As Mrs. Brisby and Cole made their way from Mr. Ages' home, Cole felt like talking would help distract Mrs. Brisby since she looked worried.
"Mrs. Brisby, you okay?"
Mrs. Brisby turned Cole's way and gave a weak smile.
"I'm just…worried about Timmy."
Cole put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, as long as we follow the doctor's orders he'll be fine."
Mrs. Brisby looked more interested right away as they made their way to the stream where a large hollow log was before them.
"Cole, where do you come from?", Mrs. Brisby asked.
Cole felt a bit of anxiety as he felt like he should tell her, but would it be the same as the last times he was in a world such as this? Still, he spoke anyway.
"I'm from a place a long, long way from here.", he answered, "Farther than most and yet maybe a few."
Mrs. Brisby slowed her stride as she was engaged in the conversation as Cole continued.
"I've seen a bunch of things and don't really know how it happens, but when it happens, it just happens I guess."
Mrs. Brisby looked confused for a moment, but then more at ease as she probably guessed it was a metaphor or something. Before she could talk however, she heard something of like someone panicking and Coel heard it too. They both looked ahead and noticed some kind of bird tied up in some kind of string and clearly not getting loose anytime soon.
"Now what on Earth could he be doing?", Cole asked as he heard the bird's voice and it sounded like a male.
Mrs. Brisby didn't answer as she scampered up the side of the log and through a shaft which Cole followed to find himself on top of the log and he followed Mrs. Brisby to the end of the log where Cole saw more string tied up rather messily around a twig on the log. He followed Mrs. Brisby to the edge and took the packet Mr. Ages gave her before he looked over the edge with her to see a crow dangling in the string.
"Excuse me, sir.", Cole said trying to get the bird's attention.
"Is everything alright down there?", Mrs. Brisby asked in turn.
The crow jerked as if startled as he seemed to have just noticed he had company.
"What the-", he started before comprising himself, "Lady, don't sneak up on me like that with your boyfriend."
Cole frowned, but Mrs. Brisby spoke up before he did.
"We didn't mean to frighten you.", she said cautiously.
"And I am not her boyfriend.", Cole added firmly, "I'm a boy and I'm a friend, but I'm not her boyfriend."
The crow chuckled as if he hadn't heard Cole at all.
"You didn't frighten me.", he answered before putting his wings behind his head like he was relaxing, "I was just sort of working out. You just broke my concentration."
Cole was reminded of Tiger from a previous adventure from the crow's voice and calmed down when Mrs. Brisby took hold of some of the string.
"You look more like you're all tangled up.", she said to the crow.
"That seems obvious.", Cole said rolling his eyes.
Just then the crow was right on top of the log with them albeit still tangled up.
"Yeah, I guess that's enough exercise for one day.", he said, "Besides, I'm really after this terrific string. I'm working on a love nest for two."
/
Cole raised an eyebrow.
"You found someone eh?", he asked not buying what the crow was saying.
"Well, not really.", the crow stated, "I mean, I haven't found Miss Right yet. But when I do-"
He suddenly got to his feet and started singing rather off key.
"The whole world will hear us singing."
Unfortunately, the crow wasn't paying attention and fell off the log and into the water cause Cole heard a splash only to reappear on the edge again wet and looking kind of embarrassed.
"Excuse me. Pardon me."
Mrs. Brisby looked concerned.
"You keep making all that noise and Dragon will hear you. If he hasn't already."
"Who?", Cole asked.
Before Mrs. Brisby could answer, the crow spoke up again.
"Wouldn't you sing too?", he asked as if he hadn't heard Mrs. Brisby at all, "I mean, if you felt…"
He paused to laugh a bit before continuing.
"If you felt the call of the wild?"
"I would…", Mrs. Brisby started before collecting herself, "I would not if I knew there was a cat nearby."
"Dragon's a cat?", Cole asked getting a little nervous.
Mrs. Brisby started biting through the string tangle, but it was pretty clear the crow wasn't listening.
"But…but she's out there. Somewhere. And when I find her, I'll feel it way down in my wishbone. I'd…"
He paused and then looked curious.
"What cat?"
"Dragon.", Mrs. Brisby reminded, "He belongs to Farmer Fitzgibbons."
Cole then looked thoughtful.
"Mr. Crow, could you look towards the house and see if you can see him please?"
The crow seemed to take it and flew up to the top of the twig which unfortunately brought Mrs. Brisby to the base making her more nervous.
