A/N: My new sequel is finally out! And thanks again to all of those who have reviewed from the last story. Hopefully they're will be even more this time. Oh yeah, thanks for your patience on my lateness. I know I said I'd have it out earlier this month to some of you. School, however, has proved to be more time-consuming than I thought…sorry! So without further delay, for all of you wonderful and loyal readers and reviewers, please enjoy the sequel to Demeter's Secret, Macavity's Carom.
^~*~^
Zelaphelia walked slowly on the dilapidated road, leading into a grisly, if not vivacious, town. It was vandalized and as sketchy as the shadows that resided there. However, it was shelter enough for her. She had just come back from hunting for hours in the thick forest nearby. Sadly, she had only caught a scrawny brown rat, and an old magpie. They were small, but they were enough to feed three of her, which was convenient, considering the two other cats that she lived with. There names were Wynestelle and Cesaro. They were mates, living in a dumpster alley inside of the city, and were surprisingly appeased about making it their home. Cesaro did most of the hunting, while Wyne stayed in the alley, tidying and preparing the home for her mate and herself. They were friendly and loving, and enjoyed her company. They treated the golden-red queen like their own daughter. It was quite relieving after almost half a year of traveling.
It started when Zela had first left the Junkyard. She had stayed in the countryside for about a month, unsure of where to go. Unfortunately, that spot didn't last long. Winter had come, and by contrast, Zela was forced to leave from lack of food. After that she traveled numerous places, suffering intolerable conditions, and surviving on the scrappiest of meats and herbs. Yes, winter had been cruel and difficult, but she lived through it. During the beginning of the spring, Zela navigated through several small towns and villages for a temporary home, but alas, none prevailed. Most places she visited were hostile and unwelcoming. It became quite exasperating, and she wondered if she shouldn't just give up and go back to the Junkyard, but all of her doubts had vanished when she had met Cesaro and Wynestelle.
~~~~~ (five months before) ~~~~~~~
The three of them met when Zela had entered a small town called Kingsten. Its first impression on her was little or less than positive. It was filthy, vandalized, and was a desolate piece of land. It didn't take much to convince Zelaphelia to move on to the next town. However, the length of property was much longer in Kingsten than the golden-red female had expected. After several hours of navigating through the ugly town, it seemed like she was lost in it. Nightfall came, and Zela had to find shelter. Unfortunately, that meant she had to stay in Kingsten.
In a shadowy part of the town, the golden-red queen was planning to sleep in a small alley behind a hotel, but found later, that a hostile mad cat almost larger than four of her was there. It was large, but unusually bony. He growled at her as white foam dropped from his face. It got into an attack position. Zela knew she could have easily protected herself, but before she did anything, a sudden jet-black flash ran up to the insane feline, and quickly sliced its throat. The beast fell to the ground and the figure that just happened to be a tom wiped his claw of the mad cat's blood, and then gingerly walked to her. The golden-red queen remembered standing there for a long time, recollecting what had happened, and saw that her defender was staring at her with the same contemplation.
After moments of silence, the mysterious tom finally spoke, "Who are you?" he asked with a blank expression.
Zela felt her throat closing tightly and a large knot in her stomach. At the spur of the moment, she started to blink uncontrollably. There was an uncomfortable silence. Zela couldn't move her lips for more than a minute. "My n-name-…um…My name is Zelaphelia." She finally mumbled.
"Zelaphelia…" he repeated. It took him a moment to continue on, "Where are you from?"
"Um…I…uh…I'm from a city nearby…I'm…nomadic…But…who are you?"
He backed away, avoiding eye-contact with her. "Um…My name is Cesaro. I'm from here, but…what are you doing here?"
It took Zela just a few moments to answer. She was in shock, and was not able to get out of it. "Uh…no…I don't. I've b-been on my own for months."
"Don't you have anyone with you……or a family to go to?"
"I have a family…but I can't go to them.. I…um…I have to stay away……just…uh… to relieve some family tension…"
"Well…do you need someplace to stay?"
