Chapter 21 – The Power of a Name

Demeter raced down the warehouse she had long become familiar with, going the long way back to the twin's den. She had been in this domain for weeks turned into months. Each day, she was meant to go to Macavity's den. (She didn't know what he would do if she didn't.) But most often, she would simply stay by his side, being his company as she had done before when they were in the tribe together. He never made a move to harm her, do anything to her, and since she could no longer be his alibi for him, she could only wonder what his intentions were for bringing her here. But today, he made his intentions clear. And she wanted nothing to do with it.

As she raced across the warehouse, tears streaming down her face, she remembered a few incidences in which he seemed almost normal. There were times her would talk to her about things he otherwise deemed pointless (though it was rare for this to happen). Sometimes, it seemed she was just there to relax him with her presence. But there was one incident that she remembered being exhausted from the tribe's goings on, and dared to drift off to sleep in Macavity's presence. She thought it was a dream, but she felt him brush his paw against her head. His presence felt close the entire time, her eyes closed to it all, but she could feel him staring at her. The ginger cat hardly gave off his normal scary aura, but felt instead exhausted, sad, and pitiful. Demeter felt like crying in what she thought was a dream.

When the queen arrived back to where the twin's den was, there were a few cats staring at her, smiling to one another. The queen felt the need to scratch their faces, but wouldn't dare do that again. She was far outnumbered. So she simply walked past them, trying to keep her tail perpendicular, while the others chuckled as though they were going to do something to her. She tried not to let their intimidation get to her, but found herself racing into the den either way.

She was hardly safe there yet, as it would be a while before Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer come home. They had things they needed to do, as they explained to her in those first few days of latching on to one or the other, begging them not to go. Rumpleteazer finally had to take her aside and explain to her that she couldn't go with them, but as long as she avoided one scenario or the other, she should be fine.

But Demeter knew the cats that wished to do harm to her always knew where to find her. They seemed to smell fear. In the morning, they often chased her out of her own adopted den. The only time they left her alone was when she was close to Macavity's den. There was one incident where Macavity actually witnessed a cat picking on Demeter. Before that cat knew it, he was thrown across the room. He got up and limped off, as not to take any more of Macavity's wrath. And while that impressed Demeter and made her give a sigh of relief for a moment, the fact that she had Macavity's backing only seemed to make them hate her more. And it didn't help when the ginger cat would "lecture" her not unlike a scary father to his frightened child, about becoming one of the tribe.

Kittens threw things at her. Toms would harass her. But queens seemed the most annoyed. They took to slashing at her when she walked by. Her nerves were always on end, and as she sat in the barrel of the twins, waiting for a poke or a jab or a scare to come her way, she took comfort in a nervous habit of licking at her paw.

This habit seemed to derive from another habit she had long done away with. On nights when she first had hope, she would repeat the name over and over in her head. "Munkustrap…Munkustrap…Munkustrap…" but he would never come and save her. None of the Jellicles would come. (That thought in itself made her cry herself to sleep most nights). So her prayers turned into a nervous chant, and that chant soon dissolved into a nervous licking at her paws. She was becoming furless on her left paw and arm…

She had even more to worry about now. She just waited for the moment Macavity would come to find her and drag her away, forcing her to be his mate. He was bound to…she knew he would…she knew it.

After what seemed to be forever (but in actuality was only a few hours), Mungojerrie entered the den, smiling behind him to his sister. He then stopped cold at seeing Demeter. "Demetah?" Mungojerrie asked, shocked. "What's wrong?" He dropped his bag of loot and raced over to her side. Rumpleteazer peeked in before putting a paw over her mouth and racing over to the queen.

"Stop that," Rumpleteazer said, worried. "Look at your paw. You're gunna lick it raw!" The tabby forcibly pulled the gold and black queen's head away from her paw. "What 'appened to you? You look awful! Did one of the cats do somethin' to ya?"

Demeter nodded, but knew the two could hardly do anything to help. They could never face Macavity. "I need to go home," she said. "I can't take it anymore. I need to go home. I want my family. I want my friends. I want my sister. I need…I need…I need…" the two tabbies curled up close and hugged the frightened queen. Demeter was grateful someone cared. Not like her family at home…wait, she shouldn't be thinking that way. She missed them! She did… "I need my collar," she said finally.

The two tabbies looked at Demeter in surprise. It wasn't something the queen expect herself to say, but once she did, she realized how much she missed it and how much it meant to her. She needed her collar. She felt so naked without it. "Please. Let's go to Griddlebone. I know I can get it back! I know I can."

The brother and sister looked at each other. Mungojerrie was trying to look innocent to his sister, in a way that made sure to tell her, "It wasn't my idea!"

