"Are you blind when you're born?
Can you see in the dark?
Dare you look at a King?
Would you sit on his throne?"
"Hey guys, can we skip to the Invitation?"
A prim smile spread across Victoria's face as she nodded.
"Of course!"
"Sure!" Jemima chimed in.
Electra's brown eyes widened. Her arms spread out as if she was carrying the weight of the world on them and had to balance every little bit perfectly. Her legs spread apart in a strong fashion, and she beheld her friends with a knowing glare.
"Jellicle cats meet once a- ahhhh!"
The torbie's head hit the ground. Fear fluttered in her chest. Dazed, she threw off an invisible attacker with her back paws.
"Woah, hey, easy with the claws!"
Electra's breathing slowed. She righted herself, her gaze irritable. "Pouncival, what are you doing?!"
The hazel Tom-kitten scratched behind his ear with his claws. "I'm sorry, I saw you four out here and I guess I thought it would be fun to crash the party."
"Well, I don't find it funny. I'm trying to practice without alarming the adults! They'll never take me seriously if they see me rolling around with the likes of you."
"Hm, well, I suppose I can't take you seriously now, can I?" a melodic voiced sounded behind Pouncival. Alonzo danced forward with a mischevious grin. "You know, if you're so worried about what the adults think, maybe you should've done the Pas De Deux last year like you were supposed to. Care to explain that?"
Electra tried not to let the other kittens see the distain on her face, but she was sure it was there. She could feel the warmth of reddening cheeks at Alonzo's mention of the Mating Dance. "Um-" Her eyes drifted to the kittens. Victoria shifted beside Jemima, whose tail laid comfortingly across the white cat's back. Etcetera's head was tilted with confusion.
Pouncival growled beside her. "How dare you?" he scoffed, batting Alonzo's ears. "The Pas De Deux is discussed between mates only. Electra doesn't have to tell you anything!"
Alonzo recovered from the blow quickly, sneering down at the brown-and-white tabby. Electra's fur bristled at this exchange. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be watching the Gate in Munkustrap's absence?"
Alonzo's gray eyes widened as if he was suddenly electrified. He leapt away, mute, obviously not wishing to be caught bullying kittens while he was meant to be keeping the Yard in order.
"Good riddance," Etcetera muttered under her breath. Electra shared the sentiment. Pouncival watched him go enviously, despite having previously reprimanded the older cat. He then turned to Electra, his whiskers twitching.
"I'll go, unless you want me to stay."
Electra's ears laid back as she sighed, "You can all go; I think I'd like to have a few moments alone. Thanks for trying to help me practice." She gazed forlornly at the moon, which was growing from it's normal slitted appearance.
"No problem!" Jemima piped, before she disappeared as quickly as she came, her spiked collar catching the moonlight. Pouncival chased after her, calling for her to wait up.
Etcetera rubbed against her sister's back legs. "I'm going to go find Mother. I'll see you in a little bit, alright?"
"Okay."
Victoria made her way over as gracefully as she always had. She watched the others go, waiting until they were out of earshot to speak to Electra. "You shouldn't listen to anything Alonzo says. Most of the kittens understand how foolish he is," she paused, her sky-blue eyes gazing into Electra's. "You know I'd never ask you about the Mating Dance. It's not my business. But if you ever want to talk, I'm here."
Electra let herself get lost in Victoria's kind eyes. She swore she would never have found a friend so faithful to her as Victoria had been. Electra allowed herself a smile, and was now grinning broadly. "Thanks, Vicci. You don't know how much that means to me, really." Electra had always been bold, but she felt as though her words were never strong enough.
"You know, if you ever want a shot at being the Tribe's next Storyteller, or even our Protector, you should talk to Munkustrap." Victoria leaned closer to Electra as she spoke.
Electra's smile faded, and she pulled away from the white cat. "Do you think he'd really listen to me?"
"Of course he would! It seems silly, because he's so good at spinning tales, but he's also a good listener."
