The Rat and the Bird

In CJ Thorpe, Promo by Zeus

Every soul in Arcadia has a story to tell, a price they’ve paid just to keep on breathing.

Take, for instance, two animals tangled in the web of survival: a street rat and a scavenger bird.

The street rat, a sneaky little creature, knew every twist and turn of Arcadia. It fought tooth and nail for every scrap it could find.

A rat’s gotta eat, after all.

The scavenger bird, on the other hand, had a taste for the finer things in life.

It soared high above the filth, ever watchful for the opportunity to swoop in from his tree to snatch up the spoils of others’ misfortunes.

Including those rats.

Feasting on the misery of those below him, the scavenger bird grew fat and content.

Until one day, the bird came to a rest, atop his mighty tree. He had had enough of the grind, and was ready to live the good life, as he was used to, in his own manner.

But that’s not the fate of the scavenger bird, is it?

No, because despite his predatory nature, he still operated out of a tree that didn’t belong to him.

And when he was kicked out of that tree, he found himself on the ground.

Among the filth.

Like a rat.

But he wasn’t a rat. He didn’t know how to survive like a rat.

He’d never had to.

You see, I’m a street rat. Been one since day fucking one.

I know the price of survival in Arcadia, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get another day.

Harold Attano, on the other hand, is just like the scavenger bird.

He used to be the trusted man of Zeus, doing swooping down from the upper levels to do Zeus’s bidding.

But he got too fat, too content.

When he decided to retire, he found himself facing Zeus’s wrath.

Because it was never Harold’s tree he descended from.

It was Zeus’s.

And thus Harold joined the rats, caught in the same trap he’d set for so many before.

You know, life has a way of teaching us harsh lessons, doesn’t it Harold?

For a man who knows how to take life, you don’t know shit about surviving.

It’s not about strength or brutality; it’s about adaptability and cunning.

See, I’m the street rat who fought tooth and nail to make it out alive, who spat fate in the eye.

And you, Mr. Nobody? You thought you could feast on the miseries of others without ever facing the consequences.

But life has a way of catching up to you, doesn’t it, Harold?

I took on this cruel world, fought against the very system that you once were a part of.

I made my choices, and I’ve faced the consequences.

Now it’s your turn to face the consequences.

Harold, time to find out just how fucking fast a predator can become prey.

You thought you’d just walk away scot fucking free? The world doesn’t work that way.

Now, you’re down here with us street rats.

And we’re fucking hungry.

Rat’s gotta eat, after all.