Chapter 6

ABCThe guard wasn’t very far from the gate mouse at all. In fact, she was only stationed several meters away—Zipp had seen her while the gate mouse was still instructing him on what to do. Still terrified, he walked slowly towards her, his breathing growing heavier and his heart racing faster.
ABCEvidently, she could see him, as well. “Pick up the pace and get over ‘ere! Next time we see you ambling ‘round like that, you ain’t gonna like it!” she yelled at him. Without even giving it any thought, Zipp was sprinting over to her, afraid that if he went any slower he’d be punished.
ABC”Well, that’s more like it, but I’m still not impressed by you,” she snorted as she snatched the ticket out of Zipp’s hand and pulled out a strip of plastic. “And I never will be. Why? Because rodents like you who didn’t choose to be here are nothin’ but a bunch of wimps.” She wrapped the plastic around Zipp’s wrist. “Never take this off, no matter how beaten up or dirty it may get. You hear me?”
ABCHe could feel his face burning in anxiousness, but stiffly nodded at her. “Yes,” he stammered.
ABC”Good. There’s a building up ahead. You’ll have to fill in some paperwork and then wait for an authority to instruct you further. Now get lost.” She pushed him forward violently, and spat, “Move!”
ABCHastily making the short way to the building, Zipp glanced back and saw Rose now speaking to the guard.
ABCIf it wasn’t for that intimidating guard, he would’ve waited for her. He really wanted to wait for her. He wanted someone to be next to him, to make him feel safer and to tell him that everything was going to be just fine. Even if they were lying to him, he would have wanted to hear it.
ABCHe put a paw on the door, about to push it, but hesitated. Taking one last moment to breathe before entering, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

I LOVE KEEPING UP TO DATE WITH THIS FANFICTION.

Satash a dit :

I LOVE KEEPING UP TO DATE WITH THIS FANFICTION.

WHY THANK YOU

I love this ;w;

Chapter 7

ABCAs he closed the door behind him, Zipp began studying the room right away. It was a small, square room; seats lined three of the four walls. Looking around more, he noticed there were no colorful designs or decorations or plants to welcome anyone home. What he did notice was the guard stationed at another door on the wall parallel to the one he came in.
ABCHe was glaring straight at him, no doubt. Instinctively, Zipp stepped away from the door to find a chair to quietly sit in, to blend in with the others. But there were no more vacant chairs, and he now grew more embarrassed than terrified having to stand against the wall like a loser waiting for a place to sit.
ABCThe room was silent. The rest of the mice barely even stirred, coughed, or blinked. In fact, most of them just sat there with confident grins or expressions that said, “Yeah, I’m at bootcamp. So what?”
ABCWith nothing else in the room to interest him, he now turned to the plastic strap around his wrist. Every so often it managed to dig its way under his fur and irritate his skin. It was white all around, excluding a thick, yellow stripe on one part. He subtly peeked at the others’ wrists and saw the same yellow lines on theirs. He also recalled blue stripes on the past two mice he had interacted with, as well as one he now saw on the guard in the room.
ABCThere must be different colors for different ranks, I guess.
ABCThe door opened again. This time, Rose walked into the room, looked at Zipp, and shuffled over to stand next to him. As she walked over, her eyes were darting wildly around the room. She was shaking wildly, and her teeth were clenched. If it wasn’t for the dead silence in the room, Zipp would have asked if she was alright.
ABCFrom the back door emerged a mouse holding a clipboard and wearing a strap with a blue stripe around his wrist. He walked over to one of the mice that was sitting down and said, “Alright, you’re coming with me. I’m gonna take you around the site and get you situated.”
ABCThe mouse got out of his seat, and followed him out the back door. Zipp looked at the empty seat and glanced at Rose. When her eyes finally turned to him, he nodded at the empty chair. She didn’t seem to fully acknowledge him or his actions, and continued to stare into space shivering. Now noting how tired he felt, he trudged over to the chair and took a seat.
ABCAs some mice would leave the room, others would enter. Along the way, Rose managed to place herself in a chair, but never wiped that look off her face. It made Zipp more curious than anything else, but he knew not to speak to her. Time continued to pass, and he could feel himself beginning to nod off.
ABC”Wake up, newcomer! I’m not getting paid to watch you sleep!” a voice rang in Zipp’s ears, bringing him back to full attention. He smiled and continued, “Already tired? You’ve got a hell of a trip ahead of you, then! Come on, up and at ‘em! Time for your tour of the camp!”
ABCCompared to the blue-banded workers he had already met, this guy was really a breath of fresh air. Zipp stood up and followed him towards the back door. As it was opened, he glimpsed back one more time at Rose to see how she had been doing.
ABCHe didn’t realize someone could ever look so panicked.

