BETRAYAL AND ACCEPTANCE
A short while later, the rescue party moved on. Munkustrap glanced around the path they were on. Admetus was leading them with Munkustrap following him close behind. Behind him was Tugger, then Alonzo, and bringing up the rear of the group was Plato.
"Admetus, are you certain we are heading in the correct direction" inquired Munkustrap
"Yes, Munkus I am," was Admetus' annoyed answer, "Now be quiet. We don't want our position to be compromised."
"Oh, it is much too late for that, my friend," came a mysterious voice out of nowhere.
The group spun around and saw Joker standing on top of a huge rock flanked by hundreds of his Hench cats.
Munkustrap got into his fighting stance and demanded "Macavity, where are my daughter and niece?" Joker couldn't help but laugh. He remarked "Oh Munkus. Poor…poor…Munkus. You are so miss informed. I am not Macavity, thankfully. I am his older, much more talented brother Joker. As for your daughter and niece, I do not have them. My younger brother managed to escape with them. They are now somewhere here in the forest."
Munkustrap sharply remarked "Macavity didn't have a brother named Joker. Only Tugger and I are his brothers." "Unfortunately." Tugger snapped. "You can deny it all you wish," said Joker, "Obviously you have tried to forget me. But I won't be forgotten after tonight."
"You are not our brother!" shouted Munkustrap, "You are nothing but a rapist!" "I sense some resentment among the tightknit family of Jellicles," Joker purred, stepping down from the rock. He kept his eyes on the Jellicles, and whispered to the henchcats to his right "Take them…"
In an instant, every Jellicle except Admetus was surrounded by at least 10 Hench cats.
Gesturing in one particular direction, Joker said "Bring him to me."Munkustrap braced himself for any potential attack. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and saw Admetus standing next to Joker with a haughty smirk on his face. "Here you go, Addie…" stated Joker as he tossed Admetus a bag of catnip, "That's half a pound of catnip. The rest will be with your queens back at the Warehouse."
Munkustrap stared in complete shock and uttered "Admetus, what the hell are you doing?"
Joker looked very amused at the situation. He gave a devilish grin and said "Your little guide here was stringing you on all along. He was never going to help you." Munkustrap briefly felt his legs go weak and, still in a state of shock, spoke "Why, Admetus? I thought you were part of the Tribe."
Admetus scoffed and unsheathed his claws. He shouted with his voice full of hatred "A part of the Tribe! You must be kidding me. I haven't been a part of the tribe in years! Not since I started using nip… and you banished me to the lower part of the yard." Munkustrap hung his head in shame and anger. Joker put a paw on Admetus' shoulder and told him "Relax, Addie boy. They will get what they deserve soon enough. But… first I got to let my henchies have a bit of fun with them. Now it's time to take you home."
Joker turned away and simply stated "Finish them." He was followed by Admetus, who shot Munkustrap a final hateful glare and told him mockingly "Goodbye, Munkus." Once Joker and Admetus were out of sight, the Hench cats attacked.
"That no good, lying conniving lowlife, cat nipped Bastard! If I ever get my paws on him I am going to strangle the life out of him!" Tugger screamed, fighting off Hench cats. He threw his fists left and right, trying to land a blow. "Get in line Tugger," Plato hissed as he knocked another henchcat into a tree, killing him, "I can't believe it either, but we'll get that snake of a cat!"
"I'm sorry for this, guys. I thought we could trust him…" said Munkustrap as he swiped at another henchcat. "It's alright, Munkustrap. This wasn't your fault…" said Alonzo, as he slashed another henchcat's throat with his claws, causing him to quickly bleed to death.
After a few moments of fighting back and forth, a henchcat managed to strike Munkustrap with his claws. Munkustrap moved his paws and covered the gash on his side, but his vision quickly started to go blurry. The last thing he remembered before passing out was Tugger and the others calling his name and a hench cat with a wicked grin looming over him.
When he regained consciousness, a painful moan escaped his lips. He opened his eyes, squinting to block out the harsh light in front of him.
"Munkus…" called a voice, "Munkus… Hey, guys, he's awake."
"What the hell happened?" asked Munkustrap. After a few seconds, he could see clearly. He saw that Tugger, Plato, Alonzo and himself were bound, hanging from the wall with chains. "I'll tell you what the hell happened," answered Plato angrily, "That snake Admetus betrayed us and joined that malicious bastard Joker. We fought, we lost, and now we're here in this filthy dungeon."
"This is my fault. All of it. If I knew what he was planning, I would never have invited him along with us." Munkustrap whispered, his voice laced with guilt. "For the last time, Munkus, this isn't your fault. You couldn't have known how easily he could be corrupted by a bribe." Alonzo told his friend, reassuring him.
