A/N: Alright, so with Misto and Alonzo safely in the Jellicle Junkyard, how will the rest of the tribe react with Macavity's sons in the vicinity? Will Macavity come after them? Sorry about the shortness, but the next chapter will be longer. Enjoy!
Mistofelees was running down a dark street lit only by the light of the moon above. Everywhere around him there was a black abyss, except for the moon, and only the pavement in front of him provided a path. This street seemed to stretch on forever; there was no end in sight. Mistofelees glanced behind him to see feline shadows emerge from the fathoms of the abyss around him and then disappear without a trace. Some were reaching for him, and some he couldn't even make out the shape of.
All he knew was that he had to run away from these shadows. Mistofelees turned his attention forward again. He almost crashed into a brick wall that came from seemingly nowhere. With his escape route blocked, the little tom-kit turned around to face his pursuing shadows. They slowly surrounded him, like a shroud of impenetrable smoke. He heard the malevolent chuckle of Macavity as one of the shadows extended a talon-shaped paw and lunged for this throat.
Mistofelees sat bolt-upright, paws waving madly as he attempted to fend off his nightmarish attacker. Instead he pushed away a blanket that was previously covering him. As the tuxedoed tom-kit panted heavily to catch his breath, he gazed around him. The black walls of his bedroom at the hideout were replaced by walls composed of densely packed trash. He glanced down and discovered his uncomfortable straw mat was not straw at all, but a cozy nest of blankets.
The small tom-kit looked up again to survey his surroundings with more scrutiny. Another nest of blankets was set up beside his, and in it slept Alonzo, curled up with a fresh bandage on his foot. The patched tom was sleeping peacefully. Across the room was a wooden table with four chairs of different origins; none of them matched the other. Near this table at the corner sat a wood-burning stove, and in front of it stood the silver tabby from last night. He was frying something on a pan with his back to Misto. Right next to the stove sat a plastic wash-basin full of sudsy water with a used bowl and whisk soaking inside it. The last thing he set his eyes on was a closed simple, wooden cabinet on the opposite wall.
His breathing had calmed down, so Mistofelees could breathe deeply through his nose once more. As he inhaled, a delicious aroma entered his nose. He had never smelled anything so heavenly! Misto tried to crawl out of his nest, but tripped over his own paws that he had previously entangled in the blanket. He fell on his stomach with a noticeable, "Oomph!"
Munkustrap looked over his shoulder at the tuxedoed tom-kit and smiled. Misto remembered how kind this tabby had treated him and his brother the previous night, so he wasn't really afraid. Misto was still very timid, and he just stared back at his rescuer with wide, questioning eyes.
"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, Mistofelees." The older tabby chuckled bemusedly, "I'd be glad if you could wake your brother up for me. Victoria should be back shortly to set up the table. She's very eager to meet you two."
The tuxedoed tom-kit brushed himself off as he wriggled free from his blanket imprisonment. He stood up and peeped softly, "Who's Victoria?"
The silver tabby's countenance grew confused for a moment, but it quickly cleared. "Oh, right! You didn't see her last night because she was sleeping over at a friend's…Victoria's my daughter, and she's about your age. Once I told her we had visitors, she couldn't wait to see you. Ah, there's my little princess right now!"Munk exclaimed, motioning a paw towards the den entrance.
A snow-white queen no older than Misto skipped into the den, all smiles. She turned her head towards Mistofelees and her beautiful sapphire-blue eyes widened with excitement. Victoria giggled and to Misto it sounded like the happiest sound his miserable ears had ever heard. "Hi, it's so great to finally meet you! I'm Victoria, what's your name?" She chirped joyfully in a perfect soprano voice.
Taken aback by her sudden cheerfulness and forward (well, to him it was forward) greeting, Mistofelees shrunk back with a whimper, and used his nest of blankets as a refuge. Victoria pouted and inquired sadly, "What's wrong? I just wanted to be friendly…"
Munkustrap stepped in and placed a paw around his daughter's pearly shoulders. "He's a little shy, Vicky. Give him some time to adjust, okay sweetie? For now, why don't you set the table?" Her father advised and Victoria nodded enthusiastically. She opened the cabinet doors to reveal a few scarce stacks of cracked green plates on the top of the two shelves inside, and bundles of rusted forks and knives on the bottom, as well as some glasses. She gingerly pulled three plates, forks, glasses, and knives out and arranged them gently on the table. When she was done, her face took on a perplexed expression. Victoria picked her head up to smile kindly at Mistofelees, who hadn't yet come out of hiding.
