by: Castelia

Bombalurina stretched out and sighed in the warm sunlight. Tomorrow night was the Jellicle ball, where she would prove to all those squealing kittens that Tugger was hers. She sniffed the breeze and smiled to herself. Think of the devil and he shall come. Bomba sat up to welcome the tom.

He sat down next to her, putting an arm around her waist. “You excited for tomorrow?”

“You know I am,” Bomba said, leaning into his chest. She frowned. “You won’t be going for one of those mewling kittens, will you?”

Tugger laughed, laying back and pulling her with him. “Who am I with right now?”

“Touché.”

They lay silently in the sun for a while, until Bomba sensed something was off.

“Something’s bothering you.” She propped herself up on her elbows, looking straight into his yellow eyes.

He blinked and scowled. “Macavity was seen in the village today,” Bomba gasped, and Tugger continued. “I heard a rumor he was looking for a cat called Demeter. Does that name ring any bells for you?” He lifted his head, stopping his face just inches from Bomba’s.

The red and black queen shook her head. “But if I did know her, I’d help her get away from that crazy tom.” She always protested her distaste for the criminal cat, but secretly she wanted to meet him, maybe get to know him a bit.

A small, brown and white head poked out of a tire. Pouncival was the youngest tom, fresh out of being a true kitten; this would be his first Jellicle Ball. He hesitated when he saw that Rum Tum Tugger was not alone.

“Um,” He was very timid as he crouched on the tire. “Tugger? Munkustrap wants to talk with all the toms. He says you need to come now.”

Without another word, Pouncival leapt back into the tire, scampering off through the junkyard. Tugger rolled his eyes and followed, strutting away silently.

Bomba arched her back, ready to enjoy the warm summer afternoon in silence. Her mind was troubled, though. Whoever Demeter was, it seemed she didn’t want to be found by Macavity. Bomba sighed. She wouldn’t really get any peace until she explored the whole junkyard; it was highly possible this Demeter could be hiding there.

Slinking through impossibly small spaces, Bombalurina wound her way to the far end of the junkyard. She saw two slim calicos sneaking back to the junkyard. Bomba shook her head. No doubt they would hear the latest from Mungo and Rumple as Munkustrap lectured them again.

A sudden crash made Bomba freeze. Her eyes were trained on a large tin bucket that had just fallen from a particularly tall pile; it had trapped something underneath. Bomba sniffed carefully… it wasn’t any recognizable scent, but whoever—or whatever—it was, it was frightened.

“Friend or foe to Old Deuteronomy?” Bomba hissed.

A trembling female voice rang inside the bucket. “Who’s that?”

Bomba frowned. This was a cat for sure, but from out of town. Another question formed in her mind.

“Why is Macavity looking for you?”

The cat inside stopped trying to lift the bucket. “How do you know that?” She asked quickly.

Bomba smiled. She’d just discovered two things: the cat called Demeter was inside the bucket, and the rumor Tugger had heard was true. She called to Demeter. “Don’t try anything. I’ll get some help, and we’ll have you out of there in a bit.”

She arrived at the center of the junkyard just as Munkustrap’s meeting was finished. She skipped right up to the second-in-command.

“Bring three strong toms. Someone is trapped under a bucket on the north end.”

Munkustrap cocked his head at her. “’Someone’? You don’t know who it is?”

Bomba bit her lip. “Well… I don’t think anyone knows her. But she does need our help.” She gave Munkustrap the best ‘kitten eyes’  she could muster, making him laugh.

“Tumblebrutus, Rum Tum Tugger, and…” Munkustrap’s eyes roved over the toms, judging their strength. “Alonzo. You three will come with me and Bombalurina to the north end. The rest of you, you know what you need to do.”

Bomba rolled her eyes at Munkustrap’s incapability to use nick-names. All the cats’  names were such mouthfuls sometimes. She led the four toms back to where Demeter was trapped under the bucket.

Munkustrap placed his paws on the sides of the bucket. “Don’t worry, we’re here to help you.” He arranged the others evenly around the bucket, counting to three as they all heaved the bucket into the air.

A sleek, black and gold cat shot out and disappeared into a nearby shadow, and the toms dropped the bucket gladly.

Bombalurina cautiously approached the shadows, her eyes picking out random patches of gold fur. “We can protect you from whatever Macavity wants. You’ll be safer here than anywhere on the street.” She reached out a paw. “My name is Bombalurina. This is Rum Tum Tugger, Alonzo, Tumblebrutus, and Munkustrap.” Each of the toms nodded in turn, all of them overly curious about the cat hiding in the shadows.

Demeter hesitantly allowed herself to be pulled into the sun, blinking in the brightness. She acknowledged each of them in turn, her eye lingering on Munkustrap. “I’m Demeter,” she gazed at Bomba with impossibly golden eyes. “But you probably already knew that.” She gave a little half smile.

Munkustrap smiled warmly at Demeter. “We would be glad to welcome you to our tribe. Why don’t you go with Bombalurina and the two of you can get to know each other.” Something flashed in his eyes as he left, signaling the other toms to follow.