Just then, the cell door opened and Joker entered with a smug look across his countenance. He was accompanied by four henchcats who were covered in blood. Tugger let out a laugh and remarked "What happened to your little playboys here?"
"They had a little scuffle with your late friend Admetus" Joker stated simply. Munkustrap went wide-eyed and uttered "Wait… 'Late?'"
"Yes… I killed him," Joker said indifferently, "He took a few of my hench cats with him. Still, I cannot believe the poor fool actually thought I was going to give him all of the things I promised him. Even my second hands don't get those types of perks."
Munkustrap tried to lunge at Joker but got yanked back by his chains. Pain shot through his wrist and he cried out in shock. Joker made his way over to the Munkustrap's side and told him "I wouldn't do that if I were you. The chains are magical; therefore they cannot be broken."
"Our tribe will come after us," Munkustrap growled through gritted teeth, "We will defeat you." Joker shook his head and said calmly "I seriously doubt that. Even if your entire Tribe comes for you, they won't get far. My Hench cats vastly outnumber them. They will instantly surround them and I've given the order to kill anything that enters my territory."
Munkustrap angrily spat in Joker's face. At first, Joker did not react. But then he raised his paw in the air. When Munkustrap recoiled, Joker cackled and wiped his face. Then he struck the wound on Munkustrap's side, giving the black and silver tabby a brief but terrible lapse of pain.
"Now, let's see where my little brother is," said Joker. He chanted some words that the others could not understand and a small ball of smoke appeared in the air. The image was at first blurry, but the image gradually cleared up, revealing a group of cats sitting along a chain link fence.
"Ah, so my brother made it back to the yard," Joker smirked menacingly, "I think I shall pay them a little visit. I haven't seen those queens in quite some time. I do miss them dearly." Laughing sinisterly, Joker turned and left the cell with his henchcats. The last one to leave slammed the door shut behind them.
Tugger cleared his throat and asked his brother "So, what do we do now?" Munkustrap remained silent, uncertain of what to say that would help them. Finally, he said "I do not know, Tugger. I will try to figure out something. I just need some time to carefully think about our predicament."
Bombalurina and Demeter were sitting on top of the TSI-Bin. They frequently exchanged glances between each other, unsure of the reason for being there. The striped queen sitting directly in front of them had grabbed both of them and insisted that they come with her to the main clearing of the junkyard.
After a few moments of unbearable silence Demeter sighed and growled "Why exactly did you drag us out here?" Trista looked over her shoulder at the two queens and responded with her eyes half-closed "I cannot say exactly why you are here just yet. All I can say is that what I'm about to show you will make both of you very happy."
Bombalurina was just about to interrupt the conversation when – very faintly – she heard someone shouting "Mommy!" She looked up and she saw a young queen-kit coming through the entrance of the junkyard. It was her daughter Blaire. She felt as if her heart was about to burst and her breath got caught in her throat. As waves of joy encompassed her, she spoke slowly "Blaire…" Demeter noticed her sister's reaction and asked her in concern "Bomba, are you alright?"
Tears sprung to Bombalurina's eyes. Leaping off of the Bin, she ran to her daughter and embraced her tightly, as if she was afraid to let go. Demeter couldn't believe it either. Blaire was back.
But where was Jade? Panic quickly crept its way through Demeter's body. She was left wondering terrible thoughts. What if something had happened to Jade. What if she was hurt… or even dead?
A few moments later, Demeter heard another soft voice call out "Mommy!" All those disturbing thoughts were put to rest. When Demeter felt a little paw tug on hers, she looked down and saw Jade smiling up at her. She said happily "I'm home, mommy." Demeter fell to her knees and started to sob, holding firmly onto her daughter. Jade asked her "Mommy, are you alright?"
"Yes, sweetheart, I'm fine. You're home now and that's all that matters to me," she whispered, kissing her daughter on the forehead. When she saw the scar over her daughter's eyebrow, a sad sigh escaped her lips. She said "I'm afraid that scar's going to stay." Jade just kept smiling and told her mother brightly "That's okay! Mister Mac said boys like scars." Demeter froze. Stammering, she asked her daughter "Who-o-o said that?" Jade turned and pointed to Macavity, who was standing off away from the scene. Demeter focused her eyes on him and said urgently "Jade, get behind me. NOW!"
Confused, Jade asked Demeter "Mommy, what are you doing?" Demeter didn't say anything. Her eyes never left macavity's form. She tried to get her sister's attention. She spoke quietly "Bomba… Bomba…"
Bombalurina looked over to her sister and saw that she was hiding her daughter protectively behind her back. Bombalurina asked her sister "What's wrong, Demeter?" Demeter pointed down the clearing and spoke a single name: "Macavity…"
Bombalurina's eyes went wide and she started shaking all over. Memories from the past flooded back into her mind.
