Still the group trudged along in the mud. Though it had stopped raining, the
ground was still very wet. Gray skies hung over them like a thick blanket.
Frosty fog came out of breathing nostrils because of the coldness outside. Mrs.
Frisby was right- fall and winter were on the way.

No one spoke, they all just walked. The troop had been walking for five
hours now, with only two ten minute breaks so far. Feet ached, and backs began
to gain immense pains. Alexander was a tough leader, but maybe, when they all
returned to Thorn Valley, they all would know why Alex pushed them so hard.

Simon just thought. Why had Jenner started to be nice all of the sudden? Why
had he offered those blankets, and what was he up to now? Could Jenner actually
be nice? No. Not from the way he had been in the past, not after last night. No
way.

Simon felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, ready to fight.
"What do you want, Jen-" Simon then realized that it was not Jenner
this time, it was Brutis. "Sorry," Simon apologized, "who are
you?"

"I’m Brutis," he answered, "you may have seen me at Thorn
Valley guarding the entrance?"

"Oh, oh, yes, now I remember. I’m Simon.

The two of them shook hands.

"I’ll cut straight to the chase," Brutis said suddenly, "Your
friends- Quaker and Leanne I believe- have been talking to me. I never knew
about last night. I’m sorry to hear that." He motioned towards Simon’s
ear.

Simon looked at the ground and sighed. If he was getting all this attention
for missing a piece of his ear, how would people react to him and his lost
family? Goodness.

Brutis continued. "They told me that you and Jenner don’t get along.
That’s not surprising, no one gets along well with Jenner. They told me that
you might need some help?"

"What kind of help?"

"Protection, I mean, so he doesn’t get on you again. Alex thinks that
you were partly the cause of last night because of that mouth of yours, but I
believe you. You don’t want Jenner to get you again, do you? I wouldn’t. Some
people just don’t know. I learned that the day I left Thorn Valley."

Simon nodded. Some people just don’t know. Especially about him. And Jenner.

"I am willing to stay with you, to make sure that Jenner doesn’t start
anything," Brutis went on, "Is that okay? I know that may seem
offensive, but I thought that it might be helpful. I can’t fight his men, but I
can help you get out of situations. What do ya say?"

Simon did take this offensively, but he knew that he shouldn’t. Here was a
complete stranger willing to risk his life for him. He had seen Brutis guarding
the Thorn Valley entrance, but they never spoke to each other. "I don’t
really care," Simon said, "Do as you wish. It could help, so go ahead."

Brutis smiled, happy to be of some kind of service. He walked a short
distance behind Simon from then on.

Then, there was a big commotion coming from the back of the line. All the
heads in line turned to see what was going on.

Simon stood on his tip-toes as he peered over the heads of many rats. All he
could see was Jenner struggling in the back of the line. His teeth were bared,
and he was quite angry. What had happened?

Simon walked back toward Jenner. He found Alexander shouting back at some of
his men.

"Get him!" he shouted, "Tie him up, quick! Tony, get over
here! Michael!"

Several rats came to Alex’s aid, and tied Jenner’s hands behind him. The
rope was thick and rough, almost like what Simon had been tied up with.

Simon walked closer to see what was going on. Jenner was being tied up
without question. Jenner did not struggle or say a word. He must have done
something to take that type of treatment.

Obviously, Tony was the rat that had come to Alex first. He had black hair
and wore thin black wire-framed glasses. He was slightly thin, but not skinny.
He looked as though he could fight well; he was handling Jenner easily enough.

Michael had dark fur, but not as dark as Tony’s. He was tall and stalwart,
much taller than Tony. He had a spear in his hands, and was forcing it up and
down Jenner’s back- threatening him. Jenner squirmed; he got the point.

"What happened?" Simon asked as he rushed to Alex. Brutis was
running after him.

Alex didn’t seem to be hurt, but he was out of breath. "Nothing big,"
he answered, "Jenner just made a swift move at one of his men. I decided
that it would be wise to tie them both up for a while, just to be safe. You
know how hostility can run away with you."

Simon nodded. "What did he do?"

"He and one of his men started to quarrel. For the others’ sake, I want
to make sure their safety. Jenner is going to be tied up for a while, until he
can prove that he can control his temper."

Simon nodded again, and walked back up to the front of the line. Brutis was
still following him.

Jenner and the rat he had quarreled with were tied up. Their hands were
bound behind their backs, and the ropes that they were tied with were being
held by a guard. (One guard held a rope trailing from their hands, so to be
sure of them not getting away, or doing something they were not supposed to
do.)

The two then walked side by side. Jenner winked at the rat that was tied
beside of him. It was the same rat that was in the doctor’s tent with Jenner
last night.

ZZZZZZTTTTTTTT! Ladies squealed in fright as the sewing machines
automatically turned on. Some how, they had not been turned off when they had
been installed, leaving them ready to come on at the slightest input of
electricity.

"Oh, momma!" Teresa cried in excitement, "We have
power!"

It took a moment for this fact to hit Sara. When it finally had, she was
happy, too.

Then, people heard shouts coming from the hallway. It sounded like a group
of male rats. Yes- Sara could see them through the windows on the doors! There
were a bunch of them. They were all dirty and sweaty. It was amazing that
anyone could sweat for it was so cold outside.

One of the rats boomed through the door. It was Arthur. "Power!"
he shouted, "We have power! We did it!" He took off down the hall,
slamming the door behind him.

Cheers rang out and echoed in the room. All the women stood up and started
to clap. Hugs were sent throughout the room, and smiles were everywhere. They
had power.

After a while, things calmed down, and sewing machines were started up.
Teresa had her dress done in no time. It turned out ravishing!

