CHAPTER SEVEN: Alonzo's Legacy
Macavity paced his 'office', his tail swished and he flexed his claws, he was not in a good mood. He had left the scene of the fight in what seemed like a mild state of mind, and certainly he had not been lying when he had said that perhaps not all Jellicles were as he thought them to be. But it was a complex situation. At the end of the day, his fight was with Alonzo, he had no quarrel with the rest of the tribe. Certainly he disliked most of them intensely, but it satisfied him enough just to stay away from the Jellicle Junkyard and get on with his life. But when one of them walked back into his life, one he could never forget… Well, that was when emotion took over.
Bombalurina, yes she was a Jellicle, but she wasn't the same as them. She was the one he had loved, the only one he had loved.
And Alonzo, he was different too, Macavity had not told Bombalurina his full story, he hadn't lied to her but there was more to his leaving the tribe than what he had told her. It hadn't just been the fight with Munkustrap that ended his stay there.
Deuteronomy had not simply outcast Macavity that night; it was true his words had been "Go Macavity, Just go." But what Macavity had neglected to tell Bombalurina was that it was not until the next day he actually left the tribe.
Words have many meanings, and that night Deuteronomy had done no more than to send Macavity to his den in the Junkyard. The Jellicle Ball was not the time to be discussing his future with the tribe. The next morning was when Deuteronomy dealt with the situation, and his intentions had never, at that stage, been to send Macavity away. He decided that there were other ways of treating the wayward kitten. He understood Macavity's attention seeking behaviour; kindness would perhaps provoke a change in his actions and personality, which had become surly and rude. Deuteronomy forgave Macavity for his crimes on the condition that he turned over a new leaf, and all might have gone well for the ginger cat, if it were not for the events that happened that very afternoon.
The tribe kittens had been playing together in the Junkyard, under the watchful eye of the adult cats. For once, Macavity had not withdrawn himself from the game, as he had done in the past and joined in happily when he was invited by Tug. The game was a rough one, mostly play fighting, but there was trouble when Macavity came up against Alonzo. Although kittens are naturally forgiving, Macavity had done more than Alonzo could ever forgive and even before the incident of Cassandra's collar (the key event that had sparked off Macavity's misgivings) the two of them had never seen eye to eye. Now it was more than just a strong dislike, it was pure hatred. Therefore, when the two of them started fighting, it stopped being a game, Alonzo did not hesitate to use his claws against Macavity, and one scratch was all it took to provoke him into unsheathing his own.
Unfortunately for Alonzo, he had made a mistake in picking a fight with Macavity, who was, even at that age, turning out to be unbeatable. Once Macavity's wrath was released, nothing could stop it until it had run its course. It took four adult cats to forcibly drag him off Alonzo's unconscious form. The black and white kitten was barely alive.
The decision made by Deuteronomy was backed up unanimously by the rest of the adult Jellicles; Macavity was a danger to the tribe, and they had been lenient for long enough. None of them doubted that he would have killed Alonzo, given the chance. That night he was escorted to the very edge of Jellicle territory and outcast from the tribe.
Alonzo made a full recovery from the fight, but his hatred for Macavity was increased tenfold. Tug on the other hand, was the only cat who remembered that more often than not it had been Alonzo provoking Macavity. He was the only one Macavity had ever confided in, and was more than happy to keep in contact with him. After all it is harder to forget friends than enemies and long after Alonzo buried his hatred and continued with his life, Tugger remembered the good times he and Macavity had shared.
However, vengeance cannot stay buried forever and any time Macavity and Alonzo met again, the loathing both felt for one another was rekindled within seconds. Hence the occurrence of that day's fight.
Macavity stopped pacing and smiled to himself, Alonzo could wait, the incident changed little about his life, but perhaps it hadn't all been in vain. He knew a few things that gave him piece of mind. Bomba still cared, perhaps she hated him too, but why else would she have stopped the fight? It certainly hadn't appeared to be for Alonzo's benefit. At least he had had the chance to explain to her just why he was who he was. Tug still cared too, he had never had cause to hate Macavity in the same way as the other Jellicles and still knew him well. He had, after all, been able to know just what to say to him to prevent Macavity from hurting Bomba.
"He's not worth it Mac, let it go."
Eight words, nothing very special, seemingly, but it had been with similar words that Tug had prevented him from fights as a kitten, and the fact that Tug remembered this was enough to assure Macavity that little had changed between them.
He smiled again, and feeling happier than he had in a long time, left the room, surprising Longfang by thanking him for opening the door.
However, what he saw outside the door surprised Macavity entirely.
I know, I picked on Alonzo again. Don't ask why I decided to make them sworn enemies, it just happened that way. Alonzo has that little arrogant streak that just works for this. By the way, a note on the rating of this fic. It dosn't have the same level of violence or even as much swearing as it's predecessor but I decided that as both fics are technically part of the same story it made sense to keep the rating the same. After all, there's not much point in allowing yourself to read this one becuase it's rated lower if you didn't read the last one.
DISCLAIMER: All rights to Cats belong to ALW and the RUG.
