Summary: Demeter, just blossoming from a kitten into a cat, has an ill-placed crush on the dangerous Macavity, who at this point is still welcomed by the clan, however hesitantly.
Disclaimer: Not mine. But we can pretend they are, if you'd like.
WARNING: Contains sexual implications and some malicious violence that does not end well.
Sometimes when she looked in the broken shard of mirror sticking up from the caked, splintered ground near the outskirts of the junkyard, Demeter saw a bit of the kittenish spunk left in her eyes, her bold mixture of gold and black fur not managing to entirely take away the playful edge she still possessed. Starch white spread upwards from her naval to her chest, and her neck arched with premature grace. However, she was barely a Queen, her smile still so innocent and her striking eyes quizzical towards adult games and innuendos. Demeter reflected on this now, tilting her head sideways and back again to observe the effect of a new leather collar she'd been given by Skimbleshanks.
The older tabby cat, scruffy though he was, had been very careful on this night to smooth back his forehead fluff with water from one of the train's faucets and to chew on a type of leaf that his human favored. It made his breath smell sweet and foreign, and when he found that she liked it, pompously distributed a handful of the stuff to her out of his crisp vest pocket. He spoke to her softly with his thick rolling accent, and she knew that when the next Jellicle Ball took place, he would be keeping a close eye on her.
Bombalurina too was aware of Skimble's infatuation with Demeter and often teased her about it, in a most cruel fashion. Demeter had made the mistake of confiding in the older Queen, taking a risk by placing her trust in the husky scarlet female and being rewarded with sly smiles and catty remarks. The problem with the orange tom was that Demeter took no real interest in him, but instead his conversations. He spoke of fantastic things, amazing things…Things she had only dreamed about, and she loved hearing of his adventures.
Staring deep into her own eyes now, Demeter reflected on the tomcat she did think often about, the male that haunted her thoughts and made her body ache in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep. He was lithe and moved like a serpent, his face extremely thin and slanted as to look more than feline. He had a sour sense of humor, his face so white and strange to her that she couldn't help but dwell on it. Gingery fur was lined with strands of black and crimson, and his whiskers were unusually long, which Demeter assumed contributed to his amazing balance.
She avoided him at first as did all the others, but there was something sinisterly seductive about his calculative stare that drew her in, catching her fast and tormenting her the longer she gazed at it. His claws were long and serrated like daggers, and his teeth were unusual in their thinness. It was as though they were needles, and she wondered how he didn't bite right through his cheeks. Fingering the new collar, she was so absorbed in thought that she didn't notice a sinuous figure slink behind her, only aware of the midnight mixed Burmese when her deep voice purred into her ear, "What are you thinking of, Demeter?"
Immediately she bristled, her fur sponging about her as she hissed and prepared to dart away. However, surprisingly strong hands gripped her shoulders, refusing to release even when Demeter twisted her head around to nip at the restraints.
"Calm yourself, Deme. It is only me, Cassandra. I did not mean to startle you."
Demeter stopped struggling, though the fur around the back of her neck stood on end. She did not like it when the Burmese overpowered her, and hated even more when the flexible female snuck up on her. Even though she apologized, Demeter knew Cassandra enjoyed playing this game with her. She tried to turn around to face the intrusive Queen but found the female still clasped tightly onto her shoulders, squeezing hard enough to hurt. Releasing her right shoulder when Demeter jerked her body testily, Cassandra began to smooth down the fur at the nape of her neck, taking care to knead the sensitive area with her fingertips.
Demeter found that even though the older female's touch assured her of safety and comfort, there was an underlying sensuality there that made her stomach twist. Cassandra had always had a way of being suggestive even at the simplest of gestures. Sure, she was nothing as fierce and saucy as Bombalurina, but the Burmese had her subtle way of unnerving those she intended.
"Better?"
The low growl Cassandra breathed across Demeter's neck made her nervous all over again, but she nodded, refusing to allow herself to behave like a frightened kitten in front of this imposing figure. Stepping away from the restricted space, Demeter turned to the glossy coated female and met her clear blue eyes, seeing nothing that pointed towards lust at all. Perhaps it was just the fact that Cassandra's body was forever curved enticingly, and that her voice was fated to carry a lusty note of passion forever.
"I was just looking at this new collar Skimbleshanks got for me from America."
"From America? It fits you well."
Demeter lifted a paw and batted at her ear as though she had an itch, though she was really hiding her face, which looked overly pleased with the compliment. Cassandra watched her unblinkingly, tilting her head softly and stretching her neck from side to side.
"Thank you, Cassandra. Where are you off to tonight? I heard Mistoffelees is out romping around somewhere. He's almost a Sire, isn't he?"
Demeter brought it up only because she wished to divert attention from herself, and also because she knew that Cassandra had something of a thing for the magical mischief maker.
Cassandra merely raised an eyebrow, blinking slowly as though the question had been the wrong one to ask. She opened and closed her mouth a few times as though testing the taste of the air, then made a jaw cracking yawn that made Demeter tired just watching.
"Is he?"
