DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SECRET OF NIMH OR ANY OF THE ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS.
A/N: Okay, so you guys can thank me for addin' this to the movies section. ^^
I found the rough draft of this story lyin' around my room an' decided it was worthy enough to continue.
So yes, I wrote a Secret of NIMH fic when I was 14, 15 maybe? 0.o Wow that's sad.
So uhm, I don't really have any plot bunny helpers other than seeing the movie again. -hangs head in shame- Yeeeaaa. Hope you like! It'll be a multi-chapter story. (Hopefully…) R&R Pwease! The bunnies are starvin' a bit over here. .
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Justin stood on the balcony of his top-of-the-tree room, smiling out at Thorn Valley below him. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply, taking in all the smells of the morning. From the cornucopia of aromas that filled his sensory register, he could easily pick out freshly baked bread from the bakery, fresh-cut flowers, roses and lilies in particular, candied apples, and that crisp familiar scent that always accompanied Autumn.
He opened his eyes and sighed happily. It was good to be alive. He continued his carefree survey of the town below when something in the distance caught his eye. He furrowed his brow and leaned farther out on the balcony, and squinted as the sparkle got closer. All at once his eyes widened and he threw himself to the floor, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his head.
Seconds later, Justin scrambled to his feet and spun around.
"No…"
Thorn Valley was covered in flames and smoke, and there was chaos everywhere you looked. The buildings and structures were falling down, burying countless mice and rats beneath the rubble. Numerous bodies already littered the streets and the stench of death hung in the air.
Justin could barely hear above the blood pounding in his ears. He was mildly aware of the gash over his right eye as the blood trickled down the brow and temporarily blinded him. The ragged breaths leaving his throat shook his body as he stood, wide-eyed and horrified, in his top-of-the-tree balcony. Tears began to fill his eyes as he stared at his burning town.
A distressed sound escaped his mouth and he fell to his knees, feeling more lost than he had ever felt in his entire life. All of a sudden, he heard someone laughing. He stood shakily and looked around, trying in vain to locate its source. A scream caught in his throat. Jenner stood in front of him, match in hand, laughing like a maniac. Large flames engulfed his being and he had demonic wings sprouting from his back.
"So long…"
"NOOOOO!!!"
Justin woke up screaming. He sucked in gulps of air and willed his body to cease shaking. His door slammed open and Brutus rushed inside. "What in the name of Nicodemus?! Justin??" He asked, clearly distressed. He rushed to his leader's bedside and put the candle he was carrying down on his nightstand.
"PUT THAT OUT!!!" Justin shrieked and threw a cup of water on the candle, extinguishing the light and casting the room into darkness. "Justin! Calm down! What's wrong?" Mr. Ages stood in the doorway. Justin stared straight ahead, still shaking. "The fire. The fire. Thorn Valley was--" He stopped and vomited over the side of his bed.
Brutus backed away as Mr. Ages rushed to Justin and grasped his shoulder. "Justin, you must calm yourself." He instructed. Justin sat up and wiped his mouth, gulping air in deep breaths. He finally met Brutus and Mr. Ages' eyes. "Where?..." He asked hesitantly. "You're safe, Justin. We're still in the rosebush." Mr. Ages quelled him softly.
Justin looked around the dark room and saw that he was, indeed, correct. He attempted to sigh in relief, but it ended up coming out as a rushed, nervous exhale. "Thorn Valley is safe, I assure you." Mr. Ages continued. Justin put his head in his hands and sighed deeply. "Of course. So sorry for waking you…" He said quietly. Brutus smiled gently. "Hey, it's cool. I'm up most of the night on duty anyways." Justin nodded.
He eyed the candle on his nightstand warily when Mr. Ages lit it again, but ignored his irrational anxiety, and instead tried to take comfort in the soft light it brought to the room. Mr. Ages patted his shoulder. "Well I suppose you chose a good time to wake up. We have a council meeting in 30 minutes." He commented as he and Brutus headed for the door. Justin groaned. "I forgot." Mr. Ages turned and sighed. "Well. Don't be late. We need you there." With that said, he and Brutus left Justin in the dark once more.
***
25 minutes later, Justin finally decided to put on a fresh tunic and head down to the council chamber. "Damn. I'm gonna be late." He lamented as he hurried through the hallways, excusing himself when he accidentally ran into an unsuspecting rat.
He finally reached the massive doors of the council chamber, and he took a deep breath to slow his pulse. He fixed his tunic and hair and entered the vast chamber. Several of the rats sitting in the council balcony shot Justin a dirty look, due to his tardiness, but otherwise ignored his presence. They were mainly focused on the speaker on the floor: Jenner.
"Relocating to Thorn Valley is nothing but pure foolishness. It would be more beneficial, and wiser, if we remained in the rosebush." Jenner preached. Justin found a spot next to Mr. Ages to stand. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "He's still going on about this?" He chuckled quietly. Mr. Ages nodded. "I'm afraid so." He whispered back. Justin made a sound of acknowledgement and continued to watch the black rat at the center.
"Always the same old thing with you, Jenner." A council member remarked. "Why do you insist on harping on this?" Another asked. Jenner grinned slyly and half-bowed. "I'm just looking out for our best interests." He finally saw Justin out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, Justin. So nice of you to join us today." He drawled, eyes locked on Justin with a smile on his curled-back lips. Justin did his best not to react to the larger rat, who was now fully facing him.
"What's your take on this? Surely the Captain of the Guard has an opinion." He baited. Justin frowned slightly, earning a wider grin from Jenner. "Would you care to share with us?" He asked with amusement apparent in his voice. Justin remained calm and replied simply. "No, not really. This is, after all, your meeting, right Jenner?" He mentally kicked himself when Jenner smiled deviously and turned back to the council in the balcony. "Yes. So it is."
The rest of the meeting, Justin stood next to Mr. Ages, jaw set and arms crossed tightly across his chest, as Jenner continued to rant and rave about the 'dangers of leaving the rosebush'. Every now and again, Jenner would smirk at Justin, and Justin fought the urge to grab something and throw it at him. There were plenty of large rule books and historical tomes that he could use, but he quickly thought better of it.
Attacking one of the most important rats essentially in the rosebush would surely get him suspended from his position, or even dismissed completely if they went as far as to call it battery. The look he imagined on Jenner's face when he suddenly felt a book lodge itself in his brain, however, was so funny that Justin couldn't help but chuckle, catching Jenner's attention once more. "Do you have something to add, Justin?" One of the elders asked.
Justin took one look at Jenner's poisonous expression and cleared his throat. "Uhm, no. Pardon the interruption." The council member who had addressed him nodded and motioned for Jenner to continue. Justin would have been able to hold his tongue if Jenner had ignored him. But of course, fate was against him. Jenner turned and smiled toothily at him. "Thank you, Cardias." That was the last straw. Justin shoved off of the wall, mumbled something that resembled 'excuse me' and stormed out of the room.
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A/N: Whew. That took me forever ta type, thanks to procrastination. -.-' Ugh, GOD. Anyways, R&R. I like hearin' from my readers. . Even if you are one-time readers.