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The Big Things

Prologue

By Roofles

Pedro Perez got the notice on the front of his dorm room door at the start of the year. A pink slip of paper that someone had taped to the front of it.

The slip of paper had been placed at waist height and the massive tiger had to crouch down to pull the small piece of paper off the door. Squinting his eyes, Pedro read it over. It was from the front office. A notification slip that let him know that his roommate, a man he’d never met before, had transferred to another room for unspecified reasons.

Pedro didn’t have to guess to know what they had.

“Huh.” The tiger crumbled up the note as he slipped the key into the lock, unlocking and opening the door. It swung open to reveal the nearly empty dorm room he’d be spending the next several years in.

The silence that greeted him hung heavy in the air. Back home, his parents and siblings were so loud and rowdy that here… without anyone else in the room? Pedro felt it. Felt that silence around him. The emptiness of this dorm.

This was what he had wanted, right?

Pedro wasn’t sure why he felt so slighted by the note as he tightened his fist around the ball of paper in the palm of his hand, easily crushing it with his profound strength. He’d never met the guy before. The tiger had thought having a roomie around would be a pain in the tail. They’d argue and fight about the smallest of things he’d been sure about. Pedro should’ve felt relieved that the other guy had left him. Not even knowing who, or what, they were to begin with.

The silence was still and with it, a stillness to the air. To this room that the other person hadn’t even bothered to check out before transferring to another room.

Instead of relief, Pedro felt sad about it. That frustration and anger quickly changing to melancholy. A deep well of sadness that he felt deep inside his chest. Anyone else would’ve been elated by hearing the news! Having a dorm room all to yourself? Not having to share it with anyone else?

That sounded great. Fantastic. Perfect. The best way to start his college days… right?

That was why Pedro felt so conflicted inside as he shut the door behind him, sealing himself away from the rest of the dormitory so they wouldn’t have to worry about a tiger living their with them.

His boxes of things and personal possessions would be arriving later in the evening, shipped over from his family business. A reputable shipping and packaging company that worked with several of the biggest corporations out there in order to ship things all around the world.

The Perez name had become well known throughout Lui'ana, an island nation that was covered with tropical rainforest with a warm climate despite the constant rainfall. The island wasn’t as large as The Central Continent was but was a perfect shipping hub between the Central and Western lands.

It was a well-known and respected name. A part of Pedro had expected his new roomie to hassle him about it and ask for him to pay for or cover things, his family being well off. Pedro had planned to do a few things for them, to win them over at first. Small things like ordering pizza to share or take out, maybe refurbished their room so it looked new and… none of that mattered.

Pedro didn’t have to worry about that anymore as he slung his bag off one shoulder and let it fall to the ground, leaving it where it landed on the floor.

His parents had wanted the best for Pedro and had sent him over to a well-known and reputable college on the central continent to learn from, being their eldest child. Tigers weren’t known for having large families after all and daunted on those they did have. Such a degree from this prestigious school would be accepted almost anywhere.

It would be the best start for his future.

Yet, that had been the least of Pedro’s concerns.

The Central Continent was far more diverse than Lui’ana was, and the pale golden furred tiger had been hit by cultural shock the second his pink padded feet stepped off the boat that had brought him there. Back on Lui’ana there were specific districts in the city depending on one’s size and birth and species. Tigers and the other larger felines and predators families were on the upper ridges overlooking the city below. It was a richer neighborhood and was separated from the rest of the island on a small plateau. They only had to hit the northern part of the largest coastal city to get anything they needed, otherwise ordering online for anything specific. It was one reason why his family had made such a name for themselves.

Taking advantage of the situation they had opened numerous shipping ports and factories over the island, employing a good quarter of the population. Pedro was very familiar with the concept of supply and demand. The larger predators weren’t always welcomed in the major city and it wasn’t often he or his family went into the city.

However, that wasn’t the case here and Pedro had to watch his step just heading over to hail down a taxi cab from the road. That in itself, had been difficult.