I've done this like twice now, were I just look at all the pictures here. (How silly of me). Yesterday I finally read the chapters and may I say wow they are amazing. Great job and keep up the great work.

greatauk a dit :

I've done this like twice now, were I just look at all the pictures here. (How silly of me). Yesterday I finally read the chapters and may I say wow they are amazing. Great job and keep up the great work.

Yes! My words. Nothing else to be said.

Chapter 8

ABCToo much, too much.
ABCThe tour guide was energetic and quick with his words as Zipp was practically dragged around the camp. Dorms, beds, bathrooms, first aid, dining hall, camp, training field, lock up, gates, security, other campers, shamans, they all became crammed, blended, and blurred in his mind. He did observe close enough to realize the camp was definitely significantly larger than he had always envisioned it to be. But that was really all he was able to get out of the brief tour.
ABC”Well, how’s that for a tour? Think you understand the basics of where everything is now?”
ABCZipp only blinked his eyes and twitched his whiskers for a few seconds, trying to absorb anything else that had been said. “No, not really. Is there a map or something I could get?”
ABCThe mouse just laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to everything by the end of the week. Trust me, Chip—I mean, Dip.”
ABCHe blinked again. “Zipp.”
ABC”Oh, right,” he laughed more. “Speaking of which—everyone who is arriving at Bootcamp today is supposed to eat in the dining hall after the tour. Follow me, and we’ll see if you can remember where it is this time.”
ABCAt the mention of eating, Zipp suddenly remembered how hungry he was, and how much he wanted to dig his teeth into a sweet strawberry, or a savory piece of cheese. He was remarkable thirsty, as well.
ABCThey arrived at the dining hall. A divider split the room into two parts, and the tour guide noticed Zipp eying it curiously.
ABC”On the first day or two, the mice who choose to go to Bootcamp are separated from the ones who don’t. It’s just because both kinds are handled a bit differently from one another.” He pointed to a counter a few feet away from them. “This is the line to get food. Since the campers are out training right now, and the new mice are being brought in one by one, there’s no line today. But it may get a bit longer on normal days. Either way, it doesn’t matter right now. Go get your meal, eat up at one of the tables on your side, and an authority should eventually come by to give out rooms to everyone.” He pat Zipp on the shoulder, then proceeded to walk to the door to leave. “Have fun, Drip.”
ABCZipp nearly went to correct him again, but the authority had already shut the door and left him alone. He turned to the empty food line and walked in, giving a slight smile at the thought of food. Three blue-banded mice stood hunched over, their whiskers scraggly and their croaking voices chattering away in conversation. They resembled that of a street rat more than an employed mouse, though it seemed that every worker here had something off about them. These guys were just disgusting.
ABCOne of the ratmice glanced over to Zipp, then gestured towards him to the other two. “Another’s here,” he muttered in a gruff voice.
ABC”They’s tricklin’ in slow t’day, eh?” the second replied, glaring at Zipp in some disdain; the reason why he did so was unclear to him. “C’mere, kid, we’s don’t got all day,” he spat.
ABCThe third ratmouse, now shuffling back to the dirty counter that partitioned Zipp from the three dropped a small, old tray in front of him. Taking in Zipp’s confusion, he bitterly snapped, “Hey, dummy, it’s your meal. Take it, walk away, and sit at a table on your side of the room.”
ABCZipp noticed his fears slowly being pushed out of the way by anger and frustration. Though he still felt plenty meek and timid, he forced a slight grimace at the ratmice, one that none of them seemed to see anyway. He grabbed the tray and began to walk out when he heard one of them muttering to the others.
ABC”I swear, these new guys are getting dumber and dumber each time.”
ABCHe stopped walking away at the sound of the remark, shook a bit in growing frustration, and quickly continued on to the tables. A few other mice sat there, though most of the handful of them were finished eating and waiting to be picked up by a blue-banded mouse. Still feeling both angered and afraid, he sat alone.
ABCAfter taking a few moments to compose himself, he turned his attention to the tray. It was a miserable excuse for a meal. Consisting of a handful of nutshells and a few hard crumbs of cheese, Zipp could almost feel the lack of energy he would have after actually starting Bootcamp. He could smell putrid, stagnant water from the small cup that sat next to the cheese crumbs. There was nothing to sustain them in a meal like this. Though in his upset and grumpy state, he tried to make do with the poor ration and began chewing on a few shells. He got a few down before hearing the familiar sound of a door opening and closing.
ABCShortly after, a voice rang out from the counter, “Stop fucking around and just hand me the damn tray.” It was also familiar to Zipp, and he in fact knew who it was. It was delivered in a fashion that was alien to him, completely different from the mouse he’d met a few hours ago.
ABCRose sat down across from him at the table. Her eyes still held that wild look, one that Zipp read perfectly; it was that same deadly mixture of anger and fear.
ABCShe was still shaking as she had been before, but she had found her vocals and recollected her thoughts since then.
ABC”You okay?” he began to ask in a way that was meant to be more comforting than really asking a question.
ABC”No,” she stammered back, gritting her teeth and not even focusing on the food in front of her. Zipp had now been carefully analyzing her tone. It was her, but it was missing the calm element that she always seemed to have within it. It was now shaky and hateful, and was spoken abruptly. It even beat the way she had talked when she kicked that black mouse across the cage on their way here. He knew Rose was speaking, but he struggled to connect the two together.
ABC”Why?”
ABC”They took my rose.”

