Chapter 2

Warren T. Rat sat in his makeshift office, in a suitcase near Castle Garden where New York's newest immigrants were registered. He chuckled to himself as he counted his money, smoking a cigar.

"So, Digit, did that kid from the other day help make up that fifty cents?" Warren T asked with a smirk.

A buzzing came from the pocket of Warren's red trench coat and his cockroach accountant Digit came out. "I'm afraid we've yet to receive Moe's payments yet, it seems he's late!"

"Late?! That fat rodent had better have a good explanation for keepin' me waiting, that is if he still wants to keep the cats at bay…" Warren fumed, as Digit cowered before his rage.

Just then there was a knock.

"Hey Warren! I uh…got some bad news…" it was the familiar voice of Moe.

"Come in, and this better not make me mad…" Warren threatened.

Moe gulped audibly and walked in, barely squeezing his huge body through the door that was carved into the rather large suitcase. "Warren, please understand…something happened at the sweatshop last night…"

"Oh? Pray, do tell…" Warren took his cigar out of his mouth and blew a thick cloud of smoke.

"I uh…well…" Moe broke out in a nervous sweat. Warren judged by the hideous stains on Moe's white tank top that this wasn't uncommon. "There…there was a breakout last night. All the workers…they escaped."

Warren narrowed his eyes, "Escaped? Didn't you lock the doors?!"

"Yeah I did...they were still locked when I came in this morning…th-they escaped through the window with a rope made of bed sheets…"

Warren stood silently for a moment, as he stood he suddenly seemed much taller and more threatening. He glared at Moe. "They escaped…you let them escape…"

Moe looked pale, "Y-yes…uh…I'm sorry…I ain't got no dough today…and-"

Warren cut him off. "Forget the dough! You've cost me enough money as it is! More than you realize! If word ever gets out about this, every rodent in town is gonna hear about how Warren T Rat runs sweatshops! And that, that ain't good for business…"

Moe, obviously having never thought about that, stood frozen in fear. "Boss…I…I didn't know…"

"Silence!" Warren snapped, "There ain't nobody in this town that crosses Warren T and gets away with it, nobody!! Not even you! You cost me more than mere money today Moe. You cost me my reputation!!"

"Forgive me Warren!!" Moe shrieked.

Warren stepped forward, Moe's face becoming masked by Warren's shadow, "You sniveling rodent, you're just like the rest of them! All fools, all cowards before the cats. You're pathetic! I'm gonna make an example of you, that's what I'll do!"

Before Moe could do anything Warren took the butt of his cigar and pressed it to Moe's forehead, the embers scorching his fur and skin. As he turned and howled in pain, Warren took off one of his gloves revealing a clawed, cat-like paw. He slashed the back of Moe's shirt, drawing blood. Moe let out another scream and stumbled out of Warren's office. As he looked up, to his horror he saw a gang of hungry cats surrounding the suitcase.

The Mott Street Maulers!

"What do ya want us to do with him boss?" asked a black cat with a grin.

"Oh, are we gonna hold him prisoner?" asked a big orange cat with bushy fur.

"Only you would say that Tiger, can't you see what a great meal this plump one will make?" said a gray cat, licking his chops.

"Oh...I knew that…" said Tiger with a degree of disappointment and sympathy for Moe.

Warren's voice carried from inside the suitcase, and he began to step out, his face concealed by shadows. " Heh heh…well boys I know he'd make a terrific meal for ya's. Just leave enough for me…I call first dibs!"

Moe shot a look back at Warren. Warren was a rat…why would he eat another rat?! But as Warren emerged from the shadows of his office, Moe got his answer. Warren's fake nose was gone, his ears pointed in their natural position. It was a disguise he had been wearing…Warren T wasn't a rat, he was a cat!

"Warren! Noo!!" Moe screamed. The last thing he saw was Warren get on all fours pounce on him opening his jaws. Then silence. Nothing.

Tony Toponi made his way through the dirty streets of downtown New York. He asked mouse after mouse if they had seen a little boy with a big blue hat who answered to the name Fievel. Unfortunately no one had seen him. He was also on the lookout for any Russian families by the name of Mousekewitz. If he could find them he could at least let them know their son was alive. If there was one thing he knew for sure though, it was that this city was no place for children. Not only were there bad mice out there that could hurt Fievel, but the city was crawling with cats as well.

Tony was stopped in his tracks as he heard a violin playing. Could it be Fievel's family? He climbed up a street sign to get a better view of the street. It wasn't long before he heard the shouts of a human woman coming from one of the tall buildings.

"Ack! A mouse!!" she screamed, as the music began to sound warped. There was the sound of things being thrown, and Tony looked up noticing a familiar little mouse boy being hurled out the window. He landed in a bucket of water, which a woman then poured down the alley.

"Hey Fillie!" Tony exclaimed with a chuckle as Fievel drifted with the water toward the gutter. Tony climbed down from the street sign. "Pardon my expression, but you look like something the cat dragged in!"

Fievel got up, not looking amused by Tony's joke, not that a joke like that was ever very funny to a mouse. Tony changed the subject.

"Hey, any luck finding your family?" Tony asked.

Fievel looked down and sniffed, "No…not yet…"

Tony tried to be cheerful despite hearing this. He hated seeing Fievel sad. From the corner of his eye he saw a mousetrap with cheese. Maybe some cheese would cheer Fievel up. With a small stick he skillfully tripped the trap, the cheese landing in his hand with such skill it appeared he had done it a thousand times before. He sniffed the cheese. Too stale. Tony promptly threw it out of sight.

