While Antar was so busy taking his time to find a way to profit from all of this, Bob was laughing. Yes he was laughing a lot but nervously. There were giant rats outside waiting to swarm and kill him. And here he was safely in the kennels with all the dogs. They were barking, a lot probably realizing the dangers as well. Maybe Bob should just set them all loose from their cages and open the doors. Let the dogs have a good meal of their own and Bob can slack off for the rest of the day.
The barking got more and more louder. Until Bob had to yell
"Shut up and calm down!" He had to think, and the dogs were not helping at all. Some of them stopped barking and that was enough for him to hear the squeaking and growling sound in the background. Curses. He counted himself safe when he shut the doors. But it seems that a rat or two must have snuck in. Bob turned around. There they were. With the little dog he was trying to train earlier baring its teeth to try and scare them off.
That dog won't be able to fend those rats off. And if it died there, it will be Bob's problem. He just could not allow that to happen. Taking a deep breath, Bob shouted. To get both the dog's and the rat's attention so that they would not begin to fight each other.
"BACK TO YOUR CAGE!!!" pointing at the open cage to the side. Bob hoped that the excitement of fighting had not gotten to the dog yet so that it will still be able to obey the commands they have been practicing earlier.
It worked as Bob had hoped, but not as well as he wanted. The dog started scurrying to the cage which he pointed to. But the rats? They now had their full attention on him. Squeaking excitedly they started to come closer and closer. Bob could see them now. A lot better. With their hungry eyes, scraggly fur, sharp teeth, long claws and an even longer tail. He should have just let the dog get eaten. Then maybe the rats would be full enough to ignore Bob.
Then Bob had the stupidest idea ever. If he could train a dog to do what he wanted, why not a rat? They are still animals and these rats could be easily mistaken as dogs with their size. Hurriedly he got to the cage beside him. Reaching his hand over to the bowl of food there. The dog in there despite the danger of rats, thought Bob was the bigger threat. Stupid dog, snarling like that... But Bob needed the food. So he tried to convince it to let it go.
"There, there...you give me that bowl of food, and I will give you more later. A lot more!" bringing his hands together in the shape of a small round bowl and then extending them out to try and impress on the dog the idea of the quantity of food that it can be getting.
But the dog was still snarling, and the rats were still coming. Bob was caught between the anger of a dog and the hunger of the rats and then what? He'll take the dog. But the dog was just too scary. Bob looked at the dog as he tried to think. Would he be faster than the dog? A moment of hesitation here would mean the difference between getting the bowl or losing his hand. But the hand won't be important if he is already dead. There was no time for all of this. Bob shut his eyes. Imprinting the position of the dog and the bowl in his mind. Then he opened his hand, slowly reaching it for the bowl. As he did, he tried to forget about the dog even being there. The image slowly fading away. As soon as he did that, his hand darted to the bowl until his palm smacked on its surface. Following the quick movement, he closed his hand around the bowl and pulled his arm back. He was moving fast. Too fast. Maybe the dog got to him already. He can't feel his hands anymore.
When Bob opened his eyes, he saw that the dog had its teeth snapped mid air at the place where the bowl had been. Bob sighed in relief that he was fast enough. But then he saw the dog's eye trained at him. Angry. He already had rats to take care of and one more wild animal was something he did not want so he quickly shut the gate and fastened it. Retrieving the bowl was fast. But not that fast and the rats were already very close. Advancing towards Bob cautiously but still driven by hunger.
It is now time to begin their training.
"Get back!" Bob shouted with his palm shown to the front to signal them to stop. The rats did stop, thinking it was some sort of attack. But not for long.
"Now go back!" Bob said pointing at the ground behind them. They were not going to get it he thought, since they started advancing again. So he started taking chunks of meat and threw them at the direction of the floor.
"Go there, don't come here." he pleaded.
The rats paused for a while and looked at the back.
"Thats it...go for the meat..." Even as he said that, one backtracked to look at the meat closer. But after a while, it went and joined up with its partner to attack Bob.
"Petch!" It seems that Bob was the bigger prize here. In a panic he started scooping up chunks from the bowl
"Here, here! I'll give it to you so just leave me alone!" he cried while throwing them right at one of the rat's head.
