Chloe yowled crossly as Cielito came running towards her. She leapt from the wall and cuffed him over the ears.
"Where were you?" She demanded. "I've been waiting for ages." Cielito tried not to pant as he fell into step beside her.
"Sorry," He began. "I…"
"Never mind." Chloe interrupted disdainfully. "Let's just get going – he'll kill us if we're late, and I'm not joking." Cielito knew she wasn't joking. Macavity would not tolerate anything, least of all cats late to a job. He didn't need to repeat his threats – the cats who served him lived in fear, jumping to his every wish. All except Chloe, Cielito realised enviously as he looked at her expressionless face as she ran beside him. Chloe never seemed to be afraid of the evil cat – in fact, she often looked thoroughly bored as he spoke to them. But Macavity accepted her, and not only that; she had been seen leaving his den on more than one occasion. Cielito sighed with jealousy. Macavity got all the best things. Chloe was the most beautiful queen in the neighborhood, and she never even glanced at anyone but Macavity.
"Er…Chloe?" He asked nervously.
"What?"
"Could you outline the points of this job again…please?" Chloe spat contemptously, glaring at him.
"You are so stupid!"
"I know." Cielito hung his head, his child-like blue eyes downcast.
"Can't you remember anything? You've got more fur inside your head than outside. I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot where your humans live one of these days." She glowered, her grey eyes hard as steel. "As you obviously don't recall, tonight we are to go to the junkyard where the Jellicles live. We cover Macavity while he kills their leader, then leave."
"Oh." Cielito sighed. "More fighting? I'm not very good at fighting…"
"I know you aren't, idiot. Do you think he'd have chosen us if he wanted bodyguards? There are toms twice the size of you in our gang. No, he needs us for our eyes and ears. We alert him if any cats come near so he can finish off and we can escape. There's no way we can take on the Jellicle Tribe, even if the whole of Macavity's gang came. And they couldn't all come, because we'd be noticed." Cielito agreed meekly, following Chloe like a shadow. He wasn't quite sure he remembered the way to the junkyard.