Author`s Note: This is my first attempt at a serious fanfic, and I would really really appreciate feedback at catgirl1121@yahoo.com I have a couple more chapters written, but I don`t know if its worth putting up the rest of it, seeing as there are about a million other Demeter stories out there, and its very looooong. I hope you brought popcorn, for no other reason that popcorn is cool. And now that I am finished, I hope you enjoy reading the fic! This fic is © Cymbelline aka L.Price I do not own CATS or RUG etc etc
The cat stretched in her basket as the first rays of the day fell throiugh the window on her face. She lay still for a moment, gazing up at the ceiling before stretching again happily and padding out of her bed.
She was about to wake up her humans and demand breakfast, but suddenly she stopped and looked outside.
*I haven`t hunted for ages,* she thought. *And I could really eat a small bird round about now.*
Turning abruptly, she ran down the hallway and stepped through her cat door. She stopped for a moment in the sunlight. It was going to be a beautiful day. She walked down the street, taking in the smells, and feeling the breeze gently ruffle her fur.
Suddenly a strange smell caught her nose. She stood, considering it. Then she ran up a tree. If her nose had told her correctly, the origin of the smell was walking her way, and if she hid in her tree, she could watch him without his seeing or smelling her. She settled down on a branch and waited.
She didn`t have long to wait. In a few minutes, she saw a scruffy ginger cat walking along her street. He looked as if he was looking for something. A wave of anger rose in the watching cat. How dare this intruder come to her street and walk past her house.
*The Major could sort him out,* she thought. But looking at the muscles on the red cat, she felt doubt creeping in. The Major was a dear old cat, and very kind to her, but he had a tendency to fight if he was provoked, and fight well. Still, he ws getting old, and this new cat looked very strong....
She was so busy in her thoughts, she didn`t notice the ginger cat stopping just past her tree.
?Lila, you`re not being very polite. Why don`t you come down, and say hello to me?? a smooth voice broke in her musings. Before she stopped to consider, Lila raced down the tree and jumped in front of him. Her beautiful black and gold rippled fur was standing on end, and her eyes, usually calm pools of liquid gold, were wide and astonished.
?How did you know my name?? she hissed, dragging one red paw continuously across the ground. The stranger eyed her with amusement.
?Lila? Lila doesn`t really count as a name, does it? It`s the one your humans gave you.?
?Still,? she said, recovering her breath. ?How did you know??
?A magician, my dear, will never reveal his secrets.? He gazed at her for a moment, taking in her confusion and looking her up and down. When she said nothing, he seemed irritated.
?Well? Aren`t you going to give me your second name??
She paused for a moment before replying.
?Demeter.?
He nodded, smiling. ?And mine`s Macavity.? He grabbed her paw and kissed it. ?How do you do, Demeter??
?I`m alright,? she replied, blushing. There was an awkward silence between them before a third voice reached them.
?Demeter! Demeter!? A golden cat rushed up to her, knocking them both over. ?Ooo, you little flirt, Demi. Who`s this?? She eyed Macavity.
Demeter laughed. ?You`re the flirt in this outfit, Bella.? She purred and rubbed her head against her friend, a gesture which the golden cat returned.
?Bellaccira, this is Macavity, I met him a few minutes ago. Macavity, this is my friend Bellaccira.? She waited as the two cats sniffed each other. They drew back, and exchanged the usual pleasantries, but neither seemed particularly thrilled with the other.
?Macavity, why don`t I introduce you to the other cats who live here?? Demeter suggested.
?Oh, yes,? he replied, smiling. ?I`d love to.? He turned to Bellaccira. ?Are you coming with us??
?What? Oh, um, no. I`m meeting Augustus for breakfast. I`ll see you later.? She backed away and whispered to Demeter, ?Watch yourself, Demi, there`s something about him I don`t trust.?
Demeter grinned. ?Okay, Bella.?
Bellaccira stalked off, and Demeter turned to Macavity who was lost in thought. *He is quite good looking in a certain light,* she reflected.
?Coming??
?Yes, I am.? He smiled again. ?I was ust thinking how pretty you looked back there.?
?Oh....? Demeter was unsure of what to say, so she said nothing. When she looked up, Macavity was looking his paws. He didn`t seem embarassed, just thoughtful.
*What a strange cat,* Demeter thought to herself.
