Curiosity Killed The Cat

by cjfreeman

Misto finds himself captivated with the only other cat he's ever seen to have abilities like his and desperately wants to know more despite harrowing tales of what a danger he is and a secret scar he left on the tribe's history. Rating soon to become 'M'.

4. Inquisition

Writing at night is a bad idea but it seems I have no other time to do it. Hey ho, we plough on!

So sorry this one took nearly two weeks to get out. I've been so busy and it's been so uncomfortably warm that I just haven't been able to write for periods as long as I usually do. Winter is very much the season to write when we want to stay indoors and keep out of the cold but now that it's so hot it's really hard to kick your imagination into gear. Nonetheless, I got it done in the end.

Also, as I say whenever I write with Mungo and Rumple I don't write how they speak phonetically since it's hard to read. Please just imagine their accents.

Curiosity Killed The Cat

Chapter 4

Inquisition

Mid-August always brings around an undecipherable time of change to London. Depending on the pattern of the seasons it could be time of pleasant leaning towards uncomfortable heat or the slow realisation of the tiniest yellowing of the leaves on the trees giving rise to the suspicion of an early autumn. Many a well-seasoned individual may think to ignore such indicators as it always seems that September brings with it a much more pleasant set of emotions including the sustention of warmth whilst maintaining the visual changes of the transition to the third season. Still, the more curious tend to allow themselves to wonder during August and it seems to follow in every life form that lives through it. Both humans and animals notice subtle hints of a progressing year and even the trees and plants would wonder whether or not to start to fade away. This most certainly held true in the Jellicle junkyard and it was a place where both types of cat – the knowing and the curious – could be found entertaining their differing views with the latter usually expressing itself in the innocent and carefree minds and bodies of the kittens.

Following this pattern, it was on this morning that a gaggle of kittens could be found staring intently up into the sky as if they were waiting for something to drop out of it. They had been doing so for a short while before a ginger tom by the name of Skimbleshanks exited the den he shared with his mate and looked over to see them with their heads dropped back and gazing aimlessly up into the blue. Feeling wary as to their behaviour – knowing from past experience that such strangeness often led to odd insights of kittenish philosophy – Skimble tentatively stepped down from the entrance to his den and slowly made his way over to where they all sat quietly. As he neared so too did he glance up into the sky to try and see if there was anything they might have been focusing on but wasn't surprised to see nothing of particular interest there other than clouds and the big blue expanse. Turning back he looked down at their blank, staring expressions and cleared his throat to gather their attention.

Breaking their gaze each of the kittens looked down from the sky and over to Skimble who gave them all a reserved look of inquiry before he began to speak,

"Is there something up there I've missed?" asked the tom in his thick Scottish drawl that so often led to other cats misunderstanding him.

The kittens proceeded to look amongst each other momentarily before Pouncival – a brown and white kitten – piped up with their collective thoughts,

"We were wondering why it feels different today"

"What feels different?" asked Skimble with uncertainty

"It" the smaller tom replied

"What's 'it'?"

"Everything"

"What do you mean by everything?"

"Just…everything" chirped the small tom gesturing wildly with his arms to all of their surroundings and narrowly missing clonking Electra – a tortoiseshell queen kitten – on the side of the head. Skimble looked around to satisfy the kittens' desire for him to take a serious interest in their musings but then turned back and said,

"It all looks the same to me"

"But it's not!" cut in Etcetera – another queen kitten who looked similar to Electra albeit a little lighter. "Can't you feel it? Something's different"

"Well, how is it different?"

The kittens once again glanced at each other and when none of them could produce an answer turned back to Skimble blankly. There they sat for a few moments before the Scots tom spoke again,

"I see. Well, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about if indeed you're all right"

"We are!" cried Pouncival, "Look, Tugger will know! Tugger!" he shouted at the flashy tom who he could see emerging from across the clearing.

Without waiting the gaggle of kittens leapt up and began charging for the tom they seemed to be eternally impressed with.

The Maine Coon startled as he heard his name hollered and then grimaced as he saw the wave of kittens hurtling towards him and mentally braced himself for the impact that would be their barrage of babbling. Needless to say, it was Etcetera who had the hungriest look in her eyes and as per usual she didn't slow down when she approached him. Without even a hint of hesitation she blasted into him and wrapped herself around one of his legs before she beamed up excitedly as he looked down at her with an expression that was halfway between annoyance and smugness. It was true that he didn't particularly like being bugged by the kittens first thing in the morning but he very much enjoyed the awe they seemed to have for him as well as the way they treated him like a god.

"Hey, guys" he said as he felt a smile attempt to creep across his lips as he looked down at the kitten on his leg.

"Hi, Tugger!" squeaked Etcetera

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked as he began to tickle between the small queen's ears making her squeal even more.

"Tugger!" nearly yelled Pouncival grabbing onto his arm, "You can tell it feels different this morning, can't you?"

"What?" asked Tugger looking up

"It feels different, doesn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean," said the big, maned tom as he attempted to prise the kitten from his lower extremity.

"It feels different today!"

"What does?"

"Everything"

"What's everything?" asked Tugger as he managed to pull Etcetera off of his leg only for her to be replaced with Electra seconds later. Pounce looked at him in near disbelief over his blatant disregard of the difference in the air that he himself felt.

"Everything!" he blurted, "Come on!"

"I don't know what you're on about," said Tugger managing to shake off Electra and stepping away to prevent any more of them from latching onto his body. "Look, guys, I'm going. I've got things to do," he said before turning and trotting off before any of them could get another word in.

The gaggle of kittens was left alone with their feeling of change although with the distinct sudden reduction in interest by Electra and Etcetera who followed Tugger with their eyes until he was out of sight. As soon as he was gone they began blathering to each other about how amazing he was leaving the rest of the kittens to mutter amongst themselves until they had finished.

Across the clearing while this was going on, Munk emerged from his den and stopped near the entrance to look back into the dimness of the interior. He hadn't had the best of nights due to having been running around looking for Macavity who had in the end not been there. He was quite tired but hadn't allowed himself to go to sleep or moreover hadn't been able to fall asleep if he'd tried since Demeter had not conceded to believing that Macavity hadn't been in the junkyard and as such hadn't come off edge for a moment. This lead to where she and Munk were now and as the silver tabby waited he soon found his mate didn't come out from the den they shared. Ducking down again he peered in through the entrance and called out to her,

"Demeter? Are you coming, darling?"

There was some scuffling and hesitation but in the end the black and gold queen did delicately step into the light. Clutching the edge of the doorway she stuck her head out slightly and peered from side to side to make sure it was safe before turning to Munk and saying with a bit of a quiver,

"I don't know"

Munk blinked slowly and sighed quietly as he held out his paw to her,

"Come on, dear. I checked all over the place and I promise you he's not here"

"He might be though" she responded with a distinctly ominous sound, "he might be lurking somewhere out of sight"

"Well, can you feel him now?"

She was silent momentarily before quietly saying,

"No"

"Isn't that enough, then? Deme, I promise you that you're safe. Me and Alonzo scoured the entire junkyard and we didn't even find a trace of him"

"But…" she began before cutting off and looking down ashamedly,

"It was just a dream, a really bad dream that seemed real when you woke up"

"But that's just the thing, it did feel real, so very real and…"

"And?" asked Munk picking up on what seemed like her being stuck for words. He didn't like catching his mate out but he did want to bring her out of this rut of fear she seemed to be stuck in.

Demeter sighed and looked back at him not knowing what to do with herself.

"Will you stay with me? You know…just in case?"

Munk smiled back at her and reached out to take her paw.

"Of course"

With that Demeter took a deep breath and delicately stepped out of the den and into the fresh air. She felt so strange and nervous at the same time and didn't know how she was really meant to feel as she stood on the junk and looked out at the junkyard surrounding her. She had been so sure the night before that she had felt the cat that scared her so much and even now she didn't feel any less sure that what she had sensed had been real. The feeling of Macavity being nearby was so distinctive that it couldn't be mistaken for anything else and every time it filled her body – which was admittedly rare – she was cast back to those moments that had changed all of their lives forever. Those memories always left her with a chill and sent her straight back to the shock and horror of what had happened all those years ago and even as she unwillingly revisited them while she stood there on the junk she could still remember the way she had screamed in terror at the sight of those flames and the flickering of their light reflected on the body of that tom as he looked on at the hideous result of his fury.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?"