“Too big.” Most of the cabbies had waved Pedro off before he even got a chance to ask them for a ride. The red fox tapped on the sign several times showing a height and weight chart. Tigers were marked off and Pedro was forced to take public transportation shortly after, unable to find a ride that could accommodate his size and weight.

It hadn’t been much better situation. At least they let him on.

The larger species were forced on the bus first and into the far back where the seats were both larger and far more sparse to come by than those up front. There was a roped gate that was pulled shut after they were on, ordered not to move from their seats until allowed to do so.

“If you can’t find a seat, you have to get off and wait for the next bus.” The driver told everyone at the bus stop. “Biggest first, then we go down the list from there. No complaining, no pushing and if I see anyone fighting? I’m kicking you off.” The angry wolverine snarled and even being a quarter of Pedro’s size, the large tiger didn’t want to tick her off any further than she already was.

The back of the bus had been designed to support the extra weight. Where the front of the bus creaked and sunk in from his weight, Pedro found the back to have far better support. It would explain the larger wheels used in the back of the bus compared to the front.

Pedro had always been interested in engineering and was looking forward to looking things up here now that he was in the city. Wanting to know how the vehicles and buildings were built to help with the varying sizes of those here within the city.

The ride there was long and tedious, giving Pedro plenty of time to check out the city on the way. They drove from the docks, up a steep hill filled with buildings to his left and right before hitting the center of the city. It looked like a giant square, open and filled with diversity that he’d never see back home. His jaw was slack the entire ride as he looked out the window.

The city stretched upwards on a slope, going from the shoreline all the way to the mountains from the central square. Every couple of blocks was another flat square as if they were steps going up through the city. Several stores and stalls were set up in these large squares. They weren’t separated or broken apart like they were back home but instead tried to welcome everyone in creating it’s own kind of chaos. The houses didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason to them. There was a thirty-story apartment building next to a small house that Pedro would have to crawl to get inside the front door of. Stores were boxed together, stacked up and layered creating their own smaller cities with ladders and staircases to them. Cities within a city as people climbed ladders, slid down fire poles or used the side stairwells to climb up and down from.

These were always filled with smaller species. The front entrance to them blocked off by height and weight charts. People forced to be measured in both before being allowed inside. There was a limit, and, at times, Pedro saw people forming long lines before they were even allowed inside these hamster-like mazes of stores. Like miniature malls built for them in mind.

Despite the amount of foot traffic, there was an order to the chaos Pedro quickly picked up on.

The sidewalks were extremely wide allowing plenty of room for all the different species to walk on, leaving only two lanes of traffic that was, of course, congested because of it. Most people seemed to walk instead of ride bikes. Some areas had signs forbidden skateboards or bikes, most likely because of the risk or hazard they’d bring to the smaller species here if someone came skating by.

There were several law enforcement out this warm spring afternoon. Along with them were several hired guards for stores. Some were even larger than the stores were, standing out front and keeping the peace for the smaller citizens inside.

It was clear who had lived and grown up here compared to an outsider like Pedro.

People walked with practice ease around each other. The larger you were, the more you tended to walk down the middle of the sidewalk while everyone else watched out for your step from the sides. Small gates and stanchions were set up to help keep these different groups separated from each other, though most didn’t need to use them. People barely seemed to notice as they quickly hurried along to get to their destination.

A honey badger in a suit slipped between the legs of an elephant, going about his day without even stopping as he yelled into his cellphone. A group of hippos kept walking right through another group of cheetahs, practically trampling over them as they scattered like ants before regrouping on the other side. The two groups not even looking at each other as they resumed talking with their friends.

The one thing that stood out was the fact everyone seemed to be paired with those of similar sizes as their own. Walking in almost herd groups to stay together allowed them to go out in public like this without risk of being crushed in the process.

