Freedom at a price

Macavity soon got settled in the den that Old Deuteronomy gave him. He lay down on the bed and took a moment to study its interior greatly enjoyed it; it was soft, comfortable, private, and very roomy. It was a far cry from the rough, cramped cubicle he was used to living in at Joker's warehouse. Macavity was not alone. Tristaleen was also on the bed, lying down right next to him. Macavity sat up and rested on his elbows. He looked down at her and gently stroked her cheek with his paw. Trista's chest tightened and her breathe was caught in her throat. Macavity's caresses were so delicate, so gentle, so careful… each of them brought her tremendous pleasure. Her vision locked with Macavity's. Slowly, Macavity leaned down and took her mouth in a deep, tender kiss. Her coat gave off a distinct aroma of honey and lavender. The scent drifted past his nose during the kiss. It was so enticing that Macavity wanted to devour every part of her and claim her as his own.

She looked up at him with pleading eyes and whispered adoringly "Make love to me, Macavity. Please…"
That was all the encouragement he needed. For such a long time, Macavity wanted this. But he did not want to rush it. It was only the first time the two of them had gotten intimate with each other; it was something that needed to be savored. Slowly, Macavity lied down on top of Tristaleen. He began trailering slow feather-light kisses up her arm and up to her collarbone. He lingered there for a moment. Then he moved a bit higher and nibbled at her neck. Trista shivered and lay perfectly still. Her breaths came in shallow, jagged spurts. Her breathing told Macavity that he was pleasing her.

His kissed his way back down her arm and then moved his way up her side until she shivered again. She arched in the sweetest of ways, offering herself to him and giving him her complete trust. The two of them held each other in a complete embrace. Both of them were already very aroused. The two of them started sweating a little, but they did not mind. They both had their attention focused entirely on each other. Soon, Macavity and Tristaleen made their connection. The two of them became very excited at that point. The experience was incredible to both of them. For a few moments, they as if they were one with each other and the world just melted away.

The atmosphere generated between the two of them was so intense, so zealous, so fantastic that they felt it could never be interrupted. Finally, the two of them were lying in each other's arms. They were sweating and panting vigorously. It was surprisingly hard for them to calm down after all that excitement.

After about five minutes of silence, Macavity turned to Tristaleen and told her "That was amazing, Tristaleen." She smiled and pulled him close. She told him "Tomorrow, after you take care of that business with Joker, we can do it again."

He firmly embraced her and told her "I'm glad you said that. Now I have something to look forward to afterwards." The two of them kissed again on the lips. Then they slowly drifted off into a peaceful slumber. They slept more peacefully together that night than they had slept in years.

The next morning, Macavity woke up early. He had slept more soundly the previous night than he had in years. He turned to his side and saw Tristaleen, who was still asleep.


Macavity took his front paw and with it, gently stroked the side of her face. He admired the beauty in her complexion as he watched her sleep. Now he had all the motivation he needed to fight and defeat Joker. Macavity got out of bed and slipped quietly from the den. He made sure not to disturb Tristaleen as he did so.

Macavity slowly approached the main clearing of the junkyard, which was where he had been instructed to go to meet up with the rescue group. The group consisted of Mungojerrie, Pouncival, and Macavity. Old Deuteronomy insisted that a larger group go, but Macavity said that a smaller group would be to sneak into Joker's territory more easily. Apart from that, the tribe needed some toms to stand guard in case joker sent some henchcats to attack the yard.

While his father was talking to Mungojerrie, Macavity took this opportunity to talk with Pouncival. He walked up to the patched tom, who was standing off to the side looking to the entrance of the junkyard rather nervously.

Concerned, Macavity asked him "Is everything alright, Pouncival?" The younger tom turned to him and gave him a small smile, which Macavity noticed was somewhat forced. Pouncival responded "Yes, everything is alright, Mac. I'm just a little nervous about leaving my family after some recent events."

Macavity nodded and asked Pouncival if he could ask him a personal question, which Pouncival allowed. Mac's question was "Why didn't you go with Munkustrap and the others to rescue your daughter and niece?"

