Hello everyone. I'm back from after a long absence (exams, coursework, life the universe and everything.) I haven't done a lot of writing, but I am working on something new. For those of you new to my stories, thank you for reading and feel free to check out my other fanfic pieces, particularly Thief in The Night (it explains the shared universe, the pairings, my use of different names as different characters and the original characters.) Enjoy!
Admetus was sulking. After a recent escapade involving a bar and a fight, he'd been grounded, despite technically being an adult. He wasn't allowed out of either the junkyard or his owner's home, a fact that greatly distressed the normally social young cat. He lay on his back in his den, glaring up at the ceiling. Suddenly a thought came to mind. As it matured and grew, Admetus went from a grumpy pout to a broad grin.
The kittens were playing in the central area, watched over by Erik and Coricopat. Beneath the beady eyes of the protectors, a message was passed from young cat to young cat. Etcetera beckoned over Carbucketty.
"Meeting tonight in the hideout. Don't let the adults know where you're going," she hissed in his ear, before bouncing off towards her cousin Sillabub.
The gather of kittens and young adults was called to order in the depths of that night. The empty den, far from the main circle of homes, they used as a meeting place was lit with the flickering glow of candles. Etcetera, Electra and Sillabub were sat side by side, Carbucketty and Pouncival flanking the females. Rusty and Syrie, Erik's younger siblings, were curled up with Wiscus and Pushdragon, two of the cats that had been rescued from Macavity a few months beforehand. James Buz-James, the adolescent Manx who had been rescued alongside them, stood near the door, guarding it from intruding eyes. Bill Baily, one of Admetus' brothers, crouched next to the mastermind himself. Of the young cats in the junkyard, only a few were missing. Stephen, the newly born son of Alonzo and Cassandra, was too young to take part in what they were planning. It had been decided that Jemima could not be trusted, as she was too likely to go running to her father if she knew what was going on. No one had even discussed inviting Jemima's tomfriend, and Rusty and Syrie's brother, Erik. They all knew that the black tom would sooner die than betray Munkustrap.
"So we are agreed," Admetus declared. There was a general nodding of heads. Only Wiscus, Pushdragon and Electra looked nervous.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" the timid little Wiscus piped up.
"They could get really angry," Pushdragon agreed, nodding her golden head.
"Oh relax," Pouncival said. "It's just a little fun."
Two days past, without any sign of activity. Finally the day they had planned for came. Skimbleshanks was away on the train, and Quaxo had been taken on holiday by his owners. The first anyone knew of it was when Munkustrap awoke to find his paws being tied together. He tried to called out, but found his mouth gagged before he could speak. Demeter was similarly bound and gagged. The villainous cats responsible wore masks, but they were fooling no one.
"Admetus, Bill Baily, Let us go!" Munkustrap yelled, or would have had he not been gagged. Instead he screamed "Mmmm, mmm mmm. Mm mm mmmm!"
The cats swiftly moved from den to den. Alonzo was overcome by a pile of kittens, who pinned him to the floor while he was tied up. Rum Tum Tugger put up a fight, until a sharp claw was help up to his mane. He capitulated after that. Plato, George and Xerxes were on guard duty and were taken by surprise from behind, each gagged before he could cry out. Exotica, Coricopat, Pettipaws, Tantomile and Xerxes were all taken in their sleep - a deliberate measure since no one wanted to be on the receiving end of the siblings' powers, or witness the reaction to attacking their mates. Bustopher Jones was fat and round and unused to combat, making him an easy target. Most of the other adults were at their owners, such as Cat Morgan and Honoria.
Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were asleep in their den, located inside the rusted out carcase of a car, when Mungojerrie awoke with a start. He heard a creaking on the roof above them, the sound of light, feline footprints. He nudged Rumpleteazer awake. The pair tensed themselves, listening intently. Suddenly a small head appeared at one window, quickly followed by the rest of the kitten as it slid inside. Mungojerrie waited until the last moment before springing, pinning the fur ball to the ground. Rumpleteazer sprung out of the entrance, tackling the kitten's partner in crime who was waiting beyond.
Mungojerrie hauled the captured kitten out into the open. It was Etcetera. Rumpleteazer meanwhile held a wriggling Carbucketty. "Let me go," ordered the small queen.
"Make me," Mungojerrie snarled. "What the hell were you up to?"
"Trying to surprise you," Carbucketty answered as he fought Rumpleteazer's vice like grip.
"Well mission accomplished," Rumpleteazer said darkly. "Would you care to explain why?"
But both the kittens refused to say anymore. The partners tied up their captives and left them on top of the car, where someone would find them. They then set off into the junkyard, moving further into the rubbish where they would not be found. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had explored more of the junkyard than any other cat and they knew the many twisting pathways and hollows better than the backs of their paws.
Admetus and Bill Baily surveyed their new kingdom. Almost everything had gone according to plan. The food supplies had been broken open and handed out to the kittens, who were now taking the lack of adult supervision as an opportunity to be as loud and boisterous as they wanted to. Admetus had now planned to slip off to one of his favourite haunts in the city, but something was stopping him. More accurately, four somethings. They'd found Carbucketty and Electra bound and gagged on top of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's den, with neither whisker nor tail of either thief presenting itself. Jemima had not been in wither her parents den or her own and Admetus suspected that he knew where she was. Syrie and Rusty had been ambushed upon entering Erik's den and the charcoal tom was missing. He would never admit it, but Erik and Mungojerrie actually scared the pale gingery tom. Both had proven they were more than capable of handing him his own tail and were both sharp as a pin. Rumpleteazer and Jemima held a special place in his lack of affections, as they seemed to be the only young queens, bar maybe exotica, who were immune to his charms.
Erik prowled through the rubbish, Jemima by his side. His sibling had attacked him in his den with rope, but he'd escaped from them and warned Jemima before anyone could get to her. They'd watched as various adults were dragged from their dens and forced into the large community den they used as a meeting place in bad weather, with was then boarded shut.
"Is Admetus taking control of the junkyard?" Erik pondered aloud.
"I'm sure it's just a silly prank," Jemima replied, but she didn't sound very convinced. "Let's get out of here," she uttered. "I don't want to get tied up."