A/N: I'm soo in love with author's notes. Why? Well, I can sit here and waste your time before you get to the story! How? For example, I can explain why it took me so long to get chapter ten up! See, pride in my writing, panic in getting it right, desire to put everything I wanted to in it, fear that you won't like the ending, knowledge that I only get one shot, and of course, everyday life, caused me to delay it's posting! But here it is, in all it's glory. It's hard for me to tell how it turned out, since I manipulated it so much to my desires, and I'm so used to it, I don't know if it's good...I'm sure I may get complaints... So, if that is the case, may I just say that this is your last chance to ask any questions, if something was unclear, and I'll try and answer them in the epilogue. Like, literally in the Author's note for the epilogue, the epilogue itself is pretty set in stone. What can I say? I'm kinda proud I got all the way through it! The epilogue should be fun to write! No pressure like this chapter, but finishing things off
Now that I have accomplished what I have set out to do (waste your time before the story) let me just say that this note will be longer. Why? Because...I can? Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all my reviewers. A very very very special thanks to Xbakiyalo for reviewing me since the beginning! Love ya for that! YOU may have anything you wish from me, be it story or art (but I'm sooo much better at writing than art...really...trust me. Of course you can always ask for nothing...but I would owe you.) To Chimalmaht, Crawler, and Lozzypop, hugs and kisses...oh, and if you want a story, I'll do Crawler's thing and do a commissioned story. But remember, it might take me a bit to get to them. I have a lot going on right now. To my one time reviewers (and you MAY review again, two more chances, hehe) Adi Sagestar, Sarah Elizabeth Emily Woods, Starglow, and Wolfjet...Uh, cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. But you have to use your imagination. They're quite good, really. ((Really, I always find it funny how many people DON'T review a story. I guess it makes sense, waiting to see how the story goes, but my thought is, if you like a story, you should tell the person somehow, because they might stop if they don't get feedback! Ah, well...That's not my case in point, because I'm stubborn...anyways))
I know this was a long author's note, but it's a VERY long chapter! I usually type up about seven pages on Word, and this one was fourteen--DOUBLE! I don't know if you can read it in one sitting! Oh, which reminds me...
Warning: Do not read this story in it's entirety in one sitting as it may cause a roller coaster of emotions, leaving you to be overwhelmed when time to review...
How's that for a warning, Wolfjet? ((smiles)) A little late in the game, though...God, I'm hyper right now...Anyways, you have to get in the mood for this story, so take a moment, get the somber feeling, remember Demeter being pretty bad off at the end of the last chapter, take a deep breath, and read!
Chapter ten
The night lacked any sign of light, as the dark clouds had swallowed up the stars and moonlight. It was only until the little queen was in the human streets that she found any clarity as to where she was. But the flickering streetlights did little to calm her nerves, as they tended to create illusions in every shadowy corner. Every moment, she would turn her head at a new possible danger. There, were those eyes? There, was that a paw? Was that a creature following her?
Swallowing hard, Demeter felt a pain by the action, as her throat was so dry. Her muscles, worn; her emotions, exhausted; her eyes, threatening to close and never open again. Combined with the toll of alcohol to her system, it was only by some miracle that she continued to be able to walk upright. Her vision began to double, increasing the threat she perceived all around her. Every step she took became more daunting with each passing breath. And yet, she found that she was giggling every now and then.
"Munkustrap," she said softly to herself, "I don't know how you managed to do it…"
Of course, he was probably never at the level of exhaustion she was at, nor under the influence of spirits – both ghost and drink kind. Then again, she could only imagine what the silver tom did on his time away from the tribe. Demeter giggled at the thought of him disapproving of Skimbleshanks showing up thoroughly imbibed with Asparagus, yet joining them the next night at the local pub. In fact, she wouldn't put it past him…
"Oh, Munkustrap," she said softly, stopping and leaning against a wooden fence. "Why did you have to leave me?"
Bright light.
Thunder roared in the distance, and Demeter spun around, her fur on end. Her heart was pounding, and for a moment she felt a burst of energy that caused her to run around the corner, before tumbling to her knees.
If she could have, she would have stayed there and let the tears that the thunder urged to come out fall.
But she remembered her mission.
Demeter struggled to her weary feet, begging her muscles to continue carrying her to where she needed go.
