Victoria grabbed Mistoffelees and pulled. Within a few seconds he was on the riverside and gasped. He shook his body which was all wet and gave a short look at Victoria.
"Thanks," and he ran away.
He did not say 'thank you Victoria for saving me' he did not tell her why he had fallen into the river and he had not even nuzzled her. Victoria was stunned, perplexed. She decided to have a short conversation with the black and white. So she got to the junkyard and placed herself on the entry of Mistoffelees' hideout.
Mistoffelees stepped out soon:
"I'm alright, darling."
Victoria wanted to reply something until she noticed that he hadn't said this to her. Carickity followed Mistoffelees out of the hideout. Victoria kept quiet regarding Mistoffelees who placed himself in the sun.
"Le the sun dry the rest of my fur, Cary."
"And you are sure, you're alright?" Carickity swayed her head looking at Mistoffelees a bit worried. Than sauntered over to Mistoffelees licking the wet spots in his fur until she reached his face and liked it. Mistoffelees closed his eyes and smiled.
"Its okay, Cary. The sun will do the rest, you needn't anymore."
Carickity stopped the licking and looked again at Mistoffelees who still sat there with closed eyes. Than she went on licking the older tom.
"You're such a sweet little nuisance!" Mistoffelees moaned and rolled around to his back. "Before I forget it, I have a present for you, Carickity." Carickity rose her head and smiled from ear to ear.
"A present? Oh I love presents!" she licked crosswise over the white face and nuzzled him than jumped up and down in excitement. Mistoffelees himself got up with grin and went to the entry.
That was enough! Victoria left. She had saved him and Carickity got the present. How could he hurt her like that? Mistoffelees was always nice and friendly and now it seemed as if he had forgotten about Victoria. Carickity was really a nuisance but not sweet. This cat was the complete difference of Victoria. It was black, kittenish and never serious. It was an evil black devil. Cary's fur was really completely black, she had more black than Mistoffelees. Victoria could not imagine what Misto liked about Carickity. She was a kitten much younger than he was and she just behaves like a kitten. Since Carickity knew Mistoffelees she was always around him and Mistoffelees did not even seem to feel disturbed. Victoria hated the new kitten in the tribe because Mistoffelees always spoke about her. Carickity here, Carickity there... And she had stolen him! She had stolen 'toff.
The black nuisance thought everybody liked her but Victoria hated her. Cary did not notice. She always smiled and seemed happy and was not seeing what was going on outside her imaginations. How could she be the center of Mistoffelees thoughts? Mistoffelees deserved better!
Someone was coming. Victoria felt someone tapping over the yard quickly. The tapping was very noisy for a cat . It was the dreadful little nuisance coming over to her! Carickity's way to walk was far from elegance.
"Vicky! Vicky!"
"My name is Victoria!" she hissed back.
"I am sorry," Carickity smiled, "I have wonderful news, Victoria!"
"Oh what could that be?" Vicky replied with artificial excitement. Carickity did not notice it.
"Imagine... Mistoffelees and I, we are engaged!" Carickity smiled.
Victoria felt horrible. The black beast had grabbed Mistoffelees completely by now. How could Mistoffelees be that blind? Engaged with a kitten! Marrying that nuisance! Victoria kept control, she did not want to seem defeated while the dreadful nuisance was present.
"Oh. fine. For you," she replied innocently.
"Oh he is so nice. He gave me a ring! A real ring!" with that Cary ran off searching the next one to tell about the news.
Victoria jumped away and curled up in a corner to cry. How could Mistoffelees be that cruel? She wished Carickity would not exist.
Victoria awoke. She felt her fur being wet. She had cried. Slowly the memory came up again. Carickity,... Mistoffelees. She stood up and shook her had to throw the horrible thoughts away.
"That's the third time I dreamed about that Carickity and 'toff!" she said to herself. She felt the shock still existing inside her. "Victoria!" she rebuked herself. "Carickity does not exist!" than she decided that she could not go on like this and went to meet Munkustrap.
"Munkustrap! Have a moment?"
"For you always, Vicky."
"I have to talk about a dream and need someone to help me to understand it," Victoria declared to the gray cat.
"Anybody, but not me, Victoria! I am really bad in portending dreams. You should go see Mistoffelees. Magicians have feelings for dreams, I guess. Last time I tried to help someone with a dream I messed everything up. It is not my business. Go see Mistoffelees!" with these words he withdrew.
"No. Thanks, Munkustrap." Victoria replied quietly into the empty space and left.
She would certainly not go and see Mistoffelees. Not with that dream! She had to find someone else and decided to have a look at Jennyanydots. Jenny had always time for everybody.
"Jenny. Hello." Victoria greeted the leopard-spotted cat.
"Come in, Victoria. I did not see you for a long time. How are you, darling?" Jenny waved and shuffled Victoria inside.
"Oh, not too bad, Jenny. I just wished someone could help me with my dream. I had a terrible dream tonight and I do not know what it means." Victoria let the cat out of the bag and Jennyanydots laughed.