Demeter sat in Griddlebone's den, her collection of pretty things now overflowing. On her neck was the collar that Demeter came to get. She was still wearing it after all this time? It was hardly that glamorous… "What do you want?" Griddlebone seemed to speak with more bite in her voice than the last time she saw the little queen. She seemed to pity Demeter, but hate her at the same time. (She was very used to that look from the nonviolent ones in the tribe.)

"I came to get my collar back," Demeter said. Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie were on either side of the queen, Rumpleteazer glaring while Mungojerrie seemed excited by seeing a card game again. Griddlebone tossed back her head and sighed, showing off the collar on her neck.

"What exactly do you plan to barter with, kitten? You don't even have the fur on your paws anymore, let alone something I would want in exchange for your trinket." Demeter stared at the queen who was smiling arrogantly at her. She could almost feel the hate emanating from the white Persian's body. But that didn't stop her from being right. Demeter had nothing in this tribe, not even an ounce of respect.

"I'll bet my collah," Mungojerrie said proudly, quickly taking off his star and diamond decorated collar. He smiled over to Demeter, but when he looked up to Rumpleteazer, she was giving him an admonishing look.

"Thank you," Demeter said, feeling a twinge of guilt. She did have something after all… But Griddlebone clutched onto Demeter's collar, staring at the tabby tom's collar with a look of longing in her eyes. Though it was ratty and worn, it had cuter decorations on it, which surely had Griddlebone's mouth watering.

But she shook her head, peeling her eyes away from the collar. "I happen to like this collar, Pumpkin. You have to do better than that."

"My name is Demeter," said the queen with a more forceful voice than she realized she could muster.

" 'ow about my collah, too?" Rumpleteazer offered, looking over to her brother for support.

"What makes you think I want a collar for a collar?" Griddlebone asked, throwing Mungojerrie's collar back to him.

"Aw, come on, Griddlebone," Mungojerrie said, tossing his paws in the air. "It's not like you've got anythin' to lose. I was 'er collah to begin with!" But the white Persian turned her body and looked off, pretending she hadn't heard the tom. Letting out a sigh of frustration, the tabby tom took out a pearl necklace and placed it down on the table. Griddlebone's eyes lit up while the two other queen's jaws dropped.

"Where did ya get that, Jerrie?" Rumpleteazer asked, astonished.

"Oh, ya know…around." He turned to the white queen and smiled mischievously. "What about now? Looks pretty good, huh?" Griddlebone seemed to be waging a war within herself, absentmindedly pulling at the collar on her neck. She was practically salivating.

"No," she said, finally, forcing herself to look away. The three betting cats looked stunned. "The little kitten bet her collar, and now I have it. She has to do without it."

"It's DEMETER!" said the queenn, shooting up, her eyes glistening with tears. Griddlebone looked at the queen a surprised look. "I let the other cats push me around because I'm not as strong as them. But I won't let a fraud steal from me. All you know how to do is gamble, and frankly, I don't know why you're here. To trick other people? I don't care. But I'm not going to let you get away with it with my collar. That's my name. My memory. My name is Demeter. Not Kitten. Not even Pumpkin. My mother gave me that name, if nothing else, and I'm proud of it. And I won't let you steal it away."

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer shuffled their feet at the discomfort in the room just then as the two queens stared each other down. (All this over a spiked and jeweled collar that named a cat after a squash?) But Demeter knew that even though they had met only twice, they shared a lot of history. This came down to a fight that had nothing to do with ownership.

"Fine," the white Persian finally said, signaling Mungojerrie to put the necklace down. She then took off the collar, keeping close to her side of the table. The queen then shuffled the cards quickly and dealt them out. "You know, Macavity only wants you here because he doesn't know what he wants himself." Demeter would have loved to tell the queen to shut up, but she was more intrigued on hearing what she had to say. So as the game went on, Griddlebone kept talking, as was her way. "But no one wants you to be here, least of all you. The only one who wants you here is the one cat who can't let you go."

Demeter looked up in shock at the queen, but the sour expression on her face told her she would say nothing more of that. "Seventeen," Griddlebone said as Demeter showed her cards. "While dealer has Twenty! Guess that means you lose!" She grabbed up the collar in a big show, and then reached over to grab the pearl necklace.

This was her chance. Reaching over quickly, the black and gold queen ruffled the volumous fur around the white queen's neck. Cards flew out of the unsuspecting cheater's coat, along with quite a few gold coins and small jewels. The white queen squealed, covering herself as though she were just stripped naked. Again, Mungojerrie yelled, "I KNEW IT!" Rumpleteazer pointed at the queen in shock, then began laughing her head off.