Pouncival ran a paw through his head fur and released a sigh. Then he answered "It wasn't my choice. I wanted to go, but Munkustrap made me stay behind. He said one of us needed to watch over our family. When I tried to argue with him, he said it wasn't up for discussion and just left." Macavity could see that Pouncival seemed to have some guilt on his conscience. Mac wanted to comfort him, so he told him "He did have a valid and meaningful point. Someone needed to be here to protect Demeter, Bombalurina, and the kittens in case Joker tried anything while the rescue party was away from the yard. I actually think he wanted you to stay because he trusted you the most to accept that responsibility, not just because two of the kittens are your sons."

With that Macavity gave Pouncival a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Pouncival was just about to say something, but Old Deuteronomy ordered the attention of both him and Macavity. The Jellicle Leader announced to the three toms "It is time for you to leave. I wish you a safe journey and a successful mission."

He walked up to Macavity and took him in a warm hug. He said to him "Please come home safely. I do not wish to lose you again, my son." Macavity hugged his father back and told him "I do not want to lose you either, father. I will return with the others. Joker's reign will be put to a swift end by tonight." Old D chuckled and proudly stated "That's my boy." He waved his paws in the air and ordered the three toms "Go… go now before the rest of the tribe wakes up." Macavity, Pouncival, and Mungojerrie left through the front entrance and headed off for the vicinity of Joker's hideout. They all gave a final melancholy look towards the yard as they ran. They were all secretly hoping this would not be the final time they would see their home and their family.

Back in Macavity's den, Tristaleen slowly woke up. She stretched her legs out and purred in pleasure as the memories of the previous night returned to her. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she was alone, meaning that Macavity must have gone to face Joker already.


Trista rolled over and buried herself deeper in the blankets. She did not want to get up and face the day; all she wanted to do was sleep until Macavity came home. However, two other queens had different plans. "Knock, knock," said Bombalurina as she along with her sister Demeter showed up at the entrance of Trista's den. She asked their friend "May we come in?"

Tristaleen popped her head out from the covers and sarcastically remarked "Do I have a choice?" Bombalurina jumped onto the bed and pulled the covers away from Tristaleen, who silently hissed as the cold air hit her. Bombalurina replied "Nope, you don't. We never got the chance to properly thank you, so we thought of taking you out for the day. You know, get some spa and hair, all the fancy things of that sort." Trista sat up and rested on her elbows. "You're kidding, right?" she said, raising her eyebrow.
Demeter stepped further into the den and responded "Not really, unfortunately. When my sister has an idea in her head, nothing is going to stop her from going through with it."

Bomba shot her sister a glare before turning her attention back to Trista. She told her "Come on, Trista! It'll be great! Blaire and Jade are even coming and their super excited at the idea of you joining us." "Fine, I'll come. Just give me a few minutes to fix myself," Trista agreed. She could never turn down being around kittens, as she had a place in her heart for all kittens. She wanted to have her own, but she did not know if Macavity would want any. She decided that that conversation would have to wait
until he got home.

When Bombalurina said they would get the full "star" treatment, she wasn't kidding. It was mid-afternoon and so far they had gone to the spa, received massages and mud baths, and gotten their nails done. They also went to the hair salon. After that, they headed to a string of stores at the docks.


Across town, the rescue party finally reached Joker's warehouse. They did not rest for a single second during their trip. To them, reaching their destination was far more important than taking a mere few moments to recuperate and catch their breath. When they got to the warehouse, Macavity took the time to tell the others of his plan. He thought it would be best that he went to the main entrance and go straight to Joker while Pouncival and Mungojerrie snuck around back and took out those guards. From there, they could gain access to the warehouse from the side entrance and find Munkustrap and the others.

Macavity hesitantly approached the main entrance and pounded his paw on the door twice. As soon as he was done, the door was opened by two henchcats. When they saw it was Macavity, malicious grins spread across their faces. One of them remarked "Well, well, it looks like Joker was wrong. You did decide to show up." Once he stepped inside, the henchcats shut the doors and tried to grab Macavity, but he shoved them off and told them angrily "I know where he is. I don't need to be led there." Macavity marched towards the main storage area of the warehouse; where Joker usually held his fights and battles. Once the front doors closed behind Macavity, Mungojerrie and Pouncival jumped out of their hiding spots and ran to the side of the building. There were two henchcats standing guard at the side entrance. Mungojerrie and Pouncival hid in the shadows and observed them closely.

