Hi, first fan fic, so...if you must judge, be kind. and i know the title's lame...sorry
CATS II
CHAPTER 1: ONE WEEK BEFORE THE JELLICLE BALL
Munkustrap looked around the junkyard, a glint of consternation in his pale eyes. The place was a mess! Humans and bad winds had hidden almost every part of the old Jellicle hideout. The old car was covered in everlasting cat knew what, and the Great Tyre was completely buried in garbage. Thank goodness it was dark, and the cats could go into Jellicle form without worrying about humans spotting them. Going to a discarded gym whistle, Munkustrap blew one piercing blast before making the switch over.
Cat poured in from all directions, patch and tabby, all colors a cat could be. Demeter, his black and gold mate, transformed first, followed by the scarlet Bombalurina. Two sets of twins, one orange tabby, the other black patchworks, rolled in opposite sides of the junkyard. A group of older queens and toms strolled in, younger cats behind them. Jellylorum and Asparagus herded the kittens to one corner to sort through things, while Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks switched over to Jellicle form to stand beside Munkustrap. A Siamese drifted in elegantly, followed by a pure white cat and her mate.
From somewhere higher up than Munkustrap could keep track of, a small black and white Tux tom suddenly appeared, and The Rum Tum Tugger, already Jellicled out, sauntered out from under a pipe, an arrogant grin on his face as a few of the females slowly sidled over his way. Munkustrap sighed, "Same thing every year…" before turning to the assembled cats.
"We have a week until the Jellicle Ball, and, as every one can see, the junkyard is in no condition for our usual celebration. I hope no-one's scared of getting their fur dirty…Tugger."
"What?" the maned tom groused as he stepped over Etcetera, who was getting a little too personable about his person. Munkustrap rolled his eyes.
"Cassandra," Munkustrap said, turning to the Siamese, "you and Etcetera, Electra, and Jemima are in charge of paper and plastic removal. Alonzo, you and Tumblebrutus and Pouncival handle the bottles, cans, and metal." He watched as the seven ran off to their respective posts. He turned to the Tux tom. "Mistoffolees, can you handle jinxing the glass out of here?" Mistoffolees nodded with a huge grin, and turned about, rolling his arms as he started his magic. Tugger plopped out of nowhere to rest an arm on Munkustrap's head "You know, we really have to get him to talking more."
"Aware of that, brother," Munkustrap said as he gracefully dodged under Tugger's arm. "The rest of the queens can handle toss out, and the rest of us toms will get the heavy stuff out of the way, and yes Tugger, that includes you."
Ignoring his bother's pouting, the Jellicle's second in command got to work. For a few minutes, the cleaning went along fine. There was the occasional grumble, quite a few 'EEWWWWS!' from the girls, and Mungojerrie cut his fingers trying to lob a rusted coffee can at his sister, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Munkustrap heard a questing sort of growl, unfamiliar, and looked up.
"LOOK OUT" Coricopat and Tantomile shot up at the same time, and Munkustrap shot out of the way just in time to avoid a pile of falling metal. Shaking his head, he asked around if everyone was okay. No one else had been in the way, and he went back to work. He heard Alonzo humming, and a few of the girls sort of twirled around as they bundled up their loads of garbage. Munkustrap started in on a song, and the rest of the tribe followed suite.
One more week 'til the Jellicle Moon
Just a week until the Jellicle Ball
The Jellicle Choice is to be made soon
A new life for one and joy for all!
The kittens will creep from out of their boxes
The Toms and the Queens will dance down the hall
Ever more graceful than dogs or than foxes,
We Jellicle Cats at the Jellicle Ball
The Great Tyre will rise, if we can just find it
So much has changed here in only a year
Move over that banner, the Great Tyre's behind it
This mess in our junkyard is worse than we feared
One more week 'til the Jellicle Moon
Just a week until the Jellicle Ball
The Jellicle Choice is to be made soon
A new life for one and joy for all!
"LOOK OUT!" Cori and Tanti yelled in chorus. Munkustrap, Tugger, and Tunblebrutus run diving out of the way as more trash falls. Bombalurina twisted, wondering at the strange growl she heard "Macavity?" she muttered as she turned back to her work. Munkustrap just shrugged, not knowing who it might be. He shot a discreet nod to Skimbleshanks, who darted of, looking for any signs of the cat in question.
Demeter, thankful for the cats' warning, begins to whisper a song for the twin cats, which Alonzo, Jenny, and Jelly picked up on.
Coricopat is the name of a cat from which fate cannot hide
And Tantomile has a secret smile, for she knows when one's lied
When you see two sets of golden eyes unmoving in an alley
Or two and twin crooked smiles in silence in a valley
There can be no doubt as to who is about
It is those most puzzling, psychical cats!
Tantomile has been known for shamanistic ambitions
And Coricopat, with a Tarot deck has no competition
When a quake grumbles beneath the earth, without a rumble or sound
Without you knowing how these two will know and be abound
Tantomile and her brother Coricopat
Those original, Mystical, Psychical cats!
"LOOK OUT!" "Macavity?" Bombalurina wondered again.
The singers dodged a hail of trash, nodding their thanks to the twins. Demeter egged the other three into finishing their song
Before a door is opened
They will be there in a glance
Any prediction plotted,
They have left nothing to chance
And right before a thunder storm
You will see these two askance
They hear what one is thinking and will tell you with out blinking
And around them, no secret is aloof
They will find you if you're hiding and will never be abiding
Even if they're sunning out upon the roof!
Coricopat and Tantomile
The Psychic cats with the knowing smiles!
"LOOK OUT!" the twins yelled, darting away from the middle of the junkyard. The Great Tyre teetered on its perch before thundering down a mountain of trash. Cats ran every which way, escaping just a hairs breadth from getting a crushed tail.
