A Brave Mouse

Once upon a time, deep in the forest, there lived a little mouse. He lived in the base of a hollow walnut tree with his parents and fifteen siblings. His name was Davis.

Davis was a good little mouse. All of the friendly forest creatures near the old walnut tree knew him by name, and even a grumpy porcupine or solemn owl would usually manage a smile or a gruff “hello” when he came by.

Now, although Davis certainly had many acquaintances, he spent most of his time with his sister Amelia and his best friend Foster the chipmunk. Together, the three of them went on many adventures in the part of the woods near their tree. They spent many an afternoon finding good hiding places for extra food, splashing in the little stream down the hill, or climbing about amongst the trees.

Altogether, Davis lived a very happy life. His family was never short on seeds and berries, and there was hardly anything to come between him and another fun adventure with his friends. Oh, there were the little dangers that any little animal living in the forest has to watch out for—a hawk flying overhead, for example. But the squirrels could always be counted on to warn everybody before there was any real danger, and Davis and the other little creatures had been taught very well how to hide themselves from any predators.

However, the happy life in the forest changed very quickly one day.

It all started when Foster’s old uncle, a chipmunk from the other side of the hill, came puffing into the neighborhood just as most of the animals were starting to think about supper. He was a very fat old chipmunk, and nobody had ever seen him run before, so soon quite a few of the animals gathered around. It was obvious that he had something to say, but between his excitement and his panting, nobody could make out more than a rather funny-sounding combination of huffs and squeals.

“What’s the matter, old Uncle Chipmunk?” asked one of the rabbits.

“Oh, this is bad…very bad,” replied the chipmunk, between long gasps for air. “This is the worst news I’ve heard since I was a pup!”

“Well, what is it?” cried one of the squirrels impatiently. Squirrels are always excited about news of any sort.

“I’ll get to it! Just calm down a minute. I can hardly talk after running so far.” It seemed that he was getting back to his usual slow manners.

Finally, after he had plopped himself on the forest floor and taken a sip of water out of an acorn one of his nephews had brought him, he began to explain.

“This is very bad news,” he said, then paused to see everyone’s reaction. No one interrupted this time. “Do you know what I’ve just seen? Why, not more than five minutes ago, as I was out finding food for my supper tonight, I heard a most terrifying noise in the distance.”

“What was it?” asked one of the squirrels.

“Hold on, I’ll get to that,” replied the Uncle. “As I said, it was a most terrifying sound, but it was very faint, and I wasn’t quite certain I had heard right. I wanted to be certain before I told anyone, so I set my walnuts down and set off in the direction of the sound—very carefully, mind you, so I wouldn’t be seen.”

“Did you see anything, Uncle?” asked Foster.

“Did I see anything? You may bet I did. I wouldn’t have run all the way back here at such a foolish pace if I hadn’t. When I came to the place where I had heard the sound, I saw the most terrifying sight you could imagine.” He said “terrifying” very slowly so that his words would have their full effect on the listeners, which they did. “I saw a mother cat.”

At this, some of the younger animals and all of the squirrels squealed in terror. However, some of the older animals weren’t quite as impressed.

“Now, Uncle Chipmunk,” began Davis’s father, “Of course I understand that a cat is a ferocious predator, but do you really think that just because you saw a cat walking through the woods when you were out in who-knows-where searching for food—that we’re all going to die? You and I both know that cats are restless creatures and can’t spend more than a few minutes on the same thing. Why, that old thing is probably miles away by now!”

“Ah, that’s the problem, Mr. Mouse,” replied the old chipmunk. “You see, this cat wasn’t just passing through. She was setting up a nest for her kittens. I watched in horror as she carried three kittens in her mouth, one at a time, to a nice little spot only just past that oak over there, not even a minute away from your own tree!”

At this, even the mouse’s face fell.

“No, she’s here to stay, and she’ll be looking for food, not just for herself, but for three kittens too! Oh, we’re all going to die!”

At this, a general panic came over the crowd of animals. Everyone began either whimpering or squeaking (or both at once), and nobody was listing to what anyone else was saying, nor could they have heard if they had tried.

Finally, the blind mole, the oldest and wisest animal in the neighborhood, began to speak.

“Calm down, everyone. Calm down. We don’t want the cat to hear this ruckus and find us all together like this.”

At this, most of the animals quieted down and listened.

“Uncle chipmunk is correct in realizing the danger of this situation,” he began. “But there’s no need for us to panic. After all, we’ve dealt with predators before. Perhaps some of you remember the fox of ’84?”

None of them did.

“I suppose that was before any of you were born,” the mole said, with a sort of melancholy look.

“Well, what did you do?” someone asked.

