Disclaimer: I do not own The Wild Thornberrys. KC does.

Author's note: I'm sorry it took me a long time to post something new up. ; I've just been so busy lately and I hadn't been in the mood to write much. Not that that's anything knew. :P Anyway, here's the next chap of Other Secrets. :)

OTHER SECRETS
Story by DarkHououmon

Nigel really didn't know how it was possible. It had been about 26 long years since he last laid eyes on his brother. He had prayed he never had to deal with him again. Sloan had caused him nothing but misery when Sloan turned 11...and that year was a total nightmare...well for Nigel anyway.

Sloan could sense his brother's nervousness, and loved it. "Awww..." He said tauntingly. "Am I scaring you? I am so sorry!" He bent forward a little, and looked at Nigel like he was a lost little puppy, but he had no concern on his face.

Nigel growled. He was going to take any part of this. Sloan already ruined his life once. He won't let him do it again!

"You won't get me again, this time." Nigel snarled, bracing himself for a fight. His sibling's only response was a cold laugh.

Sloan shook his head. 'How stupid can my brother be?' "You can't be serious." He looked at Nigel and studied him for a few seconds. Then he turned and started walking away. He stopped after a few feet, and looked back. "You don't expect me to believe you can beat me in a fight, do you?"

The older man was at a loss of words. However, he still kept a stern face and a fighting pose. He wasn't going down without a struggle, that's for sure.

The younger man narrowed his eyes. He turned around, his hands placed behind his back. "I'm disappointed in you, Nigey."

'How dare he call me that!' Nigel's eyes squinted into slits. "Don't call me that."

"Do you remember what happened the last time you tried to fight me?" Sloan inquired, a strange evil smile on his face, his brow raised with curiousity.

Nigel Thornberry's face went pale. It had a couple decades, but he could remember it like it was yesterday. It was the worst day of his life. So many bad things had happened that day, and that was the last day he'd seen Sloan...that is until this very moment. The man's heart pounded, and he started breathing in heavily.

Sloan was loving this. He enjoyed seeing his brother in such a panicked state. 'I knew bringing up old times would jog him up a bit.' He looked behind Nigel. There was a large boulder protruding outward. It was large enough for the older man to sit on.

Quickly and almost silently, Sloan grabbed his brother by the shirt, and pulled him close. As he spoke, Nigel could feel Sloan's hot breath against his face and neck. Sloan was so close, it looked almost like they were going to kiss. "Well, dear brother, we haven't talked in a long time." His voice grew more serious and yet still taunting. "Here...have a SEAT!" With that, he shoved Nigel towards the ground.

The redhead screamed as he fell backward, and landed on the boulder. Sloan walked over to him, and knelt down. He pulled the man back onto his back, and gave him a sharp kick into the stomach. Nigel grunted in pain, and rolled off the rock and landed on his stomach. Sloan grabbed him by the hair and lifted him up partly off the ground.

"What's the matter? In pain?" Sloan looked at Nigel with fake concern. "You poor poor thing..." He bared his teeth as he kicked Nigel in the side and dropped him on the floor.

Nigel coughed up a little blood, and struggled to escape his engraged brother. But Sloan wasn't through yet. He lunged forward, and landed on the redhead's back. His full body weight pinned the old man down, and he grabbed Nigel's neck. Nigel paled. His little brother could very easily break his neck. But Sloan never applied pressure. He merely grabbed Nigel's neck to hold him still.

"S-Sloan...just release me. I won't tell anyone you're here..." He begged.

Sloan rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, like you didn't tell my parents about my little secret?"

Nigel narrowed his eyes angrily. "I only told 'cause you told my secret to them!"

"It was a stupid secret." Sloan murmured, slightly tightening his grip. Nigel was red in the face from anger, but didn't say anything because he didn't want to make his brother angrier. "This is just like old times, isn't it?" He raised up a fist and was about to strike when he heard someone calling him from a few yards away.

"Hey Sloan! I'm done! Where are you?!" It was Bree.

Sloan looked down at his brother. Those blue eyes were still full of fright and anger. Sloan shrugged his shoulders and let his brother go. Nigel struggled to his feet as he watched Sloan run off into the distance towards the female voice who called him. Without really thinking, Nigel called out, "STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!!" while shaking a fist. But he had his doubts Sloan would even listen.

