Ch. 2: Burning Away

Teresa

Teresa knew she was dreaming, walking through the forest she recognized as the one beside her house. She idly stepped through the cool grass, looking at the tall, tall pines and oaks around her. This forest was oddly quiet but it didn't bother her, it was a dream and crazier things could happen.

But then a shadow burst through the bushes, startling the mouse and sending her to the ground.

She blinked when the shadow stopped for just a second, long enough for her to see it was shaped like a rat, before vanishing.

Teresa had barely registered what had happened before the grass turned scorching hot. She let out a screech and jumped to her feet as the trees engulfed into fire. Ash rained from the sky as she slammed her eyes shut, willing herself to wake up and escape this fiery inferno.

.

Teresa's eyes popped open her fur damp with sweat, to Cynthia's off-key singing.

The youngest mouse was dancing and twirling through the room where the five slept. As Teresa sat up she watched her sister rummage through her chest for her knapsack.

Martin, on the bed next to Teresa, grumbled and burrowed further into his blankets.

"What are you doing?" Teresa asked her sister, rubbing the sleep from her crusty eyes.

Cynthia smiled at her, brown eyes already bright and excited, "We're going on a family hike!"

Forcing herself out of her warm bed Teresa walked to the kitchen while her sister threatened to jump on Martin. Her mother and Timothy were already in the kitchen, Elizabeth placing seeds and corn into a bag. Timothy stood next to her, handing her the food for the hike while looking half-asleep on his feet.

"Good morning," Elizabeth smiled up at her daughter. She was wide-awake but was much more mellow than Cynthia.

Teresa yawned, "Good morning. Cynthia said we're going on a family hike."

"It'll soon be too cold to spend time outside," Elizabeth explained, "This is our last chance to stretch our legs. We're going to walk a ways into the forest and have a picnic."

"Could I bring a book?" she asked, her voice sounding less groggy, she'd love to find a warm ray of sun to curl up and read.

Timothy rolled his eyes but didn't say anything while Elizabeth nodded. "But just one."

Teresa went to the bookshelf, already knowing what book she'd pick. It was her favorite, a fantasy about a mouse princess that her father had written when she was small. Apparently it was a story his mother had told him and hsi siblings when he was her age.

Teresa held the book to her chest, smiling fondly at the memory of her father reading to her.

A sudden yelp of pain from the bedroom startled her and she nearly dropped the book. Apparently Cynthia had lived up her threat.

.

Despite the sky being clear and the sun shining bright, the air was still cool. Cynthia led the group through the forest, not following any specific trail and not hesitating to climb over roots or even through bramble bushes. All the while she whistled a cheery tune.

Teresa walked side by side with Martin who was still grumbling under his breath. He, of course, didn't favor a nearly broken spine as a wake up call.

Her mother was in the back of the group with Timothy, the two talking quietly with each other. Teresa couldn't help but wonder if Timothy would be able to complete the hike. She felt guilty almost immediately after, her youngest brother may not be as strong as his siblings but he was determined. He'd finish the hike even if it exhausted him and there was no guarantee that that would happen. She was his sister and she needed to have more faith in him.

"Ah," Cynthia suddenly exclaimed from the other side of the bush. "I found it."

"Found what?" Martin asked as the rest of the family crawled through the bush. On the other side Cynthia was sitting on the stump of what was once an oak. "This is perfect for a picnic!" she stated happily, sitting on the edge of the stump with her legs crossed.

The four mice climbed up to join her, Teresa being surprised by how smooth the tan wood was. She saw her mother nod to Cynthia, "This is a perfect spot, sweetheart."

With those words of approval Martin immediately sat down while Teresa pulled out the picnic cloth she had packed along with her book and some seeds.

She and her mother set up the picnic, meanwhile Timothy busied himself counting the rings of the tree.

"Forty," he mumbled once he had finished. "This tree is forty years old," he stated, joining his family on the picnic cloth. All with the exception of Cynthia who was busy exploring an abandoned hole in the ground.

"Cynthia, get back up here," Teresa ordered.

The smaller mouse stuck her tongue out at her sister and Teresa rolled her eyes, Cynthia loved to remind them that she was the baby.

"Please, Cynthia," Elizabeth asked and her daughter obeyed. The four rarely disobeyed their mother.

As they dug into their meal of seeds and corn their conversations switched from topic to topic.

One topic being age: Martin, leaning back on his hands, looked up at the leafless, skeletal trees. "You think animals were ever surprised by how long trees can live?"

Elizabeth looked to her son sadly while Cynthia smacked her lips and answered, "I don't know maybe? But even if they were they'd eventually be happy they live so long. Animals love trees!"

"Yeah, they love long-living trees," Martin scowled at the stump, "But not long-living animals."

"Trees don't have a mouth like yours," Teresa pointed out. She smirked when her brother glared at her.

"Why are you so upset over what some vole said?" Timothy demanded. "We don't even know him."

While her brothers argued Teresa saw Cynthia sniffing the air from the corner of her eye but ignored it.

"Don't pretend to be Teresa, Timmy," Martin snapped. "Animals wanting to avoid us like the plague has to bother you."

"It does," Timothy's answer was soft-spoken, "But only because animals who used to be our friends think there's something wrong with us."

"There's nothing wrong with you!" their mother snapped so viciously it made the three jump. "You are your father's children," she continued in a much softer tone. "You're different but that in no way makes you wrong. You're all perfect just the way you are."

