A/n: Welcome to part 2 of Growing Up Prosion, where the young Macavity learns a few things about himself. It's another oneshot, as is the next part but later on there will be a few multi-chapter parts. At this point, Macavity is still very young, equivalent of an eleven year old kid, and absolutely adorable (or is that just me?). All that's left to say now is read, enjoy and review! Rated for death of an OC.
Disclaimer: Nope I don't own Cats. I do own Faustus, and Cetan.
Growing Up Prosion Part 2 – Discovery
"Yes, send him in." Faustus acknowledged his secretary with a nod, waiting in his office. He had an important meeting, apparently it was urgent and 'Socks' was not a tom to be kept waiting.
The tan coloured tom stormed into the office, clearly furious about something. Faustus regarded him calmly, simply waiting for the storm to break. He knew why Cetan was so angry and he knew what to expect. 'Socks' was so named because his purely tan-coloured fur was only broken up by his white paws. Generally an easy going tom, he had a flair for business; always knowing when to sell and when to buy.
This was the reason he was now in the Prosion leader's office. He had struck a deal with Faustus to sell one of his top Italian restaurants. The place was popular, in an ideal location and brought in plenty of profit. Nothing had been transferred over yet, the deal had only just been struck last week, but Faustus had already moved quickly and had renovated the place turning it into a betting shop. Clearly this hadn't gone over well.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Cetan snarled, ignoring the chair in front of the desk.
"What can I do for you, Cetan?" Faustus said calmly, for all the world as if the other tom hadn't yet opened his mouth.
"You turned my restaurant into a gambling house!"
"I thought we had an agreement."
"Yes, but nothing was signed! You can't just come in and take over before the deal is done. What if I'd changed my mind?" Faustus had no response to this, except to shrug. What did he care? The tan tom let out a growl. "You assured me this wouldn't happen again Faustus, so let me assure you that this is the last time we'll be doing business together."
"If that's what you want," the brown and ginger tom stayed calm. However, this only seemed to irritate Cetan more.
"I want that restaurant back, the deal is off. You will hand it back over to me." He said, his voice carrying a clear threat.
"Isn't it a bit late for that? Anyways, what can you do to stop me." Faustus said, returning the threat. He'd already taken over the place, what could anyone do?
"Quite a lot you'll find. I'd watch my back if I were you, and I'd make sure your family do the same." 'Socks' hissed.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Faustus retorted, his own temper beginning to flare.
"You've screwed me over too many times, if that restaurant is not back in my paws by the end of the week, you might want to watch out for your darling son." He snarled, "I'm sure to recognise him, from what I hear, he bears a strong resemblance to Fugread."
Faustus only just managed to avoid flinching at the mention of his father, but it was entirely true. Macavity was almost his grandfather's double with his wild ginger fur and lean figure. It was becoming more obvious every day that the kit would grow up to be tall and intimidating. Even without the magic. Fugread had been famous for his magical abilities, something that Faustus had never seemed to have and it appeared his son was the same. He would be perfectly safe though, Faustus was sure of it.
"I'd like to see you try," he said scathingly.
"We shall see, then, won't we." Cetan said with a smirk, turning tail and storming from the room.
What Faustus hadn't counted on was that Macavity was now old enough and clever enough to be sneaking out of the house at night. A new found confidence from his fighting training, which could almost border on arrogance, along with his inherent curiosity lead the young tom to exploring the streets. He wanted to find out more about what was out there, about all the stuff his father talked about.
Now that he was two years old, it was time for him to get out there on his own. These late night excursions had increased in frequency to where he was now going out six nights out of seven. He'd gotten into more than his fair share of trouble and Macavity had gone to a lot of hassle to hide the cuts and bruises resulting from a number of fights. So far, he had not been caught once, how he had managed this he couldn't say but his parents seemed none the wiser. The ginger tom kit seemed to have a natural ability to cover his tracks and lying was as easy to him as breathing.
It was a night like any other, and having successfully gotten out of his home and on to the streets yet again, Macavity was now walking the streets looking for something to do. He was already tall for his age, and smart beyond his years which often gave the impression that he was much older than he truly was. However, he was still a kitten and knowledge doesn't always make up for experience. He didn't realise he was being watched as he slipped into an alleyway, heading for an underground bar he frequented.
Cetan himself had been following the ginger tom kit, having immediately recognised him and perfectly ready to carry out his threat. The kit was all but cornered now, it would be only too easy to simply grab him.
"Aren't you a bit young to be out here all alone?" he said quietly, his low voice already threatening. Macavity stiffened but didn't turn around. He didn't recognise that voice and strangers were not to be trusted. If he could avoid reacting, he'd be okay.
Cetan had other ideas, white-tipped paws shot suddenly forward, one grabbing the ginger tom kit around his mouth to silence any cry for help while the other grabbed him around his middle to stop him trying to run or fight.
Macavity was in full blown panic now, he couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't breath. He felt something odd, a weird sort of tingling feeling rush through him, followed by the sensation of floating. His eyes rolled in his head, he felt as if he was about to pass out but then something else happened. It was impossible to describe that feeling, but it was as if something that had been locked away inside him had suddenly released itself.
The next thing the ginger kitten knew was the overpowering smell of burnt flesh. He opened his eyes, not realising he'd closed them and just stared. Cetan was dead, there was no doubt in the kittens mind. The once tan coloured tom was now mostly black, with patches of bloody raw skin. He'd been burnt to death, and Macavity knew, just knew that he was the one that had done it.
The ginger kitten noticed a weird sort of tingly-painful feeling in his paws and looked down at them. The fur seemed to be singed, and the young tom could only sit and wonder what he'd done, where it had come from. It was odd, but he wasn't particularly disturbed that he'd killed someone. He'd already justified it in his mind, he was scared, that tom was attacking him and was probably going to hurt him. He was defending himself, even if he didn't understand how.
"Congratulations, Macavity."
The kitten was torn out of his thoughts at the sound of his father's voice behind him. He looked up from where he'd been staring at his paws and turned to face Faustus, cringing. Now he was in trouble, he'd been caught sneaking out and now he'd killed someone.
"I didn't mean to… he attacked me and I…" Macavity tried to explain, but he couldn't find the words to tell his father what had happened. He stopped talking and stared at the ground, afraid to look his father in the eyes.
"It's okay, son. You did exactly the right thing. It's nothing to be afraid of." Piercing yellow eyes snapped up to look at Faustus, now full of hope.
"It's not?" The kitten's voice was quiet, uncertain.
"No. You're a magician, just like your grandfather. He was powerful, and you will be too." Faustus assured his son. He could not be more pleased with the result. Macavity had managed to sneak out without them noticing, take out an enemy of his tribe and he'd proven his magic.
"Wow…" Macavity gasped, hardly daring to believe it but knowing that his father wouldn't lie to him. "Really?" He had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be a tough street tom, having reverted to a curious kitten.
"Really. Come on, let's go home." Faustus said with a smile, leading his son back to their home.