Newton finally finds himself leaving the clutches of Gray, but what new adventure awaits him. Will it be his last, as the final chapter of his long story draws closer

Newton meets Politics

When Newton woke, he didn’t feel especially rested. Aches lingered in his arms and body, not as bad as the cougar had given him. The reek of cat hung near and around him. It was demoralising to know the scent was wafting off himself. Slowly he pushed himself up to sit. His fur felt, wrong. Tufted in places where slime had hardened, the skin below itching. Silently he stewed on a simple hatred for that, Gray cat. Humiliatingly the anger, barely managed to stay in his focus, before it quailed.
Despite it all, he knew he had to hold his tongue. It hadn’t been said directly but, Billy… the lion was trying to find him, and this Gray, knew it. There was a window in the room, but it had its curtains drawn, denying Newton any guidance on how late it was. Had Gray lied? It was the question he didn’t want to acknowledge. He’d, rubbed himself up against the cat for the promise of denying Billy his prize.
Slowly Newton buried his face in his paws. How little it had taken for him to sell his dignity, all the worse for stupidly telling that cat he’d never do it. Was he letting his temper get away from him? Or, was it better to be considered interesting, not boring by this cat? He could see arguments for both… a gamble with his survival on the line, had he chosen right? How could he know… the reality was, he had no way to.
Newton groaned, wallowing in the twisting, looping thoughts that just wouldn’t go away.
The sudden, stillness and clarity of mind was welcome, when he heard the door start to move. What it suggested was, less welcome. Gray was coming.
Sure enough, the towering, two-legged cat swayed into the room. A humming purr in the throat of the feline. Not a care in the world. Newton felt a little of his anger creep back… last night was nothing to the cat… nothing.
The sleek grey feline moved right for him, his small, padded cage by the end of the bed, clawed paw scooping down to the side, hooking and lifting. Casually throwing Newton’s world into chaos, the wall becoming the floor.
“You slept well” Gray commented in his direction, a sly smile to the cage. Already the world was turning, Gray carrying him back for the main room of the cat’s small home “They say a good, honest day’s work will do that, hmm?”
With effort, Newton bit back a sharp-tongued reply. He remembered one thing; Gray planned to sell him today. But, to a cat who wasn’t Billy?
“Are you going to, keep your word?” Newton finally chose something to say, casting his eyes around as they moved into the main room, and directly for a different door “you’re not selling me to the lion”
“Nope” Gray chimed in, pushing through the new door. The, small, smooth white tiled room was, immediately recognisable. Despite himself Newton felt some hope… the bathroom, water… maybe he’d feel clean soon…
“Nope to what?” Newton hazarded
“Nope you’re not getting sold to the lion” Gray chuckled “I mean, did you really think I would?”
The cat stepped to the sink, a paw fumbling a plug into place, then twisting the tap. The welcome sound of running water briefly took Newton’s focus. Hot water, he could smell it in the air.
“What do you mean by that?”
Gray rolled a shoulder, both paws on the cage, fumbling with the latch. The opening fell away, and Newton’s world was tipped again, brought low, a hole that would drop him into the thrashing water. It stilled as Gray turned the tap again.
