Mungo didn't spend much time at Macavity's and by the time he got back at Victoria Grove it was only eight thirty. Noticing that Rumpel was not up yet, he settled back down next to her and waited for her to wake up.

At nine fifteen Rumpelteazer finally woke up. She stretched and yawned. Then much to her surprise, she realized Mungojerrie was up and waiting for her.

"Oh, good morning." She said with yet another yawn.

Mungo smiled. "Guud murnin', sleeipy 'ead." He gave her a little nuzzle.

"You didn't have to go today?" Rumpel asked curiously.

Mungo ignored the question and got up. Stretching his back, he turned around. "Tha' cuuk maide aower br'ekfas' aolrea'dy."

"Oh. Okay." She hopped off the bed and she and her brother went down stairs to the kitchen.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the tom of the house." The cook exclaimed when the two had entered the kitchen, "You better not be here to cause trouble." She laughed.

The cook was a rather jolly person. Slightly plump, rosy cheeks, and she always had an apron on and a spoon in her hand. Her name was Ms. Betty. Of course she didn't have too much of a good reputation with Mungojerrie for every time he was in there he was always stealing something from her. However today was different. Mungo didn't feel like stealing anything at the moment.

Mungo meowed, innocently if at all possible, and started to rub up against her leg.

"Oh, ok." The cook said, reaching down and petting him.

Rumpel, jealousy getting the best of her, raced up and mewed, which was probably cuter than Mungojerrie's because the cook stopped and said, "And here's my good girl!" Mungo rolled his eyes. Ms. Betty picked up Rumpel and cradled her in her arms.

"You know, you have to teach your brother how to be more like you." The cook said with a laugh, "Now. I bet you guys are looking for some food." The cook put Rumpel down and got two dishes down from the counter and put them down on the floor.

"Now eat up you two. You need your breakfast." Then with that she continued with what she was cooking.

When Rumpel and Mungo had finished their breakfast, they thanked the cook by giving her one last rub and went outside.

"So" Rumpel said aimlessly.

"Sowe" Mungo repeated.

"Wanna go to the junkyard?" Rumpel asked.

"Shore." Mungo smiled.

~*~

When Mungo and Rumpel walked into the junkyard, everyone was in the main clearing. They were obviously having some kind of a meeting and they weren't too happy to see Mungojerrie, especially Demeter. Old Deuteronomy was also included in this meeting, which was never a good sign.

"Ah, speak of the devil." Bombalurina said crossly.

Just as Mungo had suspected, everyone had heard the story. Therefore there was no reason of defending himself. That would only cause trouble.

"Mungojerrie." Old Deuteronomy said with a smile, "My have you grown." He stood up and held out his arms, inviting a big hug. Mungo gave the furry leader a hug before speaking.

"'ello, guv." Was the only reply that he managed to say.

"Well, you must be" Old Deuteronomy began to think as he sat on the tire, "20 years old?"

"Oieye, guv."

"21 in two weeks." Munkustrap put in.

Mungo merely nodded his head.

"Now I feel old." Old D. said with a laugh, "Sit down, sit down. You surely must be tired, walking all this way from Victoria Grove."

Mungo sat down next to the old cat. Rumpelteazer had already gone over to where most of the other kittens were. Nearly everybody was talking with others, while many cats continued to include themselves in the meeting. Demeter being one of them, glared at Mungojerrie the whole time, making the young tom feel very uncomfortable.

Old Deuteronomy said very quietly, "I bet you know why I'm here."

Mungo shook his head slowly as he lowered his eyes to the ground.

"Perhaps we should talk about this in private." Old D offered, sensing that Mungojerrie was slightly apprehensive about talking in front of the whole tribe about the subject.

Munkustrap nodded and helped Old D off the tire and into an empty clearing not too far away.

"Should I stay?" Munkustrap asked.

"Oi'd lyoike ya towe." Mungojerrie looked over at the grey tabby.

Munkustrap nodded and sat down on a nearby shoebox.

"Sorry I didn't ask, but how are you doing today?" Old D. asked the multicolored tom.

"Nowt sowe guud." Mungo said quietly.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Old D. apologized.

"Did you visit Macavity?" Munkustrap asked.

"Oi ded." Mungo said with a nod.

"What happened?" Munkustrap questioned.

"'e gaive mie uh tahsk ta dowe." Mungo said gravely.

Munkustrap raised his eyebrows, "Well? What was it?"

Mungojerrie looked up at Munkustrap. "'e woan'ded mie takill youwe."

Munkustrap leaned back. He wasn't sure how he should react to this news. He looked over to Old Deuteronomy, who had been silent all this time.

"Surely you are not going to go through with it?" Munkustrap asked.

Mungo nodded his head. "Nowe, guv. Oi tol' 'im Oi quet."

Munkustrap let out a sigh of relief. However, Old Deuteronomy still looked troubled.

"How did he react?" The old leader asked.

Mungo remained silent.

Munkustrap leaned in. "What happened?"

"'e" Mungo couldn't place the words in his mouth, "'e gowt mad a' mie an' 'e tol' mie 'e wuld" Mungo swallowed, "Well, 'e tol' mie 'e'e wuld killRumpel."

Munkustrap lowered his eyes. "I see." He said quietly.

"Buot t'at's on'ly ef Oi quet 'im" Mungo piped up.

"And if you don't kill me." Munkustrap added.

Mungo nodded.

"Did he give you a time that you had-"

"Boiy ta'merrowe." Mungo cut off.

"Ok." Munkustrap said thoughtfully.

"Oi dun't woant Rumpel ta doiye." Mungo said helplessly.

"We're not going to let her die." Reassured Munkustrap.

Old Deuteronomy shook his head.

"Well," the old tom started up, "The only thing I can see for you to do, Mungojerrie, is to spend the night at the junkyard tonight and not to go to work tomorrow."

"Buot 'e'll cume 'ere."

"He can't take on the whole tribe." Munkustrap answered.

Mungo looked uncertain and raised an eyebrow, "Ar' youwe tahlkin' 'bout tha' saime cat Oi yam."

"Yes, Macavity can't take on the whole tribe."

"M'cavity, yes. 'oweva' tha w'ole cla'n ov 'is crownies, nowe." Mungo pointed out, "Dowe youwe knowe 'ow mahny 'enchcats 'e 'as?"

Munkustrap sighed, "If he brings them, then we will stand up to them. Yet, I highly doubt he will. You see, we are a personal matter of his and if anyone is going to defeat us, he is going to be sure it is either him or him and several of his best henchcats. Now how many henchcats does he have that he trusts?"

Mungojerrie looked down at his paw, "Well," Mungo thought of Stalinclaw, "Yikes. Well, uhhhmaiybe" he scratched his chin, "'bout8 re'ally guud 'enchcats." He said finally.

"How are you determining who is a good henchcat?" Old D asked curiously.

"Uhhhwell, youwe sieethare's uh rahnkin'. Lyoike be'ginners an' sec'end 'and 'enchcats, an' therd 'and 'enchcats, an' sowe own an' sowe own."

"Well, what rank are we talking about?" Munkustrap getting interested on how his brother was arranging his tribe (of sorts).

"Well, wie're tahlkin' 'bout tha wones 'o geit call'd own aoll tha' toime. Tha wones 'o gowe towe tha' meetin's t'at 'e 'as. Wie-thay re'ally dun't 'ave uh naime, buot thayre naimes an' rahnkin's ar' knoon boiy aoll tha' otha' 'enchcats. Lyoike fer egz'ample, Stalinclaw. Youwe dun't mess wef 'im. Ev'rywone knows 'im. 'e's wone ov M'cavity's best 'enchcats."

"Ah, yes, I have heard of him." Munkustrap nodded, "Well, these eight henchcats, who are they?"

"Well, numba' 8 es Luarz, buot 'e's koinda' lyoike uh be'ginner, then cumes Tayki, then cumes Dusty, then cumes"

"Can you just give us the top four?" Munkustrap asked impatiently.

