Well here we go again. I'd like to thank JemimaWillFlyFree for the review. Your praise helped me get the second chapter written. I know I made a mistake in the end of the last chapter, Jemima is a tortoise shell cat not calico (no idea why I wrote that) and I'll fix that up once I work out how to edit the document.

"Daddy! It's hurt! Can I keep it?" asked Jemima.

Munkunstrap was speechless as he looked at the tiny white newborn pollicle pup in his daughter's arms.

…

Munkunstrap and Alonzo gaped at the small jellicle queen kit.

Flashing his eyes to the top of the trash pile where he thought Jemima was waiting, and then back to where she actually was, standing in front of the dead pollicle. That broke him out of his daze and he rushed over to the kitten taking her gently, but firmly, by the shoulder, " come away quickly, Jem. Alonzo. Alonzo! Go check the body. See if there are any more, surprises, we need to know about" was the command.

Munk led Jemima away from the body and back through the gates, while his second in command ran over to make a more detailed inspection of the dead animal.

Once back into the Jellicle Junkyard, Munkunstrap knelt down in front of his daughter, "Jem. You can't keep it" he said softly.

"But daddy it's hurt and it's so small and helpless. We can't just leave it here to die."

"We can't take it back to the clearing, Pollicles are monsters who kill and eat cats. We can't keep it. What would you friends think? What would the tribe think? Heavyside! What would your mother think? Oh Everlasting Cat, your mother…"

Munk remembered back to Demeter's last encounter with pollicles, whilst fleeing from the clutches of their master, the villain Macavity.

"You know she still hasn't forgotten her terror from the last time she saw one" he said, "We'll have to leave it here."

"But, it'll die!" sobbed the kitten, "can't I at least look after it until it's better? Why should we treat it different because it's not like us? We take in cats all the time if they're hurt, and offer them a home if they want to stay. Why can't we do that now?"

Munk straightened up and looked down at his daughter "Jem. We can't. It's a danger to the tribe and I cannot allow that. We leave it here. If the Everlasting Cat has any compassion it will be found quickly by the humans and given all the aid it needs."

He reached down and gently pried Jemima's arms from the pup, then passed it to Alonzo, who had returned in time to here the end of the conversation between his brother and niece "take it back to it's mother. Once you're done I want you to take over from me, it's nearly dawn and, I'll take Jem back to the dens."

"Munk" started Alonzo" Do you really want to do this? Jem's looking pretty cut up about it, and it can't hurt for a couple of days? Can it?"

"My decision stands" was the reply "I don't like it any more that you do, but it's for the good of everyone, after your relief gets here I want a report"

He turned and led his distraught daughter away and Alonzo headed back over to the corpse.

…

Munkunstrap and Jemima made their way back slowly through the pathways of the junkyard to the central clearing.

Munk tried to talk to his daughter several times during that slow trip only to be met with a stony silence. Rebuffed he finally gave up trying to explain and they continued in the pre dawn quiet.

The two entered the central clearing of the junkyard as the sun broke over the top of the TSE-1 wreck, and approached the old pipe that led to their den. A figure moved just inside the end of the pipe and Jemima broke into a wailing run "MOMMMYYYY!" throwing herself into her mothers legs, holding as tight as she could.

"Jem?" said the surprise queen "what are you doing out here. Wait what's that? Is that blood? Munk? MUNK?"

Demeter looked up at Munkunstrap with panic in her eyes as she quickly got down and started to run her hands over Jemima's fur, desperately trying to find where the blood had come from.

"It's ok Dem, she's not hurt, she's ok, it's not her blood" consoled Munkunstrap "but we need to get her inside and cleaned up. She's had a busy night."

And with that Munk ushered his mate and daughter back up the pipe to the den, and an explanation.

…..

"…and that's what happened Dem. She wasn't supposed to be there and by the time we knew she was, it was too late" explained Munkunstrap quietly, "I just hope she forgives me." He looked sadly down at the (now clean) kitten asleep in her mothers lap.

"Oh my poor baby" Dem bent to nuzzle Jemima's fur, "to see something so horrible at her age. I know she has to grow up at some point but I want her to keep that innocence as long as she can."

"And Munk. It's not your fault, you did everything you could" said Demeter, pulling her partner into a one armed hug. "That idiot brother of yours however is going to get a piece of my mind. What was he thinking? Taking a kitten out at that time of night, and to a watchtower of all things and what was she doing out there in the first place?"

"Calm down Dem. You'll wake her" said Munk. Demeter looked down at her kitten and visibly calmed her agitation. "She told me that she'd been kicked out of bed twice (?) and wanted to come and see me. Alonzo found her out wandering the clearing and brought her to me. That's all. You know that she's got him wrapped around her little claw, just like the rest of us, and he can't deny her anything. It's been like that since Cassandra and he found that they couldn't have kits of their own."

A timid knock sounded on the pipe together with a tremolos "Munk? Are you there?"

"Speak of the devil. I told him to come and make a report after he'd been relieved" explained the tomcat. "Come in Alonzo."

"Is it safe?" came a half joking/half serious response, followed by the black and white tom.

Alonzo entered the room and quailed back from a death stare by his sister-in-law. "Um, Demeter. I'm sorry I didn't just bring her back in but…"

Demeter settled her fur again and looked away from Alonzo. "I think I'll go try to get Jem to sleep in our bed" and with a final glare at the bi-colour took the kitten and left the room.

"Is she really that mad at me?" asked Alonzo?

"To be honest, yes" replied Munk, "but just stay away from here for a few days and you'll be fine. Now give me your report."

