Chapter 2
Coming into a new world
"Hey, Misto!" Tugger called outside the window, on the sill of which Mistoffelees was dozing. Mistoffelees immediately perked up his head, experientially removed the latch from its place, and opened the window.
"Hi, Tugger!" the small black tom kitten purred.
"Hey, how are ya doing today, bud?" Tugger slipped in through the window gap and allowed Mistoffelees to jump onto his back.
"Juliet took Victoria to the vet," said Mistoffelees, "she'll bring her back in a while."
"That's right," said Tugger, turning his head to look at Mistoffelees, "how's our new little friend doing, by the way?"
"Oh, she's great!" Mistoffelees exclaimed, and cheerfully curled the fur on Tugger's mane between his fingers, as he liked to do the most whenever they were playing. "I didn't tell you that Juliet's letting her stay in our house now, did I?"
"She is?" Tugger asked surprisingly.
"Yeah! And she likes everything perfectly, and Juliet loves her probably more than me now. Oh, and she named her Phoebe," said Mistoffelees, his voice filled with blithe.
"From the way you're putting it, it sounds to me like everything suddenly changed overnight!" Tugger leaned on his elbow and uttered.
"Ha, you'd be surprised," said Mistoffelees, "she's doing better than you'd ever think. She loves Juliet to death, and now I have a new friend to be with all the time!"
"Well, good thing to know that the poor thing's got a home," said Tugger, "we've been worried about her, really. I'm kinda amazed that your human would accept her so quickly. And Phoebe, hm, sounds like a lovely name. At least better than most of the other Jellicles' human names that I've heard," He flipped himself around, allowing Mistoffelees to sit on his stomach.
"Juliet's different from most humans," said Mistoffelees, "besides, Victoria is not a cat whom a human can easily turn away from. She's the kind who can be loved instantly by almost everyone."
"Well, guess one thing is settled now," Tugger smiled, "the others have all been wondering, what we should do if your human doesn't want her."
"Speaking of which, where are the others?" Mistoffelees asked, leaning his arms on Tugger's chest.
"Munkustrap and Demeter are off hunting for lunch, Bomba is taking a nap so there's nothing for me to do, and Lonzo and Cass are wondering somewhere," Tugger replied and yawned.
"When Victoria comes back, I will show her the junkyard!" said Mistoffelees.
"You?" Tugger eyed him.
"Yeah!" said Mistoffelees, "she said she'd let me take her there, and I promised her I'd show her a few of my tricks, too!"
"Look, kid," Tugger studied Mistoffelees up and down, "just by looking at you, you're not hitting on this white little chick, are you?"
Mistoffelees's cheeks suddenly turned peach red. He hopped off Tugger's back and turned his back to him, unable to hide the embarrassment that Tugger has already discerned on his face.
"Hey, hey, kid," Tugger poked Mistoffelees a few times on the back, but he refused to turn around.
"Misto, look at me," Tugger called, but Mistoffelees only pulled his long tail to his front and fiddled with its white end.
"Come on, buddy. I didn't say anything wrong, did I?" Tugger asked, gently turning Mistoffelees around with his paws. "You're not a young kit anymore. Even if so, there's nothing to be embarrassed about!"
"I can hide nothing from you, can I, Tugger?" Mistoffelees said, but kept his eyes on his tail, which he was still playing with mindlessly.
"Listen, kid, I know you too well," Tugger smiled, and gently ruffled Mistoffelees's black ears. "And it's nothing, chap! It's too normal. And besides, you're growing up fast. Who knows by this time next year if you'd be two heads taller than me!"
"I seriously doubt that," Mistoffelees mumbled, raising a paw to scratch his right ear.
"Hey, look, tuxedo," Tugger said, "I know what you're thinking. If you like her, don't lie to yourself or anyone about it. And you know, when it comes to queens, I'm the expert. I remember when I was your age, I..."
"Have buried nine wives?" Mistoffelees said. A sudden mischievous, kittenish smile rose on his lips.
Tugger slapped the back of Mistoffelees's head, but very gently.
"You really are a little devil! The Everlasting Cat knows where you got such a mouth!" the two of them laughed.
