A/N: So, second chapter! Woo! *cheers* Thanks so much to Delphicoracle-Cat (or simply, Delphi) for beta-ing this chapter, and thanks so much to all you reviewers for giving me some writing fuel to work with! Without further ado, Chapter 2! Here we go!
Plato slowly came to his senses, cracking open his eyes and gently lifting his head up.
Light streamed in through a nearby window, filling the room with a white aura. It was day again.
He slowly rose to a sitting position, blinking blearily and rubbing his eyes with his paws. He definitely hadn't slept well last night – his back and neck ached something terrible from his bent-over posture. Where was he again? The last thing he remembered was putting his head down on the couch next to the white queen for a quick nap…
The white queen. Where was she? Was she alright?
Plato blinked and looked around quickly. Yes, she was right there, still fast asleep on the couch. Her chest lightly rose and fell with the light sighing of her breaths. She appeared to have snuggled up closer to him in her sleep; her legs were tucked up near where his chest had been and her paws rested lightly beside him. For a moment, he contemplated waking her up, but decided against it – she had gone through a lot last night. Far more than anyone should ever go through. She deserved some undisturbed rest while she could get it.
Plato stretched for a moment, slowly looking around the room. In yesterday's rush, he had solely been focused on the queen and the events taking place; he hadn't had time to take much notice of his surroundings.
Aside from the two of them, the room appeared devoid of other presences. The door was slightly ajar. The gauze and used bandages from yesterday had been discarded; the smell of flowers filled the room, emanating from a small vase of assorted flowers sitting on a nearby table. Two cups of water sat next to the vase – Plato took one and gingerly gripped it, bringing it to his mouth and drinking rapidly; his throat was parched.
The door opened. Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots slowly walked through, talking softly. Jennyanydots was the first to notice Plato. She smiled, slowly walking towards him and pulling up a nearby stool to sit on. Skimbleshanks did the same, speaking up.
"You slept well last night, lad?"
Plato shrugged.
Jennyanydots gave him a kind smile. "We noticed that you'd fallen asleep here last night. We were going to wake you up, but you looked so peaceful that we decided to leave you be."
Plato glanced downwards, blushing gently.
Skimbleshanks spoke gently. "What happened out there, lad?"
Plato bit his lip, looking down at the floor. Skimbleshanks sensed his discomfort and reached out to pat his shoulder, his expression sympathetic.
"Look, I know what happened out there must've been bad, 'kay? But we need to know, so we can help this queen here."
Plato sighed, shaking his head. After a long pause, he opened his mouth.
"I…I couldn't sleep yesterday, so I thought I'd go for a walk. I was out by the meadow, near the fields. Then, I smelled…the scent of blood. A-and mating." Plato took a deep breath. "I decided to go find out what was going on. I tracked the smell to a nearby field. I walked in and…and…"
He broke off, staring into the distance. Jennyanydots silently nodded, urging him to go on.
"I saw Macavity." Both Jennyanydots's and Skimbleshanks's eyes widened. "He…he was on top of her. He pushed her to the side and…asked me if I wanted to, well…you know."
Skimbleshanks gently probed him. "Wanted to what?"
Plato gulped. Taking another deep breath, he continued. "He…he asked if I…wanted a go. I jumped at him, but he vanished before I could touch him." Biting his lip, he continued. "Then, I brought her here."
He fell silent, looking at the white queen then back down at the floor. After a brief moment, Skimbleshanks spoke up again.
"Well…thank you for doing that, and thank you for telling us. That was very brave of you, lad."
Plato nodding bashfully, looking down.
Jennyanydots spoke up. "Does this happen often? Not being able to sleep and going for a walk, I mean."
Plato shrugged. "I...I guess… It just happens sometimes. That was my first time going out for a walk, though."
The two older cats looked at each other briefly, both nodding. Skimbleshanks spoke. "Do you have any idea who she might be?"
Plato shook his head. Skimbleshanks nodded, sighing.
"Well, lad, I don't know what to say to 'ya. I guess we'll make an announcement to the tribe later today about this matter. We'll need to talk 'ta Old Deuteronomy and Munkustrap as well. She'll need a place to stay, too…"
Plato found himself speaking up. "I'll do it."
Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots looked at him quizzically, both frowning. Jennyanydots was the first to speak.
"I'm sorry…what?"
Plato took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He was rarely this outspoken.
"I'll take care of her."
The two elder cats looked at each other confusedly, then back at him. After a brief pause, Skimbleshanks leaned forward slightly. "Are you sure, lad?" He said.
Plato swallowed and nodded.
Jennyanydots frowned. "That's a big responsibility, volunteering to take care of her. You'll need to monitor her recovery very carefully.
Plato nodded. Jennyanydots continued. "Not only that, you will have to help her rehabilitate to life in the junkyard, especially after…what happened. Are you absolutely sure you're up to the task?"
Plato stayed silent for a moment, contemplating what she had said. Truth be told, he actually didn't feel very sure if he was up to the task, but that same calling that had been there last night – the same one that had motivated him to go searching in those fields – had returned. He had to do this.
He nodded slowly. "Yes. Yes, I am."
Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks looked at each other once more, frowning. The two cats stood up. "One moment, Jenny and I need to talk about this. Stay right here, okay?" Skimbleshanks said.
Plato nodded.
The two cats walked out of the room, turning the corner. Plato tried to listen in on their conversation, but from his position could only catch a few snippets of what they were saying.
"…but what if he…"
"…suitable enough? I…"
"…just came of age…"
"…perhaps this might…"
The two re-emerged through the door, taking their seats. Skimbleshanks nodded to Jennyanydots, who began speaking.
"Well, we've decided to let you take care of her, at least temporarily." Plato nodded, smiling for the first time that day. Skimbleshanks took over. "She'll hafta stay here for a little while, just so she can recover. As soon as she's able, we'll let you take her. She'll still need to come back here occasionally so that we can check on her recovery progress, alright?"
Plato nodded vigorously. "A-alright then."
There was the sound of rustling blankets behind them. The air was punctuated by a sharp scream.
