He then kissed her cheek and neck then held her close. "Munkustrap?"
"Chryssie?"
"Where are the others?"
"They're around."
"Should the lights have been off this long?"
"Actually now that you mention it, no."
"I have a feeling we're in for another one." He sighed and rested his head against her shoulder.
"They'll never give you and me the opportunity for "Us" do they?"
"I'm afraid not." They got to their feet and walked out into the late night air. There they saw Mistoffelees.
"Where are the others Mistoffelees?"
"They aren't inside?"
"Well no one bothered us, when usually I think someone would ask Chryssie what she thought of the show."
"I'll put in the lights in there. You guys go ahead and go on in again and see if you guys can find them." They agreed.
Once inside Chryssie whispered to Munkustrap
"It just seems too quiet. I wonder where Rum Tug Tugger or Jemima are."
"Tugger and Jemima will be hanging around here." The lights flickered on. Munkustrap and Chryssie looked up and saw Jemima and Tugger and all the other cats caught in nets and screaming. Yet there was no sound.
"By the Heaviside, Munkustrap do you see them, they can't generate sound."
"That's right, my plan worked perfectly." A voice said behind them. They turned and saw Mistoffelees behind them grinning evilly.
"Mistoffelees? What's going on here, what are you doing?"
"Catching all you cats and returning them to Macavity." Suddenly a net appeared and engulfed Munkustrap and Chryssie.
"Munkustrap!" Chryssie cried out.
"I will get rid of you two personally. Lets see, there are two missing. Demeter is out, but I'll catch her quickly. Hmm where's Mistoffelees? Never mind, I'll get him to come to me."
Munkustrap and Chryssie looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces. They both gasped and saw Mistoffelees' face and coat melt off to reveal Nakcheem.
Then he whirled around, and his figure became slim and feminine. Soon Chryssie and Munkustrap were looking at a carbon copy of Chrychaesa.
"No!"
"Oh yes, my dear, in result of revenge for you murdering my sweet Arsenic. You both have been a pain in our sides and you just had to take her didn't you, you devil she-cat! It's also the same with you and Rawtawny, because of you, Rawtawny is dead. Demeter should have been ours a long time ago, but you just had to get in the way. But it will end shortly. I'd better put the same spell of sound on you as I did on the others. You can hear each other on the inside but not out." He then laughed cruelly and flounced out as Chrychaesa.
"This is bad, not only for us, but for the entire Jellicle clan. Don't you see? If there is no clan to guide, there is no ever lasting cat, if there's no everlasting cat, there's no Jellicle ball. If there's no Jellicle ball, then there is no point to Jellicles. If he succeeds in this, then that's the end of the Jellicle tribe."
"Thanks for scaring me Chryssie."
"Sorry." She sank down to her knees in despair. "Munkustrap, I don't know what to do, I have never known a fear like this before. It's too great for me to handle."
He faced her on his knees and put his paws on her shoulder blades. "Chryssie, we'll get out of this. I promise you. It will come." She reached up with her paws and took his and just held them. Then suddenly she started to sing.
"Now on a peaceful summer night, all nature was at play. The tender moon was shining bright, the barge at Molsey lay. All in the balmy moonlight it lay rocking on the tide and Growltiger was disposed to show his sentimental side." Her words echoed off the invisible walls. She continued as if not caring.
"In the forepeak of the vessel Growltiger stood alone.." Munkustrap came in
"Concentrating my attention on the lady Griddle bone, and my raffish crew were sleeping in their barrels and their bunks..."
"As the Siamese came creeping in their Sampans and their junks." They sang together, then Munkustrap quieted as Chryssie sang “Growltiger had no eye or ear for aught but Griddlebone."
"And the lady seemed enraptured by my manly baritone." The echo became very great when they sang together.
"Disposed to relaxation and awaiting no surprise."
