Categories > Theatre > Cats > Sabotage
Please forgive the alternating names for Mistoffelees/Quaxo, it'll even out in the next chapters. It's just that Tugger refers to him mostly by Misto even when he's Quaxo. It'll clear up later when the story switches to 3rd.
Enjoy and please RxR
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"Jellicle cats come out tonight; Jellicle cats come one come all..." We could hear Munkustrap sing from the clearing. Odd, I thought that was Misto's job. Everyone crowded around him in preparation for Old Deuteronomy's entrance. I joined them in the festivities, quickly becoming influenced by the music and overall atmosphere filling the night air. I was brought back to the present shortly when someone bumped into me: Quaxo.
"Sorry, Tugger," he whispered. I looked over at my friend, confused, knowing he shouldn't even be over here. He had soon gone back to his place and was waiting in preparation for the next song.
Throughout the night, I was completely taken aback by the fact that not only did everything go right this time, but Macavity didn't bother showing up. There were only a couple dances left before the Jellicle choice was made. I didn't really see the glamour in it at all. Why would anyone want to die just so they could come back as another cat and then hope to die again? I remember when Munk and I were kittens, my best friend was chosen to go to the Heavyside Layer. Needless to say I didn't attend a few balls after that.
As the transition into the next dance went underway, I decided to go sit with my father on the old tire.
"Enjoying the Jellicle Ball, son?" Old Deuteronomy asked me expectantly, for he always enjoyed himself when we all got together for any celebration.
"Definitely," I enthused, "Munk did a really great job this year."
"Well, he has been preparing since last year!" He laughed. We both sat in silence as the dancing continued; it didn't take long before I noticed my tuxedoed friend bumping into other cats and falling behind. When he eventually just stopped dancing and went to sit on his pipe, my father gave me a concerned look. I got up and walked over to the oil drum that sat between the tire and his den. He turned to me as I approached, and I could tell from how he looked that something was up.
"You OK, Misto?" I asked, placing a paw on the tux's shoulder. He looked like a mess. I've seen this cat after hours of practicing his dancing, and I've never seen him so out of breath or sweaty. His shoulder was damp under my paw, and although this would normally gross me out, I kept it on the small tom.
"Yeah, just need a little break is all," he panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead and face with his already damp paw.
"You wanna come up and sit with Old D and I?" I offered. He gave a huge sigh but shook his head,
"I'll be fine, Thanks Tugger," he smiled weakly, but I wouldn't leave it at that. This cat could be dying and he wouldn't say anything about it to anyone.
"You sure? Will you be OK to perform your act?" I crouched next to the tom as the music got louder. "You don't have to-"
"I'll be fine, Tugger," he snapped. He quickly looked down in embarrassment at the realization of his harsh tone.
"OK, we're right over here if you need us." I reminded as I backed away, I took my place next to my father and gave him a reassuring nod. He quickly forgot about the tom's odd behaviour, turning back to the rest of the company. My mind kept wandering to the small black and white tom, so I peeked over to see he was getting ready for the next song: his song.
I stood up and took my place near the car. As the music slowed down the kittens became anxious for Misto's song. They have been watching him practice for a while now, though he always withheld the 'big tricks' from them to keep his fans guessing. However, I might have an idea as to what the tom was planning.
I looked across the clearing purposefully at Quaxo, soon to be Mistoffelees. As our gazes locked he gave me a quick nod, signalling me to start. I walked into the middle of the crowd and started to sing Mr. Mistoffelees' song. His coat shone brilliantly against the light of the moon as the rest of his excess white fur disappeared save for his face and chest. He started off with a few magic tricks, some no one had ever seen during his practices. At one point he made one of the kittens levitate ten feet in the air! Needless to say all the cats were impressed by the performance. Once Misto finished a few tricks he decided to end the act with his conjuring turn. I'd seen him practice it a couple times along with Munkustrap but other than that it was a novelty to the tribe.
During the conjuring turn, I noticed something strange about the kit...er... cat. He was turning a lot slower than he usually did during practice. I could tell that Munk was thinking the same but none of the others could tell the difference so it didn't really matter.