Bomba laughed. Munkustrap was actually jealous of her position; she could learn all about Demeter while he had to remember his place and leave the queens alone until the Ball. Demeter shot Bomba a quizzical look, her eyes flickering between the retreating backs of Munkustrap and Bombalurina’s expression.

“I’ll explain later,” Bomba said, shaking her head and chuckling. She led Demeter back to her favorite spot; the hood of a car that had been pounded flat for her by Tugger, making a prime place to sit in the sun.

Demeter was strangely quiet. She mostly stared at the ground, but her head whipped around whenever one of the other cats became curious and revealed themselves for mere seconds before disappearing again.

Finally they were seated on the sun-warmed metal, surrounded by carefully piled junk to allow quite a bit of privacy. Bomba smiled and stretched out in the sun, expecting Demeter to do the same. Instead, the black-and-gold cat stayed poised and alert, her ears flickering toward any sound.

“Relax, Macavity doesn’t come anywhere near here,” Bomba assured. “Especially during the day.”

Demeter scowled darkly. “How would you know?”

This threw Bombalurina off a bit. “You know more about him than we do?”

She turned away, ignoring the question, but Bomba didn’t miss the teary shine in her golden eyes. “I haven’t been able to trust anyone since I was a kitten,” She said suddenly, “And even then, I didn’t really trust anyone.”

Bomba opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. She was lost for words. She sat up and put a comforting arm around Demeter’s shoulder.

“I won’t tell you to trust us, but I will ask you to give it a chance. We may be a ragged bunch, but nobody wants to cause any degree of harm.”

Demeter nodded silently, biting her lip.

“What happened to you?” Bomba asked softly, feeling Demeter tremble violently.

Pulling in a shaky breath, Demeter began. “I was young and naïve. You have to understand that first.” She looked Bomba in the eye, waiting for an answer.

Bomba smiled. “We’re all like that at some point or another.” 

Demeter nodded sadly. “Yes…” She was silent for a moment, then continued. “My mother had planned on taking me to a clan festival, one that was held yearly. Normally, they don’t let kittens participate, but my mother was dying, and she said I needed to go with her at least once. I only watched that first year.

“Two more years passed before my mother died, just before I could be considered old enough to join in the festival. The last thing she told me was that no matter what, I needed to be in the festival, not just watching. I went, but only because she’d told me to.

“There were so many who’d heard about my mother, and I got tired of hearing ‘I’m sorry for your loss’ over and over, so I left early. I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I just wandered the streets.

“I didn’t realize I was being followed, so I wasn’t being careful about anything. He came out of the shadows, almost like a ghost. I knew who he was, but I didn’t run. I needed something to help me forget…

      “You left the festival early,” he noted, his voice as smooth as velvet.

I laughed, but the sound was hollow; empty. “So did you.”

He approached, and I felt so alive… it was as if some strange energy was thrumming from his body. He narrowed his black eyes at me. “You’re not very old. Was this your first festival?”

I shook my head, baffled. He really was a mystery cat.

Without another word, he stalked closer to me. I realized he was moving the same way I’d seen the toms move at the festivals, and my breath caught in my throat. I knew what to do, since my mother had told me countless times to rely on memories and instinct, but my mind was battling with my body, and losing terribly.

It was drilled into the head of every kitten that Macavity was a cat to be hated, that he was shunned by our entire clan. I was no different.

He forced himself upon me, and when I tried to fight back, I found that I couldn’t. Even though I hated him more than anything in the world, it felt good what he was doing. More than that, it felt wonderful. I began to crave it, and in my mind I called him ‘forbidden fruit’.

We had to keep our relationship a secret, because of his social standing, but whenever I got the chance, I would seek him out for one thing: to settle what I craved. It seemed that whenever we parted, it would only grow stronger, and it got harder and harder to leave him.”

Demeter shuddered. “One day, we got caught, and I was banished and chased away. I don’t know what happened to Macavity after that, except that he’s been looking for me. I bet you can guess why.” She grimaced at Bomba, her golden eyes tight with pain.

Bomba was speechless. Her mouth hung open as she tried to imagine what Demeter had gone through. She’d known Macavity was bad, but she hadn’t even begun to imagine the degree of his crimes.

When Bomba didn’t say anything, Demeter laughed. “It’s not like I can do much about the past, right? All I can do now is stay away from him.”

Bomba forced herself to laugh with her, but her mind was still wandering. “Do you want to go meet the other cats?” She asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

Demeter’s eyes lit up. “Sure,” She suddenly looked very hopeful.

“Sorry, but you won’t get to know any of the toms until tomorrow night,” Bomba guessed. “I can tell you their names and point them out, but we separate ourselves to prepare for the Jellicle Ball.”

Demeter frowned, but quickly replaced it with anticipation. “Let’s go then.” She began to climb out the way they’d come, but paused and turned back to Bomba. “You won’t tell anyone else?”