Macavity smiled at the scene. But all of a sudden he was grabbed by Skimbleshanks and Asparagus. "What the hell! Guys, let me go!" Macavity fought to free himself, but the toms held a firm grip on him. Trista saw Macavity being held and shouted "Hey, let him go!"
She jumped off of the TSI-bin to rush to Macavity's aid. Out of nowhere, a tremendous voice bellowed "Enough!"
Everyone froze and turned to one particular corner of the clearing. Out from behind a junk pile came Old Deuteronomy aided by his mate Grizabella. Macavity quickly noticed how much his father had aged in the years since his banishment.
The elderly Jellicle patriarch eyed the ginger cat and said "Macavity, I told you if you were ever to return to the junkyard it would mean instant death for you. You are further charged with the crime of kidnapping Jellicles."
Trista tried to get to old D to listen to her. She frantically told him "He didn't do it! He's innocent!"
Old D remained silent for a moment. Between his prior knowledge and Trista's talk, he seemed to be fighting within himself. Finally, he said "Tantomile and Coricopat, step forward please."
The twins walked in sync to their leader and queried simultaneously "Yes, sir?" Skimbleshanks and Asparagus stepped back as the twins approached them. They stopped directly in front of Macavity. "Now, you might feel a bit of tingling, but there should be no pain," Tantomile said, taking hold of Macavity's paw while her brother grabbed his other paw.
Macavity took a deep breath, attempting to calm the rapid beating of his heart..
Smoke surrounded them and the rest of the junkyard. When it cleared, everyone was in the clearing and they saw a young Macavity sitting on the TSE-1 Bin.
Macavity was sitting on top of the tire watching over the junkyard. It was his turn to function as part time protector of the tribe. He was just about to go off-duty when he heard a scream. Out of nowhere, Joker appeared in front of his brother, panting with his hair out of place. Macavity jumped off the tire and ran over to his brother.
"Joker, what happened?" he asked his brother. "Well, I was practicing my magic and I heard this giggle," Joker explained to Macavity, "So I went to see who it was and I saw this one queen… I blacked out after that. When I came to, the queen was lying on the ground. She was unconscious with blood around her legs."
Macavity shook his head and said nervously "Oh, Joker, please tell me you didn't. Not again." "Yes, I did it again. I lost control of my magic and raped her," Joker said innocently.
"What! Joker, you're going to get kicked out for this madness!" Macavity reminded his brother. Before this event, Joker had lost control of his magic and raped a queen just before her coming of age.
"I know, but it was her fault," Joker tried to reason, "She wasn't even supposed to be out wandering around. I was in the abandoned part of the yard, anyway." The two brothers stood there silently, staring at each other without the use of words. In the distance, yelling could be heard.
Joker started playing with his paws and said nervously "I can't get kicked out. It's such a wrong way to go. I have so much more to do here."
"Well, maybe if you didn't rape two queens…" Macavity stated.
Joker looked over Macavity and grinned he said "I've got an idea. You shall be of some us to me, my dear brother." He turned blue but only momentarily. He then returned to normal except the silver streaks on his face had disappeared and appeared on Macavity's face (without the latter noticing it).
"What did you just do?" Mac asked, slightly confused at his brother's actions. Before Joker had a chance to say anything, the elders and guardians of the tribe came running into the center of the junkyard and grabbed Macavity by the arms. "What the hell are you doing? Put me down!" he said, struggling against the two toms who had grabbed ahold of him. Those two toms happened to be Munkustrap, who looked really ** off and Tugger, who looked like he would rather be chasing queens.
He was quickly brought before his father. "Joker, you are found guilty of using your magic illegally and raping two queens, one of which was not yet of age," Old D said, standing in front of who he thought was Joker (But was really Macavity). Macavity's jaw dropped. He said desperately "Wait, no, Dad! It wasn't me! It was joker!" Tugger and Munks looked at him, confused.
"You are Joker." Tugger said, getting slightly annoyed. Macavity looked at Tugger like he was on drugs and said "What? No, no, no, no. I'm Macavity."
"ENOUGH!" Old D yelled, making everyone freeze in ther places. He eyed Macavity and told him "Joker, I'm sick of you and your ways. I gave you a chance, which was a mistake on my part. Now you've hurt two queens. You also deny that you committed the crime. For all of that, you are banished from the tribe and you are never to return. If you do it, will mean instant death" With those final words Old D turned around and walked away
Macavity stood frozen to the spot. His own father didn't believe him; he didn't even bother to listen. No one had listened and now he couldn't come back to try to get them to listen or he would be killed.
"Come on, Joker. Let's go." Munks and Tugger both said dryly as they led Macavity to the entrance of the Junkyard.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, dear brother, but one day you'll learn the error of your ways," said a familiar voice. Macavity turned his head one final time to see his brother Joker – the real Joker – standing on top of the TSE-1 Bin with an evil grin on his face. Tugger and Munkus tossed Macavity onto the streets and with a huff they both walked away. Mac curled up in a ball and started crying in agony and despair. He just wondered why that had to happen and why did it have to happen to him.
