((again, thanks to Penguin c: she is the awesome, ha. i own none of this except merry. but i'd like to. D: ))
Both cats woke up late the next day. Rain had managed to leak through the roof, so the two of them were somewhat damp. Mistoffelees rose and discarded the old rat into the alley before venturing out into the light drizzle to find a fresh one. He returned not five minutes later, setting the rat down in front of Merrytus. She ate quickly; at this point, she was understandably starving. Like lightning she was done, leaving only a little for Mistoffelees. He chewed on it idly, still not hungry. There was silence through all of the meal, until Merrytus finally spoke up.
"What happens next?" she asked, sitting down on the damp wood and looking around. "How are we going to get back?"
Mistoffelees sighed angrily, wishing that she would stop asking. "I don't know," he said, his voice strained with worry. He couldn't protect both of them—he could barely protect himself. He was not a fighting type of cat, and there wasn't much Merrytus could do, given her size. Mistoffelees was already exhausted from the day, and it had barely begun.
And even though he had Merrytus to worry about, he couldn't help but think of his Victoria. Were they other cats being cold with her, simply for being mates with him? He groaned at the idea, looking back down at her as she looked up at him. He knew she expected some sort of decision to be made about what they were to do next.
"Come," he instructed, and she followed him out of the roof and into the sun, which peeked through the clouds.
He was walking both to dry himself off and to think. What were they going to do? They couldn't return—not yet. He knew Munkustrap would realize soon that they were not to blame, but he knew today they were burying Alonzo. Today was not the day.
They walked for another two hours before finally he found a relatively nice place to stay. He walked over to the large plastic crate that sat under the fire escape, glad it was dry, and not nearly as dank as the attic was.
"We will return soon…once they realize Macavity is still coming even after we've left," he mumbled, his voice still strained. He sat next to her, and looked out of the box.
"How soon, do you think?" she asked, but that seemed to irritate Mistoffelees, so she lay down next to him and didn't complain when she didn't receive an answer.
--
Both cats had fallen asleep again, but were woken very suddenly to the yells of humans. Mistoffelees' eyes popped open, and he looked around to see a specific breed of humans. He could identify them right away, with those large tools in their hand. Cat-catchers. Mistoffelees quickly nudged Merrytus awake, half-shoving her out of the box and down the alley. But the Cat-catchers were fast; faster than the cats, at any rate.
They gained on the cats quickly, their leashes extended all the way. Twice now Merrytus was almost caught. Mistoffelees knew that they couldn't keep this pace forever, so he looked back to Merrytus.
"Disappear!" he yelled, needing her to go first so he made sure she disappeared successfully and was not caught by the Cat-catchers.
"I can't unless I stay still!" she yelled back, huffing and puffing.
Mistoffelees growled under his breath. "Yes, you can! I know you can!" he yelled, keeping his eyes back at her. She seemed to try, but to no avail. "Just…pretend you can! Pretend you can and maybe it'll work!" he called, helplessly. He had to think quickly if he were to help her, because she obviously couldn't do this. Not yet.
Mistoffelees slowed down and like lightning picked her up. In an instant both of them were gone, right in front of the humans' eyes. They landed in the outskirts of the junkyard, but he was in no mood to move just yet. He could hear the cats at the ceremony for Alonzo, but just barely. He lay down, but he couldn't miss the smile on her face.
"I did it!" Merrytus exclaimed, talking of course about disappearing.
Mistoffelees opened his mouth, but decided instead to offer a weak smile in congratulations. Telling her the truth would only dampen her spirits, and her being happy seemed to only make him happier. He watched as she gleefully began to levitate a bottle into the air, letting it land and shatter.
--
Merrytus woke up late that night, her stomach growling. She looked over to the snoozing Mistoffelees. Surely he wouldn't mind if she got up to catch a few bugs, to settle her stomach? She decided he wouldn't. The kitten rose carefully, her footsteps surprisingly lighter when she wanted them to be. Odd.
She wormed her way through garbage, sniffing the air—and then she heard something she hoped she'd never hear again. Macavity's gentle cackle rang through her ears, and she hid behind an old oven, peeking around to see only Macavity and the back of another cat. A very familiar-looking cat, though she didn't exactly know who.
"The ceremony is coming to a close?" Macavity asked.
The other cat, a tom, nodded. "Aye. The kittens were being put to bed when I left. Who's your next target, then?"
"Tugger. He was never really subtle—he'll be easier, much easier than Alonzo. Munkustrap will be my greatest challenge."
"I doubt that! He's always in the open—ready for a fight. And without his other brothers to help him out…he'll be too simple."
The two chuckled heartily at the thought. "I attack in three days. I believe that would be the same day as my dear brother and his whore mate's anniversary. One year. This will be delicious." Macavity chuckled, but the other tom's laugh was less than enthusiastic. What on earth had he gotten into, hurting Tugger? He closed his eyes, though, knowing it would all pay off in the end.
Merrytus leaned too far, and stumbled. Like lightning Macavity and the other cat scampered off. She stood there for a moment before quickly making her way back, almost running right into poor Mistoffelees.
"I saw the cat giving away the information," she breathed, standing over him.
Mistoffelees groaned at first, but once she'd spoken, he was upright. "Who?" he asked immediately, his eyes looking around the area swiftly to make sure no one was watching. "Who was it?"
"I don't remember his name. But he was lots of colors…white, black, and some gold. And he spoke with a very heavy accent."
Mistoffelees' heart dropped. No. "Did he…err. Did 'e speak loike thish?" he asked, attempting a Cockney accent as well as he could. When Merrytus confirmed, he sat down, shaking his head. "Ooh Mungojerrie…what did you get involved in?" he asked to himself, imagining the heartbreak Rumpleteazer would feel when she found out her mate was involved with Macavity. No doubt how Victoria had initially felt.
"What will we do?" she asked, looking anxious, now.
Mistoffelees put a paw on her, laying her down, and curled up next to her. "Tomorrow morning we'll present this information to Munkustrap, and see what happens. For now, though…get some rest." He nuzzled her tenderly, his eyes closing as he did. After she fell asleep, he rose up and sat a little ways away, but still kept an eye on her. He didn't know who had overheard, after all, and at this moment, this kitten was all he had.