“My lips are sealed.”

=^..^=

Demeter was soon acquainted with the rest of the Junkyard Cats. The younger kittens weren’t interested long enough to really get to know, so they darted off to get into their own mischief.

Bombalurina and Demeter were joined by Cassandra, a sleek Siamese; Etcetera and Rumpelteazer, two calicos; and Tantomile, a black-and-white tabby who was rarely seen away from her twin brother, Coricopat.

“I saw you and Mungo sneaking back in this morning,” Cassandra told Rumpelteazer, who blushed considerably. “What have you two been up to lately?”

“Well,” Rumple started out, slightly shy. “We wanted to pay the family a visit, and we ended up pinchin’ the food right out of the oven!” she and Etcetera giggled. “A whole load of argentine steaks, leavin’ them with their potatoes and greens!”

Demeter felt her stomach rumble at the mention of such good food. “Wait—you have a family? Like, humans?”

Rumpelteazer nodded. “They have two kids who pulled me’n Mungo right off the street. It’s not much fun living there, so we just visit occasionally.”

“Almost everyone here has had a family at one point or another,” Tantomile put in. “Misto just got left by his when they moved, and Tugger tells everyone he doesn’t have one, but he really does.” They all snickered at some inside joke.

Demeter cocked her head, frowning. “He didn’t look like the kind of cat to live on the streets,”

Bomba shook her head with a grin. “He has only one human, and she has obsessed over his looks since he was a kitten, and now he is too.”

“He’s good looking, and he knows it,” Etcetera sighed dreamily.

“He’s OK,” Demeter said with a shrug, making everyone present gasp.

Bombalurina shook her head. “You are honestly the first cat I’ve met who hasn’t swooned at the sight of Tugger.”

“Well, it seems to me that he’s got enough of that already,” Demeter said, slightly defensive.

Just then, Jemima, Electra, and Victoria came stumbling into their circle, giggling madly. Munkustrap’s head appeared above an old armchair, his eyes narrowed at the young trio. Without a word, he disappeared again, moving through the junkyard silently.

Bombalurina raised her eyebrows at the three queens. “Please tell me you weren’t spying on Tugger again.”

Victoria blushed and Electra snorted as Jemima explained their situation. “We were actually just playing a game of truth or dare…” She fell silent as the three of them burst into another fit of giggles. Electra continued. “It was Vic’s turn, and we thought it would be funny to,” she paused as she looked at the small white cat, who was now doing her best to hide her very red face. “to go find Misto and...” She couldn’t finish she was giggling so hard.

Bomba turned to Victoria, her question plain on her face. Victoria bit her lip before explaining. “They just told me to kiss his cheek, but we never imagined what he would do!” She protested in her quiet voice.

Jemima grinned. “He never suspected it was part of a game! He asked her to go to the Ball with him!”

Everyone but Demeter ‘awwed’ at the announcement. Toms didn’t usually ask a queen to go specifically with them, but when it happened, it was not to be taken lightly.

“So why was Munkustrap chasing you?” Demeter asked, surprised to find herself wishing he would appear again.

Rumpelteazer had an answer for that one. “It’s the whole ‘separation’ thing. We shouldn’t be around the Toms from the morning before the Ball until then.”

“Kind of dumb if you ask me.” Tantomile grumbled. “But Munk knows what he’s doing, so we don’t question his rules.” She glanced at Victoria, Electra, and Jemima, who snorted to keep from laughing.

Another head poked over the chair. It was Jennyanydots, the motherly tabby who cared for all the cats in the junkyard. “Welcome to our home, Demeter!” She clambered down to the group, grinning broadly. She surveyed the rest of the queens. “I actually came to say that Munkustrap is planning to have a small welcome dinner tonight. Everyone should get as much food as they can and bring it to the center of the junkyard,” She could barely contain her excitement. “We meet at sundown!” With that, she bumbled off to find her share of the meal.

Rumpelteazer sprang up, off to look for her partner in crime as the rest of them wondered at Munkustrap’s decision.

“He’s never broken his own rules before,” Cassandra said, puzzled.

Bombalurina laughed. “That’s cause he’s never had a good reason too before.”

Demeter looked at Bomba. “Well, you obviously know what’s going on, so why don’t you tell the rest of us?” they all nodded eagerly.

Bomba sighed, laughing to herself. “Munkustrap wants to get to know Demeter better before the Ball!”

Demeter blushed and ducked her eyes as the rest of the queens ‘awwed’ at her.  She’d had enough of relationships for a while, but maybe it would be fun to get to know the silver tabby.

Bombalurina noticed the gold queen’s behavior, deciding to save her any further embarrassment. “Alright, girls, you heard what Jenny said, so get hunting!”  they all slinked off as Bomba playfully swiped her paws at them, smirking at Demeter as they went.

“Thanks,” Demeter muttered. She and Bomba headed off towards the village, sniffing for anything that would taste good.

They were wandering through one of the alleys when there was a loud crash behind them.

“Man! You are a hard queen to find!” 

