by: M.W. Roach

The junkyard illuminated with moonlight as the rays reflected off the abandoned cars and heavy machinery that cluttered the private feline paradise. A pair of golden eyes glowed in the darkness of a large pipe. As the face slowly pressed forward, his silvery stripes could bearly be seen as the light of the silver moon blended into the tabby tom's luxurious coat. He stepped out cautiously, sniffing the air, his ears twitching.

A second pair of eyes peered through the blackness of her hiding place; green eyes this time. She sniffed the ground and sniffed the air. Much to her pleasure, Macavity wasn't there.

Almost immediately, several dozen pairs of eyes came into view as their protector stood up cautiously, his arms out to the side. He raised his paws slowly; the summoning gave the all-clear. Calico faces emerged, purring and rubbing lovingly on each other. Faces of black and white leapt about, mewing loudly. Spots, stripes and even a bewitching chocolate Siamese skulked out from their hiding places. A big black tom with a tiger-striped crest of golden fur and leopard spotted legs hopped up from his own hiding spot. He was immediately ambushed by the kittens, who purred loudly and rubbed against him. He relished in the attention. Among the many other cats, there was a young yearling tom whose lovely black and white markings stood out amongst the others. Between his front paws was a tiny 2 month old kitten; black from his ears to the tip of his tail; his face and chest shone a blinding white even in the darkness of the night. Every cat gathered around the silver tabby tom, who smiled as he raised his face to the moonlight.

“Jellicle cats meet once a year

At the Jellicle Ball where we all rejoice.

And the Jellicle leader will soon appear

And make what is known as the Jellicle Choice.

When Old Deuteronomy, just before dawn

Through a silence you feel could be cut with a knife

Announces the cat who can now be reborn

And come back to a different Jellicle life.”

The cats mewed loudly upon hearing the tom's song. Every cat waited on pins and needles for the annual Jellicle Ball, much like humans when it comes to their Christmas holiday. But unlike the sapiens', who have long forgotten the true meaning of their celebrations, the Jellicles knew exactly what this special night meant. A chance to be reborn; to start over. It was a very admirable and respectable holiday; and it would begin upon the visit of their beloved leader, Old Deuteronomy, the oldest living cat in existence. Some even thought him to be the appreciated friend of Moses himself.

The cats, eagerly awaiting his arrival, would spend their time playing and nominating one another. It was like that every year. But, on this particular year, tradition was thrown into question, and forever changed the lives of the Jellicles.

Before anyone could voice out a nomination, a loud crash was heard from down the alley. The cats turned curiously towards the source of the noise, pricking up their ears at the approaching sound of a wicked cackle.

“Macavity!” Dem hissed, cowering behind her sister.

But there wasn't any time for anyone to hide. Even The Rum Tum Tugger, who was always the first to high-tail it out of there at the mere mention of the Ginger Cat's name, didn't even have time to leap into the pipe. The Hidden Paw streaked across the junkyard, leapt over the abandoned vehicle, and was gone like that, only his fur-raising laugh lingered behind before it too drifted into the wind.

The cats stood silently, waiting. A tiger-striped and leopard spotted senior queen leapt down from her high perch on one of the garbage piles. She was Jennyanydots, the Gumby Cat.

“That was very strange.” She quipped.

“Extremely.” A second senior queen called Jellylorum agreed. “Wonder what that was about...”

Instantly, all eyes traveled to Coricopat and Tantomile, who brought their attention down the alley from where Macavity had just come. The prophetic felines twitched their noses.

“Danger.” Coricopat whispered.

The cats stood very still. What danger did Macavity lead to them? The answered made itself clear when the scent of strong drink permeated the air. Humans. Not just humans; men. Not just men; men reeking of powerful alcohol. Every cat knows that humans can become dangerous and even cruel when intoxicated by the odorous drink. Munkustrap, the silver tom, raised his paws to the sky.

“RUN!” He hissed.

