Disclaimer: I do not own any copyrighted material in this chapter, nor do I intend to use this for profit. This following scene is more of a recap from the perspective of rodents. An American Tail is owned by Universal Pictures, Secret of NIMH is owned by MGM. Please support the official release of these movies.
Bonus Scene: Heroic Rodents
Several hours earlier...
Meanwhile in the Forbidden Castle, it was in the middle of the night as John Hawkins picked up a small mouse with long lilac fur and dark pink eyes. The mouse began to struggle against the latex glove covered hand.
The mouse screamed in squeaks, "I'm a pet mouse. My name is Hikari Price! I'm owned by Stanton Barrie Price! I am not an operative of the Rescue Aid Society. I'm not even old enough! Please let me go!"
The Mad Doctor filled the syringe with the light blue potion, and he flicked out any bubbles in the syringe.
The mouse known as Hikari began to frantically thrash, trying to save herself from the potion, but to no avail!
Mad Doctor gave John the syringe with the potion, and he injected the potion into the mouse.
Hikari began to feel lightheaded and fell off the table losing consciousness and she dramatically began to change as she grew to the size of a small dog. Her tail began to develop lighter lilac fur and at the tip was a small tuft like a lion's tail. Her head developed a tuff that resembling Aqua's bangs. Upon her chest, a crest began to develop. It was a symbol of a dream eater spirit, a stylized heart that was bowl shaped and protruding outward from both sides of this symbol were swirl wings.
John Hawkins was astonished at what he saw and before he would even touch the mouse, the mouse vanished in a golden dust as if vanishing to the Realm of Dreams.
"What just happened?" John asked.
"I have no idea," the Mad Doctor replied.
The Mad Doctor asked, "Where did you find this potion?"
John answered, "I got it from a mysterious cabinet that I was cleaning out."
Then a question crossed his mind, "What do we tell the Dark Masters about this?"
"Nothing," John answered. "We keep this between ourselves. Besides, we've got plenty of rodents."
The Mad Doctor asked, "What do we do with the potions? Try again with the mouse getting a sample of the dark potion?"
"We don't know where that mouse disappeared to," John snapped. "Even if we did still have it, I wouldn't want to use the dark potion right away. More than one different injection could lead to death."
"So we'll just use another mouse," the Mad Doctor suggested.
John stated, "Good idea."
He took out a mouse that had smooth grey fur and the mouse began struggling, "Let go! I'm an operative of the Rescue Aid Society from America, demon!"
One rat operative given the codename; Shadow was looking in horror from a hole in the castle wall!
Shadow cried, "Troy! I'll get you out! Don't succumb to the potion's power!"
Shadow scurried and climbed on John's clothes, causing him to halt in his work. Like an acrobat, Shadow climbed and jumped, coming to John's hand. He bit down, causing him to drop the potion and release Troy.
Fortunately for John, the potion was rescued by the Mad Doctor. John grabbed Shadow and placed him in a container that had the words: Subject B on the side of the glass. Shadow looked at the container next to him that had the words: Subject A on the side of the glass and he noticed a white Japanese mouse being taken out of a nightmarish cage and the mouse was placed in the container next to Shadow.
John rubbed his hand. "Where did that rat come from?"
"What does it matter?" The Mad Doctor asked. "We've got a new specimen."
The Mad Doctor asked, "How bad was that bite?"
He looked at his hand. It would have been worse if he wasn't wearing gloves.
John ordered, "Give me the dark potion. Let's test the Japanese mouse Rescue Aid Society operative."
The Japanese mouse yelled, "I, Haruma shall not become your puppet."
John rolled his eyes and he ordered, "Load the syringe."
Shadow tried to bang on the glass!
The Mad Doctor filled another syringe. To him, it was ironic that rodents like these ones would want to help humans; especially when they're aware of how some people use them for experiments. Then again, the humans they rescued were children and didn't have the intelligence or resources to do anything experimental.
The syringe contained the dark potion.
Shadow kept banging for his friend!
The Mad Doctor picked up the Japanese mouse, who was struggling to get away.
Shadow screamed, "Haruma! Bite the Mad Doctor!"
To his horror, the dark potion was injected into Haruma's system, and it turned the poor Japanese mouse into a nightmarish version of the mouse as the white fur dramatically changed into black and his eyes became a deep red.
John asked, "What the hell?!"
The Mad Doctor was amazed. So this was the effect of the dark potion. It turned anything being injected with it into an evil creature.
The mouse stated, "I Haruma Endo, have become a Nightmare Soldier. This means I can enter in the Realm of Dreams and torture victims with nightmare imprisonment. So, if you want me to, I can go to where those brats are and capture them so you can see what potion would do to her."
John replied, "I have yet to test this on humans."
Haruma asked, "How long will it take?"
"At least a week," he answered.
Shadow looked at the light blue potion in dread, fearing he might disappear like Hikari!
Haruma stated, "That mouse who disappeared in front of you is now in the Realm of Dreams. She has become a dream eater. There are two types, spirits represent good dreams while nightmares like me symbolizes bad ones."
As John listened, he began to remember the times his son Nathan would get in trouble for playing Dream Drop Distance on his 3DS. Nathan would play that game to create spirits and he complimented that the developers missed out on making new spirits based on mice or parrots.
Haruma noticed the bottle with the light blue potion, and he stated to John, "You might want to lock this in a cabinet. That contains the essence of a keyblade wielder from the Age of Fairy Tales. That is probably why the previous mouse disappeared."
John asked really confused, "Are you telling me that the potion will make the rodent into keyblade wielders?"
Haruma answered, "No. It will transform animals into dream eater spirits. I can only imagine what it does to a single human."
John ordered, "Place Subject B into a cage with the other rats. We'll test him later."