Mungojerrie looked around the vicinity, and then whispered "Looks like there are only two of them." "Okay," whispered Pouncival, "Let's get 'em!" He was about to storm over to the henchcats, but Mungojerrie grabbed him and kept him hidden in the shadows. "Pounce, we can't be too hasty here," Mungojerrie cautioned his friend, "These guys work for joker and spend their lives fighting and killing cats"

"Then how do we take them out, Mungo?" inquired Pouncival. Mungojerrie just smirked and picked up an empty tin can off the ground. He said "I know how these guys these guys think. Just watch and learn." He threw the tin can across the alley. It clanked nosily against the ground. Both of the henchcats turned in that direction. "Go see what that was," the one further away from the noise ordered his colleague. The other henchcat nodded and went to investigate. Mungojerrie gestured to Pouncival to take out the guard that had gone to investigate the noise. Mungojerrie himself would disable the henchcat that remained at the door. The two of them quietly snuck up on their targets. Just a few seconds after the investigating henchcat walked into the shadows, Pouncival jumped onto him from behind and wrapped his arms around his neck.

The henchcat struggled to get Pouncival off him, but he could not. The other henchcat was quickly alerted. He was about to go to his colleague's assistance, but Mungojerrie jumped right in front of him and smacked him dead center on the forehead. He hit him so hard that he was rendered unconscious almost immediately. Pouncival brought the other cat to his knees and slammed his head against the wall, knocking him out.

"Step one, complete," commented Mungojerrie. "We'd better hide them," Pouncival advised. "That would be step two," said Mungojerrie. To their relief, the side entrance was unlocked. The two toms slipped inside, dragging the unconscious henchcats bodies behind them. Inside, they found an empty closet that was unlocked.

"That was certainly easier than I thought it would be," Mungojerrie stated as he and Pouncival deposited the two unconscious henchcats inside the closet. They locked the door and Pouncival chuckled at their easy success. Suddenly, a cold hostile voice spoke out "Don't be so sure about that one, buddy" Mungojerrie turned around and his good mood quickly disintegrated. "Oh, crap," he muttered. In front of the two toms were about a dozen henchcats. Mungojerrie and Pouncival took defensive stances. They shifted their gaze between the twelve henchcats standing in front of them. Just then, Pouncival noticed a door that was slightly ajar to the left of the corridor. Quickly, he pointed the door out to Mungojerrie. The two toms ran through it and shut it before the henchcats could get through. "That was close," remarked Mungojerrie.

The twelve henchcats did not give up yet. They tried to force the door open by repeatedly thrusting their weight at it. "We need to barricade this door with something," Pouncival decided. Working hastily, the two toms went over to a wooden table and pushed it over to the door. "That won't hold for long," said Mungojerrie. "Then we need another way out of this room," Pouncival told him. They looked around for another door in that room, but they could not find one. Then Mungojerrie's eyes fell across the AC vent near the ceiling. "There!" he pointed to the vent. The two toms quickly climbed a set of cabinets to the vent. Working together, they managed to pull the grate open. They crawled into the vent, making sure to close the grate behind them. Just a few seconds later, they heard the sound of wood being split. The henchcats had succeeded in breaking the door down.

Pouncival and Mungojerrie peered into the room. They were well hidden in the shadows, so they did not have to worry about being spotted. "Where did they go?" said one of the henchcats. "I don't know," said another one, "But they have to be in here somewhere. There's no other way out." "Well, let's tear the room apart if we have to," announced the first one. Sure enough, the twelve henchcats started pushing objects and furniture aside, looking for the slightest trace of either Pouncival or Mungojerrie.

In the grate, Mungojerrie whispered "We'd better find Munkustrap and the others." Pouncival nodded agreeing with the striped tom. The two toms crawled through the vent, with Mungojerrie leading the way to the cell block.