“Why sell you to the lion? Oh sure, I’m pretty sure you’re the mouse he’s after, but… he said he’d buy all the woodmice I could find for like, a fortnight. I could get him to pay through the nose for you I’m sure but… I like my chances of finding more mice. If I was going to sell you to him, that would mean keeping you a couple weeks to the end of his deadline… it’s only good business sense”
Newton braced himself to drop “so you tricked me… last night was worthless” he let that sink in, but his priorities were below. He let himself drop, splashing down into the hot water, letting it flood through his fur. Too hot, but he didn’t mind. He imagined it searing every trace of cat from his fur and hide
“Well, I enjoyed it” Gray smirked above “don’t be sore. I used a bit of information I had to get the best deal for myself, knowledge, really is power. I’d say, learn from it, but… I doubt you’ve got much time left, being honest”
Newton drew his claws through his fur with eager attention, stripping every lump binding the strands together. He shot a venomous look to the smirking cat above “it doesn’t affect you even a little, does it. You expect me to die, and you’re selling me into it”
“You’re a mouse” Gray replied simply “What else would I do with you? I could eat you myself, but, that would be a waste of money, when another cat wants you more. Don’t get all preachy, squeaker. You got caught by a predator, that’s how nature works. You’ve lasted longer with me than you would with a hawk or a snake. They’d put as little care to using your life to sustain their own as I do. Sure, there’s a layer of distance, but, the money buys my food, pays my bills so I can keep my little patch of territory, all that”
Newton grunted, focussing on removing every trace of the cat from his fur. In truth he didn’t entirely disagree with the cat’s logic. It was the one part of their, relationship he was willing to accept. He’d known hunger, he’d taken the lives of insects in order to eat them, and they hadn’t wanted that fate, much as they could want anything. The line between that and the play the cats put upon mice was where he put his focus. But yet his mind drifted back to the day before… it was, rattling through his head more than he liked, that, mousebox Gray had shown him, describing their... play as a need, a need like hunger almost, sating that urge to hunt in their, society, which catered so poorly to instinct.
“So, who’s buying me then…?” Newton muttered
“Not a clue, someone fancy though” Gray grinned “my favourite customer… pays pretty darn well, and dutiful cat that I am, the more money they pay, the less attention I pay” Gray’s paw dipped in, clawed fingers fishing Newton from the water, pads pressing to his chest and back. Despite it all, the cat’s touch was, remarkably gentle “All I know, is I want to keep them on payroll. Just maybe… I have, some suspicions about who they are, just maybe I could investigate those if I ever got into trouble”
Newton grunted, trying to hold still… the tiles far below… would not be a nice way to go, if he survived landing. Tempting as it was to try and deny Gray this sale. The cat lifted a, long, handheld device in his direction, which soon billowed dry, hot air through his fur. The noise was, deafening, but he felt like the water was, fleeing from his hide. The experience was, surreal.
It was quickly over, the device lowered, and Newton lifted high, where Gray could look over him, turning him this way and that “gotta get you nice and presentable. One of their conditions. They want a clean, well presented, intelligent mouse”
“Intelligent?” Newton muttered
“mmm, hmm… that’s why it’s you, mousy” Gray grinned “I’d consider you bright for your kind. I save the best for my favourite customer”
Newton felt a frown darken his features, as Gray lowered him back for the cage he had been transported in “if you know so little about this customer of yours, why are you so certain it’ll be the end of me?” Newton probed. He had the pleasure of seeing Gray’s eyes widen for a moment, before the smirk returned. The cat bringing the cage right to his face.
“See… that’s a very good question… bright little mouse. This cat wants a mouse like you…” he chuckled darkly "but see... I’m a thoughtful kinda cat. So, here’s a question for you. What would you assume about a cat, who buys mice, very secretly, so not even their seller knows their face”?
Newton considered the question for a moment “I’d say they don’t want anyone to know they’ve bought a mouse” His frown deepened
“I think you’re getting it” Gray lowered the cage against his leg, starting to wander from the bathroom “I’m only guessing but, I figure if the evidence is digestible… you eat it”

Newton found when he was taken to the main room again, the larger cage with, mice of his sort, was gone. To Billy he supposed. He didn’t envy those mice. A weight of responsibility rested in his stomach. Not only had he helped convince them to come to Gray, although admittedly that still seemed better than the alternative, but it was his actions which had made the lion so, keen on woodmice, he was sure of it. Would they all suffer, for his actions? He liked to hope, when Billy found none of them were him, they’d… well, he didn’t like to imagine life under Billy, likely a brief one serving in his brutal games, but, he would still prefer to think they had that life and the faint chance of survival and escape… than imagining the lion pretending they were, him, just to sate some urge for revenge.
