Forums / Roleplaying / The Mouse Knight

The little one and the others were dropped roughly into a ten gallon tank already occupied with more mice. Many of them looked haggard and thin. They hadn't eaten. Immediately, the other mice began introducing themselves. One mouse, bigger and older, just stood in the corner. That intrigued our hero, so he crawled over to the old mouse.

"Hi," said the little mouse.

"Goodbye," growled the older mouse, and for a while he said nothing more. So the little mouse groomed him, kept him company, and since nights were cold, he slept next to him. One day (in the middle of their night) the cage opened and one of them was taken out. It was one of the little one's brothers. Everyone watched him get lifted up by his tail and vanish. The little mouse was happy for his brother - he would get to see mom and dad first.  "What are you smiling at?" said the old mouse.

"He gets to see mommy and daddy first," said the little mouse. "I wi*beep* was me."

The old mouse shifted uncomfortably and snaffed in the little one's direction. "Is that what you think? You're quite naive."

The little mouse was taken aback. He put his nose close to the old one to listen more.

"Everyone is here to feed the monster." the old one said. "We are all doomed."

Scared at last, the little one shook and trembled. "How would you know?" he asked.

"I've survived it a few times," the old one said. "I can't walk any more, and my sight is going. My back hurts and I'm not quick as I used to be. I'm nearly a year old."

A year old! That was ancient! The little one stood in awe. Then he realized the meaning of what the old one had said. As it sunk in, he realized he didn't have a mom or dad any more. And just then everyone heard his brother scream, from far away. The shriek lasted just a few seconds, but was full of terror and pain. The entire cage stood still and everyone wore a face of horror. The little one began crying.

The old mouse felt for the little one, so much like himself in his earlier days. So he groomed the little one's fur, and tried to make him feel better.

"You thought life was wonderful and happy, and that everything would work out in the end, eh?" he asked as he groomed.

"Y-yeah... that was how the book stories ended..." the little one sobbed.

"In real life the big people are cruel and uncaring," the old mouse told him. "Life is unfair and a struggle. Everything is hard. Even if you get out, there is no food and bad weather. No one treats mice well."

"Someone has to!" the little mouse said in despair. "Life can't be that terrible all the time!"

"Ha ha ha!" the big mouse laughed. "Wanna bet?"

"Have you ever gotten out?"

"Many times," said the old mouse. "Every time, I wanted back in!"

"How terrible! I won't believe it - there has to be hope!"

"Well, believe it or not, one day they'll come for you - probably for me first... and I won't be able to fight back any more. I'm done for next time. That stupid monster - I should have killed him the first time, when he was smaller."

"He... he can be killed?" the little mouse said, barely understanding what killed meant.

"Yup. He has a weak spot right under his head - side of his neck. But his mouth tends to get in the way - and he has a big mouth."

"We can escape together..." the little one hoped out loud.

"I can't walk, little one. Where would I go?"

"I'll take care of you," the little one said. "We can go to the wild..."

"Oh, so you've heard that myth. No good. Forget it. The mice out there are twenty times faster than we are. We're normal mice... Just mice. We don't stand a chance."

"But you fought back - doesn't everyone? Sooner or later someone will kill the thing... won't they?"

The old one looked sideways at the youngster. "Probably not," he said quietly. "I'm the only one that ever fought back. And for that the evil owner tried to put me in a bowl of moving water to drown, but I bit him. He doesn't know what to do with me, but soon I will die. Everyone else is terrified. I was in the monster's lair one time with another mouse... I told him we could take the beast if we ganged up, but the other one was just paralyzed with fear. Couldn't move. I watched him get eaten. Horrible." The old mouse's face cringed. "Just awful."

The mind of the little one raced with fear trying to figure a way out of the hell he had landed in, when the cage top opened. A giant hand reached down for the older mouse.

"Don't give up, little one," he croaked as he was lifted by his tail. "No matter how bad it seems, don't give up - that's all we can do!"

Then he was gone.

A long time the mouse sat there, very sad. He kept listening for the scream but there wasn't one. Then he hoped that the old warrior mouse might have killed the monster - but there was little chance of that. So he sat in fear, which he decided was worse than anything. Anything at all. Even death.

After a few days the hand came back. The little mouse rushed up and jumped into it. Trembling and afraid, but determined that he could save one of his family, even for a little while - and his fear would at least be over; he hated it so! His life had gone from a happy wonder to a dread hopeless mess. He had made up his mind. This was the best thing he could do.

So into the lair of the monster he went. By his tail, cast roughly into the cold gravel. He tried hard not to hate humans. Not all of them could be bad. The old mouse had seen a lot, but couldn't have seen everything.

