Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd probably be better about working on it. Well, maybe not.

A/N: OMG!! How long has it been since I updated? A year? I am so sorry, if there is anyone still reading this. I hate when people do this, and now I'm doing it! AHHHH!! I think I remember where it's going now, and it's summer, so hopefully it will be updated more quickly. Maybe even finished. I make no promises, because I don't know what I'm going to be doing this summer. College is hard. Anyway, please R&R, but don't kill me for being slow!

Part 10

The Late Summer Berries

Pouncival ducked under the bridge and slid along the muddy bank. Where were those berries? Ah, there they were. They were just starting to get ripe, just in the nick of...

His fur stood on end as a pollicle started to bark nearby. What if that one wasn't on a leash? Pounce shuddered and hurried to pick some berries and dump them in the small bag that he had carried all the way from the junkyard for this. He could almost feel that howling pollicle breathing down his neck, making him nervous. Trying to work faster he dropped more berries, so he had to slow down again and pick them up.

"Late summer berries," he muttered. "Hurry, get the late summer berries." His jaws were tired from carefully clamping the berries in them and pulling, but not using too much force and mashing them. Wanting to just give up and leave the stupid things, he forced himself to pick up what he had gathered and turned to trot back to the junkyard.

He scurried along the side of the pavement, dodging human feet and trying not to swallow the berries. Finally, he ducked into an alleyway and heaved a sigh of relief at the respite from avoiding humans.

"Why hello there," a voice said from the shadows. "What might you be doing here?" The speaker paused as if waiting, but only for a moment. "What's a matter? Cat got your tongue?" A face peered out of the darkness—it was Shadow Boots.

Alonzo yawned hugely and shook his head in an attempt to wake up. Ettcy laughed and smacked his ear with one paw. "Gonna fall asleep on duty?" She teased, and he frowned.

"No, but I am gonna keep you in line!" He pounced on her and tickled her vigorously, and soon they were both laughing.

"Alonzo, where's Munkustrap?" Exotica appeared from in the shadows of her den. "Are you on watch duty?"

"Yep," Alonzo sat up and stopped tickling Ettcy in an attempt to look mature. "There's a wounded stranger in Millie's den, and Munku went to go get Deuteronomy."

"Uh-huh," she said. "So, is playing with Ettcy part of a guards watch duties? I mean..." They both looked sheepish, and she laughed. "I won't tell. Do you think I ought to go watch the north side? Wind smells like trouble."

Alonzo nodded, grateful that she wasn't going to report his lapse on duty to Munku. "Sounds good, Tica. I can't watch both sides of the yard at once, its too far."

Ettcy looked irritated. "I could watch a side!"

Exotica laughed musically. "I'm sure you could dear, but why don't you help Alonzo a while yet? Your still very young, and it's getting late to be out alone. In fact, I think I'll see what Tanto is up to, maybe she'll come with me."

After Exotica left, the two young cats sat very still for a long time.

Pouncival didn't even bother dropping the berries to respond to Shadow Boots, he just kicked up his heels and high-tailed it out of there. His weary muscles protested the sudden speed, but sore muscles was far more appealing than being caught by Boots, one of his father's enemies.

Sure, Pounce was one of his father's enemies, too, but that wouldn't mean anything to Boots. Shadow Boots was downright mean, and Pounce knew it. His paws skidded on the pavement as eh rounded a corner. Just his luck, there stood Macavity, talking casually (as casually as Macavity ever got) to one of his more pleasing hench-men.

Barely keeping his eyes from popping out of his head in shock, Pounce back-paddled as fast as he could, only to run smack into Boots coming from behind. He stumbled and accidentally swallowed about half of the berries, as he choked and gagged on the others, he dropped the rest. "Well, well, Shrin's blood," Macavity smiled coldly. "You wouldn't happen to have seen my daughter, would you?"

Staring at him blankly, Pounce tried to sort out what he was talking about while at the same time coughing up what remained of the late summer berries. "Wha?" He finally managed.

"You know. JEMIMA." Boots laughed at the expression on his face. "Thought you knew her. Prolly know that little Ketty, too, eh? The little cry-kitten?"

"Don't talk about my son like that!" Pounce lunged at the larger tom, forgetting all his Jellicle manners and reverting to the style he learned from his ma and the other cats in Shrin's territory. Macavity laughed menacingly as Pounce tussled with Boots, and Boots pinned him to the ground with a hiss.

"Worthless git." Shadow Boors stepped off and sauntered over to Macavity, Pounce shook his head, trying to clear it, but the world was spinning and winking in and out of focus. The two cats seemed to disappear right through the wall, but he couldn't see properly. He thought he heard the two laughing together before everything finally went dark.

Tumble's head lolled to one side and his eyes slowly closed, only to snap open and to attention. It was nearly midnight, and he'd been up since his watch the evening before last. Sure, he was used to sleepless nights, but sleepless days? He stifled a yawn and looked down at Brad, who muttered quietly in his uneasy sleep.

"You've been sitting there a long time," Millie said as she approached with a wet rag for Brad, "maybe you should get some sleep. I'd let you know if anything changed. Even me and Jenny take shifts, to get some sleep."

"It ain't your fault he's like this," Tumble told her, gazing at Brad with a haunted look in his eyes. "I have to stay with him. I can't leave him, like."

Jemima's head appeared behind Millie, "When's Old Deuteronomy gonna get here?" She asked. "And when's Pounce gonna get back?"

