In a life bereft of fairness, it is always a small victory when something manages to go the right way. We were all a month older and a month wiser since the new kitten, Bombalurina, had been born, and even if my life wasn't perfect, at least now it was better than it had been. It had only taken a day or so after the night of her sister's birth for Demeter and me to become a couple, and a happy one we were. There were times when, upon walking around the junkyard paw-in-paw with her, I couldn't help but feel like a kitten again. The touch of her paws and the brush of her fur against mine filled me with a giddy excitement that I hadn't felt in so long. Already, even though all that was on my mind was still there, it felt like a load had been lifted from my shoulders. Demeter was helping me figure out this gigantic mystery; in return, I doted on her, agreeing to stop and play with the kittens when she wanted to. I didn't mind. I had her and she had me, and to both of us, little else mattered.

My mother approved. There was a little gleam in her eyes whenever she saw me with Demeter – I think she saw that my new queen-friend was restoring me to the happy and careless kitten I once was, and she was glad to have him back. So was I. Munkustrap, too, was happy for me, probably having noticed me growing distant of late and being rude and blunt even to him. It seemed that there was only one cat who didn't feel the positive effects of this new development: my father. When he looked at me, there was still that disapproving light in his eyes. I don't think he suspected me of knowing what I knew; I was just a failure to him because of whatever it was he had done so long ago. I didn't know enough, yet I still knew too much. I remained determined not to let his disappointment stop me, though. I was still on a quest to find out the truth, and maybe, just maybe, it would be the chance I needed to restore his faith in me.

Demeter, thankfully, was enthusiastic about helping me figure out what I needed to know. We weren't getting very far, but two brains, we hoped, were better than one. We were certain by now that Deuteronomy and those alley toms had a dark history with each other – the toms put their trust in our tribe, and he drove them out. That was all we knew for certain. Yet we knew there had to have been a reason for what he did; he couldn't have driven them out just for a laugh. We assumed at first that this reason was for the sake of the tribe – maybe the toms had some hidden malicious intent that Deuteronomy unearthed, and he forced them out so that they couldn't do whatever it was they were planning. But one of the toms had told me they hadn't done anything wrong. So that couldn't have been it. Perhaps the toms brought some kind of disease to the tribe, and Deuteronomy made them leave before it could spread? That was possible. But then a new light was shed on the matter: maybe the reason for making the toms leave wasn't for the good of the tribe. We'd already deduced that my father was hiding something; this must be it. But if that was the case, how would we ever figure it out? Deuteronomy was sure to guard this secret ferociously; we weren't going to find out anything from him, and the alley toms didn't seem about to talk either. Or worse yet, what if there wasn't a reason at all? The only one who would know the truth about any of this was my father, and we'd already established that I'd lose my tail if I brought it up with him again.

Unless . . .

"I just thought of something," I blurted to Demeter one day. We were sitting together in the old oven, sharing each other's warmth as we watched Munkustrap and little month-old Bombalurina playing outside.

Her ears flicked up. "What?" she prompted, glancing up at me.

"When did it all happen?" I asked. "The whole ordeal with Dad and the alley toms . . . we never thought about when it was."

Demeter frowned slightly, confused. "What's that got to do with it?"

"What if it happened before Dad was Jellicle Leader?" I pointed out. "Maybe something happened with the toms that made Dad feel threatened . . ."

"So maybe they were trying to take over!" Demeter thought aloud, her eyes lighting up. "And so your dad ended up doing something he regrets now because he wanted to stop them from taking over his position."

"And once he successfully drove them away, he never told anyone what he did so that he could still be leader . . . and he's been hiding it ever since." I grinned widely. "Of course! Why didn't we think of that before? This has to be it. What we need to do now is just ask Dad to tell the story of how he became leader—"

"How?" Demeter interrupted, the frown coming back. "In view of the circumstances, won't he think there's something a bit strange about you suddenly asking how he became leader?"

I was still grinning as I glanced outside. "Not if Munkustrap asks him instead."

