CHAPTER 2- Mac-Tracking
The next morning was sunny and bright, but Munkustrap hardly noticed. He didn't notice the little group of cats creeping across the junkyard and out into the alley, either. But that could be because Tugger, Pouncival, and Plato had convinced Mistoffolees to give them a magical invisibility shield. They didn't want their leader to worry any more than he already was.
"The fact is," Plato said, "Munku's just to worried to do anything right now."
"Yeah," agreed Pouncival, "but I can't wait any longer! It's no fun without Sillabub! I want her back! "
"We noticed," Tugger commented wryly. "You haven't pounced anyone all today or yesterday!"
"That proves it Tugger! I can't pounce anyone without remembering how she always giggles when I pounce on her!"
"Well, don't get all self-centered, I'm missing three members of my fanclub, you know - "
"Would you two stop it?" Plato snapped. "I want to get Victoria back, but standing here arguing over who to feel sorry for isn't helping anything, and if we're just going to feel sorry for ourselves, what was the purpose of coming out here?"
"Plato's right." Pouncival sighed. "Sorry, Tugger."
Tugger nodded his head, but then Plato glared at him, so he cleared his throat and said, "Er, right, sorry too, Pounce."
"Good," Plato said, "Now let's get down to some Mac-tracking." He started walking. Pouncival followed behind, muttering, "Mac-tracking? What's that suppos- oh, Macavity. Right."
Tugger stood still for a moment. "Who's in charge here, anyway?" he grumbled. "I am the oldest." Then he ran to catch up with his friends.
The spot out in the alley where the three Jellicles had just been stood silent now, but only for a moment. Then the air seemed to sizzle and Mistoffolees appeared. Frowning, he glanced in the direction the three friends had taken, then hurried back into the junkyard to tell Munkustrap.---
Demeter stretched and yawned. It seemed she had just gotten back to sleep, and now she was awake again. Not surprising, she thought to herself. How can anyone sleep well in Macavity's Lair? Macavity's Lair. The very words chilled her, so she pushed them out of her mind.
"You're Demeter, right?"
Demeter jumped a foot into the air, spun around, and landed facing the speaker. Then she sighed in relief. "Don't startle me like that, Rumpleteazer."
"Teazer. Rumpleteazer's my business name."
"Whatever. Why do you keep asking my name?"
"It's nothin'."
"Tell me."
Teazer looked hard at Demeter, then said, "I've heard Macavity talkin' about you, is all."
Demeter felt a chill go up her spine. "You have? Um, what was he saying?"
"From what I've heard, you were supposed to be his mate-"
"I decided not to."
"Yeah, but he didn't decide not to. And that's all that counts, to him."
Demeter sat down stubbornly. "I will not be his mate - "
"He has other plans."
" - and anyway, I already have a mate - "
"He doesn't care."
" - so that's the end of it!"
Teazer just shook her head.
---
"Mac-tracking?" Munkustrap yowled. "Mac-tracking?! What are they thinking?! And Tugger! He's almost an adult! Doesn't he realize they could be walking into a death-trap?! But no, not the Rum Tum Tugger, he's a Curious Cat, why should he think of anyone but himself? Ow!" He rubbed his paw where Jellylorum had smacked it.
"Calm down, O Great Leader, think before you judge others! Tugger may be a playboy, but his heart is in the right place. If he thinks of no one but himself, why is he risking his life for Bombalurina and the others?"
"Not just his life but the life of two kittens, too! Kittens! "
"They just want their loved ones back, same as you."
"Mac-tracking isn't the way to do it!"
"Then for Heavyside's Sake, Munkustrap, stop yelling at me, go find them, and show them that!"
---
"Macavity!" Demeter hissed. All the cats stared at her (especially Teazer), then rushed towards the backs of their cells (except for Teazer, who looked confused, then followed Bombalurina, listening unsuccessfully for footsteps).
All the Jellicles, and Teazer, stared apprehensively at the hall door. Demeter pressed up against the side bars, and Bombalurina did the same so that she could reach through the bars and give her sister a reassuring rub. The kittens huddled together, and Teazer crouched against the wall. Then all of them threw their hands up to block the hall light from their sensitive eyes as the hallway door opened.
There was a brief silence, then the door was shut and, though they were totally blind in the sudden darkness, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone but Demeter.