Sara, on the other hand, did not know how to work such a machine. Teresa
gave her a quick lesson, and ran off to put her dress back in her room. Mrs.
Frisby sat, trying to hurry up with her clothes. She wanted to go out and see
what Thorn Valley looked like with power. But before she could even begin to
stitch an inch, someone was calling her name.

"Sara!!" it called.

Mrs. Frisby turned around to see Justin standing in the door way. He held a
piece of paper up in his hand. She motioned for him to come to her.

Justin ran up to her, all aflame. "We’ve power!!!!" he shouted.

Rats looked up at him from their work.

"I brought you the map you asked for." He handed the piece of
paper to her.

It was a very adroit map, too. It had first been sketched in pencil, and
then redone in blue ink. It was detailed. It showed each room and it’s number,
and a small description of the rooms (Except for dorms, bathrooms, and places
like that).

"Thank you, Justin. I needed that." She said, in awe.

"I made it myself. Does it look okay?"

"Why yes, silly- it does. Now I can find my way around much
easier."

Justin smiled brightly. "You know," he said, "Jenner should
be back any day now. What do you think about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do, or have you ever regretted coming here?"

Mrs. Frisby thought. That was quite a question. She did, sometimes, regret
coming here. Her children could be in danger, she could be in danger. There
were a lot of things going on. Sometimes, a little voice in the back of her
head told her she needed to leave- for the children. Then sometimes she would
remind herself of the new opportunities that came with moving here. "Not
really," she lied, "I just want to know what is going on. I want to
know what Thorn Valley is going to do once Jenner gets here. I think we all
need to know."

Justin thought for a minute. "You’re right," he said thoughtfully
"You’re absolutely right. I’m second in command, and I don’t even know the
answer to that."

Justin then raised his hands high in the air. They looked strong.
"Listen up!" he exclaimed.

Everyone looked up.

"There will be a public meeting in one hour! Drop what you are doing,
and get all your family together! This is urgent. I don’t care if you’re sick
or what, be there!" He winked at Sara, and left the room in a hurry. Maybe
he went to announce this whole deal to the rest of Thorn Valley. What was he
going to do?

"You heard ‘em, Sara," Judy said, "Let’s go!" She joined
the big flood of women by the door.

Mrs. Frisby stood there for a short time, waiting for the crowd to die down.
She had to pick Timothy up at school, Teresa back up at the room, Cynthia at
day-care, and Martin up at the jail. It was a good thing she had a map.

The crowd finally cleared away. Mrs. Frisby took up her fabrics. She would
come back after the meeting and finish them. She walked once again through the
double doors, her eyes not ready to meet such light.

There were hanging lamps on the ceiling, and a few small lamps attached to
the walls. They all gave off a white glow- long missed by all of those in Thorn
Valley. The hall shone as if it were glowing itself. A light humming noise was
coming from each light.

The ashen walls gleamed even though they must have been dirty, and the ivory
floors seemed as if they were white diamonds. The light reflected off of the
old brass door knobs, making them look as though they were brand-new. It was a
grand sight.

Sara continued to walk down the hall. She would pick Teresa up first. She
looked at her map. She was on the East Wing, and her room was on the South
Wing. She should keep walking until she got to the hub of the Thorn Valley
Caves, and then turn right. Her room was number 452, so it was near the middle
of the South annex. It was such a forlorn day outside, it was a good thing
there were lights overhead; otherwise, she couldn’t have read the map as well.

Her feet made a slight padded noise as she walked down the silent hall. All
the other rats must have already started to head for the Meeting room, or were
inside wondering what was going on.

Mrs. Frisby looked up at the ceiling. She never noticed how smooth it was.
It must have taken a lot of work to put it up. She would never know how hard it
had been to build it.

It was now the second day of hiking (Straight to Thorn Valley). Three men
were having to be carried because of them fainting. Simon and the rest of his
friends felt like fainting, too.

Jenner had been tied on the first day, and was still bound. Tony and Michael
fed them both on their breaks, but they still were not released.

Since that incident, nothing had really happened. No one spoke. They all
were too tired to even concentrate on a sentence. It was the second day. Alex
kept to his word- only ten minute breaks, no matter how tired they all were.

Alex had just called another break, in fact. He held his hands up high, as
always, and announced it was time to break.

Simon felt like breaking. He didn’t want to be funny. He didn’t want to
smile. He just wanted to sleep. To keep him awake, he reached into his
back-pack and pulled out one of the sunflower seeds Nicodemus had given him.

He cracked the shell open and shoved the seed into his mouth. It tasted
good. He reached for another, and another, and ate until he was full. He was
careful not to get too over stuffed, so he could walk better.

Simon looked down at his feet. They were swollen, and achy. They were tough
now, not the soft pink they had once been. He wondered if everyone else’s feet
were like that now. Probably.

Before he knew it, there was a hot tear running down the tip of his nose. He
held his head down, hoping no one would see. Why was he crying? He didn’t even
know. Maybe it was because he had no one to go home to at Thorn Valley. Maybe
it was because this whole time they were out there to rescue Jenner- the person
who had destroyed his family. It could have been lack of hope, or exhaustion.
Whatever it was, it made him cry.

No one saw him cry. He just sat alone behind a tall pine tree and wept.
Brutis wasn’t even near him. Maybe everyone was sad on the inside. Maybe they
all knew that they were actually rescuing their enemy.

Simon realized what he was doing. He then sucked in his gut, and took a deep
breath. He felt like a wimp. He had to keep tough, and stick with his friends.
It had been a long time since he had spoken to them.

Simon stood up, and looked for Leanne and Quaker. He spotted them over by a
stump, leaning back. "Hi guys." Simon said, hoping his eyes weren’t
red.

Leanne and Quaker both answered with a weak "Hi" and were quiet.

Simon sat down beside of them and leaned up against the stump.
"Sorry." He said, gazing off into the distance.

