Emily, As always, thank you so much for your support! It means more than you can ever understand!

Sixteen

It was late afternoon and Munkustrap had barely slept at all. He was patrolling around outside the junkyard. Everyone else on his team was asleep under the shade of some nearby trees. However, despite how exhausted he was, he couldn't find it in him to sit down and go to sleep. His mind wouldn't stop thinking and his heart wouldn't slow down. His worry for Demeter was overwhelming him and eating him alive.

The silver tabby paced back and forth, his tail sadly dragging behind him. He could feel his legs shaking with exhaustion. His eyelids were heavy and he was struggling to keep them open. But he kept pushing himself to stay awake. He was afraid that if he fell asleep, he would miss something that could help Demeter. Munkustrap groaned and rubbed his temples.

Stay awake, Munk, he kept telling himself. You can't afford sleep right now. You need to stay awake for Demeter's sake.

"I'm sure Demeter would like you to sleep," a calm voice from behind him spoke. "You'll be much more useful to her if you are not sleep deprived. You need your energy."

Munkustrap turned to face Tantomile. The queen was smiling serenely, but her eyes were very serious. He sighed and shook his head. "I need to stay up and keep watch. I don't want to miss anything that could be crucial to finding Demeter."

Tantomile shook her head as well and approached the tom. Her paw steps were so light that even as she was walking across dead leaven and broken branches, she didn't make a sound. "No matter how much you find, you will be limited in what you can do to help her and this team if you are too tired. Get some sleep so that you will be able to perform your best."

Munkustrap wanted to argue further with her, but the look of severity on her face made him change his mind. "I suppose you're right," he said with another sigh. "I'm just so worried and scared for her."

"Love will do that to you," she replied in a dreamy voice. "But strength is knowing when to stop and ask for help. You can't do everything yourself. That's foolish. Get some rest. I'll wake Admetus to patrol with me and keep me company. Everything will be fine, I promise."

Munkustrap smiled gratefully and bowed to the queen. "Thank you Tantomile. Please wake me if you find anything out, no matter how small it may be." When Tantomile didn't respond, Munkustrap raised an eyebrow at her. "Tantomile?" he said, his voice slowly filling with concern.

Tantomile didn't move and her face was expressionless. She didn't blink and her bright eyes were wide open and glazed over. Munkustrap looked around with worry, wondering if something around them could have triggered her strange behavior. But nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Just as he was about to say the queen's name again, he was interrupted.

"Hidden by the night, the two will creep," Tantomile said in a quiet, faraway voice. Her eyes were still glassy and unblinking. The only part of her that was moving was her mouth. "She unknowingly does his bidding while his silver tongue convinces her and takes claim on her confused heart. However, if the eyes of Gemini stay open and alert, they will be able to see past the shadows."

When she stopped speaking, she shook her head, as if to rid her mind of awful thoughts, and then turned to Munkustrap. "Munkustrap, are you alright? You look disturbed."

The sound of her normal voice snapped Munkustrap back into reality. "Tantomile…" he said in a quiet, apprehensive voice. "Did you just predict something? Do you even remember what you just said?"

Tantomile looked worried and nervous. "No… I don't remember anything. But, those are usually the side effects of a prediction."

Munkustrap nodded. "Alright. We need to send word to my father. Come with me, Tantomile. Let's wake Admetus."

I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. Thanks for reading!

Mew Painappuru