"OkayeZeus, Griddlebone, Stalinclaw, an' well, mie." Mungo smiled meekly.

"You?" Munkustrap sounded taken back, "You are in the top four?"

"Well, yeah." Mungo said apprehensively.

"Ok, now let me get this straight." Munkustrap sighed, rubbing his temples, "You came to me telling me that you were a henchcat, yet you neglected to inform me that you were one of the best? No wonder he is not letting you go, Mungojerrie." Munkustrap was starting to get ticked off, "Sure, if you had been a beginner, we could have gotten you out of this mess in a heartbeat, but no. No, now you're stuck." The grey tabby began to pace.

"It wasn't your fault, Mungojerrie." Old D. reassured, "Munkustrap's just a little stressed today."

Mungo nodded. "Oi kin siee."

Munkustrap, finally coming to his senses, stopped his pacing and turned to Mungojerrie. "Now, what you are going to do is stay here tonight. Keep Rumpelteazer with you. Alonzo, a few other toms and I will keep watch. We will do this for a few nights until it is safe for you to go home." Munkustrap paused, "You will have to go home every so often to make sure your humans do not worry about you."

"Aolroight." Mungo said, "Buot w'ot 'bout ya'r 'umans?"

"Do not worry about them." Munkustrap replied.

"Okaye." Mungo said quietly.

Old Deuteronomy stood up. "Well, if we are done here. I have a nap waiting for me." He winked.

"Okaye." Mungo stood up quickly, glad to get through with the conversation.

"I need to go talk with Demeter." Munkustrap said more to himself than anyone else.

"Well, Oi'll siee ya lata'." Mungo said starting to slip away.

"You be safe, Mungojerrie." Old Deuteronomy called after him.

"Oi will."

~*~

"G'ess w'ot, Rumpel." Mungo said running up to his sister.

"What?" She said with a slight smile.

"Wie geit ta staye 'ere ta'noigh'." Mungo was acting excited.

However, Rumpelteazer's face didn't show excitement. "Why?"

"Uhhhh'cause Munkustrap tol' uos." Mungo said with a shrug.

"Fun! You'll get to sleep over tonight with us!" Electra rejoiced.

"Oh, this'll be so much fun!" Etcetra squealed delightedly.

"Yeah." Rumpel said quietly.

"You don't wanna stay here, do you?" Electra asked.

"Oh, no, no. I'd love to stay." Rumpel said with a smile, "This was just kinda sudden." She looked up at Mungo.

Mungo wasn't paying attention. He was looking for Pouncival and Tumblebrutus.

"So," Etcetra said, a hint of curiosity wavering in her voice, "Mungo. Are youlikeuhhhh"

Mungo turned his attention to her, "Am Oi lyoikew'ot?"

Etcetra glanced over at Electra before continuing, "Wellbad?"

Mungo cocked his head. "Bad?"

"Yeah."

"Ohwe!" It suddenly hit Mungo, "Ohwe, nowe. Nowe Oi'm no' bad." Etcetra didn't look convinced, "'cetra, Oi'm tha saime ol' Mungo."

"Yeah. He hasn't changed." Rumpel said smiling, "Well, he got older, but he's still the same Mungo."

Etcetra looked reluctant to believe them but replied, "Ok."

"Mungojerrie!" A loud motherly voice boomed across the yard.

Mungo didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. "Uh-oh."

Etcetra and Electra tried to hold back their giggles, yet they couldn't so they ran off.

"Mungojerrie, young man!" The voice got louder and closer.

Mungojerrie turned around slowly. Sure enough, Jennyanydots was making her way towards the tom and she didn't look in the least bit happy to see him.

"Well," Mungo said, putting on a fake smile to cover up the fear of his foster mother, "'ello!" He held out his paws for a hug.

"You, mister, are in big trouble!" She said angrily.

Mungo lowered his paws, "Noice ta siee ya towe." He said quietly.

"Don't get me wrong." Jenny said, he voice still quavering with fury, "I'm happy to see you, but I am not happy to hear what you've been doing since the last time I saw you." She crossed her arms and began to tap her foot, "Why have you been messing with bad cats?"

"Jenny, Oi'm cle'rlay un adult sowe ya dun't neeid ta bie usin' ki'en werds wef mie." Mungo pointed out.

Jenny replied with an icy glare.

"Buot ef ya woan' towe, bie moiy guest." Mungo added quickly. Now was not a time to be rubbing the Gumbie cat the wrong way.

"By the way you've been acting, I wouldn't say you're an adult." Jenny hissed.

Mungo let out a low growl.

"Now, if you insist I treat you like an adult, then I will. Now," Jenny paused as she noticed Rumpel, "Rumpel, dear. You may go now." This was in a kinder tone.

Rumpel snickered a "Good luck" to Mungojerrie before dashing off.

"Now, as I was saying, why were you messing with Macavity?" Jenny said, her foot still tapping impatiently.

"Well, et 'twas koida 'ard sense Oi ded werk fer 'im." Mungo said.

Jenny's eye's got wide and her foot stopped. "You what?" She said in shock.

"Youwe knowe, frum tha' towne en ya'r voiyce, et sounds lyoike youwe dedn' knowe dat." Mungo said with a nervous smile.

"You worked for him?" Jenny managed to stammer, "You-youyou are now in even more trouble, Mungojerrie." With that she stormed off.

"Well, t'at 'twas sho't." Mungo sighed. He turned around to come face to face with Stalinclaw.

"W'odyouwe woan'?" Mungo growled.

"Just coming by to see how you're coming along on your decision." His eyes glinted with danger.

"Oi gowt 'til ta'murrowe." Mungo matched Stalinclaw's glare.

"Right." Stalinclaw grumbled, "Well, I suggest you keep the job and kill the tabby." He crossed his arms.

Mungo's eyes narrowed. "Oi dedn' as' fer yer ohwepinyon."

"Don't get snappy with me." Stalinclaw warned.

"Oi kin dowe w'ot Oi lyoike." Mungo hissed back, "Wone, Oi'm en mie owne terri'tery an' towe, Oi'm uh 'anchcat ov 'oiyer rahnkin'."

Stalinclaw clenched his fist. "I hope you lose your bloody sister."

"Oi 'ope youwe bern en 'ell." Mungo fired back.

"Oh, that was harsh, Jerrie."

"Dat's Mungojerrie towe youwe."

"Oh, I'm so scared." Stalinclaw said in mock horror.

Mungo let out an irrepressible punch straight into Stalinclaw's jaw. Stalinclaw returned the fire with a clawed smack across the calico's chest. Both cats suddenly jumped back starting a heated duel.

"So," Stalinclaw said derisively, "I get to fight the Great Mungojerrie."

Mungojerrie ducked the swipe of his opponent and remembered where the two toms were located. Any Jellicle could come walking in at any moment. Mungojerrie quickly jumped up on a nearby dishwasher.

"Chickening out so soon?" Stalinclaw ridiculed.

"Leive nouw, Sta'linclaw."

"Why should I? I'd love to meet your sister." Stalinclaw smiled evilly.

"Leive nouw, Sta'linclaw." Mungo repeated.

Stalinclaw shifted weight to his other foot. "No."

"Sta'linclaw! Oi oreder youwe towe leive emme'dietely!" Mungojerrie shouted.

"Make me." He hissed.

Mungo stopped. What could he do? Stalinclaw was at least twice as strong as he was. Before he could reply, Munkustrap came into the clearing. However, he was behind Stalinclaw so he was unnoticed by his feline opponent.

Mungo's mouth curved into an evil smile. "Well, Sta'linclaw," He emphasized the name for Munkustrap to hear, "Oi be'leive ya'r ouwt numba'd."

Stalinclaw looked behind him before he shot a deathly glare back at Mungojerrie.

Mungojerrie in return waved his hand. "Buh-boiye."

Stalinclaw, totally infuriated with the whole situation, stormed off without saying a word.

Munkustrap walked up to Mungojerrie as the young tom climbed down from the dishwasher. He glanced over to where the black cat had just disappeared.

"What was that all about?" He said in a lowered voice.