“Why, we did the most sensible thing to do. We stayed in our nests and dens until it moved away. We can do the same thing now! Everyone gather up what food you can, then stay hidden away until the cat finds a better nest for her kittens. If she can’t find any of us, she will have to move somewhere else if she wants to eat. Only one or two squirrels should stay out to tell us the news, since they can climb fast enough to get away from a cat.”

Everyone agreed that this was good advice, and they set about preparing to spend a good long time in their nests. There was quite a scramble for food as they all tried to gather enough that they wouldn’t have to come out until everything was safe. By the next morning, all of the forest creatures were safely hidden in their nests.

And it was none to soon, for as the squirrels soon let everyone know, the cat had already been sighted coming through the neighborhood before lunchtime. They said she had even sniffed at the base of Davis’s tree.

At first, Davis and his family were very glad to be able to stay in such a safe place, for, although none of them had ever seen a cat, they had all heard plenty about them. Cats were always evil in the stories Davis’ parents told him. They knew that cats not only liked to eat mice and other good animals, but that they would torture them just for fun too. They were all very thankful that Foster’s uncle had warned them in time.

However, one day, things began to change. The littlest mouse in the family began to feel ill. Soon, despite their mother’s attempts to make him feel well, it became apparent that he was dangerously sick. Now, Davis’s mother was an expert with medicine. She knew how to cure any upset stomach or fever using various herbs and plants. However, in order to help her child, she needed a plant that only grew beside the great river, a full days’ journey away from the old walnut tree. The family was discussing this problem at dinner.

“I’m so worried about our little baby mouse,” their mother sighed. “If only I had some river grass, I could make him feel well!”

“I would go and get some for him myself,” replied their father. “But with a hungry cat on the prowl, the chances are slim that I’d ever make it back.”

“Do you think one of the squirrels could bring us some?” asked Amelia.

“No,” replied their mother. “Squirrels can’t tell a dandelion from a tomato plant. Even if we could convince them to make the journey, they would never come back with the right thing.”

After dinner, Davis and Amelia started making plans.

“We can’t just let our little brother keep getting sicker,” said Davis.

“I know,” replied Amelia. “I’m worried about him.”

“I had an idea at dinner when Father mentioned going to the river himself,” said Davis, “but I didn’t say anything because I was afraid they wouldn’t like it.”

“Are you thinking of going to get it yourself?”

“Maybe,” replied Davis. “I’ve been to the great river a few times, and I should remember how to get there.”

“But what about the cat?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. I think that’s the biggest risk. Honestly, if Father thought it was too dangerous, I probably shouldn’t go by myself.”

“What if I go with you?” replied Amelia. “And Foster? I bet he’d come!”

The thought of going on an adventure with his two best friends certainly appealed to Davis.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I think Father and Mother would be worried about us if we left without telling them.”

“I think Father would let us go. He wanted to go himself, but he didn’t want to risk leaving us.”

After a few more minutes, the mice decided to ask their father about their plan. He seemed more reluctant than they had hoped.

“I really don’t think I can let you take a risk like that,” he said.

“But what will happen to our brother if we don’t?” Davis asked.

Their father sighed. “The truth is, children, that taking risks is a part of being a mouse. I know that I can’t keep you from that forever. I’m only afraid that this is too dangerous.”

“Father, we’ve gotten away from many predators before!” said Davis. “Why, I can’t even count the number of hawks who have swooped down at me before I hid!”

“And do you remember the time when I hid from that great owl who was on top of the pine tree last month?” added Amelia.

“That’s true. You certainly do have experience,” agreed their father. “All right. I’ll let you go, but only because of our little baby. I believe this is a risk worth taking.”

---

Early the next morning, Davis and Amelia set out toward the great river. They stopped by the chipmunks’ burrow to get Foster (who was very excited for an opportunity to get out and wasn’t worried at all about going out without telling his family).

“After all,” he told them. “On any other day, I would be allowed to go out with you without asking!”

They hadn’t gotten more than a hundred feet before one of the squirrels caught sight of them from a branch up above. It started chattering feverishly at them.

“Go back! Back to your dens! The cat is out today! You’ll be cat food!”

They didn’t answer him.

The first part of their journey went well. They set off down the hill towards the little stream, which Davis remembered would lead to the great river, even if it wasn’t the fastest route.

“The last thing we want is to get lost,” he explained.

It had been so long since any of them had been outside. Everything seemed so different, yet it was all strangely the same.

Soon, all three of them began to feel less nervous. There was no sign of the cat (or any animals, for that matter), the sun was bright, and it was a beautiful fall morning. They saw a berry bush a bit off to the left of the stream and went to eat some breakfast.