Sloan ran towards the section of bathrooms. He found Bree leaning against a wall, arms crossed in annoyance. 'She is so impatient.' Sloan thought as he slowed down his pace. "What, Bree? I got here as fast as I could."

Bree narrowed her eyes a little. It was as though she didn't believe him. "Something's up, isn't it?" She said lowly. "I know you're hiding something."

Sloan blinked, and shook his head. "I'll...tell you about it later, okay?" He said quickly as he stood in front of his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Bree looked down at her feet, and then back up at Sloan. She gave a weak smile, and nodded her head. "Okay, I'll wait. But I won't wait for long." She spoke in a sincere and stern voice.

3 hrs later....

Sloan and Bree finally arrived at the store they were told about. Even though this was the middle of the Savannah, they still could find some decent stores around. They couldn't bring their car along so they had to have their trailer transported.

Olaf had agreed to transport the trailer himself. They never knew how he did it, but he had the trailer taken to one of the stores in Africa to be checked on. Olaf had explained to Sloan some minutes ago when he called on Sloan's radio that he had to remove all the poacher equipment from the vehicle. If the rangers found anything poacher-related, they would capture the owner for interrogation or even arrest.

Olaf had hidden the weapons somewhere in the jungle. He had given Sloan and Bree the coordinates. All they had to do was follow the exact directions. Sloan muttered under his breath. He was never real good at maps. "Why couldn't Olaf have just..." He grabbed his head, gripping his blonde hair tightly. "Oh...nevermind."

"Sloan, maybe we shouldn't do this." Bree looked at him with concern. She fumbled with her fingers. "I mean, you seem to be under a lot of stress." Sloan groaned. "Does it have anything to do with Nigel Thornberry."

At the sound of that name, Sloan's face turned red. Almost crimson. He bared his teeth, drool foaming through his teeth and lips. His hands closed into fists, and he turned on his wife suddenly. Bree inhaled sharply in shock, and backed away. "Don't you ever EVER say THAT name in my presence!" He grabbed his wife and pinned her against a metal pole near the entrance of the store. Luckily for him, no one was there. "Do you understand me?!" He leaned in real close to her face, his eyes filled with rage.

Bree nodded quickly, whimpering. She didn't make any attempt to struggle. She knew she couldn't escape. "Y-Yes Sloan...I understand..."

Sloan gave a small smile of satisfaction. He slowly released his grip on his frightened wife, and took a step back. "Good." He looked at the building, and spotted something in the back. He started walking toward it, forgetting that Bree was on the floor.

Sloan saw the backyard. It looked a lot like a junkyard, even though this was the middle of Africa. He took out a picture of the trailer they had rented and studied it. He looked from the picture to the yard, to the picture and back to the yard several times. He couldn't seem to find the trailer. He bared his teeth in anger. "Gah...where is that trailer?!"

He then noticed something in the broken down garage the store had. He walked over, and turned on the light. The trailer he and Bree rented had just had a tire change, and they hadn't brought it out yet. Sloan wiped his brow with relief. They had already paid for the rent, so all they had to do was get in the vehicle and drive off.

He then noticed Bree wasn't with him. The blonde man looked from side to side, and called out, "Bree? Where are you?!" He sounded rather angry. He assumed Bree was right behind him.

An angry shout could be heard, and Bree struggled to the back garage. She hissed at Sloan, teeth bared and eyes narrowed. Sloan rolled his eyes. "So you finally came?"

"No thanks to you!" If she didn't know how strong Sloan really was, she would've fought him and got killed.

Sloan rubbed his head. "Please, Bree. Let's just get in and get out of here. I'd like to go before the next decade passes." He got into the trailer and pulled out his keys. Bree got into the driver's seat, and folded her arms angrily. Sloan ignored her as he put the key into the ignition, and the engine roared to life. They drove out of the junkyard area, and toward the protected wilderness of the Serengeti...

3 hrs later....

Bree had taken over the wheel because Sloan was getting very tired. He laid down in the passenger's seat and leaned against the window. After a few moments, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Bree looked at him for a few seconds, and then turned her eyes back on the path they decided to take. This way, no one would know they were there.

