HAT: Lookie, lookie! Another chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and Lyon... and any other OCs I decide to throw in there.


"Skimble... Skimble wake up."

"A few more minutes, Tanto," he groans, rolling over.

"Remember yesterday?"

Glass-green eyes snap open and everything comes flooding back. His life never happened. He'd been trapped with Macavity for decades and was just released the previous day. Everyone he knows doesn't know him, he's just... there... a random cat that should've never been alive. He almost wants to cry. Everything, everything seemed so real. He was so convinced that he knew all of these cats, that he went through all of that crap in his kittenhood and ended up happy and single (though that part wasn't the happiest of them). To think that his life is a lie is heartbreaking.

"We're gonna talk to-"

"Old Deuteronomy," drones the orange tabby, knowing the drill because of all the fake memories.

Coricopat helps the brown tailed tom up and puts a paw on his shoulder. "Don't try to interact with anyone, alright?"

Solemnly Skimble nods and allows himself to be led/supported out. He almost takes the lead and denies their help, but he realizes that will set the cats around them on edge even more than they already are and not only that, but his weakened body won't allow him. He glances at a pale orange queen covered in tiger stripes and leopard spots cuddled up to a black and gray calico tom and he almost goes over there to shove the tom off of his sister, but he stops himself, reminding himself that this wasn't his life. He never knew these cats. He has no right to be shoving her mate off of her and being angry and overprotective. None of the things he's "lived" is real. He has to remember that nothing actually happened. This is his first time meeting any of them.

Skimble walks in and finds the familiar multi-brown patched tom's presence is soothing. He's a stranger to Deuteronomy, but he's known him... No, you don't know him.

Still, he can't help but think of everything this tom is and what he's done... even if none of it happened.

This image of him is... different than the last image he'd seen of him, however. The large multi-brown patched tom isn't fat and tottering, but he's tall, broad shoulder, and muscular with a little bit of a stomach. It was like he was twenty years younger again.

"Who are you?" Deuteronomy asks gently, dark brown eyes observing him carefully.

"Skimbleshanks..." reluctantly answers the tom, staring up at the taller tom.

"I'm-"

"Old Deuteronomy. Munkustrap, Tugger, Mistoffelees, Victoria, and Jemima's dad," the marmalade tom grumbles, putting his head in his paws. "I know all of you, Deut, but I don't know you... and you don't know me..."

Dark brown eyes stare at him in shock and surprise, but he takes no heed of it. He's busy sifting through his memories and trying to find ones besides the false ones forced into his mind. He can't find one to comfort him and he nearly wants to cry, but he doesn't want Deuteronomy's first impression of him be a crykitten. He feels a paw on his shoulder and the female mystic's scent washes over him for a moment before it's removed and he hears slight movement in front of him and looks up only to flinch back.

"Dear, Everlasting, why do you always do that?!" the marmalade tom demands before biting his lip and turning his gaze away.

"Sorry," murmurs the larger tom. "What do you mean by that?"

The Mystic Twins quickly inform their leader of the young tom's situation and this leaves the large tom sitting there, or rather crouching, with a thoughtful look on his face as he observes the young tom. While Skimble figures he can see something of a threat in him, Deuteronomy sees something else. This tom, no matter what he's led to believe, hasn't developed and has this kittenish look about him. Unsure, scared, afraid, and sad all reveal the innocence this cat truly has underneath everything that's falsely corrupted his mind. The leader can see all of this as he stares thoughtfully at the tom and feels the strong urge to help him

"You'll be staying here for the time being and Coricopat and Tantomile will help you with anything that you need," Deuteronomy says at least, scaring the marmalade tom. "For today, you'll stay with me and tell me what you know about each cat in the junkyard."

A brown paw waves the other two cats away and the siblings slip out and leave the pair. Skimble talks about each cat individually and his (false) experiences with them. Deuteronomy merely nods as he speaks and more than a few times frowns, but saves his comments or questions for the end. When the brown tailed cat stops speaking he silently begs for the older cat to tell him that everything was true and that there was a stupid prank being played on him.

"They're more or less the way you describe, but as you get to know them, you'll learn why."

The malnourished young cat wants to cry again. Why him? Macavity could've taken any cat in the city, in the world, but why Skimbleshanks? After a full sixty seconds he manages to regain his composure, something he knows he values just as much as the fake him did. He takes a deep breath, calming the raging thoughts spiraling through him and looks up at the tom. If he doesn't calm down soon, he'll absolutely lose it and then what?


Griddlebone: HAT's in a new black hole at the moment and we're all working to get her out.

Macavity: Munkustrap! Get the jaws of life!

HAT: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Griddlebone: Don't go towards Blue! She's not real!

HAT: I thought Blue was a he!

Jennyanydots: No, Magenta was a he!

HAT: EVERYTHING I KNOW IS A LIE!

Griddlebone: *sighs* Review.