"Uh…well, I do, but...I don't think it would be right to-"
"It's no trouble, really. I can help you. My mate and I live here. We can take you in, if you'd like…. But...just to warn you, you shouldn't be wandering this town alone. It's not safe here."Zela could see Cesaro tremble when uttering his last sentence.
"Okay, I'll remember that…and…yes…It would be good to find a place to stay, thank you."
Cesaro nodded once, and then flicked his tale, gesturing Zelaphelia to follow him. She hesitated for a brief moment, but then, considering the fact that she had no where else to go at the moment, she gingerly trudged several steps behind the mysterious feline. The two didn't speak to each other afterwards. He didn't ask her any questions. In fact, the jet-black tom was as silent as his killing. He was so quick and violent, but it surprised her how gentle Cesaro was when they spoke. He probably thought she was just a lost kitten needing a place to stay. If only he knew that she was far from kittenhood.
The walk was long and precarious. Zela was surprised that Cesaro was so welcoming, without knowing anything about her or where she came from. Of course, she was also having her suspicions about him. Perhaps, he was untrustworthy. This thought hadn't occurred to her until they were well on there way through the obscene town. At first, Zelaphelia wanted to stop and tell him she wouldn't need any shelter, but where else would she go? She didn't want to go back to the Junkyard. Not yet anyways. There was still time left to travel, but what else was she going to do if not stay anyplace that would take her in? But the gold-red queen was still having second thoughts about accepting Cesaro's help. She paused at slight hesitance. Zela undeniably had trust issues with complete strangers and she knew that her suspicion was stronger than her valor. Sighing reluctantly, she stopped, and was about to tell the jet-black tom of her doubt, but to her surprise, he paused, and turned around to face her. "We're here." He said emphatically.
Zelaphelia's head lifted as if confounded. Cesaro turned his head to his right, pointing into an alley. Zela's whole body stiffened, unsure where to go, but before she could make any moves, the tom languidly walked into the alleyway. "Wynestelle!" he started calling repetitively. All too curious with the name Cesaro was calling, Zela tentatively followed him.
Looking around at the scene, the golden-red female concluded that it was tenebrous. The alley was a short dead-end. There was rot and molding along the sides of the two buildings that made the two parallel walls of the alley. They stopped at a wall. There was an eerie dumpster that was in worse condition than the sides of the buildings. There were a few trash-heaps of rotting food, old recyclables, and just about anything injurious to health all around. The golden-red queen scowled at the disgusting place.
"Wynestelle!" Cesaro called out again. Zela's head turned toward him, snapping back into reality.
"What is it?" an unfamiliar voice called in response. The golden-red female's ears perked up in surprise. She wandered closer into the alley, standing anxiously behind Cesaro. She peered over his shoulder to see a medium sized white queen with curious glowing blue eyes. Her thin face was expressionless as she walked towards her mate anxiously.
"Hello dear." Cesaro said.
The white queen didn't respond to her mate's greeting. She quietly stared at the young nervous queen behind him. "Cesaro, who is this?"The queen called.
"Wyne, this is Zelaphelia," the jet-black tom answered quietly; "She was being attacked by a one of those street mutts. She needs a place to stay."
The white queen didn't keep her eyes off of Zela. Her eyes were pondering and curious which made the golden-red female uncomfortable. Wynestelle walked presumptuously towards Zelaphelia. They locked eyes for the briefest of moments, but then the white queen drew back, and looked over at Cesaro. "Why did you offer to let her stay here?"
"She doesn't have anywhere else to go. You know it's not safe for anyone to be wandering the streets of this town alone. Wyne, just do it out of the goodness of your heart."
"Well, I would if I knew her at all, but I don't. How often are you going to bring complete strangers into our home?"
"I just thought that-"
"You always think that what you're doing is right, but do you really think this is a good idea?"