Shadow was placed in a cage with other rats like him.
Unfortunately for Shadow, he saw a rat wearing adventuring clothes being removed from the cage!
Shadow recognized him as Ryan Dominick and he asked in his thoughts, "What the hell is that pampered rat doing here? I thought he was forced to give up his badge as a member of the Rescue Aid Society for lying about his background."
Hikari began to look around in hopes to find her way to escape from the Forbidden Castle. She noticed a book that had display of illustrations that was like stained-glass depicting a fourteen-year-old girl wearing lavender robes of a foreteller. Her face was covered by a helmet that resembled a mouse's head.
She was snapped out of it as she heard the sound of cawing. Diaval was nearby. Hikari knew that if she didn't hide or escape, Diaval would catch and kill her.
Hikari began to run into a mouse hole. She made a sign of the cross and she began praying, in hopes that Diaval would leave her alone.
The sound of cawing began to quiet down. This made Hikari assume that Diaval was gone. As astonished as she was about the image she saw, this wasn't exactly the time or place for sightseeing. She still had to find a way out of this castle.
As she was going through a series of pipes, Hikari began to wonder who was the mouse figure?
Hikari came across a sanctuary for mice and as she scurried inside, her size changed back into the size of a small mouse.
Hikari looked around and she spotted a rat with white fur and red eyes wearing a uniform for a silent operative.
She looked at the rat with fear in her eyes as she asked, "What is happening to me?"
The rat placed his fingers close to his lips, shushing her. "Calm down," he whispered. "You're safe now."
Hikari was confused and she asked, "Is there a mirror so I could see what Dr. Hawkins has done to me?"
The rat noticed the mark on Hikari's back, and he muttered in his mind, "Oh my God, a physical dream eater. I thought they only existed in the Realm of Dreams."
He asked, "Do you have a name?"
The mouse replied, "Hikari Price."
"My name is Lucian Knighton," the rat introduced. "I need you to tell me everything you can remember."
Hikari recalled a light blue potion that changed her appearance in a dramatic manner.
Lucian asked Hikari to go further into detail, wondering if she saw other rodents being experimented on.
Hikari told him that she had no memory of other rodents sharing her fate.
Hikari began to wonder would Lucian would know anything about a young man named Stanton Price? She then began to have second thoughts about asking as she realized that she had been experimented on and began to feel fear for herself.
Lucian asked concerned, "Is something wrong?"
Hikari answered, "I was a fancy mouse before succumbing to the potion's power.'
Lucian replied, "You don't look like a fancy mouse."
"That's because the potion changed my appearance," Hikari explained.
"What if my owner doesn't recognize me?" Hikari asked.
Lucian was unsure how to answer the despairing mouse's question.
He inquired Hikari if she remembered what she looked like before she was changed.
Hikari tried to answer, but her response fell on deaf ears as Lucian wondered if the organization would have a remedy for Hikari; one that would restore her to her original condition.
Lucian also began to wonder if he would be able to find a fellow rat who would know what to do about this.
Thankfully, he knew a few rodents who were skilled in the medical field. He asked Hikari to follow him to a secret facility connected to headquarters.
Hikari began to follow the rat in an infirmary that had many mice nurses and one of them was shocked to see a mark on Hikari's back.
This wasn't something the staff was unfamiliar with. They had been working on treating fellow rodents who were mistreated and experimented on by the Dark Masters. At least, whoever they were able to rescue. One nurse quickly searched for an antidote.
Hikari looked at her reflection and she barely recognized it since the Dark Masters had abused her.
She looked around and saw other rodents being treated. No doubt they had also suffered the cruelty of being experimented on. Some were being cleaned, some were going through physical therapy, some were being given medicine, and some were undergoing surgery.
Hikari asked, "Does anyone know anything about a girl who had a mouse like helmet?"
The same nurse came with a syringe and cleaned Hikari's arm with some alcohol. "What are you talking about?"
"As I was trying to escape, I saw an image of a human girl dressed like a foreteller and she wore a helm over her head shaped like a mouse's head," Hikari explained.
The nurse didn't know what Hikari was talking about and figured she might have been in a state of confusion. Nonetheless, the mouse nurse proceeded to take a sample of Hikari's blood. With this sample, she and her colleagues could research what was injected into her body that caused her to change her appearance and hopefully find a remedy.
Hikari looked back at the rat. "What about you, Lucian? Do you know anything about that girl I saw?"
Lucian answered, "Her name was Serenity Luna. The irony was that she was under the guidance of Foreteller Ira, but she was notorious for bringing keyblades with powerful auras around them."
Hikari complimented, "I cannot imagine what was going through the girl's head at that point."
"I heard she had a sort of friendship with mice," said Lucian.
The nurse mouse came back with some medicine. "This antitoxin will dilute the substance that was injected in your body."
Hikari asked, "When about that mark on my back?"
Hikari began to remember talking to a cat before being kidnapped as she inquired, "Did the cat servant have grey fur?"
The rat answered, "Yes. Why?"
Hikari confessed, "When I would come home a few minutes before my owner would notice, she would tell me that she came from a small fairy tale village. At times, I would ask her about an age of fairy tales, and she would tell me stories about it."
Lucian asked, "Has anyone told you never to talk with a feral cat or anyone you don't even know?"
Hikari asked, "What do you mean?"
A nurse clarified, "It is trouble waiting to happen trouble waiting to happen."
Lucian was on the verge of losing his patience. "What about the mice and rats who are still at the castle? What about getting Ryan back so he can face termination?"
"Be calm, Lucian," the older rat said.
Lucian didn't have to wait long as a small grey rat with blue eyes entered the room, but he was not alone as he was accompanied by older rats that were escorting a tied-up Ryan to see the superiors.