The orange-and-black adolescent leaned into Victoria again. The two sat side-by-side, their shoulders brushing against each other as they sat in a comfortable silence. Her paw was clasped with Victoria's now. Maybe she's right. Maybe I should go speak to Munkustrap. Uneasily, she thought, But Alonzo's almost always with him. I can't talk to Munkustrap with him breathing down my neck!
"I've never considered actually speaking to him before. At least, not beyond a, 'Hello Munk!'"
"I know he may seem intimidating, but he really cares for us. He would listen to anything you had to say." Victoria leaned away for a moment, her gaze landing on a pile of rubble nearby. "I'll leave you alone to think about it," her paw moved to Electra's back, "if that's what you want."
Electra butted her playfully. "Go on. I know you're dying to see Plato again."
"Who, me?!" Victoria feigned, her actions still incredibly elegant as she pointed to herself, her gaze seductive.
"Go on," Electra insisted, pushing the white cat away. Her black-tipped ears twitched from Electra to her intended destination. "May the Heavyside bless you!" Electra called out, watching the white cat disappear into the rubble, her fur staying suprisingly clean as she went.
She had to endure a week of torture from Alonzo before Munkustrap and Demeter would be back from the Humansplace, but the couple's return only pressed Electra's need to speak to the Second-In-Command. And so, a few days after her conversation with Victoria, she rapped on the trunk of the old automobile that served as Munkustrap's Junkyard den.
"Come on in!" she heard Munk call, his voice muffled.
Electra glared at the back of the vehicle, towards the shattered glass that Munk was so commonly seen slithering through. Worried that she might slice her shaking paws open, she opted to go through the left-front window, which was completely smashed.
Her claws landed against the upholstrey. Her eyes met Munkustrap's and her cheeks reddened again. She turned away awkwardly. The striped Protector was laying beside Demeter, who was fast asleep. "Right," his fur fluffed against the wind that blowed roughly through the broken windows. "Is everything alright, Electra?" He smiled, his caring gaze meeting hers as he rose.
The young female gulped. "Yes. Everything's fine," she realized that Alonzo was nowhere to be found, and her paws stopped shaking. She faced Munkustrap with her chest puffed. "I want to speak to you about my place in the Tribe. I understand you have taken Alonzo in as your apprentice, and I would never do anything to usurp him in his position. And I know the Queens will think that I'm just being silly, but I want to train under you, Munkustrap. I want to have a chance at becoming the Tribe's next Storyteller, or even a Protector. I promise, if you let me do this, I'll do whatever you say."
Munkustrap pulled away from Electra with a sigh. He was silent for a few moments, in which Electra feared the worst. Had she upset him?
"This is a hard decision for me, Electra. It is unheard of for a Tribe's Protector to take on more than one tutor at a time. You must understand- if at any time while you're training, you can't do it anymore- or you change your mind, you would have to quit permanently. You might have to find another interest, or you could possibly end up in the Nursery again." His eyes betrayed seriousness to her more than any of his words. "Do you understand?"
Her ears flicked in his direction. "I do. And I'm willing to risk it, if it means I can learn from you."
Munkustrap shifted on restless paws. "Alright, if it is what you wish...Electra, from this day forward until you complete your training, you shall be known as an apprentice Protector." He regarded her proudly. "Now, I've let Alonzo go off on his own for practice today. If you're going to be my trainee, I'd suggest that you two learn how to work together. Tonight, Alonzo and Mistoffelees will be posted at the prisoner's hole. I want you to join them there. All you have to do is keep your eyes peeled for any strange behavior, and let Misto and the other adults know if there's any trouble."
Electra's heart sank. She forced her fur to lay flat at Munkustrap's orders. She didn't hate any cat (except perhaps Macavity, although she didn't really know him), but her lips quivered in distaste for Alonzo and his big head. "Thank you, Munkustrap. I'll find Alonzo right away." Boy, won't he be happy to see me? she thought as she sprang away, her fur fluffed.
