Subj: HTML for our story 1
Before the Jellicles " Help!" Someone cried.
Deuteronomy looked around. The mess of rubble and debris was huge! Everywhere was debris of all kinds from wood to lace from marble to cloth
The fire that wiped out the neighborhood was devastating. Many humans left their pets up for dead! Deuteronomy was one of them.
" Where are you?" He called back to the voice.
" I'm under a plank of some sort. It's digging into my back. Help me please!" The cat called.
Deuteronomy rushed over to a plank that struggled to move.
" Are you here?" Deuteronomy called as he lifted up the plank to reveal a trapped young cat about his age.
Deuteronomy offered his paw and pulled the cat out.
They both collapsed when he was free.
" Oh...thank you so much kind sir!" The cat said gasping for air.
" No trouble." Deuteronomy replied. " What's your name?"
" Gus. Gus the theatre cat. And you are?"
" Deuteronomy."
" Well now there's a regal name if I ever did hear one!" Gus replied.
" Theatre cat? You're an actor?"
Gus smiled, beaming proudly. " Why, yes I am!"
" Interesting. Do you know if there are any others around that we should help?" Deuteronomy asked.
" I'm sure there are...My younger friend Jellyorum is under this mess somewhere!" Gus replied.
" Let's spilt up and see if we can find her."
Gus nodded and the two young cats began to search the area.
" Deuteronomy! Help me! She's stuck!" Gus called. He was trying to help a young female out of a ditch.
Deuteronomy rushed over and helped pull the young queen out of the ditch.
" Oh thank you Gus. And thank you...um...I don't know your name." The queen said.
" Deuteronomy."
" Thank you Deuteronomy." She replied. "I'm Jellyorum."
" Do you know if anyone else is around?" Gus asked her.
" Jennyanydots might be around. Help me find her please!"
"Of course we will." Deuteronomy said.
They split up, Gus and Jelly went one way, Deuteronomy the other.
" Jenny! Jenny!" They cried.
" Jenny! Jennyanydots where are you?" Jelly cried.
" Help...me..." Cried a small voice.
" Hey I think I heard someone!" Deuteronomy called to the others.
"Where are you?" Gus called to the voice.
" Help...me..." the voice called back. She sounded like she was fading...fast.
" Hold on!" Jelly called as the three of them began to dig threw the ruble to find the voice.
As they ran across the debris, Gus stepped on a board.
" OUCH!" A queen's voice cried.
"Huh?" Gus said startled at the voice. "Hey I think I found someone else!" Gus lifted up the board just enough so the young female could get out.
"Jenny! You had me worried sick!" Jelly cried as she rushed over and nuzzled her.
" I'm okay! Thanks to Gus."
" Awe...it was nothing really. Say...where's Deuteronomy anyway?"
"Deuteronomy?" Jenny asked, not recognizing the name.
" He saved us both." Jelly explained.
"He probably went off to find that voice." Gus said.
" Oh yeah forgot about that!" They went off to find the voice.
"Deuteronomy where are you?" Gus called.
He spotted him moving planks and other bits of debris out from under him.
Then he pulled a young silver tabby female from her trap.
Jelly and Jenny both noticed right away that she was pregnant.
"Oh...thank..." the young queen began.
" Shh...you need your rest. You've had a tough day. And you don't look well." Jelly stated.
" I don't feel it either. But thank you very much Deuteronomy."
" How do you know his name?" Gus asked.
"We know each other very well." She said with a smile. " I'm Karalon, just call me Kara."
" Do you know if anyone else is around?" Jenny asked.
" Jenny, ask your questions later! She needs her rest, and I know where. C'mon!" Jenny and Jelly helped Kara to her feet and lead her off to a secluded area of the neighborhood.
" I'd better go with her" Deuteronomy said after they left.
" I'll stay here and search for the others. I'll meet up with all of you later." Gus said.
"Thank you Gus." Deuteronomy said, and hurried off after the three queens.
It began to rain and the three queens were huddled under a makeshift tent made from wood and cloth.
" I hope they're all right." Jelly said to Jenny. Kara nodded.
Deuteronomy had gone off to warn Gus about the storm.
A clap of thunder and a bolt of lighting startled the queens for a moment until they saw the two familiar figures of Gus and Deuteronomy emerge.
" Thank Heaviside they're all right." Kara said.
Gus and Deuteronomy entered the tent and shook themselves off.
" We couldn't find anyone else." Deuteronomy informed sadly.
" Well we found a few..." Gus began but was cut off by Deuteronomy jabbing him in the ribs with his elbow. " OW!"
" Found a few...what?" Jelly urged.
" Bodies." Gus finished.
Deuteronomy growled at the comment.
" Could you identify any of them?" Kara asked. Deuteronomy was silent at first. He took a deep breath and said, " Yes we could."
He paused and looked at the queen. " Your sister was one of them, as well as you niece...I'm sorry." He said and nuzzled her.
Jelly, Jenny, and Gus bowed their heads in sorrow for Kara.
Gus turned away and looked at what had remained of the neighborhood.
" It's very unlikely that we can stay here any longer. All the humans have gone taking our home with them." Gus sadly.
" What do we do now?" Jenny asked no one in particular.
" Gus, could we stay at the theatre?" Jelly asked.
"Maybe. The theatre's a long way away..."
" How far Gus?" Deuteronomy asked still holding Kara.
" Quite a few miles I'm afraid." Gus replied.
