Disclaimer: I still don't own Cats. Anyways...

A/N: Okay, I actually don't have anything to say here, please R&R!

Part 2

Jellicle Ways

It was not long after Jenny decided to join the Jellicles that Vay, Alonzo and Jellylorum announced they were staying. Shortly afterward, Justin left, and no one knew why.

The four remaining siblings moped about until the Jellicle Ball arrived. Jenny, especially, brightened up at the prospect of her first Jellicle Ball. Besides the siblings, there were three other new Jellicles. Pounce, Bomby, and Demi had also joined the tribe.

None of the seven could really dance yet, although Vay showed a certain aptitude for it. There were some problems over partner dancing; Pounce, Bomby, Demi and Jelly weren't comfortable with an odd Jellicle custom, dancing with each other's mates. To them, it meant someone was out to steal your mate. Alonzo was just fine with it, while Jenny didn't care or it, and Vay absolutely wouldn't participate.

The highlight of the night, in Jenny's eyes, was when moonsong called for Vay to sing. And so, Vay began to sing: "Darkness- ever deepening- seeps, It moves upon us with the evening."

And then Jelly and Jenny joined in: "Longing- memories of light- swoops towards us, the deep depression that darkness brings- we must fight-"

Then Bomby and Pounce sang: "Darkness- all consuming-necessary for the light,"

And now Demi sang a quiet solo: "Shadows looming- bringing with them fright-"

Alonzo sang next: "A lone bird calls the silver moon, the ever deepening darkness hints of unspeakable doom."

And together they sang: "But then the morning rays creep forth into the night, Making all the darkness bright."

Time passed, and they became accustomed to the Jellicle's ways. Seldom did they think of Justin, and when they did it was like an old wound.

It was on a day just like the day Vay had run away from her abusive mate that they found the little queen. She was a tortoiseshell, of the sweetest disposition. Her name was Jemima, and they let Pounce and Bomby take her in, because they still didn't have any kittens.

Some thought that wasn't smart, because Pounce had a tendency to be mean to the kits, and Bomby had a temper to match. In spite of this, Old Deuteronomy believed that it would work out. After all, it was only until M'chelle came back, the little queen was looking for him. Secretly, Old Deuteronomy was worried about this, because M'chelle hadn't been seen since Pounce, Bomby, and Demi showed up at the junkyard.

Besides the addition of the angel-voiced Jemima, life in the junkyard went on as usual. Newer Jellicles never guessed the kind of things that their peers and elders had went through, which was fine with everyone. They kept Jelly busy, because, if you left her to herself, she'd sit and shiver.

Then one day, something happened that threw everyone's lives into limbo once again. A young tom and queen, not quite out of kitten hood, showed up at the junkyard. The patch marked tom called himself Bill Bailey, and the cross-hatched queen called herself Electra. No one could get a peep out of them, apart from that. That is, no one except Pounce and Bomby.

Now the four cats were crowded around the old rocking chair which concealed the entrance to Pounce and Bomby's den.

"So your mates?" Bomby asked. Electra got this slightly hunted look. "It's okay, I'm just fine with that." The two breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Pounce spoke up. "You're running from something, aren't you?" Billy's eyes widened. "Don't worry," Pounce assured him, "I won't tell. But, you've got to face up to it someday."

Billy looked at his feet. "You're right. It's going to be hard though, isn't it Electra?" Electra nodded.

"We'll help if we can," Bomby offered, "last time Pounce and I were on the run, a cat named M'chelle saved us from getting our guts spilled."

"I don't think you can help. It's not exactly a guts spilled kind of thing. More of a parents kind of thing..." Electra whispered. "But, it would be nice if you came with. My family is just so..." She trailed off and they sat in silence for a long moment.

"Righto!" Pounce cried, leaping off the rocking chair where he'd been sitting. "What're we waiting for then?"

"Now?" sqeaked Electra.

"Well, why not?" Pounce cried. "Waiting will probably only make it worse, especially if your parents are the kind that get worked up just thinkin' about things."

"All right then." Billy nodded derisively. "Let's go then."

"Oh, wait!" Bomby cried. "Jemima, hon, how about you go stay with Jelly for now, okay?"

A faint 'okay' drifted out of the den, so they headed off. As they walked, they talked, and Pounce and Billy found they shared something in common: a love of acrobatics.

Alonzo was outside of the junkyard, actually, he was in the park, hunting. He was a good hunter, even though he hadn't had time to learn from his mother. He'd been taken, and then just a short week later, he'd been dumped in the street.

He sat down, remembering. Justin had taken care of him, and the others, as he'd found them. For a long time they used that box as their home, but then it had been taken away with all of the other garbage.

When he'd come to live at the junkyard, he'd found that box. It was in his den, where he'd drug it. Alonzo had a deep emotional attachment to that box. He knew it was silly, but he just couldn't leave it behind.

He was knocked out of his thoughts by a fuzzy ball of tooth and claw landing on his back. Alonzo reacted violently, claws extending, hissing and thrashing about wildly until his attacker went flying.

It was then, as he scrambled to his feet, that he realized that his 'attacker' was nothing but a kitten. "Ow! That hurt!" The kitten cried in a shrill voice, though not as piercing as Tica's had been, "What'd you do that for?"

"What do you think this is?" Alonzo yelled, "Some kind of game?!" The kitten shrank back, her eyes wide. Instantly Alonzo felt sorry for being so harsh. She was only a kit, after all. "I'm sorry," He told her. "You shouldn't startle me like that."

