Mittens Part 7 (Patreon)

The next part of the story. Mitzy is back from Yibixus and has some explaining to do.

Mittens Part 7

As Lorelei and Lars look lovingly into each other’s eyes, I peer out the window as the wooden door to the shack starts to shake and rattle in the biting wind.

“Go now,” Lorelei says firmly, walking past Lars to look out at the weather.

“What about you?” Lars asks, showing deep concern for his love. “Do you have enough provisions in the shelter to ride out the plight?”

“Plight?” I ask.

“I do,” Lorelei responds to Lars first, then turns her attention to me. “Weather is extreme here now Mitzy. We call it the Plight, as nothing can live or grow when it appears.”

I look at Lars and see the worry in his eyes. “Get to the shelter Lorelei.”

Lorelei reaches up to Lar’s face and gently touches his whiskers. “I will my love! Promise me you will get Mitzy back to earth.”

“I promise,” he answers, closing his eyes to enjoy the touch of his love.

Just like that, Lorelei opens a small hatch in the floor. She franticly clambers inside the darkened hole and the two of them share another farewell. With a heavy heart, Lars closes the hatch behind her.

“Is she going to be, ok?” I ask, as he turns to look at me with watery eyes.

Lars nods. “She’s the toughest Grimalkin I know. I look forward to seeing her again, but we must get you[Sd1] home and start our mission.”

Exiting Lorelei’s small shack in the hill, I follow behind Lars as the wind hits us with bluster and deep howling noises. The strength of the wind is like nothing I’ve ever felt before! It’s like tornado fast winds without the tornado in sight!

Lars races ahead of me with his head down. He’s obviously dealt with this freak weather in his world before. I do my best to follow him, but I’m scared of how angry the weather has become.

Struggling to keep up with him as he darts from cover to cover, out of the wind, my hair is uncontrollable and flicking me in face.

“Argh,” I moan as we take cover behind a small mound.

Lars looks at me, but I can tell he can’t hear me over the sound of the howling wind. He points at the over at the dusty field we walked through to get here. I look over and narrow my eyes as the wind buffers my face.

Off in the distance, past the field, I see the small hill were we came into the is world. Lars then stands and gives me a confident smile. The door back to earth must be there.

Standing strong against the wind, he holds his hand out for mine. I look up at him as the wind blows me hair around like crazy. I take his hand and he helps me[Sd2] to my feet.

“This way!” he shouts over the loud roar of the wind.

Feeling my the skirt of my dress trying to ride up in the wind, I hold it down as best I can. “Okay!” I shout back, trusting him completely.

Holding my hand tight, he guides me through the savagely strong winds. Feeling like at any moment I could be blown away like a balloon, I’m pleased as we approach the hill.

As we stand on the top of the hill, I can barely keep myself up straight. I fall to the floor in front of Lars, unable to keep myself up against the onslaught of powerful gusts. Lars holds strong against it. I can see him fighting to stand.

Trying to look past my hair flicking around like crazy, I see no portal or doorway back to earth! I wanna shout to Lars that we need to get to cover.

Seeing me struggle, Lars gives me the quickest smile in a fleeting glance. Reaching for his sword, he pulls it from the sheath and holds it into the sky. He struggles to hold it up against the power of the wind, but he manages to keep it there!

Impressed, I watch the sword start to glow with a faint blue light. That’s when the rocks around me start to unexpectedly glow in the same soft color. A little scared, it makes me want to scramble up from the floor.

Looking back up at Lars, concerned, I watch him draw a perfect circle with the tip of his blade[Sd3] .

I watch on in awe as a darkened portal entrance appears in front of us. The ring of light holds strong as Lars points at the circle and holds out a paw to me.

Allowing him to pull me to my feet, I stand against the strong winds and look into the void of the door he’s created in front of me. I can see a small pin of light in the black void. That must be earth!

Not hesitating to push me towards it, my heart skips a beat as I take a single step into the void. To my surprise, I step onto solid ground that is so black and dark, I can’t even see it. It’s like I’ve entered a space devoid of any matter or light.

As I take another step into the dark, I look back at Lars to check if he’s following. Before I know it, I’m looking at his smiling face but he’s once again the Cat that I found under the table at my fathers work party.

Confused and bemused by the very sudden shift in reality, It takes me a second to realise that I’m now on my hands and knees, crawling again through the dank tyres at the end of the that sinister alleyway.

“Keep moving princess,” Lar purrs.

Brushing hair from my face with one hand, I scurry between the tyres towards the day light that streaming in.

Reaching the end of the tyre tunnel, I stand and brush down my sister’s dress. It’s a complete mess with dirty all down the front.

Lars looks up at me and laughs.

“What’s so funny,” I grumble, frowning at him.

Lars raises a paw and points at my hair[Sd4] .

Slowly reaching up, my hair is no longer neatly brushed and straight. It’s a complete shambles, blown into a bird’s nest by the plight’s strong winds.

“Ah Craaaaap,” I howl in frustration. “Mom’s going to kill meow if I go back to the party like this!”

Lars struts past me and sighs. “Stop worrying about such things.”

I watch him prowling like a tiger towards to the entrance to the always. Blows my mind that literally minutes ago he was standing strong against those savage winds and now he’s a normal looking cat.

“Hey Lars…?” I call out, following him. “Do you think Yibixus can be saved? That weather was like something from a disaster movie.”

Lar’s turns to look back at me as we approach the sidewalk attached to the alleyway. “All I have is hope,” he answers with the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

“And Lorelei!” I quickly respond.

“Don’t say her name!” Lar’s scolds in quick reply. “She needs to remain safe! You don’t know how much some of my kind are desperate to get hold of someone like her!”

