Disclaimer: I don't own Cats, but I own Elijah, even though he's not in this chappie.
A/N: We've come to the end of our tale...or really, the beginning of it as this is a prequel to Pulling on the Heartstrings. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. I'd love to hear your opinion on Elijah and if he was a good first OC, or not. I want to thank everyone heartily for reading this story and/or reviewing it! Couldn't have done it without you guys! Please enjoy this last chapter of A Dove Among Crows! Oh, ya I had to change the ending a little; it didn't fit with the timeline of Pulling on the Heartstrings. That also goes for another part, too.
Mungojerrie pulled his sister along through the black, narrow passageway that was their supposed ticket to freedom. He felt his way along the wall, and even with his night vision he couldn't tell right from left, or even see his own paw in front of his face because it was so dark. All he knew was that the direction he was going was forward, and that there was supposed to be a door at the end of this seemingly never-ending passageway.
Rumpleteazer suddenly tripped over something, making her brother stumble over his own feet. He looked back at her to see if she was okay. "Ya awlroight, 'Teaze?"He asked as 'Teazer tried to search for whatever had made her trip.
She nodded her head as she groped around in the darkness. Her paw landed on something smooth and hard and she picked it up. Her eyes had adjusted to the sudden darkness faster than 'Jerrie's, so she could actually see what the unknown object was. She found herself staring into the eye sockets of a cat skull. Shrieking at the top of her lungs, she quickly threw the skull away and it landed further down the tunnel with a loud clunk. She let out a whimper as tears started to fall down her cheeks.
'Jerrie hugged his sister as she clutched his arm, trembling. "'Teaze, its jus' a cat skull. It's not gonna 'urt ya. Please calm down an' let's keep movin', okay?"He tried his best to comfort her as she took deep, shaky breaths to calm herself down.
'Teazer shook her head as she let her brother pull her along once more. "Tha's onleh part o' tha' reason Oi'm croiyin', 'Jer. Oi jus' remoinded moiself tha' Oi'm in excrutiatin' pain an' the fact tha' Macavity le' cats die down 'ere scares tha' livin' dayloights outta moi. Do ya think 'e used it as some sorta execution area?"She sniffled as she kept her eyes peeled for anymore scary "reminders" on the ground in front of her.
'Jerrie shrugged. "Maybeh. Oi wouldn' be surproised. Macavity got yar arm pretteh badleh, didn' 'e? We're gonna 'ave ta wrap tha' up so it doesn' ge' infected."He stated the obvious as 'Teazer nodded. They walked in silence for a few more minutes before 'Jerrie suddenly stopped. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness by now and he determined they were at a dead end. "Now where's tha' door?"He thought to himself as he scanned and felt the walls around him. His paw ran over something round and cold on the wall on his left, so he assumed that he had just found the doorknob. Turning it, he heaved his weight against it, determined to open it.
The door swung open, and he stumbled out into an alley. 'Teazer breathed a sigh of relief as she finally stepped out of that wretched passageway and into fresh air. 'Jerrie dusted himself off as he surveyed his surroundings. "'Old on a sec...Oi recognoize tha' alley!"He thought as he stared down the familiar narrow, dark alley a small distance in front of him.
He walked ahead to where the alley they were in opened up to their right. Just as he thought, the high brick walls of Macavity's hideout towered above him, and the door marked "emergency exit" was right beside him. He figured that they had just walked the whole length of the hideout. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed 'Teazer clutching her injured arm as she stumbled towards him. Her whole arm was smeared with fresh blood as well as caked with dried blood. In the better light of the sun, she even looked a little pale to him.
'Jerrie carefully put his arm around her shoulders as she leaned her weight on him. "'Teaze, we have ta ge' tha' arm treated. But where can we go on such sho't notice?"He asked himself as he started walking alongside her down the alley. When they got to the street, an idea hit him. He remembered that silver and black tabby saying something about offering them a real home back when they were spying on that mission.
"'Teaze, Oi know where we're goin' ta go. The Jellicle Junkya'd."'Jerrie said as 'Teazer simply nodded, too weak to form a verbal reply. They walked they rest of the way to the Junkyard in silence, as 'Jerrie didn't want to waste his sister's energy by talking.