"'e's beein spoiyin' owne mie fer uh woile nouw." He replied, brushing some dirt off his arm, "An' 'e jus' felt lyoike pic'en owne mie."

Munkustrap nodded slowly. "Are you ok?"

Mungo looked down at his chest where a set of fresh cuts lay. He winced. "Uhhhyea'. Oi'm foine."

"I think you should let Jennyanydots take a look." Munkustrap said looking up from the cuts.

"Well" Mungo said quickly, "shie esn' en uh vairy guud mud ta'daiye." He scratched his head and gave a weak smile.

"Ah, yes." Munkustrap paused, "Jellylorum would not be in a good mood today either." Munkustrap thought.

"Well, Skimblesha'nks knowes uh li'le bit 'bout cuts. 'ow 'bout 'im?" Mungo asked.

"No, he is out of town. Train-duty." Munkustrap murmured.

Mungo sighed. "WellOi dun't neeid anie 'elp. Oi'm foine, re'ally." He began to clean the wounds.

"I'll do it." Munkustrap said.

"W'ot?" Mungo raised his eyebrow, "Cle'an moiye cuts?"

"No." Munkustrap began to look for something, "But you do need some kind of antibiotic because stray cats are not the cleanest in the world."

Munkustrap walked over to where Jennyanydots kept her medicine and bandages. He picked up a small bottle, read the label, and put it back. "However, I am not going to apply it. You can do it yourself." Finally he grabbed a greenish bottle and a bandage. He handed them to Mungojerrie.

"Now take the cotton swab, get a bit of the-"

"Oi knowe 'ow ta put et owne uh co'in swahb." Mungo said, pouring some of the liquid on the swab.

"Ok. Now, it is going to sting" Munkustrap said as the calico tom rubbed the wounds with the remedy.

Mungo jumped. "Ow. Thoanks fer tellin' mie suuner." He said with an irritated tone.

"You have to keep applying it." Munkustrap informed.

"Ar' youwe ensaine?"

"No. Just do it." He ordered.

"Roight." Mungo mumbled. He applied it once more.

"Ok. That should be fine. Now, you can wrap the bandage around it"

Mungo glared at him. "Le's jus' maiyke et reawl o'vious."

"Do you want it to get infected?"

"Nowe"

"Then wrap it." Munkustrap said simply.

"Buot Oi dun woanna maiyke et dat o'vious." Mungo complained.

"Well, it is not like they are going to notice the huge gashes across your chest." Munkustrap said sarcastically.

Mungo rolled his eyes and resentfully started wrapping the wound.

"Oi feyl lyoike uh feloine mummey." Mungo said when he had finally finished.

"Ok, well, I guess that is a good thing." Munkustrap said slowly, "Mungojerrie, I want to apologize about yesterday."

"Fer w'ot?" Mungo cocked his head to the side.

"Well, for the way Demeter and I treated you." Munkustrap said guiltily.

"Dun werry 'bout et. Oi unda'stan' w'ot Demeta's bein fru wef M'cavity. An' Oi knowe 'ow youwe feel 'bout et." Mungo reassured.

"I just feel badly. I know it is impossible for me to completely apologize for Demeter, but give her some time. Eventually, she will like you again. You just have to be patient with her." The grey tom smiled faintly

Mungo nodded silently in agreement.

"Well, if you will excuse me, I have to go run a few errands." Munkustrap turned and headed out of the clearing.

"Monkistrahp."

Munkustrap stopped and turned around, "Yes?"

The thought of telling him about the brand ran across Mungo's mind. "Oi uhm" he stopped. Now was not a good time to tell him about it, Mungo concluded. "uhmmthoanks."

Munkustrap studied the calico tom. A few seconds past before the silver tabby took one small nod and continued on his way out.

Mungo sighed. He had to tell someone about this sooner or later. Shaking the thought off his mind, he walked off to find Rumpelteazer.

~*~

For the rest of the day, Mungo kept mostly to himself. He bothered no one, and in return, no one bothered him. Occasionally, someone would stop and have a short conversation with him, but they never spoke of the matter with Macavity. Demeter, however, stayed very far away from him. She didn't speak to him and for the most part, Mungo was glad she didn't. Her glare was enough for him.

"Jee wiz, I wish she would stop doing that." Rumpel whispered to her brother, "She's making me feel really uncomfortable."

Mungo frowned but didn't say anything.

"Aren't you gonna come play with us sometime soon?" Rumpel badgered, looking up at her brother.

"Maiybie en uh bit." He looked at his sister, "Buot youwe kin gowe uh'ead an' gowe playe. Oi'll bie foine boiy mieselv."

Rumpel sat there. "I'm not gonna go." She said stubbornly.

"Okaye." Mungo said, laying down, "Then youwe kin woatch mie sleeip." He gave a small chuckle.

"Mungo!" Rumpel whined, "Get up! We got just a few hours until we go to sleep. You don't need to go to sleep now." When the tiger tom didn't answer, she pounced on him.

"Oof!" Mungo coughed, "Teaza', geit off."

"Not until you get up." Rumpel protested.

"Well, 'ow am Oi bluudy well 'spose ta' geit uop effen' ya'r laiyen' owne towp ov mie?"

Rumpel gave him a playful glare. "I'll get up if you'll get up."

"Okaye." Mungo agreed, "Nowe geit uop befer ya' squishe mie ensoides."

Rumpel hopped up. However, much to her dismay, her brother did not. "Mungo!" She said imaptiently.

Mungo smiled. "Ya dedn' maike mie promise."

"You are such a pain, you know that?" She practically screamed. Suddenly she stopped. An evil grin crept upon her face.

Mungo, noticing there was a short silence, opened his eyes and looked at the tabby queen. "Uh-ohwe. W'otcha gunna dowe?"

Rumpel's smile got wider. "Ohnothing."

"Dat dun luuk lyoike nufin'." Mungo said.

Rumpel bounced off.

"Ohwe greait." Mungo sighed. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes once more, suspecting to get a good nap in before supper.

A few seconds later, a few hushed giggles were heard, shortly followed by some whispering. Mungo's ear twitched. Yup, he could hear that it was Rumpelteazer. However, she was not the only one there. Of course at that point he knew what was going to happen.

He braced himself for the attack. Getting ready to jump out of the way as soon as the kittens attacked him. However, nothing happened. In fact, it got really silent. He turned his ears towards where he had last heard the noises. Nothing. He turned his head and was about to get up when he heard some more whispers, but these were not those of a kitten. Then there came a short scream, which was quickly muffled, and the sound of several kittens attacking the unknown cat. Rumpelteazer was the first to fly out of the shadows, soon followed by Electra, then Jemima.

"W'ot's gowen' owne?" Mungo asked quickly as the queens ran behind him.

"M-mungo, someone took Cetty!" Electra cried.

"Munkustrap!" Jemima yelled.

Demeter dashed out of the clearing, hissing, "Macavity!"

Mungo began to back away from the dark hole. What would they want with Etcetra? Mungo shook the thought off his mind and turned around.

"Oi'll bie bahck." Mungo said hastily and ran off.

~*~

"Do you have her?" Macavity asked impatiently, as Blaize, a brown henchcat, dashed up. He was holding a big sack, which was madly thrashing about.

"Yes, sir." The young cat replied, throwing the bag down on the floor.

Mungo watched silently from his hiding place.

"Well, open it." The ginger cat ordered.

Blaize obeyed and knelt down. Untying the rope, he pulled the bag off. Etcetra tumbled out of the bag right at Macavity's feet. She looked up at the cat, and, clearly seeing he was not someone she knew (nor did she want to), she cowered.

"What's this?" Macavity growled glaring at the henchcat.

"Rumpelteazer, sir." The tom replied taking a step back, "That's who you-"

"This is not Rumpelteazer." The Napoleon of Crime hissed.

"But you told me she was a calicowhite, orange, and blackand she" The henchcat stopped and looked down at the kitten.

"Does this look like a calico to you?" Macavity growled, picking up the kitten by the scruff of her neck.