He was placed down only long enough for Gray to don his dark cloak, and fetch a smaller cage for him. It had barely any room for him to move, the bars touching his chest when he breathed, but he had little choice in the matter. The cage was slid against Gray’s fur, into a pocket inside the cloak, casting Newton into a dark place of fabric, with the scent of Gray all around. The cloak must have been pulled tight, because, the fabric was pressed closer to his bars, heat radiated from it, and the thud of a distant heart dominated his awareness.
There was a bounce in his surroundings, Gray moving. Newton simply, settling to wait. No point in expending any energy. This was good, he told himself. Sold to a cat who wasn’t Billy, already that sounded like a better situation than being in Gray’s paws. All he had to do was escape this new cat… he imagined, playing himself off as meek and lethargic… and bolting when he found a chance, but in the end he knew he’d need to keep his options open. No idea what sort of place he was being taken to.
The ride was long. At times he heard feline voices around, but none seemed to be speaking to Gray. At points the edge of his cage got caught against the fabric, enough the very top peeked from the pocket. Normally hefting himself up to peer through the gap, also applied enough force to drop it in the pocket again, but, it left him with a fleeting image to mull over. His best look had been when he felt, a vibration through the whole body around him. From what he’d seen, there had been many cats, all sat in a line, a window behind them, and, something speeding by so quickly he couldn’t comprehend it. Some sort of vehicle he assumed on thought. In his brief glimpse, he’d caught sight of Gray himself, and it left Newton thinking. The cat had his head down, and, striking enough it had left an impression even in the brief moment, the cat had, lost the airy grin he’d held before. It was odd, the cat had almost seemed, unhappy.
In time the cat was back to walking, and after a short while, Newton felt, then saw the paw of the cat feel in for him, the pads splayed before him as Gray gripped to the edges of his cage and pulled him free. The sight was, not what Newton expected. Around them were, walls, on two sides, above was the sky, blocked out mostly by, metal floors and ladders. Casting the tunnel of sorts in gloom. The ground below seemed dirty and wet, large bins making it a treacherous path to weave through.
Though he looked to Gray, the cat didn’t speak, he was still walking. In a fluid motion, he saw the cat reach forward, grasping the lid of one of the bins, his other paw rushing Newton’s cage for the opening. The mouse’s heart raced… what was going on?
He couldn’t even ask; in that instant he was thrust into gloom and fell. He braced to the cage walls but, it seemed to land down on something, softer, the landing more cushioned than he expected. The confines lacked the scent he expected… there was the harsh, cloying scent of cheap plastic, but otherwise… nothing he’d associate with garbage.
It was silent, in the tomb. Newton felt his breathing start to rise… had something gone wrong? Had Gray been lying… why? He was trapped, in a cage, at the bottom of a bin… what if some cat came along and threw in something? Would he be buried alive? He reached in the darkness, but couldn’t unlatch the cage. He was trapped… in the dark, unable to get out. Images of, a long, slow death by starvation flashed before his eyes. He could only hear his own ragged breathing in the tall abyss, the sound only bringing him more panic. Was it airtight? Would he suffocate?
Suddenly, light filtered in, the rim of the bin above, lifted. He feared the worse… and hoped for the best… somehow hoped for Gray, that this was some prank. But the paw above, was ebony black, and bigger than Gray’s. He watched it, plucking the edges of the binbag from the rim, bringing them together to throw him into darkness again. His world lurched, as everything was lifted. Then the entry parted again, a dark paw fumbling in, feeling down the sides, hesitating when they contacted his cage, before wrapping around it. He felt so small… even his cage seemed to all but disappear in the dark padded paw, a black hole consuming his existence. The bag fell away past him, thumping into the bin again.
Newton got a look at the cat who had him. The jawline, the dark fur. It was a panther… not, the panther he’d met before though. He could tell… he swore this one was bigger, the shoulders seemed very broad, he could see the furred hide, rising and falling over contours of muscle. The eyes… he couldn’t see, blocked behind gleaming ovals of black. He spared a glance down. In the binbag, he saw a cushion, it looked too good to be thrown out. The lid thumped down, and he found himself being brought low, for a pocket by this panther’s hip, the garment so dark he hadn’t even seen it against the fur. He was thrust in with haste, a zipping sound as all light was sealed. He’d changed paws, then… the cat, knew he’d be there. So, this was… Gray’s customer?
