Chapter 1: The Mysterious Shadow

A/N: Hey guys! This is my first attempt at and kind of fanfiction, and really creative writing in general. So feedback is definitely appreciated! I am kind of writing this as I go, though I have the general outline in my head. Anyways, please review so I know where I can improve! And I will try to update regularly.

Sorry. I think this chapter is kind of boring, but I have to kind of set things up. Thanks!

Disclaimer! I do not own cats in anyway!

I awoke to the noonday sun streaming across my face. I squinted through the unwelcome brightness and slowly sat up on my bed, wiping the sleep from my eyes. A yawn escaped me as I slowly stretched each limb. Every muscle gave a faint protest to the current request of them, but relented without too much trouble.

I smiled for a moment, relaxing again, lying down again to stare at the lights as they danced over the roof of my den, like snow fairies. At least that was how I imagined them. A few years ago, I had stumbled upon a discarded ball made of little mirrors. I thought it was one of the most magical objects I had ever seen. I immediately returned to my den with it, and positioned it so that, no matter the time of day, a light from one of the openings in my den always hit it, creating dancing light fairies across my room.

I had always loved snow. When I was little, my mother used to joke that when I was kitten, I must have befriended a snow sprite. At those times, my mother would always request a dance recital. I was more than happy to oblige, because dancing was my escape, and it always made my mother look so happy. There never had to be music, just dancing to my own tune for my mother was all I needed. I would simply connect the moves I had knew together, gliding through my mental glossary: attitude, balancé, battement, couru, jeté, the list could go on and on.

I stopped as a dull pain radiated through my arm. I realized that in my mental recollections, I had lifted my arms above my head, as if continuing to dance. I let a little laugh as brought my arms back down to my side and sat back up. I gave my arm muscles a small massage.

While my muscles weren't killing me, they were sore enough that one would think that I didn't dance as often as I did. However, that was the one thing I did more than anything else. It was just that last night was the annual Jellicle Ball. It always seemed that no matter how much I trained, I always danced with so much more effort on those magical nights that I was always sore the next day. Whenever the music of the ball began, my Jellicle instincts just take over and I can never appropriately prepare for the results of the tribal experience.

I finally decided that I had lazed around enough, and from the light streaming through the holes, it was only a little past noon. Shortly after I stood up and began to groom myself, a low growl from my stomach confirmed my assumption.

I gave a soft smile as I tied a pink ribbon around my neck and turned to step out into the sunlit junkyard.

"Hello Victoria!" came a call from the nearby TSE car. "Did you sleep well? You deserve it after such wonderful dancing last night!"

I turned towards the call to see Munkustrap strolling towards me, a smile spread over his gentile, tabby face. The strong protector quickly closed the gap between us and rested a congratulatory paw on my shoulder. "I mean it. You were really fantastic! Griddlebone would have been proud." He added with a sad smile.

My melancholy smile reflected his as I nodded, accepting his praise with as much grace as I could muster. My mother, Griddlebone, used to be one of the tribe, and was a respected dancer, the talk of all the toms. However, her beauty had also caught the eye of Macavity. She had fallen for the promises he wove and followed him into his empire. One of her missions for the Hidden Paw was to seduce my father, Growltiger. She performed her mission perfectly, with only one hiccup: me.

Macavity had been furious, but he was not the only how could weave lies. Griddlebone had convinced him to let her have her kitten, for another minion working for him couldn't hurt the organization. However, shortly after I was born, my mother hid me away and told Macavity she had miscarried. She spent many years raising me in secret.

Years passed and secrets were uncovered. Eventually, in a last-minute effort, Griddlebone dropped me off at the junkyard, with a singular plea to provide sanctuary for me, though she expected nothing for herself. After Old Deuteronomy had picked me up and accepted my membership, my mother left without a backward glance. I cried that night, and many nights after.

I brought myself out of my reverie and looked the silver tabby in his eyes, and smiled again, this time without a trace of sadness and full of real gratitude. What had Jemima said last night? She longed to turn her face to the dawn? That's what I had to do too. Face the day coming before me, and let the past be looked on as nothing more than memories.

"Thanks Munkustrap. Though I think I have slept more than I deserved. You did a lot more than I, and I imagine you just didn't sleep." I replied with a light laugh.