Behind me there was a loud screech as Mungojerrie slipped off the junk heap that lined the clearing. We all turned around as he fell onto the roof of the car, ironically not landing on his feet. As all the cats in the area instantly went over to see if he was alright, I couldn't help but laugh at the striped tom. He jumped up to wave at the concerned, and slightly annoyed, faces to prove he was alright, falling off the hood in the process. The queens chuckled as a flustered Rumpletezer ran after her disoriented brother.
"Mistoffelees!" I heard my brother cry out followed by a couple gasps around the crowd. I spun around just in time to see Misto fall out of his turn, his light body making a slight thud as it toppled ungracefully to the ground. No one moved, hoping that he too would get up like Jerrie and everyone would be able to laugh with a dizzy Misto... He didn't.
"Misto!" I yelled as I ran towards my motionless friend. Everyone and everything around us was still as death itself, not quite sure how to react. I reached the tux tom, who was laying face down on the ground, and I spun him over to see his white furred face 5 shades whiter than its original hue. Was that was even possible?
"Hey, Misto," I repeated his name as I tapped his face lightly, Munkustrap was at my side almost instantly. He checked his pulse and made sure he was breathing before anything else. I looked up at him expectantly, and he gave me a tight expression. Misto was alive, thank heavyside, but he wasn't well, which I think was more than obvious. He started to try and rouse the small tom, but he only got a couple incoherent murmurs. Jennyanydots came over with a pail of water.
"Ok, Jenny. We need a cloth so that-" Munkustrap started to instruct the old Queen. Instead she dumped the entire bucket onto the unconscious tux. He sputtered in shock, sitting up and, reaching for something to grab onto in his delusion, ended up clutching my arm, shaking like some madman. Poor Misto, he hates water with a passion. Pain started to set in once I realized that his claws were digging mercilessly into my skin. I grimaced at the pain, trying not to cry out in protest, trying to hold up my reputation as the strong, tough, bad boy of the tribe.
"Mistoffeles, are you OK?" Munkustrap tried to gently pull him from my arm, Misto didn't answer the silver tabby, he just kept shaking.
"I-I-I'm...s-so... bloody c-cold!" He stammered after a few seconds. I could feel a frown pull at the corners of my mouth, this cat was sweating like crazy and panting like he'd just-
"Let's move him out of the clearing," Munk broke my train of thought. I moved down to pick up the miserable looking cat. I held him close to my mane as I followed my brother's lead outside the clearing. The small cat tried to press himself closer in a desperate attempt to get warmth. I grumbled as I felt my mane frizz from the moisture emanating from my charge.
Munkustrap led us to the kittens' den with Jennyanydots and Jellylorum in tow. Jenny cleared one of the kit's beds, motioning me to lay the shivering tux onto the blankets. Once I let go of the small tom, the queens got to work.
"What do we do now?" I asked, ready for any orders or requests given by any of the aging queens.
"Well, first thing we have to do is bring down this fever," Jelly stated solemnly. Jenny nodded in response.
"You're going to need some ice," Munk stated thoughtfully. How are we going to get ice? I'm sure that there isn't any ice hanging around the junkyard in the middle of summer.
"Don't your can-openers have any ice at home?" I asked the three cats.
"The humans have ice but it's really hard to get to," Munk explained. Misto started to groan as he curled himself up into a small ball. I have to admit that I felt real sympathy for the cat.
"W-Where's the goat?" he looked up at me. I couldn't conceal my confusion from the obviously delirious tom. Munk nudged me, urging me to answer the expectant face.
"Uh, it went home?" I tried. He gave a satisfied nod. What's a goat?
"That ice would be really useful Munkustrap," Jelly looked up at the Jellicle protector. He furrowed his brow in thought of how he would get a hold of the substance. Humans keep a good lock on that stuff.
"There's a bright building down the road that has a huge box of ice sitting outside. It has a lock though..." He thought out loud.
"Don't worry about the lock, just bring me to the box," I chimed in. I had learned how to pick locks from an alley cat when I was a kit. Munkustrap gave me an odd look that suggested that he wanted to question me, but thought better when Mistoffelees groaned again, this time clutching his stomach.
"We should get going then," Munk turned to me and I nodded before taking a final glance at the magic cat. I really hope we get back in time.