Demeter froze, not recognizing the voice. Bomba, however, gave a little mew of delight and sprang towards the figure behind them. It was Tugger, now nuzzling with his favorite queen. “I’ll catch up with you later, ok?” She called to Demeter.

She shrugged, and continued to prowl down the alley.

A few rows down, Demeter found a whole bag of what humans called ‘chicken nuggets’. She remembered loving the flavor as a kitten and decided to bring it back as a surprise. She was busily dragging it back the way she came when a small ginger ball of fur collided with her.

“I knew you’d come back! Dad told me you wouldn’t, but I never believed him for one second!” It was a small tom kitten, barely old enough to be catching his own food.

“X-Xander??” Demeter stuttered. What was Xander doing in this village? As far as she knew, he’d been kept in her old tribe.

The young tom grinned at Demeter. He had only one patch of black fur, covering his right eye, giving him a lopsided look on his face. “Dad told me I’d never see you again, but here you are!” he sprang forward and hugged her tightly. Demeter returned his hug as tight as she could. She adored Xander, regardless of who his father was.

His voice muffled by her fur, Xander said, “I missed you, mom.”

Demeter could hardly stop a single tear from falling down her cheek as she kissed the top of his head. “I missed you too.”

A sudden change in the winds caused Demeter to tense up. “Did your father come with you?” She whispered, gingerly sniffing for the sickly-sweet scent of Macavity.

Xander shook his head, proud of himself. “I swam across a river, and I think he lost my scent!”

Demeter’s eyes darted around, scanning the shadows. “Come with me. I’ll explain on the way, but whatever you do, don’t stop running.”

Before Xander could question his mother, she took off, pulling him with her and leaving the bag of chicken behind.

=^..^=

Macavity glared at the retreating pair from a rooftop. So. That gutless queen now thinks she can steal his son away? She’ll just see about that.

=^..^=

Demeter and Xander stopped inside a pipe that led into the junkyard, breathless. Xander frowned at the information he’d just been told. “Why can’t I call you mom again?”

She ran her paw through his thick headfur. “None of these cats like your father very much, and it would mean bad news for us if they found out. Please,” she lifted his tiny chin to look into his golden eyes—ones he’d gotten from her—pleading with the young tom. “just pretend I found you on the street today—that we’d just met today—and I decided to take care of you. If you can be a big boy, and do that for me, we can live a happy life here.”

“No more claw-slaps from dad?” Xander asked, his golden eyes shining.

Demeter smiled at her small son. “No more claw-slaps from dad.” 

=^..^=

Everyone was beginning to wonder where Demeter had gone when she appeared at the edge of the large clearing, a small ginger tom in tow.

Bombalurina laughed. “You were supposed to bring something to eat, Demeter.”

She laughed. “Well, this little guy needed my help,” she said truthfully. “His name is Xander.” She prayed fervently no one would notice his eyes in the gathering darkness.

Xander grinned at Bomba. “She tried to pick a fight with me over some chicken, but I won!” 

“Oh, really?” she raised an eyebrow at Demeter. “And why didn’t you bring the chicken back here?”

Not wanting to startle any of the Jellicles, or her son, Demeter stood on tip-toe to whisper in Bombalurina’s ear, “Macavity almost caught up with us. We had to leave the village as quickly as possible.” 

Jenny knelt down in front of Xander. “Where are your parents dear?”

Demeter glanced at Xander, afraid he wouldn’t remember what she’d told him to say.

“My dad can’t take care of me, and my mom…” he glanced at Demeter. “She didn’t want me.” 

Demeter breathed a sigh of relief. She had heard the accusation in her son’s voice, and wished she’d been able to stay with him. Bombalurina cocked her head slightly at her friend, a question dancing in her eyes, but she kept it to herself.

They all continued chatting and mingling, waiting for the last few cats to arrive. Jellylorum and Jenny took full charge of Xander; combing his fur with their claws, working to get as much dirt and grime out as they could. By the time they were done, his thick fur was incredibly soft, and none of the queens could resist ruffling his headfur.

Finally Misto, who’d been setting up a string of lights, called out, “Old Deuteronomy!” A cry of happiness rose from the crowd of Jellicles, and Misto scampered off to help the old leader to his favorite place: the large tire at the head of the clearing.

Bomba quickly explained to Demeter, “He’s been the leader of our tribe for generations. He holds the key to the Heaviside lair, and chooses the cat to journey up each year,” she couldn’t hide the love in her voice as she talked about their leader. “He’s actually the father of some of the older cats here, and grandfather, and even great-grand father to others!”

Demeter watched the large, old cat slowly make his way through the clearing, greeting each and every cat with the fatherly love Demeter could sense so strongly. Suddenly, she saw a fluffy ginger head pop up next to the large cat.

Old Deuteronomy stopped, looking at the little tom. He glanced at Munkustrap. “Is this the newcomer?”

