Hidden Truths of the Hidden Paw

Author: The Passionate Admiral

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own CATS.

Plot: This work of fanfiction tells the story of Macavity. It starts at the first time his parents met, and then it follows up from the events that led to his birth to when he actually becomes evil.

Deuteronomy sat on a tire in the center of the Junkyard. He watched some kittens play with a few balls of yarn thirty feet away. Even though Deuteronomy had just recently entered his adulthood, he usually joined in the fun with the kittens. But he did not join them today, as he did not feel like playing. He did not feel this way for a grim reason: his father was dying.

This terrible fact deeply troubled Deuteronomy, as he loved his father very much. Not only that, but once his father died, Deuteronomy would be in charge of the Jellicle Tribe. He doubted if he actually had the capacity to replace his father as the leader. However, his father was totally sure that his eldest son could take on the responsibility. Deuteronomy tried hard to imagine himself as a good leader, but became worried that he would fail soon after he started.

He was abruptly brought back to awareness when something tapped his lower paw. He looked down and realized that a ball of yarn had rolled over to his foot. A moment later, an orange tabby kitten came over to the ball to retrieve it. He looked up at the older cat and said "Good day, Deuteronomy! Want to come and play with us?"

"Oh, I don't know, Skimble." Deuteronomy replied. "I don't really feel like playing today."

The orange kitten, obviously Skimbleshanks, may have been young, but he knew why Deuteronomy did not look happy. He smiled up at him and told him "I think you just need something to cheer you up. How about you come and play with us for a while and see if that makes you feel better."

Deuteronomy shrugged and said "I guess it's worth a try."

Skimbleshanks and Deuteronomy strolled back over to the rest of the kittens. While they played, Skimbleshanks kept gazing at a queen who was just a little younger than him. Every now and then, she would notice him and smile back. At one point, Skimble whispered to a slightly older tom, "I'm telling you, Spar; Jenny and I are meant to be."

Asparagus grinned at his friend and told him "I think you and Jennyanydots would make a good couple. By the way, speaking of couples, do you think Jelly and I could ever be one?"

"Of course, Spar!" said Skimbleshanks, "If anything, the odds of you ending up with Jellylorum are just as likely as me ending up with Jenny!"

Asparagus just shrugged and said "Maybe."

A moment later, a young queen sauntered into the area. All the kittens and Deuteronomy stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Her coat was smooth and groomed very neatly. Her coat was a mixture of dark yellow, tan, and while. Every inch of her mane was clean and devoid of all filth, even though she was walking through a junkyard.

Deuteronomy knew who this was; she was Grizabella the Glamour Cat. All the toms in the tribe adored her and all the queens in the tribe wished to be like her. Deuteronomy himself was attracted to her, and personally, he had a better chance with Grizabella than any of the kittens, as Grizabella was only a few months younger than him.

Technically, Grizabella herself was still a kitten, but everybody thought of her as an adult. Besides, she was coming of age that year, so she would officially be an adult queen by the next Jellicle Ball.

Grizabella walked up to the group of kittens and asked them "Mind if I join you?"

All the toms eagerly nodded their heads and the queens shared their sentiments. The group resumed playing. At one point in the game, Deuteronomy reached for a certain ball of yarn. The moment before he touched it, Grizabella placed her paw on top of it. Deuteronomy's paw ended up on top of hers.

The two of them looked at each other and for a moment, their eyes were connected. Deuteronomy looked into Grizabella's eyes and she looked into his. For a moment, they forgot everything around them and just looked at each other, smiling.

A few days later, Grizabella was sitting on top of a stove in the junkyard all by herself. At the time, she was just resting herself. Soon, Deuteronomy came over to the stove, hopped onto it, and sat next to her. She looked at him and asked him "Is there something I can help you with, Deuteronomy?"

The two of them had known each other for a long time, but they had only known each other as friends. Deuteronomy slowly began with "Well, uh… Grizabella, as you know… the Jellicle Ball is next month."

"That's correct," she nodded, "And believe me, I am very enthusiastic about it."

Deuteronomy nervously continued with "I… I understand that… that you'll be coming of age at this one. Because of this, you'll, uh, be… required to perform the, um, Mating Dance this year."

She nodded again. Deuteronomy finally worked up the courage to ask her what he had come to ask her "Would you have me as your partner for the Dance."

There was a brief silence between the two. Then Grizabella smiled and said "Deuteronomy, I would be honored to have our tribe's future leader bring me into adulthood."

Deuteronomy smiled and said "I look forward to it, my dear."

Grizabella blushed.