Chapter ten: Discussions and Dreams with Love in Between

It took along time to climb back up out of the cave, after we had finished talking to Gus. Afterwards, as we headed for home in the gathering darkness of night, Tugger made it clear that the murders were not on his mind.

"Cod fillets baked," he was drooling, "Cod fillets boiled. Cod fillets fried with butter or raw with mayonnaise-"

"Can't you think of anything besides food?" I snapped at him. "We've got something much bigger on our plates."

Tugger just looked at me blankly.

"It's not just seven murders we're dealing with," I explained, "it's hundreds. These murders started years ago and I bet they began after the closing of a certain laboratory."

"No kidding?" Tugger yawned, scratching his neck.

"You made a very important observation down in that tunnel," I told him.

"No kidding?" Tugger smirked, trying to figure out what.

"Yes, why weren't the bodies of Munkustrap, Alonzo, Demeter and-" I took a deep breath, "Victoria down there with the others?"

"Because I think the murderer is as tired about the whole thing as I am." Tugger growled, sitting down in a lawn, obviously happy that it had stopped raining. "All I want is to go home. All I want is cod fillets."

"Oh poor Rum Tum Tugger," I snorted. "I'm tired, I'm hungry, I want cod fillets with butter and mayonnaise. Look, it's only Old Deuteronomy who knows anything about Jellicle, right?"

Tugger grunted. I took that as a yes.

"Why does it have to be this good preacher?" I mused. "What was it you said? It was just killing time? A bit of fun?"

"Yeah, something like that," Tugger nodded.

I went to sit down next to lame footed companion.

"Tugger, I'm beginning to think that this sect has a much higher purpose," I said. "As though they are preparing for the arrival of something we can't even begin to imagine."

"Something like a fresh piece of fish?"

* * *

I got home and tried to get some sleep, hopping my dreams would give me some more insight. I found myself walking on a carpet of clouds surrounded by ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. I was heading toward a bright patch of light in the distance. When I finally got there, I found myself looking at several familiar faces. Tugger was there, along with Macavity, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. Skimbleshanks was there and so were Munkustrap, Alonzo, Demeter and Victoria, all alive and smiling at me. And up on top of the great sphinx was a cat that shone like the sun. He turned to look at me, blinking his great dark blue eyes slowly.

"I've been searching for you!" I gasped.

"Naturally," the cat smiled. "Clever Mistofelees. I am the Prophet. I am the man. I am the beast. And I am also Felidae. Come with us Mistofelees."

"Come with us," the others chanted. "Come with us on our journey." Slowly, the cats began to fade away, eventually turning into orbs of light that sailed into a swirling vortex.

"Come with us Mistofelees," the great yellow cat implored. "Everything that was or ever will be has no meaning anymore. Come with us." He started fading too, to join the others.

"What will we find there?" I asked, realizing that I was sinking into the clouds and not caring.

"Everything we have lost, Mistofelees," the yellow cats voice proclaimed as I slipped under the cloud bed, still hearing the chanting of the others.

"Mistofelees,"

My eyes shot open. I had fallen asleep on top of Gustav's books and daylight was streaming in the open window. Someone was calling my name. I had never heard this voice before, but somehow I knew I had to get to it.

"Ooh, Mistofelees," the voice crooned again.

Intrigued, I climbed out the open window and sniffed about my backyard.

"Mistofelees," the singsong voice called.

I rounded the bend next to the garden shed. Before I had gotten my visitor completely into focus, I had started drooling.

A beautiful queen was rolling around in the grass, moaning in pleasure, calling me. She was unlike any queen I had ever seen before. Her coat was brown, sleek and shiny, with a reddish tint to it, making her glow like a ruby. But it was her eyes that were truly bewitching. They were dark brown and yet they had hints of blue in them, so they looked almost like two full moons. What was more, the overwhelming smell of her, it was enough to drive any tom wild.