"Come back down here.", she told the crow, "He'll see you for sure up there."
The crow suddenly looked a bit scared.
"Hey, there's a cat out there."
"Quiet.", Mrs. Brisby warned lowering her voice to a whisper, "Does he see you?"
"No.", the crow stated before giving a wheeze of nervousness, "I mean yes."
"Stand perfectly still.", Mrs. Brisby warned still keeping a quiet voice.
"Everything's fine.", the crow informed, "He's heading right for us."
Cole looked out into the field and saw some birds flying out of the grass and something big and furry jump out and vanish below the grass. Now he was getting really worried.
"Is it coming fast or slow?", he asked.
"Medium.", the crow informed before speaking rather scared, "Make that fast. Very fast. I have to go now, excuse me."
/
The crow seemed to panic as he tried to fly rather rapidly, but all it did was make the tangle even worse as Mrs. Brisby and Cole even got into it. As the crow tried to pull a string loose, Mrs. Brisby had gotten loose and chewed the string making it snap and sent the crow to the edge where he dangled for a minute and then Cole and Mrs. Brisby joined him as he clambered back up. Cautiously, all three peeked into the log and saw something running towards them sending loud thumps as it did.
"Oh my goodness.", the crow squeaked.
He took flight in a rush as if terrified, but the string kept him from doing so. Cole was scared until he saw a rabbit run out of the log hardly noticing anything. The crow then dangled down laughing as if it was all a joke as Mrs. Brisby noticed the rabbit also.
"It's a rabbit.", she said before turning to the crow, "Of all the silly nincompoops. You got yourself all worked up over a rabbit."
Cole bit through the base of the string and the crow fell to the bottom of the log's opening still laughing.
"You should have seen your face.", he chuckled.
"Will you pipe down?", Cole hissed."
"You were scared stiff.", the crow continued as he flew up to the edge where Cole and Mrs. Brisby were, "A rabbit, I knew it all along."
"Will you hush up?", Mrs. Brisby told him.
Cole suddenly felt a very strong sense of danger as Mrs. Brisby continued to untangle the crow and he helped by biting through the string as the crow kept talking.
"If I had actually been near a cat, I'd be sneezing my brains out.", the crow said before looking uncomfortable, "See, I'm allergic to…I'm allergic to… I'm allergic to…I'm a…"
The crow then sneezed before he tried to talk again only Cole noticed a large furry face with a large yellow eye and a near blind blue one look up at the crow licking a mouth of sharp fangs.
"I'm…", the crow started before turning and sneezing into the feline's face and he suddenly looked embarrassed and nervous when the cat looked his way angrily as if he had just insulted it, "Excuse me, pardon me."
The cat roared loudly and the crow took flight again only it was still held by a string that the cat grabbed as if to try and pull the crow down. Mrs. Brisby jumped up and bit through it and that freed the crow, but now the cat who Cole guessed was Dragon turned and snarled at him and Mrs. Brisby who backed away looking terrified. Cole backed away timidly with his hand raised.
"Nice kitty?", he asked nervously.
Dragon only got into a pouncing position and Mrs. Brisby bolted with Coel right behind her as Dragon pounced. They ducked just as Dragon collided with the twig holding the rest of the string tangle and smashed it to bits. Unfortunately as they fled, Cole tripped and Timmy's medicine fell out of his hands!
"Oh no!", Cole gasped.
Cole and Mrs. Brisby dove after the packet, but it kept out of reach until they reached the bottom and Cole just dove in and got the packet before looking towards Mrs. Brisby smiling.
"Got it."
But that moment was short lived as Cole saw Dragon on top of the log looking down at them.
"Look out!", Cole called out.
/
Mrs. Brisby noticed Dragon and fearfully jumped away just as Dragon pounced and smashed whatever wood she was on sending her and Cole further into the stream. As Cole got caught in the wave Dragon had sent, the packet flew from his hand once again, but he didn't have time to worry cause dragon was on him and Mrs. Brisby as they tried swimming away. As it looked like Dragon would get them, Cole looked up and saw the crow from earlier had flown in and grabbed Dragon's tail and started pulling it which got the cat's attention for a moment before the crow slipped off and flew towards them with Dragon right behind him.
"The string, grab the string!", he called out.
One look at Dragon's open maw, Cole and Mrs. Brisby didn't think twice and did so which got them away in the nick of time. The crow flew them up a nearby tree where Cole and Mrs. Brisby let go thinking they were safe, but after looking behind them, they saw Dragon was starting to climb the tree after them.