Deuteronomy thought for a minuet.
" Are there resting places along the way?" Jelly asked to break the silence.
" Of course! There's Tottenham Court, Victoria's Grove, St James' street, all those sorts of places."
"Then that's our destination." Deuteronomy said. " We'll head out in the morning."
The others were silent, but settled down for bed.
Jenny and Jelly curled up next to each other. Gus stayed close to Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy stayed curled up next to his mate Kara.
The night rainfall had cooled the hot, ash covered ground a lot.
Gus stuck his head outside and stretched as the others awoke.
" Good Morning!" Gus said as everyone woke up.
" Why are you so cheery?" Deuteronomy asked, helping Kara to her feet. " Well someone has to keep the morale up and it might as well be me!" Gus replied.
The five headed out of the neighborhood and onto the main road that would take them to the theatre. They approached a busy street.
Deuteronomy stopped, the others did too. Gus came up to him.
" What's the matter?"
" Traffic is heavy...it's too dangerous to cross there." Deuteronomy replied.
" But it'll take us forever to find a way around it!" Gus complained.
" And we don't have much time." Kara said, rubbing her swollen belly.
Deuteronomy looked backed at her with worried eyes, then back to Gus, and back to the busy street.
He paused to think. He knew that to cross the main, busy road was quicker then finding a way around it. But finding a way around it was safer.
He knew Kara didn't have much time, but he also knew because of the extra weight she carried with her, she wasn't as quick as she once was.
" Deuteronomy, what are we going to do?" Jelly asked.
He took a deep breath and went back to Kara and put his paws on her shoulders.
" If you think you can make it across the street, then that's where we'll go."
Kara paused a moment. " I can make it."
"Are you sure?"
" Yes I'm sure."
" Then let's go." Deuteronomy led the cats to the busy street.
Cars and trucks zoomed by both directions.
A clearing was approaching.
" Okay, on the count of three run across as fast as you can." Deuteronomy said. " One...two....THREE!"
The cats scurried across. A truck blew its horn. Jelly and Jenny, being the youngest, were the first to reach the other side. Deuteronomy was next. He turned to wait for Gus and Kara.
Gus remained with her and she wasn't moving too fast.
" Gus! KARA! C'mon! Hurry!" Deuteronomy and the queens called.
The truck got closer. " Kara! Run!" Deuteronomy called.
" Gus...HURRY!" Jelly cried.
The truck just barely missed Kara as she ran into Deuteronomy's arms. But where was Gus?
The traffic seemed to stop.
Deuteronomy went out to see Gus's body just feet away from where they were.
" Gus? Gus!" Jelly cried. " Gus, please be okay." Jenny pleaded.
When everyone gathered around him he sprung up scaring the two queens.
Deuteronomy laughed. " You're a great actor...you even made them believe you were dead!"
Gus brushed himself of. " Thank you!"
" Gus..." A very mad Jelly began.
" Can we finish this on safer ground?" Gus asked and rushed to the sidewalk and into some brush.
" Gus come back here I'm not finished with you!" Jelly cried and jumped in after him. Jenny followed her.
Deuteronomy turned to Kara and put his paws on her stomach.
She smiled and licked his nose and followed Jenny, Jelly and Gus into the brush.
" See I knew this street was around here!" Gus exclaimed as he turned to go down a long road.
Deuteronomy and the queens stopped and read the sign: Tottenham Court.
" Are you sure about this?" Jelly asked. " The street doesn't look very friendly."
" It's a street Jelly, it doesn't have feelings!" Gus said, joking around.
" I'm serious Gus! I don't trust it!"
" Oh, don't be such a fraidy-cat..."
Jelly hissed.
" C'mon you two knock it off...Gus said the theatre was close after this street!" Deuteronomy said.
Gus smiled and nodded.
The headed down the street. Of what few humans were around, they pretty much ignored the five cats.
Suddenly a street sweeper came rolling down the street and the cats jumped into an alley.
" Hey!" Someone cried.
The five cats had landed in a heap of rubbish.
"Yuck." Jenny said as she looked at her muck covered paw.
" This is my alley!" A queen hissed as she emerged from the shadows.
She seemed about Gus's or even Deuteronomy's age. She was rather attractive too.
" Sorry, we needed to get away from that street cleaner." Jelly said. " We're trying to get to the theatre." " Yeah that's great..." She paused a moment. " You're not from around here are you?" They shook their heads.
" No madam we're not." Gus said.
" Hmmm...well I'm Grizabella. Who might you all be?"
" I'm Deuteronomy, this is my mate Kara."
" I'm Gus...Gus the theatre cat that is."
Grizabella smiled at the two toms.
" Hmmm...if you're a theatre cat, shouldn't you know that this ISN'T the theatre?" Gus gave her an annoyed look.
" I said we were TRYING to get there." Jelly said, defending her friend.
" Trying and failing miserably! After this street you have to go at least another ten blocks and then some to get downtown to where the theatre is!"
" Oh no." Deuteronomy muttered under his breath.
" WHAT?!" Jelly, Jenny and Gus cried in unison.
" I can help if you'd like." Grizabella offered.
" No thank..." Jelly began, but Deuteronomy clamped her mouth shut with his paw.
" Actually a little assistance would be helpful. Do you know a short cut?"
" You're doubting my judgments?" Gus asked, shocked.
" Well...no, I just want to see what our options are." Deuteronomy replied.
