The old junkyard on the outskirts of London hadn't seen much activity for the last few years. Trash had been added and compacted as needed by the humans, but other than that it had remained undisturbed. This, Shemot thought, made it a perfect place for the meeting of the leaders.
Piles of debris were scattered haphazardly throughout, forming several clearings of various sizes. All sorts of trash had been deposited in the piles- cars, washing machines, blankets, sofas… A great deal of the metal had been taken away, however, and melted down for use in the war. This meant that the yard had an even eerier look than usual, and the time of day he had chosen for the meeting didn't help- it was late in the afternoon, and the junk piles cast long, crooked shadows onto the ground that looked like ghostly people.
Shemot quietly walked into the largest clearing, followed by Deuteronomy and a marmalade queen. Asparagus had been left behind to protect the Seraphim in Shemot's brief absence, so Deuteronomy had been allowed to bring along a cat of his own choosing. He had picked Jennyanydots, his kind, gentle suitor.
The trio of Seraphim sat down on a tire that had been recently added to the yard, the younger ones sitting below the old brown tabby as they waited for the other leaders.
The first to arrive was Boudicca, striding into the chosen clearing with two of her warriors trailing behind her. She perched on a rocking chair but didn't say a word, instead choosing to stare straight ahead. The fierce queen had always made Deuteronomy somewhat uneasy- she was an excellent fighter, as had been proved in a territorial clash the previous week. His cuts from that battle had only just finished healing.
Next came Krasota and her identical siblings- Pevitsa, her sister, and her brother, Bystro. They strode into the clearing with the grace that all of the Tantsory moved with. Krasota positioned herself inside a pipe, her siblings appearing to guard the entrance. They, too, remained silent, and Deuteronomy quickly tired of observing them.
Teatro was the third to appear, bouncing cheerfully into the junkyard as though he hadn't a care in the world. His companions were two queens; one a slim calico, and the other… the most beautiful queen Deuteronomy had ever had the fortune- or misfortune- to lay his eyes on. Her soft, flowing black fur faded out to grey tips, and her amber eyes twinkled merrily as she sat down with the other two on an oven. She looked over in the young tom's direction, and gave a small smile that utterly entranced him in just one moment.
He wrapped an arm firmly around Jenny's waist, looking back to his suitor as though she could ground him and prevent any ill-timed fantasies from forming. Her answering beam was completely oblivious to Deut's distraction, and she nuzzled him lovingly as the four leaders waited for Tiro to arrive.
Apparently, Tiro was not planning on arriving any time soon, as they had been waiting for over an hour when Teatro finally snapped,
"Does anybody know when that annoying brujo will show up?"
"How about now?" inquired the amused, Italian-accented voice as Tiro materialized, along with two other cats, on a rusting car. Deuteronomy jumped- he was naturally wary of the black tom's magic. As Teatro gave an irritated huff of "Finally!" the young Seraphim took the opportunity to look at Tiro's attendants. One was a small, shy, Bombay queen- presumably the magician's sister- and the third was an unremarkable Siamese tom.
"You were supposed to be here an hour ago," Shemot said dryly.
"Something came up," Tiro replied offhandedly, gesturing with a nonchalant air. "Anyway! Let's get this meeting started, shall we?"
Shemot nodded with a slight frown, beginning to speak. All cats present turned to look at him.
"I, Shemot, leader of the Seraphim, have called this meeting forth to propose an alliance between our five gangs. We have been engaged in constant warfare between ourselves for the past two months, and I wish for this to stop."
"What type of alliance do you propose, Shemot?" Krasota asked, sniffing disdainfully as she crossed her legs. "An agreement to keep our paws off of each other's food?"
"Granted, me gang don't 'ave a great deal of food to defend," Boudicca growled irritably. Her territory was the East End, which had been one of the areas hardest-hit by air raids.
"Peace, Boudicca, Krasota," Shemot calmed gently. He used the tone of voice that Deuteronomy had never been able to get quite right- a soothing, paternal tenor. "No, I do not propose that sort of alliance. In fact, what I propose is more of a… merging of our gangs, into one, more prosperous gang. Or, rather, tribe."
The other leaders stared at him in shock for several moments. Then the questions started.
"What about our territories?"
"What about our control?"
"What about our laws?"
"Boudicca, mio caro, I didn't know your gang had any laws."
"Shuddup, Tiro."
"Your wish is my command, O Terrifying One."
"Why, ya bloody little-!"
The Seraphim leader held up his hands for silence.
"Please, listen to me," he implored, cutting through the noise. "And kindly do not scoff." He took a breath before laying out the details of his plan. "Our territories would also be fused together, giving us greater access to food sources. Control of the tribe would be split between the five of us, and we would go through each gang's current laws and select the ones we agree upon to implement in the new tribe."
Deuteronomy looked around carefully at the other leaders. Boudicca seemed cautious, Krasota still mildly scornful, Teatro downright enthusiastic, and Tiro… Tiro wore a small, mysterious smile on his face that betrayed nothing of his true feelings.
"Think of how great we could be, if we combined our specialties," Shemot continued. "Boudicca, the ferociousness of the Laochra warriors has been whispered about throughout London. Krasota, the Tantsory are known for their renowned dancers. Teatro, the Cantantes' singers are some of the most famed in all of Europe. Tiro, the names of the Stregoni magicians have been told to every single cat in London."
"And the Seraphim?" Tiro prodded, still giving that mysterious smile as he laced his fingers together and leaned back. "What would they add? Their zealotry in their worship of the Everlasting Cat? Their discipline? Their surprisingly large territory?"
Shemot narrowed his eyes slightly, but nodded.
