(author's note) Interesting chapter wasn't it? My goal was to have every tom in the tribe (except Misto for obvious reasons) say something at that meeting. Let me know if I missed someone. ;-) Here's chapter four!
Andromeda had followed Macavity for about two miles before she lost site of him. She continued her pursuit with only her keen sense of smell to guide her.
She told herself that all she wanted was for Mistoffelees to be able to come back to the junkyard safe and sound. However, deep down in her heart she wanted the black cat to fall in love with her. She was sure that if she rescued him herself and with no help from the others, it would prove she was worthy of him.
"If I save him, he'll have to love me," she thought. "That's the way it always happened in the stories that my old humans told."
The silver cat saw pictures in her mind of what had occurred no less than an hour ago.
How Mistoffelees so bravely fought with the other two to protect the tribe. How he was so gruesomely defeated by his enemy.
Andromeda hated to think of him in the wicked paws of the Napoleon of crime.
She had to help him.
She didn't care if he never loved her as long as she lived.
She would find a way to save him.
Somehow
She had been careful to leave a trail behind her hoping that Munkustrap and the others would be able to follow it and help her if she needed them.
Another hour passed.
The silver cat found herself standing in front of an old abandoned house on the outskirts of town.
Macavity had gone in there.
"The perfect place for a hideout. . . or a prison," she thought.
The queen took a deep breath and entered the house through a hole in the wall.
Inside, the house was dark and dusty. Floorboards were missing and broken furniture cluttered the room. She couldn't see anyone.
Where could Macavity have gone?
Andromeda suddenly felt her body tense up.
She had heard someone say something.
Someone in the next room.
She followed the sound into what looked like an old living room. In one corner there was a large hole in the floor. The voice was coming from inside that hole. On the other side of the room there was a smaller hole. Just big enough for her. Andromeda hoped that she would be able to sneak into that hole undetected and a safe distance away from anyone who might be an enemy.
Luck was with her, and she was able to do so.
Now she was underneath the living room. It was cold and musty.
Peering through the darkness, Andromeda could see a faint light. She crept towards it. Her padded paws did not make a sound.
It must have been a basement that she was in. There was just as much stuff everywhere as there was in the junkyard. This made it easy for the silver cat to stay concealed.
She crawled into a cardboard box that laid on its side. There was a hole in the bottom of it just big enough for her to peer through and see the entire room.
There was a clearing in the center of the basement. In the middle of the clearing a fire burned in a pie pan.
Around the fire Andromeda could see the shadowy figures of four cats. One of them she recognized as Macavity. He looked just as the alley cat had described. Tall, thin, scruffy coat and uncombed whiskers. She had seen many horrible things in her life. Mostly in her nightmares. But she had never seen anything so frightening as the ginger cat that she looked upon now.
There were two big, scruffy cats that Andromeda had never seen before.
"Macavity's henchmen probably," she thought.
Between the two felines was a sight that made her want to cry.
Mistoffelees, or what was left of him. His paws were securely tied behind his back. His once white chest now had blotches of dried blood and his handsome face showed cruel red scratches which told of the blows that he had received from his enemy.
The two scruffy cats were holding him up by his arms. One of them held his head up so that the master criminal could look him in the eye.
"Magical Mr. Mistoffelees," began Macavity. "Finally, I get to meet you face to face."
Misto said nothing.
"You have proven yourself to be very powerful. You have destroyed my hard work many times with your magic. I never did figure out how you managed to get that Deuteronomy cat back to the junkyard last year. Would you tell me how you did it?"
Still the magical cat said nothing. Macavity shrugged.
"I know," he said. "A magician never reveals his secrets and you are a very powerful magician. I could use someone like you. Why don't join me? Together we could rule the jellicle tribe and destroy anyone who tries to stop us. What do ya say?"
This time Mistoffelees answered. His voice was weak and barely rose above a whisper.
"Never," he said.
Macavity raised his paw. The black cat braced himself for another blow but then the master criminal changed his mind.
"Don't answer so soon without thinking about it," he said. "I'm sure that I can change your mind, one way or another. What is the jellicle tribe to you?"
"They are my friends. My family," answered Mistoffelees. "We take care of each other. They have always been kind to me and I try to do the same to them."
"Oh, this is making me sick," Macavity mumbled. "You understand that if you don't join me I can't allow you to live."
"Do what you want with me," said the black cat. "But I will never betray my family."
"He's so valiant," thought Andromeda.
The ginger cat could not control himself.
He slashed Mistoffelees across the face with his sharp claws. The two scruffy cats released their prisoner and let him fall to the floor. At a swift wave of Macavity's paw they picked him up again by the skin on the back of his neck and dragged him out of the room.
