Chapter Four

Jellyorum sat atop an abandoned chest-of-drawers, staring morosely out into the early morning fog that permeated the streets of London. It was the only time she had to herself—before the kittens woke up, bursting into her world with laughter and crying and chatter and lovable kitten antics. She loved those little rascals, she loved them with the fierceness that only a mother could possess. But still, a cat needed time to herself every now and then. Time to think; time to recuperate.

She felt so alone now. First Grizabella, then Gus, now Deuteronomy. She felt the last remnants of her world slipping slowly away from her.

Grizabella, her sister. Her missing half. Grizabella had left the Tribe years ago, exiled for reasons that Jellyorum did not wish to remember. Grizabella had been the older one, the one who knew what to do and what to say in every situation. She had been a mother to Jellyorum, since their mother had died giving birth, and she had been a mentor, a teacher, a guide through the winding trails of life. And then she left. Jellyorum was abandoned, without anyone to help her. She had to learn to fend for herself, evolving into the streetwise cat she was today. And then, after many years, a kitten had appeared at her doorstep. Instinctively, Jellyorum knew it was her sister's kit. She knew Grizabella was trying to give the kitten a normal life—one of acceptance inside the Jellicle Tribe. The kitten called herself Bombalurina, and Jellyorum sought to protect her from her mother's fate. But the red queen had surprisingly followed in her mother's pawprints, except she did return to the Tribe. Everytime Jellyorum saw Bombalurina, she was struck by how much like Grizabella the young queen looked.

But Grizabella had returned...only to be chosen for Heaviside Layer. This time, it was much easier for Jellyorum to accept her sister's absence. Grizabella had finally found the acceptance that she had lived without her entire life, and in that moment, experienced true happiness.

Then there was Gus. Gus had been her lover, the father of her two kits, the only tom who truly understood her. In his day, he had been a brilliant actor, a passionate cat with a love for life that swept young Jellyorum off her paws. Their relationship had been a whirlwind romance—one Jennyanydots often called "the love affair of the century". Only Gus knew all the secrets of her soul, only he knew all of her habits, her comings and goings. He was the one cat that she could ever completely, truly be herself around. She never had to explain herself, or justify her actions. She never had to tell him when she was feeling blue—he just knew. And he always knew how to make her smile. He was a handsome thing—he could have any queen he wanted. But he chose her. He had chosen plain, sweet little Jellyorum, the little nobody from nowhere. And he had loved her, just as wholeheartedly as she had loved him.

And then he had gotten sick…he began to forget things, small things at first—what day it was, what a younger kitten's name was. Then, more and more, his memory crumbled away—some days he did not recognize Asparagus Jr or Demeter. Once, Jellyorum approached him, only to see his face twist in confusion. He did not know her. That had hurt more than anything, more than any pain she had ever experienced in this world. It only happened once—he always seemed to remember her after that—but that moment haunted Jellyorum forever. She continued to watch her beloved tom shrivel into a mere wisp of a cat, spending more and more time reminiscing about his glory days, and losing more and more pieces of the puzzle that had been their life together. He had died that next winter, after Grizabella went to Heaviside. Jellyorum had hoped for just one more year, one more good year with her mate. Even if he became a total stranger, if he forgot everything about her, being with him was better than living without him.

And now Deuteronomy. Jellyorum knew him long before "Old" was tacked on to his name, when he was still a majestic young tom, taking over the Tribe that his father had left. They had been kits together, spending their whole lives a friend and confidants. Jellyorum had been there when Old Deuteronomy's first mate died, even when his fourth and fifth passed away, too. He had been there when Gus had gotten sick, when she had miscarried her first litter of kittens. He was there the night Grizabella was exiled; she had comforted him the day he had to banish his own brother, Macavity. Back in their youth, before Deuteronomy became the Jellicle Leader, they had fought side by side in a battle against the Pollicles. Next to Gus, Deuteronomy had been the only cat who truly knew Jellyorum.

And now he was gone. Now there was no one left. No one who understood her, who had witnessed her battles or comforted her during the hard times. No. There was no one left.

"Auntie Jells?" Electra's dark head appeared over the edge of the chest. Jellyorum smiled sweetly at her, "Yes, dearie?"

"Can Cetty and I go play at the big tree?"

"Yes, but be careful," Jellyorum warned. "And tell Aunt Jenny before you leave."

The kitten nodded in affirmation and disappeared once more. Jellyorum gave a small chuckle. Kits.

She looked back out at the misty morning, this time her heart filled with hope. She was by no means an old cat—no, there were still many good years left! And, yes, she had been dealt a hard hand from time to time, just like everyone else. She would simply move on, like she had done countless times before. Sure, Deuteronomy's death had left a hole in her soul, but it also brought a new beginning. Munkustrap—another cat that she had practically raised—was now the Jellicle Leader; a new day had begun. The Jellicles were still moving triumphantly forward, still withstanding the test of time. Now was not the time for sad thoughts or self-pity. No. Now was the time for action. Change was in the air.

~*~

A loud crash echoed through the junkyard, followed by wails of terror and the ripping, blood-chilling sound of two cats fighting.

Alonzo and Munkustrap heard the ruckus from across the yard, exchanging quick glances before bolting simultaneously towards the noise.

Jellyorum leapt from her perch, racing towards the sound. She knew that cry anywhere—Etcetera!

