Chapter update
A/N: I can't believe it. I'm nervous. I'm ACTUALLY nervous about posting again on . Perhaps I've been removed from the community for too long. I don't know what the current trends are, have no idea how this will be accepted. But okay…here we go. A story that I started writing over three years ago. I've only now rediscovered it and have all the notes organized. So without further ado…
This story is rated M for character deaths, violent scenes, implied sex, and mature issues. Please excuse my use of OC's. As a rule of fanfiction, they aren't usually good, but I tried my best to make them acceptable to fanfiction. I do not own the canon characters of the musical CATS. That is T.S. Eliot and Andrew Lloyd Webber's privilege.
Prologue:
None of them could ever explain it – that inexplicable need to be near one another. Perhaps the fact that they were Jellicles (if that meant anything at all) was why they felt drawn to each other. But there was no other time they felt near to each other than during a full moon. The Jellicle Ball had been a month prior, and while this meeting had very little importance by comparison, they still felt that pull. As the day was waning to night, the growing brilliance of the moonlight brought with it Jellicles from all walks of life to each other. Whatever life they had among humans or in the streets didn't matter anymore when they were together in the junkyard. For the night of the full moon, this was their home and where they belonged. And it called to them from near and far.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Alonzo looked up from his spot on the pillow he had claimed his own. Cassandra lay next to him, her muscles stiff. "What's the matter?" Alonzo asked, rolling onto his back, paw stretching up in the air.
"How can you ignore that call?" she asked, turning her head to look at him. He took the moment to admire her face, thinking to himself that no matter what the night brought, how many queens he saw, or how many toms courted her, just a moment ago, she was his. And as long as he could ignore the call of the rising moon, she would remain his.
"You need to lighten up," he said, closing his eyes and purring at the feeling of satisfaction. "They won't miss us."
"I'll miss them," Cassandra said. Nevertheless, he felt her body lay against him again. Still uptight, but for the moment it would do.
"You're beautiful, you know that?" He asked, turning so he could wrap an arm around his Abyssinian queen.
"Thank you, I do know." He gave her a look. She smiled at him. "Well, that's why I get all the prizes at the cat shows."
"No, not beautiful to humans," Alonzo said, waving a paw to dismiss the comment. "Beautiful to cats."
"Alonzo, are you saying that's the only reason you're with me right now?" Cassandra asked, trying to sound offended.
"It's certainly not because you win prizes at cat shows." He smiled at her, giving her a peck on top of her head. "We should probably get going, huh?"
"Okay, just a minute!" It took her a moment to lift her weary body. Then she dutifully began grooming herself, giving him a look to do the same.
"Why?" he asked, mechanically following her lead.
"So they won't know why we're late!"
"…Cassie, I really have no problem with them knowing why we're late."
Cassandra giggled, looking at him and smiling. "Imagine Deuteronomy coming up to you and commenting on your activities that caused you to be late to a gathering of the Jellicles."
Alonzo snorted with amusement. "He'd probably approve. Add some kittens to the tribe that aren't directly related to him or one of the older cats. 'Fresh blood.'"
"Who said anything about kittens!" Cassandra asked, her fur ruffling at the idea. "My owners would sooner drown any kittens I had that they hadn't chosen a stud to."
Alonzo looked at her, shocked. She, herself, seemed amazed at what she had just said. Unsure how to take this comment, the two continued to groom in awkward silence.
After each had licked the scent of the other off their fur, Alonzo got up, stretched, then deliberately rubbed his body against Cassandra. He heard her scoff in annoyance as he made his way out.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Munkustrap walked up to the kittens. Quite a few of them had continued playing as though he weren't there. Jemima, however, raced up to him and rubbed against him in greeting. The silver tom smiled.
Electra came up next, glaring at Jemima for hogging the attention. When Jemima finally let up, Electra went up to her father, rubbed up against him in greeting, then sat at his paws, giving Jemima a look as though daring her to try and intervene. Jemima just rolled her eyes, and went to play with her friends.
Electra then smiled up at her father, who was frowning down at her. "Are you two fighting about something?"
"No," Electra said. "Nothing at all!"
Munkustrap lay down, Electra curling up next to him. "I wish you two would get along better. I wasn't close to my siblings growing up. Now they're scattered all over. I wouldn't know where to find them if I tried."
"Does that make you sad?" she asked.
"Sometimes. I just wish I had known them better. It's not as though I don't have a wonderful family here," he said, nudging Electra for good measure. "But I sometimes wonder how different my life would be if my siblings and I were closer."
He broke off his train of thought as Demeter slowly walked up, a smile on her face just for her mate. Electra looked between the two, then her ears folded back.
"Honey," Demeter said as she came up to the two, "go play with the kittens."
"I want to stay with here."
"I need to talk to your father," she said in a stern tone. "It's very important."
Electra just glared at her mother. It wasn't until Munkustrap said, "Listen to your mother," that she begrudgingly got up, nuzzled her dad, and went to pounce on Etcetera, who had just been in the middle of imitating a big dog in a story she was telling. The squeak she made as she toppled to the ground, however, was not very convincing pollicle behavior.
"That kitten hates me," Demeter said, lying next to Munkustrap.
"Oh, she's at that age," Munkustrap said. "She's going to rebel."
"Why not against you?" Demeter asked.
Munkustrap shrugged. "The term is 'Daddy's little girl'. If she were a he, then she would be a 'Momma's boy.'"
"I suppose," Demeter said with a sigh. "Munkustrap…"
"You're over-reacting," he said, watching the kittens.
"No, not about the kittens," she said, bristling with annoyance. "There is something really odd about tonight."