Munkustrap shook his head. “He is a newcomer, but not the one I told you about,” Munk made his way towards Demeter, pulling her gently towards Old Deuteronomy. “This is Demeter.” She shyly waved, very aware of Munkustrap’s strong paws on her shoulders.

Old Deuteronomy reached a paw out to her. “Lovely to meet you, my dear,” he turned back to the kitten in front of him. “What is your name, young man?”

“Xander,” He paused, shooting an apologetic look at Demeter. He gestured the older cat to come closer, and he whispered something in his ear.

Old Deuteronomy straightened up, grinning from ear to ear. Settling down on his tire, the old tom beckoned to both Demeter and Xander. He spread his arms wide, and announced, “I proudly welcome these two fine cats into the Jellicle tribe! May your days be happy and long!”

A loud cheer erupted from the gathered crowd, and the festivities began.

=^..^=

Demeter carried a thoroughly worn out Xander through the junkyard, nuzzling her young son where no one could see. She didn’t know where she was going, but soon found herself where Bomba had found her that morning. It seemed like such a long time ago, looking back on her day.

Pawing around the small hollow formed by junk, Demeter found an old pillow and a tattered blanket. She fluffed the pillow and placed Xander on it, covering him in the blanket. Feeling tired herself, she leaned against a crooked table, watching the small tom snore softly. She was grateful he’d inherited her own positive attitude… she didn’t want to think about what would happen if he’d turned out more like his father.

Demeter’s face hardened as her thoughts turned to Macavity. She recalled the story she’d told Bombalurina, wincing as she’d done as she changed certain details of her narrative. Yes, she’d met him after a festival, but she’d loved him with all her heart, and was pretty sure he’d loved her. She felt a small row of scars on her cheek, hidden by fur, from his first clawed slap, given right after Demeter announced she’d wanted to keep the kitten she was to bear.

Macavity had been all for giving the kit away, and going on with their normal lives, but whispers had started, and Demeter couldn’t hide her pregnancy for much longer. Folks started to put two and two together, and soon enough, she was doomed to leave the clan after giving birth.

Her ear twitched toward a sound approaching from behind. Demeter turned and saw Munkustrap padding silently in her direction. He smiled at her. “May I come in?”

Demeter nodded, and he sat down across from her. He gestured to the sleeping form of Xander. “He’s a sweet kid.”

“Yeah, he is. N—“ Demeter bit her lip, keeping nothing like his father inside. The last thing she wanted was to lose the small amount of trust she’d gained from the silver tom, and if he found out Xander was her son, she was sure it would cause him to alienate her.

She changed the subject. “What’s the Jellicle Ball like?”

Munkustrap smiled. “A lot of fun. It brings us together like no other day can, and everyone looks forward to it all year long.” He laughed briefly. “Usually it’s followed by a couple of mate-binding ceremonies.”

Demeter frowned. “Mate-binding?” She’d never heard of such a thing, but she scanned her memories of her old clan’s festivals.

“Its unique to our tribe,” Munkustrap explained. “Old Deuteronomy likes to stick to the traditions he grew up on, where one tom stays with one queen, and they stay together for life,” he watched Demeter screw up her face, reading the expression. “It may sound strange to you, but it brings all of us closer. It also eliminates a lot of competition between toms.”

Demeter felt her heart drop. Munkustrap, being a wise and trusted leader, probably already had a mate. She lowered her eyes, fiddling with her claws. “I noticed a few couples tonight, but I still don’t know all their names…” she began slowly, hoping to get the information out of Munkustrap without asking directly. “Could you…?”

He smiled again and shifted forward, crossing his legs in front of him, ticking numbers off his claws. “Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer; that one is obvious, though they haven’t had a mate-binding ceremony yet; Alonzo and Cassandra, theirs was just last month; Bombalurina and Rum Tum Tugger; Etcetera and Tumblebrutus; and Mistofelees and Victoria.” He smiled at Demeter. “Old Deuteronomy is hoping for at least Bombalurina and Rum Tum Tugger to finalize their relationship, but knowing them, they’ll say ‘another few months, and then we will’,” he shook his head. “It’s what they say every time he asks.”

“What about you?” Demeter asked boldly.

Munkustrap leaned back, looking sour all of a sudden. “Old Deuteronomy’s been getting on my back about finding someone to settle down with, but I don’t see the queens in this tribe that way. I’m more like their older brother, you know?” He gazed sadly at Demeter. “Old Deuteronomy said he’d let me venture out on my own for a while, but I don’t know that I’d like that.”

Demeter reached a paw out to comfort him, trying to think of something to say. Suddenly, Xander started whimpering in his sleep, twisting himself in the blanket. Demeter watched him with worry, flinching when he bolted up yelling, “Mom! Look out!”

Suddenly not caring that Munkustrap was there, Demeter pulled Xander into a hug, rocking slowly back and forth, stroking his cheek as he quivered violently. “Dad was gonna kill you,” he whispered fearfully. “He had really long claws, and was trying to kill you,” he shivered as tears ran down his cheeks, and snuggled closer to Demeter.