Demeter snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her mate who stood next to her. She could see he looked just as concerned as before but now had an extra look of worry about him as he looked at her. It didn't take long to figure out why as already she could already see that the sight of Munk was misty and as she blinked she delicately raised a paw to wipe away the moisture she hadn't realised had gathered in her eyes. Bringing it away she looked at that paw and blinked in surprise at her sudden haunting by those shadows from the past.

Closing her eyes and shaking her head she took yet another deep breath and exhaled it slowly as she tried to distance herself from the frightening memories. As she opened her eyes again she looked into Munk's and put both of her paws on his chest allowing him to wrap his own around her waist. Gently she nuzzled into the space beneath his neck and stayed there for a few moments just to feel safe. The silver tabby nuzzled her back as they stood there and simply let her do whatever she needed to do, after all he knew what horrible fear Macavity still cast into her and it was without a doubt what kept him extra vigilant as well as what fuelled the firm hatred he still held of his evil brother.

---

A little while later, Misto woke up feeling rather like a hot water bottle. That was to say the collected heat within his den warmed his fur snugly and encouraged him to remain as floppy as a ragdoll as he lay on his bed. As his dreams faded and conscious thought began to return to his mind he slowly came to the realisation that it was well and truly mid-morning by now and attempted to groan over his upset sleeping pattern. Usually he woke up much earlier than everybody else or at least what may have been considered early depending on the shared sleeping pattern of the tribe. In fairness the Jellicle Ball always caused a rift in everybody's regimen of rest that usually took a few weeks to settle down again but he nonetheless liked waking up early as it meant he could be on his own and enjoy the solitude of the morning – or evening – without being disturbed in order to gather his thoughts and think philosophically. He was not best pleased with himself over his waking up when he could distinctly hear Pouncival loudly blabbering on about something to somebody somewhere nearby but it seemed that for today those were going to be the breaks.

As he continued to lie there and let the usual pillow-time musings infiltrate his mind his annoyance was lifted when he found he actually felt better about himself today. During the previous week he had woken up feeling sleepy and mentally strained and within a few minutes of doing so always found himself returning to the previous day's train of thought about a particular cat. Today though he didn't feel like that at all. He felt freer and his mind felt much more open without the chains of Macavity holding it down and forcing it to do their bidding. Yes, today felt much better and for the first time since his meeting with that feline fiend he actually felt he was starting to get over him.

Maybe it was because he was above all things a smart cat and was finally noticing the lost cause that his desires were or maybe it was because he was subconsciously growing bored but either way he didn't quite feel the same pull to those thoughts as before. He could now summon thoughts without others getting in the way and clogging up his mind and the prospect of being able to concentrate on magic once again was a warming feeling similar in nature to an old friend returning from a prolonged absence. He would have to get in some proper practice later on when he could find a quiet spot and began to wonder what he might do or try next in his efforts to advance in his art.

Those thoughts though were quickly swept aside when he felt his body object to waking up along with his mind and decided the current feeling was too wonderful to cut short in order to begin the day like somebody responsible. He was a cat and that morning he was feeling an incredibly feline mentality grip him which dictated that where he was on his bed seemed like the only practical option to proceed with and as such did not want to move. Going back to sleep – although seen as lazy by the astute part of his brain – seemed like an excellent idea and feeling rather smug Misto closed his eyes once more, yawned widely and began to turn his body so he could snuggle further down into the sheets below him.

As he rolled over he suddenly flinched when he felt a sharp prickliness come into contact with his chest and rolled back quickly and blinked to try and clear his grogginess so to figure out what had happened. Clear vision seemed to be a lot to be desired and it took him a second or two to coordinate his mind with his eyes and begin what seemed like the strenuous process of looking down to his side – a simple action that his body seemed to object to due to its lasting desire to go back to sleep.

Shaking his head to finally snap himself out of it he looked down at the bed upon which he lay with a perturbed look about him. He expected a stray pushpin or something of the like but he was quite surprised when he found that instead of some spiky human invention what was there to greet him was one single, superb white rose.

Misto closed his eyes and shook his head again to make sure he wasn't dreaming and then opened them once more to look down at what he thought he had seen. Surely enough there it was and with mysterious curiosity continued to stare at it for what seemed like a long time. It was the strangest thing and as he lay he tried to think of how it could have possibly gotten there since he most certainly hadn't had it when he went to sleep the previous night. Or had he? He tried to think of some kind of explanation but he knew it was ludicrous to think that since where on earth could he have gotten it from?

He then was hit with the memory of being in that garden the day before when he'd stomped off in a huff and remembered how he had come across that beautiful rosebush. He was quite sure he hadn't taken anything with him though, in fact he remembered very distinctly that Munk had come to find him and he had completely forgotten about what he was doing when that had happened. He definitely hadn't taken anything with him and yet there it was on the bed in front of him: a lovely white rose that looked just as beautiful as the ones he had seen in that garden.

Tentatively he reached his paw forward and placed it on the stem of the flower making sure not to catch himself on the thorns he'd rolled onto only moments before. Delicately he raised it up in front of himself as he sat up on the bed and inspected it warily as if it were booby-trapped. It wasn't though, in fact it was absolutely perfect and Misto quickly found his sentiments going from stumped curiosity to growing happiness. This rose was absolutely beautiful and it didn't take long for him to put two and two together to realise that if he hadn't put it there then somebody else must have, perhaps somebody with new affections for him.

'So, I have a secret admirer' thought Misto as he smiled and brought the rose to his nose to smell it. It was incredibly sweet smelling and it made Misto feel even happier as well as skittish inside to think that somebody had come and given him a gift and as he smiled he wondered whom it might have been. It would have to be somebody that knew he liked white roses but that presented a problem as barely anyone knew he liked them. In fact it was only really Victoria who knew.

Another realisation then hit him and his smile quickly faded into one of less excitement. Nobody knew he liked these flowers aside from she and there was quite simply no other explanation for it. She must have come across it while out walking and decided he'd like it and as such brought it in while he was sleeping.

'That's disappointing' he thought as he looked on at the white flower and felt let down that someone wasn't being secretly romantic. It would have been nice to have a secret admirer but he told himself there and then what he'd told himself countless times before that the likelihood of that happening was pretty low. No one ever really expressed any interest in him in that way despite how he thought he'd like it every now and then and he missed the thoughts that he'd had only moments ago of somebody having eyes for him. It would have been really nice to go on the hunt for whoever it was that had the secret crush but quite clearly it seemed that it wasn't going to happen today or any day soon in the future. It seemed almost ridiculous to him now that anyone in the junkyard might be interested in him as they had all let him know in one way or another that although they liked him very much they nonetheless thought him rather a strange cat. Nice, friendly, clever and even cool but still strange.

Laying back down he draped his paw with the rose in it over his chest and started up at the ceiling just thinking. After a few moments he looked down at the head of the rose again and smiled at its beauty. It was still a lovely gesture by his sister and despite how he wished it could have been somebody else with more romantic intentions he was still grateful. For the third time another thought hit him and he knew instantly that this must have been her way of trying to dispel the awkward moment they'd shared the day before. He cringed inwardly when he remembered what he'd been caught doing and wished again to high Heaviside that it hadn't happened. Still, what was done was done and couldn't be changed so he'd just have to move on and try to deal with it; and what better way than with the rose, really? After all, it was his favourite.

Letting his disappointment subside, he slowly returned to gratification and a feeling of gratefulness as he thought about how Victoria always looked out for him. Sure, he could have felt silly that his sister was looking after him but he never really minded. She was always thinking about what he needed and what would make him happy and even now she was taking on the job of making the both of them feel comfortable around each other again. Despite how horribly what she had seen seemed to shock her she was doing what she thought was right in order to get rid of the discomfort that currently lingered like a bad smell between them.

