Hamtaro Fan Fiction ❯ Accidents Happen ❯ The Aftermath ( Chapter 2 )

CHAPTER TWO
“You did it! You are responsible! You are guilty! You must pay!”
Cappy, the little pet hamster with the swimmer cap, found himself surrounded by all of his former hamster friends. No matter how benevolent they were before, the other rodents now bore the demonic look of hatred.
“You did it! You are responsible! You are guilty! You must pay!”
Never before had Cappy felt so much fear coursing through his veins. The community of rodents had been dealt a devastating blow, and now they were prepping to reap unspeakable torture upon the one responsible…himself.
“Please, don’t do this to me!” pleaded the doomed hamster, “It was an accident! I didn’t mean to hurt Bijou! I’m sorry! I’ll never use a sword again! JUST DON’T KILL ME!”
The cries for mercy fell on deaf ears. His tormenters inched closer and closer.
“You did it! You are responsible! You are guilty! You must pay!”
Escape…I must escape…I don’t want to die!
It was at that point that his option for salvation materialized in his paws: his rapier, the long, skinny blade that brought so much happiness yet so much pain.
My sword…where did it come from? I didn’t have it before-
“He’s got his sword! Get it before he hurts someone!”
In a flash, one of the hamsters leapt forward, in a daring attempt to disarm Cappy. Gut instinct met with gut instinct as the panicked hamster thrust the blade forward. The end result: Déjà vu.
For a moment, the group stood silent, horrified at the sight of another hamster assailed by the cursed steel. Cappy lost the strength in his legs and collapsed to the ground as he realized that all hopes for forgiveness were now permanently destroyed. And then…anarchy.
“MURDERER!”
The group descended upon Cappy with inconceivable fury. Like ravenous wolves, they tore at his fur and flesh, doing all they could to make the fencer suffer. The rodent cried in agony as they gouged his face, ripped apart his limbs, and exposed the contents of his guts to the open air…
Only to be rescued by his sudden awakening, as he once again found himself within the confines of his cage.
He wiped the cold sweat off his brow. Another terrible nightmare…
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Five days have come and gone since the incident, a period of time that has felt eternal for the tiny pet hamster. No more did he have the freedom to explore the world outside his owner’s craft store. No more could he socialize with his own kind. The hamster’s official status had gone from common pet rodent all the way down to wanted fugitive. He knew the others would be itching for the opportunity to catch him and punish him for what he had done to poor Bijou. That meant the deluxe cage would be more than his home: it would be his entire universe.
Even though his owners spoiled him with all those miniature toys, none of those items of entertainment had the power to kill time. Cappy’s terrible deed weighed like a ball chain upon his conscience. It would kill any moment that came close to actual happiness, shouting like a furious parent in his mind, painfully reminding him that the only thing he deserved now was capital punishment.
Cappy had never experienced such overwhelming feelings of depression, a truth that was evident in his deteriorating health. He didn’t eat, hardly drank, and did not even bother to exercise. Malnutrition was waging war against him, and Cappy had nothing to prevent it from conquering his weakening frame. This sudden drop in health was quickly noticed by his two owners, who were always over-protective to begin with, yet had no idea what circumstances led to this new sickness.
“Honey, come here for a moment. There’s something wrong with Cappy.”
“Oh, my! He’s lost a lot of weight!”
“And he hasn’t eaten a single seed from his food stash, either.”
“And he’s hardly moving! Dear, he could be dying!”
“I’ll get the carrier! Cappy needs a vet!”
Needless to say, that trip proved to be fruitless for the hamster’s owners. But despite the lack of useful input from the doctors, the two still did everything in their power to help Cappy recover from illness.
They’re only being nice because they don’t know what I’ve done…If they knew, they’d disown me…I can’t stand dying out there…cold and hunted…
I want my life back…
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Now, on this fifth night, the pet hamster lost all desire for sleep. To collapse into the dreamland would have only brought more torment upon him, for the dark recesses of his mind allowed his greatest fears to manifest in his unconscious world. Of course, Cappy did not have the energy to effectively kill time, either. His decaying health prohibited such activity. All he could do was stare aimlessly into the darkness outside his cage, hoping that no creature of the night would try to terrorize him.
Occasionally, Cappy’s eyelids drooped down without his knowledge, as if an unknown entity had closed them like window drapes. This would be remedied by a swift bite to his paw, a tactic equal to being splashed with scalding water. The following suffering escaped through his tears, unable to hide in such a wretched body.
This is horrible!
I can’t even sleep anymore!
All I wanted was just one chance to show I could do something. To show I deserved to be with them. Instead, I lose EVERYTHING!
They all hate me now. They must! Not even Hamtaro could forgive me for what happened to Bijou. And Boss…sooner or later, he’s going to come after me. I know it. Yet I can’t do anything about it!