"Well. I checked out the body and found another 4 pups. None of them had survived. Massive injuries. Whatever hit the mother got her right across the abdomen. It was a miracle that any of them lived through it." Reported the tom.

He continued "The pollicle had a collar with a tag on it. I recognised the address. She came from one of those puppy farms on the other side of town run by Mac. I've never quite seen her type before, she was malnourished but would have been huge otherwise, long white/grey fur but she had scars all over her legs and back. Someone hasn't treated her very well at all."

"Well that's Mac for you" grunted Munk. "Anything else?"

"I put the pup down to nurse before I left. Hopefully it'll get it through until a human finds the body. I know it's a pollicle but it still deserves a chance" said the slightly abashed tomcat.

"You did the right thing" reassured Munk. "I'd have done the same thing. Even if it was just a pollicle."

"Thanks Munk that makes me feel a little better" replied Alonzo. "Now if you'd excuse me but I need to go see my mate and explain why I smell like a pollicle."

"Get out of here, stinky" was the comment chasing the tom out of the den.

…..

Jemima was sitting up on the big tyre in the clearing watching the other kittens play, still very much depressed about her fathers attitude, two nights ago.

"Why couldn't he let me keep it, even for a little while? I would have looked after it and made it better. I know I could have" was the thought rattling around her head.

"Come down and play Jem" came a squeal from a pure white kitten in front of the tyre.

"No thanks Vic, I'm not up for it at the moment. I think I'll just go for a walk" sighed Jemima to her best friend and then got up and walked away.

Victoria and her brother Mistofollees, a black and white tuxedo tom, were adopted into the tribe after being left outside the yard by their mother, Grizabella, a couple of years before. They'd been taken in by Jennyanydots and her mate Skimbleshanks, who'd missed having kittens running around the den since their daughter Rumpleteaser had moved out with her, tomfriend, Mungojerrie. The two kittens were around a year older than Jemima and the three of them were normally inseparable, so for Jem to turn her back on her friends was a great indicator of her state of unhappiness.

Victoria, shocked at the attitude of her friend ran off to find Jenny to ask why Jemima snubbed her.

Vic relayed the episode to Jelly, and was reassured that Vic had done nothing wrong and that Vic was still Jemima's best friend (ah the minds of kittens). Relieved the white kitten dashed off to find her brother and relay the news that she was still friends with Jemima, to his bemusement.

Jenny however, went off to find Demeter and find out what was going on. She walked over to the old pipe to find the gold and black queen and then around the yard once she discovered no-one home. Coming across Alonzo and Cassandra soaking up some heat on the bonnet of the old TSE-1 she asked if either of them had seen Dem.

"Not for a while" purred Cassandra. "How about you 'Lonz?"

"No sorry" said Alonzo. "Why what is wrong?"

"Oh it's nothing really. Victoria just told me that Jem is out of sorts and I was checking to see if anything wrong" answered Jenny.

"Ah that. Don't worry about it. We had an incident the other night at the front gate that Jemima witnessed. She's probably not over it yet. Just give her some time" was the response. "I'll see if I can find my favourite niece, don't tell Etcetera I just said that, and cheer her up a little. Any idea where she went?"

"Victoria said she walked down towards the gates" was the response.

"OK I'll look down that way. I know I can cheer her up" and with that Alonzo dashed off.

…

Jemima was up at the top of the junkpile lookout that she'd been sitting on when they'd surprised her dad two nights earlier, running thoughts of the puppy around in her head. She didn't want to be upset but it was just so hard not to be.

"Jemima" was a quiet call from behind her. "Are you up here Munchkin?"

"Oh hello there uncle Alonzo" murmured the kitten.

"Are you still worried about that puppy?" questioned Alonzo.

"Yes. The humans have only just taken everything away and it didn't look like anything was still alive. Why didn't daddy let me keep it? If he let me keep it and look after it, then it wouldn't be dead" wailed the kitten, breaking down completely.

Alonzo drew her into a big furry cuddle, stoking her head fur and letting her cry herself out.

As the sobs and tears dried out, he looked down at her. "Are you feeling any better yet?"

"Yes but…"

"But, now your eyes are sore and your nose is runny and your head hurts a little bit? I think I can fix that. Come with me I want to show you something" said the Tom.

Alonzo led the kitten off to a seldom visited corner of the junkyard, motioning her to stay quiet.

"I've never been down here before?" whispered Jemima.

"Not many cats come down here, even when we patrol because you can't get in from over here. There's only one way in and out from over here" said the tom quietly.

He led Jemima down a pathway to where a gate made of wire and steel plates was blocking the walkway. Alonzo motioned Jem inside and shut the gate behind them.

"Now Jem. I want you to close your eyes for me" said the tomcat. "Don't open them until I say."

"Umm, ok" and with that Jemima closed her eyes putting her trust in her uncle.

Alonzo led her forward around another corner, before standing her still in the sunlight. "Ok you can open them now."

Jem opened her eyes and blinked in the bright sunshine, looking around.

She was in another of the many smaller junkyard clearings, but this one was surrounded on all sides by sheer walls of junk. She kept turning, looking at the imposing sight. Nearly turning a full circle before she saw it.

Lying on a rather worn blanket beside a bowl of food and water was the puppy she'd found 2 nights before, and believed had died.

….

Well there we go. Chapter 2 up and running now. I'm introducing some characters that will be used a bit more in the next few chapters, ie. Vic & Misto, Teaser & Jerrie, Jelly and Cass. Most of the other cats will be mentioned in passing but they shouldn't play anything bar bit parts.

Please read and review so I know what I need to do to improve it in future.

Cheers everyone!