Lackadaisically she gave Demeter a smile, then turned slothfully around, sliding away into the darkness but stopping just at the edge of a round pipe that led to the center of the junkyard.
"By the way, Munkustrap wants you. He's waiting on the far side of the tire stack, past the dresser near Bombalurina's. Watch out for the Tugger kitten. He's tricky."
Demeter nodded, her feminine jaw line radiant in the current lighting. She wore a frown that would one day be characteristic of her, and as she padded softly out after Cassandra to a different path, her eyes looked troubled. Munkustrap hardly ever spoke to her, for though he was very kind and strong, he was also possessing of a certain timidity that was difficult to overcome. Whenever she did see him, he was deep in thought and therefore did not notice her prying eyes. The thing was, while she dreamed of Macavity, Munkustrap was an unexplored train of thought, a question mark she had never cared to straiten out.
What did he want with her?
A strong scent wafted across her feathery face that made her stiffen suddenly, and in an instant shivers ran all up her spine, her shoulders quivering as certain parts of her body tingled. A sickly poisonous aroma met her in mid-breath, and she recognized it all too well. Around her she was surrounded by various stacked cans and a single cardboard box that was turned on its side, its back facing her conspicuously. A large mountain of rotting mattresses lounged against a crumbling brick wall to her right, standing at an angle so that a very dark passageway was hidden behind their yellowing surfaces. To the front of her was a rusting old vehicle that was used for shelter when it rained, and she suddenly had an urge to scamper off there to hide in the broken trunk that never locked. She knew that smell, and though she often fantasized about it, she was smarter than to ever trust it.
"All alone."
She spun about frantically in the direction of the voice, but saw nothing in front of her. Breathing fast and hard, her ears pressed against her head in anxiety, fingers curling into fists and unfurling at intervals. For a few moments there was an eerie silence, where even the crickets stopped chirruping, and then the wind picked up fast as though it had a mind of it's own and pushed her backwards, towards the car she had thought so skittishly about. Fur tufting around her face and legs, she let out frightened hiss when laughter sounded from behind her, spurring her onwards in a rush of adrenaline.
It was like listening to an old scratchy record being played backwards, its melody so twisted and sick that it made her soul hurt. She moved fast and prepared to go into the car, then thought better of it. It was better to keep moving and ignore him. Though she secretly longed to know more of him, she was terrified of letting the harshly spoken criminal touch her. More and more Jellicles, both young and old, were starting to despise him. Horrible things happened to those unfortunate enough to cross his path, and though Deuteronomy was still in control of him, it was rumored that Macavity was slipping loose of the old leader's power.
"Where are you going, and with that brand new collar? That poor excuse for lovesick pollicle- Shanky- gave it to you, didn't he? You're such a tom killer."
Demeter stopped her fast pace forward, realizing too late that his voice was directly in front of her. However fast he had managed to move to get there she didn't know, but in a second she turned her back to where she thought he was and found him right in front of her, looking oddly manicured and put together for a cat whose mane was permanently tangled. She didn't dare take a step back, knowing he would follow her if she did anyway, and simply marveled in their closeness. He looked positively evil, his eyes slanted and flat against his oriental-like face and making her feel like he were about to swallow her up, tail and all. Eyeing his fangs, she didn't doubt he could make a fast meal of her, so her fur bristled up worse than it had when Cassandra had startled her as his tall skeletal form towered over her.
"Why do you insist on toying with me, Demeter?"
She flinched as he trailed one sharp claw down her cheek, tracing a golden zigzag absently. He grinned unkindly when she recoiled from him, very stiff but not certain how to deal with his advances. She'd expected them in the back of her mind, knew that he was aware of the way she stared at him when Jellylorum wasn't watching her…But somehow she'd always created him in her mind as something that wasn't attainable, a forbidden sin she longed to indulge in but that made her sick when she really sat and thought about it.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Macavity."
She hardly ever spoke to him, so when she said his name, it felt strange in her mouth, making her nose wrinkle as though it tasted bitter.
"Don't play this game with me. We both know exactly what I'm talking about."
Eyes wide as she clamped her jaw tightly shut, her spine stood ramrod strait, and it looked like she had been shocked by electricity as he grabbed her by the elbows and pulled her against him in a motion that put her very much out of her element. She'd mated once before out of necessity with one of the more youthful toms last Jellicle Ball, but she did not remember ever feeling…like this.
"You need to stop."
His eyes did not leave her face, and he had begun to grin widely, so that all his pointed teeth showed. Demeter didn't like having him touch her as much as she thought she might, but at this point in time she was beginning to understand that he had no intention of letting her go.
"Stop what, Demeter? You started it."
Offended by his suggestion that she had made the first move, she pulled forcibly away from him but found that his claws were digging warningly into her lower back, his other free paw coming up to stroke her face.
"You…oh!"
His paw trailed from her face down her neck, where he contemplatively wrapped his fingers around her throat. He held her like that for a moment, enjoying the tension as she stopped breathing. Then he chuckled, a power trip going to his head as he removed his sharp claws from her back and brought them to her face, running the pad of his index finger around her exotic eyebrows. Moving his touch downwards over her eyelid, she responded by closing her eyes and relaxing into his grip. Swallowing against his hand, she began to breathe again as his fingers dragged over her face to her lips, where he finally seemed to find a favorite spot. His thumb tugged on her lower lip, pressing in on the softness and making her lashes flutter. She wanted him to stop, needed to go visit Munkustrap…but it felt so good. It felt good to be bad.