"Mistoffelees!" Victoria called gently the moment Juliet opened the door of her box and let her out onto the soft, carpeted floor.
"There you go, sweetheart," Juliet said, putting the cage away, "how are you feeling? Hungry? Thirsty?"
Victoria wished that she could tell her that she was fine, and that she wanted to see Mistoffelees. But all she could do was meow.
"Well, I just put some food in your dish, plus some fresh good water," said Juliet, picking up her purse on the side, "you know what? Now that I've dropped you off, I gotta go back out. We need extra things for this extra kitty, don't we?"
Victoria stared at her with her innocent eyes.
Juliet looked at the clock on the wall. "Good, not too late yet. I'll try to be back early, ok? I gotta get some grocery on the way, too. Lestat is around somewhere, and you two behave!"
She bent down and placed a gentle kiss on Victoria's forehead, then headed out the door. Victoria heard the sound of a click, followed by footsteps echoing out.
"Mistoffelees?" Victoria called as she slowly ambled around. She had yet to really explore this big place. Now that Juliet was gone, the entire place seemed as quiet as a big tomb. Even no sound came from her small, padded paws.
"Purr..."
In a sudden, Victoria swung her head around at the sound, and spotted Mistoffelees standing beside her.
"Mistoffelees!" Victoria cried out with joy, "Where did you come out? How come I didn't even see you beside me?"
"Remember that I'm a magical cat?" Mistoffelees smiled.
"Oh, you just showed me another trick!" Victoria cried. Her paws gently poked Mistoffelees's black arms.
"Anyway, how was the vet's?" Mistoffelees asked.
"Well, thank everything that I didn't need shots," said Victoria, "they checked my ears and shone this light into my eyes and my mouth, and that was quite annoying. And the human clipped my claws, too." She raised a paw, showing her short nails.
"Well, all humans like to do that," said Mistoffelees, "they don't like it when we scratch. But anyway, it wasn't too bad, was it?"
"I guess so," said Victoria, "oh, and Juliet just went out again."
"Probably out shopping, as what humans love to do all the time," said Mistoffelees, "come on, now that you're back, we can go!"
"Go where?" Victoria asked.
"To the junkyard, of course!" said Mistoffelees, "remember you'd promised to let me show you the junkyard?"
"Oh!" Victoria said, smiling, "well, of course! Let's go then!"
"The others will be there, too," said Mistoffelees.
"The others?" Victoria asked, "You mean the ones whom I met last night? Oh, no, I've forgotten their names already!"
"Well, it's ok," said Mistoffelees, "everyone will introduce themselves again. And not just the friends whom you met last night. There'll be a lot more."
"A lot more?" Victoria asked.
"I think Munkustrap has gotten most, if not all, of the tribe to gather today," said Mistoffelees, "Old Deuteronomy is definitely going to be there, and he's our beloved leader. You'll love him!"
"Oh," Victoria slowly nodded her head, and followed Mistoffelees as he started heading for the cat flap.
"Will they... will they welcome me?" Victoria asked edgily, and Mistoffelees turned around and put a paw on top of hers.
"Of course they will! We welcome everyone, except..." Mistoffelees suddenly swallowed back his sentence and flinched.
"Except... except what?" Victoria asked, her eyes growing more tense.
"Um, never mind. You'll know later. Let's go now!" Mistoffelees recovered his composure and nodded at Victoria. Victoria decided not to ask more questions as she followed Mistoffelees out the house.
"Here they come!" someone called the moment Mistoffelees and Victoria reached the entrance of the junkyard. Victoria glanced around her, rather amused by the piles and piles of junk and rubbish here and there, old furniture lying crooked everywhere, and old cars without tires and windows rusting. There were cats coming out of almost everywhere, and a few tom kittens were noisily running here and there. She spotted Jellylorum, the mother queen whom she had met the night before along with her kitten, and when she looked up, she saw the black, leopard-dotted tom with that huge golden brown mane, which she had also met the night before but had forgotten his name, leaning on an old pipe and was surrounded by a group of laughing and shrieking kitten queens and he apparently didn't appear to mind them much, and that scarlet queen who was also with him the night before was standing aside, looking and smirking at the squeaking kittens who hovered about his legs. Straight ahead of her on a giant tire sat a big old cat, with long, gray fur and an aura of wisdom showing clearly on his calm expression. The tabby whom she remembered as Munkustrap was standing next to the old cat and beside here stood the queen whom she remembered was called Demeter.