Misto sighed with a mixture of happiness and disillusion at the previous moments' occurrences and tried to find the will to drift off again. He was awake now though and despite how much he knew he wanted to he wasn't going to fall asleep again. Besides, it was late in the morning and the others would probably be wondering where he was. With a groan he heaved himself up and began to push himself off of the bed and onto to his paws while making sure not to damage the pristine rose he held in his paw. Every time he looked at it he felt a smile creep across his face and even though it wasn't the perfect scenario he was nonetheless happy with it. It really was a lovely rose and Victoria must have gone to a lot of effort to get it for him. He'd have to think of a way to return the favour somehow but for now he was concentrated mostly on finding her and offering her his thanks.

Wobblingly he paced across the floor of his den and began to make his way out through the door and into the bright morning light which tried to make him feel embarrassed about coming out at this late time. Lifting the paw with the rose over his face to shield his eyes from the sun he stepped out into the light feeling happy but still curious as to how his sister managed to get in and leave the rose without disturbing him.

---

Miles away on a street which had several nights before been ransacked by a mysterious demon that had never been caught, that very demon could be found in the attic of the quaint old house that served as his lair. Outside he could hear birds singing and the sounds of the daytime going about their usual summer routine and in another part of his den he could hear some of his henchcats undertaking the tasks of running his home and managing his plunder. He himself was perched on a plush satin cushion in what he affectionately liked to call his library – which in reality was the place in his lair where he kept the books and papers he stole during his jobs – and was quietly nursing a small cup of cream. Blankly he looked down into the thick, silky liquid and gently swirled it around in the vessel without feeling much desire to take a sip. He'd had rather a sleepless night and was feeling rather drowsy but instead of the torture that such an occurrence had proved to be during the past week he wasn't at all annoyed by it. Had he possessed enough energy he probably would have been bouncing off the ceiling at the idea of Misto waking up at about that time and discovering the present he'd left him during the night but instead he simply sat quietly with his cream while still feeling excited on the inside.

He still could not believe that he'd managed to get away with it but that feeling was tiny in comparison to how amazing it felt to have been able to give Misto something to say thank you for helping him on that eventful morning. The rose really did seem like the right way to say 'thank you' even though he wouldn't know it was from him and while that thought was rather disappointing he still felt pleased by what he'd done. Even these feelings were trounced when he remembered how fantastic it had been to actually see Misto in the fur once more and though it defied belief he had seemed even more beautiful than he had been the first time he'd been by his side.

Setting the cup of cream down and moving to stand on the floor he began to pace slowly around where he was and perused some of the titles of the books he had stored nearby. As he did so he began to imagine what Misto discovering his rose would look like and felt funnily happy when he wondered how it must have made the smaller tom feel. He really deserved it in his opinion and he desperately hoped Misto would like it. Even though he had seen Misto enjoying them from his hiding place in that bush a few metres away from where he had been he still felt a little nervous at the possibility that he might have gotten something wrong or that it wasn't a big enough gesture. Still, on the whole he felt satisfied that he'd gotten Misto something he'd really enjoy – at least for the time it lasted. Misto really had liked those roses and so having one to greet him when he woke up must have surely been a pleasure.

How, though, would Misto react to its sudden presence in his den? Macavity became incredibly excited with a slightly devilish feeling accompanying it as he considered how Misto would tackle that little conundrum and suddenly wished that the small, black and white cat would know who it was from. It seemed almost impossible but maybe in some small way Misto might guess it was he who had left it for him and as Macavity wished he closed his eyes and revelled in the image of Misto directing his gratefulness towards him. It seemed so incredibly improbable but it felt so nice and for a moment the fiery coloured cat basked in the thought as if he were swimming in liquid gold. The warmness of it even went as far as trying to leave him blushing at having made Misto happy – or at least he assumed he had - and as he allowed himself to feel skittish so did he flash his shining white teeth in a shy smile – a characteristic he never, ever had allowed himself to display before. It was so strange how Misto could command these feelings in him but he just didn't care when it came to the bottom of it. Misto was just that amazing and he quickly found that there was nothing he wanted more than to make the smaller tom happy even if he didn't know who was doing it. Sure, he would have liked, nay, loved him to know but that wasn't really practical, was it? He'd have to continue to watch Misto from afar and unfortunately that was going to have to be the extent of it.

Macavity was surprised when he suddenly found he had taken seeing Misto again as if it were something set in stone. The night before he remembered feeling delighted about being done and dusted with his Misto obsession before feeling the desires slowly creep back into him once more and it surprised him to see how his mind took another spying excursion as if it were already a planned event.

That was the very thing though, it couldn't happen again, could it? That one time had been incredibly risky and he had been sure that it would satisfy him fully. Now it seemed that it wasn't the case and he had to go back to get his next hit of the beautiful little tom who had captured his emotions.

Looking down and shaking his head Macavity wondered if he would ever find a way to get back to the old cat he used to be but found it wasn't as shaming as he had expected it to be since despite all of his objections to feeling like a lovesick kitten he definitely took delight in letting the thoughts consume him. Even now he couldn't deny the incredible need to let out some of his delight and knew it was only a matter of time before it exploded from him like a balloon filled with confetti.

Behind the master criminal at the doorway of his library a small black cat presented himself for his master's service. Quietly he entered the space carrying the morning newspaper under one arm and stopped a short way from the larger cat before clearing his throat to announce himself.

"Sir" he said solemnly making his master turn and what he saw in the bigger tom was nothing short of surprising.

"Ah, Gilbert!" said Macavity brightly and before walking over and slapping him on the back heartily. "How the devil are you today?"

Gilbert blinked in bewilderment at the unexpected greeting and had to stop himself from falling as he stumbled forward a few places at the firm backslap. A second or two later he regained his butler-style composure and straightened himself up once again.

"Very well, thank you, sir. Your paper…"

"Ah, yes" said Macavity firmly grabbing the printed pages from under his henchcat's arm, unfolding and skimming them quickly before throwing them down onto the cushion he'd been on a few moments before and smiling warmly back at his servant. "Same old, same old there. Now, tell me Gilbert, what's going on in your life at the moment?"

Gilbert stared at him for a moment before tentatively replying,

"Nothing out of the ordinary, sir"

Macavity chuckled.

"I see, what a pity"

"A pity, sir?"

"That you should be at a loss for any flair in your day"

"Flair, sir?"

"Yes. Something to distract you from the humdrum of it all"

"Oh…well, serving you is what constitutes most of my day, sir"

Macavity let out another chuckle,

"One of my more heinous crimes that seems to be, preventing you from leading a life of your own and finding someone to spend it with"

"Sir?"

"A love interest, Gilbert, it seems serving me is stopping you from finding a love interest"

The black tom startled at the directness of the statement which seemed to come out of nowhere and found it most out of place to be asked by his master. The situation was the epitome of oddness and he really didn't know how to answer – especially not to the cat who was asking it.

"I…uh…" he began

"Yes?" said Macavity gaining a little bright curiosity.

"I…well, no, sir"

"No what?"

"Well, of course I don't have anyone"

Macavity sighed playfully,

"Well, never mind. As long as the fire is still somewhere in there" he said patting him on the back again before turning and walking back towards his books.

"The fire, sir?"

"Oh, come now, Gilbert. Don't we all have the desire somewhere within?"

Gilbert was shocked at the topic of conversation and wondered if his master was ill or had bumped himself on the head. He had a sudden joie de vivre that hadn't been there before and to be asked about his love life so directly and without any build up whatsoever was most out of place.

"I…rather think my 'desire', sir, is somewhat inhibited"

"What a shame" said the bigger tom airily, "for surely there is no greater feeling that can be so enjoyed and loathed at the same time. Love: the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired"

Gilbert widened his eyes at his master and gazed dumbfounded until the fiery tom turned his head slightly and shot him a wise look before saying,

"Robert Frost, although the first part was my own"

Again the black tom looked blank but Macavity had turned away and didn't see the need to clarify himself any further. Gilbert maintained his unanswered thoughts and before long he found one particular question too pressing to be kept in.