"Is the tom beside you going to eat?" The white queen-kit queried, pointing a slender finger at Alonzo's sleeping form.
Misto nodded without speaking, and Victoria set another place for the patched tom. She then poured water from a pitcher on the table in each glass, which Misto hadn't noticed before. The tuxedoed tom-kit observed Victoria with a kind of fascination. She did even the simplest things gracefully, and he couldn't help but stare. He suddenly came back to reality when he realized Munk was talking to him. He was currently transferring round, golden-brown disks onto each plate with a spatula.
"Breakfast is ready everyone, so take a seat. Mistofelees, why haven't you woken your brother yet?" He raised a silver eyebrow at Misto, who huddled further into his nest with a frightened squeak. Munk furrowed his brow at the small tom's reaction and gently added, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound impatient. I'm sure Alonzo would like some breakfast too, don't you think?"
The tuxedoed tom-kit gazed at Munkustrap for a second before tentatively crawling out of bed. He placed a paw on Alonzo's shoulder and gently shook it. Alonzo immediately sat upright, fully awake. He smiled at Misto, and then glanced past his brother to frown at Munk. The silver tabby smiled politely and gestured with his paw to an empty chair in front of him where a plate of steaming food was sitting, ready and waiting.
Alonzo hesitantly got up, refusing his brother's outstretched paw to aid him. The patched tom kept his dangerous blue eyes on Munk, and didn't seem to notice Victoria staring at him with frightened eyes. If Alonzo wasn't injured, he probably would have lunged for the silver tabby. The patched tom ambled over to the table and gladly sat down in a chair as Misto copied him. He sniffed the food in front of him cautiously, as if he were testing it for poison.
"They're mousecakes, and they're delicious. Have you ever had them, Alonzo?" Munkustrap commented as if he were completely ignorant of Alonzo's intimidating demeanour. The silver tabby was determined to show this pair of toms kindness and not the normal, harsh treatment they were so accustomed to.
The patched tom didn't reply as he twiddled his rusted fork between his thumb and forefinger. "You know, I could easily kill someone with a fork from here..." He remarked absentmindedly instead. Alonzo shifted his piecing gaze from Munk to Victoria and back again.
Misto seemed to believe the silver tabby because he grabbed his fork to bite into a mousecake with it, but his brother gently pushed his foreleg down while still glaring at Munkustrap. Misto looked pleadingly up at his older sibling; he hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and his stomach was constantly growling.
"C'mon, Misto. We're leaving." Alonzo commanded quietly as he got up from the chair to exit the den. As soon as he put the slightest pressure on his injured foot, he yelped and immediately sat back down. He squeezed his eyes shut and took quick breaths as the excruciating pain in his right hind paw flared up once more.
"I wouldn't advise you to walk around on that paw, Alonzo. It's shattered and will take at least two weeks to heal. Now, the food is not poisoned and I'm positive you two are famished right now. I know honesty takes some getting used to after a life of lies and broken promises, but I assure you that we're not going to harm you." Munkustrap said sternly, and then pointed to Alonzo's plate.
The patched tom sighed heavily and appeared to cave. He nibbled at a mousecake and smiled as he swallowed. This was infinitely better than diseased rats and mice. Misto took that as approval and dug into his own mousecake while Victoria and Munkustrap ate their breakfast like mannerly cats and not like the two ravenous wolves they had sitting in front of them. When the meal was finished, Munk gathered the used utensils to wash them in the wash-basin. That left Alonzo and Misto alone with Victoria at the table.