Ryan shouted, "Haruma's a nightmare soldier. We need to destroy that black potion!"
"Shut your mouth!" one escort snapped.
"The chairman of the Rescue Aid Society is on his way." the second rat informed him.
The chairman of the Rescue Aid Society was a no-nonsense mouse coming out of an old elevator. He had dark brown fur wearing a suit fit for a chairman. His name was Bernard Pomeroy.
Bernard glared at Ryan as he had been wanting to speak with him and Ryan began to protest about Haruma's current condition.
The chairman wouldn't have it. As concerned as he was about Haruma and his fellow rodents who were still at the castle, he had to deal with Ryan. "Mr. Dominick," he began, "you have broken your contract by lying to us about your background. This organization does not allow domestic mice or rats, yet we found out you were a pet to a family."
Lucian agreed with the chairman, "Hate to burst your bubble, but this is no DC or Marvel comic. The reason why we do not allow fancy rats or mice amongst our ranks is because humans would notice that they would be missing. Also, they have a short lifespan of two years."
"Please, Mr. Chairman," Ryan begged. "I have information that may be valuable in helping save those mice at the castle. I saw what they did to Haruma."
One mouse who was a close friend of Haruma asked, "What happened to Haruma?"
The mouse's name was Setsuna Watanabe. She was a Japanese mouse from Tokyo, and she had black fur and brown eyes.
"One of the scientists took him and injected a potion into his body." Ryan answered.
Setsuna asked, "Did the potion have any specific color?"
Hikari sobbed as she began remembering the abuse she endured at the hands of the Dark Masters, "There are two potions, one is as black as shadows, and it had a dark aura. The potion I was injected with was a light blue with a white aura around it."
Setsuna was shocked to hear a testimony from a simple pet mouse.
She asked, "What is your name?"
The mouse replied, "My name is Hikari Price. I was never affiliated with the Rescue Aid Society; I have an owner. That blue potion gave me a mark and dramatically changed me."
Bernard was shocked to see this mark and he began to wonder if this mouse had become a dream eater?
"Mr. Chairman, what should we do about this?" Setsuna asked. "Hikari is going to have to return to her humans, given she can't stay with us."
"True, but we need more information about this," said a Greek mouse named Olympia. "This is the first time I've seen something like this."
An Egyptian mouse named Amunet stated, "This the first time since the Age of Fairy Tales that a dream eater spirit that resembles a mouse has been discovered. It had been speculated that dream eaters were keyblade wielders in their past lives. The only one who ever took that form was a girl who took up a mouse motif and became a foreteller with a notoriety of bringing maximum levelled keyblades in addition to having a sense of self-preservation. Rumor has it that she was swallowed by the darkness along with her home world."
Hikari asked, "I am some reincarnation of that girl?"
Amunet answered, "No, more of a host. Before being swallowed by the darkness, she created a potion and transferred a small portion of her essence within that potion."
This was so much for Hikari to swallow, and she inquired Amunet if there was a way to cleanse that effect fearing that she would end up manipulated to do terrible things under a spirit's control.
Bernard was in silence, contemplating about Hikari's situation. It seemed his hands were tied, given what was going on. He looked to his escorts and told them to detain Ryan and await further instructions. As for Hikari, the chairman agreed with Setsuna that she had to return to her human owners, but he also agreed with his other delegates that Hikari might have an important role in this; becoming a dream eater.
Hikari began to wonder, "How did it come to this? How am I to tap into those mysterious powers?"
Meanwhile in the real world, Natius' father came across an article about his wife's family being friends with the Rosamund and Cendrillon families.
He also knew that Bianca and Jeanette were the children of those families. This had to be more than just a coincidence that his son and those girls would be missing at the same time.
One officer asked Masahiro, "Did you find anything?"
Masahiro remained silent as he was trying to investigate on how the three families had met. He began to wonder, how are they connected with one another?
Masahiro explained that his wife's family has a good connection with two other families.
The officer laughed at this.
Masahiro glared at him, and he asked, "What is so funny? Those children are missing!"
Unbeknownst to any of the police officers, a few mice were just inches away from their feet. Like the humans who worked here, the mice hiding from them were dressed in police uniforms and they were also listening in on the case of the missing teenagers.
One mouse named Mario asked, "Do you think they have a higher chance of becoming a Lost One?"
A female mouse with white fur and red eyes snapped, "That's ridiculous."
A grey-furred mouse with brown eyes ushered his friends to follow him before the human police officers would notice them.
Mario scoffed as he scurried away. "I can't believe this," he muttered. "We mice have been helping humans for years, yet we still have to avoid them. I mean, haven't they yet realized that we mice and humans depend on each other?"
Masahiro looked around. He thought for a second, he heard squeaking noises. Some of his coworkers claimed to see rodents scampering around the police station and often used their dogs to sniff them out. Masahiro saw a few mice but wasn't bothered by them.
Mario began to remember a client that was a dwarf hamster. The dwarf hamster was named Shigeru reporting about his mother disappearing."
Masahiro walked away from the room as he figured that the rodents were just being their typical selves.
The female mouse with the red eyes stated, "Good thing he didn't set those dogs loose."
A male dwarf hamster with white fur and blood red eyes named Itsuki begged, "My mom has been missing for a few days! What is going on?! My six brothers are frantically searching in the Grimhilde estate in spite of their fear of the cuckoo clock. Please help us find here."
Mario looked at the dwarf hamster and he told him, "Don't worry. We'll find your mother."
The female mouse, Karen, whispered to her comrades, "Doesn't it seem strange to any of you that many rodents have been reported missing around the same time the case of the missing teenagers started?"
"It does, actually," Mario admitted. "I heard about a case where another rodent named Haruma Endo was reported captured."
