According to Gus, the best singer to have ever graced the Jellicle tribe was Eurydice. If you had asked any member of the tribe about her now, one would find that few know of her at all. But for those that can recall her mesmerizing voice, her deep brown gaze, her free spirit, they would say that she had left the world a remarkably worse place than when she entered it. This, of course, through no fault of her own.

Eurydice was born to Augustus and Geraldine, the only surviving kit of their fourth litter. While she had many older brothers and sisters, there were few playmates of her age. The kit's talents manifested young, for it was said that she was an adept singer by just six months and a talented one by eight.

She found a friend in Grizabella, later to be known as the glamour cat. Like Eurydice, Grizabella displayed a tremendous talent for vocal performance. But even more so, she yearned for a life on the stage, not for just herself, but for the both of them. It wasn't enough to be praised and adored by the tribe. Didn't the world deserve to hear their voices?

The two friends soon grew into two queens, and drew the eye of none other than Old Deuteronomy himself. Whispers ran abound, for the Jellicle leader had not taken a mate in many decades. The two queens must have really been special indeed.

He decided on Grizabella in the end, she was considered better looking than her companion, and her jubilant personality outmatched Eurydice's tendency towards shyness.

Grizabella knew she couldn't reject an offer from Old Deuteronomy and agreed to matehood. She, along with Eurydice, seemed the only ones unpleased with the arrangement. As mate to the Jellicle leader, she had certain duties to uphold, responsibilities to perform.

Eurydice, starving for her friend's company, began to spend more time wandering outside of the junkyard. She still yearned for greatness, for a stage in which to display her voice to the world. She couldn't help but be jealous of her friend, who had enraptured the clan with both her personality and appearance. After all, Old Deuteronomy had chosen Grizabella over herself. Little did she know that the glamour cat envied Eurydice in return, for she was free to pursue her own interests, and not bound to a mate she didn't love.

Several moons had passed before Grizabella announced her pregnancy. The tribe was exuberant, for she was carrying Old Deuteronomy's heir, and he would surely succeed his father when the day came. Little fanfare surrounded Eurydice's pregnancy however, which had occurred at the same time. It would be impossible to know if the queens had planned it this way, or if it was simply coincidence, but they were both pleased to experience this stage in their lives together.

Neither of them desired to be with child, thinking it quite an interruption in the pursuit of fame and glory. But Grizabella knew it was her duty to provide her mate with an heir, and found her current state to be of necessity to cement her position. Unlike her friend, Eurydice was tight lipped on who the father of her litter was. Rumors began to spread, accusing her of colluding with an outside force, of disloyalty, of treason.

Grizabella stuck by her friend through all of it. They slept side by side through the harshest nights, through the frequent sickness that left Eurydice unable keep down food for more than several hours. She had gotten frailer the last couple of weeks, withering away to the point of being unable to stand. It was as if her body was punishing her for putting it in this state in the first place.

When labor finally came, neither Queen was prepared, nor did they quite know what to expect at the end of it. Grizabella gave birth first, just as dawn began to break. She carried within her a single tom, a handsome kit with a light grey coat and dark tabby stripes. His father was pleased, naming him Munkustrap. That was a name fit for a future leader of the tribe.

Eurydice did not have as easy as a time. Her body was weakened by lack of nutrients and every contraction was emotionally and physically crippling. Blood began to pool beneath her as the fellow Jellicle queens tried to force the kit from his mother before irreparable damage was done. It was dusk before her son was finally born, the second tom-kit to join the tribe that day. But Eurydice was not done yet. A second kit was born, a small she-kit with the same ginger coat as her brother. But she was born dead, her eyes would never open. It wasn't long before Eurydice followed in her daughter's pawsteps.

Eurydice's death affected the entire tribe tremendously. She was buried the same day, alongside her daughter. The secret of her kit's parentage had died with her. They named the tom-kit Macavity, and he was taken in by the other queens to raise.

It was Grizabella who took the news the hardest. The glamour cat could rarely be seen outside her den after the death of her dearest friend. Her tom-kit too suffered from his mother's lack of attention and was soon looked after primarily by the other queens.

She spent more and more time away from the tribe. Like her friend, the outside world intrigued her. The junkyard was restraining, limiting. The world was grand, and Grizabella felt the strain of being tied down to a place she felt a diminishing connection to after her only friend had passed.

Her second pregnancy was harder than her first. The rumors began to spread, questioning the legitimacy of the kit's paternity. For the glamour cat had spent many nights away from her mate, with no one to verify her whereabouts. Old Deuteronomy shut down the whispers immediately. Grizabella was his mate, the mate of the Jellicle leader, and should be treated as such.