Munkustrap broke into a more genuine smile and an equally gentle laugh. I imagine that he didn't know how I would react to his mention of Griddlebone. "Well, I did take a quick cat nap, if you will. Demeter made sure of it." He looked back towards his den, where I assumed Demeter was fast asleep, resting from the drama of the night. He turned back to me, and placed his paw back on my shoulder, gently ushering me towards the TSE car. "Coricopat and Tantomile have hunted plenty of mice for this morning. We assumed a lot of cats would be tired after last night."

I nodded, looking towards the car where a small group of cats had gathered in front, with the mystic twins at the center, smiling proudly. "I should definitely take advantage of that. Who knows when the next time some one will hunt for me will be." With a quick nod from Munk, I briskly jogged over to the group.

As I approached, the other cats turned to me with smiles and congratulations. I heard a rush of 'Good morning's and 'Great job's as I did my best to acknowledge all of them and return the compliments. I picked up a delicious looking mouse and scanned the group for a lunch partner to sit with. I smiled as I spotted Jellylorum and Asparagus.

I sat myself down next to Jelly, and was immediately greeted with a smothering hug. I had almost dropped my mouse, but Asparagus caught it with a huge smile. "We are so proud of you!" I heard, mumbled into my headfur, as Asparagus let out a chuckle.

After another solid squeeze, Jelly relinquished me, allowing me to take my mouse back from Asparagus and begin to satiate my hunger. She quickly turned to her lunch, and I pretended I did not see the few tears trickle down her cheeks. I had learned that sometimes, when mothers cry, it was best not to ask, and I knew these were happy tears.

"Thanks Jelly, it means a lot to me. But I didn't do that much, I just had a few solo numbers." I added after a few bites, trying to not let the praise go to my head.

"I know. I know." She sniffed through her tears. "You were just so beautiful, it was almost angelic. And it makes me, us, so proud so finally see you get the solos you deserve!"

I smiled again, leaning on her motherly shoulder and giving her cheek as soft nuzzle of thanks.

Jellylorum and Asparagus had taken me in after I had been brought to the junkyard. They were eager to have kittens, but for some reason, were unable to. It was a sad thought now, but at the time, I was happy to be an only kit. They had also readily made me the center of the world, and I had been spoiled. I was lucky that I hadn't developed a rotten attitude, but they wouldn't have allowed that anyways. They really were the best parents that I could have asked for, besides from Griddlebone that is.

"Thanks again. I am happy to make you proud." I added, sitting up, scanning the cats around me.

Asparagus smiled again, nibbling on his mouse. He was a quite tom who liked to let Jelly do all the talking. He was content to relax and take things as they came. However, now he looked to me and back out at the yard. "We have always been proud of you Victoria. Don't forget that. However, we have been much too selfish with you, trying to keep you to ourselves. This is the night after your debut ball as a beautiful solo dancer. Go find your friends, enjoy yourself."

Jelly looked at Asparagus for a moment as if to protest, but then chuckled and nodded, looking back at me. I hadn't moved, I had wanted to make sure that it was okay with my mother. While I really did want to go find my friends, I had no problem sitting and conversing with my parents. I hadn't seen much of them last night, and after spending the time and effort to raise me, they deserved some of my time. However, with her nod, I smiled and gave each of them a kiss of thanks on their cheeks and got up to find some companions to chat with.

After a bit of walking around and greeting some other cats of the junkyard as they started to wake, a large, lean figure stepped out in front of me. I was met with a smirk under deep copper eyes. The copper and white tom let out a chuckle and quickly embraced me. "Good morning, Vik!" he purred before releasing me.

I let a large smile spread across my face as I quickly hugged Plato back before he stepped away. "Morning, Plato! How are you? Am I the last one awake? I thought for sure that I would have woken before you!" I exclaimed sitting down by a pile of junk as he settled next to me.

"Well, I am doing just great. And I am offended that you have such low expectations of me." He said sternly with mock anger in his voice before laughing it off. "But no, you are not the last up. I believe everyone else is still asleep, except maybe Tumble. I believe he is following Alonzo around, wanting to help out with everything."

I nodded, glad I wasn't the last one up. I didn't want to look lazy as if that little amount of dancing last night was too much for me. I smiled again at Plato as he looked up at the clear blue sky above. I had grown up with Plato. He, Tumblebrutus, and Admetus had been littermates to Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks, and were around my age. Since Jelly and Jenny were such good friends, they had chosen dens right next to each other. So the four of us had grown up together. However, Plato and I had developed a close friendship and were usually inseparable. Others always joked that we would become mates, but we both saw each other as siblings, and that would never change.

