Again, this was GOING to be the last chapter…but it's not…maybe next time!
Cassandra followed at a slower pace. She knew she had to stay with Coricopat and Tantomile, but she was reluctant to tag along everywhere. She didn't even know these kittens, not enough to care much about what happened to them, at least while she was still having her own dilemma. Alonzo could just save them from whatever they'd got themselves into, and then she could go to the Junkyard and get this night over with. This "emergency" was badly timed, to say the least, and she was getting sick of the whole thing.
I could just leave, a voice whispered inside her head. I could sneak away now. I wouldn't have to put up with tonight's humiliation – and probable out-casting.
No! Cassandra steeled herself. She had her pride, but she would not run away, be a coward. She'd face up to what she'd brought about, and prove that Munkustrap was right to give her a second chance.
"Cassandra, hurry!" Tantomile's voice drifted back to her, and she ran to catch up. They had reached a loading yard where pipes were being put onto a barge by use of a small crane. Cassandra hated the noise of engines and flattened her ears to block the noise a little.
The small tortoiseshell kitten looked like she was close to hysterics, waving at the pipes as she gabbled something to Alonzo. Cassandra's interest rose a little. This was a dangerous place for kittens. She took a few steps closer to listen.
"…they're in the pipe! They'll be shipped away!" The kitten cried. Alonzo was horrified. How could he save them? Their pipe was already on the barge.
"Look!" A voice from behind. Alonzo turned and saw Cassandra there, pointing at something. Instead of snarling at her, which was his first instinct, he looked. The gangplank was being lowered and a human dressed in work clothes began to walk up it. Alonzo knew there wasn't much time. He raced down the dock and padded up the plank, eluding the worker's notice, and ran to where the pipes were being loaded at the end of the barge.
"VESTA! SYBIL!" He yelled over the noise of the engines. He heard a tiny answering mew, and saw Vesta peering out of one of the pipes.
"Alonzo!" She cried happily and rushed out, followed by Sybil. They leaped to hug him.
"We knew you'd save us," Sybil said faithfully. Alonzo gave them a brief hug, then turned.
"Hurry, we have to get back," he said and led them down the deck. Then he froze, horrified.
"NO!" He cried. But it was too late – the gangplank was raised. Their escape route was cut off. He knew there was no way they could leap to the jetty, and they'd fall into deep water with vertical walls stopping them from climbing out. Alonzo thought fast.
"We'll have to ride back on the crane," He told them and ran towards the concrete pipes. He knew they'd nearly finished loading. They had to go back right away, or they'd be shipped to who knows where.
Sybil was too small to be able to jump up the pipes, stacked like giant stairs. Vesta could just scramble up the cliff-like obstacles, and Alonzo carried Sybil up. Finally, exhausted but at the top of the pile, they waited for the next pipe to come across.
"When it drops, we must leap to the top and straight onto the claw before it swings back. I'll hold you both, but you must grip as tightly as you can." He told them. They nodded, fear widening their eyes, and Alonzo tensed himself for the spring as the next pipe came over.
CRASH! It landed.
"NOW!" Alonzo yelled, and taking Sybil he jumped up to the claw, Vesta scrambling up after him. They clung to the metal, Alonzo managing to balance his feet on a bar just before it moved. Both kittens screamed as they were swung violently over the water. Alonzo had Sybil around the waist with one arm, but needed his other to keep his balance, or they'd both fall. He couldn't hold Vesta without letting Sybil go.
"Just hold on, Vesta!" He called to her, keeping the near-panic from his voice. They were so high, and right above the water…the crane jerked. Alonzo lost his balance, pushed Sybil onto the metal.
"Hold ON!" He cried, plummeting towards the still, oily water. Two terrified faces watched him fall. Alonzo just had time to see the crane swing them over dry land before he hit the water with an impact that almost knocked him out.
Which way was up? His semi-conscious mind was suddenly shocked into overdrive by the cold water, and panic overwhelmed him. There was nothing a cat feared or hated more than being in water, and drowning was generally agreed to be the worst way of dying.
I don't want to die! He thought, thrashing, trying to find the surface. Oil on the water made everything dull, and his fur weighed him down. Jemima…his mind filled with her image, her beautiful face, her child-like sparking eyes…he thought he felt her brush against him, her soft fur caress his cheek…bright spots danced in front of his eyes…he breathed…
Cassandra's head broke the surface. Forcing back her panic at being surrounded by water, she wrenched Alonzo's head above. The black and white tom's eyes were closed. Fighting to keep him up, Cassandra couldn't tell if he was breathing. He'd been under an awfully long time…her own body was pushed under water by Alonzo's dead weight. She needed to breathe…she had to let go of him to gasp a breath.