"Macavity?" he asked, his muscles going stiff. Her instincts were usually right about those things.
"I don't think so," she said. "I don't know. Maybe it's the storm that's coming, but I have a funny feeling."
Demeter said nothing else, but lay her head on her front paws, watching the kittens play. Munkustrap stayed quiet for a while, before sighing and standing up. "I should go make sure that Old Deuteronomy is okay," he said, before nuzzling Demeter and taking off.
The junkyard was bustling with activity thanks to the full moon. All the cats from the ball were, there, and cats he hadn't seen in more than a month were back just for tonight.
One cat who was exorbitantly busy, the railway cat, was scolding Mistoffelees for some reason or another. When Munkustrap saw Jennyanydots' fur seemed a little fluffier and more sparkly than it should have been, he could major a guess as to why. Jellylorum sat, transfixed, as the theatre cat, her idol, was speaking of the time he played Puss in Boots at a local theatre. Munkustrap knew Tugger had entered the yard by a sudden symphony of squeals that came from the other side of the yard.
Then in the shadows, he noticed a cat moving. Munkustrap bristled, "Who's there?"
A pair of eyes caught the moonlight, shining as they stared at him. Then slowly, Exotica came out, looking shocked that she was being treated in such a way.
"Oh," Munkustrap said. "Sorry. You blend in so well with the dark."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she said, smiling at him. For some reason, the smile didn't put him at ease. Exotica was just as her name implied – exotic, odd, bewildering. "Have you seen Cassie? I've been wanting to talk to her."
"No, but she doesn't exactly make an entrance, now does she?" He smiled to be polite, then made his way past her towards Admetus, who was regaling Bombalurina about his last performance at the ball.
"And then I took a big flying leap!"
"I know," she said, leaning against a tire, checking her nails. "I saw. I was there."
"But did you see when I did those kickies over Munkustrap's head?"
"I remember a very annoyed tabby, yes...I recall." At that, Bombalurina looked up. Relief swept across her face. "Munkus! Why don't you have a talk with your former dance partner over here while I go look for Tugger." She took the chance while Admetus turned to look at Munkustrap to slip away.
"But he wasn't my…" It was too late, Bombalurina was gone. The brown and white cat looked hopefully at Munkustrap. "Admetus, I would love to stay and chat, but I have to look for Old Deuteronomy."
Munkustrap trotted past Admetus, who was obviously disappointed, towards the entrance of the junkyard where he caught sight of Cassandra making her way in. She caught sight of him to, and came up to him, rubbing against him, a coy smile on her face. "Good evening, tiger."
"Exotica's looking for you," he said. "Why is your fur all messed up?"
Cassandra's eyes went wide as she looked down at her fur. It was only slightly messed up, but with such sleek fur under the moonlight, it was noticeable. Cassandra quickly recovered from her shock. "Uh, catnip. Those humans... know we lose all control around that stuff…" She quickly brushed her fur with her paw.
Then he noticed Alonzo trotting up to the entrance. Munkustrap looked between the two, then narrowed his eyes. "Lost control, huh?"
"Where was Exotica, did you say?"
"Nice segue," he said as he pointed her in the right direction. Cassandra gave him a little look, but smiled as she glanced at Alonzo, then went to find Exotica.
Alonzo raced up to Munkustrap, slightly out of breath. "You wouldn't believe the incredibly plausible story of why I'm late."
"You could have at least waited a few minutes before Cassandra got here to make an entrance. That would have been plausible."
"Yeah, well," Alonzo said, shrugging. "I wasn't the one who wanted to keep it secret. Where are the festivities?" The two turned suddenly as thunder boomed through the air. There were a few screams from the junkyard. "Ah," Alonzo said. "Festivities: dead as a bird on the doorstep." Munkustrap gave Alonzo a curious look. "What? I may not have a human, but I know what cats do with the birds they catch. You sick, sick house cats."
"I've never done that," Munkustrap said.
"The analogy still stands. So…Old Deuteronomy?"
"I've been looking for him. Demeter…has a bad feeling about tonight." At that, Alonzo looked over his shoulder, then nodded Munkustrap over with him. They rounded a corner and in the distance, Old Deuteronomy was walking towards the center of the junkyard.
"You knew he was there, and you didn't help him?" Munkustrap asked, walking quickly in the direction of the elder cat.
"I was going to, before I saw you! I just forgot!" The two them raced up to Old Deuteronomy to help the old cat on his wobbly legs.
-=-=-=-=-=-
The night had gone by in a whirl of laughter, activities, and meeting up with old friends. It was just the way Alonzo hoped it would be – no dangerous villainous cats kidnapping elderly toms. He even sidled up to Munkustrap, who was batting at a light that was flickering on and off as Mistoffelees worked to entertain the kittens.
"No Macavity," Alonzo said.
"Better safe than sorry," he said, looking over to Alonzo. "She's usually right about these things. Must be the storm."
Clouds had come in to cover the night sky. As the moon disappeared behind the clouds, the cats decided it was time to leave. Thunder was rumbling not far from where they were, and they would soon need to take shelter. So they said their goodbyes, and went back to respective homes or got cozy in their dens.
No one could foresee how the shadows that had laid perfectly still during their festivities would grow without the moon to keep them at bay, and give way to the cats who were hiding in the darkness.
While Alonzo walked off, Cassandra by his side, a flash of thunder blinded him to the sight of an elder Jellicle cat being grabbed by a few pairs of paws. The following booming thunder muffled the cat's protest before he was stifled and stolen into the night, where the protectors couldn't protect him.