While Cole and Mrs. Brisby were going what they were going through in the rosebush, Jeremy had flown back to Mrs. Brisby's house, but unfortunately for him, Aunty Shrew was making her rounds of checking in on the children, and needless to say, she didn't take too kindly to a crow showing up. Using several ropes, she had bound up the bird, but that didn't stop Jeremy from talking.

"Okay, now. Wait a minute.", he babbled as Aunty Shrew fastened yet another rope around him, "This isn't what you think. You don't know what I'm doing here."

Aunty Shrew just ignored him as she started to scold him while still focused on tying him up.

"Think you can come snooping about, looting and pilfering just when everyone's away."

Jeremy panicked a bit, but kept talking.

"Well, let me explain…", he started before thinking of something to say and just went with what first came to mind, "Oh, what a lovely hat you're wearing."

Aunty Shrew looked sour.

"Don't you sweet talk me.", she said firmly as she continued tying knots, "I know you're in league with those awful rats and I'm betting you're in league with Mrs. Brisby's new boyfriend too."

"Rats?", Jeremy questioned, "Um, what rats."

Aunty Shrew marched over to him still focused on tying him up.

"Hoodlums, the lot of you."

"Why did you say rats?", Jeremy questioned.

Aunty Shrew just roped the bird's head as she kept talking.

"You think the world owes you a living, right?"

"Right?", Jeremy guessed.

"Wrong.", Aunty Shrew snapped.

Jeremy quickly realized he said the wrong thing and quickly tried to talk some sense into the shrew again.

"Look, nice lady, you're making a mistake."

Aunty Shrew didn't bother to listen as she kept working.

"The sooner you delinquents lean that you must earn your own way."

"Wait, wait. Can't we…", Jeremy started before talking again, "Can't we talk this over?"

Aunty Shrew just fastened a loop over Jeremy's beak.

"The sooner, the better.", she said before turning away.

"You can't leave me like this…there's a ca..ca..", he started saying now panicking again, "He's a very big…"

Aunty Shrew just pulled a rope and suddenly Jeremy's beak was shut and she looked assured.

"Good. Good riddance.", she said before turning over her shoulder, "Teresa, Martin!"

She then turned to Jeremy as if to scold him again.

"That's the least you deserve."

Teresa suddenly appeared and Auntie Shrew led her to Jeremy.

"Keep an eye on this hooligan.", she instructed, "Make sure he doesn't get away until I can fetch help."

She picked up her cane and turned to Jeremy again.

"And as for you, you black buzzard, I wouldn't try anything.", she said firmly before raising her cane like a proclamation, "I shall return."

As Martin and Cynthia showed up just as Auntie Shrew jumped into the grass and was out of sight.

/

Martin looked up at Jeremy and shrugged.

"Well, I guess we better untie him."

He took a hold of the rope around Jeremy's beak and started climbing it.

"But, Martin.", Teresa objected.

Martin ignored her as he got up to Jeremy's face.

"Hey, Mom and Cole helped a crow in the field the day before yesterday."

Jeremy muffled something and Cynthia looked interested.

"He's trying to talk.", she said.

Teresa looked a bit annoyed.

"He looks like a loony.", she said.

Martin was still trying to undo the knot around Jeremy's beak as he continued talking.

"He even took them to see the… The Great Owl.", Martin said to his sisters.

"So?", Teresa asked.

"This could be the same crow.", Martin told her.

Jeremy nodded vigorously until Martin undid the knot and Jeremy fell to the ground but he could talk again.

"That's me.", he said as he tried to stand, "I am the crow. Untie me quick I can't stand it."

Teresa walked around Jeremy as if attempting to untie him as Martin climbed down from the string he was on.

"What are you doing here?", she asked.

"It's a good question, but don't ask.", Jeremy told her before he started toppling over, "The legs, the legs, the legs!"

He fell forward and impaled his open beak into the wood and Cynthia looked amused.

"Oh, the poor turkey fell down."

Jeremy wedged his beak free before speaking again.

"I am not a turkey!", he snapped, "Your mother…"

Teresa suddenly looked firm.

