Chapter 5
Morning came, and Macavity couldn't sleep any more. The adrenaline rush from anticipation kept him awake, but it didn't really bother him, since he used to run on very few hours of sleep when he was a criminal. He got up gently, without disturbing Bombi, and checked on everyone else. Demeter was sleeping, which was good for her, and he couldn't hear any light mewing, which meant to him that his son was also sound asleep. He walked over to where Sophline was sleeping, and just stood by her bedside, watching her sleep. As he quietly watched his sleeping daughter, he reflected on the day she was born.
It had been 9 months since Bombi had left the tribe and moved in with him. They were now living in happy marital bliss. One day, Mackey came home from his usual job of stealing food. As he came into the shack, he noticed something was amiss.
"Bombi? Where are you?"
As he called for her, he heard a painful, weak voice call out his name. He went into the next room, and saw his mate laying on the floor, curled up into a ball, in obvious pain, a puddle next to her. With one simple blink, he knew what was happening: Their kitten was ready to enter the world of the living.
"Everlasting Cat, Bombi!" Mac shouted in irritation, "Why didn't you call for me? I would've heard you, since I was only 2 blocks away!"
Bombalurina was in too much pain to speak and her mate's anger at not being called when in need was quickly forgotten. With his help, 40 minutes later, their new kitten was born. A queen, whose fur was a wonderful blend of Macavity's ginger red, and Bombi's crimson red, plus her face was a beautiful snow white, with the same white also on all of her paws and the tip of her tail. She also had streaks of black all over, making her an almost perfect mix of Bombalurina and Mac. Together, the couple lounged on the bed, their new daughter wrapped snugly in a blanket. Mackey couldn't help but smile, and gently moved his finger over the little kitten's face. The meek queen cringed and lightly covered her face, which had the red queen that was her mother smile broadly. She gently rubbed her head against her daughter, and purred gently. Before long, the little newborn joined her mother in purring.
At that moment, nothing could seem to come between them. Their world now only composed of the trio that was now together. They were now a family.
"What do you think we should call her?"
Bombalurina glanced at her mate, then at her daughter, "I'm not sure. There are many names I could call her," She thought for a long time before answering, "What about Sophline? She was my great aunt, and I knew her for a little bit before she died when I was just a kitten. I really liked her."
Mackey had no response, just a nod, "That sounds fine. Sophline."
Almost as if it was a dream, he suddenly awakened. He was still standing by Sophline's bedside, and she was still sleeping, only the dark of the night was disappearing, and being replaced by the light of the new day. He quietly left the little queen's place of slumber and went into the kitchen. Demeter had just started to awake.
"How are you feeling now?"
The gold and black queen shrugged, "Better, I guess. I'm surprised that I was able to sleep like that. Exhaustion, I guess."
The ginger tom nodded, "It was good for you," That was all that he could say, no more. It was still awkward for both of them. A sudden meek mewing echoed through the shack. Demeter quickly glanced at Macavity, who just sat quietly, unconcerned. Before she could ask him why he was just sitting, and not checking on his son, she heard a light groan, and saw her sister walk out of her room and head to the cardboard box that held the couple's son.
"Shh, shh, love. It's all right, Mommy's here," Bombalurina soothingly spoke, "You look like you had a good night's sleep, didn't you?..." Demi was stunned, Mac just smiled.
"It's always been the same. The slightest bit of crying from him and she wakes up right away, like he's an alarm clock or something like that."
Demeter nodded and gave a slight chuckle, amazed that her sister could be able to do something like that. Before long, Bombi, holding the family's son, and Sophline all came for breakfast. It was a very quiet affair again, and finally Bombalurina broke the silence.
"When do you think we'll leave?"
Her ginger mate glanced up for a moment then quietly spoke, "Probably as soon as we are done eating here."
Little Sophline's ears perked up, "You mean, we are going to the junkyard?"
Mackey nodded, "Yes, hon. We are going."
The red kitten squealed with delight, "I can't wait! Can we go now? Please?"
"Could we?" Bombi corrected her, "and not just yet. We have to finish breakfast first."
The result was some quick eating from the young queen and constant begging afterwards. Finally, after the others were done eating, it was time. Macavity led the way, with Bombi walking behind carrying Jendangen, and Demeter next to her with Sophline. The walk seemed to take longer than usual, and as they neared the junkyard, Mac could feel the evil coursing through him, and he knew that they were near. At the last corner, they could see a pile of garbage that led to the junkyard. At that moment, there was no one scouting the area. Macavity turned to Demi.
