Amira, The Rodent Queen stood on her hind legs in front of her council and began, “my fellow Zaroombas, all is not lost, but we must come together as one to get through this transition period.”

“Believe me when I say that my cabinet and I have come up with a plan that will ensure that the great famine of 2000 DOES NOT repeat itself.” 

“Chloe, our most treasured and beloved human, unfortunately has moved out; and the cleaning crew will be here shortly to get the house ready for the new owners.”

“Daanish, The Secretary for Health and Nutrition will now fill you in on all the details.”

“Ensure all your food reserves are robust and full to the brim,” advised Daanish.

“Favor sources of protein when you pick up food scraps to store,” he continued. 

“Get all your able-bodied children, male and female, to do as much of the work as they can, taking turns day and night.”

“Holding back and hoping to depend on someone else’s food supply is not an option this time.” 

“I have asked that all families adopt older Zaroombas who have neither the strength nor the necessary family unit to  gather food,” cut in Queen Amira.

“Jolly gatherings and frivolous parties must be kept to a bare minimum during this time of transition until we have a full assessment report on the new occupants,” continued Daanish, unperturbed by the Queen’s interruption.

“Kartik, our Secretary of Housing and Rodent Services should have that report ready for us within three months,” Queen Amira reassured everyone present. 

“Let’s be prudent this time, my fellow Zaroombas, as to not have a repeat of the famine of 2000,” stressed Queen Amira. 

“My personal chef can answer questions regarding specifics of dietary needs of individuals,” Queen Amira said.

“Now, back to Daanish,” she gestured and conceded the floor to her Secretary of Health and Nutrition again.

“Overall, I think we’re at a better place than we were last time,” Daanish informed the council, much to their delight. 

“Please, hold all inquiries till I’m done,” he said as someone raised a flag to signal they had a question. 

“Questions and concerns will be addressed in due time, once I finish my presentation,” Daanish continued.

“Rest assured our strategy will help us transition efficiently,” Daanish said with a look of satisfaction on his chubby cheeks, as people began to murmur.  

“Save your energy for gossip and rude commentary for the food gathering,” snapped Queen Mira, interjecting again. 

“This is NOT the end of our kingdom, I promise you!” She said standing up on her hind legs. 

Until this day, we HAVE been thriving and we will continue to do so. Don't fret, my kingdom.”

“Vast storage vaults have been built already in preparation for this day,” she continued, passionately.

“When it's all filled to bursting, then we can rest,” she concluded and fell back to all fours, tail wagging vigorously to indicate she was trying to hold back much more. 

“X plastic letters we’ve collected over the years will be placed in places you’re not to store food; areas that humans can easily sniff out," instructed Daanish.

“You ARE NOT to store food in places humans can easily access. I feel that begs repeating because a lot of families lost their food reserves last time when they did just that.”

“Zaroombas! We will survive this transition! Roared the Queen, but it came out as several squeaks as the new home owners Haven and Hayden stepped into their new home.