A flame patterned cat tumbled out of the tyre, trying to dart away. "Macavity!" Demeter and Bombalurina hissed in unison, going after the cat as the rest of the Jellicles circled around, trapping the cat between them all.
"NO!" Munkustrap yelled before the cat could get hurt. "Look."
The cats looked at the hissing cat closer. It was female, and black where Macavity was white. Alonzo recognized her from a fight he had been in earlier that year. He began to slink around inside the circle, pointing at the cat as he did a spy's roll before Tumblebrutus joined him, and they sang at her, spitefully,
Macavawhisp's a fighter cat
Although she's rarely seen
But you'd know her if you saw her
Her eyes are feral green
She hides from sunlight in the street
When she's busy spreading fear
But when the fighters try to find her, Macavawhisp's disappeared!
Alonzo and Tumblebrutus melted back into the circle as Macavawhisp hissed and swiped at them. Bombalurina and Demeter entered, circling around the trapped cat gracefully, mocking her with their freedom, as they brought out the second verse of the song.
Macavawhisp, the fighter cat, the daughter of calamity
She's battled every type of cat
She's battled with Macavity(They do their little Macavity dance here)
Her violent retaliations make the bounty hunters leer
But when the fighters try to find her, Macavawhisp's disappeared!
You may seek her in an attic,
Any which way you may steer,
But we'll tell you once and only that Macavawhisp's disappeared!
The two queens left the circle, Macavawhisp just missing them with angry, fearful swipes of her paws. Munkustrap entered the circle, wanting to reason with her, but she was having none of it. She circled with him, glancing at the silver tom fearfully. She could tell by his stance he was a leader. Tugger stepped in, trying to round up the queen with his brother. As they circled, they sang, Munkustrap starting, and alternating lines. Tugger couldn't help but do his whole sensuous act, thinking maybe it'd calm the angry queen down or distract her.
MMacavawhisp's a Cali cat, with yellow, red and black
T You would know her, if you saw her, there's a scar along her back
As Macava she is widely known
Although that's all that you may hear
MFor only glances can be seen
While she's out and in the clear
TThe profile of her body
Will tell you that she'd strong
MBut if you see her long enough
You sense there's something wrong
Jellylorum and Jennyanydots stayed back, holding back their kittens, and explaining to them why Macava was being treated so suspiciously.
Macavawhisp, the fighter cat, the daughter of depravity
She's even fought with larger dog,
With terror and temerity
Her powers of retribution allow no one to sneer
But when the fighters try to find her, Macava has disappeared
Macava is the daughter
Of a cat we all might hate
And when you find the answer,
We feel you may relate.
His name begins the same as hers
But it ends in a 'ty'
The poor child of the Hidden Paw
The daughter of MACAVITY!
Macava saw her chance. Two of the shocked kittens looked away for a moment. She streaked through them easily, but something forced her to look back. The silver tom was looking at her, a penetrating gaze, not unfriendly, but challenging all the same. Cats were beginning to surround her again, and she made her way to the leader slowly. The small tuxedoed tom crept beside the leader, a look of wary curiosity on his white face. The patched tom edged towards her cautiously, only to scratch at her arm. Maca cringed away, but struck out at two queens and a tom who came at her nervously. The black twins with the crooked grins hissed and scratched at her, and she shied away again, striking out one last time at an orange tom with a brown tail before she stood before the leader.
Munkustrap stood, back straight, as Macava came towards him. Mistoffolees peeked around his shoulder, ready with a spell. Macava looked up at him, something hidden in her eyes.
Take heed the cat, who lifts her claws in terror. (She raises her claws at him,)
Observe, watch her head as it twists in her shame (Then twists away, hiding her face)You see the scars upon her and every mark that she bears
And you see her heart has fallen with her hope, and her gait is lame(Maca sort of lunges at Jenny and Bomba, a limp evident for the first time)
Mistoffolees came out from behind Munkustrap, his heart going out to the poor queen. He reached toward her as she stared at him, scared. She'd heard tales of the magical cat, and had recognized him on sight. Mistoffolees began to sing quietly.
I've heard she's been forced to fight most ev'rywhere,
From London on down to Scarborough Fair
For a bit of food, or a sleeping shelf,
Her father left her only herself.
As far as surviving, she's done her best
And who are we to judge the rest?
Show her better, I think we should
Macava the misunderstood(Tugger saunters over to her, sneering, and pops his mane at her disdainfully)
T Macava the Misunderstood (Mistoffolees steps in front of him, defending Maca and his decision to help her)
M Macava the misunderstood
Treat her better, I think we could,
Macava the misunderstood
Macava looked up at the magical cat, who smiled at her kindly. He lifted his hand up to her, wrist up. Mistoffolees quirked his head to the side, and gently stroked Macava's face. At first, she shied away, he guessed she thought he was going to claw her. But he persisted, blinking at her slowly. Macava realized he wasn't being cruel, and nuzzled his arm, staying it with her hand just in case. He smiled and drew away, taking her hand in his, and gently leading her over to Munkustrap.
Munkustrap smiled understandingly as Mistoffolees brought Macava over to him. He nodded kindly at the scared queen, placing an arm carefully about her shoulders.
"Macavawhisp, do you wish to join the Jellicle tribe? It would mean disowning Macavity."
"Ummmm…I ran away…a-are you sure you want me?"
"Any cat is welcome, even those with a past. We can't fault you for what isn't your fault." Mistoffolees said, a smile spreading on his face. Macava thought as she walked with the two toms. 'Perhaps I can start fresh here.'
"Why not?"
"Well," Munkustrap said, his voice carrying a strong ring of decision, "Then we'll have to find Old Deuteronomy."
Macava smiled as they led her away. She could still feel the stares of the other cats on her back.