Teaser froze, watching blankly as everyone rushed towards the fray. She didn't know whether to follow or run the opposite direction. She knew who was causing such a fuss—her old employer, Macavity.

Asparagus jumped straight up, shaken from slumber rather violently by the screams that now seemed to fill the entire yard. Without so much as a blink of the eye, he darted off in the direction of the fray. Like Jellyorum, he could hear his little sister's cries of terror, and nothing in Heaviside would keep him from rescuing her.

Tugger sat up, his head ringing from the shrill shrieks. This did not help the loud pulsing that already accompanied his hangover. Aw, Bast, he thought to himself as he groggily rose to his feet and trudged towards the noise that now assaulted his senses like a baseball bat.

~*~

Much to everyone's surprise it was not two cats, but a cat and a rat—Tumblebrutus and one of Macavity's henchrats, to be exact. Etcetera and Electra stood to the side, clutching each other and screaming their heads off in fear and alarm as Tumble fought the offending rat, who was almost as large as he was—and twice as vicious.

Asparagus immediately jumped in, landing a solid blow to the rat's dark face and growling with such ferocity that even Munku was scared. Jellyorum quickly gathered the two kits, pulling them close to her like a mother hen. Alonzo deftly extracted Tumblebrutus from the situation, setting the younger tom aside before rushing in to help Asparagus. Soon the two toms had the rat pinned down, although this did not stop him from struggling.

"What are you doing here, vermin?" Alonzo spat. The rat attempted to break away, but Asparagus quickly pushed him back, knocking his head against the ground, "Answer him!"

"Macavity sent me," the rat replied through clenched teeth.

"What for?" Alonzo asked.

"To steal the kitten."

"Which kitten?"

"The little one—the one who looks like Demeter."

There was a sickening pause as everyone stopped to look slowly at Etcetera, who despite her odd coat, still bore a resemblance to her older sister.

"Why?" Alonzo looked down at the rat, although he was quite certain of the answer.

The rat gave an ugly chuckle, "Ain't polite to say in mixed company. But if you really wanna know, Macavity thinks she's quite a—"

"Enough!" Asparagus gave a cry of rage, wrapping his paws around the rat's throat and shaking him violently. Alonzo held up a paw to stop his friend, "Not here, Asparagus. Not now."

Alonzo motioned his eyes in the direction of the terror-stricken onlookers that circled around them. Realizing that Alonzo had a point, Asparagus released the rat, who gasped for air. The brown tom turned to Munkustrap, "What do we do with him?"

"Send him back to his master," Munkustrap replied tonelessly. "And let him face Macavity's wrath."

This was obviously not the outcome the rat was expecting; it certainly was not the one he had hoped for. Alonzo grabbed the henchrat roughly, forcibly ejecting the vermin from the yard, "Tell Macavity that Munkustrap's in charge now, filth. His days are numbered."

The rat quickly disappeared. Jellyorum still clutched the two little ones, "Oh, that was awful!"

"He tried to take Cetty," Electra was visibly shaken. "That's why I started screaming"

"Which was the right thing to do," Alonzo assured her. He turned to Tumblebrutus, "And that was good of you, too, Tumble, holding him off like that."

Tumble merely nodded; his face still wore a dazed look of incomprehension. He had never been in a fight before—especially not one that was life-and-death, like just now. It had been the scariest two minutes of his life.

"Cetty?" Jellyorum cupped her daughter's face in her paws. "Are you OK?"

"I-I-I'm fine," Etcetera replied weakly. Asparagus hugged his sister, "C'mon, let's get out of here."

They headed back towards the abandoned washer and dryer set that served as their home, Jellyorum and Electra following close behind.

Teaser watched from her original position—she had remained rooted to the spot, almost transfixed as the drama unfolded. She cleared her throat nervously, "Ev'ryone alroight?"

"We're all OK, Teaser," Asparagus assured her. "Macavity sent one of his goons, but we took care of it."

Teaser let out a sigh of relief, a smile appeared on her kittenish features. She quietly slipped away, allowing the family the chance to regroup and recuperate.

Etcetera jumped into the dryer, turning her worried eyes to Jellyorum, "Mom, what would've happened to me if the rat had taken me away? What if Tumble hadn't been there?"

"Let's not think about that," Jellyorum said gently as she climbed in next to her daughter. Electra jumped up to join them. "It's over now; nothing bad happened."

"But something bad could have happened," Cetty reiterated.

"Yes," Jellyorum admitted quietly. "Something could have."

She cast a worried glance at Asparagus, who stood outside the dryer. He returned her look of relief mixed with fear. They had a close call. Perhaps next time, they wouldn't be so lucky.

~*~

Munkustrap appeared, stepping forward almost hesitantly, "How's she doing, Asparagus?"

"She's fine," Asparagus replied, although he wasn't sure how true that statement would prove to be. "Resting right now."

Asparagus now sat on top of the dryer, keeping watch over the three cats as they slept. Munku nodded, "Yes, well, this should never have happened, and it won't happen again. I'm going to make sure of it. We're going to tighten things up around here, starting with security."

Asparagus nodded. "Good."

Munkustrap turned to go. The sound of Asparagus' voice stopped him, "Munku?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm glad…I'm glad you're our leader. I mean, I always knew you would be, someday. But still, I'm glad. We need someone like you around here."