Super Cats Read online

  ‘No, Tagg, I’ll be too busy to keep an eye on you,’ Melody said. ‘I might lose you in the crowd.’

  ‘But I really want to see One Purr!’ Tagg protested.

  ‘Do as you’re told, Tagg,’ Chester ordered him sternly. ‘It will be safer if you stay at home. I don’t want you leaving until I get back. I should only be away for a day or two.’

  ‘Be careful, Chester,’ Melody said, rubbing his nose with her own.

  Tagg watched as his father confidently padded across the lawn, his powerful tail held upright.

  ‘My kitten is here too,’ Glamour told them. ‘Can she stay with Tagg while we check out the concert?’

  ‘Of course. Tagg will keep her company, won’t you?’

  As Tagg grunted in reply, Wild Bill said, ‘You can both join me for my morning nap, if you like. You youngsters nowadays don’t sleep nearly enough.’

  ‘Mum, please!’ Tagg tried again desperately, while Glamour trotted off. ‘You have to let me come with you!’

  ‘Absolutely NOT!’ his mother hissed, showing him all her teeth this time. ‘You don’t have your superpower yet and this could be dangerous. You’ll stay here and be nice to Glamour’s kitten.’

  Tagg cringed, knowing better than to keep arguing. He couldn’t believe his mother could be this cruel. One Purr was playing! If only his superpower would hurry up and arrive!

  As Melody followed Glamour around to the front of the house, Tagg put his head down, made his ears flat and sulkily followed Wild Bill towards the summer house.

  Another boring afternoon in the garden awaited … Unless …

  Tagg checked behind him, just in case his mother or father should reappear. The coast was clear. Wild Bill had gone inside the summer house.

  Tagg took a deep breath and thought about One Purr. This was his chance! And he had to take it now, before Glamour’s kitten arrived!

  Before he had time to change his mind, he bolted through the hole in the fence that led to the neighbouring garden.

  SUGARFOOT AND THE CAT CONCERT

  Tagg reached the street just in time to see his mother and Glamour cross the road and dodge underneath a parked van. Checking that the road was clear of traffic, he raced after them.

  At first the two grown-up cats were moving so fast Tagg feared he would lose them. As they left their familiar neighbourhood behind, he could feel his heart thumping rapidly in his chest as he struggled to keep up without giving himself away. If only he had super speed! Or better still, super speed and the power to be invisible! Did super cats ever have more than one superpower? he wondered. What if you could inherit one power from each of your parents? That would be really cool!

  Eventually, Melody and Glamour stopped in front of a high metal fence. It was too tall to climb or jump over and it had scary-looking signs at various points, bearing human writing and pictures of nasty dogs against a yellow background.

  Tagg crouched down out of view as Melody unleashed her super claws and began to carve out a cat-sized hole in the fence. Glamour stood back as sparks of red-hot metal flew out.

  Tagg was so busy watching his mother that he didn’t hear the light feline footsteps creeping up behind him. Only when he felt the tickle of whiskers at his tail did he realise he was not alone.

  ‘You know she really ought to be wearing protective goggles when she does that,’ hissed a high-pitched voice.

  Tagg whirled round to see a jet-black female kitten with dancing green eyes grinning at him. The kitten didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his mother’s super claws.

  ‘Oh look …’ She lifted a pure-white front paw to point, and Tagg couldn’t help staring at it since it looked so out of place on her otherwise completely black body. ‘They’re in!’

  Tagg saw that she was right. Melody and Glamour had jumped through the hole and were setting off across the wasteland to the factory. He turned back to the strange kitten. ‘Who are you? And what are you doing here?’

  ‘Same thing as you, I expect,’ she answered cheekily. ‘Trying to get into this concert. Thanks to laser-claws there, that shouldn’t be a problem now!’

  Tagg felt his tail bush up. ‘What do you know about super cats?’

  ‘Plenty.’ She laughed. ‘My mum and dad are super cats.’

  It suddenly dawned on Tagg who this kitten was. ‘Wait … is your mum Glamour? Have you been following me?’

  ‘Of course! I wasn’t going to be left behind. I’m Sugarfoot, by the way.’ She lifted up her single white paw.

