A/N: Yes, I know there has been a lot of setting up for the foundation of all the relationships in this story. I'm eager to see some fluff, too. To get a refreshing change, this chapter will start off with Plato and Victoria instead of the usual Alonzo and Misto. Enjoy!
Victoria gave a yawn as she roused herself from the depths of sleep. Through the haze in her mind, she recounted the events of yesterday. It all seemed like a dream to her, or rather a nightmare. She shuddered as she remembered the fear that shot through her as flashes of yellow erupted from Mistoffelees' paws and left her tomfriend with minor burns. Her father Munkustrap had tried to explain to her that the small tuxedoed tom-kit was magical, but she was too afraid and worried for Plato to let it truly sink in.
"I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt Plato…Misto has been nothing but kind ever since he got here. I have to settle this silly rivalry between them before things get worse." She thought determinedly as she stretched her limbs and got up from her nest of blankets. It still harbored the faintest trace of Mistoffelees' scent, since he had slept in it only two days ago. Vicky couldn't quite figure out why, but Misto's scent reminded her of the sweet smell of hay like that found in a barn. It put a small smile of contentment on her face every time she sniffed her blanket.
Victoria felt a low rumble course through her stomach. She giggled mentally and decided that getting Plato and Misto to work out their differences could wait for a bit. The white queen-kit walked over to the table where her father had already prepared a bowl of pigeon porridge for her. Victoria secretly didn't like porridge, but she ate it anyway to please her father. As soon as she was finished, she bid Munkustrap good-bye and pecked him on the cheek as a thank you.
She headed off to Plato's den to check on him. The ivory queen-kit still didn't know why he had rushed back into Jenny's den the previous evening looking as frightened as a spooked rabbit. Of course Alonzo had something to do with it, but Plato refused to utter a word about the incident. For the sake of his pride, she didn't push it. Her tomfriend had a very sensitive ego, and she would hate to tick him off.
Vicky knocked softly on the wall beside Jellylorum's den. She heard said queen answer, and then padded inside. Plato was sitting at the small dining table with his parents, Jellylorum and Asparagus. Tumblebrutus and Pouncival, Plato's younger brothers, were missing however. Victoria figured they were probably off play-fighting somewhere.
The red and white tom-kit smiled broadly at the sight of his queenfriend. "Good morning, Tory. You slept well, I hope?" He said politely as his parents dipped their heads towards their visitor in acknowledgement.
"I did sleep well, thank you." Victoria beamed in return, "How are your injuries?"
Plato shrugged. "They don't sting as much anymore, but Jenny says I have to keep the gauze on for at least another two days." He explained non-chalantly.
Victoria pouted. She strode over to Plato and gave him a nuzzle, but it didn't feel as affectionate as she wanted it to be. She looked up to meet his concerned eyes. "Why do you always have to go and pick on Mistoffelees? He's really shy and you know how I hate to see another cat's feelings hurt. You made him really angry yesterday, not to mention you scared me half to death." The white queen-kit mewed quietly.
Her tomfriend felt his heart melt a little at the pleading essence in her beautiful blue eyes. Plato stood up to pull Victoria into a reassuring hug. "I'm sorry I scared you…I got jealous, and I'm not that great at controlling my anger. You're just so sweet and kind that I want you all to myself!" He purred alluringly as he nipped the white queen-kit's ear playfully.
Victoria squeaked in surprise at the sensation and swatted Plato's face away. "Stop it! You're making me blush!" She giggled kittenishly as her cheeks became tinted with pink. The pink deepened to red as Jelly and Gus joined in with knowing laughs. The romance even seemed to rub off on Plato's parents because Gus quickly brushed his lips up his mate's neck and kissed it. Jelly sighed quietly with pleasure as she leaned into Asparagus, exposing her neck to him.
Plato's face screwed up in disgust. He hastily turned Vicky around and warned her as they quickly strode out of the den, "Eww! Let's get out of here, Mom and Dad are getting frisky!"