"All right, this is it. You go over that pile and into the junkyard. Undoubtedly, Draconic will try to do something to you, but don't worry at all. I won't let him harm my sister-in-law. Trust me. I'll be right behind you."
The gold and black queen nodded, and started shaking in anticipated fear. She managed to swallow her fear briefly, and slowly climbed over the pile. As soon as she disappeared, Macavity sighed and glanced up at the overcast sky, a hint of a storm in the air, and closed his eyes.
"Everlasting Cat," he muttered, "Please use your guiding paw, and lead me into this fight with no fear. Blessed be the Cat that teaches my paws to war, and my fingers to fight," With that, he turned to his mate, and held her in his arms for a moment, before gazing into her eyes.
"I love you with all my heart," he said quietly.
"I know you do. As do I," the red queen responded. The couple had a short, but passionate, and heartfelt kiss. Sophline giggled slightly, and as soon as they separated, the ginger tom scurried over the pile as well. Bombalurina quietly sat and waited, holding her confused daughter, and infant son, waiting. She was going to wait until the fight was about to begin, then she would come to the junkyard, as she wanted to see Mackey fight, rather than sit back here, worrying herself to death about whether he was living or not. She had heard about humans, and how their families had to stay home while their particular loved ones went to war, not knowing from one day to the next whether they were alive or dead, and she didn't want to experience it herself. So she waited…
Demeter quietly went over the garbage pile, and could easily see the junkyard. There was a foreboding feel to the sight, and it was an unpleasant feeling, yet she continued on. She was now very close to the junkyard, and as soon as she could see the old, rusting car, she could head towards it with no one seeing her. But one loose piece of garbage fell away under her paw, and she was unable to keep her balance. She tumbled down the slope of the pile, and after what seemed like an eternity, she felt the hard impact of the ground as she landed on her back. It was a low blow to the ego, since Jellicles were always supposed to land on their feet, but that mattered little in the next instant.
A big, black paw reached down and grabbed her throat, pulling her up and level to his face. Demeter could barely react before she was eye-to-eye with one of the tyrant's henchcats.
"Well, well, well. Look who decided to return," the tom spoke with a sinister gaze, "Rubanton will be delighted to see you again," With that, the tom carried the gold and black queen to the junkyard. Demeter was now scared to death. She was trapped and she was about to experience Rubanton's, or actually, Draconic's wrath, and there was no escape.
The plight in the junkyard was terrible. As a result of the dictator of a cat's abuse, Jemina and Rumpleteaser were both now pregnant, and many of the other cats were in very bad shape as well. Victoria was in the worst mess after being forced to lick up all of Plato's blood, and she was now on the verge of a breakdown. At Jennyanydots' insistence, Coricopat and Tantomille agreed to hide her with them to remove the pure white queen from all the stress occurring. The black and grey tyrant tom was no longer abusing any queens, but now his henchcats were getting into the act, which didn't help anyone's situation at all. Even the toms couldn't escape, as there was a trio of henchcats that were homosexuals, and now many of the Jellicle toms were nothing more than barely breathing, unrecognizable masses of fur. Alonzo had finally regained full consciousness after his blow to the head, but Jellylorum confirmed that he had a major concussion, and may had his skull slightly fractured, and only the Everlasting Cat knew if he would ever be the same again.
The junkyard was surprisingly quiet, as no abuse had been inflicted on any of the cats yet. Everyone was sitting in small groups, all fearing for their lives. All of a sudden, one of the henchcats came into the junkyard with a queen in his paw. Everyone immediately recognized her as Demeter, and they all just watched as the tom called out, "Bring out Rubanton! It's most urgent!"
It took a moment before the black and grey tom came out of his niche, with a curious look on his face, "What is it, Almanza?"
"Sir, I have brought you a gift, which I found near one of the garbage piles," With that he carelessly tossed Demeter at Rubanton, and she landed at his feet. Before she could even get ready to pull herself up, his paw reached out and grabbed her headfur, pulling her up to meet his eyes. She screamed lightly in pain.
"So, you thought it would be fun to just run off for awhile, eh? Well, you are about to find that that is a very bad idea," With that, he threw the gold and black queen onto her back, and he immediately knelt on top of her. With an absolute fear in her eyes, she realized that he was going to rape and beat her right in front of everybody, to set an example, and she struggled hard to keep him at bay. One of the Jellicle toms shouted out, "Hide the kittens! Don't let them see!" Demeter could see her daughter, Catalina in the crowd, being held by Cassandra, Munkustrap trying to help his mate, but was held back by some of Rubanton's henchcats. Everyone was shouting in panic, and Catalina was screaming the loudest, "MOMMY! DON'T HURT MOMMY!"
