Mistoffelees had a rather dark and miserable past as a kitten, though that was to be expected, since his father was the exceptionally-sadistic, well-known criminal cat Macavity. This is the story that tells how a young adolescent kitten grew up to become the Magical, Marvellous Mr. Mistoffelees, partner to the Rum Tum Tugger and friend to all Jellicle cats.
Macavity's mate changed on a weekly basis, and sometimes even more often, so it's anyone's guess as to who Mistoffelees' mother was. All Macavity knew was that once, when he was sitting outside, he caught the scent of a magical kitten being born. Knowing the probability of that kitten not being his was almost zero, he knew he had to have him. Macavity might not die for a long, long time, but what if something happened to him eventually? Who would carry on his legacy? He needed this kitten to be his apprentice and successor, and thus conjured him away from his mother without further consideration.
It was Mistoffelees' birthday, with exactly one year left until he'd become a Tom. Macavity, being the hardened criminal that he was, never acknowledged this special day, leaving Misto feeling worthless – and in the eyes of his father, he would be useless until he was a Tom. The closest Misto ever got to affection was when his father sadistically raped him from time to time, leaving him feeling used and dirty. And today was his birthday, but nobody seemed to care.
Misto started to wonder if he should run away. There was really nothing here for him anyway, so what difference would it make? After thinking about it for a few long hours, he grabbed a small bag and started packing what few belongings he had.
Years ago, Macavity enchanted a ring that he kept in his bedside drawer, which was from a set of miniature furniture that he once stole from an interior designer. The ring's sole purpose was to cloak its wearer from detection by other magical cats; the reason Macavity created it in the first place was because he was paranoid another cat as powerful as him would find him eventually. Mistoffelees knew that if he stole the ring from his father's drawer, he could escape from his prison-like home undetected.
Creeping into his father's bedroom, petrified that he might wake him up, Misto reached the drawer and opened it ever so slowly, reaching in and extracting the ring from the bit of cotton on which it sat. Closing the drawer again, he put the ring on his index finger and started to slink out, careful to conceal his new advantage by keeping his paw on his hip with the ring facing inward.
Just before he reached the door, Macavity sat bolt-upright and yelled, "Mistoffelees! What the hell are you doing in here? You know my bedroom is off-limits!" Fearing this would happen, Misto still had a plan. He plastered on the slyest fake smile he could and turned around, saying, "It was an experiment. You've always pushed me and pushed me to go beyond my limits and impress you. Voilà, I've managed to get into your room without you noticing. I think that's pretty damn good." Macavity, cooling down, replied, "You mischievous cat, you. Well, consider me impressed. Now get out and let me get some rest; you startled me."
Bowing his head slightly, Misto left the room, affording himself a genuine smile of victory once he was out. It was time for another experiment to see just how well the ring worked. Being nowhere close to as powerful as his father, Misto used every ounce of concentration to transfer the enchantment from the ring to within himself. Once finished, he destroyed the ring with a small burst of sparks, the extent of his ability. Since Macavity didn't respond to that tiny use of magic, Misto assumed that the enchantment was working.
Returning to his room, Misto realized that he should check his belongings in case they were enchanted to act as locators. He found that everything was as he suspected, except for one item, for which Misto was glad because this was the item that had the most sentimental value. It was a small, hand-crafted silver necklace that his mother had put on him when he was a kitten, not long before he was conjured away by his most despicable father. He donned the necklace and left everything else behind; there was nothing left here for him.
Walking up to the open door of the abandoned barn Macavity used as his residence, Misto put on his father's coat that was lying to one side, flipped the hood up, and strode into a rather dark storm that was not so unusual for the area. He walked a few kilometers when he came across a Frito-Lay supply truck, and realizing he hadn't had anything to eat, he unassumingly removed a few snack-sized bags of Lays chips and put them in the empty cloth bag he carried. Misto had always liked potato chips, which some cats he encountered thought was a bit strange, but to each his own he supposed. Tearing open one bag and snacking as he went, he eventually stumbled upon the outskirts of a junkyard, in which he found an old, broken-down van that could serve as effective shelter – he was really tired and needed a decent rest. He lay down on one of the car seats and fell fast asleep almost immediately.
