The Wild West,a place where outlaws and bandits roamed the deserts freely,a place where people would be payed to bring the filthiest and most vile varmints to justice,a place where just looking at someone wrong can get you in a life or death duel. Although what could be considered payment would depend on who you'd ask,some would argue that payment would not be needed and that seeing someone behind bars was payment enough,while other people,or mainly a group of mice,would see that assured safety was more than enough payment.
Our story begins at the very end,not in a buildup sort of manor,but rather at the end of another fantastic story of justice and adventure in the western town of Green River. The sun was starting to make its daily descent so the moon could shine its pale light upon the earth,and the mice that lived in the cracks and garbage of Green River seemed to have just finished a great battle between Cat R Waul,and his gang of cats,but not without help from some humans and dogs. To make a long story short,Charlie Brown and his freinds came to Green River with the intent of having a vacation away from school. However due to Charlie Brown meeting a talking mouse named Fievel Mousekewitz who also wanted to go out west with his family,he and his freinds got wrapped up into Fievel and his family's struggle against a giant mousetrap set up by the cats. In the end of the day and after a very long and complicated journey,they came out on top and the cats were defeated and sent far away from Green River via train.
Fievel was saying goodbye to Charlie Brown and his friends,for they had to journey back home to Birchwood because unlike the mice,Green River wasn't their new home. After a very heartfelt goodbye between him,Snoopy and the others,the train roared it's whistle as it slowly but surely took off and the mice decided to happily celebrate their victory over the cats. However Fievel soon noticed something peculiar,the town's sheriff dog Wylie Burp,wasn't enjoying the party like everyone else,and instead decided to head to the far outskirts of the town.
Fievel decided to see what Wylie was doing and quietly followed him in his shadow to soon find him sitting on a small rock,with the howls of coyotes starting to ring through the slowly cooling desert. He climbed up to where Wylie was sitting and they proceeded to watch the sunset in complete silence until Wylie eventually broke it and offered him something special.
"Here son,I want you to have one of these." Wylie offered as he pulled out a golden deuputy star that only the truly qualified and brave would receive,and realizing that burden Fievel politely tried to reject it "I can't,I'm not a hero like you. Well,not really."
Wylie sighed at Fievel's polite rejection and decided to tell him a very important life lesson "Maybe not. Maybe a real hero is the last one to hear about it,but you and your friends pulled me out of a gutter and for that I owe you some thanks. Just remember Fievel,one man's sunset is another man's dawn. I don't know what's out there beyond those hills….but if you ride yonder,head up,eyes steady,heart open,I think one day you'll find that you're the hero you've been looking for."
Fievel smiled at Wylie's beautiful words of wisdom,and he took off his white cowboy hat that he wore the entire trip,and put on his trusty and iconic blue sailors hat from his father. They both smiled at each other and stared off into the horizon,for the sun had finally set and nighttime had finally arrived.
Soon after their heartfelt discussion about heroism and what lies beyond after death,Wylie stretched his arms out and yawned out of exhaustion before he stated "I don't know about you,but I am beat up and ready for a nice long nap." to which Fievel agreed "Today has been something that's for sure. We saved the town from the cats,they are far away and we'll probably never see those loons again,and we are finally safe again."
However Fievel soon remembered that his closest friends aside from Tiger the cat were now all gone,and who knew if they would ever see eachother again as he sadly sighed "I just wish Charlie Brown and the others didn't have to go."
Wylie started to take pity on Fievel when he saw small tears building up in his eyes and after thinking for a few moments,he ultimately decided to try and cheer him up "Charlie Brown and those other varmints were great kids,I'd be lying if I said I wasn't saddened at their departure,but there is now a bright and shining new world open for you Fievel. I don't think Charlie Brown would want you to feel saddened and for you to sulk all the time,but rather to feel encouraged and to look right ahead to the future,for I believe something truly great will bless you one day. I just know it."
"Yeah,I bet he would. Thank you Wylie." Fievel smiled and replied a little more cheered up than before as he got down from the rock and slowly headed back to the town,with Wylie shortly following him afterwards. Like Wylie said,something truly great was gonna be coming for not just Fievel,but for all of Green River in the near future,and it would only take a few months time. Where they would find a new home on the range.
3 MONTHS LATER
Universal Pictures And Walt Disney Pictures Present.
Out in the land where the men are tough as cactus.
Out in the land where the wild,wild,west was won.