"No problem," Leanne voiced as she nodded slightly.

Quaker agreed.

"Sky’s lovely, isn’t it?" Leanne noted.

Quaker and Simon looked up. The sky was gray and dark, but cloudless. The
rain had stopped yesterday, but it was still grim. "Yep." They both
said together.

Quaker stood up. His butt was wet from the moss they had been sitting on. He
held his hand out low, reaching out for the others’ hands. The others stood up,
too, and grabbed it. They all were friends again.

"Let’s go pick on Jenner," Simon suggested, "That could cheer
us up."

The three walked over to a gaunt tree, where Jenner and his man were tied
up. Tony and Michael weren’t anywhere to be seen.

"Hey, Jenner," Leanne called, "’Ya busy?"

Jenner looked up and eyed her. He did not stand.

"I think he is, Leanne," Simon said sarcastically, "He looks
all tied up!"

Quaker laughed.

"The ear feels great," Simon added, "But the circulation just
feels a bit cut off!"

They all laughed, but Jenner stayed silent. He just stared meanly.

Quaker pounded his tail on the ground. The earth boomed beneath their feet.
"Hey, Jenner!" he said, "I know I’m good-looking, but you don’t
have to stare!"

With that, Jenner turned his head away. Was he really going to take that?

"Aw, c’mon Jenner," Leanne insisted, "Can you not take your
own medicine? Oh, yeah, that’s right- it doesn’t taste too good!"

"Break it up, guys." A voice said behind them.

The three friends turned to face Tony.

"Jenner is going to- hey.. aren’t you the guy Jenner got the other
night?" Tony was referring to Simon and his ear.

Simon nodded. Here we go again.

Tony looked at him for a moment, and then at his ear. "Do what ya
like," he said thoughtfully, "Whatever you like!" He sat down on
the ground with a grain of oatmeal in his hand. He began to nibble at it.

Quaker turned his head and stuck out his tongue at Jenner, but Jenner didn’t
see him. That could have been a good thing.

"My name is Tony," he said after a while, "At your service.
Y’tu?"

"Pardon?" Leanne asked.

"And you? What are y’all’s names?"

They all told their names to Tony, and Tony nodded.

"You probably don’t know me, but you probably know my mom," Tony
continued, "Her name is Judy. She’s the Chief of Fabrics?"

Quaker, Leanne, and Simon all looked at each other. They’d never heard of
her.

"She makes sure that Thorn Valley has all the fabric that they need.
She helps make it all, and helps give sewing lessons in her spare time."

Leanne nodded, trying not to be rude.

Tony looked up at her. "My, my, my!" he exclaimed, "I didn’t
know we had a girl on the force!"

Leanne’s ears turned red.

"No one told me she was pretty, either!"

Leanne turned and walked off, giggling. No one had ever commented on her
looks before. She was too flattered to stay around Tony and longer- she
couldn’t stand the embarrassment!

"What did I say?" Tony asked himself as he shrugged his shoulders.
He continued to nibble at the oatmeal grain once again.

In a matter if seconds, Alex’s voice rang out. "Time to go,
fellas!" He shouted.

Everyone grabbed their packs, and began to walk. They didn’t have too much
longer to go.

The Frisby family walked towards the West wing, in vibrant chatter.

"Are we in trouble?" Cynthia asked.

"I don’t know," Sara said, "I just don’t know."

The rest of the children asked questions left and right, but Sara answered
them all the same way.

By then, the halls were so packed full of rats, it was amazing you could
breathe. Mrs. Frisby had never seen so many rats in all her life! She hadn’t
even seen that many rats when she went to the rosebush on the Fitzgibbon’s
farm! There were rats carrying children, and running. There were rats running
and standing, talking and laughing. Most of them had stern faces, though.

She had never been in a meeting room, except for that time in the rosebush
when Nicodemus had called her to tell everyone what she had overheard at the
Fitzgibbon’s dinner table. Even then she was in a small room which could only
be considered a court room. She was anxious to see what one looked like.

Through the heavy mass of rats they walked. They got closer and closer to
the Meeting Room doors. Tall rats towered over Mrs. Frisby’s head; she hoped
they wouldn’t get stepped on. Being a mouse could have it’s disadvantages-
being smaller than rats.

It looked as though the doors of the Meeting Room haven’t been opened yet
because the huge puddle of rats stood still in front of them. From what Sara
and her children could tell, no one was going into the building at all. In
fact, she was so far away from the Meeting Room building that she could hardly
tell that it was there!

Slowly, the crowd began to move. One by one, rats walked into the meeting
room. They were quite orderly. After another long wait, Mrs. Frisby and her
children walked through the wide double-doors into a colossal room.

The Meeting Room was amazing! It was much bigger than the Council Meeting
Room. The floors were rose and gray marble; smooth and cold. Seats lined the
room, each elevating a step as they got closer to the walls. Each of the seats
were a soft blue and gold.

There was one small balcony coming out from the wall facing the chairs. It
looked like it had more than three seats. Actually, it had about eight. The
balcony was painted gold, to match the chairs, and was very luxurious.

In the walls, there were lights. Yes, lights. There were tiny holes carved
into the walls, with tiny lights in each hole. The lights were like those you
would put on your Christmas tree. They were multi-colored.

A few hanging lights hung on the ceiling, giving off a dim yellow light. The
ceiling and the walls were brown. They both were smoothed down, just like the
ceiling and walls in the hallways.

"Sara!!" Justin called, from the balcony.

Mrs. Frisby looked up to see Justin waving his hands in the air and smiling.
She and her children headed toward the balcony.

Once they had gotten to the top of the stairs, Justin greeted them all
politely. "I took your advice, Mrs. Frisby," Justin said, "We’re
going to do something about Jenner. We’re going to decide a punishment for when
he comes back!" he turned and faced the incoming people.