  Tagg slowly raised his own. ‘Tagg,’ he grunted as they high-fived.

  ‘Come on,’ Sugarfoot miaowed confidently. ‘I don’t want to miss the start of the concert.’

  As they scampered across the huge expanse of wasteland towards the factory, Tagg asked, ‘When did you find out your parents were super cats?’

  ‘I’ve always known,’ purred Sugarfoot. ‘Isn’t it cool, how they all worked together as secret agents, getting to hunt down super villains and stuff?’

  ‘Yeah, it must have been … cool,’ Tagg agreed, trying not to sound nervous. Super villains had often appeared in his mother’s bedtime stories, but he’d only just realised that if super cats were real then it was possible the scary villains were too!

  ‘Mum told me she thinks a super villain might be targeting super cats,’ Sugarfoot said. ‘She’s worried that’s what’s happened to my dad.’ She looked frustrated as she added, ‘He wouldn’t just not come home. I wish my mum would let me help, but she’s says it’s too dangerous until my superpower comes in.’

  Tagg was just about to admit he didn’t have his own power yet either, when they started to hear noises coming from the abandoned building up ahead. ‘I wonder how they got One Purr to come here,’ Tagg mewed thoughtfully. One Purr travelled all around the country on tour and they usually played in much posher venues. Tickets to see them were rumoured to cost as much as twenty tins of sardines each.

  ‘I don’t know.’ Sugarfoot shrugged. ‘But there’s only one way to find out. Come on. Let’s go inside.’

  Luckily, there were several missing panes of glass in the windows, which made it easy to climb in, and it wasn’t long before Tagg and Sugarfoot were standing at the back of a massive crowd. Tagg felt giddy as he looked around. There must be hundreds of cats here, of all shapes, sizes and colours.

  It seemed they had arrived just in time. At one end of the makeshift concert hall a large brown Burmese male cat was standing in front of a microphone addressing everyone. ‘In a short while, our generous host will be coming onstage to say a few words. But before that …’ he gave a dramatic pause, ‘… our band is here and ready to start the concert! Queen cats and tomcats, teen cats and kittens, please put your paws together and let’s hear your best catcalls for the most successful cat band in the country … the one and only … ONE PURR!’

  Excited catcalls filled the hall and Sugarfoot looked ready to swoon as four of the coolest boy cats in the land leaped on to the stage wearing dark glasses and diamond-studded collars. As the lead singer performed his trademark wiggle, all the young females in the audience let out high-pitched yowls and ear-shattering catcalls.

  ‘It’s THEM! It’s really THEM!’ Sugarfoot shouted, and she started to dance as soon as the band began to play.

  One Purr had become famous after winning a talent contest, and it was easy to see why they were so popular. Tagg stared in awe at the long-haired ginger drummer. His drum kit consisted of polished white animal skulls of varying sizes and the sticks he was using looked like dog thigh bones. The lead singer’s voice was pitch-perfect, and the guitarist’s claws plucked at the strings so fast that Tagg wondered if they were normal claws or super ones. It was also the first time he’d seen a fish-scale xylophone. He’d heard they were tricky instruments to play but this cat made it look easy. Soon Tagg was yowling out the band’s songs and bopping his tail end in time to the beat.

  Suddenly, Sugarfoot was hissing in his ear and he saw her tail was s
lightly bushed up. ‘Come with me! Quick!’

  Tagg followed her to the side of the hall in alarm. ‘What is it?’

  ‘I just saw our mums. We need to keep out of their way.’

  Tagg looked to where she was pointing and saw Melody and Glamour in conversation with some other cats.

  After the final song, the audience cat-called and caterwauled their appreciation as One Purr bowed and waved before retreating backstage.

  When the big brown Burmese reappeared, nobody could hear him, even though his microphone was turned up as high as it would go. Finally, the noise died down enough for him to address the crowd. He thanked One Purr and announced that everyone would be given a signed sardine by the band before they left.

  ‘Now, please welcome your host for this evening and the generous sponsor of your concert tonight … Lady cats and gent cats, you may well be wondering who could be this wonderful, this well-connected, this perfect … Well, there’s nothing like perfect breeding to produce a perfect cat … Allow me to introduce the beautiful … the elegant … the offspring of two grand champions … the one and only Nemesissy Lilac Masquerade!’