The snowy queen-kit's flustered face became urgent as they broke into a run. When they had reached the center clearing, Victoria decided it was safe to slow to a walk. "That was close. Doesn't it make you want to gag when you see your parents getting all lovey-dovey?" Plato chuckled as they made their way to the TSE-1. The sun was at a prime location in the clear morning sky, and the best sunning spots were quickly becoming occupied. The couple nabbed a spot on the dilapidated car before anyone else could. Plato reclined with a blissful purr and patted the empty space next to him.
Vicky didn't oblige, though. She had her mind preoccupied by thoughts of another tom. She turned to her tomfriend and suggested, "You know, I'm sure it would mean a lot to Mistoffelees if you apologized and tried to make friends with him. He doesn't have many and I'm positive that you two would get along if you put some effort into it."
The russet and white tom-kit pursed his lips in contemplation. It was very difficult to say no to Victoria, and it was true he would do anything for her. "Mistoffelees is just so different, though. We don't have a thing in common besides having a crush on Victoria, and I hate competition. But Tory's already good friends with him, so maybe I should try and patch things up with Mistoffelees for her sake? I don't want her to think I'm possessive…" He reasoned with himself, and then smiled at his queenfriend. "Alright, I think that's possible. Maybe I'll learn to like his little quirks?" Plato agreed wholeheartedly.
His queenfriend's face brightened with joy as she lay down beside the red and white tom-kit and nuzzled the uninjured part of his muscular chest. Plato purred lovingly as he stroked her side and kissed her cheek. He wrapped his arm around her slender torso and gazed out over the clearing, which started to become busier as more cats awoke to begin their day.
Victoria pricked her ears in interest as she observed a small, dark shape as it flitted from one area of shadows to the next near the junk piles. She narrowed her eyes to focus better on the shape and noticed it took the form of a cat with a white face and chest just barely visible in the darkness. The rest of its body glimmered with a faint silver as it moved.
"Is that…Misto?" The white queen-kit queried more to herself than anyone else. She glanced behind her at Plato to see that he too, watched the tuxedoed tom-kit dart from shadow to shadow as if he had something to hide.
Plato inclined his head towards Mistoffelees to indicate he wanted to follow him. Victoria smirked deviously and nodded. They got up from the tire and silently stalked their small friend as he stole down the path that lead to Coricopat and Tantomile's den. As they were following him, Misto frequently glanced over his shoulder apprehensively. It appeared that he didn't want anyone to know where he was going. When Plato and Victoria saw him do this, they dashed into the safety of the shadows and froze until Misto began walking again.
When they were almost at the psychic twins' den, Victoria accidentally brushed her leg against a small pile of coloured paper that humans used to wrap presents with. It made a rustling sound, which was barely audible to her or Plato. They froze again as Misto halted and swiveled his ears in their direction.
"Who's there?" The black and white tom-kit demanded as he whipped around.
Victoria and Plato knew the jig was up, so they emerged from the shadows. Mistoffelees glowered at them to acknowledge their presence.
"Hey, Misto…Are you going to Cori and Tanto's?" The snowy queen-kit tried to change the subject in a nervous tone.
Misto crossed his forelegs over his chest with harsh ochre eyes. "Why did you follow me? Haven't you discriminated me enough already?" He spat more at Plato than Vicky.
Plato scratched the back of his head as he averted his gaze in shame. Victoria answered for her tomfriend, "We're sorry about yesterday. We just didn't know what you were capable of, that's all. My Dad told me you were a Conjurer, and Plato's really sorry about what he said. He wants to be friends, right Plato?" She smiled up sincerely at the red and white tom-kit.
Victoria's tomfriend nodded fervently. "Yeah, I just didn't understand what you were." He rephrased his sentence at Misto's cringe, "I mean...if you told us you were magic, I wouldn't have pushed you so far. I apologize for being so mean to you…Mistoffelees." Plato finished with a small smile.
The tuxedoed tom-kit's icy expression softened, but he still wasn't entirely convinced. "I accept your apology, Plato. Do you still think I'll steal Victoria from you?" He questioned seriously.
Plato let out a singular sarcastic laugh, and then stopped himself as Victoria subtly hissed her disapproval. Misto's countenance turned stony once more. Plato cleared his throat. "Umm…No; no I don't. I…trust that you'll respect our relationship." He mumbled submissively. Vicky smirked with satisfaction and Mistoffelees nodded in confirmation.
