Hello my lovely readers! Before we get on with the reviews, and eventually the story, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who answered the question of the day, you all had such wonderful ideas!
Swirlspot: You had the closest guess of all, in fact you are absolutely right, have a cookie! (::)
Fuzzycloud (Guest): Glad you liked the chapter!
Blurg the Destroyer: She certainly isn't happy, behold the Wrath of Mittens!
Medicine cat of the Opera: Oh, bad things will happen... *Rubs hands evilly*
KittySparkFrost: You are pretty much correct, nice guesses!
Meowmix1028: I really liked your description for the mystery tom, I may or may not steal it.
Mittens trotted cheerfully towards the alley, her hunt had been successful and she was in a good mood. As she turned the corner into the dingy backstreet that she'd come to call home she called out a greeting.
"Magpie! I'm back!" Her words, muffled by the mice she was carrying, were met with no response.
Her pelt prickling with worry Mittens advanced along the alley, ignoring the growing feeling of unease at the silence. It's fine, she's probably just asleep, the she cat thought, consciously brushing aside the fact that it was midday and Magpie hated naps.
She padded up to the box and hesitated, not wanting to find out what was inside, or rather, what wasn't.
Stop being ridiculous, she'll be inside the box, sleeping the day away. Mittens told herself, taking a deep breath she poked her head under the overhanging flaps of the box.
Despite the fact she'd suspected that Magpie wouldn't be there it was still a shock when Mittens found the box to be empty. She sat back on her haunches and shook her head; I should have known she'd do something stupid, I shouldn't have left her alone. Mittens thought, jumping back to her paws and turning towards the entrance to the alley.
As she started down the alley the loner stopped and turned back, her eyes caught on the pair of mice, lying discarded on the stones. Skidding back Mittens hastily tucked them behind the box for when she returned, she set off again, breaking into a sprint as she left the alley.
Taking a deep breath she carefully picked Magpie's scent out of the tangle of smells that filled her jaws. She began following the scent, out of the alley, racing around corners and under bridges.
As she ran she became aware of something, something unsettling that made her spine prickle and her breath come faster. The path she was following was the same path she'd run a thousand times before. Taking a deep breath she found another scent she'd missed in her panic, a scent as familiar as her own.
Of course he had to get mixed up in this, I should have known, She sighed as she came to a crumbling brick wall. She skidded to a stop and took a heartbeat to inspect her surroundings; it was much the same as she remembered but everything seemed to be a little worse for wear. The walls looked a little older, the street looked a little grimier and, as she jumped to the top of the wall she found the same was true for the interior as well. The garden was overgrown, the once neatly groomed lawn was a tangle of long grass, the flowerbeds were choked with weeds and the fishpond was dark with mud.
Has it really been that long? She wondered as she padded carefully along the unkempt paths, her mission all but forgotten as she moved deeper into the walled garden.
In this dream-like state she wandered into a small hedged off area, within the once cleanly trimmed and shaped hedges lay the remains of a rose garden. The plants had grown wild and bore more thorns than blossoms; the few flowers that remained were pale and sickly. Somewhere within the tangle of briars a fountain could be heard, a solitary trickling sound.
Mittens pricked her ears as another sound drifted by on the wind, voices, and not just any voices. She peered through the branches of a particularly tangled bush and saw Magpie sitting next to a mottled ginger and red tom on a rotting bench.
At the sight of them, locked deep in conversation, a spark of anger ignited in her chest and stalked through the bushes, her green eyes blazing.
"Magpie! What do you think you're doing here?" She hissed as soon as she was within clear earshot of the pair.
The fluffy she cat looked up, surprise and guilt warring on her face, she lowered her eyes and scuffed a paw against the wooden slats of the bench.
"I'm sorry Mittens, please don't be mad." She squeaked, lifting her eyes hopefully to gauge Mittens' reaction.
"I'll deal with you later, as for you!" She growled, turning to the tom. "I told you to stay away from me, all you are is trouble!" She yowled, her voice breaking slightly as he held her gaze.
"Mitzy I..." He began but she cut him off before he could finish.
"I don't ever want to see you again, and for the last time; my name is Mittens, Mitzy is dead, she died the night of the fire, along with anything I ever felt for you. You are nothing to me." She said quietly, turning around and calling Magpie to her side with a flick of her white-tipped tail.
The walk home was completely silent, Mittens all but running and Magpie struggling to keep up with the older, fitter she cat.
Upon reaching the alley, Mittens turned to Magpie, who cowered under the loner's cold gaze.
"Mittens, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Magpie began, hoping she could appease the tuxedo she cat before the yelling started.
"You're sorry, you didn't mean to, of course you are!" Mittens yelled, taking a step towards Magpie, the white and black she cat shrank back even further. "You didn't mean to run off, to directly disobey my orders and go back on your promises, to betray the trust I placed in you. Sure, you didn't mean to, you know what else you didn't do? You didn't think, you didn't think about how this might affect you, how running around the city after some stranger might get you hurt. Yeah, you didn't think but that isn't much of a surprise, is it?" She stopped for breath, panting, and Magpie took the pause to make another plea for forgiveness.
"Mittens, please, I'm sorry." She sobbed, tears running down her cheeks and soaking her fur.
Mitten silenced her with another icy glare, "you're sorry? You didn't mean any harm? Well you should have thought of that before you went running off! How do you think I felt when I realized you weren't there? I was sick out of my mind with worry, I drop everything to go look for you and what do I find? I find that you've been making a social call! You've been nothing but trouble for me, I should have left you to die by the highway." She finished, as her tirade came to an end the deafening silence was broken only by Magpie's sobs.
Whirling around Mittens stalked out of the alley, as she disappeared into the gathering dusk she didn't look back.
QOTD: What would you name a Riverclan tom with dark silver fur and blue eyes? (I need help naming a character for a new story)
Until next time my dear readers!
~ Feathers