I felt her looking at me, thinking about what I'd said. "That's a right smart idea," she acknowledged after a pause, and then let her gaze follow mine to my little brother. "I wouldn't've thought of that . . ."

I just chuckled. "It'll be easy. Munkustrap doesn't know anything about what's been going on, so he won't think there's anything suspicious about us wondering about Dad. We just let him hear us talking about it, and that'll make him curious enough to ask Dad himself."

She smiled, and I looked at her as she took my paw in hers. "I knew we'd get it," she purred, and brushed her cheek against mine. "We're getting close now, Mac. I told you we would."

"I know you did," I purred back, twining my fingers with hers and letting her lean against me. "You were right . . . you always are."

Both of our gazes shifted back to the playing kittens outside, and within moments, as if on cue, Munkustrap approached us, Bombalurina toddling along behind him. They clambered into the oven, and I felt Demeter press closer to me from the wave of chilly air they brought in with them.

"Done playing already?" I murmured teasingly to my brother.

" 'S too cold outside," mewed Bombalurina. She climbed into her sister's lap and curled up there comfortably; I felt the absence of warmth as Demeter sat up straight to support her.

"What were you talking about in here?" Munkustrap asked, glancing up at us. "I saw you looking at me."

I exchanged a glance with Demeter, trying not to grin. Perfect. "We were just talking about Dad," I answered lightly. It still pained me to say it, but I continued: "You know, you're going to be Jellicle Leader after him . . . but I don't think he's ever told us about how he became leader."

"How?" Munkustrap repeated, furrowing his brow. "What do you mean? Wasn't he just born into the position like I was?"

I was born into it first, you little bugger. "He was born into the family just like we were," I replied, "but what if there was something he had to do before he could become leader? What if he had some kind of . . . task to accomplish first?"

Munkustrap paused, and his head tipped to one side as he thought it over. "Maybe you're right," he mused, a glow of realization in his eyes. "If Dad had a task before he could be leader, maybe I'll have one too."

I nodded, and I could tell Demeter was grinning as I answered, "That's right – maybe you will. I think you should ask him so you can prepare yourself."

The little tabby then frowned. "But you never had a task," he recalled. "Dad chose me to be the next leader because—"

"I did have a task," I corrected him. "I failed it." It wasn't exactly true, of course – I owed my encounter with the alley toms to my own curiosity. But I had to keep the illusion going, and this was the first way I thought of to do it.

My brother just looked even more confused now. "You did? But . . . what did you do? I never heard anything about you having a task."

I faltered. Munkustrap didn't know about the alley toms. Of course. It happened the night after he was born. "I can't tell you," I quickly told him to cover my hesitation. "You're not allowed to know until after you've completed your own task."

It was going so well that I didn't notice the massive hole in the lies I was feeding him – he was swallowing everything I said, and that was all I cared about. Fortunately for me, before he could ask another question, he suddenly turned and looked outside at the sound of the overgrown kitten Admetus calling his name, probably inviting him to see some kind of bug he found in the dirt. Grinning, Munkustrap stood and scampered back outside, calling, "Thanks, Mac!" over his shoulder. Only then did I notice Demeter looking at me worriedly.

"Maccy," she mewed once my brother was gone, "there is no task."

I frowned. "I know that."

"So does your dad," she countered. "When Munkustrap asks him, he'll find that out. But you've already told him you had a task. What's going to happen when he realizes you failed the task that doesn't exist? He'll find out about our secret. And then what?"

I felt my heart plunge into my stomach. She was right. I'd bought my own lie. Dad was going to kill me. "Goddammit!" I spat once it sunk in. "How did I not think of that?! I—"

"Maccy!" A paw landed over my mouth. "Ssh! Bomby's sleeping."

With a rush of alarm, I realized I'd forgotten about the other kitten in the oven. I glanced down, and sure enough, the scarlet furball was curled up asleep in Demeter's lap. I sighed and peeled her paw away from my mouth. "Sorry," I muttered. "I guess I just . . . got carried away with what I was telling him."