"Well, alright then. I was just going to Coricopat and Tantomile's to get some more magic lessons. Would you like to come with me?" The black and white tom-kit offered. The hard edge in his voice had disappeared.
Victoria and Plato smiled a silent yes and the trio headed off towards the psychic twins' den. When they arrived, the two psychic siblings were already waiting outside their dwelling. Coricopat held a thick, worn book with an ornate leather cover in his arms.
Misto cocked his head as he reached the twins. "Hey guys. What do you have there, Coricopat?" He inquired as he motioned to the ancient-looking volume.
Cori and Tanto smiled simultaneously.
"This is a book containing-"The psychic tom began.
"-basic spells, charms and incantations for beginners, like you. Please, treat it with care." His sister finished.
The black and white tom-kit's ochre eyes lit up as he gently took the spell book from Coricopat with a humble "Thank you" and carefully skimmed its yellowed pages.
"Wow Misto, there must be thousands of spells you could learn! Which one do you want to do first?" Victoria asked excitedly as she read some of the spell descriptions from over said tom's shoulder. She caught spells like Dream-creating, Light-weaving, and even one for making your own shadow disappear. Victoria had no use for making her shadow disappear, but she was sure someone like a henchcat might find that useful.
Mistoffelees grinned at her enthusiasm. He paused at one of the spells that read, "Aphrodite's Caress" and quickly flipped the page before Victoria could read it. He settled on a simple enough one that was called, "Written Shadows". Misto showed it to the psychic twins and they nodded their heads in approval. Coricopat and Tantomile strode down one of the paths that lead to the more remote areas of the junkyard, and soon the five cats came to a small, deserted clearing. Even the usual chirping of birds was absent here. The trash piles created an impenetrable wall that provided ample shadows.
The tri-coloured adults took a seat in the center of the tiny clearing and motioned for their friends to sit across from them. Once everyone was seated, Mistoffelees set the book down between him and the twins.
The tuxedoed tom-kit read the spell out loud. "To write with shadow, one must first harness shadow. Capture shadows with ring of heavenly light and manipulate shadows to create the desired message." His white face contorted in confusion. "What's 'heavenly light'? How do I make a ring of the stuff?" He questioned the magical siblings.
Tantomile giggled as she explained, "Heavenly light is just a fancy word for sunlight. Use your powers to create a sort of halo with sunlight, and direct it at a patch of shadows. Read the chant at the bottom to do this."
Misto pursed his lips as he squinted at the gibberish that was the magic spell at the bottom of the paragraph. Only to him it actually made sense once he began pronouncing the words. A sort of calm settled in his mind as he uttered the chant repeatedly. The cats around him looked on in wonder as his fur began to glow with a golden colour, and a ring of light formed at the tuxedoed kit's fingertips. Misto directed the ring with his fingers while he continued to whisper the spell. The small halo of sunlight landed in the shadows of a trash pile, and when Misto brought the ring back out, a circle of darkness was missing from the shadows of the pile.
The magical kit closed his eyes as he pictured the image of the intended message in his mind. When he opened them again, he smiled. There, written on the ground in shadows gilded with shimmering light were the words "Thank you".
When Misto started to feel tired, he released his hold on the magic and the shadows dissipated as they returned to their rightful place. He gazed around at his friends, who wore affectionate expressions. "You've done so much for me in these past few days, even though I came from a place you all disdain with a passion. I just wanted to thank you for accepting me and my brother. I truly am grateful." He elucidated with a respectful bow of his head.
Cori and Tanto returned the gesture as well as Plato, but Victoria hesitated for a moment before she crawled up to Misto and gently wrapped her arms around his neck in a loose hug. Misto stiffened with wide eyes, but gradually relaxed enough to return the hug and rest his head on the back of Victoria's shoulder. His heartbeat increased rapidly at the sensation of a queen being so close to him, and he hardly dared to breathe until she released him with a bemused giggle.
"You act like you've never been hugged before!" The white queen-kit laughed.
Mistoffelees shrugged as he replied with a falter, "I-I haven't been hugged before. At least n-n-not in recent m-memory."