"You little brat!" Griddlebone yelled before snatching up the aces, kings, queens, and jacks she kept hidden in her fur.

Demeter found herself smiling while Rumpleteazer patted her on the back, saying something about revealing a cheater. Mungojerrie was yelling something at Griddlebone about giving all his things back. But Demeter had something else in mind. She grabbed up the deck of cards and forcefully put them into Mungojerrie's paws. "Check them," she said quickly, before turning to Griddlebone. "One last game, high card wins. But if I win, you have to give back my collar and all the things you stole from them."

"They stole all their stuff to begin with," The Persian reasoned, glaring at the queen. Demeter glared back. "Oh, come now, you think that after dealing day after day with Macavity, I would be scared of you?" Demeter continued to stare at Griddlebone. "FINE! But WHEN I win, you have to stay away from me and Macavity. And I not only get to keep your collar, but get the collars of your two friends here."

Demeter opened her mouth to respond, but stopped herself, thinking it was probably best to ask the opinion of the two tabbies. But she didn't need to. At the same time, the duo placed their collars on the table. Demeter looked up at the two in shock, but Mungojerrie simply handed back the cards. "Good luck, love." He said. Rumpleteazer nodded in agreement.

The two queens faced each other, both taking in deep sighs. Rumpleteazer went over to the white queen and checked to see if she had any more cards hidden. She found three more cards, two diamonds, five rubies, one sapphire, two rings, seven gold coins, and an earring missing its pair. (Demeter saw Rumpleteazer gingerly sneak the sapphire away.) The Jellicle took a shaky breath before grabbing a card. She looked at it at the same time as the other two did before they all bit their lips. "Seven," Demeter announced, showing it to Griddlebone.

Griddlebone smiled, before grabbing a card out of the deck. She held it up with pride. Then her face fell. (And if it was possible, it went even whiter.) The twin tabbies had placed themselves behind the queen. Rumpleteazer grabbed the card as Mungojerrie screamed, "WE WON!"

"It's a TWO!" Rumpleteazer smiled, jumping up and down. Griddlebone sat back down, looking far less graceful than she usually did. "So sorry, love," Rumpleteazer said. "But it looks like frauds make their own luck because they 'ave none of their own."

Demeter grabbed up her collar from the queen and rubbed it against her cheek before putting it on proudly, as the twins claimed what was there. Griddlebone was glaring at the queen, but Demeter didn't care. For the first time in a long time, she was smiling with reason. "Don't worry," she said to Griddlebone while the two were preoccupied. "I don't plan on going anywhere near you two again." Griddlebone considered the queen for a moment, before sighing and waving her off.

"That was great!" Rumpleteazer was placing things around her den. "I was wonderin' where this was! Jerrie, why did ya give up my winter vest? This is so snuggly warm." She purred as she nuzzled the vest. Mungojerrie was too busy tossing up one of his favorite cat toys he had given up in a bet. "This calls for a celebration!" With that, Rumpleteazer raced out of the den without saying goodbye. Demeter was a little annoyed when she did that, but the queen tabby often had the best of intentions.

Mungojerrie raced over to Demeter and nuzzled her, surprising the queen. "Do you know 'ow long I've been waitin' to get this back?" He chuckled to himself as he tossed up a mouse-shaped catnip toy, catching it in his mouth, leaning back and purring. "I'll nevah let ya go again, Colonel Squeakers."

While she was glad she could finally pay them back for what they had done for her, she was also felt very sad. She knew she couldn't stay here any longer. She didn't want to leave her two new friends, but she knew it was now or never. While planning her escape in her head, she could see all the ways she would get caught, and could see the horrors that awaited her. For a moment, one brief moment, she saw Munkustrap jumping into the rescue, carrying her off in his strong arms, and she would be safe again in her Jellicle tribe.

Then tears began to run down her cheeks as she pushed the thought out of her mind. What was she thinking? They hadn't come at all for her. Not even a sighting…not one word. And she had no idea where she was. The only way she could see escape now was through the death she foresaw in her future. Pushing away that thought, another thought crept into her head, and suddenly she felt so betrayed. Her life shouldn't be ended by this tribe. Her tribe should fight for her. Bombalurina should be here to comfort her. Munkustrap should have found a way to rescue her.

Then Demeter wanted to kick herself for being so weak, that she could never defend herself. She had always thought someone would be there to defend her. Of course not. But it seemed that someone would always be there to abandon her. She just didn't expect it from those she considered family. How could they just leave her here?

"Demetah?" Rumpleteazer had come back in, and had placed food in front of the queen. Mungojerrie shot up from his post catnip euphoria and looked around, puzzled. "What are ya cryin' for? Ya got your collah back. I brought ya your favorite! I stole it thinkin' of you!"