Itsuki was familiar with the name Endo. "Isn't Haruma a member of the Rescue Aid Society?"
Karen answered, "Yes."
"Let those guys handle the missing children," the dwarf hamster whined. "Let's think about finding my mother."
Karen shushed him. "Don't be so loud. The humans will notice us."
Itsuki replied, "I'm sorry, it's just that my mother has been missing literally the same day as those teenagers."
Karen stated, "I understand your fears, but please calm down. We are doing all that we can to find your mother."
Itsuki noticed a fancy mouse among the pictures of various pet rodents that went missing over the years. The mouse had lilac fur and dark pink eyes. She was wearing a bright red hamster harness.
He asked, "Hikari Price? She's not some mouse that would take off with a stranger."
A Japanese fancy mouse with black and white fur named Kikyo Yamato entered the room and she told the dwarf hamster, "The grey kitten that last spoke with Hikari is still out there. If you see this kitten, then I would advise you to call us, and we'll arrest that kitten."
"You can't be serious," Itsuki complained. "You'd be eaten alive before you'd even be able to arrest a kitten."
"What do you suggest we do, then?" Kikyo asked.
A small voice suggested, "Find a dog unit to protect your squad from being eaten alive."
The voice came from a small mouse with brown fur and black eyes dressed in a dark red long-sleeved t-shirt and blue pants. His name was Gavrel Fievel Mousekewitz. His age was the mouse's equivalent to a fourteen-year-old human. Upon his head was a blue Russian kasket cap that had a black rim. This cap had been passed down through eight generations of Mousekewitz.
Gavrel pointed out, "There are few dogs that can be loyal to rodents."
Mario stated, "I doubt that will work.'
The others agreed. They couldn't exactly rely on the dogs who lived here in the police station; especially when the human police officers needed their services on certain cases.
Gavrel was holding a picture of Yuki and he asked, "Where do you keep photos of missing hamsters?"
Before anyone could answer, the chairman noticed Gavrel and said in a surprised tone, "Young Mr. Mousekewitz. With all that's been happening, I should have known you would be coming."
"Hello, Mr. Chairman," Gavrel replied politely.
This surprised Kikyo. "You know this mouse, sir?"
He did. Bernard had heard about the heroic stories of Fievel Mousekewitz - a mouse who emigrated from Russia with his family and helped save the mice-folk. As such, the chairman had utmost respect for the Mousekewitz family and the Brisby family as well. Both families were from a different domain, but they were still the families of heroic mice.
As Gavrel looked at the photos of missing rodents, he noticed Hikari Price among the mice, and he cried, "I thought I told her to stay away from that kitten."
Mario asked, "You know this mouse?"
Gavrel answered, "Hikari was my classmate."
Gavrel added, "I keep telling Hikari to stay away from that kitten. She wouldn't listen."
Bernard asked, "Have you seen what the kitten looked like?"
Gavrel answered, "For a kitten, she stood upright and was dressed in odd clothes."
Lucian spoke up. "Witnesses say that this kitten had grey fur."
Gavrel asked "Should I post the description on the school bulletin board?"
Kikyo countered, "What for?"
Gavrel answered, "To prevent any more rodents from going missing, by spreading awareness and advice to stay away from that kitten."
Mario asked, "What if the kitten was already caught?"
Gavrel pointed out, "There is still potential that the board for missing rodents will continue to rise even with that kitten detained."
Kikyo's eyes widened and she cried, "We need to act now and get those stranger danger posters on those bulletin boards."
Before she would hand out any flyers, Kikyo noticed a brown mouse dressed in red clothes using a string-like rope and she walked over to the mouse who was holding the string.
Kikyo asked, "What are you doing here, Jackson? I thought you were in the Cendrillon Manor."
Jackson argued, "Otto and I are trying to get information about a connection between three families. One of whom is the Cendrillon family."
Kikyo was not buying this as she ordered Jackson to lift up Otto.
Jackson began hoist Otto from the monitor and he was lifted to see Kikyo and Jackson. Otto was a little pudgy for a mouse with brown fur and light brown eyes. He was dressed in a yellow jacket and a upon his head was a turquoise cap that passed down from several generations of Octavian's family.
Kikyo snapped at Jackson, "Just because the Cendrillon family are a family of judges, doesn't mean that you're exempt from prosecution. I hate to say this, but you can't just take an investigation into your own paws."
Jackson snapped, "Then why is it taking so damn long to find Jeanette?"
The chairman understood Jackson's feelings. Both families in the Cendrillon residence - humans and mice - were very close to each other. In the beginning, when Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters were cruel to her, the mice who discreetly lived in the chateau were kind to her and were always willing to help her. And when Cinderella married into the royal family and moved into the castle, Jaq, Gus, Mary, and all of the other mice moved in with her and continued to help and support her. Even the prince didn't mind the mice and he got along with them too.
Through the generations, the mice and the humans of the household had been together. The mice even learned to speak properly over the years.
Otto informed Jackson about an article regarding the Cendrillon family, and the families of Natius' mother and Bianca's mother being connected with one another.
Kikyo asked Otto, "How are those three families connected?"
"The children of these families are the missing teenagers we've all been hearing about," Mario answered. He and his friends had been hearing about the cases of the missing teenagers back at the police station where Natius' father worked.
Otto asked, "Why would they run away like that?"
Jackson argued, "They were possibly kidnapped. There's a major difference."
"That's not what the birds back at the manor say," Otto argued. Like the mice, Cinderella's bird friends had also been living with her family through the generations. One could say that Jeanette's home was like a bird sanctuary. Sometimes the birds would discreetly watch Jeanette and make sure she would safely return home from school.