The cat started to move, walking quickly, before the leg, made a sharp movement, and Newton found himself flopped to the wall of the cage. Somewhere far below, he heard the growl of an engine… and then the thump of a door. A car. It had, all happened so fast.

In his time, Newton had stumbled on a couple of pet mice. Caged, with, nothing he could do for them. Though, most he’d encountered had been happy with their life. He doubted that was the norm, rather, those content being pets, survived the experience better… or just didn’t end up escaping, one of the two. For his part, he couldn’t imagine how they endured cages. He was sick of them.
The journey seemed to take forever, riding in the pocket of a panther, caged so tight he couldn’t even stretch.
When the vibration of the vehicle stopped, Newton only hoped it suggested the cage would soon be gone. He only hoped his muscles wouldn’t be so, cramped he would be unable to flee.
The feline with him started to walk again, and, after a moment the paw descended in to pull him out, bringing him into the light again.
He was, in a corridor, being carried down it. The surroundings were, very plain. It reminded him of the office he’d found himself in, where he evaded the girthy cheetah. Fortunately, it was not the same place, he was pretty sure. The corridor was wider, and it had, pleasant looking wooden panelling on the walls. He saw other cats, stoically standing around, they had the same, manner as the cat carrying him. He looked up to the panther, frowning to himself
“What are you going to do with me?” he asked, but, was ignored. Newton relented to riding quietly, noting he was being brought for a door. There was a, grey and white cat sitting at a desk outside the door, barely sparing him a look before continuing at her computer. Newton assumed he wasn’t being brought to her then. But, he noticed a flick of pink briefly from her lips.
The door was pushed open by the panther, into a, seemingly nice room. It wasn’t very large but, seemed open all the same. There was a desk beside a window, tall grey cabinets, that was one side of the room, the other side, where he was being brought, had, brown leather seating around a polished table, his cage placed down, before without a word the panther turned and left.
It seemed, a lot of effort to just, leave him here, Newton mused. All the same he was left to wait. Somewhere he could hear a clock ticking but, he couldn’t see it. It only served as a symbol of his lengthy wait. But, finally, the door opened again, and a cat moved in. About the same size as Gray, lacking the bulk and jaw of the bigger cats. A, tawny sort of colour, striped came to Newton’s mind, but… the stripy sort of coat blended into each other so much he couldn’t make them out in a distinct way. The jaw and belly, that which he could see anyway past a, soft brown jacket and trousers, were stark white. As he tried to decipher the pattern of the fur, he did note, and then couldn’t stop staring at, the patterns of the face. Almost looked like an m on the forehead, in jet black, amid the other orange and brownish hues.
The cat let out a slow breath on entering the room, paw moving to his collar, undoing a button, before looking Newton’s way. There was, a smile to the lips. Didn’t seem an especially cruel one, it didn’t curl deep into his cheeks with the eager glee of play to come.
“Ah, you’re here already, excellent” the cat spoke in his direction, padding over, close. The paws swept down to dominate Newton’s view, thumb pushing to the latch of his cage to pop it free, turning it, slowly. No paw moved across the entry, and Newton took his chance to spring out, landing with a wince… he ached from the trip.
No paws came down… they rose away, the cage tossed unceremoniously onto a chair “that’s better, now isn’t it” the cat spoke to him, Newton, hesitating. The cat’s stance was too relaxed… not primed to pounce. It wasn’t worried he’d run? That suggested there was no point in running…
“If you feel you must, for your, sense of self preservation, you may scout the edges of the room, but you’ll find it, quite impossible to leave. Trust me. A mouse being able to enter, and exit would be a security risk. Even if you slipped through the doorway, it would be a short-lived existence”
The cat looked down to him with, calm eyes, reluctantly Newton concluded it was probably true… still, what did he have to lose by running and hiding? He crept for the edge of the table, considering the drop… not charming.