"There goes Tugger and his usual fan club," Mistoffelees looked toward Tugger's, who was obviously rather enjoying all the female attentions. "As usual."
"Fan club?" Victoria stared at Tugger and the kittens who surrounded him, but before Mistoffelees could again say anything, they heard a deep voice coming toward them from straight ahead.
"Welcome, welcome, my child," the old gray cat walked down from the tire and up to Victoria, and took her paws into his. "You must be little Victoria. Munkustrap has told me all about you, and I'm delighted to meet you. Welcome to our tribe, to our big family! I welcome you with all my heart, my child."
Victoria looked up at the old cat's kind, serene, grandfather-like face; her heart was filled with warmth and gratitude. She rubbed her face against the old cat's paws, and the old cat gently patted her head.
"I am Old Deuteronomy, the leader of the great Jellicle Tribe," the old cat spoke again, "everyone of you here is like my child, and we are always together like a big family. Now, for those of us who are here," Old Deuteronomy turned to the cats behind him, "this is Victoria, and at this moment, I formally announce her acceptance into our Jellicle Tribe. I hope, as a family, we can make her feel welcome and loved."
The cats cheered, and Munkustrap came up from behind Old Deuteronomy.
"You will get to know and learn all about everyone of us as time goes," Munkustrap said, "but for now, the most important would be for you to know who we all are. And I'm sure you now already know that I am Munkustrap, the eldest son of Old Deuteronomy and the protector of the tribe."
Victoria looked at Munkustrap and nodded.
"And I'm sure you remember Demeter," Munkustrap signaled for Demeter to come.
Victoria again nodded. Mistoffelees was still standing beside her, smiling at her with encouragement in his eyes.
"Tugger over there you've already met, and Bombalurina," Munkustrap pointed.
"What's his name again?" Victoria asked Mistoffelees in a whisper.
"Rum Tum Tugger," Mistoffelees whispered back, "or just Tugger would be fine."
"And hers?" Victoria eyed the red queen, "Bombarina?"
"Bombalurina," Mistoffelees annunciated slowly.
"You might not have met my brother, Alonzo," Munkustrap pointed to a cat, mostly white with pieces of black here and there, who was sitting on a cardboard box and was waving at her. Beside him was a creamy brown, shorthaired Siamese queen, with very smooth, slender body, small brown ears, and bright green eyes.
"That's his mate, Cassandra, and way back there is her sister, Exotica," Munkustrap indicated and smiled. Alonzo nodded at Victoria, and both Cassandra and Exotica gave her a friendly wave.
"Hey, I'm sure you remember me!" Victoria saw that white and striped kitten whom she had met last night, running over with a few other kittens.
"Yes, Etcetera," Victoria smiled.
"Ha, I knew you'd remember!" Etcetera smiled, and turned to the kittens behind her. "These are all my friends. These two are my cousins, Electra and Jemima. They're my Aunt Jenny's kittens. This here is Pouncival, and this is his brother, Tumblebrutus. They're exactly what they're names tell you, one likes to pounce, and one likes to tumble!" Etcetera said with a loud giggle, and Victoria giggled with her as she saw the two kitten toms squeezing their noses and sticking their tongues out at her from behind her back.
Victoria nodded shyly at the group of kittens who were all smiling at her, and Jemima came over to rub her head on her paw.
"Welcome to the tribe, Victoria," Jemima smiled.
"Thank you," said Victoria.
An orange striped Calico queen walked over, with an orange tabby tom beside her.
"I'm Jennyanydots, in case you didn't know from Etcetera already. You can call me Jenny if you'd like," the ginger queen smiled, "and this is my mate, Skimbleshanks the railway cat, but we all call him Skimble. And you've already met my two troublesome daughters here." She pointed at Jemima and Electra.