Demeter just smiled and gave my paw a squeeze. "Don't worry about it," she purred. "You're still a talented liar, Mac. When Munkustrap does talk to your dad, I know you'll be able to talk your way out of it. It's still our secret . . . and it'll stay that way."

I smiled back at her, feeling a wave of appreciation. We both looked down at the sleeping kitten once more, and then we kissed in the comforting privacy of the warm oven.

-x-X-x-

Munkustrap stayed outside playing for most of the rest of the day. I would have spent as much time with Demeter, but a few minutes before Munkustrap would have gone inside for the evening, Bombalurina started complaining of being cold, and Demeter took it upon herself to bring her inside to warmth. She seemed to be more of a mother to her sister than Grizabella was; in fact, I noticed that Grizabella wasn't being a very good mother to her new kitten at all. It was as if she simply didn't care. When I thought about it, I couldn't help but be reminded of that night when she'd disappeared and come back pregnant the next day – that, too, was somewhat of a mystery. Grizabella had never taken a mate; no one knew who Demeter and Bombalurina's father was. Was it even the same cat? Perhaps they weren't sisters, but half-sisters. Without a mate, Grizabella didn't necessarily have to remain faithful to any one cat. It was entirely possible that she simply wanted a good time with some attractive young tom, and went for a night out and just happened to get pregnant from it twice. I wasn't naïve anymore; I knew these things could happen. Demeter had told me that she'd heard other cats talking about a place called Tottenham Court Road, and that they were talking about her mother when they mentioned it. Maybe that was where she went that night – it was just another secret not-so-carefully concealed from the rest of the tribe.

"Bye, Mac," Demeter purred as she prepared to return to her den with her sister. She nuzzled me, and I grinned and nuzzled back. "It's getting a bit late, so I'll see you tomorrow." She then kissed me on the cheek; I hoped that she would have done more had Bombalurina not been watching impatiently. Even so, I couldn't ignore a little twinge of disappointment. As she padded away, holding paws with her sister, I found my eyes drawn to her bottom, to the way her tail swung and her hips swayed back and forth as she walked . . .

Now that she was gone, I could have spent the last few minutes of daylight playing with Munkustrap until it was time to go inside. I could have stayed out and done whatever I wanted. But, suddenly, I felt like going inside to my room. I wasn't sure why, but something about me felt a bit different. There was a strange kind of something I'd never felt before. It felt like an odd sort of excitement, but that wasn't quite it. At first, I wasn't sure what it was.

Upon returning to my room, I discovered something else. Whatever this feeling was, a different part of my body was responding to it too. It was a part I'd never paid much attention to – I'd never thought it served much of a purpose. I knew it was where kittens came from, but I was too young for that . . . wasn't I?

For a moment, I sat on my bed and stared at it, not sure what to do. What was making it stand up like this? All I could think of was Demeter, and how pretty she was becoming, and the way her ass moved when she walked, and oh god. It was getting harder.

My first hormone attack. How precious.

I still didn't know what I was supposed to do about it. I considered talking to my father about it, but I realized that I didn't exactly want him knowing about this. Beyond that, all I knew was that I was being overcome with a strange desire to touch, to feel, to explore . . .

It felt stiff. It was weird, but at the same time, the touch of my own paws felt good – too good. I reached down again, and this time I held it for a few seconds. That felt even better. I looked at it curiously. What was happening? I still didn't know, but now I almost didn't want it to stop. I wanted to do more, to heighten this strange feeling of pleasure . . .

Whatever this was, it didn't last long. Before I could do anything else, my ears flicked up at the sound of two sets of pawsteps, one lighter and one heavier. From the voices I heard accompanying them, I learned that it was Munkustrap coming in from the cold with Epellina, telling her all about his kittenish adventures of that day. I blinked. I was sure I'd heard a female voice together with Deuteronomy's when I first came into the den, but Epellina was just coming inside now. I frowned, trying to make this fit together in my head, but then I suddenly froze as I remembered my discussion with Munkustrap in the oven that afternoon. Now that he was coming inside for the evening, he was sure to ask our father about everything I'd told him; this could only either go very well or very badly. I was prepared for the latter. My erection and the female voice conundrum instantly forgotten, I stood and raced to the closed door of my room to listen to the impending conversation, knowing Deuteronomy would likely find it suspicious if he knew how intently I wanted to hear this.