On the front side of the warehouse, Macavity slowly walked his way to the main storage area of the warehouse. He was a little afraid about what was about to happen there, but he put his fear down. Now was not the time to be afraid. Pretty soon, he arrived in the storage unit. The grand majority of Joker's henchcats were assembled there. Joker himself was on top of a huge crate in the center of the room. He was talking with some of his top henchcats on that crate.

One of the henchcats looked up, and he happened to be facing the main entrance to the room. There, he saw Macavity standing in the door frame. The henchcat tapped Joker on the shoulder and told him "Hey, boss, look." Joker turned around and saw his younger brother enter the room. A malicious grin started to form across his countenance. Joker turned back to the henchcats on the crates and ordered them to guard the exits to the room.

Joker turned around again and watched Macavity approach him. The distance between the crate and the entrance to the warehouse was less than forty feet, but every step Macavity took felt like a mile to him. As he made his way to the crate, several of the henchcats taunted him and jeered at him. They threw him insults such as "Let's see just how 'deceitful' and 'suave' you REALLY are!" "My grandfather looks fiercer than that!" "Your claws couldn't pierce a piece of paper!" "In a moment, you'll be ginger AND red!"

Macavity ignored everything they said. His mind was focused solely on Joker. About two minutes later, Macavity was standing just a few feet away from the crate. Without warning, he jumped forward and landed on top of the crate. He stood directly in front of Joker and eyed him coldly.

The two toms started circling each other by walking around the top of the crate. "Evidently, I don't give you enough credit," commented Joker, "You actually are brave enough to face me. That, or you're stupid enough." Macavity scowled at him and said "At least I'm not some arrogant, narcissistic pedophile like you!"

Joker scoffed and remarked "I did not know you could create such… impressive insults." "I've wanted to say that for a long time," muttered Macavity, grinning wickedly "And believe me; I am really going to enjoy this. After all those years of humiliation, oppression, cruelty, and total submission, I am going to make you suffer." "We'll see about that," sneered Joker. The two toms stood still in their places and bared all of their claws one at a time. Once all of their claws were visible, they waited for each other to make the first move. Joker started the fight. He lunged at Macavity with his paws in the air. Macavity ducked and struck Joker on his stomach when he flew by.

Joker grabbed his stomach and descended to the ground. Macavity jumped off the crate and tentatively neared his brother. Joker jumped back to his feet and faced Macavity again. "Not bad, for a weakling," he commented. "I'm the weakling?" remarked Macavity, "Without me and all your henchcats, you are NOTHING!" Without warning, Joker lunged at Macavity again. He rammed his arm into his stomach, almost knocking the wind out of him. As Macavity struggled to catch his breath from that hefty blow, Joker chuckled and said "We'll just see about that."

Macavity threw several blows at Joker, but Joker dodged them and kicked Macavity in the back. Macavity rebounded and slugged Joker directly in the face. All the while, the henchcats watched on.


Across the warehouse, Pouncival and Mungojerrie had just arrived at the cell block that Munkustrap and the others were being held in. They looked inside the block from the vent, and they could see the four toms chained to the wall. Only Munkustrap and Alonzo were awake at that moment. Plato and Rum

Tum Tugger were asleep. All four of the toms looked fatigued and a little hungry. "Psst!" whispered Pouncival, "Munk! It's us!" "Pouncival?" stated the black and silver tabby, looking around the room. "Where are you?" "Up here!" Pouncival responded, "In the vent!" Munkustrap looked up to the wall near the ceiling. "What are you doing here?" he called out.

Mungojerrie replied "Getting you the hell out of here!" Then he kicked the grate off. He and Pouncival carefully climbed down the wall and landed safely on the floor. "Watch the door," Mungojerrie told Pouncival, "I'll see if I can free you from the chains." Pouncival complied. He stood by the door and looked outside. There were no guards on patrol at the time. Obviously all the guards were assembled in the main storage unit at the time. "Clear!" he notified the others. Mungojerrie went up to Munkustrap and examined his chains.

"Be careful, Mungo; they're magical," Munkustrap cautioned the calico tom. "Don't worry, Munk," Mungojerrie assured his friend, "A friendly source gave me several good tips on how to pick locks with my claws to unlock any chains, even magical ones. I just need to be extremely careful." "Should I do anything?" inquired Munkustrap. "Just stay perfectly still," advised Mungojerrie, "It's easier for me to work that way." "Very well," Munkustrap did not move a single muscle as Mungojerrie went to work picking the locks. After about thirty seconds, he succeeded.