Sloan turned to one side, his eyes rolling constantly under his eyelids. Rapid eye movement it's called. His muscles were twitching, limbs moving. He wasn't having a nightmare, but whatever he was dreaming, Bree could tell he wasn't liking it too much.

She could tell this because Sloan was sweating like crazy. He didn't whimper or cry, but he did scowl a few times in his sleep. He quickly tossed onto his other side, wrapping his arms around a cushion that had been left in the trailer, and hugged it close. Bree found this amusing, and chuckled.

Sloan always wished he could forget that night. He only had one regret: not killing Nigel sooner. That day was the worst day of his life. His anger turned him into a poacher. His dream was taunting him. It was reminding him of what happened that night...The night that everything changed....

"But you know very well that stuff is bad for you!" A young boy cried out to another boy. They were in a huge living room, walls of marble, and very fancy furniture. The boy was a redhead, his nose rather large for someone his size. He was a little muscular, but most off he was a weakling. He wore an explorer outfit and beige shorts.

The other boy, younger and smaller but clearly stronger than the older boy, rolled his eyes. "Who cares what the stupid physicians say?" He also wore an explorer outfit, only it was pitch black instead of tan like the other one. And his shorts were bloodred. He also wore a spiked collar around his neck, too big.

The redhead became desperate. "Sloan! You'll die a younger age if you keep doing all these things!" He walkded towards the younger boy, who appeared to be his little brother. "Please...bro, stop this. I'm begging ya!"

Sloan glared at his older brother. There was no recoiling in his eyes. He turned to walk out of the room. But before he took another step, his older brother called out to him. Sloan groaned and turned around. "What is it now, Nigel?" He rolled his eyes in apathy. He really didn't have time for this.

"If you don't tell someone about your little problem," Nigel spoke softly and nervously, "I'll tell mom and dad." He said this in a threatening type voice. He thought this would inspire Sloan to stop taking the pills and cigarettes. The other man's reaction was far different...

Sloan ran over and grabbed Nigel by the throat. The 16 year old cried out in shock, and he struggled to breathe. But his windpipe was compressed closed, and he was up against the wall now. He grabbed Sloan's hands and tried to pry them off, but they won't come undone.

He stared into his brother's eyes, fear filling them up. He tried to deliver a kick, but Sloan dodged it. He kept a firm grip on his brother's neck, squeezing it harder and harder. Finally Sloan felt that Nigel had had enough and released his grip.

Nigel bolted straight up, gagging. He sucked in precious air thankfully, relieving his burning lungs. He looked at his little brother in shock, and quickly spoke weakly, "W-Why did you d-d-do that...?"

Sloan glared in his direction. His eyes were stone cold. His breathing was raspy, as if he himself had trouble breathing. His face was mild red, and his fingers curled into a fist. "If you ever ever tell anyone 'bout my secrect, Nigey," his voice was full of darkness, "..I will personally tell them about your little secret."

Nigel's eyes widened. He quickly stood up, waving his hands in front of his face. "No no no! I won't tell!" He said quickly. "I promise I won't tell!"

Sloan's lips curled into a wide grin. "Thank you, dear brother." Nigel shuddered at how Sloan said this. He said it in a purring kind of voice. It gave him the willies. Nigel turned and walked out of the room. He decided to leave his little brother to his drugs and stuff.

As Nigel walked down the hallway, he knew something was wrong with his brother. This wasn't the same Sloan he had known just the year back. Sloan used to be such a nice kid. But now, ever since he started pot, he's been acting all aggressive and mean. "What am I going to do?" The only thing he could do was report Sloan. But if he did, not only would Sloan tell Nigel's secret, but he would kill him as well.

Nigel shook at the very thought of it. He looked at his own hands. His own hands, and imagined blood dripping down from them. He had thought once of killing Sloan. He wanted to kill him to end his pain. But he had learned that violence would only cause more violence, so he lost interest in that.

"I have to tell someone..." He thought. He looked down one of the long corridors, and could see someone in the far distance walking. He smiled briefly and called out, "DAD!" His shouting echoed in the hallways, and the man in the middle of the hallway looked up. "Dad! I want to talk to you!

