A/N: Another shortie...I truly hate school.
Disclaimer: Not mine....blah.
Her eyes fluttered open to darkness as thick and tangible that of unconsciousness. Even with her eyes adjusted to the black, she could only see so far as twenty paces and she got the feeling that the room was much bigger. Feeling around with her paw, she stumbled across a familiar furry lump in the floor. The lump presently yawned and stretched as she latched herself onto him in relief. "Cor! `Ow long've Oi been out, `Teaz? Wai' a tick...whe'ah's th' skoiy?"
"Oi dunno, Jerrie, Oi dunno," she replied shakily. She relaxed visibly when Mungojerrie began to groom her comfortingly, and snippets of memories came back to her. "'Twas tha' Manx ca', wasn' it?" she said softly, "'Ee's th' one wot brung us `e'ah."
Her mate whispered the other cat's name almost inaudibly but with such vehemence that she involuntarily winced. Painfully aware of the absence of his rough tongue between her ears, Rumpleteazer snuggled in closer to him and buried her face in his side. "Oi wanna go `ome, Jer."
"Oi know, luv, so do Oi." He attempted to comfort her as he wrestled with his own questions. What did Telemachus hope to gain by bringing them to...wherever this was? Caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't notice the burning pair of eyes in the corner until Rumpleteazer whispered his name in alarm. Wrapping his arms more securely around his mate, he called out into the darkness, "'Oo's the'ah?"
He immediately wished he hadn't as a well-known laugh echoed throughout the cell. The queen in his arms stiffened slightly and hissed, which drew another laugh from their unseen visitor. "There now, I trust I haven't done anything to provoke such a welcome? You would do well to practice a bit more diplomacy, my lovely thief."
"Wot do you wan', Macavity?" he growled. There had been a time when a look from the Napoleon of Crime would have frightened the mischievous duo enough to obey him, albeit reluctantly, but that time was no more. Macavity held no sway over them now.
"Simple enough," the ginger cat replied. "The Jellicles have something I want, and you're going to retrieve it for me. Alive and unhurt."
Mungojerrie stared at his former employer in confusion. Alive and unhurt? That meant it was a someone rather than a something, but who could Macavity possibly want that he couldn't get himself? Old Deuteronomy was the only possible candidate in his mind, and there was no way in hell he was going to give up the Jellicle leader to the Mystery Cat without a fight. "You cin jist forge' it, Macavity. You'll nev'ah get Old Deut and we'll nev'ah `elp you!"
Macavity didn't laugh, but the look in his eyes promised exquisite pain if his orders remained ignored. "Whoever said I wanted that old codger? It wasn't his fault he suddenly disappeared when I had taken so much trouble to bring him here; the matter was out of his control. But it was in someone else's." His manner changed abruptly and he snatched Rumpleteazer from the protective arms of Mungojerrie and held her against the wall, savouring her fear. "Since your mate is obviously not inclined to help me, you shall. And if you fail..." he left the sentence hanging with a deliberate look at Mungojerrie. Flinging the orange tabby queen across the cell and motioning for the rats congregated in the corner to escort Mungojerrie to his own cell, he bounded over to her and locked eyes with her. "I will have the Conjurer in my possession my this time tomorrow night. Am I being perfectly clear?"
Not daring to break eye contact, Rumpleteazer nodded and brokenheartedly followed Macavity as he led her outside. "Remember, you have one day, and I do not expect you shall like the consequences if you do not deliver the Conjurer to me by that time." Sparing her a dark grin and a flick of his tail, the ginger cat disappeared inside his lair, and Rumpleteazer was alone.
Disclaimer: Not mine....blah.
Her eyes fluttered open to darkness as thick and tangible that of unconsciousness. Even with her eyes adjusted to the black, she could only see so far as twenty paces and she got the feeling that the room was much bigger. Feeling around with her paw, she stumbled across a familiar furry lump in the floor. The lump presently yawned and stretched as she latched herself onto him in relief. "Cor! `Ow long've Oi been out, `Teaz? Wai' a tick...whe'ah's th' skoiy?"
"Oi dunno, Jerrie, Oi dunno," she replied shakily. She relaxed visibly when Mungojerrie began to groom her comfortingly, and snippets of memories came back to her. "'Twas tha' Manx ca', wasn' it?" she said softly, "'Ee's th' one wot brung us `e'ah."
Her mate whispered the other cat's name almost inaudibly but with such vehemence that she involuntarily winced. Painfully aware of the absence of his rough tongue between her ears, Rumpleteazer snuggled in closer to him and buried her face in his side. "Oi wanna go `ome, Jer."
"Oi know, luv, so do Oi." He attempted to comfort her as he wrestled with his own questions. What did Telemachus hope to gain by bringing them to...wherever this was? Caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't notice the burning pair of eyes in the corner until Rumpleteazer whispered his name in alarm. Wrapping his arms more securely around his mate, he called out into the darkness, "'Oo's the'ah?"
He immediately wished he hadn't as a well-known laugh echoed throughout the cell. The queen in his arms stiffened slightly and hissed, which drew another laugh from their unseen visitor. "There now, I trust I haven't done anything to provoke such a welcome? You would do well to practice a bit more diplomacy, my lovely thief."
"Wot do you wan', Macavity?" he growled. There had been a time when a look from the Napoleon of Crime would have frightened the mischievous duo enough to obey him, albeit reluctantly, but that time was no more. Macavity held no sway over them now.
"Simple enough," the ginger cat replied. "The Jellicles have something I want, and you're going to retrieve it for me. Alive and unhurt."
Mungojerrie stared at his former employer in confusion. Alive and unhurt? That meant it was a someone rather than a something, but who could Macavity possibly want that he couldn't get himself? Old Deuteronomy was the only possible candidate in his mind, and there was no way in hell he was going to give up the Jellicle leader to the Mystery Cat without a fight. "You cin jist forge' it, Macavity. You'll nev'ah get Old Deut and we'll nev'ah `elp you!"
Macavity didn't laugh, but the look in his eyes promised exquisite pain if his orders remained ignored. "Whoever said I wanted that old codger? It wasn't his fault he suddenly disappeared when I had taken so much trouble to bring him here; the matter was out of his control. But it was in someone else's." His manner changed abruptly and he snatched Rumpleteazer from the protective arms of Mungojerrie and held her against the wall, savouring her fear. "Since your mate is obviously not inclined to help me, you shall. And if you fail..." he left the sentence hanging with a deliberate look at Mungojerrie. Flinging the orange tabby queen across the cell and motioning for the rats congregated in the corner to escort Mungojerrie to his own cell, he bounded over to her and locked eyes with her. "I will have the Conjurer in my possession my this time tomorrow night. Am I being perfectly clear?"
Not daring to break eye contact, Rumpleteazer nodded and brokenheartedly followed Macavity as he led her outside. "Remember, you have one day, and I do not expect you shall like the consequences if you do not deliver the Conjurer to me by that time." Sparing her a dark grin and a flick of his tail, the ginger cat disappeared inside his lair, and Rumpleteazer was alone.