"Sir, if I may be so bold, may I enquire as to your current…insights?"

Macavity turned to him,

"What do you mean?"

"Well, sir, I mean your thoughts on love. They seem…" the black tom thought for a moment to try and find the right word without causing offence or sounding too presumptuous and eventually came out with, "…new"

Macavity turned away and thought for a moment. He actually didn't know why he was thinking about love and now that he spared a thought on it he himself found it rather strange. It did indeed seem odd for him to be even attempting to discuss it with anyone and as such tried to dispel it from the air that surrounded them,

"Never mind, just some thoughts."

"Very good, sir" said Gilbert before adding, "Will there be anything else?"

"No, thank you, Gilbert. Carry on"

With that the black tom turned and left his master on his own once again wondering why he was thinking the way he currently was. He seemed to be thinking about a lot of strange things lately and they all seemed very out of the ordinary.

As if on cue, thoughts of Misto infiltrated his skull once more and suddenly got rid of any doubts he had about himself. Tottering back to the cushion again he flopped down and basked in the joy that was the images of the beautiful tux and it didn't take long for his heart to start longing for him once more. Soon he thought about the rose he'd left and how magical it had been to see Misto. He was truly astonishing and he so wished he could take just one more look. Pretty soon his desire had once again grown into the raging fire it had been before and without realising let himself begin to think about how he might sneak in another look in any way possible.

He didn't at all think about why he was allowing thoughts of Misto and thoughts of love come into such close proximity of each other in his mind but if he had he certainly would have been knocked to the ground by the sheer power of his own shock. For now though he basked dreamily in thoughts of Misto and the joy that was his unequivocal beauty.

---

Out in the junkyard the day was already heating up and as Misto looked out from the space in front of the pipe which was the entrance to his den he could feel the sun making his dark patches of fur much warmer than the rest of him. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the light he looked around and quickly saw almost everyone hanging about somewhere or doing something else. The kittens, as always, caused a calamity wherever they went and at that present time seemed to be flittering around without any obvious purpose to their actions. Across from them Misto could see a gaggle of queens sitting about and chatting idly with Victoria and Jemima nearby and occasionally jumping into the conversation while at the other side of the clearing he could see Munk and Alonzo sitting out discussing something quietly with Demeter by their side.

As Misto began to walk forward holding the rose in his paws it seemed that every step he took brought with it a new set of eyes coming to rest on his person. No sooner had he made his way into the middle of the clearing were almost all eyes upon him along with a distinct lowering of the general chatter that radiated through the air. It seemed what he had desired least had happened and everyone was taking notice of his late appearance that day. As such he felt rather silly for having let it happen in the first place.

Timidly he looked back and forth around the clearing taking note of everyone who was looking at him whether they made it obvious or not. He felt rather embarrassed since many of them seemed to have looks about them that said 'and what time do you call this?' and as he continued to stand there he had to will his cheeks not to burn red through his fur. Nervously he twiddled the rose in his paws and made the few leaves which remained on its stem tremble slightly. When he went to look down at it he was surprised to find that from below his paws stared back a pair of very inquisitive eyes belonging to none other than Pouncival who had snuck up on him silently.

"What's that?" the prying kitten asked with a fair bit of bluntness.

"This?" asked Misto lifting the rose with just one paw

"Uh huh"

"It's a rose," said Misto with a smile

"Why've you got it?" Pounce asked as more kittens came into view around him

"I don't really know"

"Can I have it?"

"No" said Misto making sure to lift the rose out of the kitten's reach lest he start snatching.

"Why not?"

"Because it's mine"

"But you said you don't know why you've got it"

"Yes, I did"

"So why can't I have it?"

"Because somebody gave it to me"

"Who?"

"I don't know"

"Then how do you know someone gave it you?"

"Because I just do"

"How come?"

Misto sighed as frustration began to build up due to the constant, cycling questions.

"Because…I just know someone did"

"But how can you just know?"

"Pounce, really?" asked Misto with irritation.

"Really what?"

"Do you have to carry on?"

"What?"

Misto rolled his eyes and decided not to put up with it anymore,

"I'm going now, guys"

"But why?" called Pounce as he and the rest of his troupe watched Misto walk away. They received no answer but lost interest almost instantly anyway and carried on with whatever it was they had been doing beforehand.

Misto, as it happened, had laid eyes on his sister who sat with Jemima nearby and with a smile set his sights on joining them. As he walked over he made eye contact with the white queen and smiled with a knowing look in his eye before being a little put off when he saw a strange, uneasy look in hers. It caused him to falter in his smiling just a little bit and the gumption he had planned on greeting them with turned out to be a rather reduced, lukewarm sprightliness.

"Hi, girls" he said as he sat down next to them with an awkward smile on his face in an attempt to look open and grateful. As he plonked down he twiddled the rose in his paws to try and draw attention to it before he gave his thanks.

"Hello" said Jemima quietly along with a silent nod from Victoria who still seemed to be holding onto some of the shock that had been forced upon her the previous day.

"I…uh, just wanted to thank you, Vicks, for…you know, the rose"

The white queen gazed at him confusedly for a moment before looking down at the lovely white rose he held in his paws and then back up to meet his hopeful but slightly worried eyes.

"It's not from me"

"What do you mean it's not from you?"

"It's not from me," she repeated with the same stiffness as before.

Misto was quiet for a moment before he turned to the satin queen next to them,

"Jems?" he asked with his curiosity beginning to grow again.

"Don't look at me"

"Huh…" said Misto thoughtfully as he looked at his flower once more and controlled a smile that started to pull at the corner of his mouth. It seemed that the hunt might have been back on.

"What are you on about?" asked Jemima as she watched him gaze.

"I don't know. I woke up with this and I thought maybe you, Vicks, might have…"

The white queen just shook her head from side to side briefly leaving Misto with a funny bubbling feeling somewhere in the pit of his stomach. It was excitement and his feline urges to act skittishly began to become more intense by the second but being the composed cat he was he kept it cool – at least for the time being.

"So, a mystery rose…" he said airily.

"Really, what are you on about?" Jemima asked

"Well, I didn't have it when I went to sleep but I did when I woke up."

"Are you sure you didn't have it?"

"Of course I'm sure"

"You have been a bit weird lately though"

Misto scowled,

"I am not weird"

"Lately you have been – staring blankly for hours on end and whatnot"

"That was just…I don't know"

"And now the rose?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out"

"Well, whatever keeps you happy and your…paws busy" said Jemima with a smirk.

Misto looked away shamefully and felt his cheeks heat up as he was forced to remember the incident. Jemima didn't stop there though,

"Maybe you could hang out with Tugger…although maybe that wouldn't be too different a situation, there'd be two of you to feel you up instead of just yourself"

"Jemima!" cried Misto as he received the double blow and was thrown back to the time he'd let Tugger's outrageous charm get the better of him, "Is that never talking about it again?"

"But it's so funny!" said the small queen beginning to laugh, "Come on, tell me how it happened! Tugger seemed very smug afterwards so you must have done a good job…or rather given one!"

Misto glared at her as she began to roll around on the junk laughing and felt even more ashamed when he saw his sister's hard exterior begin to crack at her friend's quickness.

"Shut up, you guys!" said Misto as he scowled at them. He really didn't need to be reminded of another of his most embarrassing life events in addition to the one that had occurred not twenty four hours beforehand and as such wanted to forget the entire thing.

"Hey, maybe it's from Tugger looking for another bit of you know what"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" said Misto as he squirmed and plastered his paws over his ears.

Jemima simply roared with laughter as she watched him and would have carried on teasing had he not gotten up and scampered away. He could still hear her as he rounded a corner and ducked out of sight to be alone with his shame and wanted nothing more than to bury his head in the sand.

A few moments later he opened his eyes again and stared at the rose he still held in his paws. As roses went it was really quite a spectacular one with perfectly shaped, ornate petals arranged delicately over one another as they circled around the centre. Whoever had given it to him must really have had an eye for such things and the very thought of it fuelled a hunger within the tux to find out who it was.

