((thanks again to The Penguin Ate My Homework for being an awesome beta c: again, i own none of this, unfortunately D: ! except merrytus. she's definitely mine. and thanks to my one reviewer, lmao.))

A large grin spread across Mistoffelees' lips that would make the Cheshire Cat himself blush. He had visited Merrytus a total of three times since their first meeting, and their little lessons had become regular. He watched as she picked out of his deck of cards each card he asked, getting about three fourths of them correct.

"Queen of Clubs," he said, and watched as the kitten pulled from the bottom of the deck a Queen of…Hearts. He smiled anyway, nodding. "It takes a lot of practice," he mumbled, and produced the Queen of Clubs from his hand, raising his eyebrow. "Not very fair, of course, but…"

Merrytus chuckled. "Not fair at all, you know," she said, and she sat down, looking around the alley as she did. "Is your tribe nice?" she asked Mistoffelees, then, her eyes taking her up to the blue sky as she did. She still listened attentively.

"Very," he replied. "I wouldn't trade it for the world. Though of course, my family's hearth rug wasn't all that bad, either," he continued, looking up at the blue sky himself. It was slowly beginning to turn a color of light purple, indicating the day coming to an end. He knew he would have to return soon—he didn't quite fancy the idea of running into Macavity on his way back to the junkyard. Then a thought crossed his mind…what if Macavity ran into Merrytus? He cocked his head to the side, knowing very well what he would attempt. He tried to do the same to Mistoffelees himself, when he was a kit. He smiled, knowing he had to work on getting her to at least visiting the tribe. This world wasn't good for a kitten to be this alone in, no matter how much she wanted to. "Since your tribe has kicked you out--."

"They didn't kick me out. In fact, most of the queens wanted me back," Merrytus responded with a frown, looking down at her paws. "It's because of the other kits. They don't think this…is normal. Most of the adults ignore it, but, they don't," she ended there, and shrugged. "I don't want to return." She looked up to him with very serious eyes. The playful look was gone, now. "I don't want to be around them anymore."

"But your mum. Surely she misses you," Mistoffelees said with concerned eyes.

Merrytus nodded. "I miss her too. But I wouldn't be allowed back in anyway, even if I did come back, and she wouldn't leave her tribe. She was never as…well, she isn't very strong." She looked down. She backed up a little bit, putting some room between her and Mistoffelees.

"My tribe—"

"Already has a magician," she finished, and nodded. Without another word she turned around and began off, disappearing behind a corner. Mistoffelees felt helpless for the first time in a long time.

--

He returned to the junkyard, climbing up past some garbage and into the den he shared with Victoria. He lay down, but didn't even begin to consider sleep. This kitten was so stubborn. But then, he supposed, he wouldn't be ready to walk into a new tribe after his previous one rejected him so much. His thought process was interrupted as his mate spoke.

"How did it go?" Victoria asked, gently, before cuddling up to him with a smile and a curious look. She noticed the very sad and frustrated look, however, so she imagined he was not getting very far with her.

"She's quite talented," Mistoffelees said first, but knew that was not what she meant. After a moment, he looked down. "How am I supposed to persuade her? Munkustrap was right. She's a bit too stubborn for her own good. When I was invited, I didn't hesitate," he said to Victoria, not looking at her even though she was staring at him. He was normally easy-going (not to the Tugger level, of course), but he found himself worrying more than he normally did.

"Perhaps if she caught a glimpse of the Rum Tum Tugger she'd come crawling here. Kittens usually enjoy his company." She grinned, obviously trying to make light, but this only seemed to upset him even more. After a moment of tension, Victoria rose, nuzzling Mistoffelees gently. "I'm going to visit Etcetera," she mumbled, offered one more nuzzle, which he returned warmly. He watched her leave their den, leaving him alone to consider this situation. He sat, thought, and thought some more before he finally came up with a brilliant idea. After all, he didn't need his own kind dwindling off…not while he'd finally found one, after years of having no one to relate to.

--

The following day Mistoffelees went to meet Merrytus for their daily lesson, but upon coming to the area where she met him, he came across not a kitten but a queen. She was white as well, but with some orange and black spotted around her. He sniffed the air curiously and cautiously. She looked to him with wide eyes.

"Are you Mr. Mistoffelees?" she asked, almost desperately. He nodded, and she looked more relieved than he'd seen a cat in a while. "My child…I tried to take her back, but she wouldn't come. And before I knew it, she was gone!" the queen exclaimed, sitting down and looking exasperated. "She doesn't want me, or the tribe. She wants nothing to do with that. But…please, I see it in her eyes, she trusts you." Mistoffelees now came off of the defensive, listening very closely. "I'm not abandoning her."

"Yes, you are," he said, perhaps a little coldly, but there was still softness in his voice.

"I cannot keep her where doesn't want to be. But…would you look after her? Would you, Mr. Mistoffelees? Because wherever she is, I need her to be safe." She walked up to him, nuzzling him very gently and pawing at him. "Just look after her. Keep her safe."

Mistoffelees hesitated, and he sighed. "I can't be a parent to her. But I will keep her safe," he said. He didn't want to be a parent—not yet. A mentor, perhaps. Mistoffelees nodded hesitantly and distantly, nuzzling back just as gently. Her mother backed up, thanking him over and over again before finally leaving the alley. Mistoffelees knew what he had to do next. His infamous conjuring turn was not just good for tricks—it had a purpose, and for the second time, he was going to use this for a very big cause.

In an instant Merrytus appeared, looking confused. She looked around and saw Mr. Mistoffelees, feeling a bit more at ease. "I just spoke with your mother," he said to her with a small nod, and she instantly became attentive. "She told me to watch over you, since obviously she cannot." He still hated that—she was this kitten's mother, for goodness sake. But it appeared he had no option. "For now, you're going to have to remain here. I have to get the approval of the leader of our tribe for you to stay with us, as well as probably get Munkustrap's blessing." He sighed. That was going to be loads of fun. "Can you stay here now?"

"Yes," she said to him, and much to his surprise, she did not argue about living with the tribe. He saw a familiar look in her eye. The feeling of abandonment, and no matter what her mother called it, it was just that. Merrytus was right; her mother was not strong. "If you need a safer place, in case…anyone, shows up, my old family's roof has a hole in it on the top, and it's perfect for climbing into and hiding," Mistoffelees said, the warmth and playfulness now back in his eyes. He smiled, and moved to retrieve his pack of cards. "Now then. Four of Diamonds." As she picked the five of Hearts, the smile still lingered. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.