Something wet touched Freya's neck, and the time moved. She giggled as the rat licked her skin, tickling her with her whiskers.
"She likes you!" Kagetsu crowed like a small kid.
The fear was gone. Freya's brain silenced, and all she could think about was how adorable this rat was. Without knowing, her fingers stroked her short fur, touching the unexpected muscles bulking under her skin.
Kagetsu pondered a bit, holding his chin as he mimicked his oldest brother. "I think this one may really belong to somebody, as you said."
Freya straightened, nodding.
He looked around, seeing a few people giving them scared glances. "Any idea how? This isn't exactly a village." He scratched behind his neck.
The girl tried to think, but the rat tickled her by moving around. Digging into her hair entertained the rat the most. When her triangular head emerged on the other side, she yawned, giving the world a good look on her sharp and long incisors.
"How about the vet?" she wrote.
"Sounds good." Kagetsu fished out his phone, finding the nearest vet clinic.
Arriving there, they found it full of people waiting with dogs, cats, and rabbits. Printing out their waiting number, they sat down, finding striking similarities between pets and their owners.
Chatter between strangers bounded by their love for animals filled the waiting room. One by one, the pets entered and left the vet clinic. Finally, Freya and Kagetsu got up, entering the vet's ordinance.
"Welcome, how can I help you?" A young woman greeted them. Her brown hair sat in a neat bun, and she just tossed a pair of one-use gloves into a trash bin.
"Hello, we've found this rat, and we think it belongs to somebody since it's so friendly. Do you know how to find her owner?"
The vet looked at them, scanning the rat sitting on Freya's shoulder. "Let's see. Put her on the table."
Kagetsu did it, and the small animal tried to wriggle free. "Ouch!" he yelped as she bit him. "Be a good girl." He could squeeze her, but that could crush her body.
The vet took the rat from him. In her other hand, she had a pistol similar to ones from the stores used to read bar codes. Its small laser screen flashed, and a short beep came from it. "Perfect!"
"What?"
Freya stretched her neck, but she couldn't see anything. The rat ran up Freya's arm, hiding in her hair.
"It means there is a chip under her skin." The vet sat behind the computer, typing. "It has all sorts of information about the owner, especially their contact information if they fill them. In any case, we can find where is said pet registered."
"Cool! So she can go home?"
The woman smiled. "Yes, if we can get in touch with the owner." Searching a bit, she found the correct phone number.
Kagetsu and Freya stood away a bit, letting the woman make the call. After a few minutes, she came to them.
"Good news! Gigi here goes home. Her owner lost her a few days ago. "Place her on the table." She put on the gloves. "I need to give her a few shots and check if she is healthy."
The real terror started as the small body demonstrated a surprising amount of strength. Kagetsu got a few bites, but Gigi didn't miss any shot.
The vet gave them the address, and they headed there with Gigi on Freya's shoulder like a parrot. Along the way, the rat switched positions, taking short naps.
It seemed, despite rats being more nocturnal animals, this one was a morning bird. Neither it was dirty, as it cleaned and spitted on Freya's neck as it moisturized her paws. As usual, humans often told untrue stories and stuck to them though reality proved them wrong.
Closing to an apartment building sent tears into Freya's eyes. They knew each other for a couple of hours the most, yet saying goodbye already hurt.
"Gigi!" a sharp voice threw them off as the door opened.
Before Freya could look at the shouting person, the pet rat climbed down from her shoulder, and within three seconds, it sat on the woman's shoulder.
"I missed you so much!"
The rat ruffled her grayish hair, hid behind her neck, licked her cheeks, and slashed her tail, expressing extreme happiness. There was no doubt this woman was her owner.
When the rat stopped showering her with love, the wrinkled woman looked at the duo. "You must be the gentle souls who took care of my Gigi."
Freya and Kagetsu smiled. "We just happened to find her."
Her brown eyes shone as she shook her head. "No, many people think rats or mice are disgusting. Nobody would give her a second thought."
"Really?" Kagetsu crossed his hands behind his head. "I think she looks cute. How can you not love those big eyes?"
Freya realized he was right. 'All pets or animals deserve love. I suppose even spiders or snakes.'
A shiver ran down her spine. Spiders scared her. They way they moved had an eerie feeling. The same went for snakes. A chance meeting with one when she was a kid didn't warm her up to them either.
"You deserve a reward!"
Freya jerked her head, waking up from her dreamy state. 'What?'
She tried to find something in her bag. "Let me repay you for your hard work."
"That's okay!" Kagetsu stepped back with his hands in a defensive gesture.
"No. No!" The woman didn't look at them, occupied by her treasure hunt for her purse.
"Live well!"
The woman shot her head up, seeing the duo waving her with big smiles at the end of the outer corridor.
The middle-aged woman smiled. "Look at this, Gigi. Good people still live." She closed the door, venturing into the hall decorated by pictures of a rat with white front legs and belly. Each picture was labeled Gigi First, Gigi Second, and so on until the current generation Gigi Fifteenth.
Note: This Gigi is based on pet rats we had. Both were girls and had the same fur pattern ;-)