Victoria rubbed her paws against Jennyanydots's, and then Skimble's.
"If ya need something, girl, feel free to ask Skimble. Skimble wouldn't let anything go wrong," Skimble patted Victoria's head and said in an accent that Victoria's never heard before, but was rather intrigued by. Victoria rubbed her head against his paw and smiled at him sweetly.
Old Deuteronomy led Victoria over to where the rest of the cats were, and Victoria blushed, as she was not quite used to everybody's eyes on her.
Two brown, black, and white mixed cats, who looked identical with each other, slowly crawled toward her. Their movements seemed in unison also.
"This is our mystical twins, Coricopat and Tantomile," Old Deuteronomy introduced, and the twins moved over to touch Victoria's white paws, one taking each.
"Welcome to our tribe. We hope you feel comfortable," the two said simultaneously, in a voice that was calm and deep. Victoria smiled at them as well.
"The twins are the telepaths of the tribe," Mistoffelees whispered in her ears. "They are magical as well, though different from me. But they also have a great deal of power in them."
"I know you still remember me, dearie," Jellylorum came up and smiled. Etcetera immediately cuddled to her mother.
Victoria nodded and rubbed her head against Jellylorum's paws.
"Well, you'll have to meet my mate Asparagus and his brother Admetus later when they come back from vacation with their family," said Jellylorum, and just as she was finishing, a loud bang was heard from behind, and everyone almost swung their heads around all at the same time.
"Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, we're a notorious couple o' cats!" At the sound, Victoria spotted two orange and black striped tiger cats, who also looked almost the same with each other, flipping and skipping toward them. The tom was slightly taller than the queen, who was rather pretty, with slightly lighter colors, and wore what looked like a pearl necklace on her slim neck.
"Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, otherwise known as knock-about clowns, quick-change comedians, tightrope walkers, and acrobats. And to be more specific, cat burglars and troublemakers!" Mistoffelees said in a low voice to Victoria, who couldn't help giggling at the pair hopping around.
"Hey, new friend!" the two tiger cats skipped toward Victoria and called out at the same time, speaking an accent sounding even more strange than Skimble's. "Nice to meet ya, and a big welcome to ya from the both of us, too!"
"I'm Mungojerrie, or you can just call me Mungo or Jerrie. Either way works. This here is my little sister, Rumpleteazer, or just Rumple or Teazer!" the tom called Mungojerrie said cheerfully.
"Nice to meet you," said Victoria.
"You're gonna have a lotta fun with us," Rumpleteazer said, giving Victoria a smile wider than that of a Cheshire Cat. "We'll show you all of our most useful tricks, including how to sneak around without humans seeing, how to get humans to throw you food from their dinner tables, and how to avenge on whoever picks on you!"
"Don't you ever start teaching her how to steal!" Jennyanydots said loudly, and the rest of the cats all laughed.
"Well, too bad you won't meet Plato today also," said Tumblebrutus, the oldest tom kitten with a cute patch of brown fur over his right eye. "His humans put him in a daycare while they're out. He's the most fun fellow to be around!"
"Oh, now I'm not the most fun to be around anymore?" Pouncival pouted.
"Ok, you're the second most fun," Tumblebrutus rolled his eyes.
"And, Tugger has told me, that Victoria is officially staying with your family, Misto?" Munkustrap asked. All the cats carried on a look of surprise on their faces.
"Yep!" Mistoffelees replied excitedly, "she's the new member of my family now!"
"Thank the Everlasting Cat that you've found a good family already," Jellylorum embraced Victoria, "a poor dear like you needs a good family to take care of you more than anyone else!"
"Wow, that was fast!" Bombalurina stepped out, "how often do we hear humans who'd take in an outsider cat right away? You're lucky, girl!"
"Well, Mistoffelees's human is different," Victoria said, "she was so nice to me the moment she saw me, and I liked her the moment I met her. Mistoffelees has told me how much she loves cats, and I'm glad to have found a human like her."
