Pulling on the Heartstrings
Chapter 1: Queens can be So Difficult!
Disclaimer: I don't own Cats, and I'm pretty sure I never will.
Author's Note: Another romance story! Only this time, there's more fighting. That's in the next chapter, though. Misto and Victoria might be a little OOC, just sayin'. Enjoy!
The day started out normal enough. The sun was shining, and not a cloud was in the sky. A warm, light breeze was blowing throughout the Jellicle Junkyard, making bits of discarded paper great toys for the kittens who loved to pounce and leap after them.
It was the perfect summer day.
Two queen kittens were playing around in a clearing, laughing while they leapt and bounded after the floating bits of paper the wind stirred up. One was black and brown, she was named Electra; the other was white and yellow, she was named Etcetera. They stopped laughing and playing as they heard loud, angry voices erupt from inside a den nearby.
Curious, they quietly snuck up to the entrance, careful not to make themselves be seen. The voices, they realized, were coming from a white queen known as Victoria and a tuxedo tom known as Mistofelees, or Misto, for short.
Electra worriedly glanced at her friend, whispering, "Vicky and Misto never fight...I wonder what happened? It must be really bad to make them argue like this!"
Etcetera shot her a glare, signaling that she had to be quiet. Electra, getting the message, quieted down. They both put their ear to the wall again, and listened.
"No, Vic, it wasn't meant to be like that! I thought Jem knew you and I were together! You know how she is, being a kitten and all! She didn't know she was doing anything wrong!" Misto said, his voice raised.
"What did Jemima do?" Electra pondered out loud, now intrigued. Etcetera shot her friend another glare, making her quiet down again.
"Misto, you kissed her! How do you think that makes me feel? What were you thinking?" shouted a distressed Victoria.
"You don't understand! She kissed me, not the other way around! I was trying to let her off easy, I was trying to make her understand that I was with you, and before I knew what was going on, she kissed me! I had no idea she would pull something like that!" yelled Misto.
"I caught you with her, I know what I saw! Don't try to cover it up by blaming it on Jem! I feel betrayed, Misto, don't you get it?" Victoria whimpered, near tears.
"Vic, I would never-"started Misto, but then stopped. A deathly silence enveloped the Junkyard for a few moments. Misto broke the silence. "Look, for the sake of both our lives, let's just stop. I need to cool down. I'm going for a walk." He said in a low, almost menacing, tone.
Electra and Etcetera glanced at each other, taking that as their cue to get out of there. They didn't want to be around an angry Misto, and for good reason. Since Misto was a cat with magical powers, his emotions played a huge part in controlling them. If his emotions got out of hand, so did his powers, and things could get ugly really fast.
The pair of queens scurried off to find something else to do, just as Misto emerged from the den. His paws were visibly shaking, a sign of just how close he was to losing it.
He walked to the entrance of the Junkyard, and nimbly climbed over the fence. He started down the old, cracked, concrete sidewalk, with no particular destination in mind.
Whenever Misto was confused, or angry, he would often take a stroll to clear his head, and talking about it, as he found out, helped quite a bit. He didn't care if he was talking to himself, or if anyone heard him.
"How could my own queenfriend think I was cheating on her? I'd never do that to her! I'm a loyal tom, and she knows it!" Misto said to himself, while kicking a rusted can out of his path.
"I know my ex-queenfriend, Jem, still has feelings for me, so maybe that's why she decided to kiss me goodbye...Either that, or she just let her emotions get the better of her...Jem's still so young, I bet she didn't think she was doing anything wrong. We were, after all, lovers for a bit. That's over now, though." He pondered out loud, looking up at the crumbling, abandoned buildings that were usually found in this area of London.
"What have you gotten yourself into, huh Misto? Your queenfriend thinks you're cheating on her, and now you've got to explain yourself. If only Vicky would understand that, above all else, you'd never leave her, no matter how tough things get...That would make this situation so much easier...But I guess she needed time to cool off, too. Queens can be so difficult when they're emotional!" Misto shouted to no one in particular.
"Having queen troubles, Mistofelees?" A voice said from an alley to Misto's left.
Misto stopped in his tracks; he knew that smooth, low voice anywhere. Afraid to go into the alley, he stood at its entrance, and called out, "Who's there?"
He already knew who it was, but his mind was too afraid to accept it. His worst fear was confirmed, however, when a tall, lean, ginger tom slunk out of the shadows and into the sunlight. His fur was matted and unkempt, and his eyes were a piercing acid yellow, always analyzing everything around them, always plotting.
"Macavity."Misto said, with no emotion in his voice. As scared as he was, he couldn't let this tom see through his ruse, or he would have that much more fun torturing him.
He wanted to run so badly, but Misto knew he couldn't outrun Macavity, or the henchcats he surly had with him, waiting to strike at their leader's command. He knew he was trapped, with no way out other than either death or Macavity's prison. Once the Hidden Paw had you in his sights, there was no escaping.
"It's such a pleasure to see you again, after what happened at the recent Jellicle Ball. How is that old cat doing anyway, hmm? My...informants, if you will, told me that you brought him back with your magic. How...predictable." Macavity purred in his sleazy tone.
Misto knew that the Hidden Paw was toying with him, trying to make him more uncomfortable than he already was. By the smug look on his face, Misto knew that he was enjoying every second of it.
Misto cleared his throat, as it had gotten tight with fear at the sight of the intimidating tom. "What do you want, Macavity?" Misto didn't bother answering his question; it was just a ploy to get him distracted.
Macavity snapped his fingers, and in the blink of an eye, six vicious-looking toms surrounded Misto, sneering and hissing.
Misto, however, stood his ground. He wasn't going to let these toms get the better of him, no matter how intimidating and feral they looked. He looked to Macavity, waiting for his fate.
"What I want, Mistofelees, is you. You knew this day would come. You can't hide from me forever, you know. The Jellicles may have you protected in that junkyard of theirs, but outside that fence, you are at my mercy. Since I finally have you in my grasp after all these years, I've got a proposition for you." Macavity paused, letting his words sink in. He inspected his claws. They were long and sharp, perfect for slicing the throat of any cat that got in his way.
"Go on." Misto prompted. He wanted to know whether he was going to die now, or later. Macavity once again turned his attention to Misto, staring at him with those deadly eyes.
"My proposition is become my henchcat, join me and live; or watch someone very close to you die a horrible, painful death, before you die as well." Macavity said non-chalantly, as if he made these kinds of deals all the time. He probably did, how else would he have gotten so many toms to work for him?
When Misto didn't answer, he asked again.
"So what will it be, my son? Life? Or death?"
Author's Note: Oooh cliffie! What's Misto going to choose? Stay tuned to find out! Review, please!