"I do not even know anything about my dreams. I am sorry Victoria but I am certainly the wrong address. I am more a practical cat than I am a spiritual one. I say you should get an expert. I heard Mistoffelees was good at helping with dreams. He one day helped even Deuteronomy portending his wise dreams."
"No! I cannot go to Mistoffelees, Jenny." Victoria moaned faintly but Jennyanydots seemed not to listen anymore. She had found a mouse in the house that was out of order and wanted to send it back to knitting. Without Jenny noticing it Victoria left the house.
She pondered who could help her. She knew only a few cats to whom she had a good relation and she thought she could not talk to everybody about her dream. She decided to address her friend Jemima. She got back to the junkyard and found Jemima talking with Etcetera. Jemima saw Victoria and greeted:
"Hello, Victoria."
"Hello Jemi. Say do you have a moment? I have to talk about my dreams. I mean, I do not understand them anymore."
"I can try, I think. I do not remember many of my dreams and I usually do not think about but anyway I can try to help you." Jemima agreed and Etcetera placed herself nosily at Victoria's site.
"I think a lot about my dreams," grinned Etcetra, "I mean, yesterday I dreamed about Tugger being my husband. Maybe this was an angury? Oh he is so wonderful! He makes you crazy with all this...woah!" Etcetra said dreamily, "but anyway, Victoria. Why don't you talk to Mistoffelees? I think he has a feeling for dreams, don't you?"
"Well, that's a perfect idea!" Jemima cheered, "I think, if you go and talk to 'toff he will certainly help you. We may interpret something wrong in your dreams but Misto won't! If you really ponder about your dreams you must take them seriously. So you need someone who understands that...strange, fantastic...world." Jemima looked very pleased. She was pleased with her speech, it sounded wise.
"I cannot go and see..." Victoria began
"What's the matter girls?" Mistoffelees leaped over the oven. Victoria's heart stopped beating for a moment when Etcetera burst out:
"Victoria has a dream to portend." before Victoria could stop her.
"Well, if you want to talk about it, Victoria...?" Mistoffelees replied kindly.
Jemima shoveled her into Misto's direction saying: "Oh I think that's perfect! He's the right address!" and a very perplexed Victoria followed Mistoffelees.
"Um...er...'toff, I think it is not important. Not that much."
"Oh, com'on Victoria. I'll help you. If you want to know what it means we have to think about it together. It won't help to flee."
"It's just...just....it appeared the third time now, that dream." Victoria stuttered.
"So it is more important. The Egyptian kings let every dream of them being portended and they reigned following their dream's advises. And, well, you're queen Victoria, aren't you?"
Victoria blushed but he did not notice. She pondered for a moment. 'Equal! I am gonna tell him. It's just a dream! Maybe less important than I think it is. He would be told about it anyway.' she thought and decided to tell Mistoffelees about her dream.
"Something is important about my dream, Misto."
"Please?" "Its... its... about you!"
Mistoffelees swallowed and nodded. Victoria laid down and took a deep breathe before she began.
"I had this dream now for the third time but... today it was the end, I think. I never have dreamed it this far before..."
She told Mistoffelees everything. About Carickity and the engagement and the ring... Mistoffelees was very confused when she finally stopped:
"...and than I thought this beast had stolen you and she ran away. That's when I awoke." Victoria breathed again and slowly rose her head to look at Mistoffelees. His cheeks were red and his eyes closed.
"Oof!" he gasped, "that's difficult. Didn't you try to interpret it yourself?" he tried to portend it without any influence of his own feelings.
"Yes, I tried to interpret it. I also asked a lot to help me but they all refused and said: Go and see Mistoffelees. Well, here I am."
"You said you thought about. It is necessary to think about it yourself. What is your conclusion? Have you a conclusion?"
Victoria turned red. She really had thought about it. Just before she had looked for Jemima. She could not tell him what she thought.
"I-I-I think it is nonsense, 'toff!" she finally answered.
"Nonsense? A dream is never nonsense. I mean, it could be some kind of fear about something. See, in every dream a person is a synonym for something. Maybe I was a synonym for your friends in the tribe... but I think Jemima would have been a better synonym for your friends and..." he desperately tried to interpret the dream somehow.
"Stop that!" Victoria claimed, "That has nothing to do with the tribe... I think it is just about you."
Mistoffelees stopped breathing for a moment but he somehow had expected that. He tried to go on interpreting the dream. He felt his heart beating faster but kept control.
"So you fear about me, Vicky?" he asked.
"Stop the portending. I think you know the conclusion, 'toff, do you?" Victoria asked him and it touched him deep inside. He did not know what to say because if he misunderstood anything she would leave. He answered:
"Maybe I feel the conclusion." He crept over to her to see her face. Her eyes were deep and beautiful. Victoria glanced in his dark eyes and she saw more feelings for her than she had expected from Mistoffelees.
"What do you think?" the black and white asked composed.
"I think I love you!" she answered.
"Maybe I had the same dream..." Mistoffelees replied and kissed her.