I LOVE!!

Chapter 9

ABCZipp was puzzled beyond belief. “They took your rose?”
ABC”Exactly! Can you believe the audacity of them?” Rose muttered, her whiskers quivering and her food remaining untouched on the tray.
ABCHe took a few moments to assure himself that he had understood what she had said, then blatantly replied, “So?”
ABCRose gave no response. Her head tilted downwards towards the tray, though its contents stayed put. Her shuddering was so obviously involuntary that Zipp began to seriously consider if this was the same mouse he’d met back in the cage. The silence burned a painful hole in his chest, making him feel as if he needed to breathe heavier to get enough air. He had no idea why something as simple as a rose could be so significant to her, but he regretted his insensitive approach to Rose.
ABCHe tapped the table rhythmically a few dozen times, then clenched his hands into fists in that same frustration that refused to release its grasp on him. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know what it meant to you, and I don’t really understand why it matters so much, but I’m sorry.” He took a breath, and sighed heavily. “There’s been a lot of stuff going on in a really short amount of time. It’s just hard to handle it all.”
ABCShe didn’t reply, but the shaking settled down and became very mild.
ABCZipp knew she was listening, and continued to look at her. “I know that was a stupid reason. You went through everything I did,” he started, “It was probably harder on you.”
ABCRose’s stiff body began to loosen up, and she wiped tears that her hair had shielded previously. She finally looked up at him, and told him in a raspy voice, “No, I’m stronger than that.” She took a sip of the water to clear her throat, recoiling a bit from its metallic, pungent taste. “I’ll be fine.”
ABC”May I ask why that rose was so importa-“
ABC”Stop!” she shrieked, drawing the attention of the few other mice that were in the room. “Don’t talk about it! I’m fine, you see? I’m perfectly fine, so just—just stop.”
ABCHe could hear her voice quivering, and there was something about it that was so haunting. Zipp tried pinpointing it, tried to understand why it threw him off.
ABCIt was sheer hopelessness. Desperation.
ABCThe other mice now resumed their slow eating and brief conversations, but Zipp no longer had an appetite.
ABCHe knew that the shake in her voice was a call for help.
ABCBecause he was screaming the same thing in his own mind.

Nice story and a short prologue! I love this story! :)

Oww, I love this fanfiction so much! ;A;
This story is sooo great, full of emotions and... and the idea is awesome. Pictures too.
Waiting for the next chapter. c:<

The best fanfiction I've seen on this thread so far!

Love it.
I wouldve submitted a character earlier but ive never completed any bootcamp buttcamps so it didnt feel right lol

That is a really good idea :)

Too bad this fanfic died.

lemonspring a dit :

Nice story and a short prologue! I love this story! :)

Agamyszka a dit :

Oww, I love this fanfiction so much! ;A;
This story is sooo great, full of emotions and... and the idea is awesome. Pictures too.
Waiting for the next chapter. c:<

Funpaws a dit :

The best fanfiction I've seen on this thread so far!

tartlmancer a dit :

Love it.
I wouldve submitted a character earlier but ive never completed any bootcamp buttcamps so it didnt feel right lol

adobebolt a dit :

That is a really good idea :)

Thank you all very much aaa

tartlmancer a dit :

Too bad this fanfic died.