He was terribly afraid, though he didn't know of what - having no real concept of death. His sight was poor, as with most white mice. But he smelled death. He smelled and heard it sliding toward him.

His first sight of it came as it turned around a large rock. There was no mistaking it. Even missing the wings and the legs, it was a dragon. Plain as day... a real dragon. Its slitted eyes glittered as it saw him. And there in its side was a wound - a long gash ripped by sharp teeth. The old mouse had gotten one last blow in after all. He had fought with his life to save the little mouse, but lost in the end. Fear gripped the little mouse and he froze. Froze solid. He couldn't move.

"Don't give up," said the spirit of the old mouse.

The little mouse was shaken from his terror and something else took its place. Anger! Why should they suffer and die? Just mice?? That old mouse had more integrity and courage than any human or dragon the little mouse had met yet. He decided then that the dragon would not eat his family. The dragon would never eat another mouse ever again.

Then he remembered that dragons breathe fire. He moved aside with all his youthful speed, just in time. The dragon's head blurred past him - brushed his whiskers, spinning him in circles. It hurt, but he jumped straight up and chirped in alarm. Below him, the dragon turned its great head and coiled for another blow as the little one landed on his back.

Not pausing even for a half second, he jumped in panic for the only safe place in the lair: the dragon's head! 

Teeth bared, claws reaching, he felt his searching jaws tighten on scales - then sink in, and he wrung and flailed his entire mouse body for all he was worth. Biting and tearing, digging into the side of the dragon's neck where the old warrior had marked his target for him. Time slowed to a standstill.

The dragon writhed and flung the mouse about the cage trying to dislodge him - he felt the cage walls smash into him - he felt the floor - his little bones ached and fire spread through his body - but he would not let go. He dug deeper every chance he got to widen his grip!

Then, after a lifetime of battle, it was over. He woke on his side, sure he was dead - but pain proved him wrong. And the dragon was next to him, sprawled out on his back, still breathing with a rasping sound like a rusty wheel.

The little mouse slowly crawled to his feet and stood there, stunned. His senses came back and he limped over to the head of the dragon. It was dying. He almost felt sorry for it.

"You are a most unusual mouse," said the dragon. "So very fast."

"Fear. So very afraid and angry," said the mouse.

"Brave," said the dragon. "So very brave. Never had a meal attack me first."

"Life was such a depressing surprise," said the mouse. "I expected it to be better."

The dragon heaved and blood ran past the mouse's feet, staining them red. "With a spirit like yours, it could be better," he said.

"I just did what the knights would have done," said the mouse. "I didn't know what else to do besides being afraid, and that never worked."

"What is a knight?" The dragon asked. The little mouse was surprised that the dragon didn't know. So he sat down by the monster and told him the story of Saint George. By the time he was done the dragon was almost gone.

"You are like Saint George," said the dragon. "You are a knight."

The little mouse looked down. "I can't be. It takes a knight or a king to make a knight."

"The first part of my name is King," said the dragon. "What is your name?"

"I don't have one," said the mouse. "I've heard legends that the only mice that have names are the ones loved by good people." The mouse paused, then looked at the giant's eye. "Are there good people, mister dragon?"

The dragon smiled weakly. "Yes, little mouse. They are very rare, but there are. Somewhere. You will have to find them. Only a knight could do that. Would you like to be a knight? Do you have it in you to do good deeds and never be afraid? I think you do."

The mouse nodded. He would so dearly love to be a knight! Was the dragon really a King?

Extending his tongue the dragon touched the little mouse on the head. "To the only mouse who ever beat a snake," it said. "I dub thee Mouseknight, until you have a proper name. And if anyone asks you who made you a knight, tell them it was KingSnake."

The mouse nodded, then remembered his family.

"What will happen to my family?" he asked.

"They will be flushed down the toilet," KingSnake said. "Unless you all escape. The cage roof is loose - the human doesn't think mice can lift it."

"We can't!" said the mouse.

"Not one by one. But in great numbers you are very strong. Once there were two mice in here... and one was a good fighter. I was afraid. Two might have taken me."

"You were afraid?" the mouse gasped.

"Oh yes, especially of that angry mouse... he didn't taste very good anyway... had he not made a hole in my armor, you might not have beaten me."

"He was my friend," the little one whispered.

"He is avenged, Mouseknight."

Then with a last rush of strength, the dragon whipped his tail into the air, and dislodged the roof, creating a way out. "Go now, Honorable Knight. Go and free your family. Good luck. All caged animals wish for freedom."

"Or a loving owner," the mouse said.

