Chapter I
Visitor from Norway

"That's not something you see everyday," gasped Mako.
"No, usually it's some unlucky Pollicle who's running for his life."
Mistoffelees looked puzzled, "perhaps the police dogs are after him?"
The two cats were sitting on a rooftop, looking down into one of the alleys that led to the Junkyard.
The subject of their observation was a large, powerfully built tomcat that usually would have sent them screaming for help.
Now, he didn't look so tough, though. He was panting hard, and kept on looking over his shoulder.
"D'you think we should go tell Munkus that he's on his way to the Junkyard?" whispered Mako.
"Yes. Come on!" The black and white cat led the way to the fire-escape, "come on, I know a short-cut."
"You sure this is safe Misto?" His friend asked, shivering at the prospect of climbing down on the outside of the building,
"you know I don't like heights."
Turning to face Mako, the tux sighed. "You're the first cat I've ever met who's afraid of heights, Patch."
"I told you not to call me that, Misto. It's bad enough that my human calls me Pirate."
Mako looked down, and said, "We'd better go, Munkus ought to know that Macavity's coming."

At the Junkyard, the kittens were playing with a slinky some kid had thrown away. The older cats were watching and relaxing.
"Look at that thingamajig go!" Tumblebrutus exclaimed, as he and Pouncival came out of an alley, "what is it?
"It's a. . .ah. . .step-walker, it walks down steps. Look!" Electra answered, not willing to admit that she didn't know what it was.
"Also known as a slinky," Skimbleshanks said, helping out.
"Yeah, also known as a slinky," Electra repeated.
Pouncival looked at the slinky, "I can do that too," he said, and started imitating the slinky.

"Munkustrap! Munkus!" Misto and Mako burst into the Junkyard, "Macavity's coming! Macavity's coming!!"
"OUCH!! Don't scare me like that, Misto. I almost broke my neck."
"Stop worrying about your neck Pounce, and listen up!" Munkustrap took command. "Where's he coming from?"
Mako pointed. "Good. Alonzo, you take the kittens and the queens over there and protect them. Skimble, you go help him.
Admetus, go see if you can find Tugger and Plato. Misto, Corico, Pounce and Tumble, stay here with me. Mako, get Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer."
The cats scrambled to it, and were ready when Macavity reached the Junkyard.
He looked frantically around at the male Jellicles. "Get out of my way! He's coming!"
"You won't pass here, Macavity," Munkustrap said, not really listening. "You're not welcome."
"Idiots, I'll. . .No, he's here!!"
Further down the alley, a shadow separated from the darkness, and drifted over to the cats.
"So. . .you've stopped running, little cat? Good, then this won't hurt too much."
The shadow seemed to solidify, and became a big, no, a huge male. He was bright orange, with red stripes running through his fur.
Macavity stared at the newcomer, gave a whimper, and pushed Munkustrap aside as he ran past the dumbstruck Jellicles and headed for a fire-escape.
The stranger gave chase, bowling the Jellicles over like tenpins. They reached the roof, and Macavity looked around, searching for a way off the roof-top.
The only building close enough to jump to was behind his follower, and the fall was too great, even for a cat.
The criminal turned around, and prepared for a last, desperate, stand.

On the roof, the two combatants moved closer, and circled each other. The stranger leaped at Macavity with a snarl, and they rolled out of sight.
"Wow," Mungojerrie said, he and Rumpleteazer had arrived on Mako's heels. "That's the first time I 'ave seen Macavity really ascared."
The fighters came into sight again, Macavity hanging like a wet cloth from his superior's paw.
"Look! 'e's gonna drop 'im!"
"We can't let him kill someone, not even Macavity, like this," Munkustrap decided. "Pounce, Tumble, get that mattress under him!
Misto, can you make him drop him instead of throwing him?"
"I can try. . .but I can't guarantee anything."
"Don't worry. Your best is good enough for me."
The magical cat meditated for a second, and then pointed at the roof-top. The alley suddenly filled with a bright, white light.
It only lasted for a second, but it was enough. The stranger let go, and Macavity fell down. The mattress broke the fall, but it also broke his left arm.
"Hide him!" Munkustrap shouted to Pouncival and Tumblebrutus, who stood beside the dazed Macavity.
They grabbed him and dragged the nearly unconscious villain into the shadows.