Itsuki snapped, "Those birds need to stop jumping to conclusions like that. The birds from my estate said that the teenagers were lured out by a possessed demon."
Otto laughed, "Demons."
He began to laugh at the dwarf hamster.
Chairman Bernard cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "If any of the children were in any danger, my operatives would have already been sent to find them and get them home to their families."
Itsuki snapped, "My bird colleagues told me that Natius was trying to help a wounded Mr. Virgil."
Otto asked Bernard, "Why didn't you send them?"
Gavrel scolded, "Otto, your ancestor, Gus-Gus and the other mice would be ashamed of your attitude."
"Octavius, actually," Otto said, using his ancestor's real name. He thought it was childish to call his ancestor by his nickname. However, back then, the name Octavius was a fuss for even the mice to abbreviate, hence why everyone called him Gus.
Gavrel argued, "They still would be ashamed of you. Those teens were probably lured out by something."
Jackson backed up Otto, saying that the two of them should be allowed to do something to help Jeanette just as their ancestors helped Cinderella.
The chairman wouldn't allow it. The situation was out of their hands.
Kikyo agreed with the chairman, "You two are not even qualified to help us out."
Otto protested, "Our ancestors have helped humans before. We can continue this tradition."
Gavrel found a tack and pinned Yuki into the list of missing pet rodents.
Otto looked at the picture in shock as he never expected a hamster to be among them. He began to wonder, why would a hamster go missing?
Itsuki inquired Gavrel if he knew anything about his mother.
Gavrel told the hamster that his mother has become friends with him a few weeks earlier.
This surprised Itsuki. He then wondered if there were other secrets about his mother that he and his siblings didn't know about.
Gavrel handed a small stack of papers that would spread the message about Yuki's mysterious disappearance.
Gavrel handed a small stack of papers that would spread the message about Yuki's mysterious disappearance to Itsuki. Itsuki was confused as to why the mouse was giving him the papers.
Kikyo ordered Itsuki to distribute the papers around his neighborhood.
Itsuki told them that he would have a squirrel do this job out of fear he would be reported missing like his mother.
The office door was opened in a gentle manner by a young male anthropomorphic mouse with tan fur. He also wore a pair of round framed glasses over his brown eyes along with a black trench coat and black trousers and a dark grey shirt. His name was Alan Doyle.
Coming in after him was another mouse with light tan fur and bright green eyes. He was dressed in an Inverness coat and deerstalker cap like a detective. His name was Barrie Holmes.
The two young mice saw that Itsuki was holding a stack of papers and they asked the chairman if they had missed anything of great importance.
Bernard answered, "Itsuki has lost his mother."
Itsuki snapped, "Hey! My brothers and I searched for hours in the estate and we didn't find our mom. The last time I saw her, she stowed away inside Natius' backpack so she would give Riku a warning about his antics sneaking onto public property. After several hours of searching around the Grimhilde Estate, we came to the unanimous conclusion that she was taken by something that is not human. A possession that will need more than an exorcist."
Barrie asked, "Possession?"
Itsuki testified that from what a squirrel by the name of Aria told him. He remembered the squirrel telling him that she saw a man in his late forties hiding a potential symptom of demonic possession.
Barrie asked the hamster what he meant by that.
Itsuki explained that the eyes of humans were like the window to a man's soul.
Itsuki finished by concluding, "This particular man was using sunglasses to cover his eyes. I came to the conclusion that the man is being possessed by a demonic entity."
Otto began giggling at this.
Itsuki having enough of Otto's laughter smacked the mouse as he yelled at Otto for his attitude about the situation.
Kikyo began restraining Itsuki out of concern.
Barrie gave Otto a stern look as if telling him, "Octavius would be so ashamed of your attitude."
Otto stopped laughing.
"Enough," Kikyo snapped. "If we continue to squabble like this, we'll only be wasting more time."
Barrie went back on topic with Itsuki, and he asked him, "Is this Aria still in that forest?"
Itsuki answered, "Yes."
Barrie inquired Kikyo about the forest where the teenagers were last spotted.
She told him and Alan, "The Redwood Forest is rumored to house a shrine hidden from the human eyes."
"You're not suggesting we go there, are you?" Alan asked Barrie.
Barrie told him that they were going to question Aria about her testimony.
Itsuki wanted to come along, but Kikyo told him no.
Alan didn't want to go to the forest. He had heard scary stories about the shrine and was told that anyone would disappear if they got close. But when he heard about the missing teenagers and how they disappeared when they came to the shrine, this piqued his curiosity. Alan loved humans and wanted to help them whenever he had the opportunity. Of course, his love for humans caused some rodents to tease him because of his ancestress' friendship with humans.
But not Barrie. While he would rather help fellow rodents just like his own ancestor did, he understood his childhood friend's love and fascination for humans; especially human children.
When Barrie got to Redwood Forest, he was astonished by the tall dense trees. Alan noticed pawprints of a dog and as he stared at the pawprints, he began remembering that there were some dog breeds with bigger front paws.
A feminine voice asked, "Are you Barrie Holmes?"
The voice came from a squirrel with gray fur, a long bushy tail, and doe brown eyes. Her name was Aria.
"Indeed, I am," he answered, lifting his hat. "Aria, I presume?"
"How did you guess?" the squirrel wondered, sounding impressed.
Alan answered, "Itsuki said you witnessed everything that happened in that shrine. Is that true?"
"First, how did you deduce my identity?" the squirrel asked again.
"Simple," Barrie said. "Your grey fur carries a silver tint that gleams when exposed to sunlight and your ears flicker in response to the sounds you hear. And your keen hearing lured you to the shrine, making you curious of what was happening."
"Very good," Aria answered.
"It was elementary, as my ancestor Basil would say," Barrie gloated.