Pedro had his muzzle pressed against the glass by the time the bus turned off a side street, heading out of the city and towards the outskirts. The city began to wane, and the buildings became more sparse before there were endless fields of untrimmed grass and massive oak trees sitting within the middle of them. Several of these fields were gated off with wired or bar fences topped with barb wire or spikes, prevent the public from entering. Yellow signs were on the front or stuck into the ground, forbidding entry into these plots of land.

The tiger wasn’t sure why this was or what they could be about, but his sharp eyes could see movement in the grass and his depth perception allowed him to estimate the distance between himself and the moving objects within.

“Pequeño?” The tiger muttered aloud, frowning at the sight before shaking it away. His tiger eyes had spied a group of ground squirrels moving through the grass. He had enough things on his plate to worry about than trying to figure what that was all about.

Other than rumors he’d heard back home, never having seeing one in person before, most of these smaller people were sequestered from other species depending on their size. Dubbed Smalls over the years, these little people, far shorter in size, seemed to have a world of their own that he, as a Big, was excluded from experiencing or knowing about.

Pedro had enough to worry about with the shared campus than to worry about them. He doubted to see anyone Small like that there. He already was a big guy, most those on campus were going to be “small” to him in comparison anyways and he wondered where the distinction was between a Small, a Big, and those in between these two groups would be and how they fell in the grand scheme of things.

The bus lurched to a stop and Pedro slapped a hand on the seat in front of him, preventing himself from tumbling out of the seat. Sometimes he was thankful for his catlike reflexes, otherwise the clumsy tiger would’ve face checked the plastic seat and he rather not get a swollen lip on his first day of school.

The noise made several others jump around him, turning to look at the cause before the source. They glared at the tiger, muttered to each other making Pedro’s beady black mark, white tipped ears fold back on his large head.

“Lo siento,” Pedro apologized keeping his head hunched down as he waited his turn to step off the bus. The bus driver had pulled out two pairs of wand lights, one might see an air traffic control use, and was guiding everyone out accordingly.

The smaller front section was let out first, soon to be replaced by those in the middle and finally, at the end, Pedro was allowed off.

“Get moving, get moving. No dilly dallying, ya’ hear me back there?” The wolverine snarled as she got everyone moving. She motioned with one of the bright lights at the end, stopping Pedro. “Wait.” She ordered. “Got to make sure everyone is clear before you can step off.” And the wolverine jumped down the steps before making sure the coast was clear and there was enough space for the tiger to disembark from before allowing Pedro to move. “Come on!” They shouted and Pedro grumbled a thanks as he stepped down the steps.

Each step made the bus shift its weight to the side, slowly leaning down as Pedro stepped down and finally out of the bus. The vehicle lurched backwards making everyone watching hold their breath before letting out a collective, relieved sigh.

“Stupid freaking tigers,” the wolverine grumbled as she shoved her way past Pedro and had to use a step stool to climb back up onto the booster seat of a chair at the front. She pulled the lever and nearly snapped Pedro’s tail in the door before driving off.

Pedro grabbed his tail, kissing the end of it. He was just glad it was still there as he growled at the fleeing vehicle, tail tip flickering in annoyance as he glared after it. His fur had stood up, lips lifting as his whiskers bristled in annoyance.

A deathly silence fell around him as Pedro turned back towards the campus he’d been dropped off in front of. Everyone was watching him. Staring at him. Gawking at the angry tiger who quickly lowered his head down, muttering an apology in Spanish before quickly hurrying towards the check in.

Things had only begun to go downhill from there for the large feline and it was only his first day.

Pedro had been chastised and yelled at numerous times for accidentally bumping into, nearly stepping on and blocking the way for other people passing by. Back home, the tiger had separate hallways he could use to go around the crowds. Now he had to step through them without stepping on anyone. It was like wading through a rushing stream, trying to find the right stones to step on before continuing through.

Bodies pushed and tugged at his legs, threatening to sweep him off his feet as the tiger was forced to be the mindful one here. It went unspoken that if he, Pedro, messed up and hurt someone here, it would be his ass in trouble and not theirs.