" After this street take a left, that'll bring you to St James' St. Follow it until you get to the railroad station..."Grizabella was cut off short when a bucket of trash was dumped on them.
" Yuck." Jenny said again as she flung a piece of wet paper towel off her forehead.
Jelly dug herself out of the rubbish near Jenny. " Yuck...again." Jelly said, dusting herself off.
Gus and Deuteronomy were feeling very tense, the storm was brewing up again.
A clap of thunder roared in the quickly darkening sky.
" You can stay here for the night if you'd like. There's an extra box over there for you to stay in." Grizabella offered.
She disappeared behind a wooden crate and dragged out a large cardboard box for the others to rest in.
" Awe, that's very kind of you but we really should get to the theatre before the skies open up again." Gus said.
Kara grabbed Deuteronomy's arm. He looked in her eyes, she needed to say no words, and he knew what she needed.
" Gus I think we'd better take Ms. Grizabella's offer and stay the night. Just until the storm passes." Deuteronomy said and led Kara over to the cardboard box.
They all got into the box just as the rain began to fall.
Jelly made a face.
" What's the matter?" Deuteronomy asked.
" I don't trust her. She makes me feel uncomfortable." Jelly said.
" Who, Grizabella?" Deuteronomy asked. Kara squeezed Deuteronomy's paw.
" Yeah. She thinks only of herself."
" Nonsense! She offered us this box to sleep in!" Deuteronomy said.
" Yeah, and she got the sturdy comfortable crate..."
" That leaks in the rain. A crate isn't built to be waterproof."
" Neither is a cardboard box! It get flimsy when it's wet!" Jelly replied, annoyed now.
" It'll do for now."
Kara squeezed Deuteronomy's paw harder.
" Kara, you okay?" Deuteronomy asked, worried something might be wrong.
" Yes, I'm okay." She said shortly and rubbed her belly. " The weight is just getting to me."
" Can I help?" asked a voice. Grizabella stood outside the box with a blanket and a partially torn pillow.
" If you think you can." Deuteronomy said, holding Kara's paw.
" I know I can." Grizabella said and went over to Kara.
Kara moaned and squirmed. She rubbed her belly.
" Deuteronomy, I think it's almost time." She said quietly.
Deuteronomy nuzzled her. Not only to comfort her, but to comfort him as well, he hated seeing his beloved in pain.
Kara moaned and grasped her tummy.
For now all they could do was wait.
Being so young, the stress of labor was the last thing Kara needed.
About two hours later and very little progress, Deuteronomy was becoming more and more nervous.
The rain fell harder with every contraction, the thunder roared with every yelp of pain, lighting struck closer to the alley with every shot of pain within her.
The wind picked up and the rain fell harder, still no kittens.
Complications began to arise.
" Come on Kara, I know you can do this, you have to push!" Grizabella said.
Kara tried to catch her breath. " I-I can't...it's too...hard."
" I know it's hard, please try. If you don't you'll loose them." Grizabella warned.
Kara tried to push, her weakened body made it hard to.
" Push!" Grizabella cried. Kara tried, no progress.
" Push!" Griz ordered. Kara tried again, little progress, more pain, more complications.
" PUSH!" Griz order. Kara screamed in pain, a kitten was born. Kara fell back, exhausted.
" Good job." Griz said. " It's a tom."
Kara smiled weakly. Deuteronomy kissed her, and nuzzled her.
Then Kara's body began to shake, her breathing was shallow, her body was shutting down.
" Kara! No!" Deuteronomy cried.
" Deuteronomy, it's okay. I-I knew this would happen..." She said quietly. She paused to take a violent gasp of air. " Take care of our son."
" No, I need you." Deuteronomy said, almost in tears now.
" You'll be a great father...I know you will. Take care of him. Take care of Munkustrap." With that, she fell into his arms, limp. Her body stopped shaking, her shallow breathing stopped, her entire body...stopped.
After Kara's death and the birth of Munkustrap, the sun dried the rain from the ground, and the cats' fur, but couldn't dry Deuteronomy's tears.
Gus and Grizabella dug a grave for Kara near the alley by a dead flowerbed.
They laid her to rest that afternoon.
Deuteronomy didn't know how he would be able to raise his son on his own.
He never dreamed that something like this would happen.
" How will he live? He needs his mother." Deuteronomy said.
" I can help!" Jelly said and went over to Munkustrap. " I can clean him!"
Deuteronomy sighed but nodded.
Jelly looked up at Deuteronomy then down at the tiny gray tabby.
" I can keep him dry and warm at night and play with him during the day." Jenny offered.
Deuteronomy sighed again and nodded.
Jenny went over to watch Jelly's carefully licking the tiny tom clean.
" I can help feed him." A voice from the box's entrance said.
Deuteronomy turned and saw Grizabella standing there.
" You can't help him!" Jelly cried.
" Yeah...you're not his mother." Jenny chimed in.
" Well neither are you." Grizabella pointed out. The two young queens glared at Grizabella.
" How would you help?" Gus asked.
" He's too young to eat solids, and Jelly and Jenny are too young to have him feed off of them. So...maybe with his father's permission..."
" NO!" Jelly cried. " You're not his mother! He can't feed off of you!"
" Jelly...hush." Deuteronomy said. Jelly quickly quieted down. Deuteronomy was in a deep thought. " Have you had kittens before?" he asked finally.
She took a deep breath. " No, but when our mother died, it was my job to feed my younger litter mates..."