Victoria observed the two toms in front of her for a few seconds. They were very interesting guests, despite their considerable lack of manners. She noticed a few intriguing things about Alonzo and Mistofelees right off the bat: Alonzo was quite muscular, but he was much too old for her. However, she had a feeling some of her older friends could fall for him pretty easily. Mistofelees appeared to be younger than her; to her he looked like he was twelve and not fifteen. His fur sparkled, which she couldn't stop smiling at. It was almost like he was covered in the pixie-dust she had heard about in storybooks as a kitten. Both toms were clearly malnourished and covered in all sorts of bruises, stains, and scratches. It sent a pang through Victoria's heart to see two young toms so badly abused. No wonder Alonzo acted so hostile; he probably had never heard a kind word in his life.
The white queen had her attention captured by Misto the most, so she decided to start talking with him. "Mistofelees, how old are you? Twelve? Thirteen?" She guessed, and suppressed a giggle at his tiny flinch. His timidity never ceased to amuse her; it was too cute.
"F-fifteen, Ma'am." The tuxedoed tom-kit replied almost inaudibly.
Victoria's giggle escaped at the way he addressed her. "Ma'am? You can call Jelly that, but me? I prefer Vicky, if that's alright with you. No need for such formalities here!" She exclaimed light-heartedly, waving Misto off with her paw. She turned to Alonzo. "What about you?" Vicky queried, but a tad more shyly. The patched tom intimidated her quite a bit.
Alonzo stared the queen-kit down for a second, causing her to shrink back into her chair. "Don't talk to me, Jellicle." He spat.
Misto frowned at his brother and retorted in defense of Victoria, "She's just trying to be nice, 'Lonzy! These Jellicles saved you; the least you can do to repay them is being kind in return!" He flashed a confident smile at the snowy queen-kit, who returned it.
The older patched tom lifted his upper lip to let out an inaudible growl. He usually reacted this way when he knew Misto was right. Averting his gaze from Victoria he muttered, "Seventeen. Happy?"
Vicky beamed at the elder black and white tom as she clapped her paws together excitedly. "Ooh, I know someone who would love to meet you! Hmm…but you can't walk yet, so maybe I'll bring her here? I can't wait to tell her now! Mistofelees, do you want to come with me to tell my friend about your brother?" She gushed, the words tumbling out of her mouth. Misto barely understood a word of what she just said, but nevertheless declined with a vigorous shake of his head. He had enough of the outside world yesterday, and never wanted to leave the safety of the relatively dim den ever again.
At his daughter's disappointed whimper, Munkustrap encouraged from the corner with the wash-basin, "You'd do well to get out and see the junkyard, Mistofelees. You'll meet lots of kits your age, and you're the talk of the junkyard at the moment, along with Alonzo. It's not often we have visitors, and gossip spreads like wildfire around here." At the last sentence the silver tabby was looking at Victoria, whose white cheeks had gone pink with embarrassment.
"I can't help it, Dad! Etcy can squeeze anything out of me! C'mon, Mistofelees, pretty please? After we tell my friend we can go exploring!" Victoria offered, hoping to get her new acquaintance excited about something. Aside from being shy, he behaved as dull and lifeless as a statue.
Misto nervously bit his lip and glanced at his brother for his opinion. He almost never did anything without telling Alonzo first and getting his permission. The patched tom inclined his head towards the den entrance, indicating he allowed this excursion. His small brother gave him a grateful nuzzle. Victoria jumped out of her chair, took Misto by the paw, and loped gracefully outside with him stumbling along behind her.
The pair of kits suddenly halted as Mistofelees dug his heels into the ground once he and Victoria were less than a meter outside the den. The white queen-kit threw a puzzled glance over her shoulder and smiled bemusedly. Misto was standing there with huge eyes, gazing at the majestic trash piles like a newborn kitten. It was also one of the first times he had been completely enveloped in sunlight. The heat from the shining noonday sun above felt wonderful on his fur, and he sighed contentedly at the new sensation.
Victoria's laugh brought him out of his reverie. "You've never seen a junkyard before, have you?" She asked teasingly. She had seen other kittens in the same mesmerized state as Misto, only they were barely a year old when they first laid eyes on the beautiful art-like sculptures of trash. The answer she received from the small tom was something she never expected, though.