Mrs. Frisby placed her hand on her forehead. "Good grief," she
said to herself, ‘What have I done now?"

Then, Nicodemus came walking up the stairs. He had an acrimonious face on,
and looked like he could blow smoke from his ears. "Justin!!!!" he
demanded, "What is all this mess about?"

"Well, sir," Justin said as he turned to face Nicodemus, "I
was thinking, and I don’t think we have a plan for Jenner. We need one. He is a
very dangerous person, we cannot take the risk of endangering our colony."

Nicodemus eyed him for a moment. "I thought that we should just wait
until Jenner got here, and then decide what to do."

"That would not be safe, sir. When he gets here, it could take days to
figure out a plan. In the meantime, while we are planning, he could easily pull
a stunt, and put us all in danger."

Nicodemus nodded his head as he stroked his chin. Maybe Justin was right.
The least he could do was hear him out. "Alright." He said.

The seven of them sat down.

Still they all walked. They all laughed at Simon as they walked. It was nice
to have some laughter around.

None of them had a clue to how close they were to the Fitzgibbon’s farm now.
Not even Alexander knew. All they did was walk, and that was it.

The wind chilled a little more, and the sky seemed as if it were getting
darker as they continued to get closer to Thorn Valley. Maybe it was because of
Jenner. The gray sky above was still a thick blanket. Fog continued to form as
they breathed, and it was still cold. Oh, how they could not wait to get to
Thorn Valley!

Day turned into dusk and dusk stretched out to night. The sky then turned
purple, and it began to clear up. If you looked upward, you could see stars
hanging immobile in the air. It felt as if it were a fearless night that night;
as if there was nothing between you and what you wanted to do. Simon noticed
that. Quaker noticed that, and so did Leanne. It was the type of night where
you never got tired.

The dim olive-green hills approached them slowly. Faintly, you could spot a
few wilted flowers on them. The hills looked as though they were kept up
nicely.

The troop of rats continued to hike, hoping for some sign of where they
were. Tony was up in the front now because Jenner had been released. Yes, it
was true. Jenner pulled a pretty good stunt, too. He pretended to cry, forcing
tears out of his eyes as hard as he could. He then cried out in pain about how
he hurt his ankle. It was quite a show.

Right now, Jenner’s leg was in a splint, and he was walking with a stick he
found in the woods. If you watched him carefully, you would notice that the
limp would come and go, and so you were capable of telling that he was all a
fake. Though this was true, no one really cared at that moment. They all had been
walking for two days straight, and no one was aware of anything besides the
fact that they were heading home.

"Holy Saint Stevens!" The voice said. It was coming from the front
of the line.

Simon and Leanne rushed to the front (Quaker stayed behind because his foot
was still in pain).

Tony was at the front of the line standing perfectly still. His gaze was
fixed on a large white house down below the hills. It was a very old house
indeed, with gardens and pastures just behind it. Also, there was a large spot
where instead of a rosebush, a lilac bush grew. (Ol’ Mr. Fitzgibbon kept his
promises)

They all were there. They all had made it back to the farm. Crowds had
gathered by then around the sight. It felt like heaven then. Even Alexander had
taken his hat off, and watched the house. Looking around, he saw no rosebush.
He had forgotten- the bulldozer must have destroyed it to where it could never
be replanted.

"Whoo Hoo!" Leanne jumped up into the air as high as she could.
She then took off toward the house without permission.

"Leanne!" Alex called, "Come back!" he rushed back after
her. The rest of the rats followed their leader. Jenner followed the shadows.

Dew had settled on the grass, and pale moonlight was pouring down upon small
figures running through the field. An owl screeched above, and took to flight.

Michael looked up. "Take cover!" he screamed as the owl swooped
down, barely missing hid head.

The troop ducked, trying to keep the animal in their vision. They all were
in danger.

"Get out your spears, everyone." Quaker whispered. "If he
comes to close range, we’ve to kill him. If we don’t, he won’t leave us alone
for the rest of the night; that could be ten hours or more."

Alex looked over at Quaker. "We can’t kill that thing, it’s too big. I
say run for it."

Quaker reached behind him and pulled out his weapon. He held the spear
roughly against Alex’s side. "I say we kill it. Kill it or die."

Alex nodded, and pulled his weapon. Others did the same.

"Michael!!" A voice screamed from the back of the line.
"Michael!!"

Michael was still out in the field, uncovered by fellow rats. He must have
tripped and fallen behind!

No one moved, afraid for their own lives. The owl’s screech got closer and
closer. It was coming in for the kill.

Michael reached out in vain as he ran. "Help!" he gasped.

How could anyone just sit around? There was a man in need, and Quaker knew
it. He jumped up with his spear in his hand, and took charge. He ran as fast as
he could to the rat, ready to kill.

Quaker got to Michael and pushed him down. The owl swooped, his talons
barely missing Quaker’s back. Quaker looked up. He had to kill this thing.
Lying on top of Michael, Quaker spotted the owl. It was coming back. He was
going to kill it. He had to.

"SCREECH!"

The owl swooped down, and Quaker lunged his spear outward. In a flash, the
bird screamed, and fell to the ground. It’s yellow eyes blinked once, but never
would never blink again.

The rest of the troop rushed to Quaker’s side. He lay on the ground panting
and bleeding extensively. Michael crawled out from underneath his friend, and
looked at Quaker’s chest.

Quaker’s chest had been ripped by the owl’s talons. The wounds had ripped
through his shirt, and went from his collar bone to his hip. It was amazing he
was still alive.

Michael looked over at the owl- after he had seen Quaker- and ran over to
the bird. "Curse you!" he shouted. Michael kicked the bird, whose leg
was slightly twitching.