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Ta daaa! Don't worry, we shall see more of our CATS friends in the next chapter. Poor Misto, I'm mean to him, and the worst is yet to come! Guilt... I'm over it starts typing Mwa ah ah ah ah aaaaah!
Enjoy and please RxR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Jellicle cats come out tonight; Jellicle cats come one come all..." We could hear Munkustrap sing from the clearing. Odd, I thought that was Misto's job. Everyone crowded around him in preparation for Old Deuteronomy's entrance. I joined them in the festivities, quickly becoming influenced by the music and overall atmosphere filling the night air. I was brought back to the present shortly when someone bumped into me: Quaxo.
"Sorry, Tugger," he whispered. I looked over at my friend, confused, knowing he shouldn't even be over here. He had soon gone back to his place and was waiting in preparation for the next song.
Throughout the night, I was completely taken aback by the fact that not only did everything go right this time, but Macavity didn't bother showing up. There were only a couple dances left before the Jellicle choice was made. I didn't really see the glamour in it at all. Why would anyone want to die just so they could come back as another cat and then hope to die again? I remember when Munk and I were kittens, my best friend was chosen to go to the Heavyside Layer. Needless to say I didn't attend a few balls after that.
As the transition into the next dance went underway, I decided to go sit with my father on the old tire.
"Enjoying the Jellicle Ball, son?" Old Deuteronomy asked me expectantly, for he always enjoyed himself when we all got together for any celebration.
"Definitely," I enthused, "Munk did a really great job this year."
"Well, he has been preparing since last year!" He laughed. We both sat in silence as the dancing continued; it didn't take long before I noticed my tuxedoed friend bumping into other cats and falling behind. When he eventually just stopped dancing and went to sit on his pipe, my father gave me a concerned look. I got up and walked over to the oil drum that sat between the tire and his den. He turned to me as I approached, and I could tell from how he looked that something was up.
"You OK, Misto?" I asked, placing a paw on the tux's shoulder. He looked like a mess. I've seen this cat after hours of practicing his dancing, and I've never seen him so out of breath or sweaty. His shoulder was damp under my paw, and although this would normally gross me out, I kept it on the small tom.
"Yeah, just need a little break is all," he panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead and face with his already damp paw.
"You wanna come up and sit with Old D and I?" I offered. He gave a huge sigh but shook his head,
"I'll be fine, Thanks Tugger," he smiled weakly, but I wouldn't leave it at that. This cat could be dying and he wouldn't say anything about it to anyone.
"You sure? Will you be OK to perform your act?" I crouched next to the tom as the music got louder. "You don't have to-"
"I'll be fine, Tugger," he snapped. He quickly looked down in embarrassment at the realization of his harsh tone.
"OK, we're right over here if you need us." I reminded as I backed away, I took my place next to my father and gave him a reassuring nod. He quickly forgot about the tom's odd behaviour, turning back to the rest of the company. My mind kept wandering to the small black and white tom, so I peeked over to see he was getting ready for the next song: his song.
I stood up and took my place near the car. As the music slowed down the kittens became anxious for Misto's song. They have been watching him practice for a while now, though he always withheld the 'big tricks' from them to keep his fans guessing. However, I might have an idea as to what the tom was planning.
I looked across the clearing purposefully at Quaxo, soon to be Mistoffelees. As our gazes locked he gave me a quick nod, signalling me to start. I walked into the middle of the crowd and started to sing Mr. Mistoffelees' song. His coat shone brilliantly against the light of the moon as the rest of his excess white fur disappeared save for his face and chest. He started off with a few magic tricks, some no one had ever seen during his practices. At one point he made one of the kittens levitate ten feet in the air! Needless to say all the cats were impressed by the performance. Once Misto finished a few tricks he decided to end the act with his conjuring turn. I'd seen him practice it a couple times along with Munkustrap but other than that it was a novelty to the tribe.
During the conjuring turn, I noticed something strange about the kit...er... cat. He was turning a lot slower than he usually did during practice. I could tell that Munk was thinking the same but none of the others could tell the difference so it didn't really matter.
Behind me there was a loud screech as Mungojerrie slipped off the junk heap that lined the clearing. We all turned around as he fell onto the roof of the car, ironically not landing on his feet. As all the cats in the area instantly went over to see if he was alright, I couldn't help but laugh at the striped tom. He jumped up to wave at the concerned, and slightly annoyed, faces to prove he was alright, falling off the hood in the process. The queens chuckled as a flustered Rumpletezer ran after her disoriented brother.