Victoria's joyful face fell. "Oh…" was all she could say.
The black and white tom-kit tried to cheer her up by hastily reassuring her, "But that doesn't mean I don't like hugs! I'll get used to them!"
The ivory queen-kit giggled happily as she flung her arms around Misto's neck again. It had significantly more force than she intended, and it sent them both to the ground. Victoria laughed in her usual carefree manner as she nuzzled Misto's chest the way a good friend would. The tuxedoed tom-kit blushed furiously as his heart rate and breathing quickened in response to her sudden action.
Misto propped himself up onto his elbows to look over Victoria's head at Plato. The russet and white tom-kit shot him a death glare that made the smaller tom gulp in fear.
Vicky picked her head up to eye her black and white friend with concern. "Misto…You feel warm. Really warm. Is everything alright?" She queried softly.
Mistoffelees could only avert his gaze as he pleaded to The Everlasting Cat that Victoria would get off of him soon. The unfamiliar urges he had felt when he was alone with her while she was unconscious were beginning to surface again, and it made him squirm in discomfort.
The snowy queen-kit appeared to notice that her friend was uneasy, and it suddenly dawned on her as to how she made him feel at the moment. As she retraced her steps back to Plato, she clearly saw Misto's flustered face. "Sorry…" Victoria mumbled to her black and white friend as Plato wound his fingers around her upper arm as if to protect her from Misto.
Tanto giggled quietly at the trio as her brother smirked knowingly. "You young cats never fail to amuse us." The tom of the pair remarked with a chuckle.
Plato rolled his eyes as he stood up and led his queenfriend away. "C'mon, I just remembered Munk asked me to do the afternoon patrol earlier this morning." He reminded Victoria.
Victoria raised an eyebrow as she said, "Okay, but I'd like to stay here and watch Misto do more magic." She turned around to go back to her magical friends, but Plato tightened his grip on her arm and forcefully pulled her back to him. She gave a frightened start as she protested, "Ow! Plato, let go! You're hurting me!"
The red and white tom-kit's eyes widened with regret as he realized he had slightly dug his claws into Victoria's arm to prevent her from going back. He retracted his claws and released the queen-kit, who immediately fled back to Mistoffelees, Cori, and Tanto. Plato gave Vicky an apologetic glance before he swiftly strode off towards the center clearing.
The snowy queen-kit followed him with perplexed sapphire eyes until he was out of sight. She turned to Mistoffelees and said, "Plato's never grabbed me like that before…Come to think of it, he has never acted so hostile up until a few days ago. I wonder what's come over him…?"
Misto had an idea. "It's all my fault" He sighed remorsefully, "Plato's acting like this because he thinks I'm his rival. I bring out the worst in him…"
Victoria cocked her head. She glanced at Coricopat and Tantomile for their opinion, but they had vanished. She mentally rolled her eyes. It was just like them to disappear at the most pivotal moments. She placed a consoling paw on Misto's shoulder, but he instantly recoiled from it. "What do you mean? What's there to compete over?" She questioned with a half-hearted laugh.
Mistoffelees responded with a mere stare. His ochre eyes held the longing, desire, and infatuation he felt for the queen-kit in front of him. It didn't take her long to answer her own question.
"I see…It's me you're competing over. I had no idea you felt like this around me, Misto. However, I'm glad we got this out of the way now instead of later. You know I'm with Plato, though. We've been best friends since we were kittens, and we've been dating for half a year. So…Can we just stay friends?" Victoria offered hopefully. Misto was too good of a friend; it would crush her to lose him now.
The black and white tom-kit let a drawn-out breath force itself through his nostrils. With it the passionate urges and desire left, too. It was senseless to keep them now that he had no use for them. The longing still refused to leave, though. It settled into his heart and he knew there was nothing he could do to expel it. Misto tried to smile for his friend. "Yeah, we can stay friends. You can tell Plato that there's no need to protect you from me." He chuckled as he finished, and Vicky joined in.
"Great, I'm happy you understand. Now, I want to see more of your magic. What else do you want to try from the book?" The white queen-kit pointed to the open text on the ground.
