Part 12
The two shape shifters fought each other viciously, transforming into other animals as they went. Then at one point Sphinx transformed into a ferret and aimed for Alonzo's snake body. But Alonzo transformed into an eagle and aimed his sharp claws for the ferret. Munk couldn't help but stare because the two shape shifters fought exactly alike, they could even anticipate the other's moves and attacks. Munk wondered if it was like fighting against your own reflection, fighting this… this alternate version of yourself. Suddenly someone pulled on his arm and he looked at Misto.
"We gotta do something Munk", he said. "It's just a misunderstanding. Alonzo thought-"
Munk grabbed Misto's arms and stared at him.
"Alonzo?" he asked.
"Yeah… a black and white tom that's not from this world and-"
Munk smiled like a kid on Christmas and kissed Misto on the cheak before running at the ferret and eagle. The eagle was about to burrow his claws into the ferret but Munk jumped in between.
"Stop!" he yelled and the eagle turned into a little sparrow instead so that Munk wouldn't get hurt. But the ferret tried to reach around Munk and bite the sparrow. Munk grabbed hold of the ferret and then the sparrow and held them apart.
"Stop", he said. "This is just a big misunderstanding! Sphinx shift back!"
"Why", the ferret hissed angrily.
"Do as I-"
"HUMANS!" yelled Pouncival and the Jellicles scattered. Munk looked at the two shape shifters.
"Please help", he whispered. "The humans need a decent explanation."
With a sigh the sparrow turned into an Italian looking guy with black hair and black eyes. The ferret turned into an almost copy of the other, but his hair was blood red. Munk hit facepalmed when he realized how stupid he'd been to not recognize Sphinx when he turned into a human the first time he and Tumble met him. The two almost twins stared at each other.
"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke", Sphinx asked. "Count I swear that if you are just trying to mimic me…"
"What?" Alonzo asked. "I'm not Count… you are!"
"Heck no!"
"Guys", Munk called up to them and they looked down at him. "Humans remember."
"Don't worry we'll handle them", Sphinx said and then looked at Alonzo. "Right… fellow shifter?"
"Damn right", Alonzo answered and then the humans arrived as on cue.
"You two", a tall man with red hair and mustache said. "Do you know where those animal-like roars came from?"
"Yeah", Alonzo said calmly. "Well actually no… we only know they come from in here somewhere."
"I told you it's just some kids messing around", Sphinx said hitting Alonzo's arm slightly. "Come on bro what else could it be?"
"Escaped zoo animals?" a woman asked.
"Haven' heard of any escapees ma'am", Sphinx said with a shrug. "Look bro you and I've been here since those cat noises was heard and we haven't seen a thing. 'Sides you're allergic to furry creatures."
"So?" Alonzo grumbled.
"Wouldn't ya sneeze up a storm if there was one of 'em 'round here? I mean with your furry little problem…"
Alonzo rolled up his sleeves.
"I'll show you furry little problem", he growled.
Sphinx backed up, ready to make a run for it.
"Gentlemen gentlemen", said an older man and Sphinx and Alonzo turned to him.
"What", they asked in chorus.
"There's no need to fight, did you see any animals here?"
"No", the two cats answered.
"Heard anything?"
"Except from giggles no", Alonzo said calmly.
"See I told you it was kids", Sphinx said and put his arm around Alonzo's shoulders.
"Yeah yeah I was wrong… once."
"Aw come on admit you've been wrong before."
"Not as long as I've known you."
"Oh so what do you call tha-"
"That was just as much your fault as mine."
The humans started to leave while the two shifters kept teasing and 'bicker' back and forth. When they both saw that no humans were near them they looked at each other.
"Let's get out of these suckish form ey", Sphinx asked and cocked an eyebrow.
"Damn right", Alonzo said and the Jellicles saw the two humans shrink into cats again. Alonzo and Sphinx eyed one another and cocked their, right for Sphinx and left for Alonzo, eyebrows.