That was easier said than done though, after all whoever it was would have needed to be a master at going unseen and it seemed that in those parts he was the only cat that really met that criteria. Perhaps it was someone letting out the dark horse that was trapped within them but there didn't even seem to be a clue in this riddle of who it might be. That made it a big job but the sheer enticing nature of it made Misto desperately want to see it to its end and as such it wasn't long before he started racking his brain thinking for who it might have been that gave him the rose he continued to slowly turn in his paws.

Back in the clearing everybody seemed to simply turn back to whatever it was they had been doing once Misto had fled from their midst and it was this normal, day-to-day acceptance that provided the cover for two particular orange calicos to idly wander towards the junkyard's entrance and then duck out of sight inconspicuously. Their names were Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer and both were fine practitioners of petty theft. They often slipped away to have some fun out among the houses and usually found themselves acquiring certain pricey items that quite clearly didn't belong to them.

On this morning there was another purpose to their disappearance as they had an appointment with another cat whose much more sinister feats of crime did not happen to be overlooked by the tribe like those of the twin burglars were. In all seriousness it wasn't so much an appointment as it was a spontaneous visit they paid whenever they felt like it and although such disregard for courtesy was not always enjoyed by the cat who they were going to see there didn't seem to be much he could do about it despite how much he tried.

The journey to the home of their host was rather a long one and took the pair quite a while to make their way through the streets that stood between them and their destination but it wasn't more than half an hour or so before they were standing in front of and staring up at the house where their boss made his home.

Turning to his sister, Mungojerrie gave Rumpleteazer a characteristically crooked smile and spoke in his heavily twisted cockney way.

"You think he's expecting us to bring something?"

The calico queen didn't look back at her brother as she replied in much the same laid-back manner.

"Nah. If he wanted something he should've said"

"How?"

"Well, he could have sent us a message"

"Yeah, I 'spose"

"So, after you, good sir" she said in a mockingly courteous way as she gestured towards the drainpipe which ran up to the roof.

"Oh no, your Ladyship, after you"

The twins chuckled together before Rumple jumped at the pipe and began to shimmy her way up with her brother doing the same closely behind. Being the acrobats they were it didn't take them long to get to the top and jump onto a window ledge that stuck out nearby. Together they stood there and began to hammer on the glass rudely and calling noisily to let their presence be known.

A well-groomed, snooty looking tom soon came to the window and had to open it before they stopped their haphazard tapping.

"Ye-?" the small black tom began before the twins jumped on him and began pulling him around in their classless manner.

"Alright, Gilbert?" said Mungo as he wrapped an arm around the tom's neck and pulled him close to rub the fur on his head rapidly with his other paw and messing up its perfectly groomed appearance.

"S'been a while, ain't it?" said Rumple as she began to totter off into the lair without being invited to do so.

Poor Gilbert flustered when he was finally let go and after quickly trying to straighten out his fur again turned around to see the pair of robbers making their way into the den of his master.

"Wait, you tw-!" he began before being cut off by Mungo once more.

"You got summin' to eat 'round here?"

"Well, hang on-"

"Yeah, I proper fancy some of that posh fish you always got," said Rumple without turning back.

"Wait! Please, just hang on a moment!" begged Gilbert knowing he couldn't stop the pair no matter how much he tried.

"So where is he then? Never mind, we'll find him. Mac!" said Mungo before continuing to shout the name of the cat they'd come to see. Gilbert watched as they disappeared into his master's den and cringed as he heard them call out his name in their thick, east-end way. He really hoped he wouldn't be reprimanded for letting them just barge in but by now it seemed to have become a regular occurrence every couple of weeks or so and one that he was increasingly powerless to stop.

As the pair made their way through the dim passages of Macavity's den they didn't stop hollering his name and became increasingly amused by each other's antics. Along the way the fiddled with expensive looking artefacts and things Macavity had obviously taken a shine to during his escapades and in their trademark fashion left several of those items in pieces before carrying on.

On and on they yelled into the quietness of the lair seeming to lose sight of finding who they were looking for and delighting more in simply shouting. It was likely they would have forgotten altogether about searching had the very cat they were seeking out not stepped out from his library and halted them in their tracks.

"Here he is!" said Mungo raising his arms in triumph, "Knew you were somewhere!"

"Alright, Mac?" asked Rumple with a mischievous smile.

"Good morning, you two. Please come through," said Macavity with far more sophistication than the pair of calicos that had come to see him before turning and heading back into his library. The visiting cats followed him in mock imitation of his properness and didn't wait to start pawing through his possessions when they got inside.

"Put it down, Rumpleteazer," said Macavity lightly without having to look to know that the orange and black queen had picked up and was playing with a small silver necklace sitting nearby. Letting it drop back to where it had been placed she sauntered over to the satin cushion at the other end of the room and plonked herself down upon without being offered to do so by her host.

"So, what's goin' on with you?" she asked as she looked at him from upside down.

"If you're asking how I am then I'm fine, thank you. How about yourselves?"

"Oh, we're alright," said Mungo as he hopped over to join his sister after having knocked over a neatly stacked pile of books. "Here, we heard you ain't been out and about recently"

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, but we thought it was probably 'cos you got beaten up by Munk"

Macavity turned to them and tried not to look spiteful,

"I didn't get beaten up. In fact I think I beat him"

"You still ran off though, didn't ya?"

"Yes, well, I was caught off guard"

"Ah, never mind. Anyway, why'd you come?"

"Sorry?"

"Why'd you come and cause trouble"

Macavity turned away and sighed mundanely,

"It seemed like a good way to vent some frustration"

"Not with us though, right?"

Macavity looked back at them,

"With you two, no; with the Jellicles, yes"

"Well, we're Jellicles"

"Don't get clever," he said before turning away again and going to pick up the books the orange tom had made a mess of. "So, have you two been busy lately"

"Oh, this and that" said Rumple cheekily, "Went into an house a couple nights ago and found a few nice bits"

"Did you bring them?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"Didn't fancy it," she said before rolling over lazily. Macavity straightened up and turned to them with a slightly annoyed look about him.

"Honestly, you two. As agents I'd rather hope you'd at least bring some of things you find to me"

"We do sometimes," piped up Mungo.

"And when was the last time?"

The pair looked at each other blankly for a brief moment before beginning to giggle when they found neither one really knew.

"Oh! We got you that jewellery box a while back" said Rumple as she suddenly remembered.

"Oh yeah, lot of hassle that was as well" said Mungo, "You liked that, didn't you?"

"I suppose," said Macavity as he tried to feign interest in their ramblings. "So, anyway, I trust the ball carried on as usual after I left"

"Yeah, same old thing all over again" Rumple said as she began to preen her tail, "Here! You'll never guess who went up to Heaviside!"

Macavity looked down solemnly and nodded slightly before quietly saying,

"Grizabella"

The twins looked at each other again before Mungo spoke,

"How'd you know that?"

Macavity rubbed the back of his neck and without turning to them said,

"Because I used to see her fairly frequently before she decided she was going to try and reconcile with the tribe"

"Why's that then?"

"Well, we were both outcasts in some respect and she was…is still my mother"

"Was she now?" they said together.

"Yes" sighed the fiery tom once more, "Still, it seems she got what she wanted and I suppose that's what matters"

"You don't sound too happy about it though"

"No, well, I suppose I'll miss having her around although it was nice for a while to have someone in my life that I was related to"

The twins didn't know how to carry on from that and instead waited until the tom before them did so for them.

"So, how well did I get that bastard Munkustrap?"

"Oh, he's alright," said Mungo with little care in his voice.

"Shame"

"In fact, everyone seems pretty alright. They've all been hanging around acting all tired and stuff for a few days now and it's probably all just because of the ball."

"I see"

"Yeah, especially Misto. Doing all that la-di-da magic must have taken it out of him. Here, he showed you up a bit, didn't he?"

Macavity paused and stared intently for a moment at the wall in front of him before turning quickly and stepping forward.

"Misto?"

"Yeah, he got Old Deuteronomy back when you took him away. Did you have to do that by the way?"

