Chapter One
"So where did you find her?" asked Jenny.
"I was walking around, and I though I heard a meow. I looked over the gate, and saw that kitten lying in water, bleeding badly." Mistoffelees answered Jenny's question.
"My word. The Everlasting Cat must have been with her." Jenny looked at the wad of fur laying on the pillow at Victoria's home.
"I'm glad I could be of service." Victoria said, her meek voice barely being heard.
"And we thank you for letting us use your home." It wasn't a home built of humans. It was a large clothing cabinet, hollowed out, and lit by a device Mistoffelees had created, with a candle and aluminum foil. It lit up the cabinet as if it were a human home.
"I'm just surprised that Bombalurina can sing." said Tugger. Bombalurina would have smacked him, but she noted that the dark fur ball was moving. Now that it was cleaned, it could clearly be seen that it was brown, with orange stripes on it's face. White paws, and a tail that seemed to have been dipped in orange paint. It puffed up again.
"Keep away!" It called. It was female. It could be heard in her voice.
"Hey, calm down." Said Bombalurina. The kitten seemed to recognize her, and she leapt into Bombalurina, almost knocking her over.
"Mommy!" the small kitten called. Bombalurina's eyes went wide open.
"Mommy?" She asked. "Hey, kitten, I am not..."
"Mommy... Help! Make them g'way..." the Kitten pleaded.
"What do you mean? Why're you calling me your mother?" Bombalurina asked.
"Mommy... They scare me." The kitten said.
"Kid, that ain't your momma. 'Least she better not be." Tugger said.
"Tugger! Hush... Kitten, calm down. These are friends." Bombalurina felt the kitten shaking. It was holding on for dear life, never releasing her grasp even one time.
"Hey... Kitty, what... where..." Bombalurina was dumbfounded. She had been called "mother" by the kitten. Jenny, though, knew what to do.
"Kitten, sweety, what's your name?" The kitten hissed and sidled up closer to Bombalurina. "Bomba, please ask her to tell us her name."
"Uhm, yeah... Kitty, what's your name?" The small kitten turned her head sideways.
"What a name?"
"You mean you don't know what a name is?" asked Victoria.
"Eek! Ghost cat!" The kitten said. Victoria shook her head.
"Bomba... ask."
"Lay off, Vicky... This is going way too fast."
"Yeah! Lay off, Icky!" said the kitten. Victoria gasped. What a rude kitten, she thought.
"Child," asked Jenny, "What do others call you?" The kitten hissed a few times, then answered.
"Me called lotsa things."
"Like what?" asked Jenny. The kitten seemed to be delving into it's mind.
"Fleabag... Mangey... Mongrel..."Azazel seemed not to care. Jenny's mouth popped open. She sure did care.
"Who named you that?"
"What a name?" The kitten asked. Jenny shook her head.
"A name is what you are called. Who calls you those things?" Jenny asked. The kitten sneered.
"Big human Ninny-Ninny Dumb-Dumb Poopy-Head!" the kitten called out enthusiastically.
"Oh, Heavyside, child." Jenny said. "So you have no name... Well, what would you like us to call you?"
"Me not care." Jenny shrugged.
"That's a big help. OK, then where did you come from?" The kitten looked down at the ground. Her bad usage of Jellish was worse than Mungojerry's, but she pronounced the following clearly.
"The Newman Doroun pound for Stray Animals... Me jump out my cage when Big Human not lookin'." Jenny's eyes went wider.
"Heavyside..."
"Ahem," interrupted Mistoffelees, "Maybe we should call her... Azazel. It is in one of the human languages. It means 'goat that escapes.' I think that it fits. She escaped a pound, after all."
"Uh, sure, but can someone get ... Azazel.. off of me?" Bombalurina asked. It would have been futile to try. As of now, the Jellicles had to take Azazel to see Old Deuteronomy. He was the head cat, so he would be the one to decide what to do with Azazel. But that would have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, they had to feed the brash kitten Azazel something before she passed out again. The day after Azazel's appearance. Mistoffelees, Jennyanydots, and Victoria would come. Bombalurina would, later, be dragged along for the ride by Azazel herself. As the Jellicles approached Deuteronomy, he lifted his head up, and saw them coming.
"Deuteronomy," Mistoffelees began, "We have some important news for you." Deuteronomy looked at the small kitten by Bombalurina.
"It's a matter of the heart. The heart of that small kitten, correct? Where did you find her?" Deuteronomy asked. Mistoffelees found it amazing that Deuteronomy knew everything before he was told. Perhaps Deuteronomy had some magic in him?
"The kitten was found last night. I found her by the gate, drenched in water. And bleeding pretty bad. She said she doesn't even know how it happened. But the gash was deep. Very deep."