"Did you see human teenagers go to the shrine?" Alan asked.
She did. "Before them, a man wearing sunglasses came first. It was his voice that drew my attention to the shrine."
Alan asked, "Was the man injured in any way?
"No," Aria answered. "Although something didn't seem right about him."
Barrie took out a notebook and a pen. "Tell us what you witnessed and please be precise. Every detail is important."
Aria detailed the physical description of Mr. Virgil and she concluded, "Strangely, he was wearing sunglasses. As if he was hiding something in his eyes. I always believed that the eyes are the window to the soul."
"We already know that," said Alan, "We're asking you what you saw transpire."
She stated, "The raven-haired teen played a very familiar song that my ancestors heard many generations ago. I knew something was up and I noticed the boy was looking at the man with concern and fright. The man's voice became different when he said Well done."
Aria described the voice as if two were speaking at the same time.
Aria felt tears welding in her eyes as she stated in a voice of despair, "My forebearers would be embarrassed by my failure to look at Mr. Virgil. I should have been there for Natius."
She began sobbing.
"You couldn't have possibly known what would happen," said Alan.
Aria sobbed onto Alan's shoulder out of despair.
There was something Barrie did not understand. When the human police officers came to investigate the shrine, they did not disappear the same way Mr. Virgil and his students did.
Barrie voiced his question, "Aria, how did the officers not disappear like the missing students?"
Aria answered, "They only came for a brief moment, and from what my grandmother told me, a certain song must be played in order to gain access to the rumored world."
Alan asked, "What kind of song do you mean?"
Suddenly a blue bird flew towards the trio of rodents, startling them.
Aria snapped, "Why are you here Humbert?"
The blue bird confessed, "Many members of my family were cared for by the Grimhilde Estate."
Alan inquired what the bird knew about the estate.
The bird answered, "They passed down a story of a maiden whose kindness conquered the envy of her stepmother."
Alan inquired Humbert the name of the maiden in the story.
Alan asked Humbert, "Did the maiden in that story have a name?"
Humbert answered, "My family passed down a story of a maiden whose kindness conquered the envy of a cruel vindictive stepmother."
Barrie asked, "Did the maiden have a name?"
Aria looked at Barrie, stunned that he would ask such a question. Surely all of the animals knew of Snow White. Then again, Snow White didn't have mice for friends like Cinderella did. But the lot of her forest friends were birds, deer, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, and there was also a turtle.
When Barrie realized who the animals were referring to, he asked Aria about this certain song that had to be played at the shrine.
Aria stated, "This song has been sung by Snow White. It can also be played on a handheld instrument like an ocarina."
Aria clarified, "It's Someday My Prince Will Come."
Humbert asked Barrie, "Why do you want to know about this song?"
Barrie answered, "That song might be a potential key."
Alan looked at Barrie. "You're not suggesting playing the song to find out for yourself, are you?"
"Of course not," Barrie answered.
Humbert stated, "Aria and I volunteer to come with you to the shrine."
Aria begged, "Please we want to help our friend."
"No," Barrie said. "The last thing we need is to be reported missing. Alan and I are going back. And I suggest you do the same."
Aria was at a loss for words and Humbert stated, "I can fly you back to the police station."
Alan asked Humbert, "You have seen the police station?"
Humbert nodded and the trio were escorted to the police station meeting up with Kikyo.
Kikyo asked Humbert what he knew about the situation.
Before Humbert could answer, he heard the sound of dogs growling. He and the others had forgotten about the dogs who worked with the human police officers.
Kikyo and the others fled to a quieter part of the station and Masahiro ordered the dogs to be quiet.
They came to a secluded area and Alan and Barrie began telling their comrades what they learned when they went to the forest and met up with Aria.
Aria stated, "My ancestors would be so ashamed of my failure to protect Natius."
Humbert told her, "There was nothing you could have done."
Aria was at a loss for words as she felt Humbert's comforting wing on her shoulder.
Kikyo inquired Aria and Humbert if they had any connection with Natius' family.
Aria confessed that her ancestors were one of the squirrels that accompanied a maiden in 1500s Germany.
Of course, Kikyo and the other rodents knew the story of Snow White and how the forest animals brought her to the dwarves' cottage and looked after her.
Otto snapped at Aria, "You should have helped that boy."
Aria countered, "What about you? You jumped to a dumb conclusion, thinking that Jeanette ran away."
Otto was at a loss of words and began sobbing as he feared for Jeanettte's safety. Jackson tried to calm him down to no avail.
"This is out of our hands," Kikyo said sadly. "Even the human police officers are unable to do anything."
Otto asked, "Why didn't I go with her on that day?"
Jackson pointed out to Otto that there would be no way to get inside the building and he was not a certified service animal.
Apparently, that didn't apply to Natius' hamster Yuki, who often had a tendency to sneak into Natius' backpack and chew on his schoolwork.
Kikyo stated as she presented a record of Yuki's behavior, "According to our records, Yuki is notorious for sneaking into the school by hiding in that boy's backpack. Thankfully none of the essays were harmed, but there would be bitemarks on his binder."
Gavrel asked as he didn't know about her having a reputation like that, "Why would she do that?"
Kikyo speculated, "It's possible that she doesn't realize the rules of the facility and forgot that she was not a certified animal."
Very few rodents were aware of Gavrel's friendship with Yuki. He tried to be discreet about it. But it suddenly came to him that he hadn't seen her recently. He hoped she wasn't a missing rodent like Hikari Price.
Gavrel voiced his concerns. "I just realized I hadn't heard from Yuki lately. Did something happen to her?"
Kikyo decided to tell him the truth. "I regret to inform you that Yuki went missing around the same time those students did when they were trying to help one of their teachers."
A shocked expression appeared on Gavrel's face.