"HELP!" She shrieked, and felt the splash of another cat going in before she went under. Swimming underneath Alonzo, she pushed him to the surface. Needing to breathe again, she saw Tantomile's face beside her.
We must drag him to the side. Cassandra barely noticed that Tantomile didn't speak aloud. Coricopat will pull us out. Cassandra didn't waste breath on agreeing, but sunk her claws into Alonzo's shoulder and began swimming backwards. Beside her, Tantomile did the same. Fleetingly Cassandra hoped Alonzo would forgive her for the deep scratches he would have. Luckily the side wasn't too far away, for Cassandra was exhausted already and Tantomile was never a strong queen. Coricopat watched anxiously from the edge, a thread of common sense stopping him from leaping in and saving his beloved twin, for if he went in, nobody could get them out again.
Tantomile! He called to her, and felt her reassurance in his mind as the two queens pulled Alonzo to the side. Coricopat reached down and grabbed the tom's paws, struggling with strength he didn't know he had to drag the soaked tom out of the water. He hauled him over the edge, his haste more born for anxiety for his sister than for the unconscious Alonzo. She was much lighter than him and Coricopat could have cried with relief as he pulled her out and bent over her anxiously.
I'm fine! Get Cassandra! She told him, coughing water from her lungs. Coricopat leaped back to the edge and caught hold of Cassandra's paws, dragging her onto the side before turning back to Tantomile. She, however, had recovered and was crawling over to Alonzo.
"He isn't breathing!" Coricopat said, horrified. Vesta, who had been watching the whole drama with Rosita, started. She had seen a cat almost drown before, and had watched the tribe's healer wake him…
"Vesta!" The twins both said in shock as she lauched herself onto his chest with a thud. They couldn't imagine what she was doing, but then Alonzo jerked violently, then coughed up a remarkable amount of water before drawing in a large shuddering breath and opening his eyes.
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Later, everything was explained to Jemima. Cassandra would have suffered through yet another lecture if Jemima hadn't been too grateful to her for saving Alonzo to care about what she'd done so many weeks ago.
When Alonzo had got over his submerging and Jemima had contented herself by licking him completely dry, they began to discuss what the twins had told them.
Alonzo's main feelings had been anger, more about how they'd hurt Jemima, because of his need to protect her. Now, he was more confused than ever. He couldn't feel angry at the queen who'd just saved his life. Although she couldn't have done it alone, he'd have drowned if she hadn't helped. Jemima was sad and worried that Cassandra had hated her so much, although she could see her point of view in the issue and still felt a little guilty. But she didn't want to be angry with Cassandra now.
They had refused to go back with Coricopat and Tantomile right away, saying that they had a tribe now and couldn't just desert them. However, they'd attend the meeting at midnight.
"How d'you think they'll take it?" Alonzo asked.
"I don't know. The Jellicles are proud. They hate to be tricked, and Cassandra has led them all astray. They'll be ashamed of themselves, and that will encourage them to turn against her. But what she did for you tonight might change their minds."
Alonzo went red under his fur. He was embarrassed about the whole affair. He was the leader of this tribe, but he'd ended up being the one needing saving. At first he'd been rather proud of being the dominant tom, but now that he'd experienced caring for a whole tribe, he knew that the responsibility was much greater than he'd ever realised. And the Jellicles were three times the size of their little group! His respect for Munkustrap had increased dramatically.
"Let's push for her staying," he suggested. "It's a bit clichéd, but after all she did redeem herself today. And you know, I don't think she'll do anything like that again. She was definitely sorry when she apologised."
"Yes," Jemima agreed. "Of course, we'll try to let her stay. But what shall we do about our little tribe?"
Alonzo looked at her. Her beautiful face showed little emotion, but he knew she still missed the others sorely. And he was beginning to doubt if he was even old or experienced enough to lead a tribe of kittens.
"I think that the kittens would like the Jellicles," he said carefully. "They'd have lots of new friends and playmates. They'd get better care – we're no match for Jennyanydots's mothering and healing. And there's no lack of fun. I miss the Jellicle Balls." He said honestly. They had one every night the moon was full. The biggest and most important ball, of course, happened only once a year, the one special night Cats could feel the holy spirit among them, and reach out towards the Heaviside Layer.
Jemima sighed and nodded.
"Me too," she said. "I'd love to become part of the Jellicles again. There's too many kittens and not enough adults around here. It'd be nice to talk with girls my own age again."
"Then it's settled," Alonzo said. "Tonight, we'll try to persuade them to let Cassandra back. Then we'll ask Michel if he wants to join, and take the kittens to meet their new 'family'."