" But you don't have any litter mates here do you?" Jelly said. " How do we know that they didn't die because of you? How do we know that you won't hurt Munkustrap? How do we..."
" They still live!" Grizabella snapped. " My siblings are still alive. We went our separate ways as we grew older. I kept them alive! And how could you THINK that I would hurt Munkustrap?"
" What makes you think that we'll let you help him?" Jenny asked just as nastily.
The queens glared at each other for a long while until Deuteronomy broke the silence.
" I have to do what's best for him. Kara wanted me to take care of him." Deuteronomy looked up at Grizabella with tears in his eyes. " Kara trusted you with her kitten and her life. So I can trust you with my son's life. You have my permission to feed my son."
" WHAT!?" Jelly and Jenny cried in unison.
" But...she..." Jenny began.
" No Jenny. Hush now." Gus said in her ear.
Grizabella walked over to the queens, picked up Munkustrap and went over to Deuteronomy. She lay down and Munkustrap found his way to Grizabella.
Jelly and Jenny went to a corner behind Gus and pouted.
Gus rolled his eyes at Jenny and Jelly's behavior but watched the tiny kitten feed.
Deuteronomy kept a close watch on his son while he ate.
She wanted me to take care of him. I hope I'm doing that now...I won't let you down Kara.
The seven cats lived together in the alley for the next few weeks.
Munkustrap's eyes had opened now and had grown stronger with Grizzabella's milk.
Jelly and Jenny still didn't trust Grizabella at all.
Deuteronomy was learning slowly but surely how to be a father.
He knew how to clean, carry, hold, and care for Munkustrap with Grizabella's help.
It was time they moved on to the theatre.
Grizabella would go with them.
" I still don't trust her." Jelly would say. " She's not his mother."
Jenny felt the same way.
" She's helping him survive girls, she really is a good cat." Gus would reply.
Deuteronomy woke early one morning to see that the sun had just risen and Grizabella was watching it from the step of a rusty fire escape ladder attached to one of the buildings.
He sighed and walked out in front of her so she could see him.
" Nice sun rise isn't?" He asked her.
She looked down at him.
" Yes, very nice. It's a better view from up here though."
" May I join you?" Deuteronomy asked.
Grizabella smiled and nodded.
" Please do."
Deuteronomy climbed the steps quickly and sat down next to Grizabella.
he looked at the sun, slowly rising. He thought of Kara, his one true love, she was his whole world. She was his home, his moon, his sunshine.
" You miss you a lot don't you?" Grizabella asked.
" What do you think? I just can't ignore the fact that she is dead. She was my mate, Grizabella. Of course I miss her." He paused, his claws came out and gripped the side of the step. " But I am also angry with her."
" Why?" Grizabella asked, shocked.
" Why? Because she left me alone with my son. OUR son! He is all I have left in this world."
" I dissagree." Grizabella said. " I think you have much more than just your son. You have friends and familiy who care about you." She looked at him. "We all love you Deuteronomy." He looked up and into Grizabella's eyes. She turned away, afraid he would see her desire for him.
She was a tramp, she flirted a lot, but this was different. He was a kind loving tom from the depths of his soul. Not like those other toms on the street.
Deuteronomy heard Munkustrap's tiny cry. Both cats turned around.
" Sounds like he's hungry. Would you like me to feed him?" Grizabella asked.
"He is my only son Grizabella. If I loose him then I loose my whole world. I won't loose him to starvation. He will always eat before me. So yes Grizabella, feed my son."
Grizabella hopped down and went back into the box.
Munkustrap hurried over to Grizabella, settled down and napped as he suckled.
" He's a strong one." Gus said.
Grizabella looked up, a bit startled.
" I didn't know anyone else was awake. Did I wake you?" Girzabella asked.
" Nah, Munku did. I'm surprised it didn't wake Jenny and Jelly."
Grizabella smiled as she watch Munku.
" He really is a strong one." Gus said again.
" Who?" Grizabella asked.
" Like father, like son, Deuteronomy and Munkustrap are both very strong. Munkustrap is strong because he has lived this long without his mother. Deuteronomy is strong because he now has to live the rest of his life without his son's mother." Grizabella became quiet.
" If I ever have kittens, I wouldn't want them to be alone like this." She said as she licked the top of Munkustrap's head.
" But you're wrong." Gus said. " He is not alone. He has a loving family who loves him, and friends to protect him. You are among them. How can you say that he is alone?"
Grizabella was silent for a moment then said: " Growing up, it was the opposite. My father left us, the four of us, alone. So it seems that without a mother, who else is there?
"I always prayed to the Everlasting Cat that she would be with us forever, but it never came true. She sent us on our own after we were attacked one night by a pack of pollicles. We returned the next day only to find little remains of her body scattered throughout the area. My siblings and myself were left to defend ourselves on the streets.
"I suppose you are right, I was more alone then he'll ever be." She paused and looked up at Gus. "I'm sorry, you don't need to hear my babbling..."
He took one of her paws in his. She looked up in his eyes.
" You were hurt Grizabella, it's been building up inside you ever since you were a kitten. No, you needed to let it out. Better to tell the whole story now then later." Gus said, still holder one paw with one of his paws and rubbing it with his other.
Munkustrap fell asleep feeding on Grizabella and Gus continued to comfort Grizabella.
Deuteronomy did not come back inside for a long time.
The streets became busy with activity with buisnesses opening and people walking from place to place.
The cats said their last respects to Kara, then headed off to the theatre.
Before the Jellicles " Help!" Someone cried.
Deuteronomy looked around. The mess of rubble and debris was huge! Everywhere was debris of all kinds from wood to lace from marble to cloth
The fire that wiped out the neighborhood was devastating. Many humans left their pets up for dead! Deuteronomy was one of them.
" Where are you?" He called back to the voice.
" I'm under a plank of some sort. It's digging into my back. Help me please!" The cat called.
Deuteronomy rushed over to a plank that struggled to move.
" Are you here?" Deuteronomy called as he lifted up the plank to reveal a trapped young cat about his age.
Deuteronomy offered his paw and pulled the cat out.
They both collapsed when he was free.
" Oh...thank you so much kind sir!" The cat said gasping for air.
" No trouble." Deuteronomy replied. " What's your name?"
" Gus. Gus the theatre cat. And you are?"
" Deuteronomy."
" Well now there's a regal name if I ever did hear one!" Gus replied.
" Theatre cat? You're an actor?"
Gus smiled, beaming proudly. " Why, yes I am!"
" Interesting. Do you know if there are any others around that we should help?" Deuteronomy asked.
" I'm sure there are...My younger friend Jellyorum is under this mess somewhere!" Gus replied.
" Let's spilt up and see if we can find her."
Gus nodded and the two young cats began to search the area.
" Deuteronomy! Help me! She's stuck!" Gus called. He was trying to help a young female out of a ditch.
Deuteronomy rushed over and helped pull the young queen out of the ditch.
" Oh thank you Gus. And thank you...um...I don't know your name." The queen said.
" Deuteronomy."
" Thank you Deuteronomy." She replied. "I'm Jellyorum."
" Do you know if anyone else is around?" Gus asked her.
" Jennyanydots might be around. Help me find her please!"
"Of course we will." Deuteronomy said.
They split up, Gus and Jelly went one way, Deuteronomy the other.
" Jenny! Jenny!" They cried.
" Jenny! Jennyanydots where are you?" Jelly cried.
" Help...me..." Cried a small voice.
" Hey I think I heard someone!" Deuteronomy called to the others.
"Where are you?" Gus called to the voice.
" Help...me..." the voice called back. She sounded like she was fading...fast.
" Hold on!" Jelly called as the three of them began to dig threw the ruble to find the voice.
As they ran across the debris, Gus stepped on a board.
" OUCH!" A queen's voice cried.
"Huh?" Gus said startled at the voice. "Hey I think I found someone else!" Gus lifted up the board just enough so the young female could get out.
"Jenny! You had me worried sick!" Jelly cried as she rushed over and nuzzled her.
" I'm okay! Thanks to Gus."
" Awe...it was nothing really. Say...where's Deuteronomy anyway?"
"Deuteronomy?" Jenny asked, not recognizing the name.
" He saved us both." Jelly explained.
"He probably went off to find that voice." Gus said.
" Oh yeah forgot about that!" They went off to find the voice.
"Deuteronomy where are you?" Gus called.
He spotted him moving planks and other bits of debris out from under him.
Then he pulled a young silver tabby female from her trap.
Jelly and Jenny both noticed right away that she was pregnant.
"Oh...thank..." the young queen began.
" Shh...you need your rest. You've had a tough day. And you don't look well." Jelly stated.
" I don't feel it either. But thank you very much Deuteronomy."
" How do you know his name?" Gus asked.
"We know each other very well." She said with a smile. " I'm Karalon, just call me Kara."
" Do you know if anyone else is around?" Jenny asked.
" Jenny, ask your questions later! She needs her rest, and I know where. C'mon!" Jenny and Jelly helped Kara to her feet and lead her off to a secluded area of the neighborhood.
" I'd better go with her" Deuteronomy said after they left.
" I'll stay here and search for the others. I'll meet up with all of you later." Gus said.
"Thank you Gus." Deuteronomy said, and hurried off after the three queens.
It began to rain and the three queens were huddled under a makeshift tent made from wood and cloth.
" I hope they're all right." Jelly said to Jenny. Kara nodded.
Deuteronomy had gone off to warn Gus about the storm.
A clap of thunder and a bolt of lighting startled the queens for a moment until they saw the two familiar figures of Gus and Deuteronomy emerge.
" Thank Heaviside they're all right." Kara said.
Gus and Deuteronomy entered the tent and shook themselves off.
" We couldn't find anyone else." Deuteronomy informed sadly.
" Well we found a few..." Gus began but was cut off by Deuteronomy jabbing him in the ribs with his elbow. " OW!"
" Found a few...what?" Jelly urged.
" Bodies." Gus finished.
Deuteronomy growled at the comment.
" Could you identify any of them?" Kara asked. Deuteronomy was silent at first. He took a deep breath and said, " Yes we could."
He paused and looked at the queen. " Your sister was one of them, as well as you niece...I'm sorry." He said and nuzzled her.
Jelly, Jenny, and Gus bowed their heads in sorrow for Kara.
Gus turned away and looked at what had remained of the neighborhood.
" It's very unlikely that we can stay here any longer. All the humans have gone taking our home with them." Gus sadly.
" What do we do now?" Jenny asked no one in particular.
" Gus, could we stay at the theatre?" Jelly asked.
"Maybe. The theatre's a long way away..."
" How far Gus?" Deuteronomy asked still holding Kara.
" Quite a few miles I'm afraid." Gus replied.
Deuteronomy thought for a minuet.
" Are there resting places along the way?" Jelly asked to break the silence.
" Of course! There's Tottenham Court, Victoria's Grove, St James' street, all those sorts of places."
"Then that's our destination." Deuteronomy said. " We'll head out in the morning."
The others were silent, but settled down for bed.
Jenny and Jelly curled up next to each other. Gus stayed close to Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy stayed curled up next to his mate Kara.
The night rainfall had cooled the hot, ash covered ground a lot.
Gus stuck his head outside and stretched as the others awoke.
" Good Morning!" Gus said as everyone woke up.
" Why are you so cheery?" Deuteronomy asked, helping Kara to her feet. " Well someone has to keep the morale up and it might as well be me!" Gus replied.
The five headed out of the neighborhood and onto the main road that would take them to the theatre. They approached a busy street.
Deuteronomy stopped, the others did too. Gus came up to him.
" What's the matter?"
" Traffic is heavy...it's too dangerous to cross there." Deuteronomy replied.
" But it'll take us forever to find a way around it!" Gus complained.
" And we don't have much time." Kara said, rubbing her swollen belly.
Deuteronomy looked backed at her with worried eyes, then back to Gus, and back to the busy street.
He paused to think. He knew that to cross the main, busy road was quicker then finding a way around it. But finding a way around it was safer.
He knew Kara didn't have much time, but he also knew because of the extra weight she carried with her, she wasn't as quick as she once was.
" Deuteronomy, what are we going to do?" Jelly asked.
He took a deep breath and went back to Kara and put his paws on her shoulders.
" If you think you can make it across the street, then that's where we'll go."
Kara paused a moment. " I can make it."
"Are you sure?"
" Yes I'm sure."
" Then let's go." Deuteronomy led the cats to the busy street.
Cars and trucks zoomed by both directions.
A clearing was approaching.
" Okay, on the count of three run across as fast as you can." Deuteronomy said. " One...two....THREE!"
The cats scurried across. A truck blew its horn. Jelly and Jenny, being the youngest, were the first to reach the other side. Deuteronomy was next. He turned to wait for Gus and Kara.
Gus remained with her and she wasn't moving too fast.
" Gus! KARA! C'mon! Hurry!" Deuteronomy and the queens called.
The truck got closer. " Kara! Run!" Deuteronomy called.
" Gus...HURRY!" Jelly cried.
The truck just barely missed Kara as she ran into Deuteronomy's arms. But where was Gus?
The traffic seemed to stop.
Deuteronomy went out to see Gus's body just feet away from where they were.
" Gus? Gus!" Jelly cried. " Gus, please be okay." Jenny pleaded.
When everyone gathered around him he sprung up scaring the two queens.
Deuteronomy laughed. " You're a great actor...you even made them believe you were dead!"
Gus brushed himself of. " Thank you!"
" Gus..." A very mad Jelly began.
" Can we finish this on safer ground?" Gus asked and rushed to the sidewalk and into some brush.
" Gus come back here I'm not finished with you!" Jelly cried and jumped in after him. Jenny followed her.
Deuteronomy turned to Kara and put his paws on her stomach.
She smiled and licked his nose and followed Jenny, Jelly and Gus into the brush.
" See I knew this street was around here!" Gus exclaimed as he turned to go down a long road.
Deuteronomy and the queens stopped and read the sign: Tottenham Court.
" Are you sure about this?" Jelly asked. " The street doesn't look very friendly."
" It's a street Jelly, it doesn't have feelings!" Gus said, joking around.
" I'm serious Gus! I don't trust it!"
" Oh, don't be such a fraidy-cat..."
Jelly hissed.
" C'mon you two knock it off...Gus said the theatre was close after this street!" Deuteronomy said.
Gus smiled and nodded.
The headed down the street. Of what few humans were around, they pretty much ignored the five cats.
Suddenly a street sweeper came rolling down the street and the cats jumped into an alley.
" Hey!" Someone cried.
The five cats had landed in a heap of rubbish.
"Yuck." Jenny said as she looked at her muck covered paw.
" This is my alley!" A queen hissed as she emerged from the shadows.
She seemed about Gus's or even Deuteronomy's age. She was rather attractive too.
" Sorry, we needed to get away from that street cleaner." Jelly said. " We're trying to get to the theatre." " Yeah that's great..." She paused a moment. " You're not from around here are you?" They shook their heads.
" No madam we're not." Gus said.
" Hmmm...well I'm Grizabella. Who might you all be?"
" I'm Deuteronomy, this is my mate Kara."
" I'm Gus...Gus the theatre cat that is."
Grizabella smiled at the two toms.
" Hmmm...if you're a theatre cat, shouldn't you know that this ISN'T the theatre?" Gus gave her an annoyed look.
" I said we were TRYING to get there." Jelly said, defending her friend.
" Trying and failing miserably! After this street you have to go at least another ten blocks and then some to get downtown to where the theatre is!"
" Oh no." Deuteronomy muttered under his breath.
" WHAT?!" Jelly, Jenny and Gus cried in unison.
" I can help if you'd like." Grizabella offered.
" No thank..." Jelly began, but Deuteronomy clamped her mouth shut with his paw.
" Actually a little assistance would be helpful. Do you know a short cut?"
" You're doubting my judgments?" Gus asked, shocked.
" Well...no, I just want to see what our options are." Deuteronomy replied.
" After this street take a left, that'll bring you to St James' St. Follow it until you get to the railroad station..."Grizabella was cut off short when a bucket of trash was dumped on them.
" Yuck." Jenny said again as she flung a piece of wet paper towel off her forehead.
Jelly dug herself out of the rubbish near Jenny. " Yuck...again." Jelly said, dusting herself off.
Gus and Deuteronomy were feeling very tense, the storm was brewing up again.
A clap of thunder roared in the quickly darkening sky.
" You can stay here for the night if you'd like. There's an extra box over there for you to stay in." Grizabella offered.
She disappeared behind a wooden crate and dragged out a large cardboard box for the others to rest in.
" Awe, that's very kind of you but we really should get to the theatre before the skies open up again." Gus said.
Kara grabbed Deuteronomy's arm. He looked in her eyes, she needed to say no words, and he knew what she needed.
" Gus I think we'd better take Ms. Grizabella's offer and stay the night. Just until the storm passes." Deuteronomy said and led Kara over to the cardboard box.
They all got into the box just as the rain began to fall.
Jelly made a face.
" What's the matter?" Deuteronomy asked.
" I don't trust her. She makes me feel uncomfortable." Jelly said.
" Who, Grizabella?" Deuteronomy asked. Kara squeezed Deuteronomy's paw.
" Yeah. She thinks only of herself."
" Nonsense! She offered us this box to sleep in!" Deuteronomy said.
" Yeah, and she got the sturdy comfortable crate..."
" That leaks in the rain. A crate isn't built to be waterproof."
" Neither is a cardboard box! It get flimsy when it's wet!" Jelly replied, annoyed now.
" It'll do for now."
Kara squeezed Deuteronomy's paw harder.
" Kara, you okay?" Deuteronomy asked, worried something might be wrong.
" Yes, I'm okay." She said shortly and rubbed her belly. " The weight is just getting to me."
" Can I help?" asked a voice. Grizabella stood outside the box with a blanket and a partially torn pillow.
" If you think you can." Deuteronomy said, holding Kara's paw.
" I know I can." Grizabella said and went over to Kara.
Kara moaned and squirmed. She rubbed her belly.
" Deuteronomy, I think it's almost time." She said quietly.
Deuteronomy nuzzled her. Not only to comfort her, but to comfort him as well, he hated seeing his beloved in pain.
Kara moaned and grasped her tummy.
For now all they could do was wait.
Being so young, the stress of labor was the last thing Kara needed.
About two hours later and very little progress, Deuteronomy was becoming more and more nervous.
The rain fell harder with every contraction, the thunder roared with every yelp of pain, lighting struck closer to the alley with every shot of pain within her.
The wind picked up and the rain fell harder, still no kittens.
Complications began to arise.
" Come on Kara, I know you can do this, you have to push!" Grizabella said.
Kara tried to catch her breath. " I-I can't...it's too...hard."
" I know it's hard, please try. If you don't you'll loose them." Grizabella warned.
Kara tried to push, her weakened body made it hard to.
" Push!" Grizabella cried. Kara tried, no progress.
" Push!" Griz ordered. Kara tried again, little progress, more pain, more complications.
" PUSH!" Griz order. Kara screamed in pain, a kitten was born. Kara fell back, exhausted.
" Good job." Griz said. " It's a tom."
Kara smiled weakly. Deuteronomy kissed her, and nuzzled her.
Then Kara's body began to shake, her breathing was shallow, her body was shutting down.
" Kara! No!" Deuteronomy cried.
" Deuteronomy, it's okay. I-I knew this would happen..." She said quietly. She paused to take a violent gasp of air. " Take care of our son."
" No, I need you." Deuteronomy said, almost in tears now.
" You'll be a great father...I know you will. Take care of him. Take care of Munkustrap." With that, she fell into his arms, limp. Her body stopped shaking, her shallow breathing stopped, her entire body...stopped.
After Kara's death and the birth of Munkustrap, the sun dried the rain from the ground, and the cats' fur, but couldn't dry Deuteronomy's tears.
Gus and Grizabella dug a grave for Kara near the alley by a dead flowerbed.
They laid her to rest that afternoon.
Deuteronomy didn't know how he would be able to raise his son on his own.
He never dreamed that something like this would happen.
" How will he live? He needs his mother." Deuteronomy said.
" I can help!" Jelly said and went over to Munkustrap. " I can clean him!"
Deuteronomy sighed but nodded.
Jelly looked up at Deuteronomy then down at the tiny gray tabby.
" I can keep him dry and warm at night and play with him during the day." Jenny offered.
Deuteronomy sighed again and nodded.
Jenny went over to watch Jelly's carefully licking the tiny tom clean.
" I can help feed him." A voice from the box's entrance said.
Deuteronomy turned and saw Grizabella standing there.
" You can't help him!" Jelly cried.
" Yeah...you're not his mother." Jenny chimed in.
" Well neither are you." Grizabella pointed out. The two young queens glared at Grizabella.
" How would you help?" Gus asked.
" He's too young to eat solids, and Jelly and Jenny are too young to have him feed off of them. So...maybe with his father's permission..."
" NO!" Jelly cried. " You're not his mother! He can't feed off of you!"
" Jelly...hush." Deuteronomy said. Jelly quickly quieted down. Deuteronomy was in a deep thought. " Have you had kittens before?" he asked finally.
She took a deep breath. " No, but when our mother died, it was my job to feed my younger litter mates..."
