Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 It was all going to plan. The cats had: Made it into the zoo. TICK! Survived the reptile house. BIG TICK! Not been killed and eaten by tigers. BIGGER TICK! And they knew where Brian was heading. MASSIVE TICK! Lastly, Silver had eaten an ice cream. TICKETY TICK!

They made their way out of the zoo and down a steep slope towards the canal. The night air was freezing cold and the grass was crispy with frost under their paws, but getting warm was the last thing on their minds- they had a snake to catch! Before too long, they came to the sewer entrance. Neither Toto nor Silver really fancied going down there- it sounded like it was smelly, dirty and wet. And ever since

they'd found out where Brian was heading, Catface had been as quiet as a dormouse. 'Listen, chaps, Catface suddenly spoke up, looking nervous. 'There's something I've been meaning to tell you. We're about to enter a lair of rats. They'll be everywhere down there and they'll be scared of you, because you're cats. But not me... because they know me... because... I'm from there, because... I'm not exactly a cat, I'm more, how can I put it? Well. I'M A RAT.'

Toto stared, her mouth wide open. Silver did a backwards somersault. 'I knew it- I just knew it! You can't jump, you have funny teeth and you are way too weird for a cat. What happens now? Do we eat him?' 'No, we DO NOT eat him, Toto said. 'Catface, what are you talking about?' 'Well, as you know my nickname is Catface. It was given to me by my family, but not in a nice way. It's because I look so much like a cat and no one knows why. My real name is Alexandre Rattinoff- Alexandre after the man who discovered the Black Plague. Which, by the way, wasn't our fault, it was those pesky fleas. And the surname is RATtinoff, see...' 'Riflight, said Toto. 'But why do you

live your life as a cat?' 'It's very simple, and also a bit complicated. I am from rat royalty- you can trace my family back to 1665. They survived the Great Fire of London, and since then the Rattinoffs have ruled Rat London, along with five other rat families, and I am the rightful heir to the throne. Unfortunately, I was far from welcome in polite rat society. Imagine! The heir born looking like our sworn enemy. To my father I was a disgrace, so I started leaving the sewers and coming up here, and I realised that I quite liked it. No one thought I was a rat. I was treated as one of them- one of you! I got to hang around street corners, I learnt to do a pretty decent meow, and everyone seemed to like

me, so eventually I just became...' 'A cat,' said Toto. 'Exactly, said Catface. 'But when my father heard I was friends with the enemy, bringing shame on our good name, I was banished for good. And now I have to go down there and face him again. But there's a King Cobra on the loose, who just happens to love eating rats, and I do still love my family, so I guess I've got no choice. Are you still with me?' 'Of course we are, said Toto. 'Until a couple of hours ago we didn't really know anyone in this town. Now we couldn't imagine living anywhere else. That's down to you! Rat or cat, you're our friend, Catface ...or should we call you Alex?'