"Is this day eight or nine?" Mistoffelees asked sleepily.
"Eight," Tugger answered. "Sombrero and Cowboy opened their eyes, last night."
"Crem opened his, this morning," Victoria added.
Mistoffelees sighed. Lucky Cremecious: The only kitten he had meant to create, the kitten with real parents and a normal life. Lucky, lucky Crem.
"I can't believe it's only been eight days," Tugger mumbled. "It feels like eight years. I'm so freaking tired."
"Me, too," Victoria agreed.
Mistoffelees looked sadly at his friends, who were holding three kittens each. They were all leaned against the walls of his den, struggling to keep their eyes open. For one horrible moment, Mistoffelees thought he understood why his mother had abandoned him and all his siblings. He immediately felt sick to his stomach. What a horrible thing to think about the kittens! They were his fault- er, his responsibility. He was really trying not to see them as mistakes, but he often couldn't help it. They were mistakes.
"You okay, Misto?" his brother asked.
He sniveled, "I don't know."
Tugger wasted no time in gently placing Fez, Fedora, and Cowboy on the floor and crawling over to Mistoffelees, scooping him up in his arms and cuddling him to his chest. Sure, the Rum Tum Tugger, didn't care for a cuddle, but his little brother was the exception to every rule.
"Shh, shh, shh, Mist," he cooed, as Mistoffelees started to openly cry. "Everything's gonna be okay, I promise."
Tugger and Victoria were so focused on their distressed friend that they didn't notice the new presence in the den with them.
"Um...Tori?"
The white queen gasped, looking up to find her brother, Pouncival, standing near the entrance, wide eyed. "Mom sent me to get you for dinner," he said. "Um, what exactly-"
In a literal flash, Mistoffelees disappeared from Tugger's arms and appeared mere inches in front of Pouncival, covering the confused, young tom's mouth with his paw.
"Now, you listen to me, Pouncy," he hissed. "Just take Victoria home. No questions, no answers, and if you say a word about anything you see here, I will castrate you. Understand?"
"Mistoffelees!"
The conjuring cat glanced apologetically, but not too apologetically, at Victoria, then turned back to Pouncival, who nodded.
"Okay." Mistoffelees took his hand off Pouncival's mouth. "Run along."
Pouncival took off out of the den, with Victoria in tow. Mistoffelees sighed and walked over to the kittens. "That's it," he grumbled. "We're gonna have to booby trap the den."
He sat down in a huff, hiding his face in his hands. He only looked up when heard a tiny sniffle and an equally dainty sneeze.
"Oh no. Oh no, no, Everlasting Cat, no."