The warning came too late. In an instant, a bright light was cast over the alley, temporarily blinding the cats. 4 men stinking of whiskey stormed through the alley, laughing and hollering and even shooting off firecrackers at the terrified cats. Once their wits caught up with them, they began to scatter. The men didn't look to the queens, but rather set their sights on the toms. Tugger was the first to be captured as he attempted to run away. His tail was grabbed and he was thrown into a cage before he even had time to react. Never before had the spoiled feline been treated so harshly. He yowled in fright as he tried to dig his way out, ripping his claws through the wire. In moments his paws were soaked in blood.

Munkustrap pinned his ears against his skull and hissed violently at the man who dared to treat his younger brother with such disrespect. In the blink of an eye, Munkustrap was latched onto the man's leg, growling fiercely and biting as hard as he could. The man roared in pain and kicked out frantically, but the silver tom's claws were deeply embedded in his leg. Meanwhile, another man grabbed little Mistoffelees by his scruff and tossed him in a cage as well. Alonzo hissed and bounded towards the prison in which his defenseless little brother was held captive. The uniquely marked tom grabbed hold of the cage and began gnawing at the wooden latch. But in attempting to save his tiny, frightened brother, Alonzo himself was grabbed and tossed into a cage.

As fate would have it, Munkustrap lost both his grip and his consciousness as one of the other men wrapped his meat-cleaver hands around the tabby's neck and squeezed with all his might. The unconscious tom was thrown into another cage next to his brothers. The cages were then carried out to the street and tossed in the back of a horse-drawn open-car. The 4 toms disappeared down the slick cobblestone road; unknowing of the terror that was in store for them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Munkustrap slowly opened his eyes. There was a blinding light that radiated above him, causing him to close them immediately. He attempted to open his eyes once more, only to be blinded again. Where was he?

“Tugger...” He whispered.

He picked up his ears at the sound of claw tips clicking against the ground. Again, he tried to open his eyes. He blinked a few times until his vision adjusted to his bright surroundings. He noticed 3 other cages lined up along side him. To his left was Rum Tum Tugger, who paced wildly in his cage, stopping every so often to bite at the wire and scratched at the door with his raw, bloody paws. To his right was Alonzo, who was stretched out to his own right, reaching for something. It was Mistoffelees, who was also reaching out for his big brother.

“It's okay, Mistoffelees. I'm here.” He whispered gently, stroking his little brother's paw through the cage. “Everything's going to be alright.”

Munkustrap looked up. The 4 cages were placed directly under a street light. The cats could see what was going on in the illuminated area, but everything outside the light source was black. Munkustrap growled a little in his throat and turned to his brother.

“Tugger. Calm down.” He said in a low voice.

But the curious cat was beyond comfort; beyond reality. He paced like a caged tiger, his eyes wide with fear. There was no talking to him at this point. He was in a state of shock, apparent by his trembling.

The frightening part was, the cats could here the men just beyond the light, laughing maliciously. Munkustrap stood up and pressed his ears forward. In an instant, all went dead silent. Finally finding his voice, Tugger spoke first.

“Are they gone?” He whispered to Munkustrap.

The silver tom squinted his eyes and sniffed. He narrowed his golden oracles with distaste.

“No. I can still smell them.”

Alonzo turned his head towards the guardian of the Jellicle tribe, still keeping his brother's paws cupped in his own.

“What are they going to do to us?” He asked nervously.

“I don't know.” Munkustrap answered, still trying vainly to see past the light.

Alonzo turned his attention to his tiny baby brother.

“I don't suppose you could get us out of here, can you Mistoffelees?” He asked gently.

The shivering kitten whose eyes were overflooding with tears shook his head no. He whimpered and hid his face bashfully.

“It's okay.” Alonzo comforted. “It was unfair of me to ask so much of you. Shhh...it's okay.” He reached out as far as he could to cup the kitten's face in his paw. “I won't let anything happen to you...”

Munkustrap eyed his cage door. There had to be a way to open it. Oh, if only he had thumbs...

“AUGH!”

Munkustrap quickly turned his attention to Tugger's cage when he heard a loud crack, followed by a cry of pain. The Rum Tum Tugger had been struck in the face by a large rock, leaving a deep cut over his nose. Slowly, the silver tom brought his attention up to the sky. His eyes widened with panic.