"I've never been outside before…" Mistofelees breathed; still staring at the how the sun illuminated every nook and cranny of the heaps of garbage around him. He pricked his black ears as high-pitched laughter was carried over by the gentle breeze from a large clearing down the path. He glanced in that direction and saw that a couple of queen-kits were chasing each other around in the middle.
His snowy friend squealed with excitement. "There's Etcy and Electra! Oh, and I think I see Cassandra on the tire! Let's go!" She grabbed Misto's paw again and they sprinted off towards the clearing. As Misto rounded the corner, he could easily see who Victoria was talking about. The two gamboling queen-kits were obviously the ones making all the noise; they had to be Etcy and Electra. A sleek, brown Abyssinian queen around Alonzo's age was reclining on a huge rubber tire. That had to be Cassandra, Misto determined.
Victoria slowed to a stop as she came within five feet of her frolicking friends. One was a copper and brown tortoise-shell who looked a few years younger than Victoria. The other was a yellow and white-patched queen-kit, also appearing younger than Misto's new pearly friend. They stopped playing to pounce on Victoria, who shrieked in surprise as well as joy. Misto immediately flinched away and ran for cover inside an old drain pipe he spotted nearby.
The white and yellow kit released her friend as she spotted a flash of black and white dart into the crimped pipe. She skipped over to it and spoke into it, "Anyone there?" Her voice echoed and she let out a high-pitched giggle, pleased with the funny noise. Her cheerful expression darkened when an equally high-pitched squeak answered her. Victoria and the tortoise-shell queen-kit came over.
"Is there a rat in there, or something? I heard a squeak…" The light, patched queen snickered, and then her playful eyes became mischievous. "Ooh, lunch!" She smirked, and attempted to dive into the drain pipe, but Victoria stopped her by grabbing her tail. The yellow-patched kit hissed and tried to swat her friend's paw away.
Victoria gave the queen-kit a harsh glare. "That's not a rat Etcetera, that's my new cat friend Mistofelees! He's really shy and you guys scared him!" She scolded Etcetera, who backed away from the pipe. The snowy queen took her place at the mouth of the great piece of metal and softly murmured, "It's alright, Mistofelees, my friends aren't going to eat you! They want to see you, so please come out."
After a couple tense minutes of waiting, Misto's black and white head emerged from the pipe. Gradually the rest of his thin body followed. The small tom stood up without brushing the dirt from his fur. He eyed the queen-kits around him cautiously.
Etcetera's face screwed up in confusion as she addressed Victoria, "This must be the new arrival you were talking about, right? Vicky, are you sure he's not a rat? He looks awfully tiny and scrawny to me!"
The orange and cinnamon queen-kit beside her sniggered in agreement.
Victoria hissed at her friends and put a protective arm around the tuxedoed tom-kit's charcoal shoulders. "Electra, stop laughing! How do you know if he wasn't treated right by his owners?" She huffed, and the tortoise-shell Electra quieted down and averted her gaze in shame.
Mistofelees held up a finger to correct his white rescuer. "Actually, I don't have owners…I'm Macavity's son, and so is Alonzo." He blurted proudly without thinking. Alonzo had always gotten the new henchcat queens to flock to him when he said that, so why wouldn't it work here, the small tom reasoned? He instantly regretted even opening his mouth to speak. Electra and Etcetera gasped, screamed, and fled the clearing. Victoria looked immensely surprised, but stayed put.
"…Really? But you don't look a thing like your father, much less act like him. Oh, but you're not evil! I can tell just by looking at you that you're a sweet, timid tom who needs a friend!" The snowy queen smiled, and removed her paw from his shoulders to give his white-tipped paw a reassuring squeeze.
Mistofelees beamed at her; he had never heard such angelic words in his entire life. He would have pecked her on the cheek for that, if the Abyssinian from the tire had not interrupted.
The brown queen appeared like she had just woken up from a peaceful cat-nap, for her angular features were lined with sleepiness. She had a voice as smooth as her bronze fur. "What's all the raucous about? Did you show Etcy and 'Lectra a spider again, Victoria?" The older queen mumbled tiredly as she stretched her arms over her head. She finally seemed to notice Mistofelees standing beside her younger friend. "Who are you?" She narrowed her light blue eyes at the black and white tom-kit.