"Huh, that's comforting," Bombalurina looked at her perfectly shaped claws and played with her thin fingers. "I remember when Demeter and I first came; it really took a struggle to find us a place to stay."
"You are, I believe, about twelve years of old human age, my dear child?" Old Deuteronomy asked.
Victoria nodded.
"The Jellicle Ball is coming soon, and I'm sure you will be able to attend?" Old Deuteronomy gave her a warm smile.
Victoria again nodded. "Mistoffelees said I'm old enough."
"And we are still not," Electra pouted, glancing at Jemima.
"You will, darling, in just a few years," Jennyanydots stroked behind Electra's ears.
"All of us welcome you with all our hearts, Victoria," Old Deuteronomy said, "you are now one of us, and I'm sure, that any of us is willing to help you whenever you need. If there is something that troubles you, never be afraid to speak up."
"There... there is something," Victoria said, trembling a bit.
"What is it?" Munkustrap asked.
"Well, last night, when... when I was still in the garbage pile, just before I was found by Munkustrap and the others, I saw a... a big cat in the shadows, with hair standing on ends all over him and he looked so... so ferocious and scary! He really scared me so much that I thought he was going to kill someone!" Victoria said, and all the cats' expressions suddenly turned tight.
"Macavity..." Demeter gasped. Munkustrap immediately took her paw into his. At the sound of that, even all the frolicking kittens quieted down and grew serious.
"So I guess it wasn't all a dream after all," Bombalurina eyed her sister and muttered at the side, "Maybe she did indeed hear something."
"That dirty scumbag of a cat..." Tugger said under his breath.
"Oh, dear, for the sake of the Everlasting Cat! I'm more than grateful that we found you then!" Jellylorum took Victoria's paws into hers.
"That means that last night, while we were out, Macavity had been around?" Mistoffelees said with disbelief, "how could we not have seen him? He couldn't have been that far away from us if Victoria saw him just before!"
"We would have caught that piece of filth already if he'd let us see him!" Alonzo said on the side, and Cassandra gritted her teeth.
"What? Macavity? Who's Macavity?" Victoria looked around; feeling bewildered at what everyone was talking about.
"Listen, Victoria," Demeter said; her expression was filled with fear. "You don't ever go near that garbage pile again, you hear? And if you happen to see that cat again, which I truly hope you don't, come and tell us right away!"
"Thank the Everlasting Cat that he had not seen her while she saw him," Skimble said, "I can't imagine what would've happened otherwise."
"What is Macavity?" Victoria asked, still perplexed.
"A mystery cat who's called the Hidden Paw," Bombalurina explained, her eyes growing dark along with her tone. "He's the master criminal all around, and we call him the Napoleon of Crime. He's broken every human law, and he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity!"
"There never was a cat of such deceitfulness and suavity," Demeter followed, "and whenever a crime's discovered, then Macavity's not there. We all hate him to death but we're all afraid of him, yet there's no way we can catch him. Even the Pollicles avoid him when they see him!"
Victoria backed off two steps; her paws began to shiver, and a terrifying expression dominated her young white face.
Old Deuteronomy took the horrified kitten into his wide arms.
"Let's not say these things to frighten her now," he said, "we'll wish for the best that nothing will happen. But we shall all keep our eyes open!"
Munkustrap and Alonzo both nodded simultaneously.
"That Macavity really sounds scary!" Victoria said when she went back into the house with Mistoffelees. They've stayed out for an awful long time, and by the time they were in the house it was already dark out.
"Well, maybe we shouldn't have let you know this so early and got you scared so quick, but it's true. We all hate him, and we're all afraid of him. And you, like all of us, need to learn how to hide from him," said Mistoffelees, shaking his head.
"Will he come and get us?" Victoria asked.
"I certainly hope not," said Mistoffelees, "but nobody ever knows what he'll do. According to Munkustrap and Tugger, he's shown up at the junkyard more than once, and they couldn't defeat him no matter how hard they fought with him. I don't think any Jellicle knows what he wants."
Victoria swallowed twice and her eyes grew larger and larger. She could feel her heart pounding fast against her chest.
"But hey, don't worry too much either," said Mistoffelees, "I'm here to protect you!"
