18 days. That's how long they had been chasing you through the cursed autumn when leaves fell in abundance, winds howled, mud splattered, and relentless rain poured from the sky.

It was on a dreary afternoon that Richard, a lynx with sharp eyes and an insatiable hunger, first spotted you. You were nestled near a small cherry bush, lapping up droplets of rainwater clinging to the leaves. To Richard, you were just a tiny mouse—how difficult could it be to catch you? With practiced precision, he dropped low to the ground, pressing his ears back and curling his tail, his gaze locked onto you, the unsuspecting prey.

When he finally launched himself forward, claws extended and jaws open wide, fate intervened. A gnarled root snagged his hind paw, sending him tumbling face-first into the mud, just inches from where you stood. It was a scene straight out of a cheap 60th comedy. You looked down at him, shrugged nonchalantly, and went about your business. That day, Richard sulked in his den, humiliated that a mere mouse had outsmarted him, the formidable pred.

Meanwhile, Thomas, a red fox on the prowl, came across your burrow, already dreaming of a satisfying dinner of plump rodents. Quiet as a whisper, he crouched low, inhaling the faint scent of you wafting from within. Just as he performed a graceful leap to dive into your den, the earth betrayed him—the soil crumbled beneath his paws. You darted out just in time, leaving Thomas to crash headfirst into your collapsing home, his head wedged firmly inside, floundering helplessly.

Watching him struggle, your amusement piqued; there was little else to do but shrug and scamper away in search of another den. Thomas spent the rest of the day trapped, his pride wounded by a clever little rodent like you.

This was no longer merely a hunt for them both; it became an act of revenge for their bruised egos.

Over the next 18 days, each of them embarked on solo missions to capture you. Richard tracked you through every corner of the forest, but each time he prepared to pounce, some unforeseen distraction would foil his plans—a squirrel would plummet nearby, wolves would chase after him, or the sun blinding him during a jump. Meanwhile, Thomas embarked on a secretive quest to uncover your burrow, only to find that you changed homes constantly, forced to do so every few days due to the weather. Each failed attempt drove him to hysterical laughter, finding it increasingly amusing how hard it was to outsmart a simple mouse.

You had turned their pride to dust, and whispers spread throughout the forest—they were both outwitted by a mere mouse! Then one fateful day, Richard and Thomas crossed paths while hunting rabbits and inadvertently shared their embarrassing stories about you, the clever little mouse who had bested them both. Thus, they concocted a cunning plan: together, they would track you down, catch you, and split the spoils evenly, restoring their reputations in the forest once more.

To say this was unexpected for you would be an understatement. Now, as the well-matched team of lynx and fox pursued you with coordinated efforts, cutting off your escape routes one by one, you found yourself cornered. They approached leisurely, wearing smug smiles, confident in their plan.

“Take the top half for yourself; I’ll take the bottom,” said Thomas with a satisfied grin, glancing over at Richard without a care in the world.

"Deal," Richard replied, fixated on you, a gleam of pride in his eyes as he licked his whiskers. They exchanged a high-five, sealing their agreement.