Out in the land of the desperado,if yer soft as an avocado,yee-ha! Yer guacamole son!
Home,home,this ain't it pal.
Home,home,home on the range.
Home,home,better go git pal. You ain't home on the range.
Out in the land where the weak are target practice.(Home,home,home on the range.)
Out in the land where they shoot the mild and meek.(Home,home,home on the range.)
Out where the bad are a whole lot badder,if yer the type with a nervous bladder. Yip! Yow! You're saddle's gonna reek! 'Cause you ain't home on the range,cowboy yer really up the creek!
An American Tail: Fievel Goes Home On The Range
Home,home,home on the range.
Home,home,home on the range.
Home,home,home on the range.
Home,home,home on the range.
"And then the nefarious Alameda Slim stood proud and tall in front of the bank of Green River. With his only obstacle in his path of thievery and destruction being the widely respected Billy The Kid,and sherrif Wylie Burp as they starred each other down with the lazy eye."
Fievel and Wylie Burp stood tall next to each other and were about to face the widely feared and hunted down bandit Alameda Slim. Fievel and Wylie both wore their white cowboy suits with hats,boots and all. Alameda Slim on the other hand was a tall,wide and most of all threatening man. He had a pitch black bandit suit and hat with a tiny skull at the tip of it,along with orange hair,facial hair and a cold,dead scowl on his face and chinny chin chin.
He nor the cavalry that stood in front of him showed any fear and stood in complete silence,with only the sounds of the windy desert and hawks being heard until Slim spoke up with a menacing grin "You best get out of my way fellers. Yer lives and dignity are all at stake,and I sure won't hold back against a sheriff dog and field mouse."
None of them moved a single muscle at his threat and continued to guard the bank with their lives as Wylie smiled and retorted "Is that the best you can do? I've heard more intimidating threats from my daddy." while Fievel added "You're days of thievery have come to an end Alameda Slim,and we're here to put you in your place."
Slim however didn't feel the least bit threatened or intimidated and merely said to himself "Oh this is gonna be a fun time right here." before he pulled out a silver pistol,for he clearly had the intent to get into a duel to the death as Wylie quickly noticed and whispered to Fievel "This is the moment of truth kid,it's life or death here,I suggest you get out while you still can."
"I know Wylie,but isn't everyday life or death for us? I'm not backing down from a fight." Fievel heroically replied as he took out his miniature pistol and starred Slim down,with his trigger finger slowly getting closer and closer to the trigger.
"Now kid!" Wylie eye's widened and he suddenly shouted when he saw that Slim was about to pull the trigger to which Fievel did accordingly as a bullet came dashing out of the pistol with smoke,but as it flew across the town square with Slim as it's primary target,Fievel he suddenly heard the strangest echo "Fievel! Time to get up!"
It sounded like the voice of his mother as it seemed to ring throughout the town and interrupted their duel,and Fievel soon fell through the ground and back into his bed. It was all a dream. He started to heavily breath and try to figure out what was going on,but he soon gave off a disappointed sigh when he realized that his dream was cut off short as he moaned "Not again."
Our story properly begins three months after that fateful day and night with R Waul,and it didn't take Green River too long to become the lovely paradise that Papa and the other mice dreamed it would be on the train ride. It took a lot of hard work and dedication,but the mice still stuck to their guns and made Green River a paradise at each and every corner. They used the water from the local water tower to form a miniature river that flew through the ditches and even underground,vegetation was growing rapidly due to the proper conditions of water and sunlight,and the residents themselves seemed to be living well and happily too.
Tanya,Fievel's sister had managed to become the most loved and admired singer in the entire west,and Papa's violin buisness was bringing him and his family more and more money every week and month. Tiger and Mrs Kitty were a full on couple ever since Wylie Burp's dog training turned Tiger into just what Mrs Kitty wanted,a cat that was more like a day,and she loved being with him despite him still being a somewhat soft and gentle cat. Wylie Burp had gotten an increase in sherif work since mice and animals from all around were getting more confident and trustworthy of him after the fiasco with R Waul.
It was an average and typical morning in Green River,the sun was slowing rising over the hills and mountain tops,the sky was colored in a mixture of purple and yellow,and the mice were starting their day as they all piled out of their homes. The Mousekewitz's had their own little house in the confines of the bigger buildings and unlike Birchwood and New York,it was a legitimate house instead of a garbage heap or cardboard box. Their house like all the other mice's,it was made out of the spare wood lying around outside,a spoon kept the roof and less stable areas up along with glad shards being the windows,and accompanied with blue wallpaper throughout the whole house.