Macavity was lost for words at his stupidity. How had he gone this many days without thinking about the easiest connection he might have had through the Jellicles to Misto? No one would ever suspect it of Mungo and Rumple and simply could not believe he hadn't thought of it sooner. Slowly a sly smile began to spread across his face as he stared at his two agents before him and couldn't help but gain a twinkle in his eye.

"You say he's been acting differently recently? How?"

"I dunno. Probably just tired"

"Has he said anything?"

"Nah. He just sits there and mopes all day. He's weird really"

Macavity had gotten as far as the cushion now and as he could walk no further he lowered himself down onto it and began to crawl forward towards his new source of information.

"You're sure he's not saying anything about why he's acting differently"

"No. He don't say nothing"

"Not about anything that might have happened?"

"Like what?"

"Like anything to do with the ball? Or after it?"

"No"

"Nothing at all? Surely there must be something you know?"

By now Macavity was nearly towering over the orange calico twins with a hungry look in his eyes and it made the two pause and look up at him realising that something wasn't right.

"Mac, what's gotten into you?" asked Mungo.

Straight away Macavity pulled himself back from his paws onto his knees and perched himself in front of them with a little more dignity than he'd had a second or two before.

"I'm just…curious. I'm interested to know him…I mean, how he did…how he managed to…you know"

"Right" Mungo said with a look of awkwardness, "Well, he ain't done nothing that strange, or at least not strange for him"

"I see", said Macavity with a little disappointment.

"He had that flower though, didn't he?"

Straight away Macavity was once again starving for information and threw himself to tower over them once more.

"A flower? Yes, go on! What kind?"

"Uh…a white one…"

Macavity gripped Mungojerrie's shoulders and pinned him down as he glared excitedly into his eyes,

"A white rose?"

"I think so," said the shocked orange tom.

"Did he like it? Did he look pleased?"

"…Yes? He definitely looked happy because of it"

Macavity abruptly let go of his agent and jumped off the bed with a chuckle. Straight away he began hopping around the space in his lair looking overjoyed and the two cats that looked on simply did so without making a sound whilst trying to work through the strangeness of what had just happened.

"Here, Mac, you alright?" asked Rumple nervously.

"Never better, my dear, never better!" cried Macavity before jumping forward, wrapping his arms around their necks and placing huge kisses on both of their cheeks. Without waiting to be asked any more questions he immediately fled from his den leaving the pair dazed and unutterably confused. That had been, perhaps, the weirdest moment of their lives and something they'd never expected ever to occur with that particular tom. He was always much more proper and direct with them but to have actually been kissed sloppily on the cheek by him was truly mind-boggling.

The two were left to simply stare at each other in amazement and soon found that their host wasn't coming back. This soon led them to smile at each other slyly as they both thought of what they could do in their host's absence and then proceeded to simultaneously sing out into the quiet lair,

"Oh Gilbert!"

---

For the rest of the day Misto quietly went around each of the cats he thought might have even the tiniest chance of having given him the rose but soon found there was no answer to be had from them. Asking Tugger had been the worst because as soon as Misto had hinted that he thought it might be from a secret admirer the big, showy tom had decided to suddenly become quite interested in the situation. He had proceeded to follow Misto around for a while switching between very interrogative questions and outright teasing and it wasn't until Misto cunningly gave him the slip that he finally left him alone.

Now it was late in the afternoon and there was only one cat left that he hadn't asked about origin of his rose. Slowly he rambled into the clearing and stopped when he set his sights on the black and white coloured tom who sat atop the big tyre across from him.

'Surely it can't be from him' Misto heard in his mind and promptly agreed with his thoughts. Still, no one was left now so the odds certainly seemed to be in his favour and as such Misto took a moment to wonder whether or not he liked the idea of Alonzo leaving him the rose. It was quite a romantic gesture in all seriousness and it was strange to think of the patched tom feeling that way about him or even just fancying him a little bit. Misto wasn't entirely sure whether he should go up to him ask or not and as he let his thoughts wander he looked down at the rose he still held in his paws and smiled again. Every time he did so the same kittenish smile always found its way onto his face and he found he simply couldn't be unhappy when looking at it. It was still such a perfect example of what a white rose was meant to be and its scent still lingered slightly even after having been dragged around by its new owner all day in the hot sun.

Looking up Misto focused on Alonzo once more, took a strengthening breath and began to walk towards him. As he neared he began to notice the tom didn't quite look as chipper as usual and instead of the bright yet slightly aloof look he usually had he now looked rather worn down and almost drab in his appearance. He didn't even notice when Misto climbed up onto the tyre and sat down near him and as such the smaller tom had to nudge him to get his attention.

Alonzo startled and blinked through very obviously tired eyes when he felt the touch and squinted to see Misto who he could see had appeared from nowhere,

"Oh, Misto, when did you get here?" he said croakily before yawning widely

"Just now" said the smaller tom with a curious look about him, "Are you alright?"

"Just tired. I was up all night patrolling"

'Seems consistent' thought Misto as he related it to his rose.

"I see. Well, I won't keep you long, I just wanted to ask you about this" he said before holding the spectacular white rose out in front of him for the bigger tom to see. Alonzo glanced at it before seeming to melt into himself and flopped back against the junk behind him tiredly.

"What about it?"

"It was waiting for me when I woke up this morning I thought that maybe…"

"What? Me?"

"Well…yeah."

"Why me?"

"I was just wondering"

"No, I didn't leave you a rose," said Alonzo yawning again.

That was it then. He'd gone through everyone in the junkyard and no one seemed to know anything about it and as such he only felt more confused by its appearance. It caused him to question himself again and wonder if he really had got it on his own the day before. Still, he just couldn't think of doing it and went back to wondering how on earth it could have gotten there. It was then that he had a thought and brightened up slightly as he felt one last string of hope present itself to him.

"You said you were patrolling last night, right?"

Alonzo – now seemingly in a half-sleep – just moaned with annoyance and appeared to try and wave Misto away.

"Well, did you see anyone coming into my den at all? I mean you were here all night, right? You must have seen something"

Alonzo groaned once more and made a few sounds which resembled words although unfortunately for Misto he couldn't distinguish any of them as anything he could understand.

"Excuse me" he said indignantly receiving no reply from Alonzo and then watched him hoist his body up to at least some kind of stance that was on his paws and then begin to leave. Misto watched as he lumbered away and then disappeared out of sight in the direction of his den. He was left alone on the tyre with only his rose as company and as he looked down at it he felt a new wave of curiosity wash over him in regard to its origin. It was exciting of course but so too was it becoming a little frustrating now as he'd had enough of asking questions and getting no answers for one week and wished this might be one thing he wouldn't have to wait around for.

What else could he do though? In his head he could hear a saying he'd heard Old Deuteronomy say at some point in the past 'You can't squeeze water from a stone' and now better understood what it meant. No matter how hard he tried there was no way of squeezing an answer out of the rock that was his question and as such was left there with nothing else to do but twiddle his rose happily and simply admire it for what it was. Perhaps in the end that was all he was supposed to do since if someone was being secret then maybe it was better they remained that way. He really wanted to know who it was but if they didn't want him to know then that was their prerogative and with a sigh upon this realisation he pushed himself up and wandered off into another part of the junkyard to try and find some dinner. Maybe if he could present Victoria with some food for a change then she'd start to come around.

---

As the sun began to set the usual evening calmness once again began to descend upon the area leaving a warm, pleasant feeling in the air. Just as it had done the previous night though the tranquillity was suddenly ripped away when a flash of red and orange burst into the quiet garden Misto had been in the day before.

Without a moment to lose the fiendish cat hurried over to the rosebush that intertwined through a trellis in a quiet corner of the garden, pulled out a bud and slashed through its stem with animal ferocity.

Just as soon as he'd appeared he once again disappeared leaving the garden to resume its quiet winding-down for the evening and after a few seconds had gone by it seemed that he hadn't been there at all.

He'd gotten what he came for though and as the sun painted the sky with reds and oranges those same colours that could be found in his fur charged through the streets with none other than the Jellicle junkyard as his destination.

He barely had any idea that what he was doing was wrong anymore and simply ploughed on with nothing but excitement and desire rushing through his entire body.