Munkustrap comforted his paws while Mungojerrie went to work freeing Alonzo next. During that time, Munkustrap asked "How did you get in here?" "Getting inside the building was easy," said Pouncival, continuing to watch the dark halls, "Getting in here; not so much. Fortunately, Mac managed to create a little diversion for us." "Who?" asked Alonzo as Mungojerrie finished unlocking his chains. "Oh, you guys don't know," said Mungojerrie, "Macavity is on our side."

"He is?" said Munkustrap, surprised. "Yep," nodded Mungojerrie as he went to work freeing Plato next, "It took a lot of us by surprise, but we've accepted that he is innocent of the crimes he was accused of."

"There's proof of this?" assumed Alonzo. "Yes," said Pouncival, "Coricopat and Tantomile confirmed his innocence." "Alright," Munkustrap was satisfied with this answer. Just as Mungojerrie freed Plato, Munk asked "What kind of diversion is Macavity creating?" "He's facing Joker off in the main storage area," answered Mungojerrie as he began to pick the locks on Tugger's chains, "Something of a huge fight is going on between the two of them." "What do you mean?" asked Alonzo, "What kind of fight?"

"Well, it's not a fight to the death, as far as I know," replied Pouncival, "But it's the next most vicious thing. If Mac wins, Joker promises to set all of you free." "What if Macavity loses?" asked Munkustrap.
"Then he and the rest of you stay and become his warriors," Mungojerrie explained as he finished unlocking Tugger's chains.

Munkustrap and Alonzo went to revive Tugger and Plato. After waking them up, they filled both of them in on everything they had just learned. Pouncival looked out the door again and said over his shoulder "That twisted pollicle must be out of his mind if he thinks we'd actually let him keep you guys here."

"Well, at any rate, we're not going yet," Munkustrap announced. "What?" Tugger whined in disbelief, "Why?" "If everything Pouncival and Mungojerrie have told us is true, Macavity will need our help," Munkustrap told his brother. "Munk, how exactly would that work?" asked Plato, "Joker's henchcats outnumber us."

"I know that, Plato," said Munkustrap, "But now that we know that he's on our side, and how he's risking his life to save us, I feel that we should be here to help him." The others saw the logic in Munkustrap's reasoning. "Well, the first thing we got to do is get out of this cell," Alonzo proclaimed.

"I'm on it," Mungojerrie went over to the door and started to pick the lock with his claws. After about thirty seconds, a small "click" sound was heard and Mungojerrie pushed the door open. Munkustrap took the lead as the six toms piled out of that cell. "Let's move!"

Back in the main storage unit, Joker had just thrown Macavity against the wall. Before he could get back on his feet, Joker ran over to him and kicked him in the face, causing Macavity to fall on his back. Joker was about to kick him in the face again, but Macavity rolled under him and kicked him just underneath the knee. Joker stumbled and dropped to all fours. Macavity got back onto his feet and rammed his front paws against Joker's throat. Joker was soon on the ground again. Before he could get back up, Macavity kicked him in the side. He kicked him so hard that he sent him flying ten feet away. Joker spat a bit of blood out of his mouth and glared at his brother through his fury-laden eyes. Joker heard someone call out "Boss, here!"

Joker turned and saw Apollo, who was holding a long, thin metal pipe in his paws. Apollo tossed the pipe to Joker. Joker jumped to his feet and caught the pipe. He turned back to Macavity and said "Let's dance!" He charged toward his brother, swinging the pipe like a homicidal lunatic. Macavity managed to dodge his first six blows, but the seventh one got him just below the throat. Joker hit Macavity with the pipe several more times. Finally, he stopped and said "This is too easy. Let's even the odds."

Joker stood back as Apollo threw another piece of pipe toward Macavity. Macavity caught it and griped it tightly in both hands. "Bring it," he growled. He raised his pipe in the air and charged towards his brother. Joker parried his blow and the two fought on. The sound of clinking metal could be heard all over the room. At one point, Macavity managed to strike Joker full in the face with his pipe. Joker held his face for a moment as Macavity raised his pipe again. Before he could land another blow, Joker levitated into the air.

