((thanks again to Penguin, and to all my readers c: again, i own none of this but merrytus. enjoy!))
Three days had passed since Macavity's short-lived attack on the Jellicles, though caution was still used throughout the junkyard. Jenny and Jellylorum watched the kittens much closer than they had before (if that was possible), and Munkustrap always knew where Demeter was, just in case. It seemed the two magical cats had forgotten about the attack, though. They sat apart from the rest of the tribe, practicing another trick, one that was proving to be quite difficult. With Jenny's permission, they'd been allowed to use the kittens as subjects for conjuring. So far, Merrytus had managed to conjure a boot that had been near one of the kittens--but other than that, nothing.
Mistoffelees, however, had been quite patient with it all. After all, he knew how difficult it could be. He watched as a rat appeared, and although she looked discouraged, he couldn't hide his wild grin.
"You brought something living!" Mistoffelees reminded her, and he watched her slump down, nodding. "You're right. Perhaps we should take a break."
Merrytus got up sloppily, heading back to the junkyard with a frown. "How long did it take you to learn this?"
"A while. You're doing as well as I did at that age," he reassured her, and he nuzzled her. "You'll get there, I promise."
Mistoffelees watched the discouraged kitten plop down near the other kittens, though she didn't go up to them. Instead she pawed at a candy wrapper and began to levitate it, a little higher than she could have before, and that seemed to boost her confidence a bit. Victoria sat next to Mistoffelees as he watched her raise the wrapper above her own head before letting it fall, and the two of them chuckled.
"She's getting better," Victoria noticed. "She reminds me of you. Waiting in the corner, practicing your tricks until someone came over to see."
Mistoffelees laughed. "Yes, I suppose I was a bit of a show-off."
"Was?"
Without warning he tackled her playfully, pinning her down and raising his eyebrow. "So you think I'm a show off, do you?"
Victoria couldn't answer, she was laughing so hard. Her eyes caught Merrytus as she sneezed; lightning shot out of her paws when she did, accidentally striking the ground. Mistoffelees got off of Victoria and watched Merrytus experiment with the lightning. "She is getting better," he mumbled, a hint of pride in his voice.
Hours later, around dusk, Mistoffelees and Merrytus were off practicing once more. Since she had begun to discover even more about herself, she was actually conjuring kittens! Every time a kitten appeared, a wide-eyed Merrytus would gaze up at Mistoffelees, and he of course praised her for successfully completing the trick. With her blood pumping and her pride at an all-time high, she thought of one of the kittens in particular, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Munkustrap standing there and looking confused.
He looked over to Mistoffelees, shaking his head. "You swore after the one time you had me appearing in your family's chimney, you wouldn't ever do it again," he said.
"It wasn't me," Mistoffelees said with a grin. He beamed down at Merrytus with almost devilish glee.
"It was…you?" Munkustrap asked, shocked and impressed. As she had nodded, however, he heard Bombalurina's scream from the area where most of the Jellicles were. Like lightning all three cats bolted to the area, only to see Bombalarina on her knees, crying out the same thing over and over as Tugger was awkwardly comforting her.
"He took her!" she yelled, distraught by her sister's kidnapping. "Macavity took her! He took Demeter!" she continued, and buried her head into the Tugger's mane.
Munkustrap tensed for a moment before turning around swiftly to Merrytus. "If it weren't for you and your magic tricks I could have been here!" he snapped, and wanted to continue, but Mistoffelees stepped in front of the kitten, glaring at Munkustrap. Both toms knew he did not mean that whatsoever, and that he was merely yelling out in anger. As Merrytus cowered behind Mistoffelees, Munkustrap walked off, plopping down near his den with wide eyes. Alonzo and Tugger followed, no doubt to come up with a plan of action, and maybe also to comfort their brother.
Mistoffelees turned around, and picked up Merrytus, mumbling that none of this was her fault. To her, it felt like it had to have been. He set her down and she curled up, feeling sick, though not nearly as sick as Mistoffelees. He was beginning to wonder if she did have anything to do with Macavity.
Two hours passed. Two long, horrible hours. Mistoffelees and Victoria sat near Munkustrap and the others, Merrytus sitting at both of their feet as she sat there. The other cats sat away from them. Mungojerrie awkwardly held Rumpleteazer, while the kittens were strewn about, wanting something fun to happen.
"We have to find her," Alonzo said, only to be met with a glare by both of his brothers. They'd all been saying that for two hours, but none could come up with a good plan.
Munkustrap looked to Mistoffelees. "Can you try?" he asked, hopelessly. Merrytus and Victoria both looked at Mistoffelees, who nodded.
He stepped away from them, and tried once—twice—three times in a row, and nothing happened. He looked confused. This had never happened to him. He was always able to this, ever since he learned how. This was his strongest ability. He looked lost, and so apologetic when he looked at Munkustrap.
"I'm sorry," he said, and sat looking down. Victoria leaned against him, nuzzling him to make him feel better, but it didn't help.
Munkustrap stared forward. "Who knows where she could be," he said flatly, and shivered at the thought of what could be happening. He looked hopeless. What could they honestly do? He shrugged off a paw (probably Tugger's, he decided) that landed on his shoulder.
Merrytus cleared her throat and tugged Mistoffelees' fur. He bent down and she whispered an idea in his ear He pulled back and considered this before grinning.
"We'll try together," Mistoffelees said to Munkustrap, though he didn't look hopeful. Without him saying anything, Mistoffelees and Merrytus walked away, trying once. It was a dud. They tried again, and once more before the kitten looked down, exhausted from the day.
"Come on," Misto said to her, nudging her off of the ground, and he cleared his throat. "You must give it all you have. You must." Munkustrap needed Demeter, and so did the rest of the tribe.
Merrytus closed her eyes, visualizing Demeter before her. Before she knew it, she was twirling. The two cats seemed to twirl in perfect unity, both of them ethereal as they did. Merrytus felt her entire body grow lighter and lighter as she spun, and she felt as if she was on a different plane of existence. Unbeknownst to her, Mistoffelees felt precisely the same. For a small moment they were one Expert Conjuring Cat, and nothing was in front of them but their goal.
Finally there was a small pop and Demeter appeared a few feet away, collapsing on the ground when she did. Neither Merrytus nor Mistoffelees noticed what was happening until Victoria nudged Mistoffelees, awakening both of them from their trance. Misto's grin was wide, and for the first time in a long time, so was Merrytus'.
"We did it!" she exclaimed, caught up in the moment of seeing Demeter. Though she was hurt, she would be all right. Munkustrap embraced her close, and she returned the favor.
"What was that…that feeling? It felt so good, so right, like nothing I've felt before," she said to Mistoffelees. Even though neither could define that feeling, it was the first time for both of them that they had truly connected with another cat because of their shared ability.