It was a dark morning, as clouds blanketed the sky, snuffing out the sun's rays. A young tomcat named Tumblebrutus was sick in his nest at the Jellicle junkyard, so his little brother Pouncival agreed to catch him a mouse to cheer him up.
It didn't take long for Pouncival to find a mouse. Unfortunately, he was still not that great at catching them. He chased it all the way out of the junkyard, down a street, and into an alleyway. He was almost on top of it, when he tripped on a can that had fallen out of a dumpster. He plunged to the ground and hit his head, giving the mouse a chance to get some headway. Unfortunately, by the time Pouncival pulled himself up, it was too late. He cried, "No!" as the mouse disappeared down a storm train. "Tumble's gonna kill me…"
The small tom looked down the drain. He could easily fit down there, if he could only see the mouse…
Instead, he was greeted by a pair of glowing, yellow eyes. He jumped back in fear.
A raspy voice floated out of the drain. "Hiya, Pouncie."
A tall, thin ginger cat stepped into view with the escaped mouse in his claws. "What a nice mouse."
"Thanks," Pouncival said softly, more than a little wary of this cat.
"You seem like a nice kit. I bet you've got a lot of friends."
Pouncival counted in his head. "Three. But my brother's my best-best."
"Where's he?" the ginger cat asked with a smile.
"At home. Sick."
This strange cat seemed nice enough, alright. He looked a little disheveled, sure, but he was in a storm drain, after all. He was certainly friendly, and he wore a big smile. Still…
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers…" Pouncival said shyly.
"Oh!" the ginger piped up. "Well, I'm Macavity, the Mystery Cat! Macavity, yes…meet Pouncie. Pouncie, meet Macavity. Now we're not strangers. Are we?"
Pouncival shrugged. "I should probably get going."
Macavity's demeanor shifted. The bright smile fell off his face, and he looked worried, almost panicked. "Without your mouse?" He held the rodent back up in the light. "You don't want to lose it, Pouncie." His voice cracked. "Tumble's gonna kill you."
Pouncival began to reach for the mouse, but pulled his paw back quickly.
Macavity smiled again, less brightly and more sinisterly.
"Go on. Take it."