Demi kept struggling, but a sudden slap to her face caused her to freeze. With that pause, the black and grey tom, separated her legs, and got between them. She started begging desperately for mercy, "Please…please don't hurt me…"
"You are about to learn an important lesson, you Jellicle bitch! In my tribe, you never, EVER, try to run off!" He was just about to violate her, and penetrate, when a loud, sharp, angry voice shouted out, which had everyone, including Rubanton, go shock still.
"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!"
Rubanton growled and backed away slightly from the prone queen, "Who said that! Identify yourself!"
A shadow near the tyre revealed the mystery cat's location, and his voice was heard, confident, and slightly cocky, "Oh, just like you, I'm identified in many ways, and many names, Rubanton. Or should I call you…Draconic?" This had the tyrant's eyes widening in anger and he stood up.
"THAT NAME NO LONGER EXISTS! ONCE AGAIN, I DEMAND YOUR NAME!"
The shadowed cat once again spoke. Many swore that they could recognize the voice, but they weren't sure, "Like I said, I'm called many things. The Bafflement of Scotland Yard, The Flying Squad's Despair, The Napoleon of Crime… The Hidden Paw."
The last one had him frozen stiff. That last name he knew too well, "You…you are…"
The shadowed cat finally came out of the shadows, and revealed himself, "That's right. I am…Macavity."
Everyone in the Junkyard gasped, not believing that it was him! Munkustrap was stunned more than any other. The ginger tom looked almost exactly like he did years ago, when he was still in the tribe. His ginger fur was slick and shiny, his whiskers evenly combed. It was almost like a time warp. Rubanton, or actually Draconic, was now amused.
"Macavity? Well, for the reputation you get, you look pretty well groomed for a criminal."
Mac grinned lightly, "Some things change."
"Yes, but some things don't. I know who you are Macavity, not because of your crimes, but what you did to me years ago! You attacked my brother, the real Rubanton, and he ended up dying because of you!"
Macavity tilted his head in confusion, "Your brother? I couldn't have, unless he…" He suddenly realized who that cat was and what he did, "HE WAS THE ONE THAT KILLED MY FAMILY!" (Macavity Chronicles, Chapt. 4)
"Because they lived in OUR home! We grew up there! And your little snobbish family stole it from us! Well, we decided that if we can't live there, no one can. They deserved it!"
This had Mac getting very angry, and he could start to feel the Dark Magic taking power, but he managed to keep it in check, "That's it! You've done enough! I'm here now to take this tribe back!"
The black and grey tom grinned, "Well, you'll have to beat me to get it! And since I will finally kill the cat that killed my brother, this victory will be much sweeter!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Macavity closed his eyes and concentrated. In his mind, he notified his Dark Magic self, "It's time to do your job."
Yes, sir.
The ginger tom started shaking from pent up anger, brought on by Draconic's taunts of Mac's family. Finally, after a long wind-up, he finally threw his head back and roared. A huge burst of energy flew out from him in the form of a strong gust, throwing many back. Several windows shattered, and some swore they could see many heavy objects get tossed several feet. Macavity's fur started standing on end, his claws and fangs grew longer, his head fur turning into a straggly mane, and the white on his face was replaced by black with red lines. When his head settled back, he was once again in his classic image of The Hidden Paw. Many of the young queens screamed, and almost all of Draconic's henchcats cowered back. Only the tyrant himself stood firm, though his heart skipped a beat.
It was now going to begin, the fight for the Jellicle Tribe.
Whew! My longest chapter yet! And the next one may be longer. I probably won't get much done until next week, but I will be putting in bits and pieces. This was once again a way of interconnecting my stories together. Now Macavity, Rubanton, and Draconic have come full circle, well almost.
Bombalurinasara: Great Job so far! Keep it going!
I am also writing now my two Star Fox fanfics: Future Reforms, and The Lylat Renaissance, and those should be out by the end of the month, hopefully! I got so many story ideas, I don't know where to start! But I will get all of them typed up and sent out onto this site. I also hope to finish out the Macavity Chronicles, though I will wait for Bombalurinasara to continue Flames Within before that happens. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and get ready for a lot of magic fighting, next!