"Well, stick with me kid, I'll help you find your family." Said Tony.

"You will?!" Fievel's face lighted up and he rushed at Tony, hugging onto his sleeve.

"Hey hey hey, easy! What are we engaged or something?" said Tony as he shook Fievel off. Fievel looked angry at this as Tony began to walk. Tony suddenly felt bad, but kept it to himself. Tony didn't like being hugged like that…

Tony and Fievel walked on down the street for a ways, looking around for any sign of his family. It wasn't long before they passed a wooden fence, which enclosed an alley.

"I figure we'll start lookin' for your family in heeh…." Tony slurred his words suddenly. As they had walked by a knothole, Tony had glanced in for a split second. It had taken a few moments for his brain to register what he had just seen. He rushed back to the knothole. And through it, he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on.

She stood on a human sized hat in front of a sign reading "Cats Unfair". Tony's eyes gazed over her thin feminine form, her light blue dress, her orange locks of hair, and her sparkling eyes. She stood in front of a crowd, delivering a speech with fiery passion; a passion that now had a strangle hold over Tony's heart. He hadn't believed in love at first sight. There was even a time when he doubted he would ever fall in love. But this girl, she had changed all that.

"I'm askin' you now," she cried, her voice lilting with an Irish accent, "are we gonna stand by and let those cats wreck our homes?"

Tony fell through the knothole and slid down a wooden board, chuckling.

"Tony?" Fievel asked, peering through the hole. "Hey Tony where are you going?"

Meanwhile the crowd tried to silence the girl. "Don't say that…they'll hear you…"

"But don't you see? If we all got together, we could do somethin' about the cats!" she pleaded.

Tony began climbing up to the stage, in a near zombified state, "Yeah…we should all get together…"

She continued, "This is America, we have free speech here! You can say cat here! Cat, cat, cat, and double-cat!!"

The mice flinched at every mention of the word, and began to filter out of the area.

"Wait! Where are you goin'?!" she cried. But just then Tony jumped onto the stage. She turned, seeing Tony's blushing face. He then held out his arm, revealing a flower he had taken from the hat they were standing on. She blushed as well, unfolding her umbrella to hide her face. Tony could feel his heart beating in his chest.

"So…if we all just got together…we could do something about the…cats…" she murmured, under the same spell Tony was under now.

"Cats…caatts…" Tony repeated, barely understandable.

"…cats…" she repeated as well.

Tony then mumbled something incomprehensible, and they most likely would have gone on like that for some time had it not been for Fievel, who tugged at Tony's scarf. Fievel lost his balance and let go, causing Tony to be pushed forward, and accidentally kiss the girl on the lips. They both held the kiss for a moment in shock, and then began giggling. Fievel walked between them.

"Tony? What's wrong?" Fievel asked, puzzled by their strange behavior. Tony hardly noticed him. It was as if they were the only two mice in the world. Tony put his arms around her, and they sat down, sighing lightly. Fievel got frustrated and crawled away as they gazed into each other's eyes. Lost in each other's gazes, they were almost oblivious to a looming shadow covering the area. It was Tony who finally looked up.

A vicious cat stared down at them with a hungry grin.

The next moments were a swirling chaos. Somehow Tony was ripped from the girl and hurled through the air as the cat charged head first into the stage. He landed hard inside a boot, hearing screams coming from all directions and the frightening roars of cats. Toy curled up in the boot for safety until the horrific noises died down. Cautiously he peered out. The alley was in ruins. He looked down and saw the girl (he realized he really needed to learn her name), peeking from a hole in the human hat they'd been standing on minutes before.

Tony stepped out and walked toward her. "Hey, you alright? You ain't hurt or nothing are you?"

"Oh no, I'm okay." Replied the girl as Tony attempted to carry her out of the hole, accidentally dropping her a couple times in the process. "No really, I'm fine."

Tony finally managed to pick her up when the top of the hat collapsed under their weight and they fell inside.

"How about you?" she asked, moving off of Tony.

"Nah! Who do those cats think they are?" Tony replied, acting tough for her. "I'll show those cats a thing or two next time!"

Tony climbed out of the hat and looked around. Something was still missing. The girl was fine…so what could it possibly be? Tony thought for a second before it finally struck him.

"Hey, where's Fillie?" Tony asked out loud.

"Fillie? Who's Fillie?" asked the girl. Apparently she hadn't noticed Fievel either when she and Tony were too busy blushing and giggling at each other.

"I've got to find him, he's just a kid!" Tony exclaimed as he crawled out of the hat and began looking around.

"Tony…" came a whisper. Tony turned around with his fists raised instinctively, until he saw Fievel staring at him from behind a small box. Tony smiled.

"Some scrap huh? Said Tony, giving Fievel's back a pat, before looking around for Fievel's hat.

"There's cats here! Wait until I tell Papa…if I find him." Fievel added this last part sadly.

Tony found Fievel's hat and dusted it off, handing it to his new crush as she put it on Fievel's head. "He's been looking for his family."

"Oh the poor darling." She said. But then she got an idea. "Wait a minute, Honest John at Tammany Hall, he'll know where your family is!"

"He will?" asked Fievel with glee.

"Tony he knows every mouse in town!" she said, apparently learning his name from when Fievel whispered it.

Tony chuckled, being filled with the same confidence that now filled Fievel. "Told ya to stick with me!"

Tony, Fievel and their new friend made their way out of the alley happily. Things were looking up for Tony for the first time in years.