Demeter scarcely dared to breathe. Munkustrap had heard what Xander said, but she wasn’t sure what his mind was working out.

He watched Demeter comforting the young tom. “It’s very kind of you to take him in off the streets, especially after losing his family.” He placed a paw on Xander’s back. “What was your nightmare about?”

Xander turned his face to Munkustrap, blinking with shining golden eyes. “Macavity was going to kill my mom. I think he really wants to, in real life…” his voice faded away when he realized he’d said too much. Demeter was trembling now. So that’s why Macavity was looking for her.

Looking at Munkustrap’s face, she could tell he’d worked it out. He had been stunned into silence and was staring at Demeter.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” she pleaded. “We’re just trying to get away from him.” Xander shivered as he thought of his father, shutting his eyes tightly.

Munkustrap’s mind hardened into two questions. “Do you still have any feelings for him?”  Demeter shook her head, and he continued with his second. “Then will you let me protect you and Xander?”

Demeter stared at him in disbelief. “Yes,” she finally said.

Munkustrap smiled softly at her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Reluctantly, he pulled away. “We’re taught not to judge anyone here on what the past is. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone can change.” He stood to leave. “I shouldn’t have come, but I wanted to make sure you had a place to sleep for the night.” 

“Munk?” Xander raised his voice for the older tom to hear. Munkustrap paused, gazing curiously at the young kitten. He continued boldly. “Would you be a better dad than Macavity?”

Demeter chuckled at the question, and Munkustrap grinned. “If you want me to be.” Without another word, Munkustrap darted off through the junkyard.

Xander woke up the next morning bright-eyed and excited. Last night, he’d become friends with Pouncival, regardless of the age difference, and the older tom had told him about a game the kittens liked to play in the early morning while the older cats were still asleep.

Sneaking past his sleeping mother, Xander raced through the junkyard, looking for the hideous orange oven that acted as Pouncival’s ‘headquarters’.

Quick introductions were made, as some of the kittens had been too young to attend the dinner the night before. Xander memorized each tom or queen’s name as it was said, matching the names to their faces.

Pouncival, being the oldest, separated the kittens into two groups, preparing a game of ‘capture the flag’. When Pouncival’s older brother strolled over, wondering what they were up to, the one called Jemima had an idea.

“Tumbi, you can pretend you’re Macavity, and if you capture any of us, you have to bring us back here, and we have to stay here!” She looked pleased at herself for coming up with such a clever idea. The other kittens quickly agreed, their eyes bright as they thought of the countless places to hide. Xander frowned slightly. He didn’t want to pretend to hide from his father, and was about to say so when he remembered his promise to his mom.

Tumblebrutus smiled at the small kittens and began to count loudly, sending them all running.

Xander stayed close behind his new friend, trusting him to know the best hiding places. They wriggled under an old car, squeezing into a space that was too small for Tumblebrutus to fit into. Xander took the opportunity to ask Pouncival some questions.

“Why don’t you guys like Macavity?” He whispered casually. Of course he didn’t like his father, but he could think of no reason for this peace-loving tribe to show fear and hatred for the tall ginger cat.

Pouncival scrunched his nose, watching the path they’d come from. “Jelly told me he used to be part of this tribe, but was banished cause he… umm…” The tom dug his claws into the dirt, trying to remember the deed. His face brightened. “He was trying to take over Munk’s job, as protector of the tribe, and he killed a cat who couldn’t really defend himself.” He poked his tongue out at the thought of harming another creature.

Xander frowned, but the answer wasn’t unexpected. Macavity was unpredictable at best, and had a temper like none other. He put a paw to the patch of black fur, one of the only physical traits he’d gotten from his mother. Like four miniscule cords, Xander felt the scar that passed over his eye, well hidden by the black fur. Now that he thought on it, it was the black fur that had gotten him the scratch. That, and his golden eyes.

Pouncival suddenly looked at the young tom kitten lost in his thoughts. “Ya know,”  Pouncival said suddenly, “You have almost the same color of fur as Macavity.”

Xander stiffened. The last thing he needed was for the others to start noticing similarities. “Where I come from, there were a lot of cats with this color fur.”  He covered quickly. “Besides, what queen in her right mind would mate with that insane tom?” He cringed as Pouncival laughed open-heartedly, not realizing he was laughing at Demeter.

“Sorry,” he smiled at Xander. “There just isn’t a lot of orange fur to be seen around here.” He paused and corrected himself. “Unless you put Cetty, Mungo, Teaz and Skimble together, that is.” The two toms laughed at themselves, silencing when they heard footsteps coming towards them.

Tumblebrutus was prowling down the path, peering around at the shadows for the kittens. He grinned devilishly as he saw the two toms hiding under the car and sprang up to it, swiping a paw underneath. Xander and Pouncival screamed, both of them trying to bolt out of hiding. Xander got away, but Pouncival had been scooped up by his brother.

=^..^=

Xander came running into the center clearing, followed by Jemima, Electra and Victoria. They were all half screaming, half laughing as they hid behind various adults. Jennyanydots looked at the kittens with concern.