"No, sir. She's tabbyish looking." Blaize gulped, "But she does kinda look like a calico and she is orange, black, and white-"

"IS SHE A CALICO?" The tall cat yelled.

"No, sir." Blaize said quietly.

"Ok." Macavity said. He threw the kitten across the room. Etcetra tumbled onto the ground, near where Mungojerrie was hidden. Quickly, he slid next to her and pulled her into his hiding spot. When he did this, however, Blaize saw the tiger-like tom retreating to his hiding spot.

"Now, as I was saying-" The ginger cat growled.

"Sir!" Blaize interrupted.

"Are you interrupting me?" Macavity hissed.

"No, sir, I-"

Macavity hit the cat. "You will stay silent when I am talking." The cat ordered.

Blaize whimpered as he darted his eyes over to where Mungojerrie was. Now, the calico was managing to drag the queen out of the room.

"Now, when I asked you if you had Rumpelteazer, you said yes. However, you do not, soBlaize, are you listening to me?" Macavity was getting really annoyed.

"Yes, sir. But I need to tell you something!" The cat replied impatiently.

"What is it?!" Macavity snarled.

"Mungojerrie took the Jellicle queen!" The tom pointed to where the queen had been. Macavity, totally infuriated by the situation, snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Mungo raced down the halls as if his tail was on fire.

"Cume owne, luv. Toime ta waike uop." He kept patting Etcetra's cheek, trying to wake her from when she had been knocked out.

She opened her eyes briefly and blinked a few times. "Mungo? Where-"

"Guud. Ya'r uhwaike. En dat cayse." He stopped and set her down, "Ya'r runnin owne ya'r ohwne." He quickly grabbed her paw and raced down the hallway. Skidding to a hault he got against the wall, pulling Etcetra to the side as well.

"Where are-"

"Shhh." Mungo hushed quietly. He peeked around the corner, but stopped short and shot his head back.

He let out a short sigh and turned to Etcetra.

"Cettie, Oi'm gunna puush youwe uop towe dat vent thare." Mungo told the queen, "Youwe tayke uh roigh', den when ya geit towe uh inta'secshen', tayke uh left. Owekaye?"

"Why can't we just go out that way?" Etcetra asked, trying to peek around Mungo's shoulder.

"M'cavity's thare. Nowe, uop youwe gowe." Mungo picked up the queen and let her climb into the vent. When she had gotten in, she looked down at him.

"Why aren't you going?" Cetty asked.

"Dun' werry 'bout mie. Jus' geit bahck towe tha' juonkyar'." Mungo said. He peeked around the corner to see that the ginger cat was no longer there. He looked to make sure that Etcetra was gone, before making his way to the door.

He got about two feet from the doorway when the door suddenly slammed shut.

"Hello, Mungojerrie." Came a smooth voice from behind him.

"'ello, guv." Mungo said timidly turning around, "Oi wuz jus' owne mie waye ouwt."

"I can see that." He replied.

"An', ef youwe'll e'cuse mie." He reached for the doorknob, but only to find it was locked. "Oi gehss Oi'm stayin' 'ere."

Macavity merely nodded. "Where's the queen?"

"Uhhw'ot dowe ya meain?" Mungo scratched his head.

"You know what I mean." Macavity said dangerously.

"Oi dun'no." Mungo replied simply.

"Don't pull that on me, for we all know you're far from innocent." Macavity narrowed his eyes.

"Nowe, guv. Oi truwly dun't knowe." Mungo repeated.

"I see" Macavity said, his eyes growing even more narrower by the second.

"Shie's en Londen. Wie kin bie shur ov dat." Mungo added with a weak smile.

"Quit being a smart aleck." Macavity snapped, "Where is she?"

"Shie ran oaff. Oi dun'no whare shie es!"

Macavity didn't say anything.

"Oi sware." Mungo added.

"I don't like how you've been acting lately, Mungojerrie." Macavity said with slit eyes, "You've lied to me, you've rejected tasks that I have given you, you've tried to quit, and now above all things, you've stolen from me."

While Macavity was saying this, Stalinclaw had entered the hallway and seeing the state that Mungojerrie was in, he stayed to listen. Smiling like the Cheshire cat, he stood behind Macavity, completely provoking Mungojerrie.

Mungojerrie simply glared at Stalinclaw. Everything Macavity was saying to him drained out. He was trying his best not to jump up and fight the black cat. He bit his tongue and tried to regain concentration to Macavity.

Noticing that Mungojerrie was not paying attention to him anymore, Stalinclaw held up a set of keys. The same set that belonged to the door behind the calico tom. Mungo's eyes shot back to Stalinclaw. Then Stalinclaw gave them a shake and before Macavity could turn around, Mungojerrie was on the black tom in a flash. They tumbled to the ground, scratching and hissing. Stalinclaw threw the multicolored tom off of him. Mungo immediately lunged towards the opponent, but Macavity grabbed his collar. Gagging, Mungo flew backwards into the wall with a loud smack. Macavity took a step forward, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and a deep growl was being emitted from his throat.

"How many times," Macavity growled slowly, "do I have to tell you two not to fight in the hallways?"

"Well, then we'll just have to move to the arena." Stalinclaw said, still glaring at the tiger like tom.

"No." Macavity growled through clenched teeth, "You are not to fight at all without my consent. Period. No questions asked."

Stalinclaw glared at the ginger tom.

"You may leave now, Stalinclaw." Macavity said glaring back at him.

"It's my shift to watch the door." Stalinclaw informed him.

Macavity paused. He looked back at Mungojerrie, who was staring nonstop at Stalinclaw through slit eyes. He turned his head back to Stalinclaw.

"Very well then." Macavity said, "Mungojerrie, you can leave now. I will be awaiting for your decision tomorrow." His golden eyes shot back at the tom.

Mungo glared back at Macavity before straightening up. He walked around Macavity to the opposite direction of the exit. "Oi'm gowen' ouwt tha' bahck waye." Mungo snorted.

When Mungojerrie had left, Macavity turned to Stalinclaw. "Will you keep your patience?" The tall cat whispered with a hiss, "You'll get your revenge, you just need to give it time."

Stalinclaw crossed his arms and headed over to the door. He tried to turn the door knob, but of course it was still locked. It was a weird door on the fact that it could lock out both worlds from each other. When he reached for where he last had his keys, it suddenly dawned on him.

"Macavity." Stalinclaw said, turning around and stopping the ginger cat.

Macavity turned around. "What?"

"He's taken the keys."

~*~

"Do you have any cuts, bruises, broken limbs? Does anything hurt? Do you feel ok? Are you tired? Did they do anything bad to you, because if they did you need to tell Mummy what happened?" Jennyanydots asked hurrying over to the young queen when she arrived at the junkyard.

"No, my head just hurts." Etcetra rubbed the back of her head.

"You need to sit down, dear." Jellylorum pushed a paint can next to Etcetra.

Etcetra sat down as the two older queens rushed about, trying to find some ice and something for her to drink.

Meanwhile the other younger kittens had curiously made their way over to Etcetra. Asking her a bunch of questions about Macavity and what had happened at his lair. Munkustrap was standing nearby, trying to hear what had happened without physically asking her. He figured the queen might be a little nervous to directly tell him anyway.

"Move out of the way, kittens." Jennyanydots said, stepping over the tiny cats. She was the one to have found some ice, which she had put in a little plastic bag. She leaned down to Etcetra, matching her face level with the kitten. She inspected her face before asking, "Where does it hurt, dear?"

"Right here." Etcetra rubbed the back of her head.

Jennyanydots went behind her and looked at her head. She gently put the ice up to the tender spot and told Etcetra to keep it there.

"'ow's shie dowin'?" Mungo whispered to Munkustrap.

Munkustrap turned his head to see the calico staring up at him. "Oh, I believe she will be just fine." He whispered back, "She might be a little shaken, but she is doing fine."

"Guud." Mungo said.

"What happened?" Munkustrap asked. He still hadn't got all the details and he wasn't sure if Etcetra had told everyone the whole truth.