Zela loved how the two were arguing about her as if she wasn't even there. "Um, excuse me," the golden-red queen interrupted. The two heads shot a look at her as if to say, 'stay out of it.' She discarded their ugly expressions. "I have something to say: I know that you don't know me, and I'm a bit unsure about accepting help from strangers myself, because I have also have issues in trusting other cats, and if you two think that it would be better for the both of us if I didn't stay, then I will leave this town. But I promise you, I won't cause any harm to either of you, if you do the same for me. So……I guess, I can go now, if you want."
Zelaphelia turned around, ready to leave the two for good. She half-expected Cesaro to try to stop her as she started to walk away, but to her disbelief, it was Wynestelle's light feminine voice stopped her instead. "Wait Zelaphelia," The white queen called.
Zela turned her head over her shoulder and looked back at Wynestelle. Her eyes were very much blank, but the golden-red female knew that she had seen a glimmer of interest. "Um…Why don't you stay for a little while longer? You should tell us more about yourself."
Zela finally could see that they had both reached a level of comprehension. Something told her that Wyne could understand everything that she went through. Cesaro smiled gently at the two females. His face read complete relief. So, with little hesitation, Zelaphelia turned around and walked up to the two elated mates, gladly escorting the young queen into their home.
^~*~^
The days grew into weeks, the weeks into months, and before Zela knew it, summer was already half-way over. Wynestelle and Cesaro became more acquainted with her and were more accustomed to having her around. Their home, however, still had the worst impression. So, through the time she was living in that alley, she helped the two felines to improve their living condition. Cesaro started hunting outside of the town, and Wynestelle removed all junk that was deleterious to all three of them. The lifestyle started to become regular routine to Zelaphelia, and surprisingly, she was happier with them. They were like parental figures to her. Even though they lived in the most atrocious town in the country, and were basically starving from lack of prey, they had stayed together, and were just blissful.
The golden-red queen envied how happy they could be. The Junkyard hadn't been so bad, but no one there seemed to be as content as Wynestelle and Cesaro. She was even surprised at herself for making a big deal about it. However, it did feel like, for the time being, that she was at peace. Zela hadn't experienced that feeling for years. Not since she was a kitten. The young queen hadn't even remembered how it felt to be away from trouble and conflict, but now she knew, and she wished she could keep that feeling. Now it was summer. The golden sun was bright and beautiful, and the weather was cool. There was a light breeze that touched Zela sweetly on her face and then whistled past her. It winnowed the green grass softly. The glow of sunlight silvered everything that it touched. It made Zela smile. The day couldn't have been more beautiful, even with the view of Kingsten in front of her. As she entered into the caliginous town, Zela started sprinting through the dark streets and sullen buildings, rushing to get back to the alleyway. It was probably the safest place in the town, which wasn't saying much. The golden-red female detested feeling so unsafe and fearful where she lived. Everyday it felt as if a henchcat was glaring from a dark corner of every alley and building. She never pictured her father, Macavity, like that though. He was always levitating above her. His intense glare was always burning right on her, as if ready to attack, but every time she looked up, he wasn't there.
Every time that happened when she was alone, she could barely breathe. There was always an exhilarating feeling that came with that fear. Zela didn't know if she hated or loved it. But she shook off the feeling, and continued on her hurried route. She finally got to the same filthy street and found the only two buildings with moldy wooden sidings. She peered into the dark alley with several trash-heaps still very odorous, but at the same time, contained better. Zela paused and sighed happily at the morbid alleyway. For some reason, she still loved the fact that it was a horrid place to live, and she wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
She quietly walked in, still carrying her kills from her hunt. The golden-red queen pushed the dead prey out of her mouth with her tongue and on to the ground, "Wyne!" she called out hoarsely, coughing up a few magpie feathers, "Wyne, I'm back!"
She listened intently for a response, but received none. She wrinkled her brow and walked closer into the alleyway.
"Wyne, where are you?" she shouted. Suddenly, as Zela got closer to the Dumpster, she started to hear faint whimpers and sobs coming from inside of it. The golden-red female's brow furrowed as she grunted confoundedly. "Wyne, are you here!?" The sobs grew louder.