"I don't want you to talk to any other males anymore. I want you to stay away from Shanky."
Curved lips brushing against her own as he spoke, her eyes only half open as she felt him tip her head back to gain better access to her mouth.
"I want you to do whatever I tell you."
He crushed her lips with his own, making her gasp as he pushed past with his tongue and licked the room of her mouth. Her fingers went up to his ragged fur, dragging through as he pulled her forward and pinned her against the door of the car.
"I want you to take off that collar."
As he pulled away from her she caught her breath, and what he was saying finally hit her. Bringing her hand up to the collar in confusion, she looked at him oddly.
"Why?"
His caresses stopped and the sound was once again turned off, as though he controlled the cricket's ability to sing. Face crinkling, he brought up a hand and pushed hers away from the leather adornment.
"Never ask me that."
Then, with a quick flick of his wrist, he slid a nail across the surface of the collar and sliced through, the American treasure falling in a worthless strip to the ground. Eyes huge and face disgusted, she felt anger swarm over her.
"That was a gift!"
Foolishly ignoring him, she tried to reach down to grab it, but he caught her, refusing to let her go.
"Now it's broken. Just forget about it. I'll get you a new one."
"I don't want a new one. I want you to get away from me."
She had begun to puff up, and her eyes were dangerously narrowed. She was beginning to understand why they all disliked him so much.
"Treat others the way you want to be treated, Demeter. If you're unkind to me…I'll be unkind to you."
If he didn't think what he just did was unkind, then she didn't want to know what he really felt that word meant.
"I'm expected somewhere. If you detain me any longer, someone will come looking for me."
"They can look as much as they want."
Grabbing her leg, he brought it up to his thigh in a kind of dance move, tipping her backwards and forcing her to grab onto him so she didn't loose her balance. Kneeling down halfway, he forcibly draped her over his knee and began exploring her vulnerable naval, her head flying up almost immediately. Struggling to right herself so that she could escape from this helpless position he'd gotten her into, she was dismayed when he pushed her backwards roughly and growled,
"You're making me a little upset, Demeter. Don't make me upset with you. My claws might accidentally slip."
Kicking and managing to knee him in the jaw, horror enveloped her as she realized that, out of all the toms to physically hurt, he was the last one on the list. Scrambling upwards, she was just barely quick enough to dash over to the car, jumping through the broken window and curling up into a tight ball beneath the seat. Tears were starting when she realized she had just gotten herself into even more trouble, and she wished she had walked with Cassandra the long way, instead of being and idiot and wandering alone.
It didn't take long for him to find her, and his face was contorted in anger. He demanded her out of her hiding place, and when she refused he reached under and dragged her out, attacked by her sharp little teeth and inexperienced claws until he backhanded her across the face.
"When I tell you to do something, you do it! Do you understand, sweetheart?"
She didn't answer, trying frantically to get away but unable to. Throwing her against the window of the car, he watched as she hissed at him, shrinking as her ears lie plastered against her head.
"Answer me."
"Let me go!"
He was done talking, so instead of trying to convince her, he grabbed her and shook her, making her teeth chatter. She had never been manhandled like this before, didn't know what to do when the shaking didn't work and he started to slap her, not stopping until she began to cry softly. Bringing her paws up to her face, she tried to cover it in protection but he wouldn't let her, squeezing her fingers inside his palms painfully.
"Tomorrow you will not talk to anybody. You will spend the day inside your den, and when night comes you will be ready for me. If you do what I say and behave, I will make you feel good. But if you go against me, do not expect to see your friend Cassandra ever again. Do you understand?"
She exhaled shakily, unable to believe that this was even happening to her. How had she ever been standing looking at herself in the mirror fifteen minutes before, stupidly pretending that she would ever want this?
When she didn't immediately answer, he raised a paw as though to take a swipe at her and she whined quickly, "Wait!"
He held his hand there, shivering with energy that would soon be transferred into pain if she didn't answer correctly.
"I'll do what you say."
Her voice was a whisper, and she was trying to choke back her humiliating tears. She didn't want to give him more power by showing her weaknesses, but there was no way to win this battle. There was no way to escape this.
Without saying another word, he got off her with agility and slunk away, his tail the last thing she saw as it whipped out of sight. Finally alone, she clutched immediately at her throat, coughing as her eyes brimmed with tears. She staggered out of the car and turned back to the path that would take her to the pipe Cassandra had disappeared into, not remembering that Munkustrap was sitting around, waiting and worrying for her to drop by. She trailed away wearily, not noticing as she trod on a torn leather collar, and she barely realized that the object symbolized the end of her innocence.
((Probably not my best piece of work, but feel free to go ahead and leave me a nasty review anyway, if you found errors. I deserve to hear my faults so I can fix them. Oh, and compliments are swell too.))