“What’s all this commotion about?” She asked, wagging a paw at Jemima, who was crouching behind her.

It was bright-eyed Electra who answered for them. “Macavity’s chasing us!”

Demeter’s eyes flicked towards her son, who was behind Jellylorum. “It’s only Tumblebrutus,” Xander assured her, “he’s pretending to be Macavity.”

The kittens burst into a fit of giggles and silenced themselves as they heard the tom in question charging up the path with a kitten slung over his shoulders.

Jemima gasped. “Cetty! You weren’t supposed to get caught!”

Etcetera shrugged, totally helpless on top of Tumblebrutus.

Jellylorum placed her paws on her hips and faced the tall tom. “Don’t you remember what Munk’s lecture was about yesterday? We’re all trying to save ourselves for tonight, and these young ones can’t do that if you’re chasing them around the junkyard.” Xander, Jemima, Electra and Victoria took this distraction as a chance to escape. They all turned and scampered away in several different directions, leaving a disappointed Etcetera behind.

Tumblebrutus sighed and set her on the ground. “I just thought it would be alright,”  he said after the last not-quite kitten darted away. “They are young, after all. They just wanted to play.” He stared at his feet, and with his ears drooping slightly, he looked like a young Pollicle who’d just been caught doing something bad.

Demeter laughed at the expression of Tumblebrutus’ face. “Oh, come on.”  She turned to Jenny. “Can’t we all forget this? It is a day of celebration, after all.” The tom looked up hopefully at Jenny, who was looking very flustered; the rest of the queens present seemed to be siding with Demeter.

Throwing up her paws in frustration, Jenny retreated to her den, muttering something about “In my day…” 

Tumblebrutus snuck off, renewing his pursuit of the kittens while the queens resumed chatting and grooming.

“You dancing with anyone particular?” Bombalurina asked Demeter, a knowing look in her eye. “I heard a certain silver tom is free.” Demeter blushed as Bomba and Rumpelteazer snickered.

“I’m not so sure I’m going to dance at all.” Demeter mumbled. Xander had had another nightmare after Munkustrap left, and she was worried about leaving him alone to watch on the sidelines.

Bombalurina rolled her eyes. “It’s that kitten isn’t it?” Demeter avoided Bomba’s stare. “No one told you to take care of him, you know.”

Biting her lip, Demeter wondered if she could tell her new friend. She seemed pretty understanding with the first story… but to find out that it had been a lie? She decided against it.

“I just don’t feel like dancing, that’s all.” Demeter fiddled with her claws. “Maybe I’ll just watch this year, then I’ll know what to do next time.”

Jellylorum stretched, yawning widely. “It’s not really something you have to know how to do. If you are a cat, you are a Jellicle. And if you’re a Jellicle, the dancing will come natural.” She gazed at Demeter. “There are things for the kittens to do, if you’re worried about Xander.”

Demeter rolled her eyes. She was definitely being too motherly towards Xander, and all the other cats had noticed. “I don’t doubt that he’ll be fine.”  She wanted to continue, but couldn’t think of something to say without provoking the other queens to oppose her. Instead, she left the group to seek a place of solitude.

Once again, she found herself in the make-shift den for herself and Xander. She pawed at the pillows, contemplating a nap. Heaving a sigh, Demeter curled up on the lumpy thing, closing her eyes tightly. Unbidden, a memory of her old tribe resurfaced…

She was sprawled out in an empty crate, clutching weakly to a bucket. She knew if she opened her eyes, she would be cross eyed, so she kept them tightly closed. Her stomach gurgled, and she heaved into the bucket, shivering despite the warmth of the spring day.

Macavity was away, hunting in the city. She knew he wouldn’t be back until later, but he would have as much food as he could carry with him. As another wave of nausea threatened, Demeter wondered if she should see the tribe’s Mater—the mother figure—Grizabella. No doubt the old grey tabby would know how Demeter got so sick suddenly.

Trying to steady her reeling head, Demeter half-crawled, half-dragged herself to the older queen’s den. It was behind an old dumpster, and was a place most cats avoided simply because they were cautious of Grizabella; they knew she would come out if she wanted visitors.

Upon seeing the sick queen, Grizabella quickly ushered Demeter inside, asking questions as they went. What was the last thing she ate? How long ago did she last drink? Has she been behaving recklessly? Demeter answered each question, the last one with some hesitation. Would being Macavity’s queen of choice count as being reckless? She didn’t know, so she just shrugged weakly.

Grizabella gave Demeter a thorough examination, pinching and prodding in the most random places, it seemed. Demeter was still feeling nauseated when Grizabella gave her the news.

“You are going to have a kitten!” She was ecstatic. She knew of Demeter’s family plight, and seemed overjoyed that she would be starting a family of her own. Demeter merely fainted.

After Grizabella revived the gold-and-black queen, she asked who the father was (It wasn’t uncommon for a queen to skip from tom to tom like they were toys). Grimacing, Demeter said she wasn’t sure, and that she preferred it if Grizabella could keep it a secret for the time being.