Each hit must have been seen as an attack because the rat squeaked wildly and quickened its pace.
"Arrgh!" Bob yelled, pulling his hand back as far as possible. He had no other weapon right now so this will have to do.
"Have it ALL!" he did his battle cry while he pushed his arm forward. Releasing the bowl as it flew at the nearest rat which he had been throwing food at earlier. The attack was successful as it smashed into the rat's head and it stopped and fell on the floor. Stunned and dazed.
Unfortunately, there was still one more rat coming to him. And Bob had nothing else to throw at it. His eyes darted wildly around the kennels all over as he tried to find what he could use. The closest and heaviest looking thing being the stool that attendant's would use when grooming the dogs and the most damaging thing dangling over one of the cages. It was a whip as Bob knew, animals did not like it as he saw when Darik maliciously used it on a horse earlier in the season. Those would have to do.
Bob's hands flew to grab a hold of them. One hand on the handle of the whip and the other holding on to the stool's leg. Wait, what was he going to do with the stool? Bludgeon the rat to death? He found out how to use it when the remaining rat pounced at Bob.
"EEK!" he cried out bringing the stool to the front instinctively. Bob took a few steps back, pushed back by the rat. But luckily it was because the rat smacked into the stool in between them and bounced back. That works. And Bob kept the stool up between him and the rat. Crouching down a little so that the stool can protect him better.
Even after that it still advanced. Bob had no idea how he was going to fight it off and so be continued stepping back. Trying to keep his distance until there was no more room and his foot brushed on the door. The scraping sounds from the rats on the other side kept Bob alert of the reality of his situation. It was only then that he remembered about the whip in his hands.
Now...how did Darik use it again? Bob tried to remember the motion. Right, he raised it up first.
"Back, back I say!" extending his arm with the whip up. Was this how people trained dangerous animals like in the circus? Maybe, but now was the time to focus on the rat. What next, what next... Bob quickly flicked his wrist at the rat, the whip following. But he must have done it wrong because it went up for a little and then limped down to the ground.
The rat must have figured that something was up because it pounced at Bob again. Bob quickly pushed the stool out towards the rat. Bringing his own force behind him. Bob felt the impact, and when he peeked past the stool he saw the rat again. Sprawled on the floor unconscious. But all that only gave the first rat a chance to recover as it got back on its feet and advanced again.
Bob needed the rat to fear him. To make it want to stay away. So he raised his whip again.
"YAHHHH!" he yelled out to energize him from having to take on the two rats for so long which made the rat pause for a moment. A moment was all Bob needed, and he flicked his wrist forward again to send the whip flying towards the rat. The range was pretty poor that it did not reach the rat but it did its job. In the air, the whip made a loud cracking sound which made the rat back away.
It was time to press the advantage. The rat was obviously scared of the whip. Bob moved forward. Flicking his wrist at the rat again.
"Crack, crack, crack!" it went. Bob purposely aimed at the ground around the rat to its left and right. No point in agitating it and forcing it to attack. But when he saw his chance that the rat was looking away, he held the stool backwards. To give some room to strike. He extended his arm backwards as much as possible and threw his arm as fast as possible. Building up as much speed as he could. Right before the arm reached the bottom of the arc, he flicked his arm to the front. Smashing the long end of the whip into the rat's face.
Someone should have told Bob that whips were not good enough for damage by the untrained. The rat hissed annoyed and leaped forward at him. He was only fast enough to bring the stool up again and when it did, the built up weight and force went up and struck the rat at its mouth. Flinging in into the air and landing at the back of the kennel.
Bob turned to the direction he heard his name being called from only to see the head of his cane.
"Hey I was looking for that!" he cried up as he headed towards it. Must have been one of the attendants.
"Where the hell were you shykes when I had to face off with those?" After he had that cane back in his hands, he would probably put the killing blows into the rats. Petching rats. They should all be exterminated for the stress they had caused Bob today.
OOCSorry man that it was so long. But I figured that the time it will take Antar to negotiate to come out on top of this situation and make his way to this building would be enough for one short fight?