It didn't help that the kit looked nothing like his older brother. His fluffy golden mane stood out in contrast to Munkustrap's pale gray tabby coat. Her older son took to his younger brother immediately, something Grizabella could not say for herself. She had never bonded with her eldest child, and even now, he looked at her through the eyes of an acquaintance, not of her flesh and blood.

She didn't find herself caring much at all. Motherhood never suited her, it was more a requirement of her position. She wanted to be a star. She wanted her friend back. They were going to raise their children together, but Eurydice had left.

It took all too long for Grizabella to realize that she should have left as well.

And so she did.

#

Munkustrap was tired. The walk home was as long as it was painful. Hours of digging through hardened, compact soil took a toll on his paws, which left them bruised and bloody. He dug the hole as deeply as he was able, not wanting the kit to be found by scroungers and rats. The poor thing didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve any of this. Did he even have a name? A family? Munkustrap sighed, continuing his trek.

Everlasting cat, he was tired.

It was mid-morning by the time he reached the junkyard. Many Jellicles were still asleep. Others chose to spend the day with their owners. This was certainly okay with him, less cats to look after and less cats to look at him. Him and his sad, bloody paws. What he really wanted was sleep, but that would have to wait given the circumstances.

He made his way to Jennyanydot's den, hoping Alonzo and the kit made it back alright.

"Oh, dear," the tabby queen said when he entered. "You look a right mess."

"Did Alonzo..."

"Of course." She pulled some gauze out from her drawer, and reached for his paws.

"Now sit down and let me wrap them," she said firmly.

"Where is he?"

She flicked her tail towards the corner of her den where the black and white kitten lay asleep, swaddled in blankets.

"Poor thing must be exhausted. He hasn't woken up yet, not even to feed."

Munkustrap winced as she tightened the gauze around his paws. Immediately he could see red stains bleed into the fabric.

"You've really done a number on your paws, you know."

"Soil was hard," he mumbled.

A moment of silence passed before he spoke again.

"But how is he, Jenny? I mean health-wise?"

The tabby queen shrugged.

"He's slightly malnourished and looks to be suffering a bit from exposure, but that seems to be all."

She finished wrapping his paws before discarding the unused gauze.

"It is amazing, really. Alonzo indicated that he had spent many hours outside in these conditions."

"It seems to be that way, yes."

Jenny shook her head.

"Unbelievable," she murmured, mostly to herself. "He must be something special."

"The twins...they came to me early this morning," Munk started. "They seemed to think that something was wrong...or, I don't know. They weren't specific. Just that I should check outside the junkyard. I can't help but wonder if this kit is what they were sensing. And if so, why? Don't get me wrong, abandoning a kit is cruel, but it isn't entirely uncommon. Why this one specific kit?"

Jenny sighed. "I don't know. You're asking me questions that are outside my capability of answering. Perhaps you should ask them when you have the chance?"

Munk nodded.

"I will. Though I doubt I will get a concrete answer out of them."

"Regardless," Jenny said. "At least he is safe. In the end, that's all that matters."

Munkustrap stood up and made his way towards the kit. He was shivering slightly, even though he was covered in blankets. Munk curled himself around the small tom, hoping he could draw from the larger cat's body heat. It seemed to work as the tiny tux's breathing evened out and the shaking stopped.

Jenny smiled.

"You are very good with them, you know. Have you considered having any of your own?"

Munkustrap chuckled softly.

"With who?"

"Oh, I can think of a few viable candidates, dear. Actually, since we're on the topic, I know for a fact that Demeter..."

"Jenny!" Munk hastily cut in. "Honestly, I don't have time for kits. Or for a mate. I have enough responsibility as it is already."

He looked down at the tuxedo kitten snuggled in his side.

"And anyways," he said, stroking the kit's soft fur. "All kits are my kits in a sense. I'm in charge of making sure that they are safe and protected."

"That doesn't mean you can't make time for yourself," she responded gently.

He found he didn't have an answer for her.

Several moments passed and the grey tabby could feel his eyelids drooping. Staying awake was getting harder by the minute as his exhaustion was catching up to him.

"Hey," Jenny said sternly. "It's okay to sleep for a bit, you know."

"I have responsibilities..." he protested.

"That can wait. Now sleep."

If circumstances were different, he probably would have argued more. But he was too tired to even do that. He laid his head down with the tuxedo kit still curled against him.

"Jenny?"

"Hm?"

"Wake me up in an hour."

He could just make out a vague grunt of acknowledgement before sleep overtook him.

#

He was awakened by the sound of persistent mewling and the touch of tiny paw prints along his spine.

Munkustrap opened up his watery eyes, having to immediately squint to block the sunlight that filtered through Jenny's den before he was blinded. His little companion was very much awake, now finding interest in batting his long tail.