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"Old Deuteronomy lived a long time," Demeter sang to herself. "He's a cat who has lived many lives in succession…he's famous in…something…a movie?" She shrugged to herself then said, "I don't know," with a melodic tone.
"Demeter, my child…" Demeter stopped and looked up wearily at the Vicarage wall. What? When did she get there? She thought she would never make it…
Old Deuteronomy looked down at her with fatherly concern, before delicately making his way down the wall. For a brief moment, Demeter wondered how he managed to climb it with such weary old bones. She only had weary muscles, and the thought of jumping a wall was absolutely daunting.
"Deuteronomy," she said, suddenly realizing how happy she was to see the old fluff ball. She giggled at the thought. A fluff ball…
"My dear," he said, looking her over, taking her by the paw and leading her to sit down as he stood, looking down at the creature he once knew as Demeter. "What has happened to you?"
"Old Deuteronomy," she said, trying to get a grip on herself, as exhaustion was about to rob her of any idea why she was even there to begin with. "It's about Munkustrap. He's not really Munkustrap. He's Macavity. He killed Munkustrap and Mistoffelees, and he wants me."
Well, when she put it like that, she wouldn't believe herself, either.
"Oh, dear child, you're not well."
"No!" Demeter said, jumping to her feet. "Don't tell me I'm insane! I've had enough of it - cats not believing me! My own best friend…Jenny and her stupid scotch."
"Scotch?" the old tom asked, perplexed.
"No, she made me!" Demeter answered the question she was sure was lurking in his head. She was ready to burst into tears again. "You don't believe me, do you? How can you not believe me?! Who else is going to believe me if you don't? Munkustrap!?" Demeter called suddenly, turning away from the old tom sharply. "Munkustrap, show yourself to your leader, if no one else!" She knew that wouldn't work. "Everlasting Cat, he's stubborn even as a ghost…"
"When was the last time you've been to your human's house?" Old Deuteronomy offered, putting a paw on the queen's shoulder.
Demeter started laughing suddenly to herself. "The last time I was at a human's house was Munkustrap's…" Her laughing turned into chocking sobs. Slowly, she collapsed to the floor at the memory of burying her only love. How she wished everything was just a bad dream. When she woke, everyone would be back. Alive. Unburied.
At that, the tears stopped.
"Demeter," she heard the old tom's comforting voice say. "Stay here with me, tell me what this is that is bothering you. Together, we can find a solution to your pro--" His gentle coaxing was interrupted by what sounded like resumed laughing. The queen's laughs got louder, almost maniacal, as she fell back and just allowed the feeling to wash over. Upon seeing the fear on Old Deuteronomy's face, she began to laugh more. Oh, he just didn't understand the joke.
"Of course!" she said after her laughter had subsided. "Of course you don't believe me! There was never a body!" Quickly, she hoisted herself to her knees and clutched onto Old Deuteronomy's fur, every other emotion gone as she finally focused on what to do. "I've been so stupid! You have to go to Munkustrap's house! Go to his backyard. There you'll find a stone with the name his human's gave him written on it. It says 'Our precious little tiger' on it!" She couldn't read the change of expression on his face. "If you've ever had any respect or trust in me, you would go to his house and find the truth out for yourself! For the safety of your tribe, that he not kill anyone else, you have to listen to me!"
The old tom seemed to be thinking as he looked down at the queen. Her heart seemed to slow its beats as she bit on her lip.
Finally, he asked, "And what of you?"
Her mind drifted. She could just leave the junkyard now, and not have to worry about any of the tension or insanity of her life there anymore. All she ever wanted there was gone, now. If she left Old Deuteronomy right then, and ran as fast as her feet could take her…
Macavity would never stop chasing her. He would destroy what was left of her tribe. She would never really be at peace. And she would let down Munkustrap.
"I have to go back," Demeter said determinedly. "I can't leave them there. Him there. Not until this is…"
Silence fell between them as the queen got a hold of herself. Her paws began to shake, made worse by the sound of thunder coming closer and closer to them. Surely, it would rain soon in the junkyard.
Demeter let go of the old cat. If her grip on his fur was painful, he said nothing of it, as he offered a paw to help her up. She refused it. Once up on her two unsteady feet, a sound, a mix between a giggle and a sob, escaped her mouth, as she looked up at the tribe leader. "I can't leave them alone right now. I've been gone too long as it is. That cat doesn't sleep. If he's already realized I'm gone… You must be careful. Lest he get you, too."