"Gavrel, you are aware that Yuki is a dwarf hamster, are you not?" Kikyo asked.
He was, and he also knew that dwarf hamsters did not get along with most rodents, including their own kind.
Gavrel told Kikyo, "I am aware of the fact that dwarf hamsters don't get along. She told me that dwarf hamsters get bigger tanks because of the tendencies to fight, and some dwarf hamsters are kept in separate containers for that reason."
Suddenly a young male rat appeared entering the room. He had black fur like Kikyo, but he also had very light blue eyes.
He was dressed in a uniform for a low-ranking officer, and he was escorting a small rat into the room.
Kikyo asked, "Kirby, what happened?"
The rat named Kirby answered that the smaller rat was caught running away from his owner's house.
Kikyo asked, "Why were you running away?"
The small rat didn't answer.
Kikyo decided to ask a different question, "Where were you going?"
The smaller rat answered in a voice that sounded like a child, "I have been hearing stories about a mysterious shrine in Redwood Forest. I wanted to see if the rumor was true or not."
Kikyo scolded, "You would have ended up missing."
Aria agreed with Kikyo, "I have seen the shrine and it is said to be a gateway to another world."
Kirby added as he held the small rat in his firm grip, "That rumor alone is all the more reason you should return to your owners. You'd end up vanishing."
The smaller rat protested, "But I was the one who reported Hikari missing!"
Kirby decided to give the rat some of the flyers that was spreading advice regarding any strange activity.
He asked, "Did you even try to stop her from talking to that strange kitten?"
The rat stated, "She wouldn't even listen to me."
The rat added, "I have a name. Kurai Price, I'm her foster brother that lives in the same residence of the Price Family."
It was not uncommon for different species of rodents to live together in the same household so long as they were kept in separate containers.
While Gavrel was curious about this rat, he had to leave. Before coming here, he was supposed to be paying his respects to his ancestors for their heroic deeds.
Kurai begged Kirby, "Please Mr. Masayuki. Let me find her."
Gavrel entered an elevator giving the pleading rat one last glance of sympathy, the elevator began rocketing into a tunnel that would lead Gavrel to a cemetery for rodents regardless of backgrounds that died in the state of California. Gavrel held onto a rail wanting to keep himself balanced as he had a strong dislike for the turbulence of elevators. When the door opened, he found his older sister and parents waiting for him.
Gavrel's father Avrom noticed that his son had papers for each member to read about the situation regarding the disappearance of domesticated and wild rodents.
Gavrel's sister, Zofia was reading the paper and she asked, "What's all this about?"
Gavrel answered, "We have a stranger danger problem with a kitten."
Gavrel began to tell his family about the situation, and this caused Zofia to feel very concerned about her younger brother.
Avrom pushed the papers aside. He wanted this to wait at a more opportune time. Gavrel understood. His family did come to pay their respects, so he agreed to hold off on the matter until later.
The family came across a grave that was decorated with pictures depicting Gavrel's paternal great grandfather and around the grave were pictures depicting the mouse's heroism.
Gavrel looked at the pictures in amazement as he wanted to carry on the tradition of heroism like Fievel.
Many other mice were gathering around to pay their respects to their own ancestors.
Gavrel noticed a female mouse who was visiting Mrs. Brisby's grave.
Before Gavrel would say anything, Avrom began to invoke a prayer of protection for his family during this despairing time.
Unfortunately for the mice, they noticed the clouds were becoming a little darker.
All of the mice hurried to seek shelter before the rain would begin to fall.
As the Mousekewitz returned to their room under the floor of a California apartment complex, Gavrel's father decided that it would be the opportunity to talk with Gavrel about his whereabouts and question him about the papers.
Gavrel explained the situation to his family; about the mysterious disappearance of the missing teenagers and how many rodents who were trying to find them never returned.
There was a sudden knocking at the door. Avrom opened it and saw that it was the same young mouse girl from before. Her name was Elizabeth Brisby, but she preferred the name Mary. She was the daughter of Timothy Brisby - the youngest son of Jonathan Brisby and his widowed wife. Much like the Mousekewitz family, the Brisby family was one of heroic mice and the two families had respect for each other for that matter.
Mary asked, "Did you meet anyone connected to the Price mouse?"
Gavrel answered, "He was a rat named Kurai. Is he trying to pull a Super Sentai reference?"
Mary replied, "No, that name you're thinking about is Burai and his story is one of tragedy. Kurai is a name of Japanese origin, it translates to darkness. Quite fitting. It's not uncommon for a mouse to have a foster sibling in the same household separate from one another due to differences."
Zofia inquired why Mary was at their house.
Avrom scolded, "Zofia, show some respect."
"Yes, Papa," Zofia said obediently.
Mary answered anyway. "Like Gavrel, I've also been doing my own investigations regarding the missing rodents. I came by to ask if there was anything I could do to help."
Gavrel answered, "Unfortunately, the kitten had been caught."
Mary noticed the paper and she asked, "May I have this paper?"
Gavrel handed over the paper and Mary began reading the contents.
"Maybe the missing rodents were taken to NIMH," Zofia assumed.
"That's not possible," said Mary. "My father saw NIMH burn to the ground. There's nothing left of that place."
Zofia pointed out, "The US government still has research facilities."
Gavrel argued that the lab Mary's father confronted years ago was actually condemned by the federal government for its cruelty to animals.
"Even so-," Zofia tried to say.
"That's enough, Zofia," her mother interrupted.
Mary informed Gavrel that Kurai ran away from Kirby Masayuma and fell into a sidewalk drain.
Zofia was about to ask who he was and remembered that one week earlier, she accidentally overheard a conversation between the rat and mouse.