He floated to the ceiling and stayed there. Macavity looked up at him and grinned. "Too scared to go on, Joker?" "No, I thought it would be even more exciting if we went up here," chuckled Joker, "Unless you don't think you're up to it." Macavity held his pipe in both hands and said "Have it your way." He ascended into the air and came face to face with his brother once again.

The two toms fought viciously in midair. On the ground below, the henchcats cheered wildly. Both of the ginger cats were tough and agile. For a total of five minutes, they just fought with their pipes. Then, Joker struck Macavity directly on his neck. Macavity abruptly gasped for breath. Joker struck him again in the stomach. Macavity fell to the ground and landed on his feet, but quickly collapsed on his stomach. Joker landed on top of him and struck him several more times with the pipe. At that moment. Munkustrap, Pouncival, Mungojerrie, Alonzo, Plato, and Rum Tum Tugger came running into the room. They could see Joker assaulting Macavity with the pipe. "Mac!" shouted Munkustrap. Munkustraps voice caught the attention of Joker. He looked over and saw Munkustrap and the others.

"Restrain them!" he shouted to his henchcats, no one moved "Restrain them, you fools!" Munkustrap and the others were then quickly surrounded by dozens of henchcats. The six toms tried to fight them off, but they were quickly overpowered. "Leave him alone!" Munkustrap shouted at Joker, struggling to go to Macavity's aid. Joker grinned wickedly again. Macavity had finally regained Munkustrap's respect, and all he had to do was risk his life and get beaten to the brink of death.

Joker looked down at Macavity. He was lying on his side, struggling to remain conscious. Joker dropped the pipe and leaned down next to his ear. He told him "It looks as though you've lost, Macavity. But I must give you credit; you aren't as weak and pathetic as I thought you were." Macavity said nothing in response. Joker continued "Trust me; you'll enjoy the amount of training I'll give you. I'll teach you more about discipline and authority. The others will be taught as well, but they will be receiving better lessons than you. Whenever you're not receiving your training or on a mission, I'll keep you locked in a cell under constant guard. You will get to experience those magical chains for yourself."

Macavity remained silent. He had received substantial injuries, and all he thought about was remaining conscious at the time. But he listened to every word Joker uttered. "Once you and the others are properly trained, it can be just like the good old days," Joker went on, "Only this time, I will be the leader of the Jellicle Tribe. I just have to get rid of Dad and I'll be the undisputed leader." Macavity was horrified when he heard those words. His brother was going to attempt to kill his own father!

"Once I become the Jellicle leader, the tribe will be reformed," Joker continued, "The toms will all be trained to be hard warriors, and the queens will be kept under constant watch. In my mind, they cannot always be trusted, In addition to that, I will finally have Blaire and Jade," Joker told his brother, "They will finally have the honor of being my consorts. Who knows; maybe their mothers would like to catch up with me as well." Macavity was now just disgusted by those words. The very idea of anyone committing such an crime was repulsive to him. Joker spoke into his ear "And then, of course, there's Tristaleen"

Macavity's eyes shot up. He looked at Joker out of the corner of the eye and uttered agitatedly "What are you talking about?" Joker chuckled and whispered into Macavity's ear "She was a fool to believe that she could escape me by faking her own death and joining the Jellicles. Once I am done with Blaire and Jade, I will go after her next." A terrible rage started to take over Macavity's mind. Joker continued talking into his ear: "Do not worry, Mac; I will not kill her. No, instead, I will beat her constantly, to help her learn from her foolishness. But, of course, I will also make her mine. She will receive the same treatment as Jade and Blaire. Only I will show her no mercy at all."

Macavity's rage was accumulating more and more with every word Joker spoke. Joke went on: "I will give her a taste of my 'goodness' many times. And to you know where I'll do that? In your cell, right in front of you. That way, you can see me totally dominate the only person that ever really cared about you. This I will do, and there is nothing you can do about it." Macavity snapped at that last statement. He suddenly felt no pain anywhere in his body. He turned to face Joker and kicked him directly in his tomhood. Joker gasped in surprise and dropped to the ground, holding the area between his back legs. Macavity slowly rose to his hind feet and glared down at his brother. The angry look on his face was so terrible that it made Joker and every henchcat in the room quiver.