Without another word, she ran away, not knowing what would become of her.
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She had never felt like this before – such unfocused alertness. Like she was floating above everything. Her emotions exhausted, all she had to rely on was what she had set out to do. If only she knew what that was. Go home and defend it to the death as any of the guardians would? She was no guardian. She could barely call herself a Jellicle at times, she felt so removed from the others.
Demeter entered the junkyard with little fanfare. Now what? Put one of her ridiculous plans, which spanned from simply getting into a catfight she wouldn't win to somehow shoving Macavity into a blender and turning it on, into effect? How would she accomplish any of it? No, she felt too powerless on her own. The last time she faced Macavity at the ball, the tribe was there to back her up, whether they believed her or not. She needed one, just one cat, to be with her.
Even if she didn't believe her.
Mechanically, Demeter walked into Bombalurina's den. The queen was sprawled on her back, one leg stuck up in the air, her mouth open as she snored softly. Demeter wished she could rest as easily as Bombalurina was resting. It would have been cute…if she hadn't felt so betrayed by her lately.
Kneeling down next to the red queen, Demeter gently nudged Bombalurina. The red queen kicked her splayed out leg, before turning on her side. Demeter nudged again. The queen opened her eyes, giving a soft, confused purr as their eyes met.
Then Bombalurina shook her head and frowned in concern at Demeter. "You keep looking worse and worse every time I see you!" the queen said.
"Come on," Demeter said, nudging her friend. "I don't want to do this alone."
"Do what alone?" Bombalurina asked, getting up, not bothering to groom her fur. "Demeter, you're really starting to worry me! What's going on with you?"
"Maybe I could show you, too," Demeter said, an idea popping in her head. "The gravestone! Then you would believe me…but…Deuteronomy. I hope he's okay. It'll take him forever to get to Munkustrap's house. But if he doesn't make it…Wait, I should find out where Macavity is first. What has he been doing since I've been gone?"
"Macavi--? Demeter, stop this!" Bombalurina said, getting up, using a paw to push her mushed fur into place before taking Demeter by the shoulders. "You're scaring me, the way you're acting. You have to calm down. The other cats are going to think you're crazy!"
"I am not crazy," Demeter said, determined, pointing a paw at Bombalurina. Her paw shook visibly.
"Oh, honey," Bombalurina said, taking the queen's paw. "Look at yourself! You need food and rest! We should take you to see Jenny."
Demeter pulled away. "I've already seen her! She forced alcohol down my throat!"
"She forced alcohol down your throat?!"
"Well…at first," Demeter admitted. "But that's not the—stop looking at me like that!"
"Just rest here for the day," Bombalurina said. "I'll make sure no one sees you like this."
"Why? Because it embarrasses you to be my friend?" Demeter snapped. Again, she trudged out the den. But this time, the red queen followed her. It was of little importance to her, anymore. She needed someone who could understand! It was idiotic to go to Bombalurina to begin with.
Then she saw Victoria, walking with the other kittens. Her stomach flipped upon seeing the white queen. Their pain was the same, and Victoria had always seemed more trusting than the other cats! Before Demeter knew what she was doing, she ran up to the other queen.
"Victoria," she said urgently. "I'm so sorry about Mistoffelees. If I had stopped him…"
Victoria looked up with her swollen eyes, about to say a mechanical thank you, before realizing what the other queen had said. "Stopped him?" she asked meekly.
"I knew better than to let him go," she said, as the feeling of guilt began to sit heavy in her stomach. Suddenly, she was losing her nerve, but she had to finish what she started. "Macavity can't be trusted."
Victoria looked appalled for a moment, but her interest in what the queen was saying kept her attention. However, Bombalurina quickly put a paw over Demeter's mouth, pulling her against her chest. "Sorry, Viccie," she said quickly, trying to drag Demeter back to her den. "She's been having bad dreams about Macavity, and I think with everything going on, she's starting to confuse them with reality."
Demeter elbowed the red queen in the stomach, much to everyone's surprise, including Bombalurina herself. In her shock, she let the gold and black queen go. "I'm not confused!" Demeter said, glaring at her friend. "I have not been having bad dreams! I haven't really slept in days!"
Bombalurina gave a low growl as she returned the glare. "Well, that makes me feel better about you." She propped herself against an old cabinet and took a moment to breath as she held her stomach.