Teresa smiled lovingly at her mother. She knew it hadn't been easy raising her and her siblings all by herself...but Teresa thought she did an outstanding job. Especially considering her bossiness, Martin's stubbornness, Timothy's sickliness, and Cynthia's refusal to stay in place.

"You're pretty perfect too, Momma," Timothy said sweetly and Elizabeth smiled.

"And you're aging as slowly as us," Martin pointed out the obvious.

"Yes," Elizabeth's smile fell slightly. She ran her fingers through the brown fur that didn't have a strand of gray.

"Maybe Dad rubbed off on you," Martin suggested, but there was no conviction in his voice.

Her reply was soft, "Maybe."

But then Timothy spoke up: "Where's Cynthia?"

That question sent Teresa and her mother into a panic. The youngest mouse was no longer on the stump nor anywhere in sight.

"How did I not notice?" Elizabeth jumped to her feet, alarm sparking in her blue eyes.

"Don't worry, Mom," Martin tried to reassure her. "Cynthia's scrappy. We'll find her before anything gets to her."

Timothy had slowly stood up and was facing north, "I smell smoke."

Teresa lifted her nose to the sky and sure enough she could make out the scent of burning trees. "A forest fire..."

"CYNTHIA!" they all screeched, jumping off the stump and racing into the forest.

.

The air so hot sweat made Teresa's fur stand on end, and the air was thick with smoke.

The Brisby family interlocked their hands so they wouldn't be separated. And as they scurried through burning grass, calling for Cynthia, Teresa was hit with an incredible sense of deja-vu.

They had neared an old, fast-moving stream when they heard the shout. Teresa's blue eyes moved skyward and she spotted a sandy colored shape on a tree limb above. It was Cynthia looking like she had gotten her foot stuck in a knot. And fire was licking up the side of the tree.

By then the rest of the family had spotted her but Teresa didn't give them time to react. Dropping Martin's hand she scurried up the side of the trunk that wasn't ablaze. Her family called after her but none followed, they trusted her to save her sister.

Cynthia gave her an apologetic grin when Teresa reached her, "Maybe I didn't choose the best time to run off?"

Teresa didn't answer, focusing on pulling her sister's foot out of the knot. All the while she was painfully aware of the heat blistering her back and sweat trickling through her fur.

She let out a triumphant "ah-hah!" when Cynthia's foot pulled free and the mouse didn't need to be told to scurry past her sister and down the trunk.

Teresa had just turned around to fallow her when she heard a splitting noise followed by her mother's scream.

Then there was a bolt of pain and everything went black.

.

Elizabeth

"TERESA!" Elizabeth screeched as she watched a flaming branch fall, hitting her daughter's back and knocking her into the rushing torrent below.

Timothy quickly wrapped his arms around his mother before she could jump in after her daughter. But he couldn't stop Martin.

The larger mouse dove into the water, swimming with the current to the brown shape that was his sister.

"Come on!" Cynthia had reached the ground and didn't pause to run after her older siblings, staying close to the bank. Elizabeth and Timothy galloped after.

Elizabeth watched with watering eyes as Martin reached his unconscious sister's side, grabbing her arm and trying to keep them both afloat.

Cynthia, spotting stepping stone in the river, hopped across them to the other side, the other two mice following after, safe from the raging inferno claiming the forest.

Chests heaving they continued to follow Martin and Teresa as the river's current slowed. Relief fueled Elizabeth's final steps as Martin finally made it to the shore, dragging the still unconscious Teresa with him. Martin dropped to his hands and knees gasping while Elizabeth held her daughter in her arms.

"Teresa," she sobbed. It felt like her heart had stopped. The fire of the fallen branch had burned her before the water extinguished the flames. It had burned a patch of fur on her flames. It had burned a patch of fur on her back, Elizabeth could feel the bald flesh.

"Teresa, open your eyes," she begged as her daughter failed to rise. She buried her face in Teresa's neck, "My baby."

For a moment that felt like eternity all she saw were tears, all she heard was roaring flames, and all she felt was her daughter's limp body.

Then..."Mother?"

Elizabeth pulled back, eyes wide, to see Teresa slowly blinking her eyes open. She coughed weakly, then gazed up at her, "I'm sorry."

Elizabeth Brisby had never felt more like a child. Her daughter who she nursed and raised had nearly died of fire and then drowning but she was more worried over how her mother took it. She pulled Teresa closer, her other children hurrying over to join the hug.

"I'm the one whose sorry," Cynthia spoke up. "I shouldn't have run off."

"That was a stupid thing to do," Martin's voice was hoarse. "But it was also a Cynthia thing to do."

Timothy suddenly pulled out of the group hug, "I hate to bring this up but..." he pointed to the burning forest. "That has probably reached our home."

Elizabeth and her children watched in a sort of shocked awe as the fire effortlessly destroyed the forest they had traveled through throughout their lives. No doubt reaching the stone they had gone through so much to keep, the licking flames reaching inside to burn their clothes and books and everything else they held dear.

Where had such an inferno ever come from?

Elizabeth took in a deep breath and with it came the resolve that had faced giant rats and cats, owls and machines. Fate had chosen the next step of her children's lives. And whether she played a role in that next step was no longer important.

She stood up, helping Teresa to her feet. "Are you four read to go?"

Confused eyes turned to her. "Go where?" Cynthia asked the question.

Elizabeth took another deep breath, "To Thorn Valley."