Mistoffelees turned his attention to the book in front of him and picked it up. He flipped through the pages and found a spell titled, "Metal Creatures". It was a spell that could transform any piece of metal into an illusion of a living animal. There was also a small footnote at the bottom of the page that read, "Also can be used with any other of the four remaining elements except for air."
The magical tom-kit pursed his lips as he scanned the immediate area for a piece of metal. He spotted a discarded, rusted fork not too far away. Misto stood up and retrieved it, and then set it down in front of him. He followed the instructions to carry out the spell, which also involved a chant. He whispered this spell out loud and focused on bending the metal into a desired shape. The fork twisted and bent under his magical command and he ended up with a tiny, basic form of a dragon.
Victoria squealed in delight and tried to touch the little mythical lizard, but it flared its pronged wings and let out a spurt of red flame from its handle-like maw. The queen-kit retracted her paw from the hot fire with eyes wide in surprise. Misto commanded his fork-dragon to fly up and perch on her shoulder. It nuzzled her with its small head and then glided back to its master. Mistoffelees ended the spell, and the dragon returned to its original fork shape.
"That's awesome…Your magic is so cool, Misto! Can you show me more?" The snowy kit requested joyfully. She was absolutely fascinated with her friend's powers, and Misto seemed to become more comfortable with them now that he had some positive feedback.
"Thanks. You can pick a spell, as long as it doesn't look like it'd be too hard for me." The tuxedoed tom-kit suggested as he handed her the thick volume.
Victoria gingerly turned the ancient pages so as not to rip them. She stopped and eyed a spell with the name of "Aphrodite's Caress". Of course she didn't expect Misto to perform it, as it dealt with being able to feel the other cat's every fiber of their being in a state of complete and utter bliss. That was obviously something reserved for mates. Vicky settled on choosing the spell under it, which was called "Aurora's Symphony".
Misto nodded in approval as he chanted the spell under his breath. While he was concentrating, he didn't notice the streamers of pink, orange, and blue that formed and danced above him and Victoria. The white queen-kit gazed at the fluttering bands of colour in amazement. She also heard a soft, melodic howling akin to a wolf's in her mind, only it was higher. The music was as disorganized as the floating colours, but it flowed as if it were being performed by a well-trained orchestra.
The snowy queen-kit stood up as if spellbound by the streamers and began to dance purely on whim. Misto looked at her as she spun on one hind paw in a perfect triple pirouette and smiled as the bands of orange, pink, and blue enveloped her graceful body of their own accord. She danced with the colours of the dawn, and laughed joyfully as she performed her duet to the music of Aurora's Symphony.
Mistoffelees felt himself begin to tire again, so he broke off the spell, much to the dancing queen-kit's disappointment. He would never forget the beautiful image of Victoria and the bands of colour that had surrounded her. "Sorry, I'm feeling a bit tired. Performing this much magic takes a good amount out of me. Aren't you hungry by now? It's way past lunch, I mean we've been here so long it's almost dinner time!" He exclaimed and Victoria nodded. Indeed, the sun was much lower in the sky now than when they had started. It would be dark soon.
"I guess…Why don't we hunt for dinner together? Plato's probably still patrolling, so I don't think he'll mind." The ivory queen-kit winked as she took Misto's paw in hers and led him out of the clearing. They caught a couple of mice on their way to the center clearing, and Victoria suddenly halted before they reached the mouth of the path that lead to it. Plato was perched on the giant tire as if waiting for something. Luckily, Misto and Vicky weren't in his line of sight.
The white queen-kit turned to her friend. "I guess this is where we part ways. I don't think it's a good idea for us to be seen together while Plato's in this state…Can I help you practice magic tomorrow, maybe? It's really fun!" She beamed enthusiastically as she bounced in place.
Misto found himself smiling as widely as Victoria as he replied, "Of course. It's a date then."
Victoria cocked her head for a moment at his words, but giggled and darted off towards her tomfriend. Mistoffelees sighed sorrowfully as he watched her retreating form, but he decided not to dwell on the feelings. He and Victoria clearly weren't meant to be, and there was no point in keeping his hopes up about what could exist between them. He strolled off in search of his brother to tell him about his afternoon with the queen of his dreams.