Frustration pricked at the female's pelt as she stalked away from Alonzo. Her fur was thick with dirt and mud, her sides sorely bruised, and her confidence shaken. Once she was a few pawsteps away from him, she shook, flinging clots of mud into the distance. She licked herself vigorously. After each lick, she spit a clod of mud out from between her teeth, the effort only making the bitterness well stronger in her chest. Stupid furball, she cursed, her vision only growing more red.
"You'd better hurry if you intend on eating before standing guard. You wouldn't want to fail Munkustrap on an empty stomach, would you?"
Electra bit her tongue and tasted the blood as it filled her mouth. She spit out another chuck of mud. "Why don't you go on and catch nice squirrel, hm? I doubt you'd want my muddy claws all over it."
Alonzo sniffed, clearly impressed that she was still speaking to him after all her torment. "Alright." He sauntered away, finally giving her some privacy to really clean out her fur.
She joined him after she'd finally had enough of spitting muddy furballs. He'd already eaten half of the squirrel he caught, and yet he was still guarding it as he waited for Electra to arrive. She gave it a quick sniff before wolfing it down.
"Maybe you're smarter than what I gave you credit for. At least you remember to smell your prey before you eat it. Macavity won't be poisoning you anytime soon."
By the time they were finished, the sun had already vanished, giving way to a cloudy night. The two cats walked beside each other towards Sheni's dirt prison. Alonzo appeared as brave as ever; Electra's paws pricked with apprehension the larger the mounds of junk rose. Finally, the two stopped, greeting Misto respectfully.
"Electra, why don't you stand guard at the south end while Misto and I catch up?" Alonzo ordered. Her ears flattened against her head as she nodded in response.
She walked over to the south end of the dirt tunnel and settled in for a long, lonely night. As she sat watching the clouds cross over the moon light flashing claws, a sparkle caught her eye. Electra searched the piles of junk for a patch of white fur. Surely that was Victoria's jeweled collar dancing in the moonlight?
Instead, her gaze met that of a tortoiseshell kitten. "Jemima?"
The smaller cat grinned. "Electra," she purred, rubbing against the older female's chest. "Munkustrap must've changed guards. I'm glad it's you, though. I need to speak to the prisoner, please."
"Wait, Jemima, I don't know if I'm supposed to do that."
Jemima's carmel eyes were distressed. "Please," she pleaded. "He's been giving me important information."
Electra's eyes narrowed. "What kind of information?"
The red-furred kitten hesitated. After a moment, she spoke slowly, as if she could hardly believe herself. "He's been telling me stories about Macavity."
The striped cat took a step back. It was common knowledge to the rest of the Tribe that Jemima was Macavity's offspring, but according to Jennyanydots (who strung quite the rumormill), the youngest kitten had only just recently found out herself.
"Please, you must understand how serious this is for me. Mother won't tell me much of anything about my father, just that he's horrible. And the other members of the Tribe seem to think I'm too innocent to hear about his exploits. But I need to know what my father is. You understand that, don't you?"
Electra didn't really understand it, and yet pity bubbled in her chest and threatened to eat her alive. It wasn't fair at all for Jemima to be kept in the dark about something that could change her life so drastically.
"Okay. Go on."
Just as Electra was about to step away, Alonzo's black-and-white mane appeared behind Jemima. "Hold it! Stop right there!"
Both cats froze.
"What are you doing!?" Alonzo addressed Electra angrily. "Are you an absolute idiot? He could've killed you both within a moment's notice if Misto's spell broke."
"But it wouldn't-"
"It doesn't matter. Munkustrap stated that no other cats were to see Sheni. We're going to see what he has to say about this."
Alonzo informed Mistoffelees that he and Electra were going to take a break. The three cats padded away swiftly. Alonzo's head was raised to the air while Electra's and Jemima's were held low to the ground. Jemima gave a sorrowful flick of her ears, while Electra seethed at Alonzo's refusal to listen to her.