"You are?" Victoria couldn't help smiling again.
"Of course!" said Mistoffelees, "and Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Tugger, they're all here to protect all of us!"
Victoria loosened up a little, and gently leaped up onto the windowsill. Another night has come, and a bright half moon was rising into the dark sky, and this night, with millions of stars all around. She looked outside at the silent neighborhood; the wind blowing through the tree branches and making them wave to and fro. She suddenly sunk into deep thoughts.
"And besides, when we're home, he'll not even dare to come close, because Juliet will be here to protect us," said Mistoffelees, jumping up to sit beside her.
"There you are, you two!" they heard a call coming from behind and turned around, as the room was suddenly filled with light with a click. Juliet was walking in, holding two stuffed animals in her hands.
"Phoebe, look what I got you!" she tossed the stuffed animals toward Victoria, and she jumped to catch them. One was a big green catnip mouse, and the other was a stuffed white bunny.
"There we go, tweet. Like them?" Juliet smiled as she looked at Victoria sniffing them, and then started batting them with her paws and purring with delight.
"And don't be jealous, Lestat," said Juliet, "You've got more toys to probably fill dad's entire SUV. And please don't hesitate to share."
Mistoffelees gently licked Juliet's hand, and Juliet began throwing the toys up and down to play with them both.
"Got you two some more kitty food, too," said Juliet, "two cats are gonna need twice as much as before, right? Not counting that Lestat eats like a piggy sometimes."
Victoria had to press her lips together to prevent herself from laughing, while Mistoffelees stared at Juliet looking a bit offended.
"But no matter how much you eat, you don't seem to grow much, baby," Juliet sighed as he stroked Mistoffelees's back. "Well, maybe you're just one of those small cats who stop growing too quickly."
Mistoffelees shook his head at that comment. He knew that he really was small, probably small even for his young age. He was now already fifteen of human age, and Tugger could still carry him on his back with no difficulty. He thought about the jokes that the adults often made, that he was kind of too small to be a magician and to make the others afraid of his powers. He couldn't help letting out a sigh.
"Hey, you two should go to sleep pretty soon, you know," said Juliet as she lovingly scratched behind the two cats' ears, and Victoria gently nuzzled Juliet's hand. "And you, Phoebe, has Lestat gotten you to run around with him all day long?"
Mistoffelees squeezed his nose, and Victoria made a face.
"Well, naughty little creatures, come up when you feel like it then," Juliet yawned, "anyway, I'm tired. I'm going to bed now, ok?"
When Juliet left the room, Victoria slowly turned her head to Mistoffelees. Her beautiful deep blue eyes seemed as if they could stare into his heart.
"Is there something bothering you?" Mistoffelees asked; feeling concerned at Victoria's sudden change of disposition.
Victoria let out a small sigh, and again turned her head back to the window.
"I've never been treated this nicely before," she said.
"Well, you deserve it," Mistoffelees smiled, "besides, Juliet's kind to everyone."
Victoria slowly raised her head to the sky. "I always wonder what's up there," she muttered softly.
"The Jellicle Moon, and the Heaviside Layer," said Mistoffelees, and Victoria looked at him again.
"Look at those stars, how bright they all are! I wonder where they come from," she uttered again.
"Tugger has once told me that those stars might have something to do with my magic," said Mistoffelees.
"What?" Victoria asked.
"Well, Tugger loves to fantasize and exaggerate more than any other cat I know," Mistoffelees shrugged, "but I still can't help wondering if there are some truths to it."
"There probably is, Mistoffelees," Victoria said, her voice sweet and gentle as usual.
"I wouldn't know," Mistoffelees sighed, "I wish someone could tell me something about my past."
"I wish so, too," said Victoria, "at least something about my parents."
"But hey, I haven't lied to you, have I? Everyone in our tribe is so nice!" Mistoffelees said, wanting to change the subject.
Victoria nodded. "Yeah, I'm really, really lucky to have found friends like you guys. You're right. This tribe is just like a family!"
"You know, I probably will be chosen for the mating dance at the upcoming Jellicle Ball," Mistoffelees mumbled, "I'm old enough now, and they've been talking about me a lot, since the ball is coming up."