"Where's our mother?", she asked.

Jeremy quickly tried to cover it up.

"Hold it, no."

Martin suddenly got up on Jeremy's body without taking his eyes off the crow's.

"You big buzzard. Where's our mother?", he demanded, "You better tell me or…"

He was cut off cause Cynthia was holding on to the strings holding Jeremy's legs together while Teresa was holding the feathers on his head so he could rub his paws against the crow's body making him laugh.

"That tickles!", he giggled as he wriggled about.

Martin then looked firm as he remembered what he could do.

"Or I'll tie you back up again.", he said.

Jeremy suddenly cracked.

"The rosebush to see the rats."

Teresa pointed to Jeremy as if to accuse him.

"Did you take our mother to the rats?"

Martin just walked off as if heading of to somewhere.

"I'm gonna go look for her.", he said.

He hadn't gotten far when Jeremy blocked his path with his bound legs.

"No, no listen. Wait a minute.", he said quickly, "The rats, they're friendly. Good. Tonight, stay. They're coming her to move your house where it's safe. The Owl said they're good and smart. Get it?"

Martin turned to his sister.

"You're right, he's a loony."

/

Cole and Mrs. Brisby followed Aiden and Mr. Ages as they walked down another hallway of lights and stone walls while Mr. Ages started saying things that Cole would guess were instructions.

"Now, don't tire him out."

"Got it.", Cole stated.

"Be brief.", Mr. Ages added.

"Yes.", Mrs. Brisby told him.

"Say what you want, then leave.", Mr. Ages continued.

"We won't be a bother.", Cole assured.

Aiden then looked a bit nervous.

"Justin bothers him enough with all his silly antics and such.", he put in.

After a bit, the group came to what seemed like a door where Mr. Ages paused.

"Here we are.", he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Ages.", Mrs. Brisby said to him.

"I don't see what Nicodemus sees in that boy.", Mr. Ages said to himself before turning to Aiden, "We'll come back for them later."

He and Aiden walked off a bit, before they paused and Mr. Ages looked back at Cole and Mrs. Brisby.

"Brief.", he reminded.

Cole and Mrs. Brisby nodded before Mr. Ages walked off with Aiden leaving them alone at the door.

"Well, he's not going to wait all day for us.", Cole stated.

Mrs. Brisby cautiously put her hand to the handle, but before she could touch it, it moved as if an invisible hand was opening it from the other side. A rumbling came with wind whooshing out and electricity sparkling causing Mrs. Brisby to duck while Coel was too mesmerized to move. A bit later, the spectacle stopped and the door was open. Cole blinked a few times to regain his sight before turning to Mrs. Brisby who was getting up.

"Well, ladies first.", he said being polite.

Mrs. Brisby peeked inside and Cole peeked in after her before they both walked a short distance inside.

"Come closer, my children.", a voice said not far inside the room, "Don't be frightened."

Cole and Mrs. Brisby walked in further and Cole noticed some old books that he presumed were used in the construction of the library where some titles caught his eye.

"The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia?", he found himself asking.

"Ah, you have an eye for written word.", the voice said further.

/

Cole and Mrs. Brisby walked forward to see what Cole would guess was an elderly rat wearing dark robes white whiskers and beard that fell into his lap, glowing eyes like the Great Owl, and withered looking fingers while sitting in a chair that looked like it was made from bits of wood.

"Sir, are you.. Nicodemus?", Cole asked a bit curious.

The rat nodded and Cole was more at ease.

"Sir, the Great Owl sent me to you.", Mrs. Brisby said a bit scared still.

"Did he?", Nicodemus asked, "He is a dear comrade."

Cole felt a strange feeling like from when he first met Nava and Imustun. Nicodemus seemed to read his mind as he beckoned closer. Cole did so and the rat spoke.

"I sense you are confused."

Cole took a breath before answering.

"Sorry, I just… you remind me of someone I thought I knew once."

"Really?", Nicodemus asked, "Perhaps this feeling is meaningful to you in a way."

Cole decided to change the subject and helped Mrs. Brisby forward and Nicodemus turned her way.

