Sorry for a bit of confusion. The first few chapters took place before the
Jellicle ball of Grizabella. This chapter takes place right before Macavity
returns as Deuteronomy.
~**Chapter three( What a fight reveals**~
Bombalurina and Demeter stood back to back under a barrage of frightening noises. They had just finished describing to anyone listening everything Macavity stood for. The noises surrounding them froze them into a type of stupor for they knew if they moved, Macavity would know where they were.
They slowly looked at each other and relaxed, the clamorous fear having passed. Suddenly, Old Deuteronomy emerged from a dark corner in the junkyard and moved towards them slowly.
The rest of the cats appeared form their hiding places to mob Deuteronomy as he ambled his way to the center of the yard. Demeter was one of the first to touch his shedding pelt and as soon as she did, she knew something was once again amiss. Deuteronomy caressed her neck under her chin and she was certain.
"Macavity!" she screeched, the hair on her back rising. She hissed and turned to flee but the rest of the Jellicle tribe was in her path. She heard that unmistakable laugh and felt wind on the back of her neck as Macavity unveiled himself. He grabbed her around the waist as the rest of the Jellicles ran in fear.
"NOOO!" she screamed. Macavity threw her over his shoulder and turned to run. He did not get far for in his path was Munkustrap and a little farther back, Alonzo.
"You are actually going to fight me?" he asked the black striped cat.
"I promised I would," Munkustrap answered nobly. Demeter pushed herself off Macavity's shoulder and landed painfully behind him. She was helped off to the side by Mistofolees and Victoria. He didn't try to stop her, but rather sprinted in Munkustrap's direction, colliding with him.
Demeter cowered in her youngest sister's arms, feeling cowardly about running from her former love. She watched in terror as Munkustrap fought Macavity, the latter not faring as well as she hoped.
It was not until a blow cut Munkustrap across the face that her heart gave a stutter like an old car and flared to life. Macavity sent Munkustrap across the yard, the defeated skidding to a halt. He was wounded but a few toms were tending to him. Alonzo was facing off with Macavity and Skimbleshanks leapt into the fray, landing a beautiful kick to Macavity's side, sending the Napoleon of crime flying. There were cheers coming from various niches in the wall of junk near the old bungalow as Macavity stumbled to his feet and tripped off into the night.
Demeter watched him as he fled and realized he wasn't finished yet. He ascended the adjacent junk pile and sprang into the air, his powers of levitation being uniquely his. He grabbed a hold of two abandoned car jacks and knocked them together, causing a great explosion. In the flash, Demeter could see that the cords attached to the metal jacks were also attached to the power lines bordering the junkyard. The lights went out with Macavity's laugh falling in a decrescendo menacingly until no sound could be heard.
Demeter left Victoria's gentle purring and scampered over to where Munkustrap lay curled in a ball of pain. She shooed the other toms aside and began licking his wounds. She thought he was unconscious and bent over him, whispering apologies.
"It's my fault that you're hurt," she purred into his ear. "I'm so sorry, Munkustrap. Please don't die." A tear fell from her eye onto his shiny coat. His breathing had become more labored.
She closed her eyes and hoped that he would make it. She thought she felt him fading when a sandpaper-textured tongue grazed a scratch on her cheek. She opened her eyes to find Munkustrap staring up at her with a moonlit gaze. She hadn't felt it but she was bleeding from a cut on her face. He cleaned it as she stopped up the wounds on his side.
An awkward moment came when he finished with her face and pulled back just enough to stare her in the eyes again. She looked up from his wound and noticed that they were but a few inches apart.
"There was no need to apologize," he whispered to her, the space between them threatening to close. "I told you I would protect you at any cost." He closed the distance and their mouths met. Demeter felt whole once again, for the space left vacant by Macavity had just been moved into by the wounded Munkustrap.
Etcetera, Victoria, Electra, and Jemima giggled as the two continued, oblivious to those around them. Tugger had a grin on his face that could have lit up the yard again if he wanted it too. Of course, he knew a better way of relighting the place.
(He then goes into his song about the magical Mr. Mistofolees in which both the lights and Old Deuteronomy are restored)
~}~}~}~}~}~}~}{~{~{~{~{~{~{~
The Jellicles watched in wonder as Grizabella ascended the stairway to the Heavyside layer. Demeter opened her eyes even wider as she witnessed the old cat leaving and she smiled up into the mist, her face becoming one beautiful light in a see of shining Jellicle faces.
As Grizabella disappeared into the mist and the stairway faded away, not to be seen until the next year, Demeter felt a strong arms around her waist. She turned her glass green eyes in the direction of the arms' owner and met the eyes of Munkustrap once again.
"Yes," she purred in utter contentment. He smiled and rubbed his haunch against her shoulder. She was going to live with Munkustrap in one of the old bungalow rooms, far away from her old home under the rubbish pile.
She blinked as thoughts of the pile came to her mind. Macavity, of course, was part of these thoughts but there was something else. She thought of the entrance to the pile and a cry entered her mind, filling her with terror. Macavity's wild face flashed across the back of her eyes and she almost cried out.
She opened her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them, to find Munkustrap and Tugger staring at her from above. She must have dropped to the ground when she triggered the memory.
She watched blankly while Tugger looked at his brother and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You'd better make her forget Macavity fast, if you know what I mean."
Munkustrap gave Tugger a look that said plainly 'Watch it.' Tugger ignored the look and went to terrorize Bombalurina, which seemed to be his latest hobby. Munkustrap helped Demeter to her feet and apologized for his brother's impudent remarks.
They arrived at the back window of the bungalow in a few minutes, making it through the shattered glass by leaping from the top of an old bureau.