Joker jumped off of the Bin where he was standing. He said to himself "That went better than I thought it would. Now to go and have some more fun. I think I need to visit a certain queen." He laughed a laugh that would strike fear into the bravest of felines. Then blue smoke clouded him. When it cleared, there was no one in sight.
Smoke surrounded everyone once again. When it cleared, they were back in the main clearing of the junkyard. Everyone looked at the twins and Macavity in surprise and in shock. Old D slowly made his way over to his son; the twins moved off to the side.
"I told you, Dad… I wasn't lying… I told you," Macavity whispered with tears of sorrow and anger in his eyes. For a tense moment, Old D neither did nor said anything. Then to the amazement of Macavity and the Tribe, Old Deuteronomy hugged his son as close as he could. This was something he had not done for many years and he realized... how much he'd missed it.
Macavity's eyes first went wide and then he started to cry tears of joy as he clung to his father.
"I told you", he said through the tears. "I told you. I told you it wasn't me."
"I know you did", was all Deuteronomy could say, as he felt tears of joy go down his own cheeks, "I know."
"But you didn't believe me."
"I know... I'm deeply sorry. I'm sorry for everything, my son," said the Jellicle leader. Macavity cried harder at that; Deuteronomy hadn't called him son with so much love as he did in that moment for many years.
Old D put a paw on his son's face and wiped away a tear before he turned to face the shocked tribe. He declared "Let this be heard and known by all cats here. My son Macavity is free from all accusations that were laid upon him years ago. He is no longer to be feared or hated."
"Awww, that's so sweet. Too bad the whole family isn't here to celebrate," Joker spoke as he appeared on top of a junk pile. Macavity got into a protective stance in front of his father. He was not going to let Joker ruin this moment for him; not a second time.
Trista tried to duck in cover, but it did not work. Joker noticed her as well. He commented "Well, well, well… look who survived the bombing. I thought you were dead" Then he just scoffed and remarked "Oh, well. That's what I get for letting others do my dirty work." Trista ran to Macavity's side and he securely wrapped his arms around her, giving her a squeeze of reassurance. "It's good to see you so…" Joker stopped for a moment, and then he finished "Grown up."
"Leave this place, Joker. It is finished you're not welcomed here," Trista hissed, thought she was still slightly shaking out of fear. Joker kept staring at her with his cold eyes and stated "I did not come here to cause you any harm. Not for tonight, at least. I came here to let you know how you can get Munkus and the others back."
Macavity did not feel at ease with what his half-brother had just said. He sharply remarked "And just what would that be, oh 'dear brother' of mine?"
"I don't find your sarcasm amusing, Macavity," Joker snapped, "My plan is that you come and battle me. If you win, I'll release Munkustrap and the others. If I win, you come back and join me and I keep Munkustrap and the others. You will all be my warriors. Of course they will need some retraining. Being a Jellicle made them soft."
"You sick bastard," Macavity growled. Joker just smiled and continued "I expect you to be at my lair by the next full moon. You better come alone." Joker gave a farewell taunting wave and strode off into the shadows.
Macavity turned and looked at Trista and the tribe with saddened eyes. Trista immediately knew what he was thinking. She ran up to him and shouted "No! No! I'm not letting you go! I'm not letting you risk your life! Not again!"
Macavity took her face in his paws and kissed her softly on the lips, savoring her taste. When they came apart, he told her "Someone has to teach Joker a lesson. A lesson he'll never forget. It should be me."
Trista groaned and said edgily "I can't let you do this!"
"Why?" he demanded, She looked up into his eyes and said "Damnit, Mac; can't you see it's because I love you!"
Everyone who heard those words looked rather surprised, including Macavity. He secretly knew that Trista had strong feelings for him, but he did not know they were that strong. He looked down at her and said tenderly "I love you, too, Trista. With all my heart."
"Then stay here!" she pleaded, "Stay here with us! With me! Joker would never give you a fair fight!"
He simply stated, "I have to do this, Trista. You know I do. Even with Blaire and Jade home, the Tribe is still incomplete. Munkustrap and the others should be here, too. I could never live with the guilt of leaving them to Joker."
With that, the argument ended. Trista finally yet reluctantly saw the logic in Macavity's words. She smiled up at him and they kissed on the lips again. "I'm so proud of you, Mac," she told him.
Old D came up behind his son and put a paw on his shoulder. He said warmly "We shall not worry ourselves about this matter tonight. Tonight we must rest. Come, my son; there is a den prepared for you."
Ok so I think this one is the longest Ive written, I would also like thank Passionate Admiral for helping me with my story and sticking with a crazy person like me and the next chapter will be the last and then the epilogue.