Zela leaped onto the edge of the dumpster, and looked down while balancing herself. Her eyes widened at the somber sight of her friend lying in a fetal position in a corner of trash. She was shaking quietly and sucked in a one breath of air at a time. Zela quickly jumped inside and paced over a few plastic trash bags to the white queen, "Wyne, are you okay?!" she shouted concernedly, "What happened?!"
"N-nothing Zel……I…" Wynestelle broke into a sob once more, "I-I'm alright, b-but I……just f-found out something…terrible!"
The golden-red queen came closer to Wyne, "What is it? What's wrong?"
"I'm……I'm pregnant." The word made the white cat curl up even tighter in her ball of sorrow.
Zela sat there, slightly confused. "Well Wyne, I don't see how that's a bad thing. Cesaro will be so happy when he hears. Where is he anyway?"
"I told him to hunt longer for food..."
"Well, he'll be ecstatic when you tell him-"
"NO!" the white queen suddenly shouted. Her head popped up as she stared at the young female. Her glossy blue eyes had a flash of rage that quickly turned back into panic, "He can't know!" Wyne yelled sharply, "Cesaro hates when I even mention the word kittens. He'll hate me for sure if I told him."
Zela shook her friend as she precariously wrapped her paw around her friend's shoulder, "Don't be ridiculous Wyne. He might be anxious at first, but he won't hate you. You're his mate! Besides, he has a right to know. They are his kits."
"I know that…b-but more kittens mean more food, which means more hunting, which will put both of us in danger. We were just fine when it was just the two of us, but then you came, and since you were old enough to hunt for yourself, we never worried, but now there are going to be several more mouths to feed. How will we support that many!? I just- I can't…ah!" She broke back into sobs. Zela wrapped her arms around her friend.
She let out a quiet sigh. Wyne was like a second mother to her, and it was almost sad to see her act more like the child than the parent. "Listen, where I came from, the queens didn't have more than three or four at a time. You probably won't have that many, and besides, kittens usually learn how to hunt for themselves the first few months in their lives. I promise you Wyne, this isn't that bad. There are worse things, and you can't hide this from Cesaro! You need to face this head-on, or this is all going to blow up in you face."
The white queen looked up at Zelaphelia. Her sky-blue eyes glimmered lugubriously as she blinked away a few tears. The white queen opened her mouth to speak, as if getting ready to make an argument, but she paused at slight hesitance. She sighed once and looked up at the golden-red female, and blinked a few times at her. "You're right Zela. There's absolutely no way I could hide this from him. The second he gets here, I'll tell him."
Zela nodded once and smiled encouragingly. She took pride in a friend that had so much courage at her present situation. It just reminded her of what had happened almost a year ago, and how it had gotten her to where she was today. She pondered how life might be different in the Junkyard since she left. The golden-red queen never thought things really would change though. The Junkyard usually always remained the same, but that's one reason why she loved them all. She wished she didn't have to leave them, but there was still something in her that knew it needed to be done, and no matter how much she missed the Jellicles, or the city, Zela couldn't go back. Not yet.
The two queens decided to wait for Cesaro and greet him with the news of Wyne's pregnancy. They stayed outside of the dumpster, waiting for the sunlight to fade from the walls of the alleyway. It wasn't long until the silence was suddenly broken, and Zelaphelia could hear a faint padding of footsteps and a familiar musky scent of the jet-black tom. Wyne stood up. Her eyes were now bright and full of life. Her hopes seemed higher than the sky and the confident look on the face gave Zela a warm feeling and made her think that the mates were going to sort this mess out before it even happened. "He's coming!" The white queen squealed excitedly. Zela stood up next to her friend. Suddenly, an aghast-looking Cesaro scampered across the sidewalk and sprinted on to the blacktop. His screaming yellow eyes dashed around the alley and finally set on the two queens.