How long have I been asleep?

It was clearly much past noon, just based on the sun's position in the sky.

"Hey," he said gently when he saw his tail had now found its way into the kit's mouth. "That's not a toy you know."

The tiny tux blinked innocently at him before acquiescing and spitting it out.

"Mhmm. That's what I thought. You know you can only get away with this because you're still young enough to."

Munkustrap grabbed the kit by the scruff before giving him a wash. The kit squirmed beneath him, mewing in protest.

"I know you don't like it," the Jellicle protector said in between licks. "But you don't want to be dirty, do you?"

"You can do with a wash yourself, you know," Jenny said as she re-entered the den.

Munkustrap raised his eyebrows.

"Thanks for waking me up," he said dryly.

"Not a problem, dear," she responded, not missing a beat.

She set down a wooden bowl with what looked like milk beside the two toms. The tiny tux wriggled out of his grasp as he leaped towards the bowl and lapped the milk hungrily.

Jenny smiled.

"Good. I was hoping his appetite would return to him soon. He's such a small thing and has a lot of catching up to do."

"Where'd you get the milk?" Munk asked.

"Bustopher Jones. He supplies it to me for Victoria. Poor child isn't weaned yet but there are no other queens to feed her."

Munkustrap nodded sadly. Victoria was Bustopher's niece. Her mother had died suddenly, and the rotund "cat about town" had no experience or interest in kit-rearing. He had left his niece with the tribe, telling them she would be better off. Munkustrap couldn't disagree. Bustopher still held some affection for Victoria however, bringing her small trinkets and toys. The other kits anticipated his visits as well, hoping he would bring them some rice pudding from one of his clubs.

"I suppose we should introduce him to the other kits," he said, watching the tuxedo tom continue to lap fervently at the milk.

"I've tried that, I'm afraid. While you were still out. He pitched a fit. Refused to go in."

Munkustrap's eyes widened.

"Why?"

"I'm not sure, dear. It just looks like he was spooked by unfamiliar cats. Both Jelly and Demeter visited as well, and he refused to go near them."

"So...what are we going to do?"

The kit finished his milk, purring contently.

"He can stay with me for now, until we find a more permanent solution. But before we do anything, I think you need to give him a name."

"Me?"

"You found him. It's only right."

"Jenny...I don't think that's a good idea."

The tabby queen paused, crossing her arms.

"And why not?"

Munkustrap shrank under her scrutinizing gaze.

"It's just...I can't think of anything."

"My dear, that is the worst excuse I've ever heard."

But it's not false.

"I'm going to return this bowl to the nursery, and by the time I get back, there will be a name for this kit. Do you understand young tom?"

"I...uh..."

"Good. Shouldn't be long."

And with that, she left.

Munkustrap let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Leave it to Jenny to tell the Jellicle protector, son of Old Deuteronomy, what to do. He couldn't help but chuckle. He held nothing but respect and admiration for the tabby queen, for she was the closest thing he had to a mother. But she could be terrifying when crossed.

"Alright, little one," he said, picking the kit up. "What are we going to name you?"

Predictably, the kit didn't respond, letting out a soft squeak.

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to work."

He groaned, racking his brain.

Jonathan? No, much to formal.

The kit escaped from his grasp yet again, and began to chase a ball of yarn that Jenny used for her knitting projects.

"She's not going to be happy that you're unwinding her yarn, you know," he warned, trying to hide his amusement. The ball of yarn was larger than the poor kit. It was certainly a sight to see.

The kit, unsurprisingly, ignored him as he continued to play.

Percy?

No. That name was bad luck, no matter how you looked at it.

He sighed.

"Adonis, Adrian, Zeus, Zenon, Bruno, Snowball..."

He was just listing every name he knew, whether it be friends, family, or even strangers.

"Isaac, Pepper, Rudolf, Tiberius, Quinn, Axl, Hugo..."

The kit turned around, ears pricking.

Munkustrap stopped.

"Did you like that? Those last three were the names of the cats that lived with me at my human's house."

The kit tilted his head.

"No, I don't suppose you know what that means. It's where my collar came from," he said, pointing to the band around his neck.

"They're gone now, unfortunately. They were rather old when I first moved in. See, I'd like to name you after them, but it doesn't seem right to pick one over the other two."

He paused briefly, an idea formulating in his head.

"Unless..."

He bent down towards the kit, who was now uncharacteristically still.

"What about Quaxo? It's...well it's a combination of all three names. And I think it suits you. A unique name for a unique kit."

The kitten padded over to the grey tabby, nuzzling him.

"So I take that as a yes then?"

He purred.

Munkustrap smiled.

"It's settled then. Welcome to the tribe, Quaxo."