Mungo proceeded in telling exactly what happened. He did all this in a whisper so he wouldn't attract too much attention to himself. He still wasn't sure if the junkyard was accepting him that well.

"An' sowe Oi tuuk tha' keys." He concluded the story by shoving the keys into Munkustrap's paws.

"You locked them in there?" Munkustrap asked, taking the heavy keys into his paws gingerly.

"Nowt re'ally." Mungo said, "Et's thair own fauwlt thaye lock'd tha' duurs. BiesoidesOi bielieve ya'r ferget'in dat dat playce es fuoll ov robba's. Bouwnd ta bie wone ov d'em w'o knowes 'ow ta braike uh lock." Mungo smiled.

Munkustrap looked at the keys in concern. "Why are you giving them to me?"

"En cayse sum'fin' bad 'appens." Mungo shrugged.

Munkustrap silently nodded. The next few days might be a little rough for him and the whole tribe. He closed his fingers around the keys as he looked up to see how Etcetra was doing. She wore an expression of that of a girl whose brother would not stop annoying her. She had a thermometer in her mouth, which to Munkustrap seemed to have no point at all, and with Jenny and Jelly running about the kittens were starting to get stirred up. Munkustrap could clearly see this was ending up to be a one way ticket to disaster and decided to step in.

"UhhJennyanydots." Munkustrap said as the motherly queen rushed past him.

"What is it, dear? I'm very busy right now." She said, looking through her medicine cabinet.

"Why does Etcetra have a thermometer in her mouth? I mean, there is no point to it as far as I can see. She is not sick." Munkustrap said slowly.

Jennyanydots whirled around. She was clearly infuriated with him. "Munkustrap, you are a protector, not a nurse. Just leave Etcetra to us." Jennyanydots snapped.

"Jenny, look at her." He said calmly, "Does she really look sick? She-"

"Munkustrap." Jenny's voice got louder, "Don't worry about it or I'll stick a thermometer in your mouth."

A few giggles could be heard from the group of kittens. Even Mungo snickered at what Jenny said. If there was one cat who Munkustrap had to obey at times it was Jennyanydots. It was the same with all the cats. No one wanted her to get mad because in the end it was going to end up with washing your mouth out with soap.

Munkustrap's mouth grew very straight and he scrunched up his nose. He decided not to reply and drop the subject. When Jenny finally walked off to worry over Etcetra, Mungo was the first to break the silence.

"Oi feel bad fer Skimble." Mungo said with a chuckle.

Munkustrap smiled and looked over at Mungojerrie. It was a very funny comment if you thought about it. Skimbleshanks had to have a hard time, being her mate in all. Whenever Skimbleshanks got home from traveling on the trains he was sure to find a long lecture always waiting for him about how he should be home more often.

Munkustrap gave out a little laugh. "No wonder he goes out on the trains so much."

~*~

Mungo was very tired that night. He had to force himself from not falling asleep during his supper. Munkustrap had managed to catch a few mice, while Jenny had brought some milk from her home. The dinner was really quite nice and Mungo would have enjoyed it a lot more if he hadn't been so tired. After dinner, Mungo went straight to the makeshift bed Jellylorum had set for the two calicos. He fell into the pile of rags and started to doze off.

"Mungo" Rumpel whined, "It's not even eight o'clock yet. Whatcha doin' going to bed this early?"

Mungo let out a sleepy moan and said, "Oi'm toir'd Teaza'. Oi fink ef Oi staye uop wone mer menute," He paused to yawn, "moiy boady es gunna shuot doawn."

Rumpel cocked her head to the side. "Well, I guess I'll go to bed too" She said. She quickly hopped into the bed and curled up next to her brother. She looked up at him, however he was already asleep. She sighed, laid her head down, and closed her eyes.

~

It was dark. Dark and cold. Mungo let out a little shiver as he stood there in the darkness. He looked around for any sign of light, but it was pitch black.

"'ello?" Mungo called out. It was followed by an eerie echo. Mungo gulped and called out even louder, "'ello?"

The word's echo was interrupted by a crisp, hard, evil laugh. The laugh seemed to boom with a taunting tone, which made Mungo tense up in frustration. When the echoes had ceased, he growled, "M'cavity."

As if the name had flicked a switch, a dim spotlight flashed on over Mungo's head. Mungo, slightly blinded by the light, put a paw up to cover his eyes. Faintly the sound of footsteps could be heard. They were walking slowly but grew louder by the second. Then the faint outline of a tall cat could be made out amidst the shadows. There was a flash from the cold yellow eyes as he moved into the light. He stopped walking, smirked, and said in an amused tone, "Yes?"

Mungo stifled his growl and asked in a controlled calm voice, "Whare ar' wie?"

Macavity looked into the shadows as if he were examining a brand new house before returning his eyes to Mungo. "We're in your dream" He paused and added, "Or nightmare. Depends on which way you look at it." He gave out a sinister chuckle.

Mungo let out a small shiver. He swallowed and asked, "Woiy ar' youwe 'ere?"

"Why wouldn't I be here if it was a nightmare?" Macavity asked in the same amused tone. He began to circle the young cat. The ginger cat's face grew grim as his eyes darted back to the calico. "No, I am here for your answer." He said this with a more serious voice.

Mungo took in a breath and said, "Bout dis es jus' uh dreaim. Oi dun' re'ally 'af ta ans'er."

Macavity stopped in front of him. "Now, if this was any ordinary dream, then why would this hurt." The cat grabbed Mungo's paw and dug a claw into his palm. Mungo bit his lip to keep him from crying out. Macavity took out his claw, which now dripped with crimson blood, and stepped back. "Are you convinced or do you need another sign?"

Mungo glared up at the tall cat. Completely speechless, the calico simply shook his head.

"I'll take that you're now convinced." Macavity mused, "Anyway, back the matter at hand. What is your decision?"

"Oi 'aven' maide uop mie moind yet." Mungo said quietly.

Macavity continued to stare at Mungo. "You know he's using you."

"W'o?" Mungo looked up.

"Munkustrap." Macavity said solemnly.

"Munkistrahp?" Mungo asked in unbelief, "Nowe 'e's no'."

"Fine. Don't believe me. However, he is using you." Macavity looked out into the darkness once more.

Mungo raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "'ow?"

Macavity looked back at the tiger like tom. He took a deep breath but stopped short. He snapped and suddenly the desk and chair from Macavity's office appeared. The ginger cat sat down in his chair. Mungo, looking behind him, found that the guest chair had also appeared. He sat down cautiously.

"You see"Macavity said, "Munkustrap is what you would call the type who likes to look like the hero. The great and mighty leader that everyone loves and knows will protect them. He certainly is perfect, isn't he?" He gave out a little chuckle, "But lately I haven't been terrorizing the junkyard. So what happens when the hero doesn't have anyone to fight? Well, he starts to get desperate. Yet, you came in right at the nick of time. You're giving him hope that he will be able to redeem himself."

"Oi yam no'." Mungo growled.

Macavity continued as if the calico hadn't said anything at all, "Why did he have you stay at the junkyard tonight?"

"Towe 'elp prowe'tect uos frum youwe ef youwe decoid'd towe uhttack uos." Mungo said.

"Precisely." Macavity said with satisfactory, "That would bring me to the junkyard if I wanted to do anything to you. Where he could have his glorious fight and since I would only have a few henchcats with me because I'm some stupid idiot in his eyes, he would gallantly win. He would become the hero of the tribeagain and I would be the stupid enemy that couldn't defeat the Jellicles." Macavity said this all rather hotly.

"Youw'r wrong 'bout 'im." Mungo said quietly.

"Oh, am I?" Macavity asked, "Well, tell me, who has known him longer?"

"Youwe, buot 'e-"

"He's a simple and predictable tom. He follows the same pattern every time." Macavity cut in.

Mungo stayed silent. He didn't want to believe Macavity. It wasn't the truth. However, it did make him slightly doubtful. 'Wait, what are you talking about, Mungo?' Mungo thought to himself, 'Macavity is the one you need to leave, not Munkustrap. Macavity is lying. Don't believe him.'

