The cats and the moon - I/ TWO TRIBES

2. Recognition

Okay I might be way too impatient to wait a whole week soooo here's another one :)

"Eriva?"

Mistoffelees froze as he recognized the blue-grey queen behind Macavity, staring in disbelief. She couldn't be with him. She couldn't. There was no way... He just couldn't bring himself to believe she had been lying to him all along.

Among the raging battle, he cried out her name in desperation.

"Eriva!"

She heard, this time, and turned to him. Her eyes widened with shock and confusion.

"Misto?"

She looked from him to Macavity, then back to the small tuxedo cat. How were he and Macavity, the two cats who had ever helped her, not on the same side? How could he be in this tribe Macavity so despised? Desperate for answers, she stared at him, anguish filling up her eyes.

Time seemed to freeze. One by one, all the cats noticed the silent exchange that was going on between them. The battle paused. Macavity stepped over to her. When he spoke, his voice was cold.

"You know this cat?"

She nodded, unable to utter a word, then looked at him, her face pleading for answers. Macavity simply grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.

"Let's go."

"Wait! What... Why?"

"I shall explain when we get home."

His strength was irresistible. She turned to look at Misto, but only caught a glimpse of him as he stood watching after her with a hand extended in her direction, as if he were calling to her, before Macavity pulled her away. As soon as they were out of sight, Mistoffelees fell to his knees.

"Eriva..."

Jellylorum knelt next to him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"You know her?"

"She's my friend... Eriva... She lived in my neighbourhood, and... Her human was horrible to her... We would meet almost daily... I felt I... Helped her go through it... And then a couple of weeks ago she disappeared and I haven't seen her since..."

"I'm sorry, Misto... I think your friend is-"

"No!" he cut her off. "Don't say it! She can't be, she's so kind and innocent! He's... You saw how he treated her, you saw the look on her face! He's manipulating her!"

He was now looking pleadingly around at all the cats, who were circling around him.

"Please... We can't leave her... Please..."

His head fell, silent sobs shaking his body. Munkustrap knelt in front of him and kindly slipped a hand under his chin to make him look up.

"I'm sorry, Misto, but it's a risk we can't take. If a situation comes up, then we'll think about it, but for now it's too much danger to put the tribe in. Especially for someone who's not a Jellicle."

"And who, for all we know, could be one of Macavity's agents!" Asparagus put in dryly.

Misto didn't answer. His jaw clenched, he shook off the hands of both Munk and Jelly, and stayed there, motionless. One by one, the cats left, leaving him alone to his sorrow. Once he was alone, Mistoffelees gave in to his pain and buried his face in his hands, crying softly.

"Eriva..."