When they finally reached the wrought-iron gates of the Jellicle Junkyard, 'Jerrie was surprised his sister had kept up this long. He admired her for her perseverance and determination. "Wow, 'Teazah, ya're much strongah than Oi thought ya were. If Oi were ya, Oi wouldda passed out 'alf-way 'ere. Jus' 'old on a lil' longah; we're 'ere, but we still need ta convince 'em ta le' us stay."He smiled as he pushed one of the iron gates open.
They walked slowly down the dirt path between the tall trash heaps. This wasn't enemy territory anymore, as they weren't henchcats as of about two hours ago. All seemed quiet as they made their way into the large clearing that they had been in when they were on the mission. 'Jerrie spotted a few cats, all kittens, in this clearing. They stopped and stared at the two unfamiliar calicos as they stood at the mouth of the clearing.
A queen that was a few years shy of 'Teazer's age cautiously approached them, curious. She had pure white fur and her blue eyes reminded 'Teazer of Elijah. She fought the urge to start crying again as the memories of her former lover entered her mind. The white queen was about ten feet away when a voice shouted, "Intruders!" from somewhere up above them, making the queen's eyes go wide as she fled from 'Jerrie and 'Teazer, along with the rest of the kittens.
A black and white-patched tom jumped down from a trash pile on their right and landed in front of them, hissing menacingly. "Who are you? What do you want?"He asked, still keeping his teeth bared. 'Jerrie swore he could have been Casey's twin; he was a spitting-image of him.
Before 'Jerrie could answer, more toms surrounded them, hissing like the first. The silver and black tabby he recognized from last night stepped out from the ring of toms. "Easy guys, I know these two. Back off and let me talk to them."He stated as the other toms backed away and behind him. "Have you two considered my offer? Do you want to stay with the Jellicles?"He asked with a kind gleam in his eyes.
'Jerrie nodded, saying, "Yes. We got kicked outta Macavity's 'oideout...Moi sistah got injured boiy 'im, so we figured we 'ad no choice but ta come 'ere. Will ya le' us stay, sah?"He asked, hoping beyond hope for a yes. If they rejected him and 'Teazer now...he didn't even want to think about what would happen.
Just as the silver and black tabby was going to answer, the black and white-patched tom interjected. "Whoa, whoa, whoa; you're telling me you're from Macavity's hideout? And you want to stay here now? Why in Heaviside do you think we should trust you? You could be spies for all we know!"He narrowed his eyes at them as the other toms nodded in agreement, all except for the silver tabby.
'Jerrie groaned inwardly. He didn't have time for interrogations! 'Teazer needed help now, couldn't they see that? "If we were spoies, Oi wouldn' 'ave brought moi injured sistah 'ere; Oi would 'ave brought 'er ta Macavity's doctah. If we were spoies, Oi wouldn' be beggin' ya ta save moi sistah an' give us a chance!"The desperation in his voice frightened him.
The black and white tom wasn't buying it. "Maybe it would be better for the both of us if you guys just-"
"Alonzo! Enough!"The silver tabby harshly cut him off. Alonzo ducked his head in submission and stepped back. The silver and black tom inspected 'Teazer from where he was. After a few tense moments, he spoke, "You have a point. Even Macavity wouldn't be stupid enough to send an injured cat out on a spying mission, let alone in broad daylight. It doesn't add up, so there can only be one other explanation: you're telling the truth."He fell silent for a few seconds before adding, "But that doesn't mean we completely trust you. We'll give you a trial period to see if you really mean what you say. If nothing out of the ordinary happens within ten days, you can stay permanently. I'll take you and your sister to Jellylorum, our doctor."He smiled kindly as he signaled the other toms to disperse. When they were gone, he began walking to one of the numerous holes the trash piles that 'Jerrie and 'Teazer had seen last night.
The relief was evident on 'Jerrie's face as he and 'Teazer didn't hesitate to follow. "We can't thank ya enough, uhh..."'Jerrie was at a loss for a name.
"Munkustrap. But you can call me Munk. What are your names?"Munk asked over his shoulder. He knocked on the wall beside one of the holes and waited for a reply from inside.