"Why are we talking about him anyway?" Macavity said, standing up, "I want your decision."

"Oi still dun' 'ave wone yet." Mungo replied.

"Well, let's help you decide." He snapped and once again the desk disappeared. Mungo quickly scrambled to his feet. However, just as he stood up, the ground gave way and he was left standing in the middle of a tightrope. He wobbled a little but quickly caught his balance. He looked over to see Macavity standing at one platform at the end of the rope. At the opposite end, Munkustrap stood there.

"This should makes things a little more interesting." Macavity said, "Now you've got your options. You can go to Munkustrap, you can go to me, or" He looked down into the darkness that filled in underneath the rope, "Or you can just avoid it all and jump."

"W'ot's tha' decision fer juompin'?" Mungo asked, looking down.

"Death." Macavity said, "But I don't think that is a decision that you're going to make."

Mungo gulped and looked over at Munkustrap. He turned his head to Macavity, who held out a solitary paw. Mungo took a deep breath and turned his body towards Munkustrap. Carefully he took his steps, not wanting to slip. Suddenly, the darkness was filled with loud screams and cries that made Mungo cringe. He stopped short and looked back at Macavity. The ginger cat wasn't doing anything but just standing there, staring back at Mungo. Mungo covered his ears as one particularly loud shriek screamed through the darkness.

"You're sister sure is a screamer." Macavity said.

Mungo narrowed her eyes. "Youwe're 'urtin' 'er." Mungo growled angrily.

"Well, of course. That was part of the deal. You don't join me, I kill your sister. Remember?" Macavity said loudly over the screams, "The more steps you take towards him, the louder they're going to get until you actually reach the platform. By then, she'll probably be dead."

Mungo hissed. He closed his eyes and took in several unsteady breaths trying to block out the noise. He sighed and reluctantly took a step towards Macavity. The screams seemed to die down a little.

"That's what I thought." Macavity smirked.

The calico glared up at the ginger tom but didn't say anything. He continued to walk towards Macavity. 'This is just a dream, Mungo.' He told himself. He reached out to take Macavity's paw

~

"Mungo, wake up."

Mungo woke up with a jump. He saw Rumpel's face peering down at him. His eyes darted around as he saw he was back in the junkyard. He was sweating and breathing hard.

Rumpel's eyebrows furrowed, "You okay?"

Mungo sat up and rubbed his head. "Yea'. Oi'm foine. Jus'jus' uh bahd dreaim Oi guess."

Rumpel frowned. "Oh, okay." She sat down next to him, "You wanna talk about it?"

"Nowe." Mungo said, rubbing his face. His face suddenly didn't feel like it had cold sweat on it. The liquid was warm. He drew his paw away from his face and looked down at it. There, freshly cut, was the same deep cut Macavity had given him in the dream.

~*~

Later that day

"Tag!! You're it!" Cetty yelled as she hit Pouncival on the shoulder.

"Oh! I'm gonna get you!!" Pouncival started to race after Etcetra.

"Ahhhh!!! Pounci's it!! Pounci's it!!" Cetty ran around the junkyard screaming the phrase over and over.

"They'll never find us in here." Rumpel whispered to Jemima. The two giggled silently and peered out of a crumpled cereal box.

"That's not fair! You can't just go after me!" Cetty screamed as she kept dodging Pouncival's attempts to tag her.

"Well, I don't see anyone else to go after!" Pounce yelled.

"Oi'm en." Mungo said, standing up and joining the game.

"Then you're it." Pounce said.

"UhhhPounce" Cetty whispered.

"Since you just joined the game, you're going to be it. New rule as of now." Pounce crossed his arms.

"Oi'm no' ar'guen'." Mungo said with a smile.

"Pouncival!" Cetty poked the brown-splotched kitten.

"What is it?!" Pouncival swatted her finger away.

"I don't think Mungo should be it." She said nervously.

"Why?" Pounce was confused.

Mungo smiled mischievously. "'Cuz, Oi fink ya fergowt dat Oi'm tha fast'tist tom en tha juonkyar'." He leaned in and patted him on the shoulder, "Buot dun' werry 'bout et. Yer et nouwe." He stuck out his tongue.

Pouncival's mouth dropped open. "Hey! That wasn't fair!" Pouncival whined, "I was just it!"

"Bie et uhgain." Mungo said simply.

Pouncival scrunched up his face in frustration. "Then I'm gonna get you!" He swiped after the multicolored tom, but Mungo managed to duck and run off.

Pouncival went tearing after him. He managed to follow Mungo, but he was nowhere close to him. It wasn't until Mungo finally jumped up on a pile of junk that was too high for him to reach did he stop.

Mungo looked down. "Ya knowe, ya dun' 'afta gowe afta' mie." Mungo said, sitting down on the rubbish, watching Pouncival try to climb up to him.

"I said I would and I will." Pouncival said stubbornly.

"Youwe ar' wone de'termin'd kit." Mungo sighed, "Ohwe, an' put yer fuut oawn tha' poipe. Et moigh' 'elp." He smiled.

Pouncival glared up at Mungo.

"W'ot!? Oi wuz jus' 'elpin'!"

Pouncival continued to try to climb the mountain of trash, but never managed to reach Mungo.

"You know, Pouncival, there are other people playing and I'd like to get at least another round in before it starts to rain." Etcetra said, tapping her foot and looking at the cloudy grey sky.

"Yeah, we've been in here for quite some time." Jemima said, poking her head out of the box.

Pounce groaned and hopped off the junk. "Fine." He said, but he turned around and pointed a finger at Mungo, "I'm going to get you one day!" He said with a smile.

Mungo chuckled. "Oi bes' bie woatchen' mie bahck den."

Before Pouncival could continue, it began to sprinkle with icy cold rain.

"Ah! I felt a rain drop! I'm going!" Jemima said getting out of the box and running off.

"Last one under shelter is a wet fish!" Pouncival called, racing after Jemima.

"Well, no duh." Cetty said, "All fish are wet!"

"No they're not!" Pouncival argued.

"Yeah, they are! That's how they breathe!" Cetty caught up with him and the two ran off arguing over wet fish.

It began to rain a little harder and Mungo was still on top of the junk, trying to get down. The junk was starting to get real slippery and he didn't want to fall.

"Come on, Mungo." Rumpel said, grabbing a newspaper and holding it under her head.

"Yea' yea'. 'old oawn." Mungo said cautiously putting his feet on the right spots. A flash of lighting filled the dark sky for a brief moment soon followed by a loud crack. This caught Mungo off guard and he slipped, falling into a giant mud puddle.

"Grait." Mungo groaned standing up and trying to shake some of the mud off.

"You ok?" Rumpel said, running over to him.

"Yea', Oi'm foine." Mungo grumbled. He got out of the mud puddle and the two calicos ran off to where Cetty and Pouncival had disappeared.

"MACAVITY!!!" A loud shriek flew over the sound of the rain.

Mungo stopped short and pulled Rumpel back into the shadows of the junk. They overlooked the main clearing which was empty. The shriek must have come from somewhere close, but Mungo couldn't see anyone. However, the rain was providing poor visibility and no one would be out in the rain anyway.

"Do you see anything?" Rumpel whispered, peering out from behind her brother.

Mungo shook his head. The rain was starting to pour harder. It was impossible to even make out anything on the opposite side of the clearing. Not to mention the mud was getting really thick and deep. Every so often a flash from some lightning lighted the clearing but even then it was just for a second and still impossible to fully see anything.

Mungo cautiously took a step out into the rain, but his sister pulled him back in.

"Don't go out there. You'll get wet or fried" She looked out as another flash of lighting streaked through the air.

"Oi 'ave uh feelin' Oi'll bie uh lowt werse than dat ef Oi dun gowe ouwt thare." Mungo said. He freed his arm from her grip and continued to walk into the rain.

"Can I come?" Rumpel asked.