"But the moonlight shone reflected from a thousand bright blue eyes. And closer still and closer the Sampans circled 'round and yet from all the enemy there was not heard a sound. The foe was armed with toasting forks and cruel carving knives and the lovers sang their last duet in danger of their lives."
Chryssie fell silent as Munkustrap sang beautifully. The echo became a violent vibration.Soon Chryssie made it a duet. When they hit the high A together the walls seemed to shudder. When they hit the high A a second time, the walls broke and they fell to the floor.
Two of Macavity's guards rushed forward and clamped their paws over the couple's mouths and dragged them into the shadows.
Soon they saw Mistoffelees being led in by the false Chrychaesa. Munkustrap got as close to Chryssie's guard as he could and then stomped down with all his weight on his foot.
He dropped Chryssie and she screamed at the top of her lungs "Mistoffelees, It's a trap! It's Nakcheem!"
The guard clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her off, she was still struggling hard.
Mistoffelees though, had received her message and fired a bolt at the fake Chrychaesa who hadn't had been expecting it. It hit her and she then bent down. Her fur melted away and revealed Nakcheem who snarled and fired bolts at Mistoffelees. He dodged them all.
Munkustrap in the mean time was struggling with his guard. He got a paw free and then knocked the guard down. He then took off after Chryssie.
Mistoffelees fired lightning which blocked a fatal bolt of Nakcheem's. He then tried a disappearing trick. He grabbed his red sheet and whirled it over himself. Nakcheem fired a blast and it hit the red sheet dead on.
"Ha, ha, ha! Your beloved Mistoffelees is dead!"
"Not really Nakcheem." Mistoffelees' voice echoed around the room. All the captured cats looked about them, for they couldn't see him. His voice seemed to be everywhere. "Now is this a magician's trick Nakcheem? Is this an illusion? Maybe perhaps it's real? Where am I Nakcheem? I'm right behind you!" Nakcheem turned and fired.
"No, I'm to your left!" Nakcheem turned and fired bolts.
"No Dummy, your other left!" He turned the other way and fired. Still there was no one. Mistoffelees taunting laughter echoed in the halls.
Munkustrap ran hard and fast. He had to find Chryssie. He then heard her scream "Munkustrap!" He followed the echo of her voice and saw the guard forcing her into a boat.
He then attacked the guard. The guard dropped Chryssie and prepared for the attack. Chryssie saw his razor sharp claws ready to plunge into Munkustrap and she leaped and turned the paw away, so Munkustrap wouldn't end up like Arsenic.
The guard then picked her up by the scruff of her neck and lifted her up so she dangled helplessly. The pain was so great that she had to lean her head back. The guard then got ready to claw her throat. Munkustrap threw himself into the guards feet knocking him off balance and sending Chryssie flying.
She landed off the side and held on to the dock for dear life, because right under her was a rushing river, and if one fell in, that would mean their doom.
The boys tussled for a while.
Chryssie started to pull herself up.
The guard saw this as a perfect opportunity and then knocked her claws out of the wood of the dock. She managed to catch herself. She was then dangling there and then she saw Munkustrap's paw reaching down to her. She took it and drew herself up, but then fell as Munkustrap was hurled over. She held tight to both him and the dock.
Munkustrap was dangling from her arm, and she was dangling from the dock.
She pulled Munkustrap up and soon he was hanging next to her on the dock.
The guard then peered over the edge of the dock and laughed cruelly as he prepared to take the final swipe on Chryssie. No matter what Munkustrap did, he couldn't get to her in time.
"Chryssie." He said and the paw came down on her. He saw her swing and he saw the guard fall into the rapid waters. He pulled himself over the dock and stood on the edge.
"Chryssie!" Munkustrap desperately called.
Chryssie couldn't hear him call. She had swung underneath the dock where he couldn't see her and the roar of the river was too great. She then climbed over the edge where she saw Munkustrap in a crumpled heap. She heard sobbing.