'Jerrie smiled at him. "Thanks, Munk. Moi name's Mungojerrie an' this is Rumpleteazah. 'Jerrie an' 'Teazah fo' sho't."He introduced himself as 'Teazer managed a weak smile in greeting.
Suddenly a shout came from inside the hole. "Come in!"A female voice said. Munk nodded and stepped inside. 'Jerrie helped 'Teazer to walk in before going in himself. He looked around at the inside, and realized it wasn't a hole at all. It was a den. A cozy one at that, with two nests of blankets on one side and a small plastic table on the other. The table had a pitcher of water on it and a bowl. A wooden shelf sat beside the table, and it had all sorts of books and medical supplies on it.
An older queen stood in the middle, holding a basket of white gauze in one paw and a dark bottle in the other. She was mostly yellow, with a bit of gray mixed in her fur. 'Jerrie found she had a calm, maternal presence about her, which made him feel at ease.
Jellylorum's eyes went wide as she took in the two calicos. "Oh, you poor dears, what's happened to you? Come, sit, I'll take care of that nasty gash."She beckoned to the ground in front of her while she crouched down and set the basket and bottle beside her, waiting.
Munk held up a paw before 'Jerrie could answer. "I wouldn't want to know if I were you, Jelly. These guys aren't Jellicles...Not yet, anyway. It's a long story I'm sure we'll hear very soon. Their names are Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer."He explained as 'Jerrie hesitantly stepped toward Jelly, eying her skeptically. He sat down with his sister as Jelly got up and poured some water into the bowl and brought it over, along with a clean rag from the shelf.
'Jerrie tensed and let out a warning growl as Jelly brought the rag close to his sister's bleeding arm. Jelly smiled reassuringly as she hesitated, glancing at him. "It's alright, hun', I'm not going to hurt your sister. I'll be really gentle with her."She crooned as she dabbed the wet rag around 'Teazer's wound. 'Teazer winced, but she didn't do much else. She just rested her head on 'Jerrie's shoulder and closed her eyes, reassuring him that Jelly wasn't hurting her.
After a few minutes of cleaning the wound, Jelly moved on to dry the fur with the dry half of the rag. Much to hers and 'Jerrie's relief, the bleeding had stopped. Jelly smiled as she poured some disinfectant on the rag. She looked over at 'Teazer, who still had her eyes closed. "This is going to sting a bit, okay? Try not to pull away or bite."She said this more to 'Jerrie than to 'Teazer. The calico queen hissed as the disinfectant was dabbed on her arm, but she resisted the urge to pull away. When that was done, Jelly wrapped gauze from the basket around 'Teazer's arm and tied it off.
Jelly sat back and inspected her work. Satisfied, she glanced at Munk, who was still standing by the den's entrance. "If you want to take Mungojerrie on a tour of the junkyard that would be great. His sister just needs some rest and she'll be fine."Munk nodded and she turned to 'Jerrie. "Is it alright with you if you leave your sister with me? There's really not much else either of us can do, except let her sleep. I'll watch her while you're gone, so don't worry."Jelly shrugged as she pointed to one of the beds behind 'Jerrie.
Hesitantly, the calico tom nodded and carried 'Teazer over to one of the beds. The calico queen had already fallen asleep, or unconscious, while Jelly was wrapping the gauze. 'Jerrie laid her down and covered her with a blanket. "Don' worreh, 'Teaze. You'll be foine. Jellylorum 'ere's gonna take care o' ya whoile Oi'm gone."He whispered as he stroked her headfur a few times and turned toward Jelly, who was cleaning up the bowl and rags. "Thanks, Jellylorum. We both appreciate it."'Jerrie smiled as Jelly nodded in response. He walked over to Munk and they both stepped outside, into the sunshine.
Jerrie saw that the kittens he had seen earlier had already come back and were once again playing. Some adult cats were also in the clearing, and they observed him with critical eyes. The kittens smiled at him as he and Munk walked by, and he gave a small wave back. They passed by some other dens and Munk pointed out which one belonged to who.