"You won't even believe me!" Demeter said to the red queen, putting her paws to her head.
She heard one of the kittens whisper, "Maybe you should go get Munkustrap."
"NO!" Demeter screamed, spinning around to stop whoever was going to do so, which turned out to be Plato. He stopped mid-sprint, looking back at Demeter in shock. "Don't get Munkustrap! Don't get Munkustrap!"
The kittens looked to one another. Victoria looked to Plato. "Alonzo," she said softly. Plato nodded, and ran.
Pouncival walked up to Etcetera and whispered, "I think she's gone stark raving mad…"
"Yeah," Etcetera agreed.
Demeter turned and gave them a look, teetering to the side. "I'm not mad…" She caught herself before she fell over.
"Or drunk," Etcetera suggested back to Pouncival.
"What's this about Macavity?" Victoria pressed, stepping away from the other kittens.
"It's nothing," Bombalurina said quickly, stepping in front of Demeter. She leaned in close to the queen, keeping a good distance from any more elbowing the queen may try to do. "If you want to continue living in the junkyard without everyone treating you like an outcast--!" The queen stopped as Demeter was trying to get past her. Bombalurina kept stepping in the way, gingerly putting her paws on the queen's shoulder, not forgetting the last time she tried to physically stop her. "Just listen to me! I'm your friend! I'm telling you this for your own good. Don't put Victoria through this, she's vulnerable!"
Victoria let out a huff. "What about Macavity!?" she asked again, desperation in her voice.
"Oh, Everlasting Cat, not this again!" The Rum Tum Tugger was coming up past Alonzo, who was being led by Plato. A few other curious cats followed the toms at what all the commotion was about. Or perhaps they didn't want to be alone if there was danger, considering everything that had happened in the day past. Either way, the cats had drawn a crowd. Demeter didn't think she could deal with a crowd.
Alonzo stepped in front of Tugger, and Cassandra slipped in behind him, looking on with a confused look on her face. "What's going on?" Alonzo asked, looking between Demeter and Victoria. The gold queen could feel the stares in her direction. She knew she looked a mess, but next to the elegant white queen, she must have looked the part she was playing at the moment.
"Leave Victoria alone," Tugger said to Demeter. She had never seen him look so livid with anyone before. Even the kittens seemed to back away from the curious cat. "Don't go putting your ideas in her head, too."
"You don't have to shield me from the truth," Victoria said angrily to Tugger. Then to Demeter, "What is it?"
Tugger cut Demeter off before she could answer. "She's going to tell you that Munkustrap is really dead and that Macavity took his place. And that he…he…killed…" he choked the last few words out. "Well…you know."
"That's insane!" Pouncival said.
"Oh, goodness," Bombalurina said, looking away, trying to shrink down in size due to association.
"Dead?" Cassandra asked, looking up to Alonzo. "Munkustrap died, too?"
"No, Cass," Alonzo said quickly, as the queen looked ready to begin weeping all over again. "It's complicated, but--"
"It's true!" Demeter said, as the feelings of vulnerability had increased with her embarrassment. She didn't think she had any tears left, but they were threatening to come out. The other cats seemed to be hiding from view, but she could hear their whispering voices as they talked about what the queen claimed.
"What's going on here?"
The few cats gathered parted as Munkustrap came trotting up, looking to be in a particular mood.
Everyone went silent as the silver tom stood in the middle of the proceedings. The silence made the tom's fur bristle. He looked over to Demeter, and she backed away. Love her or not, she couldn't stand the tension, let alone how close it was to breaking.
It seemed the silver tom and the gold and black queen stared at each other for an eternity. Only they existed in the world, as he looked to be fighting against whatever he felt against the tribe at that moment. Words were lost along with time, and everything faded to white.
A paw gripped Demeter's. Suddenly hurled back to the junkyard, the queen broke her gaze to see that Victoria was at her side, pressed close to her. She looked concerned for the gold and black queen, before turning a nervous eye to the silver tom. "Mistoffelees…before he left, he told me Munkustrap was dangerous."
The silver tom's eyes went wide, before changing in the slightest to a murderous look directed towards the white queen. He closed his eyes, and replaced that look with concern, all within the time frame of a second. Demeter held Victoria close after this, a renewed faith in herself and in the tribe.
"…why would he say something like that?" The Tugger asked, confusion riddling his face.