"Well don't you look handsome", Sphinx teased. "Like looking in a black and white mirror."
"Well when I look at you I wonder if I'm not looking into a mirror at the funhouse."
Sphinx pouted. "That was low."
Alonzo shrugged and Sphinx laughed at that.
"Now seriously", he said. "What are you supposed to be?"
"My mate", Munk said calmly and walked up to them and smiled at Alonzo. "Who I've been missing terribly and that I want to kiss so much right now."
"So kiss him", Alonzo said and Munk and he did just that.
"Okay back up", Tantomile said, making her and all the mystics presence clear. Munk and Alonzo looked at her. "You told us you are from another world Alonzo."
"That's right", Alonzo said, Munk had a firm grip on his paw and Alonzo wasn't keen on letting go either.
"But you forgot to mention this tiny little detail."
Alonzo shrugged.
"You didn't ask."
"What are they doing here", Cassandra asked hissing.
"Cassie they are not the evil ones", Munk said. "Everything they've been saying about Tugger is true."
"Tugger isn't evil!" Victoria yelled.
"It's true", a female voice said and they turned to see Bombalurina. "I saw him, I saw him trying to kill Asparagus and Exotica."
Exotica walked slowly towards Bomba.
"Why didn't you say so?" she asked.
"I tried… you didn't-"
"BOMBA", screamed Jemima and Electra and flew at their older sister hugging her so hard they could. Bomba hugged them back and Plato smiled at her, still not letting go of Tumble who he was firmly holding, Demeter had finally let go of him. Jenny and Misto joined the other mystics. Etcetera was looking back and forth between the two groups. And then groaned in frustration.
"Can someone please tell me what exactly is going on?" she screamed and everyone turned to her and then to Munk.
"You accused Tugger Munk", Admetus said. "So? What really is going on?"
"I was hoping Tugger could tell us everything", Munk said calmly.
"Speaking of slime", Plato growled. "Where is he?"
Everyone looked around and Munk swore.
"Shit and fell and damn it all to hell", Munk growled and held up a paw as Quaxo opened his mouth. "No Quaxo I'm not fond of the guy down there."
Alonzo looked around. "So what really is going on Munk, what do you think?"
Munk sighed and beckoned everyone over to the tire.
"I believe that in this world Tugger is a power-longing cat that saw his chance to get to power when Count started showing up. In this world he showed up as a shape shifter all along right?"
The Jellicles, mystics and shape shifter of this world nodded. Munk threw a quick look at Cand and his friends, they all looked as confused as the rest of them. But he noticed Limbi narrow his eyes slightly at Cand. Munk was going to look into that later.
"When Tugger saw that this… kinda weak opponent had some power", Munk went on. "He realized they could both win on it. He could be the Jellicle leader and perhaps Leader in time… I don't really know how that work."
"Actually it is the firstborn of a Leader that inherits the powers", Deuteronomy said with a sigh.
"So that mean… Macavity", Jelly asked and gasped. "Oh no…"
"Not to worry", Deuteronomy filled in. "I have lost several firstborns over the years… but there is a loophole. One of my children can become parents of a Leader."
"In this case only Glicka", Plantaena said with a wicked grin and Glicka and Cand blushed furiously.
"Shut up", they mumbled. Munk chuckled and looked at the cats again.
"It was a win-win situation for both of them", he went on. "Tugger would get the Jellicles and Count the Mystics. Somewhere along the line I think Count broke their deal and started attacking the Jellicles… to take Tugger's powers."
"Sounds plausible", Alonzo mused.
"But that doesn't explain his powers", Keeva added. "Count's I mean. You told us Munk that he only had conjuring powers back in your world."
"Yeah… and I think he is the same Count we met there", Munk said with a nod. "I now know how he got those powers."
"How", Alonzo asked.
"With a little help", Munk said and looked at Cand.
"Hey don't look at me", the black tom objected. "I had nothing to do with it."