"I speculate you healed her?" Deuteronomy's brow furrowed. It was at the fact that Mistoffelees could heal others, but at the kitten.
"Come here, child." He said to Azazel. She looked at Bombalurina, who motioned her head towards Deuteronomy. Azazel stepped forward towards the old Jellicle.
"What's your name, child?" Azazel looked puzzled.
"Name? You mean what I called?"
"Yes."
"Me called Azazel." He smiled.
"Mistoffelees had to have picked that name."
Mistoffelees sighed. "Yes," he admitted, "I did."
"Well, Azazel, where have you come from?" Deuteronomy asked.
"Pound." Azazel said. Deuteronomy's eyes grew heavy.
"So, you've come from that place. Tell me, who is your mother?"
"Her," Azazel said, pointing to Bombalurina. "She mom." Deuteronomy knew that Bombalurina wasn't her mother, but he had to know why Azazel thought that she was.
"Why do you think Bombalurina is your mother?" Deuteronomy asked.
"She is my mom. 'N I know, 'cause my momma gots a beautiful voice."
"Oh, no doubt about that, dear child." Deuteronomy said to Azazel. He looked at Mistoffelees.
"Mistoffelees, come here a minute. Azazel, go back to Bombalurina."
"She my MOM!" Azazel said proudly, and walked back over to her "mom."
"Mistoffelees, something is odd about this kitten. Her markings on her face... You ever see a marking like that on any other cat?"
"What do you mean? Lots of cats have markings like that. Stripes on the face, like Tugger's. What're you saying?"
"Oh," Deuteronomy said, "Nothing. I'm just getting older. My vision must be going."
"I hope it doesn't. But, Deuteronomy, I wanted to know something..." Asked Mistoffelees. "She seems to think that Bombalurina is her mother. We can't search for her real mother. I just get the feeling the biological mother is ... Well, no longer here with us. I don't want to say that she's dead, but... It seems so."
"Let's hope," said Deuteronomy, "That isn't the case."
"Yes... But, I was wondering. See, if she thinks that Bombalurina is her mother, then she should stay here. I mean, it seems as if it would work until we do find the mother." Deuteronomy looked at Mistoffelees.
"It would also be an opportunity for you to take an apprentice. I know that you want another magician in the tribe, Mistoffelees. If you are asking if she can stay, I grant you that privilege. If Bombalurina, however, doesn't want to take Azazel, then it's too bad." Mistoffelees perked up.
"Yes, Deuteronomy." He bowed to the Jellicle father, and began to leave.
"Mistoffelees," Deuteronomy called, "Just watch for the others, as well." Mistoffelees nodded, and gathered the Jellicles around.
"Meet back at the junkyard. I've something very important to say there." The junkyard was very quiet when Mistoffelees got there. The others were there, too, but the overall silence intrigued him.
"Well, if we are all here," he said, "Then I can begin. As you already know, Azazel was found here some time ago. Thank goodness Deuteronomy said she could stay. But, also, he said that I could take her as an apprentice. I just felt I needed to tell you there will soon be another magical cat... but only if Bombalurina wants to keep Azazel. Otherwise, it's out of my hands." Mistoffelees looked towards Bombalurina. She shrugged.
"I don't really want the brat." She said in a dismissive way. Azazel wasn't around to hear her. That's why Mistoffelees took no hesitation in saying his true feelings.
"Look, that kitten has some sort of power. I felt it when I healed her. She jumped up, and I saw a gleam in here eyes that I've only seen in those with immense magical power. Now, Bombalurina, don't make me zap you..."
"You wouldn't dare." Bombalurina said.
"Oh wouldn't I?" Mistoffelees charged up his fingers, and shot a static bolt at Bombalurina, making her fur stand up on end and shoot sparks into the air.
"You... Wretched, manipulative, scandalous heathen son of a Pollicle!" Bombalurina screamed. Then she launched an all-out assault on Mistoffelees. A few minutes later, after using brute force to separate the two, they finally came to an agreement.
"OK, I'll say she is mine as long as you take care of her."
"Very well. I'll take care of her. Now, where is she?" Mistoffelees asked. He was answered soon enough, with Pouncival running through the crowd of cats looking like he had been fighting with a Pollicle.
"Ow! Help me!" He shouted. He hid behind Tugger, and looked around him to see if anything were following him.
"Kid, what in the world are you doing?" Tugger asked.
"Hiding from that thing!" Pouncival said, pointing at Azazel. She ran forward, and stopped in the middle of the crowd.
"He hit me!" she said.
"And she tried to murder me!" argued Pouncival.
"Hit my head! So I bite nose, scratch ear!" shouted Azazel.
"Is that what you did?" asked Mistoffelees. "Come here, Azazel." Bad move on the magical cat's part. She scratched him.
"Oh, it's gonna be a long night." said Mistoffelees to himself.