"Mating Dance?" Victoria asked.
Mistoffelees nodded. "Every year at the Jellicle Ball, a young tom of age will be chosen to bring a young queen to young adulthood, and I'm afraid I will probably be chosen for this next one since I'm now of age."
"What... what do you mean?" Victoria asked, still slightly confused.
"Well," Mistoffelees's white cheeks turned a shade a pink, "uh, you know, a young tom will be chosen to mate with a young queen, and bring her out of kittenhood. And that's what the mating dance is for."
"Mate?" Victoria asked, more amused.
"Yep," Mistoffelees said, "it's the Jellicle tradition. Every Jellicle Ball, a young kitten queen will grow up."
"Does everyone have to mate?" Victoria asked, noticing the pink on Mistoffelees's cheeks turning red.
"Um, I... I suppose so," he stammered a bit, "a queen kitten needs to mate with a young tom to grow up, you know..."
"Does that mean I'll have to do it, too?" Victoria almost cried out.
"Um, uh... I... I'm afraid so," said Mistoffelees, feeling his cheeks burning. "But you still have at least two years, so don't worry about it now."
"Whom will I have to do it with?" Victoria asked, panicking a bit.
"I don't know," said Mistoffelees, fighting to contain his cool. "You'll have to wait and see whom Old Deuteronomy chooses."
"Old Deuteronomy chooses who will... with me?" Victoria cried.
"Uh, yes, a young tom who's closest to your age and who hasn't mated before, of course," said Mistoffelees, turning his head away and had to wipe his burning face to try to cool it down.
"And who will you do... it with?" Victoria asked; her eyes opened wide.
"Well, I don't know," said Mistoffelees, feeling the great urge to get away now. "I'll... I'll have to wait and see whom I'll be chosen to... oh Victoria, can we please talk about something else now?"
"I... suppose, sorry, I..." Mistoffelees noticed that her snow-white cheeks now looked like a pair of ripe apples.
Mistoffelees tried to shield his embarrassment with a big yawn.
"Are you tired?" Victoria asked.
"A little," the yawning had made Mistoffelees more tired than he thought.
"Go to sleep then," Victoria said, looking up again at the stars.
"What about you?" Mistoffelees asked.
"I want to look at the stars a little longer," said Victoria.
"I'll stay and watch them with you then," said Mistoffelees.
The two of them sat silent for a while, gazing up into the sky.
"Um, Mistoffelees?" came a call that broke the silence.
"Yeah?" Mistoffelees asked.
"I'm just wondering, who named you Mistoffelees?"
"Well, you got me," Mistoffelees said lowly, "I wish someone could have an answer as much as you do. All I know is that, ever since I could remember, I've been called by this name. I don't know who gave it to me, but, I have seen a book called 'Faust' by this German author, Goethe or something, and in the book, there's this character called Mephistopheles, and I can somewhat see a connection between that name and mine."
"Mephistopheles, Mistoffelees..." Victoria repeated the two over and over several times. "Yes! I do see some sort of similarity! They sound very much alike! So you think that your name came from that? And who is this Mephistopheles by the way?"
"In the book, it's the name of the Devil," Mistoffelees replied.
"The Devil?" Victoria cried, "who on earth would name you after the Devil? The Devil is wicked, isn't he? But you're not!"
"Well, I don't think I was given a name that's derived from the name of the Devil because I'm supposed to be evil or something, I think it's because of me being an almost all-black cat and that I'm magical," said Mistoffelees, "and a long time ago in myth, someone like me would be thought to be related to the Devil."
"But why?" Victoria asked, "I... I just can't understand!"
"Well, you see, what I learned from that book is that, in this culture a long time ago, old legends have been that the devil would appear in black and he was believed to reside in black cats. He would come in the shape of a black cat and seduce women in that way to make them become witches and follow his power. And a long time ago, at least in this author's time, I'd guess, magic has long been considered the work of the devil, because no one could explain it and it's not something that happens normally in the real world, and is therefore believed as something evil."
"Oh, my!" Victoria put her paws to her mouth.