"Keep running!", Cole yelled.
They did and unfortunately they were chased until they were on a branch overlooking a waterfall and waterwheel. They looked behind them to see Dragon poised and ready to pounce once more.
"Mrs. Brisby, how good can you swim?", Cole asked a bit nervous.
Mrs. Brisby didn't bother to answer for she just jumped off to the waters below with Cole following just as Dragon pounced and missed them only to fall after them as the branch snapped. Cole had a fleeting moment recalling the time he fell into another body of water alongside a crazed adult T-Rex before he hit the water hard and was stunned as the freezing feeling washed over him. Through the blur, he noticed Mrs. Brisby caught in a current and struggling to get out of it. Cole swam close enough to grab a rock in the mud and held on as he extended a hand to Mrs. Brisby. She took it and with effort, Cole managed to pull her to safety and they swam close to the waterwheel that was turning which had some moss on it which gave them something to latch on to. The wheel then got them out of the water where they caught a breath before shaking dry at the top.
"You okay?", Cole asked Mrs. Brisby.
Mrs. Brisby coughed a bit, but looked fearful.
"Is Dragon still around?"
Cole's fear heightened as he cautiously looked around to see Dragon shaking himself dry before heading off to the grass looking sour at the fact his prey got away from him. Cole waited a bit longer in case the cat came back, but after a while, it didn't look like he was so he relaxed a bit.
"We should probably get somewhere out of the open.", he suggested, "Just in case the cat comes back."
Mrs. Brisby seemed on board before she looked more concerned.
"Cole, is Timmy's medicine with you?"
Cole was just finding a hole near the side of the water wheel that opened into a room of ropes, fishing baskets, and buckets before the thought came to him.
"Mrs. Brisby, I fear I may have dropped it while we were fleeing from Dragon.", he answered giving her a sympathetic look.
/
Well, that news made Mrs. Brisby break down before she settled on a board and started crying. Cole felt sorry for her, but his moment of regret was shattered as the crow from earlier came in calling out for them before noticing Cole.
"Oh, there you are.", he said clearly not seeing that Mrs. Brisby was in disarray, "I just thought I'd come by and say you were great out there."
He paused when he noticed Mrs. Brisby's weeping and before he could ask, Coel explained.
"Mr. Crow, I lost some medicine she was going to give to her son who is very, very sick.", Cole told him, "She's kind of having a bad day."
The crow looked a bit sorry before he reached under his wing and pulled out…Timmy's medicine!
"You mean this you dropped earlier?", he asked Cole as he handed it over.
Mrs. Brisby looked up from her arm and after seeing the packet in Cole's hands, her expression changed instantaneously to one of relief and happiness as Cole helped her down.
"Oh, thank you.", she said to the crow gratefully, "Now my son will get better."
The crow looked more eager right away.
"You're very welcome. I just thought that nobody messes with..", he paused before he comprised himself as if to make himself presentable, "My name is Jeremy."
"I'm Mrs. Brisby.", Mrs. Brisby told him.
"And I'm Cole.", Cole said politely, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Jeremy."
Jeremy blushed as Cole and Mrs. Brisby made their way towards a hole in the wall to the outside as Jeremy kept talking about how he could get a girl to notice him, but Cole rolled his eyes comically.
"Man, this crow is really eager to tie the knot isn't he?", he thought to himself.
He was brought out of his thoughts as Jeremy asked another question.
"Where do you live?", he asked Mrs. Brisby.
"In a stone in the garden patch.", Mrs. Brisby explained, "And I really should get home."
Jeremy looked eager right away.
"I'll fly you there.", he offered as he appeared in a tangle of fish netting, "We can talk on the way."
Although Cole found it exciting, he noticed Mrs. Brisby was not so much.
"No, I'm afraid of heights.", she said to him as she continued on her way, "Good-bye."
Jeremy didn't seem to get the message.
"Okay, then we'll walk.", he stated as he got out of the tangle and followed Mrs. Brisby and Cole.
Cole sighed as Jeremy clumsily followed and for a moment or two, Coel thought the loud splashes he made would get Dragon's attention again.
"I think I have real potential.", Jeremy said still detailing his thoughts, "I mean, girls go for the athletic type, don't they?"
Cole sighed as Mrs. Brisby spoke up.
"Jeremy, you're stepping on my tail."
"This is going to be a long walk.", Cole thought looking up to the sky.