"Nowe. Jus' staye thare." Mungo said, taking a few more steps and looking around. The mud was really thick and hard to walk in. He had to be careful not to step on some broken glass or sharp objects.

The rain poured down like a waterfall and in a matter of seconds he was completely drenched. Shivering, he continued to look around. The clouds had gotten darker and the junkyard turned pitch black. It was dark and cold

Mungo's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Quickly, he whirled around and ran to where he had left Rumpelteazer. However, when he got there, she was no where to be found.

"Rumpel?" Mungo said. He moved the wet fur out of his eyes and looked again. Rumpel was still not there. "Rumpel??" Mungo yelled.

Of course, just like his dream, the same sinister laugh followed. Mungo growled and stormed out into the middle of the clearing. "Macavity! Youwe s'un ov uh bitch! Geit ouwt 'ere!!" He yelled angriliy.

Lightning flash once more and just as expected the sound of faint footsteps could be heard over the rain. Concentrating too hard on the footsteps, Mungo had completely blocked out all other noises. Before he knew it, he had been knocked down into the mud and pinned down. He tried to break free of his captor, but with no success. It wasn't until the cat spoke to him did he know his chances of actually beating him.

"Hello, Mungojerrie. Long time no see." The cat hissed into his ear.

"Geit oaff mie, Stalinclaw!" Mungo growled.

"Ok." Stalinclaw said. He got up, yanked the calico up and pulled his arms behind his back.

Before Mungo could even move, he noticed Macavity was standing in front of him. His claw was extended at Rumpelteazer's throat. Mungo froze. Time seemed to be hanging on a single thread and Macavity had a pair of scissors.

The tall cat grinned. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" He said with complete delight.

"Damn youwe, Macavity." Mungo growled.

"Oh come now, that isn't very nice." The ginger cat said with a mock pout.

"Like you're doing anything nice." Munkustrap's voice said from somewhere behind Mungojerrie.

Mungojerrie tried to turn around but Stalinclaw had a firm grip on him.

"I see you've decided to join us." Macavity said with a wry smile.

"Leave them alone, Macavity." Munkustrap said strongly, taking a step towards him.

"I don't believe you're in the position to be telling me what to do." Macavity glared at the grey tom.

Munkustrap glanced down at Rumpel and back up to Macavity. He remained silent.

"So, Mungojerrie" Macavity turned his attention to the struggling tom, "Having fun?"

Stalinclaw dug his claws into Mungojerrie's fur. Mungo winced and stopped moving. "Nowe" He said through clenched teeth.

"Good. Well, this can be all over. All you need to do is give me a simple verdict and-"

"Youwe 'ave now roigh' towe bie dowin' dis." Mungo growled.

"I have every right!" Macavity snarled back, "You joined me, you made the decision, you signed the contract wrong and you have my brand! Everything leads back to you! You are the one hurting your sister and yourself! Not me."

"What brand?" Munkustrap broke in.

Macavity's eyes flew over to Munkustrap. He stared at the Jellicle for a second before the edges of his mouth curved into an evil smile. He looked back at Mungojerrie with great amusement. "Yes, what brand? Please, do share."

Mungojerrie bit his lip and looked down at the ground.

"Ashamed of it?" Macavity said, growing quite fond of the situation. He jerked his head towards Stalinclaw, who let go of Mungojerrie and came over. Macavity handed him Rumpelteazer and slowly made his way over to Mungojerrie.

The calico didn't look up, wishing that he had told them about it sooner.

"Well, Mungojerrie here has managed to inform you about every single thing except," He put his paw on his shoulder, "a simple little brand." He shook his head and chuckled.

"What brand?" Munkustrap asked again, this time directed more towards Mungojerrie than anyone else.

Mungo shifted his weight from one foot to the next before finally holding out his wrist and revealing the big black M. Munkustrap looked at it for a moment then asked, "What does it mean?"

Mungo opened his mouth but Macavity was the first to speak. "It means that he is forever obligated to me."

Mungo's jaw dropped. "Dat's no' w'ot et meains!" He hissed, "Et meains dat Oi am uh 'enchcat ov 'oigher rahnkin' an' dat youwe cahn't kill mie."

"And therefore to be a henchcat of higher ranking you must work for me until you die. So it says in the contract." Macavity snapped.

"But he signed the contract wrong, so he doesn't technically work for you." Munkustrap said.

Macavity glared at the grey tom, but continued, "However, you do work for me since you have that brand."

"Face it, Macavity. Mungojerrie doesn't work for you if he doesn't have a contract." Munkustrap said angrily.

"The brand is a contract!" Macavity growled back, "It is a clearly stated symbol that he belongs to me."

"Oi dun' bielong towe eniewone." Mungo piped up growing a little infuriated by the comment.

"I practically raised you! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be where you are today!" Macavity hissed at the young tom.

"W'ot ef Oi dun' woanna bie whare Oi yam ta'daiye!!" Mungo yelled back, "Oi meain, luuk a' dis! Moiy sista' es 'avin' 'er owne bluudy loife threat'en'd an' Oi werk fer wone ov tha' most dirtiest pollicles dis soide ov tha' At'lantic O'cean!"

Mungo froze as he realized what he had said. He took an unsteady gulp and said quickly, "Buot Oi-"

"So I'm a dirty pollicle?" Macavity sneered. His eyes narrowed in on the tom as he slowly advanced on the calico.

Mungo stood where he was hoping that he wouldn't get killed for that comment. When he had worked for him, any low-lying comment that any cat made towards Macavity always ended in death. He had never dared to criticize Macavity and now that he had, he finally realized exactly how much trouble he had gotten into in the past two days. He had broken several rules and one little comment wasn't going to scare him away. Not after all he had been through. This needed to stop. He looked up at Macavity and nodded. "Dat's w'ot Oi sed."

Macavity's mouth dropped open slightly. "Mind your place, Mungojerrie. I have your sister's life on the line." He glanced over to where Stalinclaw was.

Mungo glared at the tom and growled, "Sowe w'ot wuld 'appen ef youwe did kill 'er. W'ot den? Youwe wuldn' 'ave enie meains ov threatenin' mie afta' dat. Youwe'd ge' no' whare."

"Would you like to see what would happen?" Macavity hissed.

Mungo shifted his weight uncomfortably and shook his head.

"Good." Macavity said, "Now" Suddenly a piece of paper with writing on it appeared in his paws, "I believe you need to resign this."

It was a new contract. Mungo took it and started to read it over, Munkustrap also reading it over his shoulder. "S'pose Oi dun' uhgree wif uh term oawn 'ere." Mungojerrie said looking up from the contract.

"Deal with it." Macavity said crossly.

Mungo glared at him, but continued to read the contract. When he had finished, he glanced over at Rumpel and then over to Macavity. "Ef Oi soign' dis', ya pro'mise ta le' 'er gowe an' dun' 'urt 'er."

Macavity smiled evilly. "Sure."

Mungo raised an eyebrow but took the pen out of Macavity's hand. The contract was now fairly wet, but he set it down on a nearby box anyway.

"Mungo!" Rumpel yelled, trying to break free of her captor, "Don't!"

He looked up at her and frowned. "Oi" He looked into her eyes, "Oi."

"Don't do it." Munkustrap whispered into his ear.

"Your sister will die." Macavity hissed into the other.

Mungo looked down at the contract. There was nothing he could do. This was no dream. It was real. He bit his lip and lowered the pen to the line.

"Mungo!!" Rumpel cried, but she was quickly silenced by Stalinclaw.

"This can be all over." Macavity said in a lowered tone, "Just sign it."

Mungo cringed and closed his eyes. The raindrops were starting to slow down now and the pitter-patter slowly beat on his face. He felt his hand quickly scribble something onto the paper. He snatched up the contract and turned to face Macavity. "Biefer Oi giv dia towe ya, ya neeid ta le' 'er gowe."

"Not until I see the contract. You faked me once, I won't tolerate a reenactment." Macavity said, eyeing the contract.

"Well, Oi'm no' sh'ore Oi kin cumplete'ly trust ya eitha'." Mungo said.