The Rum Tum Tugger, who usually preferred to just be called Tugger, was a curious cat with overly promiscuous ways; it was unlikely to find him without a queen – or occasionally a tom – in his bed with him in the day when he slept. Requiring what seemed to be constant attention, he could usually be found with his fan club clinging to him, comprised of Electra, Etcetera, and Jemima. Bombalurina usually hung to one side, hoping to get lucky and be Tugger's 'date' that night, though they had already slept with each other many times. He once had a fling with Alonzo a couple years back, but him and Tugger's brother Munkustrap were now partners, so he was off-limits.
On occasion, though, Tugger enjoyed solitude and took walks on the outskirts of the junkyard that was central to all Jellicles. As he took one of these walks, he began to smell something strange. It didn't smell like any of the others in the tribe, and it didn't smell like Macavity, but seemed to be a new cat altogether. Curiously, Tugger poked around until he found an unfamiliar black tuxedo cat lying on the seat of the old van, still fast asleep regardless of it being at least two hours past dusk.
Something about this petite tuxedo cat made Tugger's heart skip a beat, and Tugger couldn't help but think that he could get used to a long-term rel... A voice in the back of his head cut off his train of though. Tugger, don't think like that! He's just a kitten. And you're not even capable of a real relationship anyway. Then again, he looked like he wasn't far off from being a Tom, and he might succeed in a relationship if he really tried... Stop it. You know it's against the rules set by Old Deuteronomy. It's forbidden to sleep with a kitten. But that didn't mean Tugger couldn't be friendly until it was the other cat's birthday.
He nudged the sleeping cat with his paw gently and said, "Hey, sleeping beauty, it's way past dusk and you're still asleep." Misto sat bolt-upright, extended his claws, and hissed. Tugger took a step back and said, "Woah, I'm not gonna hurt you, kit. By the way, the name's Rum Tum Tugger, but everyone just calls me Tugger. What's yours?"
Realizing that it wasn't his father or one of his father's henchcats, Misto calmed down, retracted his claws, and said, "Sorry. I'd say I had a bad night, but since every night's a bad night for me, I'll just go with this: I had a bad existence, and tend to be a bit on edge. My name is Mistoffelees, but I'd prefer to be called Misto – my full name brings back too many fresh memories of my father..." Misto shook his head to clear those thoughts. "I suppose this is your area, so I'll be on my way – I didn't mean to intrude."
Tugger quickly said, "You don't have to go, and it looks to me that you could use a warm place to stay. I'll have to talk to Old Deuteronomy about letting you stay here and be part of our tribe – we call ourselves Jellicle cats. Would you like that, or would you prefer to continue your nomadic lifestyle?"
Misto beamed, overjoyed, and said, "I'd love that; I really do need a place to stay. I just recently escaped the clutches of my father, Macavity."
At the mention of Macavity's name, Tugger's coat stood a little on end, and he said, "Macavity is the ultimate enemy of this tribe. He was once part of it, but his inner evil corrupted him, and he was banished after committing a series of awful crimes, including one murder. Macavity is also my paternal, much older half-brother; my father is Old Deuteronomy. Now tell me, how can we trust that you aren't a spy for him?"
"He raped me repeatedly, made me bleed, and scarred me from having his claws out and digging into my hips – I can show you the scars if you want. I hate him – he put me through a ton of pain. It's not like I ever even slightly enjoyed it, because he went too damn hard. I'd rather die than help him."
Tugger became a bit aroused at the story, but again mentally berated himself. "I'm so sorry to hear that; we have a rule here that allows us to unconditionally accept victims of Macavity's crimes. I'll still have to tell Old Deuteronomy, but your acceptance is pretty much guaranteed. Listen, you can bunk with me if you want."
Why did I just offer for him to stay with me? That means I can't have queens over while he's around! Then again, I suppose it's a small sacrifice to make for a chance at winning Misto's heart. And if I succeed, and Misto and I both told Old Deuteronomy we love each other, the Jellicle leader might be persuaded to lift the ban on sleeping with kittens this once because of Misto being so close to being a Tom. But can I keep a hold of myself long enough? I guess I don't have much of a choice now anyway – the offer's out now and I'd nix any chance I have with him if I retract it. Well, it'll probably be worth it in the end anyway.
Misto replied, "I'd like that. After all, I just got to know you pretty well, and I'm already comfortable being around you. That's a big compliment, because I'm usually really, really skittish."
"Perfect; my bed's huge and has plenty of room for two cats. Come on, I'll show you where my den is."