“Idiot,” he heard more times than he could count. “Stay in your lane!” Someone else growled at him. It took Pedro longer than he was proud to admit that the carpeted floor had several different colored lines traced over it to help the foot traffic.

The far lines were blue and, going inwards, were green, yellow, orange and finally red. The red line was made for Pedro to walk on, using it as a guide to follow as he made his way through the halls. The middle of the hallways were nearly empty, everyone shorter than Pedro. Giving the tiger plenty of room to move through them finally.

It would’ve been nice if Pedro hadn’t realized the bubble it had created around him.

Even in the open courtyard or cafeteria, later on, Pedro had an invisible bubble around him that others refused to enter. Like a shark in the ocean, all the schools of fishes he was swimming with gave the tiger a wide birth of space as if afraid he might bite them if they drew near.

And, the worse part was, Pedro couldn’t blame them.

More times than he could count, the tiger had nearly stepped on or bumped into one of his future classmates. At times, it was his fault. Other times it was clearly theirs, even if they wanted to turn the blame around on him.

Pedro was larger than nearly everyone else was and he stood out as such. An easy target for them to point at and blame.

“I’m walking here!” A trio of hyenas cackled at him making the tiger head hunker down again as if he were some kind of turtle.

“Watch it next time.” The group laughed loudly, making the annoying sound their species were known for. “Think a big guy like that would be able to see us little folk.” They continued to laugh, finding great humor and amusement in Pedro’s discomfort. In fact, the rotund hyena seemed to find humor in literally everything as the other two just rolled their eyes at their friend.

Forgetting Pedro as soon as they had cut the tiger off.

“Uh,” Pedro tried to reach out at least. “¿Sabes dónde está la oficina?” Pedro tried to ask but was ignored by anyone he came across. Some muttered how he needed to learn English, while others flatly refused to look at or even acknowledge the tiger was talking to them. “Do you know where the, uh, check in office is, por favor?” Pedro continued to try and be polite about, getting little help on the matter from the other students.

At least he had arrived a couple of days early, giving him time to figure things out at school. Pedro having the right mind to do so. Wanting to learn how to navigate the campus to get to his classes, his room and the facilities offered here.

His parents were paying for his schooling. The least he could do was try.

“Just got to be more careful,” Pedro grumbled getting annoyed by it all after checking in an getting his dorm room key. The lamb at the desk hadn’t been accommodating and blamed Pedro for it.

“Most our students are… average sized.” She said at the much too small desk for Pedro. The tiger forced to sit in an uncomfortably small and tight chair that pinched at his sides and thighs.

“Un poco pequeño?” Pedro chuckled uneasily, trying to make a joke of the situation. The secretary just gave him a cold look. “The chair, I mean. It is… small.” The tiger tried to hide his embarrassment with a forced smile. She rolled her eyes at him.

“My apologies,” she said in a dry tone conveying how little she was sorry about his situation. “I’d have to request one of the larger seats to be brought up for you Mr… Perez,” she said the word distastefully. “I know you must not be used to how we do things on the mainland,” she placed her hoofed fingers together and Pedro had to hold back a growl. “But here? We are an equal opportunity establishment. Now, if you really need one, I can request one being sent up when the janitor is available. That would put this all on hold and I have numerous other students trying to check in today… Or you could sit on the floor, and we can get this over with.”

Pedro wasn’t sure if she’d been joking about that or not and just agreed to deal with the chair threatening to break underneath his bulky weight. He was sure they’d charge him for it if it did.

It would take some time for Pedro to learn it hadn’t been about his species but his size. He was one of the largest students on campus. The average students height only ended up at his chest and some were even short enough to be at groin level. Something that he’d normally joke about if anyone gave him a chance to do so.

Out of nervous habit, Pedro tended to use his native language instead of the common tongue here. It had only helped create a further divide between him and the other students. Most of which began to distance themselves from the tiger at any opportunity they got. Easily using one excuse or another instead of trying to compromise with the tiger, instead expecting him to change for them.