As she snuggled against the warmth of Munkustrap's chest, Demeter thought to herself, 'Finally, I'm home.'
~**Chapter three( What a fight reveals**~
Bombalurina and Demeter stood back to back under a barrage of frightening noises. They had just finished describing to anyone listening everything Macavity stood for. The noises surrounding them froze them into a type of stupor for they knew if they moved, Macavity would know where they were.
They slowly looked at each other and relaxed, the clamorous fear having passed. Suddenly, Old Deuteronomy emerged from a dark corner in the junkyard and moved towards them slowly.
The rest of the cats appeared form their hiding places to mob Deuteronomy as he ambled his way to the center of the yard. Demeter was one of the first to touch his shedding pelt and as soon as she did, she knew something was once again amiss. Deuteronomy caressed her neck under her chin and she was certain.
"Macavity!" she screeched, the hair on her back rising. She hissed and turned to flee but the rest of the Jellicle tribe was in her path. She heard that unmistakable laugh and felt wind on the back of her neck as Macavity unveiled himself. He grabbed her around the waist as the rest of the Jellicles ran in fear.
"NOOO!" she screamed. Macavity threw her over his shoulder and turned to run. He did not get far for in his path was Munkustrap and a little farther back, Alonzo.
"You are actually going to fight me?" he asked the black striped cat.
"I promised I would," Munkustrap answered nobly. Demeter pushed herself off Macavity's shoulder and landed painfully behind him. She was helped off to the side by Mistofolees and Victoria. He didn't try to stop her, but rather sprinted in Munkustrap's direction, colliding with him.
Demeter cowered in her youngest sister's arms, feeling cowardly about running from her former love. She watched in terror as Munkustrap fought Macavity, the latter not faring as well as she hoped.
It was not until a blow cut Munkustrap across the face that her heart gave a stutter like an old car and flared to life. Macavity sent Munkustrap across the yard, the defeated skidding to a halt. He was wounded but a few toms were tending to him. Alonzo was facing off with Macavity and Skimbleshanks leapt into the fray, landing a beautiful kick to Macavity's side, sending the Napoleon of crime flying. There were cheers coming from various niches in the wall of junk near the old bungalow as Macavity stumbled to his feet and tripped off into the night.
Demeter watched him as he fled and realized he wasn't finished yet. He ascended the adjacent junk pile and sprang into the air, his powers of levitation being uniquely his. He grabbed a hold of two abandoned car jacks and knocked them together, causing a great explosion. In the flash, Demeter could see that the cords attached to the metal jacks were also attached to the power lines bordering the junkyard. The lights went out with Macavity's laugh falling in a decrescendo menacingly until no sound could be heard.
Demeter left Victoria's gentle purring and scampered over to where Munkustrap lay curled in a ball of pain. She shooed the other toms aside and began licking his wounds. She thought he was unconscious and bent over him, whispering apologies.
"It's my fault that you're hurt," she purred into his ear. "I'm so sorry, Munkustrap. Please don't die." A tear fell from her eye onto his shiny coat. His breathing had become more labored.
She closed her eyes and hoped that he would make it. She thought she felt him fading when a sandpaper-textured tongue grazed a scratch on her cheek. She opened her eyes to find Munkustrap staring up at her with a moonlit gaze. She hadn't felt it but she was bleeding from a cut on her face. He cleaned it as she stopped up the wounds on his side.
An awkward moment came when he finished with her face and pulled back just enough to stare her in the eyes again. She looked up from his wound and noticed that they were but a few inches apart.
"There was no need to apologize," he whispered to her, the space between them threatening to close. "I told you I would protect you at any cost." He closed the distance and their mouths met. Demeter felt whole once again, for the space left vacant by Macavity had just been moved into by the wounded Munkustrap.
Etcetera, Victoria, Electra, and Jemima giggled as the two continued, oblivious to those around them. Tugger had a grin on his face that could have lit up the yard again if he wanted it too. Of course, he knew a better way of relighting the place.
(He then goes into his song about the magical Mr. Mistofolees in which both the lights and Old Deuteronomy are restored)
~}~}~}~}~}~}~}{~{~{~{~{~{~{~
The Jellicles watched in wonder as Grizabella ascended the stairway to the Heavyside layer. Demeter opened her eyes even wider as she witnessed the old cat leaving and she smiled up into the mist, her face becoming one beautiful light in a see of shining Jellicle faces.
As Grizabella disappeared into the mist and the stairway faded away, not to be seen until the next year, Demeter felt a strong arms around her waist. She turned her glass green eyes in the direction of the arms' owner and met the eyes of Munkustrap once again.
"Yes," she purred in utter contentment. He smiled and rubbed his haunch against her shoulder. She was going to live with Munkustrap in one of the old bungalow rooms, far away from her old home under the rubbish pile.
She blinked as thoughts of the pile came to her mind. Macavity, of course, was part of these thoughts but there was something else. She thought of the entrance to the pile and a cry entered her mind, filling her with terror. Macavity's wild face flashed across the back of her eyes and she almost cried out.
She opened her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them, to find Munkustrap and Tugger staring at her from above. She must have dropped to the ground when she triggered the memory.
She watched blankly while Tugger looked at his brother and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You'd better make her forget Macavity fast, if you know what I mean."
Munkustrap gave Tugger a look that said plainly 'Watch it.' Tugger ignored the look and went to terrorize Bombalurina, which seemed to be his latest hobby. Munkustrap helped Demeter to her feet and apologized for his brother's impudent remarks.
They arrived at the back window of the bungalow in a few minutes, making it through the shattered glass by leaping from the top of an old bureau.
As she snuggled against the warmth of Munkustrap's chest, Demeter thought to herself, 'Finally, I'm home.'