"That would be the only thing better," said the dragon, and then he died.

Then, after a drink of water, the mouse found that it could leap straight up - very high - and get out.

[omg kob!!!!]

The Mouse Knight gasped and struggled to keep breathing for what seemed like hours as he was washed through tunnels of wet, cold darkness. Occasionally he would plop down into a vast room of water and noise, only to be sucked down another tunnel. Once there was a bit of light and he saw a rat staring at him as he thrashed about, trying to swim to anything that might spare him drowning. The rat was white with a gold color about his head, almost like a light, and looked with compassion on the little mouse being taken by the current out to the great sea. And while the Mouse Knight would rather have stayed to chat, he was swept away again.

Finally, waterlogged and miserable, the mouse was spewed out onto a beach, where he clumsily struggled to shore and lay there on his side, gasping for air. Sand coated his fur, and as he coughed foul sewage emptied out of his lungs. He spat the rest out his mouth. He feared becoming sick, and knew he had to find shelter and warmth. The sun was going down in a deep red sky, casting bloody light across the water in a pathway toward him, beckoning him to surrender. While he stopped to look at the magnificent sight he had never beheld in his young life, he was not of a mind to give up, and so the ocean took harsher measures.

The wave, all of four inches high, was gigantic to a mouse. It took him by surprise and he was smashed over, covered by rapid water and pushed into the ground. It almost dragged him out to a wet death but he fought with every inch of his body for life. His tail anchored him and he swam against the current until he felt sand under his feet again as the wave retreated behind him. Then he lurched up the sand, getting hit by two more waves and struggling not to be sucked to his end. Finally, he made it clear of the fast water. Tired, stinky and shaking with panic, he made his way along the beach until he could find a way up the cliffs. During his trek, he saw the empty carcass of a small lobster. He sat, tired, staring at the strange thing for a time. It was hard, and pointy all over. That it had once been alive was not lost on his delicate nose, but now it was just a shell. He couldn't imagine though what had been strong enough to get past that amazing armor. He doubted even a dragon could penetrate that spiked hide. Shrugging, he went onward. Maybe there were worse things than dragons. Soon he found an agreeable spot on the cliff, and went up it like the amazing climbers that all mice are.

As the cold night wore on, he grew weaker and weaker - and finally used the last of his strength to crawl pathetically over the edge at the top of the giant cliffs to a garage where he found a water heater under which he lay for a time, and passed out.

When he awoke, he was alone and warm. Cleaning himself off thoroughly, he realized he was also starving and thirsty. Scrounging about, he found some seeds and a bit of water outside the house on the early morning grass. Once he regained his composure, he knew it was a miracle he was still alive. And, in the simple thought of mice, he knew there had to be a reason for this. It had something to do with being a Mouse Knight. Maybe the only Mouse Knight. But beyond that, destiny seemed to escape him. Little did he know that he was on the right track, and like the special mouse he was, he stayed on that track when his mind decided that fate was too big a word for a little mouse. Turning his mind to other things, he knew he had to find his family and friends.

It was at that moment, in a dark garage, that the Mouse Knight knew what he was supposed to do.

Mice were treated poorly everywhere. He had never seen any treated well. But somewhere, somehow, it had to happen. And he would make it happen. He would find his fellow escapees - for surely they wouldn't live long without human care. They just weren't wild mice. Thousands of years of domestication had taken their toll. Mice needed to be cared for, plain and simple. So he would find them - all his family, even back at the pet store! He would set them free. All of them. And then he would find the few - or the one - human who by the law of averages simply had to exist in this world of cruelty to helpless mice. He would find that person, and make them understand that he and his family needed help.

And in that solemn moment of revelation, he felt more right, and more strong, than ever in his short little life. A soft light of dawn came under the garage door and made his tarnished white coat seem like gold. He knew what he had been born to do.

And armed with this, he went right back to sleep.

When he woke, he ate more, drank more, and ventured forth into the scary outside world in search of his companions. It was just before night.

He travelled far, speaking in alleys and solitary places to wild mice and house mice. They had not seen his friends. And they were amazed that a white mouse was loose, much less alive. They warned him of demons called cats - and monsters called dogs - but by far the worst of the threats was being captured again by humans, who laid traps that snapped a poor mouse in half, and laid out sweet smelling poisons that took days of agony to end a tiny life. And while all these horror stories scared our hero, he had already been scared out of his rational mouse mind - and chose not to return to that old mouse he had been. He ignored the warnings and simply told them that he must find his friends.

It was days later that out of the darkness of evening, amongst the great towers of several trashcans, came a soft, deep voice.