"Soon. Don't fuss, darling, get some sleep." Millie told her.

"Yes, Millie, ma'am." Jemima sighed and curled up in a corner. As Millie turned away, both she and Tumble could hear the kitten mutter in a voice that they probably weren't supposed to hear, "Sleep! Ha, as if I could sleep now." Tumble almost caught himself smiling, but then he remembered Brad, and the feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come.

As it happened, Deuteronomy and Munkustrap were on their way to the yard at that very moment. The walk from the vicarage was getting a bit long for the elderly leader, his arthritis bothered him more on cool nights like this. Even if it had been the dead of winter, though, he would have come. Nothing could stop Old Deuteronomy when his tribe (or even any other cat) needed him. He was like a force of nature—something you just didn't mess with. Macavity had learned this the hard way several times, but as Deuteronomy grew older and the year lengthened, Macavity could never seem to resist trying to overthrow the Jellicle leader one more time.

Once Munkustrap had filled Deuteronomy in on the situation at the junkyard, they fell to chatting as they walked. If Deuteronomy had been younger, he would have ran to the yard. Since he was not, he took advantage of the time with Munkustrap to instruct the younger tom in the ways of leadership. Of course, it didn't really seem like instruction to Munku, it just seemed like they were talking about general goings-on in the junkyard.

That was how the leader before Old Deuteronomy had taught him, and it was how he planned to instruct his son in leadership. The first thing that Deuteronomy had learned was necessary for a good Jellicle Leader was understanding and patience. And you always had to be ready to pay attention to whichever cat needed it at the moment, even if it was just a little kitten showing off his or her new pouncing skills.

After a time they started discussing the healer cats of the tribe, and Deuteronomy noticed how Munku's eyes lit up when he talked about Jenny. He didn't say anything about it, though, just smiled to himself in a quiet, satisfied way.

Not too much later the two cats reached the junkyard, greeting Alonzo and hurrying to the car where the healers denned. Seeing that Millicent was awake, Deuteronomy greeted her first. "Millie? How is our patient?"

"Not too good," she said quietly, turning so that Tumble wouldn't hear, "I'm afraid he isn't getting any better. I sent Pounce to get some late summer berries for him—it's the only thing I can think of—but that was hours ago, and he isn't back."

"Wound fever can be very difficult," Deuteronomy told her, "but I am confident in your abilities and in Jenny's. I would like to see our patient, and meet his companion, if I might?"

"That would be wonderful," the siamese cat said. "Perhaps you can get him to take some rest, so that we won't have to take care of him, too!"

With a nod, Deuteronomy made his way over to Tumble and Brad, but Munku hung back to speak to Millie.

"You say Pounce isn't back yet? Which way would he have gone?"

"To the north," Millie said. "There's a park out that way, across the road. I hope nothing bad has happened!"

"I'll head out that way and check it out." Munku reassured her. "Hopefully he was just delayed, and will arrive here any minute." He turned disappeared out the door, just a flash of black and silver fur.

Tumble watched him go suspiciously, "Where's he got to?" He asked Deuteronomy, having introduced himself and decided that the old cat was trustworthy.

"He's the protector of the junkyard," Deuteronomy explained, "if anything threatens the yard, or cats go missing, he has to see that it gets taken care of. He may just have to go find a replacement for the watch, things are a little off-schedule today."

"Hello? Millie? Anybody in here?" Bomby's face appeared in the window of the car, and Tumble almost jumped out of his skin.

"Hush, Bomby." Millie ordered, but in a friendly way. "We have a sick cat in here."

Bomby's ears went back in annoyance but she mouthed an apology and looked concerned as she squeezed into the car. "Hello Deuteronomy," she spoke in a more subdued tone, "Who's sick? Has anyone seen Demi?"

"A cat named Bradford is sick, he's friends with Jemima." Old Deuteronomy sighed deeply. "There has been no news of Demeter yet, but don't give up hope."

Tumble looked up, "Everlastin' Cat, it's Lady Red." The two cats stared at each other incredulously.

"Well if it isn't Tumblebrutus, the Bosun." Bomby sneered. "Oh, now I know who Bradford is. You haven't seen Lady Blackgold have you?"

Tumble looked thoughtful as Jemima stared at him with wide eyes from the corner where she was supposed to be sleeping. "I can't say that I..." He glanced over at Jemima, looked uncomfortable, and cleared his throat before leaning in closer to the two adult cats and whispering. "I ain't for certain, but I heard as Maccy's got hisself a new Lady. And that she ain't none too happy either. I don't know if'n that's Lady Blackgold, but it's all I got."

Bomby's eyes narrowed. "Funny, Grimbuskin hadn't heard anything like that."

"Grimbuskin spends too much time wetting his beard at the Bell. And losin' dice games." Tumble snorted. "Course he ain't heard nothin."

"When Munkustrap gets back," Deuteronomy assured Bomby, who was looking a little wild around the eyes, "we will begin a reconnaissance mission to rescue Demeter, if it is indeed her. If not, we will at least help whatever poor cat that Macavity is holding."

She frowned. "Where is Munku?"

"He went to find Pounce. Your mate agreed to grab some summer berries while he was looking for Demeter, and he was supposed to be back by now..." Millie piped in.

The red queen cat let out a piercing yowl that stood Tumble's hair on end. "Oh no! Pounce is missing, too?!"