The violet-black queen blinked her purple eyes several times before cautiously sneaking furtive glances around the back of the pile of trash that was in front of her. Even though she used a cloaking spell, the tribe still had three magical cats and she couldn’t get caught. She waited until she was sure the tom was asleep and then she sent out her powers to see how every other cat in the Jellicle Junkyard was faring. Nothing was stirring, but just to be on the safe side, she laid a sleeping spell on all the cats that were in the junkyard. They weren’t all there for she knew that some had homes. Oh yes. She knew almost everything about everybody in the junkyard. Particularly the calico tom. He was perfect for her needs. For unbeknown to him, he had a type of power. Power that she needed, but it would only come in the heat of the moment. And she would see to it that when that time came that she would be the one to be around and harvest it.

After taking precautions, something her ‘boss’ had seemed to forget over the years, she crept up to the tom’s den. After darting glances back and forth, she stepped inside and curled her lip up in disgust. Gross… bachelor toms’ homes left something to be desired. They were so extremely messy. He needed a mate. She smiled to herself as her long, sharp silver teeth glinted in the moonlight. She supposed the effect might be similar to the teeth of a vampire. And she would give him one… but not just yet. She needed a little time for the magic to work. All she needed before she’d appear to the Jellicles was a week. After that, he would be hers. She reached into her cloak and brought out a small black bag. She took out the jewel that was concealed in it. She would have put the spell on it back at HQ, but that would only increase her chances of getting caught. Not that she’d been caught more than twice.

Her reputation was almost as notorious as Macavity’s. But her boss didn’t need to know that. He was getting along in years and had lost some of the fire that had given him his reputation. Also, his lust and desire for Demeter had driven him into insanity. So much so that for the past 5 years, she was all he’d think about. With him occupied, the dark queen could do as she pleased. Well…if she thought about it honestly, she was allowed to do what she wanted… within reason. But, because of her status, ‘within reason’ was whatever she felt like doing. It was now her that majority of the henchcats bowed to; not that over-obsessed weak tom who was supposedly the best criminal ever. She sneered slightly at the thought of him. But he didn’t need to know that. When she killed him, then she would tell him and that would be his last thought before he died. But now to focus on the task at hand. She only had a limited time frame to complete the task. For at that exact time, magic was the strongest.

She calmed her mind and touched the diamonds on her tail to the stone that she held in her hand and softly whispered in a foreign tongue over it. Then she set it down beside the tom. She wobbled a bit as the effects of using the magic sunk in, but she soon got over it. She silently cursed herself for the tiny lose of control. She couldn’t afford that. Not now, while she was so close to accomplishing her goal. She smiled as she looked him over, memorizing his body, every curve, every muscle, every strong spot, and every weak spot. He looked so handsome in repose. After she set the stone beside him, she leaned down and gently kissed his forehead. She felt a thrill rush through her own body and a silly smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She knew the spell was in place and that nobody would ever suspect anything because of the guards that she placed on it. Any cat ‘looking,’ no matter how hard they tried, would only find the stones’ natural power. She whispered softly as she silently slunk away, “Sleep well my love. I’ll see you soon. Meantime, (starts to sing) Think of me, think of me fondly, when I say goodbye. Think of me trying too hard to put you from my mind… think of me waiting silent and resigned. Wait for me, Mungojerrie.” The bit of song completed the spell. She used music as much as she could because for some reason it seemed to make the spell more potent. It also had a calming influence on her nerves, which could become very frazzled by her work. She was, however, nearly adept at controlling them, but sometimes she needed something calming. She swirled her cloak around her and pulled her mask straight. Then whispering the cloaking spell, she disappeared into the night, leaving a spicy, wildflower scent and a fat rat behind her.