Michael looked at the owl and took the spear out of it’s chest. It looked so
sad and peaceful lying there, but that made no difference to Michael. Quaker
was dying, therefore the bird shall, too. Quaker had saved Michael.

"Someone get the doctor!!" Leanne shrieked. A man from the back of
the group stepped forward.

The doctor knelt down to Quaker and examined his chest. The cut is very
deep," he noted, "But if we hurry, and get him back to Thorn Valley,
he might just live." The doctor took out some towels and blankets and
wrapped Quaker up tightly. Quaker gasped.

The troop searched for sticks to make a bed for Quaker, so they could carry
him up to the mountain.

Many felt the same way. Leanne felt that it was her fault; for running away
as she did. Michael thought it was his fault; that he tripped. The troop felt
as if it were their fault; for not helping protect Quaker and Michael. Whatever
anyone felt, they all felt this: They all wished that they were as brave as
Quaker.

Brutis, Simon, Tony, Michael, and a few others picked Quaker up and lifted
him onto the stretcher. They each started to carry him off- back towards home.

And, in the darkness of the evening, a group of soldiers walked off, each in
deep despair. No one had really realized- up until that moment- how Quaker was
a part of everyone. They all hoped he would last.

Finally, after a great amount of "Order" from the judge, the
voices of the crowd died down. Justin stood up and faced the community.

"Jenner," Justin shouted, "Is becoming a problem! We have not
yet decided what to do with this obstacle. And, thanks to Mrs. Jonathan Frisby,
we are going to solve it."

Justin motioned for Sara to come to the front of the balcony. She stood,
blushing, and slowly walked to the front. Sara blinked once, and waited for
Justin to continue.

"That is why," Justin started again, "I am leaving this
meeting up to her!"

Sara looked up at him, quite angrily, and then looked down at the crowd of
people below her. Clasping her hands together, Sara gathered up her courage.
After all, she was the one who had come up with the idea of having a
meeting in the first place.

She cleared her throat and began talking. First, her voice was weak and
demure, but it got louder and stronger with the procession of the meeting.
"I suggested to Justin" she said, "that it was all of our
business what is to be planned for Jenner’s future. Justin had a strong point
just a moment ago- Nicodemus suggested waiting until Jenner got here to decide
his punishment. Justin said that if we did that, Jenner, as manipulative as he
is, could easily pull something. I told him that we should decide something
sooner, to ensure everyone’s safety."

Here she paused and waited for voices from the audience. Sure enough,
talking started- and most of them were in agreement and admiration. Mrs. Frisby
peered out toward the crowd, and noticed that there, in the front row, were the
rats that she had seen in the hallway the night she was looking for her
children. The fellows were still wearing vests (Of different colors), and the
lady had changed into a light brown sweater, and a pastel orange skirt that
fell just below her ankles, just as her previous one had.

The voices quieted, as so Sara began again. "So, we want any
suggestions you may have. Since Jenner will be in your community, in your
jail, and affecting all our lives, we want any suggestions possible. We-
Nicodemus, Justin and I- don’t want anyone to be shy. If you have and idea, let
us know!"

Mrs. Frisby turned behind her, and whispered something to the judge. The
judge got up, walked down the stairs, and whispered something into another
rat’s ear. That rat stepped directly under the balcony, and retrieved about
three hundred papers and pencils. Sara guessed that there was a table
underneath them.

The rat walked up to the rows of rats sitting in the audience, and handed
each of them a piece of paper and a pencil. Even children got one. Once
finished, the rat resumed his original position by the door.

"Write your thoughts and ideas down on the pieces of paper, and leave
them by the door on your way out." Sara explained, "And we will call
you all in here tomorrow at the same time to announce the final decision.
Something must be done about Jenner!" Mrs. Frisby took her seat once
again.

Applauds rang out as Sara finished her speech. People stood up and smiled,
and then headed out the door.

Wide eyed in his seat, Justin was grinning wildly. "Well done!" he
exclaimed, "You’d never guess that was your first speech in front of a
crowd of that size! Simply amazing!"

Reddened, Sara stood up. "Thank you," she said in return, "I
didn’t know I had it in me, either." Mrs. Frisby looked down toward her
knees. Cynthia was looking up at her in total admiration.

"Momma," Cynthia said, "I have an idea."

"Well what is it?" Mrs. Frisby asked.

"The rats moved here to become more civilized, right?"

Mrs. Frisby nodded.

"I don’t think we should kill Jenner. I think we need to transform
him."

Mrs. Frisby and Justin looked at each other in confusion until Justin
finally got down on his knees and looked at Cynthia in the face. "What do
you mean- transform him?" he asked.

"We can use him." Cynthia answered. "We can put him in jail,
or put him to good use. He could make a lovely janitor, or a workman. Not
killing him would be civilized. He didn’t want to work- that’s why he left- so
we can punish him by making him work overtime." Cynthia looked up at her
mother waiting for some sign of agreement.

Obviously, Cynthia didn’t really understand the situation clearly. She had a
point- killing Jenner would not be civilized, and being civilized is what the
rats were trying to be.

Instead of letting Cynthia down, Mrs. Frisby gave the child the satisfaction
of the thought. "It’s nice to know you thinking about all of this,
honey." She said. "We will take your suggestion into
consideration."

With that, Justin stood up, and smiled brightly at Sara. Mrs. Frisby smiled
back. With a slight sigh, Mrs. Frisby patted the children along. "Let’s
go." She said.

The group of six made their way down the stairs. When they got to the
bottom, Nicodemus met them all with a handshake. Though he said nothing,
everyone could tell he was pleased with the speech, the way it was preformed,
and the idea. Silently, he was admitting that he had been wrong.

After that, Justin, Mrs. Frisby and her children walked back to the room.
The children lead the way as Justin and Sara stayed in the back, talking.