The little calico queen hung her head. "I thought, I thought if I showed you I was tough you'd show me which way to the Hannareit territory," she murmured.

Alonzo was puzzled. "Why'd you think that?"

The kitten opened her mouth wide. "My mother says that outside our territory the only way to deal with other cats is a fight."

"Oh," Alonzo nodded sagely, "well, I'll take you home, after I check to make sure my directions are all right." He ran a short distance, then stopped. "You coming? Unless you'd rather stay and wait for Macavity to get you?" The kitten scrambled to catch up with him.

"Where are we going?" she asked, trotting to keep up with his walk.

"The junkyard. I'll quick check my directions with Munku, and then we'll be off," he answered.

"The junkyard?" The little queen looked quizzically at Alonzo.

"Oh, it's where I live." Alonzo told her.

He trotted into the junkyard, but the little queen hung back. After checking with Munku, Alonzo headed back to the younger kitten.

"Well?" The calico asked.

"Follow me!" Alonzo laughed and started toward the Hannareit territory.

Some time later, Alonzo ran around a corner, laughing. A loud warning hiss caused him to drop back and hiss at the larger tom.

The little queen rounded the corner and froze. "Uncle Mulhoney!" she cried, "Stop that!"

The older tom sat up. "Ettcy! What are you doing?"

"I got lost. Alonzo was showing me the way home."

Alonzo glanced over at her sharply. "I never told you my name."

"Yeah, but I heard 'Munku' call you that." She paused, then queried, "Is your full name Alonzo?"

Alonzo gave her an odd look. "Yeah."

Mulhoney interrupted the conversation. "That's all well and good, but you know all trespassers must be taken to the council." He emphasized the word 'all'. "I'm sure he won't get in trouble for showing you the way home."

Alonzo sighed and followed Ettcy, with Mulhoney keeping an eye on him. Before he'd joined the Jellicles, he would've just run, but they'd taught him to respect other tribes and their rules.

As he walked, Alonzo sang softly to himself. He sang the song that Jemima had taught him. It went something like this: "Moonlight, turn your face to the moonlight, let your memory lead you open up, enter in. If you find there the meaning of what happiness is, then a new life will begin"

Ettcy, as the little queen was called, appeared to be about to comment on the song when Mulhoney marched Alonzo right into the clearing, where what Alonzo assumed to be the council, was assembled. They were speaking lightly, with much laughter, until they saw Mulhoney and Alonzo.

"What have we here?" An elderly cat stretched and sat up. Before Mulhoney could respond, a young queen streaked across the green.

"Ettcy! Oh, Ettcy, are you all right? What'd this stranger do to you?"

Ettcy struggled in the older queens grip. "I'm just fine." She popped free. "He didn't do anything. He was helping me find my way home 'cause I was lost."

Alonzo had flattened his ears against his head, and was resisting the temptation to hiss. "Why does everyone think I've done something that never even happened?" He whined, trying not to let himself get angry.

That got a laugh. "Come here, young one, I'm sure that since you didn't do anything this will be over with right quick." The elder spoke.

Alonzo looked down at his feet, but obeyed the elder. "Sit," the elder told him. Alonzo did as he was told, and wrapped his tail around his feet.

"What is your name?" A silver queen asked, formally.

"Alonzo."

"How old are you?"

"Six or seven months, I'm not quite sure."

"What tribe are you with?"

"The Jellicles." A slight gasp rippled through the crowd. They'd heard of the Jellicles, and what they'd heard wasn't good. They'd heard that the Jellicles had driven off a beautiful young queen, named Grizabella. "What?" Alonzo seemed confused.

The words 'Jellicles' and 'Poor Grizabella' reached his ears. "Grizabella? She was nice enough. She up and left one day, I don't know why."

"Well of course you wouldn't," The queen who'd been squeezing Ettcy said snobbily, "you're too young to be involved in that sort of stuff."

Suddenly Billy and Electra entered the clearing, followed by Pounce and Bomby. The queen, who Alonzo thought was probably Ettcy's mom, turned stiffly. "Come back, have you Bill Bailey? After stealing my daughter, Electra?" She demanded. Both Billy and Electra flinched.

Pounce quickly tried to intervene. Alonzo had noticed that Pounce seemed to have a knack for speaking at just the wrong time, and he hoped this wasn't one of those times. "How about you cats talk it out, before you start screaming."

"Oh, and you think you know everything, don't you? You're one of Shrin's brood, I can tell by the mark on your face!" Pounce flinched back as if he'd been slapped. Bomby leapt forward to defend him.

"Pounce's a Jellicle now, right and proper. Shrin can't have him!" The red queen was furious, and her claws extended dangerously. Things might have gotten violent if the elder hadn't intervened.

"Let's hear what Electra and Bill Bailey have to say," the elder spoke in a calm, soothing voice. "They are both old enough to speak before the council."

"You shouldn't pick on them," Billy told Electra's mom, "their the ones who said we should come back." The older queen's back stiffened, and her eyes flashed. Before she could comment, however, Electra spoke.

"Billy didn't steal me. He asked me to be his mate, and I said yes. My mother just can't accept that."

The elder looked the two over. "This is true?" They nodded. "You are old enough to make these decisions..." He murmured, glancing at the other council members. "Then if the council pleases, you are adults now, in our eyes. You may stay, or you may go, as you please."

Ettcy and Electra's mom let out a little 'hmph' noise, but did not protest–much.

Alonzo looked up from the place where he'd stayed sitting. "Can I go now?"