The man, also bearing a large nose and had dark blonde hair, stopped and smiled. "Why hello there, Nigel." He walked over to his eldest son, a large smile on his face. "What seems to be the trouble?"

Nigel wasn't sure if he should go through with this. He knew his brother was in danger. He knew his brother would die if someone didn't do something. But he also knew that if Sloan ever found out that he told, he was dead meat. But Sloan wouldn't really kill his own brother...or would he? The thought sent chills down Nigel's back.

Radcliffe cocked an eyebrow. He was wearing a tuxedo suit, which Cordelia despised. But he had told her that if he loved it, he could wear it. Fearing that something was wrong, Radcliffe knelt down on one leg. "Nigel? What's wrong?"

Nigel looked the other way. Fear was already filling up his heart. Sloan was a sneaky one. He could be watching the whole thing right now! But the words of his physician echoed through his mind. 'If he keeps using that stuff, he'll die...' Sloan was his brother. He had to protect him. He had to!

"I-It's Sloan, dad." He finally croaked out, wiping away a tear that had formed on his left cheek. "Something's w-wrong with him...." His body started shaking from fear and anticipation. He could feel the sobs escaping his throat. He was both afraid of Sloan...and his father.

Radcliffe's expression turned from concern to seriousness. "What about Sloan?" He inquired softly, gripping Nigel's shoulders reassuringly. "You can tell me anything. Believe that." He added with a small smile. The man thought for a moment. "Does it have anything to do with you pretending you can talk to animals?"

Nigel's face went pale. Sloan had told him? "What...? He told you...?" He whispered under his breath. Radcliffe gave a single nod. Nigel was horrified. He had been warned that if Sloan or he told anyone about his powers, he'd lose them forever. He could feel them slipping away already. "I-I don't believe it..." He whispered, feeling betrayed.

This made the redhead fill up with rage. But he was still afraid of the 12 year old blonde still residing in the house. But he also understood that nothing was more important than life. So he sucked up all the fear, anger and courage that he had to admit the truth. Running fingers through his own dark red hair, Nigel spoke up in a small and cracky voice. "Sloan is...is....t-t..."

"Yes....?"

"He's taking drugs!" Nigel shouted out loud. Radcliffe was taken aback. He let Nigel go, and he backed away in shock. "And he's smoking." Nigel lowered his head down in shame. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but-but Sloan threatened to kill me if I told anyone..."

Radcliffe's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't listen to him. If you felt it was important to tell someone, you shouldn't be ashamed of it." He placed a hand on Nigel's head. "Understand, son?"

Nigel smiled through his blurry blue eyes. "Y-Yes, dad." He wiped them away, glad that he had told someone about Sloan's problem.

But what he didn't know was that, peering through a door, Sloan had heard the whole thing. The 12 year old glowered at his big brother. Anger raged through his body as he saw his own brother betray him. His face turned red, and his grip on the door was so tight, he literally made a crack in it. Not a small one, but a long and deep one. "Why that traitor..." His voice was raspy, his teeth bared.

He slammed the door shut. Nigel looked, and realized that Sloan must've heard the whole thing. He rushed over to the door, and grabbed a hold of the handle. "Sloan!" He tried to open up the door. But despite being older, he wasn't as strong as Sloan. He pulled on the door, but it wasn't budging. Sloan's grip was iron tight. "Sloan, please! Open the door!"

"No way!" Sloan shouted from the other side. "You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"No I didn't! You promised that I wouldn't tell anyone!" Nigel hollered, continuing to try and open the door.

Radcliffe rushed over to his two fueding sons. He nudged Nigel aside, and pounded on the door. The sound could be heard throughout the entire house, and Nigel had to plug his ears. "Sloan! Open the door now! This is your father speaking!!" He hollered in a scolding manner. "I'll give you to the count of three to open the door." There was no reply. "One....two....THREE!!"

With a single motion, Radcliffe slammed his body into the door. The door burst wide open. Anyone who had been standing there would've been thrown back. But when the door shot open, they saw no one in the room. "Sloan..?" Radcliffe looked around, and then eyed something. "Sloan!" He rushed towards the window, and looked out of it.