The cat on the roof rubbed his eyes, and looked around for his victim.
"Where is he? Give him to me!"
"No! We will not let you kill him." Munkustrap stood firm. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
"Maybe it will be fitting that you Jellicles are the first to know. . ."
The stranger struck a pose, puffing out his chest and said, "My name is Red Eirik, and I'm taking over that weakling's territory.
And after that, your time will come. You'll all be running for your lives before I'm through with you. I have waited for this far too long to let anyone hinder me."
"Why? What have we ever done to you?" Bombalurina was puzzled. "We have never seen you before, nor anyone like you. So why do you hate us?"
"Ask Deuteronomy who Aliss, my great-grandmother, was, and what you Jellicles did to her, and you'll know."
With that last remark, Red Eirik jumped off the roof.
"He's gonna kill himself," Jellylorum gasped, and covered Jemima and Victoria's eyes.
But before Eirik could hit the ground, he fell into a shadow and disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Misto was green with professional envy. "I wish I knew how he managed to disappear in the shadows like that."
"Why? Don't you have enough tricks, kid?" The Tugger entered the scene with exaggerated coolness.
"It doesn't hurt to learn something new once in a while. Something that hasn't got anything to do with food or queens."
"What other things are there to think about, m'man?"
"Right now, it wouldn't be a bad thing if someone would think about what to do with Macavity," Munkustrap murmured under his breath.
Out loud he said: "Okay, the show's over. Stay together, at least in pairs. Don't wander off on your own, we don't know what Red Eirik is capable of."
He turned to Electra. "Do you know where Tumble and Pounce has their hideout?"
"Yes, d'you want me to show you the way? I’ll just run ahead and let them know you are coming!"
"Aye, but be careful. Macavity's a sneaky devil."
Then he looked at Jennyanydots and Alonzo. "You two come along. He might need medical aid. And I'd like a little "muscle" to back me up too."

As they followed in Electra's tracks, Alonzo asked Munkustrap. "What do you think Old Deuteronomy will say?
When he hears we saved Macavity, I mean? Or about Red Eirik?"
"He won't say anything about saving Macavity. He would have done the same thing. We'll have to ask him about Aliss when he comes back.
He's due in three days, isn't he?"
"Yes," Jenny answered, "he said he'd be back in a ten-day, and he's been gone seven days today."
They didn't go much farther, since it would be a terrible breach of etiquette to intrude on someone else's hideout without an invitation.

"Why did you help me, Jellicle?" Macavity asked, sneering on the last word.
"Yeah, Munkus." Tumble was supporting the criminal on the left side. "Why did we help him?"
"I say we should have let 'im drop." Pouncival held up the right side.
Tumble grinned, "maybe he would get the point then."
"Yeah, he might even understand that we don't like 'im."
"Yeah, it's nothing less than he deserves."
"Dat's right."
"We could take him up on a roof an' throw him off now if you'd like that. Couldn't we, Pounce?"
"Yeah, we could do that." The young cats looked at each other over Macavity's head and nodded vigorously.
The way they were grinning made it clear that they were trying to fool Macavity,
but there were a little glimmer in their eyes that said that they probably would do it if Munkustrap gave the order.
"No, we can't kill him in cold blood. No matter what he's done to us in the past. See what you can do for him Jenny."
Munkustrap nodded towards the now unconscious villain. "You two are hereby assigned as guards, I'll send someone to relieve you in a couple of hours."
As Munkustrap and Alonzo left, Alonzo murmured to Munkustrap: "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave Macavity with those two and Electra?"
"In his condition, Macavity couldn’t hurt a rat, besides, this might make them more mature, and Jenny is there too. She'll keep an eye on them. Now we'll just have to wait for Old Deuteronomy!"