An American Tail: Fievel Goes West Fanfiction by Myst Knight
Disclaimer: An American Tail is owned by Universal Pictures Limited and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. I write this without consent, and am making no money off of it. Moushi Okita and Commodore Purrey belong to me.
This story is rated T for mild action-violence, mild sensuality, and Ideologically sensitive material (forbidden sibling romance). For OLDER TEEN AND UP.
No offense intended by the controversial content (and as always, don't try this at home!)
- -
The craggy cliff that overlooked Green River stood high amongst the sandstorms and flying debris pelting the little frontier town, providing some respite for the young mouse standing atop its peak. Only a brisk breeze made it to the precipice, ruffling the mouse's light jacket and jangling the curious metal instrument dangling off his back. The mouse's eyes were narrow with purpose, and he looked towards the town like it was a new challenge to overcome. In a way, his resolve was almost catlike, with none of the skittishness that was characteristic of the mice in this area, marking him as a rare breed in the United States.
"It is time to take back what is ours," the mouse said to himself, revealing a light smile that was at odds with his fierce gaze. He reached round for the metal implement on his back, and drew it from its protective sheath.
The unveiled blade gleamed in the high noon sunlight.
- - ***** - -
"Hup! Hup! Hup!" A little ways from Mousekewitz Fine Violins, a young mouse pair were recreating next to the stairs that lead up to the human carpentry shop. Burgeoning western hero Fievel Mousekewitz busied himself with his training, swinging a small wooden sword carved from a toothpick in a decidedly Eastern fashion, which he had learned from the small, imported swordsmanship booklet lying beside him. Leaning against the stairs was his sister, Tanya, quietly looking over a scrap of sheet music, but taking frequent glances over at her brother. A small scowl was on her face, and boredom was setting in as she watched Fievel spend ever-increasing time with his training instead of with her.
"Fievel, aren't you finished yet?" the mouse girl finally complained, putting a haughty hand on her hip. "You've been doing the same thing for two hours now, and we have to practice singing for the big concert this Friday!"
"I gotta finish my exercises, Tanya!" Fievel yelled in-between swings, never losing his rhythm even for a moment. "It'll make me into a more manly mouse!"
"Hmph, you choose now to be responsible." Tanya huffed, and turned away from him in a flurry of skirts. "Instead of spending time with your big sister."
"Aw, don't be like that Tanya!" Fievel said, letting the wooden sword drift off to his side for a moment.
"Besides..." Although Tanya continued to face away from Fievel, a small blush was coming to her whiskered cheeks. "If you wanted to show that you're more manly, you could've just kissed me."
Fievel's eyes widened, a blush arising on his own face. It had been a scant few months since Fievel had saved Tanya from some hooligans at Schimmel's General Store, but things still felt so different between them. Ever since Fievel and Tanya realised they liked each other as more than just brother and sister, it had been a whole new series of adventures for them, as the two explored emotions and deepened their relationship in ways they had never dared before. It was especially new for Fievel, who was younger than Tanya, but he had to admit he found it as exciting as his jaunts with Tiger.
"Sorry, Tanya," Fievel said, walking over to his sister and taking her hand. "I guess I've done enough for one day. Let's go out!"
"My my, what a gentlemouse you are, Fievel!" Tanya teased him, stifling a giggle with her free hand. "Ready to show a sweet young girl a great time?"
Fievel smiled. "That's what a man does!" he declared, squeezing her hand.
Tanya smiled in kind, and the two leaned in for a kiss. Before their lips could touch, however, Fievel caught a metallic glimmer out of the corner of his eye. A spike of danger stung his heart, and he suddenly pushed away from his sister, Tanya's skirts rustling with the motion. "Get back!" he shouted, in a manner that was rather uncharacteristic for the normally cheerful mouse.
"Fievel, what...?" Tanya stammered, as she looked towards him with confusion.
But Fievel was staring away from Tanya towards the main road, where a lone mouse waited at the other side, standing as tall as a mouse could stand. It was a young teen mouse with snow white fur, clothed in foreign dress consisting of wide, skirt-like trousers, a front-wrapped top, and a blue jacket adorned with white triangular "stripes" on the bottom. Strapped to his back was a large human letter-opener, shaped to look like a curved sword and sheath. And judging by the mouse's confident posture and the way he grasped the hilt, it seemed as though he was adept at using the letter-opener just as one would a real weapon.
"You have something I want," the mouse said with a deceptively soft smile, as he drew his very sharp blade from its sheath. He settled into a fighting position, the flat of the blade aligning parallel with the ground beneath him, his eyes sharpening in a manner that almost rivaled the sword he held.