She knelt down behind him and tenderly put her paws on his shoulder and and on his opposing ribcage. He looked up and she saw his tear stained face.
She smiled gently at him, then held him as he quickly enfolded her in his arms. There she let him cry.
Mistoffelees quietly crept behind Nakcheem and then gathered his power and zapped him hard. Nakcheem went flying but was on his feet again looking around desperately.
"Have you figured it out yet Nakcheem?" Nakcheem was tired. So Mistoffelees reappeared before him to finish. "Better?" He asked and then frantically dodged the raining lightning that Nakcheem stormed at him.
A lightning bolt hit him in his knee and he fell. Soon Nakcheem was upon him.
"Mistoffelees!" Chryssie cried, running out of the shadows with Munkustrap.
Nakcheem turned and said gleefully.
"You're too late!" But when he turned around to finish off Mistoffelees, Mistoffelees fired a bolt right into him. Again and again he fired, and Nakcheem fell.
Mistoffelees was out of breath and he had an acrimonious look on his face.
"Now Nakcheem, you know that there never was or never will be a cat as clever as Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!"
"Arsenic, I failed you. But wherever you are, I'll be there shortly." And then Nakcheem collapsed and then his soul left the earth.
Mistoffelees looked at him a moment then fell over, exhausted. The spell of Nakcheem broke and all the cats came to the floor. They all huddled around Mistoffelees.
"Is he going to be all right Tugger?" Jemima asked Tugger with tears in her eyes for she thought very highly of Mistoffelees.
"He should Jemima. He should be." But even Tugger's voice was wavy, and he could barely keep it above a whisper.
"He's exhausted. Use of that much power at a time exhausted him. All he needs is sleep." Tantomile confirmed and she and Coricopat picked up Mistoffelees and carried him to his place.
Munkustrap stood beside Chryssie and she took his paw and lead him to his cave, so that they could relax from all the danger they had witnessed.
"Chryssie, I was so afraid back there. I thought I had lost you." Munkustrap said quietly.
"Munkustrap, I know. I just didn't think I meant that much to you."
"You do."
He looks so scared, Chryssie thought. He's just standing there and he looks like he needs something, and I know what that is.
Chryssie then walked up to Munkustrap and wrapped her arms around him and leaned into him. She rested her head on his shoulder and rocked him back and forth. She could hear his heart beating quickly.
He quickly wrapped around her and held her tight, so tight as if he didn't want to let go.
It would probably be impossible for him to sleep tonight, Chryssie thought. I'll stay awake with him, all night if I have to and I will be by him always.
She then kissed his neck and his cheek, reached her paws up to his face, turned it towards her and kissed him, lacing her arms about his neck and giving him as much love and tenderness she felt for him. He reminded her of a little lost kitten who needed love and warmth.
She then withdrew her kisses. She felt his velvet paws about her and he kissed her shortly again and again. She wanted to keep kissing him forever, because he seemed to need it so much.
"Hello?" Jemima's timid voice echoed along the cave walls.
"Yes Jemima?" Chryssie answered.
"Mistoffelees is awake and he wants to see you."
"All right." She said and detangled herself from Munkustrap's arms but she made sure that he came with her because she knew he needed her.
Mistoffelees was lying down, and he immediately raised his head and sat up when Chryssie and Munkustrap entered.
"Chryssie, I wanted to thank you for warning me."
"It was nothing Mistoffelees. You were our last hope."
"I'm glad we worked together to keep the Jellicles alive."
They fell silent. Mistoffelees seemed to be hopeful.
"Oh, and Mistoffelees," Chryssie said as she turned with Munkustrap to leave, "You did real good out there."
"Thank you." He said happily then fell asleep.
Chryssie and Munkustrap walked back to his cave.
"You know we aren't going to sleep tonight." Munkustrap said.
"I think I know a way. Come on." She said and led him out of the site.
She took him to the tree by the lake and there they lay down in the soft dust.
Soon they were cuddled up close and asleep.