Andromeda wasted no time. She noiselessly crept out of the box and, staying hidden by the various objects strewn about the room, followed the two scruffy cats out of the basement.
Andromeda had followed Macavity for about two miles before she lost site of him. She continued her pursuit with only her keen sense of smell to guide her.
She told herself that all she wanted was for Mistoffelees to be able to come back to the junkyard safe and sound. However, deep down in her heart she wanted the black cat to fall in love with her. She was sure that if she rescued him herself and with no help from the others, it would prove she was worthy of him.
"If I save him, he'll have to love me," she thought. "That's the way it always happened in the stories that my old humans told."
The silver cat saw pictures in her mind of what had occurred no less than an hour ago.
How Mistoffelees so bravely fought with the other two to protect the tribe. How he was so gruesomely defeated by his enemy.
Andromeda hated to think of him in the wicked paws of the Napoleon of crime.
She had to help him.
She didn't care if he never loved her as long as she lived.
She would find a way to save him.
Somehow
She had been careful to leave a trail behind her hoping that Munkustrap and the others would be able to follow it and help her if she needed them.
Another hour passed.
The silver cat found herself standing in front of an old abandoned house on the outskirts of town.
Macavity had gone in there.
"The perfect place for a hideout. . . or a prison," she thought.
The queen took a deep breath and entered the house through a hole in the wall.
Inside, the house was dark and dusty. Floorboards were missing and broken furniture cluttered the room. She couldn't see anyone.
Where could Macavity have gone?
Andromeda suddenly felt her body tense up.
She had heard someone say something.
Someone in the next room.
She followed the sound into what looked like an old living room. In one corner there was a large hole in the floor. The voice was coming from inside that hole. On the other side of the room there was a smaller hole. Just big enough for her. Andromeda hoped that she would be able to sneak into that hole undetected and a safe distance away from anyone who might be an enemy.
Luck was with her, and she was able to do so.
Now she was underneath the living room. It was cold and musty.
Peering through the darkness, Andromeda could see a faint light. She crept towards it. Her padded paws did not make a sound.
It must have been a basement that she was in. There was just as much stuff everywhere as there was in the junkyard. This made it easy for the silver cat to stay concealed.
She crawled into a cardboard box that laid on its side. There was a hole in the bottom of it just big enough for her to peer through and see the entire room.
There was a clearing in the center of the basement. In the middle of the clearing a fire burned in a pie pan.
Around the fire Andromeda could see the shadowy figures of four cats. One of them she recognized as Macavity. He looked just as the alley cat had described. Tall, thin, scruffy coat and uncombed whiskers. She had seen many horrible things in her life. Mostly in her nightmares. But she had never seen anything so frightening as the ginger cat that she looked upon now.
There were two big, scruffy cats that Andromeda had never seen before.
"Macavity's henchmen probably," she thought.
Between the two felines was a sight that made her want to cry.
Mistoffelees, or what was left of him. His paws were securely tied behind his back. His once white chest now had blotches of dried blood and his handsome face showed cruel red scratches which told of the blows that he had received from his enemy.
The two scruffy cats were holding him up by his arms. One of them held his head up so that the master criminal could look him in the eye.
"Magical Mr. Mistoffelees," began Macavity. "Finally, I get to meet you face to face."
Misto said nothing.
"You have proven yourself to be very powerful. You have destroyed my hard work many times with your magic. I never did figure out how you managed to get that Deuteronomy cat back to the junkyard last year. Would you tell me how you did it?"
Still the magical cat said nothing. Macavity shrugged.
"I know," he said. "A magician never reveals his secrets and you are a very powerful magician. I could use someone like you. Why don't join me? Together we could rule the jellicle tribe and destroy anyone who tries to stop us. What do ya say?"
This time Mistoffelees answered. His voice was weak and barely rose above a whisper.
"Never," he said.
Macavity raised his paw. The black cat braced himself for another blow but then the master criminal changed his mind.
"Don't answer so soon without thinking about it," he said. "I'm sure that I can change your mind, one way or another. What is the jellicle tribe to you?"
"They are my friends. My family," answered Mistoffelees. "We take care of each other. They have always been kind to me and I try to do the same to them."
"Oh, this is making me sick," Macavity mumbled. "You understand that if you don't join me I can't allow you to live."
"Do what you want with me," said the black cat. "But I will never betray my family."
"He's so valiant," thought Andromeda.
The ginger cat could not control himself.
He slashed Mistoffelees across the face with his sharp claws. The two scruffy cats released their prisoner and let him fall to the floor. At a swift wave of Macavity's paw they picked him up again by the skin on the back of his neck and dragged him out of the room.
Andromeda wasted no time. She noiselessly crept out of the box and, staying hidden by the various objects strewn about the room, followed the two scruffy cats out of the basement.