I listened . . . and nothing happened. From what I could tell, my brother was more eager to talk about how he'd spent the day playing with Admetus and Bombalurina while I was being boring in the oven with Demeter. Thanks, baby brother.

Several minutes passed in this manner. I let out a hiss of frustration; surely he hadn't forgotten? I went back and sat on my bed, my tail flicking angrily back and forth. By the time Mother called out "Macavity, come to dinner!", whatever was left of my hopes was gone. Trying unsuccessfully to conceal my sour mood, I sulked out of my room to be greeted by the usual scene: a smiling pregnant mother, a slightly frowning father, and a happy brother waiting for me over that evening's dinner of mice.

I slumped down without a word and began to eat, but the sight of me seemed to trigger something in Munkustrap's memory. "Oh, yeah!" he suddenly burst out. "Dad, how did you become leader?"

The question took all of us by surprise. I looked up and caught my brother's gaze for a fraction of a heartbeat before it flicked curiously up to our father, who blinked skeptically. "What do you mean, my son?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"Tell the story of how you became Jellicle Leader," Munkustrap paraphrased. "You didn't just become leader because the old leader before you stepped down, did you? Was there some kind of task you had to do first?"

Deuteronomy didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked right at me, and I felt my blood turn into water. Trying not to appear suspicious, I ducked my head and continued my meal, pretending not to be interested.

Our father sighed heavily. I was prepared for the worst, but nothing could have prepared me for what he said next. "There is a task."

It was all I could do not to choke on my mouse.

"Each new leader must complete one before he can succeed the old leader," Deuteronomy continued. "He must choose this task himself; there are no guidelines other than that it must be something that will benefit the whole of the tribe and prove his worth. He must do it alone, and he must not reveal his task until it is complete. If he completes it successfully, he will have proven himself worthy, and only then may he go on to become the new leader."

Munkustrap was fascinated. Admittedly, I was too, but I noticed that our father hadn't mentioned anything about his own task – which was what Munkustrap had originally asked him for.

The little tabby didn't seem to notice. "When will I have to choose my task?" he asked instead, an alacritous glow in his eyes.

"You don't need to worry about your task just yet," Father murmured, smiling slightly. "Most prospective new leaders wait until they have reached adulthood, or nearly so – it is wisest to wait until you have reached a level of maturity that allows you to take your task seriously."

Munkustrap nodded earnestly. Then, finally, he asked the question I'd been waiting for. "What was your task, Dad?"

The smile on Deuteronomy's face instantly faded. The air in the room suddenly felt thicker, making everyone, Munkustrap included, uneasy. "I'll tell you once you've completed yours," Father answered after a moment of stony silence.

My brother's ears drooped. "Am I not allowed to know before I've done my task?" he guessed.

That was what I'd told him in the oven, but I got the feeling Deuteronomy wasn't quite telling the truth when he answered, "Yes – that's it. No go on and wash up – it's getting to be bedtime."

Having finished my dinner, I excused myself from the room, my head spinning. So there was a task! Why hadn't my father told me any of this before?

The answer hit me almost at the same time as the question: the alley toms. I'd already unwittingly failed my task.

I felt my heart sink, but as I retreated back to my room, I recalled that Deuteronomy had said that the task was the upcoming leader's chance to prove himself worthy. If it was really just a matter of proving myself, then there was still hope. Unbeknownst to my father, my task was in progress right now. The fact that he'd refused to talk about his own task just proved that he was hiding something, and my task was finding out what it was. It was setting things right again, the way they should be. It was showing not just my father, but the whole tribe, that I still deserved to be the next leader as much as ever.