it didnt really
it just ends up being held on long hiatuses because im really bad at managing multiple tasks evenly

ive been working on the next few chapters bit by bit this past month... maybe itll pick up this coming winter break when i dont have schoolwork to take care of

oh ok

This is the first Transformice fanfiction that I've read in a while. I've enjoyed all the chapters so far. :)

Chapter 10

ABCZipp rapped at the empty tray in front of him, so desperate for more food that he wouldn’t have minded more of the terrible meal. He didn’t dare speak for quite some time.
ABCOne at a time, mice began to add up in the dining hall, yet no one ever had the nerve to strike up a conversation. There was no friendly chatter, no funny jokes, nothing. Eye contact was even scarce. No one wanted to be bothered, to be taken out of the safe bubble they had put themselves in to hide their fear, even if everyone else was afraid, too.
ABCThe only noise that echoed throughout the room was the muffled sounds from the other side of the wall divider. The partition was only temporary, Zipp remembered that much from his tour of Bootcamp. On the other side of that wall, there was shouting, laughing, and chattering that only grew as the minutes passed by. The silent, more timid mice acted more appalled by it than supportive and ready to join in.
ABCZipp would instinctively turn to look at the entrance each time the door opened and slammed shut. This habit repeated itself until the only other familiar face in Bootcamp walked into the dining hall, her hair so blindingly bright for such a morbid place that it was unmistakable. He watched her nervously shuffling to the food line, then shuffling towards the tables. He watched her body shuddering and her eyes darting from table to table, paralyzed by so many strangers, until her eyes met his. He gave a friendly smile, waving her over to sit down.
ABCRecalling how Rose had kicked her previously, she sat next to Zipp. She could feel the tension at the table and kept her mouth shut. Hesitantly, she began to nibble at the little food she had on her tray.
ABC”I’m sorry.”
ABCZipp looked up out of curiosity, and the black mouse stopped crunching. They both looked at Rose with mixed feelings of confusion and fear.
ABCRose picked her head up and stared at her. “I didn’t mean to kick you like that,” she mumbled hoarsely. “Well, I guess in the moment I did, but—“
ABC”You—you were just frustrated,” the little mouse replied. She rubbed her side in memory of the painful blow. “I understand. We’re all handling this differently,” she took heavier breaths, clearly trying to prevent her voice from quivering and bursting to tears, “Even though I’m not really sure I know how to begin to handle this.” Her eyes looked glossy and were tinted red, and her breathing continued its strange, irregular pace. She was doing her best to not break down, right then and there, not to show just how weak she felt to everyone around her. But everything was so new, so terrible, and so threatening. She wondered which rumors were true about Bootcamp, wondered if they were all true, and wondered if they were understatements.
ABCTaking note of the way she was staring out into space, Zipp interrupted her thoughts and asked, “Well, now that we’re all on good terms, I guess—what’s your name?”
ABC”Midnight,” she replied with a slight quiver in her voice. More irregular breathing. “And you said you were Zipp, right? And, oh, I’m sorry, I forgot what Zipp called you earlier.” Midnight looked at Rose, who once again became very withdrawn and unwilling to speak.
ABCZipp still couldn’t fit together any reasons as to why her calm demeanor from when they had met had turned into such an odd, nervous wreck. “Uh, Rose,” he answered for her, still glaring at her and trying to figure out what she was thinking. There was nothing revealing about her thoughts that he could see, so he turned back to the small, black mouse. “And Midnight, right,” he started, “I’m sure we’ll all figure out how to cope with this whole… thing. Maybe all those things people say about this place are just myths. Maybe not. But being afraid is only going to make us feel worse.”
ABCAs he spoke, he came to realize how loud he must be in the quietness of the other mice. He looked around and saw them all, in one way or another, watching him speak. Some glanced from their trays slightly, too afraid to be anything but subtle, while others turned from their seats to fully stare at him, interested in what he had to say. He felt his heart beat a bit faster at the unusual amount of attention. “I don’t know you or Rose or anyone else here more than their looks and first impressions, but I know that none of us wanted to be here. But we are, and there’s really no helping that. If something really bad was going on, I’m sure this place would’ve been shut down years ago. It can’t be that bad, at least not nearly as much as people make it out to be. Maybe we should just give it a chance.”
ABCZipp felt odd after finishing his few words of encouragement. His arms and legs were shaking with a bit of adrenaline. He wasn’t used to being the center of attention, was never fond of it, but found himself enjoying it now that he seemed to be speaking for a reason. He wasn’t sure if anyone felt consoled by what he had to say, but liked to believe in his newfound leadership qualities.
ABCMaybe there was something to look forward to, after all.