Such actions hadn’t been unheard of back home but the fact each area was broken into different districts made it a bit easier to deal with and handle on a daily basis. This was a first for Pedro who was learning that, even when given the chance to interact with others species, they wouldn’t want to talk to or hang out with a “tigre.”

It left him cold and bitter in the coming year as he pushed through his classes aimlessly. Making sure to get the best grades he could, for his parents sake supporting him and little else as his enthusiasm for the subjects and school began to wane and fade with time.

He had no roommate to talk with. Pedro had no friends in school that would want to hang out with him after class. He’d shoot hoops in the gymnasium alone and was marked down by others as someone “best not to approach.” The narrative had changed though, and people had begun to blame him for that. As if Pedro had been the one to push others away first.

“He just wants to be left alone.” They’d whisper and mutter behind his back, shooting him looks before talking about the tiger. Again, and again.

Pedro preferred when they’d just ignore him.

“That’s fine,” he’d tell himself. “Couple more years and then I can move back home.” Pedro nodded to his reflection in the mirror, holding the sink tightly with both hands as he looked into his bright blue eyes. His light pale orange, creamy fur had been all the talk back home. His family coming from a line of golden tigers.

Now? People never talked about that. His fur color. A popular conversation point. They only talked about how big he was. How awkward Pedro could be. How he would always get in the way or bump into things and that shame and embarrassment only made him clumsier as he tried to vacate the area he had disturbed.

An accidental mistake was like a snowball that was rolling down a hillside, starting small until it grew in size and took everything out with it.

Even the teachers began having Pedro do group assignments alone. For “Everyone’s sake.”

Pedro was about to just call it quits, call home and just forget about all this. Move back to the island and stay with his own people…

All until that morning he returned back to his room after his teacher had called class off early. Pedro had to go in for a test and, finishing early, had been allowed to leave. Having nowhere else to go, Pedro returned to his room to find two intruders inside.

It had been quite the fright for the large feline who had never seen a Small before. While he was called a Big, Pedro had never really thought about it since the bus ride here. The sizes of species varied greatly enough on campus. There were even those larger than he was!

Bears and rhinos and elephants, oh my!

Finding two rodents break into his room had nearly given the much larger, giant of a tiger in comparison, a heart attack.

Having the two break into his room, chewing a hole through his wall, had given the tiger much to think about after the rats had escaped. Later he’d learn their names. Theodore and Anthony Ratholomew. One was a fat brown rat, and the other was a unique color, reminding Pedro of his own unique fur pattern.

Theo was an albino rat with bright red eyes, pink hands, and a pink furless tail. He stood out in sharp comparison to his brother and Pedro had instantly noticed him, catching an interest in the Small.

Unsure what to do, Pedro had originally planned on sealing up the entrance and just forgetting it ever happened. Until he spied the small satchel one of the two rats had dropped on his work desk.

Opening it up, Pedro found a whole slew of things inside. They were small and Pedro had to get out a magnifying glass to read some of the fine print on the pieces of parchment over with. They were drawings. Numerous drawings and schematics and blueprints for things. Some were ridiculous while others were innovative or conventional at best.

Either way, it had piqued the tiger’s fading interest on such matters. Planning on calling it good with school, Pedro finally found something that captured his attention. From the smallest of people.

“Huh…” Pedro had noted the numerous small trinkets inside the bag, laying them out on the desk underneath the lamp as he carefully went over them. Hand carvings, metal pins and buttons and scraps of cloth. “Little carroñeros, ratas.”

It made sense and, from there, his mind began to think. Expanding and searching for different thoughts and ideas behind it.

It’d make sense that their people, Smalls, would need to scavenge things from Bigs in order to survive.

Pedro rested back in the chair, thinking it over. His school life had become such a bore. There was nothing to do outside of his classes and homework. He woke up every day and just went through the motions to get things done.

It was rare for something, anything, to catch his interest.

Let alone something so… small.