Meanwhile, the feline had stepped away, fetching a tray, bringing it towards the table “can I interest you in some tea?”
Newton felt himself hesitate, looking back to the cat “what’s your game?”
“It’s a fair question” the cat noted, sitting himself, placing the tray down. From it, he took what, to Newton looked like, a table, and chair his size… his mind, went quickly back to the panther, the panther with his… mouse community.
“To be blunt” the cat noted “I work in an environment where I need to mind my words very, carefully” he poured from a teapot into a large cup of his own, before, with deft paws, tipping a droplet, presumably, into a tea set Newton could use. The mouse rubbed his jaw. If he kept out of paw’s reach… maybe he should indulge the cat… this whole thing was, strange.
“You, are here for the sake of free conversation” the cat explained, lifting his cup with a saucer, leaning back in the leather chair, eyes lingering on Newton “for a little while, I can relax my tongue, and air my thoughts, with a listener who can understand, respond, reason. But who, won’t be telling anyone”
“Because you’ll eat me” Newton finished the sentence
“Not at all” the cat replied, blowing onto his drink, a plume of steam rising across his features “I don’t eat mice. Not the sort that talk anyway. It’s, a calculated part of my image”
Newton frowned to himself, head cocking “who are you?”
“I’m a politician” the cat noted “Trevor Darke, if you care to know. I doubt the name would mean much to you” he took a slow sip of his drink to punctuate his sentence “law-making class amid cats, I suppose to put it in terms you might understand”
“You’re in charge of the other cats?” Newton toyed with the thought. A cat was a cat… a stomach was a stomach but still… his mind caught on the idea… this was an important cat, amid cats
“I wish” Trevor smiled slyly “not yet… I’m a member of the lower council, we mostly handle administrative and investigative matters, but, I have ambitions. Perhaps, you’d find a chat interesting, hmm? I know I enjoy hearing a mouse perspective from time to time. But forgive me, I don’t know your name yet, slipped my mind”
“Newton” Newton muttered. He weighed his options, before stepping, closer. So long as he stayed out of reach, he could always, try to run. But despite his instinct’s call to find a shadow and shelter, he was intrigued. What might he learn… what, cards might he gain here to use in his future… assuming he had one?
On the table he found the, chair, and table that would fit him… chairs were, not something his kind had themselves, not really. Their body shape wasn’t quite that of the felines. They seemed a decent distance from the cat. Within reach perhaps but, at the edges. On it he noted the, small cup steaming with the heated drink. How could he not think back to the panther Bartholomew?
“You’re the second cat to serve me a drink like this” Newton observed aloud
“Is that so?” Trevor leaned slightly closer on his chair “In truth, the, items I use come from a childhood toy inspired by a favourite movie of mine, and perhaps, this other cat as well. In fact, I’d say that film inspired more than that, it was a meaningful moment for me” the feline eyed Newton for a long moment “I doubt you’ve seen it… but, does a mouse such as yourself ever watch films?”
“No” Newton muttered “if I’m in a place where films are playing, I’m just happy it’s distracting the cats. If I drew close it wouldn’t be to watch, but to see if they were dropping snacks”
“The murine perspective on life is very clashing with our own” Trevor noted “the film in question however, might be of interest to you, it was in fact, the first, and sadly last, of its kind. For the leading actor was a mouse, like yourself”
The information gave Newton pause. It explained why these, furnishings were connected, but… “what, little I understand, these films are… performances? A mouse, performed for all the cats?”
“I suppose that’s one way of putting it. It was a reasonably popular film as well. Mice have, been in film before, side characters at best, or, props. It was adventurous, and fortunate, to find a mouse with both the willing and the skill to truly lead the show. In case you’re not aware, what I’m saying is, they had the single, largest and more important part, the most screentime”
“I’ve never heard of this” Newton muttered. It seemed strange to him; wouldn’t he have? Some mice did watch what the cats played on their screens, for information purposes admittedly.