“What do you mean?” I ask, worried I’d said something I shouldn’t[Sd5] .

Lars looks around cautiously, then turns his attention back to me. “Let’s get out of the open and back to the party. It’s the perfect back dropped for us to discuss things further without prying ears listening in.

“Prying ears?” I ask, unsure what he means.

“Come princess!” Lars replies. “Quickly, we’ve much more to discuss.”

I try to engage Lars in further conversation as we head back to the conference place my dads party is being held, but he doesn’t even humour me.

As we walk, I try to flatten my hair to best we can. How am I going to explain this!?

As the sound of laughter and music fills the air, we walk through the car park I’d chased Lars through hours earlier.

Heading towards the building, Lars walks beside me like a loyal pet.

“What am I going to tell everyone!?” I ask, stressing out as my hair doesn’t behave. I’m not used to having such bad hair days Lars! Remember, I’m not a girl!

“Shhh,” Lars replies. “Don’t talk to me out in the open.”

I blush. Talking to a cat is not going to help the crazy vibes I’ve got going right now. Plus, I’m supposed to be my sister right now. I don’t want to make everyone think she’s gone crazy.

“Liam…!” A voice squeaks as we approach the door.  It’s my sister!

I give her a smile as she bounds up to me from within the building. She looks stressed[Sd6] and displeased.

“Don’t smile at me like that – I’m so mad you abandoned me!” she scolds, looking up at my hair in shock. “Where have you been!? Backwards through a bush by the looks of it!”

Kerry looks down at Lars who is still following me. “And what’s with the cat!? Everyone keeps asking me if my sister has gone crazy! They’re talking about me Liam! They think I’m you! They think I’ve gone crazy!”

“This is Lars,” I reply nervously, scared by my sister’s irate expression.

“That’s a stupid name for a cat,” Kerry remarks, shaking her head. Kerry then reaches up to my hair and tries to flatten it down.

“Hmmm…, least it covers those cat ears,” she says, quickly realising It’s futile.

Looking past Kerry and into the party, I wonder if mom and dad know I’ve been gone.

“Kerry,” I ask, giving her a serious look. “Does mom and dad know I’ve been gone?”

“I don’t think so,” Kerry replies, looking back in the direction I’m staring in. “Dads been doing his usually and moms just been hanging around at the bar. Arrgh[Sd7] …it’s been awful. Every so often dad will introduce me to one of his work colleague’s daughters, expecting me to want to chat them up.”

I give her a confused look, then I remember she’s supposed to be me. I Gasp, knowing exactly how that feels. I feel so bad for her!

“Sorry,” I reply anxiously. “I saw Lars here and I had to follow him! He’s my only chance at becoming a boy again and not half grimalkin girl!”

“A w-what….?” Kerry questions instantly, giving me a bemused look.

Just as I go to answer, Mom appears from behind Kerry. She looks a little tipsy and her face is flush.

“Girls…?” she says, putting her hand on Kerry’s shoulders as she stares at me. “Mitzy…what have you…. been doing!?”

I again touch my messy hair and shrug. Mom then looks down at my dress.

“Have you been playing in the bushes!?” she laughs. “Don’t let your dad see you like this. He’s been telling everyone how pretty daughter is becoming!”

“He has!?” Kerry turns to mom with a big smile.

“Yeah,” mom grins. “Still, remember Mitzy here is you at the moment.”

“So, he doesn’t mean me?” Kerry sighs.

“Stop it Kerry,” mom laughs. “You’re just as cute as your new sister here.”

Kerry turns away and lets out a long breath. “I still can’t believe he can’t tell that Mitzy is not me.”

Mom then focuses her attention on Lars silently standing by my feet. Oh god I’m going to have to try and explain that he is my new pet! She hates cats!

She continues to stare a Lars for much longer than I’d expect without saying a single word.

“Well…..,” she says eventually, folding her arms tight. “Hello Lars.”

What!? She knows his name! How is that possible!?

“You know him!?” I screech, a little freaked out.

“Hello,” Lars purrs in reply. “Good to see you again, Morgan[Sd8] .”

“You know each other!?” I say as my eyes bolt wide open.

“That c-c-c-c-cat just talked!?” Kerry then screeches, freaking out so much she’s making a scene. “What the hell is going on here!?”

[Sd1]Panel 1

Lars and Lorelie saying goodbye as she enters a hatch in the floor in her home.
Lighting in the background to show bad weather

[Sd2]Lar and Mitzy standing near a small moud

Lars is standing strong agasint he wind and is helping mitzy to her feet
Mitxy's hair is blowing around as is her dress

[Sd3]Mitzy on the floor of the hill they came in on
the floor is glowing and mitzy is scared of it
Lars is holding up his sword into the air
a circle of light appears in front of him.

[Sd4]Lars and mitzy now standing in the allway
it's day time

Mitzy is brushing down her dress

Her hair is a completely mess

Lars is pointing a paw up (now a cat again)

He's laughing

[Sd5]Lars standing at the entrace to the allyway
hes looking back over his shoulder
he has one paw to his lips and and a worried expression

[Sd6]Kerry (dressed in her suit)
Stomping out of the entrace to the party with an angry expression

Hands by her sides annoyed

[Sd7]Kerry and Mitzy standing together side profile

Mitzy is gasping and kerry has her arms folded tight and is blushing

[Sd8]Mom and kerry standing side by side

Kerry is freaking out and pointing down at lars

Mom is giving her a sideway look

Mom is not bothered by lars as she knows him but she's annoyed at kerry's over reaction.