Here is chapter 2. (IT IS 5 DANG PAGES! I am very proud of myself. Lol) I am laughing because in order for my chapters to come out good, I need to write the chapter in a very happy, choppy, beginner way. Lol. I forced myself to write it that way, and then, (a day later) POOF! This burst forth! Lol. Here is the character guide:
POMP: elderly cat with red and brown fur. He is part of the Stata cats. Found Misto in the alley. Wise, kind and loving, the Stata cats (though they don't have a leader) look to Pomp for help. His powers aren't specifically mentioned, (he doesn't perform anymore, so doesn't use them), he uses them though to help "awaken" Misto's powers.
PIPER: Pomp's only daughter. She is older than Misto by a few weeks, and looks after him in a protective way. She is sometimes overprotective of Misto, but no one says anything about it. She is a red and orange colored cat. Her powers are invisibility and levitation. Her invisibility helps her spy on Misto.
STATA: cat tribe in London. They are kind of like a mix of circus performers or gypsies. They are generally looked down upon because they are strays and the lower cats and they use magic (something no respectable cat would ever do). The cats themselves are laidback and very accepting to those who are different. They travel around the city of London performing. They are often shunned, but they still are generally carefree and love to have fun.
DEMIGOLD: thank you for the compliment. Here is another chapter. I hope you like it.
Without further ado, chapter two
Wow, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!
There was one saying that applied to all the Stata cats that every other cat in London knew: You don't find the Statas, the Statas find you. To some, that knowledge is creepy, and makes them fear and hate the Stata tribe. But in actuality, it was just the way the tribe was.
The Stata cats were travelers, but they would circle through the town of London and had permanent haunts for the areas they stayed in. But no one knew where they were, besides the Statas. Rumors flew that they resided in hell like the devil worshippers that they are, or that they would disappear into another dimension when they weren't seen performing or hunting for mice. But those of course were just rumors. Lies. The Stata cat tribe was more distant than the other tribes and preferred solitude from peering eyes: friendly or not.
Although the Statas would often accept other vagabonds and wanderers, they would never seek out the aloof and mysterious tribe of performers. No, if the Statas happened upon them while on their way to another area to perform, or after one of their shows, they would join them. But since no one knew where the Statas resided, it was impossible to seek them out to join their ragtag band. And that is where the saying of Statas originated.
Mistoffelees happened to be one of those who was found by the Statas, and was extremely grateful for it. He loved his adopted family, Pomp and Piper, and the tribe was always friendly towards him. They never made him feel unwelcome or like an outsider, despite his small size, and black and white coloring. They accepted him for who he was, and he liked that.
Mistoffelees loved performing with the traveling cats. He was an exceptional dancer, better than some of the other cats, including his sister (who he would relentlessly tease), although his magic, given to him by Pomp, was a different story. The magic that Pomp gave him (although he is unsure how. Every time he tried to ask him, Pomp would smile and wink saying that he always had it in him, he just coaxed it out of hiding. Whatever that meant) was to shoot bolts of light out of his hands, which he had no problem with. It was making things disappear and reappear that he needed help harnessing.
He groaned at the memory of when he tried making a scarf from his home disappear, and he couldn't find it for a week. Piper, to this day, still makes sure he never forgets that unfortunate incident. But other than that, his life was great.
He didn't mind so much the odd stares, and the jeering he would sometimes receive from the cats that didn't like the Statas. He was never alone; Piper was always there, standing next to him. She would either roll her eyes or continue the conversation she was having with a fellow performer. Rarely did the scorn escalate into something dangerous, but it did once.
That memory never ceased to make him shudder. He and Piper were walking alone back from one of their performances. It was his first one, and he was extremely excited for it. Everything had run smoothly, and Mistoffelees's performance was a hit! He was currently teasing his sister, The Pied Piper (her stage name) for slipping on one of the dance numbers, when she stiffened beside him.
Mistoffelees jerked his head up ahead of them. There, standing before them ominously, blocking the setting sun, were three monstrous-sized cats growling at them. Mistoffelees's hair prickled, and was surprised it wasn't standing on end in fright.
"What do you want?" Piper demanded, her voice cold and hard.
"We want you scum to leave," the tallest one answered gruffly. "You don't belong here, and you defile the very land you walk on."
"Then step aside and we will be on our way," Piper answered coolly, and began aiming on walking around them. The tallest one jumped right in front of them, blocking their way once more.
"No, you see, that won't work. Our problem can't be solved that easily. Your kind must be taught a lesson, permanently." The other two cats circled around them so there was no way to run. Piper held her ground, glaring at their leader. Mistoffelees, still not out of kittenhood, stood nervously next to her. Glancing around them at the looming forms of the equally fierce looking felines, he inched closer to where Piper stood her ground defiantly.
"You see," the tall tom they supposed was their leader, continued, "if we let you go right now, you will only come back again later. Like you always do. Now, my boys and I don't want you to come back. We want your tribe to pay for polluting our land. Our plan is to start by ridding them of future toms and queens, which would mean YOU!" The tall tomcat snarled, lunging towards the young cats, his claws stretched out.
Letting out a growl of her own, Piper shot her hand out and thrust it into the air, levitating the charging tomcat before flinging him off to the side. Mistoffelees, thinking fast to distract the other advancing cats, shot bolts of light at them, burning their fur coats. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Piper hunched over trying to catch her breath.
Gritting her teeth in determination, Piper turned and faced the remaining two cats, her red-orange hair standing on end. She brought her hands close together and then flung them out, crying out in exertion, but also successfully hurling the two cats out of the way.
Panting, she grabbed Mistoffelees hand and ran as fast as her shaking legs could carry her to an abandoned alley. Spying an old tire they could hide behind, Mistoffelees dragged his weary sister behind it and out of their pursuers' sight. His heart pounded in his ears in time with the angered cats' footsteps as they approached their hiding place.
