(Note from the Author;) I first posted this story on October 2, 2002. I last updated on April 11, 2003. I made those of you wonderful people who have already read the story in its original form read the first four chapters over again because of all the changes. Now ladies and gentlemen, I give you chapter five!
Plato was an early riser and had been for as long as he could remember. I could say that he woke with the sun but its closer to the truth to say that he woke the sun up. He would come out of his den and the sun would rise. Hardly ever did it happen in reverse.
Victoria was not an early riser. She never had been and promised that she never would be. She couldn't understand what was so appealing about watching the sunrise.
"They're just the same as sunsets," she would argue.
This difference of opinion was more of an issue during the first few weeks of their mate-hood when Plato would wake up Victoria at the crack of dawn to prove to her that sunrises were not the same as sunsets.
"They are clearer and refreshing," he insisted.
But he soon learned that even the most beautiful and kind-hearted of queens (as he believed Victoria to be) could become pure evil if she was disturbed from her night's rest before she was ready. To this day he insists that on more than one occasion she had tried to scratch out his eyes merely because he had shook her shoulder and whispered in her ear a few minutes before dawn (Victoria would laugh at this, but the keen observer would notice that she never actually denied anything). And so Plato learned to wake up and leave the den very quietly and enjoy sunrises alone.
This day was no exception.
Since the disappearance of her brother, Victoria had been a nervous wreck. She'd stayed up very late the previous night too worried about his safety to even think about sleep. Plato wished that he could do something to help. But short of making her brother return there wasn't much he could do to console her. He stayed up with her as the hours went by. And when her body decided that it was not going to stay active anymore, he carried her to their den and laid her down on the large pillow they shared hoping that in sleep she would be able to enjoy a few hours of peace.
Now it was morning the next day and Plato was determined to let his mate sleep as long as she could. He looked over at her side of the pillow.
It was empty.
Plato ran out of the den and looked around the clearing.
He saw the white queen sitting on the tire staring into the distance. He bit his lip. She woke up before him? Was she really as worried as that? The jellicle tom went to his mate and sat beside her.
Neither of the jellicles spoke. The light began to flood the junkyard. It was the first time they had spent a morning together.
"You're right," said Victoria quietly. "The sunrise is very beautiful."
It would've been a romantic moment under different circumstances.
Plato put his arm around the white queen.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Not long," she replied. "Actually that's not true, it's been quite a while."
She turned to her mate. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"He hasn't come back, Plato. I've looked everywhere. His den, that place where he was supposed to meet Tumble and Pounce, all over the junkyard, he isn't anywhere."
Plato pulled her close to him. Her body began to shake with silent sobs.
"I heard you and the Munkustrap and the others saying that he was kidnapped. Is that true?"
The tom closed his eyes and bit his lip.
"We don't know anything for sure-"
"It must be true," Victoria interrupted. "Who do you think it was? Macavity?"
"Victoria, you need to rest. I understand that you are worried but-"
"You don't understand, Plato!"
She pushed his paws away.
"You can't understand! He's my brother! He wouldn't have gone away for this long without telling me! It's the only explanation and you know it!"
The white queen buried her face in her paws.
"Why does he have to do this to us? What did we ever do to him?"
Plato wrinkled his forehead. What did she say?
"There must be plenty of other magical cats in the world! Why does Macavity have to keep picking on our family?"
Plato took the sobbing queen by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.
"Victoria, has Macavity done anything to Mistoffelees before?"
The white queen's eyes widened.
"What? No! Why would you think that?" she said quickly.
"You just said that he keeps picking on your family."
Victoria looked away.
"Did I?" she asked.
"Yes, you did."
"Oh Heavyside"
Plato again pulled the queen close to him.
"It's alright," he said kindly. "You can tell me. What happened?"
For while it seemed as though Victoria wasn't going to answer. She pressed her face into her mate's chest and silently cried.
"Misto and I don't usually talk about it," she said at last.
She pulled away from the tom and wiped her eyes with her paw.
"It was a long time ago. But yes, Macavity attacked my brother and sister."
Plato sat straight up.
"Sister? You and Misto have a sister?"
He had no idea there was another sibling in their family. Victoria continued quietly.
"We had a sister. Her name was Ageera. She was also a magical cat."
She took a deep breath.
"I wasn't there when it happened. I only know what Misto told me. He and Ageera were in the park when Macavity and his henchmen attacked them. They took our sister. They would've killed Misto except Ageera got free and used her powers to make him disappear and send him home. There wasn't time to repeat the magic and save herself."
Victoria bowed her head.
"After a while Misto stopped being able to sense her power. He could do that you know. Like Coricopat and Tantomile can sense each other's presence, Misto was able to sense Ageera's power. When he couldn't sense her anymore we knew Macavity had killed her. For the longest time Misto blamed himself. He still does sometimes, when he lets himself think about it."
Plato didn't know what to say. He had no idea that his mate and her brother had been through so much before they joined the tribe. No wonder Victoria was so upset about Misto's disappearance.
He hated to see her like this. If only there was something he could do to make everything better.
"Victoria," he said at last. "Munkustrap and I and the other toms are going to form a search party. We will find him. If he's been kidnapped we will rescue him. And if it was Macavity we will make him pay. We will get Misto back, Victoria. I promise."
Victoria looked up at him. The corners of her mouth curved into a small smile.
Mistoffelees was not aware that he had fallen asleep until he woke up. Once he was awake he wished that he'd stayed asleep. He was cold. His limbs were stiff. Every part of his body ached and Mungojerrie kicking him in the ribs certainly did not help.
"Get up," Misto heard him say.
Before he had a chance to respond, the striped tom grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.
"C'mon," he said. "We're almost there."