Bombalurina could feel that Demeter was still tense. "Demi -" she began.
Demeter hissed. And then Bombalurina knew. Macavity was still there, in the room.
---
Tugger, Pouncival, and Plato were lost, no matter how much they tried to deny it. They had followed Macavity's trail to the bank of a steep, muddy creek, and lost the trail. They hadn't seen any muddy prints on the opposite bank, so they figured he had traveled in the water (which he had), and they saw some broken reeds on the banks to their left, so they figured he must have gone that way, upstream (which, unfortunately, he hadn't. The reeds had actually been broken by a restless turtle, but they weren't to know that). They followed the creek all the way to a calm, narrow, but very steep waterfall, then tried to backtrack but the creek split in two, and they couldn't remember which fork they had come from. So they picked one and hoped it was the right way. It wasn't.
"We are not lost," Tugger growled.
"Oh, we're not?" Plato asked sarcastically. "Here I thought that since we've never been where we are, and don't know where that is, then of course we are lost. But Tugger says we're not. Hmmm..."
"That's the spirit!" Pouncival exclaimed brightly. "Of course we're not lost! We know exactly where we are! Right here! And so all we have to do is figure out where here isn't so we'll know where it is!" Then he stopped and scratched his head. "But how will we know which place we've never been to we're in?" And the absurdity of this logic caused Tugger and Plato to start laughing out loud, and so Pouncival started laughing too though he didn't know why he was laughing and said so, which only made the other two laugh even more.
---
"Hello, ladies" Macavity said pleasantly. Then he flipped on the hall light, and all the Jellicles, plus Teazer, had to squint to see. For a moment, the five captives just stared at the ginger tom before them. He stared right back, looking at each of them in turn.
"Rumpleteazer. Glad to see you're making friends, though I warn you, be careful. You don't want to get me in trouble with your brother, now, do you? Bombalurina - so nice of you to protect your sister like this. Such devotion! Just don't get in my way. And Demeter. We meet again. Well? Don't you have anything to say to me? Something of an apology, perhaps?"
Demeter hissed and arched her back. "No."
"Pity. Then perhaps I can apologize to you. I'm sorry you made me do this, Demeter." With that, he opened the door to her cell and stepped inside. She hissed again, and pressed herself closer to the wall, the floor, and her sister. But it was no use. Macavity simply walked to the post in the center of the cell and yanked on the chain. Choking and gasping, Demeter went to him.
He yanked again, and pulled her close. Demeter scrabbled at him with her claws, but he didn't so much as flinch.
"You'll learn, Demeter," he whispered to her. "In time, you'll learn." Then he pushed her away with such forced that she crashed into the back wall and fell to the floor. "Remember that." Then he was gone.
For a few seconds, there was a ringing silence. Then Bombalurina cried, "Demi!"
Demeter moaned and sat up. "I'm okay, I think. As long as that monster is gone. My neck..." she rubbed at the newly formed bruises the collar had made. Then she got up and walked over to the bars, glad to see that she still could, and let her sister give her a hug. She managed a weak smile. "See, Bomba? I'm still in one piece!"
"Just barely. If I could break out of this cage right now I think I would go and kill that disgusting piece of filth that calls itself a cat - "
"Right, well, you can't so why don't we all try to get some rest?" Teazer suggested.
But Demeter didn't answer. She had just noticed the kittens, still huddled together in the corner of their cell. Demeter walked over to them, trying to smile. "Come on, it's alright, he's gone."
Tearfully, they emerged from the corner, Sillabub first, then Victoria. The white kitten was silent, staring at Demeter in shock. Sillabub, however, had plenty to say. "Oh, Demeter, it was so scary, he just walked in and started talking like he'd met us at the park, and then he started threatening everybody and he could have strangled you and then he threw you at the wall and it was horrible and we thought you were dead - " she broke off and started sobbing. Demeter reached through the bars and comforted her best she could. But no sooner had Sillabub calmed down, then Victoria burst into tears and Demeter had to comfort her, too, while Sillabub helped. Then the two kittens settled down together and fell asleep.
"I told you we should rest." Teazer reminded them. So the adult queens lay down, too. But just before she fell asleep, Demeter heard Teazer mumble, "I'm sorry, Demeter... Tried to warn you..."