“The film went as such” Trevor began “a weary husband, worn down from work, comes to a sudden, tragic end, and finds himself before the gates to the afterlife… but he is being held back by unfinished business. The gatekeeper, known for a certain, playfulness, offers to allow him one, more chance to finish his business, to put his matters to rest. But there’s a catch of course. So, he comes back to life, as a mouse instead of a cat” Trevor paused to sip his drink “so story wise, the mouse was actually the cat, but… well, it was a mouse, acting, that really struck me when I was young. He met his former wife, almost got eaten, and, well… in short, tried to be the father and husband to his family he couldn’t in his past life… it was, implied, in a way that went over my head as a kitten, that he… well, performed in bed for his wife, he perched on his son’s table to help him with his studies, and used his small size to help his eldest daughter vanquish the leader of a troupe of bullies at her school” Trevor rolled a paw “it ended when he realised he still hadn’t, returned to the gate, and turned his attention to his youngest, still a voiceless kitten. He had been avoiding her since, unlike the other two children, she was too young to have it explained this mouse was their father. As expected, when he tried to be there for her, she grabbed him, and, put him in her mouth. His wife stumbles in, sees what’s happening, and is about to intervene but he shakes his head and waves her away. Realising, that’s not how this ends. It would, be cruel to the kitten to try and wrench him from her jaws. She’s too young to understand what she is doing, and, it is better she never knows. So, he lets himself be swallowed, to the darkness of her core where he meets the fate of any mouse… then he is back before the gates, and passes through” the cat smiled faintly “I enjoyed the movie immensely…”
“So, he died…” Newton muttered
“Oh, not on set” Trevor added “the… ah, final scene was done via a bit of, wizardry and a stunt double… so to speak. He was in line for a best actor award, in fact. But he did die, before he could receive it”
“Eaten?” Newton tried his drink with a frustrated sigh… it sounded so, promising. This mouse had actually… earned feline respect. The more he thought about it, the more, huge, that seemed
The feline propped himself back on his chair, a clawed foot rising, before the leg folded atop the other. Newton found himself meeting the cat’s razor eyes “a natural assumption for a mouse, that. I dare say most mice would guess so. But no” Trevor rolled a finger through his whiskers “he was killed, by another mouse. Can you tell me why?”
Newton’s paws, reaching for his drink, hesitated. The question brought first confusion, then, cold certainty. When, the cat phrased it like that, like he should know… “I, can’t know that. I’ve never heard of him”
“But you’ve got a good guess, don’t you” Trevor pressed “The mouse who did it was caught and, while full records of the questioning were never officially released outside of, government and police. The mouse’s reasoning was clear. They considered our little actor a traitor to his kind”
Newton frowned slightly, that, wasn’t quite right to his ear… almost “dangerous to his kind” he muttered
“Yes… I’m well aware of how mice traditionally handle, feline sympathies… and in the same breath will accuse cats of being the reason for the distance between our species. In truth like most conflicts the blame isn’t one sided, much as both sides may wish it were so”
Small paws wrapped the, hot but small cup. The drop of liquid cooling faster than the cat’s larger portion. Newton took a moment to drink. Bitter, he’d not acquired the taste but, the heat of it was pleasant and rare.
His thoughts drifted back to that panther. They’d spoken, briefly, about the relationship, between cats and mice. Slowly he let his gaze drift over this, political cat again “I wasn’t told much about how things got the way they are, back home” he noted “a vague story if I think about it. Firm but without, examples. I never paid it much thought till recently. I heard, something from another cat once that, clashed with it, to some extent” he began, before gesturing around the room “if… this encounter is because you want to talk… I’d like to hear about, what happened, to… well, in the past”
“Oh…” Trevor leaned his head back for a moment “Sure, it’s on topic enough, this whole encounter is a distraction in the end. It’s not a quick summary though. You mean, when your kind gained your, rodent status”
“I guess so” Newton muttered. Sounded like the moment in time he was, curious about
“Alright then” Trevor rolled a shoulder slowly “get comfy…”