“Rocks!” He shouted, covering his head.

A storm of stones rained from the sky, bashing the sides of the cages. Smaller stones flew neatly between the bars and pelted the cats harshly. Mistoffelees squealed in fright and tried to cover his face with his paws, but the stones bashed the infant feline in the spine and on the back of his head. Alonzo wasted no time in throwing his body against the side of the cage, rolling it in front of Mistoffelees' prison. The magical kitten looked up in awe as his brother shielded him with his own body. Alonzo flinched and small cries of pain escaped his lips. During the onslaught, he opened one eye and gave a small smirk.

“You're okay, Mister Mistoffelees! I'll protect you!” He tried sounding as cheerful as possible, despite his agony.

The kitten merely watched in sorrow as his big brother willingly sacrificed his body for the protection of his tiny two-toned sibling. Suddenly, just as quickly as they came, the rocks ceased; much to Alonzo's relief. He fell to his knees against the cage, trying to hold back the wails of agonizing pain that threatened to overtake him. Mistoffelees, now able to reach his brother without stretching, reached into the cage and held the young tom's face in his own little paws.

“Awonzo?” He squeaked questionably, pulling gently on his whiskers. “Awonzo...” He tried again, shaking his brother slightly. “Wake up...”

Alonzo forced himself awake, least he worry his brother. He smiled warmly and rubbed against Misto's paws. Mistoffelees gave a weak smile, somewhat relieved. But his smile quickly faded as a new terror made itself known, obvious by Alonzo's sudden change in attitude. The young tom's eyes widened with fear upon seeing the reflection in Misto's eyes of the new approaching danger. In a flash, a white snarling beast dashed across the light towards the cages; Mistoffelees' in particular.

“DOG!” Alonzo called as he reached into the cage and embraced his brother tightly.

The bull terrier latched its jaws around the back of Mistoffeeles' cage and began to fiercely tear at it. Alonzo gripped his brother through the cage as tightly as possible as the dog viciously tried to rip them from each other's arms.

Suddenly, a second dog appeared; a bull mastiff this time. The massive beast wasted no time in engulfing the front of Tugger's cage in its collasal jaws. The crested cat hissed frantically and forced himself into the furthest corner of his prison. But each time the dog raised his head, Tugger fell against its face and was forced to try and avoid the snapping fangs of the cold beast. His claws were broken and useless against the tank-like canine.

Munkustrap's eyes glowed with fury. He had had enough of this cruel game. Unsheathing his own claws, he copied Alonzo's move and threw himself into the side of the cage, causing it to roll. It landed near the back legs of the beastly dog. Running his tongue over his teeth, he reached out, grabbed the dog's leg in his claws and bit down as hard as he could.

She tore her face from her T.S Elliot book and looked around the park cautiously. What was that ghastly cry? It sounded like an injured animal. She placed the bookmark into the cleft of the pages and put the book in her pocket. Another scream echoed throughout the night air. Concerned and a little frightened, she ran towards the source of the cry, unsuspecting of the danger, but certain that something needed to be rescued.

The Mastiff yowled as he kicked out frantically, trying to shake the cat and cage free from the horrid grip. Munkustrap couldn't hold on any longer, and released his tired, sore jaws. His cage went hurdling through the air and smashed right against the bull terrier, who was sent flying out from beneath the light. Both dogs, feeling cantankerous from the random attack, turned on each other and fought viciously. Munkustrap sat panting in his cage, the taste of dog blood fresh in his mouth. He glanced over at Tugger, who looked at his brother with a new air of respect. The two of them shared a rare smile. Munkustrap then turned his attention to the other two brothers, who also smiled in appreciation.

But the celebration didn't last long. The four of them turned when they heard the men approaching. As they entered the lighted area, the cats noticed a shiny black tube gripped in the hands of the man who appeared to be the leader. He cocked the rifle back with a loud click. The cats nearly stopped breathing. They knew what guns were, and they knew that man is most powerful when one of these instruments were present. They surrounded Munkustrap's cage.