Mary informed Gavrel that Kurai ran away from Kirby Masayuma and fell into a sidewalk drain.
Zofia was about to ask who he was and remembered that one week earlier, she accidentally overheard a conversation between the rat and mouse.
(Flashback one week earlier...)
Kurai stated to Hikari, "This kitten is not to be trusted. Just because the color of her fur is a shade of grey, doesn't make her trustworthy. She might be working for an underground crime group."
Hikari stated, "She said to come from a small, but proud fairy tale village."
As much as Zofia wanted to back up the rat's argument, she had to return home to ensure her parents would not call the police out of fear.
(End of flashback)
Zofia's mother asked Mary, "Kurai ran away from Detective Masayuma? It's not like him to do that. What happened?"
"I don't know," Mary answered.
Gavrel speculated, "Kurai might be trying to find his sister."
"But doesn't it seem suspicious that he would run away from a detective?" Zofia asked.
Gavrel looked at his sister. "Zofia, do you know something?"
Zofia told her brother about the time she accidentally overheard a conversation between rat and mouse.
As Gavrel listened to his sister and got a description of the rodents, he couldn't help but wonder if they were Kurai and detective Kirby.
Zofia clarified, "I have a feeling that it was Hikari and her foster brother before that kitten snatched her off."
Detective Kirby was standing behind Mary Brisby he was holding a small white rodent harness.
Detective Kirby decided to clear up what happened between himself and Kurai.
The detective began to tell the mice that he was escorting him home from a bus. He didn't expect for Kurai to slip from his restraint.
(Flashback)
As the city was starting to rain, Detective Kirby had a firm grip on Kurai, wanting to bring him home before the storm would get any worse. Kurai decided to use the storm as an opportunity to escape from the detective, in hopes to find the shrine in Redwood Forest.
Unfortunately for Kurai, the bus was starting to go up a hill and he fell into the rain and as he tried to escape the rain, he was swept into a current that led him to a sidewalk drain and he fell into the darkness screaming in terror.
(End of flashback)
Kirby concluded, "I don't know what happened to him."
As much as Mary wished she could help, she decided it was time for her to return home. She said 'goodbye' to Gavrel and his family. Kirby decided to safely escort her home since the weather was still pretty bad outside.
Mary and Kirby took a different part of a bus to prevent the same incident from occurring twice.
As the bus was cruising across the raining streets, Mary questioned Kirby if any other rodent knew about the accident with Kurai.
Kirby answered, "I didn't see any other mice."
Mary was disappointed.
Some time later, the bus stopped at a station that was close to where she and her folks were staying. She disembarked with Kirby following her.
Mary's older brother Alan recognized Kirby and he asked, "Why are you playing escort?"
Kirby answered, "We had an unfortunate event."
Alan's son asked, "What happened?"
Alan scolded, "Sullivan, do not instigate on this discussion."
Mary looked to the officer. "Thank you for bringing me home, Officer Kirby. My brother and I can discuss things from here."
"Very well, Ms. Brisby. My regards to your father." And Kirby took his leave.
Alan ordered his son to go to his room while he and his sister would be having their discussion in the dining room.
Mary told Alan about what happened between Officer Kirby and Kurai.
Mary finished with, "Kurai fell off the bus and he was swept into a street drain."
Alan dreaded the thought of Kurai being swept into a sewer drain. He hoped Kurai wasn't captured by any rats. Not that he hated rats. It was the opposite. Alan remembered that some of the rats from NIMH we're friends with his family. However, he did learn of one villainous rat named Jenner and that caused him to be cautious about most rats.
Mary asked her brother, "Is something wrong?"
Alan looked at his sister. "I'm just hoping Kurai wasn't captured by sewer rats."
Mary commented, "I can't imagine what those guys would do to a fancy rat. I just hope that he won't be taken by something even worse."
Alan noticed that Mary was holding a paper, and he asked, "What's that paper about?"
In the darkness of the sewer systems of Los Angeles, Kurai was looking for a way back to the surface, so he would resume his search for his foster sister.
Little did Kurai know, that the sewer was home to sewer rats. There were some sewer rats that would kill fancy rats.
He also had to be careful of rushing water. There was no telling when or where it would come on. The many different foul odors were stifling to his sensitive nose. It didn't help that he saw eyes flashing in the darkness, making it look as though wild animals were hiding, waiting to attack.
Kurai felt a rat holding him down.
Kurai began to panic until a white rat with blood red eyes ordered the larger rat to release Kurai as he saw no value for the rodent.
Kurai tried reasoning with the sewer rats. "I didn't mean to trespass on your territory. If you let me go, I'll leave."
The white rat ordered the rat to let him go.
The larger rat argued, "But Master Rozz-"
The white rat called Master Rozz scolded, "No buts! He's just a fancy little rodent trying to find his family."
Kurai breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Master Rozz replied. "Come on. I know a shortcut to the surface." And he turned around, beckoning Kurai to follow him. Kurai hesitated, but began walking behind the white rat. "You'll have to forgive my fellow rodents. We are feral, after all. And we get a lot of unexpected visitors who wind up here by accident."
"I understand," Kurai nervously replied.
Master Rozz stated showing a ladder for rodents that end up here by accident, "This will lead you to the neighborhood that you live upon. I would advise you to return home before your owners find out that you ran away."
"Yes, sir," Kurai replied. "Thanks again." And he began climbing the ladder. Once he made it to the surface, Kurai took a moment to breathe in the fresh air. He then began scurrying, hoping to return home before his humans would notice he was missing.
Kurai noticed some vines that he would climb on, he entered a small, but clean room and he entered an empty vast glass fish tank that had his bedding.
Author's Notes: Looks like the rodent community is working together to do their own investigation. The next episode will feature the world of Prydain.