"Demeter," Munkustrap said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "I told you…we can work this out. You have to trust me."
"You're a murderer," Demeter spat, her eyes fiery.
"You've been having dreams," he said gently. "I don't know what's going on with you lately. Arguing, fighting, drinking? I don't know what else I can do to get through to you! Isn't this everything you want? Why do you have to destroy that? Just believe me. Don't let the outside world get between us again. I'm here with you. That's all that matters." He crept closer.
"Don't come near me!" she hissed, her fur puffed out, ready to fight. Victoria let go of her clasp, backing away a bit. Certain her anger scared away the queen, Demeter was afraid she destroyed her chance of anyone believing her.
She suddenly felt very alone again.
"Demeter," he said evenly, staring at her with those green eyes. "I love you. Just stop this. Calm down."
With no one by her side, she felt abandoned. An entire tribe was against her, and she unaware what the day would bring…if it even was daytime or not. The sky was black as night due to the heavy rain clouds. There was a flash and the crash of thunder which made some of the cats in the junkyard scream, including Demeter. But they could cling to someone for comfort. She knew no comfort would come for her. A sob got caught in her throat.
A rain drop fell on her nose. Then another. And though the rest of the tribe responded to the sudden rainfall with shivers and annoyance, Demeter remembered the night where the sound of the rain was comforting to her. Free of mud, free of shadows, just the sound of the rain, and she remembered the only real comfort she had felt in the days that had past. "Munkustrap?" she asked, wanting to be enveloped by the feeling of warmth he gave when his presence was there.
"Yes, I'm right here," the silver tabby said tersely.
"Not you!" Demeter felt more determined. "Munkustrap?!"
"Would you stop that! He's not—I'm…" A small fluttering in her stomach. He slipped! And his face clearly showed it! "L-let me take you home," he said, trying to regain his composure. Even he seemed to be shaking, though certainly not from the cold of the rain. He was just as exhausted as she was. "Let me take you home. You'll wake up tomorrow, and everything will be fine." He reached out a paw to her.
Victoria stepped in front of Demeter, making Munkustrap stop. "She doesn't want to talk to you," she said with a surprising amount of power for such a small queen.
Munkustrap made a slight movement, as though to shove Victoria out of the way. But a black paw came down on Munkustrap's shoulder.
"Come on," Alonzo said to the silver tom. "Let her cool—umph!" Munkustrap had turned so fast, Alonzo never saw the fist that punched him in the stomach.
"Oh, wow," Jemima whispered.
"His eyes are changing color!" Pouncival said in fear, and Demeter felt the kittens cowering behind her, including Victoria, who had lost her nerve, and was now crying against Plato's arm.
Munkustrap closed his eyes for a moment, and having been yellow one moment, they turned back to green when opened. He was left panting, and with a panicked, wild look in his eyes.
Then a voice came out over the cats gathered. "That is not Munkustrap." Everyone looked up to see Old Deuteronomy on top of a pile of junk, a small entourage of cats following. It seemed everyone in the junkyard was there now.
Demeter had never seen the tribe leader look so old. It seemed he had been crying not moments before. But now, his face simply looked angry. "Munkustrap has been buried by his human family in his backyard…" He looked over to Demeter, who was now sobbing with the intense feeling of relief.
"Oh, thank the Everlasting Cat!" she cried. "You finally believe me!" She thought she would faint right then and there, but when her legs tried to give weigh under her, there was a small crowd of kittens right behind her to hold her up. Bombalurina, finally, finally, stepped close to Demeter, holding onto her arm. Demeter was all too aware of the new paw holding onto her.
Old Deuteronomy lowered his head to the queen. "He had told me of their fondness of that name for him…their little tiger. I had hoped he had simply told you that once, even if he was embarrassed by it. But seeing the grave there…"
"It was…a heartfelt funeral," Demeter said in a soft voice. "They weeped for him."
"They placed his collar on a cross on their fireplace mantel," Old Deuteronomy finished. "You can see it from the window." His voice was breaking.
"I didn't know that," Demeter said between sobs.
Everything went still. There were whispers of, "Munkustrap is dead?" "He's dead?!" "How can he be dead?" "It's not true!" But the most heartbreaking of all was hearing Bombalurina next to Demeter let out a shuddering sigh, before admitting, "Everlasting Cat…I was the one who sent him out there…"
As one, the tribe returned their gaze to Munkustrap…well…Macavity, still in tabby form. He seemed to be having trouble breathing, as he looked back and forth for an escape, but was enclosed.