*I am, aren`t I?* A strange voice brokje in on her thoughts. *But I hope it`s not disagreeable to you.*
She spun around angrily. ?Don`t you dare pry into my thoughts, Macavity. My thoughts are private.?
He looked astonished. ?Sorry, Demeter,? he murmured.
?It`s alright,?she said calming down, ?but please don`t ever do it again.?
?Deal,? he agreed, and together they walked on in silence until the Major`s house, the first visit of many that morning.
Laughing, Demeter and Macavity exited hurriedly through a cat flap, before the door was flung open by an angry human.
?Disgusting cats! Don`t you ever come back here, you hear??
?Disgusting cat, don`t you ever come back here, you hear?? mimicked Macavity perfectly, sending Demeter into fresh fits of laughter.
?Mac! I don`t think relieving yourself in my humans favourite plant pot is the best way to endear yourself to her,? she said, giggling.
?Really?? replied Macavity with mock surprise. ?I thought it went down rather well, didn`t you??
They rolled around in hysterics before sitting up weakly.
?Have we got much further to go, Demeter? I don`t think my poor, laughter-weakened legs could take it.?
?That was the last one.?
?Good,? he pretended to collapse on the floor. ?Just how many cats do you know? I thought we`d never make it to the end.?
?Well when you`ve lived here as long as I have, you get to know everyone. I`ve lived here all my life.?
?How old are you??
?Three and a bit. I`ve been an adult for three months.?
?I was wondering. You seemed too small for an adult, but I couldn`t believe you were a kitten...?
?I should hope not,?Demeter replied, half joking, half indignant. ?The best things come in small packages.?
?Is that so??
?YES!? Saying that, she pounced on him. After they had a mock fight, and Macavity pinned her, he said,
?You know what? I`m hungry.?
?Well, you`re not eating me,? said Demeter, struggling to get out from underneath him. This just made him lie all the more heavily on top of her.
?How do you feel about.....turkey?? [Yes, I know. But I had to make it a bit weird.]
?Turkey? That`s horrible. I had some at Christmas, and ??
?Christmas turkeys are horrible. They taste and smell strange. But normal, raw turkey is delicious. Especially if you`ve killed it yourself.? He licked his lips. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse of concentration, Demeter slipped out from under him.
?When have you hunted turkey?? she teased. ?They`re twice as big as you.?
"Never underestimate me, my dear.? Demeter raised an eyebrow but said nothing. ?You wait here, and I`ll be back soon.?
?Where are you going? To kill a turkey??
?Something like that.? He grinned mysteriously. ?Now, no more questions.?
?But you haven`t actually given me any information. So how am I supposed to find anything out??
He turned around and smiled. ?Are you always this inquisitive??
?Yes.?
He walked back to her.
?Sit down,? he pushed her hindquarters into the grass.
?And shut up.? He closed her open mouth about to say something. ?I`ll be back soon.? He walked off unhurriedly. Demeter rolled her eyes, and curled up. She was suddenly sleepy.
?Well, well, what`s this? Sleeping on the job? Disgraceful, Demeter!?
One tightly closed lid opened to reveal a sleep-clouded eye. ?Hmmm? What??
?I wasn`t away that long.?
?I wouldn`t know.? Demeter got up and stretched. ?I was just tired all of a sudden.?
?Oh, well, this is nice! I go to all this trouble to get you a nice meal, and look at this. Asleep!?
?Oh, I`m so ashamed,? Demeter mumbled. Then her eyes flew wide open. ?Everlasting Cat! That`s our lunch??
?That`s right,? Macavity unsheathed one claw and examined it carefully. ?Considering what a busy morning we had, and that you didn`t have any breakfast, I thought we should have a treat.?
?That was a good idea!? Demeter sprang up and rushed over to him purring. ?But how on earth did you manage to carry all this stuff?? Her eyes touched on the huge turkey, bloody liver, and came to rest on the two tins of Kitty Kibbles as a light starter.
?Demeter, I think I`ve already told you not to underestimate me.?
?True...?
?Now, before that inquisitive mind of yours starts working again ? let`s eat.? He picked his way through the grass and inspected the two tins before plunging a claw into the metal and dragging a hole large enough for the dried food to tumble through onto the grass. Demeter`s jaw dropped as she watched him coolly check his claw and tip the tins over onto the floor. He was about to start eating when his head snapped up.
