlike wolves, you're more of a prey animal. Maybe you'd be safer hidden in the shadows. Unless you met with the drain rats. Maybe they'd adopt you.
Ironic, Zara had picked you out especially to live the life of a princess, but you ended up lost in the gutters. Princess of the drain rats.
I'm not sure why, but at this point, I suddenly remembered Lizzy's lucky rabbit tail. Maybe I was just thinking that I understood how she felt now. Maybe it was also a small white ball of fur. Maybe it would be in the gutter of the school's front gate?
Well, it was worth a shot. I headed over to the front gate. At lunchtime, this place was deserted.
"Hi, gel. You can't leave the school without permission." The voice of an old wolf called out from the security checkpoint. I looked over and found old Bert sitting on an old plastic chair inside the tiny guard house.
I didn't know anyone used this place.
"Hi Bert." I said.
"Oh, it's you alpha." Bert said, "I hope you're not looking for trouble."
I shook my head, and then I nodded, "Actually, I'm looking for a small white hamster."
Bert raised a brow.
"If you happen to see it, can you help me catch it?" I asked.
Okay, maybe I shouldn't have asked Bert. He had a bad leg. I doubt he could chase little hamsters around the gutters.
"A white hamster?" Bert asked, "Does a hamster look anything like a rat without a tail?"
I lit up, "Have you seen it?"
Now Bert's face paled, "Apologies alpha. I had no idea it was a pet."
What did you think it was?
"This old wolf found it in the gutter and thought it was a rat's runt." Bert admitted. He stumbled to get up and moved towards the back of the guard house.
I followed him.
A large black cat appeared, it took one look at me and then disappeared into the woods.
"Oh goddess." Bert said, "I'm afraid we are too late."
"What did you do to my hamster?" I flared.
"I left it in Old Black's bowl..." Bert confessed miserably.
The cat's bowl? We both looked and there by the side of the guard house was a box with a blanket and a wide chipped bowl. It was empty except for a small round ball of fur!
"Well, I'd be." Bert sounded surprised, "But he ate everything else!"
I noticed some pieces of kibble at the bottom of the bowl. I guess the black cat didn't like the taste of baby hamsters, he ate all around it though.
I immediately bent down and scooped up the white ball of fur. Was it dead?
"No wonder the rat problem is getting worse." Bert grumbled behind me, "I won't be feeding Old Black anymore. Let him go back to hunting his own meals."
And then the little white ball opened a perfectly pink eye and looked at me. Then it pooped one on my hand and went back to sleep again.
Oh gross. I shook off the piece of poop.
"Well now, that's one lucky rat." Bert decided. He turned to make his way up the single step back to the guard house.
"Is your leg hurting?" I asked. I didn't remember him dragging it this much before.
"It's nothing alpha." Bert brushed it off, "It's old and doesn't like the cold."
I followed the old warrior back to the front gate. I could see my warriors in their blue uniforms patrolling.
They bowed politely as they passed. My wolves - specifically the Underground wolves.
Bert and I watched them pass in silence.
"Thanks Bert." I said, "I better get back to class."
Bert chuckled, "You're welcome, Alpha, not that I did anything."
"You saved my hamster." I told Bert.
The old wolf shook his head in amusement, "This one survived by sheer luck, alpha. I deserve no credit."
I watched Bert drag his bad leg up the last step into the guard house, and carefully put my hammie into my lunch bag. Then I went back to class.
That was really lucky. I knew Bert meant to feed my hamster to the old black cat, but if Bert hadn't found it and put it in the bowl of kibble next to the warmth of the guard house, I'm not sure my hammie would have survived sleeping in a cold open gutter.
And if Bert hadn't been feeding Old Black good quality kibble, Old Black would've definitely eaten my hamster.
Because my hammie apparently had zero survival skills, and didn't know to hide itself or even to NOT sleep when put into a bowl of kibble like a cherry on top of an ice-cream sundae.
But despite my hammie's terrible survival instincts, it survived the fall out of the window, and it's time in the cold wilderness, and then it's moment in a cat's food bowl. And despite my terrible pet owner ways (lessons learnt - do not offer your hamster as coffee to Henry), I had found my baby friendship ham.
I was in a good mood by the time I got back to class.
"Oh, good you're back." Marcus said the moment I entered. Maria looked less than please though. Opps, I had forgotten to walk her.
But I had a real pet now, so she'd just have to walk herself! I opened up my lunchbag and moved my sleeping ham back into its coffee cup. Then I showed it off to anyone who would look, "Look! I found my hamster!"
Janice and her friends ooohed and aaahed at it. The cool girls looked astonished. Krystal asked, "You found it?"
"Let me see!" Zara rushed over.
"Yeah, better make sure she didn't just pick up a white rat." Henry smirked.
"Stupid Henry! You better not throw it out again!" Zara yelled back, once she had ascertained that it was indeed the genuine article I brought back.
"Mou! How did alpha find it?" EJ wanted to know, "We looked EVERYWHERE!"
"I just applied my hunting skills." I boasted, and then more modestly (and honestly), "I was just lucky."
"Okay." Said Zara, taking out her pink notebook, "What was her name again? Or maybe you should spell that out for me."
She handed me her notebook.
It looked like the birth registry of all her hamsters. She flipped it to the last page where our names were written.
Jasmine - Zane
Leia - Sugar Daddy
Krystal - Louis Vuitton
Sam -
Actually, I wouldn't know how to spell Depuis Pendent. I couldn't even pronounce it for most part.
I filled into the blank beside my name, "Lucky".
"I thought you wanted to name her that fancy princess name." Zara said.
"I like this better." I decided.
"At least it's easy to remember." Zara agreed, taking her notebook and pen back.
"What?" Krystal asked, "You changed her name?"
"I bet it's something long and fancy." Leia said.
"What are you naming it?" Jasmine asked.
"Lucky." I answered, "Just Lucky."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone