This story is an idea I've been toying with for a while. I would very much appreciate feedback, both good and bad, so I know whether or not to continue it. Right now I'm leaning towards yes, but if this idea completely sucks, please let me know.
Disclaimer: I own none of the cats that appear in either T. S. Eliot's book or ALW's musical. If their name isn't familiar, I probably made them up, kay?
Old Deuteronomy had never told anyone the secret about the Jellicle cats. He had never breathed a word of it, ever since his predecessor as Jellicle leader had whispered it into his ear. All nine of his deceased wives had been buried, never knowing their beloved tom was hiding something from them.
But now, he feared, he would have to tell them all.
You see, in the beginning, when the Jellicle cats had just started meeting at the junkyard, they were led by an ancient queen named Naomi. This queen had been stunning in her youth, charming many toms and giving birth to numerous litters, but at the first Jellicle meeting she was hunchbacked, her ankles swollen from arthritis.
Why, then, did the Jellicles elect her their first leader?
Because she knew their secret. Everyone had always known that Naomi carried something with her, a hidden knowledge that she never spoke of to anyone. Even at this time, there were rumors flying from cat to cat, all about Naomi and the wisdom she supposedly kept. Each of the Jellicles hoped that, when pronounced their leader, Naomi would share this wisdom with them all.
This hope came and went, as Naomi slipped away and one of her sons, Zirak, replaced her as leader.
Zirak was an outgoing and flirtatious tom, much like our present day Rum Tum Tugger. He was considered very good looking by most of the queens, and his mother often referred to him as, 'My handsome kit.' In his youth, he enjoyed basking in the glory his looks gave him, and even fathered his first litter when he was still quite young.
However, his attitude changed dramatically after his mother's death. The other cats assumed he was mourning his loss and trying to adjust to his new responsibility as leader, but his mate, Drina, knew the truth.
Drina knew that his dying mother had finally let her wisdom, referred to as, 'the Jellicle secret,' pass on to another. She had told her son this secret, and he had told no one, not even Drina. Although she asked him many times, knowing that it was not just his mother's death that was creating the weight in his stomach, he never shared the details with her.
New whispers soon joined the old, and many tried to ask Zirak what his mother had said as she died. Zirak denied being told anything, but the rumors persisted.
Countless years later, it was Zirak's time to pass on. He chose his youngest son, Deuteronomy, as his successor.
Deuteronomy had always been the most refined of Zirak's offspring, many of the others having inherited their father's long-gone flirtatious side. 'Little D,' as the other Jellicles called him, had preferred to sit and chat with the older cats and watch his brothers and sisters charm the others rather than join them. Many of the cats considered Zirak's decision to be a wise one.
Zirak's oldest son, however, did not see this. He had grown up believing that he would become the next Jellicle leader, and took Little D's promotion as a personal blow. Several of Little D's other siblings seemed to share this view, and it was not very long before they broke away from the rest of the tribe.
This came as a huge blow to Little D. Barely out of his kittenhood, he had already become the Jellicle the others looked to for wisdom and half of his siblings had deserted him out of envy. With all this to worry him, he barely had time to worry about the 'Jellicle secret,' which his father had confided in him.
The other cats seemed to forget all about the rumored secret. They were more preoccupied with Little D's missing siblings, for many of them were friends. Although they missed their companions, they had been fiercely loyal to Zirak, and so pledged their loyalty to his chosen successor.
Little D grew up to live a long, full life. He fathered many litters, and watched his Jellicle tribe grow. Soon everyone forgot all about the 'Jellicle secret,' though occasionally the older cats would bring it up when they were not occupied with watching the kittens. Little D shed his nickname and became 'Deuteronomy' again. Even later, some of the youngest kittens fondly nicknamed him, 'Old Deuteronomy,' a name he has kept since.
And now we have come full-circle, back to the beginning.
On this particular night, Old Deuteronomy was pacing the junkyard anxiously, looking up at the near-full moon at regular intervals. The other cats had all retreated to their humans' homes or their cardboard boxes, or wherever it was they lived. There was anticipation in the air, however, for the next night the moon would be full, marking another Jellicle meeting.
Now, these meetings were not all Jellicle Balls, oh no. The Jellicle Ball happened only once every year, but it had long since been a tradition for the cats to meet at every full moon, regardless. None of them knew how or why this tradition had started, they just accepted it.
But now Old Deuteronomy was worried. Every Jellicle attended the Jellicle Ball, but more and more cats had started missing their monthly meetings. When Old D asked them why, they always replied, "I had other things to do."
But Old Deuteronomy had to stop these "other things" getting in the way of their monthly meetings. There was a reason for these meetings, you see, and that is the Jellicle Secret.
Old D had gone over his predicament hundreds of times, each time trying to think of a new way to make sure every cat was present at every meeting. He had the authority to make the meetings mandatory, but no cat likes being told what to do and being given no explanation. He could make up a story, but no, one of them would surely be able to tell he was lying.
In the end, he decided that honesty really was the best policy. After all, his father had never told him to keep the Jellicle Secret from anyone, it had just been an accepted fact that the Jellicle leader knew something the others did not. His father had warned him to 'protect the secret well,' but Old Deuteronomy had faith in every single Jellicle, and could see none of them spouting off the secret to unfriendly cats.
No, what Old Deuteronomy was worried about was the reception. This secret was not a very pleasant one. Sure, it had become rather obvious to him once he had been enlightened, but to the other cats who remained oblivious, it was near impossible to discern. To other creatures – Pollicle dogs and humans, for example – the Jellicle Secret was no secret. The difference could hardly be missed.
And it was this difference that Old D was going to tell all the cats about the next day. He had sent out messages to all the Jellicles he could find, making sure they all knew that he had something important to tell them all. He had asked them to pass along the message to their friends, in hopes that the next night's meeting would be as well attended as the Jellicle Ball.
Even with the reassurances of every cat that they would attend and pass the word along, Old D still fell asleep with worry in the pit of his stomach. Trying to push unpleasant thoughts out of his mind, he curled up into the smallest ball his old bones would permit him and snuggled against the side of the famous junkyard tire. Although the night was clear and filled with comforting sounds, it was almost an hour before the Jellicle leader finally nodded off.
Old Deuteronomy woke the next day to a soft mewing sound next to his ear. Blinking slowly, he looked up into the furry face of Munkustrap.
"Hello, Munkustrap," Old Deuteronomy lifted himself into the sitting position, trying and failing to stifle a huge yawn.
"Good morning, Jellicle Leader," Munkustrap said formally, bowing his head. Old Deuteronomy's whiskers twitched as he smiled. Munkustrap was his eldest son, and always treated him with respect. Old Deuteronomy would have preferred a closer family life, but Munkustrap refused point blank to call him 'Dad.'
"What would the other Jellicles think?" his son had asked, a low growl coming from his throat. "And Macavity… What if Macavity found out? Can you imagine what he would do with that knowledge?"
Old D had already started a list of things he wanted Munkustrap to do before he passed on, and one was to hear the name, 'Dad,' or 'Father,' pass from his son's lips. This comforted him as he watched his son, his head still bowed.
"You are allowed to look up, you know," Old D chuckled.
"Thank you," Munkustrap lifted his head to look his father in the eye. Old Deuteronomy could see a twinkle not unlike his own there.
"Can you confide in me as to the importance of tonight's announcement?" Munkustrap asked, now looking away from Old D's eyes to study his own furry paws.
"Please, Munk, stop being so formal," Old D requested exasperatedly, calling his son by the nickname very few knew about. "And yes, I can tell you how important it is. It is absolutely imperative that every Jellicle be in the junkyard tonight."
"Good, because that's how I made it sound when I passed the message on," Munkustrap straightened up proudly, choosing to ignore the nickname his father had used.
"Thank you, Munk," Old D rubbed his head against his son's front leg in affection. He felt Munkustrap stiffen, no doubt from shock, as he did so.
"I wish you wouldn't call me that," Munkustrap said as Old D drew away from him. "You know I hate that nickname."
"Should I call you 'Munky' instead?" Old D laughed, and thought he saw Munkustrap's whiskers twitch. "I'm sure Tugster would get a kick out of that one." Munkustrap's mouth turned into a smile as he heard his brother's childhood nickname.
"'Munk,' is fine, then," Munkustrap muttered, sounding resigned.
The two cats wiled away the hours leading up to the meeting by patrolling the junkyard in turn, looking out for any Jellicles who might turn up early. Old Deuteronomy persuaded 'Munky' to join him in a late afternoon nap, using the argument that, "You'll be up all night and you need to rest." Munkustrap grudgingly allowed himself to settle down beside Old D in a ray of sunlight, and soon he was curled up in a tight ball, snoring.
Finally, around dinnertime, the first cats began to appear. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum, never ones to be late, were the first to appear. Jemima, Victoria, Etcetera, and Electra soon followed. A few of the older toms appeared next, Alonzo trailing behind them with Cassandra.
Mistoffelees turned up next, and immediately bounded over to Old Deuteronomy to greet him. Old D was very fond of the young tom, as were most of the other older cats. The little black and white cat leapt right into Old D's paws, nuzzling him with his fuzzy head. Sometimes Old D wished Munkustrap was as open about his feelings as Mistoffelees.
Demeter and Bombalurina followed Mistoffelees, and Old Deuteronomy looked sideways at his son as Munkustrap awkwardly greeted Demeter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Skimbleshanks, Asparagus, and Mistoffelees chuckling about this very thing.
Just as the sun sank below the horizon, Pouncival, Tumblebrutus, Plato, Rumpleteazer, and Mungojerrie arrived. Bustopher Jones arrived a few seconds after. At his appearance, Mistoffelees shouted, "Uncle BJ!" and leapt excitedly around the large cat. Old Deuteronomy looked around; all were present except another one of his sons, Rum Tum Tugger.
'I should have figured as much,' Old D thought, his whiskers twitching. 'Tugster' was never one to be early or on time.
Old Deuteronomy looked up at the night sky, searching for the moon. After a few seconds it appeared from the horizon, popping up much like the sun had done, except in reverse.
Old D's eyes turned to his fellow cats. As he watched, they all seemed to swell. Their limbs lengthened, and their frames thinned. The junkyard seemed to expand as well, enveloping more of the sky as the piles of junk rocketed upward. Old Deuteronomy seemed to be the only one to notice this change, for the rest of the cats continued to purr, oblivious to the change in their anatomy and their beloved junkyard.
"He's late again," Munkustrap was at Old Deuteronomy's shoulder again, and it was he who had whispered this into the leader's ear. As Old D turned to look at his son, he caught a glimpse of Demeter, who was gazing over at Munkustrap.
"And you expected different?" Old D chuckled. "Don't worry, Munk, it's fine." Munkustrap stiffened at the sound of his nickname and looked wildly around, but no other cats had heard.
A few tense minutes passed, and Old Deuteronomy could sense the anticipation in the purring that filled the air. Many of the cats were casting sideways glances at him, but hastily turning away as his eyes fell on them. His eyes lingered for a minute on Mistoffelees, who had settled himself comfortably between Skimbleshanks and his 'Uncle BJ,' and then on Demeter, who was still looking at Munkustrap, no doubt hoping he would come join her.
Before he had a chance to point this out to his son, a cat crawled jauntily into the junkyard.
"Sorry I'm late," came the slightly obnoxious voice of Rum Tum Tugger, causing quite a stir among the small kittens. Ignoring this, for once, the new arrival settled himself next to Old Deuteronomy and whispered, "Sorry, Dad."
"Try and be here early next time, Tugster, alright?" Old D whispered back.
"You got it," 'Tugster' nodded, but Old D knew better than to trust his son's promises.