"You don’t have to come all the way down here," Mrs. Frisby was
saying, "We will be fine."

"Never mind that," said Justin. "I want to, uh, make sure
your room has power. Everything in order, I always say!"

"Since when do you say that?"

"Since now!"

Mrs. Frisby looked at him for a moment. She could see through that lame
excuse. She smiled dreamily. "Oh really?"

The two of them stopped outside the door of the room. The children went on
inside and shut the door behind them.

"Really!" Justin said. "I want to thank you for giving the
speech today."

Sara blushed, and smiled greater. "No problem. I’ll do it anytime. Just
let me know."

Both of them looked down and realized that they were holding hands.

Without saying a word, Sara slowly looked up at Justin. Her eyes sparkled
with merriment and looked him in the eyes. Justin looked back.

Their heads got closer, and closer, until their lips met. Sara placed her
hands on Justin’s shoulders. They kissed. It wasn’t a very passionate kiss, but
it lasted long enough. Before either of them knew it, Justin’s arms wrapped
around Sara’s waist, and embraced her tenderly. They both had their eyes
closed.

The door swung open. "Mom?"

Jenner was silent. He walked along with the rest of them, also taken with
grief. Even he could feel envy. He looked up at the stars. All of them were
getting closer to home which meant that soon, he could carry out his plan.

"Hike up on the sides!" Simon called from the back of the
stretcher. "We gotta get him home- then to the hospital!"

"Leanne."

Leanne looked behind her. Who had said that?

"Leanne." Quaker whispered.

Leanne got someone to carry her corner of the stretcher and then walked up
to her friend. "What is it?"

"Take care of my family for me, will ya?"

"Shhh. Don’t talk like that… you are going to live."

"I want to tell you something, incase I die." He was hushed for a
minute, and then spoke up. "I want to tell you, you’ve been like a sister
to me, and you are welcome in my house anytime. Take care of the kids for me.
Karen died, you know. She wasn’t one of the twenty two. I love, and I know this
sounds crazy but, I.. I love-" His eyes closed, and his breathing calmed
down.

Leanne sighed, shed a tear, and resumed her place at the corner of the
stretcher.

"You." Quaker whispered. Leanne took no notice.

The sky brightened, and it was completely light within a few hours. The
troop was no longer taking breaks- they had to hurry home- they had to save a
life.

The air around them was steadily growing warmer, yet it was still cool. The
nights would be brutal. The sky was a pale blue with puffy cottony clouds in
the air. Flocks of birds could still be spotted flying south, and the wind
smelled slightly of smoke.

Slowly, as all of them hiked past the farmhouse and through the woods, the
mountains came into view. It was a pleasant sight, because before they went on,
the whole troop stopped at where the rosebush had once been. Everyone had
instant flashbacks: The finding of the cave, and the making of their home. The
arrival of Mrs. Frisby, and her capture. Then came the memories of moving- of
destroying the inside of the bush. Roy and Tracee dying in the line of duty. No
one would ever forget the easy life they had there. No one would forget the
life they once had before they left for their own. No one would ever forget.
Ever.

Though no one spoke, everyone could read each other’s mind. It wasn’t hard-
everyone’s eyes were fixed on the mountains ahead of them, their minds were
fixed on home. Their stomachs were longing for food, and their hearts longing
for family. The only noise anyone made came from either Quaker’s groans, or
Leanne’s coos of comfort.

That was another thing- Leanne. Although she said nothing, her mind, along
with the thought of home, was racing about Quaker. She had always known that
she and him were good friends- much better than she and Simon (No offence to
Simon) would ever be. Leanne was unmarried, and had no children. She was one of
the twenty two, so she also could expect another fifteen years of life until it
was time to write out a will. She had always wanted to have a family besides
her mother, father and brother. She did want to make her parents grandparents,
but Quaker? Somehow, deep in her heart, she knew what Quaker was going to say
even though she did not hear the last word. A family? Quaker? If he lived?

Leanne shook it off. Right now, she had to focus on getting her friend home.
She looked back at Simon. "Hold on back there!" she said.

Simon looked at her and nodded. He tightened his grip on the stretcher. The
ground was now beginning to incline quite a bit.

On they walked. Tony eyed the back of Leanne’s head in like, and Michael
continued at a strong pace, anxious to get his rescuer home.

The soft mossy ground beneath them turned into light tan rock which made it
painful to climb. It was especially hard getting the stretcher up the mountain.
The rats had to hoist the front up and hand it to another pair of rats as
Leanne and her partner climbed higher. As they did so, the front was passed up
to them, and the back of the stretcher was handed over to the rats that
held for Leanne. It continued like this for the rest of the way up the
mountain.

After an hour of climbing and praying, eyes got wide and land flattened out.
The troop was now looking at a large circular field, surrounded with one,
annular gray cave. The field was a complete circle atop of the tall mountain. A
big, towering cave outlined the field. There was not a rat to be seen.

A sigh of relief passed through them all. Eyes cried. They were home.

"Oh, Timothy!" Sara cried. Her lips removed with a smack. Sara
gasped. She had been caught red-handed.

Timothy’s eyes swelled with tears, and he ran back into the room and crashed
on the bed. Sara and Justin chased after him.

"Timothy-"Sara tried to explain.

"Go away! I don’t want to hear it!" By now the other three
children had gathered around the bed.

"Honey- I need to explain."

Timothy sat up and wiped his nose with his shirt sleeve. "Go on. I’m
listening."

"Remember what I told you the day before we left for here?" Mrs.
Frisby looked up and saw him nod. "Well, I told you that if I were to have
another relationship, I would want it to be with Justin?"

Justin blushed. He never knew that he had been included in a conversation in
the Frisby home before. Timothy glanced down at the ground.