(That stance!) Fievel gasped at the mouse's combat form.
However, he had no more time to ponder this, as the swordsmouse made his intentions clear. "PREPARE YOURSELF!!!" he shouted, and rushed forward with his blade outstretched.
"FIEVEL!!!" Tanya screamed out, as the aggressor mouse closed in on her beloved brother.
Fievel waa already dodging to the side, missing the point of the sword by mere inches. Bringing his wooden sword up to bear, he thrust out towards the swordmouse's shoulder, who shrugged away from the blow with practiced ease. He tried a downwards strike, which was stopped with a deft parry, utilizing the flat of the letter-opener. The swordmouse struck again, and this time it was Fievel's turn to block, albeit with a tad more clumsiness than his opponent.
As the two mice continued to spar, Tanya watched from the sidelines with fear in her heart. Her eyes remained focused on her brother as he continued to dart and weave from the strikes of the mysterious swordsmouse. Fievel training was indeed paying off, and he was moving and fighting much faster than when he had first started training all those months ago. Yet it was clear that the foreign mouse was far more skilled and accomplished at combat, and the gap between their abilities was becoming more and more obvious as the battle went on.
The swordsmouse twisted his blade to deflect Fievel's strike, the light smile returning to her face. "You are fighting well, Westerner, in the classic style," he said, and a strange, chilling calm emanated from the young warrior. "But now you must face true Japanese swordsmanship!"
With a loud "kyai," the swordsmouse brought down his letter-opener blade, cleaving Fievel's wooden sword in two and sending the pieces clattering down to either side. Fievel cried in shock as he fell backwards in a heap, barely managing to catch himself on his hands to prevent his head from crashing on the ground. When he tried to raise himself up again, he found himself nose-to-blade with the Eastern mouse's sharp letter-opener sword. The edge was a mere two millimeters from cleaving off Fievel's whiskers, and Fievel had to remain still as rock to avoid the sharp edge, his quick, panicked breaths making this all the more difficult.
Tanya gasped, and rushed over to Fievel's side, picking up her skirt as she ran. Placing herself between Fievel and the swordsmouse, she spread her arms wide as if to shield her brother from the swordsmouse's razor-sharp blade. "Stop!" she cried, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Don't hurt my brother anymore!"
The swordsmouse raised his eyebrows in shock at the girl mouse's sudden display of raw emotion. But then, Fievel placed his hand on his sister's shoulder, and gently pushed her to the side. "No, Tanya," he said, his voice growing lower with a sudden maturity. "I'm the only one he wants to hurt."
The swordsmouse regarded the young mouse duo with a strange curiosity, as if seeing them for the first time. Then, he smiled and lowered his blade. "You are quite honorable for a Western mouse, and gentle with women," he told Fievel, and extended a hand out to him. "You can't possibly be the one I'm seeking."
Fievel looked curiously at the outstretched hand, but the swordsmouse just smiled. "I am Moushi Okita," he stated. "A warrior mouse from across the sea in Japan. May I ask your name?"
Fievel looked curiously at the outstretched hand, but soon smiled and took hold. "I'm Fievel Mousekewitz," he said, once the swordsmouse had hauled him back to his feet. "A warrior mouse from the town of Green River!"
"I can see." Moushi smiled, a twinkle in his eyes.
"Oh, thank goodness it's over!" Tanya sighed with relief, smiling in spite of herself.
Fievel motioned over to his side at Tanya, who had risen back to her feet as well. "This is Tanya, my sister," he said. "She's a really great singer."
Tanya grabbed her skirts and curtseyed, returning to her normal gentle self. "How d'ya do?" she said.
Moushi placed his letter-opener back in its sheath and, to Fievel's surprise, bowed his head towards Tanya in apology. "Please forgive my transgressions toward your brother," he said, his eyes closed in repentance. "I thought he had stolen something precious from me."
"Oh, uh, okay," Tanya stammered, looking over to the side. "What are you missing, exactly?
The swordsmouse thrust a single digit forward. "That."
Fievel and Tanya followed Moushi's finger to the object he was pointing at. It was the small swordsmanship book Fievel had received from Schimmel's General Store, which had blown open with the desert winds to revealed various battle techniques. The page it ended up resting on showed a mouse warrior holding his blade parallel to the ground in preparation for a thrusting attack. The exact same technique Moushi had utilized just a moment ago.