“This one's a woild li''le beast, ain't 'e?” The leader asked in his cockney accent. “You know wha' we do wif these woild ones, don't we, boys?”

The other men cackled menacingly, sipping their whiskey. The leader placed the end of the gun in the cage, aiming directly at Munkustrap's forehead. The tabby didn't cower, but proudly and fearlessly held up his head. He wasn't afraid to die.

“Noighty, noight, ki'y cat...” The man growled as he curled his finger around the trigger.

“STOP!!”

The roar of the gunfire caused Tugger, Alonzo and Mistoffelees to turn away, but the overwhelming cry for the senseless cruelty to cease caused them to look up again. Even the dogs discontinued their quarrel to witness the cause of the interruption.

Munkustrap stood there, eyes wide and breathing labored. A smoking hole lingered over his head as the bullet narrowly missed the cats' brain and instead shot a hole through the top of the cage. The silver tom looked up curiously at the girl who pushed the armed, drunken man to the ground and now held her arms out protectively in front of the cats. She glared furiously at the men.

“What do you think you're doing?! What kind of sick game are you playing here? How dare you treat these cats so cruelly!! I have a right mind to put the finger on every last one of you for this!”

“Blimey, the birds' jus' craizy enough to do it, she is!” One of the other men coughed nervously.

“Oi'm no' stickin' 'round long enough to be penned up! Ca'mon! Let's get the dogs and get out'a 'ere!” The third man called, wasting no time in grabbing the dogs and disappearing with the other 3 bloaks into the darkness.

She turned quickly and started opening the cages while the drunk on the ground struggled to his feet. First, she opened the door to Tugger's cage and, cupping her hand around his bottom, pushed him out of the prison. Then, she pried open Munkustrap's cage the rest of the way, reached in and pulled him out. She then dashed over Alonzo's cage and unlatched it. Alonzo wasted no time in running around to the back of Mistoffelees' cage and impatiently pawed at it. The girl pulled out the stake that held the kitten's cage closed. With all four cats free, she shooed them away with her hands.

“Go! Get out of here!” She encouraged.

The 4 cats looked at her for a moment, bewildered. Slowly, each cat departed, leaving only Munkustrap to gaze curiously at her.

“Go.” She advised again.

Munkustrap took a few steps back before slinking into the darkness.

The four of them did not leave right away, but rather laid low in some surrounding bushes. The man, on his feet and infuriated, grabbed the girl and began slapping her in the face with angry force. Then, he cocked his arm back and punched her numerous times. Tugger turned away, flinching with every crack of the man's fist against her body. She fell to her knees, only to have the man lift his rifle high in the air and crack her in the face with it twice. Munkustrap, too, couldn't watch and turned away. Alonzo compressed the kitten in his arms, his eyes closed tightly.

But Mistoffelees didn't hide his face. He watched the scene intently. The savage beating went on for well over 3 minutes before the man gave her one last kick and ran upon hearing unrelated sirens in the distance.

“They're gone.” The kitten whispered.

Slowly, the other 3 toms looked out. They could see the girl laying there beneath the light, but they couldn't see if she was breathing. Slowly, Munkustrap stepped out of the bushes and approached her body from the side. She was breathing. He retreated back into the bushes.

“Tugger, go back to the junkyard and get Old Deuteronomy. Tell him what happened, and bring him here.”

Tugger nodded and bounded away. Munkustrap then turned to Alonzo.

“Tell the others what you have witnessed here. Bring as many Jellicles as you can.”

“Right.” Alonzo agreed. “Let's go, Mistoffelees.”

“No.” Munkustrap stopped him. “He will stay here with me.”

Alonzo nodded and took off after Tugger. Munkustrap looked around the park cautiously, then motioned with his head for Mistoffelees to follow.

The silver tom and the kitten approached the girl's side. To their surprise, she was conscious. Her eyes traveled to the cats, and she smiled warmly at them.

“You're okay. I'm so happy.”