" But you don't have any litter mates here do you?" Jelly said. " How do we know that they didn't die because of you? How do we know that you won't hurt Munkustrap? How do we..."
" They still live!" Grizabella snapped. " My siblings are still alive. We went our separate ways as we grew older. I kept them alive! And how could you THINK that I would hurt Munkustrap?"
" What makes you think that we'll let you help him?" Jenny asked just as nastily.
The queens glared at each other for a long while until Deuteronomy broke the silence.
" I have to do what's best for him. Kara wanted me to take care of him." Deuteronomy looked up at Grizabella with tears in his eyes. " Kara trusted you with her kitten and her life. So I can trust you with my son's life. You have my permission to feed my son."
" WHAT!?" Jelly and Jenny cried in unison.
" But...she..." Jenny began.
" No Jenny. Hush now." Gus said in her ear.
Grizabella walked over to the queens, picked up Munkustrap and went over to Deuteronomy. She lay down and Munkustrap found his way to Grizabella.
Jelly and Jenny went to a corner behind Gus and pouted.
Gus rolled his eyes at Jenny and Jelly's behavior but watched the tiny kitten feed.
Deuteronomy kept a close watch on his son while he ate.
She wanted me to take care of him. I hope I'm doing that now...I won't let you down Kara.
The seven cats lived together in the alley for the next few weeks.
Munkustrap's eyes had opened now and had grown stronger with Grizzabella's milk.
Jelly and Jenny still didn't trust Grizabella at all.
Deuteronomy was learning slowly but surely how to be a father.
He knew how to clean, carry, hold, and care for Munkustrap with Grizabella's help.
It was time they moved on to the theatre.
Grizabella would go with them.
" I still don't trust her." Jelly would say. " She's not his mother."
Jenny felt the same way.
" She's helping him survive girls, she really is a good cat." Gus would reply.
Deuteronomy woke early one morning to see that the sun had just risen and Grizabella was watching it from the step of a rusty fire escape ladder attached to one of the buildings.
He sighed and walked out in front of her so she could see him.
" Nice sun rise isn't?" He asked her.
She looked down at him.
" Yes, very nice. It's a better view from up here though."
" May I join you?" Deuteronomy asked.
Grizabella smiled and nodded.
" Please do."
Deuteronomy climbed the steps quickly and sat down next to Grizabella.
he looked at the sun, slowly rising. He thought of Kara, his one true love, she was his whole world. She was his home, his moon, his sunshine.
" You miss you a lot don't you?" Grizabella asked.
" What do you think? I just can't ignore the fact that she is dead. She was my mate, Grizabella. Of course I miss her." He paused, his claws came out and gripped the side of the step. " But I am also angry with her."
" Why?" Grizabella asked, shocked.
" Why? Because she left me alone with my son. OUR son! He is all I have left in this world."
" I dissagree." Grizabella said. " I think you have much more than just your son. You have friends and familiy who care about you." She looked at him. "We all love you Deuteronomy." He looked up and into Grizabella's eyes. She turned away, afraid he would see her desire for him.
She was a tramp, she flirted a lot, but this was different. He was a kind loving tom from the depths of his soul. Not like those other toms on the street.
Deuteronomy heard Munkustrap's tiny cry. Both cats turned around.
" Sounds like he's hungry. Would you like me to feed him?" Grizabella asked.
"He is my only son Grizabella. If I loose him then I loose my whole world. I won't loose him to starvation. He will always eat before me. So yes Grizabella, feed my son."
Grizabella hopped down and went back into the box.
Munkustrap hurried over to Grizabella, settled down and napped as he suckled.
" He's a strong one." Gus said.
Grizabella looked up, a bit startled.
" I didn't know anyone else was awake. Did I wake you?" Girzabella asked.
" Nah, Munku did. I'm surprised it didn't wake Jenny and Jelly."
Grizabella smiled as she watch Munku.
" He really is a strong one." Gus said again.
" Who?" Grizabella asked.
" Like father, like son, Deuteronomy and Munkustrap are both very strong. Munkustrap is strong because he has lived this long without his mother. Deuteronomy is strong because he now has to live the rest of his life without his son's mother." Grizabella became quiet.
" If I ever have kittens, I wouldn't want them to be alone like this." She said as she licked the top of Munkustrap's head.
" But you're wrong." Gus said. " He is not alone. He has a loving family who loves him, and friends to protect him. You are among them. How can you say that he is alone?"
Grizabella was silent for a moment then said: " Growing up, it was the opposite. My father left us, the four of us, alone. So it seems that without a mother, who else is there?
"I always prayed to the Everlasting Cat that she would be with us forever, but it never came true. She sent us on our own after we were attacked one night by a pack of pollicles. We returned the next day only to find little remains of her body scattered throughout the area. My siblings and myself were left to defend ourselves on the streets.
"I suppose you are right, I was more alone then he'll ever be." She paused and looked up at Gus. "I'm sorry, you don't need to hear my babbling..."
He took one of her paws in his. She looked up in his eyes.
" You were hurt Grizabella, it's been building up inside you ever since you were a kitten. No, you needed to let it out. Better to tell the whole story now then later." Gus said, still holder one paw with one of his paws and rubbing it with his other.
Munkustrap fell asleep feeding on Grizabella and Gus continued to comfort Grizabella.
Deuteronomy did not come back inside for a long time.
The streets became busy with activity with buisnesses opening and people walking from place to place.
The cats said their last respects to Kara, then headed off to the theatre.