“How about we play a game?” The sneaky feline’s tail curled as the wicked thoughts began going through his head. Setting a trap for the rats the next time they came poking around. Using the satchel as bait.

As an engineering student, Pedro had plenty of spare supplies around the room to get projects done with. He used to enjoy spending hours in the evening tinkering with these things. Tearing something apart, seeing how it worked before trying to put it back together again. Ever since he was a small kitten, he’d been curious about how something worked. He’d lost that drive and passion he once had but Pedro hadn’t forgotten how to do such things and easily set up a trap for the intruders if they’d dared to come back.

Something he never expected them to do.

It was out of boredom that the tiger had did what he’d done, never expecting anything from it.

Thinking about it, it made sense. The satchel had several personal items inside and, of course, the rat would come back for it. His abuela also had made things for Pedro. Things he kept locked away safely back at home. This satchel had been handcrafted with similar love and care and Pedro knew the rat would come back trying to find it. It was the perfect bait and Pedro had gladly pounced on the idea that came to mind as he laid out the obnoxiously over the top and obvious bait trap, spending the entire day to set it up.

An overly elaborate trap in the meantime before waiting for the bait to be taken.

It was like a set of dominos set up. It took great time and effort to carefully put every piece in order. To make sure each one would set off the next. Going over the design over and over again, Pedro nodded happily at the work.

Before he knew it, the day was ending, and it was time for bed. Pedro hadn’t even realized how much time he’d spent on the device. It had been exciting and stimulating. Something he’d been sorely missing in his current day-to-day life.

“Huh,” Pedro said again looking at the complicated contraption before him. “Well, once I catch them… I’ll tease them a little bit before letting them go with a warning.” The tiger wasn’t sure why the thought pained his chest so.

Maybe it was the fact no one other than Pedro had been in this room for over a year. They were, in a way, his first visitors and guests.

He shook the thought away, knowing such things were silly. To feel like this.

Instead, he spent the time researching online about them. Placing his stylist on his upper lip, Pedro tried to keep it there as he flipped through his tablet reading anything that seemed even partially true. Misinformation seemed to be common about Smalls and Pedro contributed that to the government, trolls and even Smalls putting out misinformation in order to protect themselves.

Sitting underneath the workshop desk, Pedro spent the next several hours just looking things over before getting distracted by short humorous clip videos and eventually stirred awake from his drowsy state when the trap had sprung overhead.

Hitting his head on the desk, the tiger jumped to his feet about to laugh maniacally until he saw the crying fat rat that had fallen for the trap. The fat brown rat had come back and was bawling like a baby.

“Theo!” Anthony had cried out. “I’m sorry. I’m going to end up as a delicious health snack.”

“Sorry my little gordo rata, I don’t think you’d make for a healthy bocadillo,” Pedro teased as he crouched down in front of the desk to get on eye level with the unwanted intruder. “Here I was having a nice evening before the little gordo rata came over,” Pedro continued to tease Anthony in a playful voice trying to make his attentions were clear.

Anthony sniffled, wiping his eyes off before looking at the tiger’s face… then began bawling again.

“Theo!” He cried out and it took Pedro offering him pounds worth of sweet treats and snacks to get the rat to calm down again.

Once Anthony had been mollified, Pedro began questioning the silly “gordo rata” that had snuck into his place to steal his “garrafa,” something that went over Anthony’s head and Pedro just rolled his eyes about it.

“Quién es, Theo?” Pedro asked before saying it again in the common tongue that seemed to be prevalently used here. “Who is this Theo you keep talking about?”

“My b-big brother.” Anthoy sniffled before drowning his sadness and fear in another chocolate bar. For such a Small guy, Anthony could put things away and Pedro was morbidly curious to see how much the rat could eat.

He was a greedy little guy and kept asking for more every time he finished with the previous confectionery snack Pedro had given him.

“Ah, the little blanco rata.” Pedro nodded, thinking about it as he rubbed his chin looking off to the side as he recalled the rodent. “He did not accompany you today…?”