---

When night came once more there seemed to be no reduction in the number of cats that could be found in the clearing. Those who had slept the day through were replacing those who were beginning to totter off to bed and as such the feeling of evening didn't seem to make itself known.

Misto – still very much in the mode of being awake in the day – yawned widely as he stared up at the few stars which had already come out and then turned to the two queens who sat nearby.

"I'm tired, I think I might go to bed"

Jemima – who had done most of the talking on behalf of Victoria for that evening – gently nodded and then imitated his yawn before turning to her all-white friend next to her.

"You feeling the same, Vicks?"

"Yep…I mean, I suppose so" was all that the sleepy-looking queen responded with and upon hearing it Misto and Jemima shared a glance to acknowledge that at least now she seemed to be saying more than one word at a time.

"Are you sure? I could find you some more food if you like" offered Misto hoping to get a little more out of her.

"No, thank you" she replied quietly.

"Anything for you, Jems?"

"No, it's okay. Thanks for getting it all in the first place"

"Well, I thought it wouldn't hurt for me to do it once in a while"

"Yeah, well, thanks again"

"Alright then" said Misto as he pushed himself onto his paws, "I guess I'll see you two in the morning"

"Yeah, and maybe it actually will be morning this time" said Jemima with a smile.

"Ha ha" said Mist before turning and making his way down from the junk pile where they all had been seated. Making sure he still had his rose he then slowly walked back to his den and ducked down through the pipe to the inside where he found himself on his own.

The tux took another look at his rose once he was there and smiled as per the usual reaction but let it falter a little when he noticed it starting to wilt slightly. It was kind of a shame that it was going that way and Misto wondered whether there was anything he could do to preserve it. In all seriousness there probably was but at that time he was too tired to think of how and instead of taking the time to think he lazily hobbled across to his bed before flopping down on it and stretching out widely. In characteristic feline fashion he sleepily kneaded the soft blankets in the biscuit-dough manner that so many cats do before bed and then turned onto his back before picking up the rose and twiddling it front of his face once more.

'Where did you come from, little rose?' he thought as he observed it for what seemed like the thousandth time that day and then with a sigh placed it down on his chest with his paw still covering its stem. This flower was such a mystery and was being given far more attention than such an item would usually garner. Misto couldn't tell why this was but he was nonetheless happy to let himself be absorbed by it. After all, he loved white roses and the mysterious appearance of this one really did play to his playful inquisitiveness. Perhaps tomorrow would shed some kind of light on the enigma that it was and so with that thought in mind the tux closed his eyes and let his thoughts begin to wander until he sailed off into the silver sea of dreamland.

It wouldn't take long for his privacy to be invaded once more.

---

Back in Macavity's lair Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had not wasted their time in taking advantage of the Napoleon of Crime's servants. Being agents of their master it seemed that obedience in regard to the twins' outrageous demands was necessary and as such the pair of robbers had the henchcats bitterly doing their bidding.

"Oi, Gilbert!" said Mungo after glugging down something he'd demanded earlier, "How's them sausage rolls coming along?"

"Yeah, I'm well hungry now" chimed in Rumpleteazer as she watched a henchcat finely manicuring her claws as she sat back lazily.

The jet black tom who had been rushed off his paws throughout the afternoon had to do his best not to snap due to the liberties the pair were taking and after taking a deep, perturbed breath answered in as polite a way as he could manage.

"They'll be ready soon, but I'm sure you'll understand that sausage rolls are not items we usually serve to our master and therefore take a little longer to make"

"Why's that then?" the cockney queen asked

"He prefers finer foods" Gilbert replied with a rather snide sound in his voice.

"Well, la-di-da!" said Mungo before pawing through a box of chocolates he'd asked for earlier on, "You fancy any of these, sis?"

"Nah, I'm alright" Rumple replied.

"Will there be anything else in the meantime?" Gilbert stiffly asked again while already dreading the answer.

"Yes, would you do a dance for us, please?" teased Mungo making his sister laugh. Gilbert bit his lip in order not to explode from how annoyed he was and simply turned and left the room to find a place to deal with the audacity of the twins. As he walked away he felt no calmer due to their laughing echoing throughout the lair behind him and prayed that his master would return soon and send them on their way.

'Common little idiots' he thought to himself as he tried to calm his nerves.

---

Macavity gazed upwards at the night sky sprawled out before him as he lay on his back on top of a junk pile near the edge of the junkyard. He'd been there a while now and there were far more stars stuck up there now than there had been when he'd begun. As he lay he let his mind lead him and drifted back and forth between whichever thoughts wanted to come his way.

Most of them, of course, were of Misto and how it wouldn't be too long before he'd get to see him again. He was so beautiful and so unspeakably perfect that he couldn't keep from smiling and chuckling lightly as he let the warmth of the image of the magic cat fill him up and wrap around him like a warm blanket. He quite simply adored Misto and savoured every precious thought he had of him in his mind and could barely contain his excitement at seeing him again – even if it was while he wasn't awake.

Sitting up he looked around and listened intently for any kind of sound that might have come from nearby and grinned when he heard nothing. It was what he'd expected since he'd certainly been waiting for long enough and so - taking care not to damage the freshly cut rose he held in his paw – carefully got up and began to descend to the trail he'd been using a lot that week.

It wasn't long before he was walking along happily while letting himself enjoy thoughts of the special cat he'd come to see and in his dreamy state time seemed to pass much more quickly and allowed him to arrive at the junkyard's main clearing in no time at all. Just as he had done before he took care not to make a sound and carefully peered over the junk into the open space to look for any sign of action. Fortunately tonight it seemed no one was keeping watch and with a sly half-smile he internally said,

'Dear me, brother, you are letting things slip around here'

Feeling smug from his judgement of his brother's lapse in attention to the tribe's security the fiery-coloured tom hoisted himself over the junk and made his way down to the entrance of Misto's den. In absolute silence he stood in front of it and looked down into the darkness that could be seen inside.

Just as before he gently sniffed the air and without fail he felt a shiver shoot through his body as he sampled the scent of the amazingly beautiful cat within. The shiver was so violent that it actually made him double over somewhat at the sheer delight of what he was about to do and trying to keep a grip on himself he straightened himself up and told his body to calm down – although he couldn't keep a huge smile from contorting his face.

Once again it was the moment he'd been desperate for and with a shaky paw he grabbed onto the top rim of the large pipe that lead into Misto's den and eased himself down into it. The big tom held his breath as he felt his breathing become more fervent from the excitement of it all and gently proceeded to creep into the den of his obsession. Where time had rushed by only a few minutes ago it now seemed to grind to a halt and as such it made the journey through the pipe seem to take forever. He hungered for Misto again and in the whole world desired only him. He needed him, he craved him and he just had to have him right there and right then. Misto was like the air he breathed and the blood in his veins; in that moment he simply could not live without him and the unbelievable desire he once again felt in his body seemed to drag him onwards into the wonderful cat's home.

When he got to the other end of the pipe he took a moment to breath silently and tried to dispel the adrenaline which surged through every corner of his being. How Misto mustn't have woken up at the sheer smell of exhilaration that he was sure he was radiating he didn't know but was all in all grateful that in the dimness he could only hear the beautiful magician's soft breaths as he slept.

Once again Macavity straightened himself up and looked across the den over to the place where Misto was sleeping just as he had done the night before. Again he saw the dark shape of the smaller cat's body and once more felt the tingle of being close to him rock him like a boat on a stormy sea. It was indescribably thrilling and it made him want to shout for joy at the very sensation. He couldn't though, that he knew more than anything else and so with trembling paws began to step forward towards whom he'd come to see.

Again, time seemed to slow and it seemed as if it took forever to see past the blanket that obscured the black and white tom's beauty. Just as before it took one final big step to make his desire come into view and also like before he was totally unprepared for what he saw.

Dropping to his knees and biting his lip so as not to scream with delight he looked on at Misto who not only looked dazzlingly beautiful but was also clutching the rose he had brought him the previous night. The fiery cat dropped the new one he had and plastered his paws to his mouth as he felt his heart practically explode with joy and he simply could not believe the feeling that blasted through him at the wonderful image in front of him.