"And why would you risk so much?" said the voice.

All the other mice he had been speaking to were suddenly gone with a speed that made his best look very slow indeed.

Fearing another dragon, or worse, he puffed his chest up nevertheless and answered, "Because it is the right thing to do!"

"Well," said the voice, "that's good enough for me." And a shape waddled out of the dark toward him. Smaller than he expected, but still several times his size. The Mouse Knight crouched low, rattled his tail and arched his back. If he could kill a dragon, this wayward rodent would pose no challenge.

"Easy, man," said the rat. "Normally mice are lunch for us rats, but myself, I've always liked them for conversation instead of dinner. Besides, you're way too tough if you can survive the sewer." 

The mouse perked his head and ears forward, sniffing and looking. It was the same rat he had seen in the dark wet place - white with a hood of gold fur about his head.

They just looked at each other for a short moment.

"Rats eat mice?" the mouse asked.

"Yep. All the time," replied the rat.

"But you're not going to eat me."

"Nope."

"Not hungry?"

"Not stupid," replied the rat, and laughed. "I've heard all about you, Mouse Knight."

Now, if we were to draw the little mouse as a cartoon, this is where we'd put the exclamation point right over his head. His tail went straight up and his ears popped out to full sail. He didn't say anything, but his face said it all.

"Yeah, I've got the right mouse," laughed the rat, smiling broadly. "Your friends are up a few blocks hiding out in an old tool shed. They've told everyone about the mouse that killed the snake and rescued them from certain death - even facing off a human in the process!"

Automatically, the little mouse liked this rat. The rat exuded friendliness and calm. There was nothing at all to dislike. The mouse felt he could trust him instantly. He was strong and handsome. And he had a sweet smile.

"My name is Michael," said the rat, strolling closer to sniff at the amazed mouse as though he hadn't said anything shocking. "Named after the archangel. Do you have one?"

"An archangel?" asked the mouse.

"No... a name."

The mouse lowered his head in deep emotion.

"No," said the mouse. "I've always wanted one. Secretly, it's all I've ever really wanted. But... But you have to be owned... by someone that loves you... to have one."

"HA HA HA HA," laughed Mike. "Well, you have to be owned, that's true, but loved is another story. My owner tossed me out like yesterday's garbage after I wasn't a cute little baby any more."

The Mouse Knight's eyes became sad. "Oh... I'm so sorry, Mike."

"Ah, I'm over it," the rat said, but he turned his face away and began walking. The mouse followed him, heading in the direction of his friends in the tool shed. "It's overrated, you know? Humans just don't care about us."

"Surely... surely there must be one... somewhere... that might?" the mouse asked tentatively.

The rat stopped for a moment to gaze back. He was still smiling.

"Yeah, I've heard that myth. The Caring Human. The Kind One. Don't get your hopes up, kid. It's a fairy tale. Like the Millet Mouse, or the Sugar Rat."

The Mouse Knight's heart sank. Was there no hope? He just refused to give up - he remembered his quest - and strength came back to him.

"Some day, Mike, maybe I will prove you wrong," he said.

Mike chuckled. "I'd love that, my little friend. I really would."

Before they knew it, they were at the tool shed. Everyone had made it, living on scraps and early morning dew from the grass. And they were stunned into awe at seeing the Mouse Knight again, much less that he had a rat with him.

Being young and quite uninformed, the little mice came right to the rat, oddity that he was to them. They crawled on him and sniffed him. Michael loved it, touching noses with each one of them.

A few of them questioned The Mouse Knight while Mike played with the others.

"How did you get away?" and "You are our hero!" and "We are hungry and thirsty!"

"I'm no hero," the little one said. "I got away by luck. And we know of a place for food and water - Mike showed me."

Soon, after much scurrying, they were all eating their fill behind a very fine dining establishment, and enjoying every minute of it. While they were eating, Mouseknight told Mike of his plans.

"Well, then, we'd better set out to find this pet store of yours," he said. "It could be far away. There are many in the city. We're going to need help."

"And these mice need to be kept somewhere safe," Mouseknight told Mike.

"Well, safe is an illusion, my friend, but I know a place that's close."

The wee hours before dawn saw the mice and the rat skulking in the park, at the edge of civilization. There were a number of semi-abandoned buildings, and the grass was unkempt and tall. They could hide easily. Mike told them to be careful and stay close - there were loose dogs and cats in the park.

"What are cats!" "And dogs?" "Can I eat this grass?"

"Worse than dragons," Mouseknight told them, looking around nervously. "And no, you better not."