"I knew it!" Fievel whispered, as Tanya looked over at him curiously. Moushi just smiled mysteriously, his whiskers twitching.
- - ***** - -
"My my, Fievel, but your new friend has quite the appetite," Mama Mousekewitz was saying, as she placed another bowl of nuts on the dinner table in front of Moushi. "Almost as much as your father."
"Ha ha, no mouse has MY appetite!" Papa Mousekewitz rebuked his wife with a laugh, patting his stomach soundly. "I won the Russian all-you-can-eat contest six years in a row, you know!"
"Well, the boy clearly gets more exercise than YOU do," Mama said, bustling over to the kitchen area. "If you at least did your daily push-ups, I wouldn't have to hide the cheese every holiday."
"You are hiding CHEESE?" Papa's eyes widened, and his mouth started to water.
"Thank you for the meal, Mousekewitz-san." Moushi addressed the Mousekewitz matriarch with a gentle smile, distracting Mama from her repartee with her husband. "It has been a long while since I've eaten such good food."
"Oh, feel free to help yourself!" Mama waved off his politeness with a smile. "We have plenty ever since Papa got his keister into gear and started pricing his violins right."
"Violeems!" Baby Yasha cried out from her seat beside Moushi, raising her spoon as if celebrating a victory.
"Now then, I think it's time I continue working on my latest masterpiece," Papa said, as he headed back over to the workshop area of Mousekewitz Fine Violins. "Take good care for our guest like proper hosts, children."
"Yes, Papa!" Fievel and Tanya replied.
"And be sure to watch Yasha!" Mama reminded them, as she followed behind Papa. "She's just now entering her rambunctious phase."
Fievel and Tanya watched their mother and father depart the room, then turned back towards Moushi. "So you get hungry when you fight too!" Fievel said, leaning over the table. "I got realllllly hungry when I had to stand up to some jerks that were bothering Tanya."
"Lucky for me, you were there," Tanya said, placing a hand over her brother's as Yasha babbled at the two of them. "Or something worse might've happened!"
Fievel smiled at his beloved sister, intertwining his fingers with hers. Upon seeing Moushi looking at them curiously, they quickly withdrew their hands from each other, laughing nervously.
Moushi's eyes twinkled with a certain understanding. "Just as I thought, it seems you two are more than brother and sister," he said with a light smile.
Fievel and Tanya's faces erupted into identical blushes as they waved their hands in protest. "Wh-what makes you think that?!" they spoke in unison.
"Your eyes cannot lie, even to a stranger like me," Moushi explained, his smile remaining in place. "It is just like me whenever I'm with my Onee-sama." The warrior mouse looked off into space, his eyes growing misty with love. "Ahhhhh, Onee-sama...!"
"What's an 'onee-sama?'" Fievel's nose twitched as he struggled with the unfamiliar word.
"I guess it means something like 'big sister?'" Tanya pondered, her eyes blinking.
"But Moushi...s-san, please don't tell anyone," Fievel said, trying to use the Japanese honorific that best suited Moushi. "We could get in trouble."
"Yeah, I don't want Papa and Mama to split us up!" Tanya added, and grabbed onto Fievel's hand again.
"I will honor your secret," Moushi said, nodding firmly. "You don't need to worry about it."
Fievel and Tanya smiled with relief, as Moushi took another sip from his cup of tea. "Thanks, Moushi-san," Fievel said. "So, um, why are you here in Green River?"
Moushi sighed, and put down his tea. "I am from a long line of samurai mice trained in Mibu Village," he explained, bringing up his sheathed sword for Fievel to inspect. "We Mice of Mibu are part of an elite corp of swordsmice called the Mousengumi, using letter openers crafted by a master human swordsmith to fight a war against the Imperialist cats in our province."
"You can fight cats?!" Fievel exclaimed, putting his hands on the table. "Wow...!"
"It is our greatest strength, born from a secret art passed down through many generations." Moushi smiled again, and this time, there was a touch of swordsmouse pride in his voice. "However, our secret may be secret no longer. A gaijin cat named Commodore Purrey, who had invaded Japan some time ago, has stolen our secret sword arts and fled the country. I feared he should teach our secrets to his cat allies, so I took it upon myself to follow him back to America."
"That must be how the swordfighting book ended up at Schimmel's!" Tanya clapped her hands with realization.
"Yes." Moushi nodded. "When I saw the book at your house, I thought your brother was somehow working with Purrey, but he is clearly too honorable for that."
"Yeah, I only hang out with good cats!" Fievel said proudly.