“I’d forgotten how much better fresh berries are!” exclaimed Amelia.

After eating, they went back to the stream and continued to follow it downhill. Before they knew it, it was late afternoon, and there was still no sign of danger.

“We’ve got to be far away from the cat now, if it’s even still around,” said Davis.

“Ooh! I’ve just had an idea!” exclaimed Foster. “Do you think the squirrels are just making this whole thing up so they can keep the forest to themselves.”

Amelia frowned. “I certainly hope not.”

“You never know with squirrels,” said Davis.

Soon, they began to hear the roar of the great river. Before long, they reached they found themselves in an open field that stretched out to the riverbank.

“That’s it!” cried Davis. “It’s the great river!”

He looked back at Amelia and Foster, but they were not at all excited.

“Don’t move,” whispered Foster slowly.

“What is it?”

“There’s a big yellow cat standing between us and the river.”

“Is it looking at us?”

“No,” replied Amelia. “I don’t think it’s noticed us yet.”

“Then let’s get back into the woods until it leaves. We can hide better there.”

Very slowly, they crawled back into the woods, where they quickly found a good hiding spot among some ferns.

“I didn’t think we’d see the cat this far away from home,” said Amelia.

“Are we sure it’s the same one?” asked Foster.

Davis just shrugged his shoulders. “What matters to me is that there’s a cat. I don’t care which cat it is. I don’t want to be eaten.”

The others agreed, and they waited for quite a while before they finally decided to come out of their hiding spot. When they finally did, the sun was already setting on the other side of the river.

Quickly and carefully, they made their way across the big field to the riverbank. When they came near, Davis immediately spotted a tuft of river grass.

“There it is!” he exclaimed.

When they reached it, he pulled out three tufts of grass. “We’ll each hold one,” he said. “That way, if one of us gets…” he trailed off.

“Eaten?” asked Amelia.

“Yes, or lost or something,” he added, “then at least one of us can get this to Mother.”

They stood for a moment on the riverbank before turning back.

“I’ve never been to the great river before,” said Foster.

“It’s really cool. The sun makes it look golden,” added Amelia.

“Well, we’d better head back,” said Davis. “I’m not looking forward to walking through the woods at night with a cat on the loose.”

“I do wish that cats weren’t so quiet,” said Foster, as they made their way back into the forest. “One could be right behind you and you wouldn’t hear it.”

Soon, the sun had completely set, and the only light they had was from the moon when it came out from behind the clouds. They continued to follow the stream until they reached a sharp bend. Just as they were about to come around the corner, Davis stopped them.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” he said. “I sense danger.”

Before he could finish speaking, the same yellow cat came around the corner. This time, it must have seen them, for it locked eyes with Davis and froze in its tracks.

“What do we do?” asked Foster.

“Run!” whispered Amelia.

They scurried off into the woods as quickly as they could. Davis looked behind him and saw that the cat was chasing them and seemed to have been gaining ground.

“It’s following us!” he squealed.

A few seconds later, it was upon them and pounced right on Davis, trapping him between its paws.

“Well look what I’ve found,” it said in a cool, calm voice. “This will make a nice dinner for my kittens.”

Davis wriggled out of the cat’s grasp, but it stopped him before he’d moved very far.

“Not so fast,” it replied.

“Please don’t eat me,” said Davis.

“I won’t,” said the cat. “My kittens will. You wouldn’t want them to starve, would you?”

Suddenly, a rough, husky voice came out of the darkness behind Davis. “Leave the poor mouse alone, Sassy. You get plenty of food out of a dish twice a day. Isn’t that enough for you?”

The cat sighed. “This really isn’t any of your business, Badger, but I’m not in a mood for a fight right now.” She moved her paw to let Davis escape and walked off back towards the river.

Davis turned around to see the badger. He’d never met him before, but all the animals knew about this one. He lived alone in the middle of the thickest part of the forest and rarely ever talked to the other animals. They always said he had a kind heart, though, and apparently it was true!

“Thank you very much, sir!” said Davis.

Amelia and Foster came out from behind a log and expressed their gratitude as well.

“No worries,” replied the badger. “That cat is a spoiled brat, anyways. Her kittens would have plenty of food if she would have left them at the house where she lives anyway. What are all you daytime creatures doing out at this time of night, may I ask?”

“We’d come out to get some medicine to heal my baby brother,” replied Davis. “I guess it wasn’t worth the risk, though.”

“And why do you say that?” asked the badger.

“Well, if you hadn’t been here, the cat would have eaten me!”

“But it didn’t,” he replied. “And now you are going to save your brother’s life”

They thanked him again and headed back towards their home.