Center stage

This was the worst part of being a part of a large family.

“Today we lay dear Nathaniel to rest. Though his body may have been slain, in our hearts we know that the spirit lives on.”

I barely knew him and he’s the seventh sibling I’ve had to bury, and not once in those seven times have we had a body for the funeral. You’d think that would make things easier but… I look across the grave, Mom’s hiding it but she’s pregnant again, God only knows who the father is. I’ve lost track of how many brothers and sisters I have out in the world. Of those in attendance, I count roughly thirty they don’t represent half my siblings, maybe not even a third.

Mom mourns though I doubt she knew poor Nathan much better than I did. Maybe it was just the sharp reminder of our short lifespans. My mother was the oldest member of the family at 30. My littermates and I, the oldest of her children, are 18.

We’re mice, it’s our lot in life to live fast, fuck often, and for the lucky ones watch as our brothers and sisters die one by one. My name is Jake and apparently I’m one of those lucky ones.

No one else really gets it. Sure some have a grasp on it. The rabbit preacher presiding over the service probably understands it better than most, but the simple truth is we are at the absolute bottom of the food chain, and in a world where predation is not only legal but the norm it’s a death sentence to be born into the species.

The preacher finishes with a short prayer, and I take stock of all the built up angst and pain registering in the back of my head. I hate feeling this way, but as much as I hate to admit it, it’s beneficial to my job, which after a check of my watch reveals I have to be at in two hours from now. It was decided years ago if mice had the day off every time someone they knew got eaten they’d never have time to work.

Mom embraces me as I’m lost in thought. I barely register my arms going around her.

“He was just a baby, didn’t leave home more than a year ago, I told him to stay in the subs but he wouldn’t listen. None of you ever listened.” She sobs struggling to control herself.

Being the eldest also meant being the example, the standard, the one mom knew, trusted, but at the same time resented. The subs were affluent, safely tucked away under the city streets, safe away from the real world. My littermates and I left looking for our independence from our mother, and it seemed every litter since then had done the same.

She was safe and secure in the subs, but routinely sending her children to their deaths. It was heartbreaking holding her.

“Can you stay Jake?”

I shook my head and felt her shudder against me.

“I hate that job of yours” she said sobbing.

“I know you do Mom.” I said well aware of her fears but unable to do a thing to relieve them.

“Just be safe” she said hugging me tighter. “I’ve buried too many already.”

From there the funeral was a blur. We all had lives we had to get back to. Some of my youngest siblings introduced themselves, looking at me like I was some kind of hero, I didn’t know how to feel about that. Before I left the preacher asked if he knew me from somewhere. Funny I hadn’t taken him as a jazz fan.

As we dispersed I walked mom back to the underground, the safe secure confines of the subs that I either rejected or couldn’t afford depending on who you asked.

She embraced me a final time. “Make them cry for Nathan.” A sad smile across her face, I felt my eyes beginning to water.

“I will mom, promise.”
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It was a similar mindset that had ended young Nathan’s life, drove Jake’s mother to tears, and was the fear that drove all prey species to fevered and terrifying dreams.

Hunger

Insatiable, unrelenting, unstoppable hunger, one that specifically called for meat, live, raw, wriggling, and struggling all the way down. The young vixen named Kelly sighed, looking at the no predation sign Bruno hung proudly above her position at the bar. Jerky would have to satisfy the savage beast for now.

“You really should get something before you come in.” said the tabby cat tying an apron around her waist.

“Who said I didn’t try?” she made a mental note not to go after any rabbits that had an active gym membership anymore.

“If we get any bad tippers just before closing I’ll point you in their direction.”

“One can only hope” Dreams of slow, fat, drunken bunnies playing over in her thoughts. Her gaze drifted over to the stage in the back, and did a double take once she found that it was conspicuously empty.

“No way”

Claire barely got out a ‘what’ before Kelly was peering out the door with a stupid smirk on her face.

“Okay, what are you doing?” asked the confused tabby. Kelly looked back mischievous smile.

“I finally beat him here.”

“Beat who, you mean Jake?”

The vixen nodded keeping her eyes glued outside. “Two years we’ve worked here and I’ve never once caught him coming in, but once I see which direction he’s coming from…” she sighed dramatically her tongue trailing over her muzzle. “It’s only a matter of time.”

She smiled giddily lost in her own fantasy.

“And promptly be fired the second the boss got wind of it, if you’re lucky of course.” Claire pointed out, dreams sufficiently dashed Kelly could only pout.

“I never said I’d eat him, do you really think I’d lose control like that?”

The cat didn’t say a word, she just pointed to a piece of jerky that had be bitten into the shape of a mouse.

“Oh come on! A responsible predator can have a relationship with prey.” Kelly recited as if reading from a pamphlet.

“Now all we need is a responsible predator.”

“You can’t tell me you wouldn’t love to get that little cutie all alone and let nature take over.”

“Not at all” she said calmly much to Kelly’s irritation.

“And why not!” she growled

“Well aside from me not wanting to lose my job one way another. I don’t date or devour co-workers, it never turns out well. Besides he’s taken.”

“Taken?”
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Kate held her carrying case just at the rear of the club, the rolled cigarette between her lips containing less than legal substances was already starting to redden her eyes. The wolfess needed to get her mind right before a hard night of strumming on a bass.
Maybe it was the mild high she was feeling, or maybe it was just experience, but she didn’t bat an eye at the ankle high elevator that popped out of the ground in front her.

“Ah the secrets of mouse kind revealed to a humble predator.”

“Kate” Jake said stepping out of the elevator and heading for the door, before a gray furred paw moved to block his path.