"Mistoffelees!" I heard my brother cry out followed by a couple gasps around the crowd. I spun around just in time to see Misto fall out of his turn, his light body making a slight thud as it toppled ungracefully to the ground. No one moved, hoping that he too would get up like Jerrie and everyone would be able to laugh with a dizzy Misto... He didn't.
"Misto!" I yelled as I ran towards my motionless friend. Everyone and everything around us was still as death itself, not quite sure how to react. I reached the tux tom, who was laying face down on the ground, and I spun him over to see his white furred face 5 shades whiter than its original hue. Was that was even possible?
"Hey, Misto," I repeated his name as I tapped his face lightly, Munkustrap was at my side almost instantly. He checked his pulse and made sure he was breathing before anything else. I looked up at him expectantly, and he gave me a tight expression. Misto was alive, thank heavyside, but he wasn't well, which I think was more than obvious. He started to try and rouse the small tom, but he only got a couple incoherent murmurs. Jennyanydots came over with a pail of water.
"Ok, Jenny. We need a cloth so that-" Munkustrap started to instruct the old Queen. Instead she dumped the entire bucket onto the unconscious tux. He sputtered in shock, sitting up and, reaching for something to grab onto in his delusion, ended up clutching my arm, shaking like some madman. Poor Misto, he hates water with a passion. Pain started to set in once I realized that his claws were digging mercilessly into my skin. I grimaced at the pain, trying not to cry out in protest, trying to hold up my reputation as the strong, tough, bad boy of the tribe.
"Mistoffeles, are you OK?" Munkustrap tried to gently pull him from my arm, Misto didn't answer the silver tabby, he just kept shaking.
"I-I-I'm...s-so... bloody c-cold!" He stammered after a few seconds. I could feel a frown pull at the corners of my mouth, this cat was sweating like crazy and panting like he'd just-
"Let's move him out of the clearing," Munk broke my train of thought. I moved down to pick up the miserable looking cat. I held him close to my mane as I followed my brother's lead outside the clearing. The small cat tried to press himself closer in a desperate attempt to get warmth. I grumbled as I felt my mane frizz from the moisture emanating from my charge.
Munkustrap led us to the kittens' den with Jennyanydots and Jellylorum in tow. Jenny cleared one of the kit's beds, motioning me to lay the shivering tux onto the blankets. Once I let go of the small tom, the queens got to work.
"What do we do now?" I asked, ready for any orders or requests given by any of the aging queens.
"Well, first thing we have to do is bring down this fever," Jelly stated solemnly. Jenny nodded in response.
"You're going to need some ice," Munk stated thoughtfully. How are we going to get ice? I'm sure that there isn't any ice hanging around the junkyard in the middle of summer.
"Don't your can-openers have any ice at home?" I asked the three cats.
"The humans have ice but it's really hard to get to," Munk explained. Misto started to groan as he curled himself up into a small ball. I have to admit that I felt real sympathy for the cat.
"W-Where's the goat?" he looked up at me. I couldn't conceal my confusion from the obviously delirious tom. Munk nudged me, urging me to answer the expectant face.
"Uh, it went home?" I tried. He gave a satisfied nod. What's a goat?
"That ice would be really useful Munkustrap," Jelly looked up at the Jellicle protector. He furrowed his brow in thought of how he would get a hold of the substance. Humans keep a good lock on that stuff.
"There's a bright building down the road that has a huge box of ice sitting outside. It has a lock though..." He thought out loud.
"Don't worry about the lock, just bring me to the box," I chimed in. I had learned how to pick locks from an alley cat when I was a kit. Munkustrap gave me an odd look that suggested that he wanted to question me, but thought better when Mistoffelees groaned again, this time clutching his stomach.
"We should get going then," Munk turned to me and I nodded before taking a final glance at the magic cat. I really hope we get back in time.
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Ta daaa! Don't worry, we shall see more of our CATS friends in the next chapter. Poor Misto, I'm mean to him, and the worst is yet to come! Guilt... I'm over it starts typing Mwa ah ah ah ah aaaaah!
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