"What's the matter?" Demeter asked, her sorrow replaced by anger once again. "No energy left to make a grand exit?"
"You killed Mistoffelees?" the Rum Tum Tugger asked, backing as far away from the tom as possible.
The tom looked around to everyone, as the cats had deliberately encircled him, though kept their distance. They looked at him with shock, surprise, hatred, understanding.
"Reveal yourself!" said a voice from behind Old Deuteronomy, who turned out to be Coricopat, his fur on end.
"Imposter!" another cat called. This one, Jellylorum.
Something was thrown at the silver tom from the junk piles, and he backed away as though it were nothing. He turned his furious gaze on Demeter, catching her eye, and they were locked in a stare no one could break. And with very little help, the tension finally snapped.
The tom leapt forward at the queen, and screams broke out at the suddenness of his attack. Demeter, frozen in place, thought for a moment she would join the deceased sooner than she thought, and could only watch as the tom defied gravity just enough to attack her with.
But five toms leapt on him, grabbing his arms and holding him back. Admetus and Mungojerrie were on one arm, the Rum Tum Tugger and Skimbleshanks on another, and Alonzo with his arms around the tom's neck. And before everyone's eyes, the silver tom with black stripes and green eyes slowly melted away with the pouring rain, to be replaced by a ginger tom with yellow eyes who was struggling to get out of the grip of the toms.
"He stole you away from me!" he roared as the other toms tried to subdue the Napoleon of Crime. "He told you lies about me, and you believed him! I had to do what I did! He deserved to die, the fucking liar! He got what he wanted by lying, why shouldn't I? He's dead and buried and gone and never coming back. He'll never get between us again!"
Demeter took in a few shaky breaths as she watched this worn tom, exhausted by his overzealous use of his magic, still able to put up a massive struggle with five toms trying to hold him down. He was still so strong. It seemed at that moment Macavity was invincible to everything. It never ended! She would never be free of him
Then she realized she was surrounded by cats who had huddle near her. Victoria to her right, Bombalurina to her left, kittens and other cats behind her. Together, they watched in horror the struggling tom. All of them were now victims of this tom. All of them could now understand her insanity in trying to make others understand.
"Get some rope!" Alonzo called over the sound of the rain, grunting as he tried to hold the tom.
Macavity's eyes shot over to Victoria. "I should have killed you when I had a chance," he said lowly, his voice clearly heard through all the commotion. "Another day, and without those damn kittens around, I could have made it look like a suicide." Victoria clutched onto Demeter's arm, staring in horror at the tom.
They had to be free of him now.
Carefully leading Victoria over to Bombalurina, Demeter stepped forward, despite the muttered warnings of the other cats. With her fur bristled, she glared down at the tom who had finally shown his true colors. "He's been holding that form for a long time," she announced coolly. "It should have weakened him enough that he won't be giving you the slip any time soon. I would act fast with whatever you plan on doing to him…"
"Demeter," the tom pleaded, causing Demeter to stop. "I love you. We could have been great together! How could you do this to me?! All I wanted was you! Why did you have to believe that bastard? I'm not sorry he's dead!"
"Shut up," Demeter said softly, then put her paws to her ears, "SHUT UP!"
Voices yelled from the crowd, "Gag him!" "Stop him!" "Kill him!"
"You went to his funeral?" Macavity asked, his menacing glare having deteriorated into a look Demeter had never seen in the ginger cat before - a look of betrayal, hatred, and madness mingled together in his sunken in eyes. "I should have stolen you away. I never should have trusted you! Let go of me you wretched pollicles!" He hissed to the toms who were now tying him down, with much effort.
Demeter paced, staring angrily at the tom, who was just barely contained by the ropes they had used to bind his paws to his feet in a kneeling position. How easily he could get loose from that, and start his rampage over again. She heard someone call to get more rope, but that wouldn't stop him. He needed to be…
Demeter pushed past the faceless cats that stood in front of her, and grabbed small metallic pipe.
"I loved you Demeter," he said menacingly as the queen turned back to him. "I'm not leaving you. I'm not living without you! Do you hear me? You're never going to be rid of me. You're--"
"SHUT UP!" Demeter swung down the pipe. She could hear the screams of the cats surrounding her, see the movements to stop her.