Faintly, he heard Piper muttering something under her breath, casting them invisible. Despite the knowledge that the crazed felines wouldn't be able to see them, Mistoffelees held his breath until he was sure that they had left. Letting it out, he felt Piper's spell dissipate as well.
She hugged him close, "Are you alright, Misto?" She whispered tiredly, concern hung heavily in her voice. Mutely, Mistoffelees nodded. It was times like these when he was grateful for her overprotective nature. "Let's go home now."
Silently, they trudged the last few blocks to where the Statas had set up camp. When the news reached them all about the young cats' encounter, the tribe quickly decided that, until further notices, they would never return. But until they left, no cat was ever to venture out alone. Pomp hugged them close, his heart racing at the thought of almost loosing his children.
Later that night, back in their makeshift home, Pomp smiled down at his adopted son. "I am proud of you, my son." He whispered softly, trying not to wake the sleeping Piper. "You did well for your first performance, and you handled yourself well by keeping those other cats at bay from your sister." He gazed down lovingly down at his son who was smiling up at him. After a long pause, Pomp voiced another worry of his.
"Misto," he asked, using the nickname Piper and he had for the black and white kitten, "do you still wish to perform?"
Misto quietly thought over what Pomp had asked him. He, in truth, was scared to death of another attack, yet he loved performing… He looked down at his sleeping sister; her voice floated back to him "Mistoffelees, don't you worry. I'm gonna be your family now. I'll always protect you," Her promise from long ago echoed through his mind.
After a few more moments in silence, pondering his decisions, the kitten looked up at the cat he considered his father. "Yes, Pomp, I still wish to perform," he answered. "I can't let something like that get in the way of what I love to do."
Pomp smiled, reaching down a brown and red hand to ruffle his black fur, causing Misto to purr. "Spoken like a tom, Misto. You are growing up so fast." Misto smiled at the compliment before curling up next to Piper. He let Piper pull him close to her, like she did every night, even though she was asleep. He, too, quickly succumbed to sleep.
That night was long behind him now, and he still held true to that vow he made to Pomp. He never let anything stop him from performing. Thankfully, he didn't have another test like he did that night, but cats will always make cruel comments about him or the tribe. Things had settled down in that area, in fact, that was the place he and the other Statas had returned from.
Mistoffelees sighed contentedly, lounging in an old box in a secluded alleyway. He and the other cats had just arrived in "First District" as they nicknamed it. First District was where the Stata tribe began, and so it was the first stop on their traveling route. It was also the area where Pomp had found him long ago and welcomed him into his and Piper's family.
He had always felt at home whenever they where in First District, although he was unsure why. Maybe it was because First District was where he was accepted into the tribe instead of being left to wander around the streets as an orphan, he mused leisurely. Well, at any rate, it was the closest place to him that felt like home…
A few hours later, Mistoffelees woke with a start at the sound of a car screeching past the alley he had fallen asleep in. Stretching his back, Mistoffelees causally looked around him. He nearly toppled over when he noticed how dark it was.
Piper's gonna KILL me! He thought worriedly. He had already risked her wrath by sneaking away from his over-protective sister once they arrived here to go relax alone in the shade, but disappearing for hours! He was going to get it big time once he returned.
Quickly, he raced out of the alley, skidding on the cold cement as he tried turning abruptly to the right. This is not good, he muttered, as his whiskers quirked when he sensed a storm coming. This was an uncanny ability he had that also proved he was not originally part of the Stata tribe: he could always sense when a storm was in the air…albeit a small ability, it was a constant reminder he was different from his family.
"Why did I choose to go so far away?" he muttered angrily under his breath as the wind picked up, confirming his suspicions that a storm was indeed on its way. He ran as fast as he could back to where he left the Stata tribe.
He was almost halfway there when the sound of dogs barking reached his ears. Skidding to a halt, he gazed at the alley that lay across the street he was running along. Through the darkness, Mistoffelees was able to make out two Pollicle dogs cornering a main coon cat. Although he was a good distance away, Mistoffelees could see the tom was fighting a loosing battle.
Thoughts of the lecture he would receive from Piper when he returned home fled his mind as he scampered across the street to aid the tomcat. Stata cats always prided themselves for helping those in need because they were often the poor and lowly like themselves.
The loud blaring of a car's horn honked at the black and white tom as he dodged the on coming vehicles. He did not stop his frantic pace until he had 'safely' crossed the street.
The main coon held a bloody arm close to his chest as the Pollicles continued nipping at him, hoping to finally kill the injured cat. The tom continued to bravely fight with his uninjured right arm, scratching any Pollicle's nose who got too close to him. But Mistoffelees could see the cat was quickly tiring.
Thinking quickly, Mistoffelees jumped into the fray, shooting sparks of light at the two attacking dogs. They yelped in fright when the sparks got close to them. The two dogs glared at the young tom, nursing their seared paws from more of his attacks when they did not back down. With a low, menacing growl, they turned away from the magic cat and the main coon.
When Mistoffelees saw them retreating, he let his guard down to turn and see if the tom was all right. One of the Pollicles, angered at being defeated by a mere cat, noticed the young tom's distraction and kicked over a trashcan.
Mistoffelees heard the sound, and only had time to look up in horror at the tumbling boxes that were resting on the trashcan as they toppled over on top of him. They slammed into his body like a ton of bricks, knocking the air out of him as they drug him to the ground.
Weakly, he struggled to push them off of his body. Failing miserably, Mistoffelees looked up at the approaching form of the cat he had aided. He gazed into the baffled and shocked face of the main coon. His vision swam and darkened, the black and leopard spotted cat's face melted away as darkness over took him.