"They won't come," Demeter said, tears streaming down her eyes from where her train of thought had taken her. Mungojerrie got up quickly and closed the entrance to the barrel so the other cats wouldn't see her cry. "They abandoned me. I was supposed to be safe with them. I trusted them. But they won't come."

"What? You're friends? Maybe they just don' know you're 'ere!" Mungojerrie offered.

"She said he would come for me," Demeter sobbed, trying to stop this ridiculous crying. But she couldn't help it. She had tried so long to keep from thinking too much about what had happened to her, what she had seen, what she was trapped in, but now everything was hitting her hard, and it seemed her life had long fallen apart. "If I just called for him... I was so naïve. I thought I was safe." The queen curled up in a ball and shook with sobs.

"Well," Rumpleteazer didn't know what it was to have friends, just her brother. So this was all new to her. What to say, what to say… "If they aren' coming for ya, we'll keep you safe. You can be like the our sistah! Huh, Mungo?"

"I wanted that food." Mungojerrie said absentmindedly, reaching for the food in front of Demeter. Rumpleteazer pursed her lips and snatched it up.

"It's fo' Demetah. She'll eat it when she's ready!" Rumpleteazer liked this thought of having a sister. "Don' worry, love. Macavity can only do so much. He's really a coward takin' ya here. Everyone else joined because they wanted to. Well...sometimes. Why'd he bring ya here anyways?" (That was the question of the day…)

But Demeter seemed to already have fallen asleep. "Poor thin'," Rumpleteazer whispered, covering the queen up in a blanket. "She's not doin' well, Mungo."

"Is she sick?" the other cat whispered, a look of surprise in his eyes. "Cause I don' wanna catch it." He backed away from Demeter.

"No," Rumpleteazer said, throwing a balled up piece of paper at her brother. "An' yes. She's heartbroken. Her family abandoned 'er." Rumpleteazer petted Demeter, who seemed to startle at the touch. Rumpleteazer whispered an apology at the exhausted queen, but Demeter laid her head down and closed her eyes, quickly going back to sleep.

"We know what that's like," Mungojerrie said softly, taking Demeter's food and looking it over. He then sighed and put the food back down. He wasn't hungry anymore. Rumpleteazer made a soft sobbing sound, before crawling over to her brother, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. She rubbed up against him, laying her head against his fur. "It's ok, sis. You're safe to cry in 'ere." Rumpleteazer bit her lip, but a few tears managed to trickle down her cheeks and onto Mungojerrie's coat.

After a long quiet, two siblings laying against each other as though they were the only things that would hold the other up, Rumpleteazer hoisted herself up and sighed. "We should take 'er back, Jerrie," Rumpleteazer said decidedly. "She's bettah there than she evah would be 'ere."

"What about Macavity?" Mungojerrie asked louder than he meant to. The sound of the name made the cat curled in the corner spasm before relaxing again. Rumpleteazer gave her brother a scolding look to which he apologized softly. "But 'e'll kill us if we take 'er away!"

"We don' need 'im to survive anymore, Jerrie! We only came 'ere cause we were too young to take care of ourselves. Now look at us! We're the best thieves in the 'ole tribe! An' she needs us, Jerrie." Mungojerrie looked at the queen who was unlike any other cat he met in his life in Macavity's tribe. She was sweet, gentle, and too honest for her own good…A fair contrast to the ginger cat in question. But if he was going to try and leave her to the dregs of the tribe, then neither Mungojerrie nor Rumpleteazer could stand by and watch that happen. She was not about to mold to the cat Macavity wanted her to be, and was surely about to break.

"Tomorraw," Mungojerrie said to his sister. Her eyes lit up with excitement and anxiety. "Tomorraw we'll get 'er out of 'ere, and nevah come back again!" Rumpleteazer squealed with excitement before making herself calm. Then the two looked around their den. They had a lot of work to do to get all their stuff out that night…

A/N: For those of you wondering, it will mainly focus on Demeter now. Um...I can't say anymore, because I would give it away.

Demo: ((hugs)) You made my day with that review! And yes, that's what my friend said about villains as well. They're my favorite, aside from "Hey, I'm here to hurt you" villains. I was bred on anime, though, so it comes second nature, heh.
Satin: If you speak nice of Macavity, I have done my job and I can rest in peace! And again, I can't answer any of your questions... ((ducks from the beating she will get))
TigerLily: I've set a pace for my updates, and it's only when I have tests coming up that I stop and think "Oh, catnip, I have to study AND put up my chapter?" I don't know why I hold myself to this obligation...I feel guilty when I don't.

Don't forget to review!