However, last night we had been chosen as the dancers for the Invitation to the Mating Dance. This was just a dance, that meant nothing, and it was fun to dance with Plato, but it did not help in us quelling the rumors that 'we were meant to be'. It was simply that I was deemed the most graceful dancers of the queens and he was one of the strongest toms in the bunch. Oh well, people will eventually stop talking about us, and plus Plato told me that he like someone else, though he wouldn't tell me the lucky queen.

Plato finally turned from the clear sky to look at me. He smiled. "What?" he said with a chuckle.

I looked away and back towards the clearing where a lot of the adults had begun sunning themselves. "Nothing, I was just thinking about last night. It was fun dancing with you." I said, with a slight blush, hoping he wasn't thinking that I was trying to hit on him.

He nodded solemnly. "You were as graceful as ever. I felt a few jealous eyes on me last night during the Mating Dance." He then made a grimace. "I hate that title for the dance. No offense. It just sends out the wrong message. Ya know?"

I nodded in agreement, stretching out, catching a few rays of warmth of my own. "I know what you mean, but I am sure people don't take it too seriously. I mean, Alonzo danced it with Demeter last year. Everyone knows that that meant nothing. We are the same as them. Just good friends."

Plato sprawled out next to me, deciding my idea was a good one. "I hope so." He mumbled into the ground.

After a few moments of silence and warmth, Plato lifted his head and placed it on his paws, eyeing me with a smirk. I met his eyes with a questioning smile. "Yes?" I asked.

He chuckled again, looking down at me, one eyebrow cocked. "Anyways, I wasn't your only dance partner last night."

I blushed and looked away. I had tried to forget, though the tom had remained like a shadow in the back of my mind.

The Jellicle Ball always brought cats from all over the place to the junkyard, like Exotica. She came once a year for about a week or two before returning to wherever she came from. This year, a new cat had come to the ball, a small tuxedo tom. Munkustrap had welcomed him graciously into our ranks and insisted that he stay for a while. There was a little talk about the new tom, but everyone had been so busy with preparations for that ball that no one really thought about a new cat. If Munk had welcomed him, then there were more important matters to take care of.

However, near the end of my solo for the Invitation dance, he had burst out from a nearby pipe and immediately begun to dance with me. I had quickly adapted to his pose, though a little surprised at his sudden appearance. He had quickly run his paws down my leg and I immediately had sat up, to the side of him, letting him dance as he wished. I assumed he just wasn't aware of our customs. But he had summoned me up to dance with him and I just followed his lead, smiling as he began to sing the invitation in a beautiful, tenor voice.

I heard another laugh and looked back at Plato, who was looking down at my legs. I realized that I had been absent-mindedly running my hand gently down my right leg, the leg that he had touched. My blush intensified and looked away immediately.

However, I couldn't stay silent forever, and I wasn't clever enough to sneakily change the subject. "Do you know who he is Plato?" I asked, still unable to look at him, out of embarrassment. I mean, it can't be that I love this mysterious shadow of a tom. I haven't really even spoken to him. We did exchange a few words at the ball after our little dance. And I couldn't help but flirt with him a few times, and I liked to think that he flirted with me too. "I mean, I figured out his name is Mr. Mistoffelees. Fr-from the song." I stammered, still embarrassed, remembering his song when he brought Deuteronomy back. "But do you know who he is? Have you seen him today? Have to spoken to him? Did you talk to him at the ball? Do you know where he came from? Have to spoken to any of the adults ab-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Plato said, sitting up, laughing. "I promise you I don't know any more than you do. Promise. In fact you probably know more than I do. You actually spoke to him at the ball! I saw you two together, especially during Gus, the Theatre Cat's song!" He replied, nudging me on the shoulder.

My blush deepened and I sat up. "He's like a mysterious shadow. He came out of nowhere. And now I don't really know where he came from or why. I just want to know who he his…" I mused.

Plato stood up and stretched in the sun. "Well, I do think I have to go and talk with Munk, I should be going on patrol soon anyways." He yawned with a smile. "And on patrol we do have to keep an eye on the shadows. Maybe I can talk with Munk about a few of them too." He added with a wink as he began to stroll away towards the clearing, leaving me to my thoughts.