All I could do was yowl incoherently. But she didn't care. Getting up, she moved a few feet over and I followed her like a kitten following its mother. She lay back down in the grass, writhing and mewing. I approached cautiously with my head bowed in submission, knowing the fickle moods of a female in heat. I sniffed her face and she sniffed mine. She gave a cautionary growl and I backed up a few steps. She gave a curt nod and I went round to her other side. We sniffed each other's faces again. She gave a seductive wink and another melodious meow.

She then raised her rear in the air and swished her long, thin, elegant tail to one side. Not wanting to miss my chance, I mounted her, grabbing her scruff in my teeth. She hissed lightly, but was powerless in the scruff hold. Anyway, we both knew she wanted this.

I tried not to loosen my grip on her scruff as I kept thrusting, our bodies moving together rhythmically. My queen growled, her claws extending as my movements became fast and hard. I practically sucked her neck as her slick walls tightened around me. Finally, I let go of her scruff and we both yowled in ecstasy and pain. Then, as fast as lightening, my queen lashed out at me with a screech of anger. I leapt out of reach and scrambled up onto the stone wall separating the backyard from the outside world. My beautiful queen relaxed on her back, sighing.

After giving myself a thorough cleaning, I turned my attention back to my seductive visitor.

"Where do you come from?" I asked her. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" she repeated. "What a quaint, old-fashioned question to ask me." She lifted her leg so she could clean herself up. I was surprised at her refusal to answer.

"I'm new around here," she told me. "That's all you need to know. Fair lady is just as she appears."

I jumped down from the wall, but kept my distance all the same.

"You mean your breed is new?"

"Not new," she shook her head. "No it's old, or, to put it better, old and new. And different. Figure it out for yourself Mistofelees."

As if her word play wasn't difficult to follow already!

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

"A little bird in the tree told me," she mewed, writhing in the grass again.

"And what is your name," I persisted.

"My name means as little as my breed. It wouldn't mean anything to you," scratching her claws in the earth, she then said curtly, "Why are you wasting time with these questions when there's so much more we could be doing?" She lifted her rear again. "Come and get it baby!"

How could I refuse?

* * *

Tugger found me sleeping in the bathtub late that afternoon.

"Man! What an odor!" he grinned, "Looks like you got lucky."

Sitting up wearily, I yawned hugely.

"Yeah," I said blearily, "And I hope you know her, because I have a feeling she could help solve the case."

"What?" Tugger exclaimed. "The case? Solve it? Don't kid me Mistofelees! Judging by the way you look and smell, it's not the case you've been investigating all morning."

I moved slowly from the tub to the sink.

"Holly cow!" I moaned, rubbing my eyes. "I guess your right. I got sidetracked. So let's get back to work. Where is Old Deuteronomy now?"

"Probably at home, planning for his next bible class," Tugger grunted, licking his deformed paw.

"And where exactly does he live?" I asked.

"In a shop downtown," Tugger informed me. "His can opener sells sculptures and hand blown glass."

"Well, I'd like to pay Old Deuteronomy a visit, but first I want to talk to Skimbleshanks some more," I mused to myself. "What I need you to do Tugger is go and get Old Deuteronomy and tell him Skimbleshanks wants to talk to him. We'll both be waiting there."

"Wait, do you seriously think Old Deuteronomy is the killer?" Tugger frowned.

"Don't forget what Gus told us," I reminded him. "Old Deuteronomy is seriously mixed up in this, but I just don't want to scare him off. Oh, and by the way, the sidetrack this morning involved a beautiful queen of a breed I've never seen before. Sleek reddish brown fur with brown-blue eyes."

"Yeah, I know the type," Tugger growled.

"Are there lots like her?" I asked.

"Hell yeah," Tugger scowled. "That band of snobs has been taking over the neighborhood. The humans are passing them off as designer pets, but this time they've really screwed themselves."

"What's wrong with them?" I frowned.

"They're not like us," Tugger explained. "Somewhere during the breeding process they lost their domestication. They're wild, snooty, to put it in simpler terms-"

"What? Unfriendly?"

"Dangerous. I'd keep away from them if I were you."

Tugger hopped out the window and I followed him. He started heading off to Old Deuteronomy's place. I went towards Skimbleshankses house. A cold damp flake fell down and hit my nose.

"Lovely," I thought. It had started to snow.