Mamma was busy preparing breakfast for the family whole also tending to the baby,Tanya was practicing her singing in the mirror only for it to shatter to which she quickly replaced it with another,and Papa was busy selling his violins outside. Once Mamma noticed that Fievel wasn't up and in the kitchen yet,she yelled "Fievel! Get up!" to which Fievel quickly replied "I'm coming Mamma!"
Soon Tanya and Papa sat down with their food and Fievel opened the door to the kitchen from his room and sat down at the table as Mamma asked while she gave him his food "You were taking a long time in there,what were you doing?"
"I had another amazing dream last night you guys. Me and Wylie we're protecting the human's bank from Alameda Slim,and I was just about to get into a duel with him-"
"Alameda Slim? Isn't he one of the most feared bandits in the west?" Tanya interupted Fievel's description of his dream to which Papa confirmed her suspicions "Indeed his is Tanya,but he only seems to go after cattle and nothing else. So we don't have anything to worry about since there aren't any cattle around here. Reading the human's newspapers has its benefits you know."
"Are you worried Tanya? Because me and Wylie could easily take him down in a heartbeat,and maybe your singing could shatter his eardrums like you do with the mirrors." Fievel joked and laughed to which Tanya rolled her eyes and retorted "Well I like to think that's just a sign of how good my singing is actuslly."
Once they all finished their breakfast and did their basic household chores,Fievel put on his cowboy outfit and was just about to head outside when Papa noticed and asked "Where are you going Fievel?"
"I'm going to see Wylie and Tiger. Wylie said he has something he wanted to show us." Fievel ecstatically replied to which Papa cautiously obliged to let him go "Alright,but don't go too far outside,and no talking to humans."
"Oh come on Papa,we talked to Charlie Brown and his freinds,and they helped save us from the cats. Don't you remember?" Fievel sighed and asked to which Papa replied as he sold another violin "While true Charlie Hrown and his freinds helped save us from the cats all those months ago,they were still human...and it varies from person to person anyway. Some humans may be tolearnt or us whole other may want us dead at the sight and send their cats. Do you understand Fievel?"
Papa turned around and expected to see Fievel still at the door,but he had already left the house and was heading off to see Wylie to which he sighed somewhat annoyed "Kids. What can you say about them? You need to chain them down so they'll listen to you and not run off."
Fievel happily ran through the neighborhood of mice and houses and soon made his way to the outside part of Green River,where all the humans were doing their normal,everyday routine. The sun was now shining brightly and their wasn't a single cloud in the sky as it provided a great deal of heat and illusions to those who were unfortunate enough to be out in the desert.
Fievel quickly ran through the busy and bustling streets and soon came across Tiger,who was having a conversation with Mrs Kitty atop a stairway as Fievel gleefully called out to him "Tiger! We have to go see Wylie! Come on!"
Tiger was still wearing his traditional purple t-shirt that was obviously too small for him and looked down to see Fievel waving at him before he told Mrs Kitty "I'll be right back my schmootsy poo." to which she smiled and joked "Take all the time you need kid. I could use some alone time from you every once in a while."
Tiger jumped down from the stairs and happily greeted Fievel with a hug "Hiya Fievel. How you been buddy? Anything new lately?" as the mouse calmly replied "Nothing really,but I had the most amazing dream last night. I'll tell you on the way. Come on let's go."
"Oh is it the one with the Cactus Cat Gang?" Tiger asked and guessed it which Fievel shook his head and debunked him "No way,that one is long gone. This one had Alameda Slim in it."
"Who?" Tiger asked out of a mixture of confusion and intrigue as he got down on all fours so Fievel could climb up on his back before the mouse replied "Only the most dangerous bandit and cattle rustler in the whole entire west." Tiger quietly gasped out of excitement and asked "Tell me more." as he dashed off to see Wylie and whatever he wanted to show them while Fievel told him about his dream.
Unbeknownst to them however,in the outskirts of Green River there stood a familiar gang of cats along with a hairy spider wearing a cowboy hat,with the leader wearing a familiar blood red cape,suit and top hat. They seemed to have unfinished business in Green River,and now it seemed that it all boiled down to revenge rather than mouse burgers.