"I'm sorry Electra. I know how special this was to you. I didn't mean to ruin it for you."
"It's not your fault, Jemima. You deserve to know-"
"Enough chatter!" Alonzo hissed. The younger cats fell silent.
Electra's was so annoyed that she imagined herself melting straight through the ground of the Jellicle Junkyard. It didn't work, of course, and she found with dismay that Munkustrap wanted her to be the first cat he spoke to.
"Alonzo tells me that you let Jemima speak to the prisoner, after I explicitly told the entire Tribe that they were not to say a word to him. What do you have to say for yourself?"
The young female had never heard him so disappointed, yet, instead of melting into a puddle of shame, it only made her more furious. Tears streamed down her cream cheeks as the emotions flooded through her. "Jemima deserves to know about her father," she yowled, "And I'm not going to apologize to anyone who thinks otherwise."
Munkustrap's eyes took on an unsettling quality, a mixture of confusion, frustration, and everything in between. "Do you not understand what this means for you? You disobeyed a direct order, Electra. How do you expect me to react when I can't even trust my own tutor, a cat who is supposed to protect her Tribe?"
At first, Electra didn't know what to say. Desire to protect her family burned in her chest, and yet it seemed so wrong to let Jemima go on without the knowledge she needed to fight against Macavity. By the Heavyside, she was nearly an adult!
"I still want to protect my Tribe. I love you all," she gazed at Alonzo, who was watching the exchange with a grim satisfaction. Although he wasn't her favorite cat, she never wanted to see him hurt, and she valued his opinion almost as much as Munkustrap's. "But there's a difference in protecting and letting cats walk blindly." She glanced at Demeter, who clung to her daughter affectionately. "Jemima deserves to know about Macavity, whether you'll tell her or not."
Demeter looked down her daughter with an expression of surprise. "She's right, Munkustrap. There's no problem in expecting cats to follow your lead, but not every Jellicle is old enough to understand why Macavity is such a danger. They all need to know more than what we've told them, if for nothing else, than for safety."
Munkustrap sighed. "I understand your frustrations, and I intend to change the way we've been doing things. But I can't let cats undermine my leadership."
"I'll take whatever punishment you decide," Electra responded, sounding quite a bit more respectful than she had during her previous tirade.
Munkustrap's eyes softened as he looked to Jellylorum. "Jelly, if you don't mind, I think it would be a good idea for you and Electra to go back to your Human family for a day or two. It's obvious that the stress of change is having a poor effect on every cat. Go, take a vacation with your family. Forget about all this for a while. Have fun."
Although Electra didn't want to leave her friends at the Junkyard, her feelings changed when she saw her mother's face light up at the prospect of a break. "What about Nursery duty?" she asked calmly.
"I have no doubt that Jenny will keep everyone under control until you're gone. Besides, she'll have one less youngster on her paws."
Electra released a long breath of air. "Can I go say goodbye to my sister, and Victoria?"
Jellylorum nodded. "I'll speak to your father myself. Don't you worry."
She waited until Jellylorum disappeared, then climbed in the trunk of the automobile, listening:
"I'm not going to punish you for wanting to know more about Macavity, but you must promise me that you won't do anything like that ever again." Demeter's voice was muffled, but her words were still understandable despite the stuffy trunk. Electra smiled, grateful that the smallest Jellicle wouldn't be subjected to any punishment.
"I won't speak to him again, I promise."
Jemima always kept her word.
Electra scrambled out of the back of the automobile. Although it was probably meant to be a punishment of sorts, she was glad to be going back home to the family. At least she didn't have to worry about dancing practice with Jenny!
"Oh, there you are!" a soft voice drifted to the female's ears. Victoria danced her way over to the other cat, beaming. "How was your first day?"
Electra chuckled oddly. "You're not gonna believe this..."