Mike said he'd be right back, they'd better wait for him there and wander not at all. If anything bad came, hide and stay hidden until he made two quick chirps. Everyone agreed.

Half an hour went by and the mice were restless. The little one had trouble containing them. Finally, he began telling them stories from the few books he'd read. He knew it wouldn't help to tone down his already ridiculous reputation, but it might keep them all still for a while.

In the middle of the third story (what was taking Mike so long?) came a noise. A scraping on the pavement near the bush they were in. They all froze, looking up past Mouseknight with horror. Slowly, wincing at what might be there, The Knight looked over his shoulder.

A human! Squatting down looking right at them, not three feet away - well within grabbing distance. He had long black hair hanging around his face, and had soft brown eyes. He smiled in gentle delight.

The mice all chirped and ran for it randomly. "No, wait!" Mouseknight yelled, but they were afraid and did what mice do. God knows how far they'd go or who might get lost. He felt hopeless. Stupid human! His quest was too important for this.

He remembered when he was tiny, just a baby, his mother hissing and snarling at the giant hand that would come into the tank to grab mice. He had felt so protected! He knew now that his mom never stood a chance against the dreaded hand, but the fact that she put her life on the line for her children so quickly, without thought of her own doom, had taught at least one of her little son's courage. So, hissing and hopping, he came at the human. Let the other mice see it, and stay, he prayed. He was sure he would be squashed for this. His heart raced. He had to make a good show of it. 

He rattled his tail, and chirped loudly. He dodged quickly back and forth. He jumped high and showed the human his teeth. The other mice stopped and gaped. Mike appeared out of nowhere with several other new (much larger) mice just in time to see the brash display.

Amazingly, the human just laughed! He *beep*ed his head to one side and raised his thick eyebrows. "What a strange mouse you are," he said.

The Mouse Knight stopped and stared, his eyes full of surprise. No squish?

Mike moved without hesitation where all the others were frozen with fear and disbelief. He ran out, and as quick as he could, tried to grab Mouseknight from harm.

And almost as quick the human yelled, "Look out, mouse!" and moved to swat Mike away with his gigantic open hand. But Mike had been around the block more than twice, and was in his prime. He dodged the hand easily - big slow thing - and thought about biting it for good measure, but decided against it. If the man had hurt his little friend though, Mike would have taken at least the ounce worth of mouse his friend weighed out of the human's hide. Mike clamped his jaws around the little mouse's neck scruff and made off with him. The human gave chase for a few feet, but couldn't fit into the bush. The other mice all ran after Mike as fast as they could.

After a minute they were under a building.

"Attacking humans now, mister mouse?" Mike asked incredulously. "Are you completely nuts?"

"The others had to get away," Mouseknight said. "You shouldn't have grabbed me - he wasn't going to hurt me."

"How could you know?" Mike stared.

Mouseknight began back toward the sidewalk. "I just know, Mike. He had his chance."

"Yeah, and he took it with me!" Mike exclaimed.

"That swat was so slow," the mouse replied. "If he'd been trying to hurt you, you'd be hurt. He was not a fat, slow human. He thought you were trying to eat me."

The sidewalk was empty. The little mouse sighed and turned around.

Mike just eyed his friend. "You don't think he was a human who actually liked mice, do you?"

"We'll never know now. Maybe not that one, but they have to exist, Mike. They do."

Mike gave him a look that said, you're dreaming but I love you anyway.

They returned to the group, which sat huddled in their hidey-hole. No one knew what to say. But Mike went to some of the new mice he had brought back and said, "See?"

The new mice, every one of them large and strong, eyed Mouseknight. "Yes, you may all come," said one, a big brawny brown mouse, and led the way out of the hole.

All the way down the gutter they continued to eye the Mouse Knight. He looked around. They were all eyeing him. He snaffed and looked over at Mike. At least Mike was nonchalant, as always. He heard whispers of "Stood up to a human twice" and "Not a normal mouse..."

"Hey." He stopped, and turned on the mice. They all backed up into each other and showed signs of submission, though most of them were twice his size. Their eyes got real big. "I'm just a mouse," he said. "Just like you. We're all just mice, and we all suffer the same, hurt the same, and feel the same. Any of you could have done what I did. Maybe it's time we stopped thinking that we are just mice and started thinking that being a mouse is a great thing to be. This 'just helpless mice' thing is getting on my mouse nerves. So what about that!"

They remained motionless for a few seconds (long time for a mouse to stay still, much less twenty mice) then broke into cheers, squeaks of joy, and little hops of pleasure. They picked up their hero mouse and carried him the rest of the way, led by the street mice, who were cheering also.

Mouseknight looked down at Mike. "Get me down!"