  NEMESISSY

  ‘Nemesissy?’ Tagg repeated, looking at Sugarfoot for confirmation. ‘Isn’t that the name of one of the missing super cats?’

  Sugarfoot’s ears had pricked up too. ‘It’s got to be her. After all, how many Siamese cats called Nemesissy could there be?’

  Everyone catcalled enthusiastically as the sleek lilac point Siamese female sashayed on to the stage, purring loudly. Her eyes were a deep purplish blue, her whiskers exquisitely styled and her face as perfectly triangular as that of her grand champion parents.

  ‘Weren’t the boys marvellous?’ she called out in a strong husky purr of a voice. She paused to allow the cheers that followed to die down. ‘My dearest feline citizens,’ she continued, ‘as many of you already know, I live with one of the cleverest human scientists in the country. Furthermore, I have what I’m sure you have all dreamed of having – utter control over that human.’

  ‘Tell us your secret!’ someone shouted.

  Nemesissy smiled. ‘It is … well, let us say it’s a power I was born with. I have only to look my human in the eye, tell him what I want and he rushes to do my bidding.’

  Tagg gasped and looked at Sugarfoot. ‘It’s definitely her! Your mum said her power was hypnosis.’

  ‘Must be,’ Sugarfoot whispered back, searching for her mother’s face in the crowd, eager to judge her reaction.

  ‘I can feel your jealousy, fellow felines,’ Nemesissy continued breezily, ‘and believe me, if our situations were reversed, I would feel exactly the same. However, there is no need for envy, I can assure you. I wish to use my influence over my human pet to improve your lives. We are already building the most high-tech laboratories here. So, tell me, what worthy science projects would you like my human to undertake for you?’

  ‘What about mouse-flavoured cat food? Can he invent us some of that?’ a cat in the audience shouted as spluttery mews of mirth sounded around the room.

  ‘Splendid idea! I will ensure he makes that one of his top priorities,’ Nemesissy replied.

  The Siamese looked almost euphoric as she beckoned from the wings four young muscly cats who were carrying baskets of sardines in their mouths. ‘My bodyguards will now distribute signed sardines to you all,’ she told her delighted audience.

  ‘My mum doesn’t look that impressed. Nemesissy might not be missing, but where is my dad?’ Sugarfoot hissed in Tagg’s ear.

  But Tagg was staring at his own mother, whose whiskers had shot forward and tail bushed up as she stared at one of the bodyguards. He was a lean young tabby with grey paws, a white nose and a completely ginger tail. As the four bodyguards began throwing fish to the delighted audience, Melody kept staring at the tabby cat who was throwing his fish further back into the crowd than any of the others. In fact, he threw his last sardine with such force that it splattered against the back wall of the enormous room and exploded into tiny pieces.

  At this point, Tagg’s mother leaped up on to the stage.

  Tagg heard her yowl loudly and the tabby turned towards her, suddenly looking a lot less confident as he miaowed in shock, ‘MUM!’

  Tagg watched Melody thoroughly lick the young tabby bodyguard as he squirmed under her rough tongue. So this was Rowdy, his super strong older brother?

  In his excitement, Tagg totally forgot that he was meant to stay hidden. Without thinking, he pushed his way to the very front through the departing crowd and jumped up onstage himself.

  Rowdy immediately snapped into bodyguard mode. Wriggling free of Melody, he unsheathed his claws and growled at Tagg.

  ‘It’s OK, Rowdy,’ Melody miaowed quickly. ‘This is Tagg, from my last litter. Your little brother.’ She turned to face her younger kitten. ‘What are you doing here? I told you to stay at home!’ She gave him a growl that promised certain punishment later.

  Rowdy’s large paw had frozen in mid-air on its way to give Tagg’s nose a warning blow. As he lowered it, he smoothed down his whiskers instead, grunting, ‘Pesky kitten!’

  ‘Hey, I’m a super cat too,’ Tagg declared, puffing out his chest to show that he wasn’t just any old kitten. ‘Aren’t I, Mum?’