"Well," Sara continued, "Here is your proof. Justin will
never replace your father. Ever. But I would like to be in love again. You see,
when a couple have feelings for each other, they kiss. Remember you and that
girl you were friends with by the brook in the summer house? Well…"

"I don’t want to hear it!" Timothy yelled. He grabbed a pillow
from under the blankets, and covered his ears.

Sara tore the pillow away. "Now you listen here young man!" Her
ears were red, and she was shaking her finger. "I’m not going to be here
forever. I’m not from Nimh- I’m not like your father was, or even like Justin!
I have only a little while left on this earth, while you will live for years
reaching thirty. When I’m gone, you need someone to watch over you."

It had never hit Timothy- or any of the children for that matter- that their
mother was not going to live for very much longer. Mice only lived for a couple
years or so. That was it. Mrs. Frisby, because she had had Jonathan’s children,
her life may be extended by a year, if she was lucky. Timothy looked up at her
with curious eyes. He knew she was right.

Timothy wiped his eyes on his sleeve, and then wrapped his arms around his
mother tightly. "I love you, Momma." He whispered.

"I love you too, sweetheart." Mrs. Frisby whispered back. She
slowly stroked his hair.

After a minute or so, Timothy straightened up, and went to the bathroom.
Mrs. Frisby walked over to Justin as the rest of the children went into the
bathroom with Timothy.

"I never knew you felt that way." Justin said. "Maybe we
shouldn’t-"

"No," Sara replied, "We should. I’m not going to use you-
I’ve only a few years left to live. And if you don’t want to have a
relationship that will certainly only last a few years, then I understand. I
just want to love again. I want to be loved again, and, well.."

Justin drew her closer. "It’s fine with me. I don’t care. It is and honor
and a privilege to be so close to you. And, maybe, because you did have
his children, you may live a good five or six years more. But, that I cannot be
sure of. All I know is that, since the day I saw you, I loved you." he
kissed her forehead.

Shouting. There were yells and screams and cries coming from the hallway.
What was going on? The children burst out of the doorway and stood listening.
Justin and Sara rushed out to the hallway. You could not move because it was so
crowded. Justin spotted a familiar face over some heads, and took off after
him.

"Tony!!" Justin shouted. Tony looked up.

Tony walked over to Justin and took a deep breath. "We’re back!"
He glanced behind Justin. "Uh," he said, "Can I come in? My
room’s on the other hall so it will take forever to get to it. May I come in
and inform you about our previous mission?"

Justin nodded, and hurried Tony in the door. As they walked in, the Frisby
family greeted them. Tony was puzzled.

"Oh, I’m sorry Justin," he said, "I didn’t know you were in the
middle of- well, had company!"

"Think nothing of it." Justin replied. "Have a seat."

Tony took a seat on the edge of the bed. Trying not to stare at Sara, he
started his conversation. "The hospital is on an overload! Simon lost a
piece of his ear, and Quaker is about dying. Quaker saved another trooper,
Michael, and got his stomach ripped open by an owl’s talons. Jenner is actually
behaving himself! He is being escorted to the jail as we speak, well, right
after he goes to have a check-up at the hospital."

Justin and the Frisby family were all now filling the chairs and the corners
of the beds. "Oh, sorry to interrupt Tony," Justin commented,
"But as you know, this is the Frisby family. This is Sara, Martin, Teresa,
Cynthia, and Timothy… the one who was sick last year."

Tony shook hands with them all, and continued: "Well, Quaker I fear is
not going to live long. It would take a miracle for him to live for another
week. We need Mr. Ages up here quick. We might need more medicine. Simon lost
his ear the night Jenner returned. They got into a fight, but no one really
knows who started it. Alexander believes Simon started it because of that mouth
of his. I don’t know why Alexander didn’t leave with Jenner in the first place.
He favors him an awful lot."

The noises from outside the hall had finally cleared away, which meant that
it was time for Tony to head home. Tony stood. "Thank you for letting me
come in." he said. He smiled and shut the door behind him with a squeak.

"Well, Sara," Justin said looking down at her, "I think it’s
about time you look at all those suggestions you got at the meeting today. We
need them. P.D.Q!"

Jenner was wheeled down the crowded hallway. As he looked around, he noticed
a few familiar faces. He was being wheeled in on account of his presumably
battered feet. Supposedly, he could not walk, and he needed medical treatment.
He lay on the wheeling bed thinking to himself.

He thought of where he was. He had not planned on coming so soon. He had not
intended for anyone to come and get him, nor had he planned to carry out his
scheme so early. Now, he was just playing by instinct. He was playing not by
rules, but, since it was instinct, he was playing by the rule of death: An eye
for an eye. His partner Sullivan had been killed in the hardware store.
Sullivan would be alive had it not been for Nicodemus and his Plan in which no
one liked. Simon died, therefore, well, an eye for an eye…

Mrs. Frisby sat around the table with her children. Justin had left a while
ago, to check on Jenner. Sara and her family sat at the big round table beside
the bed. All of them shuffled through great mounds of papers, all of which had
to be read, grouped and singled down within an hour.

Sara had read the whole pile and picked out all the considerable ones and
handed them to Teresa. Teresa did the same process; read them and picked out
all the good ones in her pile. Then, she handed them to Martin, and so on. By
the time the pile got to Timothy (who was the last one to handle the papers
before they made a decision), there were only about five papers he would choose
between.

"Hmmm…" Timothy said, "This one suggests that we keep Jenner
in a cell, but keep him alive.. let him grow fat and clumsy, and since the jail
cells are so confined, he will become extremely weak. They say that once he is
basically wasted, let him out." Timothy thought about it for a while. It
was a very thought out plan, but kind of a sick thing to do, too.

Timothy thought for a while longer, and handed his mother three from the pile
of five he had. She looked them over as well, but could not decide. "Come,
children," she said grabbing her cape, "We need to see
Nicodemus."