Even if I tell him it was an accident, it won’t change a thing!
scratch, scratch, scratch…
Cappy’s thoughts were interrupted when the faint sound of wood being scraped reached his sensitive ears. At first, Cappy was enveloped in his typical curiosity; but it took little time to realize that the common noise signaled impending doom.
At once, he jarred his focus towards the wooden door of the room. Sure enough, the sound was steadily emitting from that direction. Then, all fears were confirmed when a tiny shadow squeezed through the bottom crack of the entrance and dashed into the cover of the darkness.
Boss! He’s here!
Cappy was not prepared for this. He had hoped the field hamster would’ve arrived on a later day, when the caged rodent wasn’t engulfed in relentless remorse. Deep down, however, it was known that his guilt would’ve never gone away. Regardless, Cappy’s final hour had now arrived. None could save him. None would want to.
Panic overtook the hamster. I don’t want to die!
With nowhere else to go, Cappy dove under the cover of his pint-sized, metallic pan. Hyperventilation conquered his lungs as his heart practically burst with every forceful pump against the ground. It wasn’t long before he began to wail pitifully with what could possibly be his final words.
“I didn’t mean to do it! It was an accident! An accident!”
tappa, tappa, tappa went the floor.
“I would NEVER want to hurt anyone like that! Not anyone!”
snip, snap went the metal cage door.
“I know I can’t undo what I did, and I know I deserve to be punished, but I’m sorry! I’m sorry for EVERYTHING!”
Cappy’s voice collapsed to inconsolable sobbing as his body curled up like an infant child. He froze as the shell covering him was lifted and tossed effortlessly to the side. For a moment, he could make out the unmistakable black-tan pattern of Boss’ fur, but then the eyes squeezed tightly as he halted his breath for the preparation of his torturous, painful death.
But then, something strange, something peculiar, something unexpected occurred: No blood was spilled, no eyes were gouged, and no limbs were torn from their joints. Instead, Boss stared at the pathetic hamster at his feet for what felt eternal in time before asking a single question:
“Why are you hiding from us?”
The question caught Cappy completely off-guard. He opened his eyes and looked up at the field hamster, his face contorted by fear and confusion.
“Why are you hiding from us?” Boss asked again, his tone stronger now.
“I…I…”
“Do you have any idea how much pain you’ve caused?” Boss cut in, his anger sparking his words with flame. “Everyone’s devastated by what you did! Bjiou’s life has been hanging by a thread ever since your sword impaled her. Some of the ham-hams can’t go a single day without crying over the thought of losing her. I know I can’t: Every night I would visit her cage, see that clotted patch on her shoulder, listen to her whimper and cry because she can’t come to us anymore. Do you have any idea knowing that someone you love might die the next day?! No one deserves that kind of suffering! No one!”
Boss inched closer to the pet hamster, his voice emitting an ominous tone. “Some of the guys think you hurt her on purpose. They say I should punish you for what happened, and make sure you will never hurt anyone again…”
Cappy’s heart stopped. This is it…
“…but the truth is, I think they’re wrong.”
What?
Boss halted his advance, and continued now with a calm demeanor. “I was one of the few who saw you exit the clubhouse that day. You didn’t waltz out like some cold-blooded killer; you ran like you were being chased by a starving cat. Only terrified hamsters run like that. What you did wasn’t on purpose. It was an accident. But you knew the other hamsters wouldn’t see it that way. So you ran. Ran and hid from us. Am I right, Cappy?”
Boss…he…he’s showing me mercy!
The tremendous guilt had been lifted. The fear had been washed away. The long, winding tunnel of pain and depravity finally gave way to the light of redemption. And for the first time since that terrible incident, Cappy experienced feelings of pure ecstasy. He jumped to his feet and dove into Boss’ arms, embracing the field hamster like he embraced his owners.
“Boss! I thought you’d never understand! I thought you would kill me! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You have no idea how sorry I am for hurting Bijou!”
“I’m glad you are, Cappy,” Boss said, holding the pet hamster like a son, “Deep down, I knew you didn’t mean harm. But now you need to be strong, Cappy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Cappy, you owe Bijou and the ham-hams an apology.”
The shivers began to crawl back. “But Boss…what if they never forgive me? What if Bijou-”
“Don’t say that!” Boss cut off, “I know things don’t look good now, but I would never let ANYTHING break up our group. We’re all good hamsters; we help each other as much as we help ourselves. We can’t let freak accidents throw that all away! Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
Cappy hesitated. “Yes.”
“Then come with me.”
“Come with you? To where?”
“To Bijou’s.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. She needs your apology more than anyone else.”
“But…I’m so weak now.”
“Then have some food and water. I’ll help you get to her cage.”