Misto had his rose. He'd found it and taken it and even now was sleeping with it. The way it lay in his paw on top of his beautifully crafted chest was heavenly and it pushed Macavity close to tears at sheer perfection of the scene but also because of the crushing pain that Misto didn't know whom it was from. It was an unbelievable conflict and one that seemed to have the will of ripping him to shreds right there on the magician's floor. It took a good few moments of silent panting – or as silent as he could manage – to control himself before he finally managed to bring his paws away and simply allow himself to marvel in joyous awe.

Delicately, the Napoleon of crime raised the new rose he'd brought and held out in front of himself so he could view both it and Misto at the same time. They deserved each other since they were both so perfect and the fiery tom once again basked in the pleasure of the comparison he was making. Delicately he then placed the astounding white rose at the side of the sleeping vision of beauty and moved back to behold the wonder he'd created. There Misto lay looking just as divine as always and the feeling Macavity felt in his heart as it did summersaults inside his chest still urged him to tear up from happiness and also still begged of him to scream in ecstasy. How could it be that Misto was so lovely? How could it be that such beauty could be confined in one single, special cat? He didn't know. What he did know though was that what he could see was real and he most definitely was there to see it. Truly there was no greater pleasure for him and without thinking he was drawn forward as if he were being compelled by an invisible force and rested himself on his elbows on the edge of Misto's bed before simply gazing in wonder at his heart's one desire. In that moment he was happier than ever and found amongst all of the amazing feelings inside that nothing felt more right.

---

The sky was blazing with fire and all around her the cats she knew and loved lay dead or dying. Those that were still clinging onto their last ounces of life reached out to her and begged her to run before she too met the same fate; and that's just what she did. She ran for her life in the sudden darkness she found herself in and the dying cats that she had seen a moment ago had now disappeared leaving the air silent. All she could hear was the sound of her panting as she ran desperately to escape the menace she couldn't see but knew was near. It was then that flashes of red began to dart all around her and then all of a sudden she found herself back in the junkyard where only she and two other cats she could see in front of her seemed to exist. Terrified, she looked on as she saw the two cats scuffle and then with one final blow the bigger cat – whose identity she knew all too well – threw the other to the ground where upon impact turned into someone she had known a long time ago and burst into flames. The screams of the burning cat harkened back to a memory scarred into her from the darkest point in her history and in terror she fell to her knees before looking up at the horrible, evil grin of the perpetrator who now stepped towards her. Slowly he got closer and then grabbed her firmly by the arm. With a voice that dripped with terror he simply said into her ear with sickening menace,

"Please don't"

Then with a force that physically shook her Demeter bolted up on her bed and sat there for a moments with her eyes open wide and her breath halted. After a few seconds she looked down at her body and suddenly felt herself trembling in a cold sweat. Her dream had been terrible and although she could barely remember it she was left with one feeling that she knew to mean only one thing and that terrified her down to her bones.

"Munk!" she tried to say but only managed to produce a strangled whisper as she sat there quivering. "Munk!" he tried again before reaching her paw out and shaking the sleeping silver tabby next to her.

Groggily he blinked his eyes open and took a moment to wake up before he too sat up.

"What? What is it?" he asked sleepily and noticeably trying to wake himself.

"Macavity" she said with incredible fear and then turned herself to him before latching on tightly. Munk shook his head and forced himself to wake up properly at the mention of the cat's name and instantly wrapped his own arms around his frightened mate. The black and gold queen continued to tremble as she sought comfort in her mate's arms and didn't quite understand what was happening when he pulled away and charged out of the den. She was left alone with nothing to do but stare at the empty doorway of then den and all she found she could think of was how horrible a dream it had been and how sure she was again that the cat who scared her beyond belief was there somewhere ready to strike.

---

Macavity wanted the moment to last forever. Staring down at Misto was the most wonderful feeling he could think of and he never wanted that feeling of simply being there and taking him in to end. Misto was quite simply perfect and he loved having him in some way in his life even if it was without him knowing.

Macavity sighed silently as he perused the sanity of his actions but quickly found that he just didn't care. Whether invading another cat's home while they were sleeping and gawping over their beauty was sane or not seemed irrelevant at that point because no negative thought against what he was doing seemed to come even close to how amazing it felt in comparison. The sensible part of his mind would tell him he was way beyond the mark and the intelligent part of his mind would tell him the risk he was putting himself at was staggering but it was a part of his mind that he didn't know he had that compelled him onwards and it was that very part that sang in tune with every other joy-filled fibre of his being. He knew what he was doing was crazy but the nameless force inside him prevailed over everything else and he pretty soon arrived at the conclusion that sanity and sensibility were just states of mind. If just looking at Misto felt this good then no matter how wrong it was it simply had to be right and though the sensible part of him would then dictate that such a conclusion was mad then he had to believe that madness was a much nicer state to exist within.

Misto was perfect and Macavity basked in that perfect radiance. He was crazy for doing it but he didn't care even in the slightest. The stupidest of cats could even tell that what he was doing was beyond belief but it seemed that a lot of things lately were just that. Misto was beyond belief and he most definitely existed. Maybe disbelief in this respect was okay; after all if he had believed it then it wouldn't have had the same effect. Even in hindsight though it seemed impossible that he could have even tried to believe it without seeing. Misto was truly an angel and he was quite sure that no amount of imagination could summon up anything even close to how amazingly gorgeous he was. Misto was a gift to the world and that moment he was only for him.

After a long time Macavity once again hoisted himself up and balanced on his paws. On his face was a pleasant look of sheer contentment and it seemed to him that by now he'd had his fill. There was one thing though that he was so desperate to do and had been wanting to do for the whole time he'd been there. He wanted to touch Misto. He wanted to reach out his paw and only for a second make only the most delicate contact with him. Such an act, however, was forbidden and he simply couldn't allow himself to do it despite desiring it so much. It would be the ultimate loss of self-control and all the while he held onto his last shred of it he still couldn't prevent himself from raising his paw and slowly moving forward. Grabbing it with the other he closed his eyes tightly and forced himself to turn around.

'No!' he told himself, 'You can't, you simply can't!'

It was now that time again: he had to leave. His obsession was beginning to take over and he could feel the danger of getting caught growing stronger inside him. How long would it be before he completely lost control and woke the cat he was so fond of? He didn't know and by that very token he knew he had to get out of there soon. It only dawned on him now though that he'd been there for much longer than he had the previous night and cursed himself for losing track of time. Every extra moment he spent there was another moment he could be found and although he could probably defend himself he didn't want to upset the situation as it was. He wanted everything to be perfect and sadly that meant Misto couldn't know he'd been there.

In no way, shape or form could Misto know about what he'd done aside from the rose and even then he wouldn't know what it meant. Misto had to remain unaware despite how much he wanted him to know because otherwise he'd most certainly raise the alarm and then the beautiful cat would always be on his guard. Macavity couldn't bear to think of Misto going around scared because of him and he hated himself for being the frightful monster that he was. In the end things had to remain as they were and at that moment that meant getting out of there and leaving him to his rest.

With one final look the fiery cat once again swooped from the den and took off into the moonlight leaving behind a gently fading trademark aura of fear. In a flash he disappeared into the night as if he hadn't been there at all with the only trace of himself being the single white rose waiting for its new owner to find it the next morning.

When indeed it finally came around Misto did wake up and happen upon the new, fresh rose that had been laid next to him but instead of just being flattered by the gesture this time he now felt a new feeling which sparked a fire within him. Someone had definitely left those roses and the hunt was now on for whoever it had been. Right there he swore to himself as he smiled at the new rose in his paws that he'd find who gave it one way or another even if it killed him.

Okay, so now Misto's decided that some shit is definitely gonna go down!

Thanks so much for reading and once again getting through it all. I will honestly try to make the next chapter shorter so it doesn't take five thousand years to read although I never intended for this one to go past ten thousand and look where that got me! Still, I will try and be a little more concise.

Please review if you've got a minute. Ciao. xxx