"Demon," Tom's firm voice disrupted a rather pleasant dream I was having and I awoke with a start. I was back in my cage and the moments from last night seemed so foggy, I almost thought it was a dream. However, my mind wasn't focused on Ivan and my small moment the previous night; Tom was once again outside my cage at an ungodly hour in the morning.
"What?" I groaned, not wanting to sit up and face him as if I were awake.
"What the hell happened last night?" Tom inquired sternly, leaning on the bars and glaring at me intently.
"No one c-came to t-tell us wh-when call t-time was... so w-we were late. I b-blame your b-boyfriend," I explained as-a-matter-of-factly. I was too tired to deal with TomCat's attitude despite the conversation being relatively important.
"Well... first off, he's not my boyfriend!-"
"Mhm... sure. Bel-l-lieve what y-you want," I interrupted him.
Tom stammered for a moment in surprise, "Can we not discuss this?"
"Sure."
"The show was planned around your act, Demon, we had to cancel it because you and your dim-witted tamer were late!" Tom stated angrily. I finally sat up and glared at him.
"Cheetah is n-not 'dim-w-w-witted'. No one c-came to g-get us," I argued. Tom stared me down for as long as he could before my stare began to affect him, after which, he blinked and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well... if it happens again, you better say goodbye to your 'friend' because I'll have him gone within a day. Your act is very important when it's part of the show and when you're not here on time to perform it... we're all affected," he informed firmly. I let out a deep breath in order to calm my boiling temper. It simply wasn't fair that Tom was treating the whole ordeal as if it was our fault. It wasn't! Simply put! It was not our fault.
"No... you l-listen here. If y-your s-slimy asshole of a-a b-boyfriend messes with m-my act again... I will r-ruin your wh-whole life," my threat, although riddled with my incessant stuttering, was enough to give Tom pause so he could reevaluate his next sentence carefully. I stared him down just as he had done to me and it gave me a sense of power as I watched his confidence slowly drain.
"O-okay... I'll talk to him..." he eventually stammered. I nodded and laid back down.
Tom remained awkwardly standing at the bars of my cage, staring off into blank space and thinking of what to say next. I wanted him to leave so I could sleep, but if I said more, I might jeopardize Tom's thoughts on repairing our friendship. At last, he finally spoke and, to my dismay, our conversation continued.
"If you're mad at me because of me and Lewis... please don't. You know I still care about you," he said sweetly. There was a small smile on his lips that didn't quite reach his eyes. His eyes were still darkened by sadness and the first of a few grey hairs were sprouting on his hairline. The man was lying to himself as much as he was lying to me.
I was silent. As much as I wanted to say something, I couldn't think of a smart comeback, so I was forced to suffer silently as Tom eventually nodded and left, once again defeated by my refusal to bow down to him again.
...
The day was a strange mix of normalcy and underlying drama. Leopard was doing everything in his power to make our day absolute hell; however, his actions and words were often thwarted by TomCat, who would swoop in to "check" on us and make sure things were going well. Leopard never dared to interfere with Ivan and me if Tom was nearby and both of us noticed this. As angry as Ivan was, he kept his mouth shut and watched the inconspicuous battle of petty revenge happen between the two men.
At one point, Leopard must've been particularly frustrated and he decided to finally make an attempt to speak to us himself. His expression reminded me of an angry bearded goat but when I saw smoke escape his nose from that pipe of his, I began to think an angry bull may be better suited.
However, before the man could get any closer, TomCat abruptly swooped in with a few journals under his arm.
"Cheetah! I have the books, you wanted," he announced far too loudly and excitedly for this encounter to be a normal meeting.
"Wha-? I never asked-"
"Shh, just take the damn books!" Tom quickly hissed through his teeth. I glanced over to Leopard and, sure enough, as I expected, he was puffing out smoke angrily but otherwise turning around to return to his rightful post.
Ivan hesitantly took the books from the ringmaster, utterly confused by what was happening, "Th-thank you...?"
"Not a problem. Let me know if you or Demmy needs anything," Tom responded and with that, he was gone, sauntering back down the dirt road in the direction Leopard had come and disappeared to. Ivan examined the books he was given, but on further inspection, he realised they were simply regular journals; they were old ones as well since I remembered a few because I would scribble randomly in them.
"What the hell was that about?" Ivan wondered, handing me a journal to look at.
"L-Leopard was c-coming up the p-path. I d-don't know if y-you saw him," I answered.
"Oh... Whatever Tom's deal is, I don't know how to feel about it. After what he pulled last night, I don't trust him as much anymore," Ivan stated. I scooted to the corner closest to him and continued flipping through the pages of the journal. I told Ivan what Tom had told me this morning and his face changed as the realisation slowly crept upon him. He nodded wisely and rubbed the small amount of stubble on his chin.
"That makes sense. Leopard is the petty type," He mumbled thoughtfully.
"He's stupid... and w-weird... I d-don't know wh-what Tom sees in h-him," I leaned against the wall of the cage. I heard Ivan snort and chuckle.
"Probably whatever's in his pants," he snickered. My only response was an audible cringe and a playful slap. Ivan continued to giggle at his own joke while I tried to push the thought of Leopard's manhood out of my mind.
I ended up using the journals to practice my writing and Ivan used the paper in another to fold into little shapes and creatures. He called it "origami" and taught me how to fold a piece of paper into a swan. I thought it was very entertaining, although the number of folds and the precision they needed would drive me insane eventually. I admired my paper swan while Ivan made shapes from little paper hearts to tiny warriors with swords. We were both quiet but despite our lack of conversation, we still found entertainment in each other, Tom and Leopard's constant non-violent battles, and performing.
When the time came for the grand show at the end of the night, TomCat, himself, came to tell us it was time to head to the Big Top. Ivan and I were relieved and, despite our feelings towards the ringmaster at the moment, we managed to express our gratitude. Tom walked close beside me and Ivan walked on my other side; I could see him flashing suspicious glances over at the ringmaster and, as if there was an unsaid battle between them, Tom would glance over at Ivan as well. I was caught between the two and simply decided to look down at the ground and ignore them both to avoid causing something.
The show went by generally without incident. Everything went as planned with the other performers (including Ivan and me). However, on one of my many spy missions to see what Tom and his secret lover were doing, I saw that Leopard was being rather bold by sitting next to Tom with one arm behind him. The next time I came around, the two were talking quietly, although I could tell Leopard was irritated. The next time I came around, Tom was alone and he had his head in his hand; it was obvious the two had an argument and I was curious as to what.
So, carrying a facade that I was worried for Tom, I approached him and asked if he was okay.
"I'm okay. Just stressed," Tom responded, fixing his hair and adjusting his coat before standing up and walking away from me. I frowned, mostly because I didn't get anywhere, but I guess that was to be expected since Tom and I aren't technically on good terms. Defeated, I walked back over to Ivan and sat next to him on a crate, patiently waiting for the show to pass by so I can return to my cage and forget about all this ridiculous drama.