What's up? It's the third installment of Do You Remember. :3 A warning, this one has quite a bit of naughty language and violence, but I'm not willing to change the rating over one chapter. Just, you know, a warning and that. And I'm not repeating the disclaimer. You guys know I'm not T.S. Eliot or Andrew Lloyd Webber.
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Four hours later, I was absolutely exhausted from being led around by Electra and her gang of ADD friends all day. So far, I'd met so many cats I was having trouble remembering them all, so I played a little matching game in my head with names and faces. Okay, the two black and ginger striped cats were Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, the marmalade tabby with a Scottish accent was Skimbleshanks and his mate was Jennyanydots, the scarlet queen was Bombalurina and her sister was the gold and black one, Demeter. Let's see...oh, there was Mr. Mistoffelees, the black cat with white markings. Okay, so, there was also Pouncival and Tumblebrutus, who were the two brothers with patches over their eyes, and Jellylorum kept the kits all in line, and Gus the Theatre Cat was her older mate, and there was Cassandra and Plato and Coricopat and Tantomile...oh, Rumpus, how was I going to remember all these cats?
Not to mention, I met Old Deuteronomy just before bed. He was a nice old cat with a resemblance to Munkustrap and the Rum Tum Tugger (who still freaked me out big-time), and despite the fact he had a cold or something, he greeted me warmly. Like a father would. Like I had lived there forever.
It made me feel very warm and fuzzy inside, which the wary and antisocial part of me almost rejected. Almost. But it didn't.
Which, in a way, scared me. I didn't want to live here.
But anyway, I didn't have much more time to think, because I was so tired I instinctively started falling asleep as soon as my head hit the clump of rags I was using as my pillow.
Well, it was better than the alleyway.
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"Luva! Hey, Lu, get up!" I was awoken by a sharp prod in the side, but instead of opening my eyes I groaned and rolled over, unhappy at being wakened so early.
"Five more minutes," I slurred, putting my paws over my ears.
"Lu, seriously! It's Macavity!"
Oh, yeah. That rapist bad guy everybody lived in fear of. He could wait until I got another four hours of sleep.
"Luva, come on! He and Munkustrap are fighting! Munk's hurt..." My eyes sprung open.
"What...?" I still sounded sleepy as I rolled over to face my awakener, Electra. "What do we do...?"
"We have to drive him away. C'mon, we need your help, Lu." She jerked at my paw and I rolled out of bed, scurrying out of the den.
Immediately, I wished I hadn't.
The black and gold queen I recalled was named Demeter was fretting over the fallen Munkustrap, who was bleeding heavily. A ginger cat in the center of the clearing with a ruff of matted hair to rival the Rum Tum Tugger's was cackling maniacally as he faced off against Mistoffelees, lightning crackling from the black cat's paws. His face was determined, but, being as highly perceptive as I had discovered I was, I noticed he was shaking ever-so-slightly. Why? Macavity seemed like a bad cat and everything, but what could he do? Besides bleed Munkustrap like a pig. Oh. Well. That's a point to make.
As my paw fell on a stick, snapping it in half, his ear twitched, and he turned around to face me, his contorted features twisted even more with his maliciousness. I froze, unsure of what to do, ready to leap away lest he jump towards me. But he didn't. He just threw back his head and cackled again, eyeing me with a fiercely flaming gaze...then he began to step forward.
"So, Munkustrap," he hissed, voice full of hatred and animosity, "I see you've taken in another whore for your whorehouse." He glared at me, and I felt anger rise in my chest; whore? He was one to talk, the raping, kidnapping murderer.
"What did you say?" I spat back, my voice low, the fact that I'd spoken almost subconscious in my mind. "What did you call me, you damn Pollicle?"
"Luva, no!" I heard Electra whisper in fear, standing next to me.
"I called you a whore!" In a flash, he was right in front of me, staring down, one paw raised, claws out. Mistoffelees attempted to aim a lightning bolt at his back, the power writhing from his paws, but without hesitation, Macavity whipped around, and, with seemingly invisible force, threw the little black cat backwards with a furious hiss before turning back to me. "Don't you dare talk back to the Hidden Paw!" he snarled, and, raising his paw again, slapped me against the face, claws out. I staggered backwards as the hits continued like a hailstorm, always to my face, cripplingly hard, right where it hurt. "You bitch! You slut! You whore! I'll teach you to get smart with Macavity!"
There were tears in my eyes and my cheeks were on fire, my vision blurry, my body shaking. But I wouldn't fall. I'd die on my feet if I had to, but I wouldn't fall to this...this freak.
Despite that, I felt my brain jar, and my world began to spin as Macavity raised his enormous paw, soaked in blood – my blood – and ready to strike me the final blow, when suddenly...
SHZAP! The ginger cat screamed out in pain and whipped around to see Mistoffelees, back on his feet, breathing heavily, with blood leaking from a wound on his chest, staining the white fur crimson. "Luvarium!" he breathed. "Run!"
I shook my head slightly as Macavity advanced on my black and white savior. No. There was no way he was dying for me. I didn't care if I could barely walk straight or if I couldn't feel my face; this guy was going down.
With a loud war cry, I leapt in the air from behind, badly aimed from my dizziness (I probably had a concussion) but close enough so that I latched onto Macavity's strong, broad shoulders, sliding my arms around his neck and weakly clasping my paws together, yanking up. He bellowed, grabbing at me, and as loud as I could, I screamed to the Heaviside Layer, "Misto! NOW!"
The poor black cat had barely any time to think, but it seemed my shriek brought him back to his senses as energy crackled from his fingertips. Raising his paws, he shot a powerful strike of lightning at the enormous ginger cat's stomach, causing the Hidden Paw to roar in pain and fury and throw me over his head; I barely felt myself crash into the hard ground and skid to Misto's feet before my entire world turned black, pierced for the first few seconds only by screams; those, I assumed, of Macavity...and of myself.