Her accent indicated that she was born in London or thereabouts. She had short, frizzy blonde hair that had been crammed under a wool hat. She had lime green eyes that glowed in the light of the Jellicle Moon. Her glasses were broken and lay scattered across the ground. Blood dripped from her lip, head and nose. She was battered and bruised across her face. She had indeed taken quite a punishment on behalf of the cats, and they knew it.

“Mistoffelees, lay with her. I will keep watch.” Munkustrap ordered.

Mistoffelees did as he was told and curled up on her chest, his yellow eyes locked on her worn, bloody face. She smiled and shakily and rubbed her broken hand across his fine black coat. Misto purred contently. The two of them layed there for a good 20 minutes, her eyes closed. After a short while, she sighed and brought her eyes up to the moon.

“It's beautiful.” She whispered. “I think this is the first time I've seen the moon look so bright. It's nice...after all I've been through, that is. I lost my job today...I'm 4 months late on the rent and am about lose my flat and my boyfriend just left me...” She paused, wiping the tears from her face. “...for my brother.”

Misto and Munkustrap exchanged a questionable glance at the girl's last statement.

The girl whimpered again and rubbed the kitten's ears gently.

“With so much unhappiness in my life, I'm kind of happy right now.”

Munkustrap sorrowfully looked over his shoulder at her scuffed face.

“I think I'm going to die tonight...but it's okay. At least I get to die beneath that beautiful moon.”

Munkustrap turned around slowly, his heart aching for the poor girl's misfortune. His eyes wandered to her other hand that was spewed across the ground.

“At least I'm with a friend...” She rubbed Misto's chin with her index finger. “Nobody wants to die alone, do they?”

She flinched slightly when she felt something furry in her extended hand. She looked weakly at the silver tom, who had laid his paw in her palm as both a gesture of friendship and sorrow. He had a kind expression on his beautifully marked face. She grinned and managed to cup her hand around his paw.

“Two friends.” She chuckled lightly. “I couldn't be any luckier.”

Munkustrap turned, his gaze becoming even softer as Tugger returned to his side. The maned tom crept to the girl's head and gave a friendly headrub against her cheek. The girl look at the tom questionably.

“Three friends?”

In an instant, Alonzo returned and hopped on her chest. He licked his brother's head and then leaned over and licked her nose.

“Four friends?”

She tried to sit up, but found herself far too weak to even do that. But she needn't sit up to notice the many different eyes watching her. The girl was completely surrounded by cats. She closed her eyes again, feeling so weak.

“Oh...I...can't...breath...” Her breathing was starting to slow.

Munkustrap peered into the darkness and sighed at the sight of him.

“My mind may be wandering, but I confess,

I believe it is Old Deuteronomy...”

The grizzled old cat slowly made his way towards the girl's haggard body. He looked upon her and shook his heavy head.

“What a disappointment. This poor human is dying simply because she wanted to save the lives of my sons. I am deeply saddened by this.”

The other cats hung their heads upon feeling their leader's sadness. Munkustrap approached him and touched his father's paw.

“Please...there must be something we can do. We must reward her for her sacrifice.”

“But how?” Alonzo asked as he approached the leaders.

“However we do it, it must be done quickly.” Tugger announced, holding his paw over her body. “She has stopped breathing.”

The cats whispered worriedly among themselves, but that all came to a screeching halt when the ancient cat held up his paws in a request for silence. Munkustrap had whispered something in his ear.

“Jellicle Cats, my son has revealed to me his nomination for this year's Jellicle Choice. He has nominated...this human girl.”

A gasp rose up from among the surrounding cats. Rum Tum Tugger stepped forward.

“I second that nomination.” He announced, causing another roar of gasps from the felinical crowd.

“So do I!” Alonzo called with gusto.

“Me too!” Mistoffelees joined in.

“Hold on!” Bombalurina demanded the attention of the tribe “A human can't be the Jellicle Choice. Only cats can ascend to the Heaviside Layer!”

Several queens mewed in agreement, but Old Deuteronomy held up his paws to demand silence once again. Upon the fall of quiet, the withered old cat turned to the red spotted queen.