The golden-red female raised an eyebrow at him, while Wynestelle came one step closer, "Cesaro…?" she said gingerly, "What's-"
The jet-black tom didn't let her finish, "BOTH OF YOU GET IN THE DUMPSTER NOW!" he screamed. The two females were so startled that they quickly did as he said without question. Zela's heart was pumping rapidly. She wasn't sure what was going on, but as soon as she jumped in the cramped dumpster, Cesaro and Wynestelle immediately followed. Zelaphelia's eyes sharply hit the jet-black tom, "Cesaro, what the hell is going on?!" she screamed.
Cesaro backed into a corner, "There's a dog after us. A mean one too. He caught my scent and started chasing me down the street for five blocks. I'm sorry that I led him here, but I……I panicked!" He broke-down onto the floor of the trash heaps and expressed complete devastation. But before Wynestelle could go and comfort him, the dumpster suddenly quaked. The golden-red queen's heart stopped for a brief moment, thinking that it was her imagination, but the second she couldn't feel the shaking, it instantly started again. Wyne screamed as it rumbled. Zelaphelia heard a rough snarl outside. Obviously, this dog was strong, and possibly mad. The golden-red queen let out an exasperated sigh and looked over at Wyne and Cesaro, both trembling out of their furs. "I'm going to go out." Zela said firmly.
The mates stared at her as if she was crazy, "Are you nuts?!" the white queen panted, "That...thing is going to tear you apart!"
"It will be better for all of us if I just went." Cesaro murmured somberly. He stood up and was ready to jump out, but Zela moved in front of him, "No Saro. You can't now."
The jet-black tom furrowed his brow, "What are you talking about? Yes I can-"
Zelaphelia shook her head, "No, Cesaro, you have kittens on the way. You can't do this, for their sake."
"What?!" he screeched. His eyes sharply turned to Wynestelle. She was staring down at her paws. Zela sighed once and looked at him, "Now you know." She said.
The white queen paused, "I was going to tell you Saro...once you got back…but I was so afraid. That's why I asked you to hunt longer. I was scared to tell you…I'm sorry that I did that, and I won't blame you if you don't want to-"
Cesaro sat there with a dumfounded expression, "What do mean Wyne? I'm not mad at you! I'm glad, and Wyne…I'm scared too, but that's what kittens do. It's a scary thing in a good way.
The white queen smiled and came closer to her mate, "Oh, Saro! I'm so-"
Suddenly, another crash hit the wall of the dumpster. Zela wobbled a little, but she quickly caught herself, "Um…Wyne, Saro, I know this is a really sentimental moment for you two, but we kind of have a bigger situation at hand!"
The two mates clung to each other, "She's right Cesaro." The white queen whispered, "What are we going to do?"
Before the jet-black tom could answer, Zelaphelia suddenly leaped onto the edge of the Dumpster, and stared down at the angry mutt glaring at her dementedly. She heard the panicked screams of Cesaro and Wynestelle shouting her name and telling her to get back down. They were definitely ready for parenthood, but she didn't want either of them harmed. This was the only thing she could do to repay them for everything that they did. With much hesitance, she abruptly growling at the old Pollicle dog, and lunged at it. The mutt, of course, immediately backed away at the crazy ball of fur slashing at its face. It came back with merely a short scratch on the end of its nose. Zela landed on her feet staring at the dog timorously. Her only reaction was to just attack it again. The golden-red female extended her claws and leaped at the mutt. However, the thing proved to be stronger than she thought, even with her speed. It wasn't until that point that Zela realized she had slowed down. She hadn't tried using any of her mystic powers since winter. Zelaphelia felt completely winded.