“Don’t go in yet, you’ll make me look bad.” She said in a playful tone.

“I just want to fall out before I have to do anything.”

She scoffed. “You can fall out here. I’ve seen your backstage couch, I’m softer.”

“My couch doesn’t smell like booze and pot.” He shot back perhaps harsher than intended. He climbed over her foot and began to head inside.

She blinked at the insult, waiting till he was inside before sniffing under her arm and then following; trying to walk alongside him by taking a step for every five of his.

“So had any plans for a set tonight?”

“Full Improv, just follow my lead.” He said sharply.

“One of those days” it was more of a statement than a question. He didn’t respond in any case. “I won’t tell anyone.” She said putting out her light.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, what are band mates for?” once they passed the stage, Jake went into his zone and wasn’t much of a conversationalist. Any other day Kate would spend the time before opening teasing him. It always was a challenge to see if she could make him blush or stutter. When they first met he was fresh from the subs, she was one of the first predators he interacted with on a regular basis and it showed. Stammering, fidgeting, eyes darting this way and that like he needed an exit strategy, it was cute. It helped that she never looked at him the same way other preds might, she hated the taste of mice. Though if he asked she would swear she had never once tried them. Still that didn’t stop her from teasing, and when the ‘snack’ ‘lunch’ and ‘chew toy’ jokes grew stale, there were other ways to play with him.

She smirked cupping the twins in her paws, his first ride in her naughty pillows almost left him in a coma. No matter the species a young male was a young male. It was growing harder to mess with him though, but she appreciated a challenge. Today though would be different, she didn’t need to be told that it wouldn’t be appreciated tonight.

Still there were plenty of other people to annoy especially if one had the right timing.
“What do you mean taken? Did someone call dibs or something? Jake’s a big boy he can choose he wants to play with.”

Kate thanked the timing gods for they were indeed kind today.

“What do you mean by play?” she said over a suddenly nervous Vixen’s shoulder.

“Oh I mean….uh….cards!” Claire stammered, she only came up to the wolf’s chest, and Kate was a girl that took great joy in making others nervous.

“cards?” The wolfess repeated clearly amused.

“Yeah I was getting all our co-workers together for a nice game of cards.” The fox girl finished lamely

“Oh that’s nice, well Jake’s right over there, how about I ask him for you.” Kate stated happily, causing Kelly to have a bit of a mental breakdown right before her eyes.

“Why’s she banging her head against the counter?” Claire asked.

“Small nervous condition, don’t mind her.” Kate said.

Before Kate could torture her further Jake began to wave her over. He didn’t want to practice the set, but a little warm up never hurt.
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Poor Amanda had just wanted to go home, it had been a long day stuck in a tiny cubicle and she just wanted to turn her brain off in front of the TV, but nooo her friends thought they could use some culture and brought her to a jazz club. The coyote sighed maybe she could at least get something to drink.

She had never been to a jazz club, or a non predation club for that matter, she did a double take seeing a pair of prairie dogs stroll past. She made an effort not to drool too much, wasn’t polite. Her friends found a place as close to the stage as possible, Diana couldn’t recommend it enough though she wouldn’t specify why. The lynx was twitchy from the moment they got there though, so Amanda assumed it was good. Gregory, who was apparently the only Jazz fan among them was more subdued, but was quick to defend Diana’s recommendation of the place.

“Trust me you’ll thank me when this night is over.” Diana kept repeating though the coyote was less than sure, for one the vixen who served their drink gave her the creeps.

Then it happened, the lights dimmed signaling that the band was about to emerge from backstage. She hadn’t noticed earlier but the place was packed, were these guys really that good?

Out stepped a wolfess followed by a horse in dark shades, and a panda going over to the drums. Diana let out a gleeful whine, and Amanda followed her line of sight, then did a double take. A brown mouse with a golden saxophone took center stage. She searched her memory but honestly failed to place a mouse in a public place, at least not out in the open, especially not in a room filled with potential predators.

He looked her right in the eye before putting on a pair of sunglasses, they made him look cute enough to eat she decided. Before any further thoughts on the matter could develop however he placed the instrument to her lips, and the world fell away.

She didn’t know jazz, but she knew what she liked, and she knew at the moment should anyone interrupt him at that moment she would have ripped their throat out. The subdued tune he played was heartbreaking, soul tearing, cry of sadness, and she could do nothing but listen.

A small part of her recognized he had everyone within ear shot acting in a similar fashion, the musician however didn’t notice or at least didn’t acknowledge his enraptured audience. His tragedy, and triumph built to a crescendo then finished leaving the little mouse panting and more than one of the audience standing and applauding.

“You owe me” Diana said leaning over.

Amanda nodded dumbly, looking toward the little musician, then back to the rest of the audience trying to reassure herself that she wasn’t alone in how she felt. The looks in the audience varied from predatory, to a different kind of hunger from many a female and a couple males as well. And here he stood no more than a few feet away. It was so tempting, even though she wasn’t sure what she even wanted.

Diana gave her a slight pinch and pointed to the imposing figures just off stage, two large Kodiak bears hugged the walls, mostly out of sight. Security for the talent no doubt.

“You can still dream though.” The lynx told her. Amanda nodded as the mouse conversed with his band mates setting up another set. A part of her decided she would be in the ‘other hunger’ camp.
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I’ll never understand them Jake thought, paying the audience one more glance than he needed. The look in their eyes no longer filled him with apprehension just confusion. Predators he got. Women were another matter. Still that wasn’t what he was looking for, it was the tissues that caught his eye. A table in the back, one to his left, two more on the right, it would have to do.

“Rest in peace Nate” He mumbled before heading backstage.