"Exactly," he said, not specifying. "With all of our talents pooled into one…" He trailed off, before gazing deep into the eyes of each leader. He could see that they were warming up to the idea. "As an added bonus," he continued, "there would be no more fighting between us. Cats could live out their lives in relative peace, without having to worry about accidentally straying onto enemy territory. What say you?"
There was silence for a few minutes as the leaders discussed the idea with their companions.
"I say yes," Teatro decided firmly, smacking his hand on the oven for emphasis.
"As do I," Krasota added with a slight nod.
"The Laochra will be a part of this tribe," Boudicca declared quietly.
"Well, I would not want to feel left out," Tiro said cheerfully. "The Stregoni, too, will become a piece of the tribe."
Shemot smiled happily.
"Excellent! I say we break the meeting for today, and decide what the next step is tomorrow."
Murmurs and nods of consent came from the assembled cats as they began to get up and wander over to others, chatting.
"That was terribly interesting, Deut," Jenny said excitedly as they stepped away from the tire, holding onto his arm. Deuteronomy gave a distracted bob of his head and a smile- he could feel the beautiful Cantante queen's eyes boring into his back, and tried to ignore it. Instead, he focused on what the other cats were doing- Boudicca was talking quietly with Shemot, Bystro was attempting to have a conversation with the quiet Bombay queen, and Tiro appeared to be making certain suggestions to Krasota while her brother was distracted.
Deuteronomy tore his eyes away from the flirting couple as Teatro bounded up to them, followed by his companions.
The proximity of the beautiful queen didn't help Deuteronomy's nerves at all.
"¡Hola!" the Cantante leader- well, councilor, now- greeted brightly. "You must be Shemot's son!"
"Yes, I'm Deuteronomy. This is my suitor, Jennyanydots," he introduced, trying not to stare.
"I am Teatro, as you know. This is my mate, Calíope, and my daughter, Grizabella."
Grizabella. So that was the striking queen's name.
Before he knew it, Grizabella had held out her hand and was smiling prettily at him. Deuteronomy felt his stomach do a flip as he took her hand and shook it. His skin tingled at the contact.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Deuteronomy," Grizabella stated, still smiling. Her voice was just as beautiful as her appearance- a rich, expressive contralto.
He said something along the lines of "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Grizabella," but afterwards found that he couldn't remember the exact phrasing. She held onto his hand for a moment longer than it seemed to be necessary before letting go. Deuteronomy came back to earth with a jolt- Teatro was speaking to him.
"I think your father's idea is an excellent one, do you?"
"Er- yes; I believe that we will all benefit from it."
"How good is your singing, Señor Deuteronomy?"
"I- I've never tried it before, sir."
Teatro gave a joyous laugh.
"I shall have to teach you, then! Once all of this groundwork has been laid out, we shall start private lessons, no?"
Deuteronomy nodded dumbly, blinking slightly as he tried to concentrate.
"It sounds great, Señor Teatro."
"Marvelous!" the Cantante tom exclaimed with a wide smile. Deut looked over at Jenny for help, but she seemed to be talking to Calíope about the best ways to decorate a den.
He quickly excused himself from the conversation and went to sit by himself in the shadows. However, his solitude didn't last for long- Boudicca quickly came over and bombarded him with questions about how well he could fight (decently,) followed by Krasota asking how well he could dance (not at all.) In fact, the only one who didn't ask him anything was Tiro. Deuteronomy thought that it was very sensible, as the Stregoni were the only known magicians in all of London, and it would do no good to ask about a Seraphim's magical prowess.
Eventually, the Italian tom did walk over and sit down, his black fur blending into the darkness so that only his bright white teeth and amber eyes were visible as he talked.
"This little gathering has been very entertaining, hasn't it, il mio ragazzo?" Tiro asked quietly. Deuteronomy understood enough Italian to know that "il mio ragazzo" meant "my boy." He bristled slightly.
"Yes, it has. Especially for you, it seems," he observed, taking in his companion's now-ruffled fur through narrowed eyes. "And please don't call me that. You aren't much older than me." It was true, or so he thought- Tiro couldn't possibly be over three years old.
The Bombay laughed, grinning as though it was some hilarious joke.
"If you insist, il mio ragazzo. And yes, I have been having a rather enjoyable time," he purred smugly, looking over at Krasota. Deuteronomy resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.
"So, you're a magician?" the Maine Coon asked, trying to remain civil and make polite conversation.
"Of course. And you are a… eh… what's the English word…" Tiro snapped his fingers while he thought. "… temple? Something that sounds similar to temple?"
"I believe you mean 'templar,'" Deuteronomy replied smugly, glad that he was finally able to get the other tom off-balance. Even if English wasn't Tiro's first language. "And no, I am not. The Knights Templar were Christians. I'm a firm worshipper of the Everlasting Cat."
"… despite the fact that you live in a Christian church?"
"Abbey. It's an abbey. And the Seraphim don't live in it, just around it."
Tiro shrugged, though the movement was hardly noticeable in the shadows.
"Church, abbey. In, around. It is all the same in the end."
"And what religion are you, Tiro?" Deuteronomy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Eh…" The Bombay shrugged again. "I don't concern myself with religion much. Everlasting, I suppose, though I don't agree with everything the followers teach."
"Right…" he replied slowly, biting back a comment. "… The queen that came with you; she's your sister, correct?"
"Yes," Tiro replied, his eyes flashing dangerously as he suddenly tensed. "Is there a problem with that?"
"No, of course not," Deut replied quickly, though he wasn't sure what the Italian tom was so upset about. He was probably just being an overprotective brother- not that he had anything to worry about. Tiro's sister was nothing compared to Grizabe-
Jenny. She was nothing compared to Jenny.
"I think I'm going to go take a walk," he muttered before Tiro could continue the conversation, and quickly strolled away. He sighed slightly once he was alone.
Why, Everlasting, do you have to tempt me so?