"Or silly cats..." Tanya rolled her eyes at the reference to Tiger, which earned her a scowl from her brother.
"The secret arts of the swordsmouse must never be revealed to the cats." Moushi's eyes narrowed, his features losing their placid pleasantness and his voice lowering to a growl. "I must take back the knowledge from the coward Purrey with my own hands! For the pride of the Mousengumi!"
"But that secret sword fighting." Fievel grappled with how to broach the subject without offending the young samurai. "Can a Western mouse learn how to do it?"
Moushi looked at Fievel with an incredulous look upon his face, and Fievel leaned away almost apologetically. But a moment later, the swordsmouse was looking down at his clasped hands with a different expression. "I truly do not know," he admitted. "No Western mouse has ever been taught the secrets of Mousengumi sword techniques. It would be considered as odd as if I were to teach Purrey himself."
"Aw, so that's how it is..." Fievel sighed with disappointment, his mouse ears drooping.
"However, if you were to help me locate and defeat Commodore Purrey, I would consider giving you a lesson in our swordsmanship style." Moushi raised his head once more, his benevolent demeanor returning. "As thanks and a token of friendship."
"Then I'll help ya!" he said, standing up abruptly from his seat at the table. "What do ya think, Tanya? Will you help too?"
Tanya smiled. "Yes, I will," she said. "I'd love to help you get better at practicing what you love. And to help Moushi-san too, of course." She amended her statement with a giggle.
Moushi smiled, and bowed before the two young mice. "I am in your debt," he said.
"Depp!" Yasha slammed her little baby fist on the table as if making it official. Fievel and Tanya just laughed as Moushi looked on with a gentle smile.
- - ***** - -
The next day, Fievel, Tanya, and Moushi departed Mousekewitz Fine Violins in search of the elusive Commodore Purrey, braving the early morning winds that blew through Main Street. They started their investigation at Schimmel's General Store and talked to the owner about the swordmanship booklet Fievel had found there. Although Mr. Schimmel had no idea of the book's origin, he told them that he had found it at the saloon some time ago, mixed in with some theater programs he was helping to distribute that day. Since this was the closest lead they had so far, the mouse trio headed across town to the saloon to ask if anyone had caught a whiff of the mysterious cat.
"So you're supposed t'' keep your hands apart when using the sword, right?" Fievel was saying to Moushi, miming the motion of swinging a weapon. "I learned that from the book!"
"Yes, but swordsmanship is more than simply having the right form," Moushi explained, looking at Fievel out of the corner of his eye. "Your mind and spirit must be one with your blade, or you will surely perish. More importantly, the people you love will perish as well."
"Right!" Fievel agreed, pumping his fist. "I used to think guns were the best way to protect my family, but now I think swords are!"
"Ohhh, I wish I had protection against this wind!" Tanya cried, blushing as she tried to hold her skirt down from the fierce gusts whipping it up. "Being a girl is much harder than being a swordsmouse!"
Moushi's face erupted in a flush that stood out from his white fur, and he quickly looked elsewhere. As a young teen mouse, he couldn't help but notice Tanya's legs, despite his strict and proper upbringing. "Oh, but I am devoted to Onee-sama...!" he told himself quietly, as a means of trying to regain control. "I must remain focused!"
Fievel was quick on the draw, however, and reached out to help pull Tanya's skirt down. "Well, I'm here to protect ya, at any rate!" he said, covering Tanya's thighs with the material.
"F-Fievel...!" Tanya giggled at her brother's gentlemousey manner, as she continued to hold onto her skirt. "Thank you!"
Moushi sighed in relief, glad he didn't have to look away anymore. "Truly, he is already a heroic mouse," he murmured, as if reevaluating the young Fievel.
The three mice continued down the road, and soon they came across a large group of mice congregating in front of the saloon. There wasn't a performance being held that day, so whatever was going on right on had just happened. The mood of the crowd was decidedly bitter, and the mice shook their fists at the balcony, where a large figure was addressing the mice below. They spat curses in their various native languages, united in hatred for this mysterious character, though the trio couldn't make out who it was just yet.
"Wow, they're really upset," Tanya said, as she looked around the crowd with curiosity.
"Truly, their anger is profound." Moushi agreed, taken aback by the loud voices coming from the mice.
Fievel darted ahead, and yanked on the skirts of one of the mouse ladies. "What's happening?" he asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
"Oh, Fievel, it's you!" the mouse lady said, and leaned down to address the young boy. "There's a horrible cat occupying the saloon, saying it's just for cats now! After all that work Sherriff Tiger did to remove those pests, this starts up again! So bothersome..."