Her arm, back, leg muscles felt like they had torn in her efforts. It felt as though her stomach disconnected from something vital and crashed into her other organs. It took all Demeter's strength to consciously stop herself.
But she did.
The pipe hovered over Macavity's face, only the rain making contact with him as it dripped off the end of the pipe. He stared at it, wide-eyed that it was nearly brought down on his face.
Panting, the queen dropped the pipe, clutching her stomach, gasping cries escaping her mouth. She could see the questioningly look on Macavity's face. Perhaps he knew she should have finished what she started as well. "No," she said lowly. "That's too kind for you…"
A moment of hesitation from everyone present. Then Bombalurina came up to the ginger tom and stuffed rags into his mouth, before using a long strip of a torn shirt to tie it around his mouth. Other cats came up with more ropes to further tie the cat down until he could barely struggle against the bonds.
Someone placed a paw on Demeter's shoulder. She jumped, looked back to see Jennyanydots with a sympathetic look on her face. She allowed herself to be led away by her.
Old Deuteronomy nodded. "We are Jellicles," he reminded the rest of the cats, though Demeter felt he wasn't including her in this speech. "We are not like him. We don't seek revenge."
The cats began to mutter. There was a small voice from the crowd, one of the kittens, who whispered loudly, "is he kidding? He killed Mistoffelees! And Munkustrap!"
"However," said the old tom. The rest of the cats went silent to hear what else was to be said. "His crimes, I am told, are a horrendous abuse of magic. What is done to punish his violation of these unspoken magical laws, done by other magical cats, is not a Jellicle matter, and we will do nothing to participate in… or stop this." With that, Old Deuteronomy turned magnanimously away from the sight of the gagged, weakened ginger tom.
On cue, Coricopat and Tantomile emerged from behind him, their fur bristled in anger. Surely, they would have looked scarier were their fur not weighed down by the rain water. Gracefully, and with their eyes constantly remaining on the ginger tom, they climbed down the junk pile.
"He is to be stripped of his magic," Coricopat said.
"I vote by a blood letting," Tantomile said to her brother, her tear stained face screwed up in anger.
"That would kill him," Coricopat said matter-of-factly.
"You're right," Tantomile said. "It is far too simple a punishment for him. Hang him upside down by his digits, cut a magical vein in his jugular, and when he is sufficiently weakened, feed him to the pollicles."
"No," Coricopat said, sitting down, staring the ginger tom in his yellow eyes. "Magic replenishes. Each day we'll strip him of the magic he replenishes until he is so weakened and powerless, he will beg for us to kill him."
"You're thinking too rationally," Tantomile said, pacing in front of the tom, her fangs bared, her hackles risen. Then catching the gaze of the gagged tom, she hissed, "Tell me, Macavity, do you know what it is to be QUARTERED?!"
At this, Macavity actually looked scared for a moment.
This made Demeter smile.
"Take him out of our sight," Demeter said, a strange feeling of peace coming over her. "I don't care what you do with him…as long as he never comes back."
Tantomile turned to Demeter, her intense eyes locking on the queen, before bowing her head. "You can entrust that to us, Demeter," she said.
Coricopat walked past the toms who had been holding the weakened ginger cat. "Follow me," he said, seeming to enjoy the aspect of it all a little too much.
Macavity renewed his struggling as the toms went to pick him up and take him to his fate. With all the struggling, the tom seemed to be working the most with his mouth, trying to loosen the gag.
Demeter didn't want to see him taken away. She was done with him. Turning around, she began to walk away, to go somewhere serene and safe to sleep for days, if she had to. And she was glad the attention was finally off of her…
"Demeter!" The queen stopped. Macavity seemed to have worked the gag from his mouth. Though it was tied in tightly by the red queen, Demeter wouldn't imagine anything so simple as a gag would be held in place for long. "I never wanted to hurt you! I would never hurt you! This was all a misunderstanding. You have to believe me! Demeter? Demeter! Come back here! Demeter!?"
Demeter growled. He should never speak her name again.
The queen stooped down, picked up a rock, spun around. With precise accuracy, she threw the rock. It cut through the air.
A loud twack.
Macavity's head lulled to the side, as he fell unconscious.
And once out of her sight, Demeter never had to hear his voice again.