Title: The Protector (10/14)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death
Summary: When some Jellicles are cat-napped, Munkustrap has to descend back into Monnik territory, back into his old life, and must confront his biggest fear - the truth escaping.
Roleplays:
If you're not into RPing, feel free to skip this part.
Ourjellicle (o u r j e l l i c l e s . p r o b o a r d s 5 1 . c o m ). is a normal Cats RP set after the Jellicle Ball. Currently, Macavity has taken over the junkyard, but the Jellicles escaped safely. They're enlisting the help of a crew of pirates, though, to reclaim their yard… but that decision may cause more pain than pleasure.
One of These Nights (w w w . s 8 . c r e a t e p h p b b . c o m / o n e o f t h e s e n I g h t / I n d e x . p h p ? m f o r u m (equal sign) o n e o f t h e s e n I g h t) is an AU RP where the Jellicles are human members of a band (named Jellicle). Tugger (taken) is the lead singer, with Bombalurina (taken), Alonzo, and Plato (taken) as other members, and the rest of the Jellicles helping out as friends, stage hands, special effects, etc. Munkustrap (taken by me) is the manager of the band, and his father, Deuteronomy, is a huge music mogul. Macavity (taken) leads the rival band, the Depraved. Most of the characters are still available, though. If you're interested, come on by!
The Protector
The first guard slammed his paw into one of the cages as the second guard began flipping through a ring of keys. "Hey, Jellicle! Open your eyes, you've got a visitor!"
Munkustrap took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for the worst, before he stepped up and looked inside the cage.
Simbol stared back at him with those familiar unreadable eyes. Unlike with Cattivo, the Monniks hadn't damaged Simbol's face. His ears, though, were tattered, and he had a trail of blood running down his cheek from a gash in his forehead. Looking farther down, Munkustrap was relieved to see that none of his limbs looked broken – they could move faster if Simbol could run on his own – but his body…
Munkustrap had to remind himself that he was trying to be a ghost assassin, Ritzkin, and that Ritzkin wouldn't throw up at the sight of blood. Ironic, that the stench of death and Cattivo's body weren't enough to turn his stomach, but seeing Simbol very much alive but missing many of his golden patches from his chest and sides (and probably back too, which Munkustrap couldn't see) was almost too much for him.
The guards turned to look at Munkustrap expectantly, waiting for his command. Munkustrap waved a paw at Simbol and tried not to choke. "Open the cage. Bring him out here."
For the first time in his life, Munkustrap was able to read Simbol's expression. The widening of his eyes, the recognition that flashed through his face… Simbol knew who he was now. And then, to his horror, Simbol narrowed his eyes and hissed at him. Was he faking it? Was Simbol just playing along? Or was he… was he actually… did he actually think that Munkustrap was a Monnik?
I don't enjoy this! Munkustrap wanted to cry to Simbol. I'm doing this for you! But he couldn't – that would blow his cover, and probably get them both killed.
Simbol fought against the two guards as they tugged him out of the cage, but every time he'd lunge for one, the other, on his other side, would yank back on one of the chains wrapped around him, dragging him away. "Are you sure you can handle him?" the guards asked.
Munkustrap looked at the setup. Each chain was fastened to a cuff on one of Simbol's front paws as well as locked around his neck. Tugging on the chain would give the same effect as a choke hold. If Simbol tried to hurt him (Please don't, Simbol, I'm trying to get us out of here…), a firm enough yank should stop him. Munkustrap didn't want to choke Simbol, but he would have no choice, if he wanted to keep up appearances. "Yeah. Give me those."
No sooner had the chains been passed to Munkustrap then did Simbol rush him. Munkustrap had been expecting that, though he had hoped Simbol wouldn't, and so he yanked. Simbol dropped to his knees, clutching at his throat, growling and glaring at Munkustrap. Behind him, the guards were chuckling again. "You do 'im, Ritzkin!"
"Yeah! You show 'im who's boss!"
Simbol looked up at Munkustrap with an accusation in his eyes. Munkustrap met his stare evenly – to look away would be to tell the Monniks he wasn't up to the task he was pretending to do. Stepping forward, he reached out and traced his claws down Simbol's face, not deep enough to scratch (he couldn't bring himself to draw more blood). "You want to see your son again, don't you?" he said, forcing a purr into his voice. "You want to be reunited with… what was his name… Cattivo?"
Simbol closed his eyes, a brief flicker of pain on his face, and Munkustrap knew that Simbol was aware Cattivo was dead. And here he was, rubbing it in. But it had to be done. He gave the chains another tug, earning a faint hiss from Simbol as the older cat reached for his throat again. "Come on, then. I'll take you to your son. Behave, and I'll even let you hold him."
Simbol rose to his feet, staring at Munkustrap for a very long time before he nodded and stepped forward. The guards, still laughing, followed them out.
Once outside, Munkustrap turned and touched a paw to his lips. "Shh. I was never here. You two need to continue to guard this place as if nothing happened. You never saw me. You have no idea what happened to the Jellicle. Understood?"
The first guard frowned, scratching his head. "Why was you never here?"
Munkustrap sighed, fighting to keep up his Ritzkin persona. It was a lot harder now, with Simbol glaring at him from the other end of the chain. "Because if other cats know I'm still alive, I can't do my job, now can I? Don't breathe a word of this to anyone! If you do…" He glared at them. "If you do, Tarsson won't be the only missing cat."
Two gulps, two nods, two sloppy salutes. Munkustrap turned and shoved Simbol down the alley. The cats might spread word of Ritzkin around. They might not. He didn't know… and right now, he didn't care. He needed to get Simbol out before the Monniks woke up and started looking for him.
After they were well away from the guards, though, and Munkustrap was just about to free Simbol, the older cat lunged at him again, pinning him against the wall and hissing. "Sir! No! It's Munkustrap!"
Heehee... the holiday gets an extra update! Happy July 4!