?I didn`t get all this for myself. Are you eating??
?Yes it`s just...I`ve never...?
?The can trick? Oh, that`s peculiar to me. I had to learn, or else I wouldn`t have survived.? He was very matter-of-fact.
?What?? Demeter was stupefied.
?Oh........you don`t know, do you? I forgot.? Macavity creased his brow in thought for a second before dismissing it with a wave of his paw. ?I`ll tell you later.?
Demeter just shook her head. But she was too hungry to think about it any further, and she could detect delicious smells coming from the food. Banishing all thought, she bent her head down, and under Macavity`s watchful gaze, began to eat.
?That.....was.....gorgeous,? Demetr lay down her back, unable to move. ?But I Think I`ve eaten too much.?
?Me too,? came the answering groan. She looked over a few yards to where Macavity was leaning against a tree.
?Mac? I`m going home. I think I need to sleep this off.? He nodded wordlessly, and they crawled to Demeter`s house a few streets away.
?Demeter, do you feel like going out tonight??
She nodded, eyes closed. ?Sure.?
?I`ll see you at the Dog and Partridge at moonrise, then.?
?Mmm-hmm. Bye Mac.?
?Bye Demeter,? Macavity stalked off. As she watched him, he ran into a rat.
*Rats?* Demeter thought. *What are they doing here?* She saw Macavity and the rat exchange a few words, before Macavity let out a howl of rage and slammed the rat into a lamp post. Macavity bounded off, hissing, while the rat twitched a few times and then lay still.
Demeter froze. How could it be that Macavity just killed a rat? Not only had a rat nearly killed her as a kitten, but she couldn`t understand how anyone could just kill in cold blood like that. And ha had seemed so nice to her.
An unnaturally cold breeze swirled along the street. Demeter shivered and stepped inside. She curled up in her basket and immediately went to sleep.
At moonrise a once again slim and graceful shadow slipped along the backstreets of London. It stopped at a rowdy pub with a hunting picture outside then leapt up a drainpipe and climbed onto the roof.
The moonlight shone into warm golden eyes. Demeter lay down and gazed at the stars, waiting for her date.
?Demeter?? She heard the familiar voice and ran towards it purring.
?Hi, Mac. Where have you been? I`ve been waiting here ages.? She pushed her lips into a mock pout, but he just seemed annoyed.
?I`m sorry, Demeter, but some unavoidable business has just come up. We`ll go out some other time.?
?Business??
?Yes, for the Everlasting Cat`s sake, business. Do you have to question everything I do?? Macavity`s eyes flashed.
Demeter`s eyes also flashed. ?Of course not. Now, if you`ll excuse me, Macavity, I have to be going.? She glided over to only point of the roof where an exit was possible, and stopped. Macavity had stalked over and planted himself there.
?Just where do you think you`re going, Demeter?? he said quietly.
?Well, I`m not staying around here to be yelled at.?
?No?? He seemed genuinely surprised. ?How are you going to leave??
Demeter was silent. Macavity began to laugh.
?What`s the matter with you, Mac? Why won`t you let me go??
?Because I don`t want to,? he replied, eyes glittering.
Demeter was angry. ?Is that supposed to pass for an excuse?? she yelled.
?Yes.?
?Well, it doesn`t. It`s pathetic.?
His eyes flashed. ?Are you saying I`m pathetic??
?No, of course..? *He is so paranoid. He really is pathetic.* ?Well actually, yes, I am.?
Macavity was incensed. ?How dare you say that??
?How dare you treat me like this? I`m not dirt.?
Macavity circled her. ?Careful, Demeter. I`ve killed for less than that.?
?Ooo, aren`t we macho??
Macavity finally lost his temper. He slashed Demeter`s shoulder. It started to bleed.
Demeter cried out in pain. Macavity seemed bewildered, but at what, she couldn`t tell.
?Demeter.? She turned away, so he wouldn`t see her tears.
?Demeter, I`m sorry. I`ve never said that to anyone, and I mean it.? She backed up a few steps.
?Demeter ?? He reached out to touch her, but the second his paw brushed her fur, she bolted for the spot he had just left vacant. She leapt off the roof and disappeared into the shadows. All she could hear was Macavity`s voice shouting ?Demeter!? and her tears streaming down her cheeks.