“You are wrong there, my child. Humans; albeit, very few humans; CAN ascend to the Heaviside Layer. It all started with my first human, you see. With whom, I was a grand Lord in Egypt until he fled into the desert. I followed him. I followed him where ever he went, even back to the Pharoah's palace and into the desert again! My human freed millions and even spoke with the Keeper of the Heaviside Layer Himself. The Keeper told my human that he could acsend, for there was never one like him before. In exchange for my loyalty to him, I was granted the gift of the Jellicle Choice. It was my responsibility to choose the most deserving cat to acsend and be reborn, because there were only two other humans in history besides my dear Moses to acsend directly, and I had the pleasure of seeing off the most recent one. But now, I must ask the Keeper for advice regarding the actions of this young girl. Please, leave me and the girl alone for a moment.”

The cats obeyed and backed away. Beneath the moonlight, Deuteronomy aproached the girl's body and tilted her head back. He placed both front paws on her brow and closed his eyes. He raised his face to the sky.

His eyes opened slowly as a smile swept across his face. It was getting light, the stars were disappearing, and the dew was forming. The old cat brought his gaze back down to the girl's face.

“You will not ascend on this night, my child. The Keeper has informed me that you are not yet ready. But, I have been granted permission to provide you with life...by giving you one of mine. Jellicles...”

The cats slowly crept into view, their eyes focused with curiosity. Deuteronomy gently opened the girl's mouth.

“My Jellicles...witness the rebirth of this human girl, who will have new life...the life...of a cat.”

And the cats watched in awe as the ancient feline opened his mouth slightly and leaned over the girl's cold body. It lasted only a moment, then the old cat retreated. Color returned to her pale flesh, heat radiated from her beating heart, and breath returned to her lips. Deuteronomy backed away, flicking his ears at the sound of a blaring siren. Someone had spotted her body from their flat and had phoned the ambulence. Deuteronomy nodded and the Jellicles took their leave, once again leaving Munkustrap behind to witness the arrivel of the paramedics as they safely tucked her into the vehicle. With a sigh of relief, the tabby tom left as well.

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She awoke with a loud gasp, pulling herself up into a sitting position. She breathed heavily as she scanned the hospital room with bewilderment. What happened? How'd she get here? She didn't remember a thing about the previous night. With a groan, she held her pounding head and laid back in the bed. A delightful Irish nurse entered the room and offered her an extra pillow.

“Oh, good! You're awake! We were getting mighty worried about you, my dear. Are you alright?”

“I...I dunno....how'd I get here?”

“Oh, they brought you in yesterday morning. Found you beaten and unconcsious in the park. Poor thing, you...”

“I've been out for 2 days?!”

“Not to worry, my dear. Here...rest now and we'll call in the magistrate a little later. Also, I should need to know your name.”

“It's...it's Liz. But why do I have to talk to the magistrate?”

“Ooh, to get information on those scoundrels what did this to you. A life behind bars is what they deserve, they do!”

The nurse turned to leave, but Liz quickly grabbed her arm.

“Wait! Please...when they found me...were there any...I dunno...cats with me?”

“I'm afraid I don't know. But don't worry. I'm sure they'll be fine.”

The gentle old woman left the girl alone in the room. Liz rubbed her head with desperation, but she could not recall the events that occurred on the previous previous night. Casually, she glanced out her window. Her eyes widened. There, on the window sill, was a tiny black and white kitten peering in on her. She quickly tossed off the covers and wriggled her feet into a pair of hospital slippers. She took a step towards the window and stopped. The kitten had disappeared. She ran over and slid the window open and leaned out. She was on the 4th floor, and there was no sign that anything had been on that window except maybe some pigeons. With a listless groan, she shut the window and returned to the bed. She looked out again, but saw nothing. With a sigh she setteled into the pillows and drifted into slumber.

The kitten rubbed his paw along the glass of the pane as he stared longingly at the rescuer called Liz. He pressed his face against the glass, his eyes focused and intense as he recalled the dreadful night.

“We're gonn' talk someday.” He squeaked with an adorable lisp. “I'll tell you evewyting. I pwomise.”

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