There was a long line of cloths, tied together, leading down the window. They were on the third floor. Nigel joined in, and gently pushed his father aside to look down. They could spot a small figure running for the wilderness.

Radcliffe quickly turned to his son. "Nigel! You must go after him!" He started to run through the door. "I'll get my shoes on! I'll join you later!"

Nigel gave one nod. He then climbed out the window, using the cloth like rope to climb down. He thought that using the door would take too long. Sloan was running from the backside of the house, while the door was in the front. He climbed down, and jumped off. He hit solid ground, and scrambled to his feet. He took off in the direction Sloan had gone.

1 hr later....

"Sloan!" Nigel walked along a path in the wild. He cupped his hands to his mouth to make his voice louder. "Sloan?! Where are you?!" He looked around. All he could see was trees, and he saw a fox or two scurrying away. He hugged himself, rubbing his arms. It was getting pretty chilly.

"Sloan! Come on! I'm sorry!" He hollered into the night. "But if someone didn't tell, you would die!" He could feel a few tears of regret starting to show. He still loved his brother, but now he wasn't sure if Sloan still loved him.

He walked along the dangerous trail. He took another step, and suddenly found himself flailing his arms to keep balance. He fell back to the ground. He peered over. He had nearly walked over a cliff edge! "Whoa....." He whispered as he looked down it. There were several jagged edges sticking out. They looked sharp. If anyone fell down, they'd surely die!

"I wonder if anyone could survive a fall like that..." He wondered out loud.

"Why don't you be the first one to test it out, bro?" A cold voice said behind him. Nigel's body went stiff. A chill went up his spine. Shivers spread throughout his body. He turned slowly around to see Sloan standing there. He had his hands behind his back. "What, Nigey? Aren't you happy to see me?" He grinned maliciously as he advanced forward.

Nigel couldn't move. He was boxed in. He moved his hands in front of his face, indicating he wasn't armed himself. "Please, Sloan...I-It was an accident...!" He knew he was lying, but he had to get Sloan to leave him alone!

Sloan stopped for a minute to think. After several moments, he looked back at his brother with a dark smile on his face. "Oh really, dear brother?" He moved his hands from behind his back to reveal a long machete. "So was this!" He leapt forward, knife braced back to strike.

Nigel screamed in horror, and jumped to the side. Sloan missed him by an inch, and growled at him. He leapt forward again. This time Nigel didn't have time to dodge, and Sloan jumped onto his back. He raised the knife and struck down. A bloodcurdling scream swept throughout the entire forest.

"Sweet revenge." Was all Sloan spoke as he braced the knife into Nigel. The knife penetrated his side, going deep into the side. Smirking, Sloan twisted the knife, causing Nigel to quiver in horrible pain.

Nigel looked up at his brother in fear. The pain was clouded up his mind, and his vision was starting to blur. "S-Sloan..w-why.....?" He whispered as his head collapsed onto the floor. His eyes rolled back in his head, and his breathing became shallow.

Sloan smirked. He didn't answer his brother's question. He pulled the knife out and toss it aside. Nigel wasn't dead, he knew. He had to make sure he was. Using his enormous strength, he picked up his big brother, and carried him toward the edge. "So long, brother!" He started to push him over when a voice shouted from behind him.

"SLOAN! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Sloan gulped and he turned to face his father. The blonde man stood over him, hands on his hips, glaring harshly at his youngest son, who was about to push his own sibling over the cliff. "Put him DOWN!" He pointed a finger at Sloan.

Sloan knew he was in big trouble. He took one last look at his brother as he gently set him back on the ground. He turned to face his father, trembling. His father, at this time, was the only person he was afraid of.

"How could you do something like that?!" He grabbed Sloan and started shaking him violently. "How could you?! He is your brother!!"

Sloan didn't look his father in the face. "I-I don't know..."

Radcliffe's eyes narrowed dangerously. "As punishment, you're going to juvenile detention!!"

Sloan's eyes widened in shock. "W-What...?"

"You're leaving tomorrow!" The man said as he carried Nigel toward the house. "Now come home! You've got some packing to do!" Reluctantly, Sloan followed his dad. That would be the last night he'd ever spend at a real house.

Yeah...this is why Sloan hates Nigel. ;)