Mike just laughed.

I refuse to read something that starts with
"Once upon a time".

Sorry dude,
i got standers.


XP .

The little mouse had never beheld anything near the amount of mice and rats in one place as he saw now. There must be hundreds, he thought. As far as his little albino eyes could see: ears, tails, eyes. And far beyond that (about three feet) his nose smelled many more. All here to hear him. He was nervous. In the front row, however, the King, Lady Tree, Squibble, and Mousefriend Mike seemed to have utter confidence in him.

"Umm... hi." he chirped. They all applauded. Hey - this is kinda cool, he thought. "Tonight, we will make a raid on the pet store where my family - and yours - are held against their will by the humans." More applause. Yeah. A mouse could get used to this... "There will be no room for error, and although I have a plan, some mice and rats might get hurt... or worse."

Silence.

"Well, it's true. Did you think I could shoot lightning out my eyes or something and save everyone by myself?" The crowd looked back with a clear yes answer. The little Mouse Knight sighed and put his hands on his chest. "Anyone that wants out now, it's okay. No loss of honor."

But no one moved.

So, in the night, many mice and rats moved with speed and silence to the bus station. The Mouse Knight read the maps and bus schedules, explaining them to Mike. They decided on a good route to take to the pet store. Then, when the drivers were chatting away on their breaks, the buses were flooded with rodents. The scouts told them which bus was empty, and it was the last shift. It wouldn't do to have humans screaming bloody murder as hundreds of furry bodies attempted to share a ride with them. Those humans - always freaking out over nothing.

Once aboard, it was a short ride; every ear and tail was still. Even Squibble's. Once, they were almost discovered as an old lady boarded the late night bus and one of the mice had to go sniff her foot. Everyone held their breath as he sniffed, and then marked her shoe. Big Fat mouse slapped the daring renegade when he returned. The lady was none the wiser, and eventually got off the bus.

When the bus driver heard the "ding" for a bus stop, he looked back into the empty bus with a puzzled expression. When the stop came close, the haunted vessel "dinged" several times so furiously that he skidded it to a halt and said out loud, "Okay! Go! Get out, spirits!"

So they did. All the little spirits ran out the door as fast as they could, as the driver watched over his glasses. When the last mouse paused as if to chirp thanks at him and then continued out the door, he decided the mouse spirit wasn't all that bad, and maybe he would visit a pet store the next day. The bus drove on, and the rescue team made their way through the dark of night to the pet store.

It was ominous. All dark, huge, and intimidating. Knowing there were trapped family and friends inside that great prison was even more intimidating. One wrong move and they would all remain there, forever. Or be sold as food again. It was stepping back into Hell. One look around at their faces told the Mouse Knight that they all knew it. No one backed out.

Getting in was simple for the mice. The rats had to chew some to open the air vent shaft, and their teeth went through the thin metal like cardboard. When the mice all gazed at their strength, the rats puffed up and pranced around until the Mouse Knight got everyone focused again. He ordered them around to the front.

There, he told them to chew a hole through the weakest portion of the wall, right by the front door. A big hole - bigger than three rats. The rats looked at him briefly as if he was nuts - a hole? In the wall?? They could already get in through the back.

"Can't do it?" Mouseknight asked, tilting his head. "I heard rats could chew through anything."

Without another word, the rats began chewing with fury. With all of them at it, there was a hole any rat could drive a wheel through in minutes. They were actually shocked that the wall was not solid. They joked that humans built poor nests.

"Why two ways?" Mike asked as his cohorts put the finishing touches on the hole.

"Old mouse rule," Mouseknight answered. "Always one way in - and one way out."

Once inside, they were met with a shock. Some of the lights were on! Someone, somewhere, was in here with them! Everyone looked at the leader. Mouseknight softly whispered, in the supersonic voice of rodents that no human could hear, "The plan goes on."

Speedy Squibble zoomed ahead as a tiny blur to scout the way. He came back in minutes and reported that the entire way was clear, but there was a human in the rodent room!

Mouseknight squinted his eyes. "What did he look like?"

Squibble forced his words to a slow flash. "He was big and had things on his face, an' spots on his face, an' he was eatin' somethin, and lookin at somethin."

"Was it flat and in his lap?" Mouseknight asked.

"Yeah! Yeah it was! Wow - you're psychic mouse!" Squibble chattered.

Mouseknight just looked amused at Squibble. "Good job, Squire." Squibble puffed up larger than the rats and paraded amongst them. Mouseknight turned to the others. "This improvements the plan. I know this human. He's not bad. I think I can cause a distraction. Be ready when I chirp!" Mike nodded; no one questioned him as he departed.