  Melody nodded and Rowdy gave her a disbelieving look, which made Tagg feel even crosser. Didn’t he look super enough for Rowdy or something?

  Rowdy wasn’t the only one reacting to his declaration. Nemesissy had overheard them and now came closer to the trio, purring, ‘Well, well, well … it seems we have a little family reunion – of three super cats no less!’

  Suddenly, Glamour jumped on to the stage. ‘Nemesissy, I’m so glad you’re safe,’ she gushed. ‘There are super cats disappearing from Stoke Mewington. We thought you were one of them!’

  ‘Super cats missing? Surely not!’ the Siamese gasped, clutching a paw to her chest.

  ‘Yes! The elastic couple – Bendy and Slinky. And my mate, Flash, disappeared two days ago! He was last seen on his way here to buy concert tickets.’ She began to describe him.

  Nemesissy was frowning. ‘I’m afraid I haven’t seen any of them. But I bet I know who’s behind these disappearances!’

  ‘Really? Who?’

  She lowered her voice. ‘Hamish the hit cat. His camp is somewhere in the woods behind this factory. That’s why I hired so many bodyguards. If I were you, that’s the first place I’d look.’

  Tagg had heard about Hamish and his crew. He knew they lived in a secret hideout in the woods and that every cat in the neighbourhood was afraid of them. Chester had pointed out Hamish to Tagg one day when they’d spotted him disappearing down a dark alley on the edge of town. The alley led into a rough wooded area where humans rarely went and no kittens were permitted to venture alone.

  The gang members were known to be a ruthless and dangerous bunch – the kind of villainous group his parents had been sent to spy on and break up back in their crime-fighting days. Maybe they had a grudge against Flash and Bendy and Slinky from the old days?

  Suddenly, they heard a big commotion from backstage.

  They all went to see what was happening, and found the lead singer of One Purr yowling frantically at the other members of the band, who were all hissing at each other.

  ‘What’s the problem?’ Rowdy asked.

  ‘It’s Thumper, our drummer!’ the lead singer told them. ‘He’s disappeared!’

  ‘What? How?’

  ‘We were outside, about to hightail it out of here, when Thumper said one of his drumsticks was missing. He came back to look for it and now we can’t find him.’

  ‘He must be here somewhere,’ said the band’s guitarist. ‘COME ON, THUMPER! I’ve got a bucketful of sardines waiting for me at home. Stop mucking around!’

  Tagg whispered to Sugarfoot, ‘This makes him the fourth super cat to go missing.’

  The adult cats were looking extremely worried now.

  ‘We should nev
er have come to this dingy hole anyway,’ the grumpy guitarist said rudely. ‘I told you that message was fake.’

  ‘What message?’ Melody asked.

  ‘Some big agent sent us a message saying she would come and see us if we did a concert here. If she liked us, she was going to get us our very own worldwide tour. I told the others I thought it sounded fishy – and not the good kind!’

  Tagg turned to Nemesissy. ‘But didn’t you organise this concert?’

  Nemesissy spluttered. ‘Why, yes, of course I did. To announce my arrival in town. But I don’t know anything about this agent! It’s not my fault there are hit cats nearby. In fact, Rowdy, take me upstairs to my quarters.’ She shuddered. ‘I just don’t feel safe any more.’

  ‘I guess hypnotising humans isn’t that great a superpower if you get attacked by a hit cat,’ Sugarfoot murmured as they watched Nemesissy sweep out, with Rowdy at her heels.

  Glamour and Melody looked at each other in stunned silence, then quickly got down to business. They had to find Thumper, and any clue that might lead them to Flash and the other missing super cats.

  Melody quickly steered the kittens down one plank of wood and up another to an open door that led into what must have been the dressing room for One Purr. On one side of the room were several plush cushions and on the other a table with a mirror on top, in front of which lay several cat brushes and grooming combs.

  ‘This time, I want you both to stay put like we asked you to!’ she growled before dashing after Glamour and joining the search.

  Just as it was starting to get dark the three bodyguards and the rest of One Purr came back to the dressing room to collect their instruments. They told them their mothers were still looking for clues.

  ‘They’ve got to come back for us soon,’ Sugarfoot said as she stood on her hind legs and peered out of the window.