Chapter Seven: The Vanishing Sun
A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to get on with this. Things have been hectic lately what with Christmas right around the corner and all. But I thank you for your patience, I appreciate it immensely. ;)
Let's get started.
"How could you do this to me? I thought we were friends!" Jemima hollered hysterically, tears streaming down her aggrieved face. Victoria and Etcetera were there too, chanting in the background in sorrowful voices. "He betrayed you, Jemima. He did this. He is the reason for your suffering."
Pouncival attempted to argue. "Me? But I never did anything wrong!"
"Liar!" Jemima screamed.
"I don't understand!" Everything was spinning. Pouncival was dizzy and he felt faint. How that was possible in a nightmare, he didn't know.
"You knew about Alonzo and you never told me! You were supposed to protect me! But no, you let me fall instead! I thought you cared about me!" Her agonized expression caused his heart to rip.
"I do! Believe me; I never wanted you to get hurt!"
"Even now, you lie to me! You are the worst friend anyone could have! I never want anything to do with for as long as I live!"
Victoria and Etcetera were in the background again, chanting. "Never again. You're a loser and a failure, Pouncival. Never again."
"NO!" he yelled.
The heads of the three felines swarmed around him, rotating unremittingly. He swatted at them to get them to somehow disappear. But it was futile. They spun around him, repeating things he didn't want to hear. Finally, he woke up in his den, sweat practically pouring off of him. He panted for oxygen.
"Just a dream." He sighed in relief.
*~*~*
He left his den seeking Jemima. He was going to tell her this time. He gathered up every ounce of courage he had and mixed it with determination. This was it. He sat on his rocking chair, grooming himself.
He waited . . . and waited . . . and waited. Eventually, he grew so tired of waiting that he fell asleep. It's no wonder with the restless night he had.
The sun was high in the sky when he awoke. The yellow light bathed the entire Junkyard in a blanket of beauty. Pouncival couldn't help but smile and think to himself how elegant the Junkyard looked now with the sunlight shining on everything beneath him. It didn't look like an actual Junkyard in that brief moment. The sun seemed magical to Pouncival then, having the power to transform anything in the category of ugliness to something so magnificently gorgeous.
Not surprisingly, it reminded him of Jemima. There was a special aura that consumed her, bright and honest; leaving a wisp of purity behind as she goes past. She was his sun, bathing him in irreplaceable warmth.
And then there she was. She had just stepped outside of her den and was stretching her stiff limbs from a nights slumber. She yawned and scratched behind her ear. The sunlight caught the spikes of her collar and Pouncival found himself admiring her. He was staring like he had done so several times before.
But then the wonder of that secret moment disappeared when Alonzo stepped out to greet her. He grabbed her from behind, picking her up with his paws gripped around her torso and twirled her around. She laughed lightly and when he placed her on the ground again, she kissed him.
Pouncival growled at the scene, knowing what a cheater Alonzo was. And soon Jemima would know too. Pouncival would be sure of that.
Pouncival kept watching from his spot on the chair, waiting for Alonzo to leave. And just as soon as he did, Pouncival jumped down from his perch and went up to the door of Jemima's den. He knocked three times and stood there. This was the moment. He was rehearsing what he would tell her. He would try to make this as simple and painless as possible for the both of them.
"Hey there, Pouncival. I wasn't expecting company this early. What can I do for you?" she greeted.
"Well, I would like to talk to you about something important, Jemima." His voice was monotone. She gave him an odd look but then opened the door wider, providing him with entrance.
"What is it you would like to talk to me about?" she questioned innocently.
"It's about Alonzo . . . and Cassandra." His tone was grave.
"What are you talking about?" still naïve.
"They're together, Jemima. I saw them myself." He tried to be careful. He had an idea of how fragile she was. He didn't want to be responsible for shattering everything she knew. But she needed to know. However, she didn't look convinced yet, so he continued.
"They have been going out at night, sneaking around. Alonzo is never truly out patrolling when he tells you he is. It's just a cover-up. You need to know that I am telling you this because I don't want to see you hurt. He's cheating on you, Jemima."
"No…" her face momentarily contorted in disbelief before it flashed anger.
"I know this is difficult to believe, but you just have to trust me. He's going to dump you, Jem. He-" she cut him off.
"Now you just stop it right there, Pouncival. I have a couple of things I would like to inform you of. First of all, Alonzo would not betray me like that; we're going out someplace special tonight. Second, I am disappointed that you would stoop down to such a low level just to try and be with me. And third, I do not believe a single word that comes from your mouth because I know Alonzo respects me enough to be loyal and to be honest."
"But Jem-"
"No. I don't want to hear any more from you. Just get out of my den before I seriously lose it."
"No, Jemima." At this, Jemima clenched her eyes tightly closed and breathed deeply. Ignoring the irritation building on Jemima's face, Pouncival continued, "I can't leave, do you know why?"
"JUST LEAVE!"
Pouncival looked down at his paws, fighting the tears threatening to spill. His voice however, was completely messy. His emotions were evident in his voice and even Jemima couldn't deny it. "He doesn't love you. He can never love you like I do."
"THAT'S IT! I WANT YOU OUT OF MY DEN! NOW!" Jemima burst with fury.
"I'm so sorry, Jem." Pouncival slowly got up and left without another word. Jemima was standing and trying to calm herself down.
How dare him! I've never seen jealousy take such a toll on a feline before! He's just having a problem letting me go, that's all. Alonzo would never cheat on me. He loves me…
*~*~*
Pouncival curled himself up on his chair. He hid his face while the tears continued to roll. She would know the truth soon enough if Alonzo still planned on telling her. She would feel even worse, and that thought alone made Pouncival sob a little louder.
What also didn't help was the possibility that what just happened could ruin the previous friendship beyond repair. The world seemed a lot darker now that Pouncival's sun had vanished.
A/N: Next chapter, up soon!