Stealthy and sleek in the night, the almost glowing white mouse skulked, although he stood out like a lit light bulb against the dim floor and the dark display shelves. He crept to the room, and sure enough, there was the manager he had known before, reading at 3 a.m. Did this guy have no life? Mouseknight shrugged, creeping up ever so slowly behind him. Inch by inch so as to make no noise at all, quiet as a mouse. Halfway up the table Mouseknight froze.

There, next to the manager, was a dog. A big one. It slept now, but its presence could ruin everything. Mouseknight had seen dogs before, at a distance, but this on e was covered in the scars of abuse, and he didn't know how dogs in general felt toward mice. Probably thought they were sport or food, like everything else did, thought the mouse bitterly. Best not to trust the dog. Quietly now... .

At the top of the table, the other mice saw Mouseknight. Some of them recognized him. But, as mice, the human could not hear their secret language.

"You came back!??" one of them asked. "Are you crazy??" and, "No one has ever come back." and "Wow - he was just a baby when I saw him last..." and also, "He's gonna see you."

Mouseknight motioned for them to calm down. At last, they did.

"In a moment, you must all stand on one another - and push the lid off the cage," he said. They argued and gasped. The concept of freedom was lost on them. He hung his head in frustration. "You are food!" he chirped.

They shut up. Some of them shook their heads, unbelieving. 

"Yes. You are," he continued. "Everyone who goes from this place is food for dragons and sometimes worse things. You must escape. Do as I say."

"But you said they were going to good happy places..." one little mouse sadly sobbed. The little thing reminded the Mouse Knight of himself when he was ignorant.

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry," said Mouseknight, "I was wrong. I was stupid to think that humans would love us because we were cute and harmless. Now band together when the others come and free yourselves, understand?"

They all agreed. So the Mouse Knight turned around to face the manager.

... And promptly got lost in the book he was reading.

Squibble put his tiny nose in Mike's face. "The master does as he knows best, rat," he said with attitude, daring Mike to start something.

Mike smirked widely and chuckled. "Okay, boy... down, now... I wouldn't dare question the master. Or fight his brave servant."

Vindicated, Squibble returned to moving back and forth on his feet nervously.

"Well, I'll be!" The Mouse Knight's head snapped up to look the manager right in the eye. "I remember you - you're the little runt that used to watch me read! How on earth did you get out?"

The caged mice watched in awe as the Mouse Knight flung himself right at the manager! Hurling through the air, he caught the side of the manager's big nose and with mouse-speed zoomed right down his body and across the floor to the door.

"My god!" the manager yelled.

"That's our cue," said Mike. "Let's go!"

The rescue team saw the Mouse Knight actually wait for the big man to rise and start chasing their white speck of a leader before he resumed his flight across the store tiles. Halfway between the aisles, he chirped, "Now, Mike - now!" 

Squibble paused as if to chase the human down, but Mike dragged him along by the scruff of the neck. "Youngster, that fatty won't ever catch your master," he said through his teeth.

Big Fat Mouse said, "Hey watch it, buddy!"

So Mouseknight led the manager a merry chase through the halls of the dark pet store, pausing when the human stopped for breath and loving every minute of it. It's great to be a mouse, he thought happily... This is just the best! When the manager would resume the chase, Mouseknight gleefully continued running as fast as his little legs would spin under him. And all the while, the rescue team was climbing up the table. Oh no! - he forgot to warn Mike about... !

"It's a dog," Mike whispered. "And a bad kind - a pit bull. Aggressive and nasty. Worse, see those lines on its face? It was whipped. Beaten and hurt. That's going to make it particularly mean. It won't hesitate to kill us... and they hear almost as good as we do. Just let it lie, and we might be okay. Be quiet, all of you."

Thus in silent, frightened unison they scaled the display shelves and got up onto the platform of the rodents. The mice and rats alike were flabbergasted to see so many loose kin. But they remembered the Mouse Knight's instructions, and carefully balanced on each other en mass, and pushed to remove the cover a crack. The rats just laughed and bounced upward to dislodge the cover while others caught it so it made no noise - it looked like a practiced trick.

Once all together, Mike informed both sides of the truce, and told them to make their way for the outer door - quietly. 

Many mice and rats scaled downward to the floor. Some fell, but were cushioned by the soft bodies of their companions below. No one that got landed on made a squeak. Mike kept his eyes right on the dog. The first of the party were out the door and moving fast when the frustrated manager let out a great bellow from the depths of the store.

"Demon! Come, boy! Come!"