The family walked down the hallway in deep thought. Though none of them
really knew Jenner and what he was hated for, they all saw what an impact he
has in Thorn Valley. So many disliked him, and that was enough. Out of all
Thorn Valley, no one liked him at all. (Or so they thought)

By now, as they neared Nicodemus’ office, a few rats walked the hallway.
Some of them had been soldiers and were going to the cafeteria for some food.
Some were guards, re-reporting for duty. Many of them were men; big and so
robust were they, they intimidated even Sara, who knew that they were no harm
to her.

They came to Nicodemus’ door and knocked on it. He answered with the same
gruff voice. "Come in." he said.

Cynthia burst into the room all in excitement. "Mr. Nicodemus!
Mr.!" She exclaimed, "We have some papers for you!" She ran a
lap around him before she took her seat. Cynthia liked Nicodemus.

Nicodemus bent down in front of her so that they were both face to face.
"Oh really?" he said with a childish grin. He then raised his hand,
and did a trick that even amazed Mrs. Frisby. He showed Cynthia his hand, and
then placed it beside her ear. In an instant, he pulled out a toy doll for her.
Cynthia scooped it up, and, with a giggle, thanked him.

The doll was only made of yarn; it didn’t even have a face. It was strands
of purple yarn grouped into five groups so it formed legs, arms, and a head.

"I hope you don’t mind," he said to Sara, "The girl in the
cafeteria made it for her. She told me that she saw you every day, and she
thought that Cynthia was as cute as a button."

Timothy and the others looked down at the ground in very slight envy.

Nicodemus looked at them. "She didn’t leave you guys out, either."
He said. With that, he reached behind him and pulled out two boats made of
wood, and another doll like Cynthia’s. He handed the Yellow string doll to
Teresa (The doll was bigger than Cynthia’s) and Teresa was greatly pleased.
Martin and Timothy both liked their boats, too. They all thanked him.

Nicodemus looked at Sara. "Okay. What do you need here, Mrs.
Frisby?"

"Well, sir, I was wondering if you could choose a suggestion. We find them
all equal, and the meeting will be here soon." She handed the bent papers
to Nicodemus.

Nicodemus stood behind his deck for a second and then answered. "I
choose the one where we keep him at work," he said, "It isn’t a
horrible punishment, yet for him it will be agonizing. The castigation won’t
make us look mean, either."

Sara thanked him very much. "I think I’m going to put the children to
bed now, and then go give these to Justin. It is already dark, so I need
something for tomorrow’s speech." She shook Nicodemus’ hand, and directed
the children out the door.

"Wait."

Mrs. Frisby turned back around.

"This is for you as well. Judy sent it for you." He held out a
beautiful dark blue cape for her. "Go one. Take it."

Mrs. Frisby reached out for it, held it, and then looked down at the old red
one she was wearing. The cape that had once been vivid red was now a dull and
dingy red. The edges of it were torn and tattered. There were holes lining the
sides of it, and she had never really noticed it before, but now she was
ashamed of her appearance.

The cape that was being handed to her was a dark blue, and soft to the
touch. The inside of it was lined with a deep, deep purple velvet. There was
also a golden clasp at the top corners of it, so she could fasten it around her
neck.

Sara removed her red cape, and put the new one on. It draped all the way to
the floor, and then fanned out slightly at the bottom, like a wedding dress
should. It didn’t drag the floor much, but it did a little. She spread out her
arms and twirled in a circle. The inside velvet captured the light of the room
so that it looked as though it were glowing. The cape caught the air as it
rushed by her so it fanned out around her. She looked like royalty.

Mrs. Frisby’s children stood behind her in reverence, without moving a
muscle. They could not believe how much a difference the cape made on their
mother. Not only did it make her look younger, it made her look smarter, too.

"Has Justin seen it?" She asked Nicodemus.

"No, he hasn’t. But I do think you need to wait until the meeting
tomorrow to show him."

Mrs. Frisby thought about it for a while. He was right- if she was to take
over the meeting again tomorrow, she needed to look like she knew what she was
doing. She thanked him once again, and guided her children out the door. It was
getting late, and the children needed to go to bed. She thought that she needed
to get some sleep, too.

Justin stood over Jenner’s bed in disbelief. Jenner was here. After all the
trouble he had caused, he was finally back. Justin thought as he stared at
Jenner’s closed eyes. They weren’t done yet; they still had Dr. Shultz to worry
about. Since Jenner was heading for the Fitzgibbon’s farm, that could send the
Dr. considering the previous visit on the farm. If he had found anything from
Roy and the other rat, he should know for sure that the group of rats he was
following were from Nimh. He didn’t know about Thorn Valley, and he wasn’t
allowed to drive or fly over it, so he might not even think about it. They
could only hope….

"Hi"

Justin woke up from his thinking and looked down. "Hello." Justin
said back at Jenner.

"I know what you are thinking, Justin," Jenner said. "You
already have a punishment for me. You think I’m so bad for wanting to be
successful. You think that because I spoke out about what I believed in is
horrendous. You are probably going to lock me up and let me whither away to my
death, right?" He didn’t give Justin enough time to answer. "Well I
have to tell you something… I’m a new person. I learned that you can’t do
anything without help, and help is what I had the least of. I know I did wrong
in the past, and with Simon, but I’m different. I am ready and willing to prove
it, too."

Justin didn’t move. "Well…"

"Well what?" Jenner said gently, "You don’t need to say
anything. I know I was very bad in the past, and I regret it now. But, I know
as a fact, and it’s okay- I am going to be punished because of the past, and
not because of who I am now."

Justin was still quiet, but his temper began to wear down. He was about to
tell Jenner about how careless he had been, so selfish, and so imbecilic, but
Jenner’s eyes closed, and he rolled over.