After a few seconds of silence, Macavity gave a shout of anger and lunged at Joker. He landed on top of him and started landing many fierce blows onto his face. "You-" *PUNCH* "will-" *PUNCH* "not-" *PUNCH* "lay-" *PUNCH* "a-" *PUNCH* "paw-" *PUNCH* "on-" *PUNCH* "her!" Macavity shouted, striking Joker in the face in-between each word. Macavity continued to punch Joker for fifteen seconds. Then he kicked him in the side several times. After that, he picked him up, levitated into the air, and threw him towards the ground. Joker landed directly on the crate. It broke into dozens of pieces.

Macavity landed on the ground, grabbed Joker by the throat, and threw him across the room. Then he picked up a piece of wood and marched over to him. Joker tried to crawl away, but Macavity shouted mockingly "Where do you think you're going? The fun isn't over yet!" Macavity raised the wood over his head and slammed it against Joker's back, causing him to collapse onto his stomach again. Macavity struck him again and again until the wood broke in half. When that happened, Macavity tossed the wood aside and grabbed his brothers throat. He practically strangled him to an inch of his life. Then he forced him onto his feet and delivered a few more blows. Joker collapsed onto his knees and fell flat on his face. Macavity looked down at him, keeping a careful eye on his brother.

The henchcats stood there in shock. Their leader had just been defeated by his younger brother! All this time, they thought that Macavity was weak and stupid, like Joker had told them. But now it occurred to them that Macavity was extremely strong and intelligent. He was definitely the more honourable one.
Joker weakly looked up and saw Macavity standing over him with his claws raised in the air. Joker grinned that same malicious grin, blood dripping from his mouth and said "Go ahead, Macavity. Kill me. I know it's what you always wanted to do."

Macavity was actually hesitating on that spot. Ever since ascending to tomhood, he had come to think of his brother as nothing more than a malevolent thief, a cold-blooded murderer, and a remorseless rapist. Now his brother was directly in front of him, at his mercy. Macavity was almost feuding with himself. Part of him wanted to finally kill Joker off, but the other half of him did not want to give in to his anger.
After about a minute of complete silence, Macavity slowly lowered his paws and spoke triumphantly "No, Joker. I will not. It's better to see you live with the shame of defeat." He turned around and said "I'm taking Munkustrap and the others back home, though. That was your end of the deal."

Munkustrap and the others smiled at Macavity from across the room. Macavity turned back to Joker and told him "You really are nothing, Joker. These henchcats around us are all the ones that really make you well-known. Without them, you are just a cat with unnatural powers." "What are you implying?" grumbled Joker. Macavity responded "What I mean is: they're better than you. Each and every one of them is much better than you."

Joker slowly rose to his feet and laughed menacingly. "You fool! You think they are better than me! They couldn't look after themselves if they were on their own! It's thanks to me that they are so well-trained. Without that training, they'd be nothing more than strays begging for food and owners on the streets!" The henchcats always knew that Joker did not think much of them, but they were not aware that his respect for them was this little. Macavity simply scoffed and said "Whatever. You can say whatever you want to say. But I'm going home to the junkyard. And my six friends over there are coming home with me."

Macavity turned back around and started walking over to Munkustrap, Mungojerrie, Pouncival, Alonzo, Plato, and Tugger. Halfway there, Joker stomped his foot and shouted "You're not going anywhere!" "Oh?" said Macavity over his shoulder, "And who, pray tell, is going to stop us?" Joker looked around at the henchcats and pointed at Macavity. He shouted "Seize him!" None of the henchcats moved. They stood right where they were.

"I said 'Seize him,' you idiots!" Joker roared with fury. Most of the henchcats did not move at all. The only ones that did move were the ones that were restraining Munkustrap and the others and they only moved to release them. "Seize the traitor, you useless morons!" Joker shouted. Right then, the henchcats slowly started walking towards the center of the room. Macavity took a defensive stance once again, but he was surprised when the henchcats walked right past him.