Mike froze in horror when the dog's eyes snapped open and saw them all. It was named Demon?!

The dog was instantly on its feet and by its stance and gaping jaws, absolutely intended to destroy every rodent that was free. Death was in its beaten, sad eyes.

"Run for your lives!!" yelled Mike. "We cannot fight this! RUN!"

Everyone did, though it was clear from the start that some would not make it.

Now, there is a legend among mice. It is said that though small, they are some of the most courageous creatures on the earth. Many gods of myth employed mice because of their unfailing loyalty. Now add to this a mother's instinct to protect their young. Many times mouse mothers have stood against great odds to protect their babies, knowing it was at the cost of their lives, never once thinking of doing otherwise. Many other animals and even people would have fled and let their kin perish before the monster in that moment.

But the mother mice and the mother rats stood their ground. Joined by several of the bravest warrior mice from the Kingdom, they to ok the awful brunt of that first charge by Demon while their sons and daughters escaped. The dog sent several animals across the bridge to Heaven in a heartbeat with the power of its teeth. And while the stoic rats and mice clung to its face and tried to buy precious moments for all with their lives, the others fled in terror behind Michael.

The great beast covered their flight distance in one great leap. Many furry bodies fled in random directions. Chaos ensued. Mike yelled out, "Mouseknight! The dog is loose!"

A far distant voice came over supersonic waves. "Mike, tell them to run this way! To me - my voice!"

Mike yelled as loud as he could, "Everyone to the Mouse Knight! To the Mouse Knight!"

And, coming straight toward them from the entrance, the Mouse Knight chirped as loud as he could for everyone to hear.

Hear they did, and the random chaos that almost ended the rescue effort became one organized dash for safety as the dog snorted and stomped amongst them, taking the remaining warriors to their end, giving chase at full speed when there were no more victims.

Mike was last, and willingly bringing up the rear. The dog was right on his heels, massive jaws a-slavering to have him. He felt the great thundering of its feet through the tile beneath him. For the first time in many months since he had been abandoned, Mike felt fear. There was no choice of actions. He could dodge to the side, but most dogs were too stupid to follow, and then he would have abandoned the group. In seconds, he was going to die.

In the very moment he knew this, a white blur came around a corner and passed him going the other direction.

The Mouse Knight, looking back, yelled the same thing at the same time as Mike did.

"Look out!"

The manager barreled heedlessly around the same corner Mouseknight had just come from, and ran smack into the dog. Feet and paws and both bodies missed the two rodents as the manager and his dog hit the ground with a quaking pair of thuds.

Immediately the dog was righting itself, and the manager was cursing at Demon.

"I can't outrun the dog," yelled Mouseknight to Mike. "Go!"

"Foolish Mouseknight," said Mike, rushing to his side, "That's why knights have steeds."

Mouseknight took a tenth of a second to smile at his dear friend before jumping on his wide, strong back and gripping his fur with all the strength in his mouse paws. 

Mike flew, holding back nothing. His feet slid and his rear moved sideways before he caught his traction and they lurched forward - half a second before huge, drooling teeth clamped shut right where they'd been.

Demon gave chase.

"To the right!" Yelled Mouseknight.

Mike understood at once. Not toward the front - they were to be the bait for the monster. Obeying his smart friend, he banked sharply and zoomed down a side corridor. The giant was right behind them. He dodged right - left - right - sudden stop! Backward a pace, then to the right again! Mouseknight held on for his life, amazed at Mike's speed and dexterity. Finally, trapped without any direction to dodge, Mike spun, leapt straight over the dog's head, landed on its back, and raced for the opening in the air vent at the back of the store.

"Whee - HA!" The Mouse Knight yelled as he ducked and they vanished through the narrow opening. They had done it!! They heard Demon hit the wall behind them. Hard.

Not too bright, as Mike had guessed.

Around the front, the rescuers and rescuees met and dashed across the parking lot while the manager fumbled for his keys mere yards away on the other side of the door. When the door finally opened, the animals were well outside of his reach. He just shook his head and stared into the empty parking lot in wonder.

"Demon..." he said, "that was the weirdest thing I think I have ever seen."

The dog just growled.

The next morning an African American gentleman in a bus driver's uniform came in, asking if he might buy a pair of mice to keep as pets. The first patron who had asked to buy rodents for anything but snake food in months.

The manager, weary and without sleep, just stared at the man for a long time and finally shook his head. "I'm sorry. They all ran away. All gone. Heh heh. No little mice! Heh heh heh... No rats!"

The driver nodded his head and smiled as if he understood.

"That's what happens when you try to cage the spirits," he said, and walked out of the store. The manager went home.