Vicky answered for her tuxedoed acquaintance. "This is Mistofelees. He arrived with his brother Alonzo last night. Actually, Alonzo's who we came to talk to you about. Please be nice to both of them Cass, they've had it rough yesterday night." She piped up, motioning a paw to Misto.
The timid tom-kit gave Cassandra a small wave with his free paw. "It's more like we've had it rough our whole lives…" He added inside his mind.
"Alright, pleased to meet you, Mistofelees. My name is Cassandra. What's your brother like?" The Abyssinian greeted in monotone. She didn't seem very interested in Misto and just looked like she wanted to go back to sleep.
Mistofelees opened his mouth to reply, but Victoria took over for him again. "He's got black and white patches and a gorgeous body, Cass! You'll love him! He's a little rough around the edges, but I'm sure you'll warm up to him. He's your age, too. Wanna go meet him?" The snowy queen explained, exaggerating her description just a bit. Cassandra was single, and Victoria liked to play match-maker for her sometimes. Most of the time the relationship ended before it even started.
The tuxedoed tom-kit sneered at his friend's words. Alonzo had deemed other queens gorgeous all the time back at the hideout, but to hear a queen refer to his brother that way? It was just plain weird. He suddenly felt himself being pulled along again as Victoria took Cassandra's paw and towed them both back to her den where his brother was recovering.
"Victoria, if you're trying to hook me up with some tom again, it's not-"Cassandra tried to protest, but they had already arrived inside the white queen-kit's den. The quick trip wasn't what had silenced her, though. The Abyssinian queen stopped dead in her tracks as her gaze rested on Alonzo, who was reclining in his nest of blankets. She blinked rapidly a few times to get the pleasantly stupefied look off her face. Victoria wasn't kidding about her description of Alonzo. He was very handsome. Cassandra regained her uninterested composure almost immediately after her momentary lapse.
The patched tom was grooming his foreleg when the trio came in, guided by Victoria. He glanced up when he heard the unfamiliar voice of Cassandra, and then his lips curled up into a charming smirk. "Hello, I don't think we've met before. What's your name, beautiful?" He purred smoothly to the Abyssinian while looking at her from under his eyelashes. This classic approach always worked for him, especially when he used this alluring expression. Queens never ceased to swoon when he introduced himself this way. To add extra effect, he stretched his arms over his head and arched his back, making sure to tense his midsection and biceps to show off his finely toned muscles.
Cassandra appeared to be one of the exceptions, however. Alonzo struck her as the stereotypical, shallow tom with this cheesy approach. Needless to say, she could see right through him and was immediately revolted by what she found. Cassandra preferred more sophisticated toms with class. The patched tom in front of her looked neither sophisticated nor had enough class to introduce himself modestly.
"My name's Cassandra. Now, if you'll excuse me I think I have to go puke. Cheesy toms make me sick." The bronze queen stated flatly as she stalked out of the den without another word. Victoria looked disappointed while Alonzo just gaped. He sat up with raised eyebrows.
"Aww Cassandra, don't be like that! Don't play hard-to-get with a tom and his broken foot! It's not fair!" Alonzo whined, but the brown queen was already long gone. He lay back down with a pout. The patched tom wasn't used to getting flat-out rejected like that. It never happened to him…Until now. He made a silent vow to himself that he was going to get this Abyssinian queen to fall for him. There was no sense in not chasing after an attractive beauty like that. Plus, she had attitude to boot. Alonzo's favourite queens were those with minds of their own.
Alonzo pricked his ears as laughter entered them, and turned his head towards the noise. Mistofelees was covering his mouth with both his paws, but the sound escaped from his lips quite obviously. "What are you laughing at, Misto?" He quipped accusingly.
The tuxedoed tom-kit calmed himself down enough to reply, "You just got rejected, 'Lonzy! I can't believe it!" Then he broke down into fits of laughter again as his brother smoldered in his nest. Alonzo pinned his ears in embarrassment. Now he had to get Cassandra to like him, if not for his own pleasure, then to save what was left of his dignity as a tom.