The two toms stood there staring at each other until Macavity finally rolled his eyes and said, "Fine. Let her go."

Stalinclaw's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"You heard me." Macavity growled, "Let her go."

Stalinclaw reluctantly let the young queen go and she raced over to her brother.

"You got your queen back." Macavity said holding out a paw, "The contract?"

"'ere." Mungo handed him the paper and took a few steps backwards.

On the line where the signature should have been the words, "I'll never work for you" were messily written. The Napoleon of Crime let out a loud growl. "I knew it!" He roared. He threw the contract on the muddy ground and leapt towards the two calicos. However, Munkustrap knocked him away. The two fell to the ground in a heated duel. No one could tell who was winning, yet Mungo circled around the two cats, ready to jump in if Munkustrap needed help. Rumpel quickly ran off to go find some help.

She skidded into a small hole in the junk. All of the cats looked up as she flew into some cans and frantically looked around.

"Rumpel, dear, are you ok? Have you seen Macavity?" Jennyanydots said, rushing over to the kitten.

"HelpneedMunkustrapMacavityfight." Rumpel panted.

Alonzo stood up, "What? Macavity and Munkustrap are fighting?"

Rumpel nodded. Alonzo and a few other toms hurriedly got up and followed Rumpel to the fight. Now, not only were Macavity and Munkustrap fighting, but Mungojerrie and Stalinclaw were throwing a few blows as well.

Macavity had Munkustrap pinned down. Macavity looked up and saw the group Rumpel had managed to pull together. He smiled and bringing his fingers to his lips he let out a loud ear-piercing whistle. Suddenly, five huge dogs surrounded the toms.

"Pollicles?" Munkustrap groaned, "You allied with dogs?"

"I knew they would come into use someday." Macavity said with an evil smirk, "Now, where were we? Ahh, yes, you were losing." Macavity and Munkustrap continued on with their fight.

As for Mungojerrie, he wasn't doing too well. Being so beat up as he was, every attack from Stalinclaw was murder for him but he continued to fight. He was thrown into a pile of junk. Sharp object slicing his back into a million pieces. He tried to get up but Stalinclaw put his foot down on his chest. He could feel his back breaking in pain.

"Aw, is our little Mungojerrie hurt?" Stalinclaw sneered. He pressed his foot harder. Mungo let out a small whimper. Stalinclaw laughed.

"Hey!" An angry voice yelled out behind the black cat.

He turned to see Rumpelteazer standing there, back arched and fur on end.

"Pick on someone your own size!" She hissed.

"Ok." Stalinclaw said shoved Mungojerrie even more.

Rumpel growled and jumped on Stalinclaw, hissing, biting and scratching. She was fairly successful until she got thrown off, but by then Mungo had regained some strength and gotten up. Then Mungo and Rumpel continued to fight Stalinclaw.

"Scratch their noses!" Alonzo yelled swiping at a large brown dog's face.

"Can I zap them instead?!" Misto yelled back being licked by another dog.

"I don't know!" Alonzo said rather agitatedly.

Suddenly a bright green flash filled the air followed by loud crack. The dog that had been licking Misto yelped and ran away. The other dogs, scared by the loud noise, scrambled off also.

"Misto! Zap Macavity!" Plato said, pointing to where Munkustrap and Macavity still fought.

Misto produced a large golden looking spark towards the ginger cat but it seemed to bounce away like he had an invisible shield. Misto looked down at his paws in confusion.

"Shoot him again." Alonzo said.

"I can't. He's using a protection spell." Misto replied in thought.

"Macavity knows magic?" Tugger asked.

Misto nodded, "Yes and he's far more advanced than me."

"Dude. I wanna know magic." Tugger grumbled.

"You already do." Alonzo mumbled, "You can get every queen in the junkyard under your spell."

Tugger laughed. "Heh! So I do!" He slicked back his hair.

"Hello! Guys! I think we need to be helping Munkustrap here!" Plato said rushing over to where the two toms were fighting.

"Right." Alonzo and the other toms followed Plato.

Macavity was slammed to the ground, Munkustrap towering over him. "Macavity, give up. You're out numbered."

Macavity glared up at the tom and looked at the rest of the faces glaring back at him. "I'll never give up. This is just the beginning and I'll be back. You best be watching out, brother, I'll be there when you least suspect it." With that the tall cat snapped his fingers and he and Stalinclaw disappeared.

"Is he gone?" Alonzo asked.

"What does it look like, dork?" Tugger replied.

"Well, I-"

"Guys." Plato said quietly. Tugger and Alonzo stopped and looked over. Rumpel was holding her brother in her arms, crying. He had collapsed and his breathing was undetectable. Munkustrap slowly made his way over to the two calicos. Rumpel looked up and wiped some of her tears away. Munkustrap kneeled down, grabbed his arm, and placed two fingers on his main vein in his wrist.

"Is-iis-ish-he" Rumpel sniffled looking at the grey tabby through tear filled eyes.

"No." Munkustrap said with a slight smile, "No, he's just passed out. You've got one lucky brother."

Rumpel threw her arms around Munkustrap and continued to cry but this time she was crying with joy.

~*~

Rumpel paced back and forth outside Jennyanydots' infirmary door, which was really a rather beat up old refrigerator box. It had been exactly one week since the Macavity incident and Mungojerrie was supposed to be let out today. Rumpel was very excited because she had only been able to visit her with her brother for a few minutes everyday and he was always asleep whenever she had come. She tried to peer into the box but Jenny quickly shooed her away and told her to be patient. Giving up she sat down on a spool of thread outside the entrance.

"Has he come out yet?" Munkustrap asked the queen walking over.

"No, and Jenny's not letting me come in." She grumbled.

Munkustrap gave out a little chuckle. "Don't worry so much about it, you will be the first he will want to see."

Rumpel sighed and shuffled some dirt around with her foot. A few minutes passed and much to Rumpel's dismay her brother still hadn't come out. "Where is he?" She asked impatiently.

"Roigh' 'ere."

Rumpel looked up and saw her brother standing there smiling back at her. She screamed and pounced on her brother, hugging him.

"Well, Oi feeyl lyoike Tugga'." Mungo managed to cough out.

She giggled. "You're ok!" She said nuzzling him.

"Ov cours'." Mungo chuckled. Mungo looked up at Munkustrap. He held out a paw and smiled. Munkustrap took it and they shook hands. "Thoanks."

"You're welcome." Munkustrap said, "I'm just glad you made it."

"Oi yam toowe." Mungo laughed.

Suddenly a small brown and white fur ball knocked Mungo over once more. Catching a glimpse of his attacker, Mungo smiled.

"I told you I'd get you!!" Pouncival said.

"Oi dedn' knowe wie wer' still playin'."

"I wasn't going to stop until I finally tagged you. Soooyou're it!!" Pouncival hopped off and raced out of the clearing.

Rumpel helped her brother up. "Oh, Pouncival. What are we going to do with him?" Rumpel sighed.

"Oi'm gunna gowe chaise 'im." Mungo said mischeviously.

"But Jenny said you can't-"

"'ey 'ey 'ey! Duz Jenny ruon dis loife ov moine?" Mungo said, "Nowe. Oi dowe. An' Oi plahn ta keeip et dat waye."

"Eh-hem." Munkustrap said, crossing his arms.

Mungo let out a sigh. "Roigh'. Well, neva'moind." Mungo looked down at his feet.

"I give you full permission," Munkustrap said quietly so Jenny wouldn't hear from inside the infirmary, "to do whatever you want" He stopped to think about what he just said before quickly adding, "Well, within reason."

Mungo looked up at the tabby to see if he was joking. Sure enough, he wasn't. Mungo smiled. "Thoanks, guv!"

"Don't mention it. Now go, before Jenny gets on to me about you." Munkustrap whispered.

Mungo looked at Rumpel. She smiled. Then the two tore off after Pouncival. He laughed and as Mungo ran with his sister, he felt free for one of the first times in his life.
Free and happy.

The End