The older queen agreed, although Demeter could tell she knew she was lying. Feeling slightly better, Demeter made her way back to her crate, settling in to wait Macavity’s return…

It was long after sunset when he finally dragged his plunder into Demeter’s crate. She was practically bouncing with excitement, and she couldn’t wait to tell him.

“Guess what?” She pounced on his back, nuzzling his neck.

Macavity said nothing, he only pulled Demeter off his back and began to tickle her, grinning broadly.

“Stop! You’ll make me forget!” Demeter laughed, trying to capture his paws as they found her more sensitive spots.

Macavity did stop and he pulled her into a hug. “There, I stopped. But only because I want to hear your news. After you tell me, I might just start again.” He smiled mischievously.

Demeter turned to face him, her eyes bright. “I went to see Grizabella today,”

Macavity made a face. “Because you had a headache? You could’ve slept that off.”

Demeter rolled her eyes. “I did try to sleep it off, but then I started throwing up. That’s why I went to see her. Anyway, she told me why I got so sick.”  She beamed at Macavity. “I’m going to have a kitten!”

Macavity stared at her, trying to figure out how to take this kind of news. The last thing he wanted was a kitten to tie him to a queen. He frowned, kneading the ground with his claws. “Who else knows?”

Now it was Demeter’s turn to frown. She’d thought he would be excited, like her. “Just Griz…” she said slowly. “I asked her to keep it a secret for now…” She tried to read the expression on the ginger tom’s face, wondering why he wasn’t happy.

Macavity nodded. “That’s good.” He met Demeter’s golden eyes. “We’ll get rid of it as soon as possible.”

Demeter was shocked. “What?!” She stared at him in disbelief. “No, I want to keep it!”

Growling, Macavity let his open hand fly towards her face, and Demeter felt the sharp stink as his claws raked her cheek.

Demeter’s eyes flew open, and she realized she’d fallen asleep. The small scars on her cheek tingled, and she felt as if she were being watched. She whirled around, and saw it was just Bombalurina, who was looking at her with a peculiar expression on her face.

“You talk in your sleep.” The red queen said simply.

Demeter felt herself blush as she remembered her dream. “What did I say?” she asked cautiously.

“Just something about ‘Grizabella knows’ and ‘I want to keep it’. Honestly, it didn’t make any sense.” Bomba shrugged, sitting beside Demeter.

“Grizabella was a cat in my old tribe. I heard she was banished shortly after I was,” Demeter bit her lip; she’d almost let slip her secret. “I don’t quite know why.” She felt her face turn red.

“What was in your dream that you wanted to keep?” Bombalurina asked, eyeing the gold and black queen curiously.

Demeter’s mind was frozen. What could she say that wouldn’t tip Bomba off about the truth? “I—I don’t remember.” She stammered, mentally kicking herself. Why couldn’t she trust Bombalurina? She closed her eyes, crossing them under her eyelids. She needed to change the subject, but to what?

“When does the Ball begin?” Demeter asked.

“When the moon rises,” Bomba stretched out, yawning. “We basically have nothing to do but groom ourselves until then.”

“Hmm.” Demeter sighed absently. The scars on her face had begun to twinge, almost painfully. The two queens sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts as they groomed themselves thoroughly.

After about an hour, the silence was broken by a distant yelp of terror, followed by a scream that was quickly getting closer.

“MOM!!!” Xander was running at top speed, his face a picture of pure horror. He dived into Demeter’s lap, trembling wildly. He hadn’t even noticed that Bombalurina was there.

“I swear, I saw him! He was in the junkyard! He was chasing me, and I think I lost him, but he’s still in the junkyard!” Xander whimpered when he’d caught his breath.

Bombalurina gaped at the small tom. “Who?”

“Macavity.” Demeter said, though her voice was barely audible. He knew where they were, and could very well be watching them this very instant.

Xander peered up at Demeter, his eyes close to terrified tears. “He looked really mad…” he gave a small mew of distress, and buried his head into his mother’s fur again.

Ignoring the fact that Bombalurina was still staring at her, Demeter asked, “Did you hear anything?”

Xander nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. “I can still hear him…” he paused, listening to a voice unheard by the two queens. Taking in a deep breath, Xander continued. “He said you can’t hide forever, and he’ll find you no matter how far you go…” his voice was strangely calm, and as Demeter forced his chin up, she saw that his golden eyes were shot with red; a sure sign Macavity had partial control over the small ginger tom. She focused on the red in Xander’s eyes.

“Where are you?” she hissed.

Xander smiled coldly, and Demeter was 100% certain Macavity was gaining control over the small tom. “Follow that cold chill running down your spine.” Xander’s eyes suddenly rolled upwards, and he collapsed onto Demeter.

Demeter sighed, stroking her son’s clammy forehead. The sound of someone clearing her throat caused her to look up, reminding her that Bombalurina was still there and had heard every single word.

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