"That one is Victoria's; she's the white queen that we saw earlier, and that's mine and Demeter's. Come by if you have any questions or concerns. You plan on staying, don't you?"Munk asked. 'Jerrie nodded in reply. "I'm sure you understand why I'm uneasy about you and your sister, considering your...background. It's not very often we see one of Macavity's henchcats go good. No offense, of course, but you can never be too careful."The silver tabby explained, scratching his headfur.
'Jerrie shook his head. "None taken. We got kick ou', as Oi told ya before. Tha' onleh real mission we did was spoiyin' on ya. 'Teazah an' Oi aren' realleh bad ta tha' core, so ta speak. We were jus' desperate street cats lookin' fo' a 'ome. We got mixed up with Macavity, an' then we got kicked ou' because we broke some o' tha' rules. Tha's basicalley ah' 'istory as 'enchcats."The calico tom shrugged as Munk thought about his story.
"You don't sound bad. Just lost. You'll be able to find a home here, without a doubt. It might take a little longer for the other cats to come around, though. Don't be surprised if everyone treats you harshly at first. Just curious here, what exactly did you do to get kicked out of Macavity's hideout?"Munk raised an eyebrow, at a complete loss as to how one even goes about breaking The Hidden Paw's rules.
'Jerrie smirked, thinking back to 'Teazer and Elijah, but it quickly faded. "'Teazah fell in love with anothah cat there. 'E fell fo' 'er, too, an' love's not allowed there. So we got kicked ou'. Oi bet 'Teazah still misses 'im...Oi feel so bad fo' 'er...she's nevah allowed ta see 'im again. 'E was a good friend o' moine, too."His ears drooped as Munk laid a consoling paw on his shoulder.
The silver tabby smiled sadly at him. "I'll make sure the other toms go easy on her. She must be heartbroken, being torn away from her lover like that. Let's hope that someday they'll meet again. Thanks for being so open, it's not easy to do that so early and quickly. It tells me that you really do want to be given a second chance."He took his paw off of 'Jerrie's shoulder as they stopped at another den. "Since we now know you'll be staying and that you don't intend to go back to Macavity, it's only fair that you have a den of your own. We have a spare one you might like. I assume you'll want to stay with your sister, and this one is perfect for two cats."He gestured to the empty den beside him.
'Jerrie stepped inside and inspected it. There was only one bed, but that wasn't a problem. He'd just ask someone for some blankets later for 'Teazer. Other than that, it had a small wooden table in the middle. It wasn't much, but it was a lot better than his previous cramped quarters. He glanced back at Munk, "Oi loike it. Much more spacious than ah' previous arrangement. Oi'm sure 'Teaze'll love it, too."He said as he curled up in the bed.
Munk stood at the entrance, smiling. "I'm glad you like it. I'll make sure your sister knows where it is when she wakes up. For now, do you want to rest or meet some cats?"He offered, motioning his head towards the outdoors. 'Jerrie yawned and shook his head while resting his head on his paws. Munk chuckled as he slipped out the entrance. "I'll take that as resting, then. Just come by if you need anything. I'll make sure Demeter knows as well. See you later, then."The silver tabby smirked as he let 'Jerrie be.
'Teazer woke with a start, forgetting where she was for a moment. She scanned the dark den around her, and remembered she was in Jellylorum's den. She assumed it was nighttime, judging by how dark everything was. She looked toward the entrance and saw that a ragged, purple curtain had been pulled over it. Glancing behind her, she noticed Jelly was fast asleep in her own bed. 'Teazer looked down at her bandaged arm, surprised that it didn't hurt nearly as much as it did earlier. It was only slightly throbbing.
She silently crawled out of her bed, being careful not to put any pressure on her injured arm. She needed to clear her head and sort things out. Quietly pushing aside the curtain, she stepped out into the cool night air. The moon was almost full, and it cast an eerily beautiful silver light on the junkyard. The stars were out, and 'Teazer marveled at their beauty as she walked along, enjoying her momentary solitude. She suddenly found herself at the junkyard gates, so using a nearby trash heap as leverage; she hopped onto the thin metal railing at the top of the iron fence. Sitting back on her haunches, she gazed up at the stars, now that she had a better, unobstructed view. They twinkled and winked down at her from their place in the night sky, and it made her feel relaxed.
