"Hey, look, that one's a real beauty!"
Rubena pointed to a bright comet which shot across the night sky. Alyzria agreed. The two cats were sitting on the vicarage wall, watching for shooting stars and talking - this activity had become a nightly ritual for them. Also, that particular night was lit by a full moon, making both of them restless.
"I wonder what Old Deutoronomy knows about that dagger of yours," Rubena suddenly said into the silence.
Alyzria shrugged.
"I figured he'd tell me sooner or later. He usually has a good reason for the things he does."
Rubena started tugging at her lower lip. Alyzria knew that particular gesture quite well: her friend was thinking about something she didn't really want to talk about, so she kept silent.
"Well, I guess we should be getting some sleep," the tigress said finally. "We don't want to turn completely nocturnal."
Alyzria stood opposite the tigress, sweating heavily. They both held a long, curved knife - according to Rubena, it was a good idea to learn the use of as many different weapons as possible. They slowly circled each other, watching for the twitch of a muscle which would betray their opponent's next movement. Alyzria couldn't help but notice the reckless grin which had replaced the almost serene one Rubena usually wore. She really enjoys a fight, Alyzria thought to herself as she rapidly blocked a strike aimed at her side. Seeing an opening, she quickly let her own blade snake up to the side of the tigress's throat and froze in place.
"Good job," Rubena said with a smile. "You really caught me off-guard there."
Alyzria returned the smile and handed the scimitar to her friend, who sheathed both weapons.
"Nice work, ladies," a masculine voice said behind them.
Both felines turned around and caught sight of Munkustrap and a rather good-looking tomcat with a long, but well-groomed mane. The tom was clapping. Alyzria ignored him.
"Good morning, Munkus," she greeted the leader's son, obviously to the other tom's annoyance.
Rubena decided to give him the little bit of attention the maned cat so obviously craved.
"And you are...?"
"That's Tugger," Alyzria said. "Just ignore him, his female fanclub is big enough as it is."
Rum Tum Tugger glared at the Siamese, then gallantly bowed to Rubena.
"I am afraid your black friend is not ladylike enough to recognise my charming personality," he said as he took the tigress's hand.
Alyzria stuck her tongue out at Tugger, then realised with horror that her striped companion did look rather charmed. As she watched, Rubena let the handsome snob kiss her hand.
"I am sorry to admit that I'm not particularly ladylike, myself," the tigress said pleasantly.
"I am willing to forgive such minor flaws," Tugger answered with his winner's smile.
Alyzria felt extremely depressed. She didn't like the prospect of her friend swooning over Munkustrap's conceited brother.
Suddenly, Tugger flew right over Rubena's shoulder and landed on his back, only to be pinned to the floor by the tigress's callused foot.
"Yeah, if you weren't so modest you'd be perfect," Rubena said sweetly as she let Tugger up, causing Alyzria and Muskustrap to burst out laughing.
Tugger was grooming his now dusty mane in a rather sulky manner as Demeter sauntered over, obviously ready to salve Tugger's wounded pride. Now Rubena realised what Alyzria had meant by "fanclub".
"That girl is a beast," Tugger complained to Demeter, who was obviously too preoccupied with Tugger's appearance to really listen.
"Who, me?" the tigress asked innocently.
"Yeah, y-" Tugger's words were cut short as he looked up at the striped, terracotta-coloured queen in front of him.
Tugger's face contorted in shock and was mirrored by every cat present except for the queen in front of him. The cat in question ignored the reaction she had prompted and turned towards Rubena, whose shocked expression was just being replaced by a snarl.
"It's been a moderately long time," the queen who appeared to be a mirror image of Rubena said in a mocking voice.
"Not long enough," Rubena spat.
The reddish tigress grinned and gestured towards the long scar which ran from Rubena's right collarbone to her left hip.
"Dear me, did I do that?"
Rubena was simmering with anger.
"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Rubena's "mirror image" continued.
Suddenly, Rubena realised that the other cats present were probably indeed waiting for an explanation. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"Munkus, Alyzria, Tugger, Demeter, this is my evil clone, Callisto, and also the reason why I was such a mess when I first arrived here."
Callisto held up her index finger with disapproval.
"Now, now, sisters shouldn't be calling each other evil."
"Sister my foot! You've got less family spirit that a hermit!"
"My heart bleeds skimmed milk," Callisto taunted.
During this short conversation, Alyzria finally found her tongue.
"You've got a twin sister?" she croaked in disbelief.
"Oh, clever girl," Callisto said in a fake ditzy manner and clapped enthusiastically.
Alyzria decided to ignore Rubena's obnoxious twin. Instead, she focused on her friend, who had already assumed a fighting stance.
"Did you intend to tell me?" the Siamese asked.
Before Rubena could answer, another taunting voice, this one male, caught her attention.
"Ooh, a friendship on the line, ready to shatter against the rocks! How absolutely delightful!"
Demeter's head whipped around to look at the dusty-coated ginger cat.
"Macavity!" she whispered in shock before darting over to Munkustrap and hiding behind his back.
"Macavity!" the ginger mocked and swung his hips, ignoring the fact that he was being glared at by both of the tiger-striped queens.
"Whaddaya want, Scruffy?" Tugger drawled at him. "Thinkin' of kidnappin' Grampa again?"
"Yeah," Demeter piped up from behind Munkustrap's back. "That trick was real lame!"
Macavity casually moved towards Demeter and Munkustrap with a smirk.
"Fiery as usual, I see," he commented and shoved Munkus aside before running the backs of his black claws over the queen's throat.
"Aren't you going to give me a little welcoming kiss?"
He was already holding the terrified queen by her upper arms, a wolfish grin on his face.
Suddenly, an intricately carved dagger with a lapis lazuli-studded hilt pressed against Macavity's throat, and a pair of furious blue eyes set in a face covered in grey fur appeared over the shaggy ginger's shoulder.
"Let. Her. Go."
Alyzria's order was unnecessary. Demeter had instantly seized the chance to disentangle herself from Macavity's grip. The dagger moved away from the ginger's throat, ready to be used in a quick attack in case Macavity decided to unsheathe his razor-sharp claws.
Rubena looked at her twin.
"The company you've been keeping lately appears to be rather obnoxious," she observed.
Macavity leered at her. "Don't try to flatter me."
Rubena's attention was still fixed on Callisto.
"So,`sister', how can I be of assistance to you?" she asked in an oily and fakely sweet voice, scimitars in hand.
Callisto leaned on a pile of tyres.
"Oh, nothing so far. I just thought I'd drop by as a small prelude to terror." Her frequently used roguish grin crossed her features. "I simply couldn't bear the thought of you sleeping peacefully while I'm plotting to cause some havok."
"It's not gonna come to that!"
With that, Rubena lunged for her twin, scimitars singing through the air. However, Callisto had chosen that moment to de-materialise and to take her scruffy partner with her. Rubena sneered at the patch of air which had accommodated the terracotta queen just a second earlier.
Someone placed a white-furred hand on the tigress's shoulder, prompting her to turn around. The hand's owner was Alyzria, who looked as if she were trying to make up her mind if she should be confused, or if she should be feeling any other unpleasant emotion.
"Could you explain this to me, please?"
Rubena nodded, then let out a sigh. This had been too good to last!
"Let's go find the twins and Old Deutoronomy. I don't want to have to tell this story more than once."
Surprisingly enough, Tugger was the one to lighten up the general mood.
"I take back that earlier remark. You're not a beast, your twin is." He shuddered. "I'd hate to think what she'd do to me apart from that fancy shoulder flip..."