Joker looked around; the henchats were approaching him! "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, a hint of fear in his voice. "You said 'Seize the traitor,'" Apollo pointed out, "And that is exactly what we are doing." "Get away!" shouted Joker, "Have you all gone mad? I am your boss!" The henchcats ignored everything Joker said. They approached him very slowly, but every step they got closer, Joker felt more afraid.

When they were less than three feet away from him, Joker levitated into the air. But before he could get up two feet, one of the henchcats reached out and grabbed his tail. Joker was pulled back to the ground where he was surrounded by his henchcats completely. "Lights out, Joker," Apollo remarked, leering down at Joker. He gradually raised his paw as high as he could, and he brought it crashing into Joker's face. Then another henchcat punched Joker. Then another, and another, and another… Joker was being beat to death by his own henchcats! All Macavity and the others could do was watch!

"Hey, guys, take your time with him!" Apollo told the other henchcats, "Everybody should be allowed to get in at least one blow!" After about ten minutes of being beaten, Joker was dead. There was more blood on his coat than the amount that was still in his body. There was a brief silence in the room. Apollo went over to Macavity, Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger, Alonzo, Mungojerrie, Pouncival, and Plato. He told them "You are all free to return to the Jellicle Tribe. We will not be bothering you anymore." "Thanks, Apollo," said Macavity, "What are you and the others going to do now?"

"We're thinking of reforming our organization," Apollo answered him, "We'll try to find some uses for our skills that can benefit others instead of hurt them." "That's quite an abrupt change from spiteful to genial," noted Alonzo. "Well, it's a transition we're willing to make," stated Apollo, "Macavity hear finally helped us get some self-respect. For this, Mac, we are in your debt." "Thank you," Macavity grinned, "I'm just glad Joker will never harm anyone ever again."

Apollo nodded and said "I imagine that you guys want to go home?" The seven toms nodded simultaneously. "Come, I'll take you to the front entrance;" Apollo turned around and led the seven toms to the main entrance of the storage unit. The other henchcats stepped aside to make way for them. On the way out, Macavity looked at Joker's bloodied corpse. It was mangled almost beyond soon made it to the door to the outside. After exchanging a friendly good-bye with Apollo, the seven toms started to make their way home.

Right then, the pain from all the injuries Macavity received finally kicked in. Macavity groaned, clutched his side, and dropped to his knees. Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger quickly ran to his sides. "Mac, are you alright?" Munkustrap asked in concern. "I… I don't know," Macavity responded, "I feel a lot of pain."

"Well, given the amount of damage you took, you should be in excruciating pain right now!" said Tugger."Come on," said Pouncival, "We have to get him back to the tribe immediately. My mother and Jenny can help him. "Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger gave Macavity a helping hand. They started running back to the tribe as fast as they could; Plato, Alonzo, Pouncival, and Mungojerrie ran alongside them. Munkustrap looked at Macavity and whispered constantly "Mac, hold on. Just hold on. You'll make it."
Before they got far, Macavity blacked out.


-When he opened his eyes, he was staring at the ceiling of his new den. He looked down at his body, and saw that it was bandaged in several places. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum were at the door, talking with each other. Tristaleen was at his side. She smiled at him and said "Welcome home, hero." Jenny and Jelly saw that Macavity was conscious and went over to him to help him sit up. Macavity smiled back at Tristaleen and kissed her on the lips. "Thanks. How long was I out?" "Almost ten days," answered Jenny, "Trista never left your side for a moment. She was so worried for you."

"She wasn't alone," remarked Jelly, "The entire tribe has been concerned for your well-being. They want to throw a celebration in your honour as soon as you are well enough". "That's rather gracious of them," Macavity said, still smiling, "Let them know that I'll be ready by tonight. For now, I'd like to spend some time alone with Tristaleen." Jenny and Jelly nodded. They quickly left the den to give Macavity and Tristaleen some privacy.

whew...that I think was one of my longest chapter, and it was thanks to passionate admiral, now I planned on ending this chapter just a bit differantly, but I might do a little tie over chapter and then the epilogue

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