Her mind drifted back towards her time at Macavity's hideout, and inevitably, Elijah. She felt a pang of nostalgia and sadness in her heart as she reminisced about the happy, even romantic memories she had shared with him, as well as the painful ones. "Oi wondah if e's even aloive? Did Macavity let 'im bleed ta death, jus' loike 'e said? No, Oi won' think tha' way. Oi wondah if 'e's given up on moi an' is now with anothah queen?"She shook the thought out of her head. It was possible, but she didn't want to believe it. Did he really mean it when he said he loved her? If so, then he wouldn't dare touch another queen, right?
'Teazer was brought back to reality when she heard someone calling her name from below. "Psst! Rumpleteazer!"'Teazer glanced down and saw a brown cat staring up at her from the other side of the fence. She recognized him as the jail warden.
The calico queen cocked her head at him. "'Ow did ya know where Oi was? Nevahmoind tha', whot do ya wont?"She asked. Macavity didn't send spies after her, did he?
The jail warden shrugged. "It was pretty obvious, I guess. Anyway, I have important news. You're not going to like it. Please save the tears for when I'm done, okay?"The brown tom's face turned solemn as he spoke.
'Teazer's brow furrowed in utter confusion. "Save tha' tears...? Whot ah' ya talkin' 'bout?"She raised her voice, getting slightly irritated.
The brown tom shook his head slowly. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but...Elijah's gone missing. We can't find any trace of him. When this happens, we assume the cat's dead, because they usually never come back. I'm sorry, Rumpleteazer, we know you loved each other..."He said morosely. Slipping into the shadows, he left 'Teazer alone in the darkness once more.
'Teazer couldn't speak; she couldn't breathe for a moment. Only one thought echoed in her mind as she felt her world crashing down around her.
Eloijah's dead.
A part of her heart felt missing, like someone had torn it away, leaving nothing but an empty space.
Eloijah's dead.
Her best friend next to 'Jerrie; her lover; her solace. Dead. Gone forever, just like that.
She sat on the railing for what felt like hours in a state of shock, trying to come to terms with the tragedy that had befallen her. A single tear slid down her cheek. Then another; and another. Soon sobs racked her shoulders and the tears flowed freely. This time, she had no one to comfort her, no one to wrap their arms around her and tell her it was alright.
The calico queen slipped off the railing and began shuffling back to Jelly's den. The stars no longer looked beautiful; only cold and distant. The lone moon bathed her in its silver light, like it shared her sadness. She stepped into Jelly's den and into her bed as she cried herself to sleep.
Mungojerrie blinked a few times to focus his eyes as he vaguely remembered where he was. He hadn't slept that well in a long time. He sat up and stretched as he peeked outside the entrance of his new den. Some cats he didn't recognize were already out and about, chatting or sunning in the summer sunlight.
Yawning, he walked out of the den, eager to introduce himself. He hoped the other cats wouldn't be too hostile. He noticed a few queens sunning on the giant tire at the opposite end of the clearing and padded up to them. One was black and brown, another was white and yellow with a tortoise-shell pattern, and the third he recognized from the mission two days ago; the scarlet queen. He cleared his throat to get their attention, and they looked up at him with uncertain expressions.
'Jerrie smiled politely at them. "G'mornin' ladies. 'Ow ah' we today?"He asked as he hopped up on the tire and took a seat himself.
The white and yellow queen's eyes lit up as she smirked at him when she heard his Cockney accent. "You're that tom from last night, aren't you? Munk told us to keep an eye out for you. My name's Etcetera, but you can call me Etcy. Is that accent of yours real, or are you just faking it to impress us? Because it's working!"She batted her eyelashes at him a few times before her brown and black friend ribbed her, making her stop. 'Jerrie was glad she did; Etcy was making him feel uncomfortable.
The queen glared at her friend, "Etcy! What will Tugger think?"She hissed as Etcy immediately ducked her head and looked away, embarrassed. The brown and black queen turned to 'Jerrie. "Please excuse my friend; she doesn't know what she's saying. I'm Electra, by the way. This over here is Bombalurina. Or Bomba, for short. What's your name?"She asked with a forced smile while Bomba waved from behind her.