"So, I guess my name makes sense now," said Mistoffelees, "but really, I have no idea who named me that. Only the Everlasting Cat might know. Then again, there might be a little truth in it, regarding the way I look. Other than the fact that I'm black, haven't you noticed that my ears, unlike the other Jellicles, with ears that are more sticking out, are kinda turned in a bit, and actually looks a little like horns?"
"But, but you're not the Devil!" Victoria cried, "And you're not evil! Why are you called something like that? And... I like your ears. They're not horns!"
"Oh, of course I'm not the Devil," Mistoffelees had to laugh, "and I like my ears, too, and of course, I know they're not horns. I only said that they look a bit like them, that's all. It might just be a coincidence, who knows? And Mistoffelees is just a name, it's my name and I can't get rid of it now. Besides, when the others call me this, none of them would think about where it actually came from or the origin of that word or whatever. It's just a name for another cat for us, a cat name that's peculiar, like Munkustrap or Rum Tum Tugger or Victoria. And... thank you for liking my ears. It makes me feel even better about myself now."
Victoria was already calm, and when she heard Mistoffelees's last sentence, she couldn't help giving out a wide grin.
"Actually, I quite like Mistoffelees, too," she said, "It's truly a... unique name."
"I have to admit I kind of like it, too," Mistoffelees smiled back. "Besides, ever since my abilities were fully discovered, I think I'm somewhat appreciated more because I'm a magician. A long time ago when I was a kitten, I was actually much ignored because the ones my age thought I was too quiet or too shy and not the too outgoing type like Tugger. And for a long time to the adults, I was always considered the young kitty of the tribe because I was always smaller, even when I was no longer the age to be called a kit. But when all was made known that I'm magical, their opinions about me totally changed. And many of my tricks are very useful to the tribe, such as entertainments for the Jellicle Ball, lights when the power goes out, or occasional weapons when enemies attack."
"Weapons? Enemies?" Victoria tilted her head slightly and asked; her eyes again grew wide.
"Well, sometimes, when our junkyard is invaded by Pollicles or some others that mean harm to us, my lightning bolts will come to use," said Mistoffelees.
"Lightning bolts?" Victoria asked, with her voice filled with astonishment.
"Well, yeah, I can throw lightning bolts, and that is I think, one of my biggest powers," said Mistoffelees, lowering his voice, "but I can't show you right now. Juliet would flip if I burn anything in the house. And she knows nothing of what I can do, and I have no way of telling her because she's a human."
Victoria chuckled. "Wow, I guess you're not merely a magician. You're a very, very powerful one, too!"
"I probably wouldn't say that," said Mistoffelees, "Although I'm the magical Mr. Mistoffelees of the Jellicle Tribe, I'm still only a cat."
"Magical Mr. Mistoffelees," Victoria said, and smiled. "I like that very much, you know. It makes you sound so much... what do they say, cooler?"
"Well, to me it doesn't make too much difference," Mistoffelees said, blushing a bit. "I'm still me, no matter what I'm called."
"Hey, can I call you Misto?" Victoria asked, "I heard Tugger and the others call you that, may I, too? I think it sounds very cute."
"Of course, if you'd like," Mistoffelees replied, "it's a nickname that I got stuck with when I was a kitten, and now I can't get rid of either. But to tell the truth, I actually like it when the others call me this sometime."
"Ok," Victoria let out a low giggle, "you'll be Misto, and I'll be Vicki. Does that sound good?"
"No problem with me, Vicki," Mistoffelees giggled with her. Victoria gently leaned on Mistoffelees's side, with her eyes again turned to the stars.
"And Misto," Victoria gently whispered into his ears, "I want to tell you something. You are not small to me!"
Mistoffelees was rather amused by the comment, but smiled at her, for at least she wouldn't be one of those who liked to tease him about his size.
"And I suppose that, no matter how big we can get, we'll always look tiny to the gigantic humans," said Victoria.
The two of them laughed together, turned their heads back to the sky, and listened to the sound of the crickets, as well as the rumblings of the human vehicles outside that occasionally broke the silence of the night.