A/N: Holy crud, I just realized how long it's been since I updated this. Sorry, but I've been having severe writer's block issues. And, prepare to see magic done my way...I'll explain it in a later chapter. Oh, one more thing...in my little world, the Jellicle population is somewhere in the 150's. Remember that.

The evacuees cautiously left the junkyard. Thirty minutes had passed since Munkustrap had issued his orders in preparation for the oncoming battle. Demeter wondered how long it would be before the fighting broke out. Days? Hours? Minutes? The safe-house was at the harbor. It was an old ship, by the name of Lady Macbeth. There were plenty of rats to catch, but the damp weather of the ocean made staying there miserable. They had just gotten out of sight of the junkyard when they found themselves surrounded by four cats. No, Demeter corrected herself, one cat and three nightmares. The elders circled protectively around the kittens, who were too scared to move.

"Come quietly and you will not be harmed." the grey cat spoke quietly.

"And should we refuse?" Plato asked nervously. He was standing in front of Kumori.

"You die." Devilkin said, as though it were obvious. The stalkers moved in closer, lusting for a fight. One of the older cats, Darken, stepped forward, hissing. He lept at Devilkin, claws unsheathed. He was caught in mid air by one of the stalkers, who snapped his back like a twig. Dropping the lifeless form, the stalker advanced on the others. Demeter, Kumori, and Plato took over guarding the kits as the old cats rushed forward. That seemed to distract the other two stalkers, and they joined in the fray. Within ten minutes, all 36 of the elders were either dead, or bleeding to death. Demeter was glad that Old Deuteronomy had stayed behind in the Junkyard. Looking around for Plato, she couldn't find him anywhere. A muffled cry for help solved that problem. She and Kumori turned simultaneously to see Devilkin holding Plato hostage, one claw near his throat.

"You wouldn't." Kumori said, narrowing her eyes.

"Macavity never said to keep this one alive." Devilkin said, drawing his claw closer to Plato's throat. Kumori looked from Plato to Demeter, back to Plato, and finally resting on Demeter, pleading for her to do something to save him. Sighing, Demeter lowered her eyes, and her shoulders dropped.

"What do you want?" She asked in a small, defeated tone.

"It's not what I want, it's what Macavity wants. Follow me." Devilkin threw Plato to the ground. Kumori rushed to his side to help him up. The kittens, who were too shocked to move by the massacre around them, were stuffed cruelly into sacks by stalkers. Kumori, Plato and Demeter walked close together as they began their trip back to the junkyard. It would be a long one.

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Munkustrap stood on the highest junk pile, watching the large group of evacuees far after they had left his line of sight. He wondered if he had made the right decision to send them away.

"I told you I would be back, little brother." a cold voice said behind him. "I was quite glad you evacuated some of the Jellicles. It made it so easy for me to get Kumori. And that bitch of yours wouldn't tell you I was here." the voice laughed. Munkustrap whirled around. Macavity was right there, smirking.

"What have you done to them!?" Munkustrap roared.

"That depends on them. If they come quietly, they won't be hurt in the least. Well, maybe a little psychologically, but nothing serious. But if they fight, well," Macavity shrugged. Then putting his thumb and index finger in his mouth, Macavity whistled. "I'm sure Rumpleteazer filled you in about my newest creation."

Munkustrap watched in horror as Macavity's entire army of stalkers, led by Doppleganger, filtered into view from wherever they had been hiding in the junkyard. That was impossible! He had set guards all over! The Jellicles dropped like flies before the stalkers. Unsheathing his claws, Munkustrap turned his attention back to Macavity.

"Come now, are you really going to fight me, rather than save your precious tribe? Do you think that by killing me, you'll stop the stalkers? It won't. They're trained to serve my command until I tell them to stop. You have two options: either you fight me and let the rest of the tribe perish, or you can go down and help them."

"You're a bastard, you know." Munkustrap hissed as he started to descend the junk pile.

"I try." Macavity laughed. He watched the bloody massacre below with great amusement. He had truly created the perfect fighter this time. Already a large amount of the Jellicles were dead, and only 6 stalkers could be seen dead. Macavity had just begun to get bored when he felt Devilkin's presence coming up from behind.

"You're late." Macavity said, completely unemotional. He kept his back turned to Devilkin and his prisoners.

"Sorry sir, the old fools decided they wanted to die. So I let the stalkers have their fun with them."

"The others?" Macavity asked, his back still turned to them.

"Not a single hair has been misplaced."

Finally turning around, Macavity faced his captives. Looking at each one of them, he assessed their likelihood of attack. Demeter was expressing utter terror. Kumori's eyes still blazed with fury and revenge, but Macavity could tell she had learned her lesson from last time, and wouldn't attack. Plato was upset that he couldn't protect his queen. Macavity walked over to Demeter, taking great enjoyment in her shaking.

"Fridays are still good for me." he whispered in her ear. Demeter's breath caught in her throat. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide with shock, staring into space. It looked as though she were watching her past. Kumori and Plato grabbed by the arms as Demeter's legs gave in. "It's all up to you, Kumori. Come with me willingly, and the rest of the tribe will be spared. Fight me, and they will die." he smiled at Kumori, his fangs gleaming.

"What about Demeter?" Kumori quietly asked, tears streaming down her face and onto the ground. She and Plato gently set the paralyzed Demeter down. Looking up, she found Macavity standing right in front of her, a little too close for comfort.

"What about Demeter?" he said maliciously, as if Demeter was the last thing he cared about. "I've got different plans for her, depending on how she acts. But you, pretty one, you'll be my special queen."

Kumori backed away from Macavity quickly, just as a snarling Plato tackled him. He used his momentum to pin Macavity.

"Get away from Kumori!" Plato yelled, emphasizing each word with a puch to Macavity's face. Macavity laughed.

"That almost hurt." he said as he punched Plato in the stomach, forcing Plato to roll off of Macavity and double up with pain. This galvanized Kumori into action, and she tackled Macavity. They went over the edge of the junk pile, a height that would kill any cat even if they did land on their feet. Although the ground was looming ever closer, Kumori couldn't help but notice that Macavity was perfectly calm during the fall. And then there was nothing. Everything around Kumori went black, and it became colder than any winter could possibly get. It chilled Kumori to the bone in a second, despite her thick fur. Just as soon as the cold blackness had enveloped Kumori, it was gone. She was back in the junkyard, but safely on the ground instead of falling. It took Kumori a full 15 seconds to realize that the thing she was holding onto for dear life was Macavity. She tried to get away, but Macavity caught her.

"As I said before, the choice is yours. Do you want everyone to think of you as a hero for saving the tribe? Or are you selfishly going to stay here, let all your friends and family die, and be branded as a coward for all eternity? Can you live with that guilt, knowing you could have saved the tribe from their deaths?"

A/N: Oh, I think I'll leave you there, to ponder over what just happened. If any one of you three have read Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider's of Pern series, you already know what happened. LOL.