"What?!" Tanya exclaimed, moving over to Fievel's side. "I thought the cats left."
"Is Cat R. Waul back?" Fievel wondered, looking up at his sister.
Moushi Okita, hanging back for the moment, looked up at the balcony to try and catch a glimpse of the mysterious figure. When he finally managed to get a clear look through the crowd of mice, his eyes widened with recognition, and then with anger. "No..." he hissed, his hand instantly closing around the letter-opener on his back.
A large male cat dressed in full naval regalia was standing atop the balcony and looking down upon the mice as if they were mere insects to squash. With piercing blue eyes and an aristocratic air, he seemed quite similar to Cat R. Waul, talking calmly and resting his hand on a long cane propped against the floor. Two other cats stood to either side of him, dressed in officer uniforms and sporting swords on their sides. Most interesting about their swords was that they appeared to be Japanese in origin, boasting the same attentiion to elegance as Moushi's own letter-opener sword.
"Fellow citizens of Green River!" Commodore Purrey spoke from his balcony vantage point, as the mice continued to yell curses at him. "You needn't worry about the occupation of the saloon. We, the American Cat Navy, are merely returning the saloon to its rightful owners, but you will be permitted to perform for us on occasion. If you follow our rules, that is."
"Never!" a young mouse hollered backed, as the other mice echoed his sentiments. "We don't want any more cat invaders!"
"Yeah, get out of town!" another mouse said. "Or we'll sick Sheriff Tiger on ya!"
"Perhaps there are things YOU should return to us, neko," Moushi said, stepping forward to set himself apart from the crowd, his calm voice offset by his fierce gaze. "Our ancestral swordsmanship, for one."
"What?" Purrey squinted his eyes as he focused on the small mouse that had called him out. Then, a curling smile arose on his maw. "Ah, it is that backwards mouse from Japan," Purrey said, as a way of insult and greeting. "Your country's swordsmanship is quite impeccable, as is your tea. But they both belong in the hands of sophisticated American cats of high-standing." With that, he picked up a cup of tea sitting on the table beside him, lapping at it as if it were a saucer of milk.
Moushi smiled in kind, with the same layer of menace as his enemy. "Why don't you test out your stolen skills, then?" he challenged, drawing his sword a millimeter from its sheath. "And you'll see just how 'backwards' we are."
"Yeah!" Fievel said, running over to Moushi's side along with Tanya. "Swordsmanship is meant to protect people! It's not meant for mean cats like you!"
Tanya nodded in support, and placed her hand on her brother's shoulder.
"My my, what bold friends you have made." Purrey's voice betrayed some genuine respect underneath the layered sarcasm. "Fitting for a Mouse of Mibu. Fine that, if that's the case, I propose we settle this matter in your people's way. With cat-to-mouse combat."
"A duel it is then." Moushi nodded firmly, letting his blade slip back fully into its sheath. "Here, tonight, at sunset."
"Splendid!" Purrey displayed a wide grin full of sharp teeth, and placed his tea back on the table. "I'll be waiting, young swordsmouse...if you decide to show up, that is." With that, Purrey retreated back into the saloon, flanked on either side by his subordinate cats. The mouse gathering in front of the saloon stared at the balcony a moment more, then started talking amongst themselves about this sudden turn of events. As they chatted about the impending duel, Moushi continued to stare after the departing cat, his eyes softening a bit from their death-glare.
"Gosh, you're really gonna fight that nasty Purrey?" Fievel said, yanking on Moushi's samurai coat. "He looks pretty scary!"
"Yeah, are you sure you can handle it alone?" Tanya added. "I don't want you getting hurt."
"Either way, it ends tonight." Moushi's light smile contrasted his grim words. "But you're quite right about the danger. I can't trust Purrey, and he might try something to set the odds in his favor. So I ask you, Fievel-san and Tanya-dono, to stand with me as my allies." The young swordsmouse put a hand out, palm first. "And as friends."
"Of course!" Tanya smiled and nodded. "We have to free the saloon from these new cats!"
"We're with ya, Moushi-san!" Fievel seized his hand, looking at the other mouse with a confidence that would make a samurai mouse proud. "All the way!"
Happy 32nd Anniversary of Fievel Goes West! For this year's celebration, I've managed to complete Part 1 of a new story just in the nick of time. Like the other stories, it's Fievel X Tanya, but I focus on some different ideas than just the relationship. Since I was pressed trying to get the story ready, it's probably still a bit rough, so I plan to keep editing it.