'Jerrie chuckled at their quirkiness and enthusiasm. "Oi'm Mungojerrie, but evreyone calls moi 'Jerrie. An' no, moi accent is not fake, an' noithah is moi sistah's. 'Er name is Rumplteazah, o' 'Teazah fo' sho't. Oi'll introduce 'er latah. Whot do ya goiys do 'round 'ere fo' fun?"He asked. He never really had any real friends, except for Elijah and his friends, so he had no idea what normal cats did outside Macavity's hideout.
Etcy shrugged, saying, "We like to dance, sing, hunt...Tugger!"She squealed as she noticed the Maine Coon walk by. 'Jerrie glanced at him and scratched his head, confused. She noticed his perplexed expression and filled him in. "The Rum Tum Tugger is the sexiest bomb in the junkyard! C'mon girls, let's go!"She gushed as she grabbed Electra's paw and pulled her off the tire.
Bomba just stared after them, shaking her head. "Their Tugger's fan club. It's quite amusing, actually. Your sister should watch out for him, though. He's a player. He'll try to seduce her."She warned, licking her paw. 'Jerrie nodded, and looked towards Jelly's den. 'Teazer herself was just stepping out. She smiled as she noticed her brother, and began walking towards him. 'Jerrie slipped off the tire and gave her a hug as they met in the center of the clearing. He observed her face and it looked to him like she'd been crying.
"'Teaze, whot's wrong? Ya look terrible."He said gently as she nodded. She took a deep breath as she put both paws on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.
"'Jer, las' noight, tha' jail warden came ta moi. Tha' one ya woke up? 'E told moi tha' Eloijah's dead."She chocked up as she forced out the words, and new tears started flowing. 'Jerrie pulled her into a hug again as she sobbed. She soon calmed down, though. 'Jerrie assumed she had cried enough last night over him. He felt sad, too. He really thought of Elijah as a good friend. It must have been ten times worse for 'Teazer to lose him so suddenly.
Out of the corner of his eye, 'Jerrie saw Tugger walking towards them. 'Teazer noticed him, too, and hid behind her brother as he stopped in front of 'Jerrie. He reminded her of that brown and white tom that had almost raped her back at the Red Sapphire, and she was afraid of bigger toms now.
Tugger winked at 'Teazer, and 'Jerrie noticed Electra and Etcy were gone. He assumed they had gone to do something else. He didn't like the greedy look in Tugger's eye as he hooked his thumbs in his belt.
"Step aside, my friend, and let Tugger comfort this damsel in distress."The Maine Coon smirked as a low growl erupted from 'Jerrie's throat. Tugger raised an eyebrow and put his paws up in surrender, "Whoa, hey, I thought you were her brother!"He laughed uncertainly.
'Jerrie nodded, but didn't back down. "Oi am. Ya're not touchin' moi sistah. So ge' ou' o' ah' soight before there's a real problem."He warned as Tugger backed away slowly.
Tugger put his paws down. "Alright, I respect you and your sister. I'll stay away, then. I kinda overheard you guys talking just now. I hope you're okay, miss. Please excuse my rude behavior...I didn't know you just lost a lover."He bowed his head respectfully at 'Teazer before turning around and walking off.
The calico siblings simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. 'Teazer nuzzled her brother gratefully as they walked in the direction of their den. "Thanks, 'Jer. Ya 'andled tha' quoite noicely. Where ah' we goin'?"She asked. Unbeknownst to her, they stopped outside their new den.
'Jerrie smiled and pointed inside. "Have a look yaself. This is ah' new 'ome."He said as 'Teazer stepped inside. To both their surprise, another bed was made, just for 'Teazer.
A few months later...
Loud, angry voices broke the peaceful stillness of the morning in the Junkyard. 'Jerrie and 'Teazer's heads shot up as the unexpected sound woke them for their comfortable sleep. The calico siblings popped their heads out from their den, but didn't see anyone. The angry voices were even louder now that they had nothing to block the sound. 'Teazer determined that the voices were coming from Mistofelees and Victoria, a usually placid couple known for never getting into a fight. By the sound of things, this had to be bad. 'Jerrie and 'Teazer stayed where they were, afraid to come out for fear of running into a furious Misto, which wouldn't be pretty.
The rest of this story continues in Pulling on the Heartstrings...