Suddenly, a large painful sting started to crush her arm. She saw the Pollicle gnashing her paw and tossing her around like a ragdoll. The young queen screamed in agony, and before she knew it, the bloodthirsty dog released its teeth and let her fly up in the air. Zela immediately hit the wall and felt a sickening crunch. When she was strong enough to open her eyes, the golden-red queen found out that the brick wall had a large deep crack in it. Zela didn't even feel pain, except on her arm. She looked over at the dog who she thought was going to attack her again, but then shockingly, Cesaro suddenly jumped out of the dumpster with Wynestelle staring down at him, horrified. The jet-black tom was fast, but his match didn't last long. The dog was already trying to tear him apart. Before Zela could even think, she jumped to her feet, finally found the genetic speed given to her at birth, and used it. Quick as lightning, Zela flashed over to the mutt and used brute strength to trip over its bad leg. She watched it instantly fall and loosen his jaw on Cesaro. The jet-black tom ran out of harms way, and into Wynestelle's arms that had gotten down from the view of the dumpster. Zela narrowed her dilated eyes at the ugly dog, and quickly slashed his throat open. Blood poured out and the mad mutt went silent, and lifelessly looked at nothing.
The golden-red queen looked up at the two cats blankly staring at her as if in shock. Of course, they must have never seen a mystic feline in action. Zela looked down at her paws. They were bloody and grisly, but she didn't care. She had just exposed her darker side to two innocent mates, and her paws should be the least of her problems. She frowned at them guiltily, "Um…Wynestelle, Cesaro…I haven't told you everything that I should have. In fact, most everything that I've told you about myself…has been a lie."
Cesaro was suddenly able to get out of his gaze, "I-I don't understand Zela," he murmured, "What are you talking about?"
"You see… my father and I…have a difficult relationship. He has…these powers, that I genetically inherited, which is what you two have just witnessed. He was after revenge for a tribe, called the Jellicles. Both of my parents were members of that tribe, but then my father was banished, and he had raped my mother after she left him. You might know his name, Macavity."
Wynestelle gasped, "…Macavity? Y-you mean…the Napoleon of Crime… we've heard of him…The rumors are unbelievable. You mean that…you're his daughter?"
Zela sighed once, "Yes…and I had left his services and joined the tribe, and he's been after me ever since. I thought that if I stayed with the Jellicles, he might try to harm them, so I left, and became nomadic."
"He has contacts here." Cesaro added randomly, "We thought…they were part of his heisting operations…but maybe…do you think maybe he's actually-"
"After me?" Zela interrupted, "Quite possibly." The golden-red female was about to continue her explanation, until something on the dead Pollicle corpse caught her eye. It was a small red scar on its side, shaped as an "M". Zela gasped, as she recognized the sign. It was like a symbol of death to her. "He is after me again." She whispered. Cesaro and Wynestelle caught what she was staring at. Wyne gasped and held her paw to her mouth, preventing a scream.
"I shouldn't have come here." Zela murmured. She looked up at the horrified mates, "I'm sorry that I did this to you two. I should have told you everything. Rest assured, I am nothing like Macavity, but I can tell that I'm putting you both in danger by staying here."
"Zela, what are you saying?" Wyne asked, devasted
"I'm going to leave Kingsten…maybe go back home. I think it's time I finally saw them again. It's been a long time…"
Cesaro stepped forward, "Zela, no. You don't have to-"
"Yes I do Saro." The golden-red queen insisted, "I need to…"
Wynestelle walked over to Zela and looked at her, teary-eyed. "You've been like a daughter to me Zela…How could I ever…" the white queen suddenly burst into tears and wrapped Zelaphelia in her arms. The golden-red female had absolutely no words of comfort.
"Are you sure there's nothing we can do to convince you to stay?" the jet-black tom asked hopefully.
Zela laughed, "No Saro, I'm sorry, but I have to do this."
"We'll miss you Zel…" Wyne added through her sobs.
"I will too…but you two have kittens coming, so you need to forget about me and focus on them."
"We'll never forget you Zela." Saro said firmly.
"And I you. Thank you for everything, both of you."
The golden-red female gave the two felines a final embrace, and a small smile. She fought a tear back in her eye, and reluctantly started to walk away from the alleyway. Now, the home she had known for so long was another memory, and all of the cats that came with it. Zelaphelia looked forward to face her, even though she feared what was ahead. There was no doubt that Macavity was near, but whatever happened she felt ready…