"Ah, Mrs. Jonathan Brisby, what an honor it is."

Mrs. Brisby was now more confused.

"How is it that everyone knows Jonathan?", she asked.

"He was a great friend to the rats of NIHM.", Nicodemus told her, "He himself came from NIHM."

"Majesty, my family…", Mrs. Brisby started to say.

"I know of your needs.", Nicodemus told her calmly before gesturing to a book on a podium nearby, "There is a book there. Read the words."

"I can read a little.", Mrs. Brisby said as she made her way to the book, "Jonathan taught me. The children are better-"

She was cut off as the book magically opened itself and made her pause in amazement.

"-at it than I am.", she finished.

"Read.", Nicodemus said as Mrs. Brisby got into a position to read the book.

After a moment she started.

"Jonathan Brisby made possible the rats escape from the terrible cruelty of NIHM."
She paused as she looked interested.

"Jonathan?", she asked before turning back to read the book, "He was ki-"

She paused as the words hurt her, but she continued.

"Killed today while drugging the farmer's cat, Dragon."

Mrs. Brisby looked a bit saddened.

"I… I never knew just what happened.", she said before turning to Nicodemus, "Why…did he never tell me about any of you? Why?"

"To answer that, I must tell you about NIHM and our plan.", Nicodemus told her as she came up to him and he gestured behind him, "Go, look there."

Cole followed Mrs. Brisby to what looked like a pair of circular lids inside a frame that started spinning and glowing while wind whooshed like before. The light was a bit blinding, but Cole and Mrs. Brisby were able to watch as the rings became a sphere of green light as sparks danced around it's sides.

/

Once the sphere settled, images started appearing as Nicodemus began speaking.

"In the beginning, we were ordinary street rats stealing our daily bread and living off the efforts of man's work."

Cole observed seemingly ordinary rats running about with some being chased by men before a net came over them and he saw a van the rats were loaded into before the door closed.

"We were captured, put in cages, and sent to a place called NIMH.", Nicodemus continued, "There were many animals there in cages. They were put through the most unspeakable tortures to satisfy some scientific curiosity."

Cole saw what looked like a medical lab with rabbits, monkeys and even small dogs who looked like they were miserable and scared. Cole felt his heartstrings tug as he wished he could help, but at the same time knew he couldn't as this was all in the past.

"Often at night, I would hear them crying out in anguish.", Nicodemus continued, "Twenty rats and eleven mice were given injections. Our world began changing."

Cole observed as the rats and mice were given injections as well as seeing the rats fall down what looked like a black hole before returning to the cages again.

"Then, one night, I looked upon the words under the cage door and understood them. We had become intelligent. We could read. The miracle was kept secret from the scientists, and in the quiet of the night, we escaped through the ventilation system."

Cole held Mrs. Brisby as they observed the rats and mice escape into the vents, but the mice were seen being sucked away down into the darkness as Nicodemus continued on.

"The mice were blown away…sucked down dark air shafts to their deaths. All except two… Jonathan and Mr. Ages. We were trapped by a locked door on the roof. It was Jonathan who made possible the unlocking of the door."

Cole observed as a mouse he could guess was Jonathan made his way through the screen and scamper up to the top where he unlatched the door which fell down allowing the rats and Mr. Ages to escape. Then the sphere went blank and green again as Mrs. Brisby recollected herself after seeing what she did.

"I have a gift.", Nicodemus said gaining the duo's attention, "Come. Jonathan ment it for you."

Cole saw Nicodemus lift what looked like an amulet like his own only it was red from a box which levitated off and set itself on a shelf as he and Mrs. Brisby came over.

"And I sense you have found the other.", Nicodemus said to Cole once they were at his side again.

Cole stiffened, but reached under his shirt and pulled out his amulet.

"I'm sorry.", he said feeling like he did something he shouldn't have, "I saw it in the Great Owl's home and I just-"

"It was ment for you.", Nicodemus said calmly, "The Owl placed it where he did to ensure you would see it and claim it all the same."

Cole felt better, but also curious about how Nicodemus knew about his amulet.

(A/N: I'd like to thank Ashoriotry for the suggestion used here.)