“I d-didn’t tell him I was coming back.” Anthony sniffled, divulging information he shouldn’t have told his captor. Pedro kindly didn’t point that out as he sat at the desk, trying to get Anthony to calm down with more sweet gummy treats. “He lost his purse and I felt guilty for dragging him here.”

“Ah, you are the little gordo rata that brought your hermano here,” Pedro nodded, thinking that much was obvious. Anthony wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed and that much was clear. “You are the queso de cerdo,” Pedro chuckled at the thought. “While he is the sesos.” The tiger chuckled once more at the imagery those two things put together. “Just roll the two of you up in a tortilla and have mi treat!”

Pedro chuckled before he saw the look on the rats face and spent the next thirty minutes trying to calm him down.

When Theo did eventually turn up, Pedro wasn’t having much better luck with him than he was having with Anthony. Only after learning about the rat from his brother, did Pedro come up with the idea of a game. One after another. Board games that the rat might be able to focus his attention on, joking that whoever won got to keep Anthony as the prize.

Theo, this small white albino rat, had such expressions that the tiger couldn’t help but chuckle and laugh about. Finding great comfort and enjoyment in his company as he teased Theo endlessly throughout the night. Where Anthony had written him off for the treats he could get from the tiger, something Pedro was used to. Being used by his so-called friends for his families wealth and what they could get from him, Theo was another story.

The rat seemed truly interested in what Pedro had to say and what he thought, going along with his silly games, and even allowing the tiger to poke at and tease him where others, even roughly the same size as the tiger, wouldn’t let Pedro.

It was strange. Different. It was something that friends did with each other. Teasing and making fun of in good humor. Something Pedro couldn’t recall anyone else really letting him do outside his familia.

It didn’t seemingly start as much. It had been something for Pedro to do, to kill the time on. Another game, another project, something to occupy his mind. Not thinking too much about it until Theo let the tiger hold him at the end of that first day.

Promising to come back after.

It might’ve been stupid of the rodent to trust Pedro so easily but once the tiger’s fingers curled around the rat’s small body and lifted him easily off the desk, Pedro felt something run down his arm and settle warmly in his chest.

Was this trust?

Theo trusted him so easily. His body was so soft and pudgy to the touch, molding and forming easily between his pink paw padded fingers. Pedro struggled not to roll Theo around and play with the rat’s body right there. Instead, choosing to be as careful and delicate with Theo as he could so that, maybe, in the future Theo would continue to trust him like this. To let Pedro pick him up and hold him with such care and trust. Feel his weight in the palm of the tiger’s hand, Theo’s legs dangling in the air with his tail as those beady red eyes looked up at the tiger with a whiskered face.

There was no expectations on Theo’s face, not within those red eyes. Theo was just as curious about the tiger as Pedro was about the rat. Despite their differences, the two held an understanding for the other.

And that was how they met.

Where things would change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, Pedro had Theo around to help during his melancholy blue days. Pedro in turn would help Theo out with whatever silly or fun invention he wanted to try out this time. The two forming a partnership with the other.

“We’ll just use each other,” Pedro had said, and Theo nodded along. “If you need something from me, use me. And if I need something from you, I’ll use you. It’s strange and odd, not normal at all, but this friendship really isn’t normal at all, is it?” Pedro chuffed and Theo just squeaked along with him, their laughter blending together to form a perfect harmony with the other.

Theo held such trust and care for the tiger over the following weeks and months that he had even dared to break their golden rule and introduce a Big into their community. It hadn’t ended well and Pedro quickly stepped in to protect Theo from the backlash he’d gotten for trying.

Scooping him up, Pedro had headed back to the dorm with the rat safely tucked away in the work uniform he’d been wearing at the time. Promising Theo that he still “had a casa,” with the tiger. “No matter what anyone else tries to say or do.”

And that was just the beginning for the two and their very odd, strange friendship.

But they weren’t the only ones here going through such similar friendships as the world was a very big place, no matter how Big or Small you were in it.