"Sure you didn't", Liam teased and pulled on his friend's tail.
"I'm serious", Cand said holding up his paws as a sign of innocence when everyone looked at him.
"Cand you father told me-"
"What he and Typhon's been up to", Cand defended himself. "I don't know what the two of them do half of the time."
"You are such a lousy liar", Glicka said calmly. "You are always deeply into what they are doing. You are as bad as they are."
"I am not!"
"Are too", his friends said in unison.
"Will you please stop walk around on a hot roof and tell us what your father did", Limbi said.
"Shut up Limbo."
"Cand…" his friends said and his groaned.
"Fine!" Cand looked at the other cats. "My father's name is Chimera… he is a Black Shadow."
Many cats gasped in horror and someone bared their claws.
"He sent me here to spy on the Jellicles… for Count's account", Cand went on. "But all this time my dad has been plotting something of his own… I don't have all the details but it has something to do with getting rid of someone…"
"Assassination", Deuteronomy asked.
"I don't know… my father has some… qualities… dark magic."
"Really really dark magic", Munk grumbled to himself and Alonzo squeezed his paw in a soothing way.
"My father used this dark magic to give Count conjuring powers."
"Wait", Deuteronomy said. "So he didn't tear out the spine of a conjurer?"
Cand shook his head.
"No… why do you think Count's powers are always unstable?"
Everyone started mumbling and Cand looked at his paws finding them very interesting. Munk looked at him and narrowed his eyes.
"You helped Count get Alonzo didn't you", he asked with a dark growl and let go of Alonzo's paw. Cand nodded sadly and the next thing he knew a fist had punched him in the face and he fell backwards. Munk was about to jump onto him to punch the living daylights out of the black tom but he was hoisted off of Cand rather quickly by Alonzo, Sphinx and Liam.
"I'm gonna kill you", Munk yelled at the black tom. "You bastard this is all your fault!"
"It…"
"You're the reason both me and Alonzo suffered through hell!"
"…"
"Speak up you lousy worm", Munk yelled and Cand got up on his feet again.
"I… had no choice", Cand mumbled.
"You had no choice but betray us to pain?"
"It wasn't my fault…"
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"
"IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THIS WAY!" Cand suddenly yelled and everyone looked at him again. Alonzo looked at the distressed black tom and sighed.
"Cand what was supposed to happen?" he asked. Cand opened his mouth to answer but he was hit by a lightning bolt and flung across the yard into a trashcan.
"CAND!" his friends exclaimed and they turned in the direction of the bolt and saw Count and Tugger.
"Can't you get to the father directly", Count said calmly. "Get to him through the son." Glicka ran over to the trashcan and tried to get into it to help her tomfriend out. Her other friends hurried over to help her. The Jellicle toms pushed the queens back and stood in front of them protectively, the mystical cats, Cori too, lined up in front of the toms and Sphinx, Munk and Alonzo stood in the front.
"Count", Munk growled.
"So we meet again Protector", Count mocked. "And this time… it will be for the last time. I saved something little from Chimera and decided to give it to Tugger."
Tugger smirked.
"Prepare for mental pain", he said and smirked evilly.
TBC Sorry for shortness I swear that the next chapter is gonna be much longer since it is the last chapter.
Malurina - He is only evil in that paralell universe? He is really nice in the "real" world. If you kill that Tugger you will kill the nice one too.
HumanGunieapig - Of course I couldn't let my favorite kitten die he's too cute.
Missa Catlover - Hey there it's been a while. Well when you I get to the end you will surely go: "What the hell?" on me.
That stunning gun hurt!
Don't look at me it wasn't my fault.
When I get my hands on your brother he is dead meat.
I hope for his sake he's found a good hiding place...
Oh that won't help him *march out to find Typhon*
*Smirks* Don't tell her I know where Typhon is hiding. He's keeping a low prophile around the dark rooms of Eraman's prophile.
